living the uber life

I sure wish I was getting paid for all the driving I've been doing.  I'm not complaining (honest), but for the sake of documenting our lives, I'm going to catalogue this weekend's drive time:

• Friday after work
• pick up girls, drive to Sara's volleyball practice, then drive home
• a little while later, drive Sara to movie theatre to meet a friend (and his mom, don't worry)
• a little while later, drive back to movie theatre to pick up Sara
• Saturday
• wake up early and drive Sara to her volleyball game, then drive home
• a little while later, whole family drives to Emma's soccer game, and then home
• a little while later, whole family drives to Sara's soccer game, and then home
• a little while later, drive Sara to a birthday slumber party
• Sunday 
• get up early and drive to grocery store
• a little while later, drive to pick up Sara from birthday party (45 minutes away)
• *right now* sit for a few minutes
• in a little while, drive Emma to birthday party (take Sara with me)
• leave Emma at birthday party to take Sara to Brownies
• go back to birthday party to get Emma, then go back to Brownies to get Sara
• buy more gas

Halloween Fun

I'm of the mindset that Halloween should always be on a Friday or Saturday.  Definitely not a Monday.  Nevertheless, even though going to bed last night was hard - and waking up this morning was harder - we had a fun Halloween!

 After debating on various designs, we went for classic jack-o-lanterns this year.  Steve and Sara separated the seeds from the goo, and we all enjoyed baked pumpkin seeds.

 On Monday, Sara had book character day at school.  She went as Ramona Quimby.  Emma didn't get to dress up for school, but she did wear her Halloween shirt under her dress and also had a "cheetah face".

 Ready for trick-or-treat!  Emma was Sky from "Paw Patrol" and Sara was a police officer.

 They had to come home and sort through the haul before collapsing.

Now I'm feeling like the holiday season is really upon us ... lots more fun ahead!

Night at the Museum

Last night, Sara's Brownie troop participated in the Perot Museum's Spooktacular Sleepover.  After school, we drove downtown with our sleeping bags and toothbrushes, ready for a night of fun (to be honest, I wasn't super ready ... I was coming off of 5th grade camp and really just wanted to sit on the couch, but I put on my big girl pants and tried not to yawn a lot).

We entered the museum just before 7:00.  After we checked in and dropped off our stuff, we started visiting the various booths.

 Sara tested out ghost bubbles and then watched a pumpkin explode.  That was a big hit!

 After a little while, we were free to roam all four floors of the museum.  Around 10:00, they showed "Hotel Transylvania" in the theatre, and we watched for a bit when we needed a rest.  However, Sara was determined to finish the scavenger hunt we were challenged with upon arrival, so she and I took off to explore the rest of the museum.  This isn't a great pic, but she loved standing among the stars and planets in this exhibit.

 The night ended with a Monster Mash dance party, and then Sara chose to sleep on the third floor with the rocks, minerals, and gems.   Lights out was just after midnight. The floor was pretty hard, and I woke up every so often feeling very old (complaining to myself about hip pain and things of that nature), but we made it through the night.

 After a muffin (Sara) and a little coffee (me), we were feeling revived - and a little silly - when they kicked us out just before 8:00 this morning.

Although this was a troop event, everyone sort of wandered in different directions, so Sara and I had a lot of time just the two of us.  It was so fun to watch her explore, dance, play, and just be a happy kid.  She's already not all that interested in me much anymore, so I'm grateful for these opportunities that allow us to just enjoy being together.

Book Talk

I recently read two books that my sister loaned me.  To be honest, I didn't really love either one, but I felt committed to finishing once I started.  The thing is, I think they are both probably really good books ... I have just been too tired and absent-minded to enjoy them.  So although that all doesn't sound very promising, I'm still putting them here because I think both stories could be pretty enjoyable.

 On Canaan's Side is told by Lilly Bere, and 85-year-old woman who has just lost her grandson, the last family member she has.  As Lilly mourns, she recounts her life, which has been marked by war, love, loss, and attempting always to find home.  Many interesting characters walk in and out of her life over the years.  This book was well-written, and while I tuned out in parts, I enjoyed the ending.  It was a good mix of history and modern-day.

The Hundred-Foot Journey, which is also now apparently a movie, is about a boy from India whose family experiences loss and is forced to travel to find a new place to plant roots.  Once they do so, they are nearly forced out because of the competition their restaurant brings to a high-brow town in France.  Hassan loves to cook in the restaurant, and through a series of events realizes that he's a very gifted chef.  This story follows him to the height of his career.  Again, I tuned out parts (especially the names of French dishes), but I can see how, if I had read this during a more relaxing time, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

"Don't just read the easy stuff.  You might be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it."

Jim Rohn

a few recent pics

For those of you who come here to see the girls ...

 

Sara has enjoyed learning more about volleyball.  I can tell at each game and practice that she's getting better.  

 Last Sunday, it was stormy all day, so we baked!  Unfortunately, I think I did most of the consuming of said baked goods.

 Emma was so excited to have homework one night last week.  She had to write (trace) her address and draw a picture of her house.

... more later!

playing catch-up

Here I am again, playing serious catch-up.  Life has been good-busy.  Sara was thrilled to be the first Star Student in her class this year.  She came home and started digging through photos for her poster.  I'm so glad she's had a fantastic start to 2nd grade!  So proud of this girl.

 Emma was excited to bring cupcakes to school to celebrate her birthday with her friends.  She's quick to tell us how certain kids at school don't follow the rules because they "are still 3-years-old."  In the Pre-K world, 4 is a big deal.

 The girls enjoyed making and decorating Emma's birthday cake.  Lots of pink frosting ...

 ... and a few sprinkles to go with it. 

 Emma's actual birthday was on a Saturday, so after a long week of waiting while packages were delivered, she woke up bright and early Saturday morning to open her presents.

 She got right to work!

 We spent Emma's birthday evening cheering FC Dallas to a win!  There is a "super fan" crowd that attends every game; they have instruments, chants, the whole nine-yards.  We were seated just two sections away from them, and about half way through the game Emma was asking to go stand by them.  Sara offered to take her over, and they enjoyed standing on the bleachers dancing with the crowd.  Steve went over at one point and Sara basically shooed him away.

 And here she is just being too cool for the rest of us.

 As of last weekend, the temps were cooler (you know, 70's in the morning, low 90's by mid-afternoon), so the girls and I decided to go ahead and breakout the Halloween decor.  Why keep it up for one month when you could have it up for two?!  We made time for decorating between games, girl scouts, and grocery store.  Sara joined a volleyball team with friends from school this fall.  So far they've only had a scrimmage, but she seemed to like it and even made contact with the ball!

After volleyball last weekend, Emma went to a princess birthday party for a friend from school.  I had to send my sister this picture because we have gotten a lot of mileage out of this Snow White dress.  Auntie and Adam bought it for Sara when she was 2!  Sara was a such a sweet big sister and helped Emma carefully dig through the princess dresses to put together this lovely ensemble.

 Emma was thrilled to see Elsa and Anna at the party.  They had a sing-along and did hair and nails.  Emma and Elsa bonded over their yellow hair.

 Football season is here and we love it, even though our team is terrible and is already 0-2.  We had family fun (if losing can be considered fun) at an alumni game watch last weekend.  We'll always be proud Cyclones.  It's so fun to have a large alumni group right in our own city!

My school year is going well.  I LOVE my school and community, and I absolutely feel I ended up in the right place.  I am happier than I thought possible ... and busier, too ... but happy is what matters.  All in all, our evenings and weekends are pretty non-existent, which is always an adjustment after summer.  As I type, Steve is trying to throw things from the family room into the glass of wine sitting next to me ... so I guess that's my cue to wrap it up and go hang out with him before I fall asleep in 0.2 seconds flat.  I'll try to be back soon!

FOUR

In seems to have happened overnight: Emma has blossomed into a full-fledged person.  She definitely isn't a baby, and she isn't even a toddler.  She's a girl, and she's awesome.  Her larger-than-life personality keeps us laughing and challenges us to the core, and mostly just makes us so glad to have her in our lives.

  At four, Emma is just starting to wear 4T clothes and size 7 shoes.  She insists on picking out her own clothes and hair accessories, and I do everything in my power to just go with it.  She will eat just about anything, but her favorites include rice & beans, "cheese dip" (hummus) & pretzels, and anything filled with sugar.  Emma loves playing on her soccer team and averages about five goals per game.  She is really good at writing her name, and has started drawing people with arms, legs, and facial features.  Some of her favorite phrases are "that's disgusting" and "that's not my problem".  She likes to watch "Paw Patrol" and "The Great Outdoors".  Most days she has more personality than Steve and I combined, and we still haven't quite pinpointed where it came from.

 If you ask her, she'll tell you that her favorite teams are Cyclones and FC Dallas.  She loves to swim, "cartwheel", and make people laugh.  Emma is totally the exclamation point on the end of our family sentence. 

For her birthday, Emma wanted to make a pink cake with pink frosting and lots of sprinkles.  She also requested to eat Mexican food and go to an FC Dallas Game. Check, check, and check. 

 Happy birthday, Big Girl.  You are AWESOME!