Tailgate Fun

We had so much fun with our DFW Cyclones yesterday at TCU. We packed up coolers, and after Sara was done with cheer at noon, we headed across town to the tailgate.

 The rain came in and out for a while, but didn't last long and didn't stop our fun. At one point we were kicking ourselves for not bringing the tent, but luckily once the hard rain passed, the sun came out and everything dried up quickly.

 We played games, grilled hot dogs, walked around and visited, listened to music, and just enjoyed the afternoon together.

 I took this picture before many more cars joined the lot. It was a pretty large and very festive Cyclones-only tailgate at a high school parking lot about a mile from the stadium. Of course many of the tailgaters were part of our DFW alumni group, but there were plenty of cars from Iowa, Missouri, Arizona, and many other states. A little piece of Ames in Fort Worth!

Forced family time ... and everyone actually enjoyed it.

 There was a great Cyclones contingent at the game. We were loud and proud, even though it was a disappointing 17-14 loss. Still fun to see our team in person and to celebrate with fellow alums. I also have to give props to my kids, who were excellent contributors to our cheering section. If nothing else, we've accomplished turning them into ISU fans!

We got home last night about 11:00 - tired and happy. The girls both decided that tailgating is super fun, and we're all looking forward to heading back to TCU in February when the basketball team comes to town. Proud to be part of CyclONEnation!

The Stand

For a while now (and I wish I could say how long but I can't), Emma has been really into running a "stand". She sets up on the piano bench and offers various services. Once in a while, the stand spreads so far that it takes over the entire room, so we clear it out while she's in bed or something ... but she's persistent and it's never long before the stand is back up and running.

The stand has provided services such as hair and make-up, drawing pictures, doing math, and serving water. Sometimes we have to pay for services, and other times we get homemade coupons. Emma rotates through the three of us, asking us to come to her stand. Once in a great while, she convinces Sara to run the stand with her - that's a real feat, but it especially warms my heart when Sara plays along semi-willingly. Usually Emma's just happy to find a ready customer. I love her creativity and her entrepreneurial spirit. Hopefully it pays off big time someday!

Book Talk

Jhumpa Lahiri writes amazing short stories. Many years ago, I loved her Interpreter of Maladies, so I knew I would also love Unaccustomed Earth. She's such a gifted writer, and her characters feel so real. Unaccustomed Earth is made up of stories that are a lot about family, but mostly about love - love that came to be through arranged marriage, love that was forbidden, love that could never be, love that wasn't meant to be... It's all in there, and since this is a book of short stories, you're always left wanting more. My only complaint is that I wanted lots of happier endings.

 Tell the Wolves I'm Home is about a teenage girl in the mid-80's who has to grapple with her uncle's death from AIDS. It's the thing nobody wants to talk about, and she searches for connection with someone as she mourns the loss of her very best friend. This book really explores the intricacy of family relationships when controversy is involved, and it tackles the ultra-taboo issues surrounding a disease that was largely unspeakable in the 80's. Meanwhile, the author also does an amazing job of portraying high school angst and a family at odds.

"'You seemed so far away,' Miss Honey whispered, awestruck.

'Oh, I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings,' Matilda said. 'It was wonderful.'"

-Roald Dahl, Matilda

This is SIX

My baby girl is SIX today. What a whirlwind it's been!

At six, Emma is loving kindergarten. She likes to buy school lunch (and always chooses chocolate milk), but on the days she brings, she loves a good ham sandwich. Whereas Sara goes with salami and bread and nothing else, Emma goes with ham and bread and nothing else. 

 Emma constantly has some sort of project going on (sometimes multiple), often spread throughout the house. She can make a project out of anything that happens to be around - from empty shoe boxes to business cards and popsicle sticks. Emma rarely wears clothes that really match. For example, if it's a shirt with rainbow colors and a skirt with rainbow colors, she puts them together and loves the way she looks. I love her free spirit, even if it drives me crazy somtimes.

 Like she always has, Emma does every emotion all the way. There isn't a lot of neutral ground for her, which can be so hard, but also so rewarding. She feels everything so intensely, and she has an innate sense of justice. Although she doesn't yet know what that means, and she can't articulate it, her perception of what's right and what should be is totally in tact. There isn't much over which she won't go toe to toe, and I know this will serve her some day. This child loves and feels deeply all.the.time.

 Watching Emma play soccer is a true highlight for me in this chapter. She loves soccer, and she plays hard. She rolls with the punches (sometimes literally), and pours herself into practice and games. And when she's not at a practice or game, she's begging someone at home to pass the ball with her. She is proud to be "an athlete" and likes it when we feel her big muscles. She's one tough kid, and for the first time this fall, she's juggling two teams with one of her BFFs.

It was only right that Emma's birthday celebration this year included an FC Dallas game with her teammates and September birthday friends. At halftime, they went on the field for a birthday introduction on the big screen!

 

Happy birthday, Emma Grace. You are an amazing, fiery, independent little girl, and I couldn't love you more.

First Five Days

It was a great first week of school! Everyone is tired tonight and ready for the weekend, but what a great start we've had!

First Day Pics

It was a rainy day, but the rain stopped long enough for Steve and the girls to walk to school, which is a tradition. So exciting for them to be walking to the same school, just across the street from our house!

Ready for Kindergarten!

 Ready for 4th Grade!

 Emma's teacher sent me this pic during the day. Then she called me that afternoon to let me know what a great day Emma had. Another friend in class was celebrating her birthday, and Emma was the helper who got to show her the office to get her cupcakes. As far as Emma was concerned, best. day. ever.

Sara was excited about her AVID binder. She showed me each section Monday night. AVID is a program that equips kids with college-ready skills, and many schools in our district start really promoting it around 4th grade.

 Emma's teacher sent a picture of her class taking a brain break. She was groovin'!

 Sara's teacher sent a picture of her class wearing their brain hats. I'm thankful that our district dedicates the First Five Days to community building, learning about the brain, and addressing social emotional health so that when we dive into curriculum next week, a great foundation for productive learning, teamwork, and problem solving has been set.

 This week set the tone for a great year, and I'm so excited to watch my girls continue to grow!

Ready for School!

It's already that time! Our schools start earlier this year than they have in a long time, so although it was a short summer, it was full of fun and now we're ready for school. The girls had Meet the Teacher on Friday morning at 7:30 ... which is the earliest part of the morning they'd seen in a long time. But they hopped out of bed, excited to see their new classrooms. As we were walking up, Emma was super agreeable to taking a picture, while Sara wanted me to hurry up before anyone saw her and she became embarrassed. Same school, but in two different phases for sure!

Kinder w/ Ms. Kalsbeck & 4th Grade w/ Mrs. Jobe and Ms. Brown

 After MTT, I headed to work while Steve took the day off to enjoy with the girls. They celebrated the end of summer with big breakfasts at a new diner nearby.

I'm so thrilled to have both girls at the same school for the next two years, and they are happy to be together, too (even if they won't always admit it).  They'll be exhausted by the end of the week, but the excitement of starting school again is definitely in the air!

Before & After

Since we moved into our 1980's house a few summers ago, we've done a number of projects. Some have been "you can see the results" fun (i.e. new pool tiles and resurface, backyard turf, girls' bathroom overhaul), and some have just been necessary (i.e. root barrier system - which led to new front sod, attic beam fixes, etc.). I have been super ready to replace flooring, so I started getting some estimates. However, as I was heading that direction, we decided our flooring options would be broader if we did something about all of the oak in our kitchen and family room. Trim in all other areas of the house was already white, and as much as it kills me to paint over real wood, we decided to go ahead and update our cabinets.

BEFORE

AFTER

We left the beams because we love them, but everything else is now white - and it is SO open and airy. We love it! It's like a completely new house. Such a great transformation, and totally worth the money (even though I now need to work on building back up my flooring budget). Master bathroom and a number of other items are still on the list, but it's getting smaller every year!