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!

Time Flies

Well August sure has come and gone in the blink of an eye!  We've been busy with a variety of things, but mostly with preparing for and heading back to school.

After Sara's week at Camp G&G, she flew back home with Melissa, who spent a few days with us.  The two of us enjoyed a sweaty walk and rewarded ourselves at the half-way point, before spending the rest of the day in the pool.  I love time with my sis.

 The following weekend, Steve's sister, Jody, came to town with her girls.  Sara and Emma were so happy to have Lyndsey and Lexey here.  The girls had the best time together!

 A couple of weekends later my mom came to town for a few days before heading to Tennessee to see Grandma Lou.  Of course we went to Ojeda's.

 Even though we had rainy weather instead of pool weather, the girls and Grandma made the most of their time while Steve and I were at work.  They jumped in puddles, did projects, and even made us a delicious dinner!

 The last couple of weeks of summer for the girls included a cooking camp for Sara, an animal camp for Emma, and a gymnastics camp for both.  We all loved having Miss Molly come to our house this summer, and were sad when it was time for her to go back to college.  We hope to see her again over winter break.  Of course we got wrapped up in the Olympics, too, and had family viewing parties almost every night (which has led to hours on end of two girls practicing handstands in the living room).

Before we knew it, we were getting ready for the first day of school.  Sara's Justice shopping spree earlier in the summer with Grandma and Auntie has really come in handy when picking out clothes for school each night!  On the first day, and really every morning the first week, the girls hopped out of bed, excited for the day.  As for me, after many weeks of preparing to welcome staff and students, I'm so glad to have a great first week of school in the books.

2nd Grade & Pre-K

 Sara was happy to get a top locker!

 And Emma was equally excited to see all of her friends again!

 This weekend has been one of relaxation!  With the exception of soccer practice and a few errands, we've enjoyed just being at home with the sun shining.  We've had a lot more rain recently than is typical, so the sunny weekend was a welcome treat.  We're stretching out summer as long as we can!

Next up: it's birthday week in our house!

Book Talk

 Doesn't this book just look inviting?  It's about 7-year-old Elsa who is different, and her grandmother who is crazy.  Before Elsa's grandmother passes away, she leaves Elsa the gift of imagination, which allows her to escape the hardships of the everyday.  She also leaves Elsa with directions that lead her on a scavenger hunt to apologize to those her grandmother hurt over the years.  It took me a little while to get into this book, but I really ended up loving it. 

I think I got this one for free from Amazon, and then read it in about two days.  It's about Aimee, who on her wedding day finds herself at her fiance's funeral.  As she attempts to cope with her grief, she's approached by a mysterious woman who claims to have information about the death of Aimee's fiance.  Against the advice of her friends, Aimee sets off to learn the truth about what happened when her fiance never returned from a fishing trip in Mexico.  Thriller + love story ... good quick read!

"The greatest gift is a passion for reading."

Elizabeth Hardwick

There's No Place Like Ames

On our way way to Minnesota, we made a couple very important stops. 

Gates BAR-B-Q in Kansas City ... a staple!

 And of course, Ames.  Where our story began.

We were surprised to find the buildings open, with air on, so we helped ourselves to a thorough tour.  Some of the rooms hadn't changed at all (except for updated technology), while others had undergone extensive renovations and upgrades.  This was Sara's first time to see a classroom with a chalkboard in it.

 Steve spent a lot of time (this is a relative term) at Hamilton Hall.

 The girls couldn't believe the size of the library.  It hasn't changed much except that there are computers and outlets everywhere, and the periodicals room doesn't contain much actual paper.  It's amazing how quickly technology has advanced.  I know this is an obvious statement, but it really hit home when we considered how little we relied on computers or internet during college ... and it's not like it was a hundred years ago!

 We laughed at this picture because Sara looks studious and Emma looks bored.  Hmmm.

Sara kept saying, "There is no way this is a classroom!"

 Such a beautiful place.

Steve had to find Clyde Everett Beer's name on the memorial wall in the Union, because ... well, because.

And of course we had to have pizza at Great Plains.  This place hadn't changed a bit!

 Steve stopped in at his chapter house, which was full of guys having a summer chapter meeting (meaning it definitely wasn't the place for kids) ... so the girls and I headed to 2118 Sunset to take some pics. Even if my girls aren't Alpha Gams someday, my hope for them is they will find a group of friends who will mean as much to them as the women in this house did and do to me.

Steve and I had the best trip down memory lane, and we loved sharing Ames with the girls.  Of course we had to stock up on our Cyclones gear, too.  We hadn't planned to do so, but we stopped again on our way home.  Couldn't help it ... I think the car steered itself.  There's just no place like Ames.

Here Ends My Summer Break

Where to begin?! The last couple of weeks were just great, and this morning it was back to work.  After wrapping up 4th of July festivities and table painting, we packed up and hit the road heading north to MN.  Looks like we're on track to drive every few years rather than fly, and I dare say we enjoyed our little (lengthy) road trip this time.  MN visit picture overload starts now...

Boating Fun ... lost track of how many times they jumped off the back!

 The Girls

 We visited MN's largest candy store, and everyone enjoyed the field trip.  They had every kind of candy and soda known to man (and some totally unknown to us), plus lots of others items like pies, strudels, jams, hot sauces, Bloody Mary mixes, pickled eggs ... you name it.  It's about twenty minutes from my parents' house; I have no idea how we'd never been!

 We had to compare these pictures of my mom and Emma "smoking" their candy cigs.  Seriously.

Melissa, Adam, Steve, and I had a night out.  We enjoyed delicious Juicy Lucy's at the Nook (yep, the one from "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" - totally worth your time if you're in St. Paul).

 Also had to stop at the Happy Gnome (and pose with him, of course).

 Our terrible selfie streak continued.

Unfortunately, Grandpa had a little mishap and hurt his shoulder playing tennis one morning.  While he and mom were at the doctor, Steve, Melissa, the girls, and I enjoyed a beach day. (Turns out the shoulder will be okay with a little procedure, thank goodness!)

Sara found a group of friends and they spent a long time diving down to try to grab some fish.  She kept saying, "We were soooo close!"

 Our 13th anniversary was on July 12, so my mom had some family over for Taco Tuesday.  Apparently Sara had been planning a surprise sundae for us for quite some time (she had drawings of a variety of versions and everything), and she was so proud to present it to us.  I guess she and Grandma had had some phone conversations about ingredients.  So sweet.

This set into motion the presenting of sundaes to lots of other people, too.

This girl loves her some Taco Tuesday.

We spent a gorgeous (hot) day at Como Zoo and Como Town.  Such a fun place!

 The girls rode the swings three times.  Sara also rode the roller coaster three times (twice with dad, once with mom).

 Steve and Sara rode the zip line.  Sara said she screamed more than she needed to, and that it was really cool.  They were way up there.  I'll tell you what: being 48 inches really opens up a world of opportunities!

One day was a little cooler and overcast, so we headed to Minnehaha Park to hike around and look at the falls.  The girls thought it was pretty neat!

 After our hike we enjoyed lunch at Sea Salt and a quick trip to the playground before the rain sent us home.

Since selling the lake house, my mom is in major clean-out mode.  She had us go through our old skating dresses, and the girls (and I) loved trying them on.  In this pic, I'm wearing my costume from my solo in my 8th grade show (I was Thoroughly Modern Millie).  It was fun to reminisce about the shows and competitions as we went through the box.

 

 Along those same lines, my mom sent us home with our letter jackets.  We were the coolest.

Between all of the activities, there was plenty of time for hanging out on the patio, just enjoying the company.  The girls frequently hit the slip 'n slide at Auntie's and at G&G's.

(look at that form)

 (this kid went down every which way and laughed the whole time)

Expo was so happy to have some friends around!

 And of course the usuals ... 

 

 On her first ride this time, Emma hollered out, "Hey, we got no windows!"  We all laughed, so she repeated it as often as possible on all subsequent rides.

So thankful to have had another wonderful MN trip.  It was hard to leave, but work was calling.

 No rest, yet, for G&G and Auntie, though ... Sara stayed in MN for an extra week and she'll fly back with Melissa next weekend.  She was so excited about her extended stay; for weeks before our trip, she kept telling me, "Mom, DO NOT forget that I'm staying longer than you guys." 

 Her special week started as soon as we pulled out of the driveway Friday.  Auntie took her to lunch and for a mani/pedi.  Then they slip 'n slided, played Clue, hit Red Box, and had a sleepover.  Since then she's been to a pool with an "intense" water slide (which she got Grandma to go down with her), to the Mall of America, and out on a yacht (her request) on Lake Minnetonka.  We miss her like crazy, but I'm so glad she's having a great time.  Here's to irreplaceable summer memories!