Flag Football

Reid started flag football this spring.  A parent from last year's kindergarten class decided to pull together the 1st and 2nd grade boys for a small flag football league.  There are 4 teams: Black, White, Purple, and Yellow.  They have had a few practices where they taught the boys some basic football skills and rules to the game.  Their first game was on Tuesday night.  It was pretty funny to watch as they tried to get in formation and carry out some simple plays.  Each team had to sit out 1 or 2 players and everytime it was Reid's turn he stood in the middle of the field and didn't move, instead of sitting on the sidelines.  They ended the game in a tie 2-2.  Reid is number 7 in Yellow.

Huddle with the coach!

Running to block the other team for the quarterback!

Blocking!

Trying to get to the ball to take his flags!

More blocking!

While Reid was playing his game, Sydney started teaching Elyse some of her cheers so they could be the self-proclaimed cheerleaders for team Yellow! 

New Do for Elyse!

On Saturday night, I went to Lansing to do dishes for a wedding with my mom.  Tom was home with the kids.  We did not get home until 3:00 in the morning.  I discovered chunks of long hair in our bathroom trash!  As I climbed into bed, I asked Tom if one of the girls cut their hair.  He said that the kids said it was hair from brushing their American Girl Doll.  I had a hard time believing that much hair would come out of a dolls head.  The next morning, I woke up and asked Elyse to look at me. This is what I saw!

I asked her why she cut her hair.  She said, "You said you would take me for a hair cut and you never did, so I did it myself!"  Needless to say we visited the salon on Monday to get it fixed!

Now she has a new do!

Sydney in Rocket Cheer!

Sydney decided she wanted to try cheerleading with the Rocket cheer program at her school. They had their first game on Saturday! It was cold and rainy, not a very good start. We are hoping for better weather the rest of the season!

Let's Go Comets!

She had some difficulty with her rain poncho, but she tried to ignore it and keep cheering!

We went to McDonald's to warm up with some Hot Chocolate and Chicken Nuggets. We were all cold and wet.

Elyse's visit to her class!

This is our 4th year with a child in this classroom with these 2 wonderful teachers! It is bittersweet knowing that it will also be our last year with them as well.

Mrs. M

Mrs. S

After her first day back to preschool, Elyse fell asleep on the stairs. She looked so uncomfortable, but she slept for quite awhile.

Sydney and Reid's First Day of School

The kids have some wonderful teachers again this year! They are all so excited to start back to school again!

Mrs. H with Reid in First Grade!

Mrs. D with Sydney in 2nd Grade!

It has been a year! Opps!

I have not updated the blog for a whole year. After we got our camera stolen last fall, I was bummed that I was not able to share some of the pictures we were missing. So I lost my motivation to update the blog. I am going to try to update more frequently this fall.
We had some incredible joys and an incredible loss so far this year. In June, Tom's grandpa passed away. He was an incredible man with so much influence. We will miss him greatly. Tom's grandma is now living in an assisted living center. She has alzeimer's disease and can't live on her own.
Tom graduated this spring from Western, with his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has been job hunting ever since. So far, he has had several interviews, but no job hits yet. We are so proud of his accomplishments!
We were given memberships to a local fitness center for a graduation gift. We have been taking full advantage of it. We have taken the kids swimming often, they also had swimming lessons. They all advanced to the next level in 6 short weeks. All of them are able to swim in the deep end with no assistance. Tom and I are also working hard at the gym and the pool. The summer flew by and the kids are back to school. This year is going so quickly!

Elyse's First Day of Preschool

Elyse had her first day of preschool last week while we were staying at my mom's house. She has been so excited to start school. She has gone three times now and she gets in the car all smiles. I am sure it helps that she is very familiar with her classroom and her teachers since Reid was in the same program for two years in a row. She also has some kids in her class that had older siblings in Reid's class and even in Sydney's class. And also one from her class at church that she knows really well. I officially have my Tues. and Thurs. mornings to myself, well at least until greenhouse season starts. Here are some pictures from her first day!

Mrs. M

Mrs. Sandra

Dancin' to the music!

Praises!

Thank you all for your prayers for my grandma's surgery and continued recovery. She is doing so well. It has been a little more than a week since her surgery and she has made so much progress already. She came home (to my mom's house) on Monday. She has been able to get in and out of her chair and bathroom on her own. She still needs some assistance getting her leg in and out of her bed. So I have to get up a few times during the night to help her. I feel blessed that I am able to spend so much time with her. My grandma is an incredible woman and she has such determination. She is in her 80's and has a goal of getting back to her job at the produce market four weeks after hip replacement surgery. What an inspiration to the rest of us who are younger.

Prayers Please!

In case you have not heard! My grandma on my mom's side is having hip replacement surgery on Thursday! We would appreciate your prayers for a successful surgery and recovery! I will be taking care of her for a week and a half after she is released from the hospital.

First Day of School!

Well, the kids started school yesterday. So far, they have gotten through a day and a half of school and it sounds like everything has gone great so far! All of the kids have wonderful teachers. They all have excellent reputations!!!!

Today they rode the bus home for the first time. It is a long ride, but I think that they enjoyed it. Reid said that he did get pretty tired on the bus. I wouldn't be surprised if he fell asleep on the bus this week or next on the way home.

After my visit to the dentist this morning, I spent the rest of the day with Elyse. We went to get groceries and some odds and ends at Aldi and Walmart. Then we walked to the meet the kids at the bus stop. It was a beautiful day for a walk. We even laid in the grass and sang songs in front of the church while we waited. I loved spending such a wonderful day with my baby! Check out the pictures of Sydney and Reid on their first day! Elyse won't start until mid September.

Sydney's teacher, Mrs. H.

Reid's teacher, Mrs. C!

Second Trip to the Air Zoo!

We went back to the Air Zoo last week while it is still free! This time Tom was able to join us. The kids were so excited to return. They talked about it since we went with Karen and her family earlier this summer. Reid was still too scared to ride the balloon ride. He wanted to ride the little plane rides so bad. After it began, we realized that Elyse was "driving" the plane up and down. Reid did not want that and so he began crying and yelling at us that he wanted to get off. How do you reassure a 5 year old who is on a ride going in circles while you are standing on the sidelines. Tom and I did all we could do in the situation, keep repeating that the ride would end and he was ok and laugh when he couldn't see us. He will not be riding any rollercoasters anytime so0n. Sydney and Elyse ride the zero gravity ride. Reid did not want to get on at all. The girls had a great time and were squealing with delight!

Reid loves the space ship rides in the children's play area. These are not scarry because the just shake and light up. They do not leave the ground!

Sydney in the helicopter.

Astronaut Elyse

Reid in the Space craft again!Sydney's turn.

Building a space station!

Elyse took everything off the board and put them away. She was not interested in building a space station at all.

It is not easy to get them all to stand still, smile, and look at the camera at the same time. I think it is actually impossible!

This is Reid before the plane began going up and down. Notice he is still enjoying the ride. That did not last!

Elyse and Sydney take a turn together! Sitting in a space capsule from a rocket!Elyse gets a pilot's perspective inside a jet!