Another weekend, another 48 hours at the ice rink. Well, not really 48, but plenty. Cameron has been working really hard to make a select team, so we are spending some extra time there preparing for tryouts in addition to the hockey game this weekend and Becca's competition.
Apparently Cameron's hard work has paid off. He not only blew past the defenders and scored a goal straight from the face off, but he also got 3 assists. I wasn't there to see it, but based on the way he plays when I am there versus the way he plays when I can't be there leads me to believe I should stay home more often. LOL
While David took Cameron to one rink for his game I took Becca and headed to our home rink for her competition. She was entered in 6 events which makes for a long day, plus I was in charge of the synchro raffle. It was a wonderful day for her. I think we came to a point where everything in the world aligned and she ended up with 5 first place ribbons and 1 second place. She skated so well! At this point we are entering "training" season. There are no competitions until the beginning of March so we are going to focus entirely on new skills. Hopefully by next March she will have her waltz jump, although I doubt it will be ready to compete.
We are now less than a month from our trip to Disney World. I feel completely unprepared and have quite a list of things to get done before we go.
I updated my web albums this morning, so there are lots of new pictures. Take a look!
12 November 2007
04 September 2007
Made some photo changes, just wanted to see if they stuck
We went to the Crown Center fountains last week and ran around.
20 August 2007
A new school year, and a busy weekend.
School got off to a good start again this year. Cameron was a little bummed because the boy that he really wanted to be in his class was listed, but never showed up for class. He seems to be adjusting well though. It is always touch and go with a new school year, but so far all is well. I am quite happy with his teacher. I was not thrilled when we got the letter, but after meeting her she seems like a great match for Cameron. We also found out that his teacher from last year is expecting a little bundle next March. I am so happy for her.
Just as we got Cameron through the first week of school, Becca had synchro camp. I think she had a great time, but they wore her out pretty good. There was a pizza party on Friday night and then she was at the rink for 6 hours on Saturday. They did all of their classes in one hour blocks and the girls in her group were such troopers. You could tell that they were tired, but they just kept moving, and often they paid better attention to what they were being told than some of the bigger girls.
Becca starts the first official synchro practice tomorrow and I am excited to have a craft night scheduled for Wednesday. Aside from a trip to the baseball game this weekend it is looking pretty uneventful. YAY! I am really looking forward to next Tuesday when Becca starts preschool.
Not much else going on here........
Just as we got Cameron through the first week of school, Becca had synchro camp. I think she had a great time, but they wore her out pretty good. There was a pizza party on Friday night and then she was at the rink for 6 hours on Saturday. They did all of their classes in one hour blocks and the girls in her group were such troopers. You could tell that they were tired, but they just kept moving, and often they paid better attention to what they were being told than some of the bigger girls.
Becca starts the first official synchro practice tomorrow and I am excited to have a craft night scheduled for Wednesday. Aside from a trip to the baseball game this weekend it is looking pretty uneventful. YAY! I am really looking forward to next Tuesday when Becca starts preschool.
Not much else going on here........
13 August 2007
Too Darn Hot!!!
Arg! It's so stinkin hot these days! We have not been outside to play in days and my kids are making me crazy! They really like to play with the neighbor boy across the street at least every couple of days, preferably every day, but it's been about a week since we saw him last. The doorbell rang a little after 9pm and it was Drew and his dad wanting to know if the kids could come out to play. We don't usually play in the dark, but they were so excited (and it was finally a temperature that wouldn't completely melt me) so we grabbed the chairs and bikes and headed outside. We were out until about 10:45 and the kids had a blast!
Drew is going to be a big brother in a couple of months and they had a meeting with a potential midwife this afternoon. It was very interesting to see how that shaped Becca and Drew playing tonight. They like to play "driving"- Drew has a little wood easel thing with a steering wheel on it and they both slide their legs under it and go driving. Funny enough Drew always drives, but he always sits on the right side of Becca. We thought they were acting like British teenagers, but we found out that they were headed to the midwife because Becca was having a baby. Turns out she had twins, they named theme Boyie and Girlie. About 5 minutes later she was having another baby so they had to go back to the midwife. After that baby they decided their family was complete and Becca went back to work as a doctor. For about a year now the response to the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" has regularly been doctor, specifically the type that deals with children. It will be interesting to see if she follows that path when she does actually grow up. However, after talking to my friend Kelle who's son is premed at Dartmouth starting next month, I am not sure that is a career path that I wish to finance! :)
We spent the day finishing the detail cleaning in Cameron's room. We culled his bookcase, cleaned out his dresser, and totally cleaned out his closet. It is nice to have everything organized, but I still need to go in and alphabetize his books on the bookshelf. I know there is going to be more homework this year, and I want him to have a nice clean place to get it done away from his nosy little sister. The next project we will do in there is to bring his room up to "big boy" speed. He is no longer interested in the train wallpaper border that I painstakingly picked out for him before he was born- now he wants red walls (I agreed to *1* red wall) and black trim. (I did not agree to that!) So I am going to paint one of his walls red and the rest grey, and his bedding is a black/grey combination. We are going to replace his current dresser with a black one and his drum set is black, so I think he will be good to go. We seem to be hitting the teen years a little too soon for my taste, but at least I won't have to redo his room again.
We are starting to switch to our fall schedule this week. We have changed gymnastics days and we will switch our skating schedule next week as we are not skating at all this week. Then we are going full speed to prepare for Becca's first competition toward the end of September. Required hockey practice doesn't start for a few more weeks yet, but we are still practicing. I am working the PTA booth at back to school night Tuesday and David and Cameron are going to the baseball game tomorrow night. Just another regular week at our house.
I hear the ding of my washer telling me that the last load of the day is done. I think I will throw those clothes in the dryer and head to bed.
Drew is going to be a big brother in a couple of months and they had a meeting with a potential midwife this afternoon. It was very interesting to see how that shaped Becca and Drew playing tonight. They like to play "driving"- Drew has a little wood easel thing with a steering wheel on it and they both slide their legs under it and go driving. Funny enough Drew always drives, but he always sits on the right side of Becca. We thought they were acting like British teenagers, but we found out that they were headed to the midwife because Becca was having a baby. Turns out she had twins, they named theme Boyie and Girlie. About 5 minutes later she was having another baby so they had to go back to the midwife. After that baby they decided their family was complete and Becca went back to work as a doctor. For about a year now the response to the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" has regularly been doctor, specifically the type that deals with children. It will be interesting to see if she follows that path when she does actually grow up. However, after talking to my friend Kelle who's son is premed at Dartmouth starting next month, I am not sure that is a career path that I wish to finance! :)
We spent the day finishing the detail cleaning in Cameron's room. We culled his bookcase, cleaned out his dresser, and totally cleaned out his closet. It is nice to have everything organized, but I still need to go in and alphabetize his books on the bookshelf. I know there is going to be more homework this year, and I want him to have a nice clean place to get it done away from his nosy little sister. The next project we will do in there is to bring his room up to "big boy" speed. He is no longer interested in the train wallpaper border that I painstakingly picked out for him before he was born- now he wants red walls (I agreed to *1* red wall) and black trim. (I did not agree to that!) So I am going to paint one of his walls red and the rest grey, and his bedding is a black/grey combination. We are going to replace his current dresser with a black one and his drum set is black, so I think he will be good to go. We seem to be hitting the teen years a little too soon for my taste, but at least I won't have to redo his room again.
We are starting to switch to our fall schedule this week. We have changed gymnastics days and we will switch our skating schedule next week as we are not skating at all this week. Then we are going full speed to prepare for Becca's first competition toward the end of September. Required hockey practice doesn't start for a few more weeks yet, but we are still practicing. I am working the PTA booth at back to school night Tuesday and David and Cameron are going to the baseball game tomorrow night. Just another regular week at our house.
I hear the ding of my washer telling me that the last load of the day is done. I think I will throw those clothes in the dryer and head to bed.
11 August 2007
Wahoo!
Apparently I can post pictures again! Now I guess I have to pull all the pictures off of my camera............. ack!
The last weekend!
This is our last big weekend before school starts! The kids were going to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa, but they lost power and Becca got scared so David went to get them. I was out with the cool hockey moms for drinks, dinner, and shopping. It was our first night out since we lost Marta. We had a toast to her at dinner and then we carried on like I am sure she would have wanted us to.
Becca has a birthday party to go to tomorrow and Cameron really should go to slap shot Saturday, but the lawn needs to be mowed so we will see what gets done.
Cameron got his teacher assignment this week. He will be in Ms Moore's class this year. I don't know her so it will be interesting to meet her Tuesday. Becca hasn't found out who her teacher is yet.
This week is going to be a no skating week, so Becca is going to drive me insane! Synchropalooza is next weekend though, so I imagine she will get enough skating time there to make up for it. She is switching to her fall schedule for gymnastics, and this year she is going twice a week for 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour. Maybe that will wear her out.
Since it is 1:30am I should probably go to bed.
Becca has a birthday party to go to tomorrow and Cameron really should go to slap shot Saturday, but the lawn needs to be mowed so we will see what gets done.
Cameron got his teacher assignment this week. He will be in Ms Moore's class this year. I don't know her so it will be interesting to meet her Tuesday. Becca hasn't found out who her teacher is yet.
This week is going to be a no skating week, so Becca is going to drive me insane! Synchropalooza is next weekend though, so I imagine she will get enough skating time there to make up for it. She is switching to her fall schedule for gymnastics, and this year she is going twice a week for 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour. Maybe that will wear her out.
Since it is 1:30am I should probably go to bed.
30 July 2007
Alive and Kicking!!!
Believe it or not, I am still part of the living! We have had a long and somewhat eventful summer, and the big news is that Cameron has decided to play hockey again. I am so thrilled that I am now a 2 ice sport mom again- well, not really, but what can you do. I am sure that Cameron will have a good time, I just hope that he has outgrown a few of the bad habits that he got himself into when he was playing before. We are gearing up for competition season with figure skating and Becca is skating on a synchronized skating team with 4,5,and 6 year olds. I know that I will be at the rink at least 4 days a week after hockey games start, but I do really enjoy the place I guess.
Cameron starts school in just over 2 weeks, and then Becca starts at the end of the month. We are starting a new preschool this year and Becca will go for 2 full days instead of 3 half days. I am pretty excited to have that time to myself. I can't wait to go to the grocery store all by myself!
I have been taking some cake decorating classes, and I hope to have the series finished by the end of September. It has really been quite fun playing with the icing and making different cake recipes. I am not sure what I am going to do with this newfound knowledge, but I am having a good time.
David is still enjoying his new job, although it can hardly count as new anymore. Right now he is technically a consultant, but I think that he will be officially hired on in October.
That is about all that's going on here. I am preparing to spend my birthday donating blood and hanging out at the ice rink. Happy birthday to me!!
Cameron starts school in just over 2 weeks, and then Becca starts at the end of the month. We are starting a new preschool this year and Becca will go for 2 full days instead of 3 half days. I am pretty excited to have that time to myself. I can't wait to go to the grocery store all by myself!
I have been taking some cake decorating classes, and I hope to have the series finished by the end of September. It has really been quite fun playing with the icing and making different cake recipes. I am not sure what I am going to do with this newfound knowledge, but I am having a good time.
David is still enjoying his new job, although it can hardly count as new anymore. Right now he is technically a consultant, but I think that he will be officially hired on in October.
That is about all that's going on here. I am preparing to spend my birthday donating blood and hanging out at the ice rink. Happy birthday to me!!
06 May 2007
A couple of long weeks
We sure have kept busy the past couple of weeks. The school year is starting to wrap up for both of the kids and baseball has started.
Saturday night we went to T-REX for dinner with my brother David and nephew Andrew. It was quite the experience to say the least. Becca hated it and cried through most of dinner, Andrew was not impressed, but Cameron had a good time. Unlike the Rainforest Cafe the food that we had was pretty good. Becca was appeased with a small stuffed dinosaur at the end of the meal, although she is in no big hurry to return.
Today we went to the Royal's game with Dad and Donna, and a friend Joe and his son Alex joined us. It was not the best day for a game, low 60's, windy, and rainy, but we had a good time and stayed until the 9th inning. I had a synchro skating meeting tonight where I found out what I am in for starting next September. Basically my portion of the synchro team is check writing :) I think I can handle that.
My friend Melinda is in town and we are going to spend the day together Wednesday. I haven't seen her in quite a while so I am excited. Other than that it is just same ole same ole around here. Cameron is going to summer school, and Becca is going to synchro camp, cheerleading camp, and princess camp at gymnastics. We are going to keep busy!
Now that I am fully integrated on the laptop I am going to try and post pictures again. I have a ton of pictures on my camera and just now have set up the program on the laptop. Hopefully there will be lots of pictures soon!
Time to put the kids to bed and get started on the laundry..................
Saturday night we went to T-REX for dinner with my brother David and nephew Andrew. It was quite the experience to say the least. Becca hated it and cried through most of dinner, Andrew was not impressed, but Cameron had a good time. Unlike the Rainforest Cafe the food that we had was pretty good. Becca was appeased with a small stuffed dinosaur at the end of the meal, although she is in no big hurry to return.
Today we went to the Royal's game with Dad and Donna, and a friend Joe and his son Alex joined us. It was not the best day for a game, low 60's, windy, and rainy, but we had a good time and stayed until the 9th inning. I had a synchro skating meeting tonight where I found out what I am in for starting next September. Basically my portion of the synchro team is check writing :) I think I can handle that.
My friend Melinda is in town and we are going to spend the day together Wednesday. I haven't seen her in quite a while so I am excited. Other than that it is just same ole same ole around here. Cameron is going to summer school, and Becca is going to synchro camp, cheerleading camp, and princess camp at gymnastics. We are going to keep busy!
Now that I am fully integrated on the laptop I am going to try and post pictures again. I have a ton of pictures on my camera and just now have set up the program on the laptop. Hopefully there will be lots of pictures soon!
Time to put the kids to bed and get started on the laundry..................
22 April 2007
tired and frozen.....
Ice show weekend has come and gone. Wow. I am so tired, Becca is tired, and I think that David and Cameron are tired of being together. Friday night was the dress rehearsal- all skaters on the ice at 5:30 with 2 run throughs scheduled. Cameron also had baseball practice, but with a bit of creative transportation we got everyone to the places they needed to be. Becca and I finally left the rink about 9- just after they finished the first run through. ACK! We quick put Becca to bed, and I went to bed myself. Saturday morning was another baseball practice and then we had to be at the rink at 2 for the first show of the day. There was a 90 minute break and then another show, we left after that and made it home about 10:30 or so. Got up to do it one more time today. There was a definite change in attitude in Becca's group- lots of tears and unhappy girls today. Becca stayed pretty even through it all, but she was certainly worn out at the end of today's show.
Becca was stinkin cute, first skating as a bride and then as a teddy bear. She took a couple of falls, but she never can seem to stay on her feet when she is skating with a group like that.
For some reason my foot is acting up tonight- the cyst that is normally only irritating has me bedridden and contemplating a visit to the doctor. I sent David to run my errands and bring us dinner and I am just hanging out. Hopefully I will be better tomorrow.
I will post pictures soon!
Becca was stinkin cute, first skating as a bride and then as a teddy bear. She took a couple of falls, but she never can seem to stay on her feet when she is skating with a group like that.
For some reason my foot is acting up tonight- the cyst that is normally only irritating has me bedridden and contemplating a visit to the doctor. I sent David to run my errands and bring us dinner and I am just hanging out. Hopefully I will be better tomorrow.
I will post pictures soon!
18 April 2007
Such a girl....
Becca has always been a girly girl, but lately it has really kicked into gear. Last weekend we went to Target and instead of looking at toys she wanted to look at clothes. She wandered around the clothing section holding things up to her body and asking us if we thought it would fit. David was pretty traumatized. She loves dressing her new Polly Pockets that she got for her birthday, and she is really into dressing her American girl dolls.
glitter, dolls, and another clothes hound- David is never going to make it!
glitter, dolls, and another clothes hound- David is never going to make it!
16 April 2007
A lot has gone on!
So much has happened in the past couple of weeks- it's been totally overwhelming. First thing- my baby is a big 4 year old girl now, and she knows it! She has been so excited about her new big girl status. Her favorite birthday gift was a pogo stick that we gave her. Of course as soon as her birthday passed the weather went cruddy and she really hasn't gotten a big opportunity to use it. She had a family party and a small gymnastics party for some of her friends and really had a great time. She skated at Skate Kansas City and really was overwhelmed by the experience. There were 300 registered skaters plus assorted people watching and it was rough on her. I was proud of how she did though. She has improved so much over the past few months. She forgot some of the required elements in her artistic and freeskates and finished last in both of those events, but she finished 3 out of 5 for her compulsories. Not too bad for just turning 4 and skating in a division with kids that could be as much as 2 years older than you. I am just proud that she will even get out and do it.
Cameron has made the big switch from practice pad to drum set. It has been quite the change- drums are really loud! It is interesting to watch him progress though. It is very tough for him to move all of his limbs independently, but he is getting better. We took the kids to the eye doctor a couple of weeks ago and he has fine motor problems with his eyes, so depending on the report from his teacher we may start some OT to help him develop smooth eye movements. Apparently the OT is primarily helpful with reading skills, and while he is very good at reading he hates to do it. It is like pulling teeth to get him to read and since he was always many grade levels ahead I have let that slide. I now wonder if he hates it because of the struggle to move his eyes smoothly. He doesn't need glasses yet, but she seems to think that he will in the next couple of years. He is weathering all of our family changes pretty well. He got selected to be in a "friendship group" at his school- the counselor grouped together a few kids that she thought would be good together and hopefully he will get some buddies out of it. This week and next are MAP testing weeks, so the schedule is off at school, but he seems to be having a good time. They got breakfast and lunch at school on Friday- what a thrill!
David ended nearly 9 years of employment at Reuters on March 30. It was a bittersweet moment for me. It's not like we had a choice in the matter, but I will miss many of the people that he worked with. Luckily a job offer was made the following Monday and he is back to work. He did get a week off between jobs though. I had quite a few things lined up for him to do and between spring break and bad weather nothing got done. He loves his new job and I think that he will be there for a long time.
Things are going well otherwise. We are getting ready to start quite a few projects around here- new flooring I think will be the first one. Yea! I love projects!
Cameron has made the big switch from practice pad to drum set. It has been quite the change- drums are really loud! It is interesting to watch him progress though. It is very tough for him to move all of his limbs independently, but he is getting better. We took the kids to the eye doctor a couple of weeks ago and he has fine motor problems with his eyes, so depending on the report from his teacher we may start some OT to help him develop smooth eye movements. Apparently the OT is primarily helpful with reading skills, and while he is very good at reading he hates to do it. It is like pulling teeth to get him to read and since he was always many grade levels ahead I have let that slide. I now wonder if he hates it because of the struggle to move his eyes smoothly. He doesn't need glasses yet, but she seems to think that he will in the next couple of years. He is weathering all of our family changes pretty well. He got selected to be in a "friendship group" at his school- the counselor grouped together a few kids that she thought would be good together and hopefully he will get some buddies out of it. This week and next are MAP testing weeks, so the schedule is off at school, but he seems to be having a good time. They got breakfast and lunch at school on Friday- what a thrill!
David ended nearly 9 years of employment at Reuters on March 30. It was a bittersweet moment for me. It's not like we had a choice in the matter, but I will miss many of the people that he worked with. Luckily a job offer was made the following Monday and he is back to work. He did get a week off between jobs though. I had quite a few things lined up for him to do and between spring break and bad weather nothing got done. He loves his new job and I think that he will be there for a long time.
Things are going well otherwise. We are getting ready to start quite a few projects around here- new flooring I think will be the first one. Yea! I love projects!
25 March 2007
Lots of changes!
Last week was quite a doozy- ice show practices started, we are getting ready for Skate KC, Becca had spring break, yadda yadda yadda. This weekend began the major changes though. First we had to pick up Cameron's new bed. Nebraska Furniture Mart on a Saturday afternoon is not the place I want to be. We went a little later in the afternoon thinking that all of the shoppers would be at home preparing to watch the KU game, but apparently they are all KSU fans. After a little glitch in customer service and a 40 minute wait we were on our way. We had left the kids with Bill and Pat and I was soooo glad that they weren't with us. We met up with Stephanie and the kids and ate dinner and let the cousins play for a while. By the time we got home it was too late to start bed assembly (darn:)) so we started this morning. First we had to clear out Becca's bed- she got Cameron's old bed and now she actually has a bed that is a normal height. (and that we didn't pick up off the street, but that is a story for another day) Then we moved Cameron's old bed into Becca's room and began to set up the new bed. It took David about 3 hours to put everything together plus he stopped for lunch in the middle, so it was pretty close to 4pm when he finished. We of course had to run to Target, and got to the task of actually making this monster after dinner. Cameron is now in a loft bed with a desk underneath- it really is the perfect fit for his room and makes his room feel so much bigger! I will say that it is nearly impossible to make the thing though. I am sure we will get faster, but it took darn near 30 minutes to get all the sheets on and stuff. Cameron is now sleeping 6 feet in the air. It took a bit to get him off of the bed because he was scared to come down, but he seems to have mastered that now.
The other big event of the week was telling Cameron that he has Asperger's. I had always wondered about those people who didn't tell their kids things that I thought were important, but I didn't know what to tell him at first and then it kind of never came up. He took it pretty well, and I think he was almost relieved to know that he wasn't just weird, but there was a reason that he was different than the other kids. He is really trying to be more social, and I feel so bad for him because it is just hard for him.
We have reached the last week of David working at Reuters. It is definitely an odd feeling knowing that he doesn't have a job offer yet and that he will be at home. He went on an interview last week that seems very promising and they will be making their decision sometime this week. I know that there is a job out there for him, I just hope for his sake that it doesn't take too long for him to find. I know that he will worry about being home.
Other than that, Becca has a big birthday this week and we have the last skating competition of the season this weekend. Hopefully I will be able to get some good pictures up on the blog. Her dresses are so cute and she seems ready to go. I hope that she skates well this weekend.
I think I am off to bed. There still is so much for me to do in the kids rooms tomorrow. Ack!
The other big event of the week was telling Cameron that he has Asperger's. I had always wondered about those people who didn't tell their kids things that I thought were important, but I didn't know what to tell him at first and then it kind of never came up. He took it pretty well, and I think he was almost relieved to know that he wasn't just weird, but there was a reason that he was different than the other kids. He is really trying to be more social, and I feel so bad for him because it is just hard for him.
We have reached the last week of David working at Reuters. It is definitely an odd feeling knowing that he doesn't have a job offer yet and that he will be at home. He went on an interview last week that seems very promising and they will be making their decision sometime this week. I know that there is a job out there for him, I just hope for his sake that it doesn't take too long for him to find. I know that he will worry about being home.
Other than that, Becca has a big birthday this week and we have the last skating competition of the season this weekend. Hopefully I will be able to get some good pictures up on the blog. Her dresses are so cute and she seems ready to go. I hope that she skates well this weekend.
I think I am off to bed. There still is so much for me to do in the kids rooms tomorrow. Ack!
19 March 2007
Bet you thought I was never coming back!
A combination of activities and frustration with Blogger has caused me to stay away for a while, but things seem to have evened out a bit lately. Basketball is over, so it is time to start summer sports. We signed Cameron up for baseball today and he will be starting kid pitch the middle of April. I tried to talk him into playing spring hockey, but it appears that train has left the station. Sometimes he will skate during public session, but he just isn't interested in playing anymore. I'm just glad that he hasn't expressed any interest in soccer- I am just not a soccer mom! That obnoxious noise that you hear coming from our direction is Cameron's new drum set. He loves to play it, but it is so loud that I am afraid someone will call the police on him.
We had our first ice show rehearsal tonight. Becca is going to be a bride and she is skating to "Goin to the Chapel". There are 6 other girls in her group and they are cute as heck. For the first time this year she is not in the tots group. They are actually calling her group supertots, but there is a small group of skaters that are less advanced than her group. I think she is still the youngest skater in the show though. She is also busy preparing for SkateKC on April 1. We have entered 3 events and got a good time draw- our first event isn't until almost noon. Gymnastics is going well. They are working on front flips off the beam and this strange back handspring off the beam onto a mat thing. I am amazed that she isn't scared of these things, but she always has a smile on her face.
We have been drug kicking and screaming into the current technological age- we actually have a video camera now. Hopefully I will be able to get some good footage of the kids activities. I played with it a bit at gymnastics today and I will probably bring it to skating tomorrow, that way I will have some experience working it before SkateKC.
David's last day working is now March 30. He had a very positive job interview today and they called him to have him meet with one last member of the team on Wednesday. It seems very positive, and keeping fingers crossed, we think they will make an offer. The job is much closer to home and we would only be paying taxes to one state for a change. He has made his first available start date April 16- he would probably fudge on that a bit if necessary, but he would really like to take some time if he could.
That's all for now, I think I am going to head for bed. It's been a long few days around here.
We had our first ice show rehearsal tonight. Becca is going to be a bride and she is skating to "Goin to the Chapel". There are 6 other girls in her group and they are cute as heck. For the first time this year she is not in the tots group. They are actually calling her group supertots, but there is a small group of skaters that are less advanced than her group. I think she is still the youngest skater in the show though. She is also busy preparing for SkateKC on April 1. We have entered 3 events and got a good time draw- our first event isn't until almost noon. Gymnastics is going well. They are working on front flips off the beam and this strange back handspring off the beam onto a mat thing. I am amazed that she isn't scared of these things, but she always has a smile on her face.
We have been drug kicking and screaming into the current technological age- we actually have a video camera now. Hopefully I will be able to get some good footage of the kids activities. I played with it a bit at gymnastics today and I will probably bring it to skating tomorrow, that way I will have some experience working it before SkateKC.
David's last day working is now March 30. He had a very positive job interview today and they called him to have him meet with one last member of the team on Wednesday. It seems very positive, and keeping fingers crossed, we think they will make an offer. The job is much closer to home and we would only be paying taxes to one state for a change. He has made his first available start date April 16- he would probably fudge on that a bit if necessary, but he would really like to take some time if he could.
That's all for now, I think I am going to head for bed. It's been a long few days around here.
28 February 2007
Interesting Times
Well, maybe not so much :). It was a long weekend for sure. Friday night I had a business meeting for my chorus and Saturday morning Beth scheduled a group of us for a breakfast and bra fitting at Nordies. It was fabulous fun. I highly recommend having that done. I had no idea that they were actually supposed to be up there. We had a wonderful yummy breakfast and a great time. Cameron had a basketball game that afternoon, and by the time it was over I was wiped out.
Sunday was Becca's competition. We had to leave the house about 6:45am and it was brutal! We actually made it out the door by about 6:47 or so and I was impressed that we weren't later than that. I am still new at the competition thing and it overwhelms me a bit, but I got my act together a lot quicker this time. She only skated one event but she was the cutest skater out there for sure! She wore the same dress as Fall Fling, but this time we skated to a cut of Mickey Mouse March from Disney's On The Record. She skated really well and was so excited to go out and skate that she was hopping around in the staging area. Since she only did about 2 backward wiggles and her dip was very short she ended up 4th out of 4. It was a bit of a sting to the mommy ego- how could they possibly score my baby on what she did! Didn't they notice she was the cutest one out there???- but I noticed a significant improvement from fall fling and that is what matters. We are now busy preparing for a competition on April 1. We are entering 3 events in that competition, so I will be spending most of my day at the rink. Rehearsals start for the ice show on March 16th. We are doing a Viva las Vegas theme this year. I think Becca is going to be in a group of girls that are brides.
Monday night was Cameron's child led parent teacher conference. I was so proud of him. The first station was math and he had a worksheet of problems to answer. Aside from the fact that he seemed nervous he did a great job doing the work. Math is not his favorite subject, but he has come a long way this year. The second station was making inferences from written material. After reading the short story at the station, they were supposed to use examples from the story to define the word obsessed. Even though he didn't define it the same way his teacher did, she was impressed with the way he used his examples. It was definitely an answer that she would accept on an assignment. The last station was a few examples of how his writing has improved over the course of the year. Writing is the area that Cameron really shines. Overall, he is doing very well at school. He has made big strides this year in his schoolwork. His teacher had lots of wonderful things to say about him and how great of a class helper he is.
Last night when David came home from band (at 11pm) he told me about an interview he has today. Of course he needed to have his pants and shirt washed/ironed since he hasn't worn dress clothes in probably 2 years or so. I informed him that if he takes a job that requires wearing clothes that have to be ironed he had better be making enough money for me to take all of his work clothes to the cleaners. At the very least I will be upgrading my iron and ironing board.!
Beth was kind enough to video Becca's skating program, so I will see if I can post it to YouTube. The good news for Beth is that I think I have finally talked David into buying a video camera so she won't have to do it anymore!
I guess it is time to get my day started. I am off to run errands and take Becca to gymnastics and hopefully this afternoon I will get a nap!
Sunday was Becca's competition. We had to leave the house about 6:45am and it was brutal! We actually made it out the door by about 6:47 or so and I was impressed that we weren't later than that. I am still new at the competition thing and it overwhelms me a bit, but I got my act together a lot quicker this time. She only skated one event but she was the cutest skater out there for sure! She wore the same dress as Fall Fling, but this time we skated to a cut of Mickey Mouse March from Disney's On The Record. She skated really well and was so excited to go out and skate that she was hopping around in the staging area. Since she only did about 2 backward wiggles and her dip was very short she ended up 4th out of 4. It was a bit of a sting to the mommy ego- how could they possibly score my baby on what she did! Didn't they notice she was the cutest one out there???- but I noticed a significant improvement from fall fling and that is what matters. We are now busy preparing for a competition on April 1. We are entering 3 events in that competition, so I will be spending most of my day at the rink. Rehearsals start for the ice show on March 16th. We are doing a Viva las Vegas theme this year. I think Becca is going to be in a group of girls that are brides.
Monday night was Cameron's child led parent teacher conference. I was so proud of him. The first station was math and he had a worksheet of problems to answer. Aside from the fact that he seemed nervous he did a great job doing the work. Math is not his favorite subject, but he has come a long way this year. The second station was making inferences from written material. After reading the short story at the station, they were supposed to use examples from the story to define the word obsessed. Even though he didn't define it the same way his teacher did, she was impressed with the way he used his examples. It was definitely an answer that she would accept on an assignment. The last station was a few examples of how his writing has improved over the course of the year. Writing is the area that Cameron really shines. Overall, he is doing very well at school. He has made big strides this year in his schoolwork. His teacher had lots of wonderful things to say about him and how great of a class helper he is.
Last night when David came home from band (at 11pm) he told me about an interview he has today. Of course he needed to have his pants and shirt washed/ironed since he hasn't worn dress clothes in probably 2 years or so. I informed him that if he takes a job that requires wearing clothes that have to be ironed he had better be making enough money for me to take all of his work clothes to the cleaners. At the very least I will be upgrading my iron and ironing board.!
Beth was kind enough to video Becca's skating program, so I will see if I can post it to YouTube. The good news for Beth is that I think I have finally talked David into buying a video camera so she won't have to do it anymore!
I guess it is time to get my day started. I am off to run errands and take Becca to gymnastics and hopefully this afternoon I will get a nap!
22 February 2007
the best day ever!
That's what Cameron told me when he got into the car after school yesterday. At the beginning of the day he was chosen as Character Kid of the month, and then he passed his 3 grade multiplication timed tests. When he got in the van I gave him a pretzel rod covered with chocolate and then it was the best day ever. The kids got to play outside for quite a while because it was so warm. It was nice to be out and about after it's been cold for so long.
I headed to craft night with my knitting and David took the kids to drums. Cameron has almost worked his way through his first drum book. He really wants a drum set and my guess is that we will be getting him one soon.
We are gearing up for a busy weekend- between basketball, a fun Saturday morning trip to Nordstrom's with some friends, my Sweet Adelines meeting, and Becca's ice skating competition I don't think we will have a lot of sitting around time.
I got the Skate KC registration mailed off this morning, so more skating fun is on the way! Becca is entered in 3 events for that competition so we have a lot of work to do.
I'm off to pick Cameron up from school, then it's time to hit the homework. blah.
I headed to craft night with my knitting and David took the kids to drums. Cameron has almost worked his way through his first drum book. He really wants a drum set and my guess is that we will be getting him one soon.
We are gearing up for a busy weekend- between basketball, a fun Saturday morning trip to Nordstrom's with some friends, my Sweet Adelines meeting, and Becca's ice skating competition I don't think we will have a lot of sitting around time.
I got the Skate KC registration mailed off this morning, so more skating fun is on the way! Becca is entered in 3 events for that competition so we have a lot of work to do.
I'm off to pick Cameron up from school, then it's time to hit the homework. blah.
20 February 2007
What's new around here-
Nothing!!! Everything seems to stay the same at our house. We have a basketball game and a skating competition this weekend and next week is parent teacher conferences. The biggest thing coming up is Skate for a Cause, a benefit to help Marta's family and another family that lost their mom to cancer in January. It is a night of skating with a silent auction, and we have some wonderful things coming in! Signed hockey jerseys, footballs, and other sports stuff, plus a ton of other stuff. Until Marta was diagnosed with cancer I was totally unaware of how expensive it can be. So many of the the medicines are not covered by insurance- the chemo is, but none of her anti-nausea meds were because they were considered unnecessary. Between the cost of the meds, the cost of spending days on end away from home and the fact that she was only able to work about 12 out of the last 24 months it can become overwhelming quickly. In true fashion, Dan has never complained and only agreed to the fundraiser if it included another skating family.
After a very draggy sick weekend I seem to be on the mend just in time to head out to craft night!:) It is at Beth's house, who recently found out that she was expecting a little Herbert in June. We have been calling the baby Pearl and she since the pregnancy was discovered, but it appears that we were wrong. All the same, it will be exciting to welcome a new little guy to their family.
I am knitting my very first scarf- all in knit stitch. After I finish that I will knit a scarf entirely in Purl stitch and then I think I will be ready to go. After that I think I might be able to make something that isn't in a rectangular shape!
We are closing in on the 30 day mark- David's last day of work is April 2. I am not sure what I am going to do with him here at home. Wish us luck on the job search.
I think I am going to run get a couple of things done before David gets home from band, and then I am headed to bed.
After a very draggy sick weekend I seem to be on the mend just in time to head out to craft night!:) It is at Beth's house, who recently found out that she was expecting a little Herbert in June. We have been calling the baby Pearl and she since the pregnancy was discovered, but it appears that we were wrong. All the same, it will be exciting to welcome a new little guy to their family.
I am knitting my very first scarf- all in knit stitch. After I finish that I will knit a scarf entirely in Purl stitch and then I think I will be ready to go. After that I think I might be able to make something that isn't in a rectangular shape!
We are closing in on the 30 day mark- David's last day of work is April 2. I am not sure what I am going to do with him here at home. Wish us luck on the job search.
I think I am going to run get a couple of things done before David gets home from band, and then I am headed to bed.
She will be missed.......
Marta Smith, 40, died at home after a two-year battle with cancer. Marta was born January 22, 1967, to Ruth Link Deuschle and the late Erhardt "Dutch" Deuschle. She loved growing up in Prairie Village and attending St. Ann's, playing CYO sports and SM East High School. She played volleyball and was active in the honor society, and the international club. Marta graduated from K State in 1990 with degrees in History, Social Science and an emphasis in Art History. She was particularly proud of her intern work at the Eisenhower Museum in Abilene and her recorded history of Rock Springs Ranch that she completed for the Kansas 4-H club. She worked for Crown Center for over 20 years, where she loved working with people and promoting Kansas City. Marta's most recent employer was Horn Aylward and Bandy, where she worked as a paralegal. In 1992, Marta married Dan Smith and began her family. Delia Ruth Smith was born 9/23/96 and Josiah Erhardt Smith was born 4/23/98. More than anything, Marta loved her family and raising her children. Blood donation was important to her and would donate every eight weeks when the blood bank requested. An annual blood drive is being set up in her name at the Highlands Community of Christ congregation. Marta was a member of the Highlands Community of Christ for over 10 years and taught Sunday School with her teaching partner Kathy. She also helped with Vacation Bible School and Christian Education. She is overwhelmed at the support that our congregation has given in her time of need. Thanks for loving my family. She also loved musicals and reading. She loved to play volleyball and softball as well as ice skating and ice hockey. She loved watching her family participate in the same sports. The environment and recycling are important to her as well. Marta leaves behind her husband of over 14 years, Dan, her daughter Delia and son Josiah. She also leaves behind her mother, Ruth Deuschle, her sister Lisa Deuschle, and brother Steve Deuschle, all of Prairie Village, Kan., her sister Anne Deuschle of Kansas City, Mo., and many relatives spread around the country. Also Murray and Elizabeth Smith of Portland, Oregon, Melanie Cooper and family of Portland, Oregon, Beth and Charlie Seefeldt of Derby, Connecticut, and Dawn and Randy Yoell and family of Windsor, Ontario Canada. She also leaves behind her dear friends, Carrie, Laura, Maggie and Marika, her cool hockey mom's group of Amy, Barb, Kelly and Maggie. Marta was an active member of the Line Creek Figure Skating Club on the Synchronized Skating board and enjoyed being a part of the "skating family" at the Line Creek Ice Arena. She loved watching Delia skate on the Go Figure synchronized skating team and her son Josiah play hockey for the KC Fighting Saints. There will be a memorial service held at the Highlands Community of Christ and her ashes will be scattered at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, along the Lake Michigan shore in northern Michigan. May God bless Marta's family and friends as we continue our journey here on this earth. Her memorial service will be on March 3rd at the Highlands Community of Christ on N. Platte Purchase Drive in Kansas City North. Arrangements: Heartland Cremation & Burial Society,
07 February 2007
05 February 2007
The house of ills
We are all some degree of sick around here and have been for about 3 weeks. It seems like we are never getting better! LOL It's been so bad that we have started missing activities- Becca has missed skating and gymnastics last week and Cameron didn't go to school one day.
I went to Omaha last weekend for a sweet adelines education symposium. It was my first trip alone since I had kids. I had a good time, but we sang for about 10 hours of the symposium. I haven't done that since my college days and my voice was pretty stressed by Sunday. It was a fun time though.
We are busy preparing for Becca's skating competition in a couple of weeks. We get to wear the same dress that she wore in November (yay!) but we have new music. She is skating to a jazzed up version of Mickey Mouse Club march. We are going to skate this program for at least the next 2 competitions and maybe in Chicago in July.
Cameron has been playing basketball and really enjoying it. He really likes his team and they are doing pretty well. It's been adjustment for me, going to a situation where I don't know the parents at all. I guess hockey parents are just something special- you all bond when you have to be at a game an hours drive away that starts before most people get up in the morning.
I have decided to teach myself to knit. I am about 1/3 of the way there. I am still learning how to purl. Sometimes I have it and sometimes I don't. Once I get that down I am sure you will all be getting knitted gifts. (or in reality, I will be starting knitted gifts for you and you will never see them)
Hopefully we will all be better soon!
I went to Omaha last weekend for a sweet adelines education symposium. It was my first trip alone since I had kids. I had a good time, but we sang for about 10 hours of the symposium. I haven't done that since my college days and my voice was pretty stressed by Sunday. It was a fun time though.
We are busy preparing for Becca's skating competition in a couple of weeks. We get to wear the same dress that she wore in November (yay!) but we have new music. She is skating to a jazzed up version of Mickey Mouse Club march. We are going to skate this program for at least the next 2 competitions and maybe in Chicago in July.
Cameron has been playing basketball and really enjoying it. He really likes his team and they are doing pretty well. It's been adjustment for me, going to a situation where I don't know the parents at all. I guess hockey parents are just something special- you all bond when you have to be at a game an hours drive away that starts before most people get up in the morning.
I have decided to teach myself to knit. I am about 1/3 of the way there. I am still learning how to purl. Sometimes I have it and sometimes I don't. Once I get that down I am sure you will all be getting knitted gifts. (or in reality, I will be starting knitted gifts for you and you will never see them)
Hopefully we will all be better soon!
23 January 2007
Our first spiral!
Becca is really working hard at her skating lessons lately. She started back to lessons at the beginning of the year after a Mom imposed hiatus because of her behavior and I think she got the point. It sure has been fun watching her progress, and we are currently preparing for 2 competitions.
Today her coach taught her how to do a spiral- think skate on one leg with the other stretched out behind you. The requirement for mastery of the skill is at least hip height and we were managing mid calf, but she was all smiles while she was doing it. I will try to get a picture of her doing it on Thursday.
It is just such a thrill to see her loving this. Every morning she asks me to take her skating, and on the days we do go there are tears when we have to leave.
Cameron isn't feeling that well so we bagged off on basketball practice for tonight. I sure hope that he isn't on the way to sick and he will feel better tomorrow. I am ditching the family and going to Omaha this weekend for a Sweet Adelines Music School. It's the first time I have been away from all of my family at the same time- I always have to take at least one of them with me- and I am pretty excited. I hope it doesn't snow!
Today her coach taught her how to do a spiral- think skate on one leg with the other stretched out behind you. The requirement for mastery of the skill is at least hip height and we were managing mid calf, but she was all smiles while she was doing it. I will try to get a picture of her doing it on Thursday.
It is just such a thrill to see her loving this. Every morning she asks me to take her skating, and on the days we do go there are tears when we have to leave.
Cameron isn't feeling that well so we bagged off on basketball practice for tonight. I sure hope that he isn't on the way to sick and he will feel better tomorrow. I am ditching the family and going to Omaha this weekend for a Sweet Adelines Music School. It's the first time I have been away from all of my family at the same time- I always have to take at least one of them with me- and I am pretty excited. I hope it doesn't snow!
18 January 2007
A busy week!
I have officially been gone every night this week. I started singing in a chorus that meets on Monday nights, Tuesday is basketball practice, I had craft night last night, and tonight was 3rd grade music night with a side of CiCi's. I find that lately I am keeping myself quite busy.
Music night was great. I really like Cameron's music teacher. She came over from his old school and she is really good with the kids. Plus, she puts on short and sweet music nights that are fun to watch. The kids sang about 10 songs and we were out of there in 30 minutes. We then headed to CiCi's with both sets of Grandparents and treated ourselves to a wonderful pizza buffet. :)
Cameron is having a bit of a hard time lately. He will be seeing his doctor on Monday and hopefully we can get it straightened out. He has gotten himself wrapped up with some "friends" that he plays basketball with during recess. In reality, I am pretty sure that these 2 boys play him so that they can pick on him. He is being tripped, having basketballs thrown at him, and just in general being mistreated a little bit too much for me to believe that it is normal boy playing. His big excitement for week was getting a Webkinz- it is a virtual pet that you have to keep healthy, happy, and fed.
We decided to enter Becca into 2 more skating competitions, one the end of February and one the last weekend in March. She will be wearing her polka dot dress again, but she will be skating to Mickey Mouse Club March instead of Good Ship Lollipop. She will also be in the club ice show in April and we are thinking about going to ISI Worlds in Chicago this summer. She has just started back to her lessons and is progressing much more quickly than she was before. It makes for a busy mom driving to the rink 3 times a week, and now we are adding a 4th trip so that she can prepare to skate her first competition on an ice surface that is not her home rink. I love watching her skate though. It makes her so happy to be out on the ice, and no matter how long we have been there she always cries when we have to leave.
On a sad note, a good friend of mine is dying of round cell sarcoma. She is one of the original cool hockey moms and Cameron played hockey with her son for 3 years. She was first diagnosed almost 2 years ago, and we thought that all was good after chemo, radiation, and surgery. It wasn't supposed to come back, but she was told that if it did there wouldn't really be much that they could do to stop it. They were right. The first of December she thought she had a sinus infection that turned out to be a brain tumor. Just 6 weeks later we are about to lose her. I always thought I had a handle on death, losing my mother and then a year later my daughter. But this just seems too cruel. She is in pain, she is paralyzed, and she just doesn't know how much longer she will be able to hang on. The one thing I do know is that being around her made me a better person. I am lucky to have had her in my life. She has been so strong and peaceful throughout all of this and that has made it easier for those of us around her. Cancer sucks.
Music night was great. I really like Cameron's music teacher. She came over from his old school and she is really good with the kids. Plus, she puts on short and sweet music nights that are fun to watch. The kids sang about 10 songs and we were out of there in 30 minutes. We then headed to CiCi's with both sets of Grandparents and treated ourselves to a wonderful pizza buffet. :)
Cameron is having a bit of a hard time lately. He will be seeing his doctor on Monday and hopefully we can get it straightened out. He has gotten himself wrapped up with some "friends" that he plays basketball with during recess. In reality, I am pretty sure that these 2 boys play him so that they can pick on him. He is being tripped, having basketballs thrown at him, and just in general being mistreated a little bit too much for me to believe that it is normal boy playing. His big excitement for week was getting a Webkinz- it is a virtual pet that you have to keep healthy, happy, and fed.
We decided to enter Becca into 2 more skating competitions, one the end of February and one the last weekend in March. She will be wearing her polka dot dress again, but she will be skating to Mickey Mouse Club March instead of Good Ship Lollipop. She will also be in the club ice show in April and we are thinking about going to ISI Worlds in Chicago this summer. She has just started back to her lessons and is progressing much more quickly than she was before. It makes for a busy mom driving to the rink 3 times a week, and now we are adding a 4th trip so that she can prepare to skate her first competition on an ice surface that is not her home rink. I love watching her skate though. It makes her so happy to be out on the ice, and no matter how long we have been there she always cries when we have to leave.
On a sad note, a good friend of mine is dying of round cell sarcoma. She is one of the original cool hockey moms and Cameron played hockey with her son for 3 years. She was first diagnosed almost 2 years ago, and we thought that all was good after chemo, radiation, and surgery. It wasn't supposed to come back, but she was told that if it did there wouldn't really be much that they could do to stop it. They were right. The first of December she thought she had a sinus infection that turned out to be a brain tumor. Just 6 weeks later we are about to lose her. I always thought I had a handle on death, losing my mother and then a year later my daughter. But this just seems too cruel. She is in pain, she is paralyzed, and she just doesn't know how much longer she will be able to hang on. The one thing I do know is that being around her made me a better person. I am lucky to have had her in my life. She has been so strong and peaceful throughout all of this and that has made it easier for those of us around her. Cancer sucks.
09 January 2007
Picture update
I still can't figure out how to post pictures to the blog, so there is a link on the right side of the page to Kelley's shared pictures. I will just upload the pictures there and you can view them. I fixed the link and it works now. Maybe someday I will get it straightened out. grrrrrrr
My first post of the new year
Gosh, I never thought I would go so long without posting!
Our holidays were pretty good this year. We did pass some horrible virus around the family right after Christmas, be we all seemed to heal well and everybody made it back to their normal schedule on time. We are full into "real" life again. I am back to running to gymnastics, skating, basketball, and the like. I will see if I can get some pictures posted, blogger is now out of beta so I might be able to get it to work! I'm off to see what I can do....
Our holidays were pretty good this year. We did pass some horrible virus around the family right after Christmas, be we all seemed to heal well and everybody made it back to their normal schedule on time. We are full into "real" life again. I am back to running to gymnastics, skating, basketball, and the like. I will see if I can get some pictures posted, blogger is now out of beta so I might be able to get it to work! I'm off to see what I can do....
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