Happy October...

(don't even pretend to be surprised by this pose!)

Tae Kwon Do

After it just not working out in his favor last year, Max decided to try Tae Kwon Do again this year as part of his school's Lunch Bunch program. One day after school is done, he eats a packed lunch in "the big room" with other kids and stays after for his Tae Kwon Do class.... and he LOVES it!! This week Lunch Bunch class is canceled due to Mr. Mershad's prior engagement in Cincinnati so Max got to take a make up class at the studio instead. It was the first time I got to watch him and see that he was actually learning something, and on his way to becoming a "real" Power Ranger (his goal in life). :)

It was awesome to watch! He kicked and jumped and punched and yelled "YES SIR!" and it was great! He earned his black stripe on his belt as well for being able to do his "high blocks". He was very proud. Enjoy!

Max is in the middle, closest to my camera... :)

Summer Wrap Up...

Alas, I'm posting! :)

We had a great August! First of all, Max kept continuing to do better and better at the pool... he treads water FOREVER, jumps off the board with no one watching/catching/worrying, doesn't use floaties and overall swims like a champ. Do I hear scholarship? :) Even the lifeguard said she doesn't worry about him or feel the need to constantly check on his every move because he's gotten to be such a strong swimmer. He definitely loves it and keeps reminding me that tennis, swimming and golf are his favorite sports. Ok! :)

Speaking of sports, soccer games started in August. Max is on the orange team, sponsored by none other than Kleather's Pumpkin Patch. Very appropriate. While I think he may have the strongest leg on the team, he doesn't have the strongest will to play. He loves "flirting" with Kenleigh and Carley, playing duck duck goose and so on. Thankfully our friend Jim is the coach and understands all this. It's a big success for Max!

Max... #5

August also brought our first ever family vacation! I mean seriously, Max is 4 and we have never vacayed before? Well we have, but it always included staying with family somewhere, not a "TRUE" vacation where we were on our own. We drove the 12 or so hours to Destin, in no hurry whatsoever, and loved every minute! We took our time stopping to see friends both ways (including stopping in Nashville overnight for a tour of Vanderbilt), enjoyed catching up with old friends while in Destin and had a fabulous time! Max did AWESOME in the car, mostly thanks to his new Nintendo DS. We spend most every morning at the beach collecting shells, challenging waves to knock us down, etc. and afternoons at the pool, shopping, eating, etc. Carrie and Eric were awesome hosts and we hope to do it again this spring if they'll have us! Here is a slideshow with some of the pictures we took while there...

We rounded out summer with a family reunion put on by my grandma! It was great having our family all together, something we don't do enough of even though most of us live around here! We spent Friday night having dinner at Bravo and Sat. afternoon playing, eating, and goofing off at North Park. Thanks Grandma, for putting this together and treating us to a wonderful weekend!

Grandma and Her Granddaughters

the WHOLE family!

Summer had to come to an end, much to our dismay, and Max's last year of preschool began. We thought he was ready. He talked excitedly about it, he picked out a new Mario Kart lunch box, etc. The first day drop off was baaaaad though. He fought and hit and elbowed when we walked into the building. I basically had to drag him by one arm, hand him over to his teacher (who probably wasn't prepared for the strength she needed to retain him) and said "I love you, bye". Poor kid. Of course after 2 minutes he was FINE and day two, and three were smooth as can be. He is in school 4 days a week for half days and on Tuesdays will stay for lunch and take a karate class so he can be more like a Power Ranger. Wish us luck on that one!

in front of school on day 1 (above)

in front of school on day 2 (below)

Where have I been?

Due to constant hounding by those whom will not be named, I am updating my blog... but not with anything exciting. I have SO much to post and catch up on... soccer games, vacation to Destin, a new school year, Labor Day family reunion, etc. I'm kinda overwhelmed by it all and that's why I've been procrastinating. (who me?)

So stay tuned... a new post is coming soon... with LOTS of pics, maybe even a slideshow... OOOOH, AAAAAHHH!

Is this a preview for the fall?

Max had his first soccer practice tonight for SAY. Our friend Jim is the coach. He has 5 kids on the teams he is good friends with. We thought it would be a breeze. WRONG! I'm always wrong. I went running this morning then afterward met up with Chris and Max at practice. As soon as I pulled up I could see Chris talking to him over on the sidelines. NOT AGAIN! Seriously, I don't even think it's about soccer I think Max just thinks this is what he's supposed to act like during soccer seasons. UGH! Finally he got out there and had a ball... I don't get it... I'm sure I'll have lots to write about over the next few months...

On another note, tonight we are going out to celebrate Chris's 33rd bday. Mexican for dinner with good friends then going to a party at our old neighbor's home. Looking forward to a good evening... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!

T-Ball with Coach Chris, aka Daddy

It's T-ball season at the YMCA... We had high hopes for this sport, being as it's not as crazy-aggressive as soccer. We also wondered how it might go with Daddy being the coach. So far so good, although we really can't keep Max and Evan from fighting each other like Power Rangers but you pick your battles, right? :)

After just two practices, Monday was the first game for the 4 and 5 year old White Sharks. Here are the rules for this age group: No positions, everyone hits around, run to first when you hit it, then second with the next batter and so on, you can throw the ball to first but the runner is always safe, and you play 2 full innings. BO-RING! Honestly. I mean, I'm a fan of baseball and all but having the kids "learn" nothing is grueling. Maybe it's cause I'm competitive and think they should learn to play correctly, I dunno?

Max mostly played third base, which is odd for a lefty but no matter cause he didn't get the ball hit his way once. And he definitely prefers hitting over "being a thrower" or as most of us call it, fielding. :) Overall it was a great first game though! He didn't pitch a fit or cry, just mildly complained about "being a thrower" and anxiously waited for his turn to bat. I'm thinking maybe we'll go buy him a t-ball bat though... take a look at his swing... the bat is HUGE! He needs to choke up!! ;)

Doesn't he look so cute out there though? Awwww... I took LOTS o' pics... enjoy!

Stretching, doing arm circles...

Jumping Jacks

Ready position

Max @ 3rd

First hit!

@ 1st base

Ready to run home!

Running home!

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!

July 11... it's my mom's 60th birthday! We couldn't let the big 6-0 go by without throwing some sort of significant party, right? And who doesn't love a good surprise!? So a surprise party it was... and thanks to all who kept their mouths tightly shut, it was a big success!

Last night my mom and dad went out to dinner, as they do every Friday, with their friends. All the while we were at Dorothy Lane Market (sounds weird but was a brilliant place for a party, thanks Jenn!) setting up, eating food, chatting and awaiting her arrival. The plan was for Lucy, my mom's friend, to ask my dad if he would mind stopping by DLM on their way home from dinner, "she needed to get a loaf of bread". My dad then said he'd like to get some cantaloupe, too, so "we might as well all go in". :) DLM's party room is upstairs but has a balcony that overlooks their front door... I hung a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banner over the ledge and all 35 or so of us lined up and screamed "SURPRISE" when we saw her walk in the door. You can see her reaction... utter surprise!!! It was awesome!!!! (disclaimer: she was very mad she was wearing "grubby" clothes... LOL!)

Mom's face, looking up at us!!! HAHAHA!

We spent a few hours hanging out, eating cake and talking before it was all over. Something special we did was create a memory box for her 60th birthday... I bought a pretty ribbon-covered box at Hobby Lobby decorated it with an black metal "D" wall "charm" as well as two jewelry charms that read "60". In the box all the guests placed a short note for my mom to keep as a treasure... the notes could be anything from a well-wish to a funny memory... anything they wanted to write for her to read. It's something I hope she enjoys forever! :)

Memory Box along with mantle of old pictures

So here it is, Mom... your 60th birthday! You don't look a day over 45 with that smooth skin that I'm so jealous of! :) Here's wishing you a wonderful, healthy, joyful year... and many more! I love you! Enjoy your day!

ps- I almost forgot, we had my mom, Aunt Billie and Grandma reenact a photo they had taken before my Aunt Suzi was born, so I'm guessing it's circa 1951 or so... here is the original, and the new... isn't that cute?