First Travel Meet

Last weekend we traveled as a family to Little Gymnast's first "away" meet. We decided it would be fun to spend a weekend together in Indianapolis a few weeks prior to the Superbowl.

Much to Little Dude's delight, our 17th floor hotel room overlooked Lucas Oil Field. He pronounced it, "The best room ever!" He also suggested that we ought to just live in that hotel room forever! Who wouldn't want a great view, a pool,an amazing workout room and a maid everyday? I think he is on to something...

Runner Boy and Little Dude settled right in.

Runner Boy decided to photo bomb our picture...

We were at a gymnastics meet when a track meet broke out...she's got quite a kick at the end of a sprint. Clearly she needed to work out some energy after we arrived in Indy.

We had time to explore the hotel, downtown and a lovely church before competition...

It's important to nourish yourself properly prior to competition. So she perched on a stool overlooking the $tarbuck's barista waiting for her chocolate milk.

With so many gymnasts at the meet, we had great opportunities to watch different levels compete, cheer on her teammates and meet new friends.

Little Gymnast was so excited to see her beloved Aunt & Uncle there, too.

Every time she goes out to compete, we ask her to do two things:
1) do your best
2) have fun

She did both of those things in Indy. We are proud of your effort, your medals and your sportsmanship!

Little Dude, you are now part of the fraternity of brothers who have endured such competition!

Your sister will have to attend your activities with grace...she owes you one!

Gotcha Day!

There are few days in our lives that can be as special as the arrival of a child. Regardless of the way a child joins a family, it is an amazing, life-changing experience. Little Gymnast joined our family in December of 2005. One thing that I particularly cherish about that day is that we were able to share it with three other families. We all had precious girls placed in our arms that day. We shared the joy, wiped tears from little eyes, tried to get their little lips to turn to a smile, and took many pictures. Each of us started a journey to a little girl from a different place and we all ended the paper chase that day.


We have a tradition of Runner Boy taking a photo with our little girl on the anniversary of that Day...

Gotcha Day 2006 and 2007 photos appear to be an a file that I have temporarily misplaced...oops:

So imagine pictures of cute guy and little kid here....I gotta find that file.

Gotcha Day 2008...it was snowing that day...

Gotcha Day 2009...in our new house...

Gotcha Day 2010...

Gotcha Day 2011...

As she grows older, her thoughts about her history will evolve. May she come to a deep understanding of the depth of our love and of her heavenly Father.

Gotcha Day is a day to celebrate her adoption into our family and the gift that she is to our family.

Meet Prep...

Leotard, warm up pants, team jersey, hair scrunchy, comb, bobby pins, hair bands, water bottle, organic chocolate milk, apple, cheesy crackers, hair spray...

...and nerves of steel...

...and guts...

...and little cute smiles...

ready, set, go Team go!!!

Project Thankful Day 1

I am so thankful for her...

She is my twirly - girly!

Giving

Kate has become very passionate about giving.

She has been saving the money she has been given or earned since she was about 3 years old.

(Sidebar: She is on straight commission at home: if she does her jobs, she gets paid at the end of the week. If she doesn't do her jobs, she does not get paid. There are basic jobs you are required to do if you live at our house, then there are the jobs you can do to earn coin. We believe it's important to learn the value of work at a young age...so we started the commission plan earlier this summer. No entitlements at this house.)

Sunday she reminded me we needed to take some money out of her bank to send to Chinese orphans. We had been talking about where she might want to give some of her money, and she chose the children of China.

As we took the money out of her banks, a look of panic spread across her face. She then asked, "I don't know how to count in the millions, how will I count my money?" I assured her that I could count high enough to figure out how much cash she has on hand.

We counted the all of it (less than $1 million dollars on hand) and then divided it into 3 piles. The first pile is for giving. This will be going to support her passion. The second pile is for saving. The third pile is for spending. She can use this to purchase things she wants and to learn how money works.

While she doesn't completely understand the system yet, she certainly is excited about sharing what she's earned. She also was very excited to take her own money and buy her own *Silly*Bands*. I didn't personally love the idea of buying rubber bands with her hard earned cash, but it's not my money. It's hers and it's part of her education...that is priceless.

I am proud of her giving heart and hope it only becomes more compassionate over time.

Busy week for Kate...

This girl has her hands full with school this week...she's been assigned a variety of jobs.

Monday: special helper to the teacher
Tuesday: attendance keeper
Wednesday: custodian (when questioned she is to "dust and stuff")
Thursday: the meteorologist
Friday: the librarian

Being a kindergartner is a not for the faint of heart.

Another One Bites the Dust...

Another one of Kate's pets has perished.

Matthew the V is no longer with us.

He joined our family last week after coming home from the farm stand on an ear of corn.

He was a 1.5 inch long and a lovely shade of green.

I think he was some sort of pest that ruins corn crops, but Kate loved him the minute she laid eyes on him.

She scooped him up, put him into a left over Chinese take out container and gave him leaves, sticks and rocks to climb on.

He was loved while he lasted. We left him in his cozy container on the kitchen island one night.

The next morning we found the container laying on the floor...Matthew the V was missing.

Gone...

Our kitty, Pascal, tried to look aloof and innocent.

R.I.P. Matthew the V

growing up...

Kate: "Momma, when I grow up will I have big hips?"

Me: "Huh?"

Kate: "When I grow up will I have big hips...like you?"

Me: "Do you think I have big hips Kate?"

Kate: "Yes"


...ouch...

R.I.P.

kate's pet ant, Lilly Matthew, passed away this morning.

cause(s) of death:

1) tupperware suffocation

2) acute cheerio poisoning

3) boredom

4) loneliness

June 4-June 5, 2010

RIP

pets

our family has expanded. yup, a new member. kate found "her". she found her today in the house and has adopted "her".

we don't really know if she really is a "her". kate decided she was a "her"...sam thinks she is a "he".

kate named "her" "Lilly".

sam named "him" "Matthew".

kate renamed "her/him" "Lilly Matthew".

kate found 2 cheerios on the floor, ground them up and fed them to Lilly Matthew in her *tupperware* home.

Lilly Matthew is an ant.

...may she survive the night...

Breaking News...

Good Bye training wheels...

i heart her

she bought the farm...

why kate will never be allowed inside of a tattoo parlor...

...she has no taste...

fashionista...

Kate has recently observed that one of her Chinese school buddies has an accessory that she doesn't.

She said to Runner Boy today, "Dad, G has ear 'mugs'. I need ear 'mugs', too."

Runner Boy responded dryly..."That's ear muffs, Kate..."

Molly

she's here.

moved in.

a new best friend.

those eyes

She's a Snow Princess

The Snow Princess briefly stopped on her way out the door for a quick pic...

she loved the fresh snow...the brisk temperatures...the time to play...

she wished her hill was a lot steeper and longer...

but, it still brought her joy...

and made her smile...

this is "Golden Sparkle"...she built him and loves him...and she named him...

her she is with "Frosty" and "Golden Sparkle"

snow princess

the saga continues

Tonight at the dinner table Kate says to Runner Boy, "Daddy, do you know what I want for Christmas?"

He replied, "What Kate?"

She said, "I want Molly, and a dress, skirt, shirt, pants, shorts and her crown. Yeah, I want her crown."

Runner Boy looked up from from his fruit salad and said, "Well, Kate, I want a fighter jet, an air craft carrier and a tank for Christmas."

She smiled at him and replied, "If you pray really hard, every day, you can have them, too!"


**************

As we said our night time prayers, Kate announced was AGAIN going to pray for Molly. Runner Boy suggested she should also thank God for something, too.

And so it goes, "Dear Jesus, please give me Molly for Christmas, and a dress, skirt, pants, shorts and her crown."

Runner Boy says, "Ah, weren't you going to thank God for something????"

"...and thank you for my house, too."

The Full Court Press

Tenacious...persistent...relentless...neva, neva give up...that is my girl.

Kate has decided what she wants for Christmas and we ALL know about it. She is on an all out offensive to obtain the gift of her dreams. She has decided she wants an *American*Girl*Doll and she's ramped up the pressure to crazy levels.

It started innocently enough--she has a *Bitty*Baby doll (same company), so she's gotten a few of their catalogs over time. Kate has been studying them and dreaming about the doll daily (usually during "quiet time".) It didn't take long before she had all the dolls memorized and started to have favorites. She then noticed that her cousin had several *American*Girl*Dolls and that made the dolls even more appealing.

She also went on a pilgrimage with her beloved cousin to the *American*Girl*Store--little did we know that this would only fuel the fire. (Runner Boy refuses to ever have to go in there again--one trip was enough.)

She wants *Molly*. Not Kirsten, Ivey, Chrissa, Elizabeth, Felicity, Julie, Rebecca, Kit, Kaya, Addy...just Molly. Somehow Molly pops up in multiple conversations a day. She doesn't want one that looks like her, or has curly hair, or blond hair. She wants Molly.

We were looking through a magazine recently and she pointed out a picture full of Christmas presents. She pointed them out and said, "Mom, you could buy Molly, wrap her up like this and I would open the present and act VERY surprised!"

Or, "Momma, Grandma could buy Molly for 'Crismas' and I would be so surprised!"

Or, "Grandma, did you know I want Molly for 'Crismas?' My momma is gonna buy her for me."

Yesterday she went to the mall with Grandma for a story hour at the local bookstore. As she was telling me about her day she said, "Momma, I threw a coin in da fountain and made a wish. I wished for Molly!"

(Sam piped up with, "I wished for Lightning McQueen!")

And she's not just working on us, she's taken it to the next level. She's even pestering God. Every night she prays for Molly for Christmas. Just in case we haven't heard enough about it, she's trying to get God on her side. Tonight Runner Boy asked her to thank God for something in her prayers.

She replied, "Dear Jesus, thank you for my bedroom...an' please give me Molly for Christmas."

I could whine about this trait, but she's seen it in her momma, so I just admire the creative ways Molly works her way into everyday conversation.