Lunch with Emma

Every Monday I show up to Emma's school and eat lunch with her. We sit at a special table in the back of the cafeteria and enjoy each other's company and some really good food. I usually go out and bring her Chick-fil-A or a sub sandwich from Lenny's. Today, I brought her a lunch, made with love, from my own kitchen. As you can see, Emma has a very big sub sandwich. Some things take two hands!

I love spending time with Emma. It makes my day so special. I always get a few waves of 'hello' from her friends. The teachers always smile when they see me enter the cafeteria. Most of all, I know how much it means to my little girl that I set aside time just for her. Now the boys have started asking
me to join them for lunch. I don't know many middle school kids who actually want their parents to come have lunch with them, but at least mine still want me around, for now.

These are the pictures of my lunch with Emma. Beautiful, I know . . . perhaps next time I can post some of Emma with a few of her close friends. Enjoy your Monday!

Sunday at the Park

The first Sunday of each month, my Sunday School class plans a get together for the families. Yesterday the weather was so nice we went to a local park. The kids had a great time playing on swings, socializing, and fishing in the pond. The group of kids are all around the same age as the boys, which leaves Emma feeling a little left out. After learning to put a real worm on a hook and having Daddy remind her how to cast, she spent most of the afternoon by the edge of the pond.

Jamie and I enjoyed just being together and outside. We reminisced about past camping trips and weekends spent grilling at the park. The climate is so mild in Texas, aside from the scorching summer heat, we could go camping like we use to and life seemed so simple. More than anything, I enjoyed being with my family. I feel like we get so distracted with going and doing so much we hardly have time to enjoy one another.

Halloween

Emma and I were the only ones in our family who dressed in costume for Halloween this year. Our church puts on a Fall Festival for the community every year to co inside with trick-or-treating. It is a great way to give back to the community and provide a safe place for kids of all ages to play and get candy.

Miles, Taylor and I helped out at a mini-golf booth run by members of my Sunday School class. After an hour cheering on the little kids, and the not so little kids, we met up with Emma and Jamie. Emma had so much fun riding the mechanical wave/surf machine. The boys spent most of the night waiting in line to ride the gyroscope.

We finally made it home in time to go door-to-door with our neighbors. We ran into some of Emma's classmates and got a lot of good candy. By the end of the night, this little mouse was ready for bed. I can't wait for next year!

Book Parade

Emma's school, like most public schools, does not participate in celebrating holidays. BUT every year around the end of October (a.k.a. Halloween) they have a book parade! I was privileged enough to be at the school and watch the children from every grade march up and down the halls of the elementary school in costume. I wish my batteries were charged, I could have taken some really great pictures.

The kids have a month to plan. They have to send in a request for approval to their teachers. Of course, the characters must be accompanied by their books. There were little girls dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, teachers and school staff dressed like Junie B. Jones and Cinderella. Some classes decided on one story and made costumes to match for the whole class.

Emma and I are reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. She wanted to be Hermione, one of Harry's best friends. As you can see from the picture, she makes a pretty cute Hermione. The parade started just after the first bell. It was the perfect way to start my Halloween.

Ike . . . revisited

I finally managed to get over to my neighbor's house and picked up the pictures from our vacation, I mean our tragedy called Ike. It's never too late to share some great times with friends. While I was with my friend, we 'reminisced' about the great time we had when the power was off and we had nothing but the ice-chest to keep the food cold. It was really nice. I honestly enjoyed getting closer to my neighbors. Now it's almost a month after the disaster, life is back to normal . . . school days, sports, church, fundraisers, work, groceries, and on, and on, and on. I miss being able to enjoy my family. I miss hanging out on the front lawn with my neighbors. We are so busy it is as if we've forgotten the bonds created from the times of trouble.

As I sit and write this, Emma is downstairs resting because she is not feeling well. Alice is making lunch in between loads of never ending laundry and e-mail correspondence. The boys are at school. And I am working on PTO projects. I miss the 'simple' life. Enjoy some pictures from our eight-day hiatus from modern convenience. The Slide Show gives all the details!

Saturday Sports

Last Saturday was the pinnacle of our multi-sport family. I have to say, this is why we encourage the boys to participate in the same sports . . .

Saturday morning the boys competed in their first cross country meet. There are eleven (that's right 11) boys on the 7th grade cross country team for their school. They were in a group of almost one hundred other seventh grade boys. The boys run a two mile course. Miles came in 52, finishing second on his school team. Taylor came in 72, finishing third on the school team.

Meanwhile, across town, Emma had a double header for soccer with pictures at 8:00 AM, a game at 9:oo AM and another game at 10:15 AM. Her team, The Hurricanes, won both games 4:1 and 2:0. Emma is learning to play goalie, forward, and sweeper. I think she likes playing goalie best.

Emma is such a trooper. She is the only girl on an all boy's team. This was a little discouraging at first because all of her girl friends in Colorado are playing on all-girl teams with "real" fields. We enrolled Emma through the YMCA which is not a private league. But she is really coming to enjoy playing and being a part of the team. She is making friends and her coach also has a YMCA co-ed baseball team and has asked her to join them when it begins.

Emma is such a versatile little girl. One moment she wants to play Barbies or dress up her baby dolls, the next minute she's diving for a ball to keep it from the goal or playing X-Box with her brothers.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. Miles and Taylor have three meets left before basketball season begins. Both boys want to try out for the team. Emma has only a few games left too. I don't know how I would manage any of this without Jamie.



Miles in the pack


Taylor in the home stretch




Goalie Emma





Keeping up with the boys

Hurricane Ike Cometh

Oh my goodness! I don't know where to begin. Let me first give thanks that our family and house did not suffer from the storm. Five days without power and under water restrictions, our phone and Internet service was out for eight days with limited cell phone service. We combined resources with some of our neighbors, had the good fortune of cool weather after the storm, and still had gas for the stove. It was like a glorified camping trip.

I don't have many pictures from the storm, but will get them from my neighbor, the budding photo journalist, and post some of the aftermath and 'after party.' Here are a few from the day before and when the eye passed over.

No Bread


How to Clean Your Fridge


The Eye of the Storm - Our Neighbor's House


Looking at our house the day before - The empty lot and debirs next door




Playing in the wind gusts - Pinwheels are fun

Kite Flying in the Wind