Movie Time FUN

Taking advantage of some serious jet lag- we loaded up the van and took our family to the Drive In movies! It was so fun that we wondered why we hadn't done it before.

The double feature was

and Couples Retreat. We thought- great! We will all watch Toy Story and then the kids will go to sleep while we watch Couples Retreat.

The sky was amazing as we as we waited for the show to begin
and I might just be nostalgic, but I LOVED the speakers!!

Where else can you eat popcorn, watermelon & grapes while watching a new release?

I also loved that I could turn around and watch cute Jake across the way occasionally.

When the first movie was over, we told the kids it was time to go to sleep.... then we realized we had three "not babies" who also had serious jet lag.

We closed the van up, tuned the radio station to the next movie over, "The Karate Kid" and the kids watched that while Nathan and I sat outside with our own speakers and watched our movie. It was PERFECT!!

3 new release movies for $27.00?? Awesome!

Getting home at 2:30am?? Let's just say we all slept in a LONG time! :)

Strokin' the Good Luck

Back in April, Ethan entered a Earth Day photo contest. When he got home from school he was super bummed. He said they didn't allow you to use photoshop in the entries, so he was disqualified. I went on a rant about the fact that the rules didn't state that and it wasn't fair. I told him I was proud of him anyway and that he did a great job on the picture.

That night was Parent Teacher Conferences. When we got there, hanging right on the office window was Ethan's picture with a first place ribbon!! He wanted to surprise me so he made up the whole photoshop story... stinker. I was soooo EXCITED! What a great surprise!

He won an "I Love Earth" t-shirt & bracelet, Target gift certificate and a "Tough Boy" Sigg water bottle. Perfect for him!

Fast forward a month and we were at a school fundraiser for Saroya & Jaleigh's school. They had about 25 different raffles you could enter. I bought both girls a few tickets and let them enter what they wanted to. Saroya had her eye on a set of 3 large Webkinz so she put her ticket in that one, as well as a few others. Guess what she won...

EXACTLY what she wanted!! Welcome Nicole, Toby and Avery!!

At the same fundraiser, Jaleigh entered about everything she had tickets for. As usual, she wanted everything, but she was SURE she would be having a limo ride with her principal. I kept trying to explain a raffle and just because you enter it, it didn't mean you get to win the prize.

Then we got the call. She won the Limo ride!! Her first words (after a very high pitched scream) were "What am I going to wear?" followed by "We need to go shopping for a dress that goes all the way to the ground!"

I was able to convince her to get a dress that spins out far rather than goes to the floor when we found "glass slippers". Whew!

On her very last day of school, we took her to get her haircut. The place we go always does a little up-do complete with "fairy dust" after the cut, but they gave her the royal treatment that day. She even got a mini- manicure! OH that girl was in HEAVEN!!

As she walked to her school that day, hands outstretched by her side, she stopped dead in her tracks, and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gosh!! There is the RED CARPET!!! I can't BELIEVE IT!!" then she squealed!

The limo took them all to lunch and then they dropped Jaleigh off at her last day of school picnic. She exited the limo in all of her glory in front of every kindergartner in her school. She ate it up! She insisted on playing on the playground with all her friends in her dress and "glass slippers".

It was a day for her that she will never forget. We just got word that her limo ride made the local newspaper too! What a dream...

I think we could get used to this kind of luck!

Soccer tough

What a great soccer season we had this year! The kids remained tough through it all.

We start the review with this years "Most Improved"- Miss J.

For a kid who started the year complaining because she wanted pink soccer shoes, specific shorts, and who worried more about how her hair and outfit looked on the field- this kid has come the furthest.

She plays best when on the field with all boys.

She is a unstoppable as goalie
and never lets one through...unless she is your best friend.

Jaleigh had the best season this year because she thinks she won all her games. Hurray Jaleigh!

Next up- Award for "Hard Core Player of the Year"- Saroya.

She broke her arm the day of her second practice- just two days before her first game. She soldiered on and had a great season.

She played mostly defensive sweeper(?) and gave the goalie lots of pep talks while waiting for the action.

She hustled scored and blocked the ball thru the whole season.

They ended their season with only losing one game, but her opponents were fast friends as soon as the game was over. Way to go Saroya!!

And Ethan... Ethan gets the Award for Most Intense Season.

This year, Ethan played on a travel team for the first time. I was apprehensive about it because I didn't know how we could make 3 games at different times and places, but thanks to friends and grandparents, it all worked out.

Ethan took on the position of goalie most of the season- like, 95% of the season. He still managed to score a couple of goals when he was playing forward so that was fun for him.

Ethan in the orange goalie shirt

His team was so cohesive it was awesome to watch. They were a really tight team and played great soccer.

I loved that when a goalie from the High School team was watching Ethan- he said, "Man that kid has a PUNT!"

They were undefeated the whole season, and even went into the playoffs having earned The Sportsmanship Award from the league. To me- that says a lot. Some of the teams they played would get frustrated when they were losing and start "playing the body"- which meant they would throw elbows, trip and push. Our boys held on trong though. In the playoffs- every game was a shut-out. NO goals were scored on them. "Yeah-that's my son playing goalie..." :)
This is exactly the moment that Ethan told me to leave- I was distracting him...

Going into the playoffs we were pretty confident- 1st place and undefeated. Then the game started...

It ended up being a no- score game. AHHH!! That meant that we went into 2- 5 minute overtime games, sudden death. Whoever makes the first goal wins it all. No score again. Next up... Shoot out.

Each team chooses 5 kickers that will try to make a goal on the other goalie- one at a time. best of 5 wins it. Wait... 5 of their top shooters blasting the ball into MY SON??? I was sweating, shaking, about to throw up- wanting to take his spot.

It was WAY more intense than it seems here!!!

And we ended it... 3-2 OUR TEAM!!!!I had my hair colored after that one.... MAN it was stressful!! Congratulations to Ethan on a spectacular season!

I always say- my favorite athletes are my kids, and my favorite sport is whatever they are playing. Great job kids!!

This weekend, we went out for breakfast,Laid around,
Played in the mudTried on new glassesGot creative with dinnerCycled at sunset and ended with an amazing light show. Welcome back summer.

Bring on the Flowers!

After a long cold winter- I always look forward to our annual trip to the greenhouse. It is fresh, warm, bright, and a tad humid. It is so breathtaking to me every time.

For the last several years, it has been just my neighbor, Miss J & I. This year was no exception, but it will be the last year for Miss J. Next year she will be in school all day. I will miss the perspective she has on this trip. Everything is so romantic in her view. Why do they grow soo fast?? :) I LOVE you Miss J!!

A Friday Too Early for the Beach

Parent Teacher Conferences can only mean one thing... A DAY OFF!! :)

We did the whole Conference thing- the kids got great reports, we got good suggestions for the summer, and we even stopped by the book fair and got the kids something special.
Then we packed lunches- picked up some a couple of Ethan's friends (we have pretty much adopted each others families- they are so great!) and we headed out to our favorite hiking spot.
Being the end of April- we knew it would be too cold for the beach- but a hike would be perfect.

So we hiked.
I love watching the paths the kids choose. Over fallen trees, up hills and down exploring all along. "Check this out!" "Wait for me!" "Hey- how did you get up there?" echoing all around- yet to me- it was serene. This is exactly what a childhood should be.

When Nathan and I reached the destination- the stunning dune top view of the Lake- the kids had long since "settled" in. Shoes, socks, sweatshirts and coats were left behind and they made a beeline to the desolate April beach.

It was amazing. The sun and the breeze were warm and perfect. It felt like our little secret that this was a perfect beach day. It shouldn't have been, right? Michigan in April could still mean snow!

We relaxed, played and made our mark.
As we left, the boys discussed how cool it would be if a reporter saw their message in the sand. It would turn into the story of the year. They determined that they would end up on TV resolving the long mystery of the message left on a desolate beach, in the end of April. I love that they still allow themselves to believe in magic & mystery.

Then we ended with a delicious not-thought-out-at-all picnic. And it was great.

Life lesson #2375- Go even if it doesn't make sense, and believe in the impossible.

Something... Anything

When you get soo far behind on blogging- you just need to start somewhere. I need to go back, and blog about the past, but for now I just need to post something... anything to get me going.

So here it is. Yesterday I taught Ethan to use the manual settings on my camera. His first ever Depth of Field shot...

Then I taught him a little photoshop.

And today he entered his first ever Earth Day photo contest. I couldn't be more proud!!

Another first today- Saroya is going to play soccer with a broken arm (who knew swings were so dangerous?). Its a good thing she is such a tuffy.

And undoubtedly today, Jaleigh will make a fashion statement... Not a first-or a last.

(this is the outfit that Jaleigh wanted to wear when I told her we were going to a Boy Scout Court of Honor...)