Cookies, Anyone?

It's getting close to that time of year when you can bake and bake and bake, and there is still just one more party or neighbor that needs a plate of goodies. What better way to save some time than to have refrigerated cookie dough, ready to be baked? Lauren is selling cookie dough to raise money for her band trip to Disney World over Spring Break. Someone, please help me out?! You know what will happen if I have to buy it all--I'll eat it straight out of the tub with a spoon and a glass of milk and I'll be playing the role of Santa Clause this year! Think of all of the time you could save and there are several different types...snickerdoodles, peanut butter, chocolate chip, white chocolate macedamia nut, and more. A little something for everyone!

High School Musical 3

Friday night I loaded up the girls and headed to the much anticipated High School Musical 3! The girls (maybe even Lauren) were excited, especially because we were seeing it with friends and celebrating a birthday. What could be better than High School Musical 3 followed by chocolate cake and ice cream?! We were not disappointed and the girls (well, maybe just Sierra) danced and sang in the aisles. There may even have been a tear as they graduated! I think this is a new favorite and I'm sure there will be new additions to Christmas and Birthday wish lists! Don't miss it!

Soccer, Soccer, and More Soccer!!

What craziness! This week has been totally hectic, going from soccer game to soccer game. Most days 2. I'm tired, very tired! But Lauren has had a good time and the younger girls have been such good sports. It's what we do, and we love it! I'll need a vacation when the seasons are over! Lauren played 6 soccer games and reffed (is that a word?!) 2, Mackenzie played a game and had a practice, and Ash played a game and had practice. Some hightlights of the week...Ashtyn scored her very first goal (way to go Ash!) which of course we didn't catch on video. Mackenzie had great game and made some great stops as the goalie. Lauren, well her teams lost all of their games, but she played really well. She had their team's only point in 1 game and saved them from a completely humiliating loss by stopping about 30 shots on goal. The week in pictures...

HMS Hornets are scored on...again!

Ashtyn and Sierra play in the rocks

Mackenzie sends the ball to a teammate

Ashtyn rocks!

Sierra climbs the tree!

Coach and daughter discuss strategy

And what about me? Well, I have the most important part of all of this chaos. I do all of the driving and get to wash those uniforms in preparation for 8 more games next week!

Family Pictures

Saturday we took the girls out to a beautiful spot on a jogging trail that some friends had told us about. We had high hopes of taking some family pictures for our Christmas cards. We spent almost 2 hours walking the trail and playing, trying to get some good, candid pictures of the girls. Sierra wasn't very cooperative, but we got some cute ones anyway. What do you think?

Fall Break

Fall break has come and gone! Mackenzie came home from her first day back at school and I was informed that we should have done something fun because she needs to write a 5 paragraph essay on their break activities. Apparently, part 3 of my root canal and taking family pictures wasn't entertaining enough for a 5th grade essay! But she's very creative and will come up with something, hopefully the truth! We did get together one night with friends and had pizza and played Rock Band until the little ones were ready to go to bed. Other than that, it was business as usual around here. Lauren and Mackenzie took one afternoon and roamed the neighborhood looking for anyone who would take pity on them and support Lauren's Soles4Souls fundraiser. They did get 6 bites, althoug I gather taht Mackenzie did the selling and not my shy Lauren. Mackenzie is not afraid of anything! Lauren spent some time working on a math project that will be due Friday. She has 5 soccer games between now and then and we knew she wouldn't have time for anything more than the normal homework. She played 2 games last night. She is on both the Varsity and JV teams for the middle school. She will play every Varsity game in the field and sometimes as a back-up keeper and will switch off with another girl and play every other game as keeper for the JV team. She also had a make-up game for her rec team last night. They lost both games, but she played well and had a good time.

Fund Raisers...Aaargh!

Along with all of Lauren's sports programs come a few fund raising "opportunities". I have never been a big fan of fund raisers and really don't like the idea of sending my kids door-to-door begging the neighbors for money. So I'm spreading the word this way, hoping someone will take pity and help us out.
The HMS soccer team is in dire need of new uniforms! In order to pay for them, the girls are taking part in the Soles4Souls program. For a $5 or $10 donation, you can provide a pair of shoes for needy people around the world. Her soccer team will receive 40% of the proceeds and use it to purchase new uniforms. Check out today's Spring Hill Advertiser News for the complete story!
Her basketball team will be hosting an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at Applebee's on October 25th from 7-9 a.m. Tickets are $5 and the breakfast is yummy!
Next week will kick-off cookie dough sales for the HMS Band to go to Disney World over Spring Break. While there they will participate in several clinics..and have some fun! She will also be selling some Sonic cards to benefit the HMS Basketball program.
With so many choices, there's something here for everyone! Leave a comment if you're interested in any of these fabulous fund raisers and save my daughter from going door-to-door!

Field Trip

Today I went with Ashtyn on her kindergarten field trip to Gentry's Farm. What fun! We had a great day together and I got to meet some of Ashtyn's cute little friends. Her biggest thrill...riding the bus! I drive her every day and she really wants to ride the bus. This was huge for her and she was so excited that she got to sit in a seat with 2 of her friends and no seatbelts! First time on a bus can be pretty exciting! She played in the corn and wheat troughs, saw some goats and cows, went on a hayless hay ride and picked her very own pumpkin!

Good News!

The last few weeks have been so crazy busy that I haven't felt like I could pull it all together. Every day brought new chaos and upset previously made plans. I have been trying to get some evaluations done for Sierra and finally had the one I was waiting for yesterday morning. She was being tested for her speech and cognitive development and they have decided to refer her for the Early Childhood Intervention Preschool Program based on her scores. She scored in the "delayed" to "severely delayed" range in every category that they tested her in. I cried. Partly because I am so grateful that she will be able to get the extra help that I have known she needs. And partly because the "severly delayed" stung a little bit. I don't know that any parent wants to hear that their child is having some problems--no matter what they may be. I'm excited to have her start and to see the progress that she makes. She will go every day except for Wednesday for 3 hours. I am a little sad about that. I'm not ready to send her everyday, but I know she'll love it and have a great time.

And Lauren made final cuts for both the HMS basketball and soccer teams! She had her last day of basketball tryouts Saturday morning and soccer tryouts ended yesterday afternoon. Soccer practice starts today with games in about 2 weeks. Basketball won't start until November. She is very excited and we're proud of her. She loves sports!

We got Mackenzie signed up for basketball through our county rec league. She will start with practice later this month and have games on Saturdays. Hopefully their soccer season will be over by then! I'm going to need some kind of planner to keep up with my girls' schedules!

The little girls are just loving fall! With the cooler weather they can play outside and have a great time in all of the leaves that are covering our backyard!

Time Flies When You're...Busy!

Wow! It's been quite awhile since I've grabbed a moment to update my blog. Maybe that "farewell to summer" was a little traumatic or we could just say that my girls are BUSY! This really is the craziest time of year for our family and it always leaves me longing for the lazy days of summer again.
Soccer has started. The three older girls all play--Mark coaches the older 2 teams--and Lauren is also a referee. Needless to say, our Saturdays are slammed! We spend all day at the soccer fields and try to find time for all of the other Saturday chores during the week. The girls love playing and it's a lot of fun. I love watching them play because they have such a good time. I'm sure that when they are older their "soccer Saturdays" memories will be a highlight of their growing up years. We get to spend a lot of time together, cheering each other on. Sierra is the older girls' biggest fan! I really should get her a cheerleading outfit!
Lauren is also smack dab in the middle of her school tryouts for the basketball and soccer teams. She has made the 1st and 2nd cuts for basketball and has just one more day of tryouts on Saturday. Cross your fingers! Yesterday was the first day of tryouts for soccer, with 3 more to go. She's Mark's "boy" and just loves sports! We hope she will make both teams! Go, Lauren!!!
Mackenzie and Ashtyn just had their fall festival at school. They had a great time with their Aunt Mary and Granny! I hear there was face painting and tons of inflatables. Ashtyn is having a great time in kindergarten and loves having so many friends. I had to pick the girls up early the other day so I could see them before my flight to California and she walked up to the office with a group of about 10 girls. Mrs. Fielder said they all wanted to walk her up and say good-bye, so she let them. Can't hurt any feelings! Mackenzie is also loving school. She has always been our little social one (zip the lip in the hall, girl!) and loves being with her friends!
I spent last weekend in California with my sister and High School friends for our 20th (can that really be?) class reunion. It was a lot of fun and so great to take a break from our family hustle and bustle. I loved seeing my family and friends without having to worry about flying with the kids or working a nap into the schedule--it was just me and that was completely FABULOUS! I got to watch my niece and 2 of my nephews play in their soccer games and even did a little shopping! Thanks Mark, Mary, and Helen for helping that happen. I don't even think the girls missed me much, but I sure missed them!
Sierra has had her speech tested and has been observed in her preschool. She is behind in a lot of areas and they now want to do a complete evaluation to find out how to help her. That's scheduled for next Monday. I guess I'm a little nervous about what they will tell me. I tried to get the teacher to tell me what they are looking for, but she wouldn't commit to anything--just that they will be observing her speech, cognitive development, motor skills, etc. We have started to wonder if maybe she is mildly autistic, or maybe has some kind of sensory disorder. We are anxious to put a label on it and get her the help she needs. We just think she is absolutely perfect and love her to pieces!
Mark has been slammed at work. It seems he brings it home every night and on the weekends lately. I've been warned that the next 6 weeks will be long ones! Perfect timing, since this is our most choatic time of year as well! I'm already looking forward to spring!
I do love Fall though! The weather has been wonderful and Sierra and I have enjoyed the great outdoors. The little girls are talking about Halloween costumes and our family's birthday season is just around the corner!