Photo Session

Fall Frenzy

I think I start every post with "things have been crazy around here", but it's always true. Most of the time we are just trying to keep up with all of the girls and living day to day. Lauren's soccer season ended Monday. She was bumped up to the varsity team for the last several weeks, so she got a few unplanned games in. It was exciting and fun to watch her play, but I think we are all glad that it is finally over...Lauren included! She had a great season and played well.

Mackenzie will have her first game for the middle school team tonight. Because of all the rain, they have only had 2 practices. I'm not sure what position she will be playing or how much playing time she will get, but she is on the team and very excited to play tonight.

Last week I got a phone call from the high school and was told that I would need to come and pick up Lauren. She had broken her chin open and would need some stitches. I have never had to take any of my kids to get stitches before, so I rushed out to the car and made phone calls as I drove. Tried to get Mark to do it, no luck. Called the pediatrician to see where I should even take her. It depended on how big and deep the cut was, and since I didn't even know what had happened at that time, I couldn't get any answers. It was the end of the day, so I also had to arrange for the other 2 to get home from school. I finally got to the school and to the nurse's office and was told that Lauren had been slammed into a wall by some boys who were horsing around in the hallway. She had had her back to them and didn't see them coming. It was accidental, but one of the boys got pushed into her and she hit the wall with her chin and it split open. I took her to the doctor where they were able to glue it shut. It's healing nicely and we are hoping for minimal scarring.

This past weekend was fall break for the girls. Mark took Monday off and we had a nice day together. The weather was perfect for getting some much needed outside work done and in the afternoon we were able to go to his office building and meet a couple of the Predators players, Ryan Suter and Marcel Goc. We had pictures taken and shirts signed. Sierra even gave one of them a hug and chanted "Let's go Predators" all afternoon. Then we headed to the mall where...

Sierra got her ears pierced! It was her idea and I tried to talk her out of it, but she held their teddy bear and was very brave. She didn't cry, just said "OUCH". So far she's been really good about cleaning and turning them and she just loves her new sparkly, pink flowers. I was so sure she wouldn't do it or that it would be just awful. I didn't watch and even warned a mother whose little girls was thinking about getting hers done that Sierra may not be the best one to watch. But she was awesome!

Last week I went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch with Sierra's class. It was a very cold day, but the kids had a great time picking cotton, going on a hayride, picking a pumpkin, milking a cow, and playing on the playground. I was glad they sold hot chocolate! I'm pretty sure one of the biggest thrills for Sierra was being able to ride the bus with her friends.

We also were able to go to Ashytn's fall party. They had a lot of yummy food and played some fun games, but the most fun was the doughnuts that were hanging from the ceiling. It was so funny watching them try to eat them without using their hands. The kids were all sticky and happy at the end of the day.

More Soccer

I hate team tryouts. They make me nervous, probably more so than my kids who are involved. This week it was Mackenzie's turn. She had 2 days of soccer tryouts for her middle school and we were thrilled when she made the first cut. Tonight we checked the school website every 2 minutes until the final roster was posted. Her number was there and we celebrated with ice cream at Sonic. Way to go Kenzie! Lucky for us, the high school and middle school seasons won't overlap. Lauren's last game is next Wednesday and Mackenzie's first isn't until the 21st. Whew!

I'm a Winner!

Mark is the one that plays radio call-in games and wins all kinds of things. Last Sunday it was my turn! I heard the cue, called in, and was the 7th caller! I won 4 tickets to Disney on Ice, so Friday night Mark and I took the 2 little girls and we had a night out. We had great seats and the girls were so excited. It was a great show with great company!

Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket!

It has been quite awhile since I have done a Thankful Thursday post and I think most of the time it is for me. One of my favorite church hymns is "Count Your Blessings" and I need to take a break from the busy-ness and start counting.

Today I am most thankful for Sierra's teachers. Autism is not fun and can be very frustrating. We've had lots of those frustrating moments lately and they have made me grateful for her teachers. I don't know that you can appreciate being able to communicate with your child until you can't. It is so nice to be able to carry on a short conversation with Sierra. I love hearing about how her day was and the things that she did. We definitely struggle with trying to understand what she is saying all of the time, but there has been so much improvement since she started in the special ed program last November. Her teachers have worked miracles in my opinion!

I had the opportunity to substitute teach 3 days last week in the same class. It was hard. It was exhausting. It was a little scary. But it was so great to run into a couple of those kids on Saturday and have them say hi and tell their parents that I was their sub. I have a new appreciation for teachers. They aren't paid enough and a good one is priceless. I learned a lot and hope I taught the kids a few things too.

My kids are so great and I love them so much! We are a busy family and I am so proud of their accomplishments. I had a couple of parent-teacher conferences this week and it's always fun to hear how others see your child. They are all great students and like to be involved in other activites. Mackenzie just had her last cross country meet and placed 2nd for her middle school JV team. She shaved 20 seconds off of her best time and finished in 12:19. She has soccer team tryouts next week (cross your fingers!) and just became part of the media team and student council.

Lauren has had a great soccer week. The JV team won their game on Tuesday and she scored 2 goals. She has been working on her passes and crosses and has earned a spot on the VARSITY TEAM for tonight's game! That's quite an accomplishment and she is so excited.

I'm grateful for the cooler weather and that the rain has cleared out for awhile. Sierra and I love to play outside after school and I love the cooler nights. I'm ready for jeans and sweatshirts and Halloween!