First day of Fifth Grade

Whoa.

I think this day was harder on me than first of kindergarten.

I mean, fifth grade, people!

That's the last grade in elementary school.  And then there are only three years of middle school and only four more of high school.  She's practically out of the house already!  I could barely contain myself.

We took these pictures at home because she said I would embarrass her if I tried to take them at school or ask any of her friends to get in a picture with her.

So, Abs is into all things London right now.  Not because the Olympics just happened there (although that was a fun thing too) but because her favorite authors are from London.  You know, JK Rowling and Jenny Nimmo.  I'm sure there are more but those are top of the list.

I couldn't leave her at school without embarrassing her at least a little...

She's refusing to look at me.

Just waves me away.

Leave, mom, please!

 

We had a little girl talk recently and I told her she can't leave me at home with all these boys by myself.  Dylan will graduate high school in about 15 years so she'll only have to live at home until she's 25.  Ab thought that was totally reasonable.

yeah, right. 

sigh.

 

the Aunt Mel face

Self-portrait.

Sweet three generation pic.

With a pretty butterfly.

The Aunt Mel face works for every occasion.

Right?

Thank you, my sister, for passing this on to my child.

End of the season

Abby finished up softball on Saturday.

She had a blast playing with the girls and they all learned so much.

She said her favorite part was pitching.

One game the little brothers and their friends ditched the softball game so they could watch the big boys practice.  How cute is that?!  One day they'll be out there with some younger admirers watching them.

Joe's team was pretty strong this season.  Three or four of them will be moving up to minor league next year, Joe included.  So, to get them ready, the boys got to try out pitching and hitting off of the boys pitching (instead of the coaches).  Joe said that was his favorite part.

My favorite part is seeing them have fun.

And yelling from the stands.

I probably am way too vocal but I come by it honestly.  My mom was always the loudest one in the bleachers and my dad had a knack for getting ejected.  He was harder to hear from the parking lot.  (Sisters, testify.)  Abby said she would be extremely embarrassed if I ever got thrown out of one of her games.  Guess I better watch it.

Doodle 4 Google

Abby entered this year's Doodle 4 Google contest!

The theme was "If I could travel in time, I'd visit..."

True to Abby-form, she chose the topic of the current book series she is reading.  It's all about Arthur and the knights of the round table and quests and rescuing fair maidens.

There were over 114,000 entries from every state grades K-12.  She didn't make it to the finals this time, but I think her artwork is just as fabulous as those that did (if not better! ;)

You can go HERE to see the finalists and vote for your favorite.

Abby Gets Crafty {felt flowers}

Abs came with me to a friend's baby shower recently.  All the guests made felt flowers for the soon-to-be-here baby girl.  Felt flowers are great for hair clips, headbands, adding to a onesie or little sweater, adorning a frame or fancy-ing up a pillow.  Just lots of fun stuff!  So, we made a whole bunch at the shower and Abby jumped right in there with the rest of us.

There are four different felt flower tutorials HERE.

A day or so later, she whipped out the glue gun and made herself one!

It just makes my heart proud to see my girl with a glue gun in her hand!

I love how she took these two basic flowers

(this fringe-y one and the pomela)

 and totally created her own one-of-a-kind flower.

Didn't she do an amazing job?!!

And she is also rocking the sock bun that she saw on pinterest!

Have you noticed how Abs has entered a new fashion phase?

Remember the last one?

T-Shirt Designer

*picture via Yuba Feather PTSA

Abby won the design contest for this year's spirit shirt at her school.
Didn't it turn out wonderfully wild?!

Alabama, your orders will be there soon!

Books Are My Life

     “Brianna, come and get your breakfast it’s almost time for school.”  I am reading a book.  Harry Potter to be exact and it’s good.  I’ve been reading since 4:30 this morning, but I guess I have to stop.  I walk down the stairs for breakfast.  Rubbish.  It’s cereal again.  I force the everyday cereal down my throat.  Finally, I finish and off to school I go.

     I meet my friends Anne, Tinka, and Fred.  I giggle remembering Fred Weasley from Harry Potter.  He’s lucky to be named after someone from Harry Potter.  I walked up to them.
    
     “Hey, Brianna.” 

I am about to say ‘hey’ back when my head gets all foggy and I can’t think of anything else but books.  It is quite odd.  It isn’t any exact type of book, just books.  But, it went as quickly as it came.  Anne, Tinka, and Fred were all looking at me funny.  I say ‘hey’ back and try to act as if nothing happened.  I wonder if they would believe me if I told them about whatever happened a minute ago.

     The bus pulled in.  I sat by Anne.  I made up my mind and decided I should tell her.  I’m closer to her than any of the three, so it would be safest to talk to her.  I try to tell her the exact details.  It looks like she’s listening pretty hard.  When I finish she’s looking at me more intently than my likings.  Then, out of the blue, she asks me, “What Harry Potter book are you reading?”  I told her I am reading The Order of the Phoenix and she just nods her head and keeps looking at me intently.  It is quite creepy really.  Then she tells me to keep a book with me ALWAYS. 

     Just then the bus pulled into school.  We got off the bus and met back up with Fred and Tinka.  We went to class, took roll, and all the other normal stuff.  We have twenty-one people in our class and ten are absent.  TEN!  That’s the most we’ve had absent ever.  I look over at Anne.  She looked horribly grim.  It’s the first time she has looked like that.  She’s usually so cheerful.

     Finally, it’s lunchtime and to my surprise we aren’t the only ones with bad attendance.  At least half the school must be gone!  I got my lunch and sat down by Anne, Tinka, and Fred.  I looked at Anne.  She looked at me.  “What’s going on?” I whisper. 

     “Mlake Month.”

     I look at her puzzled.  Suddenly the lights go out.  I heard footsteps, then a screech.  I waited for the lights to come on.  I heard what sounded like fingernails scraping metal.  I saw a bright flash.  Then everything was over. 

     Anne looked zoned.  “That’s a Mlake.  They are dark forces.”  I listen intently thinking.

“Is there a way to stop the Mlake?”

     Anne sighed.  “The way is different for all of us.”  I waited for a minute.  She didn’t say anything so I just ate my lunch.  Suddenly, Anne announced, “I’m afraid we’ll have to go looking for them.”

“Anne, what do you mean by us?”

     “There’s a special society for people like you and me who have been attacked by the Mlake.  We go around the world protecting people like you who it’s their  first time experiencing the Mlake before.”  She stopped.  I understood so far.  She started again.  “We’re what you call W.O.T.C.H.E.R.S.—Wilds, Olameers, Teams, Coes, Halameers, Ecutes, Ralameers.  W.O.T.C.H.E.R.S. are what you call all of us, but those are just the steps.  Right now you’re a Wild.”  She grinned as she said it.

So we’re going to go looking for  the Mlake?” I asked. 

“Not until we find out your secret weapon.”

“How do we find my secret weapon?” I asked much too cheerfully. 

     “We just test out things that you like and see if it has the power against the Mlake.”  Just then, the bell rang to go to class.  When I walked into class, I remembered the lot of kids absent.  I looked at Anne.  She just said it was okay, the Mlake just took them to scare me and they would be back. 

It is the time of day where the teacher reads aloud.  I jot down a list of things that I like.  It was everything I could think of from waterslides down to snowflakes.  After school, Anne and I walked to my house.  The whole way we talked about what were the most logical things for me to try.  When we got home we took everything into action.  We tried for hours, but nothing worked.  When we were done Anne looked confused.  I thought of everything I tried and what we didn’t.  I read the list aloud, “Waterparks, bowling, drawing, skiing, snowboarding, waterskiing, tubing, sledding, watching the snow fall, and dragons.”   Anne collapsed on my bed and groaned, “We’ve tried all that.” 

     Suddenly, the lights went out.  I heard a terrible screech and a bang.  I heard Anne call my name.  Just then, I remembered the ‘vision’ I had earlier today.  Books!  I grabbed one and opened it.  There was a bright light that lit the room and I could see it was coming from the book.  I saw the most horrible creature leave and not turn back.

 The next day at school we had perfect attendance.  I looked at Anne.  She looked at me.  “This may be the first time, but it won’t be the last that you will have to fight the Mlake,” she whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is Abby's second self-published book.

Abby is an avid reader and wanted to write a story to encourage others to pick up a book.

You can check out some of her earlier works here.

How Tall This Fall?

I know I just posted about how much my kids have grown

but just look at this please.

The one on the left is 2007 (a couple months after we moved out here) 

and the one on the right is this year.

It just confirms what has been hitting me lately...

that I need to be grateful each day for the time I have with my kids because they will be grown and gone before I know it!

"I try not to let the good things go by unnoticed."

-from Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

Lord, help me to notice and remember the good things

and not focus on the little, fleeting frustrations.

Best Dives of the Summer

We had such a blast this summer! 

I hope to be able to share some of the best parts here in the near future: 

our travels, camp adventures, art and craft projects, fun with visitors. 

I felt like the pool was a good place to start. 

We spent a lot of time swimming and jumping and splashing. 

So, without further ado, here are the nominees for

Best Dive Summer 2011

Abs:  "shot through the heart", "noodle jumping", and "the classic"

Joe:  "karate kid", "my dad can still throw me", "walking off a cliff"

Trek:  "I just started swimming by myself 3 days ago and now I want to give my mother a real heart attack", "cannonball", and "ninja kick"

Dylan:  (there were fewer pictures to choose from for this one.  probably because i was in serious lifeguard mode whenever Kamikazi here decided to get in the water.  however, i feel this one jump is worthy of a nomination)

"white dolphin"

Please leave your vote for Best Dive Summer 2011 in the comment section below. 

Dear Old Golden Rule Days

We started school this week. 

And even though only 2 of us are actually going to school, it is still a big transition for the rest of us.  I have half as many kids at home now for the majority of the day (with one starting preschool in a couple weeks)!

Here are a few of the shots my reluctant children let me take.  It's not that embarrassing to have your mother snapping pictures of you on the first day of school, is it?!?

JOE ::  Second Grade

ABBY ::  Fourth Grade

Abs told me she would be an "upper-grader" this year.  I was not aware that elementary school had "upper-graders".  But when we walked her into that room, everything looked so big and academic-like.  There aren't any toys tucked away to the side like there had been before.  And look at those books on her desk!  They are real life textbooks!  Fourth grade must mean business.

I just had to share this next picture. 

I can't even believe this stuff is coming back.  My sister still teases me about the tie I used to wear in middle school.  But these girls are rockin' it!  They look so cute!

Last, but not least, here are the little boys on the first day of school.  D wore his "batpat" the entire time we were there and every morning since to take the kids to the bus.  Trek is working on his tetherball skills.

How are you handling these back-to-school days?

Abs + Her Super Sweet B'day

I love celebrating birthdays with my kids.  We try to make it a day filled with things that they love. 

Abby's day consisted of...

*swimming with her best buds

*ice cream sundae with about 11 different toppings--all chosen by her.

 

*a can of whip cream ALL to herself

*and, of course, some rockin' presents

Thanks to everyone that helped make it a special day for Abs!

Mixed Up Fairytales

With the last week of school (which is a whole bunch of assemblies and parties and way to much sugar) and the first couple weeks of summer camp and a visit with Shish (my mom), we have been busy little bees.  So much fun!  I can't wait to show off all the things we have been doing.  If only I can find the time.  It will come but with all the rugrats (I mean, angels) at home it is even harder to find the time.

So, today you get a little peek at the plays the big 'uns performed in at the end of the school year.  In California, all the extras have been cut from our public schools.  Thanks to our principal who scrounged up funds from somewhere to hire Ms. Rachel who orchestrated the production of about 10 different plays with that many classes.  She and the kids wrote all the plays and she (and other volunteer artists) made all of the scenery and props.  It came off beautifully!

Here are Joe and Abs to tell you all about it.



 

Rivercats Update

The Rivercats have had a great year.  Just one more game to go before we close the season.

Here is a little run down of how the kids have done...

At Bat

Joe was hitting good, solid hits the first half of the season.  He decided to change his stance to be "like the majors", holding the bat up really high.  It threw him all off but he could not be convinced to change back.  He still gets hits.  They aren't like they were but he looks good at the plate.

*please notice how he runs on air* 

Abs is a slugger.  She has had more than several hits into the outfield and one line drive almost took Jonathan out!  Then she gets those long legs kickin' and she's around the bases before you know it.

 In the Field

  Joe will get the ball.  He can cover several positions at once and you can be sure that when he does snag it he will be in mid-dive.  He also likes to throw it just as far as he can.  So, outfield has been a good fit for him.

Abby has played mostly second or short stop.  She is consistent but maybe a little too polite out on the field.  I think her aunts need to teach her a little bit about game etiquette.

The little boys also get in on the game in their own special ways.  More on that in another post.

Phobie & Phleak (Part 2)

{If you missed part one of Phobie & Phleak, you can read it here.}

In the morning they started on again. Then they reached a bridge 1,000 feet above ground. Phobie stopped just when they were about to cross. “What’s up?” asked Phleak.

Phobie pointed to the bridge. “That’s what’s up.”

Phleak looked at her. She was white as a ghost. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of heights,” said Phleak. Phobie didn’t answer. “Come on, Phobie. It’s the only way across. You gotta face your fear if you want to find the silver bow and arrow,” encouraged Phleak.

“I already did that last night but heights are my worst fear!” Now Phobie was about to blow her head off.

“You were scared of the dragon?!” shouted Phleak.

“Be quiet, Phleak!” Phobie said annoyed.

“And I thought I was the scared one,” Phleak said in disbelief.

“At least we know it’s real!” Phobie shot back.

“Good point,” Phleak said in a small voice. “Hey, Phobie, did you know I’m scared of swimming?” admitted Phleak.

“But you’re a platypus! Ok, Phleak, that ain’t cool!” Phobie said trying to keep the laughter away. With that, she crossed the bridge.

About two miles later they came to a river. “You’re not making me swim across that,” Phleak squeaked.

“Yeah, unless you see a boat,” said Phobie.

“Come on, Phobie. A lot of people are scared of swimming,” complained Phleak.

“Maybe a lot of people, but a platypus?” pointed out Phobie.

“Fine!” Phleak said as he jumped in the river.

“Now that wasn’t too bad was it?” said Phobie.

Will they ever find you stole the trophy? 
Will they make it back in time for the competition? 
Stay tuned for next week's exciting conclusion of Phobie and Phleak!

Phobie & Phleak (Part 1)

Bulls Eye! Phobie was at archery practice getting ready for the big contest. There was a big contest every year. This year’s trophy was a solid silver bow and arrow. Phobie and her BFF, Phleak (Phleak is a platypus), loved archery so much their parents put them in this school called Archery Academy.


Phobie is tall, with cloudy blue eyes, long dark brown curly hair, and freckles across her nose. Phleak is a furry, webbed footed, beaver tailed, duck-billed, superstitious creature with blue eyes. Another thing you need to know: Phobie is NOT a girly-girl! She usually wears a t-shirt, skinny jeans, a hoodie, and skateboard shoes. Phleak on the other hand is a platypus so he doesn’t wear anything.

A day before the contest, their archery leader called everybody in. The leader didn’t look happy. Then, the most dreadful announcement they had ever heard was announced. The leader said, “The solid silver bow and arrow was stolen.” They all gasped.

“What! We had it well guarded,” said Phobie.

“I guess not well enough,” said the leader holding up a smashed lock.

That night, Phobie said, “We’re sneaking out.”

“To go for the solid silver bow and arrow, have you gone mad?” said Phleak.

“It couldn’t be that hard,” pleaded Phobie.

“We don’t even know who the heck stole it,” complained Phleak.

“We’ll go look for fingerprints!” said Phobie.

“Fine,” grumbled Phleak.

Once they were in the place where the solid silver bow and arrow was stolen, Phobie found fingerprints. “I found fingerprints!” she announced. “But they don’t look human,” she added.

“WHAT!” yelled Phleak.

“Shhh,” hissed Phobie.

“Have fun tracking the thing,” squeaked Phleak.

“Nice try, Phleak,” said Phobie, grabbing Phleak and their things. “Ready?” asked Phobie.

“No,” said Phleak.

“Don’t worry. It’s not like there’s going to be any dragons,” laughed Phobie. “Come on.”

They had walked about two miles when Phleak said, “Phobie, we should probably set up camp. It’s a full moon. The werewolves will be out.”

“You’re so bad. You should really go back to the cabin when we tell around-the-campfire stories,” giggled Phobie.

“Stop it, Phobie,” complained Phleak.

“OMG. It’s the Headless Horseman!” Phobie joked.

“Could be real,” mumbled Phleak.

“I know. A man got his head chopped off in battle while riding a horse and goes around haunting people,” told Phobie.

“You think I’m superstitious? You should meet my family!” exclaimed Phleak.

“Really? Because, when you first came, I killed a spider and you got heck-of nervous,” Phobie shot back. When Phleak came to Archery Academy he told Phobie that killing spiders was bad luck. “Phleak, stop glaring at me like that!” compained Phobie.

“Tents,” urged Phleak.

“Fine,” grumbled Phobie.

She took off her backpack and turned around. “Phleak, don’t turn around, whatever you do,” whispered Phobie.

“What is it? A dragon? Because that’s one thing I don’t believe in,” said Phleak as he turned around.

“Arrrriik!” screeched a dragon.

“That was loud,” announced Phobie.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well!” panicked Phleak.

“I know,” agreed Phobie as she took out her bow and arrow.

“That’s a dragon with a lot of teeth. Have you gone crazy?” shouted Phleak.

“Maybe, but I still have a brain and am using it!” Phobie said watching her arrow soar through the air.

“Nice shot,” Phleak said right after her arrow hit the dragon in the eye and came tumbling down dead.