Carving Pumpkins

This afternoon, we finally got around to carving pumpkins.  We let the little ones draw their own faces and then we came back through and 'helped' the drawings before carving.  The older three designed their pumpkins, but K and I took over the carving process for all involved.  I did manage to get a few pictures of the process.  Currently, CED is cleaning the gunk off all the seeds so we can roast them.  Yum!

Carving pumpkins is always an interesting experience in our house.  JAD and I had a wrestling match over who could get pumpkin goo on the other person.  Sadly, it was a draw.  The kid is almost as tall as me now.  A couple more inches and I'll start looking up at him.

It's Never Really Over

The fall soccer season is slowly winding to a close.  We have make up games that have yet to be scheduled, but most of the kids have their last games of the season next weekend.  I'm not sure when the make up games will be, but considering I get to reschedule those, hopefully they'll be really soon or they'll just have to wait til the spring season.  Except for JED - I have to get his done in the next week or so.  Yikes!  Anyway... soccer pictures have been taken for the two little girls' teams and, although I'm too cheap to buy the professionally done pictures, I did snap a couple with my phone.  Classy, eh?

Here is MED with her team and coach.  We really enjoyed watching her play this fall.  She went from being this sweet little girl to a fierce competitor on the field.  In her second game on Saturday, she scored four goals!

MAD with her team.  She was part of the Itty Bitty Soccer Academy and she had a ball while doing it.  This past weekend she scored three goals!

MAD with Flavio - the club director and her favorite person at soccer.

Now we begin the segue and overlap from outdoor soccer to indoor...

It's My Blog and I Can Brag If I Want To

It's conference time around here and the first round of report cards are trickling in.  In the midst of doing my classroom conferences, I've been moving around to my own kids' teachers to hear what wonderful (and not so wonderful) things they have to say.  I started off yesterday morning with JEDs conference.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he received one B and the rest As on his report card.  He is also being moved up to the high math and writing groups (already has been in the high reading group).  He's showing some great abilities in school academically (which we already knew, but being at a new school the teachers didn't know) and hopefully moving him up will curb his need to be naughty.  I was really proud of him, however, and excited to see that he is doing as well as he is.
Conference number two yesterday was for MED.  Her teacher gushed on and on about how sweet a little girl she is, how mature she is, what a great helper she is... I could go on and on.  MED loves school and you can see that from the moment she walks in to the building.  Her teacher is already providing enrichment in the area of reading and MED regularly gets chapter books to read where most of her counterparts are reading shorter books.  She loves to read - MED will finish a book within days of starting it.  Junie B. Jones are some of her favorites right now.  I knew MEDs conference would be good and I wasn't disappointed!
At the end of my class conferences, I headed off to CEDs conference at her school.  CED didn't want to attend her school at first and she gave her dad and I a really hard time.  For the first week of school, she cried, pouted, argued, gave us the cold shoulder, glared at us, glared at others, snapped at her siblings... I could go on and on.  She finally has given up on trying to convince us to put her back at her old school and she's adjusted and adapted to her new school.  She has lots of new friends and has really blossomed back into the girl and student we know her to be.  In fact, kids regularly tell her that she's the teacher's favorite student and recently she received the highest grade on a history test that teachers there have ever seen.  Anyway, her report card was wonderful - especially considering a pretty serious learning curve with the requirements and methods this school has.  Her teacher couldn't think of anything she needed to work on.  Wow!  Again, I was really pleased to hear all the great things said (who wouldn't be?).
The next conference, for JAD, will be next Wednesday.  I'm not overly looking forward to that one.  My super-bright-son-who-doesn't-want-to-apply-himself will have an interesting conference, I know.  He has decided that being the class clown is more important than being the quiet kid that pleases the teacher and does everything he's asked.  So, I'm sure I'll learn some interesting facts about him next week.  I can't complain too much, however.  He's not on drugs, he's generally very respectful, and he has a pretty high moral code.  All the things we want for our kids.
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This past Thursday, MED was part of another community performance through the conservatory.  We were asked weeks ago if she could be part of the performing group, but it was in the morning and I had to be at conferences (can't take off on that day!) and K was in Arizona at a company business meeting.  They were very understanding, but sad that she couldn't be there.  This past Monday though, I received a phone call.  It turns out this breakfast was a fundraiser for CPCD (Community Partnership for Child Development - the governing group over Headstart, which MED attended two years ago).  They were specifically requesting my daughter to be there.  The director of the conservatory offered to bring MED to and from the performance as long as I didn't mind.  Mind?  Not at all!  So, Wednesday night we headed off to the sound check where we met several nice ladies, the event coordinators, from CPCD who informed us that they see my MED as the face of CPCD and Headstart.  Seriously?  That's pretty cool!  Thursday morning, MED was picked up at 6:30 am to head off to shine and hopefully help CPCD garner some more funding for their programming with her cute smile.  She had to be up before 6 so I could get her 'performance ready' - something I think she might be doing a lot in the next few years as she gets more and more involved with the conservatory.  I am so blessed that she is doing this - her confidence level is through the roof... and she is not 'big-headed' in any way.

I do love my kids.  They may do things at home that drive me crazy (to the point of insanity!), but they are good, kind people to their very core and they just bless me immensely every day.

A Severe Strain

I would like to report that my children are a severe strain on my sanity and, while that may be true many many times of the week, that's not what I'm referring to. My oldest child, JAD took a hard kick to his right knee (of course, his dominant kicking leg - remember, soccer) at practice about two weeks ago. Since then, he has been limping around moaning about the pain and how much his knee hurts. Does this mean that he's stopped playing soccer? Of course not! I'm a stupid mother for even uttering those words. No and soccer are two words that should never be uttered sequentially in my house around the ears of my 14 year old. So, K and I decided that we should finally get him in to the doctor after watching him barely be able to walk by this past Saturday morning.

I was able to get him in to an orthopedic doctor this afternoon and, after four x-rays and a quick examination by the doctor, we learned that he has a Grade 1 tear of his medial ligament. Where is that, you say? It's the ligament on the inside of your knee that attaches the femur and the tibia (who knew you'd read this and get a minor anatomy lesson?). He tore some of the ligament away from his femur and has severely sprained it. Now JAD has to wear a hinged knee brace for 6 weeks and ice it after all activity. He also has about 9 exercises that he needs to do every day for the next 6 weeks to strengthen and help heal the ligament. The doctor also cleared him to play. I was shocked when I heard this. I was expecting him to say he needed to take a couple of weeks off - after all, he had just said that the regular knee brace JAD has been wearing isn't sturdy enough and he would need a hinged brace. Doesn't this somehow mean that his knee is weaker than we thought? But what do I know? I'm just a silly old mom. The doctor actually looked at me when he told JAD that he could play again and said, "Did you want me to say something else?" Umm. Ya. Like tell my kid he needs some time off for rehabilitation.

So, I dropped him off at school this afternoon suited up for his high school game. I'm just praying that he will be smart (he won't be) and careful (he won't be) while he plays. The last thing I need to do is go back to the doctor to tell him what a dumbass he was for clearing my kid to play.

The end.

Another Soccer Player is Born

Well, okay, she wasn't born yesterday, but we have yet another soccer player in our house. This makes for a grand total of all five kids as MED is also playing soccer. MAD started playing this month as part of Corinthians Soccer's Itty Bity Soccer Academy. How cute is that? Kids ages 3, 4, and 5 are part of this Academy and they practice once a week on ball handling skills and basic team playing skills. It's complete chaos, but the kids are having a grand ole time while doing it. On Saturday mornings, they come out to a 'real soccer field' to scrimmage against one another. It is total craziness, but the parents get a good laugh while watching our kids 'play' and all the little ones have a blast running around chasing the ball. No score is kept and all kids are cheered by all parents. MAD has latched on to the club director, Flavio, and I fear if he isn't there one day, she'll refuse to even walk onto the field. This whole experience adds levity to our competitive schedule and it's fun to watch kids just have fun playing the game of soccer without worrying about stats, goals, and level of play. So, Saturday mornings, you'll find one or both of us parents enjoying the game of soccer in its purest form ever. Through the eyes of a four year old.

Our littlest soccer player. Isn't she cute enough to eat?

MAD standing by her new favorite person, Flavio

A Shining Star

A couple of weeks ago, MED had the opportunity to sing for the kickoff of Pike's Peak United Way Yearly Campaign. I took the morning off to take her there and watch the whole process. Six children (three first graders and three third graders) were chosen for this presentation and they learned an adorable song written by Linda Weise (director of the Colorado Springs Conservatory and Juiliard alum) to the tune of 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. All of the local major news networks were filming and there were about 40 or so people in attendance. MED was placed front and center for the performance (pure luck!) and she sang her little heart out. I am so proud of how she has no fear performing in front of people she doesn't know. Being a part of the conservatory program has given her amazing confidence.

Here are three of the kids as they are warming up and practicing for their performance. I'm not sure what MED is doing. I don't think the girl to her right is sure, either.

The lady in the picture is Linda Weise, director of the Colorado Springs Conservatory. She is an incredibly talented lady and super, super nice to boot! Could they have picked cuter kids? I don't think so!

I'm Back

It's been a long time since I've posted and that's because we have been so very, very, very busy. Did I mention we've been very busy? K started his new job two weeks ago and, so far, is enjoying being back in the corporate world. It's even better because it's the corporate agriculture world. However, he's not home during the week, so I am the one and only taxi to soccer practices and games and what-have-you. I leave for school at 6:35 in the morning with the three youngest, drop MAD off at daycare and then head up to school with the other two. I leave school no later than 3:00 (except on Wednesdays - meeting day) to begin the long process of picking kids up, getting them home to change for practice, and heading back out again. We get home, on an early day, at 7:45 and on a late day at 8:30. Then, it's dinner, baths, and getting little people to bed. Then I talk to the oldest as they get homework done and I attempt to get some schoolwork done. We go to bed and it all begins again. Needless to say, I've been running on fumes much of the time and blogging is the last thing I have energy to do. That and working out. That's gone out the window as well. Hopefully I can figure out how to work that back into my schedule - I think it will make me a little more bearable.
So, we are fully into soccer season. The three oldest have all been going for a while (practices, that is), but this week both MAD and MED have gotten started with their practices as well. Fortunately, everyone practices in the same vicinity, which makes for easy travel, but we are at the practice field five days a week. Also add to this that JAD is playing high school soccer (on top of club) and he plays in games for that, as well. This weekend, the three oldest all have games - and JAD has two. Another Saturday in the car. :)
JAD has the great opportunity to get some experience playing on the varsity team along with his usual JV playing. At the first game of the season on Friday, he was put in the varsity game for about 10 minutes. This may not seem like much, but it was enough for him to play in a game that gave him some idea of what the competition would be like. Directly after the varsity game, JAD also played a full game in the JV game. He is one of the captains on the JV team and he was quite verbal with the team giving directions while on the field. He's disappointed in the fact that there are some boys on the team that have never played soccer before. K and I are trying to point out that he has to look at his current high school experience as more 'fun' than competition. But how do you explain that one to a kid that is determined to win in all he does - especially if it's related to soccer? Needless to say, he's out there to win and, dammit, so should everybody else.
To add to the excitement around the house, CED has changed schools two weeks into the school year. She has been on the waiting list at CMCA (a charter school - same as where JAD attends - and one of the top high schools in the state... year after year) and her 'number' finally came up. Last weekend was spent getting all new school supplies and new school uniforms (colors are completely different from the middle school she was attending - of course) and convincing her that this was going to be a good thing. She wasn't buying my song and pony dance and the first couple days of school were rather rough. She was angry about having to leave her friends and change to another school, so things became much harder on her (at her own doing, mind you) than it really should have been. She finished out the week doing much better and having made a couple of friends. Fortunately, she likes her homeroom teacher, which made the transition a mite bit easier. To her delight, one of her good friends from her former middle school has also had her 'number' come up and will be starting on Tuesday. I'm hoping this will 'seal the deal' and she'll really start to settle in.
This Thursday, MED has the opportunity to sing at the Colorado Springs United Way season kick off. It's exciting that she's going to have this experience singing in public. There are about 30 novice kids in her program at the conservatory and she was one of six chosen for this performance. How cool is that? And (while I'm bragging about this child) at school this week, MEDs teacher pulled her aside to give her a chapter book to read for reading class. Everyone else has the typical first grade reader (2 - 3 sentences per page), but MEDs reading skills have progressed so much that she was reading 3rd grade chapter books all summer long. Fortunately, her teacher has recognized this and is continuing to push her forward. Yes, I am a proud mama.
On a great note, I absolutely love my new job. I feel like I can teach again (not be an automaton like in my last school) and the kids are just great. The worst problem I'm having to deal with is social kids. Gee, I think I can handle that! I'm able to read aloud to the students, they're allowed to have silent reading time, we have an afternoon recess every day, and individual styles are welcomed. My team is absolutely wonderful and they have answered all of my questions without problems or frustration. I really like each and every one of them and they make me laugh on a daily basis. It really feels like a dream job. I can see why I was told that once people get into my school, they never want to leave.
So, life is moving along. We're staying extremely busy, but it's all for very good reasons and with really great activities. I am grateful that my kids are so active with all their sports and music - even if the schedules can make me crazy. My husband and I have jobs that we're happy with. Life. Is. Good.

Everyone Is Heading Back

Tomorrow is the first day of school for three of my five kids. CED started back on Monday and is doing quite well at the middle school. It helps that she (mostly) likes school and has friends in all of her classes. If she didn't have her friends, she'd be pretty miserable. I'm really proud of how well adjusted she's been. JAD starts high school tomorrow. Gulp. High school! He's the picture of happiness and excitement (dripping sarcasm). Fortunately for him as well, he has many friends and acquaintances at school since it's a K-12 and he was there for the last part of 8th grade. JED and MED will be heading to school with me. I decided to pull them out of our neighborhood school and take them with me. I can keep a close eye on one particular child (ahem) and know that they are both safe before and after school. They both seem to be looking forward to it and are excited to be going to 'my' school. MAD started Pre-K on Monday and, after a few tears, went running off like I didn't exist. She adjusted quickly which made me feel better. She's been at her current childcare facility for 2 years now (this is our 3rd school year there) and she's finally feeling comfortable (even after 3 months off).

I'll keep you posted on how all of our days go tomorrow. I'm excited to get to know my students and do some great 'getting to know you' activities this week!

Last Weekend

Because I'm a slacker, I didn't mention that last weekend we drove back and forth to Denver for our first soccer tournament of the year. JADs team played for the first time together (it's a combination of two teams) and the coach used this pre-season opportunity to figure out which positions the boys should play and to see how they would gel as a team. The boys won the first game, but lost the next two. The third game was quite exciting to watch but, unfortunately, the calls were just not with us. At least it's pre-season!


A picture that embodies the absolute frustration JAD felt during the second game when his team just fell apart. Things can only get better from this point.

Fourteen

At 7:00 am fourteen years ago on this date, I gave birth to a baby boy. He is my first-born, my guinea pig, my always-was-easygoing baby. We thought with this child that parenting must be the easiest job in the world. JAD always had a smile for us, was the consummate flirt with ladies in the grocery line, waitresses in restaurants, and walked around with a level of comfort most people would be jealous of. We never dealt with the step-over-the-line-I'm-a-crazy-boy attitude that we've seen in, ahem, another boy child of ours. JAD was my tow-headed happy baby boy.

I've learned a lot watching him grow and it makes me sad to realize how truly fast 14 years have flown by. We've entered the teenage years with its moodiness and Ineedtobealoneness. But through it all, I'm watching that blonde-headed baby boy turn into a man who is learning how to process the world in all of it's infinite confusion. He still watches from afar and takes things one step at a time, thinking things through. He's become a person with very high morals who treats others well and thinks about the consequences of how he treats them. He's an extremely bright young man and very athletic - not a combination you see all the time. He is immensely passionate about his chosen sport (soccer, if you haven't guessed with the plethora of posts relating to said sport) and will regale you with statistics and stories about his favorite players/teams/teammates/practices/games/etc. He fights tooth and nail to not be known as the 'geeky-super smart' kid and has turned into one who can win a battle of the wits without batting an eye. He is compassionate through and through and will bend over backwards to help a friend and even a sibling when they are down.

I am extremely proud of my son. My first-born. My Ihavetofigurethingsoutonyousosorry kid. He takes everything in stride and uses these moments to grow. He amazes me each and every day. He makes me laugh. He makes me groan and yell in frustration. He makes me want to tear my hair out. He makes me beam with pride that I could give birth to such an amazing human being.

Happy Fourteenth Birthday, JAD. I hope you have an amazing, fun, rewarding year. I am so very proud to be able to call you my son and I love you more than you'll ever comprehend.

It's Begun

Today was my first 'official' day in my new school district. I've worked in my classroom sporadically over the past week, getting things unpacked and put away, but it's all been on my own time and unpaid. I attended a math training (I know, riveting!) with eight other people from various location throughout the district. There were two trainings going on as the district has two different math programs in its thirty five elementary schools. No, that's not a typo. There are thirty-five elementary schools in this one district. It's by far the largest district I've ever worked in. Interestingly enough, of the nine people at this particular training, four of us had come from the same district previously and we felt we were embattled survivors. Others around us just sympathetically agreed with our conversations and deemed us brave and courageous for having been through such a difficult situation. It's funny how people just hear the name of this particular district and nod their heads, acknowledging the horror stories they have heard from others. It's really quite sad and I feel for my friends who are still working in that district.

Tomorrow I get to attend day one of 'Orientation'. Doesn't that just sound exciting??? We get to sit for eight hours each day (yes, there's more than one day of this) listening to various district higher-ups tell us about the philosophies of the district (which are important - don't get me wrong) and the different odds and ends of expectations, who to contact for various questions/problems/whatnots, and, I'm sure, the new state standards that we will be attacking this year. Don't misunderstand - I'm so very grateful to have a job and I'm very excited to be working in this district - but orientation days just drag on and on and on... On the bright side, orientation days are not part of our salary, so we get paid the hourly rate for these few days. That will be a nice little bonus on the first paycheck!

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On the soccer front, we have been going to practice four nights a week for JAD and CEDs practices. Fortunately, practices have been at the same place, so that makes life a little easier. JAD practices Monday, Wednesday, Thursday from 6 - 7:30 and CED practices on Tuesday and Thursday from 5 - 6:30. I found out this week that JED will also start practicing (thank goodness at the same aforementioned park)... on Tuesdays and Fridays. Really??? Five days a week??? Heaven help me... Now it really doesn't matter when the little girls start practicing because I'll ALREADY BE THERE. Silver lining, people.

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School registration has begun. On Tuesday, I had to register JAD for HIGH SCHOOL. Did you catch that? Ninth grade. I don't think I'm ready for this. How did I get old enough to have a child going into high school? Life goes by way too stinking fast. Before I know it, he'll be driving and never home. Yikes! I do like his schedule, however. He has to take Latin. And he got that class 1st hour. What can be better? I was happy to see that he was enrolled (thank you, Vanguard!) in honors history, English, and biology. JAD, on the other hand, was not so happy to see this. What you don't like can only make you stronger, right? It'll be interesting to see how he handles these classes plus high school soccer and club soccer. I think we're heading into our most challenging year yet!

School

I've really focused this year on how truly expensive it is to get ready for school. And I only have four going to school this year. Next year, it will be all five. Yikes! I have purchased the bulk of the school supplies (we still need all the kleenex and baggies and disinfecting wipes) and have spent over $200 on those things. As a teacher, I understand the need for parents to buy things like baggies, dry erase markers, and disinfecting wipes - we just don't have the budgets to purchase those things for our classrooms. As a parent, I groan every time I see a 4 pack of dry erase markers on the list - those add up quickly, especially when you're buying supplies times four! Add to that, CED needs uniforms for middle school, so we had to go out and purchase those items as well. Although, I didn't buy much simply because we have her on the waiting list for another school that requires uniforms as well. And, of course, the uniforms at this school are different colors than at her current school. Fabulous. So once she gets in there, we get to go shopping all over again. Today, JAD and I went to his school to register and had to pay a $30 fee for copies, paper, etc (charter school, so they can do that) plus an additional $90 for the camp he is required to attend next week. This doesn't include the $100 fee to play high school soccer, either. I'm being sucked dry and school hasn't even started yet! Next year I think I need to make sure I have at least $500 set aside for school shopping/fees/etc. And maybe some Valium as I go shopping for all those items...

Payback is a...

You can fill in the blank. I remember as a kid, my sister and I always knew we had our mom cornered as soon as the upstairs bathroom door shut and the water started running. Why my mom never locked the door is beyond me, but I think she knew we'd probably bang the door down so why bother. I remember those times - me sitting on the sink, my mom hiding behind the shower curtain - as times to pour out my heart or complain or whatever. I thought (or maybe was desperately hoping) that this would not happen to me. I was wrong. Lately, I think my children have a built in tuning device to anytime I go into my bathroom. I can be sitting on the couch or working in the kitchen for HOURS, it seems, and they have no reason to bug me for food, going outside, or tattling about another child. However, the minute I go into the bathroom, I have children lined up at the door for one reason or another. How do they do it? I have no idea, but just relish in the fact that they, too, will one day get their own payback. How delicious.

Painting

Yesterday, K and I decided to finally paint CEDs room. We moved into our house 2 years 8 months ago and have had the paint for her room for 2 years 7 months. Yep, we move quickly around here. Though, to our defense, CED has not cleaned her room to the point where we could get in and paint, so... Anyway, it is done now and I think she's happy. K started off by painting her ceiling, which makes me realize how desperately every ceiling in the house needs to be painted. Ugh! In the process of painting, K decided that painting his contacts was a good idea, too. (Not really - painting over your head can have bad effects, though! He did end up with white paint specks all over his contacts. Yuck.) K also installed a ceiling fan in lieu of the standard light fixture. CEDs room gets rather warm (non-air conditioned house) and the fan has already made a difference. We ended up working in her room from about 10:30 until 7:30 - which makes for a long day when it's hot and you're going up and down ladders constantly. But, I think CED is happy with the result (which is not finished quite yet, but more on that later).

Here is a picture of CEDs walls as I was patching the eight million holes she's put in them hanging up posters and such (yes - eight million. And I think I missed about a million more which I noticed as I was precariously perched on a ladder cutting in all the edges).

Why is the corner not painted? Really not sure. I guess that was too hard for the people who last lived here and painted the room these colors.

CED, working hard. Actually, she did do a lot to help - filling paint pans, getting brushes and rollers, loading such brushes and rollers, getting wet rags/paper towels for the unavoidable messes, etc. You can see the difference in colors with the first wall painted. Two walls were painted with this very light green (believe me, it is a very light green).

Here's a better look at the green color of the walls. These were the two hardest walls to paint in her room. One, just like the other rooms on our main level, her room has a 10 foot ceiling. That's a lot of wall to cover with two coats. And two, you can see she has a little alcove area above her closet in the upper left hand corner of the picture. K had a lot of fun painting that area.

The other two walls we painted pink. I would've taken pictures in process, but I just wanted to get done with the painting and I didn't feel like stopping to take pictures. I know. Crabby. But this is the final product of the pink walls. It looks a lot brighter in the pictures than it really is.

Here's the two colors next to each other. They look really good together and it definitely looks like a girl's room now. K thinks CED needs white shag carpeting to complete the look. I think she needs easy clean rubber mats because of all the stuff that gets spilled in there!

On the pink wall you can see in the above picture, we're going to paint white bubbles and write CEDs first name in a color like hot pink across those bubbles (a letter in each bubble). I can picture it, and I think it's going to be super-cute. Now I just have to go get the white and hot pink paint. Maybe in a day or two...

Now the girls want their bathroom painted and MAD and MED are clamoring for their room to be done as well. That just might take us another 2 years and 7 months...

Sleeping

Last night we all went down to our rec room to watch a movie. We started it rather late (8:15) and it was a 2 1/2 hour movie (Robin Hood). I was 99.99999% sure the two youngest would fall asleep before the movie was halfway over and I was right.

MAD was the first to fall asleep. Here's my oldest and youngest:


And MED was not far behind.


Yes, Desi is sleeping right along with her. Silly dog stayed there for a good hour before finally rolling onto her side. She didn't lose that pillow though. Our dog is a wimp - as long as there's a blanket or pillow around (or even a sock!) she'll lay on it rather than just lay on the floor.

The Soccer Fun Rolls On... and On... and On...

Friday night JED began a new season of indoor soccer. He's playing with some boys that he's played with before and he loves his coaches (one is a friend of ours - the dad of a boy on JADs team). JED played hard along with his teammates, but they were defeated by a team that had as many subs as they had players on the field. JED got his turn at playing goalkeeper in the second half and allowed only 3 goals (two boys in the first half together allowed 8 goals, so JED certainly did a great job!). He loves playing keeper and he even ran back into the house because he forgot his goalie gloves. I'm glad my kids have the opportunity to play soccer year-round (even if the experts say that playing one sport exclusively is bad for them). It's what they love and if the opportunity is there we will do what we can to help them play. Call me crazy.

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Today JAD and CED played in their very first 3v3 tournament. I'm not going to rehash any scores (neither team won a single game), but watching the games was fun and it turned into a beautiful day. 3v3 is a completely different game than a regular soccer game. The fields are small, the goal nets are small, and the players move fast and are very physical. I think the game certainly separates the 'men from the boys' so-to-speak. It was a great experience for both of my kids and I was very entertained to see how competitive CED, in particular, became (I already know how extremely competitive JAD is - no new news there). Her coach kept saying "We're here to have fun and learn" and CED kept saying "I'm here to win!" I wonder where these kids get it from?

A Week in Words

Life has been busy busy lately, but yet I've felt like there's nothing to write about. Last week CED and JAD both had soccer tryouts and we are still waiting to hear what the results are. I'm not worried about CED - except we don't know at this point if she'll even have a team this coming year. Her team had to play a girl down quite a lot this last season and we don't want to repeat that. Unfortunately, we only had one new player show up for tryouts which only replaces the one girl who is leaving due to a move out of state. JADs situation is a bit different, however. There were two teams last year at the U13 level - a Classic 1 and Challenge. This year only 19 boys showed up for tryouts which means that the two teams are going to be combined into one and this team will stay up at the Classic 1 division. Tryouts finished this past Thursday and we are still waiting for the coach to call the boys to tell them if they made the team or not. Parents are starting to get frustrated.

On another note, JAD graduated from 8th grade on Thursday. Most of our day was taken up with his pre-graduation activities: graduation practice in the morning (for 2 1/2 hours!), class picture downtown with students all dressed up (1 hour), and then to graduation itself by 6:30. It really was a nice ceremony and it was wonderful watching how the whole class gets along. What was even more amazing was watching how they have all gelled together and how they accept each and every person - newcomer or there forever - so completely. JAD has made so many friends and he knows everybody, which is quite something considering he started there in March. After the graduation, there was a reception for all the families and then the eighth graders stayed for a dance until 11. My son actually danced with several girls! I love seeing his confidence and comfort in who he is. He has made the final decision to continue on at Vanguard next year (the high school where he's at) despite the soccer team's disappointing record. K and I certainly won't argue with our child that chooses the top academic school in the state! We are so very proud of our son - he is developing into a remarkable young man... even despite the teenage moodiness.

CED took her entrance exams for CMCA on Thursday while JAD was doing graduation practice. She is currently number five on the waiting list, so they wanted to get testing done. When she got home, I asked her how the tests were. She just laughed and said 'easy'. I believe her when she says that. I knew the testing would be easy for her. I had warned her about the math, because they make it progressively harder so they can properly place the student in the right math class. She finished all of the problems and realized, after the fact, that she had done one wrong. I don't think the testing will keep her from getting into the school. We have been told that the school does not have a place for her yet, but I anticipate that she'll be in by the end of the first quarter. Meanwhile, she is continuing with summer homework for the middle school she is technically slotted for. She has been accepted into the Pre-AP program there, along with about 25 other students. In fact, this coming week she'll be attending UCCS for an enrichment program with her classmates (and other students around the city). CED will be taking classes dealing with math and science - some of them are classes I would like to take!

On Friday, I had two interviews - one at a daycare for a PreKindergarten teacher and the other at an elementary school for fifth grade. I, unfortunately, did not get 'good feelings' as I left either interview. The PreKindergarten teacher is potentially good, but horrible pay. Understandably, they are concerned that I will leave them in a couple of months if I get a job in an actual school (better pay and benefits), but they were also very happy that I am very qualified. The elementary school job is one I highly want, for obvious reasons. The principal was very personable and the school is beautiful. The student demographics are very different from where I've worked the last two years, but I think I can handle that! I already know the math and reading curriculum that they use (it's what I've taught previously), so that's helpful. Of course, I keep thinking of all the things I should've said during the interview that I didn't. I hate interviewing. I will know about both jobs around the end of the week, but I'm not holding my breath.

We are currently debating about getting MAD tested for early entry into kindergarten. The principal at the kids' elementary school said she would help us get her in, even if her scores are close to what the district is looking for. I have to go to her daycare tomorrow to get a letter of recommendation from her teacher. Ms. Heidi kept telling me she was more ready for kindergarten than anyone of her classmates. We'll see what happens. It would be nice to not pay for daycare anymore. I know she can handle kindergarten and all that it entails. It just means that my baby is in school and my kids are growing up too fast. Oh, parenting and the heartache that it entails sometimes.

I will work on getting graduation pictures - for all three of my kids - up on the blog this week. My camera does not work well inside (the pictures all come out dark), so everything is on Ks camera. He hasn't been home all weekend as he is attending a class to get his Type E soccer coaching license. Yesterday he came home and had to take a 4 hour test for the class and today he gets to teach a lesson to his classmates about defense. He is having great fun, though, and has learned a lot about coaching. I think he'll be putting some of this to work this fall - he may be helping coach either CEDs team or JADs team this year. So, with that said, once K can get pics off his camera, I will get them posted so you can see my beautiful graduates!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. It's been absolutely gorgeous here with temps in the upper 80s - my favorite weather!

Blessed

This week, Tuesday, I had a meeting with the director of the Colorado Springs Music Conservatory (CSC). She wanted to discuss with three other families and ours the possibility of our kids continuing next year in their program. If you didn't already know, MED was given a scholarship for this past school year for their program that teaches her dance, theater, piano, violin, and singing. She has really enjoyed going there once a week and her confidence level has skyrocketed. She gets up on stage anywhere and exudes confidence in who she is. She has been a part of two piano/dance/singing recitals this year and was chosen to be in "A Midsummer's Night Dream" as well. The director has offered all four families a continued scholarship for the next year - $1100 total - if the child (and family) is interested in continuing at the conservatory. Yes, please! We have to pay the registration fee of $250 - a total steal considering what she gets in return.

So, MED will continue at the conservatory next year, practicing her singing, dancing, instruments, and acting. We are so blessed to have been given this opportunity that we wouldn't be able to afford on our own. Come September, look for updates and pictures of MED at the conservatory. K and I are super excited!

School Is Over

Yesterday was the last day of school for three of our kids. Unfortunately for JAD, he has two more weeks of school although the last week is really just a 'fun' week. He gets to study for finals this weekend, however, and he is oh-so-happy about it. Especially since he gets to study with me. We spent Wednesday night at CEDs fifth grade graduation and Thursday morning was MEDs kindergarten promotion. It's hard to believe that CED will be in middle school next year and MED is big enough to be in first grade. Time goes by way too quickly.
Today was my last day of school. I am no longer a fifth grade teacher at Monterey Elementary and I'm currently on the job hunt. As much as that frightens me at times (finding a new job), I'm relieved to be moving on. I am going to miss some of the people I worked with, but that's what Facebook is for, right? Regardless, most of us don't have to rush around Monday morning frantically trying to get ready for school. Ahhhhh.... summer!

PS - I'll post pictures of the graduations later this weekend. Tomorrow is Soccerday, so look for a wrap-up post of our last games of the season!

Soccerday, Week Who-Knows

Today is Soccerday and it's cold here. Where is Spring? It flirts with us - we get beautiful skies, warm, sunny weather and then BOOM! It's cold again. The weather forecasters are talking about what parts of the Springs are going to get snow overnight. SNOW. In the middle of May. This is just crazy. Today started out pretty nice - cool, but sunny, so that fought off any kind of chill you might feel outside. By the time we got to JEDs game this afternoon, the clouds had rolled in, the breeze had picked up, and the temperatures started dropping. K and I are still feeling chilled and my nose is cold to the touch. We were supposed to go to the Sky Sox game tonight with friends, but we backed out knowing that the little girls would be miserable by the beginning of the second inning. Bummer.

Okay, so back to Soccerday. We started out the morning at CEDs game with a whopping 10 girls and that's how they played. They fought hard - especially with two of the girls not feeling well - and pulled out a solid win of 4-0. It still marvels us that they have a record now of 7-1-0 when their record last fall was 0-7-1. Notice the correlation? Weird. But we definitely like seeing that 7 at the beginning of their stats! They have worked hard this Spring and it's really paying off.

Game 2 was JEDs game. I'm not sure of the final score and we're really not going to worry about that. Get my drift? But JED did score his team's only goal, so we're really pleased with that. We spent much of that game hunkered down under blankets trying to stay warm. That, and trying to keep Desi under control. K and I decided to take both dogs to the game and Emma was a picture perfect dog - well behaved and she sat or laid down the whole time. Desi, on the other hand, got out of her collar twice, rolled all over the ground, and tried to tackle any person that walked near in hopes that they would pet her. I've never said that the black lab was smart. Just the opposite. But we love her all the same.

JAD didn't have a game today, so we got away with only two games today (although JED has another game tomorrow, so it's still a grand total of three games this weekend). Instead, he went to a birthday party at his girlfriend's house. He ended up being the only boy that showed up, which was, in his words, "awkward". This was a huge step - letting our son go to a girl's birthday party. I don't like the fact that my kids are getting older and liking people of the opposite sex. I'm not ready, even if they are.

Hope your Soccerday was warmer than ours. Look for an update on JEDs second game of the weekend in the next few days...