go Mustangs!

Well, we’re back at it in full swing.  Mustang basketball was on the court for back to back games today.  The girls were a little… rusty.  They lost both games which is very unusual for them.  I’m going to blame it on all the fudge they ate over the Christmas break.

Pickles actually had a great game.  She had quite a number of rebounds and even scored twice.  When the final score is only 21-28 scoring twice is a pretty decent percentage!  And, she was 2 for 3 on her shots.  We’re still working on being more aggressive… the kid is just too nice.  I know she’s got it in her… I’ve seen it!!

Overall she had a great game… so proud of her!

the aftermath

Where are the kitchen cleaning fairies when you need them?  And what you can’t see are the sprinkles, sugar, and flour on the counters and floor!  Isn’t there a saying about the bigger the mess, the bigger the fun?  We definitely had fun!

the auction

Well, Pickles didn’t win any ribbons, but as she said, “We had a lot of fun making the cake!”  Yes, we did.  We also made a big mess.  But that’s a post for tomorrow.  Hubby signed in as a buyer so we could bid on and hopefully bring home a cake of our own.  It smelled so good in the auditorium!  And everything from carrot cake to chocolate pie to buttermilk pound cake was paraded before us.  Two hours of cake, pies, and sugary desserts was almost too much!  Poor Hubby hadn’t eaten beforehand and by the end of the night, he had won one cake and was bidding on a pie!

The kids got to present their own cakes before the bidders and watch first hand, the auction process.  Pickles smiled the whole time.  Well, when she wasn’t making surprised faces that her mother was bidding with a family friend for that cake!  The auctioneer talked fast but she could hear $50, $60, $70 for sure!

In the end, Mom let the bid go at $100.  It was fun.  And Pickles was so cute when she went over to thank her buyer. What good things she learned through this!

Summer didn’t bake anything this time around… she had Rette practice.  When she finished, she came over to visit her friends and ended up getting to hold a pie for auction, too.  She was thrilled (insert sarcasm).  Three hours of drill team practice leaves one sweaty, not ready to stand in front of a group of people, teenager.  Sorry Summer!  You were a good sport…

Here they are asking her how to pronounce her last name.  And she’s telling them, “It’s not my pie!”

In the end, it was a really fun night.  Pickles is already talking about what to make next time!  Thank you Mr. and Mrs. D!!!

“they’re so flufffffyyyyyyy!”

Martha Stewart I am not.  But when Pickles was asked to participate in the 4H Cake Auction, she pulled out the Martha Stewart Cupcake Cookbook and got to designing.  She thought these little sheep cupcakes would be perfect!

And of course they needed a pasture to graze in…

Getting the lamb cake to the sale was interesting.  I kept telling her that her Grandmom transports cakes all over the place with no trouble and ours was just a little thing… but she sat in the back seat and kept her eye on the cake and the driver.  I promised to go slow, take the turns easy, and avoid potholes.  And we made it to the show just in time to beat a very windy rainstorm!  Crisis averted…

Project Dance

Our dance studio took part in a dance weekend called Project Dance.  It’s a weekend where  Christian dancers and dance companies come together in a public setting to dance and minister to those in a specific city.  Since we are close to Houston, that’s where we went.  The opening day of the weekend it was beautiful.  The sun was shining and it was warm and balmy.  The next morning, however, it was raining cats and dogs and the wind was from the north, cold and gusty.  To say we were miserable is an understatement.  There weren’t many people just hanging out in downtown Houston that day so the audience was mostly parents and siblings who were bundled up in coats, ponchos, blankets, and under umbrellas while the dancers moved about in their costumes (and ponchos and rain boots).  The first thing the dancers did was learn a “group dance” that they would perform every hour on the hour.  The song they danced to was called, “I am not Forgotten.”  It was the perfect song for this kind of thing… the words say, “I am not forgotten, God knows my name.”  And it’s catchy.  It was fun to see folks who were not “the dancers” join in the dancing. 

 

Even though it was bitter cold, the girls all seemed to enjoy themselves.  There were smiles everywhere (although teeth were chattering, too!).  Having a REASON for their dancing and dancing for their Lord and His glory made the day fun and a blessing to those who were there watching.

Summer’s dance group had many opportunities to dance throughout the day.  They did some lyrical, some hip-hop, but it was all fun to watch.  There were folks there from Dance Revolution, as well as others doing ballet, jazz, theater, contemporary, and worship dances.  There was something for everyone!  I only wish the weather had been nicer and more folks would have been out to enjoy the “entertainment” and ultimately be blessed by the hearts of all of these dancers.  I know I was blessed!  Cold, but blessed!

 

weekend wrap up

Saturday was the big double header day for Upward Soccer. We had games scheduled from 9:00 AM until 2:30 PM. There were hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and people everywhere! Last week was very warm and humid but this week it was overcast and cool. It was perfect weather for sitting outside for hours...

Game one. Vikings vs. Rams. SuperGirl was feeling better this morning after a very long 11 days of being sick and she BEGGED to play. I told her she could play one quarter but when we arrived, they only had enough players to play but no substitutes. Her dad talked to the coach and they decided to play her in the back field as much as possible to keep her from getting over tired. Playing kept her warm enough, but when she was on the sidelines, poor SuperGirl got a bit cold. Would you just look at this display is sisterly love? Summer gave up her very warm sweatshirt for SuperGirl. And she even sat down in the cold grass to keep her company while she wasn't playing.
Her first game was a little sketchy. It took SuperGirl until the fourth quarter to remember how to play or something. It seemed it all kicked in then and she started doing a little more playing and a little less prancing around. Hey, who's that on the other team? I think CK was taking it easy on her... they are friends after all!

Hey, look! There's DK and DK! So, who's the coach and who's the assistant here?

Game two. Cardinals vs. Giants. Pickles was IN THE GAME this morning. She was shouting helps to her teammates and getting after the ball. I was pleasantly surprised to see how aggressive she was being, especially since it was before noon. She doesn't like to do anything before noon. I wonder where she gets that from? My favorite part of this game was when Pickles kicked a hard ball out of bounds... right into Summer, barely missing Grammy. That made for some excitement!!

Pickles has a great coaching staff. What this guy lacks in wardrobe (t-stip hat), he makes up for in spirit and enthusiasm! I love listening to him cheer on his team. Thank you, Coach Sample!

Pickles played hard and was looking forward to some burgers and another game later in the day. She's learning to give it everything she has while she's on the field. That's good for her.

Game three. Vikings vs. Raiders. SuperGirl really had it together by this game. She was actually going TO the ball instead of chasing after everyone who was going for it. I still worried a little bit about how much she was running but she seemed to be doing just fine. Must have been the hamburgers for lunch!

Part of the fun of playing Upward soccer is getting to see and play with so many friends! These two spent the whole game smiling and giggling with each other, a carryover from Pickles's game. They are so cute!!

And if SuperGirl doesn't get a white star for this little act of service, I'll be really surprised. When they stopped the game for ES to tie her shoe SuperGirl marched herself across the field and announced, "I'll tie it for her!" Nevermind that she'd just learned to do that for herself this past week when she was home sick. And yes, she is 7 years old and just learning to tie her shoes, but give me a break, she has two older sisters who tie everything for her and years of shoes with no laces (think high heels, flip flops, velcro shoes, and sandals), so it's a wonder she even knows how!

The game went on and SuperGirl played as hard as she could. I kept waiting for her to tire out but she didn't. I was so happy so see her bouncy and healthy again. And I was really enjoying the afternoon outside... sitting with my mom and watching the girls play.

Then, just about half way through the final quarter of game three, a storm started to drop big, fat raindrops on us. I had a golf umbrella and settled myself in my chair, ready to enjoy the rain. Hubby came running across the parking lot and told us to gather all our stuff and get in the truck. And within five minutes, the skies let loose. We were all safe in the truck, mostly dry, watching families scramble to get in their cars... soaking wet. Game four was cancelled so we went home and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.

It was a good thing we all napped during the afternoon storms, because around 11:00PM Saturday night, SuperGirl's rash and itches came back. And we were up for several hours during the night dealing with that again! By morning, she was fine and we are all looking forward to the games of next week!

happy camper

We got this girl up at 5:00 this morning to be at the church on time for a week of summer camp. Pickles slept with me last night and hopped up as soon as the alarm went off. I pulled her back into bed for a few more snuggles before sending her off for f*i*v*e days. This is her first time away - alone - for this long. She has always had her sisters or one of us with her.

Pickles was struggling this morning but she put on a brave face and unloaded her stuff at the church. She quickly met up with her leader (Mrs. Tera!!) and her friends. This little redhead at the front is her buddy for the week. I think they are a lot alike. Both are very sweet, quiet, and homebodies. I hope they take good care of each other.

This week, they are the green team. Can you tell? Pickles has a ton of green stuff packed. She has really gotten into that part of camp! Everything is labeled. Snacks are packed. And there are "happies" for every day tucked in her duffle. I even sent her a camp email this morning so she'll be sure and have one at the first mail pickup.

Her biggest worry was the bus. No seat belts. I was worried there would be no a/c. Looks like she got a nice ride, though. That bus was packed and they even took a church van and a truck/trailer. There are about 50 kids and 10 leaders. Pray for them this week if you think about it.

And pray for the mommas left behind (and baby sisters, too) who aren't really handling this whole thing very well. I know she'll have fun. I know she'll make new friends. I know she'll be safe. And I know Jesus will speak to her heart this week. But man, do I love that kid. And I'm going to miss her like crazy.

interview with a 10 year old

1. What is something I always say to you? You're my favorite kid. Don't tell your sisters.

2. What makes me happy? Whenever I do stuff without you telling me.

3. What makes me sad? Whenever we don't do what you ask.

4. How do I make you laugh? Tickling me!

5. What was I like as a child? Well, you weren't homeschooled.

6. How old am I? 38

7. How tall am I? 4.5 feet

8. What is my favorite thing to do? Play with the kids.

9. What do I do when you're not around? You cry, because you miss us. {hee, hee, hee}

10. If I become famous, what will it be for? Being a good typer.

11. What am I not very good at? I don't know. You're mostly good at everything. Hmm... tennis?

12. What am I really good at? Playing the drums.

13. What do I do for my job? Type.

14. What is my favorite food? Chocolate.

15. What makes me proud of you? Helping my sisters.

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

17. What do we do together? Shopping!

18. How are we the same? Our hair is the same color.

19. How are we different? I have blue eyes and you have green eyes.

20. How do you know I love you? Because you take care of me whenever I am sad.

21. Where is my favorite place to go? Chinese food restaurant!