Fun Times!

We've been having a lot of fun this past week. We went on a couple of field trips as a family & had some fun at home too. I can hardly wait to share our pictures with you. Have you been on any great field trips or adventures lately? If so I hope you are having as much fun as we are & I'd love to hear about them!

Tea Party

It is a rainy day here in Middle Tennessee. We have a rare day at home today. We have been doing a little bit of school and a little bit of relaxing. And of course a little bit of playing. =) Princess wanted a tea party and Elvis and Boo were happy to indulge her.

The first guests all dressed up.

She really liked this outfit.

Elvis pours for Princess.

Sipping

Some smiles for the camera.

Another guest joins the party. Meet Ms. Alligator!

Chit-chat over tea

Cutie pie

Cheers!

A toast!

Tee, hee, hee!

Later they were served some pretty sandwiches with their tea. It was a sweet little party.

Fall

Coaches

We have been fortunate that in our 4 seasons with One Goal the kids have always had great coaches. This year we were blessed again. Don Bartch was the head coach for both Boo Bear's & Elvis' teams. He is a great combination of expecting the best from his players but able to laugh at mistakes and not take it too seriously. He has a great sense of humor and is always coming up with one liners as he coaches. He was Boo Bear's coach her first season & we were very happy to see him again.


Elvis' assistant coach was great too. Coach Linebarger really encouraged the boys to play as a team & do their best. He was always encouraging the boys no matter if they won or lost. He always took pride in them.

Bugsy loved his coach so much he stated that he would like to go live at his house! Coach Keith was full of energy, humor & encouragement. One thing he did that was new to us was to give out patches to the players. He would find different things to praise them for & award them a patch for it. They earned a patch when they recited their weekly Bible verse as well.

Coach Shannon is a very kind man. He is on the quiet side and so good with all the kids. He would always get down to their level to help them out or give them an encouraging word.


This is Boo's assistant coach. Coach Todd was always there for the girls cheering them on & building their self esteem. He never had a harsh word and was always smiling. He and Coach Don were a fantastic team.

Here is Coach Don again. He is great at building his players skills and teaching them to play as a team. There are no favorites or hot shots on his team. He is kind & encouraging to everyone. I love watching him coach especially when there is an exciting play. He jumps up and down on the sidelines cheering them on taking pride in his players.

Thank you, Coaches for another fantastic season! And thank you for sharing your talents, your love for the game, your love for kids & most of all your love for our Lord!

Celebration Night

How can the soccer season be over already? It seems like it just started. Time certainly does fly faster than I like. Tonight was the end of the season Celebration Night. One Goal always does a fantastic program and tonight was no different. There were giveaways, a PowerPoint slide show, freebies, a video, trophies, and most important a message of salvation. The kids love this night & I think it's very special that One Goal puts all the work into making this happen. We are beyond pleased with them & have enjoyed every season we've participated.

He was the first to arrive from his team. He even beat the coaches! Lol! It helps that we live so close to the church were it was hosted. =0)
I waited with him until others arrived. They all sit together in rows with their teams making the night extra special.

At the end of the program the coaches passed out the trophies. Bugs is such a ham.

Coach Keith, Bugs & his teammates.

Elvis was back a few rows sitting with his team. Boo was sitting a row in back of Elvis with her team.

The board with all the team names. This shows everyone where they are sitting. Yes! There are A LOT of teams! I think Clark, the director, said there were over 600 children playing this season.

Pleased as punch!

Our three soccer players.

They are all champions in my book!

Our kids all gave their coaches homemade cards & a Hershey bar to say thank you. They each had 2 coaches and every one of them were fantastic with the kids.

See you in the spring, One Goal!

Funny Moment

FUNNY MOMENT AT TKD:

Bugsy's class was practicing. Their instructor, a 20-some year old black belt, said to them, "You want to punch hard & straight like Rocky." I knew it was coming & waited. A few seconds later one of the kids asked in a puzzled tone, "Who's Rocky?" Their young instructor looked stunned. Then he recovered & answered, "You don't know who Rocky is? Oh no. I suddenly feel OLD!" I couldn't help it. I laughed right out loud. Poor guy. I think this was his first realization that he has graduated into the "older generation". ROTFL!

Apples & More Apples!

We are having lots of fun making our apples into tasty treats. The first treat on the menu was applesauce. Elvis was eager to get started. He still talks about the time Grannie took them to an orchard with a friend of hers to pick. Afterward they made homemade applesauce together. That was 3 years ago.

We had to buy a new apple peeler corer as ours was worn out.

I think these things are fantastic.

Elvis took a turn at it.

Princess saw Boo & Elvis helping and didn't want to be left out. She pulled up a chair & got right to work.

She enjoyed handing me apples to peel & core.

She was very good at taste testing.

Boo got a kick out of the way Princess jumped in & took over.

She made an apple snowman by stacking them up. She was very proud of herself.

Two crock pots all filled & ready to cook.

Our house was filled with the heavenly scent of fall all night long.

It made a little dent in the bushel but not much.

Apples!

Dave & I were disappointed we could not find a local orchard that allowed us to pick our own apples. This used to be a favorite tradition for our family when we lived in MA. So we wouldn't miss out on all the fun we ordered these from an orchard up north. They are fresh, pesticide free and ready to be turned into yummy treats!

Let the fun begin!

Rose Marie

It's been 7 years but it doesn't seem to matter how much time has passed. Every year on this day it all comes rushing back. It hits me like a giant wave knocking me down. The grief. The tears. The missing piece of my heart. There are years I don't realize why until I look at the calendar. And then I know. It's October 7th. The day we lost our little Rose Marie. The day she slipped away and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't grab on & keep her with us. I begged. I pleaded. But she was called to Heaven.
My only comfort is that she is with my Jesus. And that one day I will finally be allowed to hold her, to cuddle her & to kiss her sweet face. I often wonder who would she have favored? Would she look like me? Would she have her Daddy's eyes? Our sense of humor? A twinkle in her eye like her brother? A soft spot for all the hurting like her sister? One day I hope to have these answers. No matter how many years go by the grief never completely leaves. Tears still fall. The ache is still there. A piece of my heart is forever missing. For now I'll keep loving her, keep missing her, keep working to make her proud of her Mama & wishing for the day we are reunited.

I love you, Rose Marie and miss you every day. One day we will be together. I promise.
All my love,
Hugs & kisses,
Mama

More Tabernacle

Whoops! Somehow I forgot to include these pictures in my last post.

Daddy shows Elvis the ropes before giving him the reins.

Our artist at work.

Dave was very pleased with this box he created from folding up thin cardboard.

It is such fun when Daddy gets to work on projects with the kids. I know he enjoys it too.