I know I say this every year, but I just can't believe how quickly summer has gone by. The younger kids are actually excited for school this year (thank you, Thomas Edison Charter School!) and I know the older ones are at least eager to see more of their friends. Jenero's even excited about graduating . . . go figure! =) So next Tuesday the fun begins. Woo hoo! And just to remind myself, Jenero's starting 12th, Xeneea's starting 11th, Adria's starting 10th, Marina's starting 6th (middle school here we come!), Jessica's starting 5th, and Sim is starting 3rd. And heavens, Serene gets to start K in only two more years! Aaaaagh!
Steve and I completed our trip to Minneapolis, where Steve made it to the finals for the ATA Truck Driving Championships (we just call them "roadeos"). And we won't go into mix-ups and unexplained point deductions, will we? We'll just say that AT LEAST fourth in the country for 5-axle drivers ain't bad. =) And we got fun stuff from Mall of America just as it was turning 90 years old, so hey! Fun stuff. Nice city, but it's just so comfortable to be back home (in some ways, lol). Now we get to plan our Nashville trip. Yee haw! At least there my "ya'll" won't be so noticeable.
Jessie's starting another fall soccer season. I love how much she's grown as a player in the few years she's been playing soccer. She's so competitive and she really shines on the larger field now that her team is playing "up" in the U12 division. Her footwork is incredible enough that even complete strangers passing by comment on number 27's moves. She hasn't played goalie in a while, but I think it's mainly because her coach wants her out there defending and scoring more than he wants a shining goalie. Yes, I think she still outshines the other girls who play goalie on her team, but let's face it -- with Jessie and her team doing their moves, the goalie doesn't really need to be that wonderful that often. =) I love that her coach is making her stretch and expand her soccer skills beyond her comfort zone. She's only 10 and it's great not to limit herself too soon. Besides, did I mention she's incredible to watch? Now we just need to figure out a way for her to stay in shape during Logan's winter so next year's spring season will see her as capable and enthusiastic as she is now, rather than taking all spring season to get her team back on track. Open to ideas here!
Marina and I have started playing tennis. Neither one of us is wonderful at it, but it's fun to at least get better at returning the ball to each other. We'll worry about playing by the rules once we're both better at mechanics. But Marina especially is having fun and I love that. It doesn't even matter that her mom is so out of practice since her last game of tennis was in high school!
Serene is so stinkin' smart it's scary sometimes. She remembers EVERYTHING you tell her. It's so cute to hear her tell me that there's hay in the field and that the cows and horses are going to eat it (this after being told that very thing only once weeks earlier). It's fun to hear her beg me to take her shopping or to the mall. It's so funny to hear her tell everyone exactly where we got any particular item (good think I don't mind that people know I shop DI!). It's fun to hear her reprimand the kitten when Sophie plays a little rough and show her how to play nice. And of course, it's fun hearing Serene say her name now when you ask her. She even knows her last name, but you have to ask for it specifically. In short, Serene is a typical, smart, adorable, princess-loving, puzzle-solving, tea party-playing almost three-year-old.
Simeon has the distinction of being the biggest help in the garden this year. And he loves when we get to pick and husk the corn. He's a little disappointed in me that I won't pull my onions yet, but they're still growing -- why settle for big onions when there's the possibility of having HUGE onions? And our melons and pumpkins are taking off finally so here's hoping! Simeon loves being in scouts and I gotta say I love not being his wolf leader, lol! We work a lot better together when I get to be the cheerleader instead of the coach! But then, who DOESN'T love a cheering section? =)
Steve's putting in a lot of extra hours lately. He's such an overachiever that when he takes a vacation, his customers notice big time. Most are happy he gets time to himself, even if they have to put up with sub-par drivers the time he's gone; but this last time there was one customer who was so upset he felt that Steve shouldn't even be on his route if Steve was going to have the audacity to earn the right to go to national roadeos each year. Come again?
Well, I better go intervene. Seems Jessie is teaching Serene the art of having a food fight. So much fun!
