First Days of School

Look What I Found on My Camera...

First Tee

Caddie
Hole
Range
Iron
Stroke
Tee
Integrity
Aim
Nine iron

Green
Approach
Rough
Nike
Eagle
Replay
- Christian, age 8

It's The Simple Things...

Like this chipboard album that makes me just take a deep breath and be grateful for all of the people I have around me all day! And how time passes so quickly and they are not little people any longer.
My class for this book is Saturday, the 18th at Scrapaganza from 10:oo am until noon. We are also offering it on Thursday the 23rd....come by the store or call and get signed up!

Birthday Cake

Many people have asked me about the birthday cake picture in the right column. Craig got that for me at good ol' Sam's club. It was so yummy. We ate it for almost a week, and Sydnee liked to always have a slice b4 bed! Here is a picture of the two of us at Grand Harbor....can't see the new suit very good, but it is swell.

More Golf Photos...

I don't know how to put more than 5 pics on a post, so here are the rest of the Friday night pictures...

1st Annual Family Miniature Golf Tournament

On Friday, Christian had his last First Tee Golf Lesson in the morning. This is his second round of First Tee, and he loves it. The program teaches him the etiquette of golf, he is able to practice his swing, and the coaches help him feel good about the game he is playing. We are very lucky to have this program in the Quad Cities. After golf, lunch, and a little bit of "friend time", we headed over to Lil' Mississippi Golf for our annual tournament. This year, Dad, Mom, Christian, and Sydnee played and Ella was our caddy. We had a great time and I feel like I was trying to channel Tara Whitney while I was taking photos, so I got some pretty good ones. Christian took the game very serious. We found out Sydnee has a great putt. And Ella enjoyed the water features. This will definitely be a new family tradition. Anyone up for a little competition?

Family Fun Weekend

I don't know really what else to call it, but we had a great weekend as a family. Craig took vacation on Thursday and Friday, so we really did some playing. We thought about going out of town, but decided to stick around and do some fun things we have been talking about doing since we moved here two years ago.
On Thursday we drove to Dubuque and played at the Grand Harbor Resort. They have an indoor waterpark that is great for my kids. It was so funny because Sydnee kept saying, "Thank you so much, Mom, for taking us here!" We swam hard for almost four hours, and then because of a "bodily fluid" they closed the slides for an hour so we decided it would be a great time to leave! Yikes.... All three kids slept the entire ride home. Next post: Friday - Golf Day!

You Smell Like A Mom

Today, at about 3:30 p.m., the house was quiet. Ella was asleep and Christian was outside with Caleb. Sydnee and I had some "time" to watch a movie and munch on some popcorn. We were just lying on the floor and I was enjoying the moment. Just as I was taking it all in, Sydnee turned to me and we were nose to nose. I just smiled and she giggled.
"You smell like a mom!" she said
"What does that smell like, good or bad?"
"Good." Sydnee replied
"But sometimes when when there is dirt, it can smell bad."
Only from the mouth and mind of a five-year old.
This is the same girl that tells her dad he has yellow teeth....just a little bit too honest!
**Edit: Many people have asked me about the cake in the right column...it is from good ol' Sam's Club. Craig surprised me with it on my birthday and we ate it for almost an entire week! Sydnee especially liked having a piece right b4 bedtime.

{amigos}

I think I am getting MY creative groove back...what do you think?

Two People...Two Days

On Monday, I drove to Nauvoo, Illinois with the girls to see the AMAZING Lisa Bendall. Now if you remember, we go way back to my student-teaching days. I was the student-teacher and she was the mentor. She taught me so much more about life than just how to teach 3rd graders. We had a connection from the start. I have not seen her since I moved to Iowa so this was an amazing time to spend together, even though it was very short - three hours! Her darling daughter, Alisha, just got back from serving a mission for our church and her cute, cute son, Nate, is serving a mission as we speak! I am crossing my fingers that we can raise our three little ones to be people who love others and love life. I see this in Lisa's two, and I know that she was the example for them. I can always count on Lisa to give me a boost whenever I need it and also give me a good book suggestion. Love ya, Lisa!

On Tuesday, I had the fantastic chance to see my cousin that I haven't seen for seven years! Anjuli and her husband, Joseph, drove through Davenport with their two little boys on their way to medical school in Maryland. Again, it was a short visit, but it didn't seem like time had passed since we last saw each other. We talked over lunch and then took everyone over to see the tractors and the John Deere Museum. You can't come to Iowa and not have your picture taken in front of the huge, bright yellow wheels!