Birthday #32

For Corky's birthday, we had a real simple little party that Gracey and Emily were looking forward to all week long.  I came home early from Young Womens and we had a fantastic ice cream cake from DQ, sang the birthday song (with the "cha-cha-cha's included), then opened a couple of presents. 

A party isn't a party at our house unless there is wrestling and rough housing. I didn't get pictures of that, but I got what started it all, the girls bombarding Corky's with his birthday bows.  Corky called it the "Bow-Hawk!"

Happy Birthday, Corky.  You're the best there ever was.  Truly.

Emily's first day of afternoon preschool! (It's a big deal!)

Emily started preschool again today....finally! This girl has been itching to go back pretty much since the day it ended in the spring! The past few days have been hard on her while Gracey has gone back to school and she hadn't yet. We filled our time with games, tea parties, movies, and coloring. Even though her preschool is just a few hours, 3 times a week in the afternoons, she is really excited to feel like a big kid again!



Things to remember about Emily this day:

Favorites
Food:  String Cheese, healthy bacon (turkey bacon), mashed potatoes, grapes, carrots w/ ranch, and snack wraps (chicken, lettuc, cheese)
Game:  dress up
Toy:  tea-cups and fake make-up
Thing to do:  go to school and play with friends
Book:  scriptures a lot.  :) (these are not prompted answers haha)
Color:  all the colors
Movie:  Tangled and Christmas Carol
Song:  The Iron Rod
Primary Song:  The Iron Rod song (followed by a "duh, I just answered that!")
My best friend is:  Briana, Fiona, Sully, and Josh
Other friends I like to play with:  Ashtyn, Mason, Addison, and Kelon
Things I like to do with my friends:  Play games and ride Addison's fake jeep
What is your pets name?  Buster
What do you love most about him?  "When he gives me kisses and when he plays with me.....in fact, I just farted!"  (you guys, I wouldn't make this stuff up!)
What people like about me:  I think when I play with them
Things I can do really well:  Ride my bike with no training wheels



Oh my goodness, next year I am going to video tape these interviews.  Emily is a crack-up!!!

Gracey's 1st Day of 1st Grade

Like all parents feel, I too find it hard to believe that my oldest is truly as old as she is. She started the first grade this week and was so excited. She picked out her outfit the night before, knew just what she wanted in her lunch, know exactly what she wanted for breakfast (fried egg on toast), and woke up well before alarms began going off for the day. She loves school and is so excited to get to know her new teacher, Mrs Henderson. She got a kick out of her new teacher's name because this summer, my girls were introduced, and became obsessed with the classic movie "Harry and the Hendersons!"





Favorites:
Food: Hamburgers and Chips
Game: Buzz Lightyear "Operation"
Toy: Barbies
Thing to do:  Play at the park
Book:  Sleeping Beauty
Color: Purple
Movie: Princess and the Frog
Song: The ABC song
Primary Song: I Love to See the Temple


My best friend is: Riley and Kalea
Other friends I like to play with: Gunar, Savannah, Meredith, Ashtyn, Jake, Easton
Things I like to do with my friends: Play with them and walk around the neighborhood with them
What is your pet's name?  Buster
What do you love most about him?  I like when he curls up in a ball to sleep
What people like about me: "They like how I do my hair and how I am nice"
Things I can do really well: "Writing letters and words and concentrate well." and "I can stand on my bike when it is moving." 

Swim Team and the SEK Swim Meet

This summer the girls did a lot of swimming! I mean A LOT!!!! They both were able to compete on the Independence Swim Team and actually participate in races once a week. Holy cow, I have never seen such progress in a summer. Gracey had to sit out the first 2 weeks because of her broken finger, but was able to jump right in, learn the strokes, and even win some of her heats! Emily went from barely wanting to let go of the side, so swimming a full length of the pool doing the proper stroke. You will never find a more proud mom than right here!

I was afraid that they would not like the repetition of practice every single day, but it turned out to be more of a highlight. Not just a highlight, but a saving grace from this summer's out-of-this-world heat wave. I have never been so hot in my life.

These pictures are from the very last swim meet of the year, the SEK Meet (SouthEast Kansas) that was held in Chanute, KS. It was a long and hot day, but my girls were troopers and really had a great time. Emily completed all of her races, scoring points for the whole team. Gracey did too, even taking 1st place in her heat of the breast stroke, scoring some major teams points there.

The girls goofing off before races began!

Emily wanted to take a picture so I had her take one of myself with one of my very best friends, and next door neighbor, Dayna.

Pictures of Emily



Pictures of Gracey


These pictures crack me up. Emily and this little girl (I don't remember her name) were on a relay team together. I took their picture and then told them how well they did in their race. They kept giving each other a high five, but missing!


The greatest news of the day was that Independence WON the entire meet! For the last 11 years in a row, some other little town (when I remember the name, I will update it here) has won. This year though was Independence's year. I am quite proud of my girls!

High Dive Front Flip

This here is what front flip off of the high dive looks like, frame by frame! Sadly, Gracey landed on her butt on this dive, but this is one of her favorite things to do.



She is also good at a back flip, but had only done it off of the regular diving board. She tried it off of the high dive one time this summer.....it wasn't pretty. Let's just say that all the teenage boys that were standing in line waiting their turn were making a lot of "ooooooohhhh" and "ooooooooowwwwwwww" sounds!

Celebrity

In a small town, you would think it would be easy to make the newspaper. Perhaps it is, we just haven't lived here long enough. Let me say this, when you do make the front page, you become quite the celebrity! Lots of phone calls, emails, neighbors, and text messages came our way when Gracey was famous for a day!

"Tangled" No More!

At the beginning of summer, I knew I wanted to have the girls hair chopped off. With all the swimming and playing that we were anticipating, it only made sense. There were tears almost daily when it came time to brush out the snarls. Gracey's hair is SO THICK, that I knew cutting it short was the only option. Emily's wasn't too bad, it is not as thick, but still would get snarly.

Take this picture for example. This was first thing in the morning (6/5/11) Corky brought the girls out into our front yard to examine a turtle. Doesn't that hair look fun to brush through??



They both had long enough hair to donate, so donate is what we did! I knew it would make brushing their hair easier, but it exceeded all of our expectations. Not only was the haircut adorable on them, it was a breeze to comb through!


I will admit, I LOVE long hair and all the fun things you can do with it, but I might insist on chopping it off each summer just like this. Until they start doing their own hair at least.

Memorial Day Camping

May 29, 2011 was a Sunday. It was a regular old Sunday except that the next day was Memorial Day, so Corky was excited for a day off from work. We got home from church that afternoon and Corky said, "Let's go camping tonight. Let's just grab our 72 hour kits, camping box, and go!" So we did. Of course, we prepped a little more than if it were a real emergency.

As you can see, the girls were ready the quickest. They were in charge of getting their own bags packed and their pillows gathered. They were ready and waiting. We just went about 10 minutes away to Elk City State Park and prayed that there was a campground still open, with it being Memorial Day weekend and all. We would have had two very disappointed girls if there wasn't. Lucky us, there were still quite a few to choose from.

We had a great time that evening sitting around the camp fire and eating dinner. We used some freeze dried meals from our 72 hour kits that you only need to add boiling water too. We were all very pleased, the Mountain House Beef Stew is actually really tasty.

The next morning we took a little walk to the lake. It was a little windy but it wasn't too cold. Gracey tried her hardest to get Buster in the water but he was not having it. In fact, I have on my video camera Buster nipping at Gracey behind when she wasn't looking and knocking her straight to the ground. It was all very playful and HILARIOUS! Buster was in heaven.

We returned to the campground, had breakfast, and determined the freeze dried dinner and much better tasting the freeze dried breakfasts. Now we know!

The girls also played on the playground and Corky practiced with them how to use a two-way radio.

We all had a great time, despite getting ticks, Buster included, and look forward to cooler weather so that we can go again in the fall.

Who'd needs the pinkie anyway?

Gracey has had staples, stitches, knocked out teeth, goose eggs the size of a golf ball before, but never had a broken bone! That is, of course, until the very last day of her kindergarten school year! They had an activity at the playground that day and were having a blast. Emily and I had to go to Tulsa that morning so we joined them at the park about lunch time. I was taking pictures of the kids on the playground, even teasing them as they went down the tube slide in groups, that they were going to get stuck like Augustus Glup in Willy Wonka. The very next picture I took captured the moment perfectly. Gracey came out of the tube slide, staring at her hand, knowing that something was not right!





She said to me, "My finger is crooked and I can't move it!"

Off we went with a crooked finger and an ice pack to urgent care.


From there we were advised to go the Emergency Room for xrays.

When it was confirmed that the pinkie was broken, we were told to hurry to Parsons, KS (a 45 minute drive) to meet quickly with an Orthopedic Surgeon who will be between surgeries.


Oh my gosh, I was so tired of driving that day.

We could not leave town on the last day of school without stopping by her classroom and saying goodbye to her beloved teacher, Mrs. Springer. Every child's teacher should be as wonderful as her! I am not kidding. She really set the bar high for what I want for my kids.


In Parsons, we met with the doctor and he was concerned about where the break is. It is within millimeters of the growth plate and so he wanted to set it while Gracey is sedated so that he can manipulate it just right. So the was date is set and we will go back to Parsons Saturday morning for her finger to be put back into place.

Saturday (5/28/11) rolls around, and Gracey and I head out bright and early to Parsons once again. I figured the earlier the better since Gracey needed to be fasting since she would be sedated. The whole morning went very smooth. Gracey was a little nervous but was very brave too. She was all smiles to the nurses and techs that were helping us, even after I couldn't proceed with them. The anaesthesiologist said she was smiling big up until the second she went to sleep.

Pre-naptime


She was all smiles even just minutes after waking up, I was hoping for some funny stories to tell, but she was alert and feeling good!


We are glad to say the pinkie is doing awesome! It was put back into place perfectly and the growth plate was not damaged! She is a lucky-duck!

Oh, Happy Day!!

Corky is finally an M.B.A. graduate of the Arizona State University, W.P. Carey School of Business. We all managed to get through the last two years with our heads on straight. Of course, Corky is the one that did all the hard work, but we as a family had some sacrifices. Corky managed to be successful in his career, move half way across the country, survive hours and hours of homework each week, on top of his 60+ hour job. Most importantly, he was still be a devoted husband and father! I honestly do not know how he did it!

Congratulations, Corky! You are a great example to so many, especially us!

Grand Opening of the Park

This year we attended the grand opening of the Riverside Park. The park here is quite old, but they do an annual event where they open the carousel, miniature train, and min-golf course for the season. (We love those things!) They had a lot of booths to entertain the kids and lots of bounce houses. Any excuse to play in a bounce house, my girls are happy!

Donuts with Daddy

At the end of the school year, Gracey's elementary school has an annual "Muffins with Mommies" and "Donuts with Daddies" breakfast. I didn't think to take pictures when I went to breakfast. The occassion is so rare though to have Corky home with us in the mornings that I had to snap a picture of him and his ladies. Emily was able to tag along for the event and everyone had a great time.

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Dyeing or Dying? How do you spell it?

No matter how you spell it, we had fun!

Good student and great helper!

Emily was quite proud of her artwork from preschool today. She asked me about 20 times on our drive home if I liked it. It still hangs on our wall, right next to Corky's college diploma!



Every Wednesday, one of Emily's chores is to bring the emptied garbage can up from the street. She is always so willing, very rarely needed to be reminded to do it. Now if only we could have some of that enthusiasm with keeping her shoes straight in her closet!



p.s. That house across the street is still for sale! We want great neighbors... anybody interested in living in Independence?

Corky's New Toy

Corky is obsessed with golf. You didn't know that??? Have you met the guy? We live in a golf course community and less than a half of a mile away from the clubhouse. Corky and I decided that as his schooling was coming to an end we would join the country club. Just when I thought I had talked Corky out of wanting to buy his own cart, he finds a great deal on this 1988 gem. Now he can pull out of the garage, head straight to the golf course, and golf to his heart's content!

Even though it wasn't a surprise to Corky that it would be delivered today I wanted to dress it up with a little note and bow! The guy who delivered it sure got a kick out of it!






Honestly though, this thing is a lot of fun. We have taken it on evening strolls to the golf course and played as a family, and the girls see it as good daddy/daughter time as well. It's been worth it.

Emily, the Superhero!

Emily loves capes. She turns jackets into capes, sweatshirts, and blankets. This little puppy paw blanket is her favorite to wear. It is thin enough that she thinks it flies really well in the air.

Today she insisted that she put it on and get her picture taken so she could see how high it flew! It was so muggy outside that I started sweating just with the thought of her wearing flannel, but she insisted.



I have got to make this girl her own cape. She has already picked out the colors for it, it is just a matter of me doing it! I think it would be time well spent because I know she'd love it! What do you think?

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

We live in a great neighborhood. Moving to a brand new town, a town that you had never even heard of before, you pretty much are taking a gamble with the neighborhood. You always hope you have nice neighbors and that there are other kids for your kids to play with. Well, we hit the jackpot! We have quite a few elderly people that live in our neighborhood, but so far, all the ones that I have met have loved the children. Luckily, we have LOTS of kids in our neighborhood as well. A tradition that has been going on for a while now, and now participate in, is the neighborhood easter egg hunt. The location is always different, but somebody holds it on their property. Everybody brings food and enough eggs to cover all the kids. Everybody puts each child's name on an egg so that each kids goes home with the same amount! It is great. It was a great way to meet more neighbors and to begin friendships.



My girls loved searching for their eggs and had a really good time meeting even more kids. It was so windy that day and I wished so much that their hair was pulled back, but that was my only complaint!

Kiddie Land

April 16th, 2001, we took the girls to a little "Kiddie Land Birthday Party!" I think it was the 50th year or something. Gracey and Emily love being able to just run around and just because this little park is geared towards tiny kids, my kids absolutely love it too! They had a great time drinking from the lion's mouth, climbing the hippo, and running around the miniature castle. Corky and I gaurded (and ate) most of the popcorn while they played.



Since Kiddie Land is at the end of the loop of our small town's zoo, we decided to walk back to see if the bears were awake. Of course they weren't really mobile, they are the laziest bears ever, they were out enjoying the warmer weather. It was the closest that we had been able to look at them. They are usually sleeping in the uppermost corner of their cove, way out of sight.

Welcome To Kansas!

I hate ticks! Particularly the kind that climb on animals! Needless to say, Frontline Plus is Buster's (and mine) new best friend!

Birds

Our town is apparently on a migration route of what seems a million types of birds. We will be outside and hear a flock of geese, loud as a train, fly by. I don't usually mind birds. In fact, we have a couple of cardinals that hang around here that I have tried to snap pictures of. However, for a few weeks, especially as the weather was warming up, we were getting flocks of birds of all types. Like I said, I usually don't mind birds.....until they land in my yard in these type of numbers!






They remind me a whole lot of this movie. It kind of creeps me out.