Waiting

So, I haven't blogged since school let out. You want to know what I have been up to?
I've been waiting.
Waiting for kids to get out on the last day of school.
Waiting for them at the mall.
Waiting for them to call for a ride.
Waiting for them to get out of the pool.
Currently, I am waiting to pick Val up from Cosmic Bowling.
I think it would be great if she could drive. I know that will begin a whole new phase of worry, but I will wish it for now, when I know she is still safely only 15, and under the legal age.
I don't really mind it. Both of the girls are very chatty, and their stories are hilarious! I love the ride home. They always give up all the dirt on what went down with their friends~a reference I use for Carol....
If they don't give up everything, they do give up a lot of the info, that is for sure! Of course, I take it with a grain of salt!

In other news, I really and truly had no idea that my mom is turning 60 this year. I thought she was 59. Yikes! Imagine my surprise, when I was contacted a few days ago to start planning a surprise party for her. I thought a year in advance was a little excessive, I guess 5 weeks is not! So, we will start getting stuff ready this weekend. My mom does not read me blog, so I know the details are safe here, as long as I can trust all of you! Don't rat us out!!!!!

Sorry to make you all WAIT on my blog update, I guess we have all been in the same boat...haha! I will try to do something interesting soon!

First Pool Party~Last Day Of School

Last day of school!!!! Emily had Field Day, and Val had Finals. On Thursday, she took her harder ones~ Word Processing, PE, Algebra, and Chemistry, so today she had Spanish, English, and Liturgy. I am sure she did great! She has summer school this year~she is enrolled in Pole Vault Academy~Gotcha!!!!!It's not really summer school, but she really will be practicing all summer! She passed everything, and so did Emily. She just has one more year until high school, and can't wait!!! Neither can I!
Val and her friends had a small pool party after finals yesterday.
I picked up Val, Taylor, Luke, Jessica, and Jared, then we took Taylor home, but picked up Mighty, and then went and got Emily, Diem, and Tarah, then got Julie. Andrew came a little later, because he got a ride from his sister.
They ate lunch, played in the pool, had fun, got sunburned, messed around with the dog, then went home.
We do these every Wednesday, the kids change, but the days stay the same!
Next week, I will get shots of Emi and her friends, Val used her camera, and I guess they were not on her picture priority list!Heehee!!!

The Many Faces Of Emily

These are just some cutie pix of Emi. I was going through pictures and liked these. One is right after she got highlights for her birthday. One was killing some time before her dance recital and the other was laughing.
So pretty!

This and That

Val went to JV City League on Thursday. She got 3rd place in Pole Vault, then later in the evening was invited to participate in the 4x4 relay, which also placed 3rd, so tomorrow she will get her medals. She is pretty excited!
My cousin Jake graduates tonight from BCCHS, and Friday we went to his party. Val especially had fun, as there were many VERY cute guys there, and one in particular that paid very close attention to her :)
Tomorrow night is Emily's Sport Banquet at SMM. There will be surprises!!!!
Yesterday morning we put up the pool in my parent's back yard. Val and Emi have a pool party on the last day of school each year, so we had to get it up and filled this weekend, so they can jump in on Friday.
Can't believe Friday is the last day of school!

Mighty

Look who is joining our family next weekend.....

That's right! Val's friends Taylor's dog had puppies, and they had one that had no home, and Taylor offered it to Val. So, we are getting a dog. Another dog. I heard that he doesn't bark much, and he has short hair, so that is good, and of course, Val is going to do EVERYTHING for the puppy, so no problem, right?
We will see.....

Ain't Nothing Wrong....

Today was Emi's recital. 7 months of practice, twice a week, culminated today. Of course, she was spectacular! You don't even have to ask.
She received gifts from her Gram and her Nanny, and I always buy my Tiny Dancer flowers.
Her teacher has already picked out the song that she wants them to dance to at the recital next year. It is an older song, SWEET DREAMS by the Eurythmics. Not sure of the spelling, but I do remember the song.
She has never been able to before, but she may be performing one more time at Derby Days, and would also get to ride on a float in the parade,but we will have to wait a week or so to see.

And yes, she made it to her track meet also, and her Medley Relay team placed 5th overall.

Awesome day! Next up, is City League for Val!

Happy Mother's Day Eve!

You know, I love to celebrate the "eve" of holidays, so on this Mother's Day eve, I wanted to share pix of my babies in various ages, see the love?


Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's I know, everywhere!
Love you all!!!!!

Action Shot

Val's action shot from yesterday. I just liked it.
Hoping to get one of Emily if she makes it to the meet tomorrow, after dance.

Inch By Inch

Finally got video of Val pole vaulting in competition. She got a PR (personal record) of 6 feet 1 inch. Not bad for trying this for the first time just 2 months ago. She has the technique, and has just started bending her pole- which is good! She was really proud today, I think it is especially sweet when you see her leave the mat and her coach gives her "bumps" with their fists... I have been very proud of Val this track season. I think it is hard to leave your comfort zone and try something totally different. She worked really hard this season, and likes it so much she is going to continue as a Leapfrog this summer and fall and winter, so I will continue to film really good vaults, and treat you to them as they come along!

Out of the Mouth of a Third Grader...

I have a great job. I work with 2 of my besties for life, in a no stress job, get all the time off I could ever want, and get to see my beautiful Emily every day.
What could make it better?
Stories like this:
There is a 3rd grader at school.Her name is Anahy, she is a little Hispanic girl. Very personable! Since I can remember, she has called me Fishy,and I call her Pickles.Obviously, it is because one day, she asked me what was for lunch, it was Fish day, and she wanted to know if we had pickles too, which we didn't, but we chose the nicknames for each other.
Back to the story~ we keep our silverware in 6 plastic round containers, so they can grab one and go, and when they are empty, there is a group of kids each day, that take it upon themselves to bring them into me in the kitchen. Anahy is one of these kids. She always balances it on her shoulder (yes I wash it afterwards), and tells me it is her parrot, and can I feed it, wash it, and put it to bed. I always say yes, and then she leaves, dancing around, or bowing as she exits, or something, I never really know what she will do.
Yesterday, she had a substitute,and did not come in,so when she came in today, I told her I missed her parrot yesterday, and she said, Yeah, he went and ate lunch at Hooters.

Too funny!

Side note: VAL PLACED 5TH IN HER TRACK MEET YESTERDAY!

Everytime You Forget Your Camera...

...something amazing happens!
Val did it!


Today was a freshman/sophomore meet in Andale, and I went, of course. There is really no way she could keep me away!
Anyway, she barely missed her first vault at 5 feet, but she gets 3 chances at each height, so she got up, dusted herself off, picked up her pole, and prepared to do it again.

For those of you who know Denis, he is an amazing coach! He makes the kids work hard, but the want to, so they just have a great time! He gave her some advice, and she got back in line.

She made it, at 5 feet! I was so proud!!!!

Then, she got in line with the girls that made it over, and waited, until they raised the bar, to 6 feet. She cleared that on her first try.
6 feet 6 inches was just a little too much for her today, but I just know that she will do it!

She made my day!
Extraordinary things can happen each and every day!

Val's This and That...

Just have some little tidbits of information about Val. Or fun facts, if you'd rather call them that.
Val loves going to SEAS CYO. I think it is a combination of the prayer time, friend time, and Jacob time. :) . In any case, CYO is a great thing, and she is even planning on going to a Youth Outing to Frontier City later in the summer.
Jacob,Val,and 7 of their closest friends got to go to the movies last weekend. They saw that X-MEN movie. I don't know anything about them.
Val was asked to audit an Honors religion class. She has such a high grade in religion, that her teacher, Sr. Mary Magdalene, asked her if she would like to move up to honors, but since that would be her only honors course, it will help her GPA to stay in a "regular" class, and "ace" it.
Val has had no demerits this year. Not even one. So, tomorrow, BC will treat her, and the other 0-1 demerit kids to a pizza party at lunch.
I know some of you out there, can't believe that she is such a goody-goody, but apparently, she did not inherit either Mark's or my mouth. HAHA!
OK, so, I think that is it for now.
She has a track meet on Thursday that she is pretty excited about, other than that, she is going to help me out by coaching the track meet on Saturday, with her dad, and the other coaches, so I can go to Emi's official dance recital.

Emily's Dress Rehearsal

Last night, Emily had her dress rehearsal for her dance recital, which is next Saturday afternoon, at Derby High. There are no set decorations yet, they just run through the dances in costume, mostly for lighting, and so the girls can get a feel for the stage. Emily's Junior class is in all black,and the Seniors are in purple and black. She is the first frame Mark focused on, so you can keep your eye on her. She's been dancing Jazz year round since March of her 1st grade year, she was 6, when she started. She started with her 2 best friends at the time, but Karly moved away in 4th grade, and Olivia stopped dancing after the recital last year. I am proud of her that she has stuck with it. I think she would be simply adorable as a Pommer at Bishop Carroll, in a few years! I think she is very talented,her goal is to be a total "senior", by the time she is a freshman. Right now, she is considered a junior/senior. I think she will make it! Now, she just needs to concentrate on keeping a smile on her face...