Shelby’s 1st Gator Run-A-Thon

 

The annual fundraiser at Shelby’s school is a run-a-thon.  The scholars get to run for one hour, and their laps are counted with tally marks on the back of their shirts.  They take sponsors who pledge $ per lap, so they are running to earn more money.  Of course, there are prizes based on what level of sponsorship you earn. 

Shelby’s goal from the first time she looked at the brochure was to get a pogo stick.  That level was earning $200-500…quite a lofty goal!

 

Sister worked HARD this morning.  I was there to help tally the runners’ shirts.

Round and round they went!

 

Aunt Mille and Aunt Anna came to cheer Shelby on.  They had both pledged to pay $1 per lap, but told Shelby if she got more than 20 laps, they would give her $2 per lap!  Talk about motivation (smart idea Aunt Mill!)  Mommy helped Shelby do the math, and with 5 sponsors promising to match this pledge, she would get her pogo stick!  But if she did less than 20 laps, she wouldn’t reach her goal.

Aunt Anna ran some with Shelby

And so did Aunt Millie

When the timer went off, Shelby had…… TWENTY ONE laps!!!

Way to go Sister!  And thank you to all of her sponsors. :) 

Rain Rain DON’T Go Away!

A couple of Fridays ago, we had plans to go on a family walk with the doggies when Daddy got home from work.

As we waited and got ready to go, we heard THUNDER.  It felt like the most precious thing I’d ever heard!  After a serious drought all summer, we were more than happy to forego our walk plans and to enjoy the wet stuff falling from the sky instead!

I told the kids that I was going out on the back patio to sit and enjoy the smell and sounds of the rain.  It wasn’t long before both kids were soaked (in their normal clothes!) from playing out in it.  (Pictures are from after Cole changed and put on his swimsuit.)

 

(Swingin’ in the rain, tire swingin’ in the rain!  What a glorious feeling I’m happy again!)

 

They painted the slide with mud and then slid down in it.  Apparently for Shelby and Coleman, the amount of mess and the amount of fun are directly proportional. 

Daddy showed up a little late with a bottle of wine and a block of cheddar, and we sat out and enjoyed it all on the patio.  It was a great Friday night!

Smart Speller Shelby

In First Grade we have started our spelling tests!  Shelby’s class takes a spelling pre-test on Monday, with words (“List 1”) they haven’t studied.  If they score a 90% or better on the pre-test, then they study “List 2” for the week, which are harder words.  Shelby’s first pre-test was a 100, so she studied List 2 last week.  We really didn’t study much- On Wednesday I gave her a little sample test of them before any studying and she knew most of them, so we just went over those more difficult ones through the week.  On Friday, she scored 100% on her first spelling test, and she followed all the directions by making all her letters lower-case.  It’s really amazing to me how much she’s learned and grown in 1 year.  She can basically pick up any children’s book and read it cover to cover.  The words she knows or sounds out shock me every day.

 

This week she again scored 100 on her pre-test, so we are studying (well, we should be!  Haven’t yet!) List 2 this week.  There are some harder words like wrap, quack, scrap, and backpack on there.



Yesterday she brought home this paragraph about a story they had listened to at one of the Reading centers.  She said they had to write about the story in their own words.   Again, I am surprised that she can write an entire paragraph like this on her own and by sounding out words!  (“anJullu” is Angela and “Robey” is Ruby, characters from the book.  Somewhere out there, I bet there actually is an anJullu in this world, haha!)  They are learning about capitalization and punctuation right now.

Soccer!

Yes, soccer has been better and quite fun since that first game!

Last week, Shelby was put at goalie, and not only did she really like it, she was pretty good at it!  She had several great stops/blocks, and was quick and fast at running out and throwing the ball back down the field to her teammates (which left me wondering, “When did she learn THAT?!”)  She really just looked like she belonged there, so I wasn’t surprised when the coach had her at goalie for 3 out of 4 quarters again on Saturday. 

It wasn’t as active at the goal this week, but she did have a couple of stops and they got 2 by on her (one she stopped right on the line…boo!!!) but she said she had fun again, though she wishes she got to play in the field and kick / chase the ball at least a little bit.  Having her at goalie makes me SO NERVOUS.  I know if a goal is scored it’s not completely the goalie’s fault and there shouldn’t be any “blame” placed when they’re six years old…and I know that it’s all supposed to be for fun and learning…but I’m still a nervous wreck when she’s down there and the ball starts getting close.  (Some Most of these soccer parents are HARD CORE.  I’ve seen nothing like it on the softball/baseball fields!!  It is a whole other breed, I think.)  All the parents on our team know that it is Shelby’s first year to play soccer and most are very nice, but still I have this strong urge to stand up and announce, “This is only her second time at goalie, first season of soccer.  Please be encouraging and forgiving!!!  Oh, and please remember that all these little girls are six and are not you 35 years ago, here to fulfill your long lost dream.  Thanks.”  (That last part was just for a special dad or two, haha.)

Saturday was also picture day, bright and early at 8:00 am.  Here are a few that I snapped.

  

Shelby and these 2 friends went to school together for 3 years, starting when they were 2 years old.  How very special that they’re still besties!  (1 other old friend is also on the team but missing in the picture below.)  On Saturday morning, they all showed up for pictures with side ponytails on the right.  ha!

Buddy’s first Baseball Game!!

Coleman is on the Fort Worth Frogs baseball team, 6 and under. 

He had his first game Saturday morning, where they won 20-6.  Though there are several other 4 year olds on this team, Coleman is (probably) the only kid who’s never played an organized sport yet … so Saturday, we all got to smile and cheer him on for the first of many games, and also experience one of those things that we can’t wait to tease him about someday when he’s a baseball (or something else) star! 

Now Coleman is a pretty serious dude.  He was excited about this game.  He paid attention and ran to get balls that came near him in the outfield. 

  

Every time he got up to bat, he swung hard and hit the ball.  …  …  Then he stood there.  Cheers, claps, hollers screamed out while he stood there like he had no idea what to do.  Each time, he would finally realize that he should be running to first, but the first 2 times at bat, they got him out.  I visited him in the dugout before his 3rd bat, and reminded him to “HIT AND RUN.”  He showed me a little speck of dirt on his pants and I told him, “That’s ok, that means you’re playing good and hard!” 

The last at-bat, he remembered to run sooner and got on base.  We were so proud!  He ran to first and took that base like he was it’s boss (sliding into it.)  Then, he looked at his arm with the hair band that I had put on it to remind him which foot touches the base when he gets on, ready to run to the next base.  And he did think about it and try to do it correctly, putting his LEFT foot on the base…but he was facing outfield!  So the coach told him to turn around and he dutifully did, realizing that his arm band must be on the wrong hand.  As he turned to face the batter, he put his right foot on the base and moved his arm band.  Then the coach corrected how he was standing and I watched with a smile as he moved the arm band back to his left hand.  I love watching as the little brain works! 

Next, the following kid got up to bat, hit the ball, and Coleman stood there on 1st for a minute, probably again confused by all the screaming, chaotic cheering.  Finally he realized he was supposed to run, and he ran in the exact direction that he was facing (which is completely logical, right?)…back to home plate!!!  It was so cute, and a little sad as his Mommy to watch him confused, but everyone just loved it and laughed.  He ended up realizing he was running in the wrong direction about halfway, so he turned and ran to the pitcher’s mound.  By the time he found his way to second base, the team had beat him there with the ball.  He hustled off the field and did a perfect slide into the dirt as he approached the dugout!  Later, I heard him show Daddy his dirty pants and say, “I played really good, see my pants?!”  Sweet boy!!!

Coleman picked number 24.  They asked us to choose a number, so I suggested 21 to him (his birth day of the month) and he said, “No I want 24 because I’m 4 years old.”  Well, that’s a good a reason as any, and way more interesting than just number 4, haha!  Possibly we should have made him his daddy’s old number, 19, but Jeff didn’t seem to suggest it or care! 

 

He has another game tonight and we hope to practice some hit-and-running after school today. 
Go FW Frogs!!!  (And thank you to our lovely family who filled up the stands with cheers for our boy- Poppy, Millie, Luke, Anna, and Bryan!!!)

(See proud dirt on pants after game========>)

Sweet Baby Aiyla

Like most of us moms, my friend Christal has plenty of (professional) pictures of this sweet baby girl, but still struggled with not having the big milestone of turning 2 documented.  So she asked me to snap a few…just to really capture her girly and nurturing personality and her happy little face of her 2nd birthday.  Luckily she didn’t expect anything of pro-quality since I am not and do not even aspire to be a professional photographer. :)  But I really enjoyed walking around and snapping some shots of the little Miss Priss last week.  These pictures make me happy because this child is adorable and just so lovable!  She pushed around her baby in her stroller, with a purse swung on her arm and her high-heeled shoes on, and then we had a little tea party with her baby and Mommy.

I am definitely not too critical of my pictures because there were so many that I loved, despite shadows or whatever else could be wrong with them, because what I see is just little Miss Aiyla.  I wanted to share several of my favorites  here!
Enjoy!!

 

1,2,3…Swing!!!  (Again, again!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

   

Cheers Mama!!

 

And the whole happy little family :)

 

I Love Theim so Much.

Shelby is known to always have a pen/crayon/pencil in her hand.  Wherever we go, she finds something to draw or write on.  Jeff found her writing this on a little hotel pad in our hotel room in Lubbock last May.  It made me tear up.  She is my sweetie girl!

We Are Busy

Fall is finally (hopefully) upon us.  I think this week we had our last 100+ degree temperature for the year – if not, I’m packing up the Peck fam and moving us to Colorado!  I am so ready to bake breads and pies, eat pumpkiny things, go on neighborhood walks and bike rides, and sit outside in the cool air… and eventually inside by the fireplace! 

However, I suspect those things are things you get to enjoy BEFORE your kids enter school and sports.  With a first grader and a pre-Ker, this season looks to be setting the stage for the next 14 years of our lives:  SPORTS and HOMEWORK.  Or is it HOMEWORK and SPORTS?  Either way… our evenings are full!  And it’s not like we’re overdoing it…Two kids in one sport each and we’re lucky to have one free weeknight per week.  I am currently seeking suggestions for this lifestyle (including 2 working parents!)  :)  I am still trying to figure out how to get nutritious (non-fast food) dinners in when practices and games take up the 6 and 7 o’clock hours, with 8:30 being bedtime.  We are big on home-cooked meals and family dinner time.  Or should I say “WERE?”  Do you feed them before the sports stuff (like I did last night- and on the way home from practice at 7:30 both kids refused to believe that they had already eaten dinner, and insisted that the tuna sandwiches, celery and peanut butter that I had fed them at 5:30 was “JUST A SNACK”), or after, which would push bath time and bed time back by probably a full hour (leaving Jeff with 2 don’t-wanna-wake-up children every morning and me with 2 whiney kids each afternoon.)

The real snag-in-my perfect-view of how things could work is that Jeff works a later-than-normal schedule because he takes the kids to school.  He gets off work at 5:40, and walks in our door no earlier than 6:25 nightly.  That is tough when games and practices start at 6 or 6:30, and will get earlier as the dark comes sooner.  That means one car, one parent…with 2 kids who often will need to be at different places at the same time (and are too young to drop off!)  We are hoping he is able to shift his schedule a little on the game nights so he won’t miss a thing :)  Our schedule is tough at times but so worth it to be able to both TAKE (Jeff) and PICK-UP (Meg) both of our kids from school every single day.

Which leads me to my next piece of information…Jeff got a promotion!  He was moved to the Senior level AND moved departments to Personal Injury Protection, which is a step up from Property Damage (as an insurance adjuster.)  He will now be learning lots of medical-ese and dealing with doctors, hospitals, and injured clients.  Next up will be Bodily Injury, which deals with lawyers, punitive pain-and-suffering settlements, and more.  Jeff’s job requires a LOT of knowledge, organization, and most of all, patience, since he deals with car accident victims and a very high volume of work.  There is no down time for him at work, which makes me appreciate even more how much he keeps goin’ when we all get home.  We are so proud of him!

(Reading to Coleman before bedtime)

This weekend, we have 2 games, team pictures, and 5 birthday parties (only 3 of which we will get to attend!)  Stay tuned for pictures and updates from the soccer field, the baseball field, and school!

Shelby found a shirt at Nonnie & Poppy’s house that was Coleman’s when he was 2. 

Uncle Dane came to visit a couple of weeks ago, and brought Nana and Garland with him!  Aunt Jan would be so proud of how this man is living his life with her in his mind and his heart always, doing things she’d want him to do, and loving their family just like she did!  The kids were excited to see him and had to sit right by him for dinner.

Labor Day Quips

We had a busy and fun Labor Day weekend!

Saturday night I went out to dinner and a movie with Nonnie and Aunt Anna.  It was a late movie and when I got home it was 12:30 am.  I didn't drive or have my keys so I had to knock on the door/ring the doorbell.  When we pulled into the driveway we all noticed Shelby's bedroom light on and wondered why/how it was left on.  When I knocked, I had to wait quite a while before Jeff got to the door.  He was obviously asleep and had been for a while- so you will understand my shock when I see two bright-eyed smiling faces peek around the corner of the living room.  Turns out, Daddy had fallen asleep watching a movie with the kids, and when the movie was over, our 2 little ones (who have never fallen asleep watching movies or tv) just kept on watching tv for another couple of hours.  Daddy was conked out!

On Sunday afternoon, we went on a family bike ride to the park.  We have 2 tag-alongs so Shelby rides behind me and Coleman rides behind Daddy.  The kids like to "race" and beat each other.  One of the times that Daddy and Coleman whizzed past us on their bikes, Coleman gave me his best side-eye look of victory and exclaimed, "Who's the big boy now?!"

On Monday morning, our lovely cold front had blown through and it was a wonderful 75 or so degrees outside.  The kids went out to play in the backyard while I checked my email.  Of course they are always in and out getting toys and things so I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to their reasons for coming in until Coleman came up to me wearing a down ski jacket, asking me to zip it up.  I couldn't help but laugh and tell him that he didn't need a heavy coat outside.  He insisted, repeatedly telling me "But it's chilly out!  It's cold enough for a jacket Mommy!  Please zip it for me now!"  When I finally got the jacket off of him, I looked outside to see Shelby wearing a sweater dress, HER down ski jacket, a scarf around her neck, and boots.  These poor children have forgotten what cold really is, after a record-tying summer of 67 days over 100 degrees here in North Texas (a record that might still be broken!) they were COLD at 75 degrees. :)  I guess when it's colder outside than it is inside, that is a special thing!

One more:
Sunday night, Shelby sat on my lap after I painted her nails to let them dry.  The tv was on and out of the blue she asked me one question beyond the typical "where do babies come from?"...she said, "How do babies get in mommies' tummies?"  Oh boy!  I really am not ready to answer that for my 6 year old, and really have no idea how to (yet)--- so my answer was this: "Ooohhh, you will have to ask me that question again when you're older."  (Yay!  That is a Mommy of the Year answer, right?!)  She asked me, "How old?" and I said, (pulling a number out of mid-air) "Eight?  Yeah, try again when you're eight."  She seemed okay with that, haha!

What is Wrong With This Picture??

They are weird sometimes.  They came out of their rooms one day, completely dressed from head to toe, in each others clothes.