Soccer + ATA + Theater

Zane's birthday party was a small affair at home this year. A few kiddos from school came over to enjoy soccer and big bubbles at the park (we got it in before the rains came!), followed by root beer floats and a nerf war at home. 

 Hannah and her friend provided most of the bubbles while the party continued on the soccer field.

 I made a hat for Hannah.

 The fountain lights are pretty after dance class.

Last soccer game of the season was great and ended in a tie.

 Hannah is FROG (Fantastic, Radiant, Outstanding, Guy/Gal) of the week and has a display of photos up in the classroom. I love the poem that Mason wrote:

Hannah Irene Rippey

Hannah was born in 2012
with a smile like a pixie, and hair like an elf.
Her mother is Karen, Mason is her Dad.
Zane is her brother, and he is quite rad.
Hannah is an artist, she dances and sings.
She collects shells and marbles,
and other small things.
She's thoughtful and kind, she always lends a hand
She is funny and clever, and plays in the sand.
If you want to travel, you'd better ask Hannah.
She's been to Canada, Washington (but not to Montana).
If excitement and adventure is something you seek,
just ask Hannah what she does in a week!
Everyone who knows her can all agree
that Hannah is destined for great things, you'll see!
Her future is bright, her goals have no limit
and the world's a better place...
...because Hannah is in it!

 Picking out Halloween costumes. This spooky one didn't make the cut.

 Zane got his BROWN BELT!! We are so proud of him!!!

Hannah as Cap'n Crunch in the TRYPS Princess Bride musical. She nailed it!

 Celebrating both kiddo accomplishments with barbecue lunch. We've discovered that soft serve ice cream doesn't set off Hannah's allergies...must not be much real cream in there. Ha!

Zane is 9

Nine is fun. Zane can throw around sarcasm and gets jokes (Mason and I really have to watch what we say!). The thing with his buddies is to "burn" each other or be "savage" which is what we would have called dissing back in my day. Say that last part in an old lady voice. It's fun to watch him in his social circle.

 He is Mr. Sporty. We keep letting him try out new sports thinking that he'll pick one or two but so far we just keep adding. Currently it's soccer and ATA. Soccer is almost over and then we get a month of break before basketball starts up. Summer is baseball and swim lessons. I think he would do well on swim team, but we don't have the time. We'll stick to recreational swimming! At recess he plays soccer or kickball most days. He's pretty good on a long board and roller skates too.

 He's a good dude. He looks out for his friends and especially those who are smaller than him...including his sister. Last week I was rushing around getting myself ready for school while they were getting themselves ready and it wasn't until we arrived at school that I frantically exclaimed "Hannah! We didn't comb your hair!!" Zane calmly says "I did." Melt my heart!! He was taking care of Hannah and me.

 Zane consistently gets good marks each week from his teacher. She says he frequently cleans up after others so the class can earn a point towards a party. He does struggle with frustration and attitude when a game or project doesn't go his way or he makes a mistake. We're working on understanding that everyone makes mistakes (even adults!), and that what he wants to do isn't always what's going to happen that very moment.

 In his down time at home he loves to "screen out" as we call it. But since that is monitored by his super mean parents who make him turn it off, his other favorites are playing outside with the neighborhood posse, nerf wars, Lego building, card games like War and one called ERS but I don't know what that stands for.

 We feel pretty lucky to have this kid. I think we'll keep him. Love you, buddy.

Marathon + Zane's Birthday

My mom drove down from Iowa to celebrate some milestones with us. First - I ran a marathon! I've been training since January and Sunday was the big day. My friend, Laura, and I's goal was to finish before the sag wagon picked us up. These are some anxious smiles before the race.

 Mom took this pic of me at mile 26.1...just before I crossed the finish line. So happy to FINALLY see the finish line!!!!! The time limit was 6.5 hours and I finished in 6 hours and 23 minutes and I am THRILLED! The race was in St. Charles, MO and was mostly flat, but the few hills were no joke. The forecast was cloudy and 75, instead it was sunny and 85. I walked a good portion of the second half because I just couldn't make my legs go anymore. Kudos to those who have done more than one - this was a one and done experience for me. I will happily retire to shorter races.

Here's a video of when I crossed the finish line. You can see me break down in tears when they put the medal around my neck. I think I understand a little bit more about how toddlers can't control their emotions when they're exhausted.

 Crying on Mason. So much crying!

There's a smile!

 I could not have done it without the support of my family. Mason for all the encouragement along the way and rearranging his schedule numerous times so I could go on training runs. The kids for riding their bikes with me while I ran during the summer and for always believing I could do it. And mom for being here to cry with me at the end, for picking up my slack around the house afterward, and for always being my biggest fan.

Work on Monday was rough...I needed a masseuse once I got home and luckily we have a small one in residence.

 Tuesday Hannah yanked her tooth out during Zane's ATA class. So far she's lost her bottom front 4. The top 4 are all varying degrees of wiggly right now too.

 Mom and Zane working on math homework.

 Hannah reading to Granmama.

 This picture is a mystery. I don't know how it got on my phone! It looks like our tooth fairy went a little rogue (based on the amount of glitter on the stairs) and perhaps one of her tooth fairy buddies needed photographic evidence. Still...I may be calling AT&T to inquire about tightening our network security.

 Tuesday we had a 9 year old!! Presents happened in the morning so he'd be able to focus at school a little better :)

 He was SO EXCITED about his Under Armor slides and t-shirt - a true sign that he's getting older!

 For his birthday dinner he requested Little Ceasars pizza and Sprite with Grenadine at home. No problem, buddy!

Granmama made the cake!! For those who don't know my mom, this is a BIG deal. She can cook absolutely anything, but for some reason, baking eludes her. The cakes of my childhood were legendary. She was proud to announce that this was the first cake success in over 30 years!

 It was delicious too! Happy birthday, Zane :)

 Thanks for everything, Mom!