swim star.

She cheers. She plays piano. She likes to read, hang with her friends and play Barbies. But more than all of this, she LOOOOOVES to swim and swim fast. We decided this year to put her in a year-round competitive swim program and for the past month, she has been trying it out. As of last Thursday, we have committed to the full year. To be honest, I wasn't sure how she'd handle the pressure of it all, but even her coach is thoroughly impressed by her speed, her endurance and her strength and has expressed that L has unlimited potential in the pool. WOW. Due to her cheer schedule, she will have to miss the first meet which is a total bummer, but I can't wait to see her in action come November.

making the A team.

As if there was any doubt, M made the 7th grade A volleyball team and they have had about three matches so far in which M has been on the court for all but one game. Hello...the kid rocks!!! I am so stinkin proud of how hard she has worked and how far she has come that I want to shout it from the rooftops! Her jersey says #1 for a reason people!! When I think about the past year and how insecure she was compared with the strong, confident kid she is right now, I know that every dime that was spent on all the volleyball programs and camps were so worth it. Way to go, M...you're awesome!

nine?!?!?!

My little bitty, teeny weeny, boo bear is stinkin NINE years old!!! What the heck happened? I remember the day well when I found out I was carrying my second little girl and I was scared. Was there room in my heart for another little girl? Would I love her the way I loved M? Would they look alike or even like each other? Would M be jealous? Seriously, I was terrified. Most of my questions were answered on September 15th, 2000. Yes, there was more than enough room for this princess and no, I do not love her the same way I love M, they are not the same person so how could I? I love her for the smart, funny, beautiful, strong willed, determined drama queen she is. She is so much more like me than her sister is and while now this is a good thing, I am aware that may lead to friction when adolescence sets in but for now, I will enjoy that I "get" her. And in the spirit of honesty, I sometimes feel a little left out with how much of a Daddy's girl M is but I take solace in the fact that L is a Mommy's girl and balance is restored. Do I love her more, absolutely not, me & T make a point to love our children for the people they are and in the way that best meets their needs not with measurements of more or less because there is no limit to our love for each of them. I do have to say that though that all my children are cuddlers and I hope they always will be, L is my very sensitive, attached child who will wake up crying at 3:00 am if she didn't get her hugs & kisses. Now, the rest of my questions have answered themselves along the way with the answers being as fluid and ever changing as the girls themselves. They look absolutely nothing alike and as for getting along, they are at the age now when competition and jealousies, tattling and control have reared their heads and though I can't say that they are bffs 100% of the time, but at the end of the day, nobody better mess with M's little sister and that's exactly as it should be.

This year L's birthday list was short. Only a webkin and a cell phone though me and daddy decided she wasn't quite ready for the cell phone and she was ok with that. Instead, she had a list of birthday requirements in lieu of stuff. The first of which was that we were to have lunch with her at school and buy her classmates ice cream passes. Check. We were to have twirly pasta with salad for dinner. Check. Later, she wanted cupcakes for all her cheer friends at the end of practice. Check. For the Saturday following her birthday, she wanted to go out to dinner with both grandparents to Olive Garden but later decided on BJ's since the wait was more than an hour at the Olive Garden. Check.

She always reads the cards.

Probably her favorite gift, Granny finished the dress she has been working on for about a year taking great care to make sure it was perfect.

I love that C is in the background blowing too.

Then on Sunday, she wanted her cousins to come over and see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and have cake, specifically, the Barbie cake she saw at a specific Kroger. Check.

The last on her birthday list are a slumber party which will wait until the end of Saturday morning football games and a girls' lunch at the Cupcake Boutique which will wait until Granny's knee is better.

tooting her flute.

Both junior high school bands performed this past Friday evening at Tomball's annual Patriotic Night at the high school football game. You wouldn't know that behind that smile, she had learned a very valuable lesson about the function of a seat belt a short while earlier in the evening. Poor M decided to crawl into the back seat where her friends were to put her flute together and when I started to proceed through a stop sign, someone else ran it causing me to hit the brakes hard. Because she was sitting on the floor of the car holding her flute to her mouth, she flew forward into the center console busting her lip and jamming up her finger. Of course, we told her to just imagine what would have happened if I were going more than about 2 mph...very frightening, indeed.

The rest of these were not taken by me, but by either Chris or Keith (or both) while I was fulfilling my volunteer duties below and T was wrangling with the video camera and C in the packed stands. Thanks guys and I am sure you will all understand if I spare my readers the awesome pics you took of me. This is another T, a buddy of M and the son of the above mentioned Chris (and his lovely wife Julie)...

And here is M whose choice to wear pink Converse made identifying her on the field much easier for her dad...

So glad the guys got pics of this because from the field, all we could see where a bunch of folks marching around. What you can't see is that all three bands formed the shape of the continental United States...God bless America, we are truly blessed to live here.

Ahh, L and her friend, K who is little sister to the above mentioned T and daughter to the same Chris & Julie...having fun with initials yet??

rah. rah.

She has added cheer to her list of favorite things though I am happy to report that swim still ranks higher, thank goodness. Today was the first official game for the Patriots and I must admit that seeing those teeny tiny boys in their huge football gear running around the field was priceless. It was clear that all the practicing they do paid off as they walked all over the opposing team though let's not forget to mention they had the advantage of all these sparkling cheerleaders to encourage them too!

I had only one shot left on my camera so I grabbed this one before we left. :)

time flies.

Where did the first week of school go?? I can't believe we are already in the second full week and I truly hope that the entire year doesn't go by like this. During summer, I thought I couldn't wait for it to start and now I just want to hit pause for a little while. M is totally loving the freedom of junior high and has already gone to her first high school football game with several of her girlfriends. Volleyball try-outs are this week and while I know she is fairly confident she has worked hard enough and is more than good enough to make the team, she is still a jumble of nerves. As for L, third grade is awesome! This year, she is introduced to switching classes mid day which is great and she has already been invited and gone to a birthday party for a new friend at school. Lastly, C's first week was as eventful but not necessarily as positive. Beginning with the first day of school when he was accidentally put on the wrong bus and then the third day when he slipped in a puddle of water and landed on his head on the tile floor resulting in a lovely goose egg bump and bruise. By Friday, he was requesting to go back to his old school and to the loving arms of his fabulous Kindergarten teacher. I keep telling him it will get better and I know it will, but I can't help but think..."poor kid!"

cosmetic changes.

UUUUGGGGHHH!!! She is getting to old for me now. She is officially in 7th grade, junior higher. When I told her she could start wearing make-up when she was in junior high, it was so far away but now here we are and in truth, later than for most as in this school district, 7th grade is the first year of junior high. So since I forgot to take pics of her this morning on her first day of school, I brought my camera with us when we went to the mall immediately after I picked up from school to Bare Escentuals for a lesson in make-up application (mom fully admits to being completely worthless in this department).
So many choices.

The perfect, neutral tones for M but with some sparkles to up the "girlie" factor a bit.

First, the expert applied and then M gave her best on the other side.

Of course, it was a teensy weensy bit too much for my taste, but I was surprised when M said it was too much for her liking too....Hallelujah!

I must having some sort of meltdown because did I get an "after" shot...no, I didn't.

off to a great start.

The first day of school already? Yep. This morning went amazingly well with everyone up and moving and ready to go. Unfortunately, for the first time in her entire life, I completely forgot to take a pic of M on her first day of school. What the heck was I thinking? I don't know. It was so early when she left (6:55 am) and after she and Daddy pulled out of the driveway, I went on to start my day by stripping our bed when it hit me. I guess I'll just have to take a pic of her at the end of the day for a change. Needless to say, I did not make the same mistake with L & C. L was up and downstairs and dressed in the outfit she picked out for this day on the second week of summer within five minutes after her alarm going off.

We arrive safe & sound and with plenty of time to spare.

In the doors, no turning back now.

We started with C's class and I prayed that it would go well.

Sizing up the kids around him.

Prayers answered, I am soooo happy that this year C was far more upbeat than his Kindergarten year. He was all smiles all the way to school and even as we left, he was still grinning. The only heartbreaking part was that he wouldn't give me a kiss goodbye because as you can see in this picture, he is letting me know that there is a cute girl sitting next to him and I guess it's already uncool to kiss your mom in front of a girl. Off I go to cry.

Next we were off to L's class to get her settled in.

Nothing like having your mom snapping away while you try to not draw attention to yourself!