Pumpkin Patch Pictures

how's that for a little alliteration?

On the tractor-pulled-barrel-ride

 Macy and her pumpkin named "Antsy"

 KK and her pumpking, to be named later

 Slingshot-ing with Dad. KK didn't like it.

 On the hayride!

 Ah, puppy love. This is EXCATLY what Kobe looked like, almost 12 years ago.

Rubber ducky races

Searching for a pumpkin. Look at that blue sky!

It was a fun day.

Stream of Conciousness Sunday

5 minutes of writing...go.

Today we went to a local pumpkin patch. Had a great time--picked pumpkins, had slingshot competitions, did a hayride, rubber ducky races, and had a great time. Spent a lot of time together as a family this weekend, which is unusual and very welcomed.

Macy is still awake and won't go to sleep. Bobby is doctoring Kobe with some flea stuff; poor dog has been itching like crazy. Gabe is barking outside and I don't want to get up to let him in.

We have parent/teacher conferences this week, so no school on Friday. That's nice with the half marathon on Saturday. It's weird that I have really have no idea how some of my students are doing, since the student teacher has been teaching. She's on her final two weeks, then I'm back on.

I've been interrupted about 4 times in this 5 minute of writing, but that's the story of my life. Bobby is wanting the computer and I need to pick up a little for the babysitter tomorrow.

Recap

Since I haven't been blogging as much lately, I thought I'd offer a little recap as to what is going on in our lives.

Bobby is currently in Wisconsin, doing training on the new fire truck and then driving it home. Yes, driving home a fire truck from Appleton, Wisconsin. It's governed at 72. Should be fun for him and the other 2 drivers.  He was supposed to run the half marathon with our group on 10/15, and didn't train for it. I'm a little annoyed with him about that. :) He's still busy at the fire station, and working quite a bit out at the winery. He'll be coaching both girls basketball teams this winter.

I have another student teacher, so I've been spending my days doing errands for other people (hey, you're not teaching so you can help) and planning for a new class I'm teaching in the spring. I'm training for a half marathon on 10/15 with several people, and am alternating between scared to death and excited. I'm in the tapering portion of my training, so I'm only doing short runs this week and next. I'm sort-of still leading Macy's Girl Scout troop.

Macy is loving 4th grade and her teacher. She has straight A's, and is involved in Library Assistant's Club and Drama club at school. Loves both. She's having drama with Anna again (long time readers will know this comes up from time to time) Macy is trying this volleyball this year, and really likes it. She had 2 serves go over the net last night, and she was so excited but had to act cool, you know. She is also singing in the children's choir at church and in a Junior Girl Scout Troop. She's my emotional girl--one minute happy, one minute upset.  Today she is dressed as a very stylish Alex Russo for Homecoming.

Kaylin is in 2nd grade, has a student teacher, and loves both of them. She makes good grades too (no letter grades yet). No clubs at school for her to be involved with yet, but she's looking forward to Drama Club next year. She's in a Girl Scout troop, and wants to try basketball instead of cheerleading this winter. I'm looking forward to watching her; she's definately improved her dribbling skills since this summer. She is dressed as Taylor Swift today and we did big ringlet curls in her hair.

Kobe and Gabe are still with us, but both are slowing down. We've been prepping the girls for their death, but it's more for me then them.Gabe still likes to eat toilet paper, and Kobe tries to get into the trash every chance she can get.

That's it for now...I am making a vow to update more often than I have been!

The Theft

Today I came back to my room after lunch to discover that the super soft, huge green chair in my classroom was missing. In its place was a note on my blue construction paper: "I have flown back to the nest."

People. This chair is HUGE. And it was taken out of my classroom!

I was amazed, interrogated people in the lab, then finally followed the scratch on the door and the scuff marks on the floor to find it hidden in the Eagle's Nest, our little atrium area on the 2nd hour. I made the culprits drag it back to my classroom.

The war has started. Now I just have to figure out a way to get them back!

TSwift review

Written for my free-lance gig...

I’m not ashamed to admit my first concert was New Kids on the Block at the Missouri State Fair. I can’t remember much about that night, but I have grown to love concerts. My two daughters, ages nine and seven, have watched me for years get ready for concerts, and have begged to go with me. When I first heard that Taylor Swift would be coming to Kansas City, I knew immediately: this would be their first concert. Tickets were purchased in February, and the girls flipped out when we gave them the tickets. All through the spring and summer, talk of the concert would creep into our conversations. ”I wonder what songs she is going to sing” or “I wonder what Taylor is going to wear” was frequently heard. Her latest CD, “Speak Now,” was purchased, and listened to repeatedly on our family road trip, and even my husband knew all the lyrics by the time we returned home.

Finally, Saturday, September 24 arrived. Weather was perfect for an outdoor concert at Arrowhead.  Our group of seven girls and four moms met for some pictures and a quick dinner, then headed out. When got out of the car, the littlest ones began screaming in excitement, and didn’t stop for quite a while. I had not planned on buying shirts for my girls, but the other five purchased shirts, so I shelled out the $50 for two. We headed up the ramp—up and up and up the spiral, concrete ramp to the upper level of Arrowhead. When we walked through the concourse to the seats, the look on the girls’ face, to see all of Arrowhead in front of them, was enough to make ticket price worth it.

Through the opening acts, we took pictures, ate cotton candy, talked with friends, and waited anxiously for Taylor Swift to come out on stage. It was worth the wait when Swift came out in a gold dress, fringes spinning as she sang “Sparks Fly” At this point, my daughters were standing on their seats, screaming and singing as loud as they could.

Swift’s show was not just her and her guitar—she brought a whole crew of dancers and actors so there was always something to look at. The girls were mesmerized by the dancers hanging suspended in air, by the wedding dress of the bride in “Speak Now”, and by the giant bells that popped up from below the stage then slowly raised to the ceiling for “Haunted”. Their favorite part was the mime on stage, pushing a broom and making lights turn on before she performed “Mine.” My daughters noted every costume change; there were 10 during her 17 songs. All of the “side shows” did not detract from Swift’s performance but added a visual element to keep the audience entertained.

As this was Swift’s first stadium tour, she seemed to be in awe of the crowd. Several times throughout the night, Swift repeated “I can’t believe 50,000 people paid to see me sing,” and she also appeared to have tears in her eyes as she looked around the stadium. Call me naïve, but Swift appeared to be genuinely shell-shocked at her success in selling out a stadium. Most of the 50,000 fans were young girls and their mom’s (with a few dads, boyfriends, or little brothers scattered throughout) and they sang along with her on every song for two hours and fifteen minutes.

Swift ended the show with two favorites. “Fifteen” was performed in a large cream-colored ball gown from a velvet couch, and for the crowd-favorite “Love Story,” she was carried over the audience in a balcony. My girls did not take their eyes off her while she floated over the crowd. It was a stunning finale to a show full of story-telling songs.

Like Swift, my daughters seemed in awe by the stadium and the entire atmosphere of a big name concert. Just judging from this one experience, I would say they are hooked as well.  In the middle of the concert, my seven-year-old suddenly gave me a huge hug and said, “Mom, thank you for the tickets and the t-shirt.” She also did not take her t-shirt off for three days.

Pictures until I can gather my thoughts

Last night was the girls first real concert experience. If you've read here for a while, you know I am a concert-lover. Last night we went to Arrowhead for the Taylor Swift concert. I'm too tired to put into words the night, so for now, enjoy these pictures with minimal commentary and tomorrow I'll fill in the gaps.

All the girls met at my house for pictures, and went to Rancho for dinner. They all look very unhappy here, but I promise you they were excited.

 My sister and niece. Her first concert and trip to Arrowhead too.

 Me and the girls. This picture showed me two things--I need a haircut and Macy is seriously almost as tall as me.

 Macy pretending to fall off the upper level of Arrowhead. Our seats were in the 7th row of the upper deck. Really, not bad at all for the cheapest tickets. (Cheapest being $57 apiece. Yowsers.)

 All 5 girls doing the "heart" symbol

 Macy and Kaylee

 Me and Amy (Kaylee's mom) This was the 3rd try. Apparently I like closing my eyes in pictures.

 My sister and niece on the complete opposite side of Arrowhead. She's on the phone with me. :) Amy was pretty impressed with her camera's ability to zoom that far.

 Macy, Kaylee and Tess.

 Taylor's encore...she flew over the audience in this balcony thing. Pretty cool.

 I think this was "Mean"

 Hannah and Macy in parking lot

 These two (and Hannah) screamed from the moment they got out of the car until the concert started.

 Macy's first visit to Arrowhead.

 Me and Kaylin. She literally has thanked me about 25 times for the tickets and the shirt. She is so sweet.

 Me and Macy.

 Enjoying her cotton candy immensely.

That's our night in pictures. Tomorrow, I promise, I'll tell the details.

A girl and her dog

Macy had her first volleyball practice last night. She LOVED it, and was teasing her dad that volleyball might be her sport instead of basketball. She was proud of her knee pads (given to her by one of my students, a high school volleyball player! Instant coolness factor!)

She came home and took her Gabey-Gabe for a little walk. A good night.