Meg's Piper of Hamlin

Meg as the Lame Girl with townsfolk and the Piper.

Meg's fan club!

Meg as the Lame Girl!

Meg performed in her Opera today.  She was a child in the first performance and the lame girl that gets left behind in the second performance.  It was so wonderful to be able to see how so much hard work has paid off.  Bee Chow is the Cantabella Children's Choir Director and with the help of many people has put together an amazing performance.  You could tell that singing was the strength in this performance.  Every note was perfect.  The timing was perfect.  It was very professional and amazing to watch all of these darling little children hit their notes with such confidence.  It was beautiful to watch and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be a part of this.  I am sad that it wasn't better attended.  Meg is hopeful that her soccer team will come to tomorrow's show.  We did have some dear and sweet friends come see Meg perform: Shelia & Emily Alt, Leah Faith, Susan and McKenzie Bezzant (all the way from AZ!), and Adam and Michelle Rich!  Such cute support and love(:  This has been such a fun experience for Meg.  This is a close group and she feels connected with them.  I am excited to see her perform tomorrow and so grateful that she is continuing her singing with Bee and the Children's Choir in the fall!  What a wonderful group we have discovered!

Swim Team

Wow! What an experience swim team has been for Kate and Sam this year!  I can't believe they both competed in the Butterfly this summer.  I have to say it was a highlight of my summer.  I can't imagine anything cuter than these little ones racing in the butterfly, well, any stroke for that matter!  They both are great at backstroke(:  Sam's first IM relay he powered a quick backstroke to help out his team!  His coaches were both so proud of him and so excited to talk to me about how great they thought he was.  They were also super excited when Kate didn't stop during her first race.  It is so cute to see them learn how to work hard and really try their best at these races!  I am so proud of their efforts and willingness to do hard things!

Sam waiting for him teammate to reach the wall.

Sam jumping into the water on the relay freestyle race.

Sam chilling after his races.....being silly in Kate's cap.

Sam & his buddies hanging out at their last meet!

Kate' second swim meet.

Kate and her best-est friend Sophia.    Kate, Sophia, McKenzie and Parker playing polly pockets while waiting for their next event.  I love to watch Kate swim.  At her first meet she was swimming against Sophia.  During the back stroke she stopped grabbed the lane line and adjusted her goggles.  Then went a little longer and stopped again to check on Sophia and yelled "Come on Sophia!" The crowd of parents was laughing and how cute she was.  The second meet she didn't stop the entire 25 meters, Coach Brett was so proud of her!  She did start her freestyle before the horn so we don't have an official faster time on her swim, but we know it had to have been much faster.  They let her continue the swim because she and Sohpia (again) couldn't have gone as hard as they were going again and to make them start over would have been mean!

I'm the Queen!

We were riding in the car and Meg asked me who out of the kids was a toad.  Sam won that title.  Then she asked if Alice was a turkey.  Yes!  Am I the angel?  Yes!  What is Kate?  A stinker.  No, mom she has to be a person or animal.  It didn't take long to come up with princess.  Kate thought about that for a minute and exclaimed, "No!  I'm the Queen!"  I guess she hasn't been fully dethroned just yet.  This could make for an interesting next 18 years!

Childhood

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.

- Elizabeth Lawrence

Sam turns SEVEN!

Wow!  How much do we love this little boy!  "He is awesome" (direct quote from his dad).  We love his energy, sense of humor, curiosity, tenderness, and fun.  We love spending time with Sam!  He is a great athlete and loves skiing most of all.  He does bat a good ball and flips a good flip as well.  This year for his birthday he invited a bunch of boys to come over to our local park and play a game of baseball.  He gave out baseballs for party favors and had a baseball cake and cupcakes for all to enjoy.

Sam's new cool soccer shirt!

Alice is soooo BIG!

So this is my baby who just turned one and is starting to take steps all around the house.  She is such a delight!  She is generous with her smiles and giggles and loves to imitate everything and everyone!  She is so vocal these days!  She can quack like a duck and pant like a dog.  She says "Hi", "Bye", "DA!", and "Dada" We think she also says all done and so big.  We love having her around our little house.  She is the sunshine in everyone's day and the favorite love to get with an "AAAHHHH!" attached.