Samuel in Basketball

Samuel has not played basketball yet.   He did well for his very first game.  I am still caught off guard when he does something or anything well with his left hand.  Dribbling is one of them.  When I was growing up and where I was growing up being a lefty was considered a handicap.  People tried to retrain their children to write with the correct hand, the right that is.  My children are lucky to be growing up at this time and in this country.  I don't necessarily feel that the sky is the limit, but don't they have opportunities and possibilities in front them.  This much freedom can be overwhelming, but I would not want it any other way.

Best Seat In The House

Accessory Queen

I love these shoes on Maggie.  Actually, it is the toes slightly coming out of the shoes that I love.  I have loved all of my babies' feet.  I love smelling them at the end of the day before I put their pajamas on.   They smell like expensive cheese which is completely intoxicating to me.  I wish I could bottle up this smell for the years to come.  Another smell I would love to bottle up is the newborn smell.  I don't ask for my babies to be washed or bathed for a couple of days.  I try to enjoy the sweet smell as long as possible.  

It Never Popped

Pumpkin Patch or the Absence of One

This year we missed the pumpkin patches.  The closest we came to was at Froberg Farms.  The day was rainy, and the few pumpkins present were moved inside where the lighting was not picture friendly.  In spite of that Maggie had fun playing with her two buddies by going up and down a wooden walkway.  I often forget how little kids this age need to have joy.   

Halloween

Since we went to Disney World in March and spent a good amount on costumes while getting a pirate and a princess makeovers, I told the children that I was not planning on getting them other costumes this year.  They could either use the ones we bough in DW, or that they could make one, as their dad suggested. I knew the second wasn't happening, since I was not planning on having any part in it.  So, their consumes were evolving to the very last minute.  For the annual Trunk or Treat at our church, they were in these costumes:  

And for the day of Halloween they were in these costumes:

The giraffe of course was just happy to be there!  Bless her little heart!

And the annual party at Shawna's without which Halloween will not be complete!  Thank you again for a wonderful party, dear friend.

A Moment In Time...

This is the most meaningful picture I have ever taken.  I did not have my camera with me,  so I just grabbed my phone and took it.  This summer while in Bulgaria, the children and I went to visit my grandparents.  Maggie had ran to the street to get another look at a really large and unfriendly white dog, and I was trying to catch up and stop her.  My grandpa was just coming back from the store and in spite of them not speaking the same language, she followed him and his voice safely back to the house.  I am overwhelmed every time I see this picture.  There is something so beautiful and peaceful about this place, and the wonderful people in it whom I love so much, and my children with them... it means the world to me...

Esther's Sixth Birthday

This girl finally had her birthday party.  And since she was so patient, it was one to remember.  She is the smartest, sweetest, most thoughtful, most beautiful, and most loved six year old I have ever known. :)  I hope every mother can say the same for their six year old daughter. 

The Third Child

So far the two older children have been great about always asking if they can eat this or that.  I don't think that I ever taught them that, it just happened. However, number three, aka Maggie, did not get the message.  Today, I offered her one cookie only, but after she was finished with it, she helped herself to another, and another, and another, until she ended up with five cookies.  Needless to say, that is way too many cookies for a two year old.  The interesting thing is that I never saw her get the cookie, just a small piece of it in her hand when she had almost eaten it.  Sneaky little thing!  Now I know to keep the cookies away from her.

Half Marathon

On Saturday 10-19-13, I ran the Huntsville, TX half marathon with two very fast and wonderful friends, Mandy and Marie.  They inspired me to run again and to stretch myself this far.  It was a tough terrain, many hills which we don't have in Houston, but doable.  It felt great crossing the finish line, and I set a personal record, which unfortunately is not worth mentioning.  Richard and the girls were there to cheer me on.  Samuel had a football game at the same time, so we left him with friends to do that.  In hindsight, I wish we had him there too.  It was a great day with beautiful weather!

General Conference Weekend

Aren't they precious...

Maggie Helping Herself

Lately Maggie does not like sitting in her highchair and drinking her milk.  She goes to Samuel or Esther and wants to eat whatever they are eating.  She also takes over it, if she likes it.  Here she is eating the left over strawberries after the other two have left for school.

Changes

The changes that children bring to one's life are often unexpected.  I used to have no interest in watching sports.  Now, I'll watch a baseball or a football game just so I can see what kind of tip I can give Samuel when he plays.  And yes, I am an intense mom in every way, and I am OK with that.  I do have one redeeming characteristic which is that I can be flexible.  I will change course when necessary.  Just like I never liked trucks, country music, or cowboy boots.  Now, I drive a truck, listen to country music all the time, and my kids and I own cowboy boots.  (For Richard, that goes without saying since he is a born and bread Texan.)  I love watching Samuel play sports just as much as I love hearing him play the piano.  Here is our little star quarterback:

 

Sunday Silliness

A Kolache, or endearingly called by all children as a "Piggy in a Blanket"

Celebrations

Samuel had a fun and busy day today.  He is lucky to have such nice sisters to go along with all of his activities and often just wait around.  I have a feeling though that his "Waiting Around Time" is not too far in the future.  Esther is starting Kindergarten this coming fall, and she is bound to be a busy body.   He might have to do a little more of the waiting part, because Esther has consistently shown to us that she has no sense of urgency.  None.  Zero.

Today was Samuel's "Wax Museum" presentation and end of the school year awards ceremony.  His whole class has been working on this all semester long.  Independently, every student has been researching a notable figure of his or her choice.  At the end of their research they were to present that person in the "Wax Museum".   Samuel had chosen "Thomas Jefferson", which was an excellent choice in my opinion, since he is one of my favorite founding fathers and whose political ideas I greatly respect.  Samuel and I worked together on an artifact he was supposed to have for this project.  We built a model of Jefferson's amazing home-Monticello. Dressed as Thomas Jefferson, Samuel did an excellent job presenting the life of this amazing person.  We are so proud of him.

At the 2nd grade ceremony Samuel was awarded the "All Star Student" Award.  The school's counselor called me the day before and told me that Samuel was nominated by his teacher to be one of three "All Star Students" in his class, which consists of more than 100 children.  He also asked me not to tell Samuel since they wanted this to be a surprise.  We brought our video camera to make sure we captured every minute of it.  Samuel was so happy and gave his teacher a huge hug after the ceremony.  They also presented him with a T-shirt that only All Star Students can have!

This is what Ms. Williams had written about Samuel's deserving this award:

"I am proud to be able to recognize Samuel Heaton as an "All Star" student in second grade.  Samuel can always be counted on to be a good friend to everyone.  He will take his time to make sure everyone is getting along and happy.  When students are disagreeing on something, no matter when or where, Samuel will go out of his way to make sure everything is fair for everyone as he helps to work it out.  When deciding what to play or do at recess, Samuel will work with other students to make everyone else happy, even if it is not what he wants to do.  In addition to being an "All Star" friend, Samuel is also an "All Star" student.  He works quietly and steadily in the classroom to get his work done, being a good friend to others along the way.  Samuel is without a doubt an "All Star" student...Congratulations Samuel! "

He was also awarded for achievement in the following areas:

-All Star Student

-Cardio Club

-Citizenship

-Math

-Social Studies

-Reading

-Writing

-Endeavor

He also had his end of the baseball season party.  Our team mom was so nice and generous to pay for all the boys to go to "Pitch, Putt, and Play".  The boys have been having a rough season, so it was wonderful to see them happy and relaxed.