Football helmets

Jaden and Tyler have become OBSESSED with FOOTBALL, the past few months.  Football is all they want to play.  They come home from school, or from anywhere for that matter, and want to head right outside to play FOOTBALL.  TACKLE football.  They just throw each other down, it's either funny or scary, I can't decide.  Steve tries to get them to just play CATCH,

 but they don't like that.

They are always asking dad to come play football with them.  And, he usually is a good sport and plays with them.

Luckily Paige is the cheerleader, so I get to "help the cheerleader" and I don't have to play!!

So--one day, the boys decided they needed helmets for football....

and this is what they found.

Can you see it?

They are using UNDERWEAR as helmets!!
Now--that is creative!

Hilarious!!

I had to call the neighbor behind us---whom we share a backyard with-- and make her aware of this funniness that she may be seeing if she happened to look out her window. 

I shouldn't have called her---wouldn't that be funny to look out your window and see kids playing with UNDERWEAR on their heads!!  It was clean underwear!!

Hike...

Tyler for sure knows more about football than I do and Jaden is quickly catching up.

They are too funny!

We feel bad we didn't sign them up for football this year, but their LOVE for football really started after it was time to sign up.  And, we just needed a break after both boys playing baseball

 this summer.

But, basketball is getting ready to start!!  YEAH!!!!!!!

Hopefully we will soon replace football with basketball in the backyard.

Sydney Ann

Me and Sydney!!

Sydney is my Niece who does not live in Kansas! 

Yesterday Sydney, 6, was diagnosed with Leukemia.

In one day, she went to her regular physician, was diagnosed with Leukemia,

 and taken straight to a Children's Hospital.  And, tonight, 2 days later, she started Chemo. 

No one should have to go through this---but especially a 6 year old.  

Sydney is my BUDDY!!!  When we see them, she RUNS and gives me the biggest hugs.  We only see them a handful of times throughout the year, but she will sit on my lap for days, just like we're always together.

  I LOVE THAT!!!  She loves her Aunt Stef and her Aunt Stef LOVES HER DEARLY!!!!

My heart is breaking.  I just think about her, my brother, my sister (in-law) all the time.  

They said in 4 days all her hair will be gone.  SO---today I was on a mission to buy her some FUN, CUTE hats, scarfs, etc.  And, we hit the jackpot.  I am so excited for her to open her box next week and see all the SEQUINS!!! sent from her family in Kansas!  Paige picked her a hat and said,  "it looks like a Rock-Star"!!  

Perfect!!  Syd is a ROCK STAR!!!

My favorite 2 verses are---

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengths me.  Phil. 3:5

and

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Rom 3:5

We surely cannot understand this right now and

 we surely will not get through this without God's strength and help!!  

Our immediate family has been through some JUNK this past year, but this puts things into perspective!  What is really important in life?  Money?  Things?  Vacations?  NO!!

Our family and our relationship with God.  So---these are things we will cherish!  

PLEASE PLEASE Pray for Sydney and my brother and his family.  She has a 9 year old brother Jeremy who needs prayers and love too.

2 wheels

Jaden has mastered riding his bike with 2 wheels!!

For a few weeks---all he wanted to do was "GO RIDE HIS BIKE"

The bad part---as he was learning, he could not start himself.

We had to just hold his bike steady and walk 1 step with him and then let go.

He could do the RIDING part, just not the STARTING.

He couldn't STOP either....

So he would just ride in the grass and FALL!

Well, most of the time he would make it to the grass.

It was quite funny!

Then, I'd have to get up off my chair and go to wherever he was...usually 4 houses down...

and help him get started again.

(Yes, I like to just SIT in my lawn-chair and WATCH my kids!!!)

But, yesterday we all went for a bike ride and Jaden started himself!! 

And could stop himself too---much safer now!

YEAH!!!!  It's official, he can ride a 2 wheeled bike with no help!!

And, believe me...now he does NOT want help!

Jaden

A few updates on Jaden

His new friends---Olivia, Logan, Rachel, and Dominique

*Jaden and Logan*

Logan came to play after school this week.  It was Jaden's FIRST "real play date".  I picked them up from school--we went to Pizza Hut for lunch---then they played all afternoon and Jaden got to skip a nap---pretty great day!!!

Logan played on Jaden's b-ball team last year, but I'm not sure the boys really "remember" 
each other. Jaden and Logan just ended up in Ms. William's Kindergarten class together
 and just hit it off and have become buds!!  

They are going to play basketball together again, this year!


Jaden and Clothes---
Jaden is still at the age where I can dress him "cute"!  The first 2 weeks of school they were reviewing colors, so he had to wear a certain color each day.


On Yellow day---I sort of jokingly suggested he wear his yellow sweater vest and he eagerly agreed!!! (I was caught off guard, because Tyler would have NEVER worn this to school.)

Isn't he SO cute and preppy looking!  I would have my boys looking like this EVERY day, if they would let me.  Jaden even picked out his own shoes for the day!!  

But, instead, Tyler would prefer to wear THIS!!!  
Yes, still super cute, sporty cute!  And, that's ok.
Tyler has done MUCH better this year with not throwing fits about clothes.  And, he actually doesn't wear "sport shorts" too often to school!  


But, Fall is approaching...and that means SOCKS and SHOES and FIGHTS with that!


These are new tennis shoes in the picture and it was just a small battle this morning, so maybe he is getting better....only the cold weather will tell.


Boys, Boys, BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!

My little dancers

I was on my way out the door one night for a jewelry show---and this is what I left behind!!

YES---that is JADEN in Paige's new ballet tutu!  (Look at him pointing his toes out!)

My Grandma Balzer would say---look at those cute legs.  She loved legs!  Isn't that funny!

Jaden loves to play dress-up with Paige.  And, Paige is into dancing right now---

which means Jaden gets to play "dance" with her.

As I was running out the door, I told Steve to grab the camera!  It was TOO FUNNY!

I can't believe he really took pictures .  Steve doesn't really like when the boys dress up like this!

Paige gets a PONY!!!!

Yes, Paige is SO HAPPY!!  

Unbelievably excited!  You wouldn't believe it...

You would have thought we BOUGHT her a REAL PONY!

But instead....

Her hair is long enough for a PONY!!!!!!!!

(Pony-tail that is!)

I have kept Paige's hair fairly short, super cute, and stacked up in the back.  I really liked it!

But, she KEEPS asking for LONG hair so she can have a pony tail!

And, finally, we can have a pony!!!  And, boy did that make Paige's day.  We still have to barrette the sides back because they don't quite stay, but it's still pretty cute on her!!

I know this picture has nothing to do with her pony-tail, but I just think her little hands look so cute!! 

She's helping me pick the dead sticks out of the flowers!!

So--we'll see how long before I can cut her hair again :) 

It just hangs in her face and doesn't "do much" for her (wow---That sounded just like my mom!  Scary!!)

But, for now....a pony-tail makes her HAPPY---so we'll go with it... for awhile at least!!!

Paige goes to Pre-school

Paige finally started Pre-school.  She had mixed feelings about starting school.  She SAID she wanted to go to school, but I know deep down (not even really too far down) she was fine just staying home with me.  However, she was a bit lost without "her boys" (as she calls them) home with her.

I am going to have 3 mornings to myself!
My struggle is----what to do with the time.  Wednesday mornings I am going to have bible study---so that takes up 1 of the 3 days she is gone.  So, the other two mornings are sacred.....do I work out, do I clean, do I do laundry, do I work Premier, do I read, blog, do I......  I just haven't gotten into a routine yet.  

All dressed up for her first day.  I am pretty sure Paige is the only girl who had tulle under her dress for the first day of school.   It might have been a bit dressy, but my philosophy is---she has it, let her where it.  In a few months it won't fit her anymore!!!

The pre-school wants you to have a regular sized back-pack....

but it's as big as Paige!!

Speaking of size----

Paige went for her 4 year old well child check and came out in the 1 1/2 percentile for weight.  Yes, 1.5.  98.5% of 4 year olds weigh more than her!!!  She is growing along her own personal growth chart, so they are not worried.  But, WOW, she is little.  I guess SOMEONE has to be at the bottom of the scale to make it a "scale" !!!   I do try to get her to eat extra though!!!

Leah Wilkinson and Eli Denning--

We will carpool with these friends this year!!  YEAH!!

Ms. Ginger!!  We have heard she is FABULOUS and we are excited to have her as Paige's teacher!

Steve and I both took Paige her first day.  She gave me a great big bear hug before entering her class.  Then, I stayed to watch around the corner and she started crying after she hung up her name-tag.  OH NO.....

But, she quit, we left, and she had a GREAT day.

When we picked her up she said, "I just cried for one little bit"!!
I'd call that a SUCCESSFUL first day of school!