Fall Festival 2012

It's the most wonderful time of the year...nope, not Christmas, FALL FESTIVAL!!!!  The girls look forward to this every.single.year!! We all get excited when we see the carnival trucks start rolling into town mid-week and set up for all the fun!   This year we started the fun by going downtown on Friday night to check it all out and play some games!  The girls mapped out what rides they would ride first, and what they wanted painted on their faces...I'm surprised they slept all Friday night in anticipation of the fun to be had!

Saturday morning didn't start as we had hoped...Kevin was running a temperature and not feeling well at all.  So, the girls and I did what every wife should do when their husbands are sick...LEAVE THE HOUSE!  We went and watched the parade and collected lots of candy!  Then the fun really began!  They each got their face painted and then we were off to ride!!!

They started off the day riding all the kiddie rides...and then we got a little brave and hit the Tilt-a-Whirl.  I love amusement rides, and I still don't know if I have ever had more fun!  Listening to them giggle as we twirled and whirled was priceless.  And then when we got off Laney says "THAT.WAS.A.W.E.S.O.M.E." I was in agreement!  

We headed home for lunch (and to check on Daddy) and then went right back downtown for more fun!  I love that we live close enough to just go back and forth!  Lucy met up with some friends and caved to the peer pressure of riding all the "big" rides.  She was all smiles as she rode the Spider, Swings and the Cliffhanger.  And she continued to ride them for 3 hours!  Since there weren't many "big" rides that Laney could do, she kept on riding the Tilt-a-Whirl.  Thankfully for some good friends, whose 5th grade daughter Laney thinks is her best friend, I didn't have to ride it over and over.  But everytime Laney got off, she would say "THAT WAS AWESOME," like she had never ridden it before!

As usual, they are already talking about next year!  Laney is hoping that she grows enough to ride all the big ride and Lucy says she is done with the kiddie rides now...the big ones are just way more fun!

2 Coaches in the Family

This fall we decided to add more chaos to our calendar by me becoming the assistant cross country coach at my middle school.  I figured that since I like to run anyways, I might as well 1) get paid to do it and 2) get to enjoy the kids I teach outside of school.   I'm so glad I did.  I loved developing relationships with kids I didn't know and continuing the ones I had in class in the last couple of years.  It is amazing what you learn about kids when you are running next to them.  The 7th grade team was amazing...the girls won every meet and had a perfect score at our league meet, placing 1, 2, 3!  It was very exciting!  The 7th grade boys won the league meet as well, taking 1st and 2nd place.  The 8th grade teams struggled, but they never gave up.  While I have to admit that I was ready for the season to end, now I'm looking forward to next year!

This is the quote we had on the back of our shirts that the kids voted for:  "The truth of the matter is that you can always run faster. The fact of the matter is that the truth hurts."

Wingnuts 2012

This year's baseball season was a rollercoaster ride.  Kevin started the year super excited about the group of guys that his staff and him put together.  They meshed well from the start and were always having fun and winning.   The season started with them going 30-9!  Then...well, it wasn't pretty.  Guys leaving for another league and injuries started a downward spiral.  It was horrific and stressful and the clubhouse was a revolving door of players.   And this is just my viewpoint.  It wasn't pretty, but the 'Nuts never lost control of first place and clinched the central division championship for the second season in a row!!  Kevin has made the playoffs in 3 of his first 4 seasons as the manager.   I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments leading the Wingnuts.  He prides himself in not only putting together a talented group of players, but in putting together a group of quality individuals. 

They won in the first round of playoffs against Laredo, sweeping them in 3 games.   Then we were swept by Winnipeg in the Championship Round.  It was tough to lose, but these guys did great! 

Lincoln Trip 2012

Every year when Kevin's schedule comes out I immediately look for 3 things: where he is at on Laney's birthday, where is at on Lucy's birthday, and when he goes to Lincoln. Lincoln is a short trip, has an awesome ballpark and children's museum and best of all, has some of our best friends, Jeff and Michelle.

Laney being the teller at the bank.  I'm sure she loved the idea of people handing her money!

 Sitting in big tractor tire.  Notice the face paint..Shell and I are going to go on the road with the carnies doing facepaint...hahaha!

 

Lucy going for the touchdown!

Couldn't get Laney to sit still long enough in the big chair for a picture!

Laney must be calling the ambulance for her sister!

 Now boarding...Lucy and Laney ready for a trip! They pack like their Mama!

 Oh wait...they are the pilots too!!!

Little praire dogs!!!

Waiting for the bus with Dad.  They got to ride over to the field on the super pimper bus!

 At the game with Shell!  These girls love spending time with Jeff, Shell and Saydee girl, their Boston Terrier.  We had such a fabulous time and can't wait to go back next year!

First Days of School

 Laney's last first day of Preschool.  Hard to believe next year this little girl will be going to kindergarten!

 Lucy all decked out for her first day of 2nd grade! 

 Laney walking with Lucy to school.  Next year, both of them will be going to the same school.

Lucy sitting at  her desk in Mrs. Fisher's room.   Mrs. Fisher was Claire's student teacher last year! 

Kids at the Ballpark

These 2 girls love going to their daddy's ballgames about as much as they love their daddy!  Of course, they pay hardly NO attention until later in the game and then all they worry about is if we are winning or losing.  A win means they get to go on the field and run the bases and a loss...well, we just head on home.  This year at the ballpark, they had more friends to play with (Kayla, Madison, Isaiah, Gracie, Lily, Mia, Klara and Eli) and that made this year easier for Mama!  Laney finally got to where she enjoyed the fireworks, but it took her until the last show to watch them from the dugout with Lucy and Daddy. 

 Gracie, Laney, Lucy and Harlow running the bases! This was before Uncle Kev had to go rescue Gracie!

Claire, Lucy, Landon and Laney all set to watch Papa and Gaga in the homerun derby...for the record, neither of them did great, but Papa at least hit the ball, Gaga--not so much!