Sports Weekend

What a fun and active weekend we have had:) But it has all been well worth it. My Dad took the boys to see the Rockies and Cardinals play in Denver... and they both came back smiling and story-telling. Both have took enough pictures on their phones to complete a blog post devoted to the game! (I wonder how many friends received those picture messages via phone last night?). The trio made it to Denver just in time to watch their cousin Cade play in a flag football game and spend some time visiting with my Denver parents (aka "Grandma & Grandpa Armstrong"!).

While the boys were away... Mom, Dad & the girls went to Manhattan for a day of play! We had a great trip with the girls behaving very well during the 2-hr drive up. It was Ft. Riley day at KSU, so the girls were excited to see all of the Black Hawks flying over the stadium before the game. Our friend Mark was gracious enough to cook up lunch before the 1:00pm kick-off time. For those who don't know: Mark is the one who Tony has our season tickets with.

The game was entertaining... and Emmalie seemed to really start taking on the whole "wildcat" mentality (booing with everyone when a flag was thrown and cheering, actually more like squealing, when Banks scored his two touchdowns from kick-off returns). We all had fun, even though Bethanie and I bleed crimson and blue... NOT purple and white.

Bethanie... more excited about yogurt than the game!

Emmalie is all smiles after two quick
scores to start the second half

Don't worry everyone... Bethanie and I didn't let our Jayhawks down. We stayed true to the very end... SEE!

YES!!!! Bethanie and I showed up in Manhattan, tail-gated, and made it through the gate wearing our KU JAYHAWKS Sweatshirts! Too bad it got too hot in the stands and we had to shed them so early on:( We wore them proudly! However, we did get some strange looks and there were a few times I thought Mark and Tony were trying to distance themselves from us as we were walking up to the field.

In other news... Bethanie has officially tried out the "real" underwear experience. She had them on for just over five hours today and NO ACCIDENTS! That's better than any of the other three did on their first time. Maybe there's hope for her being out of training pants by Christmas.

That's all the wonderful words of life I have to share for now. May everyone have a great start to their work week.

Finally, Some Updates!

Since I can't sleep and the house is somewhat quiet... I've decided to finally post some updates for everyone. I'll start with the highlights of our lives the past couple of weeks.

I have accepted a new job. Actually, I gave my 3-wk notice about 2 weeks ago now. I'll now have the title of "Director of Marketing/PR". I've been doing physician relations for so many years now, the job won't change much... just a new location and better title!

It's Homecoming Week for Devin at the High School. (Brings back memories!).

Bethanie was officially moved up to the "Preschool" class on Monday. So we can now say that we have EVERY CHILD IN SCHOOL (of some sorts, at least). She's growing up so fast these days.

Babies! Babies! Babies! No, not us:) I have two wonderful friends who have had baby girls over the past few weeks. They are both little darlings and the girls are excited to have two more babies to play with.

Mommy-Daughters Shopping Day. The girls and I had our day last weekend and it was a total blast!

Baseball games. Need I say more?!

Birthday parties, ladies nights and fundraising events. (I'm tired just thinking about all of the busy things we've been doing lately!).

Emmalie was finally able to wear her "Whitney shirt" today for Dalton's football game. It's been too warm for her to wear the shirt until today. Em looked so cute and pranced around to show it off. I took this picture to send to Whitney's parents...

Football season is half way complete as of tonight:( Well, at least for the Middle School teams. Dalton has had a phenomenal inaugural season. Tonight he scored 26 points on four touchdowns and a 2-point conversion. In fact, he has scored all of the 56 points his team has scored so far this year... including three touchdowns off of kick-off returns. Dalton also leads the team in solo tackles, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. He even stole a ball right out of another kids hands today and ran it in for a touchdown. It's crazy! Here's a little show of pictures from his games thus far.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I will start my new job in a little over a week now. I've been trying to transition over a little bit already. I am both excited and terrified of this change, but it will provide me with more opportunities to grow... both personally and professionally. Which will benefit the whole family in the long run.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Tony is treating us girls to a K-State game this weekend (ya, exciting huh?!). And the boys will be in Denver with Grandpa to watch the Rockies & Cardinals play. We're sure to have a house full of stories when everyone is finally home on Sunday night. Until then...

Busy Little Bees

Had just enough time amongst our busy schedules to make sure we had the new blog banner ready to go for the first day of Fall:)

We have had so much going on... and so many changes coming up! Football, baseball, conferences, birthday parties, new babies and the list goes on. Not to mention my sudden decision on a change in my career path:0

We'll try to give you all an update as soon as things slow down a little bit. Until then...

23 Months

Can you believe that Bethanie is already 23-months old? (Okay, actually 23 months and 1 day because I'm a day late finishing this to post!). We cannot believe how much has changed over the past year... or how fast the past two years have gone by. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating her birth and all the "firsts" she went through. At some point we blinked and she grew up into a toddler!

Bethanie is up to 21 lbs, 3 oz. Just another pound and a half to go before her 2nd birthday and she'll actually make it onto the growth curve. (Our fingers are crossed, but it's probably NOT going to happen). She has been off of all reflux medicine since late May and, aside from certain foods that definitely upset her stomach, Bethie has done well. She is up to 33-inches tall now and will hopefully be in 18-month clothing by the time she hits the big "2".

If you remember, we had Bethie's ear tubes put in the middle of May too. She had about 15 words she'd frequently say at that time. WOW! Has that changed:0 She's now quite the little talker and seems to pick up everything anyone says. Her vocabulary and word association is just remarkable with more than I can count. She also seemed to move quickly from single words to phrases: "I want a go", "Got my shoes", "Let me do", and "Where Daddy go?" are her most repeated ones! Her speech and potty training are boosting her up into the 30-36 month old preschool class at daycare next week. With an October birthday, this will be the only time she'll experience being the youngest in her class:)

Bethanie has become a book buff. One of us (sometimes that even includes Emmalie) are reading to her every night. When it's Tony's turn... she brings in book after book after book for him to read because he does the whole "story telling voice inflection" thing. (He'll learn soon enough!). Her favorite things to do right now are color, dance and feed the ducks & fish. Her laugh is infectious. And Bethie has started over the past two weeks or so to actually try and SING! It is so darned cute!

Just for grins... I took an outfit Emmalie wore on Labor Day at 2-yrs old and put Bethanie in it for Labor Day this year. I know everyone tells me that they look alike, but I guess I didn't really see it so much until this.

I guess in all fairness I had better update on the rest of the gang...

• Devin is at the top of his AP Government class and aced his "No Child Left Behind" essay today!
• Dalton was chosen to join a new baseball team. It's an academy team and he'll be playing both fall and spring ball (Ugh!).
• Emmalie just completed her first ever homework for Pre-K... a poster all about her and what she likes!

That's it from our wonderful world. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the week...

Football Pictures...Finally!

After popular demand, and with out further delay... here are some pictures from Dalton's football game. (Thank you all who emailed & called me to make sure we got these out!).

I don't know whether this is a
block or a choke hold:)

Dalton sneaking the ball for a 1st Down

This is the tackle where he got the contusion to
his elbow from the other guy's helmet

Dalton lugging the "ankle tackler" across
the goal line for his 2nd TD


Can you see the definition in that right arm?
Ain't nobody strippin' that ball from Dalton!


Dalton blocking for his fellow runner...


This is what it looked like before his block...
Kind of like a bird going at his prey



Dalton's 1st Middle School Touchdown
(from a kick-off return that he ended up with)



I know you can't see it well, but closer up...
Dalton has the BIGGEST smile on his face!

If you can't already tell... Dalton played very well in the season opener. He scored two TDs, managed to strip the ball three times while tackling (and recovered all three of the resulting fumbles), had one good solo sack and many great blocks. Dalton punted the ball once, and OH! was it painful to watch:o He wasn't able to get set before the defense got through the line so it was only about a 28-yarder and crooked as all get out. The Eagles won 12-0 in the end.

The BEST part... when you congratulate Dalton, he is the first to let everyone know how well the TEAM played and how he only scored because of the blocks his team mates made for him. I hope that attitude stays with him forever!

With a Heavy Heart...

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that totally tugged at your heart-strings? This evening we had one of those powerful, memorable moments that leave you speechless and crying inside... So we're sharing the story with you all. (WARNING: Grab the Kleenex now!).

Tony sent the girls and I out on a mission this evening to get some new goldfish and something called "rubber cement". (Yea, me too... what the hell is that, right?!). Since we didn't want the fish to wait in the car (no pun intended)... we started at the dreaded Wal-Mart for the cement and Pull-Ups. While I was unloading the items onto the counter, a very nice elderly couple pulled up behind us. Bethanie was her normal flirting self, bowing her head down and peeping up with her big baby blues to make sure they found her as cute as she thinks she is. And Emmalie, well let's just say she gives the phrase "Social Butterfly" a whole new meaning. Em starting talking away about how nice it was for them to comment on her dress and how pretty the woman's dress was too. You would've thought Emmalie was a 16-yr-old trying to sweet talk her own grandmother.

I initially blew off the comments that the gentleman made about me being "so lucky to have two beautiful blonde-haired girls" and "she (Em) reminds me of somebody I used to know". The elderly woman asked Emmalie how old she was and Em said she had "just had her 4th birthday in July". To which the woman, who was obviously someone's grandmother, replied that she has a July birthday too... and their birth dates turned out to be close to the same day. Emmalie laughed at that and said "cool".

About this time, the elderly man pulls out his wallet and grabs a $5.00 bill -- handing it to Emmalie with a giant smile as he said "Here, sweetie! A little belated birthday gift from an old grandpa". I immediately was saying NO! But the woman simply said, "he wants to do this please". So I hesitantly let Em take the money as she said thank you. The gentleman beamed from ear to ear as he said the words that will always stick to my heart... "A little girl always holds a special place in her grandpa's heart!".

As we again thanked them and started to leave, the woman shared this with me...

They are the grandparents of a young blonde-haired teenage girl who went to school with Devin and graduated last May. She (along with her best friend) was tragically killed in a car accident Saturday night... and they are in town to mourn and bury her. The implication this sincere grandmother made was that this was their only grand-daughter. And something about Bethanie & Emmalie made them, for a moment, remember something good. It was like the girls and I chose to stop there first for a reason. I now understand his comments... especially the one about a girl's special place in her grandpa's heart. If we ever doubted the power that a child's words, smile or laugh have... we don't any more. I think we were all in tears after I told the story when the girls and I got home.

Please, everyone, say a special prayer tonight for the families of Whitney and Holly.

P.S. Once I explained everything in 4-yr-old terms, Emmalie was on a mission. We spent another hour out shopping for the "perfect shirt". With her $5.00 (plus a couple from Mom & Dad), Emmalie bought a girly Maize Red shirt to wear at Devin & Dalton's school activities this year. She says it's her Whitney shirt... and she'll be wearing it proudly come Thursday:)