First Day of School

The First Day of School last fall was momentous for us - Morganne started middle school this year!

 She was thrilled - not a bit nervous to move to sixth grade.

 And my beautiful girl hopped out of the car and barely waved goodbye.  I so wanted to roll the window down and yell, "I LOVE YOU MORGANNE!!! HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY OF 6TH GRADE!"  She would have died.

 I could barely get a picture out of this guy.  Jack started 4th grade with Mrs. Hillerich - Morganne's 4th grade teacher.

 Yep - he was not thrilled with me taking a picture outside of his classroom.  Bye mom.

 And this gorgeous guy - he started his second year at Council Oak Preschool with Ms. Gwen & Ms. Joy.

 There is no hesitation - he loves going back to school after the summer off - in fact, after a few weeks, was asking to go everyday - he's most upset when it's Tuesday and not a "school day".

 So what's a mom to do once all three kids are back in school but celebrate!!!  Chuy's, Texas Martini's and girlfriends!

The Nutcracker

Seeing The Nutcracker is one of those quintessential Christmas activities that I always wanted to do but never put forth the effort to.  This year, my cousin did and planned a fun evening for us.

I remember watching The Nutcracker on PBS on Christmas Eve when I was a little girl.  I have always admired the ballet but was never interested in going to one live until I got older.  Morganne took a few years of dance but quickly lost interest (soccer girl), so I didn't think she would be interested in seeing a ballet either.  But as the opportunity came up, I am glad we took it.

We met Macy & Ben and her mom (my aunt), Mary, at a fun restaurant downtown for an early dinner.  It was really fun to be going out on the town with my girl.  When I was young, ordering a Shirley Temple was meant for special nights, so I suggested she get one.  She was thrilled to be drinking a "big girl" drink and proceeded to have 3.

Macy & Ben always do such a  nice job engaging Morganne in to conversation.  Sometimes as parents, you get used to not talking with your kids when you are out to eat with others.  It was nice to sit back and see her talk about the part in the play she just got and what classes she likes best in middle school.

The Nutcracker was at The Long Center for Performing Arts (my first time) and it is a beautiful facility.   The lobby faces Lady Bird Lake and downtown Austin and has such a great view.

The performance was all with local dancers, including children and they were magnificent.  I guess I always thought that ballets were boring with all dance and no talk.  How can you understand what is going on?

Even though I knew the story of The Nutcracker, I had no problem following along - the gestures and movement just spoke to you.  It is so interesting to see the dancers interpret the story so gracefully.  You get lost in their movement and you never get bored.  Truth be told, I thought that Morganne would get bored but not a bit - we had a great discussion of what was happening during intermission.

The dancers make it look effortless, as they glide across the floor.  But you know it is hard work as you see the ladies dancing on their toes and hear the toe shoes clacking as they are dancing.  The men leap into the air and seem to hang their - they have so much strength in their legs.  The last dance of the first half, with the Snow Queen and King was just mesmerizing - they were all in white and just danced beautifully.

We had a wonderful evening - it was so great to do something different with my girl one-on-one.  And I am so happy to finally say that I have seen The Nutcracker at Christmas.  And I saw a ballet - number 30 on my 40 B4 40 list. Woo-hoo!

Coach Matt

Matt has been Sis's soccer coach for 7 years.  I can't remember exactly how he "lucked" into coaching, but I think it had something to do with "needing a volunteer".  So he stepped up.  Can you imagine the kind of patience it takes to coach a group of 4 year old girls who'd rather be picking flowers??  But he did it and loved it.

And when we moved to Round Rock, he was able to continue coaching, though every year it became harder for him to coach - he wanted to see progression and seriousness...and some of the girls still wanted to "pick flowers".

But he had a group of girls who really listened to and respected "Coach Matt".  Some of these girls played soccer with him for years, so it was really hard for him to let it go.

Soccer gave him something he really enjoyed outside of work to focus on and he gave it 100%, coming up with creative practices, helping with the lights on the fields, and really being passionate about the games.  Sometimes a little too passionate for my sake.

But the best thing Matt got out of his time coaching was an incredible bond with his daughter.  They speak a language that I don't understand - they watch games together - they have inside jokes together - and I am so happy they have that relationship.  Soccer has been a great thing for both Matt & Sis.  And even thought he may not be her coach on the field anymore, he will always be her Dad.

A Last Game

This Spring, Sissy had her last game of the season with her long-standing team she has been on since 2008.

Most of these girls have moved with us as we moved from rec soccer to Academy to Select this year.

Matt has coached them and has been so very proud of how much they have accomplished.

I remember these sweet girls when they were tiny little 2nd graders chasing the ball up & down the field.  Now they are all moving on to middle school and they have awesome skills.

They have matured in their passion to play the game. It has been so fun watching them come together and play so well.

And I love seeing how much Sis has improved in the game.  She becomes someone else on the field.  She anticipates the ball, gets in front of it, blocks it, stops it...she amazes me.  And she becomes so aggressive when playing - knocks into other players to get to the ball and takes it away.  I love it.

She is also very passionate about winning - gets most upset when they lose and is so very hard on herself. I can't wait to see where soccer takes her.

These 4 cuties have played together since 2nd grade!!

As I mentioned, this was their last game to play together.  Matt is finished coaching.  And many of the girls are pursuing other interests.  We have decided to not continue on with the Hutto Gunners either.

In May, Sis started practicing with another Club, Lonestar, tried out for them in June, and made the A team!!! Woo-Hoo!  We are really excited as this starts a new chapter for her - Dad is not her coach, she is playing on a whole different level of soccer - more travel, greater commitment.  It is something that she clearly loves and is good at, so I am excited to see her grow.

Who knew this little 4 year old who loved to play soccer because she would get to hang out with her Dad would turn into this?

Easter 2012 - Yes, I know it's October.

Um, yes, you read that right - I am doing a post on Easter in October. I had all the pictures loaded but never actually posted them - so here goes.

Let's just hope I can remember what we did for Easter.....

Oh yes, the Easter Bunny came and left a bunch of eggs in our front yard this year.  This was weird, since he normally leaves them inside the house.....

This crew was excited nonetheless, but had barely any time to "hunt" as we had to get to Church.

My sweet 11 year old girl!

My boy who rarely smiles - this one borders on a genuine one though!

And this little man - off in a world of his own making.

And the hunt is on!

Ok -- I know that was overload, but I couldn't bring myself to delete even ONE picture.  I can't with a subject that cute!!

A 5th Grade Graduate

My baby girl "graduated" from elementary school in May.  I used to laugh at the thought of celebrating a graduation from 5th grade - I mean, big deal - everyone moves from 5th to 6th grade...what do we need a graduation?

And then you see a picture like this:

And you realize how much change and growth has occurred in the past 6 years.  ANd yes, there does deserve to be a graduation!

Sis started at this elementary school in 2nd grade.  On the first day of school, she met her best friend. They were wearing the same outfit and lived 5 doors apart.  They have been inseparable for the past 4 years.

We just had to recreate this sweet photo on the last day of school back in Mrs. Eddin's old room.  My how they have changed!!

Morganne has been blessed to have met lots of sweet friends over the past few years - just a great group of girls who care more about books and soccer than they do clothes or boys yet.  I know it's coming, but it can take it's time......

The last day of school was jam packed with activities - Pizza Party & Games, a march through the hall ways for the last time (not a dry eye out of these parents) and a countdown to the last bell on the blacktop outside.  Sis was all smiles...Mom? Not so much!

Graduation was on Thursday - a wonderful celebration honoring academic awards and extra-curricular activities.

All A's and Perfect Attendance for the Whole Year!!  She also was the Secretary on the Student Council and a part of Safety Patrol, among other activities she participated in this past year.

She had a wonderful, sweet teacher that we loved - Mrs. Vandiver was the perfect 5th grade teacher - very encouraging and patient.  We loved her!!

I'm so incredibly proud of the young lady she has become.  She is sweet and helpful and empathetic and funny.  I love who she has become.

Am I nervous about her moving on to Middle School?  Yes and No.  I know she is ready - she is confident and excited to go.  But she is my baby girl - my first - and this is a big move.  She is going to be moving on to a big school with big kids and big talk....... How can I keep her sheltered?  I can't and I know that. I just have to be confident that I have raised her to make good decisions.  It's just hard to see your oldest grow up so fast......

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy every minute with her this summer.....my big girl.....