Something so simple yet wonderful

Anna & I hit the Gap last night because I had a really good coupon to use.  She needed some fall clothes & something to wear on picture day.  With school uniforms, my girls have a small selection of fun clothes to wear!  I was tired of the seeing the same outfit every Sunday plus the warm weather is bound to end soon.  Anyway, we went shopping at 7:30pm & got home at 8:40.  We had the best time trying on clothes & laughing.  On the way home, she said "thank you" & gave me a big hug. She also said I had so much fun with "just you Mom."  What a great way to end the evening.  I agree - we need to make more one on one time for sure!

These little things mean so much....

July / August Birthday Bash

Our family is pretty big, and we love celebrating birthdays!  We had a lot to celebrate in July & August:  Pete, Lauren, Mary, Alison & Elizabeth (she turned 1 - I can't believe how quickly the year flew by)!  Happy Birthday to everyone!!

Joanie had the party at her house & it was great!  Mary & Joanie always have the summer parties because they have awesome pools!!!  Why don't I have a pool???

Cute cousins - look at darling Elizabeth - she got a taggies just like Jo!!

Birthday girls!

Is there anything better than homemade popsicles in a pool?  I doubt it!

New School Year - 2010/2011

School began on August 18th for Rosie & Anna.  Rosie is in 5th grade & is on the 2nd floor now & considered one of the upper grades. Wow!!!  She even switches a few classes during the day & gets to wear a skirt versus a jumper.  My oldest is growing up!

Anna is in 2nd grade and has a big year ahead of her.  She will receive two sacraments this year plus learn so much from Mrs. Grindel!  We love her teacher!

A new addition to the uniform - red shirts!!! I really like them too!!  Shows a lot less dirt....

The big question is why I chose our brick wall for a backdrop!!! doh!

Jo could actually go to St. MM now in the PreK3 class, but we decided to keep her at St. John's Childcare Center close to Pete.  She has lots of friends there, and it is a really great place.  She will be at St. MM long enough when she starts next year in PreK4.

Jo is close to both of her sisters - she brings everyone together with her awesome personality!

And this is what Jo does during the games....

Yes, those are 10 year olds with my little Jo teaching her how to roll down the hill!!! She had the best time & laughed so hard!  I was so intent on watching Anna & ran over with the camera as quick as I could to get a couple of pictures.  Everyone loves Jo - I never have to worry about her - someone is always with her!

They taught her to tuck her arms in her dress to roll faster.... instead, she got all wrapped up her in dress!

If you can't tell, she has a soccer headband..... she insists on wearing it only to the soccer games!

Anna's Soccer Team

Anna's 2nd grade team rocked the tournament!! They won all three games!!!  They were so excited to get their medal for 1st place!! 

I love action shots!  Anna is very aggressive & super fast.  She has great positioning on the field too.  We've signed her up for "skills training" this fall which we think will really help with her ball control.  They are now playing on the big field (8 on 8), so there is a lot more running!!!  They have so many girls for their team that they have 2 teams this year.  A few of the girls including Anna are double-rostered, but Anna told me tonight that she will be fine.  She won't be tired if she has back to back games - we'll see....

Hailey is one of Anna's best friends & probably our best player.  Anna & Hailey are waiting for the ref to start the game....

Her first medal!!! Way to go Anna!

Just the beginning for this team....

St. Michael's Soccer Tournament

We kicked off the soccer season at St. Michael's tournament before school started, and it was HOT!  Both teams did great, and it was a great way to get the girls back into soccer before the true season begins.  Pete coaches Rosie's team, and we had a few new recruits this year.  We've lost some girls to volleyball which is a bummer, but we hear that they were tired of all the running during soccer!  Oh well!  I would like Rosie to try volleyball in addition to soccer, but she seems focused on soccer during the fall.  She said "maybe next year."  She has enough going on with her school activities plus sports, so I'm not too upset about her decision!

Rosie's team only won 1 game out of 3 during the tournament, but they were pumped with their win!  Rosie had a couple of goals & played great.  She attended Incarnate Word's soccer camp with her cousin Caty in August & it paid off.  She really looked confident out on the field.

Watching the play & getting into correct position!  I did not take too many pictures during her games because Josephine insisted on kicking the ball with me.  I didn't mind - I love training Jo early on the game!

Maggie

Rosie & Anna had a great summer with their babysitter, Maggie Copeland.  We "shared" her with our good friends, Nate & Josh McReynolds.  Nate & Josh are like Rosie & Anna's brothers (exact same age - both actually a few weeks younger/older than Rosie & Anna). They have known each other since they were babies which is really cool.  They get along great, and I love that my daughters have some "brothers" to tease & goof around with.  Michelle (Nate's mom) told me that he likes hanging with Rosie because she's cool & laid back.  They are completely comfortable with each other.  In fact, Rosie played hairdresser one day & Nate & Josh actually enjoyed getting their hair done by Rosie.  When I came home from work, I laughed so hard at Josh's hair!! He loved it - it was so poofy & BIG! 

Thanks to Maggie for putting up with them - they did so many fun activities!  Swimming, movies, crafts, putt putt, and visited every place in St. Louis (Magic House, Arch, museums, Zoo, & more).  She was a lifesaver picking them up from swim practice every day - it made my life so much easier!!  Did we mention how often they went to Starbucks???  They were spoiled!!  So happy they loved their summer vacation.  Maggie even made sure they read & did some "homework" over the summer.  Thank you Maggie!

Their last day with Maggie with a trip to Ted Drewes for some yummy ice cream.  They hit Dotties' ice cream parlor at least once a week too for a mini serving of that awesome ice cream!  I love Josh's expression - he is a complete goofball and we love him!