Vala's with Ju Ju

Field trip time!  I got to go with Juliana and her class to Vala's pumpkin patch.  It had been raining, so we wore our boots and raincoats and prepared for being wet, but when we got there, the skies cleared and it was a beautiful morning!

The kids had fun learning about apples and then going out into the orchard and picking a few to bring home.  We went for a hayride and played for a little bit longer before heading back home.  Grateful I was able to spend this one on one time with my Ju Ju.

Kari Plays Soccer (Again)

It was not in our grand plan for Kari to play soccer in the fall.  But, when her friend Alexa's dad (who used to be our neighbor and still is a good friend), said that his team needed one more player and that Kari could play for free AND that he would drive her to practices, Kari became a soccer player!  We did warn Rob that in season's past, Kari's soccer playing consisted of running around for 5 minutes then being "too tired" to play anymore.  But, he was undeterred and, until the very last game or two, she actually played hard in all of the games!  I was amazed.  And she had a great time.

At one of the games, a friend from high school was there, cheering on her daughter, who was playing for the other team.  She also happens to be a REALLY good professional photographer and was kind enough to take quite a few pictures of Kari!  (Little did she know that one of my children had smeared peanut butter remnants all over my phone and so all of my pictures have the lovely smear campaign you see going on in the above picture.)  Thank you, Stephanie!

 Kari is a kindergartner.  The league she was playing in was first graders.  I thought she may have been intimidated to be out there among girls who were taller and faster, but she hung right in there and wasn't afraid at all!

 In fact, Kari was honing in on the family's goal-keeping skills and turned out to be a really good little goalie!  (I suspect she enjoyed being goalie in-part because it meant she didn't have to run as much, but since she wasn't afraid to get in there and stop the ball, she must've actually liked playing the position as well!)

Just check out that focus!

Sooo cute!

Right in the mix!

I was so happy that Kari had a fun season.  Rob was a fantastic coach--very encouraging, engaging, and focused on fun and safety.  The team was a good little team too and finished with a winning record (only one or two losses--not too shabby!).  Loved watching my little ballerina get out there and run!

Boosterthon Fun Run

 Once again, the kids' school opted for a boosterthon fun run as their main fundraiser for the year.  It was a warm and humid morning and the kids were all decked out and ready to run!

 Kari was soooo excited that she got to be a part of it!!!  Normally, Kari is the child who gets "tired" just walking down the hallway.  Honestly, I thought she would run a few laps and then get hot, thirsty, and tired and just walk the rest.  Not so!  Aside from the designated "walking laps," she ran 33 laps in the time allotted!  (Max laps is between 35-38.)  I could hardly believe what a fast little runner she was--and she had a blast doing it!

The "buddy lap" with her buddy, Nora.

 After the kindergarten-2nd graders ran, it was time for the 3rd-6th graders to run!  (Oh yes, we had to stay out there for just a bit longer!)  Britta was pretty good sport though--and, thankfully, we found a shadier spot for Round 2.  (Juliana was at preschool so I dodged a bullet on that one.)

Christian's class

 And they're off!  Christian is a speed demon and was one of the top 5 finishers (of all the four upper grades!!)  Em got off to a strong start as well...

 But then after some hard running, she and Ella had to come over and say hello and give Britta a high-five.

 After Christian finished, he came over and relaxed in the shade!

Christian and Sullivan

Em and Miss B

Britta was very into her cup.

Energizer Bunny Runs Out

Juliana is our little energizer bunny.  She just keeps going and going and going...She has been my earliest child to give up her naps (at just 2 1/2!  All of my others were 4 when they started to give it up!)  She just has a LOT of extra energy and just doesn't slow down--most days, at least!

But, then there are those days that it all just catches up with her!  (This happens a lot when school and other activities start back up and we are adjusting to a new schedule.)  A quiet, peaceful Ju Ju is a rare sight, but it's oh-so worth the wait.  She is just soooo cute!

Her lovie and a dolly also got nap time.

Ahhhhh.....

Sleep well, sweet Juliana!

Britta's One Year Pictures

Almost an entire year has gone by with our Miss Britta.  What a blessing she has been!  (I call her my "reward" for having a fifth child--she's been that awesome.)  So, being the awesome baby that she is (and by awesome, I mean easy-going, extremely happy), I thought I'd be adventurous and try taking her one-year pictures myself!  She must've known I had high expectations of her...

I picked a small little seating area/park right by Juliana's preschool.  She wore the most darling dress that my mother had made for her.  I brought a beautiful quilt my sweet and talented friend, Tessie, had made just for Britta.  I brought Britta's favorite little reading rocker.  I even brought a gerber daisy flower and some helium balloons.

Well, it was a windy morning so the balloons were out.  The big camera scared Britta so I did my best to appease her and forgot all about the flower.  Thank goodness I brought the blanket and chair or else I may not have gotten any happy pictures.  Thankfully, I did manage to snap a few good ones and, thankfully, she's a very pretty and photogenic baby even when making yell-y, squishy, and generally unhappy faces.

 Can you see the progression of our session?  When I just couldn't torture her any longer, it was time to go pick up Ju Ju and call it good.  I can't expect too much more from my little soon-to-be one year old, can I?