10 Year Old Quote of the Day...

Sydney likes playing on line games like this one for My Little Pony. In this game you teach the ponies to dance. Sydney gets a little caught up in this game and the other day she said to me "mama, you do know that I taught this dance to the ponies? Do you have any idea how hard it is to teach them to stand on their back legs?" She said this with a totally straight face. Me well tried to keep a straight face. Kids are so funny.

Where Has This Year Gone?

I can hardly believe how fast this year has gone. Here is a recap of what has been keeping us hopping for the past 11 months.

Homeschool - well so far we have survived 2 and a half years with no end in sight. This year has by far been the easiest with so many break throughs for Sydney both socially and academically. She is making enormous strides in reading, handwriting, math and dare I say spelling?  Some experts say that many children just aren't ready for school when they are 6 or 7. I totally believe this to be the case with Sydney. When she hit 9 last year I really began to see changes especially in reading. This year she is blasting through math and doing much better with spelling.

Dance - Dance is one of those things that may or may not always be in our lives.  As long as Sydney is reaching for the stars physically and mentally I will encourage her to stay. If she decides next year she wants to try gymnastics or karate that's okay too. I have to say she was quite a trooper with a broken foot. She went to class every week and worked on the moves and placements that she could.

Swim Team - this year was Sydney's 2nd year of swim team and she had a blast eventhough there was a little drama. I saw Sydney and her swim team buddies acheive trememdous growth in their ablilities and efforts. It was fun and it was very, very hot at some of those swim meets. All the pics I took at swim meets this year were with my phone and they are still in my phone

Friendships - Sydney has learned the hard way that some friendships are only for a season others seem to never end no matter how much time you spend apart. This is true for her and Taryn...they have a very strong bond.  She has also learned that it's okay to have more than one best friend...just like her mama. We have both learned sometime it's just best to say goodbye. Not always easy and not fun but sometimes needed. Dance had a surprise new friend this year. She has a new "best" dance friend named Marina. Marina is the daughter of one of my sister's best friends and the neice of one  of my mom's good friends.  I am looking forward to see what the 3rd generation of this friendship brings for my little girl.  Also, we discovered that you don't have to look hard to find true friends. Here are a few of her favorites

Sydney and Taryn they really are BFFs

Brooke - also a longtime BFF

Romeo, her newest friend

Griffin, her oldest friend (even before Taryn)

Catching a nap with daddy after a sleep over at Brooke's

Swimming in Lake Granbury

Ready for Halloween as a woodland princess

Singing at church

Feeding her chipmunk friends in Creede, CO.

I am officially the mother of a pre-teen now, a girl in double digits and it's so hard to believe. I am looking forward to being the mother of a teenage girl.  How's that for optimism?

Master Bath Remodel

We have been renovating our house a room at a time since early June. Renovation can be scary but you need to look at it as an adventure. In the past we have replaced our patio, added a door and replaced our patio door...nothing too scary...well, there were a few moments during our patio replacement that were more crazy than scary considering our contractor's helper put his foot through our ceiling twice! Not really a big deal since Jason, our contractor fixed the problem quickly.  The other problem is that we had a full grown rooster running around the back yard that summer. That is a long and stupid story for another time but it involved baby chicks from Sydney's first grade class.

On to Rick's bath. When we made the decision to renovate, we started at the back of the house in the worst room ever built. There is only one word to describe our master bathroom...small, ugly and pink! Oh that 's three words isn't it.  It has been a problem we tried to work around our "vintage" bathroom but there is only one cure for this kind of ugly!  At the time our house was built in 1965 most homes didn't have what we now consider a "master bath". They were typically a shower, toilet and sink...think powder room with a shower. That's what we have and my husband is the primary user. I just tried to pretend it wasn't there. So this is where our adventure begins...

Pink shower with white trim from a previous repair

 I warned you it was ugly what you can't see here is the pink tiled floor. When we moved in there was carpet on the bathroom floor.  Don't get me started on how much bathroom carpet grosses me out!

 The beginning of the demolition derby

 Jason picked up a supervisor along the way...Romeo inspected every step of this project

 Ahhh...pretty and not one spec of pink! We started out with lighter grout and went to darker. Since this picture was taken we have colored the grout on the floor and it now matches the shower. Not much need for decorations since Rick uses this bathroom. Brown towels are all he really wants. And  I moved my Pottery Barn Pub mirror in there for him.

 Perfection! We do have a fabulous glass shower door but for some reason I don't have a photo.  Maybe later...I also just noticed this photo was before we painted the shower ceiling.

 A shower floor any man could appreciate

Jason put thesed cool inserts in for soap, shampoo etc....

After it was all said and done, we are thrilled with our newly renovated, bathroom complete with an exhaust fan (extremely emportant in this house)!

There you have it...we have also completed the hall bath renovation which was equally gross but in different ways.  We are 90% finished with the kitchen and it is a dream. The rest of the house involves new floors, removal of paneling and A LOT of painting. I will share the other bathroom with you soon.

Joe Turner is Cancer Free!

I have had the pray for Joe Turner on my side bar for many months now and I want to thank all who have prayed for him.  It has been a rough year for 7 year old Joe Turner but it looks like his troubles are behind him. Joe finished his chemo and had a CT scan and other tests and he is CANCER FREE. Nothing is harder than to watch a little one suffer. He has been so cool and so brave during this time. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow! If you are interested in more details please read this post

for today:

outside my window... the sun is shining and the air is fresh.

i am thinking...that I enjoy being home with my daughter and how blessed I am that God chose me for her.

remembering...when when we bought this house 14 years ago and all of the plans that are finally materializing.

i am wearing...cotton capris and a soft cotton t-shirt.

i am creating...memories for my daughter and husband.

i am reading... Beth Moore Esther Bible study.

i am hoping...Sydney's friend Taryn is feeling better...she left here this morning with nearly 102 degree fever.

i am hearing... the fans around the house...and Sydney playing with her figurines!

one of my favorite things...when Rick comes home in the evening and we have a few minutes before the evening chaos begins

a few plans for the rest of the week: lunch with Jill, church, remodel of my kitchen beginning!

10 Year Old Quote of the Day!

Today over lunch Sydney said to me "I don't think I will be able to be a brain surgeon because I would hate to make a mistake with someone's brain." "And I wouldn't be able to eat lasagna anymore."  She does paint a  vivid picture for you doesn't she?



Update on Joe Turner

If you are in need of a little (or a lot) of inspiration you can read about a brave 7 year old right here. I promise you will be blessed! Thank you to all who prayed for Joe all of these months.

Look at these beauties!

 I purchased these today and I can't tell you how happy I am about this.  First of all this means that we are on to the next phase of remodeling our house which was built in 1965 and had really not been updated since.  We have completed 2 bathrooms which I haven't posted about...that will com soon.  I am looking forward to using both of these beauties after they arrive on the 20th. Our very gifted contractor is building new cabinet doors and drawer fronts to replace the super ugly ones we have now as well as tearing out a section of our cabinets to open up a little into the den. I think when it is all said and done, every room in our house will be different in some way. Stay tuned...

Umm...about dance...

It's kind of hard to dance in one of these!

It seems as though Sydney fractured a bone in her foot last Thursday at dance while trying to help a friend with one of those jumpy, twirly things with a French name. She came down on her left foot with her right foot and told me she heard a pop.  We iced it all weekend and kept her off of it but there was still some swelling on Monday so off we went to the doctor for x-rays. There is a small fracture and that explains why after 5 days there is still some swelling and pain.  Never any bruising though.  She will be out for several weeks and she is very sad about it because dance is her favorite thing in the whole world.  Please pray for a speedy recover so she can get back in her tutu soon.

Thought for the day...

My husband just asked me if I knew there was a such thing as men having menopause!  I said "yes" trying to ignore it.

Now I'm thinking that I can't have anything to myself!

Dance! Something Old is New Again!

Last month Sydney started her fifth year of dance. In our house the beginning of dance is as exciting as the new school year and new school supplies. Five years...hard to believe but it's true.  This year she is back to the more traditional...meaning tap, ballet and jazz.  Last year she only wanted to do jazz and Hip Hop...begged me to take hip hop...and she hated it.  Hip Hop is really hard because the moves are not fluid, nor are they natural! Half way through the year she was really missing tap and ballet. Let's go through what is involved in taking dance classes shall we?

tights

ballet shoes

tap shoes...the girl loves her some tap shoes
jazz shoes
hair snood (don't ask...it's one of those bun cover thingys...she wanted one with rhinestones and was thrilled on the first night when the teacher called her out and told everyone that this is how a dancer should wear their hair! She was thrilled beyond belief and the next week several girls were sporting snoods)
dance bag...I have never bought one until now
leggings...seems a little eighties to me but oh well
new teacher this year
2 and a half hours of dance straight from 6:00 to 8:30.
let's not forget the arm and leg each month for tuition

A new dance year also means 2 performances...one at Christmas (usually at the mall) and a recital (many hours long) at the end of the year! Being backstage mom...really fun and challenging helping little sweaty girls into spandex tights and costumes sometimes up to 18 girls in 15 minutes.  Then there are the costumes...some years they are darling, other years they are very ugly! So far we have had...baby pink, red and black, purple and black, hot pink and neon orange for the "Just a Little Crush" dance last year...best dance ever! For the Christmas show they usually wear jazz pants and a Christmas sweatshirt, socks, and hairbows...nice considering it's cold and nobody wants their daughter in a typical dance costume running around the mall! This year Sydney has crystal rudolph earrings to wear...if I can ever get her back into earrings:)

How much does Sydney love dance? Well, she didn't quit when Taryn did, she was offered the chance to take gymnastics with Taryn and turned it down flat! The fact that she would turn down any chance to be with Taryn tells me how much she loves her dance.

The new teacher will be focusing on technique and vocabulary so she will be learning a lot and she is totally whipped when she gets out of class. Oh and there is homework nightly!  Mrs. Mindy told them to be sure to eat dinner and bring water and a snack or they will not make it through her class!  Sydney loves her classes and her new teacher...this is wonderful because there are dance teachers who are not nurturing at all.  Luckily her new teacher is the mother of 5 and loves dance with a passion and loves the kids!

All dressed for the first night

What a ham!

My favorite dance picture of all time...2 years ago backstage at recital

Sydney's Big Catch!

During the first day or so at Fun Valley, Sydney found and bought a Barbie fishing rod and reel and headed to one of the many ponds.  She ultimately caught 7 trout total and 2 got away.  These were cleaned and cooked for the fish-fry held every Tuesday and we headed for the nearest restaurant. With a little help from her daddy, Ralph the fishing guy at Fun Valley and some salmon eggs.  She was very proud but didn't like to touch them.

This stump became her favorite fishing spot

There he is the first of many fish...thankfully she didn't name any of them

Colorado Vacation Part I

We have returned from a week in Colorado. It was amazing!  First of all, when we left home it was 107 degrees.  When we arrived in Fun Valley the next morning it was in the upper 40s.  Heaven!  There was hiking, paddle boats, miniature golf, arcades, fishing, bike riding, tubing and excursions into Creede and Pagosa Springs, family time and  new friends made.  The weather was fabulous...a couple of showers but much drier and a little warmer than last year. Please don't even get me started on the food! 

Here is a small section of the Rio Grand River behind our cabin...

Sydney fell into the freezing cold river within 30 minutes of arriving and she wasn't too happy, but by the end of the week she and her dad were tubing with the trout down the same river.  I got some awesome pics of them and our neighbors from the bridge but they apparently got deleted from the camera...

Later, Sydney and I went on a hike on the mountain behind our cabin. 

These little guys watched our every move in hopes of us dropping a crumb...they especially like graham cracker crumbs left over  from our nightly campfires and smores. 

Sydney spending some alone time on the river

Sydney and I took a day trip to Creede for shoping, food and chipmunks! We at lunch at the Old Miners Saloon where they have the best pizza on earth...it is called the Miner's Meat Pie...add a coke and a little Bad Company playing in the background and you have yourself an awesome lunch! We walked the entire lenght of Creede and went into everyshop. It was a fun mother daughter day! Sydney's favorite thing is feeding these little guys outside the mining museum. 

Tomorrow I will show you Sydney's awesome fishing adventure!

Sneak Peak!

We are having our bathroom remodeled! This is the beginning! Jason our very talented contractor who just happens to be married to my best friend started this yesterday and the best thing is we are in Colorado not dealing with it! We have picked out tile and granite and ordered all the fixtures so it's just a matter of time. I have not posted the before and afters of Rick's bathroom but I will do that soon. I think I have some befores of this bathroom. It had white tile in the bath and halfway up the wall and on the floors. About 13 years ago we removed the brown and gold bird nest wallpaper and textured the walls. The tile was the same tile that was in the house I grew up in and it was a novelty for a while but I am ready for something new! Before long you won't be able to distinguish this bath from one in a brand new house! Jason sent these from his iphone yesterday!

This is the location of the former toilet and bathtub!

From the tub to where the vanity once was

10 year old quote of the day...

3:00 a.m. this morning:

Sydney: Good morning mama.

Me: Go back to sleep it's not time to wake up

Sydney: Daddy's up because I hear the coffee pot

Me: That's not the coffee pot Sydney, that is your daddy snoring

There's no turning back now!

He's been trying for days to get the courage....

He made it down and he's very proud!

This is how I can endure the current heat wave!

Today the forecast for Fort Worth, TX is 109 degrees!  We will be heading to Fun Valley, CO later this month where the forecast high for today is 63 degrees!  I am beyond ready, in fact, we all are!

Where a kid can be a kid!

You can eat food prepared by this man! The one with the apron...the one on the left is my hubby and he can make cereal...they are distant cousins and Rick loves Randy like a brother:)

This is the view from our cabin last year...breathtaking!

Kids can make friends like this...

and this...

and this...

and do things like this...

...and wear clothes like this and pose for goofy vacay pics with your parents!

As a fellow Fort Worth, TX native I totally appreciate the obsession John Denver had with Colorado! Especially this time of year. When I was a teenager, I think I was sweltering at church camp in San Antonio, TX when Rocky Mountain High came out...always a favorite because it makes me feel cool...well temperature wise anyway.  I don't think being a fan of John Denver was ever especially cool...right?

Hot Flashes much? Bring 'em on! The nights are forecast in the low 50s, high 40s!