Bulldogs!

The Bulldogs finished off their season at a tournament in Little Rock - winning both their games. Final record: 8-1. Way to go ladies. (Rachel is the easy one to spot - bright green for goalie.)

Hail?

Ice pellets and cut leaves

During Relief Society today, we could hear thunder rumbling. The rain started soon after and pelted the roof. It really sounded ugly out there. Next, we could hear a tinging sound on the roof - hail! I hadn't seen hail up close. And in Arkansas, I didn't want to, since it is usually a precursor to a tornado. This storm passed us over, though, and by the time we left church, the sun was peeking through the grey skies and it was 70 degrees. On the way home, we saw just how much rain had fallen. This picture with Samantha (being a ham...) and the lake is amazing. The lake is swollen to at least three times its natural size. It overran the adjacent parking lot, playground and frisbee golf course!

Rockin' At The Hop

Rachel was in the chorus of the sixth grade musical this year - Rockin' At the Hop. The cafeteria was decked out with Studebaker's and vinyl records. The table decorations were six-packs of Coca-cola, in the glass bottles. All the students dressed in poodle skirts and varsity jackets with saddle shoes and scarves in their hair. Elvis and James Dean were there, too!

The students sang a about three hits of the 50's, then served the guests ice cream sundaes and more coca cola bottles. Then three girl soloists sang Rockin' Robin and one very brave young man sang Great Balls of Fire as a solo. He was fantastic. All the girls in the class sat at his feet and practically broke the windows with their screams, right on cue. So fun. The chorus then finished off the evening with three more hits of the 50's.

The finale was We Go Together from Grease. The kids really hammed it up and looked like they were having fun performing. I hope they learned something about history and music along the way.

Rachel with her friend, "M", who was one of the solosits in Rockin' Robin and Rachel with Elvis Presley!

Breakfast

I woke up this morning to a wonderful sound. Not my alarm. Not my dog barking out the window. Not any earthly noise at all. I heard laughter coming from down the hall. I heard sisters sharing a single bathroom. I heard footsteps and commotion, but all of it good. So good.

Three sisters, ages 12, 10 and seven. All getting ready for school. All using the same bathroom, the same box of cereal, the same mirror. I laid there in my bed and listened. Usually, I have to say, I will awaken to my alarm; rouse the ladies and set out the breakfast. Depending on their response to my initial efforts, I am pretty loud about the second attempt. Not this morning. Today I was treated to just lying in my own bed and enjoying their giggles. I don't know about your house, but, we don't usually have giggles at 6 am.

When I did venture out, I found three perfectly outfitted young ladies, complete with socks, shoes and straightened hair, just finishing up their cereal. As they headed out, I complimented them on the start to our day. Not just their day, but, our day. A great start. They even put their bowls in the sink. I just love my ladies.

Cute Kid Quote

I'm trying to wrap my head around having a garden this season. The other day we were looking at seeds and Samantha said, "You can grow onion rings?"

Dag she's cute! And yes, we staged the photo because as soon as we could stop laughing, I told her it was going on the blog...

Charlie-girl

Charlotte is our middle child, and as a middle child, she has a unique position in a family of five children. Is she one of the older ladies? Is she one of the little ones? For now, Charlotte is 7 and that's what is important. She is a free-thinker, a leader and a comedian. She is athletic and a great reader. She loves to play with babies, but can ride her bike to school like the big ladies. Charlotte is also very mannerly - always saying thank you and please. Lately I have been thinking about her, because it was brought to my attention that sometimes I treat her like a little lady, and not the competent member of our busy family that she really is. While I was musing on my Charlie-girl, I tried to catch her in some typical poses throughout her day:

First, finding wonder all around her. She said, "Look Mom, see how pretty the swirl of chocolate is before I shake it all up?" It is, babe. Thank you for showing me. And the second picture, playing with her Jay Michael. She is such a great playmate.

Charlotte started to play soccer last season, but, wouldn't go out on the field. She got there and just decided NO. (Did I also mention how stubborn she is?) Knowing how much she loves the water, I waited til swimming season came around this year I asked if she wanted to try that. "Oh yes, Mom. I'm a fish." And so she is on the local rec league swim team and proclaims herself to be the only girl in her age group that knows how to dive. Her coaches also say she does great. And, she can dive already. Go Charlotte!

Samantha In Space

Samantha took off for three days last week and went with her fifth grade class to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama at the US Space and Rocket Center. They slept in "pods", made models, conducted experiments and executed a "mission". They even were able to "launch" on the Space Shot, which is kind of like an amusement park ride. She rode on a bus that was fit for a rock star, complete with bathrooms and flat screen tv's.

Early morning take-off ::: Look at the size of the bus!

Samantha, and her bud, Laura.