Flying by...

My how time flies when you are busy living life!  Quite a bit has happened since my last post, so I will do a bulleted update...because I can.  :)

Gracie
*is flying through 5th grade with awesome grades as always
*is growing faster than weeds
*is still playing guitar (recently played Silent Night in the school music concert)
*reads constantly
*won the school spelling bee!  Preparing for the county bee to be held in January.
*is still in Girl Scouts.  She is getting ready to sell cookies!

Iselin
*played an excellent season of soccer with WCHS.
*is a fantastic person to have around.
*is so kind to Gracie.
*fits into our family like she has always been here.

John
*is still boxing.
*plays tennis at least once per week but usually more.
*works entirely too much.

Cristy
*enjoying teaching math but could do without science.
*so glad to be out for Christmas Break!
*needs to go to the gym more.

We are ready for Christmas here.  We have tickets to the Titans game Saturday afternoon, and we hope to go to Opryland Hotel to see the lights before coming home that night.  From our family to yours...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Soccer insanity

Well it is that time again.  Soccer season has begun!  This year...because we like constant challenges around here...we have 2 girls playing soccer at the same time.  Gracie is playing rec soccer with games every Saturday beginning in Sept, and Iselin is playing HS soccer with games every Tues, Thurs and other days when scheduled beginning next week.  Add to that...guitar lessons, school, Girl Scouts, homework, practices, and then Gracie says to us...she wants to play basketball this year.  OMG...I might truly go insane!

We love both of these girls so much, so it is definitely worth it.  They are wonderful.  We really enjoy having Iselin here with us, and just like with Nat, we can't imagine our lives without her.  She is so kind to Gracie, and so easy to live with.  I just might have to get a bigger house, so all my kids can live with us at the same time!  :)

Back-to-School again

Well, it seems like I just wrote about the beginning of summer, but it is coming to a rapid end.  Gracie is enjoying her last week at Girl Scout Camp.  She is learning all about horses, and I am sure she will have lots to tell us when she returns.  I just hope she doesn't want a horse!

Our newest addition -- Iselin, from Norway -- will join us on Monday, August 1.  We are really excited to have her with us this year.  She will actually stay with us from August through June.  Fun times ahead!!  Iselin will be playing soccer for the high school team this fall too.  We are really excited about that as well.

Speaking of soccer...the rec league starts its season next month.  John and I have been very busy attending meetings, creating schedules, collecting fees, setting up camp...etc.  We are hoping for a great season of soccer!!  Camp is next week, and that will keep both John and Gracie occupied for most of the week.

I am teaching again!!  I recently accepted a position at Covenant Academy, a local private school.  We had already decided to send Gracie to this school in the fall, so when the position became available...it was the perfect fit.  I will be teaching middle school math, science, and Bible.  The kids actually come back next Thursday, August 4.  WOW!!! 

I completed my first semester as a PhD student at the beginning of this month.  Talk about work!  Phew...it was A LOT of work.  I will attempt 2 more classes this fall along with teaching, soccer, 2 girls, John, 2 dogs, ICES work, Girl Scouts, and Thirty One.  We will see if I survive... 

Sheesh...

Wow!  I cannot believe how time seems to fly by in the summer.  Since my last post, we have been very busy.  So, here is the short and the LLLLLOOOONNNNGGGG of it...

Gracie:
~completed 4th grade...with all A's of course!
~attended her FIRST ever sleep away camps (yes, two this month)
~attended Cirqu du Soleil and LoVeD it!
~is still reading a ton...just at a slower more summery pace

Nat:
~finished school here in May
~returned to Thailand the first week of June
~is missed so much!!

John
~went to Qatar and back
~still boxing and playing tennis weekly
~running again...only not as much as he would like
~working beyond TOO much

Me
~started working as a graduate assistant
~began my classes toward my PhD
~spends lots of time writing now
~is so thrilled that TrueBlood is back on!

On top of ALL of that, we also have a new puppy who has taken over our house.  Miss Lily is so wild and unruly, but so cute you just can't stay mad at her.  We love having her...and can't remember life without her!

Manic May

May is a SUPER busy month for us every year, but this year seems to be more than normal.  Not only do we have the usual things like Mother's Day and end-of-school, but we also have birthdays, graduations, Girl Scout Events, and Teacher Appreciation.  If that is not enough, John is in school, working (more hours than he should), helping with softball, boxing, and of all things...being sent out of the country.  Why not?  We are not busy and insane enough...let's just keep adding to the every growing pile!
On a brighter note, Gracie has added a new family member to our household.  She adopted Lily, our new puppy two weeks ago.  We LoVe her already.  She is so darn cute, but meaner than a snake!  You can't help but love her and her GIANT feet!  She has the cutest little paw print on her nose.  (Pics to come soon.)

Sad endings...

This month, we lost a great friend, family member, and pet.  Emilou was killed by a car last week, and it just about broke our hearts.  Gracie has been quite upset about it.  We have had Emilou since Gracie was 1 year old.  She definitely was a part of our family.  She will be greatly missed.

On a more positive note, I was recently accepted into the PhD program for Literacy at MTSU.  I am so very excited about it.  I begin my GA position May 15, and my classes begin in June.  It will definitely be a difficult road to the end, but I am very confident that I will do well.  I can't wait to begin!!

John recently had news to celebrate too.  He has lost 10% of his body weight (20lbs).  A VERY impressive number I think.  He looks amazing, and better still, he feels good about himself.  He is still boxing away. 

Nat has been doing very well with tennis and school.  He is spending more and more time with his friends too.  We will definitely be at a loss when he leaves in June.

Last, but not least, Gracie loo! She is busy as always.  She finished her fitness classes a couple of weeks ago and started softball at the same time.  She is still going to gymnastics and guitar lessons once / week also.  This weekend, we will go tour where she will be for Girl Scout Camp this summer.  She is very excited about spending ONE WHOLE week without her parents.  Gosh!  Those parents are just awful!!  :)  She is already super busy for the summer, and it is still several weeks away.

Until next time, I will leave you with a great quote I saw in a magazine today... "God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers."  Jewish Proverb (printed in Woman's Day for May 2011)

Holy macaroni...

It has been almost a month since my last post.  Wow...is about all I can say.  Time really flies.  We have been busier than bees in springtime lately.  We have had Talent Show, PTO, Girl Scouts, tennis matches, school, meetings, etc.  The list is endless.  Hopefully, we will slow day one day very soon, so I can catch up with myself.  For now though, here's the latest headlines...

Gracie: 
*Played "Star Spangled Banner" in the school talent show.  It was WONDERFUL!!
*Lost ANOTHER tooth, and the dentist said she has about 6 more coming out soon.  Yikes!!
*Growing faster than weeds now.  Can you believe she will be 10 in August?  I sure can't.
*Gets smarter and smarter everyday.  So very proud of her!!

Nat:
*Doing very well in tennis.  More wins than losses!
*School is also going well, athough not on the top of his list of importance.  Teenagers!
*Has been with us for 2 1/2 months now.  Seems like he has always been here, and I will truly miss him when he is gone.

John:
*Still boxing, cycling, and playing tennis.  It makes me tired just to think about all that.
*Working TOOOOO much.
*Got a much deserved small raise for all his hard work!

Me:
*Between cooking, cleaning, driving here and there, meetings, PTO, ICES, Girl Scouts, and occasional trips to the gym...my time is about spent!  :)

Happy Flowers

I am pretty sure that I have used this template at some point before, but it is springy...and fitting.  We have really enjoyed the warmer weather lately.  John and the kids actually did yard work yesterday while I grocery shopped.  Nat and Gracie have been out walking the neighborhood too with her cookie wagon.  It is great to be able to do that.  We like spring, and we are completely ready to boot out this nasty winter.  I would like to also mention that we are not in anyway interested in the stormy season that lies ahead either.

Here's whats happenin' in our neck of the woods:

*Gracie is finishing her cookie sale, and she finished indoor soccer finally.  She is signed up and ready for softball.  She is still taking gymnastics, guitar, and the fitness classes.  She will compete in her school talent show on March 10.  She is very nervous.

*Nat is playing tennis.  They have their first "real" matches this Friday. 

*John is BUSY BUSY BUSY at work.  It is beyond insane!  When he isn't doing work for his job, he is doing school work or a side project that he has.  He is still going to boxing and cycling, and he plays tennis once or twice a week. 

*I am running around like a chicken without a head most days.  I cook, chase kids, clean house, work with PTO, do my job, and work with Girl Scouts.  Nothing has changed with me really...still working on the lbs. 

Catching up...

Gracie:  has been sick for several days with some awful virus.  She has a sore throat, headache, cough, fever, and sporadic dizziness.  There is nothing she can take to cure this mess; it just has to run its course.  She missed 2 days of school plus today is a snow day.  She will return to school tomorrow assuming the fever does not return.  Other than that, Gracie started her gymnastics class last week, and she is also taking a kids fitness class twice a week at the civic center.  She is doing well with both.  She has sold 450 boxes of GS cookies so far this season, and we are hoping she makes it to 1000 (although HER goal is 2000).  She had all A's on her report card, and she is just AMAZING!!  She finishes indoor soccer this month, and we sign her up for softball next week. 

Nat:  has acclimated to American High Schools very quickly and well.  He has already picked up the sagging pants and hooded sweatshirt business.  It is quite entertaining.  He eats like nobody's business.  I really understand the "bottomless pit" reference now.  He is SO SWEET to Gracie.  He plays games with her, holds the door for her, lets her read to him, and sooo much more.  We have never asked any of this from him...he just does it.  What a great kid!  We love having him here.  He has been doing conditioning after school, and the tennis team starts practice next week.

John and I are killing it at the gym.  We go no less than 5 times / week, and I am determined to drop 40 by June!  John is looking FaNtAsTiC in his newly fit body too!!  He has been at this a little longer than me, and obviously he is a man.  His weight drops faster than mine.  No hate here, just stating a fact.  He boxes, plays tennis, and does indoor cycling (which I hate!!!).  He also walks/runs on the treadmill on off days.  I go to Zumba and cardio circuit, as well as, tame the beast (elliptical).  I am considering picking up the weights again to get these WOman arms under some kind of control.  :)  Other than gym time, we are busy working with Girl Scouts, PTO, and other little ventures. 

I guess our motto this year is getting healthy!  Everything seems to revovle around athletics and fitness. 

Adding a Family Member

John and I have talked many times about adoption and being foster parents.  We have gone back and forth regarding these matters.  We knew the day we had Gracie that we would not have any more children of our own, and we feel very lucky to have such a wonderful little girl.  There is not a day that passes that I am not very thankful to have her.  With that said, there has always been something standing in the way for us to have more children in our home; however, that all changed on Saturday. 

Saturday, we became host parents.  While this is temporary, it is an excellent option for us to add more children to our home.  It has been the best decision we have made in a long time.  Gracie is so happy to have someone else living with us too.  Being a host parent is not something we came by easily.  We had to complete a load of paperwork, have background checks, and then do A LOT of waiting.  It was totally worth the wait.

Nat is our new "son".  He actually wrote that today.  It was very heartwarming to see.  While technically he is not our son, and he will return home to his parents at the end of the school year, we are thrilled to share a part of his life...even a small one.  He is a wonderful boy.  He is very kind and considerate.  He is always willing to help with anything, and he spends time with Gracie with no complaint.  He is definitely a very positive addition to our family.  We consider him nothing less than our son!  :)

Nat

                                                 Nat and Gracie concentrating on the wii

Just cruising...

Well, after a very hectic Christmas, we have finally set our lives back on cruise control.  Things have returned to normal, for us anyway.  Gracie went back to school last week, and John started his new class this week.  We have been a little slower getting back into the workout routine, but it is still on the list to do. 

Upcoming for us:

*John turns 34 on Saturday!  We are still planning our day of fun.

*We are expecting our first foreign exchange student in the next week.  He is from Thailand, and I think Gracie is more excited than anyone.  John and I are just concerned that he will freeze to death here.

*We are in cookie sale mode again.  Gracie's goal is 2000 boxes this season!

*Indoor soccer began this past weekend.  Gracie's team won a game and lost a game.  We have several games over the next two months.

*John is playing in an indoor tennis league.  He lost his first match to a 17 year old, but he was able to hang with him for a good while.  Nothing like a kid to come along and put the old folks back in their place.  He plays again next week.

So, as I said before, we are just cruising along...