Holidays and Miley

Wow! We have been very busy bees indeed! Since my last post, we have dealt with some pretty big medical issues, traveled what seems like the whole world, and enjoyed having friends over. That is just this week!

Emily and Gracie before Miley Cyrus

The week began with friends coming to stay with us from Georgia. They have a daughter right around Gracie's age, and we took the two girls to see Miley Cyrus and Metro Station on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. They left early Thursday morning to travel back home for Thanksgiving with their family. We really enjoyed having them over though.

Gracie reading during the game

Thursday night after eating with my family, we left to travel to Kansas. We stopped Thursday night in St. Louis, and we finished traveling on Friday morning. We spent some time with Justin, my nephew, who plays football for the Jayhawks. We attended the much anticipated Border Showdown in Kansas City on Saturday afternoon. Although the Jayhawks lost, we had an excellent time. Gracie loved meeting Justin just as much as she did when we met Jeremy.

Gracie and Justin after game

I am not sure what Christmas holidays will bring, but I am sure it will be as adventurous as this one was!

New hair

After a LONG wait for Gracie's hair to grow out so she could put it in the much coveted pony tail....she decided she didn't like long hair any more. Tonight we cut it off! Oh well...it is just hair. She looks totally cute, and I personally prefer her with short hair. Don't tell her though...we may have to let it grow again if she finds out! :)

Football, Soccer, Halloween, and more...

John and Gracie at Memphis ZOO!

We have been very busy over the last month. Gracie is still playing soccer and softball. The weather has not been very cooperative, and her games have been moved all over the place. Soccer will end next weekend (Oct. 31). She is going to take the spring season off (or at least we think she is). Softball season will end November 1 due to all the changes. We are all looking forward to some time off from our sporting events.

Gracie and Jeremy ~ Our Favorite Miner!

A few weeks back we took Gracie to see her cousin, Jeremy, play football over in Memphis. She had never met him before, so she was very excited. We are going to see his brother, Justin, play in Missouri in November.

Princess Gracie

Gracie has decided to be a princess for Halloween this year. It takes forever for her to decide on something, so I was impressed we got this far so soon. The costume looks great on her. She will be with my parents during Halloween this year because John and I will be at the Vanderbilt vs. GA Tech game in Nashville.

In full force...

This week, Gracie went back to school after being sick awhile. She seems to be doing much better, but she still has an awful cough. The flu has hit full force here in Nashville, and so far, we have been very lucky to avoid it.

Gracie also began softball this week. We had practice on Wednesday night, and she will practice again tomorrow afternoon. She has a new coach, and we are very excited about the new season. We think this will be a much better experience than it was in the spring.

Today, we had a soccer game and pics. Our team lost, but they sure played hard. Those kids run their little tails off on that soccer field. It is a blast to watch! They have so much fun and work so hard. They definitely deserve their snacks after the game.

We found out this week that Gracie is qualified for the gifted program at school. We thought she was, but it was finally confirmed for us. She will begin classes for that program this coming week. I am quite skeptical about all this, but I am trying to give things a chance and be optimistic.

To say we are busy is quite the understatement. Some days I feel like I am running so fast I might actually meet myself in the middle somewhere. :-)

Sickness...

Gracie has been quite sick since Wednesday of last week. She developed adenoid virus, which most people have never heard of. Anyway, she missed school Wednesday through Friday. We thought she was getting better, but then she woke up this morning sick again. It just seems like an endless cycle.

On another note, soccer is in full swing again. The team has won the first two games. This week the game was ugly, but they won anyway. The kids are having fun, and that is all that really matters anyway. Gracie begins softball again this week. Her first practice with the new coach is Wednesday. She is busy as a bee with guitar lessons, softball, and soccer. We also try to through in a little schooling every once in awhile. :-)

School, sports, and games...oh my!

The last two weeks have flown by. We ended the kickball season last weekend with a pool party. All of the kids had a really great time. I can't say that I am sad to see it go though. I think next summer we will take a breather, and forgo the scheduled sporting events.

Speaking of sports...it is that time again. Our first soccer game is tomorrow. For the next ten weeks, I will be on the soccer field every Saturday morning. Softball begins in the next couple of weeks too. I will spend mornings on the soccer field and evenings on the softball fields.

School is in full force too. It has been very crazy and difficult. It is a very slow start for Gracie. They haven't been doing much in the line of work at her school. We are hoping it is just a slow start and not something more severe. I guess we will find out soon enough.

Demi Lovato concert

Gracie really enjoyed the concert. I was surrounded by screaming girls of all ages. I was also seated by someone who needed more than one chair...which made me very uncomfortable. Anyway, Gracie loved it, and she said it was great. That is really all that matters. We are going to see Miley Cyrus in November. I think I have lost my mind!