School is COOL!

Mac had a fabulous 2nd grade year.

We loved Ms. Merrill, in fact, I've had my eye on her ever since I saw her interact with her students back on Mac's first day of Kindergarten and I remember thinking to myself, "If only my children could always have teachers like that." How thankful we were when Mac was assigned to her class -- she has exceeded all of my expectations. I took such comfort in knowing that each day I was sending my child to school to be watched over by someone who really truly loved him.
Mac was given the "Future Game Show Host" award because Ms. Merrill said that "he's full of personality, he can talk to anyone, he always has something to say and a good question to ask."  Miss Merrill also wrote, "Mac is a special guy who has made life in Room 20 much more interesting!  I have enjoyed watching him grow as a learner and leader this school year.  Mac is very curious about the world around him and is always asking questions.  His playful personality and sense of humor brighten each day.  He has shown growth in all three academic areas and has worked hard.  I will miss him next year."

Jaxton also had an excellent Kindergarten year.

I think his teacher, Ms. Sutton, lived and breathed Kindergarten. Jaxton was always doing something exciting and hands-on in class and Jaxton was always coming home with a new Ms. Sutton joke. Just like Ms. Merrill, I felt like Jaxton was loved every day he went to school. He excelled and learned beyond my expectations.  Ms. Sutton said, "Jaxton has worked very hard this year to be the greatest kindergartner at this school!  We are very proud of the progress he has made.  He is a great asset to our classroom.  He works very hard and is interested in learning new things daily.  Jaxton was a delight to have in class."

Spring Sports Round-Up

Mac came to me one day and said, "Mom, can you copy this?" What I saw made me smile. He had made a flyer, advertising a basketball camp that he was putting on. He took the initiative to pass them out around the neighborhood and to some friends at school and took charge of the entire process. I kindly took care of a post-camp snack each session, but other than that he ran the entire thing.

This was his "registration table" for anyone signing up on the first day of camp.

And here's Coach Mac on his first session of camp with his three participants. He's already got big plans for next years camp -- you're not going to want to miss it!

Beckam was finally old enough to play on a baseball/t-ball team this year. He was considered their "big hitter," which the coach would yell out when he came up to bat (yes, a proud moment for me every time it happened). He loved everything about baseball from his uniform, his teammates and snack after, to the actual playing. Go Beck!

Jaxton on the other hand got bored with baseball. Even though he was awesome (i.e. scoring 3 home runs in 1 game), he didn't like all the standing around in between batters. We tried to explain that things would speed up as he got into the older leagues, so hopefully he'll stick with it. He was a huge fan of the snack after each game and practice. BONUS!

Mac did great as well. He started out the season strong and after a small mid-season slump, he was able to finish strong. He was even awarded the game ball twice, one of which was after he hit a crucial double at the last game of the season. His competitiveness and true love for sports continues to amaze me! For the last few months he's been waking up an hour early every morning before school so that he can watch Sports Center and catch up on all the latest sports happenings. I'm pretty sure Nate loves having someone to talk sports with and keep him company while watching games on T.V.

Happy Spring Sporting!

My RUGGED Side

Months ago I received an e-mail from a friend, Brooke, suggesting that a bunch of us sign up for a 5k mud and obstacle race called the Rugged Maniac. I jumped at the opportunity, 'cause honestly, I have always wanted to do a mud race and I hadn't seen my "down and dirty" side for a while.
Here the crew is, (minus Jesica who opted to run with her husband), all ready to go.

We raced together as a group for about the first half mile until my competitive side got the best of me.
I waded through muddy water, climbed up muddy hills, hoisted myself over walls, pulled myself up nets, LEAPED OVER FIRE,

crawled through underground tunnels, shimmied under lots of barbed wire, jumped from pole to pole, climbed over even bigger walls, lost my shoe in some mud, waded through more water, clambered up more muddy hills, crawled through more tunnels, SLID DOWN A GIANT MUD SLIDE and WAS COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN MUD WATER,

plus tack on over three miles of trail running in heavy, mud coated shoes and clothes with eyes that stung from who knows what and that, my friends, is the Rugged Maniac.
Here's what was left of the crew. Don't we look tough?

Except for some cuts and bruises I fared pretty well.  It was even exciting to find mud in my ears, nose and hair for about a week after.
It was good to get in touch with my "down and dirty" side.  Until next year.