School Pic ~ Fall 2009

Collin, Katelyn, and Owen

*Missing an awesome one of Collin, but I'll get it scanned soon! ; )

Apple Cup

Jason & Dawn, Kevin & I rally with Butch, the Cougar Mascot, at the 2009 Apple Cup. We had a BLAST, despite the final score, which was NOT in our favor (30-0).

Coug Gals

Playing with the Band

Jason & Dawn

Mike (Steve's Dad), Steve & Debbie

Kevin & I

My Blessings are Many

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

Rainy Day Saturday

11.14.09

Crazy Hair!

Halloween 2009

Who you gonna call?!

Creature of the Night

Curious George (aka Curious about Candy Kate)

Zorro Collin, Owen the Bat, Natalie the Vampire Bride, and Maddy the Princess

Bare Feet

Miss Natalie: The wind storms we've been having this last week have blown all of the leaves off the trees, and now they are bare.

*Pause*

Collin: I have socks and shoes on, so I don't have bare feet. Miss Natalie, do you know why they call them bare feet?

Miss Natalie: "No, Collin. Why?"

Collin: Bears don't wear any socks, and they have bear feet. So that is why we say "bare feet."

Games!

I grew up with card games and board games every weekend ... and now my kids are growing up with them too! I love it! Amongst our favorites at the moment: Sorry (Collin's new favorite + Owen's second favorite), Sequence for Kids, and SkipBo (Collin's old favorite) ~ oh, and Charades, which isn't a card or board game but is a game the boys are getting better and better at and even Kate can play with us! We also enjoy Uno, Connect 4, Guess Who, and Candy Land (Owen's favorite). Amazingly, Go Fish and Chutes and Ladders haven't taken off here. Kid Character-influenced Bingo and Memory are often a hit, but only sporadically! I want to try War again, have avoided SlapJack, and am considering Rack-O and trying (adult) Yahtzee again. Seriously, it's so fun! Just in Today: Collin learned to shuffle!! (His favorite place to rest the cards while they flip? Owen's head. They both CRACK UP laughing!! Hee Hee!)

Eyes

Owen: Mom, my eyes are the shape of footballs! That's cool!

When I grow up ...

Owen's Quote of the Day: Mommy, when I grow up, can I be a Seahawks player? (Yes!) Daddy played football, 'cept he was a Pretzel. (High School Pretzel, to be exact!)

The boys were SO lucky this August ~ Uncle Jared and Aunt Janae took them to their first professional football game ~ a preseason Seahawks game at Qwest! I have never even been to a Hawks game there!! (I haven't seen the Hawks since the days of the Dome!) But then again, I'm not dreaming of being a Seahawk. I hope they take him every chance they get.
*One of my favorite Owen-isms is "'cept" - I've never heard him say "but." ; )

Last Game of the Season ~ and it's Halloween!

We arrived to the field early enough to warm up ~ then spraypaint the players' hair! Collin went blue, Micah went red, Eli went blue with red stripes, and Owen and Luke remained toeheads. The colors were a hit!! Just a little something special since it was the last game AND Halloween!

Collin and Owen both wrapped up the season with (cheered on by G&G J, Uncle Jared and Aunt Janae, and Miss Natalie) with awesome energy and assertion, increased knowledge and skill, and goals!

Southside Blackcat Shooters

Top: Gavin, Luke, Hayden, Eli, Micah

Bottom: Bohdi, Coach Jen, Zach, Mason, Owen, Collin

Owen's Playing Soccer Too!

He may be just three and a half, but the kid is passionate and he can hustle! But most importantly, he WANTS to play, to be in there, to GET THAT BALL! Owen has been subbing in on the team (we had a low team count and lots of illness this season), and he loves it! He is a full head (or more) shorter than some of the kids, and his kicks and throws aren't quite as powerful as some, but he's quick and fearless and has quickly become a star player! His technique fits with a Sweeper position because he zooms all over the field - wherever the ball migrates, and then he steamrolls into position and takes over possession. It's awesome to watch! He's one of the team's top-scorers, maintaining a minimum of two goals each Saturday and many assists (some purposefully to his brother!)!

And that's the best part! They have so much fun playing out there ~ together!!

Halloween Art by Collin

Not sure if you can read that or not, but the fourth picture is a close-up of the third. The piece features a pumpkin, a ghost, "Boo", and "Happy Halloween." The best part is that the "o" in Halloween is a Jack-O-Lantern!