Crash and Burn

WP had his first major wipe out on his ripstick.


Great war story to share at school and a nice "road rash" to prove it.

Being "Knighted"

My kids were knighted this week! They are no longer a Roadrunner or a Bulldog, but officially a "Kings" Knight. That's what your called if you attend the Kings local school district. I love that mascot name. I grew up a Trojan and a Bronco. Never a fan of either one. I guess a Trojan would have been fine, but only if you were talking about the Ancient Greek kind. And I'm pretty sure there has never been a real Bronco sighting in southern Florida. I look forward to supporting my Knights for many many years.

Here's how my Knights began their first day of school.

The royal breakfast was served!

Sir William - super cool "Jr. High" Knight
(He rides by night!)

And his trusty steed.
(This was as close as I could get without embarrassing....as if!)

Sir John awaits his steed....

In full armor!

Sir Anna (What would you call a girl knight...surely not a maid?)

Off to conquer and secure the castle!

My not yet knighted David awaits his fair maiden and we ride off together to the land of Lego's one last time!

The end.

Kindergarten

David started kindergarten TODAY! He was nervous.

I was too.

He was very brave as he boarded the bus. He smiled and gave me one last wave. My heart melted and I tried to swallow the unsuspected knot in my throat.


I've done this before....3x's to be exact. I really didn't think this one would be this hard. After all, isn't this what we moms are working towards? An empty/clean house? Somehow, I feel as if all my hard work and effort are gone....out the door and I'm left all alone. There's plenty for me to do and I'm sure I'll find my "new" groove.

But in this quiet moment - I miss my kindergartner.

The Birthday Girl

Anna's birthday was this month. This year, it landed on Friday - the 13th. Celebrating her birth is easy, just like the day she arrived. Nine years ago (after a super easy labor and delivery) Anna Margaret was born 7.6 lbs with bright eyes and a little bit of dark hair - absolutely perfect!

Summer birthdays can be difficult to plan. Attendance is low and unpredictable mainly because of summer vacation. So we brainstormed weeks in advance....thinking the move may cause even more problems for the special day.

We came up with several ideas, but landed firmly on a cool "tie-dye" party. We were pleased with our 100% attendance (she only invited 5). They eased into it with some coloring, and then quickly warmed up when we pulled out the tie-dye! Each girl had their own ideas on how they wanted to dye their shirt.

Creativity at it's best!

The party ended with a spontaneous "freeze" dance! This was my favorite part of the day (I wish I could take credit for it). The girls danced around and when Dave stopped the music, the girls would "freeze".

It was hilarious!

Another successful summer birthday party!

Happy 9th Birthday!

Big John....Big Bad John

John had his first meeting with our "new" endocrinologist today. They told us upfront that this initial meeting could last anywhere between 3 - 5 hours (ours lasted 5 1/2 - but who's counting?). It's hard not to feel somewhat "graded" as a parent when you go to these appointments. Like I'm going to walk out with a "pass/fail" report card at the end of our visit. Our old doctors office (where they took my word at face value) was intimidating in it's own right. But now, they have their fancy - computers don't lie - check up system. We went back for John's vitals check and the nurse asked for his METER. "Please take it completely out of it's case, Mrs. Powell." Ugh! She hooked it up to the computer and downloaded his last readings for the past ever how long. Let the judgment begin. They know it all now.... We did a little more waiting, met the social worker, waited some more, met the diabetic educator, waited, waited, waited, met the doctor, waited a little more, and then finally, met the dietitian. We loved them all! Better yet, they seemed to like us too. Come to find out we "PASSED" with flying colors! His A1c was 6.7 - an all time low! I walked out feeling somewhat validated as a parent, secretly thinking I needed a bumper sticker proclaiming, "I'm a proud parent of a diabetic with a low A1c". The feeling was short lived....
On our drive home, as I savored the moment, John asked me if we could go to the pool later or would I be too busy....here's the zinger....."facebooking". Ouch! A few minutes later....to top it off and while I'm still licking my wounds he asked, "Are you ok?" "Yes...why?" He then adds, "Oh...you look mad....or is that just your face?" There you go! All in one day....from the highest high to the lowest low....a big fat F.

Seriously, congratulations John! We are so proud of you!

Summer Mornings

Summer mornings around here are heaven. No schedules, no particular place we have to be everyday (except our new Starbucks right down the street). It's nice....really nice. Don't get me wrong - there are some constants too - things that I can count on daily (including my Grande Pike - thank you sweetie). Like, Anna's sweet humming as she wakes in the morning. She's up with the sun....bright and happy - ready to start her day. It warms my heart to see such pure joy soooo early in the morning. David is usually the next to wake up. His demeanor is not quite as bubbly, but I can always count on a "Good morning mommy!" and "What's for breakfast?". It's the same regardless of a schedule or not. I also know that when John wakes up....he will need to check his blood sugar. Lately his morning numbers have been low....scary low. He is amazing! There are no tears or whines, he simply drinks his Juicy Juice and sits until he feels better. I can't pretend I know how he feels....so I don't. I just marvel as I watch him day in and day out bravely manage his life. I do know what it's like to be a mom of a diabetic. I wonder and worry....that sums it up. I wonder what his blood sugar will be like that day and then worry when he is away from me. I try to be one step ahead of his day, but there are times when I've misjudged his activity or food intake....it happens more than I would like. But there he is....high or low.....taking it in stride. I'm so proud of him!
Then, there is William....sleeping past 10 or so. He's growing like a weed. I look up to him - really I do - he is at least 6 inches taller than me. I remember reading once, that teenagers require as much sleep as an infant....and I think it must be true. I'm going to miss our lazy summer mornings when they're gone. I know all to soon they will be replaced with our hectic school mornings. Until then, I'm going to enjoy every last minute of our summer, regardless of the time of day.

One day soon...

Yep, one day soon....I'm gonna learn how post a picture. Really!?! Well, that's what I keep telling myself. I say the same thing to each of my kids. "One day soon, you'll be big enough to blah blah blah" or "one day soon, we will blah blah blah". I wonder what they think when I say that? I'm sure "their" one day is MUCH sooner than "my" one day. For example....when they ask when can we go hiking down by the creek and my response is.....one day soon! They think "soon" is today or at the latest tomorrow....my one day soon is ummmm....well maybe next week at the earliest. It's exciting when I think about their BIG "one day soons". Like, one day....I know they will ALL be in school. One day they will score their first goal (I never did, but I have high hopes for them), they will graduate from high school and college, get a job, travel the world, meet their future spouse, and marry their true love. I would love to stop there. But, I also know....that one day they will fall and get hurt (we know this all too well....this ain't my first rodeo - we've had our fair share of falls....remember we are in chapter 2?), struggle in math, get sick, and experience a broken heart. One day, they will move out and I will no longer have jurisdiction (for lack of a better word) over their rooms and won't be able to check on them when they are sleeping. The day may come when they realize their parents are human and feel disappointment in something I have done or not done.....I hope not! I pray in advance for those times.....for protection over my most precious ones. I pray, my children would turn to their Heavenly Father for comfort and guidance. I want to be there for all those days....exciting or not. I probably won't get around to posting those pictures today or tomorrow....but one thing I do know for sure....today, we're going to the creek!

Chapter II

Chapter 2.... Why start here? Why start now? I'm late to the blogging scene. There is one main reason for this delay. I'm not computer savvy. That's it....that's my BIG hang-up. Sadly, it's taken a better part of my morning just to get this far....BEAR WITH ME! Because of my tardiness to the blogging game, I feel like I've missed sharing a whole lifetime of my experiences. Wonderful memories of how I met my hubby and then the births of each of our precious children. For the most part, I feel as if my life began when I became Mrs. Powell and then my dream of becoming a mom came true. If I had started my blog then, when my "Powell" life began....I would have started at CHAPTER I.
But, here I am....well into life.....but just starting to blog....jotting down memories of "Living the Powell Life".