The last day of cheer

Today was the championship football game.  Our last day of cheer for the season.  It's kind of funny, but I think I might end up missing cheer more than Anna.  I've had a good time with it.  

I think what Anna has enjoyed the most about cheer is half time.

Half time is snack time, shade time (it's been a very hot season), rest time....all those good things.    And today they got a special treat!  A megaphone!

Last week when we went to the high school football game, during half time she turned and asked me where the football team was.  So, I told her it was half time.  She looked back at the field and said "oh...they're having their snack."  Haha!  

I not so secretly hope Anna wants to do cheer again next year, which is such a departure from the dread I felt that day that she came home from school with the flier telling us that she wanted to do this.  

Peace out cheer bucket, pom-poms, hair bows, cheer shoes, bloomers, hair spray...   :(

A Meredith Post!

This week Meredith had her first Halloween parade at school.  I should have known better than to sit where she could see me...  

She sat in my lap for most of it.  It's good to know she loves me.  :)

Her teachers stood her up and it looked like she might go back in the line with her class for the second lap, but as you can see here she'd already let go of her handle on the line...she came right back to my lap.  Haha!  It was pretty cute.  When the kids would pass by from all the classes they'd comment on her costume.  And she had a good time waving at them all.

Later that evening when I got home Meredith had managed to get into not only Anna's make-up (which is just my old make-up), but she also had spent some time with a sharpie....  

She was going for a goth look.

It doesn't seem to matter where I hide it, she finds that sharpie almost every day.  She's taken to writing on herself with it quite a bit lately.  It actually washes off her skin much more easily than I'd figured it would.  

Homegirl is a hot mess.  :)

Busy Saturdays....

I haven't posted in a while.  I haven't taken pictures in a while...  Things have been busy around here!  The kids activity schedule is a bit much this fall.  I'm sure many parents have made the mistake of overextending themselves and their kids right?  People warn you about it, but you figure you can handle it.  Well...let me tell you...Three activities in one season is TOO much!  Anna is in cheer, soccer, and swim, and Wallace is in soccer and swim.  We have practices Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, and overlapping games on Saturdays.  It's horrible.  What a mistake.  Anna has literally started asking me "Mom...when is our day off?"  :(  

As a rule I pretty much hate soccer.  I didn't play it as a kid, I can't get into on TV, and I have no motivation to go outside and play it with the kids.  On Wednesdays when we have soccer practice, Anna and Wallace are practicing with two different teams at the same time in the same general location, but just far enough apart that I can't really be a part of either practice and watch Meredith even with Josh's help.  We managed to loose Meredith one day at practice for a solid minute, so every since then she pretty much takes priority.  I usually have no idea how good or bad Anna and Wallace are doing.  

Today's schedule for Anna had us at cheer at 9:00am in Fredericksburg, and then back home for soccer by 10:50.  We had to leave cheer early and literally rolled into soccer just in time for the team photos which were being taken right before the game.  When I found out we had cheer in Fredericksburg at the beginning of the season, I had plans to stop by my favorite vineyard and pick up some wine when we finished up.  Stupid soccer ruining my plans.... 

I'm loving their new sweat shirts! 

Meredith at the football games...  She steals other kids' toys.  "/

"I love you Spider Man...I know you belong to that little boy, but please be mine..."  

Like I said...we got to soccer just in time for team photos...Anna changed as I drove down the road.  She ended up making herself car sick. 

And yes, I was that parent behind the photographer with my fancy camera taking the same photo, well..a similar photo.  I'm sure that irritates the crap out of these poor guys.  Whatever, he wanted $15 for a digital version of this pic.  Highway robbery!

I LOVE this picture of them!

On a side note...I love Anna's coach.  She isn't serious at all, which is just perfect for us.  If Meredith runs through practice and steals people's soccer balls, she doesn't even bat an eye at it.  In fact she tells me Meredith can keep on doing it.  For this being Anna's first year, I think if she had anyone slightly competitive it just wouldn't have worked out.

Wallace's game started about 45 minutes before Anna's, so I missed his team photos, but I did get to catch a little of his game.  I don't really get to watch him much because I'm usually travelling with Anna on Saturdays for cheer.  

Not sure where he picked up that scratch on his cheek...

So, Wallace isn't so great at soccer...  He really likes to tangle himself up in the net though!

must be a sensory thing...

He played for me for a bit.  His team was WINNING today.  We don't keep score, but it was like 83-2.  

Wallace's bear crawl/run is really impressive.  We have a couple of ringers on our team, so he can get away with stuff like this.  :)

After his game finished up we walked over to watch Anna play.

Oh my gosh...I'm sooooo car sick."

So, Anna's non-competitive nature extends to soccer.  I'm pretty sure the only sport I've seen her get competitive with is swim.  And they don't really compete yet, but she's figured out that she's the fastest one in her class, so she doesn't really let the other kids beat her across the pool if she can help it.  It makes me so proud!  :)

So, after that busy morning, all I wanted to do was sit on my butt and watch some football.  And that's pretty much what I've done.  :)  Multiple sports = bad idea!!!!

Cheer!

It took me a little while to come to terms with the fact that Anna asked to do cheer this fall.  She came home with a flier at the end of the school year last year, and it was the first thing she'd ever decided on her own that she wanted to sign up for.  Since I have no personal experience with cheer...I was a bit nervous.  Nervous for her...nervous for me...just nervous.  

Well, there was no need to be nervous.  The other mom's are super nice and welcoming, her coach is very sweet and thoughtful, and Anna's loved the whole experience.  I'd say the most difficult things about cheer are the sheer number of cheers they are supposed to know (I think we're up to 17!) and how far we have to travel for the football games.  I guess there just aren't as many boys signing up for full contact football as there are for other sports.  So, we literally travel all over the hill country for their games.  "/  I've been really surprised at how Anna's managed to get the cheers down (she's better with the words than all the movements).  She'd love it even more if it would cool off already.  She's not the only one.  A few of these girls get pissy when it's hot.  I do too...  I was just sitting there watching today, and I was sweating.

On an exciting note, I've got a new sport to photograph!  And the best thing about cheer is that the girls are all dolled up and cute!  The lighting has been a bit mixed and difficult so far.  I'm really praying that we have a nice cloudy game before the season is over.

We take this shizz seriously in Texas.  ;)  Notice the cheer Dad's that had to hold up the sign.  Haha!  That cracks me up for some reason.

I'm pretty sure our girls have the cutest uniforms of all the other squads I've seen so far.  :)  On the topic of uniforms...I had no idea how detailed the process of sizing them is...  Even for little girls.  We had 3 fittings!

Our team won today!  I catch myself just watching Anna for most of the games if I don't have the littles with me, but the boys did so well today that they managed to drag my attention away from the girls here and there.  

So, yay! for cheer and new experiences.  :)  

First Day of School!

Wallace and Anna go to the same school now, so they get to start school on the same day!  Yay for sibling pics again!

It was a bit windy...

Wallace...what the heck dude...

Meredith starts school next week, and she might just get to start with this nice shiner she picked up while we were visiting Jimmy and Sara over the weekend.  None of us have a clue as to how it happened.  "/  She didn't cry or anything.  

It's more obvious in the shot where I used the flash...Poor girl.

Haha!  I was trying to get her to smile by doing this...  It backfired...