Summer's over...fall has begun.  I just got back from a Girl's Night Out, and one of my friends was maybe going to go home and update her blog.  I decided that I would like to do that, too!  I don't usually go to GNO.  I would rather go out with Scott or be with our family, or do just plain do what needs to be done.  But, this was a group of ladies I was excited to spend time with.  It was a small group, and oh, so refreshing! I love it when someone has an opinion and shares it.  I love to learn what someone else thinks.  Scott took Connor on his Scout Campout, and Quinn was willing to stay with Tanner and Allison.  So, I sneaked out to my friend's home after Quinn's baseball game.  I was a little shy about going, but I'm glad I did!  We laughed, talked, snacked and played a couple games.  

Summer highlights were Quinn's High Adventure canoeing in Canada for lots of days, Connor going to scout camp, Tanner playing in All Stars, Allison's competition in San Antonio (with Tanner and me) and some cousin time.  I did an exercise class with friends at Martin and walked tons with Oki.  I don't have much to show for it, but it was good then ;)

This school year, I'm team teaching seminary with Jacque Morgan.  We have a combined class of 9-12, with about 21 students (maybe 14 on any given day).  Jacque is heaven-sent.  I LOVE working with her.  She is so kind and generous (to me and to the youth).  Seminary is still a huge challenge in my life, but it is much sweeter working with Jacque now.  

I plan to volunteer in the school library on Mondays this year, starting next Monday.  After teaching seminary, I sometimes imagine I'd like to go back to school and become a school librarian.  And sometimes, I don't imagine going back to school just yet or even at all.  But, it's fun to be dreamy.  This summer, Connor and I did some book shelving at the public library for him to earn scout service hours.  Love the library!  No, I really love the library and children's literature.  

I also love fall baseball.  I love the excuse it gives me to get out of the house with the children in the cooler weather.  I enjoy watching them play, whether they are playing ball on the field in the game, or whether they are playing in the grass on the side of the fields.  And sometimes Scott and I will both be at a game at the same time, and that's a treat, too!

I don't have any fancy clincher line to end this post with.  I'll end with the beginning:  "Summer's over...fall has begun."   

19 Years

Scott and I celebrated our 19th anniversary this summer.  Because he doesn't usually bring me flowers, he truly surprised me with flowers for our anniversary!  Sometimes it seems just like yesterday that we were married, but then, you look at the next picture and it definitely wasn't yesterday that we got married!  It's been an amazing journey to have children and experience life together.  

The second picture is from the summer (from the date it looks like it was the day before our anniversary)....Allison had a "Fancy Nancy" fetish over the summer.  While Scott and I were gone for a little while Sunday evening, she made up a whole "plain, fancy" presentation.  

Happy Anniversary!

A Hot Hundred

A couple things are great about this picture (actually 3).  This reminds me that he and my brother, Edd, rode a 100 mile bike ride at the tail end of the summer.  Edd and Scott got up at like 2:30 in the morning and drove to Wichita Falls, biked 100+ miles and then drove home.  I think Anne and I might have had more fun here with the kids sewing and going on a picnic!  So, that's my first thing this picture reminds me of.  

The next reminder is that Scott got a new-to-him car.  We decided to let Quinn drive the old Camry, and he'd get something newer.  After looking at Accords, Altimas, etc., he found a VW Passat in Dallas.  It's a zippy little thing that Quinn and I take to seminary many mornings!

The last thing this picture reminds me of, is just how much I like that guy!  He will listen to me till the cows come home, and will usually tell me I'm right.  He makes breakfast on many Saturdays.  He consistently thanks me for dinner and always helps with clean up (and reminding the kids to do their kitchen jobs).  Scott helps me with seminary in any and every way possible.  He motivates me without pushing me.  He is kind and helpful.  And, he's a hard worker.  He means the world to me and is an amazing husband and father.  Lucky us!

Tanner's Talent

Tanner played the piano for some of the songs in the primary program!  We're grateful to his piano teacher (the primary pianist) for letting him shine.  He was also asked to play at a baptism of a friend, and he practiced diligently to learn 2 new songs.  He will play easy arrangements of Jim Brickman for me, and he'll play Star Wars for himself!  He plays even when he shouldn't play, like when he should be doing his jobs ;)  

Tanner is playing for the Padres this fall.  He is liking it just fine.  He is in the 6th grade--top of the school.  Very cool.  Very cool.  He doesn't even walk home with Allison and me many days.  He is playing violin still and has inherited Quinn's violin (Quinn isn't playing in the orchestra at the school anymore).  Tanner will be 12 in December.  The time is going by too quickly.  I don't want my littlest billy goat gruff to grow up too soon (but I do love watching him grow and learn).  

She's NINE and still a girl!

Allison is NINE and still a girl....when she was born, I asked Scott if she was still a girl.  The ultrasound said she was, but I wasn't totally going to believe it until she was here.  Scott verified that she was indeed still a girl, and I melted!  

Allison went to school on her birthday...the 10th.  She had a party on the Columbus Day off school that Monday before.  She had two friends over.  They played outside, went to Chick-Fil-A and decorated cupcakes.  Allison is into the "Friends" lego sets and put together her new sets on Monday.  She would still like some gymnastics mats someday.  Allison is enjoying 3rd grade.  She loves the time she's spent recently with her cousins, too!

Fourteen

Connor turned 14 on October 5.  He had to go to school on his birthday, but at least it was a Friday.  We celebrated by taking him to get a "fancy" calculator (he paid for half with his lawn mowing money) he can use at school and for UIL math.  We also went to Yumilicious.....he liked adding gummies and such to his frozen yogurt.  He is also doing UIL science and so he stays after school both Thursday and Friday each week to practice.  You see, it all started when he didn't sign up to do Junior National Honor Society....and I was not sure how happy I was about that...so his peace offering was to do UIL contests.  Wow!  Quite the peace offering, my boy!  It reminds me of a time when he was little and said that he ate his raisins I packed in his lunch--just for me!

He played YMCA baseball this summer, in hopes that it would "warm him back up" to play baseball in the Little League this fall.  It didn't turn out that way, but it's all good.   He will run here and there to keep in shape so when cross country comes around at school, he'll run with that.  He is taking regular p.e. at school this year instead of athletics, and he is loving it!  He has a friend who is in every single class with him this year.  He plays in the Symphonic Orchestra and has before school rehearsals sometimes.  He is on a campout with Scott tonight.  Although he's 14 and technically doesn't need to go on the campouts anymore, he's just kinda nice to his dad like that.  

Sweet Sixteen

Quinn turned 16 on July 16th.  It was his idea to take his driving test ON his birthday.  He passed and drove off with all my boys that afternoon.  I have had to come to terms that he may never come back when he leaves (I know, I maybe think too much about some things), but that is a risk I guess I have to take to let him go and have experiences.  JUST COME BACK!  And, so far, he has come back every time he has left.  He has even taken girls out, and come back.  And he takes or picks up a brother or sister, and comes back.  It is actually exciting having him driving now.  And I LOVE him coming home at lunch during the school year.  And I LOVE not having to pick him up at the end of the school day.  And I think he LOVES it, too!  

Quinn is taking another engineering class this year.  He is in a weight lifting class and enjoying it.  He is a good sport about me being his seminary teacher, yet again.  Quinn is playing on the Astros this fall.  He is still in the lawn business.  Quinn is growing his hair out (longer than a buzz, but shorter than the shaggy look) because of Eldon's bribe of some Swagger (and Eldon telling him something about the girls liking longer hair ;).  

It's springtime, 2102.  It has been a beautiful spring this year with butterflies galore!  During my runs (you know, jogging, not bathroom problems) I have collected some of the butterflies and brought them home for the kids to see.  Really, they have just been everywhere!!  They seem like little tiny happiness reminders.  Now, the little happiness reminders have gone home with Sophie for further enjoyment. 

I know it's been a long time since I've written.  I want to blog.  I just don't want to take the time to blog.  But, I want a place to put the things we're doing and what I'm thinking, and to stay in touch with family, and to keep for our own family history.  It can sometimes feel overwhelming.  But, as I read other blogs, I think that it's such a wonderful place to see pictures and read words with feelings that will be a treasure for years to come.  

I don't need to catch up on the world, but Allison was baptized last October....we took a last minute family vacation to California to play with Greenwood cousins over Christmas....Quinn broke his arm at wrestling practice....Tanner was in the paper for writing a paper....Connor has played football and run cross-country and track this year. 

I am trying desperately to finish up this second year of seminary.  I haven't missed a day of teaching yet.  (I have missed some inservices, but not a day of teaching).  And no, I don't feel like I need to keep it up for the next 2 years, however, I also won't throw away my attendance record for just anything.  

Scott is getting things ready for Scout camp.  We got to sneak off, thanks to Stephanie and a friend, to Dallan and Carrie's wedding in Seattle.  Loved the market and the laughs!  Scott would just like to go on a bike ride, but seems to be filling his time up instead with teaching Connor how to home teach (trimming shrubs), playing catch with Quinn, going to Tanner's ballgames and trying to figure out how to get on Allison's good side.....  

Allison was baptized in the dress my mom made for my sister, Paula.  Allison's cousin, Zoey, was also baptized in the same dress.  Grandma Prince made the dress for her to wear afterwards.
Sweet, white memories!

I didn't even answer the phone when the school tried to call and tell me what had happened....I'm thinking thoughts like:  "who is this call from Lemoine??  he keeps calling me!! I am trying to get ready to get the kids from the elementary school!!  why won't he just leave me a message??"  BECAUSE YOUR SON BROKE HIS ARM AND IS GOING TO  THE HOSPITAL IN AN AMBULANCE!  That's why we keep calling you, and why I am not leaving you a message!

http://www.arlingtontx.gov/animals/pdf/animalessays/2012/Tanner_Greenwood.pdf

That link, my friends, should take you to Tanner's animal essay contest that won him 3rd place in the 5th grade entries in Arlington.

http://myarlingtontx.com/2012/03/08/2012-animal-essay-contest-winners/

This link shows Tanner getting a second with Mayor Cluck.  He is about 1:25 in the clip.

https://picasaweb.google.com/102592117960894692099/AnimalEssayContest2012VisitingSchools#slideshow/5709798623116972962

This will hopefully take you to the picture of when Scott and I got to go to the school to surprise Tanner!  He didn't want to enter this essay contest when I showed it to him at the library.  But, thanks to his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Doskocil, who encouraged the students to enter, he did!  BTW, Mrs. Doskocil is retiring this year.  I am saddish because she taught all 3 boys, and I would've liked Allison to have had her.  It is becoming extremely challenging to have any creativity and fun in the classroom because of state mandated testing, so she has prayed and decided it was time to leave teaching.  We love our teachers!

 Connor is on the top ladder at the top.  How cool is that to climb on, on your campout with the scouts and your dad?!  I tried to get a picture of Connor at a track meet, but I haven't been able to get one on.  (That is one reason why it drives me nuts to blog....I can't figure it all out and it takes a long time).