Weekly Run Down...

just in case anyone out there is wondering. My life is officially in FAST forward. Whether or not I'm ready for the school year to begin, it's chucking right along, rather quickly I might add. I think that's the thing I don't like about the kids going BACK to school. It makes the year go soooo FAST! It's already September, and Matt informed me last night that progress reports go out soon. Eeek. SO, how is OUR life progressing...well let me tell ya...beginning with last Friday. Karson, as you know, is playing on the Sassy Spikers. Our coach organized a scrimmage with another team from our area--let the competition begin. Volleyball, at this age, is NOTHING like basketball or softball where NO score is kept. Volleyball scores must be kept in order to determine a winner. Teams play the best 2 out of 3. I had no idea what to expect considering volleyball is new to us, but I can recognize pure talent when I see it. Karson has some "players" on her team. We have two girls who can overhand serve and practically ace it every time. This has to be ab-normal at this level of play. And, some of the girls on our team have siblings that play for SWHS Middle/High school. Our girls KNOW the sport. I felt sorry for the other team we scrimmaged. We didn't cream them by any means but did win all three of our matches. Go PLANO!

The girls had their first official game on Tuesday and won two games in a row. We're good! And the most important thing is Karson really enjoys it.

Saturday, we spent the day at Nolin with family. There is no shortage on boats at our place. I think everyone in our family has one. My cousin Lori and her husband Craig took the kids out tubing in their boat.

No boating adventure at the lake is complete without a trip to the candy dock.

We couldn't get Isaac in a tube. He was completely content eating snacks and basking in the sun. Can't say that I blame him! I was never big on water sports myself.

Evan and Isaac...two crazy peas in a pod!

It was a special day. We laid my Papaw Pogue to rest in the lake, his favorite place. The sunset was so pretty I had to take a picture. God shows up at the right moments in life. Matt read the 23rd Psalm and had a prayer. My cousin Brent spread his ashes on the water close to our cove. It was such a nice tribute, and I can't imagine a more appropriate burial for Papaw.

CAPTAIN Miles and his side kick Pops.

We took the kids to Dog Creek afterwards. They had been begging to go to the beach all day.

Sunday is always busy as usual. Thankfully it was a 3-day weekend. I spent Sunday afternoon cooking--for Labor Day. I was looking forward to a relaxing Monday. We planned to go to Paul and Shannon's Monday afternoon for a Labor Day get together.

Mmmm...Chocolate Scratch Cake.

I wanted to make a run to Hobby Lobby Monday morning. Karson and I were on a mission for some glitter paper. Since Matt was playing golf, the boys had to tag along. We decided to pick up some other goodies while we were there. The morning was rainy and gloomy, but at our house, it was CHEERY and messy as we painted.

Our finished products which will most likely end up in the trash at some point next week. I mean REALLY what do you do with stuff like this? It's temporary fun and helps them be creative, but other than that, it's trash-bound. We spent the afternoon having some good ol' fashioned fun at the Mags.

I'm not sure at what point I put out all my Halloween decorations. I was up in the attic going through clothes since it's cooled down so much and decided I might as well get all that decor down. As fast as my life is moving these days, Halloween is tomorrow.

This white ghost came down with my Halloween loot, and Miles has played with it like he plays with his army guys or power rangers. It has instantly become one of his favorite toys. Since the arms and legs are held on by screws, I am constantly trying to repair it for him. I guess I should be glad he didn't choose the glass ones to play with.

I picked up a dreadful Monster High outfit this week. Karson wanted to be a werewolf for Halloween a few weeks ago but has decided to go this route instead. Ick. Will these creepy people go away already! I managed to find some dress up clothes and a wig that didn't seem TOO mature.

Isaac has decided that he wants to be a zombie. The BIG orange tent is up which means a weekly trip to Halloween Express (aka free time for Mom). Isaac has found a bloody limb that he wants there which translates into being a zombie. However, when I show him pictures of what zombies look like, he's not at ALL interested in dressing up. He simply wants the bloody limb. SO, I may have a kid dressed in street clothes flashing a bloody limb for Halloween. WHATEVER, right!

Speaking of October, which is a BIG month for us, Karson and I have been planning her birthday party (thus the trip to Hobby Lobby on Monday).

Her birthday falls on a Saturday this year so I told her we could have an actual party this year. We celebrate her birthday every year but haven't had a FULL blown birthday party with lots of friends since she was 5 years old. We talked about Spa Fabulous but decided we could probably pull off our OWN spa party. My mom has offered to host it, and I've talked to my sister, Lisa G. and MacKenzie, my group of posh ladies to help in assisting with it. We're going to do chocolate facials, feather hair extensions, and manicures/pedicures with crackle polish. Lisa is going to bring her chocolate fountain, and I found some cute, colorful champagne glasses for punch. Aren't her invitations the cutest! She was ready to send them out this week, but I convinced her we needed to wait. Her birthday is over a month away, but she is SO excited. Okay, I KNOW I am planning WAY ahead people, but like I said, my life is in fast forward and showing no signs of slowing down.

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AND I also have to plan a 5th birthday for Miles. His won't be quite as elaborate and will have to involve golf. He loves GOLF. I had to dig up my $30/ea. soft touch holly bushes this week. Thanks Alvaton nursery for selling me FOUR that managed to DIE this summer. Miles has been using his putter and golfing off our front porch into the giant holes. Golf is his passion. Matt usually takes him to Otte once a week (they went yesterday) for some "golfing with holes" as Miles refers to it. I wish Otte had a party room. I would SO prefer that to Southern Lanes which is a bowling alley with a mini-golf course in the back. Ugh.

Photo Of the WEEK. I like how Miles is using his underwear as a cell phone clip along with his glock, glock guns. He's all gangster. His favorite song right now is "This is Why I'm Hot" by Nims (edited version of course). We have to listen to it mutiple times in the car rider line. If you hear thumping around 3:00-3:30, it's me and my thug.

Karson came home incredibly excited on Wednesday. She had been selected to represent her 3rd grade class as part of the Royal Coronation court for the Fall Festival activities. Two students (boy and girl) are selected from each class as a representative. The kids vote for their favorites during the week of Fall Fest and then at the actual event. I had to email the coordinator two pictures of Karson--a baby picture and a current picture. Here is what I selected:

There will be a slide show at Fall Fest, and the winners will be crowned. I know she has high hopes of being selected, and like Maid Marian, it's a long shot but what an honor to be selected. Very cool!

Here is the box she took to school today. VOTE FOR KARSON!

Last night we headed over to SWHS for the girls volleyball game. I am totally into volleyball right now, and the game was amazing to watch. SWHS didn't pull out a win, but they looked great. We spent the remainder of the evening terrorizing Matt's classroom. I always loved going to my mom's classroom as a kid, but she didn't have all the gadgets that teachers have now--LIKE Active Boards and ginormous iMacs. The kids LOVE his classroom--we're so proud of him!!!

Today was Grandparents Day at Plano. I usually don't attend but heard it was better than ever this year. Miles will have his program on Monday. I decided to call my grandparents today to chat. It's been a while since I've talked to them. I wish they lived here so I could see them all the time =(. At least I'll get to be with Uncle Mike in a few short weeks at the BEACH.

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I've noticed our turtle hasn't been herself this week. She's looking kind of lethargic. A lethargic turtle, Tiff, how do you know? Well, let me tell ya, she isn't moving as much and hasn't been eating. Mind you, we keep her outside in a $6 tank I found at Grandma's Attic. I change her water a few times a week, and she has a basking rock. However since the temperature has dropped so much this week, her tank has been cold and no sun = no basking. This morning I decided to google: turtles in the winter. I read that their feeding habits slow down and that they hibernate deep in the pond mud for a couple of months for warmth. It got me thinking...maybe it's time to let Green Jill go??? Karson absolutely ADORES the turtle. She gets it out daily to play with it, feeds it, makes sure I change the tank water, a faithful companion. I tried to break the news to her this morning that maybe it was time to let her go. I explained that she was probably cold in her tank and needed to hibernate, laying it on thick and trying to convince my daughter we could find another one next spring. The next thing I know, the kitchen sink is on and I hear sniffling. She's filling up a cup with hot water to put in the tank and trying to hold it together. I call for her and tell her not to be sad and that I will figure something out.

After I dropped Miles off at EEP this morning, I headed over to Petco and pleaded my case to a sympathetic and HELPful employee. I managed to escape spending TONS of money, but let's just say I spent WAY more than I planned to on the free turtle I found months back on the side of the road. I can't help but think of the song by The Fray called "How to Save a Life". We saved a turtles life today (and probably an 8 year old girls).

AND that my friends is one WEEK in our house.