My Stallion Scholars

On Monday my Little Man got to go downstairs to the cafeteria where the chef baked up some yummy cinnamon rolls for all the Stallion Scholars.  Ra enjoyed them so much he gorged himself on FOUR!  Can you tell he's gluten deprived!  lol!  If you click on this link HERE and then click to view the middle school Honor Roll, you'll find Ra's name on the A Honor Roll.

Not to be outdone, K came home with her first ever (k & 1st grades weren't eligible for it) A Honor Roll certificate.  She was so excited to show me and to have me hang it up with all of Ra's from Lower School!

I know I'm bragging on my kids, but that and a breakfast out as a family are the only thing they get in return for their good grades!  I'd much rather give them praise for a job well done, then a toy, present or money for their efforts.  We want our kids to understand the value of hard work and to feel good about themselves as their reward.

The End of the Season

Ra played his last football game as a 6th grader for Providence.  Their season came to an end last night with a loss to University Christian School.  The B team played their A team so the fact that they lost 48-6 wasn't so bad.  7th + 8th graders vs. 6th & 7th graders.  Everyone got to play at least!

Ra did a good job and had a lot of fun this season despite his injured finger all season!  Look for my handsome #37 in the pics below!  He played left cornerback during the game.

Some video from his game - Blogger doesn't allow video to be displayed in HD for some dumb reason so if you enlarge it, it gets rather blurry.  He's the player closest to the near sideline.

He's on the far left in this pic

Same here - far left of the pic

He's had so much fun and has created some new friendships with the guys on the team.  It's great to see him so much more outgoing than he's ever been!  It's been such an incredible experience for him and I'm proud of the way he's handled himself this year!

He's looking forward to playing i9 flag football in January and February to keep up his skills.  I'm also looking into getting him in a crossfit class to keep him in shape during the off season. My boy is growing up - and much too quickly for this momma!

New Floor Routine

Last night at practice, one of Sis' coaches spent some time one-on-one with her to make sure she knew the level 3 floor routine.  Last night the girls got to practice their new routines with music for the very first time.  It was so awesome to watch her.  She's improved so much from last year!

I filmed her routine from the parent observation room, through the window.  The music I attached to the video is the music for her routine but it's not timed correctly with her routine.  It gives you an idea of what it will look like though.  I also cut off the recording too soon because I didn't realize that she was skipping her tumbling pass at the end before her routine was complete!  Opps!

I can't wait to see what this season has in store for Sissy.  Her new gym has really given her the tools to be successful and you can see how much she's grown up and how she performs with more confidence.  

My Little Monkey

The kids had a short and easy week due to parent-teacher conferences last week. Monday was a holiday. Tuesday was their only full day. Wednesday through Thursday were half days.  Ra had football practice till 3 o'clock each afternoon while Kendall got out at 11:30.  It was also Homecoming Week so there were a lot of fun activities going on for both Upper and Lower school.

K had a very long play date with one of her gymnastics buddies and one day she and I went to the park to play. She is a monkey bar nut!  I can't get her off them until her hands hurt or rips start tearing!

She loves coming up with challenges for the bars.  Here's her latest challenge - going backwards! 

We ended this fun week with the school's Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally during the school day and the Homecoming football game against Providence's biggest District rival, Episcopal that night.  It was a great football game.  Thankfully we were able to pull off a HUGE victory!

Proud of My Kids

Saturday was our official celebratory breakfast for the kids 1st quarter grades.  Both kids were able to manage straight A's while both being in sports.  Ra played football this year for the middle school team at school - his last game is tomorrow night.  He's been super busy with practices every night and games on Tuesdays.  On game nights he wouldn't get home till 9pm after being at school by 7:30 in the morning.  Those are long days but somehow he managed!  He's also taking pre-algebra which until now, was a 7th grade course.  There is only one section of pre-algebra in all of the 6th grade and Ra seems to be handling the extra work load (and skipping 6th grade honors math) just fine.

Sis scored a 100% in Bible this quarter and a 99% in spelling!  She earned A's in every subject that you can earn a letter grade.  This is quite a feat while spending 9 1/2 hours Mon-Fri in the gym for practice!  We typically have to start homework on the weekend just to make sure we have enough time but she doesn't complain.  She's been showing great progress with her reading...She's been the exact opposite of Riley.  She doesn't read for pleasure, but reads because it's required.  I'm working closely with her teacher to help build a love for reading.  She just prefers to be more active and not sit still for long.  We've started reading in the car so she can play more at home.  Seems to be working so far!

We rode our bikes to the Metro Diner in Jax Beach for their straight A breakfast.  They were both super excited and love this tradition.  The Metro is our FAVORITE diner in Jax.  There is always a long line to get a seat but it's always worth the wait!

Baking Up A Storm!

It's no secret that I love baking yummy treats for my family.  Ra had been asking for my delicious pumpkin whoopie pies so I decided it was time to satisfy his sweet tooth!  The day before I made 2 crumb top apple pies that he tried to devour before Andy could even get a piece!  I made these to distract him from the pies!

These didn't even last a week in our house!  We also gave some to our friends who love them as much as Ra does!  

Ra started asking about the lemon flavored ones this past weekend.  Won't he be surprised to open the fridge to find this surprise after football practice tonight?!?

He is just like his daddy when it comes to homemade yummy treats.  The way to his heart is definitely through his stomach!  Both my boys were happy last week with lots of choices!

Practice Pays Off

Here she is working on her cast squat on.  This is the skill that she will use before jumping to the high bar.  It's a level 4 skill but she'll most likely compete as a level 3 for this upcoming season.  She's getting to learn a lot of advanced skills so when she does move up, she'll be ready.  She has no fear to stand on the bar and jump off...I'm so proud of the progress she's made!  

Get On The Bus

There is this great idea called The Brew Bus here in Jax.  You can reserve a spot on the bus to take a tour of local micro brews.  There was a Groupon for a Sampler Tour that I purchased for a date night idea.  The idea of the bus is great, but we thought it could have been organized much better.  

We got on the bus at Engine 15 here in Jax Beach.  They started with offering us a sample of their own beer.  Sadly, they started with an IPA which kills your taste buds for trying anything else!  We got these cute sampler glasses to use throughout the night.

After our sample, we got to try a full can of beer from their line.  I had a blueberry wheat which was pretty good.  It is their award winning beer.  Thankfully it wasn't too sweet, but starting with an IPA then to a wheat wasn't the best idea.  We got to sample their other beers as well while on the bus.  

Our first stop was in San Marco at Aardwolf.  Andy and I had been here before and we weren't impressed.  We've tried a number of their beers and neither of us found one we liked.  One of the rooms have these huge fans.  Andy said "Look at that big @$$ fan!"  Funny thing was when I looked up, the name on the fan was "Big Ass Fan!"

Our next stop was at Bold City Brewery in Riverside.  This was our favorite of the night.  Andy loves Duke's Cold Nose Brown Ale and now has fallen in love with their 1901 Red Ale.  I like their Killer Whale Cream Ale and Fritz Hefeweizen.

After we left Bold City, we headed on to Intuition Ale Works which is also in Riverside.  We both found a few beers we liked there.  Andy picked up a tank top for me that has an outline of the state of Florida with the phrase, "Drink Beer From Here" on it.  

We then headed back to Jax Beach via the Bus.  One guy on the bus ended up throwing up about 10 minutes from home.  It was nasty.  That was a negative but not sure how it could have been avoided.  We were also disappointed in that the cost, we only received a sample size of two beers at each brewery and they weren't samples of our choosing but the choosing of the Brew Bus employees.  Any other beers we drank, we paid for at each location.  The other disappointing thing was that we were under the impression that at each place, we'd get a tour and info about each brewery...that never happened.  So basically we paid for a few drinks and a bus ride to and from the other side of town.  We were glad we tried it, but neither of us want to go again.  We got our tickets for half price and that still seems expensive for what we got.  I sure am glad we didn't try it without a Groupon!  At least we didn't have to pay for a sitter!  ;)

First Quarter is in the Books!

I walked K to class yesterday and found her Fabulous Me Poster hanging in the hallway. Here's what it says. 

I love: gymnastics
Someday I will: be a gymnast
I wish: to do gymnastics
I like to: do gymnastics
I am good at: gymnastics
I love: gymnastics
I want to: do gymnastics
I love to doodle: animals

Not surprised, are you? Me neither! Gymnastics must be too hard to doodle!

She also had a writing piece on what she thinks Heaven is like that was hanging in the hallway.  She had so many good details in her piece.  I was so thrilled that she knows what to look forward to someday!  

Her Parent/Teacher conference this week went well.  It was exciting for me to see how well she's doing.  Her teacher said K is always raising her hand to answer questions - one of her top 5 students she knows will have her hand up!  That's never been like her before!  She loves her teacher this year - probably more than any teacher in the past.  It's evident by her performance in the classroom so far!   Looks like a breakfast celebration is going to be in order!  She's been able to maintain all A's even with spending 9 1/2 hours a week in the gym at practice!  I'm so proud of her!

Cooler Weather Is Here!

Sunday was finally cool enough to enjoy a fire in our fire pit.  The kids got the wood out of the box to make sure it was dry enough to burn after we got home from church.  We started the fire around dinner time and roasted hotdogs for dinner on the fire.

Everyone loves roasted hotdogs on the open flame.

Of course we had to have a few s'mores, mountain pies and roasted apples on the fire for dessert.  

It was such a peaceful and relaxing way to end our weekend.  Andy spent a good bit of the day at the office trying to catch up on work from being gone all last week and traveling again this week.  It was a great way for him to unwind before getting back into the grind again.

Lessons Learned

We were out running some errands this weekend and I needed to pick up a Starbucks gift card for a present.  The kids begged me for a vanilla bean frappe.  We looked at the prices.  For 1 small, it would cost $3.25.  For 1 large, it would cost $4.45.  I told them I would buy a large for them to share or none at all.  You can see they decided to get along and share the large.  Win-win for mom!

Nittany Lion Fans

Every Saturday Jerry's Grille hosts the Jax PSU alum & friends chapter to watch the football games during the season.  We have been going since we lived here the first time.  The owner of Jerry's is from Pennsylvania.  She also hosts Eagles fans for games on Sundays.  One of these weekends, Ra and I will go to watch a game together!  It's a great place to eat, drink and cheer on the Nittany Lions with lots of shouts of "We Are!" throughout the bar!  It's also very family friendly so it's great that we can take the kids with us.  They have the BEST nachos in town!  I look forward to them every weekend!

Party Season...

And the partying continues!  Aila is on team with Sis and had her birthday party at the gym Friday night after practice with all of her teammates helping her celebrate.  The girls had so much fun playing in the gym. They played hide and seek in the dark, sharks and lifeguards, got to have fun on the tumble track, etc.  I am so happy with our switch to Beaches Gymnastics.  Her teammates are so sweet and she has sit in so well there!  I'm excited to see what this season brings!

My Little Bookworm

Sissy isn't interested in reading...She hasn't been.  She will do extra math for fun, but won't read for fun.  I finally found some books about gymnastics.  She was reading non-stop for 2 days.  She would read in the car to and from school, at dinner and breakfast, etc.  I got some more from the library and have a few more on hold for her too.  Whatever it takes to get her to read!  Her teacher and I have a goal to foster a love for reading in my baby girl.  So far, we are off to a good start!

Stallion Football

Last Tuesday was possibly the last football game that Ra will play for the season.  There is a chance they will reschedule a B Team game against UC, but we haven't heard yet.  We decided to give Ra's coaches permission to let him play in the game on Tuesday against St. John's Country Day in Clay County.  He didn't play much, which was fine because he is still in a splint and healing from his torn tendon - Doc said he shouldn't be playing but...well...Here he is in action.

In this clip, he's the ball carrier.

In this clip, he's the wideout on the near side of the field.

They suffered a difficult loss to SJCD 25-6.  They had a great first play of the game that resulted in a touch down, but that was about it.  They are struggling with tackling this season.  The B Team is all 6th graders with half the 7th graders.  The other half of the 7th graders are on the A Team.  Ra has had a wonderful time this season.  I've been pleased with the way he's grown so far this year.  He's even more confident and more social than I've ever seen him before.