August 26th, Friday Night Lights

Friday night was the varsity game against Spring Valley. It was mine and Jerome's first taste of a Friday night high school football game since we graduated seventeen years ago. Now we are here as parents, cheering on our hometown football team and anticipating Spencer playing varsity soon.



Spencer had fun hanging out with all of his buddies from the freshman team and running around like we used to do when we were in high school.



My friend and neighbor April has a daughter, Autumn, that is on the dance team for the band. It has been great for both of us, having a kid in football and band, and having a schedule close enough to where we can take turns on drop off or pick up from all of the endless practices.











The varsity team played a good game, but in the end we lost.

~Amber Hope
What Matters Most To Me

August 25, Yes, I'm one of those moms.....

........who lets their kid at some point in his life start taking on responsibility of his own.

Responsibility as in, knowing what color football jersey to wear and when.

Yes, I think he got this one wrong. He was the only freshman on the field wearing a white jersey for "Meet the Knights Night".

And even though he stuck out like a sore thumb.....he wore it with pride.

~Amber Hope
What Matters Most To Me

August 15th, football practice & media day

Spencer started high school. A freshman. It is hard to believe just a few more years and he will be graduating. He is already talking about what he wants to do after he graduates school. He mentioned being a sports medicine doctor, he loves history and threw around the idea of being a history teacher but after a few days of JROTC he is now talking about joining the Air Force.

I am amazed every day how quickly he is growing up. How tall he is and how proud I am of the man he is becoming.

I didn't get any early morning before the sun comes up pictures this year of him for the first day of school. But I definitely took my camera to his football practice and media day. Jerome took off work early to be there for media day, even though it wasn't at all what we expected (to much Friday Night Lights I guess), but we enjoyed it anyway.

I can't wait for the football games to start, the cold chill in the air, the sound of the announcer and players on the field, the crowd.....everything about the football games he is in I love.

He told me the other day he wasn't going to play next year because he dad won't be here to see him play.....I reminded him that I enjoy watching him play. "Yes, but you don't understand football like dad does", he said to me and laughed. "It doesn't matter how much I understand....I understand it enough to know when to cheer for my son out on the football field", I told him.



Jerome was yelling, "Run freshman run!" in his best Forest Gump voice to Spencer here, we were all laughing. Natalie actually took this shot and the two that follow. I LOVE this picture of the two of them. Jerome is so proud to watch him play and Spencer loves the football bond they share between them.





I love that Natalie took those pictures.

Spencer had to take an X-Large football helmet. I won't say what they call the yellow things that go on them at practice....but they couldn't get Spencer's on his helmet.

He practiced hard that day. I was surprised, because he had had very little sleep the night before, went to school all day and then practice right after. It didn't take him long to fall asleep once we were home that evening though.



Bear Crawls.

Running.


Water Break.


End of practice and time to head home, fill out a million papers, dinner and get ready for the next day of school.
Our life stays so busy during this time of year, so busy sometimes I feel like I'll go crazy with all the running around. But watching Spencer out on the field playing the game he loves.....it is all worth it.




~Amber Hope
What Matters Most To Me

August 15th, First Day of School

The first day of school.

Natalie is in 5th grade this year.

Katie is in 4th grade.

They spent a lot more time getting ready this year for the first day of school. Natalie excitedly put on her make up. While Katie put on her clothes she had meticulously picked out a week before school even started.

Natalie picked out a backpack on looks, Katie picked out a backpack on size. She went through three backpacks last year. I continually reminded her that she didn't need to bring everything home, but she insisted. She picked out one this year that she was sure to be able to carry her school supplies to and from school every day that wouldn't tear up. And even though she rarely pulls all the stuff out that she carries home and to school everyday, she is a happy camper knowing it is tucked away neatly in her backpack.

I'm glad I was able to get one of them smiling together that morning. Because that afternoon, when the bus ran I could hear them arguing with each other all the way home.

I closed the door and sucked in that last few minutes of quiet for that day. They came stomping up the steps arguing.
Natalie burst in the door saying, "Mom! Katie is ruining my 5th grade year already!"
"No I'm NOT!", Katie screamed. Then I calmly asked Natalie what happened that she is so upset about.
"Well, she insisted on sitting in the back of the bus! Only 5th graders are supposed to be sitting in the back of the bus.I've waited my WHOLE life to get to sit on the back of the bus! And now this year I'm in 5th grade and Katie is not and she sat in the back of the bus and when all of us 5th graders told her to move she wouldn't and she was yelling and told us that she could sit anywhere she wanted to!", Natalie wailed.
Katie very matter of factly replied, "Well, I asked Mr. AlJo if I could sit in the back and he said that I could, so I did."
"But YOU AREN'T SUPPOSE TO KATIE!", Natalie screamed.
Obviously, there is an unwritten rule that only 5th graders are allowed to sit in the back of the bus. All the kids from school know it and have always gone by the unwritten rule.

So after calming both of the girls down and insisting they QUIT yelling at each other. I sat down with Katie and explained to her that even though she could sit in the back because Mr. AlJo said she could, it doesn't mean that she should. I reminded her that she will be a 5th grader next year and will want to have that privileged feeling of being able to sit back that with the 5th graders only, and that she wouldn't want some 1st grader back there because it was her turn be be that 5th grader who gets to sit in the back of the bus. She sadly agreed and also agreed to not sit in the back and that she would wait her turn.

Thirty minutes later they were outside jumping on the trampoline laughing and having fun together again.

They have been like this since they were little. They will argue with each other like crazy then not ten minutes later are laughing and playing and having fun. I just hope they don't continue this pattern in high school. I hope that they can learn how to work out their differences without yelling at each other. How to be not only sisters but best friends. How to respect each other and each other's belongings.

Time sure does have a way of sneaking up on you. I can't believe how much all three of our kids have grown. I was curious to see and compare this years first day of school picture with their kindergarten year. I still remember each of their first day of school, Spencer was sleepy but excited, Natalie was beyond excited and Katie was timid and nervous about her first day.

I don't have one of Spencer to show for this year. It is the first year I didn't take one of him in the early morning darkness before he catches the bus. This year he was up until midnight the night before school working on a school project that was due the very first day of school. He had put it together wrong and had to redo the whole thing.

I just couldn't help but think to myself, "Good one....great way to start the year off on the right foot.....up until midnight helping on a school project that he had ALL SUMMER to finish".

When Spencer came home from school, he reminded me that I also forgot to get chocolate waffles for breakfast.....it is a small tradition that was unknowingly started as a tradition Spencer's second year of school.

August 12th, Soaking up the last bit of summertime.

The last day of summer vacation we spent the day being lazy.
Natalie and Katie played with our neighbor's grandkids at the pond. They were fishing and catching turtles most of the day. Molly enjoyed watching them and would "sniff" the turtles after they would catch them and then watch them throw them back into the pond.






Spencer however waited until the week before school starts to begin reading his required English reading of "Cleopatra's Daughter". He spent most of the day in the rocker on the porch finishing up reading his book.


Then he spent the rest of the evening working on the project that was due the very first day of school. It was 10:30pm when he finished the project only to learn he had put it together wrong. Thankfully Jerome had picked him up a few extra pieces of posterboard and he was able to redo his project. He climbed in bed very late that night. I couldn't help but think this is exactly how NOT to start the school year off.
He had no problem reading the first book, "Maximum Ride", he couldn't put that book down and had it finished before the first week of summer was completed. If only he had done the same for the honors English book.....

August 8th, Sick.

Katie seems to take after me when it comes to ear infections. She always seems to have them.

This one was a bad one though. Her pediatrician prescribed her antibiotic ear drops but after a night of crying and sleeping in bed with me and Jerome I knew I needed to take her back in. Her ear canal was almost swollen shut and all this time I just thought the medicine wasn't working (actually, it wasn't, because it wasn't getting to the place it needed to be).



A few days later she was sleeping back in her own room and running around playing outside.

Catching Up

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I have written anything here. We have been so busy, time has just gotten away from me. I have kept up with taking pictures and making memories, just haven't kept up on writing about them.
I guess now that the kids are all in school I can make time for it. The next few posts will obviously be out of sequence....until I can catch up.