Happy 7th Birthday Reese and Collin!

How can it be that Reese and Collin are SEVEN years old? Their birthday brings so many emotions....thrilled by the little people they are, sadness that they are getting big way too fast, relief that they were born so early and tiny and they are so healthy now, but most of all joy for all the unconditional love they add to our lives every.single.day. Happy Birthday sweet angels!

The kids both got new bikes--they had LITERALLY rode the training wheels off the old bikes and the pedals were starting to fall off too!  They learned to ride without their training wheels last spring, so we wanted to get them a new, big bike for their birthday.  They have only gotten to ride them a tiny bit, but they did AWESOME and we look forward to many bike rides once it cools down a little!

Red Raiders Jersey Presentation

Officially a RED RAIDER!!  The boys received their jerseys and Collin was so proud!  We are so fortunate to be a part of the BEST team in the league, not just talent/record, but amazing coaches, great families and the best cheerleaders in the league. wink, wink!  ;)



First Day of First Grade - 2011

The first day of school brings a sleepless night, lots of butterflies, nervous anticipation and loads of excitement. I love the first day of school! I feel the joy and excitement as Reese and Collin hop eagerly out of bed. Both Reese and Collin went straight into their classrooms, put their belongings where they go and started coloring. It was a quick kiss and hug goodbye and they were ready to go! I am thrilled they are both so independent and love school, it makes school days a joy and getting back into the routine so much easier. Reese and Collin both came home excited with many stories to tell. I feel blessed to have had smooth and happy transition back into the school year and look forward to watching both kiddos grown and learn, by leaps and bounds, this year.

"Meet the Teacher" - First Grade

We are thrilled with the 2 teachers that Reese and Collin got this year! They both seem to be a great fit for each of their personalities. I am anticipating a fabulous school year and look forward to many great school days ahead. Reese's teacher is Mrs. Walsh and Collin's teacher is Mrs. Leatherwood.

Before "Meet the Teacher" started, the PTA asked our Red Raider cheerleaders to help them promote joining PTA. So, our little cheerleaders (and Collin), yelled while parents walked in, "Go Team Sparks, Join PTA!"....the kids yelled this many times and had fun shaking pom-poms and yelling in the megaphones. Whoever thought it was a good idea to give Collin a megaphone, must not realize how LOUD Collin can be!!

After the initial entry by parents, we went to each of the kids classrooms, met the teachers and filled out LOTS of paperwork. After that, we headed out to a fun dinner with The Armondo's. We went to Magic Time Machine, where the kids had an absolute blast!!

Winning Moment from Cheer Extravanganza

We were so excited to win Cheer Extravaganza! The girls worked so hard and the parents put in lots of hours helping and supporting the girls. Such a great experience--and so proud of the best little cheerleaders in Frisco!

Halloween was so much fun! We went to the Armondo's and Janis is always the best hostess! Everything was so nice and decked out for Halloween. We hung out, ate and took the kids trick-or-treating. After they loaded up with TONS of candy, we went back to the house and the kids bobbed for apples. They LOVE doing this and giggled and giggled until they couldn't breathe. Collin was quite enthusiastic and was soaking wet! The kids then changed into their jammies and watched a movie. This has become a Halloween tradition (being with the Armondo's) for us and we love it!

"Donuts with Dad"

In October, the kids had "Donuts with Dad" at Sparks. It also happened to be dress up like your "favorite community hero" day, so Reese dressed up as a teacher and Collin as a fireman. The kids loved having Jeff at the school for breakfast and then were able to butter him up to get him to buy them lots of books at the Book Fair. I think that is why they have Donuts with Dad on opening day of Book Fair...Dad's are suckers!

Collin - "You Sparkle" Award

Collin was recognized during the Sparks Friday morning assembly for receiving a "You Sparkle" award. He received it for "volunteering whenever help is needed". His award said, "a classmate's snack spilled and Collin was immediately responsive witout any prompting!" So proud of my little guy.

The "You Sparkle" awards are handed out to students at Sparks that go out of their way to be exceptionally helpful or kind to another person at Sparks.