Warrior Dash 2012

Three point two miles, 8-10 obstacles, mud, thousands of crazy people, more mud, fire, barbed wire and a great time. That is part of the Warrior Dash way.

Matt and I ran it last year and I had the time of my life. It was more than a race for me. (Symbols)

Being as how I am big and round, I had to sit out this year. Matt ran with his sister and a friend/co-worker, Tanner. I was very jealous BUT it was a fun experience getting to see him run. The best part? I was able to take pictures that are free! I don't have to buy them from WD people.

Colbie and I set up camp at the last obstacle.

The cargo net and the 'jump over fire' were the obstacles leading up to the mud pit covered in barbed wire. The fire wasn't as big this year as it was last year. Kind of disappointing.

Closer look at the pit.

I put pictures of Tanner on here because I got some really good ones.

This is one of my favorites I took. He looks angry, probably because he's drinking mud.

Matt's turn to swim!

He said it was a lot deeper than he had expected. Right before he came through, the WD Staff People had a Bobcat and was adding dirt to the pit.

Blah! But a fun Blah!

Almost there.

And like a good big brother, he turns to wait on his sister.

She's truckin' through.

Proud! As she should be, she had a great time and a great ranking.

Love him.

They did it!! Tanner and Amy have officially become Warrior Dash pro's!

Brother and Sister.

Next up for these two (and Tanner) is Conquer the Gauntlet. They are insane; four miles plus 30 obstacles in August. Whew!! BUT they've got it handled. :)

Knox Reunion 2012

Knox Reunion at Fin and Feather on Lake Tenkiller. This is our third year at the Fin and we just love it. Could not ask for a better place for a large family to gather, make memories and enjoy each others company.

I took Colbie on a walk the first morning so I could see the lake. This is the view. Just amazing.

Although she doesn't look it, this girl loves the water. She does hate having her picture taken which is why she looks silly.

Part of my crew. All three are very tired.

I'm not sure what this is called other than tight rope walking.

All the kids took a turn.

Coop and his worm.

I'm not sure how many laps they made, but Colbie and Grandpa walked around the pond for quite a while. Colbie was loving it. She was swinging her arm back and forth. That would be the equivalent to a dog wagging its tail.

The infamous tree frog. Cooper found this on a slide at the park. Needless to say, Chloe was absolutely in love. I'm not gonna lie, I kind of was too. It's actually quite rare to find one of these in this part of Oklahoma.

Here is the map of where the American Green Tree Frog is generally located and it is not near Lake Tenkiller. For nerds like Chloe and I, this was very exciting to find.

 Probably one of the coolest things we have found or got to hold... so far. When we let it go, Chloe cried. She was genuinely upset. Someone told her, "This is where he lives. We need to let him stay here." This might work for the general population of kids when you want them to leave a bug or something behind, but these sentences do not work for my child. She has a heart for creatures and the 'run of the mill' adult reasons to leave it behind do not work. Soooo because I felt bad, I promised her a fish when we move.

Cooper being Cooper.

Cousin feet. They are all country kids at heart. I'm not sure why any of them brought shoes because they never wore them. The only reason those pink Crocs are being worn was because she was just given them. They literally ran everywhere barefoot. Makes me laugh. It's fun being a kid.

Cooper being Cooper, again. This is 10 out of the 13 cousins.

Chloe and her frog.

Push-Up Popsicle Love

Colbie has tasted the goodness of the common Pop-Ice Popsicle but we have deprived them all of the common Push-Up Popsicle. That was until we had a family lunch at my Dad's. My Aunt brought dessert; ice cream and Push-Up Popsicles. Colbie was given her very own and she was very protective of it.

There is just something relaxing about a nice, cool popsicle. Makes you want to put your feet on the table and get messy.

So messy, in fact, it requires a bath....

a bath in the sink.

But bathing in the sink can be slightly embarrassing.

From PreK to K

Chloe is officially a Kindergartner. It feels as weird typing it as it does saying it. She has grown so much since August, in all aspects. Looking at this picture, I can really see how much Cooper has also grown. WOW! Her first year of 'real school' was a success. I believe God placed the perfect teacher in her life, Mrs. Brashear.

We held Chloe back a year because her birthday is in August so she was the oldest kid in her class. It's been fun seeing her learn and come home with a new song or some rhyme. I foresee reading happening this summer. She is so close and can read a little here and there but I bet she nails it this summer. 
(I'm aware the pictures side by side messed up the look of my blog, but I need to see the pictures side by side to truly grasp the growth of the kids.)

Colbie wasn't in the 'First Day of School' picture. She was too little to sit up alone and now she is walking and starting to talk. Crazy.

This is Chloe's teacher. She really took a liking to Cooper and Cooper really took a liking to her. On the last day, she asked Cooper if he wanted to go on the playground with the other kids. His face was priceless! He was in shock and so happy. When they came back in, he was line leader. It was so cute. He lead the class into the classroom and lined up to walk outside. It was a sweet moment to see. When I saw that, it sure did become more painful to move. It would be really great if Coop had Mrs. B as his teacher next year. He even knows the PE teacher! Like I've said before, everyone knows Cooper.

What a great school year for all of my kids. We were truly blessed with amazing teachers.

2011-2012

Cooper the Graduate

Well, our Cooper Matthew is growing up and I'm not sure I like it. He does, he thinks it's great being 4 now. The first thing he tells people when he meets them is, "I'm four." When they say, "Oh, you are so big." He responds with, "Ya, I growed up so so big." As cute as it is when he says that, he's right, he has growed growed up so so big.  

He has been going to East Cross since he was right around 6 months old. It's like the 'Cheers' song, everyone knows Cooper's name. The boy is popular and leaves a mark on people and they can't forget who he is. His time at E.C. has come to a very sad end. He will be headed to Pre-K next fall. *sniff sniff* We have debated this decision on whether to send him or hold him back, but I think he needs to go. He's ready. 

I mean just look at him. 

This is Ms. Jo, Coop's teacher. This sweet lady taught Chloe and then she taught Cooper. I am so thankful for her heart and for loving on my kids. Unfortunately, this was her last year teaching at E.C. She is going to stay home and do more stuff for her church. Six years of changing kids lives.

Little T-Baller

 Chloe played in her first ever T-ball game on May 3, 2012. She did everything a T-ball should do.

 Wore her too big visor.

 Warmed up.

 Picked grass and watched the action on the field behind her.

 Batted.

 Hit.

 Ran.

Got on first. 

The coach gives them a jelly bean after they hit. 

Once Chloe stood on 2nd, another runner wanted her base and she didn't know what to do. I was yelling at her to run and luckily she went to 3rd. 

I didn't get a picture but Chloe got on 3rd, not this at bat, but later. The 3rd base coach had a habit of not paying attention to what needed attention ie, the kid on 3rd or 2nd. The coach, not pictured above, was talking to a kid in the batter's circle. The ball was hit, runners advanced, Chloe ran across the field, past the pitcher, to first base and asked for a jelly bean. :) ha!

Like A Glove

I sometimes have bad dreams, nightmares really. Back in 'tha day,' high school, I'm sure they consisted of failing a test, being naked in front of the school or getting busted for sleeping in class. I can't really remember the bulk of them. However, there is one I can remember very clearly.

Showing up to softball practice &/or game without a necessary item; cleats, sliders, sliding leg, uniform, socks, hair tie, favorite bat OR my glove. There is nothing worse than using another person's glove. It's like wearing another person's underwear! "OOO, GROSS!! Who does that?!!" You ask? My point exactly! NO ONE! It's foreign, unheard of, like speaking jibberish or Louisianian. It doesn't make sense!

A month or so ago, I signed Chloe up for T-ball. The girl isn't a real sports phenom, I doubt I was at that age either, but I thought & possibly gave a shoulder shrug, "Why not?"

We got "the call" last week from "the coach." "The call" came in to Matt's phone, which in turn he answered and could not tell me anything other than, "There is a Parent's Meeting next Thursday, field 5 at 6:30."  Ok, that's good, those are great details. (I later learn an email was to have been sent out, but we never got that. Nor did he come away with a name of "the coach.")

So we roll in to the "Parent's Meeting" at 6:30. All the parent's are gathered around a woman, I can only assume is "the coach," papers in hand and they are nearly done with this "Parent's Meeting." In my mind, I wonder "what happened to 6:30?" I begin surveying the other children and see they all have their hair up, tennis shoes on, pink 'special' helmets and a glove. I turn to Chloe and survey her; hair down, Crocs on, no helmet and oh ya, no glove. SWEET! Then I survey the parent's and begin labeling in the "Going to be a screamer" and "Not going to be a screamer" categories, respectfully. If you've been around a ball field anywhere in the world, you know the type. If you don't know they type, go ahead and place yourself in the "Going to be a screamer category," respectfully.

As soon as the "Parent's Meeting" was over, which was when we walked up. The kids were called to the field for a practice I did not know about. I look at Matt, he looks at me and we both just laugh. I'm 99% sure the parent's in my "Going to be a screamer" category were placing us in the "Slacker parents who know nothing about the game of softball" category, respectfully. (Thankfully, one of the Dad's, who used to work with Matt, brought his son and the son brought a glove. Chloe used that.)

So Chloe did her thing and she actually did much better than I predicted. I told Matt on the way that I was prepared to lose our money as I expect she'll hate it and want to put her dresses back on and remove those awful tennis shoes. She surprised me though! I think it's going to be a fun month, at least for me and the "Going to be a screamer" parents. Don't worry, I don't fall in that category..... yet. I'll save my screaming for high school sports. hehe

Once the practice disguised as the "Parent's Meeting" was over, we loaded the mini with our very cranky children and headed home. Pull in the drive, unload the mini and our very cranky children. Matt asks, "You have the keys?" The answer to that question is usually "Yes, yes I do." Tonight it was, "No."

We found them though.
In the door.
And we left it wide open.