Going Places with Smiling Faces

Regan is the most out of control, so she doesn't last long on them before she wants a break !

Mollie looks so tiny in these things! They are huge!

Carli always looks like she's going to fall! So funny :)

     We went garage sale-ing one morning as a family to see if we could find any "great deals". We did! The girls all got rollerblades/skates for $2...they even had the right sizes! They wanted to try them out as soon as we got home. It was hilarious! It was like watching an uncoordinated roller derby! They have gotten much, much better with some practice. Maybe I can take them to SKATELAND sometime in AZ :) I used to love that place when I was a kid. It is fun to watch them enjoy being "free" to skate as fast as they can everywhere they go. They even ride them inside! My favorite part is that everywhere they go they have a smile on their face! Such happy girls!!

Life Lessons

Carli's winning shot! 

     The week after school got out, Carli had competitive soccer tryouts AND a soccer tournament. It was a local tournament so we didn't have to travel anywhere, which was nice, but she was really nervous! They won their first 2 games easily, which meant only 1 more game to make it to the finals. It was a NM team that we heard were REALLY good! We told Carli that it doesn't matter if they won as long as she played her hardest. She was AMAZING!! These NM girls were not only much bigger (they were older, U12 team) but much more aggressive. Luckily, by half-time we were still tied 0-0. About 8 minutes into the 2nd half, Carli took the ball down the sideline, tricked everyone out by  taking a left-footed shot (she's left footed), and scored a goal!! It was like the Olympics! The crowd went absolutely wild and tears came to my eyes listening to everyone cheering for my girl! Even Carli said it was "so exciting" hearing the crowd and her team screaming for her goal :)
     BUT we had a problem...the NM girls were NOT happy! Carli's goal made them even more aggressive! 3 of our girls were carried off the field after being pushed, shoved, steam-rolled, and cart-wheeled across the field. We have never watched a more physical team. We kept asking the line judge, "Is it time yet?" "Is the game about over?" We couldn't wait for this intense game to be done! The ref finally blew the whistle...They won 1-0 all because of Carli's goal! The NM girls immediately burst into tears and we were wondering why they were so emotional. We found out after the game that they hadn't lost in over 40 games!! Crazy! We were so excited for Carli and her team. They made it to the finals, but unfortunately they didn't win the final championship game. They lost 2-1. Carli played great (in fact, she scored the one goal) but her teammates never passed her the ball :( We think they wanted to score the goal, and that's okay. It was a wonderful experience for her and a good preparation for her competitive tryouts.
     Tryouts were also very scary for her. We found out on the 2nd day of tryouts that instead of having separate Premier teams (that's the top team) for each age group, they were going to combine them into just one Premier team. That meant that Carli didn't have as good a chance of making it because she would be competing against the older girls for those spots. Now WE were nervous too! But Carli worked so hard and did a great job! We got a phone call the evening that tryouts were over to tell us that Carli made the Premier team for 11-12 year olds...as a 9 year old!! It was such a compliment to her and her playing abilities! We know it is a huge commitment, but she absolutely loves it! Soccer has been a great way for our girls to learn life lessons. When things get tough, you have the ability to push through it. You have the power to succeed inside of you if you try hard enough. We are looking forward to watching her and her team play in the upcoming year. We are so proud of her! Congratulations Carli!!

Gone Fishin'

Mollie and Jack

First catch of the day! Carli is the most dedicated fisherman. When we go fishing, she is never without a pole in her hand! She is bound and determined to catch fish...and she is always the FIRST to catch one!

Regan is a natural fisherman. She can play for hours before deciding she actually WANTS to fish. As soon as she puts a pole in the water, she has a fish on the line! I guess its perfect for a girl with NO patience! :)

The BIGGEST fish of the day! Mollie loves to go fishing, but her favorite part is getting wet! She thinks fishing involves wading into the water and getting soaked!

Carli and Caleb building a fort

Regan and Helen getting out of the sun

Beaver dams

Helping Daddy

The Moms AKA The Mindy's (picture courtesy of Helen)

Playing in the grass/mud

     Summer is already flying by too quickly! To start our summer we had a little fishing trip with the Latteier family to Gateway, CO. What a beautiful place! (Sidenote: The resort there is amazing) The Dads decided to try some cat-fishing on the Dolores River. We had never gone cat-fishing before, so this was a new experience for the girls. The girls had a blast! There was so much for them to do...look for signs of beaver (they KNEW beavers were there because of the dam), build stick forts, wade in the river/get muddy, climb on the rocks, and bother the fish in the bucket :) The fishing was a success too! The total # of fish caught (that we kept) was over 20! What a great start to our summer fun!!

School's Out!

Mollie did the Candy Walk FOREVER! She ended up winning a lot of candy!

Mollie wouldn't get her face painted on the cheek like everyone else...she had it done on her forehead :) Silly girl!

Bump-n-jump full of boys...and Mollie!

Regan and Ms. Leonhart

Regan was so funny in the Candy Walk! She would only step on the #'s...she always follows the rules!

Our little tiger!

A tiger in a cage :)

Carli and Mrs. Rayside (she was on crutches in a cast!)

Last day of school pizza party!

      Last day of school!! Yippee! The girls asked if I would come volunteer one last time this school year, so I spent my day with each girl in their class! To make the day even MORE fun, it was also "Field Day" so the school had all sorts of fun activities for the students to participate in. I went to Mollie's class first. I love being in the Kindergarten class! Not only are they cute, but they are excited about doing anything and everything! They enjoyed the face painting and candy walk the most, but spent a LOT of time at the big kid playground (which they never get to play on) Carli's class was next and they didn't really do much with FD. Apparently 4th graders are too big for bump-n-jumps AND face painting, they were more interested in the tug-a-war and water bombs. I didn't get any pictures of that because I had to participate in them! :) After FD, her class headed in for a pizza party. Those kids devoured 7 pizzas and 2 cases of soda! I didn't even get any! Being a little older, they are my style...super sarcastic and full of energy! Loved it! Last was Regan's class. Once again, face painting and candy walk was the most popular. Only the 1st graders also really liked the bump-n-jump. It was a lot of time waiting in lines, but it was worth it watching Regan...she was never without a smile! I spent another couple hours in her classroom helping out before I had to go eat! It was such a great day! Hard to believe another school year has flown by. I know this summer will be over before we know it and I'll be sending my girls off to school all day with tears in my eyes. In the mean time, we will be enjoying every second of this summer together!!