MIDDLE SCHOOL MILESTONE

(This is kind of a test. I downloaded Windows Live Writer and am trying to see if that will bypass my picture limit.)  Let’s see how it goes.

We’ve hit a milestone.  The girls are officially in Middle School. 

Now while I’m still a little in awe of the fact that they are old enough to be in Middle School, I have always loved every milestone they have gone through. I’ve never cried on the first day of school, or been sad at End-of-the-Year-Ceremonies.  But that doesn’t mean that I am not the sappiest chick on the block with these things, but I am not depressed about it.  I LOVE it. 

They were pretty nervous the first day.  In true Christy/Xanthe/Xoe style, they didn’t start on the 1st day of school like normal people do.  They started on the 10th day of school since we were on a cruise.  It was all good though because by the time they arrived, everyone else had already figured out their schedules and the whole system.  The girls definitely had a great welcome from all their friends, complete with a friend to show them around their first day.

I told the girls they would love Middle School, even though they were nervous. I just knew the girls, and their personalities, would love having their own lockers, a cool schedule that switched every other day, and switched teachers.  And I was right.  They absolutely love it.  They have  a bunch of friends, they love their teachers, and they are getting great grades.  They get up on their own every morning at 6:05 a.m. to get ready and leave to walk to the bus by 6:55 a.m. (I’m up with them part of the time too).

And every day after school they walk to the Youth Teen Center.  It’s similar to the Ocean Quest Club on the Disney Cruise Ship where it’s a “hang out” place.  They have a place for homework, a computer lab, a movie room with bean bags and screen TV, a basketball court and foosball tables.  They also have to sign in/out and the adults there are great to make friends with them.The girls beg to go there every day after school.  And it’s right across from the Bowling Alley so it’s like Disneyland to them every day.  Well, not exactly, but you get my point. 



The Center also has a program called Edge! where they provide activities and clubs to join… Food Club, Arts/Crafts, Golf Club, Bowling Club, Drama Club, Glee Club, FitLife (they bus them to the gym) and Outdoor Adventure Club (where they can go canoeing, rock wall climbing, etc.). Throughout the summer, they also take big trips to places like Berlin or Paris. They have food there (mostly frozen heat-up food and junk snacks) they can eat when they’re hungry and because the Bowling Center is across the street, they can walk and eat there as well.



Oh, and did I mention, this is all for FREE!  I love it.  It’s such a great thing for the young kids to do so they don’t get into too much trouble.



I wish I had pictures of their 5th Grade Graduation, but alas, I think the pictures accidentally got deleted.  I’ve been trying to get copies from their friends but can’t seem to get them to actually send the pictures to me.  Their graduation was great.  They earned high grades, and made the Honor Roll, despite the fact they got there in the later in the year. I’m so very proud of them!  We’ll keep you updated throughout their Middle School Year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!

So, do you ever have those "I could just kick myself" moments? Not the ones where you said something totally inappropriate, or on the flip side, DIDN'T say a great, witty retort to someone who was being inappropriate to you? (Come on, we all have them.)

No, this one is where you realize that if you would have included one extra detail in something you created, it would have made it that much more perfect? But everyone's already seen what you created, so you can't redeem your allotted "take-back" for the day and made the original that much more perfect.

Hehe. I guess this is kind of an exaggerated way of saying that I could have made my last post about my brother, Scott, and sister-in-law, Ruth, that much more perfect by putting two-and-two together that today is Scott's birthday. Had I wished him a Happy Birthday in my post dedicated to them, it would have made the tribute post that much more meaningful, and really given me some major brownie points with them. haha.

Scott, I REALLY DID KNOW it was your birthday. I promise. I just didn't think to include that in my post today. But maybe, that makes my previous post even better. Cuz that means I was really posting NOT because it was your birthday, but cuz I really love you guys that much!

Okay, so did I redeem myself? Cuz I feel totally bad I didn't wish you a happy birthday yet. I'm still gonna email you. Just thought I'd let you know the "kick yourself" moment I just had.

Love you guys! And love you, Scott! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Christy

(And I wish I had a picture on this computer to upload to accompany this post, but I'm using Xoe & Xanthe's...mine is dead...but I think y'all know what he looks like.)

A Sidestep

I know I've been blogging a lot about my cruise, but I wanted to take sidestep for today. I just found a Tribute Post about my sister-in-law, Ruth, and brother, Scott. It's written by cjane, a blogger many of you have probably already read, and follow frequently... she is the sister of nienie... but deserves accolades in her own right. She is truly a great writer and I sometimes peruse her blog just to read her prose. I love the "voice" she writes from and the outlooks she has regarding the world around her. She is funny, witty, charming and sometimes a little combatant. I've read her two posts about my brother, Sammy's Diner in Provo, so it's now fun to see that she's written about another family member.

I was thrilled to see that she documented her visit with Ruth and Scott. All the words she chose were perfection when describing the two of them. I even got a little choked up reading her interpretation of Ruth, Scott, their personalities and how they've handled this trial they've been given. Ruth is everything she said, and so much more. And don't forget Scott. She sure didn't. He sometimes gets forgotten because he is so quiet and reserved, but once you get him talking, he is just as witty and funny as Ruth. I love them both and miss them all dearly. I've never even met Davy, but plan to hog her all to myself when I visit for Christmas.

Please do yourself a favor and read cjane's post about Ruth. And if you have the time to blog stalk, do go to Ruth's blog. It's a great, and inspiring read.

Christy

6th Grade Pictures

Pictures from their 6th Grade Year. These are the most current. Don't they look beautiful and grown up? Xanthe told me that of all the pictures taken of her, "I actually like this one the best."  She doesn't normally like pictures taken of her.  I'm happy that she's happy with herself in these pictures. :)  

I love the backgrounds the company lets us choose from. They had a whole bunch of them... i.e., up in the mountains with a goat, next to a German castle, field of flowers, next to an American flag. They basically take the kids' picture in front of a green screen and then afterward, we can choose the background.  I think this is the Hogwart's Castle one.  

...in the meantime

(This post was made after the cruise. I've backdated all the cruise pictures to reflect the dates of the pictures... so this may seem out of order. But I want to keep this post.)

So, we're home. Yay! Well, actually, not yay cuz we were having such a wonderful time on the cruise. It was a bit difficult to come back to real life.

I'm trying to decide what to accomplish first. We got back late Wednesday night (as in 1:45 a.m. Thursday morning) and Wednesday during the day was a bit of a tiring day, so we've all been very tired and trying to assimilate back into life.

Sometimes when I get back from trips, I get sidetracked and do computer and office work first, cuz cleaning doesn't seem to be any fun, even though I always feel better when I have a clean house. But this time I've been cleaning like a madwoman. Washing out the fridge, mopping the wood floors and grocery shopping. Now onto laundry, reorganization and my diet...blech...

Therefore, I'll be blogging tomorrow. I have so much to report.

I'll also be reading everyone's blogs and answering emails...forgive me for being out of the loop with all the emails and messages. We had little-to-no internet access on the ship, and what we did have was exorbitantly expensive. It actually was nice...not constantly checking my phone or my computer for messages. I had such a relaxing time. I would definitely recommend it. This cruise was probably mine and Brian's favorite vacation so far. The girls too.

...til tomorrow...