Skateland, Here We Come

Ready or not Skateland, here we come. Skateland had a Labor Day special, and since the kids were off school, decided to take them for some skating fun. Caleb and Madelyn have skated maybe twice in their life, and Abigail has never skated, but is dying to try her Heely's she got for her birthday. So, we picked up Madelyn's girlfriend, Hannah and away we went.

I remember growing up, and skating, skating, skating. We would even make our own skateland in our driveway. We loved skating. And here my children can barely stand up with skates on. It is such good exercise and so fun...

The girls seemed to do more skating...although this was Hannah's first time, so she was just learning. I even put Caleb's skates on (yes, my 9 year old son wears the same size shoe as me :), and went around the rink with Hannah and Madelyn a few times. Madelyn was actually doing quite well. Caleb did well, but wasn't into it as much. He was more interested in the video games...go figure.

My original intent was not to have Abigail skate...just hang with Mom (we didn't even rent skates for her). But she decided she wanted to go out there in her Heely's, so away we went. Not sure if we were allowed to do this, but we did it anyway, and noone said anything to us... Abigail didn't want to stop...she wanted to keep going around and around. I think she actually skated more than any of the others. She had a blast.

The girls, with their skates off went out and did the Hokey Pokey when the Skateland Dinosaur came out. And they even went around, "pretending" to skate with their shoes on. It was kinda funny actually...until they got caught.

So, I guess we need to visit the skating rink a little more often...for some exercise and fun. We'll have to plan a family trip...I would love to see Joseph in skates :)

Happy 35th Birthday Daddy!

Yep, the old man is having another birthday! He turns 35...and wants nothing more than to spend time with his family. Him and I even went out for his birthday the weekend before, so on his "birthday weekend" (or should I say birthday week...around here, we have birthday week), he could spend it with his family.

So, Friday night we let the kids choose dinner (with a little help from Mom), and we went to Red Robin. Then came home and watched a movie as a family. Saturday night, after all the sports saga was over, we let the kids choose dinner again (with no help this time), and we ended up at Peter Piper Pizza. Joseph had just as much fun as the kids by the way :) Sunday, after church, we just hung out as a family, then bbq'ed ranchera meat, made homemade salsa, nacho cheese and chips, the whole works - YUM! The kids played soccer in the backyard (one of the favorite things to do with Dad).

Jacob and Abby spent more time tackling eachother. Dad, as always, was permanent goalie.

Even Bella and Jazmin played a little ball.

After a nice dinner, we sang Happy Birthday with a cupcake that Mom worked so hard on (ha).

And Dad even let Abby blow out the candle.

Then Dad let everyone else have a birthday candle and sing Happy Birthday to them. Especially since Jacob thinks it's his birthday anytime you sing the song. (He wants to know where his happy birthday is.)

It was a perfect weekend for Joseph, doing exactly what he wanted to do, to be with his family. He absolutely loves his kids and puts them first above all else. He can be in the middle of a Dallas Cowboys Superbowl game, and if the kids ask him to come play soccer in the backyard, he will drop everything for them and not even blink an eye (or shed a tear :). And they (and me) are so thankful to have such a loving, caring, thoughtful, unselfish Dad.

Joseph is the backbone of our family, the one who reminds us that it is all about family. He is the most unselfish man I know...buys nothing for himself and only thinks of his children. For his birthday, I asked him what he wanted...his reply verbatum: "I want a cute outfit for my girls from Justice, a video game for my big guy (Caleb), a special toy for my little guy (Jacob), and a purse for my wife." Need I say more...he is the best and I thank the Lord everyday for bringing him to me. I love you Honey!

The Monster in the Middle

That's the name the opposing team has given him anyway...The Monster in the Middle. He is a lean, mean, fighting machine...okay, maybe not lean...but definitely mean! Most of the teams he has faced, he is usually the biggest kid out there. There was a team with a few "Caleb's" on their team, which was quite obvious they went out and recruited. But he was still double-teamed the whole game...and Caleb still produced.

Most of the teams get very frustrated with Caleb, because they can't get past him on offense, and he blows through people on defense. They don't know what to do with him, and they can't stop him. He's had 3 QB sacks, 2 fumble recovery's, caused 3 fumbles, and several touch down assists...and there has only been 3 games so far this season. He even got to run the ball 4 times last game, for 25 yards. He absolutely loved that. Caleb's not my fastest child, but he has great hands, he has good movement, and he's just BIG. Kids are hanging on to him and he's still running. He is really loving the game of Football...I always knew it was his passion!

I unfotunately don't have pictures because I'm usually off with Madelyn at her events while Joseph takes Caleb to his. The one time I brought my camera, my batteries died...I was so upset. Hopefully I'll get some pics before the season is over. And hopefully he continues to CRUSH his opposing teams :)

Hilarious Hat Day

Every week Abigail's class focuses on a letter of the alphabet...and everything they do that week is based on that letter. Well, this week happened to be H week...so for Friday she got to decorate a Hilarious Hat and have a Hilarious Hat Parade.

She was so proud of her hat, and so were we. Mom thinks she had the best hat there...or should I say the most Hilarious Hat :)

Abigail just loves school and is so excited to go everyday. She loves taking her lunch, packing her backpack, making her own water bottle. She has totally stepped up and is so big and responsible. It makes me a little sad that she's growing up, but I'm so proud of her and her growth.

Mrs. Lang says she's doing absolutely wonderful. She is kind, considerate, respectful, and she is doing great academically. She is a leader in her class and friends with everyone. She is also the first to clean up and help everyone else clean up. She kinda takes control and helps get things done. We are so proud of our Abigail Morgan!