Sweet Video Friday

Awwwww!

Phone Photo Dump

I desperately wanted to get those accident photos

bumped down the page a little bit

so that I wouldn't have to look at that

crumpled up car every time I logged in.

So here are some photos from my phone.

Stella loves to drum.

It's like her favorite thing to do right now.

Uh, yeah- about the monkey.

So we have this monkey that moves from place to place in our house.

No one really admits to moving him,

and yet here is he, waiting for his breakfast.

and getting ready for his big race.

Silly monkey.

Here's a look at the most handsome SEHS freshman

on his way to the Homecoming Dance.

He had a great time!

And his bleary eyed Mom picked him up

from the Village Inn at around 2 AM. 

Boy it has been a long time since

I went out for breakfast after a school dance.

Stella has become the SEHS XC team's 

favorite fan.

She loves to watch the kids run

and cheer from the sidelines.

Uh-oh! Someone found the cat door.

So far she just pushes in the flap.

She hasn't tried to go through the door-

yet.

Hey Mom- so, I found this stick.

Can we keep it?

She's So Vain

Stella has an obsession.

A lovie of sorts.

She LOVES this book that I made for her.

(Click on the word "book" to see it.)

It's just a Shutterfly book that has pictures from her first year.

I thought it would be a fun way to save some memories

and I'm not crafty enough to scrapbook.

Every night when we get home the first thing she does is

point at the fireplace mantle and repeat

"book, book, book...."

over and over until we get the book down

and then she will chase us around the house

with the book until we read it to her.

Well, if you have looked at the book

you know that it doesn't really have words,

but she loves to look at the pictures.

She finds Cole on the pages and always points him out

She loves to giggle at the pictures of herself.

We wonder if she has memories of those times

or if it's just super fun for her to look at the pictures.

In any case, I'm afraid that she has her security object

and it's a book.

Here she is talking her Daddy into reading it to her.

Listen close- she says a few phrases:

"book, book, book..."

"read it, book"

"mmm-hmmm"

More Accident Photos

Jim went out to the body shop tonight to 

clean out our car.

We heard back from the insurance adjuster

and they totaled out the car.

Jim was pretty surprised after having another

chance to look at the car

at just how bad the damage was.

Front view

This is the roof of the car.

See the dent in the roof at the corner of the sunroof.

There were dents like this at each corner

of the sunroof.

The back of the driver's seat broke apart.

As did the panel on the door frame.

Not sure if that happened because of the airbags

or because the whole car was tweaked.

After getting another look at the car

we're feeling very lucky that Jim and Stella walked away

with little more than bumps and bruises.

Accidents Happen

Jim and Stella were in a car accident on Saturday.

They're both fine

But the car didn't fare so well.

You really just never know when someone is going to 

completely ignore a stoplight

and plow right into the side of your car.

We're so thankful that we had a very safe car

that could withstand the impact of a

big pickup who didn't even hit the brakes.

And the car can be replaced.

But these two people can't.

We spent the rest of the weekend

being very thankful that no one was seriously injured.

Things That Make Cross Country Awesome

There are a lot of things that make Cross Country an awesome sport.

I, personally, enjoy the opportunity to spend an afternoon

in a beautiful park

and the weather has actually been pretty nice throughout the season.

Class A sports are really on quite a different level than

the C & D schools that Jim & I attended.

Southeast has their own tent.

Which is pretty awesome.

There are 75 kids on the Cross Country team.

And even though it's an individual sport

the group really works as a team.

The night before each meet, they gather for a

spaghetti feed at one of the runner's homes.

Each athlete brings a side dish or dessert

and they all get a nutritious meal.

Just look at all of those runners!

Awesome!

I have noticed more than once that runners will congratulate

one another, and will cheer each other on

even if they're representing different schools. 

They all know that running is not easy

and they don't miss a chance to give credit when credit is due.

Even though they wear different school colors- they're all runners first.

I have enjoyed seeing Cole blossom as an athlete this year.

He works hard and has set some personal records.

As the Cross Country season wraps up

I find myself feeling a little bit sad.

I really do enjoy it. 

Just look at the wonderful location-

so much better than sitting inside of a smelly gym getting bleacher butt.

Stella has learned what it's like to be a 

Cross Country fan.

And a Knight supporter.

She loves to get out and enjoy the great outdoors

just as much as we do.

And a ride on Daddy's shoulders around the park isn't bad either!

Really, what I think makes Cross Country an awesome sport

is that these 2 athletes can compete side by side.

And some times the little guy wins.

It's the great equalizer!

Stella in the Kitchen

Stella has found her place in the kitchen.

No, she doesn't cook, or even help me cook that often.

She has discovered a favorite cabinet.

When she is in the kitchen with me

she makes a beeline to her favorite door

and soon she has several pie tins and a grill basket

strewn about the kitchen.

She also really likes to play with the wooden spoons.

"Oh hi Mom- I'm playing with these pans."

"Yes, I realize that my foot is inside of the cake pan."

Sometimes Cole likes to help Stella

and show her how it's done.

I think she just humors him.

She already knows what to do.