Team Party and Last Soccer game....

Noah's soccer team had the team party after the 2nd to last game. Aunt Lisa got to come watch Noah in action...
my super star...
The Team Party was short and sweet...
all the kids got trophies and were very excited!!
Mia and Ella loved the snacks...
as did Madeline...
Here's E getting her trophy where she was sure to let everyone know she thought practices were very boring! hehe...
such a proud soccer player!...
Madeline getting her trophy!
Mia with hers...
Ella and her nana...
Noah getting his award...

such a proud mom and dad!!
the statue of Ella...
the little monkey...
The last game was great too...it was an early morning game and everyone played a great game!!
E with a HUGE smile...
the cheerleaders...

the troublemaker cheerleader...
goofy Aimee...
Noah taking a drink break...
the best group of soccer players ever (sorry Kate and Amanda)


i mean, would YOU want to mess with this group? i think not!!
great season Wolverines!!!!

Pre-K Graduation 2010

Noah's preschool class had the most adorable graduation to celebrate them graduating preschool and moving up to the big leagues.




Noah and his buddy Luke...

Noah had quite the fan club at the graduation!! We missed Uncle Bubba being there a lot! Thankfully Aimee was able to come celebrate with us!!
me and my dad!!
Dad and Diane...
me and my mamma...
Allen and I...
Auntie Lisa and Uncle Tim came too....
The kids wore caps and gowns and trust me, there wasn't a dry eye in the house...

have you ever seen anything cuter...

Noah received a Saint Andrew medal and his diploma...

i had to throw this picture in because I think it is so cute...Ella got hot i guess and pulled up her gown...super cute!!!
the kids said prayers, sang songs, and were super cute the whole time!!



the graduate...

Noah and Nonna...
Noah and his proud parents...
Grandpa and Di with Noah....
Noah and Miss Debbie...
Miss Betsy and Miss Debbie tickling Noah...
Noah was trying to pull down Miss Betsy...

Noah and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tim...

The best moms in the world and the best group of friends one could ever have....

Congrats pre-k class of 2010!!!

No Smoking Allowed!

Noah is fascinated with people who smoke. He feels the need to tell me whenever he sees someone smoking and then very loudly tell me "They are going to die". I mean, I can't blame him, I think i am the one who brainwashed him on that matter. That's what parents do right?? :) I mean the conversation is usually the same anyway...Noah tells me they are going to die and then i start in on how nasty smoking is, Noah tells me he knows, and we move on. Today while driving to the store, we passed a trucker with a cigarette on his mouth and Noah preceded to tell me he was "going to die". I continued with my usual "smoking is so nasty" and Noah told me that if anyone asked him to smoke that he would run away from them. I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell Noah that it might not always be a stranger that offers him cigarettes but one day it might be someone he knows, even one of his friends. Noah assured me that his friends would not offer him a cigarette "because Ella, Cole, Audrey, Padon, Madeline, and Luke don't smoke." Whew. I was very glad to hear the 4 years aren't taking smoke breaks in pre-k!

Graduation...

So Noah and his classmates have been practicing for the "big day". They are "graduating" pre-k next week wearing caps and gowns and the whole shabang. In case you are wondering, there WON'T be a dry eye in the whole place that day!!! TRUST me!! Heck, most of us moms cant even talk about them graduating without the tears coming. BUT I have good news ladies (since i know you other cry babies are reading this), Noah assured me the graduation will be BORING. I asked him today how the graduation practice went and he told me so himself. I asked what will happen at the graduation and he said "we sit for many hours and then we say a Hail Mary and then we sit for more hours doing nothing". hahahaha, I can't wait to see this :)

Heartbreak

When I was pregnant with Noah, mothers of all ages gave me advice. wanted and unwanted advice. Total strangers would stop me in the grocery store and either feel the need to tell me their labor story or tell me something about babies. seriously. Mothers would tell me how awesome it would be when my baby would sleep through the night and when i would see him roll over on his own for the first time. They told me how great it would be when I saw my baby take his first steps on his own, and when i heard him say "mama", my heart would melt forever. They went on to tell me I would have the Barney and Sesame Street themes stuck in my head for the next several years and i would watch every episode of Dora and Diego a hundred times. I would forever know every character in Star Wars, Spiderman, and G.I. Joe. I would be just as proud as my baby when he learned all his letters and could write his name on his own. I would be even more proud when he would whisper "I Love you, Mom" when tucking him into bed. Well they were right...about it all. BUT they left something out. something BIG. They forgot to tell me that even though I spent the last (almost) 5 years of my baby's life teaching him to grow, learn, and become independent, that i would burst into tears when signing him up for kindergarden. that's right....just burst into tears right in the front office. Everyone said it would fly by but nobody told me i would have such a hard time watching my little pumpkin grow up.

Pay it Forward

Today was a great day (pictures of everything to come soon!). This weekend was one of those weekends where Allen and i had TONS of different events going on all weekend long! It took a good bit of planning on my part to make sure we could get to every event and someone to watch Noah for the events that were "adults only". Because of all the crazy events, Noah went to church this afternoon with my mom, Barrett, and Aimee, while i had to go in the evening. I figured i would go to St Brigid's since it is less than a mile from my moms house and I had to pick up Noah from her house after Mass. Allen used to be the youth minister at St Brigid's and I still know a good amount of people who go there. Not to mention my good friends Mandi and Elizabeth are the current high school and middle school youth ministers there and my friends Lois and Lauren volunteer with the high school program.

Lauren was a teen of mine WAY BACK WHEN i was the youth minister at Mary Our Queen. I really have fond memories of those days and especially all those teens. I love(d) them all but Lauren was always different...she was always very special. In fact, I became great friends with Lauren's family! They treated (and still treat) me like their own daughter!! I think it is safe to say that i often spent more time with Lauren "ministering" to her. And when i say "ministering" I mean listening to her obsess over boys that she had crushes on that would never be good enough for my Lauren! I tried to help her see my point but like every other teenage girl, she learned that hard lesson on her own. As Lauren matured in age, I found her maturing in her faith as well, which soon led to her volunteering her time with middle schoolers while she was in college. How awesome is that!! Then she graduated college and moved back to Atlanta and told me she wanted to start volunteering full time with high school teens. You see, Lauren always helped me on my retreats when i was a youth minister and she was in college but she was ready for more!! She has been helping with Confirmation and Life Teen and she is amazing!! Tonight at church I got to witness her in action! When I got to the church she was saving me a seat and as I sat next to her I was in awe at how all the teens kept coming up to her, hugging her and cracking jokes with her. Was this the same Lauren that sat on the Mary Our Queen youth group couch and didn't say anything for weeks to me because she was timid and shy??????

It was so awesome to see her in action!!! I have very much enjoyed all the years i have known Lauren but I have really enjoyed the last few where our relationship has changed from mentor/mentee (is that a word??) to friendship!! Real friendship!!! I love that girl and i am so glad she is using the gifts and talents God gave her to minister to teens. I can only hope and pray I have been a good example in her life and that i have given her half of what she has given me!!

Run Run Run

Today i ran another 5K. I am pretty impressed with myself considering i have been HORRIBLE about running lately. Not only did i get a PR (personal record) but i threw up at the finish line because i booked it at the end!! I mean booked it....(Kate, for you it would have been jogging but for me it was booking it!!) I was super glad Allen, Noah, and Miranda were there cheering me on. I saw them at the very beginning and then at the finish line.

This particular run raised money for curing ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) so it was something i wanted to do. My grandmother (moms mom) and my uncle (dads brother) both died from ALS. I got there early to register for the race and there were tons of people with ALS there. I was very emotional! The race started with a prayer and the national anthem and i couldn't hold back the tears!! It isn't my favorite course since a HUGE part of it is uphill but i did it and am super proud of myself!!