No more babies!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic about Max's birthday.  He turned 5 yesterday.  The party was great.  Most of the little boys from his class at church were able to attend.  Everyone had a good time.  No tears, no fighting.

But throughout the party I just kept thinking "they are little boys."  Somewhere between the last birthday and this one, my baby disappeared.  He started kindergarten, he can ride a two wheeler, he can write his name (and everyone else's and lots of other words), he knows his address, he can swim the length of the pool. The chubby cheeks have melted away and he's got abs I would be thrilled with!

I am enjoying all of his new discoveries and I love watching him grow.  But it hit me yesterday, our time with babies is over.  With the first two, when they turned 5 the next one was on the way or had just arrived.  This time there is no newer model.  The baby days are over.

Happy Birthday Max!

YPAC Dual Meet 11/12/2011

Nate had his best swim meet yet on Saturday.  He finished in 1st place in every race and had personal best times in every one of them!

One of the things we've been waiting for Nate to "get" is that you have to finish a race really strong, giving it all you have at the end.  Last week, half way through the meet this concept seemed to click with Nate and he finished his last two races with personal best times and won his heat.  On Saturday Nate finished all of his races really hard and it showed!

The best race of the day was the 50 yard Butterfly.  Nate is not a big fan of the Butterfly.  It is the hardest stroke and he struggles with it.  In fact on Friday night when I told him he'd been assigned to swim the  50 Fly he said "no way. I'm not doing it."   I reminded him that being on a team means that you do what the coaches ask.  They have their reasons for assigning certain kids certain events.  You just have to do your best.

I had to give him another little pep talk on Saturday before the race but once the race started I could see he was on his game.  His butterfly looked as good as I've ever seen it. He and another boy from our team were neck and neck the whole race.  Nate really swam hard the last 15 yards and ended up finishing first with a 45.10.  The other boy finished in 45.19.  

The win was a huge victory for Nate's confidence. He swam hard, finished first, and took 13 seconds off his previous best time.  Plus he's never beaten this other swimmer before so it really gave Nate a huge boost of confidence.

He still didn't qualify for the State Meet but he's about 3 seconds from it on the 50 Back and now he's about 5 seconds from it in the 50 Fly.  It's also getting close in the 100 Free.  His next meet is December 10 so hopefully that will be the day!

NOW Dual Meet

The first dual meet of the season was exciting.  The Macomb Marlins Boys just edged out the North Oakland Waves, but the NOW girls beat the Marlin Girls by enough to claim the victory.  It was a very close meet with a lot of great races.  Nate swam two relays and two individual events.

In the 200 Medley Relay, Nate swam the first leg- a 50 back.  In spite of a slow start due to some problems with the starting gun (4 misfires before they switched to a whistle start), he swam a personal best of 45.11. Unfortunately the swimmer on the second leg was disqualified due to a one hand touch at the wall so the whole relay team was DQ'd.

In the 100 Free, Nate came in second place with a personal best time of 1:26.54.

In the 200 Free, Nate came in third with a personal best time of 3:01.28.  His buddy Alec and one of the other team's guys had a super race to the wall.  Both boys got State cuts and Alec came it first.  It was a great race.

In the 200 Free Relay, Nate swam the second leg.  Everybody looked great and they came in first.  There was problem with the timing system.  It stopped timing them before they touched the wall, so the computer thinks they got a Zone (even better than State) cut but we know they didn't.  We are still waiting on the results but anticipating a time of around 2:31. That's not a State cut yet but it is an improvement over their seed time and we are hoping to see a State cut by the end of the season.

So Red, White & Blue ribbons and personal best times for Nate.  It was another great meet!

High School Highs

So we've got a couple months of High School under our belts. Its been an experience for all of us. There is definitely a lot less drama when you are the only kid in your home school high school class. But drama aside, Kaylee is doing well and really enjoying Arts Academy in the Woods.

High School seems to agree with her as well. She's had 3 really great accomplishments in only 2 months.

First, she auditioned for and was accepted into the Arts Academy in the Woods Dance Company. Only 9 students were selected. These students will represent the school at the National High School Dance Festival in Philadelphia in March as well as perform for special events throughout the year.

Second, all dance majors were required to audition for the Arts Showcase in December. They will be performing "Black Swan" at the Detroit Music Hall. Kaylee won the role of Odette, the White Swan. I will be posting more about this later including selling tickets. Save the date: Dec. 16! This is going to be amazing!

Third, Kaylee was inducted into the National Honor Society. Even though its a performing Arts High School, Arts Academy takes the academic side very seriously and I'm happy to report Kaylee is doing wonderfully academically. She's getting used to having to stay up late to do homework after long days of dancing, but she's managing it all very well.
 

Marlin Meet 2011

Nate's Swimming Season Officially Kicked off yesterday with the Annual Marlin Meet. (Although if you ask Nate it really began 3 weeks ago when practices started.) The Marlin Meet is always our first meet of the season. Its an intra-squad meet that gives novice swimmers a chance to experience a meet without the pressure of another team present. Times don't count towards state cuts but the coaches like to get a base time for the swimmers to work on improving and the swimmers still get ribbons. Plus sometimes beating your practice buddy is more fun than beating another team.

Nate had a great meet. He swam 4 events and improved his time from last season on all 4 events.

200 FreeStyle- 2nd place 3:05.87 (15 second improvement from last years best)

100 IM- 2nd place 1:46.88 (9 second improvement)

100 FreeStyle- 2nd place 1:32.27 (4 second improvement)

50 FreeStyle- 1st place 40.22- (.13 improvement)

The 50 Free was an awesome experience for Nate. He was seeded in Lane 4 in the last heat. For you non-competitive swimmers, what that means is that going into the race he had the best previous time so he got the best lane. Lane 4 is the "kid to beat." There were 11 boys in the race and his heat was competitive but Nate took the lead with his start and maintained a small lead going into the wall, then did an awesome flip turn and sprinted home for a very solid win. I wished I'd could have had a camera to get a picture of the huge grin on his face when he looked at the scoreboard and saw the 1. next to his name. (But I was standing on the diving board officiating so at least I got to see his face.)



I think we are going to have another great season!

Say Cheese!

Kaylee's had a couple rough weeks of dental work. 2 weeks ago she got impacted molars extracted and ajusted. Last week she got wisdom teeth removed and this week she got the top braces put on. On the way to the Orthodontist I said... "Let's go make your beautiful smile even prettier." Her response was "Mom, that's about the cheesiest thing I've ever heard!" but I stand by my statment.
Before

After

I'd said "Say Cheese!" But I should have said "Say Mashed Potatoes!" Because she isn't eating much these days. I'm sure it will be worth it. Stay tuned. In a couple years the braces picture will be the "before" picture and the "after" picture will be gorgeous!

Barre + Mirrors + Floor = Love

How does the Ballerina know that her Daddy loves her?




When he turns his office into her new dance space.

So it begins... again

Max took his first dance class yesterday. He loved it. I talked to him on my way home from work and he kept saying "It was so much fun!!!" The summer session is 5 weeks. If he continues to love it we'll enroll him in the fall too. Maybe next year's AAOD recital will have 2 Dexter kids in it!

Camping 2011 Preview

We are just back from a week of camping at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. Hopefully soon I will post some pictures. It was gorgeous & we had lots of fun. But as a preview let me tell you what packing for camping was like. I asked each of the kids to pack their own stuff. Here's what they packed for themselves:

Max: 20 Webkinz stuffed animals & 3 long sleeve pj shirts.

Nate: DSi, 2 pair of shorts, 1 swim suit & flip-flops.

Kaylee: a HUGE suitcase full of clothes & a cell phone & charger.

I also asked Derek to pack his clothes. He packed a swimsuit before getting a phone call then insisted that's all he really needed anyway.

Lucky for all of them, Momma took over the clothing detail. We all had a enough to wear and even a couple spare outfits. The weather was very warm so we didn't need any jeans or jackets that I packed just in case. I think Derek & Nate probably could have survived with what they packed. I do think that Nate spent 36 hours in a row in his swim suit at one point.

I still see Fireworks

20 years ago today Derek & I had our first date.

We were working at Camp Living Waters and the 4th of July fell on our night off. A bunch of staff were making plans to drive into the "big" (read with sarcasm) city of Luther to see the fireworks display.

Derek asked me to ride with him and "saved" the spot on the center consol of his jeep so I could sit next to him.

Once we arrived at the little park, we sat next to each other and watched the fireworks in between sneaking glances at each other.

I don't think the fireworks were very memorable, an average display from a tiny little town. But I will never forget how overwhelmed my heart was feeling and the still small whispering voice in my soul that said "This is the one I have chosen for you."

A week later Derek asked me out again for our day off. This time we walked along Lake Michigan on our own and shared our dreams and named our future children. When we got back someone asked us if it was our first date and we both said "no." Our first date was in a crowd, watching fireworks, not quite fully realizing how fitting they were.

Less than 6 months later, the little park was snow covered when we pulled into the parking lot and Derek pulled an engagement ring out of the glove box.

It's been 20 years since our first fireworks together, and we still take every opportunity we can to see fireworks, but none of them quite measure up to the fireworks in Luther, Michigan on July 4, 1991.

It was "Time to Dance"

For the last 5 days its been "Time to Dance." That was the theme of this year's recital. It's a crazy week for us, but truthfully, I love it.

I love having to be super organized to get everything together.



I love being backstage with Kaylee to help her change 13 times, often in under 5 minutes.




I love watching her dance.



I love buying tickets for friends,



and I love seeing their faces after the show.




I love the intense togetherness of the whole week.


And I love watching her sleep in the morning after, knowing that as crazy as the week is, we'll do it all again next year. Because we love it.

awwww....

Max had his first big bike crash tonight. He's got a new 16 inch Cars bike, that he's riding "super fast" with no training wheels. He's been riding the new bike just over a week and he's gotten faster & faster every day. Today, while we were going around the block as a family Derek said, he's going to crash sooner or later. Sure enough about 10 minutes later, Max tried to turn around in the neighbor's driveway and turned his wheel too sharply. He's got scraps on his forehead, nose & knee and a pretty big fat lip. A few minutes ago I heard him tell Derek... "Ya know what I wish? That I'd wake up and this crash was just a dream!" Awwww, melt a Momma's heart. But I know that tomorrow he'll be back out there on his bike riding like the Danger Boy Jr. that he is.

On the Top of the World

Danger Boy has rediscovered his love for climbing. Lately, if there is a tree or pole nearby he feels the need to climb as high as possible, perch near the top and give a triumphant shout.



I'm not a big fan of heights myself and my heart usually skips a beat or two when I am called to observe his feats. But his adventurous tendancies do keep me in constant prayer so I guess its all good! He sure does keep his guardian angels busy.

Cryptic Comments

Yesterday I was tempted to make my facebook status "Insert Cryptic Comment Here". I see so many of them posted on facebook, not just from teenagers, but adults too. Sometimes its just random thought, but often it appears that the seemlying random thought is really meant to be directed at someone in particular.

Here's the thing about cryptic facebook posts. The people or person that you are trying to make a point to rarely get it. Either they don't see it, they don't understand it or they don't think it applies to them. Meanwhile, others see it, start wondering what it means, maybe causing them ask others, thus seeking out or spreading gossip.

God's word directs us to speak the truth in love (Gal. 4:15). If we've got something to say, we should say it to the person directly (and privately) and only if we are doing it from a place of love.

Even though Jesus spoke in parables, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be leaving random cryptic messages on facebook, so neither should I. If you see one from me, please call me out on it.

I'm cautious about publishing this blog and linking it on facebook. It might seem like I'm doing exactly what I'm counseling against. But this post isn't directed at one person and hopefully I am not being cryptic. Its just a message that I feel God has been laying on my heart for quite sometime and that I need to share it.

Reaction Dance Force Competition

This weekend was our last competition for the season. Whew! I enjoy them but I am glad its over. Kaylee & her team did very well so it was a great way to end the "year". The ranking system for this competition is Platinum, Elite Gold, Gold, Elite Silver, Silver & Bronze.

Kaylee received all Elite Golds. Her Lyrical solo placed in the top 10, which was amazing and funny because that's been her weaker solo all season and the teacher has been changing it every week. I guess it just finally came together. The large group number also placed 1st overall.

The competition only awarded 12 platinums for the whole competition. It is an almost perfect score. Our 3 Seniors all won Platinums for their solos and their small group won Platinum & First Overall. In fact our studio took home 6 of the 12 Platinums awarded! Our best Senior Boy & Girl took home the Titles too.

But the best award for the weekend- We won the "BackStage Pass Award" which is awarded by the Stage Manager for best sportsmanship based on everything that happens BEHIND the scenes. As parents we are most proud of our kids for that.

Now we have just about a month until recital, so I'll be trying to finish alterations on those costumes and getting organized for that.

Arts Academy Spring Dance Recital

We feel officially part of the Arts Academy in the Woods family now. Kaylee had her first recital with the new school. It was a great show. The ballet classes performed varations from animated movies. Kaylee's class Ballet III performed to "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. It was a wonderful show. Lots of pointe dances, which made me very happy. We've been giggling about the correspondance we get from the school and we've got her report card on the fridge. (She's got a 4.0 taking just one class makes that an easier accomplishment. LOL) But the recital drove home the pointe (pun intended) that she's part of the school. She still has a few more weeks and 1 final exam to go but we are already looking forward to next year.

Happy Mother's Day

I Love Dance Competition

Today's competition was different then any others we have done. The competition is in its 33rd season and is what some might call "old-school." Kaylee called it "vintage."

They use a hotel ballroom instead of an auditorium with a stage. There is no stage lighting and the audience was frequently told "the appropriate response to a dance performance is polite applause NOT hooting and hollaring." There were about 10 small studios competing not any of the Mega Studios in our area. We didn't really know what to expect but it turned out to be a really good fit for us. Our Studio won a lot of awards!



One of our Soloist got Best in Show!
Our Senior Small Group got 1st Overall in Groups.
Our Senior Duet got 1st in Student Choreography.
Several of our Soloists placed in the top 3 in their age groups.
Many of numbers place in the Top 3 in their category.

I had been nervous about this competition for two reasons. One is that they are very strict on their rules. Several of our numbers had to be modified to remove a move that was not allowed. One of the things that they don't allow is lip-syncing unless you are in the song & dance category. I was concerned because Kaylee does a very jazzy-pointe number and she lip-syncs. I was worried about her not remembering not to lip sync. The other thing I was worried about was the type of flooring. Kaylee is used to dancing on a marley floor or a hard-wood floor. I was concerned about her doing pointe on a ballroom floor, which can be very slippery. We were also told that they were not allowed to use rosin on their pointe shoes to keep from slipping.

When we arrived and Kaylee did a quick test on the floor, Kaylee, her dance teacher & I all agreed that we didn't want to risk an injury by dancing pointe on the floor. The competition director was very understanding and agreed to move Kaylee's number to the song & dance category. I was thrilled because this solved both of my concerns. It ended up being a very good competition.

Kaylee's Not-Pointe solo got a 1st Place Trophy in Song & Dance.
Kaylee's Jazz Trio got a 2nd Place.
And the Large Group number got a 1st Place in Variety Arts.
Her Lyrical looked good but didn't place in a very large, very competitve 15-17 age group.

We had a great day at I Love Dance!

Marathon Memories

I had an amazing time at the Boston Marathon. Going in, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Not being a runner myself, I didn't think I'd fully appreciate what a "big deal" it really is. I was happily surprised.



Since airfare from Detroit to Boston was never much less than $400, we decided to drive. Most of you know that driving isn't really my favorite thing to do. But having 24 hours of alone time in the car with my husband was pretty special. We talked about lots of stuff, joked around and also enjoyed some silence and the feeling of just being together.




We stopped at Niagara Falls on both legs of the trip just to get out and stretch our legs. No matter how many times I see the falls I'll still be in awe of God's nature.




We arrived in Boston around 7:30 on Friday night. We found a local Italian place and enjoyed some pasta. Our room at the Courtyard Marriott in Waltham was wonderful. On Saturday morning we slept in then set off to explore Boston.
We walked through the city stopping at some historic sites like the Granary Burying Grounds, where Paul Revere & Sam Adams are buried.



Then we walked through the Boston Commons & Boston Public Garden. We even got to see the first Swan Boats of the season.



One of my favorite things was seeing the "Make Way for Ducklings" Statutes.



Then we went to pick up Derek's number & marathon pack. We ended up spending a couple hours in the convention center. Lunch ended up being free samples of yogurt, power bars & Gatorade! It was fun to just soak in the excitement. Everyone was very friendly, asking if this was our first Boston Marathon, where Derek qualified, and complimenting him on his bib number.



We ended Saturday with dinner at the Union Oyster House. Its America's oldest restaurant. We sat in a room where many Presidents have eaten. (JFK even has a special booth). We looked out the window and could imagine George Washington, Ben Franklin and other heroes of the revolutionary war looking out the same window, seeing redcoats walking by and planning to fight for freedom.



On Sunday, we drove out to Hopkinton, where the race begins. The little town was positively buzzing with excitement. The people there seem to live for this day when all eyes are on them.




In the afternoon we drove out to Salem. We had seen advertisements for the Salem Witch Museum and thought it would be interesting. It turned out to be something less than a wax museum. The History of the Salem Witch Trials is very interesting but I don't recommend the museum. A good book or PBS special would suffice. However, there is an ice cream Parlor in Salem that made the drive worthwhile. If you are ever near there be sure to stop at Treadwell's. It was amazing!



On Monday, we woke up very early. I drove Derek out to Hopinkton State Park so he could get a bus to the starting line.



Then I drove into Boston and parked at a garage near the finish line. At that point I still wasn't sure whether I was going to try to take a train or bus to the half way point then try to get back to the finish or not. I started asking random people and the consensus was that if you wanted to see the finish you needed to stake out a spot ASAP.

So I bought a little folding camp chair from Walgreen's and took my spot at approx. mile 26. Even the two hours of watching an empty street wasn't boring. I got to know the people around me. Everyone has a special story about how they ended up in Boston and who they were watching.



Then the wheelchair racers started to finish. I can't really describe the emotion at seeing them at the finish. Some were exhausted, they'd stop and look around with this smile on their face that still leaves a lump in my throat when I think about it. Others zoomed by, only focused on the finish line.




Shortly after that the Elite Women finished. The woman's race was so close. Only two seconds separated 1st & 2nd place. Desiree Davila, from Rochester MI, finished in second as the top American Woman.



A little while after that, Geoffery Mutali flew by. The cheer when he came into sight was so loud. Then, after he whizzed past, everyone just looked around with their mouths hanging open. It was so fast. Turns out it was the fastest marathon ever recorded 2:02. (The Boston Course doesn't qualify for World Record Status because its not a loop course and due to the elevation levels over the course and the tailwind.) When Ryan Hall, the top American male finished in 4th and in US Record time, the crowd went wild.




I had to wait another hour and a half for Derek to finish but in that time I saw all sorts of runners. People that were so excited to be there, they didn't seem to want the race to end, running from sideline to sideline giving high-fives or kissing girlfriends.



There were People who didn't look like they'd finish the race. Several people collapsed and had to be helped back up by other runners. One runner had a friend on either side of him and he was doing all he could to just keep moving his feet forward. The crowd yelled support: "You can do it! You can make it!" I am still tearing up as I think back to the emotion I was feeling for complete strangers.



I had been following Derek's progress all along via the text updates. When I got the first text showing a pace of 7:16, I thought it sounded good. I knew that he didn't want to go out too fast. But with the second & third updates showing that his pace was getting even slower, I knew he wasn't having a good race.

He had high hopes. Everyone wants to come to Boston and run a PR. Derek trained over 800 miles at a sub seven-minute pace. He figured he had a chance to run a sub 3 hour marathon. But it wasn't his day. Around 1:45pm I was getting a little nervous, even at the slower pace, I was expecting to see him before then. I started praying for his health and safety. Then once of my new friends spotted him in the crowd. "Hey, is that your husband?!?" Yes, relief. He was moving pretty slow but he was still running. He didn't look about to collapse. Although, he didn't look to be enjoying the experience either. I couldn't get his attention. He was focused on the finish line.



When I got to him after the race, I could see the disappointment, and pain, on his face. This wasn't the race he came to run. But, I am so proud of him. The determination and guts it takes to run a marathon speaks so much more than the results of the race itself. Sometimes finishing is hard than winning.



I love him so much. I love the adventures he takes me on. I have experienced things I would never have done on my own. I am a better person because I am Derek's wife.

Boston Bound

I haven't forgot that I have a blog, I've just been too busy living life to write about it. LOL!

We've got the first Dance Competition under our belt. Like a Prayer (Group Open) received High Gold, Everyone Needs a Little (Lyrical Solo)took a disappointing Gold but was only 2 points from High Gold.

Tonight is Nate's Swim Team Banquet. Even though he's been done swimming for a few weeks, the older swimmers have a longer season. Our team did really well in the State Championships, Zone Championships and Nationals. It's fun to get back together and celebrate with the whole team.

Tomorrow Derek & I leave for Boston. I am so excited to watch him run this marathon. It's the culmination of several years of training and persistance. I am so proud of him for what he has already accomplished, this is just the icing on the cake.

Please pray for safe travels and injury free running.

I'll update the Blog with results when we get back and then there will be Easter pictures and more dance competition, and the rest of life stuff. (Maybe even a video of Max riding around the block with no training wheels if I can figure out how to get it from Derek's phone to my blog.)

So it begins... Dance Competition Season 2

So because Dance Competition Season can't NOT be stressful... This year we had a costume snafu.

Some of you might have seen a picture of Kaylee in a beautiful multi-colored costume posted on facebook. We had planned that for her lyrical solo (Everyone Needs A Little By Kari Jobe).

Joy S. gave us the custom made costume and Jann K. made us beautiful flowing sleeves to add to it. But unfortunately, even though the costume seemed to fit fine standing still, it did not work once Kaylee tried to dance in it. No matter what alterations we tried we had several "wardrobe malfunctions" (yes, of the Janet Jackson kind).

The teacher reminded us that's what dress rehearsal is for, but we all agreed that we needed to find a new costume. With only 1 week to competition, we didn't have time to order a new one. So we asked around to see what we could borrow and the Studio Owner said she'd look in her box of old costumes to see if she had anything.

On Monday she handed us this costume. It's about 7 years old, never worn still wadded up in the original bag that it came in. (That's how a lot of dance costumes arrive!)



Kaylee tried it on and it fit and has the lovely flowing arms the Dance Teacher had hoped for. The Studio Owner suggested we put it in the dryer with a wet towel to get the wrinkles out and add some rhinestones to sparkle it up.

I've heard about Dance Moms adding rhinestones to costumes, but I've never actually done it myself. But I bought a bottle of gem glue and a bunch of stones at Michael's and I dove in. 170 hand glued stones later and this is what it looks like:


(Front)


(Back)

If ever there was any doubt, now I feel like a real Dance Mom!

Sunday is Kaylee's first dance competition of the Season. We'll be at NexStar at Rochester High School. She's in a group number at around 10am then has her lyrical solo at 6pm. I know most of you that read this blog have church activities during that time so we don't expect to see anyone there but if you can say a prayer for confidence & safety we'd appreciate it. (She's only doing 2 numbers at this competition so its not even the best one to come watch anyway. Stay tuned for future competition dates & times)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

With a name like Kelli Green*, you know I've always had a special place in my heart for St. Patrick's Day. I never forgot to wear my green clothes. I even had a special St. Patrick's Day shirt that I wore several years in a row.

So it's been kind of fun for me that everyday for a week, Max has asked me if its Green day yet. I'm not sure where he heard the concept, but he's been somewhat obsessed about wearing green. In fact, he's worn green several days just for practice.

This morning when he woke up I asked him: "Do you know what today is?" And with a big grin he responded: "I already knowed! IT'S GREEN DAY!!!"

So Happy Green Day everyone, whether you are irish or not.



*Yes, my maiden name really was Kelli Green. What can I say, it was the 70's. Ironically, we aren't actually irish- that I know of.

I have a surprise for you!

Max and I are playing a fun game right now. The game involves a cardboard box, tape and webkinz.

We take turns putting a webkinz in the box, tape it shut and then bring it to the other person saying in a sing-songy voice:

"I have a surprise for yoooooou!"
Then the other person excitedly opens the box, takes out the stuffed animal and promptly names the animal something obvious.

I now have a dog named "dirty paws" a cat named "black tail" and a Rhinoceros named "Horny" (heehee!).

Max just announced this is a GREAT game. I am loving it too.

Simple, Sweet, Free.

District Championships

This morning Nate swam his last meet of the 2010-2011 Swim Season. The District Championships were held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Nate had a great meet.

200 Free 3rd Place with a personal best time of 3:18.76

50 Back 11th Place with a personal best time of 48.07

50 Free 12th Place with a personal best time of 40.33


Here is the awards ceremony for the 200 Free.

Way to go Nate! Congratulations on a great season!

"Searching for a Prom Dress"

This message is from Kaylee:

Please sign up for swagbucks using my referral link. You can use Swagbucks to search for anything. You earn swagbucks randomly during searches. I notice I usually win after 3-5 searchs in a row. I usually search twice a day once in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening. I usually get some swagbucks within 5-10 minutes of searching. Once I have 450 swagbucks I trade it in for a $5 amazon gift card (they offer other kinds of gift cards too but the amazon one is the best value). Then as soon as I get the amazon gift card I load it onto my amazon account. I'm currently building up my account to buy a cute prom dress. When you sign up for swagbucks using this link you we both earn swagbucks.

Party On

Kaylee's birthday always sneaks up on us. February 3 sounds like its far enough from the holidays not to be a problem, so its on the back burner. I usually start thinking about the boys birthdays in October before Halloween, then we are getting through Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Year's Eve. Then just as I settle into the routine of the new year I realize that Kaylee's birthday is just a couple weeks away.




Now that she's older that's both more and less of a problem. Less of a problem because I don't need to find a cute theme and mail cute invitations (She specifically requested that I stop doing that about 2 years ago), more of a problem because she and her friends are so busy its hard to find a weekend to have a party.

This year it worked out that all but 1 of her friends could attend a party on Saturday night. It seemed perfect. Most would just come to church with us on Sunday morning. We'd rent a few movies, put some food out, and leave them to themselves. (Just what teenagers want).



We called this a "not birthday cake" since Kaylee doesn't like cake, its layers of brownies & rice krispy treat.


Everything was going according to plan until around 10:30 on Saturday morning when Nate vomited and I took his temperature. A sick kid sure has a away of messing up the best laid plans.

I really didn't want to try to reschedule the party. A couple years ago this same thing happened and we weren't able to have Kaylee's party until April! So I needed a Plan B!

Plan B turned out to be calling all the parents to inform them of our germiness. We decided to take the girls out to a restaurant and movie and give the parents the option of having the girls sleep over or go home after the movie.

We quarantined Nate and used a lot of Lysol throughout the house. It turned out he only threw up once in the morning but ran a fever most of the day. 3 of the girls decided to be brave and sleep over.

Not exactly how we had planned it, but party on!


How to Make a Teenage Girl happy? Give her shoes for a birthday present!