2010-2011 School Year has Begun!

First off, the band season is underway with the music of Frank Ticheli. Morgan is easy to spot in this picture as she is playing the sousaphone and wearing orange shorts. Not really a "Where's Waldo" moment. They practiced the last two weeks, experiencing scorching heat and torrential downpours. As always, the band plays on!! On Saturday evening, the band performed for the parents and then there was a little dinner in the cafeteria. We are very ready for another football season!
Here it is folks - off for a day of firsts!! Morgan's first day of her senior year. Rozzie's first day of high school. Maddie's first day of junior high. Maddie and Rozzie were up early today getting ready for Seminary! It is very odd to see Rozzie going off at this time. She was all smiles.

Morgan wore her special SENIOR t-shirt as many of the seniors do to make themselves known.

And here is Maddie all ready for her day. She had an upset stomach, but powered through and made it to the bus stop. Once there, she was around friends all doing the same thing and her journey began.

Everyone reported good days. We went school supply shopping. I saw Rozzie before school, then thought of her all day. I saw Morgan at lunch (she forgot her lunch!!). I even had a good day. They day went by quickly. I am always a little shy of my new students but I think it will be a good enough year. Tomorrow we start the fun stuff and it will be just like normal. I'm exhausted. I have a headache. But it was a nice first day of school.

Project Bedroom and Other Tasks Along the Way

As Monday starts the new school year, and it is Morgan's senior year, I will start off here with a picture of Morgan at Florida State University. Travis has taken her on a few school visits this summer. She has been to BYU numerous time and it is her first choice, so she did not go on a visit there. Travis took her to University of Florida in June, but I haven't seen a picture. I have heard there is one somewhere, though. More recently, they visited FSU in Tallahassee and Morgan really liked it there. They had a dorm room set up to see - cleaner than any dorm room really is - and on the desk, plugged into an iPod, was a pair of Skullcandy headphones. Anyway, she loved the campus and had a great day there with her dad.
In other breaking news, Duckie is not dead!! Duckie is alive and well and running around the neighborhood. She has been adopted by another family around the corner from us. We figure she ventured out one night and they picked her up, because she really never left our back yard. Maddie brought her home and kept her in for a day. It was obviously her from her close-set, slightly crossed (but ever-so-cute) eyes. I made them put her out at night. She didn't stay around, but we have seen her out and about.

Morgan was very patient and committed and she knit her dad a pair of socks for Father's Day. They weren't done by then, but they did get finished eventually. She did a fabulous job on them and I'm very proud of her. Travis likes them, too!!

It was my goal to redecorate Rozzie's room over the summer. Rozzie had made a quilt. I had painted the room. Now it was time to act. So, over the last two weeks of summer, I shopped and sewed and painted. This is a close up of a pillow I sewed. It was a mess to sew, but it is a really wonderfully tactile pillow. It feels like a dog.

Here is the full size shot of it. It didn't take long to sew, but the fabric was hard to deal with. The fur was all over the place. It actually took me longer to locate my pins than it did to sew the dang thing!

I bought this pillow, but thought I'd show you a close up. Again, it feels like a dog, but is really super wonderful.

Then came the task of painting flowers and paisleys on Rozzie's wall that are similar to the ones in her quilt. I took the fabric to school and put it under the document camera and projected it up on the board and traced!! Just like the olden day opaque projectors!! Lani and I spent a few days working on all this. I love how it all turned out.

Rozzie came home and was in heaven! She loved it all.

And here is the nearly finished product. The lanterns are hung with yarn right now; I need to get one more extension cord. Target is such a great store!! Most of the odds and ends were from there. Pillows from Pier 1. And notice Rozzie's wonderful quilt!!

I am so happy to have accomplished that task!!

In other news, I went back to work this past week. I was one day ahead of the game by having my room set up before going back. It paid off because I ended up very sick all week with little energy and thus I still stayed late on Friday night. But I am ready for the critters to show up on Monday!!

Rozzie and Morgan had their orientation on Thursday. It was fun to take Rozzie and her friends around the high school - kindof surreal, too. She is so ready to play in the big leagues. She loves dance team, so far. They had their pictures on Thursday and it really hit me that she was in high school seeing her running around in the uniform! Morgan and her friends didn't need me to show them around, although I did take her to one class. Morgan has had marching practice all week and tonight we go to the band barbecue to see the new show!! She also got her parking pass for the SENIOR lot.

Maddie had her junior high orientation yesterday and is really excited about moving up in society. She has her gym uniform - that is a definite sign of maturity.

At the end of the day, Trav and the girls came to see me at school. Trav helped me with a project that needed two people. And now we relax for a couple days before it begins - the 2010-2011 school year in which Morgan graduates.

A House Full of Little Ones

Just a little note for all my blog readers: Our email is not functioning right now and is driving us insane. We have contacted people and tried to fix it, but it is not fixing. So for now, please use my work email: jksmith@mail.clay.k12.fl.us

So where was I? Ah yes, returning from Girl's Camp!! We returned home on a Friday afternoon and unpacking and did laundry - lots of laundry - for days. On Saturday, Shan, Mikkyn, Cole, Mack, Tate, and Ruby came to visit!! We were thrilled to have them visit us. Shan had a training class up in Georgia for two weeks and so the family came along for a summer adventure! I had been gone for a month and so my first week home was full of doctor visits, dentist visits, grocery visits, etc. I had to try to rebuild my life that fell apart while I was absent. But all that got done.

As the next weekend approached, my dad flew out to visit and see the girls dance in their recital! Thanks so much for coming, Dad. I know the house was rather busy and hectic, but we were very glad to have you. The nephews said you told funny stories!! We were able to do a little swimming. The cousins went to the beach a few times, but I was unable to go along. However, I did get to go swimming with them a few times. We went to a few different pools. The kids loved it when Morgan, Rozzie, and Maddie would accompany them and swim. That was the best. Here is Ruby trying to be just like Maddie! Maddie was a favorite for Ruby. Ruby would wake up in the morning and ask, "Where's Maddie?" Maddie is a tough one to wake up in the morning, but I found that if I sent Ruby in, Maddie would get right up and have a very sweet disposition. Ruby was often found in the girl's rooms doing dress up or just being with the big girls. It was really sweet. Maddie was pretty good about all the attention and seemed to enjoy entertaining them. There were a few rainy days and one afternoon, we got out the puzzles and went to work. It was quite a sight to see and kept everyone occupied for a long time. We think Mack looks a lot like his Uncle Travis. If you look at the pictures of Trav as a young'un, you'd really see the resemblance! And with their matching BYU shirts, you can hardly tell the difference now!

Ruby wasn't Maddie's only fan. Cole took a liking to her, also! He liked to sit by her whenever he could and enjoyed her company. This picture includes Tate, Cole, and Maddie.

Mikkyn was a great friend to have around the house and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her better! It was comfortable to have them around and I never found myself counting days or anything!! (I liked Girl's Camp but I was counting days!!) I hope they had as comfortable a visit as we did!!

We met Annette and Ashley at Mellow Mushroom for dinner. Morgan and Roz were at Youth Conference, so they were unable to attend. Maddie can't wait until she is 14 so that she can go. She is very sad that it will be two more years. Anyhow, It was a great time and there were many shenanigans in the parking lot afterwards!

Here is the whole crew at church right before Shan and Mikkyn left. Mikkyn, if you would email me a copy of your picture like this I'd appreciate it. I have my eyes closed!! Email it to the above address, not the home one!!

And then it was time for the dance team camp again. This time was different though, Roz was not one of the campers!! The other two girls are from church - McCall and Shelby.

So, I think I'm just about current. I start school on Monday. I have gotten a lot of scrapbook work done. I have also decorated Rozzie's room and I think that will be the next post!

And Now For a Report In Which We All Go To Girl's Camp

I got home from Utah and went directly to Girl's Camp. I did not pass GO and I certainly did not collect $200. Luckily I had the foresight to get the majority of my camp junk packed and ready to go before I left for Minnesota and Utah. I just had a few minor things left to do. Travis helped me grocery shop and pack up. Last summer our area went from having two stakes to three stakes and we are in the newly created Jacksonville South stake. So we have girls from both stakes coming together with all their own ideas and traditions with camp. We were unable to get either camp that the other stakes had previously used and so we found a new-to-us place in Georgia, not too far away. It is owned by Woodsmen of the World (?) and is a tiny island in a salt marsh that feeds into the ocean. We were told to expect rustic. It was. But it was really nice. I liked it very much. It was pretty there, the cabins are close together, and they are also close to the bathrooms that weren't too bad, themselves. My job at camp this year was the same as last year - I was the level 2 camp instructor. I taught classes to the 2nd year girls and certified them in all the criteria in the camp manual. I had 22 girls, the biggest group there!! I also assisted a cabin mom as we are required to have 2 adults per cabin.

This was a special year in that it is Morgan's last year at camp AND it is Maddie's first year. So all the girls were there!! One night, Travis was up there too as the nightly Priesthood watchman. It was a family event. The girls have asked that I not use this picture for our Christmas card so I'll post it here instead.

This is what the cabins looked like and they sleep 11-14 girls pretty comfortably. As you can see, there isn't much grass. The biggest drawback was the dirt. I will say, though, that due to its location, we didn't have one tick!!

Here is Maddie with her friends from our ward. Maddie made friends quickly and had a great experience at camp. Like her sisters, she will be a Girl's Camp fanatic.
On the last day, awards were given out and all three girls were voted Camp Comedian for their level!! One night, I posted on Facebook "Why is it that my girls are the loudest ones in the camp?" and got a reply from a high school friend, "Maybe because their mom is, too." I can't tell you all how much fun it was to see them all there having the time of their lives.

Here is Rozzie (in red) in her skit. It was a Toy Story skit and she was Jessie.

Here is Maddie in a "Faith Factor" contest. The other girl is trying to tie a tie properly.

Rozzie is seen here in the orange shorts dancing for her "lost" item. To get your item from the lost and found, you must sing and dance "The Squirrel Song." Roz is leading the group, but she forgot to turn around to shake her bushy tail.

When all was said and done and we were saying goodbye, Morgan shed many tears. She has loved camp so much the past six years. It has been her favorite summer activity. It has served her well and taught her many skills. She has made so many great friends. She was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting about Girl's Camp - a real 10 minute talk - and she outlined the many things she has gained from her six years of Girl's Camp. She gave such a good talk and we heard from many people how good it was: well planned; well executed; easily understood; and very relevant. She had small anecdotes for each point she made. We were proud parents!!

It's All in the Details

I was gently reminded that we are interested in the details. I know I am and that is why I worked hard on these outfits. So here are some closer-up views of the peacock costume where the earrings are clearly visible, and the headband/headdress is more clear! You can also see the eye detail.
And here is the shirt. The feather was printed on in black an we added glitter paint, jewels, and one big glass bead. Very fabulous and the girls just loved it!!

In the Meantime

Now I'm backing up just a couple weeks. Please don't be confused or angry at me. Some of this happened while I was in Utah and didn't get these pictures until later - much later!

Rozzie had a dance team camp the week after school was out and I already posted a picture or two of that. However, I haven't posted the peacock costumes! During the last week of school, the dance coach asked Lani to come up with a costume for "Zoo Day" at the camp. The coach was thinking "birds" and Lani came up with "peacocks". Well, when Lani is given a task, Jenni gets a task. We did some running around looking at things and searching the Internet. Then I spent about 6 hours making earrings and helping with the shirts and headbands. The costume turned out really cute. Here is Rozzie with one of her new friends, Lauren, modeling the finished product.
On the day Rozzie had to be at dance team camp, the rest of the youth from church went to the temple in Orlando. This was Maddie's first trip there to do baptisms. They had a nice time and I'm glad Morgan was able to go with her. She is wearing heels here but, yes, she is taller than Morgan.

I have been busy this summer and finished this pair of socks out in Utah. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the effect of the yarn here. These socks are so pretty and were a lot of fun to knit.

Stay tuned for the next post in which we go to Girl's Camp (Rozzie's 3rd "camp" for the summer). Thanks for checking in.

Utah Trip 2010: Part III - The End

I know, I know. You all thought something drastic happened in my life since I haven't posted in three weeks. Well something drastic did happen. And I'll try and blog it all this week. But at this point, I must give the rest of my Utah trip some attention. Mike and Jenny took a vacation out to Utah at the same time I was out there so they came over to Park City for a day. It was lots of fun. Jenny has posted some great pictures at www.hawleyfocus.com PLEASE check it out as there is a fabulous picture of me and Violet. Actually all the pictures are great. I have a couple more that were different from Jen's so I'll show you a few!! We rode alpine slides and the girls were so funny. Annie didn't want to go too fast so I made sure we went fast enough! We beat Mike! On the way up, Annie and Mimi were fighting over who got to ride with me. Finally Mimi said, "Oh! I know, I can ride with Aunt Jenni the first time, and then Annie can ride with Aunt Jenni the next time!!" Annie shouted with joy and agreed with her whole-heartedly. Mike gave me the look of shock over someone thinking of such a novel idea. Ha ha ha ha!

Later that night, Holly took us on a Ranger ride all over the mountain and the Canyons ski resort. It was a really great ride. I think Violet liked it the best. She was a wild baby! She loved having the wind blowing in her hair! At the Canyons they have a summer Ultimate Frisbee course set up. I had to take a picture of this for Sara and her boys.
Here is a picture of Violet and Mike. The funny thing is that she is holding on to Mike by his handle there on the side of his head! She hung on all the way to the car!

Here is a picture of Maddie with some girls at the Gateway Mall. It was Brooklyn's birthday party and they went on a photo scavenger hunt all over the mall. She had a blast!

While we were doing all this stuff, Rozzie was at camp having a blast. On the Sunday that she was at camp, they went to Temple Square to see "Music and the Spoken Word." Here they are at the temple.

Here is Rozzie with all her new best friends at the reflection pool by the temple. Rozzie is right in the middle in black.

As the camp came to a close, we went to see Rozzie perform the dances she learned. Roz is in the back pointing at us. It was great to see her with new friends and have such a fun time.

Autumn and Brooklyn came along to see Rozzie's performance, too. Rozzie learned what a great place BYU is!!

We had such a nice trip in Utah. It was a great time to meet and greet with friends and family. Then we headed home on Saturday, July 3, and I had to be to Girl's Camp in Georgia on Sunday, July 4, at 5:00.

Thanks to Alden's and Smith's for such a great time!!