Way behind

I think it's usually a good thing when life gets in the way of blogging, but I do have to remember to pause and write some of the things down that I want to remember.

Macy's been more interested in reading. Her favorite library books are the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. Sometimes she calls elephants "Gerald" like the elephant in the books. I'd say that she likes "Pigs Make Me Sneeze," "I Will Surprise My Friend," and "Elephants Cannot Dance" the very best, but they all make her laugh and completely hold her attention. She also remembers little lines from each, and will say, "A-a-a-a-a" (like she's going to sneeze) or, "He, he, he, he" (like she's laughing and about to surprise someone.) Lately she has a new found interest in playing peek-a-boo, especially with puppets (I think it's both from the surprise book and from seeing Jake and Kennedy play hide and seek in the house.)

Kennedy went to a Super Fly birthday party for her friend Lucy. I don't know how Lucy's mom managed to keep 25 three- and four-year-olds entertained for two hours - although, the bounce house did help! Kennedy loves her friends from school, and I'm so glad that the three amigas (Kennedy, Lucy and Mae Mae) are together in the Purple class for the next three years. Kennedy was very excited to shop for a birthday present, and she knew that paints would be the perfect gift for Lucy.

Jeff leaves for college this week. He's going to the Oregon Institute of Technology, which sounds like such a good fit for him. We will all really miss him, but he'll be home for Thanksgiving so we can hear all about how school is going. He might as well be my only cousin (he's the only one I really know), or even another younger brother. I have so many great memories from spending time with Jeff: I tried, unsuccessfully, to teach him to swim one summer, and now he's helping me with my girls in the pool. He spent quite a few nights at our condo, either just for an evening or for a sleepover, usually involving pizza and playstation, with Spiro the Dragon being a particular favorite game. Then he moved on to late night World of Warcraft sessions with Jake, sometimes even bringing his computer to our house so they could play together in the same room. Watching him play tee ball, and then slow pitch baseball, before he found his love of tennis. He was so stubborn in the match we watched him play in St. George, not wanting to ease up on his power serve - even though he continued to double fault again and again. We were especially proud of him when he earned his Eagle Award in Scouting, and it meant so much to Jake to be a part of the ceremony. I loved watching him compete in the robot soccer tournament, even though all but one of his teammates bailed on him, he worked hard and had fun. And then there's the Bananagrams games in Sun Valley and debating the merits of various words (he is the bananagrams master!) He's such a great kid, and I know he'll be successful at school. We'll sure miss him at Sunday dinners, though! If only I had a way to scan my older photos - here are some more recent pictures of Jeff : Eagle Scout, Tennis Pro, Bike Fanatic, Meeting Baby Kennedy, 18th Birthday, High School Graduation, Sun Valley! Jeff, we're proud of you and we love you!