Fun times together

 Emmy and I enjoyed a girl's night.  We had dinner together at Panera then went to a U Mary volleyball game.  It was camper's night and they recognized Emmy and the other campers.  During the starting line up each volleyball player threw a volleyball out to the crowd.  The first girl up attempted to throw it to Emmy but it actually hit me square in the chest and I caught it (with some surprise)!  Emmy was beyond thrilled to get this signed volleyball and between the game, music, her recognition of the camp coaches, etc we had an amazingly fun night together.  I love hanging out with her, she is such a fun girl to be around.

 Grandparents day at school was a nice time for the kids.  We took grandma out to Starbucks before school started.

 Bobby had the best coach this year for soccer and the Eckert boys took a great picture.

 Mom and I took the kids to AppleFest.  There was a petting zoo and the kids went crazy in the small fenced in area that had goats, llamas, chickens, ducks, bunnies, a donkey......some other animals I wasn't sure how to identify.  They never wanted to leave (even though the whole thing kind of grossed me out).  We sanitized after they were done and played games and got treats.  It was a fun adventure.  The next morning we went to church where it was Emmy's turn to ring the bell.  We met up with Grandma Launa and the cousins who enjoyed Sunday School (Mason, Bobby, Emmy) and Cameron sat with us and asked very nicely if I would escort him up front for children's time.  I asked if I could drop him off and then come get him for story time and he told me no, I would need to sit with him up front.  He was so sweet, held my hand and prayed up front during out time up there.  He even thanked me....warmed my heart right up!

We had some dental check ups this week.  No cavities!!! That was a relief, the kids did enjoy getting their teeth shined up.

Flu shots and the 2016 Bismarck Marathon

 Kids made it through flu shots.....barely.  Lots of tears and trauma and in the end Bobby decided it really wasn't bad at all.  Hope it goes better next time.  The only part they appreciated on the experience with the doctor's office was taking pictures next to their favorite dogs.

 Another Mini Marathon day in the books.  The kids really enjoyed themselves.  Bobby was VERY serious about his race but false started and ended up in a dead heat with a few other kids.  Emmy had to run in the 6-10 year old category.  She did really well and was in the top 5 finishers.  She worked hard and had a longer distance (200 m) this year to run.  They got their medals and Bobby also got a bloody nose and lip from rough plan pre race.  He found his friend Beckham and they took a picture together.  We love this event.

 The kids were able to cheer me on this year in the 5K.  I ran a 20 min 28 sec race and was the 1st place woman and 3rd place overall.  I won a jacket and a medal but more importantly I won some cheers and hugs from my favorite fans at the end of the race.  My women's team got first again as well and we won jackets and medals.  This year it was close as I ran an extra .65 miles off course due to a series of events and another team had two All American cross country runners from U Mary on their team.  We won by only 20 seconds!!  It was very close and so I am glad my team pulled it out.  I ran over 7 miles for the relay at a 7 minute pace and 2 days later my quads are still recovering....ouch!

Deep thoughts by Bobby

Bobby makes us laugh multiple times per day.  He told his dad that he learned a good lesson over the weekend not by doing it but just something he knows  now:  "if you see someone bigger and stronger than you DO NOT kick him."  also he and I had a good conversation about what life will be like when I am a grandma.  He told me he can only visit me a few times because his kids may get bored.  I told him I'd take good care of his kids though so he should visit daily.  He then proceeded to quiz me:  "Will you let me kids drive?" "Will you let them leave the house?"  I answered no to these questions but then decided to mix it up and answer yes for his next question, "Will you let my kids jump out the window?"  I told him that sounded like fun for his kids so yes, I would.  He thought about that answer and then said, "OK I will just make parachutes for the kids so they can land safely."  Good plan.

Look who we ran into at the store!

After soccer we went grocery shopping and ran into some Vikings cheerleaders.  Bobby was very shy at first which was sweet.  Emmy was more outgoing and explained her love of cheerleading and that she plans to be a cheerleader for Halloween. 

Robb got a good pic of our valuable cuddle time.  This is my absolute favorite time of the day.

Labor day and other memories

 Robb stopped in to chat with Bobby's teacher the other day and Mrs. Vollmers spotted this:  Emmy reading a book about dolphins to Bobby.  It was so sweet she snapped a picture to send to me.  Emmy loves to read and Bobby loves to be read to.  A perfect pair!

 I saw this note Emmy had written......who knew our family was so important that Taylor Swift would want us to meet up?

 We went to the ranch over Labor Day weekend and brought our friends the Kotelnicki's (minus Josh who was working).  We watched the bullorama in the cold weather.  Bobby noted that the stubborn bull who would not get back into the corral was exhibiting some "Bull Drama!" as he called it.  The kids were pretty into the show but it was very cold outside.

 The kids enjoyed the parade in Almont and got a lot of candy.  The best part was the kids races where Emmy and Bobby are defending champs a few years now.  Each of their races had about 10-15 kids.  Emmy and Bobby came our ahead and won their races and were so excited.  Bobby told me he was thinking in his head, "I can DO this!"  They both ran hard and won 2$.  I was very proud and so were there dad and grandparents.