Christmas Part Two

We enjoyed our yearly tradition of Hot Chocolate and smores on Christmas Eve.  This year "It's a Wonderful Life" was a TV and so we ate our smores and drank our hot chocolate while watching the movie.  I was surprised to see that the kids really enjoyed watching the movie.

Grant and I were up late on Christmas Eve again, but this year we weren't busy wrapping presents.  Instead Grant was busily finishing up my present this year and I was struggling to stay awake waiting for him.  While he busily worked away in the garage I played Santa Clause and laid out the treasures to be found by the kids in the morning.  We were finally able to go to bed about 1:00 in the morning.  I am so glad that our kids slept in.  Once we heard the patter of little feet we dragged our tired selves out of bed to partake of their excitement.  Santa delivered this year by bringing everyone their desired Lego set, this alone brought lots of cheers.  We dont' have a real order to opening presents, except for one at a time.  It is always fun watching the kids tear through the paper and to see their excitement in seeing what they got.  All in all it was a successful Christmas.  After all the presents were opened it was time to assemble those Lego sets from Santa.  Anthony can build those things on his own, but Madeline and Spencer still need help.  Grant helped Spencer and I helped Madeline.  Their attention span only last so long, so in the end it was Grant and I finishing up with the building.  Madeline must have charmed Santa into bringing her the Lego friends Dollhouse.  Santa was so charmed by her beauty that he didn't think about how many pieces or steps there were to building the dollhouse.  That is okay because I found it rather enjoyable putting the dollhouse and the camper together.  Luckily for me, Madeline doesn't like to take her things apart and if it does Anthony can put it back together.

After our Lego creations were put together we decided it was a good time to eat.  Since it was too late to call it breakfast we decided to call our meal brunch.  We made green pancakes and cut them into Christmas trees.  We then used Hershey chocolate squares for the trunks of the trees and then had various sprinkles, candies, and whip cream for the kids to decorate their tree.  It went great with eggs and sausage.

Sometime in the afternoon it started to snow and the kids were excited to go out and enjoy it.  So we scrounged around the house for winter gear that would work and where there wasn't any we improvised and out the kids went with Grant to play in the wintry wonderland.  I stayed inside and took pictures.  With snow and a gusty north wind blowing it was little too cold for this Texas girl.  After the kids were frozen over they came in and warmed up with hot chocolate.

The rest of Christmas was spent playing with our toys and enjoying for once a simple and slow paced day.  It was nice not have to be anywhere or to have to get ready for company coming over.  It was nice to spend the day together.  I enjoyed relaxing in my new pajama pants from the kids as well as playing with them.  Occasionally we would pick up some trash in between our playing.  That night some of us enjoyed a hot bowl of chili while others thought chili was not appetizing.  We ended the day watching a couple of Mormon Tabernacle Christmas programs on PBS.  Christmas this year as it is every year was simply GREAT!

Christmas Part One

It is tradition in my family to have our family Christmas celebration at our house and we usually have it in conjuction with making the wreath to place of Fred's (my stepdad) grave as our Christmas present to him.

The kids worked hard before and after church getting everything ready.  We all pitched in to decorate and to cook our feast as well.  It was magical because there was no complaining everyone work hard and worked well together.

This year I decided to make a Christmas dinner and to put on a Christmas program too.  I believe if the wheel isn't broke don't fix it and I used this belief in putting together our Christmas program.  I knew there were lots of programs out there on the internet and found one that would work for our family and printed it out.  Presto!  Done!  My mom has always wanted to have the nativity acted out with the Grandchildren and I figured this year we could make it work.  Anthony was Joseph, Madeline was Marry, a teddy bear was baby Jesus (We don't own any dolls), Spencer was a bored wiseman, Grant was an awesome and animated shepherd, Emily was our star or should we say wondering and falling star, Jonathan was the spotlight, and I was the narrator.  I loaded up the songs on Grant's I-pod to make it easier to play for our sing-a-long and off we went.  I didn't have time to rehearse with the kids which I think made it even more enjoyable.  It was nice to be singing and celebrating the Birth of our Savior as a family.  After our nativity program we opened presents which everyone enjoyed.  After all the excitement over our knew treasures we enjoyed our yummy treats and chatting as a family.  It was a great evening.

Raking Leaves

This is an annual tradition for our family.  When we got back from Utah for Thanksgiving our front yard was covered with leaves and our backyard the same.  Sometimes it is a challenge fitting it in, but the kids love to pile the leaves us and play in them.  There is something about playing in the leaves that brings the kid out in you.  We usually bring the leaves from the front yard to the back yard and add it to the pile there.  Grant then takes some of the leaves and uses it for his garden.  The kids love to pile the leaves in front of the slide and slide down into it.  We were blessed this year with Spring like weather which made it a fun afternoon.

Christmas Advent

Our kids look forward to Christmas Countdown.  Some years it is a challenge to get everything in, but the excitement on the kids' face when they see the red box come out is worth any challenge.  I didn't get pictures of everything and there have been some weeks that feel like a whirlwind, but I will do my best to capture how we counted down to Christmas in 2012.

1.  Decorate the tree.  The kids look forward to this every year.  Grant and I assemble the tree, flock it, and put the lights on.  We do this the day before the kids decorate the tree.  I hand over the ornament box over to the kids and they go to to town decorating the tree and they even re-decorate it through the month.  Each year one of the kids gets the privilege of putting the star on and turning on the lights.  It is a big celebration in the Cooper house.

2.  We always look forward to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  We gather around our computer and this year we enjoyed watching it with Pumpkin Pie.  For me Christmas doesn't start until we hear from the First Presidency.

3.  We enjoyed a run to sonic for yummy shakes.
4.  Played an exciting and fast pace game of Monopoly
5.  Enjoyed making our own Ice Cream Sundays
6.  Rake and play in the leaves
7.  Snow Cones

8.  This year we celebrated Dec 12, 2012.  I bought a dozen donuts and while we enjoyed our yummy treat we sang "12 Days of Christmas."

9.  Sleep under the tree with Christmas lights on.  The kids jump for joy when this one is pulled out of the advent box.  They absolutely love this little tradition of ours.  Personally it is way too much light to be able to sleep.

10.  Watched "Home Alone."  Grant thought the kids would enjoy watching the robbers go through the fun maze.  Unfortunately we forgot about the little bits of language.  The kids enjoyed watching the robbers get attacked, but we probably won't get it again because of the language.

11.  Gingerbread Houses.  This is another favorite tradition in the Cooper Household.  We save all the unwanted Halloween candy for this occasion.  Our gingerbread houses might be unique with all the Halloween style candy on it, but the kids have fun.

12.  "Charlie Brown Christmas" with a treat!  This is another Cooper tradition along with....
13.   " How the Grinch Stole Christmas" with a Grinch treat.
14.  Make snowflake cookies out of tortillas
15.  Watch "Polar Express" with popcorn
16.  Make the annual wreath for Papa Bear's Grave
17.  Ward Christmas Party
18.  Sing Noel concert
19.  Eating out at I-hop

I know there were more, but the list is gone and so is my memory.  Anyway you get a glimpse of how we counted down to Christmas this year.

Thanksgiving

During our week in Utah we went up to the Dinosaur Quarry with our family, Wayne's family, Ginger's family, Hunter and Rachael, and Grant's mother.  We were able to see Dinosaur bones still in the side of the mountain.  They built the Quarry over the mountain to preserve the bones.  They have several dinosaur skeletons too looks at as well as dinosaur facts.  The kids had fun looking around and exploring.  Afterwards we went on a hike outside of the Quarry.  Grant and Madeline went up high enough to see some more dinosaur bones and the rest of us tried to keep up with Anthony.  The kids enjoyed running and burning off some energy.  I never saw Anthony or the rest of the gang as they were way ahead.  It was nice to be outside and away from the city.  After our hike, our family went off to the dinosaur museum that they had in Vernal.  It was fun to see all the dinosaur and to learn more about the history of the dinosaurs in that area; most of all it was just nice to be spending time as a family.

Thanksgiving was spent in Utah with Grant's family.  This year all but one of the siblings and grandchild were able to make it to Utah.  With mostly everyone there we were able to get a family picture, which was nice.  While everything was cooking on Thanksgiving, Grant took the kids to a local park and I stayed behind to repack and to do a little reading.  It was nice to have some quiet time.  After the park, Madeline got on her chef hat and apron and helped out a little in the kitchen making deviled eggs and gravy for the potatoes.  Madeline loves to cook and help out in the kitchen, so she was excited when an opportunity presented itself for her to play chef.  Dinner was great and the company was great too.  All the cousins played really well together and for the most part we didn't see much of them, we heard them but didn't really see them.  Our room turned into the playroom and the kitchen table turned into the art studio for the girls.  It was nice to see all the cousins playing together.  After things digested, Grant and I went for a walk around the neighborhood.  The weather was pleasant and it was nice to get out for a bit.  I have to say that my lungs were sure not use to the elevation, walking up the hills was sometimes a challenge.  I was able to close off Thanksgiving day with a little football, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without watching the Dallas Cowboys.   Grant's parents recorded the game for me to watch later.  Since I already knew the Cowboys lost, I didn't watch the whole thing but it was nice to watch some football.

On Friday we packed things up and headed over to to Salt Lake.  Prior to arriving in Salt Lake we made a stop in Bountiful to take the kids to the Bountiful Temple.  Grant and I were married there 12 years ago and we wanted to bring the kids to where our Eternal Family started.  I also wanted to get a picture of our kids in front of the temple.  It was nice to walk around and to reminisce with Grant about our day 12 years ago.  The temple is gorgeous and the view is breathtaking.  I am so glad that I followed my dream and was able to be sealed to Grant in the Bountiful Temple and it was neat to bring our kids back to the very Temple where it all started.  We were able to talk about Eternal Families and blessings of being an Eternal Family as well as the blessings that come from being able to attend the temple.

While in Salt Lake we wanted to show the kids Temple Square and to see the Christmas Lights on Temple Square.  Grant's brother and his family were going to meet us there too and spend the afternoon/evening with us.  I think every plan has good intentions and this is one of them. waiting for Wayne we decided to walk in the Family History Library and see if Grant's Aunt who is serving a mission there was available.  We figured if she wasn't at the front desk then we wouldn't hunt her down.  Well she was at the front desk and so it was nice to have a visit with her.  After her shift she joined us at the Church History Museum.  The kids enjoyed playing around in the children's Book of Mormon exhibit and then we all enjoyed looking around at the different Church History stuff, especially Anthony.  After our time at the Museum, we headed over the conference center.  I was really looking forward to going to the roof, but we missed it by five minutes.  We enjoyed walking through the place anyway and seeing where Conference is held and looking at all the the pictures.  There is one room that has pictures of the past Apostles on the walls.  One of them was Parely P. Pratt who we are related to on Grant's Maternal side.  I took a picture of the kids with their fourth great grandfather.  After our walk around the Conference Center we saw that the lights were on and off we were to see them.  This is where every plan has good intentions.  Friday happened to be the day they turned on the lights coupled with Black Friday shopping at the nearby mall, made it impossible to see anything.  There were so many people there and keeping a group of ten or more together was challenging.  It was hard to walk around and enjoy the lights because you felt like you were being herded like cows.  I thought about going inside the Visitor Center but that looked like Walmart during early morning hours of Black Friday shopping.  Instead I just showed the kids the Christus statue from outside.  After we were herded around the lights we were hungry, but finding a place to eat was a challenge.  The mall was impossible and we didn't want to leave our hotel and lose our parking spot in the crowds of people.  We decided at this time we would split up and each family would go their own separate way for dinner.  I was glad when the evening was over and my back especially was glad when it hit the bed for a good nights rest.  I am glad that we were able to go and see the lights, but a lesson was learned...never go on the day after Thanksgiving.

Saturday morning we were up and out for the drive home.  We stopped in Provo to get BYU shirts and to refill Anthony's book collection, three books was not enough for Anthony.  Because we had to be home by Sunday night so Grant and the kids could return to work/school we just had to drive and not really stop and do things on the way home.  We tried to make it to four corners, but we were 30 minutes late.   The kids did well on our trip home which is pretty good when all you have time to do is drive.  We wished we had time to explore southern Utah, but instead we made plans for when we go up for Christmas next year.  

We were so glad that we made the impromptu trip to Utah and that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with Grant's family.  It was nice to take a break from our busy lives and to have some time with our little family.  However, it did take me a week to unpack and it is now after Christmas and the car has yet to be washed and cleaned out from our Thanksgiving trip.  Yeah life has been really busy for us, but we are floating along.

Utah Part One

A few months ago Grant was talking to his mother during their weekly Sunday chats and we learned that his sister, Virginia who lives in Texas, was coming up to Utah for Thanksgiving.  Grant and I started talking about it and we decided it would be neat if we went to Utah for Thanksgiving as well.  We looked over our finances and saw that it was possible, Grant checked on his vacation from work to make sure he could take the time off; when all of those were good we began to plan our trip to Utah.  We knew it would be a lot of driving, but we knew it would be worth it to spend Thanksgiving with the whole family.

The first thing we did was go and visit with one of Grant's Aunts and Uncles.  We always enjoy visiting with Aunt Irene and Uncle Karl, Grant is practically one of their kids so for him it is like coming home.  It was at this visit that Grant had an amazingly crazy idea to take us down to the seep to throw rocks in the water.  What is the seep you ask?  Well if you ask me it is a grueling hour hike through sage brush and thick sand to the river.  Lets just say I was not skipping along excited to go for a hike.  You know I grew up in the city and the only hiking we did was hiking around the mall or walmart during the holiday shopping season; and the only tricky part was navigating ourselves around huge throngs of people all trying to cram in the coveted toy or electronic section.  I enjoy going for walks on firm cement, but hiking through sage brush, thick sand, and over boulders was not something I was too excited about.  Don't get me wrong the view was pretty and I was content to enjoy the view from my car; but knowing how important this place was to Grant I knew it was best for me to hike.  I knew for it to be a successful family adventure that I needed to be totally on board and excited, or else the kids wouldn't want to go.  So I put a smile on my face and off we went.  Grant, the great man that he is, carried Madeline the whole way down and especially the whole way up.  He wants her to be able to enjoy everything we do and if that means he needs to carry her, he will.  Anthony was in his element and it soon became apparent that as a family we would not be able to keep up with him.  I figured he was safe, I mean we are in the middle of no where, and when I saw NO WHERE that is what I mean.  I knew there wouldn't be any predators looking to scoop up an innocent boy and if he got lost he could just yell; because after all we were in the middle of nowhere and would be able to hear him.  Anthony climbed up some pretty high cliffs and for this scared of heights mother I did everything I could not to fall over from a heart attack.  Just like his father I knew he was having the time of his life and if his Dad wasn't running after him then he must be okay.  I decided to busy myself with taking pictures or focusing on the scenery and not how high up Anthony was.  Spencer on the other hand hiked like a good trooper but he was good at pointing out how tired he was and when we could go back to the car.  I was not surprised to hear how tired Spencer was because he insisted on carrying this big rock all the way from the top of our hike down to the bottom.  You see this rock was special and it needed to be thrown in the water.  Grant and I were not about to carry this "special" rock for him.  We thought after he got tired he would see that the rock wasn't so "special" and just leave it, but no stubborn and insisting Spencer carried his "special" rock while voicing his feelings all the way down to the water.  Once we got to the water, Madeline and Spencer enjoyed throwing rocks in the water.  Anthony enjoyed the view from a high above cliff, and well me I handed over the camera to Grant and had him take pictures of the kids throwing rocks in the water.  You see I was over the hiking through sage brush and just didn't have it in me to hike through the last bit of sage brush to get to shores to see my kids throw rocks in the water.  It took us an hour to hike down and an hour to hike up.  Let just say hiking up in thick sand is a better work then any treadmill can do.  Anthony and I hiked a head of the group, my pace was pretty good for I knew the destination was the car.  Grant stayed behind carrying Madeline and listening to Spencer voice his feelings.  Though he was tired and done with hiking he walked the whole way, he just wanted to make sure his Dad knew how tired he was.  In the end I am glad Grant took us on this hike, it was nice to be together as a family in the middle of nowhere-ville.  There weren't any distractions, nor was there anything trying to steal our time from each other.  It was nice to be surrounded by God's creations spending time as a family and making memories with each other.

While in Utah I was also able to go a do session in the Vernal Temple with Grant's Mom and Sister-in-law.  Grant's Mom and I have a tradition that whenever we visit each other we go and do a session in the temple.  Usually it is when she comes and visit us here, but this time we were able to do it on her home turf.  I love going to the Temple and with how crazy busy life has been it was really nice to stop and be reminded of what life is all about.  The Vernal Temple is beautiful, as all the Temples are.  After our session I treated everyone to lunch before heading back home.  Grant stayed back and watched the kids so that we could have ladies day at the Temple.  I really enjoyed my time at the Temple and as always I walked away with a little more understanding.

Longhorn Scout Camporee

Grant was able to take Anthony to his first Scout Camporee.  It was put on by the Longhorn Council and was held at the Texas Motor Speedway.  They were able to camp on the Speedway as well as watch some of the actual race cars drive around the track.  They spent all day Saturday participating in different activities as well as fighting the wind.  Apparently the wind was pretty relentless and made for an interesting night of camping when your dad forgot the stakes to the tent.  I think after fighting the wind for the day Anthony was worn out and the thrill of going to a Camporee was lost.  Lucky for him they only put this on every four years, so when it comes around again hopefully he would have forgotten about the wind and how hard it was to fight it, and will want to go to it again and experience the fun with lots of other scouts.  Spencer will get to go the next time it rolls around, that should be pretty interesting-at least for Grant.

Anthony is 11

Anthony turned eleven on November 4.  I have a hard time believing that Anthony is eleven.  Being Anthony's mother has been a huge blessing.  Anthony made me a mother, and in these eleven years Anthony continues to teach me everyday and everyday I get to unwrap the gift and blessing it is to be his mother.  Anthony amazes me in lots of ways.  I am amazed by his smile and how his face lights up. I love to witness his enthusiasm for life and his positive outlook.  Anthony exudes excitement everyday and is a great example of being happy each and everyday.  Anthony is a good example of diligence, hard working, and fulfilling your responsibilities.  Anthony consistently does what is asked of him the first time with no questions asked.  I love to hear Anthony bare his testimony during Family Home Evening, to hear his knowledge of the scriptures, and to hear him expound to us his knowledge of the gospel.  I love looking over at Anthony during sacrament meeting and seeing him diligently reading his scriptures.  Anthony has a goal of reading all the standard works.  He has finished the Book of Mormon and is now reading the Old Testament.  I suggested that he start with the New Testament, but he was insistent on reading the Old Testament first.  When I told him I could give him the seminary schedule, he declined.  He wants to read the Old Testament word for word, page by page.  Now if that doesn't show diligence I don't know what does.  Anthony has discovered mystery books and boy does he power through them.  Thank goodness for libraries that provide lots of books for him to explore.  Anthony also has a deep love for history, he loves anything about the Civil War and this year has discovered the Revolutionary War.  He has a memory that cannot be matched and has a real knack for remembering dates and details about each war.  He loves to check out books from the library about the different wars and past U.S. Presidents and he reads them like novels.  Anthony is excelling on the piano and I enjoy when it is practice time as he fills our home with wonderful music.  Anthony has aspirations of playing the trumpet in middle school and I know that when he sets his heart on something he will achieve his goal.  Anthony is a great brother and great example, and overall a real blessing and joy to have.  I love how when you ask him how he is doing, he always responds with "great."  I know with that attitude he will go far and will be a blessing and joy to those he meets.  Sometimes as I quietly watch him in action, I wonder what the Lord has in store for him-I am sure it is something great.  I am continuously grateful that my Heavenly Father sent Anthony to our home and has entrusted me with taking care of him.  It isn't work taking care of Anthony, it is a joy and blessing one that I look forward to every minute of everyday.

Okay enough about Anthony, lets talk about how his eleventh birthday went down.  His birthday this year fell on a Sunday so his birthday activities were done on Saturday.  This year he chose to go camping with his Dad.  He just wanted it to be him and his dad.  They took the canoe with them and enjoyed paddling on the lake coming up with ways to conquer the bad guys.  After a successful mission it was off to enjoy an epic battle of Star Wars Risk.  Anthony was able to come out on top and not only beat Grant, but wipe him completely out.  They enjoyed packing all the treats and snacks they could fit.  On his actual birthday Anthony woke up to a decorated room with homemade cinnamon rolls waiting for him to devour.  After church we enjoyed Mac n Cheese (his favorite food) along with hamburgers and hot dogs.  It was such nice weather that we were able to take our dinner outside.  It was a lot of fun being outside as a family eating a simple dinner enjoying quality time together.  Later that evening my family came over for cake and ice cream and to witness Anthony fulfill his traditional scavenger hunt to find his presents.  I love that our kids get excited for our traditions that we have.  They know when birthday time rolls around there will always be a scavenger hunt for them to do as well as treats and fun from sun up to sun down.  I really try to go all out to celebrate their special day and to let them know how special they are.  There was a hiccup to his special day, I managed to spell his name wrong on his birthday cake.  I have never spelled his name wrong (it isn't like it is a complicated name), but after eleven years I managed to find a way to spell his name wrong.  We all got a laugh at it, but it didn't stop  us from eating the cake.  I would have to say my favorite part about his birthday was sitting on the couch together looking at all of his scrapbooks and remembering all the things he did as baby, toddler, and as a kid.  It was neat to share all of those memories with him and to see his excitement.  I know Anthony felt special on his day because you couldn't wipe the smile from off his face.  I cannot believe he will be twelve next year, but for now I will enjoy my simply terrific in every way eleven year old.

Halloween

Spencer as Perry the Platypus (aka Agent P).  Madeline as an Owl.  Anthony as a Spy Agent.

Pumpkin Carving

This year I thought it would be fun for the kids to carve their own pumpkins.  I thought with Madeline and Spencer older we might actually be able to handle pumpkin carving.  I knew Anthony doesn't care to touch the insides of a pumpkin, but I was curious what Spencer would do with his no holding back personality.  I heard the pumpkin carving kits were safe for kids and for the most part kids could manage carving their own pumpkin.  With that in mind I decided to buy three kits with visions in my head of all of our kids successfully carving their own pumpkins and making these beyond description designs.  Well the best laid out plans and visions in ones head don't always come to pass.

The pumpkin carving kits are neat in theory, but in practicality don't work.  Sure they are safe for kids and our kids were not cut during the process; but the blade just couldn't hold up to our hearty Texas pumpkins.  They easily bent and after a few attempts to cut through the pumpkin the blade broke.  Grant and I bandage the blade as best as we could so we could salvage our visionary pumpkin carving experience, which meant Grant and I proceeded to carve the pumpkins for Madeline and Spencer.  Luckily Anthony was able to manage himself.  Grant helped Madeline and I helped Spencer.  

This year Anthony enjoyed cleaning out the inside of the pumpkin and my no holding back Spencer did not care to touch the inside of the pumpkin.  In fact anytime his hand would come in contact with the inside of a pumpkin, Spencer would have to run inside as fast as his legs would go to wash his hands.  By the end of the night Spencer had the cleanest hands and our bathroom drain was full of pumpkin seeds.  The cutting process proved to be too tedious for Spencer so he resorted to dancing around the garage.  Since there was no music playing I am sure he was dancing to the music in his head.  I can only imagine the concerts that are played in that precious boys' head.  Madeline also found the carving process to be tedious, but she chose a different art form then dancing.  While her dad was carving his heart out with a bandage saw blade Madeline was adding to her pumpkins design.  She felt the template was not complete and her halloween ghost needed eye brows, ears, and other various parts.  Luckily for us Anthony stuck with his carving and finish designing and carving his Jedi.  After sometime we finally finish and though Spencer gave up dancing and went inside to do who knows what, Madeline stuck out to the very end with her Daddy and her beloved pumpkin.

So the lesson learn this year was that pumpkin carving is wonderful and fun in theory, but painting a pumpkin brings the same amount of joy to children and less headache to parents.  So next year we will paint our designs and save us, the parents, the work of carving.

Runathon

I am a bit behind on documenting our families happenings.  The kids had their fundraiser at the school in October.  Instead of the typical catalog sales full of stuff that no one really needs or can afford, they do a run-a-thon.  The kids run for thirty minutes and either get flat donations from family or friends or they get so much money per lap they run.  The kids enjoy it and I like not having to feel like I need to sell/buy something from a catalog.  In the past when Madeline attended school, I would go and be her legs so she could participate in the run-a-thon (they call it Longhorn Stampede).  Well with Madeline being homeschool I didn't have to and let me tell you it was GREAT!!  It was so nice to be on the other side of the line cheering Spencer along as he tried to navigate running around in the grass.  Spencer did pretty good and with some encouraging he was able to keep going for the thirty minutes.  Afterwards they take pictures as a class and then they get in position to cheer on the next set of kids which in this case was the third graders.

Anthony wasn't able to participate this year as he was home sick, I don't think he was too upset.  Madeline and I had fun cheering for Spencer and I enjoyed not having my legs and whole body remind me that I am terribly out of shape and cannot handle running around a track that is on an empty field with lots of divets and thick grass.