The last time Kansas City was able to experience a total eclipse was in 1806, and the next one that will be this close will not happen until 2205.  According to the news, we were very close to totality for the solar eclipse (99.4%).  Most local schools were participating in having the kids experience this once in a life time event and people traveled to the area from all over the globe.  Crazy!  I was pretty much not prepared and got lucky getting some glasses from my neighbor very last minute (thank you Dearmore’s).  I poked my head out a few times today to check it out and Brian viewed it on a business trip in Seattle.  I have to admit, I felt a little dorky standing on my front step by myself with those glasses on!  Seeing the totality proved difficult from my vantage point because it was cloudy in our neighborhood  It did get darker, the street lights came on, the temperature dropped quite a bit, and I heard lots of locusts.  It sure looks like Reece and her classmates were enjoying it!  Courtesy of Mrs. Anderson, this is a video clip of Reece watching the eclipse with her 2nd grade class…so cute!!  She’s in the gray & coral dress (far left).

 

Bummer…I absolutely hate the end of Summer!  This Summer ended up being more chaotic than I thought humanly possible, but I still hate to see it go.  This is my list of camps/activities I created for each of my kids just to keep everything straight.  It’s insanity.For the first time ever, we accomplished more on our summer fun list than we ever have in the past, the kids filled up their chore chart with stickers, they all made money mowing for neighbors, we went on a spectacular family cruise, and I drove every square inch of the city.  I’ve never driven more, honestly!  I was like an Uber driver but I wasn’t getting paid.  I think I would’ve been able to pay for some competitive sports with my earnings, had the driving been a paid gig.Just before school started I told my boys I would take them out on a date because the girls were occupied already.  They got to choose what we did, so we went out for dinner and bowling.  I honestly have no idea when the last time was that I picked up a bowling ball, but I was up for the challenge.  We were begging the bowling alley attendant to let us have bumpers but he denied me because I’m an adult and Jake too because he exceeded the height requirement.  Drew got in just under the wire – lucky!  Sure enough my first time up, I bowled a strike and continued to bowl many more the rest of the night.  My ball went straight down the middle every time.  The boys were mystified, as was I!  Who knew I was a good bowler!?  However, my form must not be flawless because my forearm was sore for several days.  Ugh, that’s just embarrassing to be sore from bowling!  Drew and I were tied for the lead going into the last frame and I beat him by 1 (without bumpers I might add!).  We had a blast and ran into Aunt Jenn working at the sand volleyball courts! Thanks boys for a fun night out!

Reece and Drew also got a little fun time with Aunt Jenn one recent afternoon who swears she will never spend anymore money at Dave & Busters ever again.  She is absolutely mortified that you are required to spend hundreds of tickets on something that actually costs a couple bucks at the store.  Drew won this alligator in the big claw machine…can you believe that!?  Nobody ever wins anything in that game!  They were so proud!  He named him Big Al…

I have many more highlights from the Summer that I want to share but I decided to take the last few weeks off from my computer to just enjoy the last moments of summer freedom with my kids.  Hope all of you enjoyed the not-so-lazy days of Summer like we did!

We set our alarm to get up early, pack up, and get to the Tranquility Park Soccer Complex for one last game Sunday morning.  Tranquility Park Soccer Complex….really!?  Isn’t that an oxymoron?  There is nothing about this soccer park that is ‘tranquil.’  Trust me!! Actually there isn’t a soccer park ANYWHERE that is tranquil is there?   They should transfer that name to the golf course that is right across the road.  The 9 am game turned into a 10:30am game due to weather and since we were already out of the running for a semi-final game, a part of us just wanted to hit the road.  However, I’m glad we didn’t because that last game they played better than they did in all the other games combined, ending with a 4-1 victory.  That’s a great way to end the tourney.  Super job MoMo, Coach Ben and the U15 Fusion Soccer Girls.

We made it back to KC in good time amidst rain and crazy lightning.  I was so excited to see my kids!  Believe it or not, I think they really missed me.  I know Drew did because he called me crying that he missed me and asked when I would be home.  I had only been gone 3 hours!  I think he needed a little TLC because his legs are covered in poison ivy!  He’s allergic and the poor kiddo is miserable!  We really think he’s learned his lesson now – no throwing golf clubs in the woods!!  Right, Drew!?!?

Reece was dying to ‘do something fun’ when I returned and decided opening up a nail salon would be the perfect solution.  This little lady is so entertaining!  She’s still saving her tips from her last entrepreneurial endeavor – the concession stand in our kitchen. Way to go Reece, you are going to do amazing things in life, I just know it!Drew was her first customer and is now sporting some really fancy blue toenails!  He tipped her $2 out of his own wallet.  Thanks Drew for supporting your little sister!

 

 

I very happily volunteered myself to escort this beautiful soccer player to Omaha, Nebraska to compete in the Azzurri Soccer Tournament this weekend.  I’m no dummy, I know my time with this new high schooler is limited, so I will be her taxi service anytime!  Even if she is glued to netflix, has one earbud in half the time, and made me eat at Subway and Fazoli’s (two of my least favorite places).   I don’t care, just her mere presence makes me so happy.  We’ve had some frustrating soccer games and it doesn’t even phase me because I know she’s trying her very best and I’m not doing laundry or picking up 20 pairs of shoes, or unloading the dishwasher right now.  I’m in a quiet hotel room with my baby girl (who is technically not my baby, but I have always called her that so I’m sticking to it!).

She has multiple blisters on her feet already and we are feverishly spraying down her uniform with Febreze to make it through one more game in the morning before heading back to KC.Isn’t she cute!?  Luckily for me, she plays center defense and plays the entire game. This makes sitting in the blazing sun and fighting 8 billion people in the parking lot totally worthwhile (seriously, this tournament is HUGE and there are lot’s of people jammed into this complex!).  Where do all these people come from anyway!?

Morgan, I love watching you play no matter what the outcome.  You rock #8.  Keep up the great work.  Pick me anytime you have an out of town soccer tourney!!

XOXO, Mom

I’m going to be real honest here, I was pretty hesitant about sneak-a-peek this year.  Last Saturday we were able to check the elementary school teachers online and wouldn’t you know it…neither Reece or Drew got the teacher they hoped for and not even one close friend in their class.  And the final kicker was all of their friends ended up together with the teachers they wanted.  Crap!  This is really not ideal when you are 9 and 7 years old and the most important thing in life is your teacher and the friends you sit by in the classroom.

I’ve never requested a teacher for any of my kids and I’m sticking to my guns.  I truly believe most things in life happen for a reason and this could likely be the best school year ever for these two.  How could your teachers not fall in love with you guys!?

One thing they both fell in love with, was this little mini couch in Reece’s 2nd grade classroom!

Meet Mrs. Anderson, 2nd grade teacher at Manchester Park…

Lot’s of the kids wanted Mrs. Anderson and bonus…she only has 18 students in the class! We thought for sure we would get Mr. Bangs because he had all 3 of our other kiddos.  I guess it was time for a change!

Meet Miss Duke (soon to be Mrs. Perez), Drew’s 4th grade teacher…

I asked Drew to take a picture in his favorite part of his new classroom and sadly, he went straight to the classroom iPads!  He also checked out the classroom book library pretty well…so there’s still hope!

I can’t wait to see the awesome things you two do this school year!  I love you to pieces!

XOXO,

Mommy

I have so much to write about that my head is spinning!  And this has nothing to do with the Solar Eclipse!  In fact, I didn’t even know about the solar eclipse until my neighbor mentioned it to me last week!  Look, I’ve got back to school stuff going on, I don’t actually give a hoot about what is happening in the solar system right now.  Go ahead an make fun of me now…that’s totally fine.

Today all the kids in the Olathe school district went back to school for a full day of fun and learning, right kids!?!  Our neighborhood kids now range from 10th grade all the way down to Kindergarten, and each year I beg and plead for everyone to join us in our driveway for donuts and pictures.The only person that complains about the pictures every year is Drew.  Drewy – you have to know by now that this is going to happen no matter how many mean faces you give us.  It’s absolutely required to document the first day of school!  The new backpacks & haircuts, the shiny new shoes, the cute new outfits, the braces, no braces, & lost teeth.  Seeing the difference from year to year is so much fun!

This year, all 4 of my kids started on the same day which is rare.  Yesterday was a half day for elementary kids and kids moving up to middle and high school.  It was a rainy morning of excitement, nerves, and sadness all at the same time.  I’ve actually been dreading this ever since January 1st when the new year started and it hit me like a ton of bricks that I would have kids in three schools.  My 1st baby girl going to high school, Jake venturing into a new world of middle school, and Drew being the oldest at Manchester Park…it’s a lot of change and a lot to keep organized.  I now have 3 different school start times, 3 different dismissals, 3 buses, and 3 school newsletters to keep up on.   I’m pretty sure a nervous breakdown is on the horizon for me and I’m certain I’ll send a kid or two to the wrong school or pick them up at the wrong time.  It’s guaranteed.  

It was still dark outside when I was trying to take pictures and very rainy and humid which doesn’t make for the best picture taking!  Plus, Reece lost a front tooth the night before.  She’s already fretting about being a ‘snaggletooth hillbilly’ in the upcoming school pictures!  Frizzy hair and snaggleteeth – yikes!Ugh….High School…are you kidding me!?  There is no way I’m old enough to be a mom of a high schooler am I!?

Morgan & Emma – Freshman at Olathe Northwest High School!  There are 457 new Freshman students going to orientation today!

Look at these two rushing into school…they are either really excited or so embarrassed to be dropped off by a mom in a minivan that they break into a light jog to get away from the vehicle.  Either way, you two are absolutely adorable and you are going to rock this high school stuff…

And last but not least, the elementary kids get to go…hope this bus driver is ready for this crew!

Today 2000+ students will fill the halls of Olathe Northwest High School.  Morgan, I know that has to be nerve-wracking, but I’m so confident you will catch on to the routine quickly and be up and running in no time.  Although, I will tell you that I haven’t stopped thinking about you for one single second!  You actually might need to help me cope with this change more than me helping you!  Always be your awesome self and trust your instincts.  There will surely be bumps in the road but you will succeed!  Your family is always here for you!  And you have these two cuties who have already been in your shoes once…

Sorry Ava and Brooke, I was stalking you this morning to get your picture!  And your brother too.  His bus comes at 6:45am so I had to be on my toes this morning!

Jake, Drew, and Jack Dearmore (Freshman at Olathe West – the new high school)

Jake, don’t you worry, I’ve been thinking of you non-stop as well!  Wondering if you are getting your locker open, do you know where your next class is and are you making it on time, do you have someone to sit with at lunch.  You know…this is an endless list of worries that flow through my brain.  But, by the end of next week, you will be cruising through those hallways without even looking at your schedule!  I’m sure you’ll forget your school ID card about 800 times, so I’m already expecting that phone call!  You are going to love middle school and success is coming your way, bud!

With a backpack that cool, there’s no way you can fail!  Jake’s been begging me for a Nike Elite backpack for a year or two now.  My standard answer is…wait for Middle School.  He helped me find one online that was on sale and I really appreciated that.  The back to school process costs an arm and a leg!  I even considered returning these new Converse for Reece because she has a million pairs of shoes (remember…I have a shoe fetish!).  I’m glad I didn’t, because they turned out to be her favorite and the hit of neighborhood.

And my girls are using the same backpacks and lunch boxes from last year, so I guess an extra pair of shoes is ok.  See how I justify that!? 😉

This is one great looking group of kids!  Wishing all of you the best school year ever!

The Falcon Valley Boys

I feel some straight A report cards coming our way…

Once a summer my sister, Shauna, hosts the summer fun sleepover with my kiddos! Notice I say….ONCE a summer.  And actually, I think it’s actually only once a YEAR!  In her defense, would you really want to take this crew on for an evening!?Ok so they look kind of cute here, but we all know the real truth, they are a major handful.  Especially if you don’t have any kids!  It’s enough to scare you away for a year for sure!  However, I think Scotty seems to be having a great ‘ol time!  Hey – maybe he’s coming around!!  He might want to take them on a few more times throughout the year!They were lucky to squeeze in the annual putting contest before a massive rain storm blew in!  Jake was the winner!Then some pizza, Monopoly, snapchat projected on the the TV (this is a first!), and a movie…that’s really packing in the activities!  No wonder they were up so late!

In the morning there is no time for sleeping in but a little bit of breakfast and some kids on the doorstep ready to be picked up!  Maybe with a little more coaching, these kids might win them over a bit and convince them to invite them over more often 😉  Just kidding…it’s a ton work and when you’re not used to it, it can really throw you into a tailspin.  Thank you Shauna and Scott for keeping up the tradition of the summer fun sleepover!

 

This is our 2nd year( playing in the parent/kid golf tournament in DeSoto at Burning Tree. Last year it was absolutely boiling hot so I thought twice before signing up.  However, the proceeds are used to support the driving range net that the kids use in the golf academy and it’s a very low profile way to play in a tournament.  For those of us who haven’t touched a golf club since last summer, this is key!  We paired ourselves appropriately –

My dad and Drew are reigning champions so there was no way of splitting those two up!

Nanny has been injured with a stress fracture to her femur so we put her with the best partner ever – Morgan.  She’s an absolute blast to play with because her demeanor is always upbeat and a bad shot does not rattle her at all.  She just has fun and always has a smile on her face.

I picked Jake this time because he’s just awesome.  He helps me with my game because I have only been playing for a short time and I need pointers!  He’s so encouraging.  Thank you Jakey!  And of course, let’s be honest, the best chance to win is with this guy!

Brian and Reece were partners again this year and they have a good groove going.  Her confidence just makes for an awesome round!

This year it was absolutely gorgeous weather….how did we get so lucky!?  It was so much more enjoyable.  Morgan put herself right next to the pin on the the first hole…way to go MoMo!

I’m embarrassed to report that we used most of Jake’s shots or maybe I’m happy because this means he’s playing great golf!  Honestly, I’m just thrilled to be here with all of them and not sweating and sticking to the seat of the golf cart – what a blast!!Not surprising these champions brought home the first place title again and a gift certificate that my dad promptly used on himself!  No love for his partner – just a golf shirt and a beer for Nanny.  Don’t worry – Drew wasn’t going to let that go – he talked Papa into getting him a Gatorade at the OP kids tourney today to make up for it.  These two are the ones to beat!

The rest of us came in 2nd in our flights and I embarrassingly got called out in front of the whole group because I made a giant spectacle of myself on the course.  I went to search for my ball near a water hazard and something jumped out that scared the living daylights out of me – twice!  I jumped and squealed like a crazy lady and unfortunately it was near the clubhouse where everyone could witness it.  CRAP!  I was awarded a medal for the “frog jumper award.”  UGH…I will never live that one down!

So overall, this was a very entertaining night on the links!  Couldn’t imagine spending a beautiful Sunday night on the course with anyone else.  Love you guys!

Come on guys…let’s beat Drew and Papa next year!  We can do it!

Believe it or not, I’ve been known to camp a time or two!  My dad introduced us to it when we were kids.  He does absolutely everything on the cheap.  Therefore, our family vacations did not include air travel and hotel stays.  It was a treat for us to spend the night at a Motel 6 for a night!  We would duck down in our van so the front desk personnel wouldn’t know that we were squeezing 5 people in a room.  A couple of us had to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags and we always brought a crate of food so mom could do all of the cooking.  These are memories I’ll never forget!  Thanks mom and dad for showing us that vacations don’t always have to include a Marriott!

In my adult life, camping has not really made it to the top of the desired vacation list yet, so other than camping in my parents backyard for birthday parties, it really hasn’t happened!

When my good friend, Jamie, suggested a mom/son campout, I was definitely in for making some memories with my boys.  However, I must admit, I was relieved that it was only a 24 hour trip!  Jake helped me get all of our stuff together and we took a caravan of mom vehicles out to Lake Perry, about an hour drive from home.We set up camp right on the water – a great spot!  Jake’s buddy, Payson, was a huge helper in getting the tents up.  His dad made him do a trial run in his front yard the previous day – Payson, you’re awesome!

Check out our camp…isn’t it great!?

When I unfolded our tarp, we realized that I brought the wrong one for the tent…hmmm probably having holes in your tarp is not the best option for camping!  This was made for one of the games at Jake’s Olympics birthday party last year.  Oops!Much to Jake’s dismay, the little brother’s joined us.  He’s in a state of exploring his independence so helping Drew get his fishing line untangled every five seconds is not his favorite activity!  I personally think these two little guys are awesome, but I guess just not so awesome when your older brother only wants to be with his friends.

Drew & Ethan Boehmer (aka little brothers)

All the boys took a swim over to the beach and we made them wear life jackets.  As it turns out, they could touch the bottom the whole way over there!  They weren’t so happy that they had that unnecessary baggage with them.  Hey guys – it’s a lake and mom’s are just paranoid, sorry! Jamie’s sweet parents brought their boat to the lake and took the boys tubing and hung out with us for dinner.We had tacos and quesadillas on the camp fire and s’mores for dessert.  Yummy!  Jamie really is an expert at this – she’s got this camping thing down!  She has been labeled the ‘girl scout’ of the group and takes her kids camping often.  This is our crew of boys…

It turned out to be a beautiful evening (surprising for Kansas in August).  They got lots of fishing time but only one fish was caught all night!  Most of the hot dog bait went to the bottom of the lake and lots of lines snagged on the rocks.  They didn’t give up though!

Apparently the S’mores and Gatorade got the best of these boys and they ended up doing a fashion show of ‘mankini’s.’  I am so scared what these boys are going to be like in high school and college!  yikes!

Drew caught a frog friend that he REALLY wanted to keep.  Somehow he escaped Drew’s grip which made for a really sad Drew for awhile! About 11:30/12 we retired to our tents and Ethan proceeded to teach Drew how to play some card games…aren’t they cute!?The big boys stayed up til all hours of the night (3am I think) talking and swearing they heard coyotes.  They even got Aidan’s boy scout manual out and pocket knives to protect themselves.  Luckily we all made it out alive without any actual encounters with coyotes or raccoons!

By 5:30 a.m., the wind picked up, tents were blowing sideways, and poor Brooks was sick. So we did a massive camp tear-down in what seemed like 30 seconds.  This crew is good at breaking down a camp!  Although the boys were bummed because they had planned on fishing and having fun together most of the day, we had to settle for donuts on the way home and naps!

To make up for the shortened time together, I decided to do a little shopping trip with my boys at Scheels for some school clothes, a little mini bowling, and lunch out.

It’s definitely taken me a few days to recover from the lack of sleep but I’m still laughing and smiling about our adventure!  Great memories with great friends!

Somehow we have reached this point…it’s nearing the end of summer and all mom’s are scrambling around to enroll at school, buy school clothes, and tackling the dreaded school supplies shopping.  I decided to break mine up a bit this year.  Since I now have kids in 3 different schools, I’m realizing life is a little more complicated and I should do the preparations in shifts to avoid losing my mind.Jake will be joining the middle school community as a 6th grader in a few weeks.  He seems to be pretty excited and also a little nervous.  Don’t worry – this big sister will give him all the advice he needs and then some…He’s already starting off right because he got a top locker which is what all the kids desire.  Morgan walked him from class to class while I gave the locker combo a try.  I thought it would come right back to me but surprisingly it didn’t!  I failed!Jake had it figured out after only a few tries so I think we’re off to a great start!Jakers, I couldn’t be more excited for you (and also sad that you’re growing up).  I know you are going to love this change and I’m certain you’ll be successful!  Just give it a few weeks – it’s quite a change from your elementary school days.And if this change isn’t enough, look at this young lady strolling into her new high school to check out a locker for the school year!

Morgan & Emma

The way it works at Olathe Northwest HS, the freshmen get the lockers that are left after the upperclassman have chosen theirs.  Morgan secured a locker next to her bestie, Emma, and they have 4 classes together which is a relief.  Morgan, you are going to rock this high school business, I know it!  And the best news is, you already have a 4.0 since you aced your summer PE class!

Wishing you both the best school year ever…Love, Mom