A Day of Births...Since last night I have been humming the old song "On the day that you were born, the angels got together. And decided to create a dream come true..." Some of you know the song. But on this day 8 years ago, my son was born and I turned 30 years old. Every year he and I are blessed to celebrate our births together. And as he gets older and wants more independence, this is always something cool that we can share together. I picture his jet black hair and scrunched up face when he was born. He was screaming his bloody head off until John went over to him, put his hand on Jacob's chest and started talking to him. Right off the bat, Jacob knew his Daddy's voice from all the time John spent talking to my pregnant belly. Jacob looked just like Grandma Florine. Then a couple of months later, all that black hair fell out, he turned blond and got his beautiful blue eyes. He has the sweetest soul and is so compassionate and tender hearted about himself and other. I love him so much. Happy Birthday, Jacob!

Cavanaugh Flight Museum...Last weekend John and Jacob got to go to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, TX to see the B-17 Liberty Belle airplane which was on display there. It was a really cool experience for them both and so educational for Jacob. He got to go inside the airplane and talk to some of the veterans there who actually flew the B-17 during WWII. You can find out more about this traveling exhibit at http://www.libertyfoundation.org/. It was a wonderful thing for Jacob to learn about but also for Jacob and John to share together. And talk about a hands on history lesson...cool! Here is a picture John took. I'll post more pictures later.

Julia's First Soccer Practice...As I have posted both of the kids are playing Upwards Soccer. This is their first real "team" experience and they are having a lot of fun. Julia had her first practice on Tuesday but unfortunately their games are rained out this week since we've had rain for several days. Julia is on the Cheetahs...ROAR! So, here are a few pics from practice this week.

Proud Parents...I am a little slow in getting the blog updated lately so I will be posting quite a bit in the next couple of days. A couple of weeks ago we found out Jacob made the Honor Roll at his school. We were very proud of all his hard work. We had to explain what an honor roll was but then he thought that was way cool. Good job Jacob!

Big News...Well, the big news of the week is we just found out for sure yesterday that the school where Julia will go to kindergarten next year (Jacob's school) is going to have full day kindergarten instead of half day! This is wonderful news because it will open up what kind of work I can pick up without worrying about extensive aftercare programs for her. I am really trying to find a job in the kid's school district so that my schedule lines up with their schedule. Enrollment starts in a few weeks.

Also, the kids will be starting soccer next week so they both got to go to Meet the Coach night to meet their coaches. Julia will be on the Cheetahs and Jacob is a Dragon. They are very excited. This is part of the Upward Soccer Program at one of the local churches.

I substitute taught 2x this week which was nice (once in a English/Spanish class and once in the Art class at Jacob's School). The Art class job was fun but very busy since you have a new class every 30-45 minutes and different projects each time. But since it was at Jacob's school, I also got to have lunch with Jacob since our schedules matched but I was also there at the end of the day so he just walked down to my classroom and we left together. It was great!

The kids and I are going to a playdate this afternoon at my friend Pam's house down the street. It'll be fun to catch up since we really didn't get a chance to visit much at her daughter's birthday party last weekend.

Sidney's Birthday Party...Our friend Sidney had her 7th birthday party at Incredible Pizza yesterday afternoon. The kids had a big time eating pizza, cookie cake and playing video games. It is amazing how much squealing 7 girls can make together...ha! Jacob was the only boy so I think it BLEW his mind...ha!

After the party, John and Julia headed off to the Daddy/Daughter Snowflake Ball here in our neighborhood. Julia got dressed up in her purple velvet dress (that twirls) and headed out to dance the night away with her Daddy. They also enjoyed refreshments (Julia wanted her lemon on the side of her tea cup), pictures, and general fun and dancing with other little girls while they picked up sparkly snowflakes from the dance floor and threw them overhead to watch them float down around them. The daughters loved and had a great time with their Daddys. The Daddys watched with awe and amazement at their beautiful daughters as they delighted in the festivities and got to be princesses for an evening. What a wonderful memory! I will post some pictures when I can.

Daddy/Daughter Day...John and Julia went for a picnic this week down to the park. They played at the playground, ate a packed lunch, and fed the ducks. Needless to say, they had a ball. And sweet Julia managed to find other little children at the playground who didn't have toys, and give away most of her "miniature My Little Ponies". She takes after her brother in that she wants stuff but she also has a giving nature and would share the shirt off her back or her last meal with you. We sometimes have to make sure she understands that once you give something away, it is really gone and you can't have it back. But it sure makes us proud that she is so loving.