Back to School

Ready or not - the kids started school today...

Kendall started his first day of Kindergarten at Lucy Franklin Elementary this morning and he was pretty excited about meeting new friends, eating at school, learning fun things, and most of all - recess!!! He has had his first day of school outfit picked out since the day he got it and he looked like he was ready to take on the world even though he will probably be one of the smallest students in the whole school.

Lizzy headed off to Brittany Hill Middle School to start Sixth Grade this morning. She met the bus an hour earlier than when she was going to the Elementary, but didn't seem to mind getting up a little earlier. She too has had her first day of school outfit picked out forever, she looked beautiful as she headed off to the bus stop this morning with a few of her friends from the neighborhood. I am sure that she will handle the challenges of the new school schedule and routine well - and I know that she is looking forward to having her own locker that she can decorate with her style.

Good Luck to both of you and make us proud!!!

Da Bears...

It's that time of year - No, not the start of school (that's next week) - the start of Football Season! That's Right! Kendall is playing Youth Football and has been drafted by the Bears.
Although he wanted to play tackle football, Mom got her way and he settled for Flag Football for at least this year. They started with three practices last week and now we are down to two practices per week and games will be on Friday nights starting in a couple of weeks. The Bears have a wide variety of athletic skill and if they can stay focused for a full hour at a time should be pretty good. In fact, if it were tackle football - I think they would be unstoppable because they can really pounce on the dummies during their water breaks.

Down...

Set...

One...

Coach has not made any definite playing position decisions yet, but he has a couple of the boys playing the same positions during practice night after night. On Offense I think we have a starting Center, Quarterback, and two Running Backs - the rest are going to rotate around on the line. So far Kendall has been starting at Tailback so he should get to carry the ball quite a bit - his main play is "I-Dive-Left." He also likes the "I-Sweep-Right" but he doesn't carry the ball on that one so he has to get out and block on that particular play so it's not quite as fun. After seeing Kendall throw the ball at practice last night, coach may try to sneak in a Halfback Pass at some point in the season - he says that if he can find someone that can catch it that we may have to use that trick play on occasion. Defensively we are quick, he has the three fastest boys lining up as Linebacker and the two corners to attack the ball carrier. Kendall has been starting as the Right Cornerback for now and made me so proud last night at practice by getting so many flags that I let him decide where we were going to eat out as a treat. He is having a blast and he just smiles from ear to ear when he makes a defensive play or gets past the defense when he is carrying the ball. It should be a fun year to watch them learn the game.

Go Bears!

Let's Lock them Up!!!

Well - Lizzy made it through the 5th Grade and gets to move on to
Brittany Hill Middle School next year unless we decide to
lock her in her room until she turns, let's say..... 30 years old.

Lizzy and six of her friends hosted a year-end party this afternoon
where they invited a total of about 40 of their classmates
to Celebrate the end of Elementary School. The boys brought a
bag of Chips and the Girls brought a bag of Candy to have during
the party and we had lemonade and water to keep them cool.
We had a friend of ours DJ the party and lead them through
some dances to get them involved. I think the Electric Slide,
YMCA and the Macarena were the most accepted and the boy-girl
dances were the flop - I guess they were scared of each other....?
Anyway, I think everyone had a good time and we
enjoyed watching the kids have fun! Congratulations Kids - and Have a Safe Summer!

Preschool Graduation!

Congratulations Kendall, You did it!!!

Kendall had his year end music program and Preschool Gradutation tonight. The night started with a T-Ball Game in Independence at 5:30 and we played until the bottom of the last inning when we left early to get to the church in time for the program. He changed clothes in the van and they sang about a dozen very cute songs that Miss Tammy (the music teacher) has taught them this year. After the singing, the students that will move on to Kindergarten had a graduation ceremony and each student was reconginzed individually. The night ended with a short Cookie and Punch Reception. He will actually get to start Summer School next Tuesday for the Month of June, then he will have the month of July off and then will start Kindergarten at Lucy Franklin Elementary School in August.

DARE Graduation

Congratulations Lizzy - You make us so Proud!

Lizzy had her DARE Graduation at Lucy Franklin Elementary on May 23rd

During the 13 week course they learned about the Drug Awareness Resistance Education program sponsored by the Blue Springs Police Department. The fifth grade students learn some very valuable information about Drugs and Alcohol and the peer pressure that they will face regarding these hazardous items before they graduate to Brittany Hill Middle School in a few short months. Towards the end of the course each student wrote an essay about the DARE Program and what they learned about Drugs and Alcohol and one essay from each of the 5th Grade Classes was selected as the winner and they were asked to read their essay during the Graduation. Lizzy wrote the winning essay and was selected to read her essay from Mrs. Seigler's class. She read her essay in a record time as she was very nervous to read it in front of a large crowd of about 120 other students, 100 parents and many teachers, school administration and police officers.

Major Leaguer....

Well, Kendall has started his first session of T-Ball this summer at ADP Sports here in Blue Springs. It is a unique league as they have a 45 minute practice at 9:00 each Saturday morning and then at 9:45 they start a 45 minute game. It is a very basic league, but it is managed by a former Major Leaguer (Mark Brown) so it is very instructional and is tied in with a very active Youth Program at the First Bible Baptist Church and their very nice facilities. He will be playing this league until the end of June and in June and July he will be playing T-Ball at BVAC where he played last year. I thought I would share a few pictures of the first weeks action!!! I will try to add a few more images throughout the season! Go Kendall....

He picked up right where he left off last year with his defensive skills and made quite a few great defensive plays. He hasn't made a double play yet - but give him time!

Finally.....

Well, after lots of praying and looking around the area we finally found a Minivan that was in our prince range that we felt comfortable with. I have been looking very hard for the last few weeks and was starting to get very frustrated because all I was finding was either junk or vans that were priced just out of our budget... I had hit every dealer, used car lot, individual and internet source that I could come up with and nothing seemed to fit our needs. Finally, last Thursday night while I was searching the internet I had noticed a 1999 Ford Windstar MiniVan For Sale that was priced in our range and was listed by an individual just south of Sedalia and I happened to be scheduled to take school pictures at Lincoln Elementary on Friday morning. I called the individual and asked if it was still available and if he would be around when I got done in Lincoln for me to stop and look at it and he said he would make a point of being home if I would call as I left Lincoln to give him a few minutes notice. I stopped by and I was very pleased both with the way it looked and the way it drove so I called Fonda and told her what I found and had her do some research about the model and what it was worth. The owner had it listed in a local newspaper for $3995 two weeks ago and didn't get a single call all week, so the next week he dropped it to $3500 and still didn't get a call on it. He decided to drop it to $3000 and got a few calls but nobody ever showed up to look at it and that is what he told me he wanted out of it when I test drove it, so I told him I would have to bring Fonda down over the weekend and let her check it out. After researching the model and features - it was valued at $4750 on Kelly Blue Book so we thought if we could get it for $3000 we were getting a pretty good deal. We went down on Sunday to let Fonda see it and she drove it and was as pleased as I was so she offered him $2600 and he said that he couldn't do anything less than $2800 - so we ended up getting it for the $2800. We both think that our prayers and patience have paid off - we ended up finding something that we could feel good about and still be within our budget!!! It is very clean with just a few minor scratches on the exterior that we are alright with - so Thank You for everyone that has been praying for us - our prayers seem to have been answered in this situation. I spent the morning getting insurance, taxes and license all taken care of so it is ready to drive.
We were able to return the Ford Explorer that Fonda's Brother and Sister-in-Law were so kind to let us use while we were looking - it was so nice to have the extra time to look and find a good deal and not be rushed into a purchase that we were not comfortable with. THANK YOU!

Last Competition for the Season...

Lizzy had her last competition of this Cheerleading Season this weekend where they competed in the CheerSport Cheerleading Championships in Overland Park, Kansas on Saturday. They performed very well, but placed third - we are just so impressed how well Lizzy has progressed with her jumps, stunts and tumbling over the past six months. They will have tryouts over the next month for next years teams and they have a year-end Banquet in a couple of weeks to cap off the year. Now we get to start saving for another year!!!

Congratulations Lizzy!
Keep up the hard work - we are so Proud of YOU!!!

DragonFest....

Well, this past weekend GAGE sponsored the DragonFest Cheerleading Competition in Kansas City, MO. All seven of their teams performed, but for exhibition only. They looked incredible and if they would have been able to compete - six of the teams would have won their category and the remaining team would have placed second.

They are getting ready for their last competition for this season, which will be the COA Nationals being held at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City on March 29th. Once this season is over, they will start practicing and going through tryouts for next season. If Lizzy can get her Back Tuck perfected over the next couple of months - she may be able to move up to another level...

Lizzy - The All-Star Cheerleader

Lizzy has been very busy lately with her cheerleading competitions with the GAGE Purple Dragon Cheerleading Squad. Along with three practices a week, in January she competed at the "State Fair Spirit Classic" in Sedalia and then the "It's Time to Cheer" competition in Olathe, Kansas. They are so much fun to watch!!!!
Very impressive for 10-12 year olds...

We are so proud of you Lizzy!

Jumpin Jelly Bean

Kendall has been playing Basketball at BVAC in Independence for the past couple of months and he has really improved and learned the basics of the game this year. They have one practice a week, and one game each Saturday. We have started calling him "our little jumpin jelly bean" because he is always jumping around. His poor little feet never stop!

The first few weeks we called him "Defense" - because he would just steal it from the other team and pass it to the bigger boys on his team. The past few weeks, we have got him to actually shoot the ball too. He has made a few baskets this season, unfortunately one of them was for the other team.... We are so proud of him, he is a natural when it comes to any type of ball!

Fonda's Van...

Nissan Quest For Sale - Minor Smoke Damage!!!

For those of you that have already heard about our Family's excitement over the weekend, I thought I would pass along a few pictures to put it into perspective. If you haven't heard already, Kendall had a Basketball Game in Independence on last Friday evening and on the way home from the game Fonda and the kids along with one of Lizzy's friends were just a mile or two away from the gym when they smelled something hot and almost immediately the van filled with smoke. Fonda was able to roll down the windows and clear her vision enough to pull over in the next driveway to check things out. By this time there was melted plastic dripping from underneath the dash and soon it was shooting sparks out from under the dash. She was able to get the kids out of the van and into a nearby field at a safe distance and she started getting other personal belongings out of the van as she stomped out the sparks that were falling to the floorboard. A very nice couple stopped and allowed the kids to sit in their truck and he helped Fonda put snow on the sparks and floorboard to keep it from catching on fire. It gradually got worse and by the time the Fire Department arrived the van was fully engulfed in flames and all they could do is sit back and be thankful that they had the time to get out without any harm. It was about 5 degrees outside so we are thankful that someone had stopped to help keep the kids warm. Once the fire was put out, Fonda and the kids got to sit in the Fire Truck until the Tow Truck came to haul it away. Unfortunately, I was in Sedalia taking Youth Basketball Pictures so I was not there to help. Fonda called John (our brother-in-law) to come pick them up and he got them home safely. We are very lucky to have a great family that has offered us to use an extra vehicle while we try to find a replacement. Unfortunately, we can't do very much at this time - but Fonda does need a reliable vehicle to get the kids to daycare and to and from work everyday. If you know of anyone that has a reasonable, reliable vehicle for sale - please let us know. Or if you have any contacts that may be able to help us find something, please let us know. We would appreciate any help that we can get at this time.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We spent about an hour Trick-or-Treating
in the neighborhood tonight with the kids
and they had a great time.

Kendall was Captain Jack Sparrow from
Pirates of the Carribean, and Lizzy
was the Wicked Witch! They got lots of goodies
and we ended up walking around with other kids
from the neighborhood so they had even more fun!

KC Cheerleading Spectacular

"5... 6... 7... 8"

Lizzy had her first Cheerleading Competition today since earning a spot on the Gage Purple Dragons All-Star Cheerleading Squad. They competed in the KC Spirit Spectacular at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City.

Lizzy, Sarah and Cassidy

The Purple Dragons were awesome and received First Place!
Check out the video of their performance at
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8754765312593806873

The Twister Jam Fest in Topeka, Kansas will be their next competition in two weeks. It will be a much larger competition with nearly 90 Teams competing.

"Congratulations Lizzy!"

Back to School...

Well, the kids and I are all back to school now....
I have been taking some Staff Group Pictures and Sports Teams at various schools the past week or two. This week we photographed a couple small schools and I spent a few nights at a Hotel in Osage Beach while we photographed Camdenton High School. Today we photographed about 350 Little League Football Players in Sedalia and in a couple weeks we have about 1100 Soccer Players to photograph in Sedalia. This next week may be our busiest week I have ever worked with Inter-State Studio, we have 5-6 cameras going each day this week and we have our crews stretched out all over the territory - luckily two or three days are fairly close to home for me.

Lizzy had her first day of 5th Grade on Thursday - Yes, I said fifth grade. It sounds like she has a great teacher - and as always, she is excited about school. She has really grown up this summer - and she is still enjoying her All-Star Cheerleading. In a couple of months she will start having one or two competitions per month, and we are very anxious to see her perform.Kendall hasn't been doing much other than playing catch with Dad, riding his scooter and bike and playing with the other boys in the neighborhood since we finished T-Ball. He wants to play basketball this winter, but we have not found anywhere that he is old enough to play. We may just have to play soccer or something else.

The start of school brought lots of work for Fonda and The Little Teachers Store. Teachers have been in getting items to prepare their classroom and business has been very steady since the Grand Opening. She has been putting in lots of hours both at the store and home with making new purchase orders to complete special orders to keep the inventory full.