Lately....

Lately, things have been busy.  Lately, things have been crazy and lately, things have been hard.  We got back from DC and the rest of the summer was a quick blur until school started.  Unfortunately, we got some news that we were not expecting concerning Emma's scoliosis.  Her curve had progressed enough hat they wanted to put her in a brace.  So that has taken some adjustment to get used to...not for Emma as much as for me.  She will wear the brace for 23 hours each day for the next 2-3 years.  Not a fun prospect, but Emma has taken things like she usually does and her adjustment has been relatively smooth.  In fact, she rarely complains about it.  It has been hard to see her have to go through this but she reminds me everyday that this is not that big of a deal for her.  So, I will follow her lead and try to stress less about all of the things she is missing out on and instead concentrate on the fact that this is making her mentally stronger.  She is also get physically stronger due to the fact that we started her in physical therapy.  When kids are in a hard plastic brace for this long they tend to lose ab and back strength since they are basically not having to use those muscles to sit upright all day.  As a result, they can end up having lower back pain issues later in life.  We decided we needed to make sure this did not happen so she does daily strength work to prevent it.  She also does some exercises specifically for her scoliosis.  She has really liked getting a six pack and likes to flash her guns to anyone who wants to see them.  I could not be more proud of that kid.  Soon after this, school started and we hit the ground running.  Honestly, because I have not done an update in so long, I am not sure I will be able to remember everything that has been going on...but here is my best attempt at the goings on kid by kid.

Rachel: Rachel started her junior year.   In FFA  she has roasted chiles, volunteered at the state fair, helped out at numerous NMSU activities, and just generally volunteered herself to death.  She was also selected to be a part of the Chamber of Commerce Junior Leadership program.  Each month she misses a day of school to work with community leaders at different areas in town.  This month she was also involved in the Model UN program at NMSU.  She represented the country of Poland and  her position paper even won for best paper.  She now officially knows more than we do about most foreign policy issues. She is also participating in a program that will have her going to lunch each week with the local Rotary club. She participated in cross country as well.  And last but not least, she got her first job.  She works at a dermatologist office doing various data entry type work.  She mostly worked in the summer but tries to squeeze in a few hours each week now as well.  She is trying to save for a car so she is highly motivated.

Hannah: Hannah has been busy as well.  She is a sophomore this year.  She is participating in cross country but her real love is still theater and music.  She is involved in choir this year which has given her lots more experience and practice.  She competed in solo and ensemble and earned the highest score for her rendition of Danny Boy.  She also participated in a regional contest at NMSU this past week and did very well.  I am so proud of how far she has come with her singing and performing.  Last year, she could barely sing in front of the family let alone a room full of people.  She is also involved in the culinary arts program at school this year. The department caters local events and Hannah has volunteered to help out with that.  Their high school has a cyber cafe that is run by the culinary department so Hannah works there too.

Emma:   Emma is in 7th grade and is still being home schooled.  We continue to enjoy to hang out with each other to get school done.  I am relishing these last 2 years before she goes off to high school.  Emma likes Homeschooling but is quite social so I know that going back to public school will be exciting for her when it happens.  She is still obsessed with soccer which takes up the majority of her time.  Matt is still coaching her team so they get to spend lots of time together.  She was thrilled with all the opportunities to play forward striker position this year. Emma also got her first job!  She is a dog walker for a nice couple who live close by.  Each morning after we drop the girls at school we head over to walk Berkie.  She loves it and I love that we get a built in time to walk each day. She has also participated in Theater again this year performing as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz.

Matt and I continue along in our regular predictable fashions, for the most part.  Matt has been traveling a bit more than usual for work, which is kind of a bummer for him.  I have been hit with a few health issues that have slowed me  down more than I am liking.  A back injury has sidelined my running, which has been the hardest part to deal with.  But onward and upward, as they say. Shuttling the girls to their various activities and homeschooling full time leave me very little time to think about it so that is a good thing.

We are now ready for the season of celebrations.  November looks to be an exciting month of birthdays and holidays!

4.0 ceremony

work those abs Emma!

Homecoming

Homecoming spirit week