The good

 I miss pictures like this!! 

And yes, that is an adult size Razor scooter- Chet didn't want to miss out on the fun!

There is a lot of good in our life right now!

The weather is changing and we are getting a head start on welcoming the Fall!  I am ready to put out the fall decor NOW and we already bought all 3 girls' costumer for Halloween. I am done with summer and ready to move on!

The weather was so nice this weekend and we finally got out to the park. I cannot describe how nice it felt to run in the grass, practice soccer drills with Julia and just get some exercise!

 This picture shows how BIG the soccer field is for Julia's division this year. It's a full size field- this picture was taken at mid field only. She was SO sore after running back and forth during her first game this last weekend. 

 The "kids" on their scooters.

 JOY!!!

 Bella and Chet doing cartwheels. Did I mention how happy we were to be outside?? ;-) 

 I think I need to work on my back bend form a little!

And this added 'good' to a rough day for Julia. Despite putting in so much work and effort into her campaign, Julia was not elected Student Council Secretary this year and was devastated. At 10 years old, its a little hard to understand that there is a life lesson in all experiences (good and bad) and that she can try again next year. After seeing her visibly upset after school, these 2 neighbor boys, Tyler and Cody who just moved next door this Spring, came by with this bouquet of flowers for Julia. They truly have been wonderful neighbors and have shown such kindness to us.  It really brightened her day and she was so honored.

Life as we know it

Life with older kids is a whole new experience! Fun and VERY busy! While Camille is content with play dates, trips to the park and morning cartoons, Julia and Bella have definitely found their own passions and interests. We are committed to something 6 nights a week but it's exciting and forces us to be more organized and do everything as a team. I think my kids are tired of my "team" speeches!

Julia ran for Student Council class representative again and was elected! Her next goal is to be elected Student Council Secretary. She prepared another speech to be videotaped and aired to the entire school- happening today! I am so proud of her- she knows what she wants, puts in the time and effort and doesn't let her nerves stand in her way. GO JULIA!

 

Julia is also playing soccer again this season and practices/plays 3 nights a week. This is the year where the teams get more competitive. She even had to try out for this team of 10-12 yr old girls. As one of the youngest, Julia was definitely wide eyed when spotting her older team mates for the 1st time! :)

 *This picture is from a soccer clinic and not of her actual team. 

Bella is still loving her gymnastics team. She has improved so much over the last 2 months and is getting ready for her first competition! From where I sit on the 2nd floor, all the girls looks the same size but I had to laugh when the coaches lined up the girls by height- Bella is in the red leotard, 2nd from the right. :-) With her size and agility, this is the perfect sport for her!

Looking forward to enjoying all these moments with the girls at their different stages right now. 

It's a good balance for us!