Izaac's 1st Lost Tooth

It has been a very long time since I have updated my blog, and now that it is summer vacation my goal is to get it caught up and keep it updated....lets see how that goal goes:-)

Izaac FINALLY lost his first tooth April 4th 2012. Seems like this process is going to take him awhile, seeing that it is June and we still have only lost the one.  There are two more loose ones, but they seem to be happy where they are.

Ricky Deci Invitational

This Friday was the annual Ricky Deci Invitational in Katy, Texas. Last year this was our very first experience with gymnastics meets and it was not good. Izaac tried his hardest and he still came away with no awards. That is very hard on a 7 year old, and there were many tears involved. One of his teammates, who knew the feeling, gave Izaac one of his medals, and then there was a new round of tears from me and the other gymnasts mother. But, we used it as a learning experience and have grown from it.

So needless to say I was nervous about this evening... Wow! Do things change in a year!
Ricky Deci of Stafford, Texas, age 13, and a member of the USA Gymnastics men’s junior national team (12-13 age group), collapsed and died October 11, 2001 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., during a pommel horse routine at the USA Gymnastics Junior National Team Training Camp.

This was the 11th year they have held this meet in the memory of Ricky and they always give a "Ricky Deci" award to the gymnast who had the highest score in any of the events. And this year, Izaac earned it in the level 4, 8+ year olds.

These are three very happy boys!

Izaac during his ring routine. He scored a 15.3 and earned 1st place.

Five and a half circles on the mushroom for the bonus.

He scored a 15.5 on this routine which earned him a 1st place and the Ricky Deci award. It was a beautiful routine and when he was done the judge called him over and shook his hand and told him he did a great job.

He scored a 14.9 on high bars and earned a 1st place. Here he is doing a pull up for a bonus. He looked really good on this event.

Coach was in with the level 4 6-7 year olds, getting their awards during the beginning of warm-up so Izaac just jumped in and lead the stretches. I think he enjoys the position as the veteran of the group.


So you can probably tell how proud I am of Izaac. Tobie put it into perfect words last night...he told me (and I am sure this is not a perfect quote, and he started with "Don't be offended but...") "The night I proposed to you was a great night. The night we got married was a great night. But this was my best night ever!" I tend to agree with him. I also have had some great nights, the ones he used in his example and the birth of my children. But to see your child succeed to such a degree, and to see how proud of himself he was, now qualifies as a "Best Night!"

We have not stopped smiling yet!

Winter Classic

First meet of the season saw Izaac off to a great start. He is looking much stronger this year and I see a good meet season for him. Izaac on the first place stand. One happy boy!

I love action shots. His form looks beautiful, nice pointed toes.

Izaac and his teammates. They had a great meet!

Dance

This year we decided that it would be better for our sanity if we had only one child in an after school program...so Ivy was pulled from gymnastics until she starts kindergarten. Luckily at her school the Dancemobile makes weekly visits. Now this way Ivy can have an activity, and we don't have to run around after school dragging kids to different activities.


As you can see she enjoys herself.

Annual Gingerbread House Decorating

Every year Gran gets her grandchildren together to decorate a gingerbread house.  This years kit included small houses so everyone was able to decorate how ever they wanted too.

It's nice seeing them all together. They are growing up so fast, soon we are going to have to do this when they get home from college. *sniff*

Jack

So when do you have to admit that a cat is gone. I knew Jack was getting old, but he was not the oldest cat I have known.

Tobie and I got Jack in April of 1999, in Newport News, VA. While we were living in our first apartment together, we would have to take our dog Butch out for daily walks. One day Tobie came home from his walk and told me there were kittens living under one of the apartments. Well, of course I sent Tobie back out with a can of tuna, and who did he come back with...the hungriest kitten. Jack has been with us for so long that it has been very hard not having him around. I knew the very first day that he was gone, that I would not see him again. The Saturday after Thanksgiving 2011, we took a trip down to Moody Gardens and got home late that night. As I was laying in bed, I said to Tobie, "Where is Jack?" Jack has slept on me and in our bed for all but the first 6 months of our marriage and that was because we did not have him yet. When I got up the next morning and Jack was not there asking me for food, I knew what had happened.

Many people mentioned to me that he was probably stuck in someones garage or just lost. I knew in my heart that even though these were all good ideas, I knew it was not the truth. Jack spent his days napping in the house with an occasional visit to that garage to eat and outside for the bathroom or to lay in the sun a bit. And, at night, he was with me for most of it. Jack was scared of his own shadow and if he was in our garage and we tried to shut it, he was out of there like a shot. So I did not hold out much hope that when people opened their garage doors to leave he would make his way home. Also, it was nasty weather on Saturday, so there had to be a really good reason for him to leave the warmth and dryness of the house.

So we are left with questions. I know in my heart that he went off to die. Which I Googled and found out that it is the last show of loyalty to their family. Cats will leave the pride to die, so as not to bring predators to the rest of the group. Unfortunately that still apples to house cats, no matter how much their "owners" want to give them a proper burial.

As I write this, Jack has been gone for an entire week...Rest in peace Jack. We will miss you for a very long time.

Moody Gardens

Used one day during our Thanksgiving holiday to head down to Moody. Had a really good time with the kids. Tobie had to work so he missed out:-(

Love the picture of Ivy. Definitely has my sense of humor.