concerts & swimming

Alexys had her first Choir concert (in this school) this month. The group sounded great! She got a solo part and did very nicely. Which brings me to the present, finally! Took me long enough to catch-up!

Alexys made the all-county choir and she will be singing for judges in December! Additionally, her teacher just sent in her Demo in order to compete in the state competition. This month, she also started her Swim Meet season-- she did nicely and earned points for her team. The good thing is that Volleyball season is over--she liked it but she had no free time, ever! All this, and she still managed a 4.0 on her report card (even in Biology and Geometry!). There, mom's bragging moment is finished!

Wow! This month is almost done--where did it go?!

silly times

I found these shots in my camera-- I didn't take them...I wonder who...

I thought they were real reflections of the girls in all of their silly glory! Even Blue didn't escape the lens!

more zoo animals

I am partial to Giraffes-- had to add at least one!

zoo trip

Angelene got to attend the Topeka Zoo with her class a few weeks ago. The zoo is small and easy to explore for kids this age. It took us but 2 hours or so to finish the entire thing!

Many years ago when we lived in Fort Riley, (pre-children) Frank and I visited this zoo. It wasn't as "nice" back then but we still had a good time!

All-in-all, the kiddos all had a great time! I had one too, considering I was chaperoning!

book review... or not

I finished reading Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story by Kim Powers. I am giving it a 3 out of 5 stars. In a nutshell, it is about the life of Truman Capote and his childhood friend Harper Lee-- remember her? Yes, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird Powers admits to some of the facts in his book being of a fictional state. As you know, I dislike writing book reviews, unlike Alexys who enjoys writing them! All I can tell you is that if you have nothing to read, then check this book out of the library--

Edited to add: Okay, I will expand a little about why I didn't LOVE this book and give it 5 stars! First let me start off by stating that by nature I am hard to please. So please don't expect many 5 stars coming from this blog! :)

People that have read this give it mix reviews. I think that the intertwining of true facts with nonfiction is a sticky situation for a writer; not easily done. Powers takes the liberty to expand on some facts by offering his own interpretation, it all falls together and makes sense, yet some readers are left with an uneasiness about it. The consensus amongst some people is that if other books about Lee and Capote are read beforehand, Capote in Kansas..." will be more enjoyable. I will have to report back on this matter for I will be reading some other books in the next few months about these authors.

Sorry about this horrible attempt at a speedy review-- I really do detest writing about how a book makes me feel and what I think about it! It may be contributed by school book reports from the past! So please bear with me!

block party

On September 20th, our street had a Block Party. It was nice to have all the neighbors mingle with each other at one time. We are all usually outside in small groups at different times of the day-- it is funny how this is basically dictated by the ages of our children!

Everyone here is very nice and friendly. We wives have created several groups that meet once a month. We have a Bunco group and a Lunch Bunch. As you can see, we are making the best out of the year we are here and living in not so nice quarters!

soccer

Soccer is finally over! It was over officially last week, yet these shots are from last month! Angelene had a good time! The tough part was juggling soccer and swim class! She had one after the other! She enjoyed her team and overall, had a blast! She will definitely be playing Spring Soccer!

life in kansas

Life here is rather fast-paced! I would have never guessed! I can't believe how fast time passes-- it is almost November already! WOW! Before we know it, it will be Christmas!

Volleyball season is over for Alexys, so that means more time for her to read and do whatever she wants and less driving around for me! Swimming keeps her very busy though.

There are a lot of different critters and bugs here in Kansas. We have lizards and grasshoppers to name a few. The grasshoppers are beautiful--yes, they are! Their colors are extraordinary!

more catching-up

Here are more shots from September 11-- the bird was hanging out under the bleachers where the schools gathered for the Freedom Walk ceremony. He wasn't scared or trying to avoid us, as a matter of fact, he was trying to get us to pay attention to him! It was rather odd-- I mean, this bird was extremely friendly. I got so close to it-- I am talking inches! This bird was not just any ordinary bird... you make what you will out of this.

s

wow, i am so behind!

These shots were taken on September 11-- the schools here on post participated in the Freedom Walk and as you can see, the kids were very into it!

OK, now I feel highly overwhelmed! I can't believe that I have let myself slip so behind. The culprit is Facebook. I seem to spend my free time there instead of here. I need to find a happy balance, right?

So here is Alanah in her first gymnastics class in last month-- Yeah, LAST MONTH people!