Kyra's First Spelling Bee

Last month Kyra participated in her first spelling bee! I was so proud of her because this was something she decided to do all on her own! We practiced hard on the lists of 1st-6th grade words. When the day of the spelling bee came, she drew the #2 spot and sat in the first row. When her turn came, she walked up on stage in front of about 100 people and spelled her word into the microphone. I was sooo proud of her, because she never would have atempted this a couple years ago. She didn't win, but she made it 4 rounds- from 35 to 8 kids. The best part is that she had fun, got her face painted afterward, received a $10 certificate to Bookmans, and had delicious snacks. :o) The first thing she said to me in the car was, "When are they having the "honey bee" next year??"

Out of the mouths of babes...

This morning at 7:25am I was in the car with Kyra after an already hectic morning getting all kids, soccer paraphanalia, snacks, blankets, water bottles, sippy cups, etc. ready for a morning of 2 games and 2 team picture sessions. As I drove, I said out loud, "We are gonna be a little late, and we better not hit a train or we're going to be A LOT late." To which Kyra responded, "Well Mommy, even if we do hit a train at least we know that all things happen for our good and God's glory." Wow! I was humbled and blessed by that little reminder.

Let the soccer season begin!!

We had a great morning attending the first soccer games of the season! Kyra and Myles are both #7 this year, Kyra on team "Lightning" and Myles on the "Tornados."

Kyra did a great job being agressive on the field, her team won and had a great time playing together! A perfect morning for playing soccer!

Myles has been counting down all week to his Saturday game! He was ready to go! He had a great time, scored several goals, and passed a lot to his team mates. He is so much fun to watch!

Our little gymers!

Kyra and Myles after their gymnastics recital on the big stage!

They did a great job whippin' out cartwheels, round-offs, and forward rolls like nobodies business:). Their class was so cute!

K and M with some gym/church friends.

Before the big show..Kand M with part of their class.

Silliness:)

Kyra in her 2011 gym costume(notice those new earrings:))

Myles in his 2011 gym costume-his first time in a recital on the big stage!

Our gymers who passed me up in gymnastic ability a long time ago!

The recital was so much fun! Half the performances were gym and half dance of different types. Kyra and Myles go to a Christian non-competitive gym where the teachers are awesome. All the music from the recital was christian music of different types- from point ballet to hip-hop!

Kyra is 7!!

On Mother's Day Kyra turned 7!! She was born on a Saturday night before my first Mother's Day and she has been such a blessing to our lives!

Blowing out the candles at our family party with Mema and Grandma and Papa.

Not only did the pinata have candy, but turned into party hats for everyone:)

Kyra is such a great big sister! This is the first time we've had a child old enough to really help with the baby and it's so fun!

Whackin' the pinata!

We took a family trip to the bowling alley with Papa and Grandma and the kids had a blast- mommy won the game:)

The kids watching Daddy bowl

Orange was the color of the day! Even Hayley did great(with ramp and bumpers)!

We had some friends over earlier in the week for bottlecap necklace making, cake, icecream and a magic show by Kyra(thanks to Papa Bob and Auntie Robin for the magic trick kit)!

Long time firends Mary and Naomi were born the same week as Kyra. This year they all got their ears pierced for their birthdays!

It wouldn't be a party without these silly boys!!

Kyra was blessed with friends and a fun day!

She she is in her 7 year old glory! Can't wait to see what God has in store for her this next year! We love you Kyra!

Love this...

Kyra the Bookworm!

I haven't posted just about Kyra in a while...it is so fun to have her home and see her learning and soaking up everything like a sponge. She amazes me with what she remembers and knows. This year she has turned into a bookworm and reads everything in sight. This week alone, she has already read 3 chapter books and it's only Thursday morning! These are some of the books she's gone through in the last couple months.
She reads in my closet...

at the table to Myles(he especially loves to hear the Magic Tree House stories about Jack and Annie)...

standing up at the kitchen counter...

and hanging half way off the couch.

She's only a first grader, but she's been dying to learn a little cursive. Here she is working on her name and her A's:).

Since we are going through books at a fast rate, if anyone has good book recomendations, they would be much appreciated:)!

Big sisters are the best!

My first baby

I haven't written just about Kyra in a while. There's lots to tell, lots to be thankful for- more to come on all that...But for now I'm grateful for what God is showing me about myself, through her. Kyra, more than the other kids so far, is most like me. This is sometimes good and sometimes bad:). Sometimes fun, and sometimes not very fun. But as I tell her, God has put us in a family together to help each other become more like Jesus. And for that I am very very grateful!

Daddy's Marathon

At 5:00am, sitting in the dark car, waiting to drive up Mt. Lemmon, Kyra lost another tooth! It must have been really loose because she was only eating a muffin:).
Waiting for Daddy to run up the mountain...

A chilly morning!! I didn't want to wake up all 4 kids at 3:45am, so Mema stayed with the 3 younger and Kyra and I had fun cheering.

A long way to go...

A smile and wave:)

So proud of Scott for getting 6th place overall in this uphill 26.2!