Ben's Almost To 13

Ben is almost 13!

We have a TEENAGER in our home!

Eeek?

Augh?

Oh My?

I don't think so! I think we will have a pretty good TEENAGER.

Benjamin has been working with a handful of 7th and 8th graders over at Griffin Middle School. They meet once a week for an hour and are studying the Medieval Times Period. Ben was asked to be part of an Academic Pentathlon Team to represent our Middle School. The Academic Pentathlon is a five-event competition. Students compete as individuals and as a team in a series of five academic tests including math, literature, social science, science and essay. I'm not sure of all the logistics on when and where they will compete... we'll keep y'all posted! :)

A few months back Ben competed in the All Region Band Competition (on trombone). He was among over 2,000 students (7th and 8th) to enter the first round. He passed the 1st round into the 2nd round. (He was one of only two 7th graders from our Middle School to make it into the 2nd round.) He went back for the 2nd round where he was asked to sight-read various trombone music. And... he Made The All Region Symphonic Band (2nd highest of 3 band levels). He was the only 7th grader to make it this round.

The All Region Band will practice on January 8th in the morning/afternoon. In the evening all parents and friends will be able to hear the performance. We are definitely looking forward to this!

Gymnastic Season Begins

Nastia Liukin (the 2008 Olympic All-Around Champion) lives in Plano (a suburb near us). Her Dad, Valeri, hosts a yearly invitational in his Frisco gym. In years past, Nick has never participated in this invite because his Level and Age Group seemed to have fallen on a Sunday.


This year Nick's age group (8 & 9) and Level (6) competed on Friday night. It was FUN to be competing in our hometown of Frisco at a world-premier gymnasium (WOGA). There was excitement in the air! Teams from all over the world were competing! And how did Nick do...


Here are the stats from what I can remember:


8th in the All-Around (85.6). 1st through 7th were from out-of-state/country.


4th in the pommel horse (14.2).


2nd in the rings with a 15.2 - a 15.3 took 1st.


All of his other scores were very presentable (13.6 on p-bars, 14.2 on vault, 14.0 on floor, 14.4 on high bar), for those are all figured into his All-Around score. The Team, Eagle Gymnastics, received 7th overall.


As we can see, the gymnasts are "thinning" and it's much much harder to bring home those 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals as in years past. But Nick is one dedicated gymnast and this is only the BEGINNING of his season for 2010-2011. Go Nick!

(The "bobble" you will see during the handstand cost him 3/10 of a point.)

The Bad Words

Zachary had a Band Recital this evening at the Middle School. Glenn and Ben took him early; they also went to "save seats" so the rest of us could come a bit later.

On the drive over we went past the Elementary School and the lights were on. I questioned, "I wonder why the lights are on at your school?"

Chris: They are probably cleaning the floors.

Emma: Paul David got an "oops" note today. So he has to meet with his Mom and Dad and Teacher. They are probably meeting right now.

Cindy: What did he do? What happened?

Emma: He said the "d" word.

Cindy: Hmm... what is the "d" word?

Emma: Mom, I can't say it.

Cindy: Oh go ahead... just this once.

Emma: Ok. Darn.

Cindy: Oh my.

Emma: He also got another "oops" note. He said the "s" word.

Cindy: Well, tell me, what is the "s" word?

Chris: Mom, we can't tell you.

Emma: You don't want to know.

Cindy: Oh, come on. Tell me just this once.

Chris: s-t-u-p-i-d

Emma: Yeah, stupid Mom.

I hope that's as far as it ever goes! :)

Happy Belated Halloween

Christopher's work of art!

Toothless

Emma lost her first tooth! It has been wiggly and wiggly for nearly the entire month of October. It came out on the 23rd of October. She phoned Glenn and I with such GREAT excitement!

We were running our first Marathon TOGETHER in Austin! Well, we weren't really running TOGETHER... Glenn finished about 20 minutes ahead of me! But we were at least running the same race. (I got 2nd in my age group!)

Christopher's Special Day(s)

Christopher turned 8 years young in September, on the 26th! I know it's already November, but there has been a lot going on in our home... Gymnastics, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Baptism, Business Trips, Visitors from AZ, Marathons, Soccer for Ben, Soccer for Chris, Soccer for Emma, Basketball for Zach, Church, Young Men, Band, Trombone for Ben, Euphonium for Zach, Try-outs for this & that, Schoolwork, Campouts, Homework... and I am just starting to name a few! (I know others feel the pain of BUSYNESS!)

But I needed to post a little bit about Christopher! He wanted to celebrate this year with a soccer ball cake. It came out nice! It was really tasty!

Turning 8 years old is a very important step in our home... white shirt and tie!

The first Saturday of October is the day when our ward (church congregation) usually holds Baptisms for those children who have just turned 8. Since the first Saturday of October is also General Conference for our church (worldwide church meeting with the Prophet), the Baptisms were held on the 2nd Saturday of October. Two friends of Chris were also baptized, Peyton and Harrison. Grandma and Grandpa Thomas came down for the festivities. All went well and Christopher was baptized by his Father. Congratulations Christopher!

Rubik's Cube MASTERED

Zach has mastered The Rubik's Cube! Many years ago (as Zach tells the story) Zach received a Rubik's Cube for a present. Apparently Grandpa Thomas came over one afternoon and messed it up... and ever since that day it has been "bugging" Zach that he could not get it "back in order."

Of course the Rubik's Cube would get lost in the toy box, get moved to another room, get lost under the bed or behind the couch. Years went by but whenever it would come back out to "haunt" Zach he would once again try to solve it! This has been happening over the course of many years!

So, for the last few months he has been sitting at the computer (some website) figuring it out. He's Got It and He's Good and He's Getting Faster and Faster!

Organized Begging

We were driving home from church last Sunday afternoon... there was talk about Halloween and the Sabbath Day... Ben piped in, "Halloween is just organized begging." He had the biggest smile ever! Ben always has some fun comment for everything! Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! Boo!

And We're Off!

Ben - 7th, Emma - K, Chris - 2nd, Nick - 4th, Zach - 6th

Summer 2010

Ever since we received The Dangerous Book For Boys we've had some mischievous happenings in our home from time-to-time! :) The summer of 2010 has proven likewise - our neighborhood knows how to play poker! Great!! (Come to the Thomas' and they'll teach you how to play poker too.)

I had the opportunity to spend a week in Vegas with Glenn. He worked and I played - it was so relaxing and fun! The kids stayed with a family friend and HAD A BLAST! When I called home one evening, Zach requested that he would like to trade-in his Vegas T-shirt (that we would bring home for him) for some poker chips instead! (Well, the above-mentioned book teaches one how to play poker. Fun!)

Summer has been interesting... a truck/van crash, trip to NE, swim lessons, breakfast at 9:30am each morning, water parks, bowling, Cub Scout Camp, Boy Scout Camp, visit from family, blueberries, birthday, gymnastics, etc...

The Crash - I was taking the kids by Honda mini-van to swim lessons/swim practice and was followed by Glenn who was going to work in his Ford F150. He was followed by a Ford F250 4x4 Super-Duty truck, complete with cowpusher and all (a brand new June 2010 truck). The Ford F250 decided to accelerate while Glenn and I slowed to a stop because of upcoming traffic (a church up ahead was letting out and traffic was backing up)! Let's just say that the Ford 250 threw the Ford 150 into the Honda Odyssey and left Glenn's license plate imprinted in the Honda's back bumper! :O Thank Goodness no one was seriously hurt - though Glenn is a regular visitor now of Mr. Chiropractor Man. The Ford F150 was deemed TOTALLED and they finally hauled it away today. Glenn is now driving a new Ford F150. The Honda is back from the dealership with a new back hatch and bumper! Things are slowly getting back to normal.

Trip to Nebraska - Each year we make a quick dash to visit my family in Nebraska right around the 4th of July. It's a short drive (6 hours) straight North. Mom and Dad Stara always make it fun - there's plenty of rootbeer floats, ATVs, $1 store visits, swimming, kolaches, firecrackers and more firecrackers. This year my parent's celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary the week before the 4th; we took a family picture and we all (my siblings + families) went out to eat. We love going to the David City Pool with our cousins there:

and riding the ATV's...

...but most of all, we love being with our family for a few days "out in the country" without a care in the world.

Boy Scout Camp - Ben and Zach went to Scout Camp in early July. Glenn was recently called as the Scout Master, so he went too. There were about 15 boys who went to camp for the week. You name it, they did it - shotguns, sailing, hiking, fishing, wood carving, wilderness survival (camping with nothing but your wits), metal and leather work, canoeing, etc. There is also THE BLOB! (That would be Ben flying through the air.)

(Ben is also peeking underneath the sail in this picture.)


Some of the Scouts participated in the building and sailing of a homemade raft. Here Ben is laying on his belly helping the other Scoutmates paddle to VICTORY! (or at least they finished which is more than most of the teams could say)

Cub Scout Camp - This is a camp for the younger Scouts. Nick was able to join the troop for a few days this year. He was also (and still is) busy at the gym. Two of the five days of camp were rained out AND those were the two days that Nick was not able to attend anyway because of gym practice. (It all worked out for Nick!) At Cub Scout Camp they do archery, BB guns, leather work, science/nature and this year they did a space derby. Here's a picture of Nick with his winning rocket!



Scouting, Scouting and More Scouting - (Can you tell we have 3 of our 4 boys participating in Scouting?) Zachary advanced out of Cub Scouts this summer and is now a full-fledged Boy Scout! Congratulation Zachary on earning your Webelos and Arrow of Light... thanks for the pin - I think he dropped the back of the pin on the carpet here!




There's always friends and cookies at any and all Scouting Activities. Emma has enjoyed being a BIG sister to any girls younger than she. She has already informed me that she will not being going to school this year. She would rather stay at home and sleep-in. Oh Boy!



Zachary's Birthday - Zachary turned 11 years young this past year! He invited a few friends over to go see the new Karate Kid movie. The boys came over afterward for cake and icecream. It was a fun afternoon. Here is a wonderful pose of all the future Karate Kids:

Blueberries and Family - We had a GREAT visit from Clark & Melanie in early July. We played lots of games indoors, since it was nearly 100 degrees each day (sorry about that). But the one Saturday they were here it had rained incredibly in the early morning (around 5am). (Glenn and I actually did a 10-miler that morning and it poured on us the entire run!) When 10am rolled around we found ourselves about 2-hours North, near the Oklahoma border, picking blueberries. It was a cloudy day and a most enjoyable day of karaoke entertainment:



I had to include this photo of Christopher. He has had a GREAT summer this past year but it has been a bit challenging. He has had 6 teeth pulled these past two months. Christopher, AKA Crocodile, has a few teething issues that the dentist and orthodontist are tackling. Bottom line - too many teeth and not enough gum line to accomodate them all. He is getting excited about his Baptism in Octoboer.


NOW, on to a new school year! WOW! All the children will be in school - whatever will I do with all my time?!?! (Ben and Christopher want to do Fall soccer with their teams. Emma wants to try soccer in the Fall too. Zach will be participating in basketball and Nicholas has a hectic gymnastics schedule. What am I thinking... I don't know.) Hang on for the ride!

Jackets

You may ask, what could this be:



As Christopher got into the van the other day, he put these items down on the console and said, "Here ya' go Mom!" He was very excited and all...

I replied, "What are they Christopher?"

Christopher replied, "These are worm jackets. Mom, did you know that worms get cold too."

I guess I really never thought about how worms keep warm! :) Thanks Chris!

Trombone Time

I can't believe that our oldest child is about to WRAP UP his first year at Middle School?!?! WOW! Time is just going so quickly. There were moments when I thought that these four young sons would never stop spitting up, or make it through another ear infection, or never stop spitting up, or never get tired of playing Thomas The Train, or never stop playing Legos, or or or...

Ben wanted to join the Band his first year of Middle School. Great! He chose the trombone and I kinda' winced at this decision (quietly). I envisioned loud, awful screeching, more loud brassy noise throughout the entire house for a mere 30 minutes EACH DAY! This was going to be interesting... (Would I have to "ban" him to the garage?)

Well, I'm still waiting for the above-mentioned! Ben plays remarkably! He plays by ear on his trombone (just like Glenn on the piano). It is amazing! You name it, he can play it on the trombone! Incredible. I LOVE IT! He plays so nice. It is wonderful to listen to - a trombone!

So, there are about 7 trombone players in the 6th grade. The boy we carpool with, Deanthony, is also a fellow trombone player. There is a girl, Jada, who is a trombone player too. These 3 compete for 1st chair each and every week. Who comes up first usually? Take a guess?! :)

The boys are excited that Jada will be switching Middle Schools next year. There has been a school boundary split. But I remind them that she will once again re-appear when they all get to High School! AUGH!


For competition this year the 6th grade band performed "The Tempest" and "Labyrinth." Ben has the links posted on his blog if you want to hear the band play. They received a I rating (first division), which is Superior, as in the best rating available! They also were named best in their class (out of all the other schools that participated). Good Deal!

And at the beginning of the year, he also signed up for an end-of-the-year solo contest. Basically, you go into a room and perform a piece of your choice in front of a judge. Ben did awesome and received a I rating. Good Job Ben! He also received the "Top Trombone Player" award for the Trombone Section in his grade. Nice Job!

SLC - 2010

We have a family tradition - when you turn 8 you get to go to Salt Lake City and go to General Conference (with Dad for now). General Conference is a church conference held twice a year (1st Sunday in April and October). Our prophet plus many other leaders speak to us at this time. (It's on television for those of us who don't go down to SLC.)

Since Nicholas turned 8 last year (right after General Conference was held) he had to wait till this year (April 3rd) to go. After conference they hit the slopes of Alta! They had a WONDERFUL time skiing! (We would never go to Conference in October; there may not be enough snow to go skiing!) Thanks for waiting NICK!

As for Christopher and Emma and I - well, we had fun going to Chuck-E-Cheese! Christopher also had a soccer game in there! Chris enjoys soccer and a few weeks back scored a goal from 1/2 field! The ball sailed up and over the other team and came down right in front of the goal and rolled in!! It was amazing!!! Coach was amazed!!! We know Christopher has some GREAT LEG POWER, but didn't know he could do that! Now he's faithfully practicing in the back yard - full on power house kicks! Watch out!

2009-2010 Gymnastics Overview

I didn't post much during Nicholas' gymnastics season. It was very very busy with every one's schedule. Yesterday Nicholas went to the North Texas State Championships. It was AWESOME!


Let's go back... The Friendship Invitational held in Allen, Texas back in February (2/6/10) was a great meet. Nick received 2nd place in the All-Around. He got a personal best of 15.6 in the rings. He scored another personal best in the pommel horse with a 15.7.


The Garland Classic held in Garland, Texas was in late February. Nick received 3rd place with an 88.6 in the All-Around. Eagle Gymnastics Team received 2nd place.

The Empire Last Chance was held in early March. Nick was 2nd place in the All-Around.



So, as you can see, Nick still brought home lots and lots of medals this season. I think he brings home, on average, 7 to 8 medals a meet. He has quite the collection! But I seem to keep asking him, "Nick, last year you brought home many more 1st place medals than you are this year. What's the scoop on this?" He always smiles! He assures me that the competition is harder. Last year he was in Level 4 which routines are much easier. This year he has practiced Level 5 routines. By the time the State Meet rolled around, he was able to polish off his floor routine with TWO BACK HANDSPRINGS! It was just awesome! He had his personal best on floor at the State Meet, scoring a 15.3! (Floor is hard for Nick! On the other hand, rings are NOT!)

As for the State Meet held yesterday, he scored in the 15s and a few 14s. Judging seemed tough. Competitors seemed really really good. He placed 4th in the All-Around (89.8). A team mate, Harrison, placed 3rd in the All-Around (90.0)!

There are 4 boys that compete in Level 5, ages 7 and 8, for Eagle Gymnastics. These four boys brought home the North Texas State Championship 1st Place (again). These same boys brought it home last season also! Good Job Team Eagle Gymnastics!

Harrison, Joshua, Zachary and Nicholas

My Emma Lee

I had the opportunity to visit Dear Friends in Utah a few weeks back (my b-day wish)! I was gone for 6 days and 5 nights. (Not that I was counting!) It was a SPLENDID time - FOR EVERYONE!

Glenn wanted to paint Emma's room ever since we landed in Dallas a few years ago. There had never been time. I am not a painter (not yet anyway) but someday want to tackle that project. Her room was dark, navy blue... each time I would just shake my head when I went into her dark cave.

But after 6 days and 5 nights... WA LA --

2009-10 Gymnastics Begins

Nick was able to compete in last Saturday's Empire Gymnastics Invitational in Euless "Useless" Texas (Hey, the announcer said it just that way! I'm sure he was joking.) When I asked Nick if he was ready to compete, he said, "Oh yeah!" And yes he was! The numbers show that he is at the start of the season - and has room for improvement BUT despite a few missteps on landings everything WENT GREAT! He came home with 3rd place in the All-Around (89.8) (1st place in All-Around was 91.2, 2nd place was 90.0.) 1st place in vault (15.0). 1st place tie in rings (15.2). 3rd place tie in p-bars (14.7). 4th place in pommel horse (15.0). 5th in both highbar (15.0) and floor (14.9). The boys who scored higher than Nick were from Empire Gymnastics and were a year older... competing in the same Level 5. We're not sure if he'll face them in the state meet in April, but until then, it's great competition! Here's a quick shot of his Pommel Horse Routine... Glenn placed the camera right infront of the horse and then went away... Nick did not know he was being videoed THAT close-up.

Happy Birthday Emma

Today Emma Lee turned FIVE YEARS YOUNG! We stuck with tradition - DOLL CAKE! We have this cake book and she looked through it many, many times this year, but still went with the doll cake. It is such a fun cake to make. It's so easy too!





She had a WONDERFUL time decorating it... and so did the brothers, EVEN THOUGH they want NO PART with a beautiful PINK doll cake!