Ballet Recital

Gracie had her first ballet recital last night. She has been taking lessons for a little over a month now. I'm not sure if ballet is her thing, though. On the way home last night she asked, "What's next? Can I take gymnastics or play soccer?" I tried to explain to her that she could keep taking dance lessons and she would get even better and have more recitals. She didn't act interested at all. So, we'll see . . . this may be the first and last ballet recital that I have to post. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

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Family Fun

September has flown by. We have been busy with school, soccer practice, ballet lessons, and even a small dose of the flu. Yet somehow we have managed a few fun outings. On labor day we were all actually home together (a rare treat for the Rollmann household) so we took the girls to the botanic gardens and then bowling. It was nice to spend the day together since there are so few times that we actually get to do that.

Last week, I took Grace to her first concert. Keely and I took Gracie and Chloe to see Superchick and Barlow Girl. It was nice to have a girls' night out. Made me feel a little old, though, surrounded by screaming teenagers at a concert. But we had a great time regardless.

Today was Lily's first soccer game. For the first half she stood on the field, just stood there as the ball went by . . . and all of the kids went by . . . she just stood there and watched. She finally warmed up, though, and began to at least run in the same direction as the other kids. I'm not sure if she ever actually came in contact with the ball, though. Apparently that is normal for 3 and 4 year old soccer. There wasn't a moment of the game that our team didn't have someone crying that they wanted to play or that they were tired and didn't want to play anymore. And no one seemed to have any idea which way the ball was supposed to go. It was quite entertaining to watch. And the big hit were the cookies and juice that they got to have after the game.

Back to School

The kids have been back in school for two weeks now, and so far it has been a pretty smooth transition. Grace is in the 3rd grade and it is Lily's last year in preschool. Life has been busy as we adjust to waking up early, packing lunches, doing homework, etc. Grace's teacher this year is Mrs. Crawford, who I have known since I was a little girl. She was actually the best friend of the older sister of one of my best friends . . . so we grew up together. She is a great teacher and I know that Grace is going to have a fabulous year in her room. Lily has the same teachers as last year in the preschool class and is actually back with most of the same kids. She seems really glad to be able to play with her friends again.

My principal, Paula, is back at work. She and her husband are home from the spinal cord rehab hospital in Colorado. (Well they are sort of home . . . their house isn't remodeled yet so they are staying in an extended stay hotel in the meantime.) It has been WONDERFUL to have her back again! Please continue to pray for Russell and Paula as they transition back into life at home. I know that they covet your prayers as they adjust to a "normal" life, including her being back at work. And pray for me - that I can continue to support her in whatever capacity necessary as we serve the students and teachers at our school.

Up next - Grace will start ballet in 2 weeks and Lily starts soccer practice this week. We spent the day running around town shopping for shin guards and ballet slippers . . . never a dull moment!

The Fresh Water Fish Hatchery

As we wrapped up the summer, we took the girls and Chloe to the Fresh Water Fish Hatchery in Athens, TX. It was a great day trip and worth the drive for anyone with kids who would enjoy catching fish.

We started with a tour of the exhibit area - lots of different tanks with glass walls so that we could see the fish up close - GIANT fish.

Then we went into the theater where a diver is actually in the water with the different fish and can talk to the audience while he feeds them live bait. It was great! They let the kids sit up front right in front of the glass and they got to ask the diver questions about the fish.

Then we went outside for the tour of the hatchery tanks and to walk through the nature trails back to the stocked fishing pond. At the pond, they provide poles and bait so that everyone can fish. Gracie and Chloe both caught fish within 10 minutes of casting out.

A Very Merry Unbirthday To You!

May was a rough month . . . a busy and rough month. There were many days (including weekends) when I went without seeing or spending time with my family because of all of the craziness that was going on at school. But things have settled now, and it is time to catch up.

Gracie turned 8 on May 28th. May 28th is not a great birth date for the child of an educator. Things tend to be a bit hectic every year as I am trying to wrap up the school year and am pulled in many different ways for activities and assemblies. So, I have become the master of manipulating. I am GREAT at coming up with wonderful ideas that DO NOT include me cleaning the house, buying party favor bags, and hosting a traditional birthday party. For years we have gotten away with saying, "You can pick whichever friends you want and we will take them to _____ (fill in the blank with build-a-bear, the movies and out for ice cream, etc.) for your birthday." And it has worked fabulously! Until this year . . .

Like I said earlier, May was CRAZY so I convinced Grace that we would have to wait until June to have her party, but that we would do something super special since she had to wait. I tried everything - all of the usuals, plus a few new tricks - gymnastics party, jumping party, Main Event. Nothing worked! Every time we talked about what she wanted to do for her birthday, her only answer was, "I just want to have a party at our house with a sleepover." EVERY TIME!!! I couldn't get her to budge. So, in the end, I gave in. We had a few friends over. Took them to Mimi and PawPaw's house to swim. And they got to sleepover. Although there was very little sleeping at this sleepover. I tried to sleep, believe me, but there seemed to be a constant string of giggles coming from the other end of the house for most of the night. I think they had a great time, and I'm sure it was only the beginning of having a houseful of girls over for the night - isn't Brad a lucky guy?!?

Gulf Shores, Alabama