Still Alive and Kickin'

O. M. G. I am so frickin' tired. I lost 5 pounds because of cheerleading. I am not actually cheering but the climbing in and out of my car 1,000 times a day is knocking the pounds off:) Also, the drama that goes on amongst the mothers is unreal. Sitting there, hour after hour, gets me all worked up and pissy. On the positive side, the kids are LOVING it. Elisabeth almost has her round-off back-handspring and Isabella has her back-walk-over. We are on our way to Maryland this weekend for a competition and to see Blake and Alison. In 3 weeks, we go back to Hershey for another competition at the Giant Center and in May we go to Virgina Beach!!!! I'll try to take some pictures this weekend of both kids:)

Happy Birthday, Elisabeth!

My first born baby girl turns 15 today. It is true what people say...one day they are a newborn and the next they are on their way to college. We aren't there, quite yet, but we are close. I almost choked the other day when I realized that we would be paying college tuition in 3 years. Talk about freaking out....I don't know what gets me more worried-the cost of college or her leaving home:(

Elisabeth, you have been an absolute joy to raise. You are spunky, confident, loving, motivated, humorous, beautiful, thoughtful, and an amazing friend, sister, niece, cousin, grand-daughter, and daughter. You have made me laugh every single day you have been my daughter. I love it when we watch all of your silly shows together and when I stand for hours waiting for you to finish shopping in that loud, obnoxious, smelly Hollister. One of my favorite memories is when we stood in a 2 hour line to get the first Twilight DVD at midnight (when we could have gotten up in the morning and bought it) or when we got the last 2 tickets to the midnight showing of the 4th movie and didn't tell any of your firends. I've learned to stay away from you in the mornings because they just aren't your thing and to have your breakfast ready and waiting while I pray that your make-up and hair turn out just right. Eventhough I bitch about picking you up from school because you don't want to ride the bus alone, I really don't mind:) I missed being at the high school with you more than you know this year but will be there next year...you will probably wish I stayed in elementary school because I will seek and find you in every class just to say 'hi'. Your dad and I are extremely proud of you and the wonderful teenager you have become. We love you more than life itself:) Happy 15th Birthday, Sweetheart:)

Connors-Kos Update

I have been a horrible, no-good blogger lately. With this new cheerleading sport we have started, we are at practice on Sunday for 2 hours, Tuesday for one, and Thursday for 3. On top of that, we have 10 hour long competitions most weekends. Half the time, I don't know whether I am coming or going.

Isabella almost has her back-bend/kick over. She can go down into her back bend from a standing position but she needs to get the kick-over more consistently...she has done it a handful of times, though:) Her cartwheel is awesome! Their Tiny Team have won 1st place in every competition so far. They even won Judges Overall Favorite at one of the competition. They win on their cuteness, for sure:)

Elisabeth made the high honor wall again with a 4.0. She is working her butt off in school and at cheer. She is not only on her own team, but coaches Isabella's as well. She gets a little frustrated with them especially when she is in charge of all 8 right before they compete. She loves competing, too. She has gotten quite good. Because she is on a limited travel team, her last competition is here, in State College, at the end of March.

3rd Cheer Competition

2nd Cheer Competition

and I have already had enough! It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the catty, snide, bitchy remarks from the other Tiny cheer moms. Give it a break! Who cares how they do? THEY ARE 5!!! Who cares which kid stands up to get the trophy???? If one more person stood up and walked past me while I sat on my very small bleacher seat, I was going to toss them on the floor. I think I need to put myself in a time-out while I am away at these competitions. By the way, the girls had a great time:) The Tinys placed 1st and the Seniors placed 3rd. We have another one coming up this Saturday. I think I'll drug myself.

1st Cheer Competition!!!!

What a day! The girls had a wonderful time:) Elisabeth has FINALLY found something she LOVES and she was so good!!! Isabella got by on her cuteness....her bow was as big as her head. Both of the kids' teams won 1st place which made the day worthwhile.

First High School Dance

Dogs sleeping...

Weekend Changes

The coach decided to cancel our trip to York for our 1st cheer leading competition. The predicted weather was 4 inches of snow during the night. Whatever. That is a mere dusting to someone from Syracuse. We decided to go anyway...with my bad attitude and all. We had an awesome hotel room (prepaid) and actually went to an extremely cool restaurant called the White Rose with Blake and Ali. It was nice to see them before he left for a month long trip overseas:( We also celebrated Christmas about 1 month late...they gave Elisabeth an alarm clock that rolls off the dresser when it's time to get up. Isabella got the most adorable blanket-stuffed dog from LoveSac. She spends most of her time holding the dog while wrapped up in the blanket. Oh...and by the way....the snow did fall but the roads were clear. I love being right:)

CHEER!!!

Our first competition is on Saturday in York!!! WHOOO HOOOO!!! Isabella is the only one that is going to perform but Elisabeth is their assistant coach so she will be busy too. Next Saturday, the BIG competition is going to be at the Bryce Jordan Center...it will be Elisabeth first time cheering. Please pray for me:)

Ink

I can't believe it is the 11th already!! It seems like we were planning for Christmas for months and then it was over:( The tree is down, the presents have been put away, and the house looks normal again. Except, of course, for the LARGE ink stain right in the middle of NEW family room rug. One highly-adorable, big-eared animal climbed on the desk, grabbed a black pen and then proceeded to chow down on it on the new cream-colored, wall-to-wall, "just paid it off", rug. Not only did she dump about 3 tsp of ink in 2 spots, she dripped it all the way back to the kitchen (those we were able to clean up). We cleaned the mains spots with hairspray (2 cans), industrial carpet cleaner, white vinegar/water, baking soda/water, antibacterial wipes....you name it, we tried it. Which...is probably why it is about 4 shades lighter and still stained. I have strategically placed a footstool over it but I still know it is there. If the animal weren't so frickin' cute, I'd trade her in for a new rug:)

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Anniversary to US!!!

How lucky are we??? 17 years and 2 kids later, we are extremely blessed:)

Nittany Cheer

The kids are obsessed. They have finally found something they both LOVE to do! Yeah!! Isabella is part of the Tiny team and is at the gym 3 times a week and Elisabeth is on Junior Travel team and Senior Travel team and is also at the gym 3 times a week. She is also a volunteer coach for Isabella's team. They spent 2 hours the other night, in their cheer uniforms, dancing around the house. Because we only have 1 bow, they took turns wearing it:) Isabella's first competition is January 21st and then they both compete at the end of January. Luckily, the gym is about a mile away from home!!