Thoughts at the Bottom of a Beanstalk

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand-new book bag. Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother.



Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year....Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word.



He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother. She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside. "Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves goodbye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk." She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peak at how he was doing. "I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications.



"It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him." Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. "Today's the day he starts practicing for them.....And today's the day I start practicing something too: cheering him on and waving goodbye."



Teri~preschool~Indiana

My Sweet Lee

Could I love this boy more? I don't think so. He has my heart for sure!
Smooch! Levi I love you so much!

His new spiderman kicks.

Don't forget the Batman backpack!

Levi and his fabulous teachers. Levi missed these girls!

Quite simply the cutest picture ever. I said "thumbs up!" and all 3 did!

Levi is going to preschool all on his own this year and we are so proud of him! He has the greatest teachers EVER and his buddy Brandon will be with him. Irene and I went to the preschool tonight to drop off Lee and Brandon's school supplies. The shirt he is wearing is what he picked out for his first day. Since Mark and I will be in Hawaii I let him wear it so I could see him in it on his mock first day. He was excited since he has been asking to wear it since he bought it. It glows in the dark. :)

Daddy and I love you so much Levi!!!!! We are SO proud of YOU!

Yes, another cheer blog....

It had already been a long day for a five year old before cheer even started. We had to arrive early to stand around in the heat. Here she is inside the arena after her BSU pics were taken.
Caught ya snoozing.

Go Bull Dogs!!!!! Here is Marki's cheer team. Her coach is awesome!

Her favorite thing to do.

This is as close as I could get to getting a cheer picture.

The Bulldogs won! Great cheering girls!

Getting a drink after a hard day at work.

Cheese.

She loved posing.

I love her profile. It shows how sweet and wonderful she is.

PosingMy girl is S-M-A-R-T!

Last cheer blog for a while I promise. At least I think I promise. Cheer has been the only thing that has been going on here besides getting over colds. Olli is about to turn two and Levi has his first day of Preschool BY HIMSELF!!!!! So stay tuned. Marki also starts "K" soon!

Cheer Camp

The crazy madness cheer camp.
A picture of Marki's 50's picture.

We're number ONE!

Hoola Hooping.

The girls.

SMILE

Marki displaying the trophy.

Marki woke up at 5:30 to get ready for camp. When I went to wake her she tossed and turned and told me she didn't get much sleep the night before. I told her she could sleep in but she told me to give her a few minutes to wake up. She was up and adam with smiles and ready to cheer! When I signed her up for this I thought the camp would be in KUNA since that is where my 5 year old lives. Nope. It was in the foothills 45 minutes away. Yikes. I'm glad I took her because she had a great time and loved watching the BSU cheerleaders when they went up in the air. She can't wait to do that. So cute. I loved watching you cheer and dance Marki! I love you and I loved the time I spent with you today!

Classic 50's

She is the A in KUNA CHEER.
Are we done yet?

These poodle skirts are too cute!

Can I be done smiling yet mom?????

Today we had to meet at one of the cheer coaches homes to set up props and such for the Cheer Camp this weekend. We were there getting things ready for the black and white pictures that will be set up at the camp. It took 3.5 hours!!!!! Marki and Levi had a blast playing with all the kids running around.

The theme is "Grease Lighting" 50's style. I hope all our hard work get us a good place at the camp. It should be pretty cute. Levi loves to go and flirt with all the little girls there. He is quite loved by everyone. He is such a sweetie. Soccer starts soon buddy. I can't wait to take your pictures!!!!! You are such a great big brother supporting your sister the way you do. You are da best Levi!

Go! Fight! Win!

Marki started cheerleading this week. She will have it on Tuesdays and Fridays with a camp all day this Saturday and a Jambouree next Saturday. It is super cute to watch Marki cheer. She is a natural. The only problem is I thought 2 hours of cheer would tire her out but no, sadly it doesn't. I don't get it. She has more energy than anyone I know. It's crazy!

Today at practice the girls sat in a big circle and everyone had to get in the middle and show something they could do. Marki raised her hand and I couldn't get my video camera out fast enough. She went to the middle and did a perfect cartwheel. I was so proud of her. I looked over at Mark to see his big smile on his face so proud as well. I love her. I love that she is not shy.


Here is her cheer squad.
Stretching

Little V

Big V

Cheering.

It's been a busy summer!

Sorry family for the lack of blogs lately. There is just so much going on and so little time... August is a busy month so stay tuned for lots and lots of blogs. They are coming very soon!!!!