Macie, Presley, and I were anxious to start another year. We were looking forward to seeing friends and making new ones.
6th grade:
Kindergarten:
4th grade:
We couldn't walk up the hill fast enough.
After walking Macie and I to our classes Mom and Dad took Presley into her new classroom. Presley looked so proud sitting at her desk in class, but poor Nixon was envious. He wanted to stay and join in the fun.
On the wall of her classroom she hung the "self portrait" that her and Mom had created. It stood out just like Presley; ruffles, sparkles, and a great big bow!
When it came time to say goodbye to the parents Presley waved and smiled without a single tear. Mom and Dad were impressed by how independent she was.
Our first day of school was a success and the rest of our week was filled with smiles.
Although he was lonely at first, Nixon started to realize that being the only one home during the day has its benefits. From parks to indoor play places Nixon and his friend Hayden were having all sorts of fun.
When the weekend came we all took advantage of the fabulous weather and stayed home to swim.
The weekend went by way too fast and before we knew it our second week of school began. This year Macie has declared that she doesn't really want to take her picture each morning. So far she has begrudgingly gone along with her wishes. I'm sure Mom is grateful that Presley and I jump at any chance we get to show off our outfit choices for the day.
That week, while we were playing in the backyard after school one day, poor Nixon had a bad accident and hurt his leg. We weren't sure how bad it was but the poor kid couldn't move without pain.
The next day he brought Dr.Jackson Funtown to the hospital with him to get x-rays.
The Dr. confirmed our suspicions; Nixon had a broken leg and needed a cast. They placed him in a temporary brace and sent him home to wait for an appointment with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon.
Despite being confined to a stroller he was in a great mood!
The next day Mom set up stations around the yard for Nixon. Even in the seated position he stayed active and busy.
At the end of the week Nixon saw the surgeon and was placed in a full leg cast. Nixon was excited to choose a black cast and get a cool wheel chair.
To prove to him that he could still do fun things Mom took all of us to Belmont Park that evening. To the shock and awe of everyone around us, Nixon rode every ride in the park.
Not even a cast could stop the 3 musketeers from having fun.
We ended the night with 2 scoops of ice cream; it made for the perfect end to a great day.
That weekend Macie's soccer team competed in another tournament.
The played well and brought home another trophy to add to their growing collection.
On Sunday Mom drove us down to Sea World to watch the Elmo Street parade.
Despite the heat Nixon enjoyed the parade and even rode a few rides before we went back home to spend a couple hours in the pool before dark.
The next week of school flew by and we began to settle in to our new routines.
During the day Mom and Nixon spent time playing and reading. He loves playing baseball in his chair and is getting really good at making contact with the ball.
On Friday afternoon Mom took my friends and I to a movie. It was my first group outing with my new school friends and Mom couldn't stop gushing about how grown up I had become...
She is grateful that I have chosen a great group of kids to spend time with!
On Saturday we celebrated Macie's 9th birthday with her soccer friends. Our family is very grateful to all the families that came and made Macie feel fantastic on her special day!
The party went on well into the evening and was a big success. On Sunday we celebrated her birthday with our family. She was thrilled when Mom took her to the grocery store and allowed her to choose breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the day. To no one's surprise Mom's cart was over flowing with items one would find listed under the category "path to type II diabetes."
She had a fantastic day and loved all the special birthday gifts we all picked out for her.
The week started with a school wide assembly recognizing students that scored above the state standard last year. Mom and Dad were incredibly proud that both of us received awards for exceeding scores in both subjects, math and language arts.
I surprised Mom and Dad by receiving a perfect score in both subjects!!
The remainder of the week continued to be full of smiles.
Presley even brought Mom to tears when the teacher sent home her first Kindergarten announcement.
Mom is grateful that she still has Nixon at home to keep her company. They spend their days visiting our favorite places around town with some of our favorite people.
When the weekend came it was time for the start of Nixon's first soccer season. Nixon couldn't wait to put on his uniform and cheer on his team.
That afternoon I played in a tournament with my new club team, Matrix and really felt at home.
After the game the team and I decided that we were a good fit for one another and I joined them for the current season.
We enjoyed a lazy Sunday at home playing beauty shop together. I impressed Mom with my designs and everyone loved their new look.
The weeks flew by and Nixon became more and more comfortable with his cast. He discovered new ways to get around the house, and gained strength to navigate the stairs and even dance.
After a month in a cast it was time to re-examined his leg to determine the next step. He was scared to have the cast removed and was sad when the doctor looked at his x rays and informed him that he didn't need to have his leg in a cast any longer. Poor Nixon actually pleaded with the doctor asking him to put his leg in a blue cast (we were originally supposed to re cast it at 4 weeks but the x rays showed that his break had healed and the doctors didn't want his knee and ankle joints to get any stiffer). We left the hospital in the wheel chair, without a cast, but under strict instructions to stay off of it for two weeks.
To celebrate we went to Chuck E Cheese with some friends. Presley was SO excited that she smiled the entire two hours.
We spent most of our time at home over the next week crafting different school projects. I designed some new school notebooks,
and Mom designed a hat and dress for Presley to wear for the annual Kindergarten Hat Parade. Presley was given the letter P and asked to create a hat that represented something that began with her letter. Mom suggested they use P for Peacock and Presley loved that idea. For the next week Mom designed and created a large Peacock hat and dress.
At school the day of the parade Presley beamed with pride.
She walked through the entire school with a smile that radiated sheer happiness.
With the hat parade out of the way Mom and I turned our creative focus to my campaign posters for student council at school. I really enjoyed using my creativity- and LOTS of feathers, glitter, bling, and embellishments!!! Because the rules were strict regarding parental interference Mom made sure to document the hours of work I put into my posters.
I was really happy with the finished products. They all reflected my style and personality.
I was also able to design stickers. I LOVE PROJECTS and wish I could do this type of stuff each and every day!!!!
Bright and early Monday morning Dad and I hung my posters for everyone to see.
For picture day that week Presley and I wanted to go all out. Macie chose a simple top and refused to have her picture taken ahead of time (she does that a lot these days). I opted for one of my brighter pink ensembles,
and Mom suggested that Presley wear the blue outfit she had designed for me to wear for my Kindergarten picture 5 years ago. Presley loved the idea!
As I write this I realize that both Presley and I enjoy dressing up every day. The fancier the better!
Some days Mom can't help but look at Presley and wonder when her little girl grew up...
Thanks to great weather in San Diego we spent their two days enjoying the outdoors.
Dean and I slayed the waves both body surfing and boarding,
while Graham, Macie, Presley and Nixon spent most of their time digging the largest hole ever. According to Presley and Nixon they almost reached China!
That evening Macie was in Heaven playing beach soccer with the boys.
The second day we all went to Sea World. Mom was having such a fun time seeing the Killer Whale show that she even smiled for the camera (Mom can't stand animal shows or smiling but did both for the Ketcham family; that's how much she loves them).
Unlike Mom, Miss Andrea and Presley never have a problem smiling or posing for the camera...
The Ketcham's left for Arizona that next morning. We were sad to say goodbye, but grateful that after 8 years, 4 of which have been spent living in different states, we are able to pick up right where we left off each and every time.
After a morning of Mom in full party planner mode we to the Garrets to start setting up decorations for Hayden's 4th birthday party. I'm sure most of you know, but for those that don't, MOM LOVES PARTIES. It's been a couple years since she's been able to decorate for a large gathering and her excitement was through the roof. She enjoyed every minute she spent creating decorations and was pleased with the final products.
In some small circles Mom is known for being a little over-the-top. We were all impressed with the restraint Mom showed with her decorations until the party started and she walked out in an inflatable T Rex costume.
Yep, that's the Mom we know. She had to go beyond...
She told us later that sweating inside the blow up dinosaur was worth every second when she saw the large grin on Hayden's face when he walked in the room.
The dinosaur really did make the party (I'm pretty sure it allowed Mom to cross "dressing like a dinosaur" off her bucket list).
Everyone spent the afternoon eating, swimming, and playing party games. One of our favorites was donut on a string...
We hope that Hayden enjoyed his party half as much as we did!!
After an extended weekend of friends and parties, getting back to school Monday morning was rough. Despite being sleepy I was up early preparing for the presidential speech I had to give at school.
When it came time to deliver my speech to the school I calmed my nerves and did the best job I could.
We won't know the outcome of the election until later in the week, but win or lose it was a fun experience for me.
October is right around the corner and we couldn't be more excited for all the fun things we have planned. Check back soon to read all about the fun things we will be doing over our 2 week fall break!
