Achievements and Accomplishments plus a little fun

This post is all about catching up with photos.  I forget that everyone is not on Facebook so I tend to skip the blog updates.  So here goes:

Halloween - Adam was a Ninja Turtle and Grace was Mordecai from Regular Show

Shortly after Halloween Grace received her report card for the first quarter.  She had three A's and one B which put her on the Honor Roll.  Right after that we received a notice that Grace was invited to the award ceremony for the UNC Research Institute Art Contest that she had entered over the summer.  To our surprise she won first place in the 4th - 8th grade category.  The topic was Keeping Your Neighborhood Healthy.

Thanksgiving was spent at home.  This year the kids made the pumpkin pie!!

As I've mentioned before Grace made the We R Odell chorus and this weekend was her first performance.  They sang at the Cox Mill High School Christmas Bazaar.  She was pretty awesome.  Can you spot her in the photo?

When the performance was over we walked around and took a moment to visit with Santa.  Adam told the big guy exactly what he wanted while Grace informed us that she wrote him a letter and that he knows what she wants.  Thank God only Mom and Dad know Santa's address.

Sunday, Adam went to a birthday party at a local stable.  He never took to the horses when Grace was riding, but he was all about getting on that horse with his friends.

So now we are all caught up.  Grace turns the big 1-0 this Friday and then we have Christmas and Adam's birthday on the horizon.  Thanks for checking out our blog.  I really promise to do better.

Is September Over Already?!?

Here we are starting the last quarter of the year.  I can't believe it's October 1st.  Of course that mean's I have slipped and did not post a thing about the month of September so here is an update on all things Buckelew.

Grace had a pretty good month.  She continues in karate and is about to test for her high red belt.  She auditioned for and made We R Odell Chorus.  They will perform at a few events in December including at Ronald McDonald House and a local retirement home.  Golf is still her favorite and she is doing well.  After not practicing her driving skills for a few weeks she hit a couple 75 yard shots; soon she might get to do a short round as her short game is great.  And finally this past week she received her mid-term report for the 1st quarter.  She was nervous and I have no idea why - she brought home a 95 in English, a 97 in Math, a 99 is Social Studies and a 94 in Science.  Hopefully the next four weeks will go just as smooth.

Adam is doing great.  He is officially in Pre-K at Tutor Time.  He is working hard on his letters, numbers, shapes and all things he needs to know for kindergarten.  Each day they get a color code on their chart to let parents know what kind of day he's had - so far mostly greens (which is good) with a couple yellows and oranges.  Let's just say the chart is a rainbow and red is BAD while purple is the BEST.  He's also doing well in swimming.  That boy is not afraid of anything (except bugs) and will jump in with his arms spread wide open.  He does keep his instructor on her toes.  And finally he has been playing soccer at school.  They have a group that comes each week and he's been doing great.  To quote the Coach "He is a joy to have in class".

David is still working hard.  If he's not at work you will find him in the garage watching a game, working on a model airplane or picking up the toys that have invaded his space.

As for me, I still burn the candle at both ends and the middle.  Work is busy as we have once again adjusted our focus.  My Mary Kay business continues to grow and I have won some pretty cool prizes lately.  The PTA newsletter is still my project though this may be my last go-round with that.  I'm running out of ideas.  I'm in my last few months as an Executive Council member of the Ladies of Coker but have accepted a spot on the Alumni Board so Coker is still part of my activity roster.

Yeah that's a lot of stuff happening with us.  And now we are in my favorite part of the year - Fall.  If you don't hear from me before - we'll have a new post at Halloween!!

First Day of School

I know, I'm a few days late.  Monday was Grace's first day of fourth grade.  She was very excited about going back to school.  We met her teacher at open house a few days before and learned she'd have lots of new friends in class in addition to a few she hadn't been with since kindergarten.  She also decided that she is going to audition for the Odell Chorus.  We'll keep you posted on that.

So far she loves her teacher and her class.  But we'll see how she really feels next week when the real work and homework start.  Just think next year both kids will be in school!!!

August Happenings

To say we love the beach would be an understatement.  This year we waited a week to go due to schedules and it worked out perfectly.

Our first day was the typical get used to what is onsite and figure out our plan for the weekend.  The next few days were pure fun for the kids and us.  We spent all day Friday at the waterpark and pool.  Adam never meets a stranger and made friends as soon as he hit the waterpark.  Grace on the other hand elected to keep to herself while swimming.

The water slide was a favorite activity for the kids.  Adam couldn't get enough of it and this year did it all by himself.  I just had to get the two of them to do it together for a photo op.

Saturday we spent the day at Broadway at the Beach.  We visited the Ripley's Aquarium, several shops, the Wonderworks Museum and had lunch with Uncle Sammy and Aunt Nancy.  Later that day it was back to the resort for more swimming.

Sunday was another lazy day at the pool.  Between the water park and the lazy river we had a relaxing day.  Of course we couldn't leave without a quick round of golf at the dinosaur mini golf course so Monday before hitting the road, we made our annual stop.

It was a great time for all of us.  We got to relax and enjoy the salt air.  Of course every day since we came home Adam has asked to go to the beach - soon buddy, soon! 

Catching Up

Things sure have been busy since school ended.  So busy that I have not been able to keep this blog updated.  Where to begin.....

Grace's dance recital was held the weekend after school let out.  She was only in one number this year since she only took Pom class.  The best part this year was that she got her year end trophy on stage since this is her 5th year of dance.  Unfortunately she has decided that she is over dance and will not take classes next year.

The weekend after that was my Administrative Professionals Conference.  This is the event that I coordinated.  After 10 months of planning I was so glad for it to be here and of course be over.  The evnt went well and everyone seemed to enjoy the seminars and programs.  I was excited that my chapter won the Best Website award - seeing as I am in charge of our website, I had a reason to be happy.

Once that settled down, it was time for Adam to start swimming lessons.  He loves the pool and we figured it was time for him to learn how to swim.  He did great at his first class.  He was enthusiastic and jumped in with both feet (literally).  This was a big change from when Grace took lessons.

Last week we got to have a long weekend for the 4th of July.  Both David and I had off Thursday and Friday.  We spent the 4th just hanging around the house.  That night we enjoyed the fireworks in the neighborhood - sure fireworks are not legal in NC but our neighbors don't seem to pay attention to the rules.  We just found a spot in our yard and watched.  The kids played with sparklers and had fun.

The rest of the weekend we did our usual errand and things and made our first trek to the neighborhood pool.  It's been open since May but we haven't had time to go.  Adam had a big time at the Kids Waterpark area and after passing the swim test, Grace enjoyed the big pool.

The next fews weeks will be quiet and then we are off to the beach the first weekend in August.  We can't wait.  Until then........

End of Year Awards

Today was the End of Year Award ceremony for the 3rd and 4th grade students at Odell.  I received an email earlier in the week that Grace would be recognized so I didn't want to miss it.

She received a certificate and a special pin for making the A/B Honor Roll for the entire school year.  We're very proud of her especially considering she had two grades to pull up after mid-terms were sent home.

How About Golf?

A few week's ago Grace asked what sports were in her blood.  So I rattled off the sports that everyone in her blood line had involvement with - baseball, softball, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, bowling (lots of that) and golf.  She looked at me and said "golf; I think I'd like to try that".

So off I go on an adventure to find golf lessons for kids.  Even with the likes of google and bing, it's not easy to find them.  Luckily while lunching with a contact of mine, I mentioned Grace's interest and she was willing to dig a little for me - it didn't hurt that she works at a local hotel with a golf course.

Low and behold they have a junior golf program and offer lessons.  A few email exchanges later, Grace was on the books for a lesson.  She was both excited and nervous but ready to try it out.

Last night we got to the course and her instructor took her straight to the practice range.  He asked her to grab the club and was impressed that she knew exactly how to hold it properly.  The rest of lesson was about how to move her body and follow through.  He was a great instructor - praising her for the great shots, offering encouragement when she was a little off and knowing when the change focus to avoid the frustration tears.  At the end of the lesson, he told me she did a good job for this being her first time out.

After we got in the car, she told me she really had fun and likes golf.  She also informed me that she's going to need gloves since she got a blister on her hand.  Her next lesson is next week so we'll see how things progress.