MEDAL TIME!!!

Benjamin is ending the cross country season by giving it ALL he has to offer. Tonight he went to a meet and came across the finish line in eight place overall. This means he received a medal and we couldn't be prouder of his achievements. Benjamin always rises to the occasion no matter what the challenge. He also was the leader of the cross country team by continuing to come in first of all the boys on his team. He has one more meet this weekend on Saturday. We know he will give it his all; this is what makes him a winner no matter what!

Lexi and Bethany

We ended the week with another trip to the doctors. This time for the dogs! The appointment was just a check up for Bethany and we were told she is to chubby. No more dog treats for her she needs to loose 5 pounds!

Lexi was unfortunately a different story. Lexi has been fighting kidney failure over the past six months. She has always had a thyroid condition and now she is diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer. This is an illness that is common in the Retriever breeds as they age. Lexi is nine years old and unfortunately we will probably loose her soon. She has been a huge part of the family and will continue to be always in our hearts. We will help her through the illness as best we can. Lexi is in no pain at the present time and was very happy to see me when I picked her up from the vet.

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love.

Benjamin standing by third and heading for home.

What a HIT!

I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks in batting practice. ~Casey Stengel, 1967

Benjamin hit a triple in the last inning of the game this weekend. The ball went almost 250 feet and was so close to going over the fence on the right hand side.

Pitching for the Blaze

You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain. ~Leo Durocher, in New York Times, 16 May 1965

And then there was grass...

This summer we have taken on a project of expanding the usable space of our yard. This has been an on going project but we are starting to see pleasing results! One of the most remarkable times are the early mornings when the sun has just awaken and the song birds delight us in welcoming a new day. The leaves are just starting to turn colors and the mornings are cool. By mid-day the sun warms us up to mid 80's but by the evening we enjoy the perfect weather watching the children play in the culd-e-sac and sneaking a few minutes away on the deck to relax is my relief after a busy day. There is much more to be done with the yard. I will re-seed the yard one more time before winter sets in then next spring we will tackle the next section. Kim worked really hard and hand dug a drainage creek in our back yard. We had it filled with white stone and it has been complete success during rain storms. We had fill dirt brought in and extended the area for grass and then it was up to me to plant. Within five days we had grass growing and now all I have to do is water everyday just to keep in moist as it continues to come in on its own. It is a miracle to see what hard work and the gifts of God can bring forth!

Hail the Conquering Hero!

There are some sports that require you to fight against yourself . Cross country is just such a sport. Benjamin joined the Amelia Barons Middle school team this fall without having ANY experience in distance running. He has pushed himself and has learned even more self discipline. This morning Benjamin ran two miles in 12:02! This is his best time and the school record time for this event! He placed 14th over all and beet his own personal best time by over two minutes! This is amazing since just prior to the meet he was complaining about his stomach hurting and his back hurting... then he goes out and has this kind of result. Imagine what he could do completely healthy. Way to go Ben there just isn't much you cannot do in sports! We are so proud of your hard work.

A very GOOD witch!

Rachel plays the part of the witch from the Wizard of Oz that had the house fall on her. With one great exception in our story the witch is a good witch and we won't have any catastrophes (we hope!) Her outfit includes the ever important ruby slippers and what witch would ever leave the house without her stripped tights and perfect hat! I am not the best seamstress by far so no looking to closely but I thought it turned out quite well and best of all Rachel really likes it!

Gladiator in the Making!

Gary had fun picking out his Halloween costume today. He originally wanted to be the Joker from Batman so when we were able to change his mind I was so releaved! Gary has an incredible imagination and scored in the genius range for performance and self expression on a recent evaluation. He tends to be theatrical and this new constume helps him play the part. I told him he would have to wait to wear it until Halloween and no sooner did we get home then he changed into it and asked me to take pictures. Presently he is running around the neighborhood eager to show everyone his new Gladiator costume and his favorite piece of course is the sword!

Sariah the Rock Diva!

Sariah turned 14 on September 7th. She wanted a whole new room set for her birthday and several members of the family helped purchase items for her new room. Sariah loves music and can be found on most days listening to her Zune while doing just about everything. When we get into the car she always has control of the radio station. Kim also had a very nice surprise for Sariah which is this great signed guitar by the band Metro Station. Kim was able to meet the band and had them personalize and sign the guitar in honor of her birthday. When Sariah opened it up she cried! This is one of her favorite groups at the present time. The chair is a favorite place to sit while reading or watching movies. As Sariah would say her bedroom ROCKS!

Rachel and her plush friends

Rachel just couldn't be left out of the camera fun. She loves taking pictures and it doesn't matter what they are of or when they happen. Here she is with her plush friends and do not forget the beads. There is always time for dress up fun!

Imagine what I can do...

Gary is getting used to having the casts on. Last night in his usual manner he hammed it up for the camera. His theme is what could I be. He thought he could be a great boxer or even better a super hero . Just check out those poses!

Head 'em up move 'em out

We took one last trip before the school year began traveling to Maryland to see Grandma and Pap-Pap. Kim was on audit in Washington D.C. so we just met him there. While visiting we went to a picnic where the kids had whole crab for the first time. Cleaning them out was an experience they are not soon to forget. The kids also had another first, this one much more enjoyable, they got to ride horses. Benjamin was hooked at stayed near and helped with the horses for the rest of the day. Another milestone occured when grandma Centra rode a horse for the first time in her life and she is in her 50's! A picture can tell a thousand words and these scream,"We had such a great time!"

You are my Sunshine...

Rachel is schooled at home this year joining Gary in Connections Academy. The curriculum is intense but I have already seen an improvement in her learning! Rachel enjoys her friendship with Molly and plays with her as much as she can. She also loves make believe and most days you can find her playing house, school, webkins or going on a make believe trip to the far corners of the world. Rachel has been super helpful while Gary has been down and out. She is also looking forward to her birthday that is coming up and already counting the days. Her birthday isn't until November 30th! She will be ten and is looking forward to being a double digit.

Twilight Bash

We had the great pleasure of having Meghan Stirling join our family for a two week visit. While she was here in Ohio we attended a Twilight book party. The girls dresed up for the occasion as there favorite characters from the book. Everyone thought they looked great! Sariah was playing the part of Alice Cullen and Meghan was Bella Swan. Meghan made the top three in the costume contest held at Barnes and Noble. We had such a fantastic time having a girls night of hair, clothes and make-up! Sariah also wore this outfit for the first day of school and had all the heads turning as she walked down the hall!

For the love of a Boy ...

Bethany has shown she loves her owner. She fallowed Gary around and stayed with him as he rested. The day of the injury she came over and laid by him while I dressed the open wounds and determined if he needed to go to the hospital. Gary has been in our bed and Bethany has been right there with him enjoying the covers.

Not one but two!

Gary made our week topsy turvy while bike riding. He spent an hour making a homemade bike ramp on Wednesday then placed it at the bottom of a steep driveway. One his third attempt of going off the ramp he flew sideways and hit the ground catching himself with his hands. He broke both arms and will be casts for 6-8 weeks! The day it happened he said" I want to sell my bike" the next day he said" I have never been in so much pain" today he is complaining about the casts itching. He chose an orange cast and a black cast in honor of Benjamin's baseball team. All of the players have signed his casts and he has gotten a lot of sympathy from everyone we meet.

Baseball and IKE

We went to our usual double header game wondering how long the boys would be able to play. Tropical storm IKE was heading our way! Just 15 minutes into the first game and it was called for the day. Benjamin was hitting fourth in the line-up. Ben got up and hit it to right field bringing in two runs. He safely got to first and was attempting a steal to second when he got into a "pickle". The second and first baseman players were trying to get him out and prevent the steal. Benjamin was able to get back to first by sliding under the first baseman's glove. He ate a lot of field dirt on that play. On the next pitch Benjamin stole second and third. The game was called while he was standing on third. They will have to resume the game at the end of the season with Ben standing on third with only one out and in the bottom of the first inning. The winds were very rough blowing over trees and taking out power and we were still playing baseball!!!