14 days...a thousand memories

It was a mere two weeks ago that I updated last, but so much has gone on!  

Since the last update Charli finished soccer for the year, which she was disappointed about.  She stayed in her uniform all day long...refusing to take it off!  She got to have a sleepover with a friend, which was a great time, and proved to Harper how hard it is to be the littler brother!

Charli earned her yellow belt in taekwondo last week and will be competing in her first taekwondo competition next week.  She is excited and I am nervous!  

I was lucky enough to help with a class field trip, we hit a pumpkin patch, I enjoyed another concert with a good friend, and Harper has declared his plans to be a farmer and father of 4 kids!

There is rarely a slow week for the Preisters lately, but aside from being tired we don't seem to mind.  Soon enough there will be snow and ice all over and we will be forced to slow down...and it will be a painful realization that when life gives you the chance to enjoy it...do it!  

Charli's 1st grade class at the pumpkin patch!

Charli & Harper enjoyed the pumpkin patch at Camp Fontanelle!  There are a few pictures I can't find, and will have to update on later - but both kids (and Chad too) did a 700" zipline through the forest while we were there.  Harper is our daredevil, and was harnessed up before I had the paperwork done.  Charli took a little time to get her gear on, but was glad she did it!  She was convinced that she might die in 'them trees...but lucky for us, she did not!

There are about a billion things I could say about this picture.  Charli is still obsessed with becoming a ninja.  Now maybe more than ever.  She will cover the floor in blankets, dress her and Harper up in as much black as they can find, slap on hats and gloves to cover their skin...and go crazy in the house!  Side Note:  I HATE that that stupid pheasant is still on my wall.  I should take it down myself, but I am not tall enough and am afraid it will screw with my TV if I drop it.  I cannot wait until it disappears.  And, since I know Chad will read this...perhaps he will be shamed into removing it from my wall. 

It made me sad that we had to take my kids on an "adventure" so they could see a dairy farm.  At the same time, I am so glad my dad is not working that hard anymore!  He was not the kind of typical dairy farmer people may think about now. He did not have 8 men helping to keep the work going around the clock.  He had himself.  He was such a hard worker, I love to see all the fun they get to have and watch them enjoy life more now with the flexibility that "the rest of the world" has always known!  

Anyway...

This is something that never gets old!  Baby calves sucking on fingers is so fun!

Waiting patiently for his sister to get ready for school! 

Harper and mom time!!  Dropping Charli off at school first gives us an extra few minutes together - which makes me realize important it is to spend 1 on 1 time with each of them!  

Charli's fan club braved the coldest game on the season on the last Saturday!  

She was super excited for the medal, since Harper got one!  And, dolphin has been tagging a lot lately too!  

no.words.

More ninja fun with her ninja loving friend Moe....they two are two peas in a pod on most occasions!  

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

 BATMAN!

not gonna lie...kinda a highlight for the month ;-)

 Deirks & Miranda Labmert! 

Pretty luck to have these two call me mom!

The kids both start basketball tomorrow...which will elicit an entire new kind of stories!  Can't wait!

famous words, at least by now.

Famous words written by me...I can't believe it's been so long since I updated this blog.  Just when I think I have a method to the madness of doing it, life happens!

We are busy and we love it....here some peeks into what we have been up to!

Harper is finished with soccer!  He was one of the youngest kiddos on the grass, and it showed!  He would give 110% when we practiced at home and prepping for the game.  When we would arrive to the soccer complex, he would give about 4%!  But, he made it through the season and his last game he was an animal out there!  He was fully engaged for the final game, and everyone had a blast!  Let's see what next year brings!  

Lucky for us the team was missing a few players and the coach was not there for pictures...so we got a mom/son picture!  I love it!

Cousin birthdays are the best!  Macey got his awesome new chair for her bday and it is the perfect size to snuggle up with a friend! 

Charli & Harper love to be at Aunt Rachelle's house out west.  On this foggy morning they were playing fetch with Deuce before getting the 4-wheelers out!  Speaking of 4-wheelers, Charli dumped hers while there, in the middle of the course the kids created.  She did not get hurt, but was out of sight so Macey came to find Chad and said "Uh, I think Charli might need your help.  Her 4-wheeler is upside down!".  

 CCC had a goldout last month and the kids loved to watch the game.  More than that though they loved to hang with their friends Ava & Sara.  Harper loves to see Ava and Sarah because it means their mom, Jaymee, is there too...she is never far from his mind!

 We love to make quick stops by Horn T zoo in Monroe...the kids have a blast, and it is nice start or finish on a trip to Grandma & Grandpas farm! 

These lucky kids....grandpa lets them do all sorts of fun things I remember being off limits!  That is the joy of being a grandparent I hear - and they do a great job!

 A few weeks ago we had strep come through our house.  Harper had to miss his first day of school.  This is what he looks like sick.  We went for a walk to get some fresh air and he found a nice man who was getting ready to break up concrete and pour a new sidewalk for the neighbors.  They had a conversation about this equipment, and was offered to jump in and take a look! He was quick to tell the man that his excavator was way dirtier than his dads!

This was a super fun night!  I had the privilege to see Jason Aldean and Jake Owen again this year with my friend Ann.  We decided to wear our Sammy shirts since September is childhood cancer month.  We also decided to go all out and toss shirts up on stage, we were in the second row and needed to take advantage!  Jake Owen got the shirt, but his stage security took it.  Jason Aldean, on the other hand, not only left it on the stage during his song, but also let us know he saw it!  He picked it up...winked at us...held it to the sky...and set it near his water on stage!!  We left a note for them about childhood cancer and our friend Sammy!  Oh....and the concert was great!  We stood out in our gold...so we got extra special attention from the performers!  (the benefits of not fitting in with the crowd are pretty good!!)

The River was a bit dry...but we were expecting that to change with the downfall Colorado had a few weeks ago.

After the water game....

Charli just tested for her 3rd belt, the yellow belt!  She will find out next week if she will move up in ranking!  So different to watch them do individual sports vs team activities!  She loves them both...and so do we!

  

While at the movies we ran into some friends Charli hasn't seen for awhile -- it was so fun to see the excitement and smiles that old friends make!

The kids came to visit me while at work last weekend...I am NOT in the bear suit, thankfully!

In discovering the show "American Ninja Warrior" Charli has truly decided that she wants to be a ninja warrior.  This means she wants to learn to do things like: wall-climbing (not to be confused with rock climbing!), parkour, jump, climb, run, pull, push, etc....she practices about every chance she gets!  She wants to make a book of her obstacle courses, and works hard to make sure she not only gets good photo ops -- but also "real" challenges!  She will be in stitches by winter! 

I love this picture!!  These are the girls I talked about earlier...Ava & Sarah!  

Life is good. 

 Life is full and life is busy...but life is good!  

The nights go too quickly and the mornings never have enough time!  

We make sure we stop to smell the roses.  

Then we scurry off to smell the daises, 

and blow on the dandelions too!