Kate's 9th Birthday

Kate had a fun 9th birthday!

She started it out in Fairview.  Jack made her a really sweet birthday sign and we hung up a few balloons to surprise her when she woke up.

She had blueberry muffins with candles in them for breakfast.

 

Then she got to open half of her presents. 

Jack & Ty gave her some "girl" legos.  She also got some soccer socks and a new dress (which she wore that day).  Grandma Cox took Kate to a gift shop in Fairview where she got to pick out her present:  new earrings and a multi-colored pen.

Before lunch we packed up and headed to Mapleton to Grandma and Grandpa Judi's new house.  Kate opened the rest of her presents...

Another dress and new colored pencils.  And birthday money from and Grandma and pa Judi...

Grandma Judi made Kate a birthday cake...

Then we headed to Melinda's house in Draper.  She gave Kate a really sweet present -- a box that looked like a book full of surprises.  We all went to dinner at Chuckarama - Kate's choice. 

Then we all went to the Jazz game.  Too bad they lost. 

 The kids liked seeing the sports guys be on TV. 

A little about Kate at age 9...

• She is pretty responsible. She is a great helper with Nick.  She's pretty good at getting him dressed and even changes his diaper! 
• Kate loves to read!  She usually checks 15+ books out from the library at a time and breezes through them quickly.  I find books in every room that she's been reading throughout the day.
• Kate likes to be with her friends.  Her favorite friends are Sophi, Annika and Nina. 
• She loves to wear high heels and wishes that she could wear them to school.
• Is a good student.  Her teacher, Ms. Carr, has wonderful things to say about her. 
• She is currently playing soccer and just finished playing basketball. 
• She enjoys going on walks and hikes with dad in the evenings.
• She loves to mix and match her earrings. 
• She's a great sister and a wonderful daughter!

Jack's Basketball Team

Jack played on a 1st/2nd grade basketball team this season.  There were 8 boys and 1 girl on his team, all second graders except Jack and another boy.  Dave was the coach.  Jack loved playing on a "real" team -- so much better than kinderhoops that he played last year.

Jack's jersey was worn out and stained before they even had team pictures taken.  He wore it so much that we had to make him stop wearing it except during games.

Jack's games were really fun to watch.  His team was pretty good (great coaching!) and the kids were really into the games.  Never mind the fuzzy pictures...

Look at his hustle...

 His defense...

 Looking for the pass...

 The concentration...

 The dancing?...

Mesa Jaquars pep talk...

And look at Coach Dave...

Go Mesa Jaguars!

Kate's 2012-13 Basketball Season

Dave coached Kate's basketball team too.  There were 10 girls on her team -- one 4th grader and the rest 3rd graders.  They played other all-girl teams.  There were three other teams, so they played them several times. 

Kate's team seemed like the underdog at first.  Their first two games they finally stopped keeping score because the other team had lots more points.  Then Dave changed their strategy, focusing on defense and defending the "paint".  They won a game and several of their games were pretty close. 

Team Judi

Jack has been playing a lot of basketball on his hoop in the living room the last little while.  Actually, I don't think he can walk into the kitchen or the living room without shooting a hoop.  Kate and Jack got their jerseys for their basketball teams this week and played a game.  Ty got in on the action too.

Jack is 6!

Jack has been waiting for his birthday for a while.  We made a paper chain that is in his room that is counting down to the end of the school year (so he'll know that that's how long he has left to be a kindergartener) and to his birthday. 

This morning I woke up at 5:30 and noticed that his reading light was on.  I turned it off and he told me to turn it back on so he could try to go back to sleep.

Finally it was time to get up and everyone went in the living room to watch Jack open his presents.  

He got a card and $ from Grandma and Grandpa Judi...

 New basketball shorts (which he wore to school)...

 DVD about Jimmer (which he watched after school)...

 And some little legos from Kate and Ty...

Then he got to eat his favorite cereal, Lucky Charms (or Yucky Charms as Ty calls them).

Then Jack went to school.  He got to be the line leader.  And he took Captain America fruit snacks to share with his class.  He got to wear a birthday crown all day too (but not at lunch because you can't wear hats in the gym). 

Ty and I took the kids their lunch.  They got a special lunch (not their usual pb and j) -- chicken nuggets, chips, oranges or strawberries and a drink.  Jack is sitting by Anna and Aidan.  

After school Jack played Legos and then watched his Jimmer DVD.  Whenever Jack watched basketball he ends up playing basketball too.  Eventually he ended up playing on the big hoop outside with Dad. 

 Jack wanted a baseball themed cake..

Jack got to eat the "baseball" and some baseball glove.

 Happy Birthday Jack!

Here's a little about Jack at age 6:

He loves basketball and plays inside and/or outside every day. 
He loves school!  He loves his teachers and loves being in kindergarten.
He can tie his shoes.
He has lost two teeth.
He can read almost every word in the book, Hop on Pop, and is great at sounding things out.
His handwriting has improved lots!
His best friend is Anna.  And his best "boy" friend is Eddie.
He likes to play with our neighbor, Ben, who is 9.
Jack is great at following rules at school!
He has gotten a red stamp on his kindergarten calendar every day this year (red is good, black is bad!)
He is very sweet to Ty.  He plays with him and sometimes lets him sleep in his bed.
Jack and Kate are buddies at school.  They love to see each other at school and are buddies on the bus.
Jack can run really fast! 
For his birthday dinner he wanted to eat steak. 
Right now Jack is on a soccer team and a t-ball team.
Jack is a very sweet boy!  We love him a lot!

Shorts...

Ty changed into his basketball shorts by himself the other day.  He was so proud, so we left them this way (on upside-down with the leg around his waist).

Kate's Basketball Season

Kate played on a YMCA basketball team this year.  The season started in November and went through the first of March.  Dave was one of the assistant coaches.  Their team, the Magic, was huge, so they practiced together, but split the team in two for the games.  Kate's team was all girls, but they played co-ed teams. 

Kate improved a lot during season.  When she shot a basket during a game she usually made it. 

These pictures were taken at Kate's last basketball game and at a game on February 9th...

Kate likes to stay open...

 Defense!

 Kate did a good job at paying attention to where the ball was.

 Coach Dad lining the girls up against the boy team.

Running..

And the best part...the team cheer!

M.A.G.I.C.  M.A.G.I.C.  M.A.G.I.C.  Magic.  Magic.  Magic. 

 Goooooooo Magic!

Kids at the Game...

This is how the kids felt at Kate's basketball game yesterday...

This is how Kate felt... pretty happy and concentrating on the game.

This is how Jack felt...happy and busy keeping score.


This is how Ty felt...

Ty and I had to go outside and throw rocks for a minute to help him stop crying.  He was mad because I didn't like it when he threw his cars onto the court a few times.