Spirit Week!

For Homecoming week at Centauri High School, they have special dress-up days to promote school spirit, and this year, they invited the Middle School and Elementary Schools to participate. It was a lot of fun at our house, getting ready for each day.

Nerd Day!

Emma rocked this day, and polished off a few apples to give to each teacher throughout the day. Yup, she was a perfect brown-noser! Shelton wouldn't dress-up on this day, because he "is NOT a nerd". Too funny!

We decided that Emma looked too cute to be a nerd, so we made some nerd glasses with an old pair of sunglasses. She was still really cute, but a little bit more nerdy looking.

Super Hero/ Super Villain Day!

Emma was a perfect Cat Woman.

Shelton got into this day as Iron Man!

(Sasha REALLY wanted to dress-up as a Princess on this day).

CRAZY day!!!

Mr. Crazy.

Originally, Crazy Day was supposed to be "Dress like a Teacher Day", but the district was worried about this being done in a negative, condescending way (ya think?) so they changed it. Shelton still wanted to dress-up like Mr. Cantu, the spouse of his teacher, Mrs. Cantu, and it took some convincing to get him to change his outfit plans. Eventually, he succumbed to peer pressure when I told him that his friend, Tyson, was dressing crazy. 

Sasha insisted on dressing crazy this day, and put together an outfit like Emma's.

She even wore her glasses on this day, which is crazy for her, as she doesn't like to wear them at all.

Hawaiian Day! Emma and Shelton are "Hangin' Loose!"

They have to to Hawaiian Day, Colorado-style, so they are wearing jackets to keep warm on this chilly morning. Brrrrrr! Shelton needed some allergy medicine after this picture, because Tiger rubbed up against him, and he is allergic. It was still a good day. 

Sasha needed a picture to show her wearing her glasses 2 days in a row!!!

What a cutie!

The last day of the week was Red, White, & Black Day, but I must have forgot to take pics. We went to the Homecoming Game on Saturday, and watched the Centauri Falcons win over Lake City. The kids got their faces painted, and got to run in at the beginning of the game with the football team! Shelton changed his mind at the last minute, but Sasha and her friend, Reese, ran in holding a handsome football player's hand. At half-time, the kids got to lead in the Homecoming Royalty Floats on a tractor-pulled hay truck. Again, Shelton passed on this opportunity, but Emma and Sasha looked so cute waving to the crowd from the truck. Of course, Sasha and Reese were the daring children riding on the tailgate, with their feet dangling off. Julie and I were a little nervous, but Emma and Asia were close by, keeping them safe.

What a fun week! We were glad to be involved in the festivities. Shane enjoyed going to the game, and wore his old Football practice jersey. When the Homecoming royalty was announced, it was reminiscent of his high school days, when he was crowned Homecoming King. I married the legend of Centauri: Football Hero and Heartthrob. Lucky me!

Back To School 2012

Getting back to school was a welcomed change at the the Sowards' home, this year, just as it always is. After a plethora of Summer activities and great fun, we are ready for the structured routine of the school year, and the kids are ready to see their friends on a daily basis. This year, Sasha returned to Little Treasures Pre-School for Pre-K. She is just a few months younger than many of her friends, and missed the cut-off for Kindergarten, which is June 1st, so she has had to make some new friends this year. That hasn't been a problem for this sweet, little girl. She is in Mrs. Price's class, and has made friends with several girls that have been in my ballet classes the past few years.

Here is Sasha with her cupcake purse, filled with real make-up.

This was a gift from Grandma Sally, for her birthday.

Shelton began first grade this year, at Little Treasures Elementary, in Manassa, CO. We are so blessed to have our kids attend this fine school, which has been a National Blue Ribbon School for many years. He is in Mrs. Cantu's class, and some of his good friends are: Rye, Holly, Corbyn, and Tyson. This year is unique for Shelton, as his big sister, Emma, is not at school with him. In fact, all 3 of my kids are at different schools this year, which makes things a little crazy at times. The next time this happens, Emma will be in High School, Shelton in Middle School, and Sasha in Elementary School. Yikes!

Here are Emma & Shelton on the first day of school!

They ride the bus each day, and leave our home at 7:15am.

Look at how grown-up Emma is! She is now in the 6th grade, and is attending Centauri Middle School, in La Jara. This school is adjacent to Centauri High School, which is where her Daddy went to school many years ago. We live in a pretty small, close-knit community, and everyone knows who Emma is because of her "famous" Dad, who she happens to look like. When they see her, some people will say that they know who she belongs to because they can see her Daddy in her. She is enjoying Middle School, and has adjusted to switching classes and using a locker. She says that in Middle School, it is so much easier to stay organized and focused on each subject. She has been placed in Advanced Math, but that is the only subject that offers an advanced option at her small school. Her electives are: Rocketry, Art, and Band. Her Art class is in the High School building, and this was a little tricky to figure out at first, as she was late for her next class a few times the first week of school. In Band, she is learning to play the clarinet, and loves it, so far. Middle School rocks!



Sasha is 5!

My sweet Sasha is 5! She has been very excited for her birthday to get here because her birthday is the last of our family birthdays each year, with Emma's in May, then Shelton & Mom in June, and then Dad in July. September seems to be very far away, and while she doesn't understand what I mean, I tell her that it is nowhere near as long waiting for it now as it was when I was pregnant with her. That was a long, hot Summer, for sure. I had some fun birthday invitations made for her party, and we did it a little early so as to avoid the craziness of the new school year and the already busy Labor Day weekend, with two of my nieces getting married. She invited 12 girls, and 8 were able to make it: Paige, Peyton, Reese, Kayla, Becca, Karissa, Chloe & Aspen.

Here is Sasha posing in front of her beautiful Barbie cake.

We began the party with a fabulous game of dress-up with our huge, dress-up trunk. Each girl had plenty of options with clothes and accessories, and came up with their own amazing outfit. After that, we put on the iTunes (Sasha's choice) and had a Dress-up Diva Fashion Show. The girls were so cute, and loved getting the spotlight for a few minutes. The only problem was that Sasha could have taken 10 turns if I had let her! After that, we played Freeze Dance, and I taught the girls our Zumba routine for Krazy, by Pitbull. They loved it! Our party nemesis was the church lawn sprinklers, and they went on while the girls were dancing on the grass, which made for an exciting scramble of little girls running back to the pavilion.

A picture of the Barbie cake, made my my Visiting Teacher, Camberly Anderson.

The marshmellows on the platter were meant to be a decoy from little fingers in the cake,

and this worked very well: they loved snacking on them as they ogled over our fancy Barbie.

After games, we had lunch (flower shaped sandwiches, chips, pretzels, and Capri Suns) and then enjoyed the lovely cake. It was a big hit with the girls, and tasted divine. We ended the party with Sasha opening her gifts, and then the giving out of treat bags to thank her friends for getting her such fun presents.

Sasha and her cousin, Paige, showing-off some of the dress-up outfits after the party. 

Stationery card

Festive Doodles Girl Birthday Invitation

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Wearing Rain Gear and Hoping for Rainbows

I love when I participate in a Stake-wide fast with hundreds of Latter-day Saints, praying for a single purpose. Our Stake President had asked all of us during Stake Conference a few weeks ago to fast for moisture in our drought-ridden San Luis Valley, on the next Fast Sunday, so I went about my day with a prayer in my heart for that specific purpose. Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day, and Shane commented on how low the water level was and that we may not even get our "beach" of water next to the house. (Every Spring, it is a tradition for us to host a "Beach Party" with family and friends when the irrigation water approaches our house). While praying I wondered if it was still possible for the water level to increase enough to water the crops and fields that so many of my family and friends need to sustain their livelihood.

The area we live in happens to be home of many faithful Saints, and our fasts do not go unanswered. This morning was no exception, and when I opened the front door to take Emma and Shelton to school, I was greeted with a Spring rain, the first one of this season. "Rain!" the kids yelled excitedly, as they ran outside and looked up towards the sky, letting the faint drops moisten their smiling faces. Shelton immediately remembered that it was FINALLY time to use his Lightning McQueen umbrella that he got last August while we were doing our Back to School shopping. Unfortunately, the unused umbrella was broken, not unlike many umbrellas we have owned that are never actually used to keep rain at bay. This made me think of some pictures I took of Sasha during Winter Break with an umbrella that has also been prematurely broken.

Sasha is so sweet in her Gymboree outfit that Mommy gave her for a Christmas present.

Perhaps today, she will enjoy the rain in her rain boats, and be able to see a rainbow stretch across the sky above our home.

2011- Christmas Cuteness

For Christmas this past year, I splurged and bought my kids adorable Sunday outfits from Janie & Jack. I absolutely adore their clothes, and would love to buy things from there all of the time, but it is just too expensive. This year, as Christmas was on Sunday, I decided that Janie & Jack ensembles were appropriate, and used a 20% of coupon after the clothes were on their first markdown, and felt good about how cute my darlings would be, at the best price possible. They looked amazing! So cute, and so chic.

 So, everything's great, right? Cute kids in adorable clothes that they will wear plenty of times to warrant the cost. Not really. This is the last year for Emma to wear Janie & Jack, as she is growing up, and needs pre-teen clothes now. As for Shelton, I ordered his clothes way too big, and the hasty hem in his pants comes out every time he wear them, so he hasn't worn them very much this year. And then, Sasha, did the unthinkable: she drew on her dry-clean-only silk red dress with a ballpoint pen, and completely ruined it. When I told her that I wouldn't buy her any nice dresses from now on, and that may be they would all be cheap ones from Walmart, she snootily replied, "I like dresses from Walmart." Oh, brother.

2012- New Year's Resolutions

As you may have guessed, most of my New Year's Resolutions had to do with my health and fitness. I started the year off with a bang, and jumped right in to accomplishing amazing things. I was on a roll, and the weight continuously dropped, along with my body fat percentage. I was getting in 5-8 workouts per week, and teaching 14 dance classes per week, as well. My diet was on track, and I felt that I had made lifestyle changes rather than merely trying to "diet".

Ready for Zumba! Just let me enter my day's food selections into the "My Fitness Pal" app on my iPhone.

Everything was great, that is, until April came along. I started running as the weather improved, and really jumped into it, running a 5K distance in as little as 29 minutes. I might want to add that I am not a "runner" and that before April 2012, the furthest I had run was 1.5 miles, since 1995. I guess I pushed it too far one day, because I ended up unable to walk, with plantar fascitis and bursitis in my right foot. I also pulled the muscles going up the back of my right leg, my lower back muscles (on the right) and up to my right shoulder and neck. Why was the right side of my body so beat up, you ask? My left hip has been giving me a lot of trouble for the past 4 1/2 years, and I have been putting a lot of stress on the right side of my body to compensate for the pain.

Enduring an ice bath- ouch! On the floor are some new running shoes to replace the ones that were blown-out. That also contributed to my injury.

 I am in a great amount of pain after teaching a ballet class (where my feet are in a turned-out position), after sleeping on my side, driving or sitting for a long period of time, and also after certain workouts. During Zumba, I will sometimes feel that my hip is giving out, and that I have to use odd muscles to lift my leg. I also have the problem of my hip getting "stuck" while I walk, especially when it is cold outside. The pain comes and goes, but it has not changed in severity for these past 4 1/2 years. After my traumatic C-section delivery of little Sasha (4 1/2 years ago), I had to get used to standing and walking without using my stomach muscles. I can remember a few times, feeling my legs give out at the hip, and falling. For a few weeks it felt like my hip needed to "pop" which was pretty normal for my dancer-do-crazy-things-to-be-flexible body, but one night it "popped" in a really loud and painful way, and has been hurting ever since. As I have been unable to exercise and dance of late, I am finally going to see the hip specialist that will most likely perform hip surgery on me for a labral tear in my hip socket. It took me 4 1/2 years to call him, and once I did, it took 2 months to get in to see him. June 13th is the day! Just after I turn 36. Last week, my good friend, Melody Surat, sent me a little card in the mail, as she now lives in Georgia. In it she said, "I was beginning to think you were invincible! Best of luck on your recovery." It made me smile, and also made me realize that it's true, I have been able to go quite a long time, and have accomplished a great deal, before my body finally gave out on me. Time to take a little break and get better, so I can continue doing the things I love as soon as possible.