Friday, August 28, 2009

Its official...I'm a Soccer Mom!

Wednesday was Garrett's first soccer practice!

Besides the fact that it was sweltering and next to a cow farm, complete with mosquitos, we had a great time!




Garrett was really into arranging/rearranging the cones!



Garrett is so excited that Daddy is the assistant coach (or "teacher" as Garrett says).

He surprised me by actually leaving my side to go onto the field! He kicked the ball some, too!



In all, he had a lot of fun!


And had a lot of water and snack breaks!




Check out those deltoids! Such an athlete!



Garrett: "Soccer Practice!"

So, if you're wondering where the Sapps are for every Wednesday night and Saturday for the next 2 months, just look for us on the soccer field!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Weekend Retreat at Granny and Papa's

We got away this weekend for a little R&R at Granny and Papa's. It may be the last time we can swim in their pool, as their house is up for sale :(




Yes, that is Charlotte's blanket....by the pool!



Check out Daddy's farmer's tan!




Garrett swam with only his arm bands this weekend for the first time! He did a great job, and became confident very quickly!



This was just before Charlotte poured ice-cold lemonade down the front of her! But look how cute her little cover-up is!



And you can bet that wherever Charlotte is, there are snacks close by!


Yes, those are PINK arm bands (thanks to R.H.), but that's all I could find once we got to ATL! Just disregard the lace!


Plus, when you add a hat like that, Garrett can pull off pink!

Friday, August 21, 2009

WARNING...Deep Philosophical Thinking Ahead

This is the latest of my book reviews. Yes, I read this one in under a day.

This book is among the list of banned books in schools. And, you can pretty much bet that if its on the banned books list, I've probably read and LOVE it!

You know when you were a kid, you always heard that if you start strong and end strong then no one would remember what happened in the middle?

Well, this book does not adhere to that rule. I could have completely done without the beginning and the end. It was the middle that captivated me. In a word:


PROFOUND




First of all, I like the cover...very Dumbledorish, according to Randy. But let me get to the PROFOUND part.


This book is the story of a utopian society (dystopian is a more correct term) that adheres to strict rules and guidelines that have been dubbed "best" for everyone. No one knows what goes on outside the society; no one asks questions.


The society has eliminated pain and other unwanted elements by converting to "Sameness," which also makes the society devoid of emotion, even love.


One child is selected to become the "Receiver of Memory," the one who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed by the society to assist with decisions that others lack the experience to make. "The Giver" is the previous "Receiver of Memory" who is bestowing his gift on the young child. He (The Giver) is dubbed the "wisest" in the community, as he has so many experiences to guide their lives. He "shows" the child the memories of pain, war, hunger; in addition to love, snow, laughter.


Whewww....I thought this was a child's book! I suppose if you didn't dig very deep, it would be just that. Oh yeah, except for the genecide, suicide, and infanticide it describes.

Anyway, it is a beautiful way to step back and look at your life. To me, it made me re-evaluate how I raise my kids! I would love to shelter them from the hurts of life, such as pain, hunger, and war; but at the expense of them not gaining wisdom for the future? How can our kids make good decisions about their lives if they have never experienced hurt?

I recommend this as an adult book...not sure its appropriate for all children, as is has some big issues to tackle.

Let me know what you think!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Kid-Friendly Food

I was looking for something to pass the time and be fun for the kids at the same time. Oh, yeah, and it was getting close to lunchtime! This is what I had on hand:




I don't know where she got it, by my Mama brought a whole box with her on her last visit. Its spaghetti sauce in a pouch. You just stick it in the microwave and pour it over noodles. I've used it for those nights when Randy is working late and I don't want to offer up more chicken nuggets! It was great for this project. I cut a small triangle off the top/side and Garrett helped me squeeze it on our "pizza crust." Then he spread it with the back of a spoon.
Charlotte mostly just watched and ate some cheese!
I used the whole wheat English muffins I had and sliced them in half.
After they were good and coated with sauce, we topped them with plenty of cheese and (you know me) I put a little garlic salt on them.
I put them into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. And voila!
I added a little fruit to the plate, and had all the food groups!
Charlotte approved!
As did Garrett!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Our first golf outing

Garrett got a "real" golf club this week from the golf store. Randy has been wanting to get him one for a while. After all, "Tiger Woods started playing golf when he was 3."

Not sure what Daddy was expecting this first go 'round, but there was a lot of this:


And this:


Daddy did get some coaching in here and there, though!



The best part of the night was riding in the golf cart (and a stray dog that followed us everywhere we went...the kids thought it was great...Daddy, not so much!)



This looks like the beginning of a new Sapp Men hobby!






Charlotte had a hard time staying put at times, so I wedged her rear into the back of the seat! She was thrilled, as you can see.


She got in on some of the action, too!



While there was some golfing going on, there was a lot of silliness, too!


Come 7:30, these Sapps were getting tired!


We did manage to get a snack out of the deal, though. Which, according to Charlotte, is always a good thing! She had found her "little blankee" by this point, as it was approaching 8:00!

After all that, Garrett called Mama Cook the next day to tell her about it.
Mama Cook: "What did you do last night?"
Garrett: "We played baseball!"

Sunday, August 16, 2009

My latest book review

I'm always on the prowl for a great read, and with my favorite Harry Potter and Twilight books at the top of my booklist, I'm sort of hard to please.

A few months ago, I came across this one:








The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Its accolades include:


NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR:
CHILDREN'S FICTION
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2008
AN AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION TOP TEN BEST BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS SELECTION
AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK
2009 ALA AMELIA BLOOMER PROJECT LIST
#1 ON WINTER '08/​'09 CHILDREN'S INDIE NEXT LIST
INDIES CHOICE--BEST INDIE YOUNG ADULT BUZZ BOOK HONOR
2008 CYBIL AWARD--FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION
CBC TEEN CHOICE FINALIST
NYPL “STUFF FOR THE TEENAGE” LIST, 2009
CCBC CHOICES 2009
KIRKUS REVIEWS EDITOR’S CHOICE, 2008
A HORN BOOK FANFARE
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS Of 2008
A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE
LA TIMES FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS, 2008
BARNES & NOBLE BEST BOOKS OF 2008
FOR TEENS AND KIDS
BORDERS BEST BOOKS OF 2008: TEENS
AMAZON BEST BOOKS OF 2008:
TOP 100 EDITORS' PICK
TOP 10 BOOKS: TEENS


You get the picture...it did pretty well!


And, as I'm a huge fan of series, I was delighted when I found out that it would be a trilogy! (Though not at first...I got to the last page and was begging for more!)


So, September 1, the second book in this award-winning trilogy comes out:


If you've not read the first one, I hope you'll check it out. I'm reading it again before Catching Fire comes out. It is such a fast read, and so much fun (although a little gorey at times!)
Let me know what you think of it!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

New Summer Haircut

Most of you know, I can never do something halfway. Its all or nothin', Baby!


Haircuts are no exception! I can "just trim it up!"


Before


(Yes, this is another marker escapade...he did look a little like Hitler!)


AfterDoesn't he look handsome?!

I figured that with Garrett starting soccer soon, he would need a short haircut! Besides, this was much faster that my normal method of using scissors!

Friday, August 7, 2009

You decide...

Bad hair day?



or





Edward's love-child?