Pumpkin carving and Patch

I am really sad to think that this may be the last year that I have a child go on a Pumpkin Patch/Orchard field trip. Although, I will admit, that after going to the patch at LEAST 20 times over the past 15 years, I am quite knowledgeable of all things pumpkins!! I was actually teaching on the day that Nolan went, so Tim stepped up and went! YAY for Daddy!! I was a little worried, because of all the pictures I take all year, the orchard pics are one of my FAVS!! I wasn't sure if Tim would be able to catch the memories the way that I would! But as usual, he didn't let me down!! His pictures turned out AWESOME and I have to admit that the above picture is BETTER than anything I have ever taken!! I mean seriously??!! No editing or lighting for it and it is simply AMAZING!! Maybe I will turn the camera over to Tim from here on out.

The HUGE slide that is a must for all creatures big or small!

In the hay maze!

King(and Queen) of the Hay!!

Cool play ground!

Climbing the wall!

Another big slide!

How cool to masquerade this gas tank as an ear of corn!! Not sure if Nolan needs to go potty or if he is posing and being studly??

Which one to choose!? Tim said that Nolan was very disappointed that all the "big" pumpkins were gone!

Nolan and buddy Chandler drinking apple cider and eating cinnamon/pumpkin spice doughnut!

Always the highlight of the trip for me!!

Nolan, Chandler, and Caleb on the hayride!

His class! I thought it was really cute how the little girls are surrounding my little handsome guy!!

Unfortunately, my older kids weren't home for the carving of the pumpkins. I think it bothered me more so than them. :(

She always likes to pretend she is eating the goop inside!

So intense!!

Trying very hard to clean it all out!

GOT IT!!

I LOVE FALL and my family!!

Smart Kiddos

Every year the kids take state tests in different subjects. The KCCT(Kentucky Core Contents Test) is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined by each grade by the state of KY. The scores are ranked in 4 levels, novice, apprentice, proficient, and distinguished. Proficient is what the state wants every student to achieve. Distinguished is the highest level that students can achieve. Last year Kami was tested in reading and math, she earned proficient in math, and distinguished in reading!! YAY! Coltin was also tested in math and reading, and scored distinguished in BOTH!! Tim and I are so blessed to have such smart children! The schools have a nice awards ceremony and recognize the kids who earned the top two scores! Since Coltin earned Distinguished in both areas, he not only was recognized but we was also given a basket of goodies AND an ID card with his picture on it that gets him into ANY high school or middle school function/sporting events FREE!!

Kami's school also provided the students and parents a nice breakfast after the ceremony.
The awards day also happened to be "my school is a class act school" day and all the children were given the opportunity to dress "classy". Nolan took this VERY serious and was quick to put on his Sunday best!!

Kami and her BF Peyton! Peyton also scored proficient and was recognized!!

Coltin had been saving his money to purchase a PS 3 system, and Tim and I decided to contribute the last $50 he needed to buy it as a reward from us!

Coltin, Maci, and Valerie scored distinguished in all areas! These guys are also BFF!

Plain Old Kentucky Boy

Coltin was given an assignment by his English teacher to write a letter to her telling a little about himself. He handed me the letter tonight and asked me if it sounded ok. Well, it was a very sweet letter that made me proud and brought tears to my eyes as well!

Dear Mrs. Roller,

Hey! I am going to start off by saying I'm really going to enjoy English this year. One of my goals for this class, is to earn all A's for the year. My name is Coltin Yantz, and this is going to be a wonderful year!

I love to play basketball. I happen to play for East. I have 1 brother and 2 sisters. My little brother Nolan, loves to mess around. He can be annoying sometimes, but mostly he is fun to play with. Nolan plays baseball. He is really good. My younger sister Kami, is very lovable. She plays soccer for a club called Commonwealth Soccer Club. She is AMAZING! My older sister Peighton, is everything you could ask for in a big sister. We do everything together! She plays soccer also. She plays for East High Varsity team. She is currently going head to head with another girl for the spot as starting goalie. Between you and me, she is going to get it. Now my parents couldn't get any better. They are 2 loving and caring parents. My dad Tim, is a nurse manager and my mom, Mariah, is a substitute teacher.

Now I hope you have learned a little about me. All I am, is a plain old Kentucky boy!!

Sincerely,

Coltin Yantz

Backtracking and trying to catch up!

I have not been the best blogger/journalist for the last couple of months or so. I think that I am so overwhelmed from all the activites and pictures that I just don't know where to start. So I have decided to just backtrack a couple months and just dive in with hopes to catch up. There is no rhyme or reason to the order of the pictures, but at least I will have them in my "journal"!

Kami definitely has learned the game of soccer from her big sis! She has some mad soccer skills at such an early age. Here she was playing in the Bluegrass State games. If you look closely at this picture you can see that she left a boy on the ground in her determination to get the ball down the field! She is not intimidated in the least! Her team went undefeated!!

Nolan swings the bat around as he patiently hangs out for yet another one of his siblings sporting events!

Nolan's Yankee t-ball team celebrated the end of the season with bowling party! I can't believe he will play coach pitch next season!!
Coltin's Astros team won the season tournament! Coltin also hit his 1st out of the park home run this season. He also hit another one during the tournament!

Coltin received his awards and Nolan had to be in the pic as well!

Kami has Grommie hooked on the Nintendo mini games now!!

The kids like to help Poppa work on his boat in anticipation that he will take them fishing!! and he has!!

Kami has been really busy playing 3v3 soccer all summer. This picture is after she played 5 games in about 4 hours and her team won the silver medal!! Then we hurried back to Nicholasville to watch Coltin's baseball team win the season tournament!!

These goofy bald guys waited patiently while the girls met their teachers for the next year.

This was Mr. Moore. Kami's 3rd grade teacher. She LOVED him and learned a LOT from this special man! Her bf Peyton also LOVED him!

We had a quick but great visit with our long lost Atlanta cousins. They stopped in on their way to Chicago for a hockey camp.

The Greatest Woman Ever

So it's been a while since I posted and used blogger, therefore this post is out of order and will probably only make sense to me.

I don't have a picture of the flowers actually adorning the tombstone yet, but I am hoping to make the trek soon to get some. Mom took them when she went home and placed them there.

These pictures were taken during Thanksgiving 2008. Just a year before she passed. I don't think any of realized this would be our last earthly Thanksgiving with her.

She LOVED to play games and passed on the tradition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren below! Noone was ever to young to start learning!

My Grandmommie has been on my mind lately. Well, she really never leaves my mind. I can see her in my children's smiles, I see her when I take in the beautiful earth with all of it's amazing "little creatures", when I stub my toe and "oh doodlebug" naturally comes out of my mouth, when I am eating popcorn, when I play the ABC game or the State/Capital game as we drive down the road, as I listen to the sacrement song and prayer at church, as I take up for the underdog and always give people the benifit of the doubt, and as I lay awake at night and wonder how many lives she has already touched where she is now. I miss her more than I could ever have imagined. I hope that I can be just half the mom, grandmother, friend, sister, missionary, and person that she is.

Mom and I have wanted to adorn her tombstone with beautiful flowers for some time now. Grandmommie LOVED flowers, especially wild ones. I can't hardly remember being in her house when there wasn't a bouquet of some type on the table. Aunt Kimmie Jo also wanted to help out with this quest so we all pulled our funds together and mom and I were able to go out and put together a beautiful bouquet. I know she is smiling down and admiring the beauty of them!

Derby Race Horse

Nolan was given an assignment to bring a stick horse in for his classroom's Derby race. The instructions said it could be bought or made. Well, Tim being the artistic man that he is, was definitely up to the challenge! A dowel rod, old sock, felt, googly eyes, and some imagination can go a long way!!! I was very impressed with their creation!

The horsies nostrils! So cute!

The finished product!

Let the races begin!!

Wishing on Stars

These 2 have always had fun together, but it seems to me that as of late, they have grown closer and it is so much fun to watch and listen to their conversations. Just looking at their expressions in these pictures are so much fun! Nolan being his loving self is wanting to give Kami a big ole kiss. Kami being her sweet self, is like, "I really don't know WHAT you think you are doing!!" The look obviously doesn't stop Nolan from getting his kiss!
Below is another cute little conversation that I was so blessed to hear!

Kami- "Look Nolan! It's the 1st star of the night!"

Nolan-"What does that mean?"

Kami- "That means you get to make a wish on it."

Nolan-"ok" (He ponders for just a second and then says)

"Everytime I make a wish, I wish that Jesus was alive."

Kami-"Everytime I make a wish, I wish that we could go to Disney World!"

Out of the mouth of babes come words that can warm a soul and melt a heart!

(Not so much the Disney World part!!) :)