Football Season is Here Again!

Last night we attended the first Central High School football game of the year. Sophie has always enjoyed going to football games and John Curtis really got into it this year. We normally only make it to half time and after they watch the band march and the drill team dance we are ready to go. This was especially the case last night when we were down 35-0. One of our youth is on the drill team and Sophie loves watching Adrienne dance. Those of you who know me well will be shocked to see Sophie in a cheerleader uniform. This outfit has been passed down in our church for years, and I've been assured none of the girls who wore it actually became cheerleaders. She just looks so darn cute in it I couldn't resist! She was covered up a lot more than the actual cheerleaders were :) We are looking forward to Aggie football starting tonight and hope they get off to a better start than the Bobcats!

A Busy Weekend

On Thursday afternoon the kids and I headed to Weatherford for a busy weekend. On Friday morning we had Aunt Oma's funeral (see previous post). It was a nice service, just the way she would have wanted it. It was also good to see extended family we don't see very often. My Aunt Edie has 2 dogs that she runs agility courses with. She had an event on Friday and since we had never seen them run, we decided to go watch. John Curtis loved seeing all of the dogs and walking up and down the stairs many times. Sophie was the one who surprised me though. She's never been much of a dog person but really took to Edie's dog Dessa. She wanted to hold her leash and "take care of her". She asked me if she could do agility when she gets a dog someday. She has never asked for a dog before. She is also quite a fan of Aunt Edie now, too. She wanted to be wherever Edie was. Edie was very patient with my children in the midst of her competition!

Sophie and Dessa

Edie let Sophie walk the course with her before her run.

John Curtis and Dessa

Afterward, we all went out to eat at the Purple Cow Cafe. These statues were outside and for some reason the kids thought they were really fun. John Curtis was scared of them at first but eventually warmed up to them.

On Saturday we just hung out in Weatherford. We had a picnic at the park, swam, shopped, and just played. Sunday was church and Carol's baby shower. It was a full weekend, but we got to see lots of family and friends and had a great time. I started my 2 online classes yesterday and the kids will start school next week, so we are trying to get back into a routine. Summer is really over!

Oma Mae Gee

My great Aunt Oma passed away last Monday and her funeral was on Friday morning. Her death wasn't sudden, we knew it was coming, but it is strange to me today that she is gone. Oma was my mom's aunt and my Mimi's sister. Mom told me this weekend that Oma was the aunt no one else could be. She never married or had children and because of that she adored all of her nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, and even great-great niece and nephew in Sophie and John Curtis. She loved them in a special way. I have often heard Mom say that she knew Oma prayed for her daily and I know that was true for the entire family. Oma could pray for hours and seemed to have a special connection to God that comes from spending great amounts of time with Him. She was a missionary to the Najavo Indians in New Mexico and taught the students there. My fondest memories of Oma are listening to her tell us stories when we were little. Some were serious about her missionary work and some were silly. I could listen to her tell the same ones over and over and never get tired. During these last years it has been a joy to see Sophie get to spend time with Oma. I know Oma is happy today, but in her passing our family has experienced a huge loss - probably bigger than we realize. I have a feeling Oma influenced our lives through prayer in ways we will never know.

Rainy Day Fun

The rain continues to fall in San Angelo. We are so thankful for it and love the cooler weather it brings. We live in a town with no drainage ditches in the roads, so we may float away, but it does make for some great jumping puddles. Sophie got a new umbrella for her birthday and has been waiting to use it. One day she carried it in and out of the library, but no rain came. Another day she sat in the backyard with it waiting for the rain to fall and it never did. Finally, these last few days she has been able to use her umbrella. The kids have loved watching the rain and even playing out in it. Here are a few pictures of our rainy days.

We played up and down the street and ally jumping in the puddles.

John Curtis thought this was the greatest thing ever. He loves the rain and laughs every time it falls on him. What could be better than water falling from the sky????

Sophie's friend Ellie introduced her to scavenger hunts when we were over there the other night. Now she keeps wanting to look for things out in the yard. She collected flowers in her rain boots and Sunday dress yesterday.

Since we knew the weather was going to be cooler today we had planned a trip to the park with Gracie and Ellie for a scavenger hunt. Sophie was so excited about it I thought she would be disappointed we couldn't do it due to the rain. They were just as excited to have one indoors though. They spent the morning painting, coloring, and decorating their scavenger hunt bags. Then they went on a hunt finding crayons, stickers, and pipe cleaners. It really doesn't take much to keep them happy.

Aren't they cute on their dress up clothes on their scavenger hunt???

Rudolph

Poor John Curtis. It seems like every time one facial injury heals he gets another one. We were at the pool on Thursday and the kids were playing on the little slides outside of the pool. John Curtis started out going down on his bottom and suddenly planted his feet and stood up. His body kept going and he went face first onto the cement. He didn't cry very long, but when I wouldn't let him get back on the slide he screamed like he was dying. His face really didn't look
that bad. Just a little scrape on his nose and one underneath. As the scabs have darkened though it looks a lot worse. Thankfully he's a tough little guy.

Nastia Has Nothing on This Girl

We have been taping the gymnastics for Sophie to watch. Today we were trying on her old gymnastics leotards to make sure they still fit for this year (thankfully they do) and once she got it on she wanted to watch the gymnastics on tape. She made her own floor and went to town.

A Day in the Life

I've been chastised by my sister for not updating my blog in a while. The truth is, there isn't much to update. August has gotten off to a wonderfully slow start. We're just coasting through the rest of the summer. We're not doing much other than going to the pool and I've taken plenty of swimming pictures this summer. However, in order to satisfy my sister I chronicled our day yesterday. Here is a day in the life of the Sandlins. Try not to fall asleep.

Eating lunch at the pool

John Curtis playing peek a boo with his friend Shelby at the pool. He has quite a crush on her, but when she tried to kiss him he covered his mouth.

Sophie helped me make homemade pizza for dinner.

John Curtis anxiously awaiting the start of the Olympics.

Our own little Olympian. He can't quite figure out which sport he likes best, thus the soccer ball in the basketball goal. This morning when we were watching volleyball he kept following the ball on screen saying, "Ball. Ball. Ball."