The joy of fundraising...

I always get a bit nervous when Ty starts asking for boxes, scissors, and tape. He's so creative but heaven knows how many ink markers and rolls of tape we've gone through with all his creations. This time he was asking for a big box, markers, and scissors. Within a few minutes I found him in the garage cutting wholes in the box and coloring all the sides of it purple. After using up a couple purple markers, it was time to dive into my scrapbook paper collection. When I asked what he was up to he said that the school walk-a-thon was coming up and he was going to dress up as his class's mascot, the purple raptor (dinosaur). Within an hour he had finished his creation and it sat in the garage for the next week. I was curious if this creation would actually make it onto the field and admittedly I also kept questioning if this was something he really wanted to wear during a school walk a thon. I was imagining him maybe getting teased, being hot, or finding it difficult to do his laps with such a bulky thing on but he wouldn't hear of what I had to say. Sure enough, on the big day at drop off, he opened the trunk to the car and proudly grabbed his purple raptor. Do you ever have those moments where you've cringed over something your child is doing and then feel bad for not being more supportive? Well, I felt terrible after this day. Ty ended up being the big hit at school. His whole class loved his costume, in fact so much so that many of the kids took turns doing laps with it on. As you can see even Ty's sweet teacher, Mrs. Cronin had a turn. Next thing I knew I had parents alerting me that they saw Ty being interviewed by the local newspaper and the school principal and several teachers and parents commented on how much they loved his creativity. In addition he was chosen to participate in a special PJ/pancake breakfast for kids that showed the most team spirit! Lesson learned: Be more supportive of your kids!!!



Each grade has a color and unfortunately 4th grade's color is purple which happens to be one of my least favorite colors so I avoid buying clothing in that color at all expense. Poor Connor walked out the door in a navy t-shirt which was the closest thing we had to purple. Obviously we could have borrowed a lot of purple from all our Husky fans here in the neighborhood but we neglected to tap into that resource so away Connor went showing absolutely no class spirit. Here he is with his class:



Sage's color was green and thankfully we found one two-sizes too small shirt that she squeezed into for the big day.




Now the whole point of the walk-a-thon is to raise money for the school. At times I wish they'd just add on another school fee at the beginning of the year instead of making us go through all the hoops of these fundraisers. It's hard to fund raise in a community where most of the households attend the same school so the parents end up being the primary sponsors. In the end though the kids have a blast running and walking to the music, seeing their principal in a chicken costume and getting the chance to win cool prizes. They collect raffle tickets for the laps they run and the money they turn in. With those raffle tickets they can select prizes they are interested in winning. This year Ty and Connor were determined to try to win the American Girl doll for Sage. Not only was it sweet of them but it was sincere...well at least up until Sage admitted she only put one of her raffle tickets in the American Girl raffle and had mistakenly distributed all her others into other prizes. Once the boys heard she had done this, (which meant her chances of winning the American Girl doll were now slimmer), they jumped ship and decided they were going to try to win something that they each wanted. To our surprise, Ty returned home from school with this...



As you can see Connor was so excited for Ty which I thought was really sweet. It so happened that the prize number on the remote control that Ty had won was #19, which happens to be Connor's football jersey number, his classroom number, and even his cubby number! Connor loved that! Aside from the tears being shed from Sage on this day because she didn't win anything, it was a great day in the Roddy house!

It must have leaked out that Connor was responsible for the slogan on Ty's costume ("This time you're extinct!") since he too was invited to attend the special breakfast in the library for kids that showed extraordinary team spirit. It was catchy and clever! Ty also ended up being quoted in the local paper which he was pretty excited about!

Tourist for a day...

Last weekend the boys' football game wasn't until later in the evening. Since the weather was beautiful we decided to take a pass on yard work and head into Seattle for some sight seeing. The last time we had been to the Space Needle was over seven years ago when just Jack and I came out on a house hunting trip and enjoyed a nice dinner at the top of it. We figured the kids are now at an age that they'd enjoy it and they certainly did!





Next on the list was the Gum Wall. When you think of hot Seattle tourist spots this place may not normally come to mind but for a gum loving family, it was a must see. It's located in Post Alley, just below Pike Market and behind the Harbor Steps, (the beautiful complex that Starbucks housed Jack in for the weeks leading up to us all relocating out here). On this particular day, five more pieces of gum were added to the wall along with countless other pieces we witnessed being left...



As you can see it's a tough decision figuring out where to place your gum. We also learned it's almost impossible for a five year old to walk away from the wall without touching someone else's piece of chewed gum...



Finally Connor had one special request and that was to go see the "troll under the bridge". Off we went to find him and what a beauty he is...




After a fun day, we returned home to watch the boys play in another exciting football game. Unfortunately this game isn't one they'd like to remember as it was the first game they lost. We had tried to prepare them for this day since we knew it was just a matter of time. Last year was an extraordinary year and we knew the chances of having another undefeated season were pretty slim. In the end they all know what it feels like to lose and I don't think any of them want to relive that feeling anytime soon...

A little of this and a little of that...

My birthday came and went in a flash...just like the past year. Clearly a sign of aging. I was lucky enough to get beautiful arrangements from each of the kids and Jack is sending me on a getaway in a few months to spend time with a dear friend. It was a week full of lunches with friends, dinner out with the fam, and special cards and tokens from dear friends! My special day coincided with the boys' football game. Connor had an amazing tackle which made both of our day. They assured me they'd give me a win for my birthday and they did...



The school year is underway! As I mentioned below, I received a wonderful call from Connor's teacher the first week of school which was nice but not surprising since you really couldn't ask for a better student than Connor. Then when I was volunteering in Ty's class his teacher shared with me a sweet thing that had happened during their first week of school. She said she was discussing with the class that she was pretty certain she had the "best class in the whole school" to which Ty immediately raised his hand and responded "it would be the best class in the whole school if my brother Connor was in this class." That's my sweet Ty! Love the bond these two boys share. Then when I was volunteering in Sage's class her teacher pulled me aside to tell me that every day Sage compliments her. She was curious if this was something I had told Sage to do. That too doesn't surprise me because Sage is always so sweet about paying me compliments. I use to wonder what it was she wanted when she did it but it's become clear over the last year, she just enjoys complimenting people. I always hoped for respectful, kind children because I knew that even if they were goof-offs or got into trouble occasionally, people would cut them more slack if they were courteous and kind. Glad to see it's working!

I was asked to be classroom photographer for Sage's classroom. (This was only because no one else stepped up and clearly they were desperate.) What I like about it though is that I get to be a part of all the special classroom events and field trips. Their first field trip was a "Walking Field Trip" which was a tour of our City's main street looking for particular signs and marking them off as they see them. Here she is growing up on me way too fast...



Well, we are half way through the football season and although the boys experienced their first lost ever this past weekend, I have no doubt as a team they will all grow and learn from it and bounce right back. Losing is a part of life and unfortunately it's not the easiest lesson to learn. I'll do one main post after the season but here's a shot I captured of them before this weekends game as they were lining up for weigh in...

Yankees at Mariners...

Who better to go with to a Yankees game than Ty and Rachel Bailey. Of course Rachel is a bigger Yankee fan than anyone I know so that always make it a fun night! Here we are enjoying the game, our great seats (thanks to Rachel's sister) and Jeter, AND celebrating Ty's successful fight with cancer! It's hard to believe it's been a year since he learned the devastating news of his stage 4 colorectal cancer. We feel so lucky to call Rachel and Ty friends. Our faith grows because of them and we feel so blessed to know them. This has been a rough battle but how thankful we are to see Ty coming through it. Thanks for the fun evening Bailey's!!! Oh, and if you are looking for great food at the stadium, you must try the chicken curry at the Thai place there. It was fantastic!!!




Well, look who it is buried under this hoodie! A-Rod...



Oh the excitement of a close game...



It seems that every game we've gone to between the Yankees and Mariners has been close which is always so strange to me! The Yankees won by one at this one...

Labor Day Weekend with the Brents!

Jack and David have been good friends since their days at 24 Hr. Fitness. Whenever it works out, they make a point to get together when their paths cross. David and his family decided to come up to our neck of the woods for Labor Day weekend which made Jack one happy camper! Although they refused to stay with us, once we learned they were staying at the Four Seasons in Seattle we totally understood. I mean really, who can turn down the views, spa, and pool at the Four Seasons? Unfortunately the Roddy shack just can't compete with that. Thanks Brents for sharing your holiday weekend with us even if our shack wasn't good enough! HA!

After the boys' football win we all headed into the City to enjoy a night swim at their hotel. What should have been a romantic moment for hotel guests quickly turned to a frenzy as six kids entered the pool area just as the sun was setting. At least it was magical for six people under the age of 10!



Enjoying Seattle and of course taking Dave and Kristen to the first Starbucks store ever!


What could be more enjoyable at the fish market than poking the fish eyes until they practically pop out...



Another day of swimming and fun in the sun...

Back to school...back to reality!

Hard to believe the Roddy household has two fourth graders and a kindergartner! As tempting as it is to request the boys be in the same class which would make my life a lot easier, I continue to have them placed in separate classes so they can continue to grow and develop without any pressures from the other and no feeling they have to gravitate to the same friends, extracurricular activities etc. or feel like they are always being compared to each other. It was nice not to have to worry about who they got for teachers since this year we had heard great things about all of them but as it turned out Ty got a teacher that apparently Connor had really wanted (even though I was clueless about this until the day they learned who their teachers were.) In the end though, Connor has seemed thrilled with his teacher and I told him that she must be a pretty special teacher considering she's the first teacher to call me on the first week of class to tell me what a "pleasure it is having Connor" in her class. We are really looking forward to a great year and from the weight of their back packs this year, I'm guessing the homework and learning curve is about to increase substantially.

Here are my two sweethearts!



I was thrilled to learn that Sage got Mrs. Kinghorn for her teacher. Calla was Connor's kindergarten teacher and she happens to also be a friend from church. She is fantastic and everyone in the community knows and hopes for her. It also worked out that Sage has a couple of her friends in the class with her which is always nice. I didn't know how I'd take dropping her off on this first day. It wasn't until I had returned back to the house that I felt the sadness. Not because she would now be gone five days a week (granted it's less than three hours a day) but rather because she is the last one and we are starting to enter a new phase in our life. I guess I feel like I'm experiencing a mild case of the "empty nester" syndrome. Sage on the other hand seemed very excited and ready for this new chapter in her life when I dropped her off this morning but when I arrived to pick her I could tell she had a concerned look on her face. I later learned that she did shed a few tears at school today during the lunch recess. Apparently many of her friends had siblings that shared the same lunch period. She was sad because Connor and Tyler never came by to see her and she didn't understand that they didn't have the same lunch as her. One of the recess guards saw her and gave her a hug which I was told helped but she still said it was "not a good day" at school. Oh dear! At least she looked happy beforehand...

Summer in Washington

Unfortunately the Roddy family was around for part of the summer but summer herself decided to be a no show! We still did our best to take every advantage of getting out for what some called the "78 minute summer"...

Here we are at Ensign Ranch. This is a huge piece of property that the church owns just over Snoqualmie Pass. They've got campsites, cabins, horses, canoeing, a river, etc. available for members to use. We drove up for the day to check it out and meet up with friends who had been there overnight for the daddy/daughter campout. (Sage had not been feeling great so we passed on the overnight part of it.) It's never good when you lock your keys in your car the first 2 minutes of getting there but thankfully Cadillac came through and within an hour they had us back in our car.

After a family canoe trip, the kids enjoyed going down the super sized slip n slide...



Next it was on to the rope swing for Ty...




And finally a drive by of the camp site the boys and Jack had stayed at for the father/son campout!



We spent another beautiful Saturday going over to Alki beach in west Seattle. It's only about a 10 minute drive from Jack's office in Seattle and although you don't go for the perfect, white sand beaches, it does offer up one of the best views of Seattle we've seen. It was perfect weather and we got a perfect parking spot which makes for an even better day! I had to laugh when I first saw this photo I captured of Sage as she was crawling over to where the boys were digging in the sand. I can assure you we are not prepping her for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition...