PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 9/10/11

#1 is on the field for the start of another fall soccer season. Back with a group of friends he has played with for many years and new players, he hit the field with Zach Triplett as captains. For the best couple of seasons, we weren't sure if this would be the last, but he keeps coming back. Somehow, I really do think this will be it, but who knows. Todd is coaching again. When Zach got to choose a number for his uniform, he said #1...when I asked him why 1? He said, why wouldn't I want to be #1. Good point.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/26/11

I can hardly believe that Zach picked up his middle school schedule this afternoon...he will be in Burgundy Pod just like Nick was in 7-8 grade and Chris was in 8 grade. Nick was volunteering and was the one who checked out his books to him. So far, he doesn't have any guys that he knows in his pod, but I'm sure he will find out some who are with him. Love this photo of him with some of his SME friends including cute Ellie Behnke who he has been in school with from the beginning.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/13/11

The party is over for Zach turning 12...after having the Bertelsen's over for cake and ice cream, it is officially time for the celebrations to end and to just enjoy being a very cool 12 year old. So nice to sit under our almost finished covered patio and we were really lucky to avoid torrential rain that started up again as they were leaving. The monsoon season is in full force right now with crazy rain, thunder and lightening for the past 5 afternoons. I actually think the weather is a lot like when we were kids.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 7/9/11

Enjoyed spending Zach's 12th birthday at "the cabin" in Elk Creek. With Gram Gram and Grandaddy with us to celebrate, it was a great day. Zach opened presents at home in the morning and then planned the menu for us which included friend chicken and mashed potatos that I picked up at King Soopers on our way up, for lunch and then steak/wild rice/salad and of course, carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting for dinner. He got to shoot his airsoft gun and bb gun throughout the day and wanted to make sure to watch Game Show Network lots since we don't have it at home. Chris, Zach and I spent the night while Todd and my parents headed down in the evening and NIck did also after having a terrible headache earlier in the day. We topped off the evening with playing Pictionary (Chris won) and watching GSN and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THEY DAY 7/3/11

Today we had Granny over for a pre-4th bbq to celebrate Zach's upcoming bday and for her to see Christopher's photographs from his Europe trip. It was fun to hear Chris describe some of the photos and details about them as well as the stories along the way. Also, we had coconut cream pie as Zach's dessert choice to start birthday celebrations. A very nice evening.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/25/11

Zach's summer job...well you can't really call it a job when you are the one that has so much fun. Zach is petsitting the Jimenez's new puppy, Maggie, when they are out for a long period of time. He's getting paid $20 each time and goes over 2-3 times to let her out, play with her etc... To watch him play with her and laugh as he licks his face and jumps on him is something that brings such a smile to my face. She is such a sweet dog and Mocha and Cocoa run to the fence to greet her every time she comes out. They love having a new friend right behind the fence.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/3/11

Yesterday, I posted the photo of Zach on his first day of preschool 2002...now, this is the final "offical" last day photo of Elementary School. Whata ride this has been for the past 11 years of kids in elementary school. While I know what it is like as kids move into middle school and high school, it is strange because this is my "baby"...the little boy who hung out with me while his brothers started school and he was the "little brother." He definitely holds his own now and is ready for this move, but I will miss those days of hanging out with him in the mornings after everyone has gone to school, being able to walk up to school and walk by his classroom while there and say "hi" and to see him walk to and from school...those days will change and he will continue to grow up, but I will always be thankful for the time that has past and look very forward to the times ahead. I can't think of a person who has worked harder in school than Zach...but that is another post and another story. Today, I want to celebrate the 'LAST DAY OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 6/2/11

First day of school at St. Luke's LIttle School. We took first day photos in the backyard at our home on English Sparrow Trail and NIck headed off to school and Chris walked him into his classroom (he was in kindergarten PM) in Ms. Bonnie's Duck Class. His new lunchbox was green with bugs on it and his shoes were Caillou shoes. Caillou became one of his favorite childhood characters. Tomorrow, we will watch him finish his last day of elementary school at Stone Mtn. Elementary. What started in 2002 has been quite a journey and I could not be more pleased for the person and student that Zach has become. Right now, I want to focus on that little "stinker" look in this photo, those bright white shoes ready to meet the world and thank God for this gift of this little boy whom I absolutely adore.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 5/27/11

FINAL FIELD DAY 2011: The weather was perfect...not too hot like it had been previous years and no rain. We were lucky because many other schools had there's cancelled because of this crazy May weather we have had. Zach had said for me to come watch right at the beginning and stay until about lunch. I was very pleased he would want me there and I watched all of his events including a couple after lunch. I remember his very first field day as a kindergartener. It was not a huge success. They had found a frog and the teacher made them put it back and that kinda turned his mood for the rest of the day. He must've been tired or didn't feel good either because he came home and fell asleep on me for almost 3 hours. I remember that vividly because I think that was about the very last time he ever did that. I held him on the couch and wanted to just enjoy the moment because it didn't happen very often.

Yesterday was fun and Zach is very athletic. With only 10 boys in the class, they did lose the tug of war against the girls, but he did very well and more than anything, I was just feeling very lucky that I could be there cheering him on.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 5/23/11

FIRST GRADE FIELD TRIP TO 4 MILE HISTORICAL PARK (details to follow)...it was a special day with Zachy and I want to remember that as he gets ready to finish his elementary school days...so I'll be back to "remember"

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 5/14/11

Rain and freezing cold...but that didn't stop Zach from playing a great final soccer game of the season. I guess the score was 0-1 but the only goal was scored by the other team in the first 30 seconds of the game and I didn't see it so, under "Tracy Rules", it didn't count...thus a TIE! :)

Zach played incredibly and was in every bit of action...so much into the action that he was called for "tackling" 3 times (although there was the kid on the other team that could've been called just as easily...in my motherly opinion). He is a great leader on the field and he has so much fun with some of the kids on the team....the ones that he has known through the years. Those "core players" really care about eachother and play well and that is the best part of it all. Gotta go through the over 100 photos I took of him along with his brothers as spectators and pick some more favorites. Even though the weather was bad, Zach wanted his brothers at his game and they both came and cheered him on....Chris from the top of a tree branch :). Very proud of The Cobras on another season and Zach has played every single season now since the spring of 2005.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 5/5/11

4 more weeks of having an elementary school kiddo...4 more weeks...after over 13 years, this will be such a strange feeling and I am finding that it is making me very sad. I love how I have the extra time in the morning with Zach and then I watch him cross the street and head off for his day. I know that times will change and he will have a hard time getting up so early. It will all be good, but I never want to forget this time with him and all the boys...it just goes way too fast.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 4/16/11

Joshua may have had his best soccer game ever today...he was in the game, fighting for the points and running like I have never seen him before. Zach had an amazing header and played such good soccer. These two have been on the same soccer team since they were 5 and it is something they will never forget. It's great to be able to cheer for my son and nephew at the same time.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 4/2/11

SUPER ZACH hits the field today. Even though the Cobras lost 0-3, Zach played almost the whole game and was a leader on and off the field as well as playing awesomely well. I looked out on the field and couldn't see him until I realized he was the tall one with the blonder hair. All of the sudden, he looks so much older and "big kid" like. I guess that happens when you're almost 12, but it hit me hard this afternoon. Way to go, Zach!

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 3/14/11

It's TIME....Time for Cobra Soccer. This is the first season that Todd hasn't been head coach in quite a while and this could be Z's last season with HRSA. I'm trying not to even think about that because it makes me quite sad. Zach has been counting down to soccer season since last week. He was very psyched that he had practice this afternoon. Last season was a little rough with merging with another team and hopefully, this will be back to the way it was in all the other seasons he has played...I think it will be. He and Josh are playing together and have been since Zach was 5 so this is a huge thing. I'm looking forward to staying quiet on the sidelines (ya right... :) ) and cheering him on. He's a leader on this team and a very cool soccer player...so, in Zach's words of the past...'BRING IT'

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 2/24/11

Zach and Jack(ie) Robinson...he did a great job with Todd on this marionette and is doing an oral report tomorrow along with all the other assignments for this project. Well done, Zachy. I will have to find Chris' Martin Luther King photos from 2 years ago. I love how the boys both worked so hard when they did this project and had amazing creative puppets. That is my kind of learning :)

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 2/23/11

Love this photo of Zach and his good friend Noah in PE. I went in to their PE class today to take yearbook photos and there he was...right inside the door. We had a rough morning together so I was glad to see him and kinda work things out. I can hardly believe he is in 6th grade and this is the last year in elementary school. I still remember the days we hung out together all day, and then he went to preschool and then kindergarten...before he went to pm kindie, we would oftentimes share a Cobb salad from Safeway. How I miss those days, but I am so glad that he (and his brothers) can be in school like they are and do so well. I will always treasure our times together and appreciate each moment with each of them. I love to see him having fun with his friends and that super goofy smile on his face...boy I love you, Zachy D!

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 2/1/11

SNOW DAY...ACTUALLY MORE LIKE TOO COLD TO HAVE SCHOOL DAY...The district announced that the schools would be closed today because of the dangerously cold temps. Not one of us could complain about that and it's been a fabulous day. The temperatures have not been above zero...well, maybe 2 degrees at one point, but that is the high. Zach decided to bundle up and shovel for a little while. He said it was fine until the wind picked up. Nick just saw that it was -27 degrees wind chill factor...so there was a reason it was so bad with the wind. Thanks Zach! You did a great job.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/30/11

Homemade Pizza night...it's looking good and we're all getting hungry....and then, we have another pumpkin roll for dessert.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/29/11

Zach and I went over this morning to Gram Gram and Grandaddy's with the intention of working on photo organization for the "Elk Creek Chronicles" and for Zach to have some time over there. Gram Gram wasn't going to be there, but Grandaddy was looking forward to seeing Z and getting some work down. We weren't surprised to see that he had gone up to the store and had donuts waiting for us (thanks! :) ) and coffee was ready to be poured. We got tons done in regards to the organization and this project is getting ready to be able to be in the final leg...I think.

Zach spent some time in the basement playing the Wii and of course, there was some time for some ping pong. That is one of the favorite things the boys like to do when they are over there. It was a very fun and productive morning and I just love that the boys like to spend time over there. Grandaddy always make an effort to do something with each of them when they are over there and that is very special.

Ahhhh....Bibi. This cat and I are quite the pals. She doesn't like everyone and usually hisses as people walk by but I can honestly say that she has never done that to me and knows that she's safe around me. She is now at the point where she will come up to me, sit right near me and rub her head against my legs and even jump up a little. Maybe she likes me because I am the one who first held her when we went to Petsmart and I asked to see her or maybe she knows that I worked very hard to have my parents adopt her with several calls to Every Creature Counts. Whatever it is, I'm just glad she likes me...she reminds me a lot of my Tangent and that is a good thing.