Fall Soccer Kick-Off!

Let the games begin - the fall soccer season has started! Adam is playing with the same team he's played with the last 4 years, so these guys are really getting pretty good. This season we got new green jerseys, which I think look very sharp. We also just bought Adam new shoes because (a) he can't wear the ones from last spring; and (b) these are the super cool, side-laced shoes everyone is talking about. They are supposed to be better for kicking! Also, two big changes this season are that we play two-20 minute halves, instead of four-10 minute quarters; plus the addition of a real referee, instead of the coaches. All the parents were laughing saying we were playing in the "big-time" league now! Should be a fun season!

Emily the "Monkey"

Today is the first day that Emily will be in her new room at preschool...the 5's room (aka The Monkey's). Although we told her she's always been a monkey! She was thilled to take her new backpack full of school supplies, and of course, had to wear a pretty dress. Rob and I are thrilled we only have one more year left of daycare payments!

First Day of 3rd Grade

A big hug from little sister!



Here is our big 3rd grader on the first day of school. He was a little nervous this morning, but overall excited to get back to school (and see all his friends!) He got his favorite teacher, Mrs. Robinson, so he was very happy about that. We've heard that 3rd grade is a lot harder than 2nd, especially with homework every night, but he's looking forward to learning multiplication and writing in cursive. I think he's going to have a great year!

Goodbye, old friend......

Today we had to say goodbye to our faithful friend and member of the family, Our Sweet Sophie Lu. Sophie was 14 years and 2 months old. Rob and I were remembering the day we brought her home (in August, 1993) to our condo in Schaumburg. She rode on the front seat in between us all the way from Edwardsville, Illinois. That was a long trip for such a little puppy! Sophie has been through a lot with our family over the years, including being knocked out of "top dog" spot when Adam arrived in 1998 and then again in 2002 when Emily was born. She couldn't believe when we actually brought another one of them home! But she was always concerned as to where they were and what they were doing (and always hung around under their chairs at dinnertime!) One of her favorite things was sitting in the sun in the front yard where she could keep a watchful eye on the kids as they played. She was a great dog and a great friend and she will be missed by our whole family.

June 22, 1993 - August 21, 2007

IL State Fair '07

Here we are waiting for Corbin Bleu!!!

Adam tried sucking on a lemon...and he actually liked it, even though you can't tell from this picture!

Yesterday we took the kids (and Adam's friend, Adrian) to the Illinois State Fair. It was miserably HOT, so we were happy to find whatever little patch of shade we could. Those Lemonade Shake-Ups never tasted so good! Emily rode the Giant Slide for the first time with Daddy, who held on to her pretty tight on the way down. She wasn't too thrilled about the slide, but loved the mini-ferris wheel in Adventure Village. Adam and Adrian had a blast in the bumper cars. Rob got his cheese curds (they were nice and greasy) and the kids and I shared a milkshake. THEN...it was time to make our way to the Grandstand for the concert of the night. We saw Corbin Bleu (from High School Musical), Drake Bell (from Nickleodean's Drake & Josh TV show) and Jordan Pruitt (from the Disney Channel). It was a really great concert, but didn't get over until 10:30. We decided to take the Sky Glide back to the main gate (which I hated every minute of!) and it was midnight when we got home. But, everyone agreed it was another fun day/night at the IL State Fair.

Weekend in Wisconsin

This past weekend we went to Colleen & Aaron's lake house in Salem, Wisconsin. Rob and Colleen's cousin, Lynn and her husband Tim (from Michigan) met us there. Despite the overcast weather, we had a fun time boating, tubing, swimming and chatting the night away. Rob and Tim did really well on the tube, despite Aaron's attempts to flip them off the tube! Emily burst into tears when Rob fell into the water. She didn't want daddy to drown!

Baseball Star

This was Adam's second summer playing in the Southwest Springfield Baseball Association coach-pitch leage. His team was the Giants and they had a really great season. It has been fun watching these guys learn the basics of the game, along with learning how to play as a team. Adam got to play a lot of different positions, but he mostly enjoyed 1st base, 3rd base and catching. Great job this year, Adam - we love you!!

The Powers Family

Since all our friends now have their own blog, I decided to join the crowd and create the Powers Family Blog. This picture of Adam and Emily was taken last weekend in our basement, which we spent the entire month of June remodeling. For those of you who may remember, it had hideous Noah's Ark wallpaper and dark burgundy walls. NO MORE! We painted the fireplace (as you can see in this picture) and replaced the wallpaper with a light cream-colored paint. We even painted one wall RED! My painter boy (aka Rob) did a great job!