Halloween Havoc Tournament

What a weekend we had!  This was a great tournament allowing us some pkaying time against teams we have never played before and the girls did awesome.  The play was a lot more aggressive and tough on them than they're used to but they still made it to the championship game, although a little bruised and worn out!  They even got to play a game under the lights which was very cool.  Our final game was against a team we had played before from Sioux Falls with a mixture of u11 and u12 girls and we have won in the past but it just wasn't meant to be this time.  So excited for our girls to have placed second in the tourney - they played their hearts out!!  The fun thing about it though was that they get to dress up in costumes and they surprised their coach by being Coach Gru and his minions!!!  Super fun.  Now for a couple weeks off to rest up and then on to indoor soccer season!!  :)

We are the Champions!!!

What an amazing group of girls that my daughters get to play soccer with.  At such a young age they have figured out so many things - friendship, teamwork, sportsmanship, and determination.  We had a great tournament weekend and won the championship game in the last minute of double overtime with a score of 1/0!!  I don't think I could have made it through a shoot out!!

All grown up

Wow, where has the time gone??  Today is officially the last day of school for the kids and the last day of work for me!!  :)  I have enjoyed tremendously the ladies I work with and seeing the students every day.  I will admit that I am ready for summer break though!
Kale is now a grade schooler starting 1st grade next year and the girls will officially be middle schoolers (5th grade)!!  I am not sure how they've grown so quickly, but I am sure proud of the amazing people they have become!!  Love these little ones to the moon and back.

Another great tournament

This past weekend we got ro enjoy the first of many soccer tournaments this summer.  We started off with a bang - they were the tournament u10 champions!!!!!  They played awesome - in 5 games they scored 32 points and only allowed 1 point!!  Hopefully the winning streak continues as we get ready for our next tournament June 7-9.  This truly is a great bunch of girls and a coach that really cares for his team - we are blessed to be a part of it.

Our Anabelle played injured (very short amounts of time as could handle and only one half of each game if we thought she could - we see a apecialist tomorrow to find out if she has a fracture in her collarbone or if its the muscle).  Please pray that it's nothing serious as she will be devastated she can't play with the team.  Thank goodness she is a tough cookie - she handles all her obstacles with such strength and determination.  She is definitely special!!

Mothers Day

Ok, so I couldn't get this to send last time so we'll try again!!  Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Another Mother's Day is approaching and I am always reminded of those amazing Mother's around me.  I hope you all have a magnificent day on Sunday!!  I get to be soccer Mom that day and spend the day with my kiddos at a soccer field in Sioux Falls, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way - the joy on their faces reminds me how truly blessed and lucky I am to share those moments with them.  Happy Mother's Day Moms!!!!  We love you all!!

Takin' it back Old School Style!!

Another winter of renovations is upon us and this is one I have dreamed of since we moved in - taking out the white carpet!!!  White is not recommended for those with children!  We have had one too many walk thru's with muddy boots.  When we pulled the carpet back this is what we found.  Pretty sure this is almost identical to what we had growing up in our house!!  The kids aren't thrilled they will have to stare at it for two weeks while I paint and we work on the kitchen but it will be so worth it in the end.  It's slowly becoming the house we envisioned when we bought it - check back with me in 10 yrs!!!!  Hahaha

The new addition

We have said numerous times that we could not go through a puppy for a really long time after the last one, yet what are we doing now????  Yep, a new puppy!!  We are probably crazy, but his dad is the coolest dog ever and we would have been really sad if we wouldn't have done it.  He drives me crazy now and then and the kids have learned if they don't want it chewed on then it better be picked up but Oscar 'Ozzie' is a great addition to this family.  :)

We are the Champions!!!

Hadn't had a chance to post on the girls' soccer tournament in Omaha.  They can now add the word Champion to their team title!!!  So proud of these ladies!!

Just hangin' out

Knee surgery is done, now it's sit still and wait!!  There was more damage than expected so I'm a little more sore and will now have a longer recovery period, but I must say I have the most wonderful husband and kids taking care of me.  I had some bone fragments floating in my knee, cartilage fragments, the mass they removed, and some damage to my knee cap so some grinding needed to be done on that!!  I am doing well though so continue the prayers for a speedy recovery!  At least our kitty is cuddling with me and keeping me company!  :)

Here we go again

Remember the picture of those crutches I posted a little over a year ago??  They are about to get put to good use again.  The growth that was removed from my knee 12 yrs ago has returned so I will go in for surgery later today to remove it once again.  I have what is called PVNS and what it does is creates this rare growth and causes me all kinds of issues - creates brittle cartilage that can lead to all sorts of problems.  I have found out that this is actually a rare disease with no explanation as to why I have it, but I will get to enjoy this the rest of my life.  So, if you could all say a prayer for speedy recovery, that would be excellent!  I don't do well being stuck in one spot for very long!!!!!  Oh, and say a prayer for Chad too - he's in charge for the week while I'm in bed!!!  :)

Socctoberfest Champions!!

Yep, that's right!!!  The girls' U10 team were the Champions!!  It was an amazing Championship game as they played against the team from Kansas City that had beaten them the first game and weren't afraid to flaunt out  loud that they couldn't be beat!  Lets just say it made the win all the more worthwhile to our girls.  The games didn't go without injury in our family.  Ana had her hand kicked by a cleat, then stepped on during the next game (same hand).  We were a little afraid it may have been broken but after a good icing and check from the physical therapist, she was cleared to continue.  Ana then got thrown shoulder first in to the very hard and cold ground the next game - yes she is very aggressive but these teams they played were playing at a whole new level of unsportsmanlike.  She now has an appointment at the chiropractor!!  Mia had some tendinitus flare up really bad in her foot so she got to sit with ice too!!!  Such an amazing group of girls - and definitely an exciting win for them!!

My baby!!

As things happen with Kale, I find myself saying "that is the LAST, first time that will happen with him" and this morning was no exception.  Kale lost his first tooth!!  We had to hunt for it in his bed but it was found and is safely waiting to put under his pillow tonight!  While there is a silent sadness that I will never get that moment again, I am reminded just how truly lucky and blessed I am!!  Someday I can just get excited over my grandchildren's firsts!!!  :)

Nothing but boy

While the rest of us were plucking chickens this is what our little man was doing.  He obviously is much more concerned about getting equipment cleaned up and ready for harvest than doing chickens!   Thanks for cleaning my grain cart buddy!!!!

A little chicken pluckin'!!

As per Fank Family tradition, we butchered chickens again for 2012.  Not exactly MY favorite thing to do, but we are pretty sure it has become Ana's favorite thing to do!!  This is the first year we have tried to get the kids involved in the process, and Ana did just that.  She loved every bit of it.  You will notice that neither of the other two are in the picture - they didn't see the fun in it like Ana did, haha.  Ana helped in the whole process - catching them, chopping the heads off, cleaning them out, etc.  Not sure if we should be ecstatic that there is someone who is ecxited about doing it or if we should be worried that she is so excited to be doing it!!  :)

Back to blogging

SOOOOOOOO, the construction got the best of me and I didn't have time to do any posts, but I am back!! I have missed a lot of things I would have posted on!! For example: I would have wished everyone a Happy Valentine's Day, the Giants won the Super Bowl (wooohooo for Carla!!!), and lots of other fun things. Our internet must run slow enough that it won't allow me to upload any pictures so I will have to find another way to share those with you all. We are super happy to have a wall up for the extra bedroom (now the girls' room) and have Kale in his own room. I think we were ALL ready to get back in to our own beds after camping out in the basement for 2 months. Now I just need to find curtains for the windows and touch up paint from the carpet layers and such, but we're all finally in our own beds and that is the important thing!

Construction

As many of you know, when we moved, we moved in to a home with only 2 bedrooms on the main level because they took a wall out and made two bedrooms in to one huge master bedroom. Needless to say, we have been awaiting the day when we would finally get a wall put up in between Kale and us!! We knew we would wait until after the holidays because we didn't want the mess during that time. So, we are in full swing with demolition in the bedroom and bathroom - making it accessible from our bedroom. Chad and his Dad even got the studs up for the wall that will separate the bedrooms!!

I wish I could share pictures of our progress but our internet must run slow enough that it won't let them upload! I'm sure when it's completed you will know because you'll probably hear our shouts of joy from miles around!!! (Kale, probably not so much!)

The Holidays!

Finally sitting down and going through some pictures so thought I better get caught up!! The holidays were wonderful. The girls are getting to an age where they are starting to want a little more grown up items rather than toys, so it was a much different shopping experience this year!

The kids were very happy to have gotten the big items they had asked Santa for, so Santa did a good job!! Anabelle wanted a guitar - she's been begging for 2 years. Amilia wanted a camera - not just any camera, an aqua-blue colored camera...I can just imagine the hard time Santa had finding that one!!!!! And Kale wanted a blue DSi game system with a Super Mario Bros. game.

As always, the holidays go too quickly and we feel the time with our family is short. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and memorable 2012!!!

Multipurpose Birdbath!!

Who says that birdbaths are only for the birds!!!??? They obviously can be made in to the perfect sitting area
for 5 yr old little boys who are hanging out with the kitty's!!

The Halloween that wasn't...

We may not have gotten to go to town and trick-or-treat because of the girls' final soccer tournament of the fall in Council Bluffs, but that doesn't mean we don't get dressed up!!!!!!!!

"My favorite love"

I coud go on and on with reasons why my children are the greatest joys of my life...and every once in a while, they do something that reminds exactly why I feel that way.

Kale is normally right by my side at almost every single moment of the day, but yesterday I needed to be in the field all day and I wanted him to stay inside because of he's been horribly congested. So when we finally reunited later in the evening, he made sure to make up for long lost time giving me lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggle time. As I was putting him to bed, he gave me the biggest hug ever and said "Mom, I need a kiss", so I gave him a kiss and he whispered, "You're my favorite love, Mommy". Love that little boy!!!!!