marching season 2016…
Posted on January 9, 2017
2016, Mikayla’s final marching band season!! for days I have been gathering photos & videos from this past marching season & I think I am finally ready to put them all together. I am only missing a few videos from early practices that I lost when my phone died on me. oh well, not going to stress about the few videos I lost because I was there, I really was. ha.
i completely did not realize how emotional i was going to be to see Mikayla march thru her final high school marching band season. i cried so much this season it is a little embarrassing. but, it has been such a huge part of her life & her growth, which means it has also been a huge part of my life. one thing I never knew about being a parent until I became one is that their success is your success, their failures are your failures, all of it.
i am just so thankful that Mikayla had this band, to push her & give her the best, most amazing high school experience & of course, her, maisy & juma have been together since the beginning. what a great thing to watch, those three flourishing & their friendships grow & they met all because of this band.
anyway, it was an emotional few months, knowing that it was a last. every thing that happened, it was a last of something & that is emotional…
they ended up taking second in state this year!!! which is amazing!!
what a memorable final marching season. memories that will last these kids (and us parents) for a lifetime…
final band camp. July, 2016…
Sophia & I had a blast being water girls…
every year we have our “reveal concert” where we get to hear the show music & see what they have learned of the show so far. it always amazes me how much of their show they can learn in this one week. thru the years i also realized that what you see reveal night is probably nothing like what you will see at their final show of the season. throughout their season the show is always changing, they are making tweaks here & there up until their final practice the night before their state competition…
final end of band camp round up…
a few weeks after band camp they have their annual all day practice, the show gets changed & tweaked & perfected & changed some more all in this one day. it is supposed to be 10 hours of practice this one day but it usually ends up being kids getting to the school at 7 am & getting home about 10 pm. it is a long day. Sophia & i always head up to the school about 8 pm, that is when they start their full run thrus of the show after their long day of practice…
and a few videos of this evening…
after this long Saturday, the next Saturday is my favorite of all of our band days… the march a thon. a fundraiser for the band where they walk in about an 8 mile radius around millard west, like their own amazing parade, doing lawn concerts along the way to raise money. it is just such a fun day…
after the march a thon starts football season where the band performs at home game half times & of course in the stands during the game. I have no idea what happened in any of the football games I went to in the last four years, I was only there for the band…
and competition season begins…
this first video is their first full performance in competition, watch this one, then at the end I will post their final competition performance before state, it is amazing how different they are. it is amazing to see their improvement in such a short period of time. what an amazing show this year wildcat band!!
performance wildcat marching classis competition…
and, I am sorry for the shaky videos & my screaming throughout the videos in this post. I am there & I want to be present but I also want these photos & videos to look back on of these moments so, they are not perfect!
mid season practices…
love these photos of my girls celebrating the first place finish of the millard west band at the elkhorn marching band contest…
these are the days.
Mikayla was nominated homecoming queen this year so we got to walk her out onto the field during half time at the homecoming football game. one of her best friends, who is also in the band won homecoming queen & it was so awesome to see them both be nominated this year & to have Juma keep it in the band fam!!!
and at the final home game of the season it is senior night, where all of the seniors in the band are recognized & are walked out onto the field with their parents. so emotional to see all of these kids saying good bye to something that they love so much.
all of the graduating seniors…
and then their final practice of the season the night before their state marching band tournament. the final practice ever for these seniors & us parents.
bittersweet moments for sure…
and my favorite part of the show, the bridge. a beautiful piece of music that will probably always make me cry every time I hear it. this was their final time practicing it & it was emotional…
and of course, state marching band competition, where they came in second. loved having so many people there to cheer Mikayla on…
last walk off the field…
they did amazing.
this year after state Mikayla had some friends over for a little bonfire to celebrate their awesome season…
full show from their final performance before state, their state performance was even better, the best all year but I couldn’t record there.
love this show. loved this season…
what an amazing year!!
the week after state is the band honors night. where, of course there are tributes to the seniors in the band all over the place…
and that’s a wrap.
I loved watching Mikayla grow thru her years in the band. I loved watching her work hard with this group of kids that are all of her friends, I loved watching them work together & push each other to keep going.
I can not write a post about Mikayla’s final year in marching band without mentioning the friendships she has made with some amazing people.
her, maisy & juma were inseperable their entire 4 years in this band & throughout high school & I believe they will be friends for a long time to come. Mikayla could not have picked more amazing people to surround herself with…
I am so proud of all of the hard work you put in these past 4 years Mikayla.
I am proud of all of the life lessons you learned along the way.
thank you for the amazing memories Millard West marching band.
1-8-17
Posted on January 8, 2017
I have been wanting to get Sophia a doll house for a while now but they are sooooo expensive. we set out the other day to stop at some thrift stores to try & find a book case or something that we could make into a doll house. we walked in to the first goodwill & saw this house sitting there!!! oh my gosh, we were so excited! it was attached to a weird big toy box that we knew we weren’t going to use so I asked the guy if I could just rip the house part off. ha. he didn’t care & I ripped the top off & we came home with our 9$ dollhouse!! it was painted orange & black so we just had to slap on a coat of white paint, we added some wall paper & cant wait to add more fun stuff to it. we went to hobby lobby to look at furniture but again, why is doll house stuff so expensive? grammy got Sophia a cute little crib & dresser for the babies room, we got a chair & a few things to make some tables for the house which we made today & I think they came out so cute, Sophia just has to paint them now & we just need to find a little shelf or something to add as a base for the house. honestly, I don’t know who is more excited about this silly dollhouse, me, Sophia or Mikayla?? ha.
of course, we had to add some lights to it…
I think we are going to have some fun playing with this house!
1-7-17
Posted on January 7, 2017
Mikayla finishing up her college scholarship applications!! so proud of her for getting these all done & submitted on time. changes are around the corner for her & our entire little family unit. I am so excited for her but of course feeling nostalgic & a little selfishly sad, that these days have to end…
and a little ipad before bed for this one…
January 6, 2017…
Posted on January 6, 2017
another cold, cold day.
we managed to find a few pretty pockets of light & for dinner, Sophia’s favorite, homemade pizza…
loving this photo a day challenge, especially when we aren’t doing anything particularly exciting, looking for creative ways to document our everyday.
the beggining of 2017…
Posted on January 5, 2017
beginnings….
so, this year I have committed to trying to take a photo a day. a 365 day project. ok, so technically I decided on January 4th. to do this project so I guess it is a 361 day project but close enough. ha. but seriously, I am looking forward to making this project happen, even on the days where I am uninspired or tired, my plan is to follow thru with one photo of our everyday. I’m excited!
January 1-5, 2017
beginning the year with cold, cold weather so we are looking for all sorts of stuff to keep ourselves busy.
I am finally feeling more like myself after having surgery three weeks ago so it feels good to be able to do more of these little things with miss Sophia again. just trying to balance letting myself heal & getting back into doing more of my favorite things with my girlie, these things…
yogurt, ipad, coloring, stickers & alphabet practice at breakfast. of course some jumping on the bed always makes us smile. a little pretzel snack. setting up shopkins town & of course Barbie had to get her hair done.
simple, perfect, chaotic, messy, fun, quiet moments at the beginning of a new year.
nothing better.
2016…
Posted on January 4, 2017
you know that feeling, when you know you are dreaming, the best dream & you can feel yourself beginning to wake & you don’t want to have to leave this beautiful dream. you close your eyes real tight & try to will yourself back into that time & place of your dream.
yep, that one.
usually those dreams I am with people that are only in my dreams now, in a familiar place & even in my dream I can smell that familiar smell & feel that we are someplace familiar.
I feel myself beginning to feel this way in real life. like, I know this moment is going to end, this time will end, over & over again & that moment will now only exist in my memory & someday this moment may be that dream that I dream that I never want to wake from.
all of those moments in the past that I thought my memory would never fail me on. I thought all of those moments would be so clear forever. but, there are just too many to completely remember them all. the small things from my own childhood & from my baby’s being born & growing.
I didn’t write throughout 2016 like I usually do. little stories about simple, ordinary moments here at home, the moments that I know mean the most to me & I am certain will mean the most to me in the future. it is ok, not going to beat myself up over the fact that I didn’t write it all down this year but by not writing it, I remember how important it is to me to have those little stories. the proof that i was there, we were there & it meant something.
i love putting these year end videos together, all of these tiny, small, seemingly insignificant moments all strung together to paint the picture of our lives together. like a dream i never want to wake from….
here is to more moments in 2017…
at the park…
Posted on October 3, 2016
just a visit to the park this afternoon 10-3-16
trying to remember to take more video, obviously still learning but, having fun doing it.
just trying to capture her little movements, the way she puts her front teeth out, her hair in the wind, her arms & the way she moves them.
of course still photographs are my favorite but the way the video streams together all of her little movements & her mannerisms & her spirit, I just love it & when she is grown I bet I will love these videos even more.
love you my sweet girl…
missing moments. march thru may 2016
Posted on August 30, 2016
little bits & huge moments in our lives. sometimes I want to write it all down, other times all I can do is just try to keep up with life. looking back now, there are so many little & big moments missing from this blog, from the record of our daily lives. this space, it holds everything I hold close in my heart & when I look back I hate to see the missing pieces. so, here they are…
March 8. meeting my mom & brother, Rocky at starbucks to have a little birthday celebration.
an early March, still kind of cool walk thru Chalco lake with my super girls…
the evening of March 9th…
this day Jarred & I had gone to the hospital to say good bye to my Grandpa Gomez. I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to see him laying in that hospital bed, but my dad called me & asked me to come see him. I am so very thankful to my dad for that phone call. it meant so much to me to be able to say good bye. our family has been hurt so badly by sudden, unexpected death & to me, to be able to see my grandpa live out a long, amazing, full, inspired life & get the chance to tell him one more time how much I love him, that was special. my grandma was there of course, sitting in a room, waiting for the procedure to begin that would end my grandpa’s pain. she was of course heartbroken but jarred & I sat with her for quite awhile & just talked. she seemed very much in charge. she wanted to know exactly what was happening & when. my dad & uncles kept coming in giving her updates, juice, water, hugs & a few jokes. this woman in incredible. I asked her if she wanted to maybe leave to get some rest. I will never forget it, she looked at me & said “NO. I had the first dance, I will have the last”
I will never forget those words. ever…
March 14. the day of my grandpa’s funeral. it was beautiful & heart breaking & this man has left a legacy & a life story that most people cant even imagine. we love you grandpa…
March 16, 2016. a little girls trip to Lincoln to the natural history museum. Sophia has been infatuated with dinosaurs for awhile now so we thought it would be cool for her to go see some real dinosaur bones. her reaction did not dissapoint. love this girl & love her love for life & learning & our little adventures…
just reading books with her most favoritest, bestest big sister ever…
march 26, easter… first of all I cant believe that easter is getting put into a post about moments I didn’t put here on the blog because, easter is my favorite. always has been & now as an adult passing those traditions is so important to me. the promise of a new beginning, a resurrection, a blooming of spring, new life. I love it all. our night that we dye our easter eggs is always easter eve & after the ‘easter bunny’ hides them throughout the house. it has been that way since I was a little girl, as long as I can remember & I love that now my kids can say the same. it is a little weird though, this year it was just shane, Sophia & I, Mikayla had to work & jarred did too probably but he had moved out in January of 2016, so his easter eve dying eggs are probably over until he is married with kids of his own…
easter morning, all of our baskets & our easter egg hunt in the house. this year we only left one un-found egg out in the house for about a week. ha.
the easter bunny was at church…
off to grammy mary & artie’s for easter dinner. these photos to me are proof that the photos before the photos are usually the best. I love that thru it all our family has found a way to keep our ties strong. to be there for eachother no matter how our family has changed. love them to pieces. they make me feel lucky.
an unseasonably warm, end of march day spent at the park with my girl & lexi, our little neighbor girl that Sophia loves so so much…
end of march. riding bikes with daddy up & down our street, over & over & over & over. she was in heaven…
April, rainy day shenanigans. basketball in the house & charging me 20 cents to get into my own living room…
I have to write this down. it may seem like nothing but it really is everything. this girl of mine, she lays out her clothes just like this every night. she calls it getting her morning clothes ready. love her sweet little actions & the things she thinks of & yes, I walked into her room this evening & found her clothes just like this. laid out so perfectly. love her…
Sophia started dance in April!! she loves it. this girl feels the music & I love the watch her dance. at home & in class…
after her first dance class we went to the dance store to get the leotard & skirt she needed & to get her fitted for shoes & my mama heart almost exploded. she has been on break from dance for the summer but she starts back September 7th. & I am so excited!!
some day in april, mini golfing with my girls. let’s just say, we will not be going mini golf professional any time soon & oh my word!!! this just might be the most competitive bunch of putt putters I have ever played with. hahaha.
my favorite part. Sophia pouting because she wasn’t winning & alex & Sophia searching in the bushes for alex’s ball. haha. cuties…
Sophia’s next dance class. she got all of her gear & even better, her cousin Nova started classes with her!!! little sweeties…
May, 11. just walking in the field up from the house in her new sparkly birthday dress that her meme & papa got her. it is now August, 3 months later & she wears this dress still every chance she gets…
the day after her 5th birthday getting her 5 year physical. healthy!!
just a day in may, playing in the shadows in the hallway & our favorite these days, playing cards…
May 21. one of my dearest friends Mary & her husband happened to be in town for work. I couldn’t believe it when I found out she was here. we hadn’t seen each other in almost 13 years! I was actually nervous on the drive over to their hotel. but, of course, as soon as I saw her & gave her a hug, it was like we never had been apart. but seriously, how do you really catch up on so much life with someone that you used to see every day? so, so much life had happened to us both. happy & sad & tragic & love & loss & growth & mundane. all of it. but, talking to her reminded me why I love her in the first place. because she is still one of the strongest, thoughtful, fiercely loyal, protective, bad ass women I will ever know. I cant wait to see her again…
later that night was my niece Jenna’s high school graduation party. her mom is my cousin but I don’t know, I guess I have just always thought of her as my niece.
the next day was my niece Alex’s high school graduation party. honestly, I don’t even have words for that.
May 23. meeting grammy after her last day of preschool at Harvey oaks elementary for some treats & hugs…
swim day with the girls…
May 28th. my beautiful niece graduated high school. this. this was truly an emotional day. because I was just so proud of her but also because I know what a struggle it was for her, to go thru this moment without her daddy sitting there, with us, cheering her on. I know that he is so very proud of this beautiful, beautiful, thoughtful, woman…
after the ceremony we gathered at our house for a little cake & homemade ice-cream (thank you grammy!!!) & to watch the video I had made for alex for her graduation.
and of course some sunset pictures up in the field…
so, I cried the whole time I made this video, for obvious reasons. we miss him so much but day by day we relearn that we have to keep going. we have to laugh & we have to keep moving forward. I relearn every day that that does not mean he is forgotten, in any way. it means we are still alive. we are here & we are going to live every second to its fullest. squeeze every last drop out of every moment. tell our loved ones how much we love them every chance we get.
Alex picked the music, she gave me a USB with the pictures she wanted in her video. she even had a file telling me what grouping she wanted the photos in. I love that she cared so much about this video. I love that she will always have it to look back at when she needs to.
I love you so much my sweet niece…
we keep moving forward…
so that is the most of it. our lives march to may, 2016.
last days of summer…
Posted on August 24, 2016
here we are, already at the end of august. summer is such a fleeting, fast season. Jarred is living on his own, out of our house. Mikayla is back at school for her senior year. Sophia was the age to begin kindergarten this year but we decided to wait one more year & in the meantime I am home schooling her. so far, it is fulfilling, frustrating, terrifying, rewarding, hysterical, all of the above.
I don’t have any idea what I am doing, but I am doing it anyway. reminds me of life really.
these times, with my girl. they are my heart. I look at this little being in front of me. looking to us to show her what the world is all about. I remember little jarred looking at me the same way & later Mikayla too.
there are so many seasons in life. as this season of summer ends & we head into fall & because I seem to always be over sentimental & overly “in my head” about every little thing, I cant help but feel emotional.
I have made so many mistakes. as a human, a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter. but, I also know that I have always done the best that I could at the time.
I just want peace. in my heart. in my mind. in my kids’ lives. in their hearts. even when they are not with us, I hope they truly know & find peace in where they come from. that they are loved & supported, even thru the struggles. it is so hard to not be consumed by the negative & sadness.
I feel like all I want to hold onto is hope.
I feel like sometimes I am distracted & I don’t want to be. I want to be present for all of these firsts with Sophia & these lasts with Mikayla.
this sweet little girl gives me hope. hope that I can be better.
so, I am embracing this season in our lives. we will all be ok. we will make it. we will have bad days & great days & everything in between & I know that they all come together to create our history.
and really, there are no other people on the planet that I would want to be creating this history with…
our girl is 17…
Posted on August 16, 2016
I know. it is august, but back in April our beautiful girl turned 17. 17!!!!!
a few nights before her birthday we set out for our annual “birthday photo shoot” I don’t know if we can ever top ’16’, those balloons & those gorgeous trees but this year, I think we did pretty good too. party hats, 17, epic skies & silhouettes…
we left, went for some ice cream, we were driving home & the sky was on fire. so, we went back…
the day of her birthday she got home from school. we opened presents & left for dinner with meme & papa at one of her favorite places… after dinner we went back to meme & papa’s for some cake, candles & ice cream. meme had made the most beautiful & yummy strawberry cake!!
but while she was at school I had to decorate her car a little bit…
this year for her friend birthday party, which thankfully we decided to still do, we ran around town, dancing in their prom dresses. we made an awesome video which I already posted but I better post it again here. just because I LOVE it so much!! seriously, the cutest & I will say it again, Mikayla has the best friends!
the epic video…
happy happy birthday Mikayla.
birthdays have always been so important to me to celebrate. this is the day that you were born. the day that you became part of this world. the day that you were given this chance at life.
and to see you grab every second of it & make the most of it. that makes my heart happy.
to see how you laugh & you cry & you love & you hurt, all with everything inside of you. I love you so much for this. you don’t hold anything back & I love you so much for this.
you were given this life on April 22, 1999 & to watch you live it so fully, to not take any of it for granted. all I can say is, yes. yes. yes.
happy birthday.
love you to the moon & back.
The Sophia Chronicles 