Summer is officially over ... First day of school pictures

So, for most of my life the day school starts in August basically means that summer is officially over ... I hate it! But love it! I hate the nice summer days leaving and the long days getting shorter, but I love the cooler evenings and promise that a new school year brings. I love the force of a strict schedule and the kids having to be accountable! I also don't love the strict schedule. Sometimes it is nice to just be free...

So I have an 8th grader, she is beautiful and fun and happy and incredibly intelligent. She is a leader, although she doesn't like that, she is a perfect 'suck-up' which the teachers love! She is also a worry wort, an over analyzer and overly cautious, and too many times a perfectionist. I'm not really sure those are all positive attributes.

I told her that this could be her 'official' first day of school picture because the school had her wear a different outfit on the real first day of school.

And I also have a 5th grader... This guy doesn't care too much about what he wears, as long as it is comfortable and not too warm. He is very thoughtful, always helpful, also incredibly smart as well as a quick learner. He doesn't have 'time to learn things two or three times, just tell me once.' This doesn't work too well for the not so fast learners in the class. If you asked Tyler he would rather not be in school, he can find many other things to do...

This is the second outfit of the day, that kinda matched.

 

Maybe my new favorite picture of the kids.

 

Supposed to be summer updates ... in the middle of summer ... oops!

So ... as I logged in this morning to post about the first day of school ... I realized I never posted this... I'll leave it just like it was ...

 

So here are some summer updates ... So far, life has been crazy! Tyler did a fantastic soccer camp, Brooke attended the Joffrey Ballet Intensive for 2 weeks and attended a Master Class from the American Ballet Theater. We finally have 2 weeks off before things start up again ...

 

Tyler, tried out for and made a competitive soccer team, he is excited to start and is trying to stay in running shape so he doesn't 'die' when practice starts up. He has decided that baseball was fun, but he is going to focus on soccer for the fall and then do both sports in the spring... Not really sure how I get myself into these situations, but the kids are only young once right?

 

Tyler's new soccer team ... I don't think he misses his old coaches at all!

 

 

Brooke has danced most of June away and is now enjoying a break. Below you will find one of her solo dances from last year ... It is a Bollywood style dance, which is a form of dance from India, she completely stepped outside of her comfort zone and had so much fun learning, practicing and laughing with the teacher and the song and everything. Brooke has been offered a position on a pre-professional ballet track without an audition, she has decided she will probably turn down the offer as she thinks a little jazz or hip hop every now and again would be nice. So the steps so far for next season are very up in the air!

    

This is Brooke's Bollywood solo at the last competition of the season...

 

One of Brooke's teachers from the Joffrey intensive ... I haven't seen her this happy in a long time

 

Also, in June the kids did the Tough as Nails Run, with some friends ... I'm super jealous as I wasn't able to run it because of some injuries I've been dealing with.

 

All clean before the race

 

Kinda dirty afterwards, but we are 'tough as nails'

 

The creek crossing... Probably their most unfavorite ... but talked about the most..

10 Things Being a Dance Mom Has Taught Me...

As we hit a crossroads in our world, I'm deciding to take a moment to reflect... Brooke is debating and thinking strongly about moving in a different direction with dance. She is wanting to perform a bit more and compete a bit less ... and so in my moment of reflection I've decided to make a list to what being a dance mom has taught me.

1) There really are tons and tons of parents out there trying to relive their childhood dreams through their kids... Some hide it well but most do not. It has been reinforced that I don't like that in a person. I don't like the attitude that it is always someone that didn't allow you to get the score you wanted. I don't like the attitude of people not realizing there is always something/someone better out there. I have tried to teach my child ... there will always be a dancer that has more experience or learns faster or can do more or likes a different style. It is ok and it helps define who we are and sometimes pushes us just a bit more to try harder ... When parents get involved is typically when I see the excuses coming out or the kids upset because of teachers or other kids or whatever. Being the mom that played softball and soccer and know nothing about dance, could I tell who is the problem or what they are doing wrong? Sometimes ... but none of us are perfect and shouldn't we all just worry about ourselves?

2) Some kids are so competitive and mean it just is enough to make me crazy. In the running world we are usually helpful and nice and encouraging to each other, offering assistance whenever possible. In the dancing world many kids are the ones saying 'I'm going to beat you, you aren't any good, I'm not sure why you are even here.' I would much rather hear 'I saw you having trouble, lets work together and see if I can help.' At the end of the day what good does the negative attitude get you? I understand that usually these kids that act like this are trying to over compensate for issues they have, but it doesn't help anything...

3) My daughter being around the older kids a bunch has made me explain things a whole lot sooner than I ever thought I would have to do... I'm not impressed ... But at least most of that conversation has been done.

4) I have been exposed to some of the best music... The radio does not do justice to all the 'not as well known' singers out there and dance has forced me to listen and encouraged me to find a bunch more music than I even knew existed. For this I'm thankful.

5) Dance has made Brooke mature faster and given her a work ethic I only dreamed of as a child. I have enjoyed watching Brooke have a goal, meet a goal and repeat for the better part of 10 years now and I think the work ethic that goes along with the dedication will serve her well when she gets older. If only dance would now give her the confidence she needs to go along with that work ethic she will be able conquer mountains.

6) Like every other industry out there, I have discovered that dance is still all in who you know. It makes me sad that people don't look outside of their group for talent, but at the end of the day it makes it so much easier to 'know' a bunch of people.

7) Dance has taught me how to rhinestone costumes. A skill I never wanted and will probably never use again, but you could possibly say I'm a professional.

8) Dance has made me be able to have a 'pep talk' at the drop of a hat ... No thought process needed ... I'm not sure I'm in love with this skill either but pep talks are needed far more often with dance than any other team sport that I have been apart of. Brooke is totally capable of seeing through the 'crap' that some parents can get by with so the pep talks I have had to come up with tend to have to include the truth ... ALWAYS ... That makes everything a bit more difficult.

9) Some of the friends that Brooke has made, being at the dance studio for so many hours every week will be life long friends. It is true that when you hang out with the same person day after day after day that you are friends, no matter what and sometimes, those people turn into your closest friends... they know you so well... I have also met some of the best parents along the way who have helped me to become a much better mom/person and are available anytime I'm in need a mom101 lesson... Maybe that was the lesson all along. To prove to me that it takes a village!

This is how dancers put on their makeup ... holding the mirror with their feet a friends to 'prop' them up!

And there is always time to goof around, in the lockers ...

10) Finally, at the end of it all ... teachers can make or break a student. Don't get me wrong, every teacher I have met always has great intentions but sometimes those original intentions get lost along the way ... When the good intentions are lost then the student flounders, when the student flounders it is really hard for them to make decisions because one decision can hurt feelings and the other decision can hurt the students potential ... All very difficult for children to figure out and even more difficult for teachers to support or even understand. 

This is Brooke, stepping out of her comfort zone, with her teacher from India, Michael ...

All in all, dance has been an incredible learning experience for the whole family. Coming from a family of non dancers I was in pure shock when this roller coaster started. I have confidence that Brooke will continue dancing. She has taken off the better part of 2 weeks and misses the activity on her body, the friends and the art, the fun of trying new things. However, she doesn't miss the drama, the last minute details, the pressure and chaos or the suspense of hoping there is a good teacher available to teach.

As a mom I hope Brooke continues to perform, she is at the point now where she is beautiful to watch, and you can tell when she is dancing how happy she is. As a mom I hope Brooke realizes her talent and takes advantage of it, but I just want her to be happy

Christmas Letter 2015

So, I finally mailed out my Christmas cards, again without a letter... I just get the impression that not everyone loves the letter and to save a few trees ... we will just do this electronically.

I'm not really sure where to start... 2015 has been a positive year at the Krapes house. Don't get me wrong, there are always a few bumps along the way. But all in all we are all still happy, healthy and always looking for a new adventure. In  January we started the year with a trip to Cancun with my sister and my parents. I always love relaxing vacations. I could get used to days of sitting by the pool with a good book to read. I know it can't last forever, so I try to enjoy it all while I can. Brooke, Tyler and Cali had tons of fun on the beach, building sand creations and playing in the water. In May Brooke and I went to Washington D.C with a school trip. Never being in that area before it was a great experience for both of us. Traveling with 25 5th and 6th graders is an interesting proposition. So when it is Tyler's turn, I think Lou will be going. In June we went to Long Beach California for Dance Nationals. The dance team did fantastic, and for the most part the trip was great. I'm not sure it is a place that I would go back to... In August, we did a little weekend trip to Beavercreek, we biked and hiked a little, along with some other fun activities. We let the kids swim and played board games. In September, we went with the Carey's to Snowmass and did the Tough Mudder. I'm positive that I'll talk about that adventure more ... And then in November we spent a few days in Steamboat, again with my parents and my sister. As far as mountain towns go, that one is by far my favorite. The kids went sledding, we watched people ski... It was great. Lou even mentioned that maybe he would like to ski / snowboard one day.

Tyler ... He is our guy that doesn't ask for a lot, but when he finally mentions something, that means he really wants it. He is always up for a new adventure, especially when sports are involved. He went snowmobiling with my parents a few times and decided that he really likes that, he doesn't even mind having to get up early. Academically, Tyler has continued to keep us on our toes, meaning that I'm always checking in with the school to see if there is progress.. The start of 4th grade has been fantastic, the teacher was motivating Tyler and he was happy to go to school. Well, life unfortunately happens, weather we like it or not and Tyler's teacher is moving to another state. We are all incredibly sad to see her go. Lucky for me (and Tyler) I was selected to be on the hiring committee and her replacement is a very positive person. So hopefully, we will still see good things. Tyler played soccer in the spring, he ran track in the summer and in the fall he played both baseball and soccer. That was a bit of a challenge for us logistically but Tyler couldn't have been happier. The things we do as parents, right? But I'm enjoying all of this now because some day, they may not like me as much as they do right now. Tyler also accompanied Grammie to St. Louis for a wedding in October. He had a great time and it was good for him to help out with responsibilities, giving directions and such without mom and dad there. And he was able to see the St. Louis Zoo and meet lots and lots of family that he didn't know he had.

We had a fantastic photographer for the soccer games...

Brooke ... She is the one that always has to be doing something... I wonder where she gets this from? Brooke 'continued' from 6th grade into middle school this year. At first I'm not so sure she loved it, but now that all the teachers think that Brooke is great, things are much much better. 6th grade ended well for Brooke, they went to Outdoor Lab, the school takes the entire class to the mountains for a week, with no contact with their parents or outside world really and they have to figure it out... Brooke had a fantastic time and said she is going back as a high school leader. Dance went well for Brooke this last season, but she has decided that she wants to change her focus, instead of always competing. She wants to perform and she would like it to be in Ballet performances. We started this season to compete so we will finish that but we have also looked into some other opportunities for the Ballet opportunities to come, so we will see where that takes us. Brooke's maturity level has increased as well, I don't have to go to school or dance anymore to have conversations with instructors or teachers, she has taken over that job... Thank goodness! As always, academically she is doing fantastic... she tells me she wants to have better grades than I did... That doesn't leave her much room for messing around. I'm proud of her motivation, and somehow she still manages to make time for her friends, for dance and school. Hopefully she can continue to balance it all for awhile longer.

 

Since Brooke turned 12 in March, she was able to get her first pair of pointe shoes... This girl was so happy! Until she realized how much work it is...

 

Lou ... Lou's tenure as the PTA vice president has officially come to an end. I think that as a family we are so happy to have him more a bit more... that might only be for 10 extra minutes but he isn't complaining about things going on anymore. That is exciting. He still is doing some tasks for the school, but nothing that he has to be there for hours and hours anymore. Some things happened in town with the industry Lou works in, which in turn has made him very busy. At the end of the day it is a good thing, but the day to day agony of dealing with customers who are pushy and needy is taxing and something that Lou has had to learn how to balance. Lou is the coach of Tyler's soccer team, and we found out just this week that he has been picked as the Real Edge Soccer U9-U18 Boys coach of the year. At first we thought this was a bit of a joke, because coaching 10 year old boys is an incredible struggle... but turns out it is kind of a big deal. We will find out in January if he will be the Colorado State Coach of the Year. In typical Lou fashion he says that it isn't him, it is all the help he gets from me and Tommy and David ... but Brooke reminded him that he was the one that puts it all together. I'm proud of him and strive to be more positive and happy and giving like Lou on a daily basis... maybe someday. Lou also did the Tough Mudder in September, his training was no where near as many hours as I put in, but of course, he makes it all look easy. In my world that is incredibly frustrating, but I'm also happy that he is almost always up for something new and challenging.

 

 

As for me ... I continue to work ... kind of a lot ... Bringing the Arctic Dealership into work has made my job both a bit more challenging but also a bit more fun. We have a new energy at work that, most of the time, makes things fun. All of us always have something to do, and some of us always feel like we are days, if not months behind. I try to be involved at school, but it isn't like it used to be. Luckily, both the kids have been able to take care of themselves. I'm still organizing runs for the Arvada Running Club. I'm certainly happy that they are so patient with me, because sometimes it all turns out to be a super last minute proposition. This year I have taken on some challenges with the running situation. As of this morning I have 24 miles to go, to hit the goal of running 700 miles in the year, for some people that isn't that many, but for me it is the most I have ever done... Believe me when I say I'm counting down every mile, but I also believe it is all within reach now. I picked up a Burpee challenge in September with a friend of doing 50 burpees everyday for 100 days. It has been difficult and burprees really aren't that fun, so I think after December 23rd I will be taking a break from those. I also, organized a running club at the elementary school for the kids and they ran a local 5K with the Olympic runner Frank Shorter. It was a great time for the kids, so I will be organizing the club again. It is so fantastic to see the kids when they are able to do something they always thought was so hard. I had one mom in tears because her son was so happy. That day made it all worth the headaches and hours of planning and the days when the kids were a bit out of hand. Hopefully, I'm able to recruit Brooke and some of her friends to help out. For this next round.

 

This is after our Tough Mudder Adventure.... at least we are all smiling!

 

 

All in all we have been very fortunate in 2015 ... we wish you and your family an incredibly happy new year...

Fall Updates

Look, here I am ... Almost December and almost time for my annual Christmas letter deciding that it is time for an update... I'm not sure that makes much sense to anyone, but oh well.

One of my best running buddies ... who got me into the whole running challenge in the first place. At the start of the Hot Chocolate 5K!

Update, the running challenge is happening. Our team met our goal of 2015 miles in September I believe, but my 700 miles is still not met yet. As of this morning I have 84 miles before I meet that goal, or an average of 17 miles per week for the rest of the year. I think I can, I think I can. Who am I kidding? This has been so much harder than I thought it was going to be. There are so many days when my motivation is so low that I end up walking. At least it is something, but goodness. And there have been days when my quad hurts or my foot hurts, or my brain is tired or it is cold or whatever. I haven't come up with this many excuses since I started running 8 years ago. At the end of the day I know this is helping me, if nothing else than just my brain power. I also joined a friend to do this burpee challenge. 100 Burpees (or in my case 50) every day for 100 days. I think I have about 35 days left. And although burpees are getting easier I have decided I don't love them, I haven't learned to even like them at all. So I guess maybe in some way I'm getting stronger but its like an ugly black cloud every day, like I finish the 50 and then 20 minutes later I remember I'm going to have to do it again tomorrow...

Lou and I did the Tough Mudder again in September with some friends ... I was just coming off an injury, not trained well for the hills at all and some of the new obstacles were tough for me mentally. I fell on the Monkey Bars this year, like close to the beginning so that messed me up. There was a new one with like 'gas' type substance that was rough also. I didn't admit it during the race, but my hip injury hurt most of the race... As a team we were probably a bit slower than last year but they changed the course so we aren't really comparing apples to apples. And all of us had some type of injury. At the end its all good, we finished, we made some great memories and took some fun pictures.

The Carey's and Lou and I with all our mud and headbands.

 

After we had showered ... my new favorite picture of us.

 

Work as smoothed out a little, or maybe I'm just used to busy (however, I'm taking time to write this blog right now). Mostly work is positive, but there are days when I just want to crawl into a dungeon and hide because there is just so many things that can go wrong. Lou's job has been incredibly busy as well. He comes home every night (some days later than others but never before 7) just saying how busy it is and how difficult it is to keep things straight. Having been through it a year ago I understand completely. They will figure it out but I'm sure there will be some tempers flare along the way.

Tyler played baseball during the fall and enjoyed it immensely. So much that he was able to convince me to let him play both soccer and baseball in the spring again. I guess keeping him active his good. Less time for him to figure out trouble...

Tyler's baseball team

At Batting Practice

Brooke has just been dancing... She started middle school and after she had all the teachers on her side she was good to go... No need for mom anymore (except on that 5 min walk after her and her friends part ways). Brooke did also run the Hot Chocolate 5K with her friend and had a great time! She even had me sign her up for next year.

Brooke and Ciara after the Hot Chocolate Race enjoying their snacks!

Fun at dance ... funny how they all think alike, wearing black and pink!

Maybe she still likes me ;)

Brooke and Tyler after the mini mudder!

Midyear updates

Well I guess writing can be a form of therapy ... that would mean that you actually write down your thoughts and go back and reread them. I understand that it can be a form of therapy, like look how far I've come or remember when... Well, here is to someday right?

Since the last post, upwards of 7 months ago many things have happened. Of course, Brooke has danced, Tyler has played soccer... Lou and I have argued with schools, I have run and signed myself up for crazy challenges again. Lou has officially ended his term as Vice President of the PTA. Lou and I signed up for the Tough Mudder again, the kids signed up for the Mini-Mudder ... They are super excited for that. 

So the Challenge that I have accepted for 2015 is to run 2015 miles with a team. Luckily, I have fantastic team mates that are keeping the team going. My mileage at the beginning of the year was rather lame and I was super stressed about the situation because secretly I had set a goal that I was going to run at least 700 of those miles. We 35 miles in January and 35 miles in February is pretty sad ... But I have stepped up my game and now I'm much closer to where I need to be... I haven't totally made it up yet but I'm close. Right now I sit at 370 miles. I was kinda hoping to get to 400 by the end of July but 30 miles in 8 days is probably not going to happen. Anyway, this challenge has given me motivation to keep running every week... You see I haven't really signed up for many races and no long distance races so I really didn't have a reason to get out of the house or go further than 3-5 miles. Since Lou has decided he would start running with me a little bit it has been much easier and motivating to get out of the house, however, he is forcing me to run much much faster. I've always said I don't do tempo runs because I'm afraid of them.... Well I'm still afraid of them, Lou just forces the issue.

Lou is so happy to be out from under all of the PTA duties. He thought it was great at first and to give back to the community and the school and stuff was great, however, like most things we volunteer for it all becomes too much. The last few months it seemed like every day he was at the school having to take care of something new. Quite honestly it was starting to make me a little angry also.

Brooke has had an eventful 6 months, outside of her typical dance schedule... First she went to Outdoor Lab, then she went to Washington DC, then to Long Beach. Brooke danced the whole season, she did great and for the most part enjoyed the experience of all of the competitions. As Brooke is entering the almost teenage years I'm doing my best to make sure she is learning lessons and remembering feelings along the way. That has been a bit of a struggle. Another big thing for Brooke, she was finally strong enough to be on point and to get her first set of point shoes. The girl was so happy, I don't think I have ever seen smiles so big. Brooke's dancing took us to Long Beach for a week. It was fun to visit a new place but believe me when I saw it is not the pretty part of California. Brooke and I enjoyed some time in Washington DC with kids from school. It was a fun trip filled with tons of sightseeing. The days were long and we were all exhausted by the time we got home. It was an amazing experience that I'm sure she won't forget, I know I won't. Outdoor Lab was very exciting for her as well. It was for the most part the longest she has gone without talking to us or seeing us. They keep them very busy so I know she was fine but there was a little worry there. And finally Brooke made it out of elementary school. She is officially a Middle School kid. I'm still not sure how this happened and if I'm even ready for it, but guess what ... Not many people care what I think.

Brooke's point shoe fitting

 

Brooke and her friends at 'continuation'

Tyler played soccer in the spring, ran track in the summer and will play baseball and soccer in the fall. As if everything else didn't keep us running, Tyler wanted to make sure we were full... Tyler is over the top excited about his first opportunity to play baseball, I hope it turns out well for him. Tyler also has been taking statistics classes for fantasy football ... I guess there is always room for improvement, winning by 20 points every week isn't enough. This is to give him a little something extra for his Math push. Last year Lou and I argued with the school often about them ignoring Tyler ... finally they put him up a level at life at our house was so much better. This worked so well for Tyler that the school has changed the schedule to be able to accommodate other students like him. Just getting that battle over with has helped the stress level at my house immensely.

 

 

Aside from all of the above excitement, we have run a few 5K's as a family, spent some time at the pool, tried to enjoy each other's company... Here are some random pictures to show just that...

 

Oh, Right! We went to some Rockies games...

This is the "bike" rental on the beach, it was a lot more work than Lou and I anticipated!

This was after a 5K ... In the middle of July ... That started at 3 in the afternoon... That race director was not thinking ... I don't think Lou likes me much ;).

Tyler and I trying to match Lou's face ... Or maybe Lou just doesn't believe in taking a picture any other way...



Running Streak Thoughts ... Cancun trip

Well ... I finally have about 3 extra minutes in my life ... So here are my running streak thoughts ... I ran at least one mile every day from Thanksgiving to New Years Day ... I did this same streak last year and it seemed so much harder ... When I looked at the mileage differences I was running longer mileage last year but I had so much less time ... There was more than once that I was out running my mile in my jeans at 11:30 at night because that was the only time I could fit it in. This year I was also still cross training at the gym 3 days per week and working a whole lot more so mentally I was drained. I did race on New Year's Day on a pretty cold day and snow covered paths. There was no PR or even top 10 finish but it was good to get out and race ... I haven't raced in a long time. It was really great that the Running Club had a great turnout also. I love running races with a bunch of friends. Overall, the streak is good for me. It keeps me honest during the holidays and although I'm not sure I get any stronger I am not loosing ground either.

A friend has suggested that we do this other challenge ... Run 2015 miles in 2015 ... Lucky for me we can split this into teams and the team has to run that many miles. So far my January mileage isn't great so I need to figure out a plan to get me going. Last year I logged about 500 miles, however that didn't include any track workouts or hill repeats and God knows I probably did plenty of miles then. I'm trying to find a race to train for again but it seems like every one that looks good there is a conflict. I'll figure it out though... Don't worry team, I'll do my part, I promise.

At the beginning of January we went to Cancun for the week. The best thing about the trip ... the lack of a schedule. Recently my life has been scheduled down to the minute, from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. I'm not really loving it but I love that I can be so involved with my kids and work and that people like me enough to want to hang out with me. The trip's start was a little rocky when they told me they at security in Denver that they need to search Tyler (I guess he is a sketchy looking kid) and then when we landed in Cancun we sat on the runway for about 45 min waiting for a gate to open up. And then Sunday (the first full day there) I lost my sunglasses ... After that we were smooth sailing. My Birthday Present was a new pair of sunglasses ... not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess my expectations were pretty low for a birthday present anyway. I need to learn to stop loosing stuff in Cancun though ... Overall we spent a ton of time at the pool, on the beach letting the kids build in the sand and swim. Happy hour (and only 1 hour) was great and the relaxation was exactly what all of us needed. The wind along the beach was extreme while we were there so I elected to run on the treadmill instead, which was not pleasant but it was nice to run at sea level and not know my pace (their treadmills are km/hour). It was nice to come home with a nice tan and it only took a week to be exhausted again... Sometimes vacations like that are exactly what was needed...

The view on the street side of our condo ...

The ocean / pool view ... Love Love Love waking up to this ... Maybe I should consider moving to the beach...

The kids master piece ... a giant pyramid ...

With decorations of course...

Love kids photo bombing our selfie ;)

I was trying to catch a picture of my kids holding hands walking down the beach but I missed it ...