Pump it Up!!

Caroline asked about 2 months ago to have her birthday party at Pump it Up and she has been talking about it ever since. We had a great turnout of her friends and all the parents seemed to have a great time as well. Caroline had all of her grandparents there and many other family members including little one year old cousin Benjamin. He was not quite sure about the slides!!

I don't have any complaints about Pump it Up for a party location. You bring the cake and they literally do everything else. They set up for you, serve during the party room portion of the party and the clean up. Package up the gifts and help load it in your car. Perfect!!

Caroline was truly blessed by having so many friends attend. She looked like a sweaty girl by the end and was not too exhausted because she had time to open her gifts and request Gary or I to open and/or assemble each gift before bedtime. She played so quietly with everything while we watched the Auburn game that we decided everyone did a great job of picking out gifts. She loved it!! Happy birthday to Caroline!!!

the birthday princess on her throne
caroline about to blow out her candles

caroline with mya

caroline with jake and mark
many of the kids loving the pizza, cake and ice cream

Caroline is 4!!!

Today is Caroline's 4th birthday....kind of made Gary and me nostalgic. No more babies in our house. She has grown up so much this year. She has added some sass and some sweetness. Her birthday party is on Saturday so will post more from that event but wanted to get a quick post on her birthday. She asked me last night before bed when Gary and I told her that she was going to be 4 when she woke up "Mommy, what is God going to do to me in my sleep that makes me be 4 when I wake up?". So hilarious. Gary got up super early to decorate her door and the stairway and I got up at the crack of dawn (but not as early as the store workers) to grab a dozen doughnuts for breakfast as this is Caroline's favorite first meal of the day (with milk of course). She had open house at school tonight and then we were joined by all the local grandparents for dinner at Moe's (her favorite because of the queso dip) and some cupcakes provided by Mimi. She wanted us to sing to her at the restaurant. We took the place by storm due to our large group. All in all a great day. Caroline was not totally convinced it was her birthday because her party is on Saturday. Looking forward to having Gary's mom in town for the long weekend to help celebrate as well. Her birthday is Friday!


Fun facts about Caroline.....41 inches tall, 36 lbs, much more hair on her head these days, loves playing with dolls, polly pockets, and princesses, can spell her first and last name and is a non-stop talker!!

what caroline would see when she came down the stairs

both zyrieks had just awakened. i'm going to be in trouble for posting this one.

picking out her favorite doughnut for breakfast

ready for school....she's 4!!

Run, bike, swim....Anna style!!

Anna had her first triathlon on Sunday hosted by the Memphis Thunder Triathlon group at St. George's. Gary is a member of the group and was thrilled Anna actually wanted to do the triathlon. I was nervous beyond what I could have even imagined. I was worried she would not be able to finish or would crash her bike or would get frustrated in transition (the hardest part in my mind) or just get tired. I was so relieved that she a) finished b) no crashes c) did well in transition with everything she had to put on after the swim and d) had a smile on her face after each stage! She was so excited to finish. She was glad she was not last to finish and really enjoyed it. Of course it was the hottest day possible....97 scorching degrees, but no complaints from Anna other than she was hot and tired by the end. I could not have been more proud. Gary was beaming and she was so thrilled in her own shy way with her medal around her neck. Of course I have now been reminded that I am the only person in the Zyriek household that has not completed a triathlon in 2010 or EVER. Not sure about that one......Anna is already saying she wants to do another one someday. I am not sure there are any other kids triathlons scheduled for this year but can get her running some this fall and then see what the spring brings! Yay for Anna!!!

ready for the swim

looking good on the bike

strong finish for the run

we were so proud of anna!!!

showing off her medal!!

Soccer--the rookie and the veteran

Anna started her 2nd grade soccer season on Saturday.....Gary and David Kohn are the coaches of the team. This year we have a combined 1st/2nd grade team. Those in 2nd grade that played last year are doing well and continue to improve. Some of the 1st graders have never played before so it will take some time for them to get in the rhythm of the game. We did not score and the other team scored 5. Technically we don't track W's and L's, but the kids do. Gary was pleasantly surprised by the team and knows what they need to work on. On the bright side, Anna played great, especially at defender and goalie, not allowing any balls past her at either position.

anna and her coach before the first game

showing her muscles

playing goalie which is her favorite!!

Caroline started her rookie soccer season yesterday. Gary is paired up with another dad to coach the fieresome 4 year olds at Hope Pres. The kids played with all their heart and scored many goals (no goalies yet!) and all seemed tired by the end of the game. It was a hot day and that seemed to take its toll. Caroline ran fast, paid attention, and kicked the ball well. I think she will only improve as the season progresses and of course the temperatures fall.

caroline with her coach before the game

huddling up for strategy session

going after the ball

We are looking forward to a few months of soccer from both girls. Gary is a SUPER dad for his involvement and time commitment to these kids.

Less cowbell, please

Gary and I headed down to Starkville, MS yesterday for the ESPN Thursday night matchup of MSU and Auburn. We were nervous about the game based on how many yards of offense Auburn gave up last week to Arkansas State. MSU has a new rule allowing the fans to bring in their cowbells (politically correct term of artificial noisemaker) but they can only ring them during pre-game, halftime, timeouts and when MSU scores. Yeah, right!!! Love that the pre-game intro is of Will Ferrell on SNL with the "need more cowbell" skit. Hi-larious!! However, when the bells NEVER stop, it gets a little irritating. supposedly there is someone monitoring it and will fine them if they don't abide by the rules, RIGHT. They have signs on the jumbotron telling the fans to "respect the bell" and to "rest your bell". It is definitely overzealous!

Nevertheless, Gary and I had a great time being stressed out the whole entire game. It came down to the final series with MSU having a chance to win and our defense held strong. We have no pictures as my camera battery died and all I saw on the camera was "change battery pack". I've included a shot from the paper for kicks. Traffic was horrific and we did not arrive back at home until 2:15 am but slept in and am enjoying a day at home with not much on the schedule.

Ready for a fun weekend of kids' sports and other activities. War Eagle and hopefully this is a start of a good season for Auburn.

Delta Fair

Today was our annual venture to the Delta Fair. The kids are a little taller and a bit more brave so the wristbands for the rides were very worth it!! We attended with the DeSouzas and arrived right when the fiar opened at 10am and based on the heat a few hours later, that was a smart move!! The kids had a great time....we enjoyed a few rides ourselves....and the people watching was hilarious.

the zyriek girls driving the desouza girls in the 4x4

gary and cyp on the ring of fire

caroline enjoying the long slide

anna on the slide

caroline was very amused by the baby goats
gary and anna enjoying the view on the ferris wheel
the big girls after going on the gravitron...not my pick and anna was a bit pale afterwards!!
caroline all worn out!!!

Postcard project

Anna's second grade class has embarked on a project to receive a postcard from each of the 50 states....international locations are welcome and are an added bonus. Each time a postcard arrives, they mark it on their giant wall-sized map and they learn about that location. We sent out lots of messages last week and are reaping the rewards. Anna has received the most so far in her class and those have been from Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Washington, Alaska, California and Illinois so far. She loves to see them roll in with a message to her included. We are anxious to see the project develop and see what all they will learn. I think this is one of the better projects I have been associated with and really gets the kids excited. If you would like to send one to her class from your state, just send me an e-mail and I can get you the address.

the mailbox used to store all the many postcards that have arrived for the 50 state project