soccer girl

G's first game was great! She whispered to me before the game, "I think I'm a little nervous about playing tonight" but once we arrived and she got out there with her team she was fine.

Of course they start with stretching. Then a quick warm-up drill. She got chosen for goalie to start the game . . . at their first practice she was the only one who actually stepped in front of the ball and stopped it with her body, making her coaches very happy. She didn't, however, like the red mesh goalie thing they made her wear. She did pretty well but kept mugging for the camera and they scored 2 goals on her . . . next time I won't bring the camera. They rotate the kids really well so they all get lots of playing time. After goalie they made her a forward and she did great.
Love that game face.

And she got right out there in the fray with the boys. Not sure if any of them realized they were all on the same team but at least they're all going the same way, right? All that running! She was exhausted afterwards and slept really hard. When it was time to get up for school this morning she wasn't interested . . . first time since the first day of school that she didn't bolt out of bed and start getting ready.

As I tucked her into bed last night she hugged me and whispered, "I want to play soccer every year!" I kinda get the feeling she liked it . . . .

and lest you think it was "just for the kids" :

Even I got in on the action. I raced G on the obstacle course. I was shamefully beaten by a kindergartener. And to add insult to injury, I am too short to make it up the slide at the finish:

Even with Hailey's help and me bouncing up to reach her, I couldn't reach high enough to get up there. But Kev and Kim and Denise had a fantastic time laughing at Little Miss Shorty-pants.
So instead, G dragged me up the tallest slide and made me go down repeatedly.

And yes, when you're the mom of the birthday girl you are allowed to throw your arm in the air and make a silly face. I will continue to do it until she's old and gray and I'm older and gray-er.

6 years already

So, for G's 6th birthday we were in CA so her Nana and Auntie Denise found this great place called Go Bananas! It is a warehouse completely filled with inflatable bounce-houses and slides and obstacle courses. They couldn't have found a better place for her - she kept saying over and over "Mom, this is the birthday best place ever!!"

There was a special play place for the toddlers so the boys had a ton of fun in the ball pit and the mini bouncy area. But soon J ventured out to the bigger slides and then we couldn't pry him away:

Tristan was sooo cute going down with his daddy . . . that smile was perfect!

Then J decided it was time to do it himself - no more sister's help.

After all the bouncing was done . . . J couldn't walk by the time we left; he was so bone tired . . . we went to mexican food for supper and home for showers and bedtime. They all slept in crazy late the next day so the adults did too.

Happy 6th Birthday, Gennie Beans. We love you so much!

one little word

So, recently I was reading a fav blog of mine and the writer is starting year 4 of what she refers to as the One Little Word "program." Each year she has chosen a single word to claim as her own for the year; a word to remember for the year, that stands for the goals she wants to achieve and focus on. I decided that I'd like to have one little word for this year and this is what I chose:

I'd like to work on being content - with money, with where we are and what we have, with myself and my quirks (except, of course, the things I should be working on to change), just overall contentment.

We'll have to see how this goes - I'm not known for my resolution-keeping abilities - but I'd really like to stick with the idea of being content. We are so blessed with all that the Lord has given us and I really need to actively notice this and thank Him for it instead of plotting how I can get more.

And at the very, very least, maybe this one little word will help me dwindle my scrapbooking supply abundance. For the love of corn, Amy, complete a project already!

:)

decorating

So, while Kev was in CA this past week we decided to surprise him and get the tree decorated. The whole idea was a bad one . . . after they unpacked the entire tub of decor (before I even got into the living room) and broke numerous glass ornaments, Gennie dropped my camera and burst into tears and Jo tried to "plug in" our wire star into the wall outlet (caught that one just in time!) . . . so we got the lights on, the red balls hung and the stockings up, then called it a night.

Jo still thinks the reindeer antler headpiece is a really big necklace and insists on wearing it around his neck at all times.

It's a good thing they are cute. Gennie saved the star for Daddy to put up when he got home so he could be in on the decorating. Sweet girl.

crazy busy.

So, i'm trapped behind the kitchen table working on christmas presents and haven't even gotten my camera out in a few days. i did shoot the kids decorating the tree and those photos will be ready soon. also, g has her first school christmas program tomorrow night so the pictoral proof of that cuteness will be coming, too.

back to the confines of the sewing machine area.

o christmas tree, once again

So, on Friday after we got the phone call telling us Pat had passed away, we decided to keep our plans to go tree-hunting . . . Kev and I decided there wasn't anything we could do for Kim from here and it would be better to get out of the house and distract the kids from their tears . . . so we and my parents packed up the cars, got Subway for lunch and trekked into Utah to find a tree.
The kids spent most of their time eating snow and throwing it at each other.




J loved riding in the backpack again . . . Kev's own little barnacle:And G and I had to finish the day with snow angels.Oh, and as I was going thru the photos from the day I found this gem. I'm going to print it really big and put it in the kids' rooms when they misbehave . . . with a little sign that says "Daddy's watching you!"Granted, neither of them could read the sign yet but I think the photo should do the job . . . for now.