Soccer Trotter

This fall, W is planning his first season of soccer. Why do I call him the "soccer trotter" you may be asking?  It is because the child barely moves his arms when he runs.  It cracks me up.  If you have watched the video (W is the little guy in the red pants), you have seen that we are entering the realm of  soccer on the amusing level once again.  W really loves to go to practice or to a game, but mostly, it is so he can see his friend rather than actually play soccer.  When we are in the backyard, he will run after the ball and kick it pretty good.  But if there are any distractions (ie any other child that is not a sibling within a 100 yard radius) things pretty much go down hill rather quickly. 

Notice how Brad is out on the field....ummmm, yeah, I signed him up to coach W's team.  With W's clingy nature I figured he might not play without a parent on the field and he was really wanting to play soccer so he could "be like Sissy."   B has been an awesome coach in my opinion.  Coaching a soccer team of 3-4 year olds is like herding cats.  But, he keeps them busy with little games and attempted skill drills.  At this level, it is mostly about fun.  And if fun is what measures the success of W's season, then I think it was a huge success!

Love This Boy!

Super Hero with a Bandage on His Eye

I love this picture---G1 took it a few weeks ago (she titled it as well) and to me, it just says "boy" through and through!  W loves roughhousing and playing around with his "guy" friends, but he also has a way sweet, gentle side.  He loves to give hugs (inappropriately at times to random strangers--we are working hard on getting this under control!) and he is really tuned into what is going on with him  and how he is acting--an example being, he will frequently tell us he is "grumpy because me is hungry" or "grumpy because me is really tired."  W is the ultimate snuggle bug and prefers to be held  or carried if we can accommodate him.  Although W and his need to be close to someone can be a little draining at times, it is truly what defines him... a sensitive little guy who loves constant interaction with others.

Steamie!

Taking in the  UP 844

G2 and I were able to watch the UP 844 steam engine roll through town.  Both of the boys LOVE trains and we spend a lot of time watching engines and their cars rolling through the train yards downtown, so this was quite a treat to see a train "just like Thomas" (the boys favorite train).  I never thought I'd hear something like this come from me, but isn't 844 a beautiful train?!?!  They keep her so polished up and shiny!  W was REALLY disappointed that he was at school while we were checking out the steamie, but promises of another train adventure in the near future have pacified him for now. 
Notice how close we are to the engine.  We actually could have gotten much closer but due to my OSHA tendicies, I was worried about G2's hearing (the steam engine was VERY loud).  The train was preparing to leave during our time near the tracks.  We saw it back up and then roll through at full speed, at which point I did get up closer to the tracks so we could soak up the whole experience! 

The Girl who Makes Me Smile

 I have loved seeing G1's toothless smile for the past few months.  Now, one of those sharp little teeth is poking through.  Every time I see it and really think about it, I get a little sad. G1 is growing up way too fast.  Having her gone all day 4 days a week has been a little rough on me.  A reality check that, yes indeed, my baby girl truly is growing up.   But, in light of all this growing up that is going on around here, G1 still has a lot of little girl in her.  I'm so thankful she still likes to snuggle and will hold my hand as I walk her across the parking lot and then let me give her a kiss before she heads off to line up for school.  I love that she still calls me Mommy and that when I am waiting for her after school, she is excited to see me and greets me with a hug.  I am so thankful that I can be involved in her day to day life on such an intricate level.  I'm thankful for digital cameras that let me take an abundance of pictures to capture these days that are slipping away too quickly.  But most of all, I am so thankful and blessed to be this fabulous young lady's Mom!

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse



Cutest Kids in the Universe--not sure how I'm so lucky to have all of them in my family



Not having to give a lot of background history before you tell a story, laughing until you cry, and knowing that you are going to get an honest response to your questions about parenting/kids.....there is just something comforting about having a friend that has known you for a long time.   I always have such a great time when I get to spend time with my college roomate and friend Jessica.  We were so excited when she and her beautiful little Tessa made the long journey to visit us. Now that our kids are a bit older, they play for long stretches of time together and we actually get the chance to talk with few interupptions.  We didn't really do anthing special while they were here....just kind of lived our daily life running around from activity to activity but we had SO MUCH FUN just hanging out.



Besties

THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING TO VISIT US!  We are already looking forward to seeing you again!

1st Day of School

1st day of school! 

W started another year of preschool and again was not really into the required (by Mom!) "1st day of school" photo.  He reports that he is enjoying school but what gets him motivated to get out of bed in the morning is the promise of a ride on his beloved school bus!   

1st Day of School

G ready for "Back to School" night.
She was so excited to go and see her
 classroom and new teacher once again!

G was super excited to start another year of school!  When I told her that she was on her last day of summer vacation, she was thrilled to be heading back to the classroom!  It was once again a bittersweet moment for me as she started full day school this year.  I enjoyed having her around for the afternoons last year...it felt like the perfect combination of her getting out of the house for learning and interacting with other kids while at the same time, still being my little girl.  Needless to say, I think I was much more apprehensive than she was about this whole full day experience!  It made it much easier on me when after a few days of school, G said to me "Thank you so much for sending me to school, I love it SOOOO much!!" 

1st day of school

Happy Birthday Middle Man!!!

W loves Shamu.  It all started with a tiny little toy the kids play with during bathtime.  Then this interest grew into awe over these beautiful whales when we actually went to visit Shamu at SeaWorld earlier this summer.  It was so cool to watch W as he saw Shamu jump out of the water during the "Believe" show....Shamu is so huge and even though W expected his idol to be big, there is no way to explain exactly how BIG !!!! Well, W chose to have a Shamu birthday party this year and we had a lot of fun putting together games and coming up with this cake to complete the theme!  W was so incredibly excited about his cake and it made his day extra special!!  Thanks to my friend who has quite a bit of experience with fondant and totally held my hand as we were mixing it up.  I would have never had the confidence to attempt working with fondant without her!!!

The Shamu Cake

W with his Shamu cake

It is hard to believe our little W is another year older.  He continues to be a sweet and loving boy who always has a kiss and hug for people.  He love to play outside on the playset and will still swing for hours upon end if he can find someone willing to push him for that long!  W is still on the small side for his age but is eating a MUCH larger variety of food the past three to four months, sometimes suprising us with his taste for things that are a bit spicy!  W's favorite things are Shamu, Cinderella (he loves pretty ladies!), playing with and watching trains, snuggling with Mom and Dad, swimming, playing with his brother, sister, and dogs, reading books, and playing with friends.