Soccer

I just I realized it's the end of September, and I haven't posted anything about soccer, this sport that has taken over our family's schedule since the third week of August! I haven't been good about documenting this season with my camera--too much going on, I guess. Kari, Joel, and Aubrey are all playing, so we have THREE teams this year! The season is busy and a little crazy, but it's working out better, logistically, than I thought it would. We are on the soccer field 5 days a week between practices and games, and the kids are all enjoying playing. The weather just turned rainy in the last week. The last couple years of soccer have been pretty good weather-wise, so we were due for a rainy season, and it looks like that's what we're getting. Today's weather was very stormy, dumping buckets and windy. We finally invested in some nice, big umbrellas this week. Should have done that 5 years ago!

Here's Aubrey with some teammates (from back in August).Greg is coaching Aubrey's team, which is mostly four and five-year-olds with one six-year-old this year. It's a big team--15 kids--and they are hilarious to watch. They're just so little and cute. Many of them have never played before. Games are pretty funny!

Grant (beside Aubrey) is dying to play soccer but isn't quite old enough, having just turned 3 in August. Greg lets him practice with the team, and he LOVES it. We've had some sad moments on game days, but he's handling it pretty well, as long as we have snacks. :) Next year you can play, little man!

Kari with her team before a game

I brought my camera to the wrong game this time. It was cold and rainy, and she played defense this game, so there was a lot more standing around than usual. Mid-field is her favorite position to play and the one she plays most often. She likes it because she gets to run and be all over the field. Her games are exciting to watch. This level is definitely more serious and intense than previous years. 

Joel is really enjoying his team. He has a bunch of friends playing with him, and he's doing well! The other night he got to play against his cousin, Sam, which they both thought was pretty funny. :) It ended up being a tie that night--perfect!

 

Still lovin' these kitties

We've been calling Joel "The Cat Whisperer." He's got a gift. Oreo, our more wild kitty, becomes calm and relaxed in Joel's care. When we check on the kids before we go to bed, we often find Oreo curled up beside Joel, both asleep. He's always liked soft, cozy things, and kittens are soft and cozy (when their claws aren't out!), so it makes sense.

They look sweet and peaceful when they're sleeping (kinda like kids!), but boy, do they get wild sometimes. They are crazy cats every evening--running, chasing, fighting, playing.

Grant terrorizes the kitties a little, but he's learning to be gentle and learning when NOT to pick them up. Both cats are pretty tolerant of all the handling, which is good, because there are many hands that want to hold them.

 

Another "first" day

Kindergarten is finally getting underway (silly "gradual" entry). Today was the first day I dropped off all three kids at the same time for a "normal" school day. Last week I was feeling all proud of myself for not blubbering on the first day of school. Well, apparently, today was blubber day. Aubrey was so cute and smiley as she climbed out of the car after her brother and sister. As soon as she stepped out, I started crying. It came on very suddenly! I watched them all walk in together and cried all the way home. It's so bitter-sweet. I want them to grow up and at the same time, I don't. My little girl is a big girl now, and while I'm so happy that she's excited for school and not anxious about leaving me, I'm sad to say good-bye to that phase of life with her at home. She sure is ready, though! That smile was on her face when I dropped her off and when I met her as she came off the bus. She wanted to ride the bus home on the first day! I'm so thankful for our kids' school with caring teachers and staff. It makes it easier to let them go, knowing they're in good hands. And the kids have each other there, too, which is comforting to me. Joel and Kari will look out for their little sister.

It's just you and me now in the mornings, G-man! I promise I won't cry every morning! :-)

 

Tree Felling and a few others

We had an evergreen tree in our front yard that was getting too big for the small front yard, ruining our lawn, and getting in the way of our neighbor's driveway, so we took on the task of ripping it out. The kids thought it was so exciting!






They pulled while Greg sawed the top off. That was the fun part. :)

There was great celebration a few days later when after, a bunch of digging, sweating, and pickaxing, he got the stump out! The tree was right next to all the utility boxes and lines, so it was tricky business getting the roots out without messing up the wires.

I've never liked the three big bushes in front of our house, so we decided to take those out, too, while we were at it. The kids worked hard getting the first two out all by themselves. They worked all afternoon while I dug around the tree stump. When Greg got home he helped them get the last one out.

We replaced the evergreen with a lilac tree (I've always wanted one) and the three ugly bushes with three Skimmia bushes that will have white flowers in the spring and red berries after that. All the plants are small now but will be just right when they mature. We're all about a low-maintenance yard. I think we're set for at least a few years now.

Our playroom couch reached the end of its life, so we gave the kids permission to finish the destruction. We bought this couch before Kari was born. It lasted 10 years--not bad!

The mess wasn't much fun to clean up but making the mess sure was fun.

Just a random photo of Aubrey with a little too much lip gloss applied.

And this just cracked me up. The size of this Nutella at Costco was unreal. It cost $37.99! No, we did not buy it. Our kids like Nutella, and I do usually buy it at Costco but in a much smaller two-pack. Can you imagine reaching your hand in with a knife to scrape the bottom of that jar? There seemed to be more people taking pictures of it than actually purchasing it. I didn't see it there the last time we went. Either it sold out, or someone in the purchasing department decided no one needs eleven pounds of Nutella!

 

Dance class

This summer I signed Aubrey up for a ballet/tap dance class at a local community center. It was perfect for what we wanted--low-key, low-pressure, and fun. She was so cute. I loved watching her in there! She and her doll, Caroline, got matching ballet outfits for her birthday, and they finally had a real reason to wear them.

We signed her up to do it with her friend, Abby. They were so cute!

The other kids had fun doing the moves in the back until we made them stop.

 

They wore us down

And we caved. Pet-free no longer. These two precious little kitties now belong to us, and our kids are SO happy! Kari has been persistently asking for a kitten for over two years now. Voila--dream fulfilled! We got them from some friends at church. We brought Tiger Lily (the brown and orange one) home first, and then we decided she needed her brother with her, so Oreo came a few days later (kids named them right away). When I say "we," I really mean "I."  I was reluctant at first, but once we had Tiger Lily here, I remembered how much I like kitties. As long as my house doesn't look or smell like a cat house, I'll be ok. Greg consented to the plan, and I'd say he's still a reluctant cat owner, but he'll be ok, too. ;-) So far, Tiger Lily seems to be more cuddly and Oreo more wild.

 

Aren't they just so CUTE?!

Aubrey's first day of kindergarten

Excited, a little nervous, and very ready for school! She liked it a lot and can't wait to go back. She has the same teacher Kari and Joel both had, who we like very much, and we just found out a lady from church is her kindergarten aide this year. That made me happy. I picked Aubrey up today, but she's excited to ride the bus home next time. It's half-day, morning kindergarten. Her bus will only have kindergarteners on it coming home, so I think it will be ok. Grant and I will have some adjusting to do with just the two of us each morning. I only cried a little when we drove away from the school this morning. My babies are growing up!

 

Kid day

It just happened to be our turn for the Children's Museum library pass this week--perfect timing for the first week of school. Aubrey will be a school goer, too, this year, but didn't go yesterday, so we took advantage of the time and headed out for a morning of kid fun. I only had my phone, not my real camera, so the photos aren't the best, but at least it was documented. We really did have a good time together. The place was practically empty, just how I like it.

brushing the croc's teeth

shopping

in the vet hospital Grant even found two cats that look like our new kitties--a post will be coming soon about our new pets

This was pretty funny--all his own idea to sit on the eggs in the nest.

We finished off our morning with a trip to Ikea for lunch on our way home--kids eat free on Tuesdays!