Soccer Saturdays

This is a very exciting time, indeed. This fall we have Spencer, Tyler, and Ella all playing soccer. It makes things a little...well, interesting I will say! We have practices every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings, and then of course the three 1 hour games spread out across the day each Saturday. I have to admit that we have been a little frightened by this prospect, and have actually been dreading it a little bit. Well...no more!! The kids each had their first games this past Saturday, and it was so incredibly fun! First of all, look at that little Ella! She had the funnest time, and did not stop smiling the entire game. And she ran her little heart out! But listen to this! ALL THREE KIDS SCORED A GOAL IN THEIR GAMES!!!! I was hoarse by the days end, due to all the cheering I was doing on the sidelines. It was so exciting. I'll give you a brief play by play, and then you can see some of the action for yourselves. First came Spencer's game. Spencer has played a couple of seasons of soccer in the past, but he's really never been an animal on the field. In any sport. He's always been too timid to really be aggressive enough to hold his own. But as we've been watching him practice soccer this season, it really seemed that he was pretty darn good. And not real nervous or timid out there. So anyway, he is playing his first game in years and the coach puts him in as right forward. He is really doing awesome out there! He is dribbling and passing and running...really tearing it up! And then his team gets a free kick. His teammate kicks it to Spencer, and Spence just wails on it! Right in the net! He was so shocked that it took him a minute to realize what had happened. He looked over at us, with this shocked look on his face, and of course we were jumping up and down like a couple of wild animals. It was so great and memorable. I don't think he'll ever forget the day of his first goal. Very cool. Unfortunately I was not filming at the time (I know! I'm so mad at myself!), but I did have Spencer re-live the moment on film. So here is his c0mmentary.
Next came Ella's goal. Little peanut!! I was so worried that she would be too shy to even get on the field, but she ran straight out there. She loved running around after the pack, and if she got near the ball she would kick and kick and kick! And as I mentioned, she had the biggest grin on her face the entire game. I hope you can see it in this video! So onto her goal - she got the ball, broke away from the pack, and dribbled it right into the net. Little sweetie. She was so proud, and so were we.
Now on to Tyler. No pressure for poor Tyler! He has just watched as his brother and sister both scored goals in their games, and so he was feeling like he would break the streak unless he scored. Of course we assured him that scoring goals is not the most important thing, and that frankly they don't really happen that often. And of course it has been two years since Tyler has played his one and only season of soccer, so we didn't know what to expect. Oh my word...that kid is an animal!!! He is fast, tough, aggressive, and he does not slow down. He was in on almost every single play that took place out there. They don't really stress "staying in your position" at his age yet, so he was all over the place. Defending, throwing in, dribbling up the field, taking shots in the goal. He did it all. At one point his coach asked him, "Now, how many years have you been playing soccer??" Tyler says, "Only one time, two years ago." Wow. He was awesome out there. Well, after a few near misses into the goal, he got his chance to take his team's free kick (after the other team touched the ball with their hands). He faces that human wall without an ounce of fear, and puts it right in. The goalie deflected it, but it still went in the corner of the net. Woo hoo!!

And I am going to make a blanket apology for my screaming and cheering on the sidelines - and I assure you that you're not seeing the worst of it - but I love to cheer on my kids, and I'm sorry if that's annoying to anyone around me. But I love soccer and I love those cuties out there. But I do wish that the video, which of course I'm taking, didn't pick up all of it. Oh well. It was a fantastic day, and the season has only just begun!

Labor Day in Galveston

We haven't really taken a family vacation since we've been back in the states, with the exception of going home to Idaho during the summer, and so we decided it was time. I mean, I realize that Galveston, Texas isn't Paris or Rome...but it was a darn fun weekend! We left on Friday after school, and came back home on Labor Day (my birthday!!). Bryan has a friend from work who has a guest house in Galveston, just three blocks from the beach. He offered to let us use the house any time we wanted, so we decided to take him up on it. The four hour drive was not bad, and Galveston was a lot of fun. Here are some of the highlights, in reverse order. (I forget that blogger adds the pictures in reverse order, and I don't want to go back and do it again.) These first few pictures were taken on our last night in Galveston at The Rainforest Cafe. Definitely the coolest restaurant ever! The kids loved it. Even after waiting 90 minutes for a table. For real.


(What is that smile, Tyler? He must have learned that from Aubrey. :) )
Just waiting for our table to be ready... Ruby biffed it just after this picture was taken, and scraped her entire face up, but that is a picture for a different post.
We spent our second day in Galveston at a place called Moody Gardens, which had an aquarium, rainforest, IMAX theaters, a paddle boat ride, and a big pool. And it is humid in Galveston! So we were ready for a fun swim at the end of that day.


Isn't she darling? Just hanging out - watching the big kids.
So cute. These two have a good time together. That is, when they're not teasing and harassing each other.
On the boat!
Can you see Ruby's little half-smile? Little cutie. And now the beach pictures. I love the beach!!! Except for the sand you track home afterward - I could do without that. We had a great day at the beach, with lots of frisbee, sand castles, and wave jumping. And Ruby had not one bit of fear. She strutted straight out into the water and hardly even looked back.

The kids are back in school!

The kids are back in school! The boys started up on the 24th of August, and Ella just started her new pre-school class this past Tuesday. Spencer is now in the 5th grade - the last year of Elementary School! - and Tyler is in 2nd grade. And oh man was it rough going back!! This summer was really fun, and none of us were ready for it to end. And I know there are some of you out there thinking, "It sure is nice to have the kids back in school! Now I can have my life back!" But I'm not one of them. Here are my reasons: #1. The early get-up, and rush rush rush to get out the door. We're not huge sleeper-iners, but it's just nice to get up and take your time through the morning. #2. THE HOMEWORK!!!! The boys get home from school at 3:00, and by about 2:45 I'm already starting to panic. Homework is about to start!! And it's not just the homework. It's just the fact that we only have from 3:00 - 8:00 to have a snack, chat about their day, TCB (potty time), do homework, practice piano, do chores, get some exercise, cook and eat dinner, clean up after dinner, go to piano lesson OR scouts OR soccer practice, take baths/showers, read scriptures, read books, have the kids read (aloud and silent), and then be in bed by 8:00. You see the reason for my panic??? On most days it is nothing short of a miracle if it all gets done! But anyway...they are back in school, and we are doing it. Ella is back at her same pre-school this year, just in the older grade. She goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she loves it. And I feel I should mention a funny little trend that Ella has been showing. Namely, her insistence and persistence about what she wears and how her hair is done. It drives me crazy that she refuses to wear half the clothes in her closet because "the skirts don't twirl," "it's not pretty," or, yes, even "it's lame!" I absolutely had to force and bribe her to wear the most darling outfit that I bought for her 4 year old pictures, and she has refused to wear it ever since. She wants to only wear dresses or skirts, and only ones that twirl. And if she is wearing shorts, by chance, and Ruby happens to wear a skirt...oh my!! Tears, thrashing, the whole bit. She also now dictates to me how she wants her hair done. Curly with a bow; two low pig-tails; a bun; one pig-tail with only part of her hair; a braid; a twist; a clip; a headband; and nothing. That girl knows what she likes!!