Soccer Season has Begun

Soccer practice for Ethan and Emma started about 3 weeks ago. We finally saw the fruits of our labor (yes, me driving to and from 2 practices each week dragging ALL the children around is labor!) :) at their first soccer games this past Saturday. Their first games were schduled for last week but we were rained out! It has been raining for about 3 weeks now! Finally it has stopped and allergies and soccer have resumed. Anywho, on Saturday Matt took Ethan to his afternoon game and then had a few hours of 'guy time' together. Ethan came back all smiles. :) I was so pleased to hear that Ethan is now more aggressive in the game this year. Yahoo! That is great progress for him! He always ran around and tried to kick the ball when it came to him, but he was still cautious about getting into the swarm of boys around the ball. Now I hear from Matt that he is getting in there! Go Ethan!

And cute little Emma, I knew she would be timid with soccer because well, that's the way she is in new situations. She did not participate in her first practice because she was so scared. We went that day with her telling me she had a stomach ache (result of her being so worried). I felt her pain, but I knew we still needed to go and at least watch. I knew this step of going into completely unfamiliar territory and not knowing anybody, not knowing how to play or what was expected of her was going to be hard. Well, that first day of practice was hard on both of us. :) It was new territory for me to figure out how to deal with her in this type of setting. She is very different from Ethan in this situation. But I have to say that I was proud of her. Emma did not practice the first day (but I did manage to get her close to the field where they were practicing while she was clinging to my leg...made it easier to get her closer anyways), but the next practice she was ready. Slightly timid, but she went out there with a great attitude and participated and did a good job. I was so proud of her because I know how hard that can be.

So, this past Saturday was her first game. She said she was all ready for it. Went out on the field and warmed up. Was in there for the first quarter....the game started, she looked completely lost and scared. I felt so bad for her! She had been so brave to go out there to begin with! She looked towards me and I encouraged her and cheered her on as she ever so slowly walked towards me. She held it together until she got a hug and just cried! We talked about it, watched the game, saw what she could do out there, talked about what Ethan used to do. After a bit I asked if she wanted to try and play 3rd quarter and she said yes! I couldn't believe it! Yay! (ok to give you background, I was used to Ethan who, last season, when asked if he was ready to get back in the game for the 3rd or 4th quarter would say, "Uh, no thanks!" whaaaa????) It's 3rd quarter, the coach (who is so kind) has put her in a potition to defend their goal. She did a great job! She stood there (which was much less confusing to her) and when the ball got close to the goal, over she ran to the swarm of girls to go kick it out of the way! She did it about 3 or 4 times! It was during this quarter that Matt and the boys arrived. I told him what happened and he was impressed with her attitude and performance. Go Emma!

It is at times like these that it is exciting to me to see which path my kids will take. It is fun to see how they slowly mature and deal with whatever comes their way. Ethan had not been aggressive with the ball for the past 3 seasons, but decided to go for it this time. Big step for him. Emma faced a brand new situation and passed with flying colors. I am so proud of them!

Michigan Summer Trip

Our trip to my in-laws went great this summer. :) We decided to head up during summer-time this year so that the kids could get outside and play more and so that we could attend one of the family reunions and see more relatives in one fell swoop. We had been going up during the winters, but now that the kids are older and bigger they need to get outside and get running around. So, we went up for the Minier Corn Roast. :) And boy was the corn yummy! They cook it outside in a big bathtub at grandpa's house. It absolutely poured that day! Then the rain let up and the sun came out which made it a bit humid and hot. I had to chuckle b/c I am used to that sort of weather down in Texas, but the northerners are not! They didn't care for it. :) Well, I don't care to steam outside either, but I was glad to see that I must be getting used to the south because it just didn't bother me as much as I thought it might. We had a great time seeing all the cousins and (for me) re-meeting various aunts and uncles. I told them I needed a family tree with pictures of the people so I could get it all straight. Well, I sort of got a family tree, but no pictures. Maybe that will be my project next year. Line'em all up and take their pictures individually for a family tree for myself.

The corn roast took place towards the end of our trip. When we arrived we didn't see the kids for about two days except for meals. They had a blast playing outside with their cousins. It was cute to see them all getting along so well the first several days. Then they all took turns pairing up with different ones. I loved that they got to play outside so much. They enjoyed grandma and grandpa's yard and cows and the pine trees. Then there was the very cool set of huge pine trees in the front yard that created a natural 'cave' inside for them to play in. We went over to the neighbor's house one evening for a marshmallow roast. The kids played on the swingset and we all took turns at knife throwing. I really like that! Everyone went to the zoo one day. Another day Uncle Jim took Ethan and Matt out shooting rifles. Then Austin, Emma and I got our turn a few days later. Things like that are what I love! I'm so glad my kids have the chance to try these different things out. So very different from what we do around home on a day to day basis.

Matt and the kids and I took a 'family day' and drove 1.5 hrs to swim and enjoy the beaches of Lake Michigan. It was beautiful! I grew up in MI (the eastern shores) and never saw beautiful sandy beaches like those. The 'beaches' are all rocky where I was. The kids loved playing in the sand, being buried in the sand, playing in the water and walking along the docks. It was a great day. To top it all off, not only did we get some FABULOUS FRESH blueberries (if you've never had these blueberries from up north you are missing out!) from a roadside store on the way home, but grandma Debbie and Aunt Julie got together a birthday party for Emma when we arrived home! It was Emma's 6th birthday! It was so incredibly sweet to see her cousins give her presents that were their favorite items! Georgia gave Emma one of her stuffed animals she really liked and Savannah gave Emma a bag of jewelry and hair stuff that she treasured. Matt and I told Emma she would get a new bike when she got home. Em liked all of her treasures.

And the trip up to MI and the trip back went well. We stopped and saw the St Louis arch on the way home. I didn't go up the arch after I saw the 'elevator' that took you to the top. I am claustrophobic and it would not have gone well for me. I felt like I missed out a bit until I saw pictures Matt took while they were all up there. OH! Just as bad! It was so cramped and they only ended up being up there 5 minutes before they came back down. The other thing that made me glad I didn't go up was that they ended up in a 5 seater car with NINE people in it!!! Lots of children sitting on laps and in between seats....it makes me queasy just thinking about it.

Arrived home, very glad to be home. It's always exciting and fun to go on vacation but then it is always great to come home again...to your own bed...your own couch. :) I had a crazy week of gathering books and school supplies for Ethan before he started school and we have been going ever since. It was pretty stressful figuring out how to do school with Ethan at home and making sure everything got finished. But I feel like both Ethan and I are figuring it out. We are getting into a groove. Now I just have to spend some initial teaching time with Emma to get her comfortable with what I will expect of her and then I think she will be able to do a good portion of work on her own with me just reviewing things with her at the end of the day. And Austin, well, I'll fit somethings in there for him. I had a great plan to schedule everything, but it is very difficult to schedule anything with Anna being so little. So, we will just play it by ear each day and somehow the kids learn and we have fun too.

I'm Back

I have been thinking about updating my blog for quite awhile. When I have had the time, I have not had the brain power to put coherent thoughts on paper. When I have had the brain power, I have not had the time. Finally, life is working itself into a nice little routine and I am able to think...and even express those thoughts to you. :)

I noticed my last post was before the craziness I call summer really began. So, first, both of my sisters and their families came to visit. Well, except Chris, he had to work back in NC. Penny and Olivia came and then Patti, Bill, Jared, and Caden all came to stay for 10 days. And the kids all had swimming lessons together! They all did really well at swimming. Each of them did have their moments of whimpering, grumping, whining and/or outright yelling as I recall. They gave Ms. Jayne a run for her money, but she conquered them all. The days were mostly taken up with swimming lessons in the morning/early afternoon. One day we went to Boomerangs, a big place with tons of bounce houses. The kids loved it! Another day we took them to Going Bonkers. Both the kids and adults went Bonkers! It is a huge indoor playplace, the kind you see at fast food places, but it's cleaner. :) And goes up 2 1/2 stories high! The rest of the time the kids swam and played and all had their fair share of arguments too. I think they made some great memories. It was fun to spend all that time with Penny and Patti and Bill, too. Patti and Bill amazed me in the kitchen! They are quite the team! When they go to clean it up they are machines! Unfortunately, towards the very end, Penny and Olivia started to get sick. O woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. We attempted to quarantine her for the day, but that was just impossible. Miserable for her and mommy and well, since she seemed just fine after a little rest she came out to play with the rest of the kids. It was torture to Olivia! So much fun to be had and she had to stay in her room. But they both got better in time to fly home.

The next week I spent winding down from all the excitement and then gearing back up for another visit. :) My parents came to see us/work for us for 7 days. I didn't quite intend for that to happen...them working and helping me out. I hadn't made any list at all for them unlike previous years! :0 No, I thought, they should just come and relax and enjoy their time hanging out. Well, my mom just can't do that. She will just find things to do, which was GREAT! My laundry room shelves, pantry, under the kitchen sink all got cleaned up and at least 3 kitchen bags of stuff was throw out! I never knew I had to much stuff in there! My mom also took care of the trimming of the bushes and the palm tree. I think there were about 15 bags (at least) of trimmings ready for the garbage man that next week. We also did some planting of flower pots. Then came the garage. What were we thinking??? Matt had been talking about replacing the shelving in the garage. So while Matt was off to Home Depot to get supplies, mom and I were busy unloading the shelves so they could be taken down. So, can you see piles of wood and 15 bags of garbage all lined up along the side of our driveway waiting for Thursday? And it was only Monday! I was slightly concerned that the grass underneath might die! No, not really, but it was a ton of stuff! Just for the record, Matt did finish the shelves in 2 weekends, but they have not been restocked. Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. Give us a year. Maybe we will have it taken care of by then. ;) Then I put my dad to work by asking him to do all sorts of little projects around the house that I just never could get to. Things like, handing up hooks to put our pool equipment on, putting up hooks in Emma's room that I have had for several months just never got them up, and other things like that. He was busy every day! So helpful! I can't tell you how they inspired me. I just felt so bogged down by all these little things I just could not get to and felt bad about it. But after my mom and dad helped me get things under control and organized again I was inspired to keep it that way. And I'm doing a pretty good job! Not only is it easier to maintain and do the basic things, but I have even managed to fit some exercise in. Yay! And I think they even managed to have fun while doing all their chores. :D

After my parents left I decided not to think for about a week. I was just going to relax and get my kids back in line. After that week, I was looking at the rest of the year and remembering that I had been wanting to get the kids up to MI in the summer, it was clear that we needed to take our MI trip very very soon. In two weeks soon. So, we told them we were coming and drove on up! I will tell more details in my next post. Been a long time since I've thought like this....my brain is starting to hurt. Which reminds me, After day 1 or day 2 at school, Ethan said, "Mom, I think school is making my brain work too much. It hurts!" I feel your pain, son.

They're Coming!

My sisters are coming to visit for 10 days!! Yeah! We are all getting together at this time of year so the cousins can take swimming lessons together. It will be a busy week in that regard as we will have 3 classes of swimming lessons each day starting Sunday. Austin and Caden will be taking a class together. Emma and Olivia and Zaynah will be taking a class together. And then Jared and Ethan and Jereme will be taking a class together. So, three classes and three hours. It seems like we won't have much time for anything else. There are some other fun things in the area that we can do it we want. There's a place called Boomerangs which is full of giant bounce house type things. Then there is Going Bonkers...well, you can imagine. ;) It is a huge indoor playplace like you see at McDonald's or something like that. And then there are a couple pools around here that have waterslides. We can't go too far anyways as we will only have the van and will have to make a couple of trips! ha ha! And then of course my sisters and I have to have our girl-time together. There are some movies to been seen and Bellini's to be had! It will be a fun and busy time! Can't wait!

Well, our Anna has been sick these last couple of days. Not sure exactly what it is...could be teething...could be something else that's going around. She has had a nice temp the last few days, but seems to be much better today. Just warm instead of leaning towards 'hot'. And I must say, Anna is not good at being sick. She is a fussy whiny sick little one. I didn't realize how 'good' Ethan was at being sick. He just lays there in silence. Not so much with Anna. Lots of yelling and crying and holding letting me know exactly how she feels. It's kind of funny really.

On another note, Anna is finally starting to try and say words. She can say her version of 'bite please', 'thank you', and of course mama and dada. Oh, and she also has some sort of call for 'meow'. She still prefers yelling and she is pointing more which helps. It's a challenge as I am used to my kids talking by now. I was always thankful for that when I saw how difficult it can be for those whose little ones aren't communicating by that age.

Those are all the updates I have for now. :)

Just to update, as of about 2 weeks ago I have a brand new neice, Charlotte Pearl. :) Awwww!

On another note, if you can believe it my kids are already in the pool! Have I already mentioned that? Just Ethan and Emma are the bravest ones. Austin went in one day but that was it. And I have not put Anna in as I am not ready to go in myself! Speaking of Anna, she is attempting to say words...sometimes. She is not big on vocabulary....she IS, however, big on yelling to get what she wants. She is also big on climbing. I found her on top of the kitchen table the other day!! And she had a very guilt look on her face as well. She knew she wasn't supposed to be there! Stinker! As I said, "Anna!" She immediately started trying to find a way down. I have to laugh now, but she is going to be trouble when she gets bigger. This climbing is new for my family. The other three were not climbers. 

Well, Imagination Movers is almost over and I still need to finish my coffee. The kids get one more show to watch and I get 20 more minutes. :)

New Niece/Nephew Yet?

I am waiting the arrival of my newest niece or nephew. This child is taking it's time! Two weeks past the expected due date. I wonder if this is going to be the habit of this child in life? Watch out Julie! ;) Whenever I hear of a new baby coming it makes me stop and look at my children in amazement of how big they are and how far they have come. Little Anna was a newborn just over a year ago. So much has changed since then! Now she is running around the house getting into everything and getting into trouble for it. ha ha ha! Getting at her brother's and sister's things! It is entertaining and it is a lesson in dealing with little ones for the bigger kids. A lesson of accepting that things don't seem fair even tho mom says they are fair. It is good for them to accept that. Austin has had the hardest time transitioning during this last year. Ethan and Emma were thrilled to have Anna! But Austin, well, I think he liked her b/c everyone else did, but it also dethroned him as 'the baby', a very cherished spot in his mind. Therefore, it has been a tough year for me and him. I have HAD to put all the kids and even activities on hold quite a bit in order to take care of Anna. I will admit, that I have even had to put dealing with Austin and his issues on hold just to try and deal with the immediate physical needs of everyone. I felt bad, but didn't know what else to do at the time. Didn't feel that I could do any more than I was already doing. That first year is just exhausting! Plus, in my mind, Austin still was a 'baby'. I couldn't reason with him like I do with Ethan and Emma. So, I had to be up and literally running around after him to tackle the issues that needed to be dealt with. And I did not have the energy for that. So, now that we are in Anna's second year, I get sleep at night and feel like a human being again, and I am also feeling like I am getting back into my game. :) And Austin is going to be 4 years old on Sunday....he is just that much older that I can start to reason with him. And I can give him and the other kids the one-on-one time that they miss. A new phase in this season of my life has started and I am already loving it.