Another Season Has Ended

Soccer ended this past Saturday.  I just had to post this adorable picture.  All three with their trophies.  They were so proud.  The coordinator asked me to coach the three year old team next season again.  We'll see if I do that or not.  Bella's asking me to coach her team again and I really hate missing out on all her games because I'm coaching Christian, as much as I love coaching his team.  Decisions decisions.

The other day I was practicing soccer at a park with my kids when a cute little 3 year old boy came over with his mom and asked to join us.  My kids, being the introverts that they are, kind of ignored him and kept playing, but my heart went out to this little guy and I brought him into our game.  His mom stood on the side and watched as I played a game with the 4 kids, using our bikes and trees as goal posts.  When we got tired and the kids went to "hide from zombies" she said (in all seriousness), "Wow, you really seem to know what you're doing out there.  Do you play professionally?"  I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  Yes, compared to 3 year olds, I'm a pro!  Nicest compliment I've gotten in a while, though.  Made me feel good. :)

So Excited!

I love General Conference.  We've been getting excited around here.  I've been avidly collected supplies for games and activities to keep the kids focused on the talks.  My favorite thing this year, though, is an idea that I found online.  It's called "Who's coming to dinner?"  The woman was much more prepared than I am and planned 2 weeks of visits, but I'm just doing 3.  For the three nights prior to conference, a different member of the 12 apostles "comes to dinner."  I printed large photos of President Monson, Elder Uchtdorf, and Elder Eyring and each night I tape one of them to an empty chair at the table and we spend dinner talking about this man, his history and family and then I share a short video from my favorite talk of theirs.  It has been wonderful.  I also insisted that everyone speak German on the night we did Elder Uchtdorf. :)  I want this to be a chance for the kids to get to know these amazing men better so that when they listen to them speak, they feel more of a connection to them.  They are each such amazing, interesting people with so much to teach us.  Can't wait to hear the prophet speak.  What a wonderful way to spend time as a family this weekend.

Enjoying Fall

I've said it before, but I really love this time of year.  The weather has been beautiful and we have spent nearly every day outside.

Of course, there's soccer.  I'm coaching Christian's team this season.  What a fun bunch of kids!  Nothing beats coaching 3 and 4 year olds.  They run as a pack, fight their own team members for the ball, and repeatedly make mad dashes at their own goal.  But they give me hugs after the game, point at the sky and yell "giant flying alien!" to distract the goalie when they are trying to score, and there is nothing funnier than a 3 year old trash talking the opposing team.  I love it.  I only regret not getting to see my other kids play more.  So Kelly kindly takes pictures.

Getting action shots of Bella is tricky since she's very rarely active.  "Did you notice how I look like I'm playing but I'm not really playing?" she asked me after her game one week.  She likes the practices, but hates the mob scene of the games.  Maybe it will come.  Or maybe not.  She's admitted she's only there for the post-game snack.  I'm okay with that.  At least she's out and participating...most of the time.

And she's not the only one who spends more time sitting than playing.

After soccer we like to go do something as a family (since we're on all different fields during the games).  This past week we went on a bike ride in Maybury Park.  That was so fun.

No trip to a park is complete until Benjamin has spent some time in a tree.

It was our first time with Christian on the double bike.  He loved it.  He kept singing the song, "Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do...I can't afford a carriage, but you'll look sweet, upon the seat of a bicycle built for two!"  We have the veggie tales version of that song where Larry the cucumber and Junior asparagus sing it and he can't get enough of that song now that he is also the proud owner of a bike built for two.

I was telling Benjamin about the huge climbing rope my aunt and uncle used to have in their back yard when I was a kid and how my Aunt offered me a dollar if I could climb to the top.  I did.  Then I promptly climbed to the top 2 times just to see if she'd pay up again.  She did.  My aunt is awesome.  Benjamin immediately wanted a climbing rope too.  Although I assured him I wasn't paying him money.

 So now we have one too - only about 1/3 the length of the one from my childhood, but it's a lot of fun.  We attached a board to the end so it's also a swing and we've spent many hours on it and in the tree aka. "my fortress" as Benjamin calls it.

Even things that don't need to be outdoors, we've done outdoors lately.  Christian and Bella decided to form a "book club" which meets "every Friday at 2pm" (or whenever they deem it to be Friday at 2pm, ie. whenever they want).  They go to my bookshelf, pull down whatever books catch their eye and pretend to discuss them.  It's adorable.

I don't know why it has never occurred to them to discuss a book they've actually read, but I think using my books makes them feel more grown up.  Sometimes they will even put their book descriptions to music, which Christian is especially good at.  He loves making up songs.  I've managed to get a few on video, thank goodness.

Yes, Bella's hair really is that messy.  She HATES brushing it.  She has the most sensitive head on the planet and I literally have to put in ear plugs if I brush it because she screams so much my ears hurt afterwards.  I can only fight her on it so often during the week and other days I just choose to ignore it for my own sanity's sake.

Those two also decided to start a lemonade stand, but I was in the middle of making dinner and couldn't keep an eye on them in the front yard, so they said, "That's okay, we'll do it in the back."  I also didn't have any lemonade, but that wasn't even mentioned.  They simply set to work with an old blender from the laundry room and some paper cups I gave them.  10 minutes later I heard, "Lemonade for sale!  Lemonade!! Anyone want some lemonade!?!"  I went outside to find this:

She'd hung a sign that said, "Lmnad 2¢" I questioned their ingredients and was informed it contained milk from a sippy cup forgotten in the car, water, soap, and grass.  Yum, yum.  I gave her two pennies and pretended to drink.  Christian was so curious, though, that he actually drank 2 huge gulps!!!  The kid won't touch apples or grapes but he has no problem with soapy grassy milk!!!  It really is all in the presentation.

Benjamin wanted to go mini-golfing this week, so I took them.  Sadly Bella fell asleep on the way there and slept through the entire thing but the boys had a lot of fun.  It wasn't my day so I managed to drop and break my camera while there and lose the game, but it was a nice afternoon anyway.  This is the last picture that camera ever took.  Good bye 7th camera in 7 years.  What is it with us and cameras??