Soccer Highlights

It has been a great six weeks in soccer. We have had fun watching the kids get better and learn more each week. Here are some highlights from each of the games.

Pregame pep talk.

K going for the ball.

Playing in the rain.

Soaked through and through at game three
and loving every minute of it (the kids not the parents).

K was usually pretty good at getting into the thick of it.

K throwing in the ball.

K taking control of the ball and heading for the goal.

Soccer season award party. We had juice boxes and cookies.
K loved having her best friend Kaitlin on her team.

K with her favorite teammates after getting their medals.
M made them at work. We were the dragons so it's a dragon
with a soccer ball on his chest; the kids loved them.
On a side note, it was cute watching Cooper and K play soccer
while holding hands running down the field. A little soccer romance.

Soccer Spring 2011

We are wrapping up another season of soccer this week. It has been different for K this season. Last fall she was one of the best on her team and she loved it. This year there are three boys, Franco, Emiliano, and Sam, who were miniature pro soccer players. They keep the ball to themselves pretty much every game. They are amazing, but it is hard for K not to have more action this time around.

Here is her team minus one player.
Coach Garrett, Coach Smith,
Zoe, Jake, Katie, Cadence, Cooper,
Franco, K, Emiliano, and Sam.
Hannah is not pictured.

Her coaches did a great job this year; K loves Coach Garrett. We are hoping he will continue coaching her team. This Saturday is the final set. She has three 30 minute games to play. Hopefully she gets out there and is aggressive with the ball. She still loves it and we plan on putting her back in the game this fall.

Snappy

L wanted to show off for the camera today. So here is a little sample of the things she can do now at age three. I think she may be following in her sisters footsteps.

Singing her ABC's.

Counting to 100.

Naming letters.

L learned how to snap recently and she is
very proud of her accomplishment.

Dance Recital

The girls had their dance recital today. They were so cute and did a great job. Here are a few pictures of them. They did some creative movements to music, a dance to You are my Sunshine, The Hokey Pokey, The Car Wash, and a few others.

Aren't the three of them precious together?

Dancing with ribbons.

Ballerina pose.

Ballerina pose.

The girls with their teacher. She was a lot of fun
and really good with the girls.

Here are a couple of videos we took. The Car Wash song was fun to watch. The girls definitely each have their own style.

Here is a video of L dancing; so cute.

Here is K dancing; so sweet.

Bouncing's What L's Do Best

During K's last soccer game there was a bouncy house set up near the field. M took L over to play in the house and she had a blast. She spent almost an hour bouncing around.

Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend. On Friday afternoon a large group of us got together for an egg hunt at our park. We had a ton of kids show up and they had so much fun looking for plastic eggs. Afterward, Auntie and the kids showed up to go to Wicked with us. They gave the girls Easter pillow pets before we left.

On Saturday K had another soccer game and she scored 4 goals. After the game the girls opened their box from Granny and Papa they received in the mail. K got a book and L got a lamb; they both love their gifts.

On Sunday the girls woke up early and ran downstairs to find baskets filled with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, coloring pencils, sand shovels and a chocolate bunny. After going through their baskets they searched for plastic Easter eggs lightly filled with candy.

After eating some candy, we had french toast with strawberries and homemade whipped cream. Then we read My First Easter together and talked about what Easter really means. Before we headed off to church they watched Veggie Tales: Twas the Night Before Easter.

After church we had tacos and nachos. Not your traditional Easter dinner but it's what M asked for and I was happy to oblige, though he ended up cooking it for us. For dessert we had strawberry shortcake. It wasn't a hugely spiritual day, but better than past years. Hope you had a great Easter weekend too.

Wicked!

I was able to talk my hubby into going to see Wicked the musical when it came to town. I got tickets along with my aunt, two cousins and their significant others. We went out for dinner before heading to the show.

Here we are all dressed up and ready to go.

I didn't think to bring my camera and we weren't allowed to take photos once the show started anyway. So, the pictures I have of us were taken with Mika's and my cell phone camera. The others I found online.

I was impressed with the backdrops, props, and costumes; they were amazing. I especially loved the dresses of Glinda and her personality. She really did a great job on her character. The acting was really good and there were some very funny lines. I also really enjoyed the singing although it was pretty loud where we were sitting.

Elphaba and her professor.

Elphaba flying before leaving Oz.

The face-off after the death of Nessarose.

I have read this book but it was a whole new experience seeing it acted out. They did an excellent job turning it into a musical. I was very impressed and entertained. I definitely recommend going to see this show.

An Gathering of Mothers

Our close friends are expecting another baby and I volunteered to throw a shower for the triple blessed mom. I made a chocolate carriage cake with ganache and cream cheese frosting. It turned out pretty cute.
Because you can never have too many diapers, I also made a diaper cake with goodies hidden inside and socks balled up like roses to decorate the tiers. I love the little turtle toy on top. My girls loved their car seat toys when they were little.
Here are the yummy treats we enjoyed with the cake. We had chocolate sticks, hot artichoke dip with pita chips and bread, Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, and strawberry lemonade.

The gift table with her prettily wrapped goodies waiting to be opened.

The guests with the mom of honor. It was a great night of laughing,
eating and showering Becky with our love.

Brain Candy

I have read a lot of very serious books in the past six months:
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Night
The Glass Castle
Left to Tell
In Defense of Food
Wuthering Heights
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Just to name a few, so lately I have been reading total brain candy. Books that are quick and easy and leave nothing to ponder over. My latest book is Heat Wave written by Richard Castle. Now, not only is this total brain candy, but the author is fictional. Those who watch Castle will recognize the name and the book title. I think it is funny that they actually paid someone to ghost write a book as the main character on a fictional television series. Although, for some reality-challenged people, this may add to their delirium that the show and people on it are actually real.
So far the book is very much like the television show but I am only three chapters in. I don't recommend reading this book unless you are going on an exotic trip to a tropical paradise and want to relax, but I totally recommend the show. It is funny and I love the characters interaction. I am going to go veg on my book now.

Sunshine

My girls are taking a dance class together and are loving it. They have been learning the song, You Are My Sunshine and moves to go along with it. Their instructor told them if they sing it loud enough maybe the sun will come out. So, my 6 year old has been singing it a lot lately when she is playing outside and the sun goes behind clouds or it's a cloudy day.

Amazingly enough, almost every time the sun comes back out which just reinforces what her teacher told her. Plus it gives her a sense of control in a world where she doesn't have much. I find it adorable that she continues to belt out the song with her face tilted high to face the sky.

And here is a video of them singing. I don't have any pictures of them in dance yet. The parents were banned from the room until their recital in a couple more weeks. It's okay, though, it gives me a chance to read in the car while they are practicing. I can't wait to see their new moves.