Soccer Boys

On Friday Benjamin had his first day of soccer.Today, Micah had his first day of soccer.

Based on their faces, I would say they're pretty happy to be playing soccer!!!

Take me out to the ball game....

Yesterday was a whirlwind day filled with driving in the car, baseball, hot dogs, a little rain, more driving in the car and lots of family fun!

Curtis loves the Rangers. He is one of those dedicated fans, that loves the Rangers, even when they suck. And this year, they don't suck!! The last time we went to a Rangers game was four years ago when I was pregnant with Micah. Every summer during baseball season, we would talk about how fun it would be to go see a game with the kids. Curtis has many wonderful memories of going with his family, and he wanted our kids to have some of those same memories.

The night before the game, I checked the weather. 60% chance of rain, temperature in the low 70's. Not quite idea baseball weather. Yesterday morning, I went and bough pants for all the kids, to match their Rangers shirts that I had made.

As we started driving north, we hit rain. Lots of rain. We tried not to let the rain dampen our spirits. But the traffic was too much, and Curtis and I were both starting to feel pessimistic about how the evening would go.

By the way, this is my new favorite family picture!

Once we saw the Ballpark, the excitement started to build.
We headed to our soggy seats, and after taking a few pictures.......

... we decided it was hot dog time!!! Lucky for us, we had planned on going on $1 hot dog night.

YUM!!!!

After our delish dinner, we headed to our seats.

Curtis brought his glove, ready to catch any foul balls that headed our way. Benjamin helped.

About 10 minutes into the game, the drizzle got a bit heavier and we decided to break out the ponchos!

Despite the chilly, drizzly weather, despite the long car ride, despite the traffic, despite the fact that Curtis' favorite player (Josh Hamilton) wasn't able to play,

and despite the fact that the Rangers lost, we had a GREAT evening!

Ballerina Girl

Three years ago, this sweet face had her first day of ballet.
And today this beautiful little girl had her first day of ballet, jazz and tap. Anyone thing she's changed a bit?

Just Ducky!!

Micah-ism

Frequently, when driving with the kids, everyone seems to want my attention at the exact same moment. I try to make a point of talking to each child individually, hoping to show them that I care about what each of them are saying, and teaching them patience at the same time.

Yesterday, both Micah and Elizabeth had something urgent to tell me. I listened to Elizabeth first, then turned my attention to Micah. He told me, "Never mind Mommy. You're not home right now. I'll just leave a message."

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!

This evening we were able to enjoy a special treat. Playhouse Disney Live came to town! Originally, we weren't planning on going. But then, some friends gave us some tickets! It was such a fun treat for us to get to go!

Here we all are, waiting patiently for the fun to begin. (really, Micah was happy!)
(and the picture Micah smiles in, Elizabeth blocks his face!)

Can you see the excitement???

June, Quincey, Leo and Annie in the Little Einsteins Club House.

And rocket!!!!! I think Rocket was the highlight of the night for Micah.

My friends, Tigger and Pooh!

The Super Sleuths are on the case!

Manny and the tools!

Manny and his friends.

The Hot Dog Dance!

Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald.

The grand finale!

Baby Names

I posted this on Facebook. But in case there's someone out there who isn't on Facebook (which EVERYONE should be on Facebook!) or missed the big news, we have baby names!

Timothy Joel
or
AnneMarie Claire

We had a tough time picking the boy name. I wanted Joel Stephen. Curtis wanted Caleb Andrew. Since we couldn't agree, we picked a new name. Timothy was Curtis' idea, and I love it!! And I got to use Joel. Timothy means, "Honoring God".

AnneMarie was been our girl name choice with both the boys. Anne is part of my Mom's name (Maryanne) and it's also both my Grandma's middle name. Marie is Shannon's middle name, and it happens to be my great-grandma's middle name as well.

We'll find out if we're having a Timothy or an AnneMarie in less than a month, on October 8th! I think we're having a boy. Curtis thinks we're having a girl. Micah and Benjamin are guessing girl (most of the time). And Elizabeth says it's a boy or a girl. I'm telling you, that girl's a genius! Either way, we can't wait to find out who will be joining our family!

A little pregnancy/life/homeschooling story

After making it through the dreaded first trimester, I'm doing great! The first trimester of this pregnancy has been, hands down, the WORST out of my pregnancies. I was so glad to be through that!

I am now 15 weeks pregnancy, and other than misplacing my energy, I feel great! It's so nice to be able to enjoy food again.

Yesterday was our first day of co-op. I had several moms tell me that after a morning of co-op, they don't do any other school. That sounded good to me! But I was planning on doing some school with Elizabeth. Wednesday mornings I have bible study, so I wanted to try to stay on track with math and phonics. We got home at 2pm, and I quickly discovered that Elizabeth needed to spend the afternoon training her heart, rather than her mind. It was a rough afternoon for us both!

A little after 4:30, all three kids were up and bouncing off the walls. Super! After sending everyone to the bathroom, getting shoes on, and making sure everyone was clothed (always something I have to be aware of with my two boys!) I sent them outside! At about 5, the power went off. Christi called, and their power was also out. Curtis said there were traffic lights out all over town. After listening to the radio, we all realized that it was a wide spread power outage in College Station.

Now keep in mind that I'm at the fun stage of pregnancy that when I get too hot or too hungry I get cranky and start feeling sick. Curtis, being the very smart man that he is, said, "Let's get out of here!" We inspected the kids, only to find out that they were COVERED in sand. After quick showers, packing up a few things, we headed to the van with AC that would take us to get food.

We got in the van, and called Laura, who had electricity. We stopped, picked up some Double Dave's and headed out to the country! We enjoyed an evening sitting on the deck, visiting with Laura, watching the kids run round like ferrel children, snuggling sweet baby Elliot, and best of all, drinking limeaids (my current craving).

Once we got the call from our neighbor that there was power, we headed back home to our nice, cool, home. The kids headed to bed, and I started finishing the e-mailing that I had started when we lost power.

By 9:30, I was ready for bed. By 10, I was in bed, sounds asleep.

Then this little baby of our, at 3:40, decided it was breakfast time. Which is why I'm now up. After some cereal and a glass of water, I'm feeling down right perky! I am now assuming that 4am stole my energy. All I need to do is wake up at 4am every day, and I will be back in action!

Since I was up, I decided to check Baby Center to see how big the baby is. The kids love knowing what fruit they can compare their brother or sister to! By the way, the baby is the size of an apple. In case you were wondering.

While on Baby Center I find this statement about life at 15 weeks pregnant.
"Getting some exercise can boost your energy and help you sleep better during pregnancy."
Imagine that!

Okay fall, here we come!!

Our fall has almost kicked into full gear. Here's a peak at what our crazy schedule looks like.

Mondays: 10:00am, Micah is doing Hot Shots soccer (starting the 21st)
2:30, Elizabeth is taking dance again at Suzanne's. Ballet, tap and jazz... oh my!

Tuesdays: Co-op!!! Our first day is tomorrow, and we are very excited to be a part of this group.

Wednesdays: 9:30 Young Mom's Bible Study, my opportunity to be with like minded moms who are doing the same thing I am!
6:30 Community group. I love our community group! We've been a part of the same group since I was pregnant with Elizabeth. This fall we're reading Family Driven Faith. It's going to be great!

Thursdays: Curtis has class. In an attempt to keep my sanity, the kids and I aren't making any plans. Just staying home and trying to survive. This is his last semester! Graduation is December 19th!

Fridays: 9:00, Benjamin has Hot Shots Soccer with three of his friends! This should be quite laughable!

Throw in deacon's meetings, scrapbook night, Aggie football, family time (we're going to a Ranger's game next week!), doctor's appointments, and life in general, and I think we're in for one great fall!

Free chicken anyone??

Today, till close, you can go to Chick-Fil-A and get a free original chicken sandwich if you wear a team logo. So we Aggie-fied ourselves, and headed out for a super cheap lunch! $9 for all of us (we bought two large drinks, and three large fries).

After our tasty lunch, we headed out to play. For the first time, Benjamin was able to climb to the top of the play place all by himself! While Benjamin enjoyed his new found ability, Micah ran, and ran, and ran.....

Elizabeth, sporting her new do (which we were excited to be able to pull up a little!).

Daddy and his kiddos, after enjoying some free chicken sandwiches. Gig 'em Aggies!

A new do

This afternoon, I heard the words that I knew I would hear at some point.

"Mommy. Micah cut my hair."

I turned around to see Elizabeth holding a 7 in. chunk on hair. She was remarkably calm, a sign that I shouldn't take this at face value.

"Where did he cut the hair from," I inquired.

"My pony tail."

Sure enough!

I called Micah in, and he walked in holding a pair of scissors and a very guilty expression.

"Did you cut Elizabeth's hair?"

"Yes."

"What do you cut with scissors?"

"Paper."

"So, why did you cut your sister's hair?"

"She told me to."

I turned to look at Elizabeth, who was now wearing the guilty expression.

She confirmed Micah's story, and added that she didn't really think he would do it.

The shocking thing was that there were still no tears. I took her into the bathroom, took down her pony tail, and told her that we were going to go get her hair cut. When she realized how short it was going to be, she started crying.

In the midst of very busy afternoon, I took her in, and got her hair bobbed. It really looks super cute!

And clearly there's no love lost between these two!

And for the record, both kids got in trouble. Elizabeth got in trouble to telling Micah to do something he shouldn't (something we've been dealing with) and Micah got in trouble for doing something he knew was wrong.

Another day, another lesson learned.

Hopefully.

Gitchi Gitchi Goo

Phineas and Ferb is a summer show that's been on the Disney Channel. I'm quickly realizing that there are no good shows for kids in Elizabeth's age group. There's lots of good stuff for the younger crowd (Diego, Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny...) and lots of stuff for kids just older than her (Spongue Bob, Hannah Montana....) but just not much that works for her. Despite the fact that Pineas and Ferb have a boy crazy older sister (who drives me nuts!), we decided the show was harmless, and let they kids watch it.

And check out this catchy little tune that my kids are now singing.

Homeschooling is like...

Homeschooling is like eating your vegetables. Sometimes it's not fun, but the out come is worth it. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself!

Our week has continued to go well, but it's not a smooth and easy of a transition. I'm again reminded of the weight of raising children, and feel the charge of homeschooling adds to that weight. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart!

Kinda like those nasty veggies.