Soccer

The BK and I are both avid soccer fans. Our kids? Hard to tell, but at this point, "avid" is not really an accurate description of their levels of interest. The LG has made significant strides, however, on a season to season comparison. This season he did actually make contact with the ball, and seemed to better grasp the point of the game. He seems better suited to defending the goal than attempting to score. That said, there was still a lot of sitting in the net and pulling the goal over, laying on the field, and encouraging team members to pursue outside interests during game time ; ) 

The Rooster is only 3, and thanks to the LG at this age, our expectations for 3-year old play had already been put into proper perspective. Rooster mostly liked the games so that she could socialize with her friends. She did not understand why anyone would or should take the ball from her, and resorted to tears at nearly every game either due to having to play, not getting to play, having the ball, or not having the ball. Even I couldn't begin to guess what was going to set her tears in motion. Thankfully, her coach was a doll, and would hold her hand most of the game, gently tugging her around to follow the play.

You may have noticed there aren't many action shots of either of them. Obi One ka PoPo, you may be our only hope ; )

Brothers

There are days I just can't get enough of my boys. I didn't say there were a lot of these days, but a few. They are tireless, exhausting, relentless, physical, and demanding. They are also buddies, and the LG has a soft spot for PoPo which makes my heart happy. PoPo has been trained to rough house by the best, and is now an unknowing tyrant with other children who haven't attended the LG's (and BK's) brutal boot camp. There is a lot of body slamming, running, and "gentle" shoving. They also love to lay around giggling, or pretending to go "night night". Pretending is the key word here. There are more than a few good reasons that these two share a room, but vastly different bed times ; )

Though, I find that I, like the LG, have a very hard time not giving in to everything this sweet face is asking for.

Here the are playing Super Mario together. PoPo always insists on pulling up a chair and watching while his big brother plays.

More of the giggling.

Lest the Rooster be entirely left out of this one, be assured that they all share special bonds. Bonds which make trouble making second nature. Here they are decorating my bathroom with 2 full bottles of baby powder. Our house is still smelling nice and fragrant, with a light coat of white dust. Ahhh, the memories.

Family of Dracula

I believe this is the first Halloween I have dressed up for since I was a teenager. My kids were pretty excited at the prospect of mom and dad joining in the fun. The LG was totally into having vampire teeth and fake blood on his face, and Rooster was thrilled at the idea of being a Vampire Princess, which she pulled of beautifully. Baby Dracula didn't need much help drawing people close enough for blood. Just don't hold me to such standards in the future.

LG's School Party - The LG has been asking about the Halloween parade at school for weeks, and I had to check my calendar 3 times on Monday night as he was convinced that Halloween was on Library Dad (Tuesday). I was nearly as anxious as him that we were missing the big day.

The Rooster and her friends all got to dress up for Ms. K. Such a darling age to dress up. She was most proud of her collar and the long sleeves on her dress that proved she was a "princess". There was a barrage of marketing thrown her way by the BK and me to get her to go along with such and un-Disney princess theme.

Other than the LG coming down with a fever and only making it about 4 blocks before hitching a ride on dad's shoulders the rest of the way, we all had a great time. I even bought back most of their candy which will mysteriously disappear ; ) Happy Halloween!!!

Rooster Turns 3!!!

Okay, so she's almost 4. Well, just about halfway there. She is really a little light of sunshine and makes us all smile and laugh, a lot. She's our little mama and makes sure everyone is in line, as long as it doesn't apply to her ; ) Her birthday breakfast consisted of peanut butter and jelly butterflies with orange juice. She thinks PB&J should be the main course at every meal. 

She insisted on My Little Pony Cake, and we had over a couple of friends. It was pretty low key as we had just moved into our new house, but she was so excited and had a great time. We love you Rooster. Happy 3!!!

Our Smiling Rooster

PB&J Breakfast Delight

Definitely Her Grandma's Girl

My Little Pony Cake

A Few Close Friends

A Bit of Healthy Jealousy

Lake Powell

Family vacations. What's not to love? I can think of a few things, but those are always trumped by great memories and a lot of fun. Back in June we had a family vacation at Lake Powell. This was no ordinary vacation as we were celebrating my father's 80th birthday and all 6 of his children and most of his grandchildren and great grandchildren were able to come. It was a logistical nightmare, but a tremendous success and everyone had a grand time. Some of the highlights:

1. EL CAPITAN

My brother got stuck with driving the mammoth boat. It was no small task. Particularly when there were numerous "el hefe's" on board who frequently had others ideas about navigating, driving, etc. There were more than a few mishaps, including hitting a sandbar which caused food and any other thing on shelves to go flying. Luckily, no one was hurt, but it was an ordeal. The motorboat, which he was also in charge of, also died on a number of occasions which I know caused him and his wife a lot of stress. Unfortunately, I missed one of the more memorable events which involved gassing up the beast. Let's just say that this elicited a classic "senior el hefe" moment of shouting, arm waving and hopping up and down. Unless you have experienced an 80 year old man doing this, you won't be able to accurately picture the hilarity. I can. Thanks Jr. El Hefe.

2. FAMILY TIME

When you don't live next door to your cousins, this is a great time for the kids to bond and play. They did plenty of both. The LG had plenty of occasions to be shown up by his female counterpart. She's fearless, and didn't flinch at jumping off a cliff, jet skiing, tubing, sliding off the slide, water skiing and a laundry list of other activities I don't likely know about. The LG had a great time tagging along, though often as a spectator. The Rooster and PoPo also had plenty of time playing with the many cousins who were there. 

3. SR. EL HEFE
This was a vacation Papa had been wanting to take for a long time. He was pretty happy when he wasn't flying off the handle ; ) It really was an amazing feat to have so many of his posterity there!

SCENERY
It's a pretty amazing place. The water is warm, the cliffs are amazing, and the sunsets/sunrises are brilliant. The weather was also perfect when we were there. Hot enough to keep you in the water, but not to cook you once you got wet.

PLAY TIME

Though I am not going to recommend this as the best vacation for small children if you as the parent want to relax, it is a great place for playing on the "beach", and in the water.  There's plenty of both. 

STRANDED
A group of us ended up stranded for about 6 hours while scouting out our camp site. This had something to do with the motorboat dying, and cell phones not working all that well. Me and the BK (and our kiddies) were part of that group. We didn't have nearly enough drinks, food or water toys to make this pleasurable. Luckily, the group of campers across the lake from us were kind enough to bring us water, some treats and support. It was very kind. The site was perfect however, and once the houseboat actually found us, we had a great few days exploring and playing.

DANCE PARTY
This was definitely one of the genuine highlights. It was the night before we left, and everyone was having a ball, particularly the girls who really know how to shake it. The Rooster is there in the middle, and is learning some awesome moves from her older cousins. Below, the PoPo is showing off some moves all his own.

It was a great vacation, but is the kind you need a vacation from when you get home. The kids had an amazing time, the adults will need a few years before thinking this is a good idea to repeat anytime soon.

Back in the Swing

I have been considering dropping the blog, as you can see from the date of my last post it is no longer on my priority list. After consideration however, I decided that I really should make a renewed effort to document our family life since I am even more terrible at printing picture or making scrapbooks. I am 3 years behind on that. Life is busy, but there are always worthwhile things to report so here goes. The first thing to note is that I am changing the moniker's for the youngest 2. The TP will now we referred to as the Rooster, and the baby as PoPo. I'm sure they will love me for this later. I am going to start with the most recent and catch up in subsequent posts.

SCHOOL!!!!

We didn't start until the day after Labor Day this year, so that meant that both the LG and the Rooster started on the same day. I know most parents say it is hard to believe the time goes so quickly when their oldest starts Kindergarten. In my case, I feel like this should have been last year, so we were pretty excited, and READY!!! Even sending a 3 year old Rooster to a local preschool for 2 days felt like something she was more than ready for.

Anyone who knows anything about the inner workings of our family should know that it was hairy getting out the door on time. I keep thinking that it will get easier or faster but so far, regardless of how prepared I am for another day, we still battle finding lunch boxes (this was actually prepared the night before but somehow disappeared just prior to departure), shoes (also laid out the night before), combing hair, and making sure the baby's diaper is clean (it is inevitably NOT, regardless of when we are leaving or when he was last changed). So we were kind of running barely on time all day.

I am also blaming some of it on the logistics involved in getting everyone where they need to be on time. TP's preschool is local. LG's school is 20 minutes away on the freeway. We were so thrilled to have gotten him into a Chinese immersion program, but the reality and commitment required in commuting to a city we don't live in is a wee bit challenging some days.

The Rooster is happily leaving for her first day. She is pictured here with one of her good friends. She LOVES Mrs. K and it is a wonderful place where she gets to paint, make big messes, sing, dance and play with friends.

The LG was a bit tentative when we met the teacher at Back to School night, so she was thinking he was shy and reserved. Poor woman. He darted into class so fast the first day that I actually wasn't able to take a solo shot of him until after school at which point he had on a name tag so they won't be appearing here. It was a rocky first week, with some usual LG shenanigans including sneaking out of class and requiring a small search party (including the Principal) to locate him. But a few weeks in, he seems to be settling in and is LOVING his Chinese class and teacher. I am just glad that we won't have to homeschool due to him getting kicked out of school in Kindergarten.

Too Good To Be True

Do you ever think that things are too good to be true? I do. Wonderful family. Handsome, dashing, and loving husband. Beautiful, smart, sassy, and tender children. Incredible parents. Crazy creative and amusing brothers. Health. A job (s). Enough money to provide for our family, eat good food, and have enough fun to keep ourselves entertained and refreshed. Brilliant friends. Lots of friends. Lots of different kinds of friends.

I'm not afraid of very many things. I get afraid when the good things run circles around the bad. Those moments when I realize that I have most of the things that want out of life terrify me. It makes me think one of two things: either bad things innevitably must start to happen, or that I am off track and doing a poor job of making wishes. Either way I am in the doghouse. I have never thought that bad things wouldn't happen to me, rather I am of the opinion that I don't have any exemptions.

I'm not saying that things are perfect. Just nearly, and only prayers can take care of the remainder.

I'm enjoying it. My kids are little and love me. My husband makes me smile. I feel loved by many people. I feel alive, and happy. And I know that it doesn't last always or forever, so I am grateful now for what I have, and think I have gotten pretty good at looking past all the vast oceans of things I don't.

No point really, other than to say thanks to those of you who make me happy.

Mentionables

Today at school, the LG learned about jobs. He told me that all work is boring, and dad, particularly, works in a really boring building. So, to appear more interesting to his friends, he made up a "secret" (i.e. lie) that dad works at a grocery store. He thought that would make it more exciting.

This past weekend, as we were leaving Grandma's we were backing out and saying our farewells in Spanish: Grandma: "Adios" Me: "Hasta manana, I mean hasta luego" LG: "Hasta my Lego Grandma!" Indeed.

Lucky Number 1

Happy birthday to the Big H! We can't believe he is 1. I think he takes the cake (literally) for passing the "stuff your face with cake" test we give all our children on their first birthdays. No hesitation. Just dug right in and kept going until the whole piece of carrot cake was gone. In fact, there was very little mess to clean up - he shoved most of it right down to his belly.


What a wonderful little boy he has been. He is following in the footsteps quite literally of his older brother and sister, and has been walking for a couple of months now, much to mom's dismay. He is happy, busy, and has a very cheerful smile on his face most of the time. Everyone is enamored by this little soul, particularly anytime he is strutting around the house in his birthday suit - which is frequent these days as he hates having his diaper changed or clothes put on. He is a little monkey, and loves to climb all over everyone and everything. He has started flirting and feigning shyness around new people, and can often be heard chuckling with no provocation which gets everyone giggling - particularly strangers at the store.

He is huge - weighing in at 25 pounds, and is in the 99th percentile for his height. This surprises no one who has actually held him - or watched him shove cake into his mouth. He is solid as a rock, and is helping mom to keep at least her arms in shape. We were really lucky to have both Grandmas and Papa here for the event.





There's something so amusing to me about kids this age opening presents they probably don't care much about (though this year I think everyone did a great job as they toys were played with more than the paper ; ). It was a wonderful party, for a wonderful little guy.



Happy Birthday Big H! We Love YOU.