Saturday, March 28, 2009

A Soccer Star

Our family attended EMN's first soccer game today and she was beyond excited! She was very proud of the goals she scored in warm ups - each time she rant off the field to give us hugs and high fives despite our best efforts to keep her with her team :) There's no doubt playing soccer is doing wonders for her self esteem. She played her very best during the game and her little legs ran as fast as they could. She listened very intently to Coach Lupe and tried to keep up with all the action. We're all very proud of her and all the Gators and we know of one little guy who's looking forward to his turn in the soccer gear.

I've included plenty of photos and if you scroll down fast enough, it's just like being there!
[she's number 5 in green]




















Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Strawberries and "The Best Day Ever"

We spent the some time yesterday in Fredricksburg at Marburger Orchards picking strawberries and the entire family had a blast! We got there as soon as they opened and we were saw only one other gentleman there and he had already finished up for the morning. We spent about 45 minutes picking berries and ended up with about 8 1/4 lbs which is plenty for our family. We'll end up freezing some for sure. The berries are sweet and just perfect. The kids got a kick out of seeing the plants and finding the right strawberries to pick. We saw lots of blossoms and so we had good talks about how the pretty flowers will become fruit eventually. Mike is definitely a strawberry lover and was intoxicated by rows and rows of fresh fruit so I almost had to literally drag him away. I'm glad things like allrecipes.com exist so I can stretch my recipe limits and make good use of all this fruit! We'll definitely be back when it's time to pick peaches.







After strawberry picking we drove into Fredricksburg and window shopped, had lunch and drove the long way home. We finished up the day by placing our order for our backyard playset which we've been saving up for. The kids had their heart set on having it installed last night so their patience will have to endure for a few more days at least. At our traditional Monday night pizza dinner EMN declared it "the best day ever". :)
And to finish up, a photo of the peach blossoms at the orchards and some blue bonnets we found in Fredricksburg. Spring is here!!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Soccer!

Yesterday was the first soccer practice for EMN so she got all geared up for the first time. She was so excited I think she wore her shin guards for most of the afternoon just so she could be "extra special ready". She's so proud of her YMCA jersey and all the gear that goes along with her new sport.



I loved seeing her out on the field, doing her best, being a good listener and trying soccer for the first time. The no-hands part will take some getting used to :)




It really struck me how grown up she seemed. Her hair is longer than it ever has been, she was in a uniform for the first time and she was part of a team. Wow. Could be that I've finally started to contemplate her baby scrapbook and the contrast between her baby photos and the preschooler ... well, it's different and yet the same. Her personality hasn't changed a whole lot but the packaging sure has!



And on the homefront we spent the weekend painting. Mike's office is as done as we can get it (the ceilings are vaulted and we need scaffolding or a professional to get them painted) and we're very happy with how it turned out. We're also happy with our piano room. We've got a lot of furniture moving to do yet to get the room settled but the painting is done so that's a great start. The piano room colors are a departure from our usual choices - it's fun to take risks sometimes. Once the curtains are in and we figure out all the details we hope it will turn out to be what we've envisioned it to be.


Thursday, March 12, 2009

Spring Break Continues

Ah excitement ... First, MTN enjoying the popsicle he got from the nice nurses after his brief hospital visit. We were returning from grocery shopping and I was at the back of the van unloading and I thought he was safely away. Huh. He stuck his hand in the van door as it was sliding shut. I'm guessing it was just inches from closing since it will usually re-open if it senses something blocking the path. His hand was stuck in the door but only his middle finger was truly pinched. X-rays were negative for any breaks and he is back to his usual self. I asked him if his finger hurt this morning (this happened yesterday) and he said it was "changing". It is pretty swollen and bruised but other than that he's fine. As I told a friend, I'm learning a lot about parenting every day. I second guessed my decision to go to the ER once we checked in but better safe than sorry as Mike said. I'm glad kids start out small so, in theory, the problems start out small and we get lots of practice for the bigger issues.

I did not second guess my decision to have EMN change her pants. This was "a whole 'lotta look" as Tim Gunn would say. She did not think my giggles were nice and my hugs were not appreciated. So I let her wear her outfit until we had to leave for a playdate and I only made her change her pants.

This still makes me giggle. All her favorites, all at once. I love her!!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Spring Break

This week the two kiddos attended a party at McDonald's and had a blast. I forgot to bring my camera unfortunately but the two have been wearing their crowns all over the house so here's are their Royal Highnesses during a pause in the action.

Last night we all curled up on the couch to watch back episodes of Iron Chef America. I made the quilt about 12 years ago for my new apartment when I was living here on my own. I never could have imagined this scene at that time but it certainly brings a smile to my face now. There are still days that I have a hard time comprehending all the twists and turns that have brought me back to San Antonio!

And here are my spring breakers, enjoying a few books as they start a week off. The back porch is Grandpa Tom's favorite place to read when he is visiting so many thanks to him for setting a good example for my young readers. They were very relaxed as their parents worked on dethatching the yard.

Mike did all the hard work, all I had to do was rake and bag and thankfully it was over much more quickly than we anticipated. Now on to lunchtime and then painting!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Correction

Correction to the last post. Tonight at dinner Mike used his super interpretive skills to determine that Twinkybear (or Tinkybear) is actually Thank You Bear. Many thanks to my husband for correctly cracking the code because Thank You Bear makes more sense! He was also today's "Favorite Part of the Day" until I reminded MTN of our trip to Hobby Lobby where he found fabric with construction trucks on it. Tough choice. That Thank You Bear is stiff competition!

Monday, March 2, 2009

March!

Yesterday was Mother/Daughter and Father/Son day at our house. Here is my happy daughter.
She and I went dress and shoe shopping and she declared it a great success. In fact, I'm the best mommy ever! Mike took MTN shoe shopping also and then they went hiking in the "woods" behind our house. So imagine our surprise that night when EMN's questioning begins ("What was your favorite part of the day?" - sometime we have to answer 1-3 depending on her mood) and MTN answers Tinkybear. An afternoon with Daddy and Tinkybear over-rules even new light-up Lightning McQueen sneakers. Ah, the mysteries of Tinkybear, he's a powerful force apparently. He's been mentioned a lot but we have no idea who this Tinkybear is, only that he somehow figures into stories about Moses at Sunday school. (Must have skipped that part of the Bible.) Finally, last night at dinner MTN was able, in his almost 3 year old way, explain that Ms Mary has a toybox with Tinkybear in it and he tells stories. So now we know to ask Ms Mary more about Tinkybear.
The blog has been sparse recently due to this scene around the house.
Everyone's health is much improved so that's a big, big plus. And honestly, I didn't think I'd still be sucking mucus from my son's nose at this point but he's not real handy with a tissue and well, it needed to be done. Those bulb thingies they give you at the hospital when they are born are more valuable than I realized!
The big news today is that EMN's curtains have been hung.

Sparkly pink and purply greatness. She's happy so I'm happy. And I sewed in a black out liner in hopes of many sweet dreams and late mornings! We'll see how that goes.
And an update on the dryer ... still not fixed. The repair man #2 confirmed that repair man #1 wired it incorrectly by wiring it the same %$#@&% way. So two more weeks to wait on the part they need to order again due to incompetence and then we'll see he can wire it correctly this time. I have confidence he can if he can remember that it's messed up to begin with. Believe me - I'm going to remind him first. If not, the clothes line is going up in the back yard!