Soccer, Soccer and More Soccer

Lately I feel like our life is one big soccer field.

With four practices a week, and three games every Saturday we are spending A LOT of time on the sidelines these days.

Last week we left our house at 11:15 and went to Abby's game that started at 11:40.

It's not the ideal soccer season for Abby. She did not get placed on the team she was supposed to be on and so isn't playing with her old coach or her friends. Her current team struggles on the field and it's not the winning season she experienced in the spring. Bret has stepped up and is an assistant coach for her team and she really enjoys that. I'm proud of her she works her heart out every game and is having a good experience even though it's not what she had hoped for.

Zachary, Gavin and I left at 12:30 to get to Zachary's game that started at 1:00.

Bret and the girls finished Abby's game, stopped at Subway to pick up lunch and then met us at Zachary's game.

Zachary's games are fun to watch...a heard of boys playing magnet ball. After years of watching his sister play he sure loves being on the field himself.

We finished up Zachary's game, ran a quick errand in town and then went to McKenna's game.

This is her first season in Challenge and her games are so fast paced and fun to watch because the skill level of all the players. She's been playing a lot of goalie lately and is really good...but man oh man, as her mother there is no other position that causes me more stress then when she is in goal. But in the three games she's been goalie she has had some pretty amazing stops and has never been scored on.

We walked in our door after this soccer filled Saturday at 5:15. But it was a great day because the games were spread out enough that we were able to all support each other and be together for the most part. Other Saturday's we're not so lucky and have to end up sending one child with a friend in order to manage all the games and game times.

Weekly Injections

They've started.

My weekly injection of progesterone to prevent pre-term labor.

I dread them.

They hurt.

They make me sick.

I hope they don't make me an emotional wreak.

And they'll continue until my 36th week of pregnancy.

On the bright side...I should not have six weeks of strict bed rest again!

Sadie's Catch

Sadie loves to chase butterfly's. She stalks, she pounces, she runs. But only twice has she ever been successful in her hunt. And when she is, she doesn't know what do to with her prey. Sadly this beautiful Monarch was her latest catch, and she hurt it just enough so it couldn't fly. Gavin thought it was a great little friend for the afternoon. It rode bikes with him, swung on the swings with him, and even went down the slide with him.

McKenna and Kate

My girls have great little friends. And I couldn't be more grateful for it. McKenna and her best friend Kate are two peas in a pod. They are so fun to have around and the two of them just make me laugh. Last night they had a late-over at our house and came downstairs dressed for the movie like this...

Love these silly girls

End of an Era...

I walked in our bathroom one night to find one little body in the shower getting cleaned up and this pile of hair on the floor. At first you might think that that huge pile of hair must be McKenna's. But no, oh no....it was Gavin's! (And not by his own doing I might add)

Bret decided it was time to go short...REALLY short.

And so it is the end of an era. Good bye little boy shag. Hello big boy! I feel like he's aged about a year with his new hair cut.

We're lovin the new do

Double Digits

It's happened. Abby has reached that all important double digits! We're just that much closer to Young Women's and that much closer to full fledged teenagedom. This birthday was so important to her. She felt like it was a huge milestone in her life. So even though it was her "off" year for a birthday party, we decided to throw her a very small little surprise party.

I picked her up from school on the day before her birthday and dropped her off to Bret who was going to be taking her out on a daddy-date that night. She has been begging him for months to blindfold her on one of their dates to surprise her with what they were doing. So this provided the perfect opportunity for that. She walked into the bowling alley where McKenna and I along with five of her closest friends were waiting.

She couldn't have been more surprised with the whole thing and was over the moon tickled!

Spencer, Madeline, Abby, Evelyn, Kathryn and Malina

The birthday princess!

We headed back to our house where we made our own pizza's and played Chinese writing before having cake and opening presents.

The cake was just about the biggest hit of the whole night. Each girl had to show their moms when they came to pick them up. It was fun to make but even more fun to cut in to!

The next day was the official birthday. We opened presents in the morning...

She finally got a grown-up bike...she's been tall enough for some time now.

The rest of the day was spent going on bike rides, a family hike up sugar hallow, getting dinner at Panera and spending time in a bookstore where the kids each got a new book. In Abby's world, that equates to the perfect day! :) Happy birthday love!

Virginia Beach

Driving home from church the Sunday before Memorial Day Bret asked if we had plans for the next day. The day was wide open so he said, "Why don't we drive down to Virginia Beach tonight."

Upon arriving home he was able to find us a great Marriott using points. We fixed Zachary's requested birthday dinner, packed up and took the birthday cake with us to eat on the beach that night.

We got there and went to the Board Walk area of Virginia Beach. Nothing like eating chocolate cake at the beach!

The kids were in heaven just simply running from the waves.

The next morning we woke up and went to Sandbridge Beach. It was a perfect day, low 80's and sunny.

Zachary loved playing in the water...

or sand.

Gavin was not a fan of the water/waves. He spent the majority of the day on the beach and it wasn't until our last half hour that he decided he liked the waves after all. This is what he looked like upon first arriving and attempting to play in the ocean...not happy.

Abby on the other hand was a little fish. She never came out of the water unless it was to grab something quick to eat.

body surfing...

Because of a recent injury of McKenna's, she was unable to spend as much time as she wanted in the the water. She would go play, and then when the stinging on her knee and toe became too unbearable she would go play in the sand with Gavin.

Bret got a boogie board...

and taught the kids how to do it.

Gavin just enjoyed pulling it around on the beach

About 3:30 that afternoon we packed it up and headed back home. It was the perfect spontaneous, spur of the moment get-a-way.