Soccer

This past Saturday concluded another soccer season. Soccer is big around here, and on any Saturday in the fall you can be guaranteed to run into various friends, neighbors, and acquaintances if you are at the soccer fields. You may have seen me pushing a red stroller and lugging various bags, a soccer banner, and sometimes a cooler. It was quite the juggling act.

This was Olivia's third year, and she did great. Every time she was on the field she gave 110%. She enjoyed playing all the positions. It was her lucky year! She made several goals this season, including a "hat trick" (3 goals) in the last game. The kids always love the tunnel at the end of the game. This was Caleb's first year, and he had a great time with the other silly boys on his team. Daddy was his coach, which made it even more fun.

Caleb did a great job focusing on the ball and not letting it get past him. Mr. Intensity:

Ben and I did lots of cheering for our favorite soccer stars. Hooray for a fun season! And hooray for some newly free Saturdays!

Way Back When-sday

She's always had great taste!

Happy Halloween

OK, so it's a week late, but we had a little, er, mishap on Halloween day. Let's just say,

adorable toddler trick-or-treating for the first time

+

dead camera battery

=

tragic :(

But, good mother that I am, I dressed the kids up a week later to recreate and photographically document. "It's for the blog!!"

And now, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present....

Coming at you from a time long, long ago and a galaxy far, far away....

Princess Leia:
Obi-Wan Kenobi:and of course, Master Yoda:

Let's take a closer peek at this one, shall we? Once again, his size extra-large noggin doesn't quite accommodate the head gear. But, he's darn cute if I do say so myself.

The gang got all excited to have "matching" costumes this year. We borrowed Yoda's, bought Obi-Wan's (he was originally going to be Luke Skywalker but that costume was nowhere to be found), and my friend helped me make the Princess Leia costume. It was so much fun, and the kids loved it! I must admit, I thought they were adorable.

The big kids last a little longer with their trick-or-treating each year. They got quite the loot! When the handle on Caleb's pumpkin basket broke because it was so heavy, we took that as a sign it was time to go home.

We sorted it all into categories. Yes, I'm weird that way.

The hair's cute, right? I did it myself.

One last pic just because I couldn't leave it out. I love my cute Star Wars characters.

Way Back When-sday: Halloween Edition

It being Halloween and all, I figured it would be fun to peek at a photo from Halloweens past. This was three years ago, when Liv was 4 years old. She was in the midst of her Princess Stage--everything had to be pink and princess. She loved dressing up as Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty for you princess amateurs).

Two-year-old Caleb, on the other hand, wasn't as excited about costume. I'd bought him this adorable cow costume that was warm and snuggly and just so cute. Problem was, he would NOT let me put it on him. He threw a complete fit any time I tried to pull it over his head.

So, when trick-or-treating time came, we improvised. We dressed him in a white button-down shirt, socks, and sunglasses. Boom! Tom Cruise from Risky Business.

Disclaimer: not that I've seen the movie since it's rated R and I don't watch those. But, who hasn't seen the clip of Tom Cruise in that getup?

Quotable Caleb

This happened a few weeks ago, but it has definite application to post-Halloween week. Plus, I'm still giggling about it.

A few weeks ago I hosted a baby shower. I had bought a few different kinds of candy and set them in bowls around the living room for people to snack on. Hardly anyone ate the candy, so the next day there was quite a bit left over.

Caleb helped himself, and apparently he had been frequenting the candy bowls more often than I had thought, because in the afternoon he sauntered in to the family room and announced: “No more treats for me!”
If he had eaten enough to know that he’d had too much, he must have really overdone it!

I find myself repeating this phrase quite often the past few days. "No more treats, Cynthia. You've had enough."

Then I go sneak some more candy out of my kids' pumpkin baskets. Sigh. I'm hopeless.

Called to Serve

This past weekend I had the unique opportunity to go to my parents' missionary farewell. They are leaving in a couple of weeks to serve in the Family History Center in Salt Lake City for 18 months.

On Sunday, my parents' entire posterity (5 children, 5 children-in-law, and 16 grandchidren) gathered together to hear them speak in church, share a meal together, and see them set apart as missionaries by the stake president. It was wonderful.

I think it was my mom's idea of heaven, having all of her family together in one room. We took up three long pews at church, and the grandkids sang two of my brother-in-law Matt's songs, I Feel the Spirit and When I Hear the Prophet's Voice.

The cousins had a ball playing together. My parents have a large property, so the kids played a lot of soccer. My dad paid the kids 50 cents a lap to run the 1/4 mile lap he created. Olivia ran 7 laps. That's almost 2 miles!Caleb ran 5. After he ran 2 laps, he proclaimed he was tired and ready to stop. My dad handed over a dollar. Caleb immediately decided to run more laps.

My cousin Virginia, who lives in San Francisco, came up to spend the day with the family. It was so great to see her. When I was growing up, she was always the little kid with curly hair, but now she is a 24-year-old college graduate with confidence and personality to spare. What a great gal. Here she is (in front) with my siblings and me.
We went to my parents' ward, the ward I grew up in, and got to see tons of old friends. I skipped Sunday School (shhh, don't tell) and chatted in the foyer with three guys who I knew as little boys, but now they are all dads! It was strange but really cool to see them all grown up.

I will miss my parents' house since we won't be able to go there while they are gone. They live in such a beautiful area.

But, we will be able to visit my parents in Salt Lake, which I am excited about.

We'll miss you, Mom and Dad!!! We are so excited for you! You will be fabulous missionaries!!!

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

Eleven years ago today I made the best decision of my life.

Six addresses, 3 kids, and countless bouts of laughter later, I still believe it's the smartest thing I've ever done. Happy anniversary, Honey. I love you so much.