Soccer. What else? ;)

Just got home from day one of the tournament. So proud of my boys (and their team). We played just the one game today...and tied 0-0. To hear our sidelines celebrating and hooting at the end of the game, though, you'd think we'd whooped 'em. See, the other team is a really competitive team...they went mostly undefeated the last couple seasons (I believe a tie or two may have been involved and don't actually know for sure) and are known for being a real powerhouse. Noah and one of the other boys on our current team have played on the same team as these other boys for a season or two (insert various tales of soccer politics and team selection here, lol). My point is, we know this other team and know they're good. So, to tie  them (and hold them to zero goals) was big. We're happy. ;)

(Seriously, you should have seen our sidelines. It was, at times, more fun to watch the parents than the kids. We were so excited for the boys, and I love how our team parents are totally supportive and encouraging...not only did you hear shouts for our own kids but also "good play" and "nice block" for the other team.)

Oh. And, for the record, we tied them (and by "them" I mean their entire normal team) while missing two of our normal players and having my Asher play as the single sub...my Asher who is 6 years old playing on this U8 team. (Technically, because of where his birthday falls, Asher plays U7 right now (is always one of the youngest) so is allowed to bump up one division for things like this.) He was dang small out there compared to those mostly 8 year olds...totally held his own and got into the fray, though. (Asher's team opted to not participate in the tournament, btw, which made Asher sad. So, he volunteered himself to Noah's coach to help make sure Noah's team would have enough players to participate. Turned out that they did need any extra players they could find for the sake of having at least one sub.)

On the ride home, the boys were asking Nathan and I about our own soccer experiences. I explained that I've never played soccer (the youth league in my hometown started after I was almost in high school I believe) but have been to, literally, hundreds of games. I don't think I'm exaggerating. All four of my younger siblings played youth soccer, and two of them went on to play beyond high school, and I honestly did go to many of those games. Figure at least 10 games per sibling per year (two seasons) for say 5 years. (That's not counting the games where they were older when I would have been at college or just married.) Wow. I've really spent a lot of time doing things soccer related for someone who's never played. I'm not sure how I feel about that, LOL!

One last thing. Earlier today I was running errands with Micah. We hadn't been talking about soccer at all. I asked him randomly what he wants to be when he grows up (I get a kick out of the many different answers I get from the boys). His prompt reply was "center half-back"...this from a kid who has yet to officially play soccer. Man I'm in trouble. ;)

ETA: Oh, and I was just realizing that aside from a couple of photo books using templates and helping the boys with their own season albums, I've not done a single soccer layout...ever. Yeah, I better get on that. I won't even go into how many soccer pictures I've taken...

Rain gutters and bicycles.

I spend a lot of time organizing and reorganizing my scrap supplies. It's a sickness, really. ;) This post, though, is not about scrap supplies (though I wouldn't be surprised if that comes up in the next week or so, LOL!). No. Lately, I've been wrapping up this school year and planning for the next and am just so stoked about the ideas and books and activities I'm hoping to tackle with the boys. To that end, I've been sorting and organizing and reorganizing my homeschooling supplies. And I realized that I could take a pointer or two from my scrap supply saga...I do better at using things if I can see them in plain view. I think most people do. So. One of our projects over Memorial Day weekend was this:

We added some shelves to the boys' closet wall (we removed the closet doors long ago to prevent boys shutting each other inside and have always used the built in shelves for books rather than clothes). The shelves are actually vinyl rain gutters. Yup. Just bought some gutters (they come in 10' lengths but are easy to cut), end caps and brackets and stuck them right up. Okay, Nathan and Noah stuck them right up. ;)

I love that the boys can now put a selection of books here that they can actually see and be excited about (as opposed to keeping a pile on the floor and neglecting the many other books still on the shelves because they just forgot about them). Obviously, we put up three shelves...one for each boy. Thus far, they've been using them to keep track of the bedtime story selections they think of during the day. I'm thinking of adding more of these rain gutter shelves elsewhere in the house so that I can keep better track of books I want to make sure to read to the boys in a given week...still pondering where to put them, though. :)

Oh, and for the record, this is not an original idea. I've seen it before and then was reacquainted with it over the weekend while reading "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease...good stuff, btw.

One of the other "big" things over the weekend was our realization that Asher needed a new bike. His little one was just too much work for him (he must have been pedaling many more times than the rest of us when we took our family bike ride to the Farmer's Market on Sunday...and was wiped by the time we got home). We'd been holding out in the hopes that he'd learn to ride without the training wheels on that littler bike...seemed like it might be easier to learn on since he'd be closer to the ground and all. But. We hope to do much more in the way of family bike rides and having him dread them wasn't going to work. So. He got a new bike and is delighted and once again happy about bike riding. Micah, having inherited the littler bike, is likewise thrilled. Since it was raining yesterday, the boys got their first real chance to try them out today:

(Yes, they all still have training wheels...we'll be working on that next, lol.) During this afternoon's riding in the cul-de-saq, Micah exhibited his typical precociousness. Noah, biking very slowly, ventured to let go of the handlebars and shout that he could ride hands-free (if you know Noah, you know this is a big step for my always cautious boy). Micah, seconds later while pedaling furiously after Asher, did this:

First day riding a bicycle and the boy is trying to ride hands-free on me. Oy. Moments later, btw, Asher declared that he could ride butt-free (meaning that he stood up in the pedals so his bum was off the seat). Micah, naturally, followed suit immediately. At that point, I was obliged to step in and ask that he not try to ride both hands and butt-free at the same time. ;) (Because you know the little bugger would have tried it, LOL!)

Anyhow. The bike fest ended with the discovery of a joy of training wheels after rain:

Noah actually started it and all three boys took their turns positioning their bikes and getting their backsides soaked. Fortunately, they figured out pretty quickly not to line up behind one another. ;)

Okay, back to work on this layout on my desk now. :) Hopefully, it'll go quickly and I'll finish up a few that I can share before the end of the week, too!

Memorial Day.

Sigh. I'm not sure how I feel today. This is my second Memorial Day without my dad, and Memorial Day was always a special day for the two of us. I wish I could be in Prosser at the cemetery there but know that's not practical right now. Instead, then, I'll share this layout (which is in my book) about Memorial Days growing up. I finished this layout the summer before my dad died.

Miss you, Dad...

Happy Memorial Day to you all...hope you're enjoying it with your families!

Random questions...

Me again. A few random questions for you:

1. As little boys become bigger, where do you (clothes) shop for them? To date, I've generally been hitting our local gently used shop and places like Gymboree, Gap Kids and the like. But. For boys at least, they appear only to go up to size 8 or so with any regularity. Where do you go once the boy is past size 8? (Note: Having the three boys, we tend to mainly buy clothes for Noah and pass them down. Fortunately, this appears to go over well with the other two who can't wait to wear particular clothes they've seen on their brother. Given all this, though, we also tend to try to buy higher quality clothes when we can so they'll last longer...for instance, the clothes I buy at Target don't tend to make it past one boy.)

2. If you participate in scrapbooking challenges (where the challenge is to create a layout), do you prefer month long challenges or shorter (like 2 weeks perhaps)? Why?

3. What good books have you read lately? I'm in need of some more ideas to get through the summer...trying to institute some silent reading time for everyone this summer that will carry over into the school year once I get it established better. (To clarify...I'm looking for book suggestions for me, not the boys. :) Thanks!)

So. It's rainy here...which fostered a lovely lazy day attitude today. We picked up the ice cream the boys helped make yesterday during our homeschool field trip to a local ice cream place and then took the boys to see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" in the theater (which they loved). No other big plans and it feels nice. ;)

FYI, I feel like we're in a transitionary stage right now...winding down from the school year (though our homeschooling will officially continue through the end of June) and activities and trying to start up our summer routines. As I get more situated, I'm sure I'll have more to post. For instance, I expect to have 13 layouts due for assignments...and more that I hope to finish for my own sake...in the next few weeks...so hope to have work to share soon. :) In the meantime, I'd really, really appreciate any and all replies to my questions above! Thanks!!

A photo recap of May thus far...

Me again. Sorry I've not been the best blogger this month. :) Here's a look at what I've been up to...

The month started off with a visit from Grandma Nancy and bike rides and sprinkler play (this is the first time we'd used this one and the boys were delighted):

The older two, obviously, were having a blast. Micah, on the other hand, was rather apprehensive to start with but gradually warmed up to it all (notice, btw, the pudge on him compared to the ribs you can see on the other two, LOL!):

That weekend, we had Noah's First Communion. He was disinclined to smile (since he was missing a soccer game for it). We made an agreement whereby it was okay to not smile, so long as he didn't frown. This is him not frowning:

After the ceremony (which went nicely), the sun came out and moods improved. Managed to take a few shots outside (though Nathan and Noah were quick to ditch the ties):

Grandma Nancy had to head home on Mother's Day but the boys couldn't wallow too long, since Nathan's cousin Theresa showed up the next day. :) She works for Ringling Bros. Circus (she's the seamstress with this particular show...they have three shows that travel around the country) and managed to get us tickets for the show in Loveland (not far away):

Beyond the show, itself, which was a hit with the boys (who have seen two other Ringling Bros. circuses in the last few years since Theresa began working with them), the boys always love the motorcycle globe. They take this cool metal globe and somehow manage to fit numerous riders on bikes inside at the same time...the riders circle the globe and a brave, brave woman stands in the middle (in this case, the head rider's wife):

Knowing people came in handy, as the boys were actually able to go inside the globe with the head rider after the show:

Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end, and we said our goodbyes to Theresa the next day. :( The day after that, we had our final soccer games of the official season (still have the tournament at the end of the month). The day started off overcast (perfect end to our Saturday weather luck for the season, LOL) but Asher didn't mind:

Nor did Micah, who capitalized on his little brother status pretty much after every game of both big brothers all season long to weasel a treat. ;) Have to admire his donut eating technique:

Yes. He just eats off the top layer. The few times we buy donuts, I find these poor bottom halves all over the place, LOL! Anyhow, by afternoon and Noah's game, the sun had come out and it was a good game:

We had our last day of Options on Monday then enjoyed a fabulously un-busy day yesterday:

Technically, we'd been scheduled to attend the local Water Festival with our homeschool group, but when it came to it, I just couldn't muster the energy. :) So. We stayed home and played in the front yard instead...filled up this little pool (that we'd bought last year for the bubble birthday party we had) with water so the boys could load their own water guns and miscellaneous squirty things on their own (and at the same time). Lots of laughter and a great way to spend the afternoon! No. I don't have any clue why they felt it necessary to "pose" for the camera, LOL!

Whew. So. That's what's been going on in a nutshell. Plenty more to come, I'm sure. In the meantime, I'm catching up on stuff and have at least a few big projects in mind that I'm totally excited about and hope to share this summer...stay tuned. :)