Soccer!

Remember how the last two seasons M played soccer, for the most part, her team did poorly? Like they could go multiple games without ever scoring? Well, this season our Panthers have arrived!

(It makes sense since preschool soccer is ages 3-5 that when your team is mostly on the young side you aren't going to do as well as when they're on the older side of things.)

But we had a game on Saturday and it was so great. Our team played so well. And not in like one kid was dominating the whole game kind of way either. The blue team didn't ever score a point but we were in fact quite kind about that. Even going so far as to stand on the goal box line when it was their turn to start with the ball.

M scored twice! Again! This doesn't really look like but this is her scoring.

Breaking it down for you, the top arrow is pointing at M and the bottom arrow is pointing at the ball, going in the goal. 

She was pretty excited! 

Here she is on a breakaway!

Then with some time with me on the bench after her goal. 

I was so proud of our team, they passed the ball and scored well. They were able to get the ball out of packs of kids but not in a mean way. (If you have had littles playing soccer you know what I mean.) It was just really a great game.

Yay Fall Fridays!

Okay, so this week actually turned into real Fall which is awesome. Yesterday was the perfect weather day. Crisp in the morning. So much so I made my children wear coats/sweatshirts. Woah! Way to keep up with the calendar Mother Nature.

This little girl was not impressed by me. Husband had been out of town you see. And typically he drives C to school and then a half-hour later the girls go to preschool. Only this week since we had to do morning drop off we got to spend a great deal of time sitting in the parking lot waiting. We read a lot of books and played a good deal of I Spy.

Luckily he got home safely last night. We got him from the airport with enough time to get to soccer practice and then we got to eat dinner together and watch the Johnny Appleseed movie. (The Disney American Legends Short.) I had told the kids we could do that earlier in the week and had to hold up my end of the bargain.

I am really glad it's Friday. We are supposed to have a soccer game tomorrow but I fear it will be canceled. It's crazy storming here right now and it's supposed to keep on raining. Which means the fields will be destroyed by a bunch of little cleats running back and forth. But we will see.

Have a good weekend!

Hello!

Guys! I don't even know what happened! It's been a while since I've blogged but really there isn't anything interesting going on right now. 

I bought these Spooky Mingos. They're exactly the right kind of Halloween decoration for me. They crack me up. 

They have been named Vampire Teeth and Pumpkin. 

This girl is having an awesome week. She's my girl. 

This kid loves his new pajamas. With both walruses and penguins on them. He looks very grown-up. 

We made a cake this week. M did the frosting. And took huge chunks out as she did it. C was in charge of sprinkles. It looks a bit of a mess but it was delicious!!

So sorry for not being around. Hopefully, I will have more to tell soon!

Sports!

Saturday was the Iowa/Iowa State Football game. It's kind of a big deal. As an Iowa transplant with zero investment in the result, I have never actually watched before. But Friday, the school had an out of uniform day if you wore Iowa/Iowa state gear.

We don't even own any! But we borrowed some Iowa State shirts from a friend.

On our end, Iowa State is definitely in the minority but that's okay! I didn't need to buy a shirt. 

In British Football news, M's team WON this weekend and M scored 2 goals!!! She was so excited and I am so stinkin' proud of her. 

And we sure savored that win Saturday afternoon when the underdog Iowa State lost (BY ONE POINT) and then yesterday when the Vikings lost too. (Thumbs down Packers.) Rivalry weekend did not go our way I guess, but hey, M scored a goal for the first time during a game and then did it again!!

We All Scream for Ice Cream

It's was hot here yesterday and since Wednesdays are early out days and they both did a great job at all school Mass I decided we should get some ice cream. It should be noted that 2:00 PM on a weekday is clearly the ideal time to get ice cream. There was no one there!! I even had to ring a bell for service.

It was a fun way to spend time together!! 

Out and About Fun

Yesterday was my first day with the Three Musketeers after preschool. It got hot and humid here again and since the Bontanical Center's splash garden was still open I figured that was a great option for something to do.

We started out by feeding the fish and then they went and splashed to their heart's we were there almost three hours before I had them change into dry clothes to come home. It was a very successful first day. I've got to come up with some other activities for them. Just coming home isn't as good of an idea, our house is small and they start bickering after too long. I suppose if I planned some at-home activities too that would be good.

Wednesdays are going to be my favorite again, I can tell. M doesn't have school, so it's just me and her all day. We are typically lazy in the morning and then we go to All-School Mass before early pickup. (The school gets out an hour earlier on Wednesdays.)

Good Stuff

Hey there. Sorry I haven't blogged in a week. After the long weekend, we were just trying to get back in the rhythm of life. I am still not quite there. This week will be M's first full week where we will actually see how the schedule works in reality.

This year on Tuesdays and Thursdays she will be part of the 3 Musketeers again. Which means, one mom takes all three kids after school until the big school pick up. We are rotating so every third week you won't have the kids at all. (That was me last week. I am sure I will appreciate it more when it's my time again, since last week it was all so new that it was almost weird to be without anyone for that long.)

Saturday was the Back to School Block Party and it was just as much fun as last year. Maybe even more so.

Sometimes it's a pain that the school and the church are across the street from each other but other times, it's very handy to be able to block off a block and have a street fair. (Or trunk or treat too when it's time for that.) This year besides the food (Kona Ice, burgers, hot dogs, chips, beverages, cotton candy, and popcorn) they had the rides, and inflatables, plus games, face painting and photo booth. Oh, AND a kind parent donated a frozen margarita machine so for $5 you could buy a color-changing cup and have unlimited margaritas. I for sure took advantage of that since that is my drink of choice. So much fun! 

Our Sunday was boring in comparison, but the Vikings won and we got to take part in the cupcakes M won at the cake walk so it was still a solid weekend. 

Labor Day

Even though school started last week, I think we can all agree that it's truly Labor Day that brings about the unofficial end of summer. Which meant it was my last chance to get to one of my "summer bucket list" items. By bucket list, I mean things in my head I thought would be fun. There wasn't really a written list or even anything verbalized to anyone in my family. That kind of list.

We started with a fun lunch at Old Chicago.

I had this picture in my head of all of us sharing a family pizza, and it looked almost exactly like I wanted it to. My requirements for locations for our outing were places where it wasn't hot or crowded. When we got to Old Chicago we were one of three cars in the lot so it was clearly the right choice. 

Then... we went bowling. Amazingly my kids had never been bowling before. Back in the old dating days, Husband and I used to go bowling like once a week with our friends. I am not good at bowling but I do enjoy it. 

And it was a hit! Hopefully, we can go bowling again really soon. Also as you can tell it was not really crowded at all. It was just starting to get busy as we were finishing up. 

Of course, these pictures do not show the disappointment that exuded from my kids as we left because claw machines are money traps. It stinks when a perfectly good outing ends on a sour note but that's life sometimes. 

Have an excellent Tuesday!