SOCCER PICTURE DAY

We spent about 3 hours at the fields today due to soccer pictures and games. We got there early enough that James busied himself playing zombie, chasing Cora and the other girls on her team around the field before the U5 game started. His team has dwindled more each week and only had 3 players show up this week. Needless to say, they didn't bother with a group photo (only 2 of them were there in time for photos!) When it came time for the U6 game, Jay recruited Cora and one of the boys on her U5 team to take turns helping out the bigger kids so that they could take a couple short breaks. It was fun seeing my whole family out on the field together so much today! Cora was especially aggresive during the U6 game, but she scored a couple goals in her U5 game and was on cloud nine! Only one game left of the season...

 U5 team portraits, missing Micky and Tripp (pretty sure Tripp dropped out a couple games ago).

James trying to eat Cari's brains...

Don't those U5 players look excited to get started?!

Celebrating her first goal!

While waiting (hoping...) for other U6 team members to arrive, James made friends with the photographer's assistant and I spied them playing a game from across the fields (my new camera has a nice zoom on it - thanks Jay!)

Snapped this as I yelled "Good luck!" as he was heading back out to the field during his game.

Cora was showing her big brother "I'm open! Pass it to me!"

Get it Baby Doll! (She's speedy when she wants to be!)

James is showing so much control over the ball lately - it's very cool to watch!

I think coach daddy might have fussed at them here... or at least one of them... hence the crossed arms.
Monkey see, monkey do.

Such teamwork today!

Corner kick! (And Cora waiting oh-so patiently, hands on hips...)

PARK AFTER DARK

Rather than do Boo at the Zoo this year, we decided to try something different. The Children's Museum and Natural Science Museum collaborate to host "Park After Dark", a 3-hour event with admission to the event being the same cost as a normal ticket to the Children's Museum. But this event included admission to BOTH museums, with all exhibits open (and it was cool to see the night animals at the science museum awake and moving around!) PLUS trick-or-treating stations and game/craft stations. We walked miles and miles in that 3 hours and the kids had a blast! We saw dozens upon dozens of Elsa's and superheroes, the kids got a little candy (thankfully there weren't all that many trick-or-treat stations), made some "new best friends" (as they always do), crafted handmade glow sticks and foam monsters, and splurged on Five Guys afterward (red meat only makes an occasional appearance in our lives and Five Guys is the one place we usually cave for).

Meeting Batman while waiting in line to get in. Immediate best friends, obviously.

Minimal costuming effort for us adults tonight, but we didn't want to let the kids down.

Keeping the kids entertained while waiting in line to make glowsticks.

The new outdoor play center is open (has been for a while, we just hadn't been yet).

The current special exhibit is all about nanoparticles, so that was cool for us adults to see.

This might be one of my favorite costume themes ever!

Miss Impatient was getting antsy while waiting for the Mad Scientist to begin her show...

Making CO2 bubbles from dry ice and bubble solution.

There was much arguing over this game. And thus we knew it was bedtime and time to finally eat dinner. But there was still more to see before we could convince the kiddos to leave...

Cora was not sure what to think of this guy in the giant aquarium... (And apparently there was a mermaid in there earlier in the night - bummed we missed that, but the kids did NOT want to leave the Children's Museum.)

This witch told the kids to choose a potion wisely, since one would make them smart and superhero strong, and the other would turn them into a frog. Our kids politely declined. Good move kiddos - never take potions from witches, no matter what the chances of glory are ;-)

The "sliced head lady" really threw them for a loop...

And this snake struck at anyone who dared to touch it... See the looks of apprehension?...

James spotted the "real Batman" on the way out the door!

Overall assessment? This event is MUCH better for small kids than Boo at the Zoo. It's inside (AKA warm, for kids in thin costumes on chilly nights), they can PLAY (rather than just walk around getting candy and playing mini carnival-style games), it's easier to keep track of them (because it's not dark...), and they get to craft and learn new things (museums, obviously). We'll likely do this again for the next few years until the kids are old enough to enjoy things like the haunted hayride at Boo at the Zoo. P.S. It was cheaper than Boo at the Zoo too!

SAYING GOODBYE

My best friends had to say goodbye to their baby yesterday.

 

There are no words to accurately describe how that makes me feel and how much I physically hurt for them, and yet there are so many words going through my head... But rather than go on and on as you know I could, I will keep this short and sweet, just like Christopher. His daddy wrote that he changed the lives of so many people for the better, and he couldn't be more right. Christopher's honest and unending love, his laughter, his strength, his pure joy when getting to do what he loved, and his charismatic little personality were the light of many of our days. I know this because so many of you have so constantly checked in with me about him over the past couple of years. He never left your thoughts. You prayed alongside us and relished the adorable photos and videos his parents so graciously shared with us. He touched your hearts, and I know you're all hurting for my friends too. He is loved by people around the world and he will always be a light for us, now shining down from above where he'll watch us from heaven with those beautiful blue eyes.

 

We love you Christopher, always.

 

IT WORKED

He was trying to make mommy smile and laugh yesterday afternoon. It worked.

PINK OUT DAY

AMCA ended their Spirit Week with Pink Out Day for breast cancer awareness today. Considering how commonly this disease affects women nowadays, and the fact that I had a small scare last week when called in for a second mammogram (I'm clear, but it was obviously terrifying to get that call), I am glad that the school was willing to participate in raising awareness.

His teacher sent us this shortly after I dropped him off to tell us that he's the most handsome boy she's ever seen. I think he felt extra cool today with the spiky hair. (P.S. Notice how all the kids behind him have stuffed animals on their desks for show-n-tell? James brought one of his Skylanders. Again. He's still quite obsessed.)

CANNON

So... we randomly adopted a kitten last night at 10:00pm. 

He had visited the Kennedy's house for the second night in a row, yowling under Lauren's window and threatening to wake her up (and we all know that Lauren should not be disturbed when sleeping!), begging to be fed and loved. But they have two large dogs who might happily eat a tiny kitten (since they shattered a window trying to get to him...) and Christina is allergic to cats. So Al captured him with cheese, Christina sent us a photo with a little winking and smiling emoticon, and we said to bring him on over to our house. Because we're suckers.

Jay gave him a flea bath and we fed him, and he cried the whole time, even while eating. He was completely pitiful. Buster was a little too interested (but not aggressive - not our Buster, the calmest dog in the world). Jude was very much unimpressed, and we felt pretty bad about that. And Maxine got the boot for the night so the kitten could stay in the sunroom. We wondered if we'd made a mistake...

He slept quietly through the night though and woke up just a little stressed, but by the time Jay and the kids left for school he was happily riding around on Jay's shoulders and letting Cora haul him around by his armpits. We got him checked out by our vet (a mere 2 lbs! and estimated to be 7-weeks-old) and vaccinated, and now that we've named him, he's officially part of the family. Cora has since learned how to carry him like a baby (she even swaddles him, and he tolerates it to the point that we think he kinda likes it), he trusts James enough to walk straight to him and climb his legs to be held, and Jay is smitten with the tiny kitten that loves to play and wrestle and act ridiculous. Jude and Mouton were 9 months old when we got them, so I haven't had a tiny kitten around since I was a young kid myself, and I've been highly amused watching the interactions of everyone in the house with him, and I've obviously enjoyed snuggling the little guy. He kisses me when I tuck him in on my chest.

So there you have it. We considered naming him Kennedy since they rescued him for us, but opted to give him a "local" name, like we did for Jude and Mouton when we lived in Lafayette and named them after streets. We figured that since we spend so much time at the military park, he's gray and white like smoke, and insanely loud for such a tiny thing, Cannon is a fitting name. And he shoots around the house like a cannonball shot out of a cannon too, so there's that. The kids approved and so we went with it.

P.S. He no longer cries while he eats.
Poor baby was stressed and starving that first night.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS

Our running group got together tonight (well, half of us did) to celebrate the October birthdays. We went to The WineHouse and enjoyed red wine flights and appetizers. From left to right we have Amy (20th), me (18th), Christina (13th), and Terry (22nd). Francine and Lee, a pair of July babies, joined us.



WACKY WEDNESDAY

 James doesn't own much in the way of "wacky" and basically his entire wardrobe could match because he's all blue, green, and orange, so he opted to simply wear his clothes backwards (at the suggestion of his teachers, not us). Cora, on the other hand, has endless options for wackiness... We went with bright purple pants, a snowflake shirt, and a (too short for her all of a sudden!) tank over the top. Luckily it was easy to convince them both to wear mismatched shoes, since we sure couldn't do mismatched socks (all they own is white).

 And no, I have no idea where she learned to pose like that. And I don't know why James keeps insisting on posing like a zombie in photos this month - must just be the Halloween spirit seeping out. And yes, I promise we brushed her hair before leaving for school. And added a bright yellow bow to top of her wackiness. Boom.

PAJAMA DAY

It's Spirit Week at Agape, and while I was going to wait until Friday and then post all the photos from the week, I realized we didn't participate in Hat and Sunglasses Day yesterday (because our kids don't wear hats and wouldn't keep sunglasses on anyway), so why not just post the ones we do? They chose their Skylanders and Elsa pajamas for the occasion, and even agreed to pose in front of the mantel for me this morning. Cora tried to pose sweetly, but James just wanted look tough.

BIRTHDAY SPIN

 Amy's birthday is today, so Christina and I brought her a card, Birthday Girl pin, and a bottle of wine to spin class. She rewarded us with a very tough workout in which we sweat puddles on the floor under our bikes. Or, at least I did. Maybe she was making us help her burn off birthday cake calories?... Anyway, I never take pictures at spin class, so for anyone curious, this is what it looks like - and that crazy smile of hers was not just for the camera... she should bottle up her energy and sell it because she rivals 4-year-old Cora in the talking, dancing, and singing categories!

STEPPING OUT OF ROUTINE

Cora had a recheck with the pediatric urologist in Jackson early this morning (something we could have skipped, as she has had zero issues and only a couple tiny accidents due to laziness and/or distraction since the appointment 6 weeks ago, after which we changed her diet and altered her potty technique, but we don't flake on doctor appointments), so James and I were solo at the house this morning. Rather than go about his business as usual (which generally invovles a lot of lollygagging and cuddling with Buster - he is NOT a morning person), he opted to rush through going potty, getting dressed, brushing his teeth, picking out his breakfast and snack (the kids eat breakfast in the car - someday I'm sure they'll have a bigger appetite at 7:30am and will be willing to eat real breakfasts, so we don't worry about it - saves time for us!), and feeding Buster. Then he asked to sit up on the counter and watch me prep lunches, which took me longer than usual because he is highly entertaining and distracting, and adorable, and asked me a lot of random questions and told me some random stories. Once I was done, we walked Buster together and hit the road. Even the mundane tasks can be fun when you step out of your routine a little...