PRINCESS SOPHIA

This is how she was dressed when we came downstairs this morning...

SCENES FROM THEIR FIRST SOCCER GAMES

Cora kicks off her game

 Not even close to filling out that XS uniform...

 Happy to be out on the field

She ran around and kicked the ball when it was given to her, so we'll consider game one a good one. There were no tears and no complaining, so we think that's pretty great for a 3-year-old!

James' turn. He was awesome today - totally involved and aggressive, and HAPPY out there!

Coach Jay a-yellin' and a-whistlin'. He even yelled at me once... "Who's the coach?!" Hee hee!

We were seriously impressed by how often James got out front and took control of the ball. Complete 180 from last season. He definitely "gets it" from the start this time and is completely unafraid to step up and take his moments to shine. He even scored a goal (don't tell him, but it was for the other team - sure was a beautiful shot though!)

Looking hot and tired near the end, but he played through. So proud of him!

And while they weren't playing, they were allowed to drink, snack, and sit in the shade with mama's iPhone. I know, I know. Perhaps they should have been cheering their sibling... But you know what? This kept them out of the sun and heat, and calmly content so that MAMA could watch the games and cheer and take photos. Absolutely making this a tradition this season (since all games will be at separate times).

THE CEILING CAN'T HOLD HER

Macklemore is a current favorite these days. With all the carpooling lately, we've settled into twice daily dance parties on the commute to and from school. It's quite fun, and Cora never misses the verse to put her hands up. Just wait until you see what their other favorite song is...

DONUTS AND SLIDES

We're having a busy day today. I ran 11 miles this morning, rushed home to load the fam and drop Jay at Sandy's to brew the Oktoberfest for our annual Halloween party (with a few errands on the way to get ice, donuts, and oxygen - some elements for the brew, some for our bellies), took the kids to the park, rushed back home for showers and soccer prep (icing water bottles and cutting oranges), then spent 2.5 hours at the soccer fields. We're all pooped. Good thing we fueled well today with donuts and leftover pizza...

Manu showed up dressed as Batman, with an extra cape.
(And we always keep a Batman mask in the van, for emergencies...)

ICE ICE BABY

I like to take an ice bath after any run longer than 10 miles, but I didn't have time for that today. Besides, we needed 5 bags of ice for brewing and 1 for soccer, so I didn't feel like buying even more ice just to sit around in... Especially after my experience last weekend... FYI, 3 bags of ice is too much. It numbs your toes to the point they hurt. Owie owie owie. 2 bags is perfect. In the summer (when our water is super heated). Only 1 bag is needed in the winter. Anyway, earlier this week I finally caved and invested in a second ice wrap, so now I can ice my shins (my current and usual "problem area") while cleaning house or running errands or whatever. Nothing screams classy like doing errands around town in your stinky running clothes and fluorescent ice wraps around your legs... Especially in a small town where you invariably run into 7 people you know at any one locale. But hey, whatever gets the job done, right? I'm all about multitasking...

SAVING UP

Cora received a birthday card from her Auntie Margie and Uncle Daryl today that had some money in it. She immediately said "Thank you for the dollar!" When I explained to her that it was more than a dollar, that it was many dollars, she said "Oh. OK. I will put 'dem in my owl bank!" Good girl for wanting to save those dollars, and thank you Daryl and Margie!

U4 AND U5 - DOUBLE TROUBLE!

The kids started fall soccer this week, with Cora's first practice last night and James' first practice tonight. Cora is on a U4 team and James is on a U5 team, coached by his daddy (and co-coached by Alex, especially while Jay's ankle is still healing). Their first game is Saturday and we're all pretty excited, considering how the week has gone so far.

Upon arrival at the baseball field Monday evening (Cora's coach figures the little ones don't need real soccer fields to practice on, so she's holding practices in town) Cora saw the coach and her daughter playing down the hill and she immediately told us "That girl is gonna be my best friend!" She was so happy to put on her soccer shorts, lace up her cleats, pump up her pink ball, and head down to meet her team!

While waiting for the other kids to show up, she was distracted by the lure of the dirt mounds. We'll go ahead and blame James for giving her the idea though. (Perhaps it's good they're on separate teams, since when together they pretty much just stick to each other like glue.)

There are 5 girls on Cora's team, and 3 of them know each other from church and are already friends. Cora went right up to them anyway and I watched from afar as they compared shoes. Typical girls. Eventually Cora ended up playing more with the 2 boys though.

This would be James crying about mommy telling him to get out of the dirt and set a good example for Cora...

Once drills started, she was proud to show me how hard she could kick!

Dribbling drills. Cora is actually pretty good at dribbling the ball, but she got bored of this really fast. Her team is having a second practice this week on Thursday where they'll do a mock game against each other to prep for their first game, but they will usually stick to one practice per week.

 Tonight we headed out to the actual soccer fields for James' first practice. Manu is on his team again this season, as well as 4 other boys. They're an all-boy team, and I predict that they're going to be a power house. Every kid was interested, involved, and mostly focused during the entire hour of practice, and Jay and I were extremely impressed. Unlike last season, James paid attention, showed initiative to take the ball and block (during their mock game at the end of practice), and never once whined or took extended breaks beyond the quick water stops. We were SO PROUD of him and we're hoping that tonight's performance is an indication of how much he'll enjoy this season!

Taking turns dribbling down field to the opposite goal.

Seriously surprised that they ALL waited patiently for their turns, each and every time.

Going for the goal!

Group goal kicks, with Coach Jay showing them how to properly celebrate after scoring.

Discussing instructions for the "listening drill".

Teaching the kids the difference between their right and left...

Practicing following instructions (retrieving the ball with just one hand, right or left).

Everybody on the ball (except AJ, the one kid who's still a little unsure at times), and James actually taking the lead (a new development for him, since he pretty much just followed Kalista around the field last season).

I loved seeing that smile on his face! In fact, I loved seeing smiles on ALL those boys' faces. They are so happy out there, and they didn't even complain about how crazy hot it was tonight (felt like 105!)

Coach Jay gives AJ a pep talk (and explains why the other kids took the ball from him).

Leo chillin' with some snacks that Cora shared with him. After she patted his head and called him a "good baby Leo Leo Leo".

And he's off! Watch out boys, Leo is determined to be a part of your team!

Just a little field maintenance after she finished her snacks...

 This season will be much busier than spring, since we'll have two practices and two games each week (on different days/times), and I'm training for a marathon (which requires long runs of 2-3 hours during most of the season), and Jay can't drive (so it's not like we can split days). If this week is any indication of how the season will go though, it will absolutely be worth it (with both kids enjoying the sport and being on teams). 

Wish us luck!

CORA COULDN'T HANG

OUR WEEK IS UP

We all had a great visit with Uncle Jamie this week and we're very grateful that he was able to come and help us out! Thank you Jamie, and we hope you can come back again soon!