Soccer

We signed the Prince up for soccer for the first time this Spring. He started in March and it ended last week, on May 8th. There were seven games total. Watching pre-Kindergarten soccer is fantastic. It really is great entertainment. There isn't much pressure; the kids basically just run in a pack after the ball, and some don't even do that. Some of the players dance around the field, some play with their buddies totally unaware of where the ball is, and some don't play at all. My kid isn't any of those. He cares. At his first game he was so excited and convinced that he would get a goal. When the game ended, which was disappointing enough, without him getting a goal he was undone for 20 minutes. He cried as hard as he ever cries. The next week we were in St. George and missed the game. The following week he didn't get a goal, either. Well, he got a goal but it was in the wrong net. It was heartbreaking to tell him that he needed to get a goal in the other net. He had been so proud and had such a look of joy. He cried and cried at the end of the game. It was about at this time that Ootsie told us a story about Grandpa Canadian.

Grandpa played professional hockey in the Red Wings organization. I think he only played until he was 19 or 20 because he injured his back on a goal post. This was when the posts were cemented into the rink. Anyway, she told us how Grandpa cried after every game he lost, even when he was a pro. I started to laugh and laugh. Obviously, this is genetic! How am I going to teach a 3-year-old not to cry if Grandpa's mom couldn't even teach an adult? There is a very strong competitive gene there, and believe me, my family has its own competitive strong streak. And for those of you who are thinking I am a good example of it, you would be wrong. I am nothing compared to my mother. In fact, when I told her about Grandpa Canadian she said, "I never cried when I lost at tennis," with disdain, pride, and superiority in her voice. For those of you who don't know, my mom was ranked 3rd in women's tennis in the USA when she was just 14-years-old, the highest national ranking any woman from Utah has ever achieved. I told her that she was just manifesting another version of the exact same competitive gene, like "I will not be one of those people that cry because I am better." She didn't like me discounting her achievement, but she had to agree I was right. So, now you know what I am up against! We can only hope that the Prince actually has some ability along with his very strong desire.

I know you are dying to learn the rest of the Prince's soccer record. I think it was at his next game that he got his first goal and followed it up with another for good measure. He was so excited to have 2 goals. Of course, no one was more grateful than Captain F and I. I had been hoping and praying that he would get a goal that day. It was then that I realized my life was going to be tied to a stupid sports goal. How had this happened to me? The next game he almost got like three goals, and particularly one where he kicked the ball all the way to the goal and then stopped. I think he thought it had gone far enough, but it never quite crossed the line. We were dying. He cried again. The next game he got two more goals. Surprisingly he cried at the end of that game, too. He said to Captain F, "But I no get one two three four goals." What can you do when they get upset about the goals they didn't get? Seriously. In his final game he got one more goal and would have had another one, but the other team's couch blocked his shot at the goal line for no reason. He claims he heard the ref blow the play dead. Believe me, the refs aren't that strict and who stops a goal of a 3-year-old. Really? Plus, he is the coach, not the player. But, it didn't matter. That was the day they passed out the soccer trophies to each kid. That was enough to make the Prince's entire day and week. I wasn't at that final game because I went to my nephew's baptism. Afterwards there was a lunch at my brother's house. The Prince came charging into the lunch triumphantly carrying his trophy. He was the conquering hero.

Easter in St. George

We went to St. George over Easter weekend with my mom, sister and her kids. We left Friday around noon. My sister's firm has a condo down there. It is small, so we stayed in a hotel. It was so nice to be out in the sun and swimming. The kids loved all of it. We went to the art festival, and Captain F even bought a screen print for his office. There is a great area for the kids to play in the water. They loved it. We also went to our favorite park. It is great for all ages. The kids could have stayed there for hours. The Prince and V were so excited to wake up Sunday morning and discover the treats the Easter Bunny had left for them. We drove home around 2 or so Sunday afternoon. It was a great little vacation and the drive seems like nothing after having just driven to Disneyland and back. The kids are great travelers.

Disneyland . . . for the third time in a year

We had a great time taking the kids to Disneyland again. It is Captain F's favorite trip these days. One reason is we sleep fantastic. It is great: we go to bed at 9:30; we each sleep with one of the kids so they are totally happy and not waking us up much; we don't get up until 7:30-ish; and we take a two hour nap. Plus, our kids are totally happy at Disneyland, as you would expect. We feel like parents of the year. Also, our kids do really well on the drive to California right now. We are able to do the whole drive in a day. They are troopers. So, what's not to love? Everyone is pretty happy.

I did well, too, being 7 months pregnant and unable to stand/walk/bend/lift much. Poor Captain F had to push me in a wheelchair, it was a little embarrassing, but I just can't do it. The first day we paid $50 to rent an electric wheelchair, which was great, but I think more embarrassing than the regular one. It did free Captain F up to push the stroller with the kids. On the second day we decided on the much less expensive option of renting a regular wheelchair for $12. It wasn't so great. The wheelchair didn't push very well and I felt like I was going to be pitched every time we hit a bump or hill. Little V would sit on my lap, even though we really weren't supposed to let her. The Prince tried to sit on my lap but that regular wheelchair couldn't do it. He had to walk around the whole morning. He was so good about it and never complained. When we came back after naps, I was determined to upgrade to the electric wheelchair, but they were all out. I asked if they had another type of wheelchair, and low and behold they did--the wide wheelchair. We gave it a try and it was a thousand times better. It is much sturdier and easier to push. V fit perfectly and the Prince could sit on my lap, too, when he needed a break.

We also brought cowboy boots for the Prince. He was just slightly too short to go on the bigger rides, but the boots did the job. He was so excited to go on Star Tours because he loves Star Wars. He also went on Soarin' California and Splash Mountain. All the kids in his preschool carpool had told him how scary Splash Mountain was. The Prince was a little nervous about the whole thing. Captain F told him funny stories in the line to keep his mind off of it. Once on the ride, the Prince would exclaim, "That not so scary," after every hill. He loved it. The kid is a doer.

Everyday efforts to entertain

The Prince loves Iron Man. We talk about Iron Man a lot, watch it a lot, play with it a lot. Even V knows Iron Man and lots of the superheros. Apparently there is some new Iron Man suit and mask. The Prince has been asking for it. Captain F figured he could make a suit. Once Captain F mentioned it that was all the Prince could talk about. It had to be done right then. Here are some pictures of the event.






















The kids also love to make forts. Here they are in one. One of V's favorite things is to get "co-cozy." She loves to get a pillow from my bed and use it anywhere to make a cozy bed. My favorite is when she puts it in the middle of the kitchen floor and gets cozy when I am trying to cook.



















And here is a picture of V dressed for church in a dress Ootsie gave her. I think this dress had been purchased a while ago in anticipation of a little granddaughter and soon there will be another one along to enjoy it.

Some Recent Pictures

Here are some recent photos of the kids. This is a picture of V in one of her new and favorite outfits from my mom for her birthday. Her favorite color is purple.



















Here is a picture of the Prince at the Kidscare. Poor guy. He looks miserable.















The Prince is in love with his new drill, which almost met a disastrous end only 24 hours after its arrival. V dropped it a perfect way to break some obscure piece inside. Captain F was able to fix it after a good hour or so. I guess that electrical engineering education was actually worth it.


















Here is a picture of our kids in their favorite spots, on their own chairs cuddled up with their blankets.















And here is V in the bath.

















In other news, we are sleeping much better now that no one is waking themselves up from coughing. I mean, things still aren't perfect. The Prince still comes into our room at night., but we are doing much better. The kids are going to bed better and staying asleep longer. And I have been in a bit better shape. Captain F is probably the only one sleeping worse. Last week he got to escape to New York for work. He loved having a bed to himself with no interruptions.

Captain F had a great trip to NYC. He won a preliminary injunction for one of his clients. And then spent the next day with another client. Things went as well as he could have hoped and he had a lot of fun.

Sick and Tired

Well, our household has pretty much been sick since . . . well . . . I don't even know when to say it started. I already mentioned we were all sick over Christmas. Then we had a couple weeks off, meaning healthy, in January. It is hard to say really when someone in the family hasn't been sick or had a lingering cough. I think it all started with the Prince going to preschool in September. Pretty much all Autumn I was sick. There were a couple weeks off here and there, but they were short lived. The Prince had a cough forever. We were all super sick over Thanksgiving when we went to Arizona. It took a while for me to get better. I can't even remember now who was and who wasn't sick before Christmas. Then after Christmas everyone but me came down with a wicked 24-hour stomach bug. Then we slowly recovered. And in mid-January the Prince started coughing again. On Jan. 29th, the Prince got a fever. Little V was struggling all weekend, but the Prince seemed fine. On Feb. 1st we had to cancel V's birthday party with the Canadians, (luckily, we had celebrated the night before with my family) because Captain F got another stomach bug. I thought it surely was what the kids had that weekend. Then things seemed like they were on the mend. But on Sunday, the Prince was lethargic and had a fever. We had to take him home early from church. Things deteriorated from there. Everyday that week I thought he would get better. The neighbor kids that were ill were on the mend by Tuesday. Finally, on Thursday night when the Prince hadn't eaten any food for two days and was still lethargic I called the pediatrician. I had to drive all over the Wasatch Front to get him to an open kidscare clinic before 10 pm, but we made it. He was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. Thank heavens it was bacterial and we could actually get medication to treat it. Once he got the antibiotic he recovered quickly, but, of course, V came down with a little cold a few days later. Luckily, it is on the mend and never developed into pneumonia. So, I think we have all actually started this week healthy. Let's hope it lasts.

Meanwhile, we moved V into a toddler bed about a month ago. So, our time asleep has significantly decreased. I wouldn't say she is doing great at staying in her bed. She climbs up the stairs to our room most nights, usually for a diaper change, and is much more difficult to get to sleep at night. We have got to get this under control. Also, the Prince has taken to coming into our room to sleep every night. Which brings me to the biggest problem, I already can't sleep very well because of my pregnancy. I am so uncomfortable because of the pressure on my hips when I sleep. If you didn't know, I have problems with my entire pelvic region and all the bones moving around in ways they shouldn't when I am pregnant, which is painful in general, and can be truly awful at times. I have learned to manage it pretty well through physical therapy, though. Still the nights are a problem. So, between my general pain and the kids getting up multiple times a night, I am not sleeping well. Of course, this isn't taking into account when they, or I, are sick, which is always as chronicled above. Consequently, even though I know I need to get them under control and staying in their beds, I have struggled to make it happen. It is hard to get up and take them back to bed, when the act of walking and carrying both hurt. Plus, and I am embarrassed to admit this, I have to climb into bed with them until they are asleep again. Remember, lying down hurts the most and it is worse in their beds because I don't have any of my pillows to help me. Then I have to get up again, and walk back to my bed. Somehow, I have to find the courage to conquer my kids sleep problems and endure my own. And then the baby comes . . .

Christmas Pictures

We had a crazy Christmas season with lots of sickness, but we still managed to have a great time. We always love having the Canadians come to stay with us. And we had great dinners and fun with my family.

We were able to get family pictures taken for a Christmas card. V was awful at the photo shoot. We managed to get only 2 descent family pictures, but I guess it really only takes one. There were some great shots of the kids. Here is a sampling:

Guilty Pleasure

As you know, I have not been blogging lately. And I have to confess it has felt fantastic. I don't know when I crossed over from feeling guilty all the time about not blogging to just enjoying the break, but I did. I haven't felt that constant nagging feeling at all. I am really quite impressed with my ability to let it go. Truthfully, I think I can attribute my lack of guilt to three things: 1. I have actually joined a network marketing company and spend my time on that. Maybe you lose all sense of right and wrong when you crossover to becoming a network marketer; 2. I am pregnant. I am just too tired to think about it. Whenever I get both kids to take a nap, I nap, too. The nap takes away all my blogging time; and 3. My main audience is my in-laws and we have seen them in August, September, and October. They don't need updates because they have been there for many of the events. Thus, the break from blogging and the not so guilty pleasure that has come of it. But, in the unlikely event people still check/read this blog, let's hope I have turned a corner for we actually have had things worth reporting and remembering. The following is a list of examples: I have joined a network marketing company and am really happy about it; I am pregnant with our third child and due June 2nd; and Ootsie came to visit in August, Papa Ou'sie came to visit in September, and we went to Disneyland with all the Canadians in October! In addition, The Prince is now in preschool. He loves every minute and can't wait to leave me to go to school. He had his very first program, which I was unable to record. I am so sad about it. The stupid camcorder said the DVD we bought was incompatible. Captain F was very disappointed. Good thing the Christmas program is just around the corner. Also, we had a great Halloween season. (Halloween has now crossed over to being a season because there are so many parties and events celebrating it). One of the highlights was the very successful neighborhood party we hosted with the Easts, who live next door. I think there were at least 60 people crammed in our little house to watch a magic show. It was a huge hit. And finally, I will just mention my personal triumph in successfully getting the swine flu vaccine for me and the kids. Now I just need to chase down the second dose and get the seasonal flu vaccine. Oh boy.

Silver Lake

We had a great time going to Silver Lake at Brighton in the beginning of August. Tomo and Jujuice's nanny was out of town, so I was watching them. I had been wanting to go to the lake all summer. It is so pretty and it is nice to get out of the heat of the valley. Although, on this particular day, the valley was a beautiful 85 degrees--unheard of in August. Even still, it was great to take a picnic and walk around. We also drafted Gogo and Hunt to come with us. The ducks and squirrels and other critters relentlessly tried to get our picnic food. The Prince did not like the land critters. They made him a little nervous. I can understand because there were at least 10 scurrying about at all times. V loved the ducks. She mostly liked finding rocks along the trail. It was a slow walk around the lake, but everyone still had fun.















The Prince loves to sing this song with Jujuice. V is starting to learn it, too. She tries to do the actions. She is very good at the "hooray" at the end.

Family Vacation--More Weber Fun

For my family vacation this year we went to the cabin. It was great. Most of the family was there from a Tuesday through Saturday, almost unheard of for our family. We usually get up together for a quick over night, possibly two nights, but rarely more. I think everyone had a great time. It was fun to be there long enough that we did activities we usually don't have time for. We went fishing, river rafting, horse-back-riding, hiking, and more.

All the kids got along great. It was fun to see Jujuice, Taroline, the Prince, and Gar-Bear form a little group. It was particularly great because when the Prince would tackle Gar-Bear, I didn't have to worry at all. Gar is the last of a family with 5 boys and only 1 girl, and that girl is a very athletic tomboy. He can handle himself. Plus, he got kicked out of nursery for wrestling earlier this summer. It was so great not to feel any guilt. Gar-Bear would get tackled. The Prince would get tackled. Then they'd run and chase for another round.

Little V spent a lot of time with the nanny that came up, too. They would sit on the front porch and throw rocks for hours. I was so grateful it wasn't me sitting out there. V could not have had a more delightful time, and I was happy to let her.

We also took the family Christmas card picture. Luckily I have a professional photoshopper (it is actually called a digital artist) in the family that can spruce up the picture for us. But here are some shots that don't need it:










































But the best part of the vacation was the Talent Show. That's right. We do a talent show. And I know other families force their kids to go through this same humiliation because it was a major scene in Dan in Real Life. When I watched that scene the first thing I thought was, "See other families do this, too." And to those of you who are thinking, "That was a movie." I respond with, "Art mimics life." Unfortunately, I didn't get much of the talent show on video because I was chasing my kids around, but here is the highlight of my footage:

Weber

Over the Fourth of July we went to my cabin in Weber. The kids love it there. We had so much fun with the mix of my cousins and their kids and my siblings and their kids that were up at the cabin that week. The Prince and V love to ride the horses, especially V. The second we pull up to the cabin she wants to go straight to the horses and doesn't want to leave. She isn't afraid at all. She feeds the horses and she pats the horse during the ride. She loves to ride with me, and never falls asleep, which most kids do at her age. It is so hard to stay awake. The rhythm of the horse walking, the peacefulness of the mountains, and the heat of the sun are a perfect combination for sleep. The Prince almost always falls asleep, or at least totally relaxes. He likes to ride his own horse, while I ride my own horse and lead his around. My biggest problem is keeping him awake so he doesn't fall off. Usually the first rule of horse-back-riding is "You're the boss" but for The Prince it is "Stay awake."

St. George, way back in June

The weekend of June 26-28 we went to St. George for Captain F's grandfather's 90th Birthday celebration. It turned out to be a great trip particularly because Captain F took Friday off and we drove down earlier than we expected. We were going to try and drive down after work on Friday. This was much better. The other thing that turned out fantastically was that the condo's master bedroom had a huge walk-in closet. Ootsie and Papa Ou-sey gave up the master bedroom so we could put Little V in her crib in the closet. She has to have her own room to sleep. If she is in the same room and we move at all, her head pops up and she starts talking to us. It is a mess. The closet worked like a dream. We all slept well. What a blessing!

We had so much fun swimming with Ootsie, Papa Ou-sey, and The Boy. Papa Ou-sey would hold the Prince aloft on his hands over and over. The Prince was amazingly balanced. Here are some pictures. I want to post more pictures, but I have to wait for a week when Ootsie comes back to Utah for a visit. Cicada, Murray, and Gulliver were all there, too, but we never did swim with them. Swimming time interferred with Gulliver's nap times.






















































We also had a great time with Captain F's cousins, Aunts, and Uncles. The 90th Birthday party turned out great. To top it all off, we even met up with some former Timmins residents and good friends of the Canadians. They now reside in St. George. There are 10 kids and we saw them all, and their families, but one. Pretty impressive. Captain F had a great time reconnecting. Then we drove home.

The kids did very well on the drive down and the drive home. Although, on the drive home they started to crack the last 45 minutes. One of the best parts was when the sun was in the Prince's eyes and he started to cry, "The sun's getting me. The sun's getting me." Little V was so funny when the kids were watching "Shrek." She insisted we watch the part with the dancing dolls (that look like the "It's a Small World" ride) as Shrek and Donkey enter the city. We were almost home and the kids were on their last limb. We watched it over and over--anything to passive those two.

OK. So. I am not trying to be a product promotion blog. (I don't know what kind of blog this is . . . mostly a boring one). And I know I just posted about the Madsen bike, but I really think they are wonderful. But here is another product that I absolutely love. You probably already know about it (I am a johnny-come-lately most of the time) but just in case you don't I wanted to tell you all about this great product. It is Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Countertop Spray in Basil sent. Aunt Brat gave this to me for my birthday and she said it would make me want to clean it was so wonderful. She was right! It makes my kitchen smell fantastic. Your whole house gets a lift. It cleans, degreases, removes odors. Your basic all-purpose cleaner. Captain F is a big fan. He loves to walk in the house and smell this when he comes home. He wants me to use it to clean everywhere. I love having a fresh smelling house, but I really don't like candles. No, it isn't even that I don't like candles, but they seem like such a hassle and not as pure a scent as I like. This is perfect. Also, and this is not the major selling point for me but I do think it is nice, it is earth friendly. Certainly a plus. Go out and buy it. You will love it and I think it is only around $4. Totally worth it.

Happy Birthday the Prince

It is the Prince's birthday today! Hooray. He is three years-old. We already had a party for him last night with the Canadians. We have a neighborhood party with some families tonight where we will also have cake and ice cream and sing to him. The party really isn't for the Prince, but he will never know. Then there is the neighborhood carnival party tomorrow. Finally, on Sunday we will get together with my family for dinner and more cake. I don't think the Prince will miss a kids party one bit.

The Prince had a great party last night. We went to my parent's house and went swimming and BBQed. Aunt Brat gave the Prince water guns. He loved them. He spent the entire time trying to get El Senor's girl with the squirt guns. She was a great sport about it. The Prince would hold onto either Captain F or me and direct us to follow El Senor's girl around. It was so funny. How did he know to pick on the new cute girl? Then we ate dinner and had cupcakes for dessert. The Prince loves to have people sing "Happy Birthday." Finally, and he had been very patient, he opened gifts. He sat in a big red chair and got to open his gifts. He loved everything he got, which was mostly Iron Man or Star Wars related. It was the perfect night. And, I am happy to report that he was a very nice boy all night. He gave lots of kisses and said lots of thank yous. After the party he said, "Daddy. Dank-you. Dank-you ah my par-y. Dat fun par-y. Dat fun." He stayed up until 11pm he was so excited. Plus he woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to play with his new guys, which I didn't allow. Then he woke up at 6:30-ish for the day.

More birthday pictures and reports to come, seeing as how this is an all weekend affair.

A Little More Disneyland

The funny thing about our trip to Disneyland is the story behind it. We weren't planning on going on any vacations this summer except to my cabin. Then in fall, we were going to try and go to Disneyland once we saw how the year was shaping up. But around May 1st Captain F started to joke he wanted to go to Disneyland with the kids. More and more he started "joking" about just going. I could tell the joke had started to take root. And by May 7th he started checking into prices and soon thereafter booked the vacation. I started to tease him that he didn't even make it to June before he cracked under the no-major-vacation-this-summer plan. But I can understand. Upon thinking about it, I decided that in the fall you don't really need a vacation, although we plan to still take it, but you need a vacation in the Spring just to shake of that last little bit of winter blues. All in all it turned out to be a well timed vacation. We were even there on my birthday and got a $69 gift card to spend on merchandise. That was great. We are thinking we should time our October visit for Captain F's birthday.

Oh. And I did find another picture of all of us together.






























Little V can't get enough of looking at all the Disneyland pictures and video. In the middle of the night when she wakes up, which has been often lately because she is teething something fierce, she points to go into the computer room and look at the pictures. It quiets the crying and brings squeals of delight instantly.

Disneyland Pictures

(This is the only picture of us all together.)












Disneyland was fantastic. Now all I can think about are all the vacations I want to take with my family. It is so hard to come back and settle in to our normal life. Here are some pictures, as promised. I will have to share stories about Disneyland later because I am going to bed.



















































I call this picture "Attack of the Crazy Hair."