September Stuff

We are settling into a routine at this house. I was sad to see the summer end, but it is probably good for us to get back on a schedule. Probably. Here a few of the things that have been keeping us busy:

Friday was Dinner and a Movie Night at the kids’ school. The PTA sold pizzas and treats and we watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid on an inflatable screen on the baseball field. Nate mocked me when I told him that we should take a ton of blankets, but he was glad he listened to his wise wife. We all wore long pants and jackets, but ten blankets were barely enough to keep us warm. We still had a good time. Our kids thought we were the best parents in the world because we bought them cotton candy (one bag for the four of them to share). I’m a big believer that keeping expectations low makes for happy kids.


Soccer season is back in full swing. Nate is coaching Ben’s team this year. It has been a good learning experience and he has a really good group of boys (good as in friendly, not good as in athletic). They got slaughtered at their game on Saturday. As luck would have it, Nate’s very young and very inexperienced team played against an older/bigger/highly-skilled team (“coincidentally” coached by the regional commissioner’s son). It was painful to watch. Apparently AYSO’s philosophy of balanced teams has gone to the wayside in our region. If I sound a little bugged, it’s because I am. We’re hoping to come up against some more evenly matched teams during the rest of the season and hopefully get in a win (or at least a goal).

These pictures are from their first game of the season (not against the all-star team). I think it is hilarious that it looks like that kid is about to punch Ben.



Emily and Elise are also playing again this year. They both got lavender uniforms and are both #4. They think that is pretty cool. It’s been fun to watch their skills improve. Emily learned some fancy footwork tricks from her coach last year and it was awesome to see her use her little back-kick in a game this season. I have to admit that Elise’s games are still the most fun to watch. I love the six minute quarters and it always cracks me up when one of the girls gets frustrated and just picks up the ball and moves it out of the fray so she can kick it.



Sunday was stake conference. Having young kids (and other extenuating circumstances) has caused our stake conference attendance to be sketchy at best over the last few years. We had a little debate on Sunday morning over whether or not we wanted to be “stake conference Mormons” or not. We decided we did. The kids weren’t too thrilled about going until we got there and let them sit in the balcony. All of the sudden stake conference was cool. The older brother of one of Ben’s good friends was a youth speaker, so that helped too. The real treat was that both Ben and Emily saw their school teachers; it was the highlight of their day.

Abby started dance this week. It was so fun to watch her. She hasn’t grasped the concept that she should follow what her teacher does yet. She mostly just did what the girl next to her did (which was rarely what she was supposed to be doing). She did look dang cute in her dance clothes. And, she got a sucker and a sticker. I guess that’s what 3-year-old dance class is all about.