Soccer Stud

I always look forward to the spring time when the community education flyer comes out.  I grab it quickly from the mailbox and rush it inside to a "safe pile" of papers that won't get thrown away.  This year I took a special moment to sit down with Alex and go through the different classes, camps and sports that they were offering.  He chose wisely and really thought about if the activity would suit him.

He really wanted to do soccer and it worked nicely with our schedule too.  The 4-5 year old soccer session started in August and went through September.  We didn't have much planned for this time frame and I like to space out our activities, so we signed him up.  

We took a special day to go and buy everything he would need.  I was surprised at how much he needed to get for being only 4.  Sigh. We bought cleats, shin guards, socks, and a special sized ball.  He loved the ball.  It was red in color and no one else had the same color. At that age, I would have wanted the same color as everyone else, just so I didn't stick out.  Well, good for my kid.  He is not shy to stand out.  

We got a little confused on which team we were supposed to play with, but ended up on an awesome team with two great coaches! I know nothing about soccer and do not pretend to either.  These two coaches had exercises, drills and skills lined up. They kept the kids moving and they never seemed to be bored.  The soccer days were on Saturday mornings for about an hour and fifteen - thirty minutes.  The first part of the day was practicing and drills with the team and the second part was playing a game against another team.  

Alex is very gross motor.  He enjoys activities that are gross motor and moves with large movements.  Soccer fits him.  He ran all over that field.  He just needs a little bit of direction.  I think during a couple of games, he found himself running the ball into someone's backyard.  Boundaries aren't really his thing.  

He met a lot of wonderful friends and their families were all nice too.  We took turns bringing snacks for after the games.  On some really hot days the kids definitely earned their treats.  The last day was raining and cold.  We stayed only for a few minutes before grabbing the trophy, award and treat to run to the car before the down pour started.  

With the first year of soccer in the books, I think it is safe to say that we all really enjoyed the game.  I look forward to watching him play more in the future.

'Tis the Pumpkin Season!

Fall and spring are my two favorite seasons with summer a close second and winter a far-off third.  Which is funny because Alex's favorite season without a doubt is winter.  He will give you numerous reasons why it is his favorite and why it should be yours also.  Regardless the season or the holiday, we do a lot around our house to celebrate them.  I suppose it makes life more fun, but I love seeing my kids' expressions and excitement over the changes, the decorations and the festivities.  

It was all Andy's idea to plant pumpkins. I don't claim any credit on that one.  However, I will admit it is one of the best ideas he has had when it comes to the holidays.  We planted a few small pumpkins at our house so we could watch them grow.  The kids loved checking on them in the garden all summer long; even when it seemed like we had failed. They would try to chase the bunnies away from the garden in fear that they would eat their pumpkins, which was so cute! Although we planted the small variety at our house, they take up so much room!  I know that I mowed over a vine or two this summer with the lawn mower because they did not stay within the boundaries of the garden. In my head I would be yelling like a British born native, "Mind the boundaries!".  But, I'm sure glad we were able to yield a small crop, six.

Andy's grand idea was to plant some larger, 100-pound pumpkins, down at his Grandpa and Grandma Guse's farm on the land his parents now farm.  This is the second year we planted down there and just switched over to where Andy's Grandma used to have her garden.  We weren't able to get over to the farm to check them very much this summer, but it was sure fun talking about the pumpkins and how big they were going to be this year.  It's also fun to be able to share this experience with Andy's parents. When we went to pick them this year it was even more fun that Andy's brother, Matt, his wife, Kristen, and their children, Aaron and Rachel were there as well. We had a lot of laughs and made for some more special memories.

The kids all were able to pick which ones would be picked next, and although they tried their darnedest, none could lift them.  Aaron and Rachel had a few good rolls on some of the pumpkins, and Alex even did too.  Aiden enjoyed standing on one or two here or there, but most of all he enjoyed running around and looking at all the pumpkins.

We borrowed my Dad's truck and trailer to go pick up all the pumpkins because we had been told by my Father.In.Law that they "probably wouldn't fit in the mini van".  He was obviously getting in a little fun there as we couldn't even get them all in the pick-up and trailer.  

 

After some pumpkin-picking fun, we enjoyed some time picking apples from the apple trees and running around the farm yard.  The fresh air felt great and the kids just enjoy playing and being with their cousins.  

Grandma Guse came up the next weekend. She and Alex had a pumpkin stand, but the weather didn't cooperate too much and they didn't sell any pumpkins that day.  A co-worker and some friends bought a couple of pumpkins from the boys.  They were so excited for their $5. We have talked quite a bit about what they could do with their money.  We talked about buying another toy, saving it for college, or putting it in their someday fund. We had settled on buying on another toy.  Hey, it's their money, they have to have some say, right?  Until today.  See, we are sponsoring a family at Church for Christmas this year and I told Alex about it this morning.  I told him we would be buying something for a family just like ours; with a Mom, a Dad and two little boys.  He didn't even hesitate before offering to buy a toy for the boy his age using his pumpkin money.  My kid has a big heart and he knows how to make his Mama's heart happy. 

I am so looking forward to planting pumpkins again next year.  It provides such wonderful opportunities for my kids to play, learn, grow in faith and relationships.  My husband is full of wonderful ideas!

Apple Picking

 

About midway through September we headed out to Sponsel's Apple Farm for a day of fall family fun. It was actually my Mom's birthday and she and my Dad surprised us by coming to Alex's soccer game. 

It was a beautiful fall day.  We went to lunch at Clancy's in Jordan for a quick and delicious bite to eat.  Then headed out to the apple orchard.  My parents went with us into the big barn to see all the different apple displays and baked goods. 

I love this picture of them!

We weren't going to buy a bag to pick apples, but Grandma and Grandpa bought one for the boys.  My parents decided to leave to go on a corvette ride before some much talked about rain.  We headed out to the orchard and picked our own apples.

We had such a fun time! The tree branches were just low enough that both the boys were able to pick from the very bottom.  There were tons of apples to choose from.  I was a little nervous about going this early in the year, but it turned out to be the perfect weekend.  Most of the apples were in harvest this weekend and we had a lot to choose from.  The tractor dropped us off and we let the boys choose our path.  They had a great time deciding which apples were just right.  Oh, in the eyes of littles.  

We ended up with two full bags of apples.  The boys were exhausted and high on fun.  I love these moments and traditions.  I hope my boys will indulge me as they get older...