Smiles and Soccer

I just started writing this and I am already laughing at myself.

My title: Smiles and Soccer.

It has a lot of different meanings for me.

1. The Sweet/Innocent Version - "It's so cute to see my children playing soccer. It just makes me smile."

2. The Guilty Version - "I need to write this blog tonight because my friends Kylee and Sarah are depending on me to make them smile with this blog and I have so many soccer pictures that I can surely think of something funny to say about them."

3. The RealVersion (aka The Truth) - I am smiling on the inside and the outside now that soccer season is officially over!

Can I get an Amen?

I haven't really been enjoying life to the fullest lately. It has been a lot of work this and work that and clean the house for some people who want to see it but don't want to buy it (this is just a little frustration leaking out after 13 or so showings - I'll reign it in now). Throw in some sick children who live to vomit on you (Owen) and you don't always have a party going on. There have been a lot of bright moments but I just haven't had the time to capture them the way I normally do. I have actually blogged several times - they've just all been in my head. I know that doesn't really help you but boy I've posted some great ones! (just kidding - they were pretty lousy and no one even commented :)

Can you tell I'm tired now? (cough, cough)

Ok. Down to business.

This post.

Soccer season is officially over and as a now "Vastly-Experienced" coach, I must give my professional opinion on these two little chiddlers of mine.

Let's start with Owen.

9 times out of 10 the shortest player on the field, Owen always played hard. For about 10 seconds. And then he would be winded and begging me for a water break. Then he would see the ball coming towards him and he would get excited and pump his short little legs as fast as they could go in pursuit of the ball. Then the action would slow down and he would remember he was tired and resume begging me for a water break.

After soccer was over, Mark and I were visiting with Owen and this was our conversation:

Me - "Owen, did you enjoy playing soccer this year?"

Owen - "Yeah, I wuved it!"

Me - "Next year will be even better! You'll be taller and faster!"

Owen - (with a serious face and a duh mom! attitude) "I'm already fast! I'm fast wike a cheetah!"

He told me.

My cheetah boy.

Look! My two boys playing on the same team. I wonder if this will happen ever again?

 (Note - you can see in the picture where Caleb's socks end. FYI - Owen's almost went up to his underwear.)

Now, let's talk about this one.

Coming into the season as a veteran, I noticed a lot of maturity in Caleb. He no longer spent the majority of his time waving to the crowd and making sure his many "fans" were watching him. Instead he focused a bit more on the game itself. He actually chased the ball, and even kicked it a few times, and wait for it - he even managed to score a goal. I think it might have been for the other team but that's ok - it's improvement!

When I asked Caleb about his favorite part of the soccer season do you want to know his answer?

"Well, I liked talking to the girls mom."

Girls! You had better not be talking to those creatures! They will get you into trouble! You focus on the ball and your grades and not getting into trouble at school!

What I said out loud was, "What else did you like about soccer Caleb?"

His reply this time was "Well, everything mom."

Phew. As long as it wasn't just the girls.

Even though I am glad that soccer is done, I am also smiling because it is cute to see my kids play soccer. And I did write this post for Kylee and Sarah with the hopes it would bring a smile to their pretty faces plus I did kind of have tons of soccer pictures that I did want to go through and find something funny to say about. So all those different versions of me mentioned earlier do all reflect the same thing I guess. Me! And that's the truth!

My cheetah says good bye to soccer season and hello to wrestling!

(against mama's wishes!)

More on that to come!

Snippets

*I have successfully survived teaching a first/second grade blend for 3 weeks now!

*Each of the boys have scored at least one soccer goal in a game.

*Since I have been coaching I have not managed to take a single picture of said games.

*I was coerced into helping put on a fake rock wall onto Mom and Dad G’s ginormous fireplace. In the process I have seen a dead snake inches away from me, been stalked by a praying mantis, presented with a dead deer leg, and become best friends with a cement mixer.

*And no, we are still not finished.

*I have managed to read one book this month:

I have scheduled in time towards the middle of October to attempt to read the next one in the series. We'll see.

*During Round-Up I saw my husband one day. If I wasn’t out in Pilot Rock working on the biggest fireplace in Eastern Oregon, I was at the Convention Center working Happy Canyon from 7:30pm to around 2:00 am. I had the glorified job of being a “chip seller”. This means that all the people at the convention center who wanted to drink alcohol had to buy “chips” from me or my fellow “chip sellers”. I did this for 4 nights in a row and if I never have another drunk man hit on me for the rest of my life, it will be too soon. I was told that on Friday night I sold almost 10,000 dollars worth of drink chips. Thirsty anyone?! (Mark was a little busy himself dealing with the results of me selling all those beer chips!)

*I did not attend the rodeo once but instead went with the sister-of-my-heart Dawn and got the best pedicures ever. They were her treat and every time I look at the beautiful flowers they painted on my big toes I smile.

*I have not been able to sit down here and the computer and do anything besides check the weather and do school related stuff until today. Woohoo! It feels great but I can tell my computer muscles are going to be a little sore. My neck is already starting to crink and my carpal tunnels are begging me to go and eat a cinamon roll that I bought at Farmer's Market last night so... I am thinking I had better listen before they decide to give out on me!

* Happy Fall!

My Boys

(Little Blog of Mine, I have missed you.)

The only time I have picked up my camera in the last few crazy weeks was the day that we were kicked out of the house by the carpet cleaners. We went into the backyard and it was too hot to play soccer so I decided I wanted to try and capture some of my favorite expressions of the boys.

We have had 7 showings of the house with one offer that didn't work out.

While my classroom is unpacked at my new school and ready to go, I'm not sure I am.

I was asked last week to teach a 1st and 2nd grade blend and my thoughts haven't stopped spinning since.

I was bullied (a little bit) into co-coaching Caleb and Owen's soccer team.

Today after being at work for 9 hours for my 9th day in a row, I came home, folded and put away 2 loads of laundry, paid 3 bills on-line, talked on the phone to my grandma, filled out Caleb's million and 3 pieces of paperwork for school, worked on Owen's daycare calendar (fitting it around Mark's schedule = hard work!), took the boys for a bike ride to celebrate "Fun Friday", visited with Mark for 5 minutes, made waffles with strawberries and whip cream for dinner, cleaned up after dinner, read through the yard sales in the paper that I don't get to go to tomorrow, talked on the phone with my grandma again, and now I'm going to go work on lesson plans, cut out some things I have laminated, pick out my clothes to wear tomorrow because Mark gets off work at 4:00 this morning and I don't want to wake him up when I get up, straighten up the living room, lock all the doors and windows and then go to bed.

Life is busy and full and exciting and scary right now but you know what?

These two little boys keep me grounded every day and remind me that family comes first.

Whether it's Owen telling me we need to stop our bike ride because

"his underwear is crammed up his butt",

Or Caleb jumping out from behind every door, table, chair, and closet, scaring me half to death just to tell me to

"freeze and put my hands in the air".

I love these boys of mine and nothing, not selling our house or moving in with Mark's parents or building a new house or teaching in a new school or teaching a blended classroom or anything else is going to change that.

P.S. Colleen - This one was just for you! :)

                                                                            

Chasing a Dream

Today we added something new to our yard.

It wasn't anything big or fancy but I think you might like it.

Well, what do you think? Are you thinking we are crazy? Because there are moments when I think we are. But then I think of what we are going to do with the sale of this house and I am so excited and eager to get started! We are going to chase a dream of ours. The dream of owning land out of town where we can have some horses, some cows, some chickens, an orchard, a big garden, a place for the boys to ride 4-wheelers or dirt bikes. A place to call our own. One that we build.

We have made an offer on 6.22 acres located a little ways out of town. It will still have the creek that we love on it. It will still be close the McKay school, where I now work and the boys go to school. It will still be everything we have now but so very much more.

It will mean saying good-bye to our beautiful house that has so many memories in it and that won't be easy for me. I have stamped every inch of this house with "us" that I can't imagine new people coming in here and changing everything to make it their own. This is where we brought home our babies and watched them learn to crawl and walk and ride bikes. This is where we have had countless BBQ's, family get togethers, baby showers, birthday parties and card nights. I think of Halloween and I picture myself walking this neighborhood with the boys and then answering my front door for the hundred or so kids that come by. I know right where my Christmas tree is going to go and right where I hang the stockings. I have plans for next spring and what flowers I am going to plant. But all that will be changing if our home sells. 

But new memories will be made.

So it will be good-bye kitchen (the only inside house picture that turned out today).

Good-bye fire pit. I have loved you very much but we will give you a newer, bigger, and better place to light up.

Porch swing - you are coming with me sister! I couldn't give you up!

I will miss our raspberries and strawberries but we will plant more.

The Play Structure. This one was a debate. To take or to leave. Mark was voting leave so I had to trump his vote with sentimental value (my grandma bought it for the boys) and possible long term usage (the boys still play on it!). We finally agreed that it can be a negotiating point.

There are so many things to miss.

Sitting in the shade under out tree and having picnic lunches.

The creek and all it's sounds.

(I wouldn't go outside the fence though because I was wearing flip flops and I had heard rumor of a snake or two in the area.)

The big covered porch.

Our neighbor Ron who the boys insist on calling Mr. Rodgers (because of the show Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood).

Lots of changes coming up filled with so much potential!

We have a showing tonight and two tomorrow.

When I was younger (and dumber) Mark and I used to go cliff-jumping out at Warehouse beach in Hermiston. I did it to impress Mark and he did it to impress me and while we were both impressed at the time, I 'm glad we are way past that stage in the game! Anyway, I remember it being my turn and walking out to the edge of the cliff. I would feel the wind pushing against me, the small rocks under my feet and the stares of my friends on my back as they watched to see how I jumped off the cliff. Everyone had their own style. Some would run and jump, yelling and screaming the whole way day. Some would dive off as graceful as a bird. Some would even jump off backwards. None of those approaches worked for me. I would always have to calmly walk, not run, and when I got within about 10 feet of the edge I would stop, look back and make sure Mark was watching me. Then I would run the last 3 steps and jump with all my might out into nothing. While in the air I would never look down but instead I would look out across the river and think "This is freaking idiotic! What am I doing! My mother is going to kill me! I hope there are no snakes or fish that want to nibble my toes in the water!" About then I would hit the water and it was always a shock. One it was cold. And two, it hurt! Then with a quick swim I would make it to the trail leading back up the cliff. Mark would always be waiting for me. He would have a huge grin on his face and he'd say things like a 19 year old boy would say "That was awesome! You didn't even hesitate! You were fearless!"

He always made every jump worth it.

I have that same feeling now. The one where I am in the air falling into nothing. I have walked calmly up to this point with my eyes wide open but it's always when you are in the air that you begin to have doubts. Some of the same thoughts are in my head now as they were then. "This is feaking idiotic! What am I doing!" but I am hoping for the big reward at the end. It won't be Mark's big smile and praise since he is right beside me now. Instead I am hoping for the two of us landing, swimming to the path, and climbing up together towards our dream.

Babes at the Beach!

I could go on and on about how I am soooo busy because I am doing little things like moving classrooms, moving grades, moving schools and maybe even moving homes.

But who wants to hear all that boring drivel?

Besides I have more (and more) beach pictures that just have to be put on this blog because heaven knows I do not have time to scrapbook them anymore, so this is the only album that my children will ever see of their childhood. I bet they will appreciate all the time and effort I am going through in order to preserve their precious memories for them. And if they don't I will beat them.

This is going to be a smorgasbord of pictures with no captures. My boss (aka My Husband) has allotted me a 15 minute break before I have to get back to packing, so please feel free to add your own creative words to each picture!

Without further ado... here is "Babes at the Beach!"

(I bet with a title like that my boys will look back at this blog post at least!)