Shooting the Ball

After much anticipation Keagan finally had his first Soccer Smarts class at the rec center today. This is the same class that introduced Evan to soccer and the basics of various ball handling skills two years ago. Keagan was thrilled to find his friend Bryce in the same class, and he was quick to tattle on another little boy that didn't follow the instructions of the coach. Today he practiced stopping the ball, passing the ball, and dribbling the ball. At the end of class, he got to shoot the ball into the net. On our way out to the car, he asked, "How do you shoot a ball, Mom?" When I explained that it meant the same thing as kicking the ball into the net, a great wave of relief came over him. My poor baby thought that next week Coach Tony was going to bring guns to shoot the ball.

Farm Life in the Fall

For two years I have heard and read stories about a local farm that hosts a fall festival every year. This year I told Wes that we would definitely make the trip to Centerville to experience the annual Fall Festival, but when we arrived in mid-afternoon and saw the rows upon rows of cars, I thought it would be too crowded to enjoy. Then we had to pay $60 to get in, and I thought Wes was going to faint in the hay right there in front of the many, many people. I began to wonder what we were thinking, and then we got around the corner to see a vast expanse filled with corn field mazes, animals pens, hay mazes, slides, and more. We didn't know where to begin. We took a hayride around the perimeter of the corn fields, across a creek, and into a haunted barn with disco lights and music....Keagan's favorite part of the day. 

Wes found a hut giving away apples and cold apple cider...his favorite part of the day. Evan found the corn maze with Fun House mirrors, and he laughed until his face turned red....His favorite part of the day.

But we also rode every slide, did the Tarzan rope swing, and searched for pennies in a haystack. We visited every animal pen and fed the milking cow.

On our way out, we each selected a miniature pumpkin. It was a great way to spend a fall afternoon.

Kicked to the Curb

Because we move frequently, we rent our housing. Although we considered buying a house when we were reassigned to Belvoir three years ago, we are so thankful that we reneged on the deal at the last minute. We would have lost thousands upon thousands of dollars!

In July a rep from a bank left a notice of default for the owner of our house on our door. A few days later, another bank rep returned taking pictures of our house. I know all of this because I was hiding behind the upstairs window curtains watching from above. This week we received strange phone calls; people demanding contact information for the owner.

Tonight we are convinced that the bank will foreclose on our house in the very near future. What will happen to us? We found that the gov't will actually pay for a local move if we are forced out because the owners default on their loan. We were relieved to find that information, but moving is such a pain. I can't imagine moving in the next few weeks only to move again in June. Can you believe our luck? 

Soccer Game #2

The hottest day all summer was today and we had a 1:00 soccer game on field E where no shade exists. I have never been that hot before! The other team had some really strong players, but we prevailed after coming from behind and scoring four goals in the fourth quarter. Evan scored twice, once in quarter one and again in quarter four. The winning streak continues...

All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

It doesn't have to be October 31 for my boys to put on a costume. In fact, it could be said that Halloween is celebrated year around with our assortment of costumes. When the boys saw the first Halloween merchandise on display at Target two weeks ago, they were beyond excited. To make things worse, the annual Costume Express magazine arrived in the mail just days later. It didn't take long for both boys to decide their costumes of choice, and as soon as their minds were settled, they were determined to buy them. So on Sunday I struck a deal: Be obedient, make good decisions, and on Friday, we will go shopping for costumes. The boys had an awesome week, and today we went to Target to buy Darth Vader and Boba Fett. But the boys will not wait until October 31 to put them on. Our first Star Wars battle just ended and so far both costumes are still intact.

Mallory Jewel Goates

Our new niece was born on Tuesday in Dallas to my sister Vikki and her husband Jamie. Evan was relieved to see that she had eyes (long story!!!), and Keagan said, "Mallory and I match! She has blond hair and blue eyes just like me!" 

Mallory Jewel Goates

We can't wait to get to Texas to see her. Evan says he will teach her "four plus four" and handstands. Keagan says he will hold her tight and then take her for a swim in the baby floatie at Oma's house. Hum...., so maybe we have a few things to review about baby safety before any trip back home to Texas.

Game #1

Even with all of the rain from Tropical Storm Hanna, we were able to play our first soccer game of the season this afternoon. We have played with Coach Alex for three seasons now, and we learned today that we were one of twenty-five parents that requested Alex as a coach. We are so blessed to be a part of a team that is coached by someone that develops strong soccer skills as well as good sportsmanship. 

Team United is outfitted in black uniforms this season, but we are still one strong team. We won our game today 7 - 4, and Evan scored two goals in the second quarter. He did an awesome job of passing the ball to his teammates; I was pleased to see the money we put into soccer camp this summer was worth while.

Open House

Look at that smile! The cuteness is in total overload!

Last night we attended pre-school Open House where we visited Keagan's JK classroom and teachers. Although it is the same classroom, same program, and same teacher that Evan had last year for JK, we still felt like we needed to attend. He was so proud of his attempts to write his name on the "big" paper.

Kiss and Tell

Evan rides the daycare bus in the morning with his friend Abigeal. Although they do not attend the same school, they have been in the same preschool for two years and we know the family well. On Friday afternoon on the way home from school, Abigeal kissed Evan. He told us all about it at dinner last night. Because this is not the first girl to have tried to plant a kiss on Evan, I began to wonder if maybe Evan weren't the one to blame.

I ran into Abigeal's mother just a few hours later, and she said, "Well Abigeal and Evan seem to be getting along real nicely." Assuming she knew the story of the kiss, I tried to tell her that I thought the kissing was a little too much. The strange look on her face told me she didn't know a thing about it. In the end, the truth was revealed. The bus driver confirmed that Abigeal was the one doing the kissing.

Beware girls: If you kiss my Evan, he will tell on you.

First Day of School

This might be the only year that Evan leaves for the first day of school with this big of a smile. He is just so stinkin' cute, too! Gosh! I can't believe he is in kindergarten already.

 When I met him at the after school care bus today, he had very little to say about school. He admitted to having fun, he made two new friends (Jordan and he can't remember the other's name), he had chicken tenders with chocolate milk for lunch, and he got to see the gym. I guess if you are in kindergarten, then this is the most important information you can pass along to your mom. 

Not wanting to be left out, Keagan just had to have a backpack, too. It will probably only carry his nap blanket and stuffy, but he is so proud of it!

Keagan's first day of Jr. Kindergarten went really well, too. All of his friends plus one "really bad boy" played outside and he had meatballs for lunch. Again, the most important information was relayed to us here at home.

A new school year begins....