Flag Football

Brock's first Flag Football game was lots of fun! He played a good chunk of time and they won! They had 5 touch downs plus all the extra points and the other team got ZIP!


After the game Brock told me, "I am really good at ripping off other people's flags. But I never got to do a touch down. I think I was suppose to." I explained to him that not everyone needs to touch the ball, or do the touch downs and that ripping the flags off is just as important so that the people with the ball can do the touch downs. He had a lot of fun!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

Both boys are starting football this year. (Our first we have always done soccer). Ethan gets to do tackle. He is LOVING it! I have to say it kind of brought a tear to my eye to see him looking so "manly" in all his gear! How did he get this big I would like to know! Where has the time gone???

Wrestling!

The boys did Wrestling again this year and LOVED it. There were more kids this year then last time we did it but they had a great time! Last night was the last night and their tournament. They each wrestle 3 times. Both Ethan and Brock won all of their matches. Ethan pinned 2 (possibly all three I looked away for a second). Brock won all and I know he had one pin for sure. It was funny because he wouldn't let go of the guy because the timer hadn't gone off. I was so proud of how hard they worked!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THis was the last day of Soccer games. It is always bitter sweet. We love it when it starts but are always happy when we are done. Ethan played Goalie his last 2 games and did a great job. Brock really worked hard this year as well and I saw big improvements in both of them! Way to go!!!

Soccer season begins, & Big girl baths

 

 

Ruth is 11 months old now and has always loved bath time. Now that she is a bit bigger I have tried letting her take baths with Hayden some mornings after the kids leave for school and she LOVES it! She will lay down and kick like she is swimming, and splash her hands like crazy! She will also cry and throw a fit when I take her out of the tub.

 

 

This Saturday we had our first soccer games of the season. I know there are no pictures of Brock but that was because I was a bad, lazy mom and sat in the car visiting during his game. But his team did win and it was really exciting. Brock loves playing defender. Ethan's team also won 4-1. It was a really exciting game. He only has 7 kids on his team so they all have to play the entire time with no subs... Which wears the kids out but they have a great time and play hard. I love to watch Ethan play he really gives everything he does 100%.

Play Ball!

We are in the middle of baseball season in our home. This means we are very busy! Ethan is having another great season! He has the same coach he had last year which is great!!! He works hard but isn't so intense that it is overwhelming. They have won all but 2 games. Today was such a beautiful day and they had a GREAT game! They got so far ahead (15-0) that they stopped keeping score and then just called it a game because they got so far ahead. It was a lot of fun for our boys but probably pretty sad for the other team. We had a few in field home runs too! It was pretty exciting!


Slide!

SCORE! Way to go Ethan!

Roll over

 

 

 

 

I think I mentioned that Ruth was rolling over in my previous post but I thought I would put some pictures on here for some proof. She is still such a peanut but the sweetest little peanut around. Everyone just loves this little doll! I feel like I am not blogging half of what is going on in our life right now because we are so so busy but I am trying to cover some of the milestones. Other things not pictured yet are Ethan is in baseball. That takes up 3 days a week (sometimes 4 if he has a Monday game). He has the same coach he had last year which we are happy about. He is really great, works with Ethan well, and he teaches him a lot! They won their fist game which was Saturday. They won 10-6. It was all very exciting. But I didn't take any pictures. He had one hit, and got hit by the ball once. He also got to run in to home once. His second game is tonight.
The girls are both in gymnastics. Tomorrow is their last day for this session but I signed them up for one more month of it because it was so much fun! Amelia is getting closer to doing a cartwheel and Hayden can now do somersaults all by her self clear across the mats!
Ruth cut her 1st top tooth making the total to 3 teeth. The second top one isn't to far behind. Probably in the next week that one should be through.
Brock is turning 8 next month and is getting very excited to start cub scouts, and be baptized. Which won't be until June since we have Stake baptisms here. He was invited to go to scouts today because they are starting to build bird houses and they wanted him to get to pass that off with the rest of the boys. It was so cute when I told him this morning that he was getting to go. He got all puffed up, and excited to go and Ethan went and kind of patted him on the back like "way to go, or welcome to the club." It was so cute!
Last week the Youth had their annual lip sync for mutual and the ward comes and watches. It was so much fun. The leaders got to do one also. It was a lot of fun. I had someone video it for me but I am having a hard time getting video loaded on to my blog lately... I think the files are to big. So You probably won't see any of it on here... but trust me it was pretty fun. I never new that a song about toast could be so funny!
Our chore charts are working pretty good.... we are having the typical things that happen anytime a parent puts their foot down to bad behavior and having some of the rebel ion, but I am certain that as we keep at it things will work out. Amelia has earned her first date night and went to Cold stone with Larry Saturday, and went to get her scrapbook. She was so giddy to spend the afternoon with daddy! This has inspired Hayden who does totally understand the program because she can tell me how it works, she just often chooses not to do her jobs... we are getting there with her. The boys are doing well at earning their tickets.... now we are working on keeping them long enough to redeem them. But I don't want to dog on them to hard on here. But as a few of my friends can testify, there are days that are rough and this is the whole reason I wanted to do this. I don't want to go into to much detail as to not embarrass my child, but we had a day last week that is in the top of probably 5 days of the worst day ever of parenting/kids behavior I can remember! Let's just say I couldn't name the other 5 right now either right now unless I thought really really hard. Maybe because this one is so fresh and it was so public. But I had the battle of all battles with my child in a very public way while my girls were in gymnastics, so I felt like I couldn't just pack him up and leave. Now I know better. But it did come down to this kid getting bread, and milk for dinner, and then going to bed at 6:00 in the evening because he had exhausted ALL other options! There comes a time where you just don't know what else to take away, or what to do to a child who acts so outrageouse! All I can say is things are getting better and he is getting the idea.... Although I am told that I hate him and wish he hadn't been born. So then we have long talks about how that isn't true and that I do love him and he has to be responsible for his actions.... Anyway we are working it out and things will get better.

Nastics!

Nastics is what Hayden calls Gymnastics. Both Hayden and Amelia got to start gymnastics this week. For the next few weeks 2 days a week that is where we will be. So far they love it! Amelia has done this before but it is new to Hayden. She is really excited every time we get to go. She is so cute the whole time!

 

 

Just what has kept us busy...

So we are all back in line with our computer and I am feeling somewhat back in order. But I have to admit I was getting lots of other stuff done with no computer. I am trying to keep up my dejunking gig though. I am trying to get one of my clutter spots cleaned up a day, one day I tackled the desk, then the junk drawer, utensil drawer, you get the idea. Maybe next I will get the closet taken care of. The hope is to keep things tidy, and not let things build up... We will see how that goes. I have also started working out and eating healthy to get rid of the "baby" weight." We have been keeping pretty busy around here so I haven't really been putting stuff up here. So I thought I would take a few minutes and post a shot or two to show some of what we have been up to lately. Oh and Ruth is now 3 months old (I know I can't believe it either!!!) So I will try to get some pictures taken and on here to show her growth! I can hardly believe how much she looks like Hayden! We were looking at pictures of Hayden at the same age and you could mix them up... maybe I will work on posting one side by side so you can see... tomorrow or Sunday's project I suppose!
Monday I took the kids to the Gilbert House in Salem. We get in for free with the OMSI pass that Larry's parents bought us for Christmas. We made it a quick trip because we also needed to go to Costco, and the grocery store that day. But it was enough that they got to do something fun, and I got them to clean their rooms as bribery to go!


Ethan has been playing Basketball since soccer got out in November. But games just started in January. He is loving it and it is a totally new sport to him. Our Bishop is his coach so that is a lot of fun for him too. I have to say that I secretly (or not so secretly now that I am posting this) love it too because we worked it out that I am not having to drag all 5 of my kids out 2 times a week for practices because he picks him up and drops him off.


This picture is funny because Amelia was having so much fun playing Barbies last Saturday. The funny thing is that Brock was playing with her, I am all for boys playing with Barbies, I think it is good for them just like it is good for girls to play in the mud, with frogs, and with cars. Plus they play nicely together! Anyway Larry snuck up there to snap a picture of it but Brock caught him and ran to hid, If you look closely there is is leg in the corner I think.

Hayden has been practicing her big sister skills.

Opening day of Soccer!

Last weekend the kids had placement day for soccer and this weekend they had their first games! It was a pretty crazy week getting all three of them to their practices at all different ends of town but we managed. It will be the same way for the next 6 weeks! Oh and throw a brand new baby in the middle of it! But I am sure some how we will manage it all. Today started with a bang. Amelia's game started at 8:30 (which means getting to the field before that for a warm up) Thankfully it was also our ward's big cleaning day at the building. We always do a deep clean before we hand it over to the other ward, that was today! So Larry and I did some divide and conquer. I took the 3 to soccer and he took the grumpy little one to the church to help clean. This made my life easier getting 3 kids to their different fields and be able to watch most of the game much easier. I know Brock's picture is on here first but that is because I am having a problem seeing my pictures while I post, which means I can't move them!!! AAARRR! So they get stuck in what ever order I can get them to even down load....

This was the best action shot I could get of Brock because his game wasn't until 11:30 (the last one). And by then Larry had to leave for work and had dropped Hayden off and I kind of had one eye on the field one on the play ground. He did a great job staying in the game and following directions. I was very proud of him. They only lost by one point.

This is one of Amelia with her coach. This is the first time one of my kids hasn't had one of the parents coach their team. He is a student at Western and is doing a great job keeping it on their level, encouraging them, making it fun. The whole thing. She really likes him. At one point she bonked heads with another kid and got a little teary and he picked her up and brought her to me, then once she fell and got her hands dirty and I saw him hold his shirt out so she could wipe her hands. It was pretty funny. I don't know this guy by I think he will make a good dad some day. He seems to have little kids down. The other one is my favorite shot of her in action. She is smiling so big and going for it. She gets disappointed when she doesn't get the ball but she tries hard. It is pretty cute to watch her kind of skip and run at times. Her team won!

 

Ethan is number 53! I was really happy with how well he plays. He really watches the ball and goes for it. When he was on defence he stayed back but tracked the ball as it came down to them and helped his team keep it away from the goalie. He played goalie for a short time (his coach really rotated them well). He did great there too keeping the ball out and paying attention. It is amazing to me how far they come. I remember when he did pee wee soccer wondering if he would get it...

 

I like this picture of him going for it also. He really stayed in the game and as you can tell from the picture it was raining. It rained about half of Amelia's game, then rained ALL of Ethan's game and pretty hard too! Finally it let up for Brock's game! It had to rain it was opening day I guess! But the kids were all good sports through it. They only cancel games if there is lightning.

 

 

This last one of Brock #30 is pretty cute. He and Amelia are both #30. They think that is cool and Ethan is #53. Brock informed me that they all have a 3 in their number! Boy is it going to be a busy month!

Gymnastics

Amelia is doing Gymnastics at the YMCA for the next week. (It is a 4 week program and she just finished week 3) She is loving it! They have done lots of tumbling, uneven bars, balance beam, and vault. I think they will do rings next week too. We will see. She has had lots of fun doing it.
It was funny her teacher kept telling her to put her hands up after she landed and she didn't understand why. So when we got home we looked up some of Shawn Johnson in the Olympics and watched her doing a bunch of stuff and Amelia was really excited. I think she would love to do this for a long time and do all kinds of fancy tricks. I don't know if the program is set up for that but maybe in a year she will learn how to do a cartwheel.

(p.s. this may be one of the only or few pictures you will see of Amelia in pants! She will rarely if ever wear pants but I told her she could NOT do gymnastics in a dress or skirt! So she gives in for the 1/2 hour and promptly changes back into her skirt when we get home!)

Ethan's skiing lessons

Ethan is turning 9 on Sunday and we told him he could go get ski lessons if he wanted instead of having a birthday party this year. He was really excited to go. Grandma and Grandpa Davis bought him some goggles and thermals so he would be all decked out. Good thing too because the conditions were so blustery he wouldn't have been able to see with out them!

Dad says he did a great job and they had time to go down several runs after the lessons together. Now Daddy will have a ski partner for year to come! (Since I haven't skied since the 6th grade and who would watch all the kids if I went?) Maybe in a few years Brock will join the crew, then Amelia, then Hayden and eventually I might get in the swing of it and it could be a family event! Well see about that! Ethan is hooked though!

On their way out of town they picked up some lunch at Safeway. I had bought them some snacks too take along too. So they hate a nice hearty lunch and hit the slopes a little longer!