Rocks, sports, and another chef…

"The quickest way for a parent to get a child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable."
–Lane Olinghouse

It seems we have a second potential chef in the house.  Isla decided she was going to start helping cook this week and worked with Mommy to make cilantro lime rice.  She must have been very proud of her creation, so proud in fact that she was afraid to ruin it by actually eating and so she ran off from the table to pester a cat instead.

Week two of our summer sports extravaganza is officially over, and this time the games were at different times so we could go to both.  Nina and Papa were able to come as well and watch the kids do their things.

The kids took a break from rock painting as sports ramped up and have picked it back up again now that we’re getting into the grove of the new schedule.  Ashlyn and James both painted some pretty cool rocks, Ashlyn being inspired by YouTube and James by his own imagination.

Cheerleading, soccer, and doggy dress up…

"Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play."
-Mike Singletary

The cheerleading season has officially started, and Ashly spent her first game cheering in the hot Texas sun.  She claimed she didn’t have fun, but the pictures disagree and she said it with a smile.  Luckily summer is winding down, so it won’t be as hot for her at the upcoming games.

James played more soccer this weekend, and I’m happy to report that he was more aggressive and ran faster this weekend.  His coach said it’s normal for kids to be timid until they get more comfortable with the ball, and that seems to be holding true.  We have more practice equipment in the mail already, and since all three kids are now showing an interest I suspect we’ll be putting it to good use.

While the two older siblings participated in their events, Isla played her own games.  She likes to kick the soccer ball around while the other kids play, and at home she enjoys pestering the pets.  This week it was dressing Rusty up in towels.  He’s a fairly good sport about it.

Soccer, cheerleading, and other games…

"The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does."
–Phil Woosnam

Summer has decided to take a break and this means a lot more time outdoors.  The older kids like to make up their own games and so far we haven’t had any permanent injuries.  One evening, while Isla was having fun learning to catch and throw a football (she can throw a better spiral than her parents, complete with hands on laces), James and Ashlyn had a sword fight with plastic water squirters.  As I said, no injuries were permanent.

James’ soccer team got to play against another team this weekend, which was fun to watch.  Most of the kids on his team have been playing for years, and James is still a little timid to get in and fight for the ball.  When the ball gets loose though, James is all over it and even drove the ball down half the field to score a goal in front of the other kids.  He had fun, and with more practice we think he will get his confidence up and start fighting for the ball more.

Meanwhile, Ashlyn got her new cheerleading uniform and she really looks in her element during practice.  Her team will be cheering at upcoming football games and will compete against other squads later in the year.  We’re looking forward to watching her do all the things she loves to do most:  tumble, yell, and smile.

Birthday season is upon us with Ashlyn’s friends, and there were two birthdays this weekend alone.  One was at a friend’s house, the other was at an arcade.  James went along on for the second one, and used his knack for video games to quickly learn the games and then show the second graders who’s boss.

Dominoes, swimming, and moose…

"The fate of animals is of far greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous."
-Émile Zola

While Isla continues her fascination with building towers, James and Ashlyn have moved on to dominoes.  This is a step in the wrong direction as far as keeping the floors clean goes, especially considering that dominoes don’t stick together like the Magna tiles do.

We wanted to do something different this weekend so we took the kids to the Fossil Rim nature park.  The kids got to experience the novelty of driving through a park without being buckled in.  They also enjoyed a moose sticking his head through the window and an ostrich pecking food out of a cup.  It really was a fun time and James is already asking to go back.

We stopped by Nina and Papa’s place after Fossil Rim in order to swim and release some of the pent up energy that comes from being stuck in a car for 3 hours.  It must have worked, because the kids slept until almost 7am the next day.