Soccer training and a hint of normalcy…

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."
-Muhammad Ali

The extra practices are helping with James’ soccer skills but he wanted to spend some time working on strength and agility also.  When a kid wants to exercise we’re not going to say no so we bought an agility latter and started putting running drills.  We also added some basic weight training to the mix.  James said it was tiring, but he wanted to do it again the next day.  Queue Rocky theme music.

James had another soccer game this weekend and while it was still early to show any difference from starting the strength training, he still went out and showed he could help the team.  He started in the first half, and was back in for the end of the second.  James’ goal is to build up the strength, stamina, and skill to stay in for the majority of the game.  And I believe he can do it.

As vaccines are rolling out we felt it was time to get a little bit of normalcy back.  The kids used to love going to Urban Air, so Mommy took them right when they opened and before it got more crowded.  They jumped, climbed, and ran around until they were worn out.  Which, for us, is the greatest benefit of Urban Air.

Aquariums and hiking…

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."
–John Muir

Spring Break was this week and Mommy was determined to find things for the kids to do outside of the house. The first stop was the Dallas Aquarium.  But instead of driving they took the train which was a new experience for the kids.  According to them, the penguins took the top spot of animals to see.

We also took the kids out to Lake Mineral Wells for hiking and camping.  We hiked for two miles along the shore and the kids had fun going up and down the rocks and through the trees.  They were tired at the end, but James and Isla still found the energy to hike back to the car.  The rest of the kids were picked up.

Back at the campsite we ate lunch and then set everything up.  Isla helped with the tent while James gathered some sticks to start the fire with.  We had the fire going fairly quickly which meant it was marshmallow roasting time.  We played some cards before we went to bed and then weathered the storm that rolled through that night.  Luckily the tent held up and nobody got wet.

Gymnastics, soccer, and life…

"It just a fun game, until someone starts to win and then everyone else begins to cheat."
―Andrew James Pritchard

Ashlyn had another meet this weekend and did well overall.  Her best event remains the floor, and she rocked it.  Her team won first place overall, so they walked away with a trophy in addition to their medals.

James had a soccer game this weekend and was able to show off some of the skills he has been learning during his extra practices. His team didn’t win, but James said he still had fun and is already asking when the next game is.

We had the kids version of the Life board game but Isla has been wanting to play the full version for awhile now.  We caved in bought it, so of course the kids wanted to play it right away.  It turned out to be pretty fun, and it encouraged the kids to read the cards and use math to figure out how the move their money around as they won or lost it.  I expect this game will come out several times in the coming weeks.

Skating and games…

"I laugh at absurdity hardest, then stories, then observations, then bearded men on roller skates."
-T. J. Miller

It’s a very Texas thing to from freezing to incredible weather in the span of a few weeks.  When it happens, we try to take advantage of it.  The kids used the change to setup a small skating rink in the garage, and all the kids took part.  And as a bonus, there were no injuries! 

The kids weren’t satisfied with the garage so they went to a local park with a lot of paths to skate around on.  It also gave them the opportunity to play on the swings and the playground which was great for burning off all the pent up energy from being stuck indoors so much over the prior weeks.

It wasn’t an all-skating week of course.  We still found times more games including puzzle challenges, musical chairs, and dress up.  It’s nice to see the weather improving so the kids get more time outside.