Soccer Season come and gone

      Oliver has finished his first soccer season and it was another reminder of how quickly my little ones are growing. It's inevitable, I get that, but sometimes I want it to slow down just a little bit or at least grant me more hours. I know there are days when I want the days to pass more quickly but when I reflect back in my day sometimes I wish I wasn't so quick to declare bedtime. Anyhow, back to soccer. It was a co-ed team and Oliver got to have cousin Will on the team. Oliver could be a little shy and timid so having a buddy helped him ease in to it. The soccer season was six weeks long with two games a week the last half of the season. In the beginning they were practicing their dribbles and it's quite entertaining to watch 6-7 year old tackle foot-eye coordination. Some were better than others but I loved that the number one rule was to have fun. The soccer games were exhilarating. The Beck crowd was loud and proud and I am proud to say were able to withhold sideline coaching. We cheered as they attempted to score goals and applauded the rare passes. At this point kids tend to huddle around the ball and follow it around the field and occasionally, with some coaching, spread out and actually pass the ball. Oliver enjoyed it and Madeline says she'd like to try it when she's five. We had fun supporting him. At the end of the season they all got a medal and had a parent versus kids exhibition match. Kids had some snazzy moves they pulled on the old fogies and showed them a thing or too. It's a lot easier to coach on the sidelines than actually doing it. HA!

    Oliver said that his favorite part of soccer was blocking the ball from a kid that was bigger than him or just saving the ball from a goal (there were no goalies).  He wasn't the fastest or very coordinated but he had a smile on his face (most of the time) and had a blast with his teammates. He's an awkward kid but he's kind and awesome and definitely follows the beat to his own drum. He has to add his own flair to everything he does. He can't simply do something, he has to dance, screech, or sing some backstory song to his life. It's not always amusing but its him and I love every bit of his weirdness.

Right before they whooped the adults. 

Oliver's first day of soccer practice. He's in the bright orange shorts.

almost 9 months

  No it's not an announcement. A lot has happened between my last post and now and maybe I'll get around to filling in the gaps but for now I'll just do what's fresh in my memory.
     It will be 9 months since our move to Moses Lake, WA and it has been an experience, from buying our first house to our first child in his first organized sport. It's been a roller coaster of emotions but we are adapting and learning that it has its own beauties.
    When we first got here I knew we needed to have a library card because, well, if you have a good library  the kids are happy. A good story can make any day a happy day. I'm satisfied with our library. It may not have the largest selection on hand but its part of the regional library so we can request books from other branches and they have a pretty good selection of online books! We go almost every week. Growing up we didn't have access to a library so I've been making up for lost times.
     Madeline is in preschool now too. She goes twice a week at a gymnastics building soshe gets to play on some of the equipment and the foam pit, which she loves, for recess. I also love to see how Mads and Oliver are so different as students. Oliver takes his time remembering his classmates' names, but Mads can tell you their first and last names! Oliver may not remember their names very well but he gets along and plays with all of them. Surprisingly, Mads is more introverted than I thought and has found one or two friends to play otherwise plays by herself. They're different but they're both thriving and adapting well. Their quirky personalities make for some difficult parenting moments that either end successfully or a great desire for a do-over. Good thing kids are quite forgiving. I'm figuring it out one day at a time and thankfully, I have Weston to tag team it with.
    Oliver is finally making friends and coming out of his shell. It was a little rough in the beginning of the school year but is much improved now. It delights me so much to see him happy. Every now and then Mads and Oliver talk about how they miss NC and our "first house" but it has become few and far between. It definitely helps that cousins are just an 8 minute drive away and they all just adore each other. Oliver and cousin Will are on the same soccer team and they are a couple of goofballs. Their eye foot coordination are clumsy at best but they are having a "ball" (ahaha) so I'm happy.

This was Oliver's first practice. He's in the bright orange shorts. 

 Eleanor is such a spaz and I love her to death. We all adore her and could just squeeze her till her eyes pop out! She wants to be where ever Mads and Oliver are. She will sit by them and do her own thing contentedly as long as they are by her side, otherwise she screeches till you come back or take her with you. She's got the sweetest smile and is a daddy's girl. Her eyes brightens and gets excited when she can hear Weston coming through the doors. We have successfully trained her to sleep in her crib now for maybe about a month. We both needed our own space after a year of co-sleeping. She was ready for her crib! And she walks now! Baby phase goes by too slow and too fast. Sleep deprivation I'm sure doesn't help either. I feel like all the old ladies at the grocery store, but CHERISH them! They grow up so fast! 

  As for the house, it's up and down, literally. Stairs are not my friend or Eleanor's either. Okay, it hasn't been that bad and I don't really mind it but its danger zone for little people who want to dance on it. I do love the kitchen! It's spacious with ample amount of counter space and I love cooking in it. One week I was having a good run of meals and I felt like "Hey, I'm not too shabby." Nothing like a mediocre meal to spoil your mojo. HA! Kids were nice enough to eat it. Luckily my love for eating food and trying new recipes trumps any failed attempts. Just keep cooking, just keep baking! ^_^ Oooo Baking! I wish calories didn't exist!

Overall Moses Lake has been good to us and will be making it home for at least another 3 years and 3 months.