Videos from Danielle's first soccer game.

Yesterday was Danielle's first soccer game!!  She had a great time playing and was pretty excited that they won.  Jeff did an awesome job coaching and loved watching the kids try so hard, have good attitudes, etc.  I was the proud mom cheering from the sidelines and video-taping over half the game.  It was a very special time for our family.  Jeff and I remember going about 7 years ago to watch our friends' 4-year-old, Halliday, play her first year of soccer.  We looked forward to the day when we would be the parents of one of these tiny little athletes. 

We've always loved how sports teach kids about working hard, not giving up, working as a team, and encouraging one another.  I hope you enjoy the videos.  I edited them as much as I could so you would just see a few clips and get the idea of how hard Danielle tried and how fun it was to watch.  You'll hear Proud Mama cheering into the video camera.  Sorry about that...just turn down the volume if you need to. 

Proud to be Soccer Mom & Dad!

"Pretty good ball-control Danielle!" She really is taking this seriously. That's fine with us as long as she has fun, too.
Yes that is a dog running on the practice field. It's the coaches dog and he was cracking us up as he tried to participate throughout the practice.

Listening to the coach She stands like her mama!Danielle at goalie - Coach Jeff helping the kids.

Samantha gets a turn!

It's funny how there are some milestones that make the "firsts" in a child's baby book that really mean very little to me. I guess it's interesting to know the date/age my child ate with a spoon, clapped their hands, etc....but yesterday was a first that was a really big deal to Jeff and I. We became a soccer mom & dad! There are a few reasons why this is so special to me. The #1 reason is because Danielle has been playing soccer in the back yard for 6 months and she is thrilled to be on a soccer team. The #2 reason is because I have many great memories of participating in sports, being coached and/or encouraged by my parents, etc. So, it's special to me to be the mom now and do the best I can to encourage my daughter, show her how proud I am of how hard she tries, teaching good sportsmanship, etc.

Jeff offered to be the assistant coach and he is absolutely amazing...he likes working/playing with young kids and especially teaching them a sport. I know he has always dreamed of being a big participant in his kids activities (sports included, of course) so this was a really neat day for him, too.

Samantha was a trooper little-sis. She warmed up with them at the beginning but then sat with Mommy and Grammie knowing that the rest of practice was for the "team". She also sweetly gave her sister a huge high-five when practice was over.

Yesterday was just a practice and tomorrow is her first game. We'll see how it goes. We just want her to have fun and hope she doesn't shed too many tears if her team doesn't win!

1st Day Back to Preschool

My BIG girl!

The girls before we walked out the door.

Helping one of the younger kids with a puzzle.

Playing with buddy Noah...his first year as well.

Ms. Laura always says "good morning" to each student individually before starting her class.

Danielle woke up and walked out of her room with her backpack in hand ready for preschool! I'm so glad she loves it. I told her that since this was her 2nd year she needed to show the younger kids the ropes, be patient with them, etc. Well, she exceeded my expectations as I watched her play with 2 kids who were new to preschool. She does know them but they were both younger boys whom she tried to make feel comfortable instead of going off playing with the other girls her age.

Samantha was not staying for preschool but I brought her in as we stayed a little while. She warmed up just in time for them to say it was time to clean up and get class started. I'm sure by next time she'll think she is a member of the class! I will spend some time volunteering this year and the teacher is fine with Samantha coming with me. So, it should work out for everyone.

Samantha and I had a really nice morning together. I love this bonding time with just my littlest girl.

Last Day of Summer

The other day, after I had finally unpacked all of our camping stuff, I looked at the calendar and realized that we had only one free day before pre-school starts. So I decided that we would try to do one "last" everything to end the summer right. We went for one last morning walk where each girl picked flowers (weeds), leaves, and rocks....filling the pockets of the stroller. We had one last picnic in the back yard...sandwiches, fruit, and lemonade. Then it was time for one last run through the sprinkler (for Danielle...Samantha still just likes to run around in her bathing suit and pretend). I did one last summer photo shoot and thanked God for the millionth time that someone invented digital cameras so I can take as many pictures as I want to capture such great memories.

It's possible that we will still do some of those things if the weather stays warm but I felt like taking one day and making sure we did them at least one more time. Most days are not this intentional but I enjoyed the fact that this day was.

We are so excited about the school year ahead...pre-school, soccer, and our new mom's group (Adventures In Mothering) starting soon. It's hard to see the summer end but we're thankful for so many new things to look forward to this fall!

Grandpa Stevo and Grandma Judy Visit!!

Having a picnic at Kangaroo Lake.

So sweet. The girls with Grandpa Stevo and Grandma Judy.

Is this a good one??? Samantha with Grandma Judy.

Mom and girls with a lot of berries in just a matter of minutes.

Checking out the raspberries.

Teaching them the card games young!!

Learning some moves from Dad.She missed!

We had a wonderful time with Grandpa and Grandma visiting! They got to hang out with us and do the things that our family likes to do. So, we played soccer, picked berries, took them to a beautiful lake, a little golfing, card games, etc. A very nice visit.

Coast Trip

Danielle swinging at the cool park in Crescent City!
Samantha is getting to be such a BIG girl!

More swinging!

Lots of sister fun.

Me and my big girl.

Watching the bear from our RV site. They come out to the fish station for "leftovers".

The girls and their babies wore out from all the fun.

Danielle with Grandma Mac (friend of my parents).

I should have had Grandpa Mac get in the picture.

Grandpa Mac made milkshakes every day for the girls.

Cheers!

So cool in Daddy's shades.

Relaxin'.

Blackberry picking! She was a real help!

At the beach with Grammie & Uncle Tim.

Would've been a great picture if Samantha's eyes were open! It was bright out.

Here are her beautiful blue eyes!!

Showing me her name.

What a refreshing week the girls and I spent at the coast! We sure missed Jeff a lot. The girls just couldn't get enough hugs and tickles when he joined us for Labor Day weekend.

We took several trips to the beach, found a really cool playground, visited a friend who lives on the coast, went blackberry picking, rode bikes, had picnics, etc. I really enjoyed all of the time with my girls without the distractions and responsibilities I have while at home. Some of my favorite moments were helping Samantha practice on her bike, seeing Danielle make friends out of strangers at the RV playground, time around the campfire, playing and taking pictures at the beach and going for bike rides. The girls played really well together and seemed to bond so much while on our trip. Samantha did much better about using her words to tell us things rather than fussing (a nice change) and Danielle was very good about helping her little sister. This all makes for a very happy mama!!

As usual I took so many pictures that it's hard to choose what to share. I'll do my best to capture some highlights from the trip.