Shoot and Score!

Soccer is in full swing and keeps us entertained on Saturdays. Both kids are loving it. They both scored a goal this weekend. No pic of that because I could stand there all day ready but never happen. Therefore, I sit and snap random shots during the game. M scored the first goal of the game and I missed it trying to fix my chair. Her age plays 4 on 4. She runs and plays so tough. She has really improved since last spring. She is in blue and number 19. She picked that number because it is her number in her class. They can pick any number they want. The whole team can be the same number if they want. Here is A in action. His age plays 2 on 2. He is always laughing about things that happen on the field (that the other players do). He is number 11 on red. He picked this number because his good friend from OK was 11 years old. Not a day goes by that we don't here about the 11 yr old. It was a hot day but they both gave it there all. R told me I was embarrassing with all my cheering/yelling for the kids. That was at A's game so I tried to keep it down at M's game.
Here is what the other part of our weekend involved. Me hard at work.
M also hard at work. R mowed but the grass was damp and so we had clumps of cut grass and M would not rest til all the clumps were out of the yard. She must get the love of yard work form me. Where are those boys?
Oh, here they are goofing off in the garage. NO, he was not riding that bike and he did not fall. R and I were organizing the garage (trying to make space for the top of the Jeep) when we heard A ask "Is this called sideways riding?" Where does he get that stuff? Yes, you are correct- from R. I think we have another future class clown on our hands. He comes up with some funny things for a 4 yr old.
That was all Fri evening and Sat. Sunday involved lots of rain and almost 2 hours of kickball after the rain stopped. It was R and me versus the neighborhood kids. Wish you could have seen my skills! R wasn't too bad either. I'm sure you will see more soccer pics as it does not end til the end of May.

BRI: In Greek mythology, Nike is the goddess of victory.

Shortest verus in the Bible: John 11:35. ("Jesus wept.")

Call of the Not so Wild

Yesterday we drove to Great Wolf Lodge for a little mini-spring break. I figured it is finally feeling like spring (but notice that we are STILL in long sleeves in the photo above!!!) plus R missed spring break and Easter. So off we went. This place is a hotel and indoor water park all in one. The decorations were neat- all log cabinish. We only stayed one night but you can use the water park the day you check in and the day you leave. That amounted to about 10 hours of non-stop fun for us. Being that we went during the week, there were NO waits. Which was great but that meant up the stairs (79 of them to one water slide but who's counting)over and over almost nonstop. R and I were wearing down but the kids never once complained about the number of stairs. In fact, the just kept saying "Can we do it again?" There was also a "lazy river" that most people lay on a float and leisurely float around but not A. He ran around the whole thing every time and only laughed when I told him he must think it is the unlazy river. It was nice to do a water park and still be warm. The water is 84 degrees plus the best part for my family is NO sunscreen! That saved me lots of heartache- no whining about putting it on again and again and no missed spots. M under the bucket that drops 1000 gallons of water down every 5 minutes. A was standing next to her until the warning bell rang but as you can see he quickly deserted his post. We never did get him to stand under it.
A coming down one of the smaller water slides. R was on the orange one on the right but just like he did on the slides in Altus, he got stuck and missed out on getting in on the photo op! They did all the water slides they possibly could (6 big ones and 3 small ones). A was not tall enough to do the "Tornado" but M did and actually enjoyed it once she got over the fear of the ride name.
Playing in the "fort" area. There was also a wave pool that we spent lots of time at. The waves were on a 5 minute on/off cycle. M would have me push her into the waves and she got dumped several times. A opted to dive into the waves or try to ride them. With his goggles in place, he was all action and never stopped. There was more but this is enough to give you the idea of what a great time we had. The kids can't wait to go back.

Welcome Back

R returned home after a 17 day trip to Eastern Europe. This is a photo from where he went. He had a good time but was glad to be home. He had the bonus of being greeted by 4 members of my extended family (aunt, uncle, cousin and cousin's husband). He got home around midnight and might of thought he could sneak in but no, we were all waiting for him (minus the kids-way too late for them). The kids loved showing off any talent any of the 4 adults would watch. M did some Irish dancing and some Hanna Montana singing. A stuck to more things like nerf guns and wii. He is not ready to unleash the rest of his talents at this time.

R was also welcomed by the cherry blossoms on our tree in the front yard. Who needs the Cherry Blossoms Festival when you can walk into your own front yard without any crowds. Sad to say a windy night has emptied the tree for this year.
R was also greeted the next morning by 2 very excited children! Not that they were tired of seeing me but now it meant that mom would do some cooking. But with the kids, come soccer games. They are both playing and really enjoying themselves. Note: We are also finally wearing short sleeves and shorts and smiling. That is true except for the last 2 days which has brought us back to long everything. But I have great faith that these days will quickly pass on to more sunny ones.

M has learned the art of tree climbing and cannot get enough of the neighbor's tree. She gets up and down by herself. I wouldn't let her go any higher that day. Again, warm enough for bare feet. I have worn flip flops 2 days and loved it. I did not however climb any trees.
A did attempt to climb a tree too. You know the saying "monkey see, monkey do" (well, try to do in this case). As you can see, he didn't get far at all. He is all smiles anyway. Maybe by the end of the summer he'll be higher too.

SPRING?

It is just not right! It is not right to have to wear coats and gloves to get to school in the mornings (36 degrees) and some afternoons. It is not right to walk out of gymnastics in April to find it sleeting outside. It is not right to NOT be able to wear flip flops and capris in April. It is not right for the high to be 44 in April. Who says I'm living in the south? This is not the south I know and love. I didn't expect to be wearing shorts yet but this is crazy! I'm to thin skinned for this type of "spring" weather. Oh, I hope our next assignment is not in the north because boy and I in for a rude awakening. (I know we just really got here but always need to be planning the next move.) I'm hoping that come July I'll be loving the weather here and I will have forgotten my lost spring. The neighbors assure me by May it will be warmer. However, most people don't do much swimming til July because the water is too cold. I think swimming should be from May-Oct. Seems like I might have a long 4 years ahead of me. Retiring in TX is sounds better by the day.

From BRI: Snow has fallen in every state including Hawaii.
Based on normal annual temperatures, the coldest states are Alaska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Maine, Montana and Wyoming.(These states won't be making my top 10 list any time soon.)