Baby Gray

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Nice trophy, dude!

It was Caleb's last game tonight and he did great! His team really improved over the season (can you really call it a season when they cram so many games into a month and a half?). They learned how to work together and really charge after the ball and attack. Especially Caleb. When his coach gave him the trophy (which is a pretty sweet trophy!) he said that Caleb was the best hustler on the team. That's my boy! He did great! He was able to score at least 3 goals this season and he played his heart out. I asked him tonight if he wanted to play again next year and his initial response was no. But later in the evening he said that he might play next year. I think he was so tired after the game tonight that he did not want to have to work that hard again next year. :) But I sure hope he does. He did so good this year and I just love cheering for him and seeing him enjoy a sport. Way to go, Caleb!

Sunday Afternoons

Jonathan recently brought home a note from the school saying he needs glasses. So, at church Sunday I decided to test the school's findings. We were sitting in the overflow behind the regular pews in the chapel, and I asked him to tell me the page # for the first hymn on the marquee at the front of the chapel. He squinted, and lifted his hand to his eyes, and was about to walk closer to see it when I stopped him and said, "You need glasses."

"No I don't," he replied. "I'm just too far away to read it."

He then grabbed a hymn book and said, "See? That says 'Hymns' upside-down!"

So that explains why he keeps bumping into walls and things...

Later he told me that he used to want to be a fireman when he grows up, but has changed his mind to be a doctor, "Cuz they make more money!" (If only he followed politics...)

Here is a recent Sunday drive, inspired by Jon and Heidi Mae and family. Ours are nowhere near as picturesque.

Soccer, life and the whole shabang

Well, I do not know where to start. Soccer has begun and tonight was Caleb's third game. He is a really awesome kid and really plays hard. I have just come to the conclusion that I should probably never be the coach for a little kid team. I am just too aggressive, too angry, too in their face and probably not focused enough on the play to have fun aspect. Oh, I always include that in the mom's coaching advice, but you should have seen me tonight. I was on one. I just gave up on the real coach showing any sort of gumption and ran out there myself to give the team some oomph! And Caleb heard it from me a few times there. I will give it to him, he was a trooper and did not get all whiny on me or mopey; he took the advice, said OK and went back to the game and stayed with it. I was so proud of our goalie, Jordan, she made some great saves. And the team really hung in there, I just wish they were more aggressive and chased after that ball harder. Poor Caleb, the earful he gets from me is crazy. At least I think I know what I am talking about, hopefully it is good soccer advice.

Oh, and lets not forget about my other two cute boys. They are troopers as well. They end up going to the games (Rob does not come on Wednesdays) and then they are neglected while I cheer on/scream after Caleb's team. They watch me scream my lungs out trying to encourage these kids to get out there and do it. And then they go off and play on their own because they realize that mom is too busy freaking out about a bunch of 6 year olds. I know, I should really find a better cause! Anyway, to let my two youngest boys woes be heard- poor Peter, as I was watching the game he was booting his soccer ball around. All of a sudden I heard his screams of TERROR and I looked over to find him being chased around by a teeny tiny dog. The dog just thought Peter was playing a fun game of chase with him and kept running after him and Peter did not understand if he just stopped running the dog would stop following. He was so scared and crying and I felt so bad. Peter soon recovered and followed after William as he was playing with a soccer ball as well. Then there is William's sad story. He has had an upset tummy for a while so I have been watching his diapers close. However, me being the aggressive soccer mom that I am and not focused on her other two children I neglected to monitor Willy's bottom. You can all guess it, we got home to a very sad and sore Willy and he could barely sit down. Super Mom I am not!

But lets not end this post on a bad note. I took Caleb out to get an ice cream cone after the game because the one goal his team scored Caleb made the assist! I was very happy with him and wanted him to feel good about it. Caleb was excited too as he was recounting how it all played out. I told him if he ever makes the goal himself, he gets the big size cone. My kids are awesome, they have to put up with crazy me. And my Rob, he is awesome too. He takes his last test tomorrow, lets all hope he passes and gets his license soon.

Bowling

Yay! Bowling night for FHE! Spencer's first time. You'll notice how thrilled he is about in the last couple of pictures...






Yeah, that's not his happy face.

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Homework woes!!!!!

HELP ME!!!!!!! It is only the second week of school and already I am pulling teeth to get this boy to do simple first grade homework. I'm sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. And I still do not feel better about it. :) Oh well, we shall go on with life and I will continue to be the most horrible, mean, hated mom in the whole world; but only during those precious H...O...U....R....S of homework. Other than that, school is great for Caleb, Peter is going along with life and Caleb starts soccer on Wednesday. Love you all!

Back to school!!

Jonah is in 3rd grade, Jonathan is in 1st. All I can say is, aaaaauuuugggghhhh, what a relief! I guess I fall in to the category of a parent that relishes the day the kids go back to school. That still leaves Spencer at home, and he is the worst of our 3 so far in needing constant attention. I don't ever remember the other two requiring such vigilance. Anyhow the boys greatly enjoyed their first week back. Of course, Jonah started on Wednesday, and Jonathan on Thursday, so it wasn't really a week.

Yes, they comb their own hair.

The week before, Diedre planned her annual back to school party which was a total blast as usual! The boys all had fun with their different activities.





They wrote introductory letters to each of their teachers...As you can see, the following is Jon's:

Green Beans? Really? What does "Centers" mean? Naughty kids? From what we are told, he is their ringleader! "Wanna play house?" That's our Jon-Jon!

Back to the party...They made their very own t-shirts!

And had a sleepover!

At least they waited until AFTER Diedre left before gambling with glowsticks...

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Joe and Jon received new Superman pjs--complete with cape! (attached with velcro.) Both boys ran around the house the first day the put them on--running with their heads turned back looking over their shoulders--to see if the capes were billowing...Of course Dacia and I were sutably impressed, even if Joe became very frustrated that he couldn't see and billowing from his cape. Jon was just happy his flapped at the edges a bit...

Ummm, superkid on the right, aren't you a little short for a superhero? I don't remember Superman rolling up his tights.

We went to Dacia's concert tonight. Her choir, Deseret Chamber Singers sang at the Springville Art Museum. It was their end of summer concert, and it was very nice. Below are a couple very brief videos of some of their pieces. (Each song clip is less than 30 seconds long--and three clips, taken with my super high-tech, ultra sophisticated film and studio equipment....a $100 point a click camera...No seriously, the choir was great and my recording not.)

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Yes, I was sitting in the audience. I felt guilty the whole time, like I was bootlegging a movie or something...I added one more song, several clips. I told you my camera was rinky-dink! It only records sound for video in one minute intervals. It will keep recording video after one minute--without sound, so I have to keep stopping and restarting my recording. I tried to look for pauses, or rests, but wasn't always successful. This clip is 5m30s long--all one song.

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Uh, yeah, the video is of the floor. I told you I felt guilty!! Mainly of filming the back of heads...

Wait, is the taller superkid (I couldn't really say bigger) beating up the shorter superkid? Or trying to protect him?