Happenings

Soccer season has started for us, and around here that means we live soccer, breathe soccer, and talk about soccer. If as much practice was done as everything else about soccer, my kids would be excellent players. :) We have practices two to three times a week depending on the child, and starting next week the games begin. Frequently that means Friday's will be busy also on top of the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

School has been going fairly well. I've kept things light on the schedule for soccer season and basically for the rest of the year, and we'll slap everything else on in January after we try to establish some sort of routine with a new baby in the house. I have been working on getting Melissa up a little earlier than the rest to read to her, and most days that goes well. She's much more willing than I am to get up that early. I think she likes the one-on-one time with Mommy as well. After we are done reading, she usually watches Aaron play the computer since he has free computer time from 7 to 8 A.M.

A couple Saturday's ago, we were invited to a birthday party for a friend. They had found pizzas very cheap at the grocery store (I missed out on that one) so served a pizza cake, which was a bunch of pizzas stacked on top of each other. It was such a good idea. They held them together by using a paper towel holder. They also had a cake in the shape of a soccer ball, which was a big hit, along with the punch balloons that were passed out as party favors. We found out that punch balloons and grass don't go together very well. :( Anyway, Jason had picked out a Foosball game for the boy which was the favored gift. It gets hard to buy for kids when they get that age so he had received a lot of money in cards. He also got a Dairy Queen gift card which I would have gladly confiscated. :)

The last Tuesday of August was a wild, busy day. I didn't even attempt to do schoolwork with Jason and Emily. Our van had an appointment to get a belt fixed so I got up with Mike at 4:30 so I could have the car for the day. Jason had an orthodontist appointment in Roseau so we went there and also did some shoe shopping for Aaron and some grocery shopping. On our way home we picked up a friend for the boys to play with, but all they did was sit around so I didn't think it was worth the trip... He and my two older children had soccer practice that evening.


Thursday of last week I took the three younger girls to an outdoors event for families with kids ages five and under. They had fun preschool activities such as bouncing balls off of a parachute, bubble blowing, mini golf, chalk drawing, water play, and ball playing. I had to laugh at Emily because she confidentially leaned over and told me, "Now I know why it was for kids ages five and under!" The best part for the girls, I think, was getting an ice cream cone from North Country Convenience for 50 cents. They sure do have good ice cream flavors. I was thinking it would be a small cone, but they gave us the $1.29 value cone for the price. We also came home with a helium-filled balloon which brought lots of play time also.

Friday night we went to a trial run of the Country Corn Maze and had such a fun evening. I've wondered if we should advertise it at our annual Jackpine Retreat but am not sure how families would pull it off after traveling all the way up here. Tracy and Aaron made it through, but Jason, Emily, and I didn't make it. We did find our way back to the entrance four times though. I wonder if we'll get a prize for that??? :) The two kids kept traveling towards the sun even though I was sure the way out was the other way. We ended up just quitting because the sun set, and Tracy and Aaron had both of the flashlights. Tracy says it's more fun during the daylight hours anyway. Mike got his picture taken with kids playing so check it out with the link above. They have a child's play area also, but Laura was scared of the calf they had in there. I got such a kick out of the calf...when we arrived, it decided it had had enough of people and being stuck in the fenced-off area so it jumped the fence and took off down the road towards home. Needless to say, it was brought back and had to spend the rest of the evening tied up in its little pen.

Saturday was the last day we used our pool pass, and already Melissa has asked when we can go swimming again.

Wednesday we made a quick decision and went to Bemidji for the Kid's Club at their church where our four little ones had fun. They studied a little about the body and got to color a hackeysack to bring home along with having a snack. We visited Grandma and Grandpa and had pizza and demolished the batch of cookies she had made also. The dog, who got to go also, was very pleased to see his "Grandma" and has had a better countenance since we went.

That brings me to today, which is now yesterday. I guess I should be in bed, but I never get a chance to sit here at "my" computer anymore because the kids are always on it, it seems. So...I take over Mike's instead. :) I had a chiropractor appointment and got my hip popped back into place. Now I just need for that muscle to relax so it doesn't pull it out again, if it hasn't already. I also got some "vitamin F" which I had never heard of before. I guess you get it from the dark green leafy vegetables and it helps your body move the calcium to the muscles. I've been getting a few charlie horses in my calf muscles (not NEARLY as many as I've had with previous pregnancies though) so just threw that out to him. As usual, he had a solution. He's never been wrong before (at least with dealings with me) so I have a very great respect and trust in his opinion. He called me the "Blueberry Queen" again this year. One day the kids and I picked a cupcake liner of blueberries for him and delivered them. I dropped them off last month after not having seen him for quite some time so wasn't even sure if he had received them. Now I know he did. :)

Full moon, Friday, September 4, 2009. Does that count as Thursday-Friday or Friday-Saturday??? It's so bright outside right now.

It hit 89 at our house yesterday so I had the air conditioner going. Just as it started to get past tolerable into the "nice" zone, it was time to head to soccer. Today, other than Mike being at work, we have nothing planned that I know of. Have a great weekend!