How We Get Our Kicks On Tuesdays

Soccer Star #2

If you've read anything much on here, you will have noticed that the girl plays soccer.  This fall, the boy was old enough and we got him involved, too.  The U4's all had a big person with them on the field, and the group, split into four smaller groups, rotated through four stations, each working on a soccer skill or gross motor skill.  It was a fabulous way to do soccer with this age, and Nolan loved going.

So stinking CUTE.

Weekend Tournaments - Our Athlete in Action!

Madeline's soccer team has had bad luck getting into soccer tournaments this year - not enough teams their age in their division to make it work, mostly.  This weekend was their first of the year - (we get to go to Saskatoon soon for another, though, and are looking forward to that!) - and it was also the weekend of her only basketball tournament...  We are happy that there are only a few overlaps between those two schedules; it seemed almost comical that these tournaments ended up on the same weekend.

Happily missing one quarter of one basketball game was the extent of the overlap this weekend.  I got to run her around Friday night while Sean stayed home and put Nolan to bed, and I thankfully remembered to take advantage of the kid-less games to take my camera along.

KT tape for the shin splints.

Warm ups.

Notice all 10 of them have the same hairstyle??

She shoots...

I love how much fun she has with these girls.

Right in the action.

This tournament was on 1/2 size fields, so they split into two teams.

Have time for a coffee?

Hello, Friends. There's a reason I haven't promised that I would post on a regular schedule... because life's not like that for me!

I got an order last week from Ambassador Coffee saying the coffee cozies they bought were selling really well, and when could they get another 50?  So I've been ironing and cutting and sewing and stitching on buttons and this morning I delivered 60!  That's thanks to my business savvy husband.

I bought these 3 packs from Cindyrella's Quilt Shop for making the tops (here's me telling all my secrets), and made up as many as I could make from them, along with some other fabric I had been planning to use.  I had a few on hand already, too, so when all was said and done, I had 60 made.  I planned to take them the 50 they ordered and list a few on Etsy, but Sean suggested when I let her know they were ready, I should ask if she wanted all 60.  So I did.  And she did.  So happy selling to me.

Here's what 60 looks like.

The new labels!

We are back in the swing of things with soccer.  Sean usually takes M to the evening practices while I put N to bed, but usually we can make it to the games.  Nolan likes being there, and likes that we usually get him a Tim Bit when we get our coffees...

This week we have a piano recital and a harvest party at the church thrown in the mix, the Amazing Race for youth group, and then a tournament this weekend, so it should be a fun busy week.  M has been going to youth at another church with some camp friends, and it's been a good group for her to be a part of.  They are on different nights so she can usually make it to one or the other most weeks.

Ciao for now - have a great Monday!

September.

September.  Back to school and routine; funny how even though it's only one out of four in our family that is back to school, it still affects us all.

Madeline of course has the biggest changes - new school, having to get up earlier and walk half an hour to get there (which she enjoys, actually), getting to go out at lunch with her friends and get a drink at Starbucks if she wants...  Ah, the freedom.  I've mentioned soccer - that's a change, too, because now she's playing full field, 11 man, 90 minute games.  Youth group is also different; she's in senior youth now at church, and with different connections through camp, is interested in going to groups at other churches.  Ours is on Tuesdays, so that frees up her Friday nights to go with friends to theirs - I won't complain about the extra driving for that kind of a social life!

I also got an inhaler for her today.  She's had a cough for a while, and since we were at the doctor's anyway, I had him check it out.  Sounds like asthma, so she'll puff it up till the snow comes and see how it goes.

Changes for Nolan are coming up.  I'm planning to take him to the toddler storytime at the library, and he's registered for his first round of swimming lessons later this fall.  He'll be in the 'Duck' class.  He was sleeping through the night finally, but now is back to waking some... grr.  Will it never end?  He's got a cold which made last night really bad; hopefully when that's gone we can all get back to better sleeps.  He's learning lots of words and growing - those developmental spurts can be attributed to messing up sleep at this stage, too.  Sigh.  If you ever wanted to send up a prayer for us, we'd sure appreciate it!!

Changes for me?  My days are simpler again, with just Nolan around.  Planning for suppers can be challenging having to be flexible around M's soccer schedule, but we're settling into a routine where Sean will pick up subs or something after work and come out and join us at her games, so really I end up cooking less.  I do have to make M's lunch the night before, which sometimes is a chore if I forget until I'm ready for bed, but isn't too bad usually, and it makes the mornings way smoother.  I used to send leftovers or something that needed heating up lots, though, and now with only two microwaves for the whole cafeteria, I'm sending way more sandwiches.  Takes more planning since I can't just send what's on hand.  The plus side of that is that it's not a peanut free school, so pb & jelly, honey or banana are back in rotation!

I also am planning to do another craft sale later in November.  Part of me wonders why, since I have done really poorly at most sales I've ever been in, and there are other outlets to sell my stuff, but this is just a one day event close by, so it won't be a huge waste if nothing sells.  Six hours is more manageable than a whole weekend to be away from my family, too.

Sean is probably the least affected by September's back to routine.  The biggie is that instead of M coming up from her room after Dad leaves, she is now eating her breakfast when we come down and then playing piano while he's still home.  I'll admit that I like the togetherness before everyone goes their own way.

I hope your September is full of joy and stress free.

Tidbits from the past week or so...

Madeline and Cailey - a friend from her other (red!) soccer team - playing against each other in their first high school games.  Wearing the same #21, too.

I gave Nolan another haircut.  We did the top / front sitting on the back deck Tuesday, and wasn't able to do the back until Saturday... You have to find the right balance of cooperation and quiet!  Then when he showed Dad, Dad thought it would be a good idea to style it up all spiky.  Pretty cute!

A downside to writing more letters is that I was getting a little too excited for the mail to come each day, thinking that writing more meant getting more... silly me.  But then I got TWO!  Kadence and Zach picked out cards and wrote in them and took them to the post office to send to Auntie - I smiled all day long.  They're sitting on my desk making me happy even now.

I found a great surprise when I was purging our bookshelf last week.  Back in 2007, I got bookmarks from my nephews with their school photos on them.  I had one in my bookmark box that I keep on the shelf, but had no idea where the other two had disappeared to, and that had made me sad a few times over the years.  I found them - in some of the books that I had been working through and forgotten, I guess - and that made me pretty happy, too.

Did you know there are three verses to Row, Row Row Your Boat?  We have a book of nursery rhymes that we've been pulling out at bedtime, and Row, Row Row Your Boat has been a favorite that I have sung hundreds of times lately, before putting him down for a nap or bed.  I'll leave you with this now and hope it gets stuck in your head.  You're welcome.

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently on the tide.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

To the other side.

 

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently back to shore.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Home for tea at four!

Red

- How was her first week? asked our friend at church this Sunday, as we sat on the floor of the nursery, playing with babies.
- Good.  She made the school soccer team and their first game is tomorrow!
- Do you remember when I reffed her games?  That was a long time ago.  I think you guys were red?
- Red.  (I laughed.)  So many years she was red.

So many years of soccer under her belt already.  So many years of being on the red team, although there was a blue year, and a maroon, maybe?  Plus a few seasons of indoor.  Then this last year she played club soccer instead of community.  More cost, more committment, more competition... She's developing greater skills and a love of the sport.  Making great friends there, too.  And wearing red.

And now a new achievement - a new step, playing for the school in a season that fill the months till club starts up again.  A grade nine among the ones who have been wearing the black for years - new jersey, new competition, new friends.

(I'm linking this up today with Lisa-Jo Baker and her Five Minute Friday.)

Life in the Snow

Here's what I was looking at a moment ago - this is the view from my back door after two days of snow.  There was nothing on the ground when we woke yesterday, and now it feels like Christmas.

I got some great shots of Nolan and the Snow when it snowed earlier this week - that link will take you to see them on Facebook.

I'm feeling quilty these days.  I got a quilting book from the library yesterday, snagged on my way to check out my other books (I keep a list of recommended books on my phone, and found two - looks like some good reading this week!)  This sparked my interest and I started browsing fabric online...

 I tweeted to see where my friends buy fabric online and was sent to Etsy, which I forget has supply stuff like fabric - I always think of it as a 'finished product' marketplace - and I placed an order!  Ah, shopping online.  So great to get stuff in the mail!  I've ordered a few scrapbooking things lately, too.  I ordered from the Surly Sheep shop and got an email that it shipped today.  Can't wait!

Here's another favorite book lately:

We got it from Jamie, an old friend (and blog reader!).  It's been the before sleep story of the week - he always grins at the first picture of a cat and my meow no matter how tired he is.

Madeline has a soccer tournament this weekend, and Nolan and I made it to last night's game and will make it to tomorrow's, but had to miss both of today's.  We did go for lunch with the team and all the other parents, though - it's good to get to know some new people through that.

Well, there you have a slightly scrambled snapshot of life here right now. While N is sleeping and the others are still out, I'm going to go finish sewing up some magic bags and perhaps pull out some material and the quilt pattern I'm thinking of starting...  Have a great weekend!

At the Moment...

Celebrating... my man's birthday.  He's caught up to me again, for the next 5 1/2 months.

Watching... comments roll in on the little album I posted on Facebook of Nolan.

Loving... the weather this week.  Warm temps, no wind, colored leaves still on the trees, sunshine...

Excitement... went for a cruise in Sean's new ride - he bought a red  97 Cobra Convertible Mustang this week.  We went out after Nolan went to sleep, and left M in charge.  So nice to have that option!  I know most people with babies can't just leave like that, so we appreciate the flexibility she gives us.

Glad... to have Sean back home after being sequestered away on jury duty.  He was at the trial all last week, but was able to come home nights, and we had some nice lunch dates downtown, too.  Monday morning till Tuesday supper they were locked away - felt long.  Felt way longer for him!  He said it was an experience everyone should have.

Looking forward to... soccer season.  Madeline is playing city league this year, which is a big step up from the community association league she has been in.  The preliminary emails have been rolling in, and it should be starting soon.

Wondering... church small groups will be starting soon.  We've said we'll host, so we're wondering who our group will end up including.

Tasting... a nice little treat Sean whipped up.  He had birthday cake at work today, so tomorrow we'll be having DQ ice cream cupcakes (did you know they had such a thing?) and going to the Keg to celebrate on Saturday.  Those should both be tasty, too.

Feeling... lots of little aches and pains.  Nolan is almost 22 lbs, but is still a baby that needs a lot of carrying.  I did get in a long walk yesterday, a good stretch this morning, and a workout in the pool this afternoon (Fit for Two at the Y downtown).  Those all help.  I should do them all more often!

Going... to bed now.  Looking forward to another night without getting up with Nolan!  He's only done one night where we haven't heard a peep from bedtime at 7:30 to 7 am, but most nights this past week he's only woken once and cried just for a minute or two before soothing himself back to sleep.  The last 2 days he's gotten up at 6:15 and 6, though - I'm ready for those 7 am's again!!  Sleep is such a good thing.  We all are enjoying this new phase, and are thankful that training him for this only took a week or so.

Father's Day & Football

Happy Father's Day!

You'll notice M sporting a Portugal football (soccer) jersey in that photo - it was a gift to me years ago from our Portuguese relatives but I finally passed it on to her since while I still like it and wear it some, I thought she'd get way more use out of it.  Rued that decision a little as the next day we watched Portugal in the UEFA Euro2012, and she got to wear it to cheer...  :) We've been watching as many games as we can - nice family bonding time around the big screen.

Shoot, I just realized that Portugal plays the Czech Republic today, but I'm out at book club tonight... I guess I'll see if I can catch it earlier in real time.  Sean is golfing tonight, so M may have to cheer solo.

A favorite spot before and after school when it's warm.

You can see the love...

Two Months Old!!

Nolan is two months old today.  What a wonderful time these last two months have been - he has added so much into our family.  The highlight of the last day for me has been getting out for walks with the stroller.  So great.  We went all together yesterday, and today N and I walked up to the public health office to weigh him, since our doctor's appointments for today got bumped till next week.  I was curious about how much he was now: 14 lbs & 14 oz.  Big boy!  He falls asleep in the stroller (helps that I tend to go at nap time!), and I hope to get out for a walk now just about every day.

I had to miss M's school production last week because N was having a super fussy day, but we haven't had to miss too many of her things.  We just have a little someone to sit in the stands and cheer with us.  He was actually awake for her last basketball game and watched all the action intently in the first half before he fell asleep.  He was awake for some of her last soccer games this weekend, too.  We also went to a couple of hockey games this past week (my nephews Mathew and Josh both play) - this little one is quite the sports fan already. 

Tummy Time!

...with a smile.

All tuckered out.

Watching the camera...

...and basketball!

Meeting Jen & Jeremy's new baby girl Eden. (M took the photos.)

Dad swap!  He's 7 weeks there and she's 2 weeks & 5 lbs. 

Hanging with M's Grandpa McCall on our shared birthday.

Isn't he awesome?

Two Weeks Old!

Man, how time flies - I can't believe that Nolan has been here for two weeks already.  He's fitting into the family well - in the last few days he's gone to M's swimming lessons (she passed level 9), her soccer game, her basketball game, and to Dad's work.

We went to the doctor for his first visit today - he's just over 12 pounds now; above the 99.9the percentile for height and between the 97 & 99th percentile for weight.  We grow 'em big in the Schneider family.

One thing the doctor said was that he shouldn't need to eat as often as he does, and that if he's hungry more often than every 3 hours or so, to give him water.  So we tried to give him water in a bottle tonight, and he actually took some.  Funny to watch him try something new like that.

I am feeling pretty good, except that I have bronchitis... I guess labour was hard on my lungs!  I've been coughing ever since we got home from the hospital.  Doc prescribed some stuff, so I'm looking forward to kicking this pretty quick now.  I weighed myself this morning and was thrilled to find that in the past two weeks I've lost 30 pounds!  Only 13 more to go to get back to what I was before.

A fun wrinkle in life this week is that my Escape needs a new tranny.  It's in the shop and we won't get it back till next week sometime.  it was nice to be able to leave Nolan home sleeping while I drove Sean to work this morning - M was comfortable keeping an ear out for him while she got ready for school.

And some photos from today - the boy at two weeks old:

First date at Roca House - Camille (the owner) held him a while  and treated us to the yummy cupcakes to go with our coffees.

And here is me embracing the camera.  He only looks extra huge here because it's a close shot...

things that made me happy this week

Tuesday
- Taking M out for ice cream to celebrate finishing grade 6.
- Walking by the lake, enjoying the beautiful weather, seeing 4 pelicans.

Wednesday
- Washing my Escape (with one bucket of water!)
- A heavenly hot night with no wind and no bugs and hours on the deck with a good book.

Thursday
- Extreme Pitas for lunch for me & the girl.
- Walking out of the restaurant to see my Escape shining beautifully clean in the sun.
- Watching Women's World Cup Soccer.

Last weekend was full of great things (celebrations & visits with friends / family, Red Lobster, Bonfire at a friend's place, Girl Guide camp, an afternoon nap, church picnic at the camp & Sean rocking in the baseball game...), and this weekend promises to be another great one, celebrating weddings with friends.

I really love summer.

We're the Green Team.

No, not that green, the other green.  The most memorable part of last night, our first game of the season, was that two of our players hooked up with the other team, and the coach, who didn't have his team list with him, didn't catch it....  So they had 5 subs and we had one.  For the second half.   I think we're all sorted now, and should have more players tomorrow.

And I told them we were the green team.  That ended up being so very helpful.

We know the other coach because his son was on our team last year - this year he volunteered to help and ended up coaching, just like what happened to me 2 years ago.  I do think it's pretty sad that of all the kids playing, only three teams had people actually volunteer to coach.  The rest end up getting roped in. 

What is your funniest experience with a kid's sports team?

PS - We're the darker, "Irish" green.

Our Athlete... in Action

Madeline is having her wrap up indoor soccer tournament this weekend; it's her first year at this, and she's enjoyed playing. I've been taking pictures at soccer and basketball for the last couple of months, but I've been waiting to post some until I got some good ones. I don't have any more chances to take some, so here's a couple at least to show you the girl in uniform.

She's the one in black in the fight for the ball.

Eyes on the ball!

Last weekend she got two goals in her game, bringing her season total up to three! Pretty exciting stuff. Next up for #6 is outdoor soccer in about 6 weeks.