cheetahs soccer!

Barrett is playing his first season of soccer this fall!  The season runs for eight weeks, and they practice once per week, then have a game on Saturdays.  It's been a slow warm-up for Barrett, as he loves the running and kicking the ball, but he isn't quite sure how this whole game works.  Luckily, no one is expecting the kids to do much more than have fun!

We had a parade for the first game!

Yay for #7!

barrett: 65 months old

Oh, this kid!  Barrett had his first soccer game yesterday, and it would definitely be an overstatement to say that he is loving soccer.  Granted, it's new and Barrett is still learning what he is supposed to be doing during the game, so he's holding back and not getting into the mix of youngsters all fighting it out over the ball.  It's adorable to watch kids this young play soccer, and maddening at the same time.  You know what I mean?

We're gearing up for Halloween around here!  Barrett likes playing dress up anyways (he's usually a police officer or a fire fighter), so we ordered his costume early.  He originally wanted to be a planet, but that's kind of a hard costume to pull off, so I suggested an astronaut.  Barrett loves his astronaut costume and helmet, and wears them both multiple times per week.  I hope the costume is still his top choice once Halloween comes around!

Likes:  drawing pictures of everything, painting, stealing Britton's slime

Dislikes:  when I yell too much during the soccer game (seriously, how will they know they are running to the wrong goal if no one tells them?)

110 months old

These kids keep me busy, so it seems I never get around to updating my posts until their monthly posts are due!  Britton has gotten busy this school year too, with her dance classes and piano lessons. But she also got into GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) Club, which meets monthly, and she also won her election for student council!  She's also auditioning for the fourth grade play - fingers crossed, because she learns if she made it next week.

We're gearing up for Halloween!  Britton is going to be a black cat this year, with her ballet leotard, a black tutu, cat ear headband, and a fake fur tail.  We are going to make the tail together this weekend - some fun sewing time!  

Likes:  painting with acrylic paints, anything crafting, riding her bike around the neighborhood, reading every book she can get her hands on

Dislikes:  only playing Yahtzee - Britton would love if we would play more Scattergories!

barrett: 64 months old

Barrett is fully engulfed in kindergarten now, and he seems to be enjoying himself.  Having been in preschool, he's a bit ahead of where they expect the kids to be, but that's giving him a chance to really understand the sight words and practice his reading.  He gets a kick out of me reading "Dick and Jane" books with my finger on each word, pointing out his sight words for him to read.  It's like "Mad Libs" bedtime reading!

I'm excited for Barrett to start soccer at the end of the month!  He enjoys having an activity, and I enjoy something tiring him out regularly!  The heat has been unbearable lately, and it seems that we spend all our time indoors, unless we are sprinting to the car or swimming in the pool.  

Likes:  playing with play doh, drawing anything and everything he loves - planets, soccer matches, people

Dislikes:  running out of tape when taping all his pictures on the walls because it makes him a "real artist"

109 months old

The new school year has hit us hard, and fourth grade is no joke!  I went to "Curriculum Night," and another mom and I discussed how this year just felt more "real" - the stakes seem higher somehow, and the handholding of younger grades is now gone.  This is the real deal, and the expectations are high.  Britton hasn't seemed to notice - she's still excited to go to school every day and loves homework.  

And Britton is reading more than ever, as her English/reading teacher encourages the kids to read upwards of 30-40 minutes per day in class.  She's made her way through tons of books this year, and especially enjoys ones that feature mermaids, unicorns, fairies, spirit animals, magical beings that live in the forest, sprites, witches, and fantasy.  We still read together every night, and I've found myself looking forward to the books and enjoying the stories as much as she does!

I feel like Britton is busier than ever this year, between the extra school work, plus continuing her piano lessons.  She's also doing dance class (ballet, tap, and jazz) weekly with two friends from the neighborhood.

Likes:  jumping in the pool in her clothes, cake pops

Dislikes:  the never-ending summer heat, practicing piano

school's back in session!

These two munchkins went back to school last week!  They went back earlier this year, and have an earlier start time, so going back to school kind of crept up on all of us.  Last week we had the "Kindergarten Curriculum Night" and "Meet the Teacher" so the kids knew what was coming.  Then the first day and it was all smiles and new backpacks and excitement!

The kids have their first full week starting tomorrow, so hopefully the smiles and excitement keep up!

barrett: 63 months old

Barrett is ready for kindergarten, that much is certain!  He has his backpack filled (with library books and a travel pillow),  he has a plan to take naps at his desk, and he is certain that recess will be the best part of his day.  I love his enthusiasm for this new step in his life!  

We had a kindergarten playdate at the school this week, "Curriculum Night" on Thursday, "Meet the Teacher" night next week, then the first day of school in a week.  There might be some sadness that my baby is growing up, but I'm also excited to see what changes await him this year.

Barrett is very into drawing right now - so much so that he has taped his pictures all over his bedroom  walls!  I finally broke down and bought a roll of paper from IKEA and a couple of rolls of cheap tape, and just let me go to his heart's content.  There's a good chance his entire room will be covered, but it makes him happy to show his art gallery to us.

Likes:  lollipops, picking out his own clothes every morning, running

Dislikes:  waiting until next week to go to school