GOAL!!!!

At last weeks soccer game, Brody was asked by the coach to be the goalie. He couldn't get his goalie jersey on fast enough. As soon as he had it on he ran over to me so I could check him out in it. He was thrilled, to put it lightly.

He didn't see a lot of action in the goal during his time there, but he did have one good save. The rest of his time was spent posing and flexing, oh and his Daddy would have been proud of his dance moves. (Bry was at home watching other kids). Well at least he was entertained while he was out there. The second half of the game, he was infield playing and was so focused. The most I have ever seen him be. He managed to stay out of all the tangled mess of legs and not even fall too many times. In the last seconds of the game, he even scored a GOAL!!! He told me when he was done that he just tried to do his best and it just came to his head what to do....I love this kid and his thought process.

Oh and just incase I forgot to mention earlier in my blogging posts, Brody likes to speak spanish. I'm pretty sure he picked up on it watching the spanish soccer channel with Bryan. It is pretty funny to listen to and of course it doesn't make any sense, but we love to hear him try.

School Time

It's true, and here is proof....the kids gettng along playing school. With ages ranging from 2 to 11, it's not always easy to for these guys to come up with activities everyone can agree on, well of course unless it's sock tag, or soccer.....so maybe more like quiet activities.

We have a nice dining room in this new house we are living in, perfect for a school room right. The cool thing is the little kids are actually learning and love the attention they get from the older ones. And of course that makes a mommy happy and declares that blog worthy.

I love Landry's face in the picture, he was so focused on the game of match.....so serious. I love the stage he is at right now. The other day he used the phrase, "I have an idea!" Such a big kid thing to say and of course he has the little 2 year old speech thing going on right now, so it doesn't sound quite like it should, but I love it.

9/11 ~ Ten Years Later

Most of us can remember exactly what we were doing 10 years ago on Sept. 11th. There is a song that Alan Jackson wrote right after the attacks on the U.S. that sums up so much of what were thinking. "Where were you when the world stopped turning?" I really had that feeling as if the world did stop turning for a little bit. I can remember being at home, which was at Bryan's parents house at the time. I was working on getting Emery ready for the day and was thinking about at trip to the hospital to go spend time with Kelci. I was standing in Karens bedroom in awe of what was happening. There was talk of shutting down bridges around the area in fear that they could be targets as-well. Of course that had us concerned because we would need to cross a bridge to get to Berkeley to see Kelci, who was not ready to leave a hospital or be moved to a closer Kaiser hospital. Looking back now, those concerns seem so petty, but it some ways very real.

I found myself emotional once again, ten years later, listening to the stories of those who lived through this tragedy. We decided to take the kids to a Memorial Service in Suisun this year. Ang and the kids were still here visiting, so it was a great reason to just go be with family and enjoy that great blessing. Susiun recently acquired some steel from the twin towers and had them on display at the Memorial. The kids did pretty well through the service, the weather was windy, what a surprise right!

After the service we went back to Mom's house to visit with Dad and hang out. We went to the park and introduced the kids to elbow tag, it was a hit of course. I heard some refer to this day as Patriots Day and I did feel like many were honoring this country and all the local heroes that serve everyday to keep us safe!

Ang Visits

I was so excited when Ang called one day and told me she finally booked some tickets for her and the kids to come out and visit from Hawaii. Sometimes it just feels like it has been so long since we were all together. Of course the week they came, was probably the hottest week we have had all summer really. Sorry Ang, no Fall weather for you....boohoo.

One night we took the kids and the dogs down to the park to cool off. Thank goodness for this handy little place. Brody loves to ride his bike, he won't even get off the bike to cool off in the water. And yes, there are no petals...we get a lot of funny looks from people that have never seen a bike like this. But it is perfect for a kid who refuses to petal on anything. It is a balance bike and the idea is he should have to ride a bike with training wheels when he is ready to learn....will-see.

Ang was in charge of the dogs so I could take some pictures....or maybe the dogs are in charge of her. Maggie and Rex always have there own agendas so it's not all Ang's fault.

The kids always have a great time together. Here they are waiting to get water dumped on there heads, anything to be silly. I love watching them all together. They can just be themselves and not worry about be made fun of or being judged.

My cute niece had a birthday on Sept. 10th, I can hardly believe she turned 12!!! I mean seriously where has the time gone. I remember Stacey giving birth to her 3months before I was due to have Emery. I didn't want to be in the delivery room, so I volunteered to hang back with Keianna haha. I was a little nervous about labor than. We had a little party for her at our house and besides messing up Ang's chicken dish, everyone had a great time.

I'm so thankful to have such a great family, I love these women!!!

Saddle Up!

For awhile now, Kelci has been interested in horses. She has a great collection of posters, figurines, small wooden stables, but she was still missing something important.....an opportunity to ride a horse. Grandma and Grandpa Collins spotted a little horse ranch out in Davis one night last summer and found out they give riding lessons. So for her birthday they offered to take her there for a real experience with a horse. Emery was able to join in which I think calmed Kelci's nerves. The girls changed into riding boots and than went around the ranch collecting the horses they would be riding today. Emery rode a horse named, Shasta. Kelci rode a male horse named blue, he was ten years old just like Kelci and had a great demeanor.

The rest of sat around and watched all the preparations and basically sounded like true city folks, using terms like "storing horses" instead of "boarding horses". We even caught Daddy telling Kelci to tighten up on the "leash!" What, we are not walking dogs daddy...too funny.

The girls did great following their instructors directions and looked very comfortable handling the horses. She taught them to lead the horses using the reigns, trot, stand up in the saddle, and of course stop...pretty important one. When it was over the girls gave the horses a quick bath and walked them back to the stalls. Kelci's horse decided he rather be dirty and proceeded to roll around in the dirt when she put him into his stall, so much for that. She got a little taste of what us mothers go through all the time! We had a great time and were so grateful for Grandma and Grandpa helping make this possible. She already wants to go back and ride blue again with all her friends.

I Can Do Hard Things

The other day I was talking to my sis, Ang and she mentioned she can no longer log into her blog. That is no bueno....and made me think how I have neglected mine and that I better get my books done, or all my memories will be toast. Because let's face it, I can't remember much these days. I am not sure if it is because I have five children or some other undiagnosed disease, but it is true.

We have just moved into another house, waiting for our other to sell and get off our backs. It is a tough process for me, harder than I thought it would be. The idea that I could have still been living in my house right now, is much harder to swallow than I thought it would be. Currently I feel as if I am house sitting for someone, it's the strangest feeling. The kids have adjusted, but they often remind me how much they miss our old place. It was all they knew as home, and even though it was small, it was our home.

School has started and everyone likes there classes. I have a child in middle school now and that just sits strange with me. Kelci is struggling with the work load of 5th grade but is not complaining too much. Cambree wishes first grade wasn't so long so she could play with friends more, what a surprise.

This is an awkward time of change for me and for some reason I feel very unsettled. I try to keep busy throughout the day, which isn't hard because the boys are here making me laugh. I hope this cloud will pass over me quickly because sometimes I just prefer the sun!!