Minor Surgery

On Conference Sunday, we typically go to Kevin's parents' house for brunch and conference watching. This year was no different. During the second Sunday session, we broke out the conference Bingo for the kids to play with Reese's Pieces as the markers. That lasted for much of the session but the kids got restless and decided to go downstairs to play. With about 25 minutes left in the session I heard a thud and a sickening scream coming from Andrew. I ran down as he ran up the stairs. He was holding his chin which was visibly scraped up. He was crying so hard and the other kids were all talking at once. It took several seconds to get out of them that he had fallen off the treadmill. He had apparently set it on 10 mph and got thrown off. He scraped up both knees, the tops of his feet, over his right eye, his chin, and his teeth went through his upper lip. I thought it had gone all the way through. We rushed him to the ER. After two hours, we walked out with Andrew having 3 stitches above his lip. He had not gone all the way through the lip but a good chunk was taken out. We are glad that he is healing up well. Unfortunately, he had soccer pictures 3 days later, but he will just look like a tough soccer player who goes all out and gets beat up.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

This year we were actually fairly early in getting to the pumpkin patch, however it has taken me a while to get around to uploading my pictures and writing a blog post. We took advantage of a bye week in soccer and great weather and went out to Lee Farms. It was a beautiful day. We had fresh apple cider donuts, the kids went through a hay maze and down a slide multiple times, they pet some farm animals, we picked out a few pumpkins and had a good time together as a family. We still haven't carved the pumpkins but I think that may be what we do this week for FHE.

Daisy Scout Activities

Marin has been lucky to do some fun activities with Daisy Scouts. Her leaders think of things that first grade girls love to do. They did a bat walk at a park nearby. We began by learning about bats and the different sounds that they make, what they eat, which kinds are found in the park. Then we took a walk in the dark and looked and listened for bats. The girls had a great time. We did not see very many bats, but we heard several. The weather didn't cooperate and it started to sprinkle at the end of our walk, which probably kept the bats away.
The girls also built a scarecrow for the courtyard of the school. Each girl was responsible for contributing one piece of the scarecrow. Marin had the shoes. We brought an old pair of hers and an old pair of Kevin's, not sure which size scarecrow we were going for. It turned out very cute. I think all the girls had a really good time putting it together.
Last night, we went to Disney on Ice. I was not particularly thrilled to go see it but the girls were ecstatic. It featured Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Cars, Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Pixie Hollow. The costumes and some of the ways that they used them were pretty interesting. Marin had a blast. It was a fun excursion.

Brown Stripe Promotion

Andrew has promoted yet again in Taekwondo. His teacher, Master Brown says that for his age, he is one of the top students. It was a small promotion test, with Andrew being second highest rank that was being tested. He did really well, sparring against an older boy with a higher rank. His form looked sharp. His teacher complimented him in the following class, stating that she knew now what to expect of him in class because he did so well at promotion. As always, we are so proud of him. He is continuing to progress and improve, and it is exciting to watch.

Cape Lookout

Our friend had reserved a cabin at Cape Lookout State Park that she couldn't use. She asked us if we wanted the reservation and we jumped on the chance. These cabins book up 9 months before the rental date right after they are open to reserve. The cabin is right on the beach near Tillamook, OR. We stayed over a Friday and Saturday night. I am a cabin convert. No more tent camping for me. This was the way to go--heated cabin, three separate rooms, heated shower, flushing toilet, microwave, dvd/vcr combo, refrigerator. Need I say more. Oh, there was a gas BBQer as well as a firepit. It was wonderful. They sleep five. We played on the beach, hiked a trail that warned of bears, went into Tillamook to see the Tillamook cheese factory and have some delicous ice cream, roasted marshmallows and made S'mores, had the kids race on the beach and much more. It was very relaxing to get away and spend the weekend with just the family. I can't wait to go back again.

Soccer 2009

Andrew and Marin are both playing soccer again. Andrew is playing U9 and Marin is playing U7 level soccer. They are both doing really well this year. Andrew has taken to really attacking the ball which he hasn't done in years past. He has played a variety of positions from sweeper to forward. He has yet to play goalie, although he doesn't show much interest in it. He has gotten really quick as well. In their toughest game this year, Andrew scored one of two goals that his team got. They lost 5-2 but Andrew was really proud of himself. It was a sweet shot. He has scored in several games and made a few attempts that were incredibly close. It is like a different soccer player from last year. We are so proud of his playing.

Marin is incredible. She blows the other girls out of the water. We always knew that Marin was fast but she has amazing ball control for a girl her age. She scored 5 goals in her last game, 3 the game before. I have lost track of all of them. She just keeps after the ball until she is taking a shot on the goal. She has come close to many other goals, but the net is so small that she has been just wide on several occasions. I look forward to many years of seeing her skills improve. It has been pretty great watching both our kids do so well.

First Day of School 2009

The kids looked so cute going to school. Andrew got Mrs. Husbands and Marin got Mrs. Johnson. They both got the teachers that they wanted, although most of Marin's friends are in the other class. I can't believe I have a 3rd and a 1st grader. Where does the time go? I am excited to see the progress that they make this year.