Hurray for Spring Soccer!

We decided at the last minute to put Emily in spring soccer. She said she wanted to play and we're so glad that she did! Saturday morning was just beautiful and she had so much fun. She really started to get the idea of the game and what to do. She was also extremely tickled that her new team jerseys are blue.

Her biggest news came near the end of the game when she scored her FIRST GOAL!! We were all so excited--Emily ran over for hugs and then started jumping and dancing. We even got it on video--alas, it's a rather long video and would take a very long time to upload. So, here are some still-shots of the big game!

Emily's coach, and my friend, Rachel, leading the team in some warm ups! Go coach!

Emily, going after the ball!

Here she goes again! Look at that determination! Go Emily!

Well, it's FINALLY happened

Today was the first time that I've put Christian down for a nap without nursing him. Yes, he's almost two and still nursing! I really thought I'd have been done a year ago, but, once he turned one, nursing suddenly got very easy and took up a LOT less time than before. Plus, it was such a sweet time for snuggling and such. Comfort nursing is soooo much nicer than nursing for nutrition! We were both happy, so, I kept going. And, in my defense as well, the American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend nursing for the first two years :-).

However, lately, my body has just felt tired of it and since he's only nursing twice a day (nap and bedtimes) for 5-10 min, I felt he was ready too. He wasn't too happy about going down, but he only cried for about 10 min and then went to sleep! (He was always awake when I'd put him down anyhow, so putting himself to sleep wasn't an issue, thank goodness.) Granted, it was a tough 10 min for me, but, I didn't want to go in there and then he'd be really confused the next time we tried it.

Now, I'm just trying to decide whether or not to just drop the naptime nursing and keep the bedtime one, or just quit cold turkey all together. We'll see how he does this afternoon and then I guess I'll decide.

So, there you have it. For those of my friends and family out there who doubted that I had it in me to finally wean him all together, this one's for you!

St. Patty's Day is a Special Day...

Because it's my birthday! Yup, not too many people are excited enough about their birthdays to post about it, but I am.

It's my last year in my 20s and I wonder where in the world they went??! Then, I look around me and I see--they went to my children. A pretty good way to spend my time, if I do say so myself. Thank you, kids, for making Mommy's life so worthwhile and fulfilling! I love you!

Please, only look at the darling children...this is not my prettiest moment :-)

Our Outdoor Weekend

Ah, Spring. The kids were pretty much outdoors from 10 am until 6:30 pm on Saturday. (With the exception of Christian's nap and Emily's and I's trip to Home Depot and Target.) So much fun. Cubby put up the trampoline and thankfully, "no one" fell through it like last year!

Christian being a big helper!

Whatta' jump, Emily!

Enjoying the trampoline!

Cubby playing in the sandbox (with new sand!) with Christian

(a big step for Cubby who is very prejudiced against sandboxes).

Today, after church and naps, the kids were back out there again and after dinner we all went for a long family walk. Ah, Spring.

Springtime??? Really and Truly??

Weatherwise, today turned out to be a very nice day! I was outside with the kids and we happened to catch a glimpse of what (dare I say it?) could be a sign that spring may be here to stay???

Yup, they're bulbs!!! Emily and I got very excited over them (I don't think Christian understood what we were really pointing at). Emily knows that the coming of spring means that Daddy is going to bring out all of our outdoor toys (trampoline included) tomorrow. She went to sleep with dreams of bouncing in her head...
Oh, and I just thought this little picture was too cute not to post. Emily was reading to Christian and I'm just a sucker for those tender moments! Just look at his happy little face--he sure loves his big sister!

Incentive

This afternoon we were playing Play-Doh with the kids and Cubby and I started throwing a ball of Play-Doh back and forth. I got up to set the table for dinner, but Cubby wanted the game to continue. I threw it back and then quickly ducked into the kitchen.

Cubby then said to Emily, "Emily, Mommy won't play with me anymore."

Emily then came into the kitchen and said the following:

"Mommy, Daddy wants you to come and play again. Go and play nice and I'll give you an extra special tre--eeat!"

Could you say no?

A Sneaky Boy

Friday afternoon was a tough one...among other things, Emily kept having melt downs over the littlest things (she'd obviously forgotten her recent revelation of how she still needs the occasional nap!). I was in the last stages of trying to put dinner together and then Christian pipes in (amidst Emily's tears) that he wants a snack. Well, dinner was about two minutes from being done and so I said "no" on the juice. Commence whining.

Thankfully, he only whined for a minute before getting smart: he spotted the roll that I'd placed on his plate. It was just within his reach and before I knew it, he'd grabbed said roll and made a bee-line out of the kitchen with it. I found him on the couch, eating his new acquisition, with a huge grin on his face. Needless to say, it totally made me laugh. (So naturally, I grabbed the camera!) Thanks, Christian, for making Mommy's afternoon a "success"!