Ryder's First Soccer GAME

After his fabulous first practice last week, on Saturday, Ryder took the field as a Blueberry for the very first time. He volunteered to play Goalie for the first period, so there he was, watching the goal like a hawk.

We later learned that the goal was a good place for Ryder to be, because he didn't seem to have much interest in running up an down the field, preferring instead to watch the ball roll by him and the kids run along after it (while he just stood there taking it all in). He wasn't big on hussling down the field, or on kicking the ball at all. He mostly just kind of stood there, watching all the action the other kids were getting.

Now, this IS his first time playing soccer, and he IS a year younger than most of the other players, and I DO think he will eventually warm up to the idea of playing, but my was it painful to watch!

By the end of the game Ryder was so checked-out that he actually laid down in the middle of the field and pretended he was sleeping. Meanwhile the rest of the team continued with the game as if he wasn't there.

Here's to hoping that the game this coming weekend finds Ryder playing with a little more OMPH!

Landin's First Soccer Game of the Fall Season

They're Baaaaaaack!!

Landin and his team of super star soccer players are back together for yet another season - reeking havoc on the U-8 recreational league. For their first game, the Hemlocks (Landin's team is in the tree category), didn't allow a single shot on goal. Not a single one! (Brice was so proud).

They were passing like kids twice their age, and looked like an honest to goodness soccer team out there. Landin scored 4 goals, and did a super job at defense. His buddy Ethan scored a handful as well, and the Hemlocks took that game 9-0.

These kids are on fire. El Fuego! Hot like wasabi!

Ryder's First Soccer Practice

This season Ryder started playing soccer on an sanctioned team for the first time (notice I did not say "an organized team" as that would have been a lie - but that's a whole different blog post!).

So this is Ryder's first time playing "real" soccer, and he's super super super excited at the idea of being on a team. He couldn't wait for his first practice, and told everyone who would listen all about how he was playing soccer this year.

Here is a picture of Ryder at his very first soccer practice, ever: Then we got the call from his coach about the schedule and the other team details...
They name the teams here based on categories (like trees or animals or fruits). Ryder was in a fruit league this year. And not only that... no, it gets worse... he was a BLUEBERRY! Yes, our masculine son would be parading himself around the soccer field as a blueberry.

We put on a nice face about the whole Blueberry thing, and have convinced Ryder that being a Blueberry is cool, and you couldn't ask for a more ferocious mascot to put the fear of God into the opposing players. He's bought it.

So we are Blueberry fans, for now.

Mazzy The Long Hair

Mazlow is 17-months old and had never had a haircut... up until last night.

While our in-laws were here this summer, the long hair drove them crazy.

My mom (Nana) even took to putting it up in a ponytail on top of his head (like Bam Bam from The Flintstones).











It wasn't that we were against cutting his hair ever. We were just trying to grow it out (and avoid the mullet) since he had such beautiful blond curly locks in the back. We figured that if it got long enough in the front, he could just tuck it behind his ears and it would be out of the way. Somehow, that didn't work out.

It got to be so bad this week that he had to wear a hat to keep his hair out of his eyes. Brice was getting frustrated that Mazzy was eating his own hair while trying to eat his food. It was time to do something about it. We sat Mazzy on the counter in our bathroom, and combed his bangs down. OH MY they were long! Then I took a few swipes with the super sharp scissors (didn't even cut him once!) and voila you could see Mazlow's eyes bright and clear again. We dropped the hair in an envelope (to save in his baby book) and Mazzy was off to play.

We bribed Mazzy to hold still with a juice box, which he thoroughly enjoyed after the haircut was over.

So now the little one can see again, and there will be no more eating his own hair (well actually, I can't guarantee that).

At least the grandparents have one less thing to whine about... actually now it will probably be Landin's hair they want us to cut - - NEVER!! (just kidding, he's due for a cut too).

Ryder's ABCs & 123s (The Before School Version)

Our little Ryder headed off to school yesterday for the first time, so we decided to capture a "before school" assessment of his ABC-singing abilities and his counting skills, with the plan to post an updated video after a few weeks of schooling.

As you will see from the videos below, it’s a darn good thing we enrolled him!

Here Ryder sings his version of the ABC song:


Here Ryder attempts to count to 10:


The funny part is he’s a brilliant kid, save that whole jumping out of the window episode. But for some reason, these basic capabilities have thus far escaped him. We are working diligently on the whole counting/ABC regimen and hope to have improved videos to share with you all soon.

P.S.
You HAVE to watch these videos more than once, just in case your own laughing drowns out any part of this priceless comedy footage.

Ryder's First Day of School EVER!

Today Ryder started school.
Before moving to Idaho from California, Ryder had a full time in-home nanny (Nelly) that he spent his days with, so he's never been to a preschool or Day Care. He was SO excited to be starting school. It was all he could talk about for weeks.

Ryder woke-up at 6am this morning (early for the boy who prefers to sleep in until 9 or 10am). He came into our bedroom and quietly asked with a smile on his face, "Do I get to go to school today?"

"Yahhhhhhh!" was his response when we told him that yes, today was the day. So today was the big day!

We dropped off Landin at school and then headed into town where Ryder's new school, Little Lambs Preschool, is located. The church pastor greeted us as we entered school, and Ryder was really shy. But then he saw his classroom - TOYS GALORE! Ryder met his teacher, Miss Jan, hung his backpack in his cubby, and took off to play with the puppets.

I grabbed a shot of him coloring with some of the other kids and then it was time for us all to be off.

Ryder waved goodbye and didn't seem to mind one bit that we were leaving him there, in the care of a stranger... not a tear, not a complaint... my baby boy growing up!

Ryder had such a wonderful time at school and was so pooped out from all the fun, that he promptly fell asleep in the car on the ride home.

When he woke up from his nap he was all smiles and excitedly shared the details of his first day with us.

I'm so glad that it all went well, while a part of me is sad that he's already to that place in his life where he is excited to be away from home. What a blessing though! I remember back to Landin's first experiences with preschool (which he started at the ripe old age of 2) and am so thankful we are not dealing with that all again (Landin was expelled from his first two preschools for biting). I'm sure, knowing our Ryder, that we will make our fair share of trips to the Principal's office - but for now, I'm just reveling in the fact that my baby Ryder is a school boy. They grow-up way too fast.

Landin's First Day of 2nd Grade!!

Today was Landin's First Day of 2nd Grade at Southside Elementary.

He was super excited to be going back to school, and practically ran out of the house this morning. I took him a bit early to help out with yard duty at the school and grabbed a couple of shots of Landin and the "brat pack" - - the group of mini-lady-killers that Landin hangs out with. They are all as adorable as can be! This picture perfectly captures the brat pack... Landin took the bus home from school today, so he could visit with his pals on the way home. Upon arriving, he rushed into the house, ran up the stairs, and exclaimed to me, "I made 5 new friends today!" I guess he had a great first day, which is music to a mother's ears.

The best news is that he is just as excited to back to school tomorrow for his second day!

Rock Climbing Photos

Here are some pictures from our camping trip this past weekend:

Nicole and I enjoying some sparkling water in our dessert oasis - - -

Brice on his first climb - - - Brice and Eric celebrate Brice's successful climb - - -

I made it to the top; albeit a bit slower than Brice - - -

Nicole and I on the way to the concert - - -

We laugh that we always pose exactly the same in every picture we take together!

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!!!

This past weekend Brice and I snuck away with our friends Eric and Nicole for 2-day camping and concert getaway at the Gorge in Washington.

Dave Matthews was playing at the Gorge, so we planned a trip around the concert - and opted for camping in the great outdoors to make it even more of an adventure.

We arrived at the campsite just before dark, and had time to set-up the tent and gear and prepare dinner - - and sat down to eat right as the sunset. We had an incredible view of the sunset from our campsite. After dinner we sat around under the stars and marveled at the night sky.

We headed off to bed exhausted from the long drive and great meal. Around midnight that night, our quite campsite turned into noisy junction. Cars kept pulling in and we were woken-up by campers trying to noisily set-up their tents in the pitch black. The worst came around 3am when both Nicole and I awoke to "Moan-a-Lisa" as we've since named her - - a LOUD gal who just didn't mind letting the whole campsite know how much she was enjoying the company of her male companion. When we woke up that morning the campers next to us asked us if we heard the two love birds... "How could you miss them!?!" we said. We later nicknamed them the "jack rabbits" when they were back at it for the whole campsite to listen in on around 8am that morning. Ah to be young and carefree....

Nicole and I whipped-up some strong coffee and hearty breakfast burritos for breakfast and our day had begun! Our pal Eric is a seasoned climber, so the first full day of our trip was a climbing lesson for Brice and I. Eric showed us the roaps (pun intended) and guided us both through a super fun (but challenging, at least for us) climb. Both Brice and I made it to the top (although I whinned a bit more than he did on the way up). Eric was the master, guiding both the climbs we did, and then taking off to climb some more while the rest of us napped in the sunshine.

That night was the concert so we headed to the Gorge for the show. We pulled into the parking lot and were amazed to find that parking was (WHAT??!?) FREE!! A band called OAR opened up the show - - they rocked! And Dave Matthews didn't disappoint. He has some tremendously talented musicians in his band.

It was a great trip, with wonderful friends; and one we would love to make an annual tradition.

Wild Horses

...Not REAL wild horses... fake ones.

On the way home from the family reunion in Olympia, we stopped at a rest stop just over the Columbia River. From the rest stop we had a gorgeous view of the bridge, the river, and the surrounding mountains; and there was also a beautiful sculpture of a dozen wild horses galloping across the top of the mountain.

My mom and the kids hiked up the mountain to see them up close (see them? They are those white specks on the path in the far left hand side of the picture).

The kids thought the horses were really cool.

Mazzy was just glad to be out of the car stretching his legs (oh yeah, and eating dirt - YUM!).

Ryder: Driving Mr. Mazlow

Ryder is quite the chauffeur now that he's mastered driving his John Deere. He has taken to driving Mazlow around - taking him to fetch the mail, for trips to the lake, and around the property to collect random items from the yard.

Mazlow loves nothing more than to be Ryder's passenger.

Here is a picture of Ryder driving Mazlow down to the lake next to our house:

And this is the boys waiting at the end of our dirt road to cross the street:We are really proud of how responsible Ryder has been driving the tractor around. And he always makes Mazzy wear his seatbelt... What a good boy!

Our Family Reunion

In August we packed the kids in the car and headed to Olympia, Washington to meet up with my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Mom, Sister and her family. We left on a Friday after Landin's soccer camp wrapped-up and arrived in Olympia just before midnight. The next morning we woke up, had some breakfast, and headed to the park for the FUN to begin!

I dressed the boys in matching sweatshirts (so I could keep an eye on them amidst the 20+ other kids that would be there).

This was the first time that Brice and the kids had met much of my extended family, and the first time for me meeting all the nieces and nephews.

This is my Mom with all of her kids and grandkids!
My cousin Rod brought his 13 kids to the reunion, and it was AWESOME to see how his big family functioned (He and his wife are saints!).
Brice really enjoyed playing with all the kids, and we all learned a new game - HORSEBALLS - which we promptly built upon arriving home.

Mazlow was quite taken with his cousin, and even posed for a picture with her. Rod's children were the sweetest - wanting to hold Mazzy and carry him around.
We were some of the last to leave the park that day, due to the wonderful time we had.

The next day we spent playing at the river and ended with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

I hope we can get something like this organized on a more regular basis (The last time we all got together was my Grandmothers funeral 8-years ago).

Summer Soccer Camp

Landin attended 3 soccer camps this Summer and he loved them all!

This was the first Summer that Landin didn't spend in Day-Care so it was really his first opportunity to experience a true Summer Break. He's loving the whole "no school, kick-back all day" Summer gig, and was stoked to get to spend a whole week at soccer camp, learning from the pros.

Landin's skills progressed a lot this Summer and now he is rearing to go for Fall Soccer (which starts at the end of this month).

At the last soccer camp Landin attended they had a camp-wide tournament - - A mock World Cup. Landin's team was Brazil.

He was totally into the competitiveness of the tournament, and played really hard during the games.

In the end his team won the "World Cup" and the coaches awarded them with a "World Cup Trophy" (made up of a cone and a soccer ball).

Landin couldn't stop smiling.