Soccer!

So I am really becoming a horrible blogger. I am so tired all the time that when I get a break instead of blogging I would rather just lay down and rest! Not alot going on here, we have just been doing our normal weekly routine. Soccer began last week and was a hit with Maggie and Joe! She really liked it and was actually pretty good. She stayed with the ball really well and even kicked it right to a girl that made a goal. (i believe that is called an assist??) Joe also did a great job as coach. I know spending an hour with 12 3-4 year olds isn't easy but he did super and taught them some really cute techiniques. Here are a few pictures from the first game.




















They had their second game last night and won 4-0. The first game they won as well, but I don't remember the score. Owen isn't very crazy about going to the games since it means he gets to stand above the court and watch a ton of kids play with his daddy. So I spend a great deal of the time just walking around the church with him.
Joe headed out of town for a few days on Sunday afternoon so Mom came up to stay with the kids and I while he was gone. It was great having her here and the kids had fun with Mimi her. Maggie was excited she got to see her go into preschool all by herself. She is coming back next week to keep the kids while I work a few days and I think dad is coming as well. It is nice to have them close enough where they can come up to visit in just a few hours. I am sure when the baby is born I will be very happy they are close! Maggie told mom and I about a story she learned at preschool about "the good american." Turns out this was the good "samaratian." We thought this was too funny. Anyhow, she got the whole story right so it is nice to see her learning things there. Joe got home Wednesday night but it was late so he didn't get to see the kiddos until Thursday and they were so glad to have him home and so was I.
Joe's brother Matt came this week from Kansas as he is moving back to Kentucky so he is here to visit with us for a few days while he apartment and job hunts. He helped Joe coach Maggie's game Thursday night and must have been good luck because they did great. I am sure he'll love being back in Kentucky....of course I think everyone would love to live in Ky so maybe I am a little biased. We don't have any plans this weekend other than do a little work around the house. We have a painter coming, hopefully next week, to begin painting several rooms so I am excietd to get that going.

Lazy craft day

The kids and I are all trying used to being a little more busy than we are used to. Monday was library story hour and it went much better than the week before. Owen had a few "moments" but we didn't have to leave at all. The kids made an elephant craft and loved that and the stories kept his interest really well. Tuesday was preschool and Maggie was so excited to go. It was Teddy Bear day, so they got to bring their favorite bear (or stuffed animal) with them. She of course took her build a bear poodle and baby. She told me she made a friend, named Kate, that she liked playing with. Tuesday evening was dance class and since Joe was out of town for the night we went over to Nick and Neila's for dinner and our plan was to spend the night since I wasn't thrilled about staying home alone. We had fun and the kids played, Owen and Carson are really cute together now. They seem to get each other now and like playing. I put Owen to bed at 8 in the pack and play and he laid right down so I thought that went well. About 5 minutes later I hear a little voice saying, "Nick,,,,hey Nick". I opened his door and there he was standing whispering for Nick. So it appears he can climb out of the pack and play. After 2 more times of this we headed home and both were asleep in minutes. I didn't sleep so great so I was glad Joe came home last night which was a day earlier than he expected. Yesterday I decided to let the kids have a lazy day at home and we stayed in our PJ's most of the day. I thougth they would play great and I could get a bunch done around the house but........they opted to follow me the whole day and "help". I finally gave in and just got out a craft with glue sticks and crayons for us to do. The made Lions and both LOVE glue sticks so they had fun.










We didn't do much else other than play and I got their summer/fall clothes switched out, of course with it being 90 all week I don't know when they will need thier fall clothes. Last night I was going over Maggie's Bible verse with her for her soccer game tonight. They have a memory verse every week to learn and this week is is Cor. 3:15, Let Christ rule in your hearts. She was getting it good except for the Christ part. She couldn't say it so well so I realized she probably didn't know what Christ meant so I explained to her it was another name for God and Jesus. She had a very perplexed look on her face and said, ohhh, okay. She then said her verse again and said, "Let Christ...whoever that is...rule in your hearts." I thought it was so funny but guess it is hard for a 3 year old to understand God, Jesus, Christ, Lord....etc. But she knows her verse so I hope she remembers it tonight.

Joe went to Peoria this week and got the kids CAT shirts that are really cute. He got Maggie and the baby matching pink ones and Owen one that says "Demolition Expert" which is very Owen!

Maggie is at preschool right now so Owen and I went to Sherwin Williams to pick out paint as we are having the kitchen and great room painted in a few weeks. I am working tommorow and Neila is going to keep the kids for me, she is going to just spend the night since I have to be there about 7 30 and I know the kids won't be up yet. Well...tonight is the first soccer game so I am going to be sure to take my camera to get Maggie......and Joe......in action!

IT'S A...............

GIRL!!!!
We had our ultrasound today and I am now 3 for 3 on calling the sex of my kids. It is a little girl, 100% for sure I was told. She looks perfect and weighs about 12 oz. right now. She measures perfectly at 19.5 weeks which is what I am so everything was right on. She was quite active and Joe said she gets that honestly from her siblings! So it looks like she will fit right in with them. Maggie was so excited when I told her, she said, "oh good, now I can play with her." As if she couldn't play with the baby if it were a boy??? She was sitting in the floor playing perfectly with Owen at the time. :) So anyhow, we are excited and I am ready to get things ready for our newest addition.

Busy Week

We have been busy this week, but it's nice having things to do so I won't complain about it. Yesterday was Maggie's first full day of preschool and she loved it. The mornings I have MOPS and preschool are going to be VERY hectic but just being once a month I can manage it. It worked out pretty good as I got the kids up early (730) which neither was thrilled about, and headed to the church and got everything set up that I could. I then left in enough time to get in the drop off line at preschool. I asked Maggie several times if she wanted me to walk her in and she always said, "no mommy, they said we could go in by ourselves." So that is just what she did. When it came our car's turn she jumped out and ran up the sidewalk without even looking back. :( I must say I was glad I had the 10 minute drive to get myself back together before going in to MOPS.

MOPS went great, we had about 30 moms which was a nice turnout and all the food was a hit! Owen wasn't so crazy about it though. He is in the same room at MOPS as the nursery he was in at church that he never liked. There is somehting about that room that he does not like and he cried alot of the 2 hours. He will eventualy get used to it I suppose....or not. There was an older man in there helping out and Owen seemed to like him so he stuck with him most of the time. After it was over, the leaders were cleaning up and Owen was running around the hall with Abby and Tucker who are almost 3. I kept peeking out to make sure he was staying in the hall since I know Owen can be a wonderer. I didn't hear him (which is unusual) and looked out and course he was gone. Our church is pretty big and all the hall doors were opened since MOPS and preschool were in session. So I began looking for him in all the rooms. I then hit the sancutary and after 5 minutes began to get a little worried so I got some others to help me. Well, after 10 minutes here comes a guy that works at the church with Owen. He had found him over in the gym playing with a basketball not paying the least big of attention that he hadn't seen his mom for over 10 minutes. So that is why I can leave him in the nursery for 2 hours crying for me.....it isn't being with me so much that he cares about, it's more his freedom he is wanting!

We left there and went to pick up Maggie from school. Owen asked the whole way there where Maggie was and said he wanted to get her. We went to pick her up and she was all smiles and couldn't make it to the car to get her papers out of her book bag to give to me. Thursday is RED day which she is really happy about since they get to wear something red. We had dance last night and she had fun. I watched some and she is seeming to sort of get it a little more now. She actualy looks like she knows what she's doing, at least somewhat. This morning I was wishing we could stay here adn just rest, and so did the kids. But we had to head to Louisville to get our door handle fixed. It turned out to be just about an hour to get it done so it wasn't too bad but now we are home and I just got everyone down for naps so I think I am going to join them. Maggie starts soccer tommorow night, Joe is supposed to help coach so that should be fun for both of them. Friday is our big day for the ultrasound. I am prety excited to find out what the baby is so we can start buying stuff and getting ready for it. I am still a little unsure of what room I am going to put it in. We have the 3 bedrooms upstairs but one we have as the kids playroom adn I just hate having them lose that room to play in, so we still have to figure out what to do there. Well, that is the latest on what is going on here. Just keeping busy

Picture Time

So the kids pictures turned out cute on friday. Maggie was so cute when she was taking hers, she would pose and smile and as soon as she took it she would strike another pose and smile. You would think she had been a model before. The lady thought she was so cute and took about a million pictures of her. Owen wanted in on the action as well, but if he wasn't doing his goofy "CHEESE" grin he was running on and off the background. I was pretty happy with what I got though. The picture of her kissing him and him screaming is classic Maggie and Owen, I thought it was too funny.



























We spent the rest of the day at the 2 malls in Louisville. Gymboree was having a great sale so I got Maggie quite a bit of fall clothes. Once again, Little boy clothes just aren't as cute so Owen didn't make out as well. I pretty much pushed the kids to their limit since we left the house at 10 and didn't get home until 3 but they did great all in all. This weekend we have just hung out and I have tried to get ready for this busy week we are going to have. Owen did great in his sunday school class again this week so I am guessing he just likes the bigger, more structured class. Tommorow our story hour at the Library begins so they should really like that. I have pretty much gotten all my MOPS stuff together and ready for Tuesday morning so I am hoping it all goes smooth. Maggie is looking forward to her first real day of preschool Tuesday as well. Well, I am off to bed!

Preschool Orientation

So today was Maggie's preschool orientaiton. We went for an hour this morning and she went to her class to meet her teacher and classmates while I went to a meeting with the director about policies, rules, etc. She was so excited to go and ran right in her room and said, "bye mom!" She liked that her name was various places around the room and showed them all to me. Owen had to go with me to the meeting since the 2 friends I have that can sit for me were both busy. I didn't get much out of the meeting from trying to get him to be quiet. He wanted to talk the whole time and narrarate what was going on in the room. Two people had small kids who kept crying and everytime he would tell me which baby it was and what it's cry sounded like. Then the mom next to me got out some gum to chew and Owen saw her and since he loves gum (he calls it yah yah....I know, me and brittney spears giving our 2 year olds gum!!) he leans over and says, "hey, do u have any more yah yah for me?" He kept repeating himself until I told her what he meant and she gave him some gum, which kept him quiet for a bit. So I came home and went over the hand outs to make sure I got the drop off/pick up thing right. Maggie made a friend today and told her teacher she couldn't wait to see her next week as we left. So preschool was a hit with her, which I was already pretty sure about. Here are some cute pictures of her this morning getting ready to go...Owen jumped in a few.











After that we headed to my dr. appt. which I was so blessed once again to have the kids to tag along. It was pretty quick today, thankfully, since they were not in a mood to sit quietly very long. Baby sounded great and heart beat was 160. We have our ultrasound next friday so I am anxious to find out the sex. I am not feeling it move nearly as much as I did Mag and Owen at this point but she said all looks good so maybe this time I will have a quiet shy child. :)haha....no chance of that with Maggie and Owen as siblings. Anyhow, we just came home for naps after that and played outside some since it wasn't as hot as it's been. Joe has been working crazy hours this week so he hasn't gotten to see the kids since Monday as he leaves by 530 adn isn't home until around 10 so I know he will be as happy as them to have the weekend come so they can all hang out.....and I think I will be heading out a little too on Saturday!

We have a super busy week coming up, we have something going on everyday and I am not sure yet how I am going to work out Tuesday with having preschool and MOPS at 9. I am wishing I hadn't signed up to do the hospitality leader now....but I am sure it will all work out fine. Well, I am off to bed. We are going to the mall tommorow with Neila and Carson to get pictures done so I need to be well rested!

BEACH FUN

Okay...so this has taken me forever I know!! But here is the blog of our beach trip.

We headed out Friday afternoon and drove about 6 hours until we were somewhere in North Carolina. The kids did awesome which made the trip very nice. We got to our hotel pretty late and all went straight to bed. Joe and I were sure the kids would sleep in the next morning but at 10 till 6 Owen was up and woke Maggie up as well. We ate some breakfast and decided to go ahead and get on the road. The kids were so excited to get to the beach, even though they had gotten up early neither one slept the whole rest of the way there! When we got there our room wasn't ready yet so we decided to head out to the beach a bit. We met up with mom and dad on our way out and Maggie and Owen were of course so excited to see them. We went out to the beach and the kids thought it was great. They both ran right in, clothes and all, and got soaked. I had left my camera in the car which I was bummed about because it was so cute. We stayed out there for a few hours until our room was ready and then headed out to eat then back to go to bed. The kids both slept until nearly 10 the next day which was great. We spent the rest of the day out on the beach and the kids had a blast. They loved going out in the ocean and Owen would say he wanted to go "jump a big one".



















We ate lots of great food everynight, of course, and Maggie and Owen liked to walk out on the beach after dark. Maggie saw everyone out there with their flash lights looking for crabs which she thought was cool.





















After the first night they didn't sleep in as well as I would have hoped. Owen was always up pretty early so we would spend our mornings out on the beach, then head up to the pool a bit before going up for lunch and naps.















I was so happy the kids liked the ocean as well as they did. They would both go out as far as they could touch not realizing at first that although they could touch....if a wave came it would wipe them out. They both had several wipe outs. Maggie seemed to like it and went back for more, Owen on the other hand prefered to stay where he could jump the big ones without getting clobbered.





































He also loved the sand, which knowing his passion for dirt, didn't surprise me. Mom and I would crack up at him out there since he would get all wet and then roll in the sand, wihtout lifting up his head! So here he would come walking up with sand covering his entire body and face....the crazy thing was he didn't seem to even care. He is such a boy!

























Dad and Joe golfed several times which they love. I can't imagine having fun golfing in 100 degree weather when I could be in the water but they continue doing it so it must be fun to them! We found a brazilian steak house there which Joe was excited about. We used to go to one alot in Germany which he loved and he was sure Dad would think it was as great as he did.....he was right. It is a place where they have a huge salad bar which has tons more than salad items on it. And then you flip a card on the table over which means your ready for the meat....which is when 10-15 different men come around one at at time with about 10 different meats on a skewer and you eat as much as you want. Mom and I just got the salad bar, but I did sneak a few bites of filet mingon off Joe's plate....and it was awesome.


















As you can see, Joe and Dad enjoyed just about all the meats that came by and Dad said it was one of the best places he'd ever been so I am guessing it will be added to the list of myrtle beach restaurants we visit. Mom took Maggie to the salad bar and Maggie came back with her own plate covered in croutons, which was all she ate. She was full already since she got to have her Mimi soup everyday we were at the beach! So we made sure she was fed before we headed out each evening. Owen of course enjoyed all the great meals we had everynight.











JR, Lori, TJ, Patti, Jim, and Drexel were all at the beach that same week so we got to meet up with them a few times which was great. Our condos were about 17 blocks apart so a little too far to walk with kids in tow, but mom and I took the kids up one day to play on the beach with TJ which they loved. They all had lots of fun out in the ocean and TJ was great to help keep Owen close by!













We went to Broadway at the Beach a few nights which the kids really liked. Maggie saw a place where they were doing hair wraps and wanted one. I had gotten one years ago when I went to the beach in high school and told Joe they were only about 10 bucks.......so he told maggie okay and she picked out her yarn and beads which were...just guess.....PINK. The lady measured maggie's hair and says it will be 30 dollars. I guess times have changed and prices have gone up, so Maggie sits down and in about 5 minutes the lady has wrapped about 5 cents worth of yarn on her hair and we are free to go.


















Not quite worth the 30 dollars but it should last a few months so they say. Maggie loved it and thought it looked great. She said she wished we could take one home to her friend Kylie. Maybe I could set up a booth in shelbyville doing them and make some extra cash!
There were "broadway at the beach" characters there as well, like a dinosaur and octopus walking around. A secret love of Owen's not many know about is that he LOVES characters in costume. While many kids run and hide from chuck e cheese, owen nearly knocks them down. So when he saw these characters he was so excited.




















His little grin was priceless, and he never stopped smiling the whole time as he went to each one. I am guessing he will think haloween is just great.
As we were walking around we came to a restaurant (Johnny rockets) where they play oldies music and the waiters dance. Maggie heard the music and was off standing out front dancing her heart out as Maggie can do.















She gathered a bit of a crowd and got up on a chair and danced I suppose so everyone could see her moves even better. It was so darn cute I hated we didn't have a video camera with us. When the song ended everyone clapped for her which of course she loved. She must have a bit of her Aunt Amanda's blood in her as she seems to LOVE attention.


We met up one night with JR, Lori, TJ, PK, Jim, and Drexel to let the kids do this slingshot jumping thing we had seen. I was pretty sure Maggie would change her mind once they got her hooked up and it began lifting her but she ran right on, got hooked up and jumped as best she could. It was hard for her to jump since she doesn't weigh alot and had a hard time getting her feet back to the trampoline but she loved it and the guy running it even helped her flip a few times.

















Owen thought this looked like a lot of fun as well and just met the weight requirment so we let him try it out and he loved it as well.




















The guy would flip him and he would crack up laughing and say, "more more." TJ took his turn after Owen and showed off his trampoline moves and then of course Joe had to get in on the action. If you know Joe, you know this isn't somehting he could pass up. He impressed us all with his ability to nearly touch the ceiling and do 3 flips at once....but his time wasn't up when he told the guy he'd had enough.





















I guess he is feeling his 28 years a litte more now! We headed to get icecream after that and all the kids basically drained uncle Jim's pockets for money for the kid rides there.

We only had one day of rain and that didn't last but a few hours or so, so we got to spend everyday out on the beach. It was nice having mom and dad there as well to keep up with the kids or take them out in the ocean too. I spent a great deal of time out there but took a bit of a beating as well from the waves. I didn't think that could be too great for the baby so I tried to stay away from the rough area. Maggie loved the rough waves and enjoyed her daddy taking her out and lifting her over them.


















Owen liked them too as long as he didn't get pounded in the face with one.













Here is Owen trying out for the coppertone baby model. Haha















Maggie decided she wanted a hermit crab midweek so dad got her one, of course. She named it Princess hermie and wasn't at all scared to hold it, which I guess shouldn't surprise me from her.






Hermit crabs must be meant just for the beach because we got to mom and dad's house sat. night and sunday morning princess hermie was dead. I asked Joe how he knew and he lifted her up showing me her legs had fallen off!! Maggie said, "what happened" and Joe told her it had shed it's legs. Haha. Maggie didn't take it too hard and I was personally glad to not have something else to care for when we got home. Of course if we had known the life expectency was 5 days dad could have saved himself some money.


The kids enjoyed the pool while we there and they had about 5 different ones to choose from. I got them intertubes to use while we were there and they loved them and were very self sufficient in the water with them. I wish I had gotten them earlier this summer for the pool but didn't really think about it. They both love jumping in and Owen finally got the concept of bending your legs before jumping.





He had been just falling in.

I tried to get some cute pictures of the kids all dressed in their white the last day we were there but they were more interested in playing in the sand than smiling. But here were my attempts.



















It is a tradition that we always eat at a place called Bovines the last night of our trip and this year JR, Lori, TJ, Jim, PK, and Drexel joined us.
















It was great as usual, very worth the hour drive to murrels inlet. It was fun being with everyone at the beach too. Maggie, TJ, and Owen had a blast playing together there when we were done eating.




















After leaving we headed back to Broadway to let Maggie go to Build a Bear. We had promised her she could go before we left the beach and let her get one. She went through them all but had alreayd made her mind up that she was getting the pink poodle.


















She picked it out and then got it filled up where they made her do all this silly stuff and promise to take care of her build a bear. Then they told her to close her eyes and make a wish, she closed her eyes and said, "i wish I could come here every day!" We thought we had made it out with just getting the dog and a baby to go with it when she spotted the millions of clothes and accessories to go with it. She said, "oh wait, I have to get it an outfit." She came back with her arms full of clothes shoes, etc but I found a ballerina outfit that she seemed content with so we called it a night and headed home. As you can see, it was a great beach trip to be Maggie Mae! She made out alot better than Owen on the toy dept. but as long as his night ended with ice cream he was happy!

Saturday morning we headed out and ate at the pancake house before leaving town. The ride home was easy and the kids were great. We got to mom and dad's that evening and were all ready for bed. Owen didn't sleep so well at night at the beach, I think he 's a little too big for the pack n play and wasn't real comfy. So somewhere midweek he wound up in bed with us most of the time. This carried on at mom and dad's house as well as maggie being in there some too. These past two weeks have been a vivid reminder to me as to why Joe and I chose NOT to co-sleep with our kids!! To be clear, we dont't think there is anything wrong with it.....we just both like our sleep and don't get it with our kids in our bed. I was so happy to finally get home and have our kiddos back in their rooms and I think they were too, although it took a night or two to convince Owen of that. :) But he quickly remembered. haha
Joe left for Alabama Monday morning and the kids and I had fun at Mimi and Jaja's for the week. We had many of our evening walks where Maggie got to see all the neghbors she loves to talk to. We also got to see quite a bit of Emma which was great!

















She has grown so much and thought Maggie and Owen were so funny. Owen would sing jingle bells for her (his new favorite song which is more like "bingle bells") and she would just crack up. Tab and I also got a night out which was fun, alhtough we didnt have much luck with shopping. We got to see Jim and PK alot too which the kids loved and by the end of the week Jim had Owen on que to say, "Jim is beautiful." I got a day to myself to get my hair cut which was great and also met up with my friend Karri and her boys and took them to McDonalds for the kids to play. It is a neat McDonalds there with a huge tree and playarea for the kids to play in. I think the 3 of them played the entire 2 hours there without coming down. It was so cute, there were a few things Owen couldn't climb up on by himself so Maggie and Nicholas would both grab a leg and help hoist him up. They said they were the wonder pets and were doing "team work." Pretty cute.
Saturday morning the kids and I headed out to Ohio to meet up with Joe at his parents house. I met him and his mom at the outlets near there house so I could do a little shopping while they took the kids back to the house. It was great to have the time to shop alone but I must say I am totally bummed about this years fall clothes. I have shopped at 2 outlets and numerous malls and havent' found anything I totally love. The kids had fun at Nana and Papa's getting in a little more swim time and just hanging out. We went to Joe's grandparents Sat. evening for awhile and visited with them although the kids were a little wild so our visit wasn't as long as we'd of liked.








I think 2 weeks is a long time to have kids away from home and off schedule and we definetly saw that during week 2! Sunday we spent the day letting the kids swim some and took them to the park to feed the ducks. We didn't head back home until about 8 that night and got stuck in horrible traffic around cincinnati so we didn't get home until nearly midnight, somehow the kids didn't fall asleep! We had a great vacation and visit with everyone but we are all so happy to be back home. We have been busy this week with Joe working late and me getting Maggie ready for preschool.

So that was our past 2 weeks.....here are some more beach pictures and I will be better to update now that we're back in our normal routine.