Soccer: Game #1

After Addie's first practice, she had her first game. They warmed up.

And huddled up as a team! Go Mockingbirds!

Addie got to kick the very first ball to start the game! 
They kicked the ball. Chased the ball and each other!
And threw the ball back into play!
I had to leave a little early for a wedding, but I'm pretty sure this little girl continued to have an absolute blast!

Silly Faces

this cutie patootie might not be vaulting out of her crib, but she sure keeps us laughing with her oh man and ma-ma-muga (great googa mooga) comments and silly faces!

as the girls were finishing lunch the other day, we started making silly faces... and of course, out came the camera! according to our littles, every silly face consists of a tongue sticking out and... a tilted head! we're only just now learning how to tilt our head without tilting our whole body though, which keeps us all laughing!

but my favorite Audrey Kate face is this pouty face! it doesnt usually look quite so "beaker-ish", but i'll go ahead and fully admit that when it's a real sad face-feelings truly hurt-pout...that it breaks my heart!

thankfully, she's usually back to her silly, funny, laughing self before we know it!

we sure do love her!

Houdini

each morning and after naps, this little one finds a way out of her crib and meets us at the door... that is...unless we find her like this first...

or this!

because after that plank she's doing between the 2 beds, she holds on tightly and starts to escape...

and it's all over! because now she's a bonified escape artist! and quite proud of it thank.you.very.much!

i see toddler beds (aka: turning their beds into toddler beds!) sooner rather than later! 

*disclaimer: no one was hurt or almost hurt performing these ridiculous feats of strength! just saying.

Anne Perry & Audrey Kate

Addie's First Soccer Practice

this big girl had her very first soccer practice last week!

she was so nervous and anxious but at the same time, beyond excited!

she started out super timid and spent a fair amount of time with her hands in her shirt or biting her little nails.

but after a quick game of learning names and kicking the ball around, this girl got into playing ball!

i haven't seen this level of serious focus from her in a while!

they worked on dribbling the ball and kicking it into the goal.

and even played a practice game, where she got to be one who threw the ball back in! 

but there were definitely some moments of spinning and jumping and just being a typical (wonderful!) 4 year old!

but what i loved the most about her first practice was midway through, every team on every field stopped and had a devotional.

i think this is going to be a great first season of soccer!

Wordless Wednesday

Saaaaaad Duck

I heard Anne Perry talking in her room by herself and found her sitting in the rocking chair "reading" Five Little Ducks.

I'm sure you know the book/song: "Five little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away, mother duck said quack quack quack quack, but only 4 little ducks came back."

And on it goes until Sad Mother Duck goes out to find her baby ducks!

Here is Anne Perry's version (with a bit of interpretation). I think her sad eye adds to the drama!

Little Dancers

One of the girls most favorite things to do is plug in my iphone and listen to pandora toddler tunes or cedermont kids radio.

But before I can even get things hooked up and started, there are tutus and fairy dresses and ballerina costumes being strewn from one end of the house to the other.

Audrey Kate emerged with a poofy tutu under a fairy dress under a striped ballet skirt under a polka dot tutu.

And how on the earth could I not drag her outside in the evening sun to take pictures!

She played and posed and chewed on a few sticks ;0)

But if you know me, I'm not going to take pictures of one and not the other, especially when I could hear this one begging to come outside!

She was super interested in Addie's music box.

And gave me her serious Anne Perry face!

Addieboo begged to come out and take pictures for who knows why!

She was super silly and periodically would flop over backwards in her chair!

The lighting was to die for! And I loved how she cut her eyes over at me in this next one!

Of course I had a favorite of each girl:

each as unique as they are!

this one might have to go in a frame though!

happy dancing!

Soccer Girl

Somebody started soccer on Tuesday.

And after being incredibly nervous and getting lots of pep talks, she was a super star on the field! Of course, many more action shots to come...

Easter Egg Hunt

Addie's class had an Easter egg hunt last week. Even the little girls got to go...to their very first Easter egg hunt!

We had it at a local park, so everyone started out playing. just when i think i've got the little girls pegged, this is what happens: dare devil audrey kate, who hasn't even been sliding by herself, climbs up a curved ladder! yeah, that'll show us!

there was swinging and sliding and climbing!

and spinning. this is addie's whole class all except one kiddo.

I don't think we have much to worry about Anne Perry warding off the boys. She was going to have nothing to do with Clint, Madeline's brother! I will say though that she was more than willing to give him a hug today at Kindermusik!

The mom's numbered the eggs so that each child was searching for their number. It made things take a tad longer and be a little more interesting! 

There were 3 little brothers/sisters that also came, two of which were ours! They had so much fun doing their own egg hunt!

and check out those curls!

Anne Perry was serious about her egg hunting right up until she got hungry! Then she just wanted to break open the eggs!

Audrey Kate could have hunted eggs all.day.long! she was determine to get every last one of them!

such intensity!

she loved showing me the eggs she'd found!

But one of the sweetest things about this party was that their whole class was finally together again after many long months (since October!). Karlie got to come hunt eggs and eat lunch with her class!

After they all said the blessing together, Addie piped up and told Karlie that we had prayed for her all.day.long! I think she meant that we'd prayed for her for a long time, but I'm not sure who was ready to cry first, Karlie's mom or me! Sweet precious little friends! What a wonderful time of thanksgiving and fun!