Soccer

Upward Soccer is always a lot of fun.  Luci thinks she is a soccer star, even though most of her contact with the ball is when she's putting the ball into play, as she is here:

Really, soccer is a social event.  Here Luci and Bonnie discuss hairstyles.

Luci kept stopping her coach, telling her something and pointing.  She spent the whole first half of this game doing that.  At half-time, I told Luci not to tattle on people.  "What's tattle, mama?"  So much for that talk.  So I chatted with her coach, the really cute Ashley.  Ashley said that Luci wasn't tattling.  Luci was telling her that she wanted to kick the ball to Bonnie so Bonnie could make a goal, "because she has never made one."
.
That's just about the sweetest thing!  Especially when you consider that Luci has never made a goal herself.

Busy Week

This has been one hectic week. Homeschooling? It's been more like "Traveling Zoo."

Last Saturday was busy. Then this week happened.

Church. Karate. Boys' class on early US History. Orthodontist. Karate again. Library--don't forget to bring something that begins with R, and what happened to that DVD we checked out last week?! McDonald's playdate for Luci with BFF* Kalyn. Bryan's trip to Gatlinburg for Winterfest Youth Convention. Penguin Party at the library to celebrate reading lots of books. Soccer evaluations for Upward Soccer (which Luci performed in her Princess ball gown). Dinner with Daddy at Cracker Barrel (need I mention that this is my favorite thing all week?). Trip to Huntsville for soccer shoes, Build-A-Bear Workshop field trip with new homeschooling group, then to Redstone Arsenal for groceries. JT's Black Belt Clinic in Russelville.

Too much. Especially when Mom's dealing with a sprained ankle (it's getting better, but all the walking is taking a toll...the sprain happened last week, otherwise it would've made it on the list above). Even things "in town" are at least 23 minutes away (yes, I timed it). We did manage to keep on track with schoolwork and get it all done! So that makes me happy. Next week's calendar has two EMPTY days! That makes me even happier!

*BFF=Best Friends Forever

Here are some snapshots of today's trip to the mall in Huntsville:

A nice group! 13 kids and 5 moms.
Pretending to be a mannequin at the video game store.
Dreaming!

Sports

Yesterday was a day full of sports! Luci's first soccer game of the season, and JT's karate competition.
.
Prayer before the Upwards Soccer Game

Rolling around on the field while the rest of the team plays. ?

Game's over, Mama!


JT only entered two parts of the competition...and won both. Here is a very happy JT with his gold medal for his staff work:

and on the stand accepting his second gold for his form:Here is JT competing in his form:

Fireworks

Here is part of the fireworks show at our Upwards Soccer Night at CrossPoint. You don't need your sound turned on. I like this best silent...don't know why, but I do. :) The whole light show lasted about 15 minutes, and it was solid fireworks, no gaps! Really a nice show. WOW, thanks Upwards planners!

Catching Up--The Past Week in Review

Our friends Barry and Diane, and their kids Rachel and Bradley came over for a hamburger cookout. Here are Rachel and Luci, complete with headgear. We had two kids' tables! One just for the boys (our boys, plus Bradley and Josh, another friend from church--both boys spent the night) and one just for the girls.
JT all sideways.
Gran-Je with Luci, in Jemison on Tuesday
Gran-Je and Grandpa, John's folks. They have an incredible view from their house.
Our Upwards Soccer finished up with a big party. It was sort of like a fair, with FOUR of those jumpy-things for the kids, a clown (Luci kept her distance), free food, and fireworks at the end. There were probably 800 people there. The fireworks were incredible--we expected the backyard variety that some folks get around here, but this was 15 solid minutes of beautiful fireworks in the fields behind our church building. I tried to capture some. Luci wore her ear protection and loved it, too. It was wet enough from all the rain, plus the fire department was there in force "just in case."
Luci wanted some more of that Splatter drink that she learned to love in Idaho. Cracked me up! It's called Squirt!
John got to see the final game and a half of Luci's season. So nice! I thought he would miss all of the games, so this was a good thing. Here is (are?) most of the team (missing two boys) with their terrific Coach Crystal. The boy next to Luci (he's the third child from left, next to Luci) is the one who kisses her on the run during the games.
Bryan and Luci watching the stars at the Upwards Soccer party.
John brought home New Testaments for the kids. Luci especially loves hers, and immediately started "reading" Bible stories to us. (I can't find the pictures on my camera! boo hoo)
Luci helped John fix the dryer hose--he needed someone to help him, and Luci was the only one who could fit back there. He's got most of the Honey-Do list completed. :) Just fun stuff is left, like take the boys to the movies, and have a tea party with Luci.

Life, Lately

Today was soccer again--Luci's coach and her daughter could not make it due to a family emergency, so she asked the boys to coach the team today. They said the biggest part of their job was re-tying shoes and telling the kids to "kick the ball the other way!" Four-and-five-year-olds are pretty funny.
.
I was in charge of making sure everyone got to play every position and take breaks. It looks easy when the coaches do it, but it was like solving a Sudoku puzzle, in pen, while riding a bike. Crystal, you have all my admiration! We missed you and Tressa this morning.
.
Before the game.
JT has had so much fun riding his tractor all over the place. This is our very old riding lawnmower. The blades are removed, so it is truly a little tractor now. He spent Wednesday afternoon riding all over the yard. When JT goes next door to play with Clay, he takes it down the hill and across the creek all the way to the neighbors' front door.

Looking back on our house. The kids and I went to the creek today on a top-secret mission (details on June 2!).

Saturday!

Today was fun! We had soccer, and a field trip--



We went to FAME Recording Studios after the soccer game. FAME has recorded some of the best-known musicians in the USA. Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Anka, Shenandoah, Alabama, here's a list. Terry Pace gave us the tour (Skynryd's not on there, but Terry said he'd played there, too). It was wonderful getting to go into this building that has so much mystique around it. Aretha Franklin played this piano! Terry Pace speaking to us.

As the lecture went on, another couple came into the room and stood next to us. It was such a nice surprise! They turned out to be a couple that I met years ago at McDonald's. Bryan and I used to go several days during the work-week, at breakfast time. We ate breakfast there a lot, up to the time when I had to start ordering Bryan's breakfast (he ate off my plate)--we ate there until it got too pricey. :) Anyway, this couple was always so nice to us. Their children and grandchildren lived far away, and so did my parents. So it was a good friendship.

The entrance to the recording part of the building:

Remember the song, Mustang Sally? Wilson Pickett recorded here in this studio. Here's Wilson Pickett --

Our soccer day: At Upwards, the game is always ended with a prayer. We love Crystal, Luci's coach.

This year's soccer t-shirt:

Luci keeping her eye on the ball (for once)

Bryan doing chores on Friday

JT was such a good helper today.

Luci's First Soccer Game

Today Luci woke up with a fever. I gave her some tylenol, and she perked up and thought she could play soccer. It was Luci's first ever soccer game, so she was pretty determined to get out there and play. You can tell that in some of the photos she doesn't feel all that well.

It was a lot of fun to watch. During the game a teammate named Mason hugged Luci and kissed her on the cheek! Twice!

Bryan and JT filmed the action (but missed the kisses, playing in the sand, and making faces during the kick-off) to send to John.