New Specs!

The time has come for Maria to join in the ranks with the rest of the family...10 out of 11 relatives wear glasses...and that doesn't even count the spouses (and they wear glasses too!). Although, we always hope Loren's genes will break through and 20/20 vision will prevail. We documented our outing yesterday...

These are nice!

Can you tell which big sister suggested these ones?

Maria's favorites...sadly they did not stay up on her nose though!

Just right!

So much news!!

So Thursday started with the installation of the kitchen cabinets...YAY!! Here goes the first one.

Voila! Don't they look fantastic? I couldn't get a good shot because I didn't want to change the lens on my camera (read: too lazy), but you get the idea.

Saturday started early for us at 8:30 with Isabelle playing St. Joe's. The uniforms were almost the same, so we had to put on the red penny's.

Here is Isabelle's great shot...okay, she was offsides, and she knew it, but you have to take it, right?

The we went home, ate really fast, and came back at 11 for Maria's game. They killed St. Alfons-something 9-0. She made an awesome goal and was mighty proud of herself!

Maria running to get a ball that went wide.

Then we hurried ourselves to Shorewood Highschool for Isabelle's game at 1:00. Here are the two peas in a pod, Kiana and Izzy. When I saw that they were both out, I had to take this shot (it was shortly before the game ended, Isabelle doesn't usually get subbed out until the last 2 minutes of the game!). Julie- who would have a thought a year ago, that we would be seeing this????

We had great weather, which means good pictures, but a terrbile ref. We felt like we had been grounded, he reprimanded everything we (parents)said/did. I had never experienced anything like it before.

I love to watch these girls play, they always play really well.

Sunday Maria had a crossc ountry meet (she has been running since kindergarten). This is her last year running 1/2 mile, and she will go up to a mile next year. She loves the meets and I am sure that when track starts in 4th grade, she will go bananas.

Right Now...

Favorite Song: Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
Book I'm reading: Three Cups of Tea - amazing
Funniest Thing my kids said: "Mom, can we just make something? I'm tired of eating out."
Most Overwhelming Moment: Hmmm....I'm going through a kitchen remodel, every moment lately is too much!
Ah-Ha Moment: If a dog with wet feet walks into a house covered with drywall dust, it will make a hard shoe like object attached to the dog's feet
Worst Smell: My house at 78 degrees with the heat on full blast and smelling the mud dry (yuck!)
Best Smell: Outside, someone else's house, clean clothes...

How was your weekend?

Surprisingly, ours was filled with soccer...I had a terrible week with a very sick cat (which was too gross to tell you about) and Isabelle was home sick for 3 days. I think I heard Maria coughing this morning, but I am going to pretend I didn't. Isabelle made it back to school on Friday and played her soccer games on Saturday. Morrie and I had to split up as the kids played at the same time. Morrie took Maria to her game where she had to try out goalie, and I'm pretty sure she didn't enjoy it, as it doesn't involve running.

I took Isabelle to her Nationals game. She played against "Fire" from Stanwood, and tied 2-2. For a kid who wasn't feeling her best, she sure did give it everything she had! She repeatedly went up against this #15 during the game (top 2 pics) and battled for the ball. It was a pretty fair game and the ref was great, he had a smile on his face the whole time!

These are the girls celebrating after their second goal! Janaye made an awesome goal from a free kick.

OMG, look at her take on all those girls!! It was pretty rainy and chilly (well, not really cold, but after summer weather, it felt chilly) so the kids all had on their long sleeves.

Weekend Update, Part 2

Northwest Nationals warming up before their game this past weekend...

Well, it was a rough one. Izzy played on a hot day, and they had no subs (2 girls were sick). The other team was fairly aggressive, as in pushing with open hands a lot...and the ref had no problem with it. That part was very frustrating. So there we were, watching foul after foul being let go. One of our girls was getting pushed, so she pushed back and the ref called a foul on US (even though it was our girl laying on the ground) and he gave the other team a penalty shot...it was like giving the a goal!

Her team did lose 0-3. I have to say the other team's goalie was really good, and had an awesome drop kick every time! Two of our girls collided with a 3rd player (from the other team) and our girls were not getting up off the ground. Of course, as they lay there not moving, the ref continued to let the game be played. What the heck was wrong with this guy? Our 2 girls finally got up and played the last 10 minutes. When they came out, one had a purple knot on her cheek (ouch!) and was crying, and the other had a bump on her forehead. What a day!!

Isabelle and Maria packed up after the soccer games and went to the Husky game with Grandma. It was such a beautiful day, we thought it would be fun for them! Next week I promise to have the zoom lens on the camera for better shots!

Weekend Update, Part 1

Maria's First Soccer Game!

Well, it's not her first game ever, just for the season! She did awesome, as you would expect...and the pictures don't lie...is that my kid vs. the whole other team??
Here she is taking on the biggest player she can find. She kept really awesome field position, which means a lot when the girls are still running around in a scrum. Maria held back and played a very good forward position, taking several breakaway shots. She also loves to run, so she ran back a few times to be the first on defense when one of their players had a breakaway down the field.

Several parents complimented me on Maria's playing skills and even said "This must really be her thing". Well, it's 3rd on her list of sports she really loves!! Gymnastics and cross country are above soccer. Now that I am done BRAGGING, I was amazed at the skills of the other girls on her team. They will be a lot of fun to watch as they get older.

And here's the dog playing with her very dusty toy bear in the "kitchen". Do you see what I mean when I say everything is white?? I don't even want to consider how much drywall dust I have eaten lately. Stay tuned for Isabelle's game pictures, it was a rough one!

Finally!

Morrie and I are always showing the girls sporting events on tv that show women at the top of their game. We even take them to events, such as UW gymnastics, womens Sounders games, a Storm game. Mostly they are not as interested as we would like...so when the Olympics started, we had it on ALL the time. It was like putting bamboo shoots under their fingernails to get them to watch the opening ceremony. So you can imagine my surprise when I came into the family room one day when the Olympics were practically over, to find Isabelle watching the womens soccer gold medal match. She had not only turned it on, but was talking to them!! SWITCH! DROP IT! CENTER IT! SHE"S OPEN! It was so cute to listen to!

Breakfast At Our House

This is a day in the life at our house...welcome!

This is the deck, and the table on which I have set up the griddle. I have it plugged in to an outdoor outlet. It's way more fun doing it this way than the more conventional methods.

This is my "counter" between the pancakes and the eggs (see them on the bar-b-que?).

And of course, here I am making said breakfast, which Morrie though HAD to be documented. Leaning up against the table is the frame for the stub wall between the kitchen and family room. We can't decide between putting the wall up and putting in a railing (which are not cheap to construct). If anyone has a line on a 9 foot long railing ,let us know!

All ready to go!

So "the girls" and I were getting ready to paint their cabin out back when I recommened that we tie our hair back in bandanas (to avoid any paint mishaps). I think they look pretty darn cute!!

On the sports front this weekend, Isabelle had 2 soccer games. She played against the 7th graders from Lakeside (with her school team)and they (Lakeside) were GOOD!! Obviously they had some premeire players in there. Lets' just say that didn't go so well. Then a few hours later her Nationals team played a team from Sonhomish United and they tied 1-1. It was a GREAT game and Isabelle played AWESOMELY. During warm up her coach walked across the field to give her a high five for a great offensive move she made (good job Izzy!!). They had the game, and could have won. The Snohomish goal should not have even counted as the girl stiff armed our player in the process of getting to the goal (which is not allowed at any level of play). But, they didn't loose, and they played really well, so that rocked. Plus, it was nice and sunny and I enjoyed the warmth immensely.

First week is OVAH Baby!

There they go...

Some third graders are just more excited than others to start school...mine is one of them!

Some sixth graders are more relunctant than others to get their photo taken on the first day of school...

This picture says a thousand things...such as "Are you done yet?" and "This is the best day ever, can we leave now, I can't wait to get to school, should we take more pictures?".

Holes...

Isabelle had to read "Holes" for her summer reading fo school, but I have a feeling it didn't involve ceilings...This is our kitchen ceiling in the middle of getting the electricity wired in. We only had 2 light fixtures...so between the kitchen and living room, we have added 18 more fixtures!! Sometimes Morrie and I catch ourselves just starring at the lights, we're so excited to be able to see in the evenings now!

Maria gets in on the work. She is putting in all 20 light bulbs for us, she's just the right height to stand on the boxes full of our kitchen cabinets! Notice the new window in the kitchen picture, way to go Morrie!!

These are out kitchen cabinets!! They take up a lot of space. There is one cabinet sitting on the top of the boxes there is you were wondering what they looked like...

Morrie and Loren finishing the new floor where the kitchen table will be...
Do you see how the plywood is all yellow...well, it's now completely white from all the dut, even though we have run the shopvac over it!

Morrie all decked out in his gear to cut the holes in the ceiling...Anyone wondering why I had to take the cat to the vet because he was breathing funny?? We have dust everywhere...it's terrible...but in a good way.

Technical Difficulties

I am having a heck of a time getting my card reader to download pictures right now...because I do have a lot to show you and tell you...more pictures of the kitchen, first day of school pictures...it's all good stuff...

So I am hoping that by writing this, Murphy's Law will set in the the card will work shortly after I post this...