Spring has Sprung!

I'll start off my post today by saying that I should be outside pulling weeds. But I hate doing that. I just finished cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming out the car, and cleaning out the garage. Caleb, Callie, and David are all taking a nap, and I decided I wanted some quiet time inside for a break. :) So the weeds will have to wait. Maybe David will help me later this afternoon...

Also, I was politely informed yesterday by my sister Kelli that my two new favorites aren't actually "new" at all. So apparently I was late to that party - oh well! They're new to me and I love them!!! :)

Anyways, spring has officially sprung here. Feels a bit like summer since we're in the mid-80s already and the kids are dying for the pool to open (a few more weeks!) but that's okay! :) So today, here's what spring looks a little like:

Beth will be happy to see this. This is the green "stuff" that grows around my garage doors. I THINK it's called Jasmine, but I could be wrong. I do love it though - in the winter, these red berries pop out all over it and it looks so pretty and Christmas-y. In the springtime, these little white flowers pop out everywhere - I love it! :)

The other way you know that spring is here is by the big bag of soccer cleats and shin guards that will probably stay in my hallway for the next 8 weeks. Supposed to go in the front closet, but rarely stays there. The three older ones are all playing and their first games were this morning. Of course it was also the morning that David has men's biblestudy once a month so it was up to me to get all of them to the fields! Here's how it went:

* Caleb - happy boy. Cheers "run run run" to the kids while they play. Eats lots of snacks while we're there. LOVED drinking out of the boys' water bottles! :0

* Callie - she was very excited to wear her uniform today. Was ready to play in her game. Then she kicked the ball (about 6 inches in front of her) twice and then some kid from the other team kicked it away from her and down the field. She stopped, head went down, and the tears came out! It was pitiful and hilarious all at the same time! Then she was done playing for about 10 minutes - didn't want to play any more. She'd done so well during practice, but games are totally different - i realize that. I went and talked to her and told her she needed to chase the ball and keep trying to kick it - even if other players are doing that. Told her she wasn't going to get any snack after the game if she didn't do her best. The next time the coach put her in, she went after the ball and made a goal! Hooray Callie!! It was quite an entertaining game. There were more kids NOT wanting to play than there were kids playing most of the time (for both teams). it's a big learning curve this first year! :) She said she loved it though - and her hair was all sweaty! :)

* Jacob - His game was at the same time as Callie's, but luckily for us parents, the fields were back to back so David & I were able to tag team watching both of them. Jacob was great - he was all over the field, made 6 or 7 goals and just loved every minute. We're going to be working on humility and encouraging others with him though. He's so matter of fact and logical, that he thinks telling everyone that he made all those goals is okay - because it's the truth, Mom! So we're going to work on encouraging this teammates and being a little less arrogant! :) He did great though - I'm thrilled to see him excelling.

* Josiah's game was right after the younger ones. David's coaching him. Initially, Josiah said he didn't want to play soccer but then changed his mind. And I was shocked to see him play today - he was everywhere he should have been, had great ball control, and scored 4 goals! He was super confident and was SO proud of himself! I loved seeing him thrive out there - and having so much fun!

It was a great morning! My favorite strawberry fields have opened for business too, so that will be on our agenda very soon! It's definitely springtime over here! :)