The Three "R"s

 Man - the weeks are just flying by.  It seems like we've been in school forever.  Soccer is already half over.  And fall/winter are definitely in the air.  That cold weather we mentioned last week - it came in for a short visit already.  Brrrrrr! 

 

Besides having to turn on the heater at the house to keep us warm at night already, we worked on our version of the Three R's this week. 

 

First up - Reading!  We both love reading.  I am an avid reader and Sam is really making some great progress as a kindergartner this year.  He is reading lots of books and I am enjoying being able to sit with him and either read to him or listen to him read to me.  Here we are snuggled up doing a little reading from the iPad. 

 

Second - Running!  We are really enjoying soccer this year.  I was feeling a little more spry this week and got out there and worked hard during my game yesterday.  My game was at exactly the same time as Sam's so mom and dad had to split up to cover everything.  Dad got to come to my game and he is not known for remembering to take lots of pictures during the games.  Let's just say he came home hoarse with only this one picture to show for it.  I'm really loving being a defender.  My team won - we're pretty good this year.

 

 Mom covered Sam's game - he ran his little legs off.  Seriously - this kid has come a zillion miles since he played two years ago.  Look at him in there, always after the ball.

 

And here's a great picture showing how hard he works.  He's got lots of energy and its a good thing. 

 

One last picture from Sam's game.  Next week, you'll see some photos of my game - our games are at exactly the same time again but I get mom - and the camera. 

 

And the third R - "Art"!  Say it out loud - ART - see it is an R.  In celebration of this lovely Fall we're having, we did an art project with mom and made apples.  Mmmmm - mom promised she would make some caramel dip to go along with some yummy apples this week.  We can't wait. 

 

Sam Alert:  Hey everyone - how about another R for you?  Rainbow pancakes for dinner one night this week.  See R = Rainbow!  Super yummy and delicious.

 

 And I asked for a special Sam portrait with my apple art.  Aren't I adorable?  Yes!!!

 

Sam out - back at you next week.

Playing Outside

 We're enjoying some nice warm weather as we move in to fall.  In fact, we had a record-breaking HOT summer around here.  But the weather people tell us that it's looking to get cool rather quickly this year.  So we're trying to get outside and enjoy the warmth  before it's gone - all too soon!

 

Our week consisted of school, swimming, soccer, and playing outside.  Sam and I enjoyed some time on our bikes and scooter. 

 

I'm working to get my speed up on my bike . . . . from slow to fast--er.  I'm making good progress.  For some reason, bikes make me a little bit nervous.

 

 Here's Sam on the balance bike with me in the background.

 

And here's Sam (with me not in the background).  He's FAST and FURIOUS! 

 

Here we are having one of our races - for speed, against the clock. 

 

Soccer games went pretty well.  I wasn't feeling up to par so there's not much to report on my game.  We tied the other team, 1 to 1.  That's me in the foreground.

 

Sam's game was later in the morning.  His team did great.  They won their game.

 

Look at him in the middle of it all.  He's come so far since he last played - we're so proud of him!

 

Our rough, tough Sam just keeps on playing hard.

 

And here we are doing some more bike riding.  Good, warm times!  We'll miss this in a few weeks.

 

Sam Alert:  Hey everyone - Sam here.  All my faithful followers know how much I love to be outside.  Nothing much changes - still love it.  Look at that smile on my cute little face. 

 

And here I am with the sidewalk chalk. 

 

Sam out - wishes for a great week to everyone.

Extracurricular Activities

It's been a pretty easy transition to school again after a nice long summer.  And we're in the groove now.  Wake up early, get ready, drive to school, spend the day learning and having fun, do our homework, do some extracurricular activities, go to bed, and then do it all over again the next day.  It's a good life!

 

First though, you have to see my sleeping arrangements from last night.  Little Ms. Shadow decided to spend the night cuddled up to me.  She likes to sleep inside when it starts getting cold outside.  And, for some reason, she really likes me and my bed better than any others.

 

Ok - turn your heads again for this picture.  Mom always lets us have a few minutes to play in the pool after we're done with swimming lessons.  Here I am getting soaked by the bucket.  

 

And then there's soccer. Between practices and games, soccer is keeping us pretty darn busy.  Sam's game was first on Saturday.  He had a GREAT game!

 

Here Sam is scoring his goal for the day. He's in the mix there - look hard.  Mom grabbed the camera and pressed the button to make sure we captured the moment (even though the camera wasn't straight).   

 

And then, there was a first (and definitely not a last) - Sam got the first soccer nosebleed between us.  He got a shoe to the face while we was down.  He was the toughest Sam we've ever seen.  The crowd was amazed and cheering.  We got the bleeding stopped, cleaned him up  a little, and he went right back out on the field to help end the game.  Here he is after the nosebleed.

 

 Here's one more action shot from Sam - throwing in the ball.

 

And then my game started.  It's different this year - my age group plays positions, with a goalie, and has a referee.  It's the big time.  I've always loved offense, but after Saturday's game, I'm thinking that I like defense quite a bit.  Hint - I chose Orange shoes this year and it really helps when looking at the photos after the game - just look for the orange shoes and you'll find me.

 

Check out this kick.  I had a great game too.

 

And here I am dribbling the ball.  

 

It's hard to see in this particular picture, but I had a first in my game too.  It POURED rain on us.  And we played right through it.  Here I am trying to score - but the other team's goalie was amazing.

 

Sam Alert:  Hey everyone - I LOVE soccer.  We both do. 

Here is a handsome boy getting ready to play.  Oh wait - that handsome boy is me!

 

And here is my team picture for this year.  We were missing two of our players, but let me tell you - we have a great team!  Lots of aggressive players who aren't afraid to get in and play hard, including me.  We are the Eagles.

 

And here is Mason's team.  They did pictures after their rainy, rainy game and you can see just how soaked they got.  They are the Green Dragons.

 

Sam out - have a great day!

Time to Catch Up

 Time flies when you're having fun!  And we have a lot of catching up to do.  School started, we spent Labor Day weekend at the cabin, Grandma and Grandpa G came up to visit, swimming lessons continue, and soccer season started.  Whew - we told you there was a lot of catching up to do!

 

School started two weeks ago.  We were very much looking forward to it and we are enjoying it immensely!  Here I am on my first day of Second Grade.  Mrs. Anderson is my teacher this year.

 

 

Here's Sam on his first day of Kindergarten.   His teachers are Mrs. Olsen and Mrs. Pulley. 

 

Here's our traditional brothers picture for the first day of school. 

 

 We headed up to Uncle Noley's cabin over Labor Day weekend.  It was a much needed break and so nice to be out in the peace and quiet of the woods.  Here's Sam opening up his rock shop (Polished Rock).  We both did some good sales over the weekend.

 

Here's a picture of me - handsome boy that I am.

 

We spent some time lounging on the hammock.  I got a good flip completely off the hammock and skinned up my knee.  But once you mastered getting on and off the hammock, it was actually quite the comfy place to lounge.

 

We love to help cook.  Here we are making breakfast one morning.  Mmmm, moose pancakes.

 

We got a great hike in with dad and Uncle Noley.

 

On our hike, we found this amazingly cool caterpillar.  It was beautiful!

 

Just think of the cool moth it will one day become.

 

And check out this nifty mushroom that we found at the cabin.

 

Here we are hanging with Uncle Noley. We were hoping to get some good star gazing in, but the clouds kept hanging around in the evenings.

 

We had waffles for breakfast another morning. 

 

Why is it that everything tastes so yummy in the woods?

 

And here we are doing the traditional pancake/waffle toss from the deck.  Those raccoons and other little animals must love it after we leave.

 

Grandpa and Grandma G stopped in for a quick visit - they came up for a family funeral.  We enjoyed being able to spend a little time with them.  Here I am with Grandma.

 

And here's Sam with Grandpa.

 

Swimming lessons continue.  We're loving it and actually doing really well.  We're backstroking pros and now we're working on the front stroke.

 

And soccer season just started this past weekend.  We both wanted to sign up for team play this fall.  Sam had his first game on Saturday.  We were all just a little bit nervous about whether he would actually feel ready to get out there on his own and play hard.  He proved us all completely and totally wrong - he was an animal!  He got right out there and played super hard.  Even when he got knocked down, he jumped right back up and kept going.  We are soooo proud of him!

 

My team had a short meet and greet on Saturday.  We didn't actually get to play a game.  Next week for sure! 

We went out for ice cream after Sam's game and you can tell from my face that I sure wished I had gotten to play!

 

 Sam Alert:  Hey everyone.  Yep - I kept insisting that I wanted to play soccer this year (after taking last year off).  And I am loving it!  I'm really fast and a pretty darn good player.  Look at the confidence just oozing from me!

 

Here is a picture of me helping dad with some fix-it chores around the house.  I'm handy that way.

 

And here I am with my very first ever spelling test.  I got 100%.  I am so proud of myself. 

 

Oh - and in other big news, I lost another tooth this week (the other front top one).  It just came right out as I was brushing my teeth the other day. 

 

Sam out - have a great week!