Soccer Season 2010

Aliyah giving the other team her aggressive look.

Hi-5 Ladybugs!

Michael taking charge (in the striped shirt). 

Go Michael!

We're in full soccer swing at our house. Practice 3 times a week (between the 2) & 2 games every Saturday. Their games are on different fields and sometimes at the same time so we're all over the place. They love it though and it's really fun to watch them get into it. 

This is Aliyah's first year playing and she's a great little player at practice but gets a little intimidated during the game. She's a super busy runner and shuffler (with her feet) but if she's gets too close to the ball, she'd prefer someone else get it. Who can blame her though? All those girls kicking at you to get the ball, I'd steer clear too.

Michael has improved so much! I guess that's what happens when you play everyday at recess. He's one of the best players on the team and really seems to get the game. He's great on defense and goalie. One day he fell during the game and landed right on his elbow. He screamed so loud other teams were watching. He sat out the rest of the game until the last 2 minutes when another player got hurt. Later that day he told me he didn't really need to cry, he just wanted to so people would know that it really did hurt, but his body wasn't telling him to cry so he told his body to cry. LOL He cracks me up!

I guess I'm just a Beggar

We've been trying to teach Michael a money lesson. He wants a Ukulele so bad so he's earning money for one. The other day I started talking to him about tithing. His shoulders slumped and he said he didn't want to pay tithing. So I told him my tithing story.

Matt was on his mission and I had 2 cars. I had been trying to sell the old BMW for about 6 months and couldn't sell it. It came to a point where I really needed the money. I prayed to Heavenly Father that I would pay my tithing but I really needed his help financially or I wouldn't be able to pay my bills. So that Sunday I payed my tithing... and 2 days later I sold that BMW that had been sitting for so long.

So I ask Michael, "What did I do?" (Looking for the answer that I used faith). Michael said, "you begged!" LOL Well I guess in a way I was begging but I prefer to think of it as faith.

I'm on a winning streak!!

Yes I won something else! I've been having challenges with Michael's lunch so when I saw a Sara Lee Deli Meat contest wondering what your biggest lunchtime challenge is, I just had to enter. Well thanks to those who voted for me (I kept forgetting to vote for myself and only did it a couple times) I'm in the top 25! Well the 1st place winner gets a cook coming to their kitchen with 10 friends and will be given all kinds of cooking tips and hints. They haven't decided who the #1 is yet (keeping my fingers crossed) but the top 25 winners get a 1 yr supply of Sara Lee Deli Meats!! Woohoooo!!! This is my 3rd winning of the year, it's very exciting! If I was a gambler, I'd go to Vegas. But I'm not so I'll just keep entering free contests in hopes of winning Christmas presents for everyone. :)

Who will she be today?

Part of the highlight of my day is seeing what Aliyah will dress up as (or who). I need to take more pictures of her outfits, she gets very creative. She's a bride today, if you can't tell. Notice the 1 sock and the hand posed, just so. Her veil is made of only the fanciest material which was formally a wizards cape. The sock has a lace trim around it and not being able to find the other one does not matter. One is better than none. She's a delight!

I WON... a tea kettle?

Some of you may remember that I won an ipod touch earlier this year. I've loved it! Anyway I was surprised to win something again. On facebook I have California Strawberries as one of "my friends" and one morning they asked what people had for breakfast and if anyone mentioned the secret ingredient (which was not strawberries) they'd win a strawberry tea kettle. So normally I don't participate in things like that, just because I normally don't feel like it but it didn't take long to write "oatmeal & toast" so I did. And since the secret ingredient was oatmeal, I won! And shouldn't everyone living in Santa Maria have one of these?

After that win, and the ipod, I was tempted to go buy a ticket for the house they're giving away....

Quite the Kiwanian

Matt was Kiwanis President (and everything leading up to President), then he was Immediate Past President (naturally). But this year he was awarded the Dunlap award which is the highest award a Kiwanian can be awarded and only one person per club per year gets it.  Look at all these awards he came home with! He was quite thrilled... now we'll have to make room on his wall for them. With all the awards he gets, the wall is getting smaller and smaller!

Aliyah's Prayer

I had just finished complaining to Matt about the mess in our house. The kids were in bed but not tucked in so I was heading in there to sing to Aliyah & as I looked around the living floor it was covered with crayons, coloring books, coloring pages (cut and uncut) and beads. With our living area so small, it really looks like a huge mess when it may not be that bad. Anyway Matt's response to my complaining was, "it's because our daughter likes art". Well true. One stack of crayons and books were from earlier today and the other stack came out when she saw the sunset and wanted to draw it. She drew a house with a purple sunset. There was purple in our sunset this evening, it was beautiful. She also discovered how to make purple at pre-school today when she mixed the red and blue chalks on the sidewalk. They had pool day so the sidewalk was wet and the chalk became paint, it was really cool. Aliyah was walking around in it and swirling the colors with her feet.

Anyway, tangent. But that's how my brain works. Tonight after getting frustrated with the mess (& Matt cleaning it up, thanks Hon!) I went into Aliyah's room for our night time routine. Well she always says her prayers in her bed but I figured it was time to have her kneel beside her bed. (again tangent) As she was praying she thanked Heavenly Father for all the colors, the rainbow & the temple that we can pray in! Isn't that cute?! I've been so impressed with her prayers lately. She's been very grateful for the earth, gravity, and rocks but after the colorful day she had I guess it was time to thank Heavenly Father for the colors. Makes me realize I need to stop taking so much for granted and notice & be thankful for what's around me, like gravity. Thank heavens for gravity so we can enjoy all the beautiful colors this world has to offer!