Soccer Mama!!!

It's official: You can call me a soccer mom.

Making his silly face and enjoying his treat after his first practice

James Charles went to his first soccer practice last week. He was so cute, donned in a black and blue outfit to match his soccer ball.  (Daddy picked it out of course).  Jason got off work a little early so we could all head over to the field together for his first practice. We were so excited and couldn't wait to see our boy in action, especially since this is his first time in an organized sport. 

We wanted to make sure we weren't putting any undue pressure on him and told him that he was going to have fun running and playing while learning a new sport.  He seemed really into it...until we actually got to the field.

Looking a little unsure of this soccer thing

He met his coach as his future teammates were still streaming in. Parents were setting up their chairs getting nice and comfy. (Why hadn't I thought of that?) Then he started running away from the practice field.  Jason got him, then he got a little clingy to me.  By then, Jason and I were starting to get a little concerned. We started to wonder if putting him in soccer was a good idea after all--A slightly scary thought knowing that his uniform had just been ordered and his coach was counting on having an extra player.  But Jason talked to him, and he started warming up a few minutes later.

Bye Bye Summer, Hello Fall

It looks like it's finally over; the seemingly never-ending scorcher of a summer, I mean.  And I can't be happier to see it go.

Those of you who have endured this summer in North Texas know exactly what I mean. We've dealt with triple-digit heat temps for nearly two months straight. The hardest part was that James Charles and Audrey didn't get to play outside as much as they would have in past summers.  Which meant some days at home were a lot more stressful than I would like to admit.

So, I got a little creative.  One day we pulled out the movie "Polar Express" and watched it right into their naptime.  Looking at the train pass through the cold, pillowy snow had a calming effect on us. Snow seemed sooo nice at the time. The scene where they were drinking hot chocolate wasn't as enticing as it was when it was actually cold outside. It was just too toasty to be thinking about hot chocolate. I prayed James Charles wouldn't get the nerve to ask for hot chocolate laced with marshmallows. He didn't. But he did get a kick out of cuddling on the couch with a light blanket pretending it was a winter afternoon while snacking on pretzels and gummy bears.  Audrey only cared about the snacks and bringing toys from her room to pile up in the living room.