Soccer Stud

Here are the pictures of our newest little athlete. Actually, he's not a new athlete, just new at soccer. He decided he wanted to give this a try, so we are all for it. It was hilarious to watch him and learn so many new things about his little personality that this first time event showcased.

Smiling and yet (we think) a little scared. Not knowing anyone in this gym full of nearly 100 other toddlers and their parents was a bit overwhelming. Half of them left before we got started.

Dawson is great listener. He did exactly what the coaches said to do. Keeping track of "his" ball was a skill he excelled in today.

Good control...don't you think? Like we know anything!
Ok, here they are suppose to grab these "circles" and while dribbling their ball, take them to the matching colored flag somewhere in the gym. Dawson stood in the middle of the gym the WHOLE time looking down listless and confused. He was watching others, but I think was unclear about the specifics and was scared to do it? who knows, I wanted to run and get him and tell him just what to do, and laugh all at the same time. I did neither, but it was really difficult.

Still a little confused.

Now we're moving! wow! So glad he chose the side of the gym that we were on so I could get a good pic.

It is all over and they were to dribble all the balls down to the goals. Since he had ownership of this ball for the entire 45 minutes, he didn't want to let it go. He would watch it and keep putting it back in, while everyone else went down the court to get another ball and dribble it in. He really loved that ball.

When he finished and came over it was like he was out of sorts. Not happy or sad, just kinda like"what just happened" not sure about any of it. Ragan and I proceeded to tell him how great it was seeing him dribble and he was great and all. Then Sawyer says, " hey D, I really think you were the best player out there". Dawson just looks at him and cracks a beautiful "thanks big bro" kind of smile. So proud of Sawyer for being so supportive!

As the hours past, we (he) gathered fonder memories of his first big day in a real sport. We went and ate lunch together and relived the highs of the morning. We love our little soccer player!

Relief

I have had a desire to write and share how I have been feeling lately, but I keep backing out for a few reasons. One, I don't want to create a pity party, and two, I am trying to snap out of it and writing was going to help me sulk....so I will just leave it at this.
I am so grateful for Cordova Church of Christ and the precious truth that I hear each Sunday. It lifts and convicts me.
I am grateful for a couple of budding friendships.
I am so very grateful for a sensitive husband who listens and really desires for me to be ME again!
So...I woke up Friday morning and felt a prodding to do what I really love, sew! It does bring me joy and great satisfaction to create something beautiful, so I made a curtain Friday for the window over my kitchen sink. It had been on my "to do" list, but not thought about since before Christmas. I got so excited! I had a reason to go to JoAnn's, I searched the internet for style ideas, I made my own pattern (which took some math and therefore time!) and I re-threaded the serger which I normally HATE, but I got it done and then did a little hacha dance to celebrate. I even interupted Ragan in his office to tell him that I did "it" ( he knows it is a very challenging task) and he pretended to be relieved for me instead of irritated that I intruded. I wrestled with the boys, I laughed, I smiled. I was energized. I smiled. I've needed some smiling!



I know I will get plugged in, it just takes time. It is so easy to sulk in sadness and to think of everything I "need" and forget what I am overwhelmingly blessed with already. I want my heart to be right.
All done!!!

It's January 19th!

It has been SO long! I'm not even going to try and catch up, too much to post and not enough sit down time to do it. So I will just tell you that getting settled back into our routine here has been very good. I feel like we have a routine, kinda. That is progress. I feel like I am much more at ease with Ragan coming and going to Pleasanton every week. We miss him and it cramps my style a bit especially getting Sawyer to and from school. But we are working it out without getting worked up. That too, is progress.

We have had some great weather so checking out all the parks in town has been fun. Landon loves to swing. He also loves to be in the big kid area which is not so safe. I love the stage he is in but it is so stressful at playgrounds when if I am not watching him absolutely for every second, he could be in the street in nothing flat. That also goes for Dawson. We were walking home from getting Sawyer one day and he had to ride his little beat up three-wheeled plastic thing. He rode so fast that I was cringing that I didn't make him wear a helmet. (who would've guessed he could make it would travel at 30 mph?) He got to the school way before me, and I was continually telling him to slow down around the school, they had not let out yet and we were right at the windows. So on the way home Sawyer likes to go through the field (the rattlesnakes aren't out yet) and goes slower than the pace we had previously kept. So before I know it, I can't even see Dawson... at all! So Saw runs to catch him and apparently Dawson thought it was a race, as I saw him CROSSING THE STREET and pulling his little rig in the driveway and jumping up and down. I am assuming he was also cheering that "he won". As you can imagine, he was strongly reminded of the rules about the riding.

We had my Aunt Cathy and cousin Gretchen here from Ithaca, NY last week. They were only here for a day, as they were off to a National Geographic cruise out of Mexico. Oh what fun they are having right now! We had a wonderful visit and were very blessed by the time that we got to spend with them. The boys loved them too. Dawson is telling me all about the birds he knows personally now and they have so many fun little toys that are a reminder of what fun we had with them here. Gretchen's mii character skunked me just today in baseball. I was yelling at you Gretchen! They went very out of their way to visit us here when they were headed south. I was thrilled to use some of the frozen carrots in my freezer to make them a cake and Ragan smoked some yummy pork chops. This is an invitation, to all...I still have lots more grated carrots (hahaha! see earlier post) and Ragan loves to smoke..... there are plenty of beds. Come on over.

I finally purchased the camera I've been looking at for some time. With a lot of help from Christmas cash! Thank you to everyone to helped me out! I love it and there is so much to learn. Here are my first pics as soon as the battery charged up. There is lots of room to grow, I know!

We had a fantastic Saturday. We were sick that C and G left here thinking that we lived in such an urban area. We do, but only 10 minutes from our house, down 80, we found some amazing country. We visited Auburn and Coloma. The boys had been wanting to pan for gold and we really wanted to just see country and get out of the city. That is a trip we might take every Saturday. Ragan and I didn't wear hiking shoes, but we all managed to hike a trail that we just pulled over at the side of the road and found (that isn't abnormal, trails are EVERYWHERE). So beautiful! The boys played all afternoon and we were really tired when we got home.

Church is better and better every week. I went on a play date for the first time last Monday. That was wonderful and Dawson talks about his couple of new friends daily! This is a huge deal since it was daily that we were crying over old friends. Dawson will start soccer on Saturday. He is so excited! We are too, for him to have something to do!

That is it for now. I hope to be better at documenting our happenings now.

Now off to see what got DVR'd tonight!