Our Lil' Kicker

Nicholas is so busy and has soooo much energy that Keith and I decided we should find some structured activites for him. We just weren't sure what activity would be best (or what all of our options were). A few weeks ago, I was online looking into where we were going to sign Alaina up for volleyball and I found a really neat soccer program for kids Nicholas' age. As I read on, it sounded perfect for him! Running around, kicking a ball, jumping, playing with other kids his age, indoors (climate controlled!)...perfect!

Last Saturday was his first soccer practice. He absolutely LOVED it and was just as cute as he could be! They did a lot of running back and forth across the indoor soccer field (as expected), worked on dribbling and kicking the soccer ball, and built cone towers on top of their ball and then kicked it down. They also played a few fun games. One was called "shark" and it involved using these yellow rubber dots to pretend they were driving a boat and looking for sharks while they ran around. In the other game, they kicked the ball while holding a hula hoop that they called their "space ship." Anyway, it was a lot of fun and by the end, Nicholas was worn out! He came home and took a great nap.

Here are a few pictures from his practice. They aren't the greatest because the lighting wasn't that great, but they are the best I could get.

Preschool

I've been toying with the idea of signing Nicholas up for preschool for about a year now. He just has so much energy and he really needs an outlet for all of it other than roughing up his sisters! He loves to play with other kids and run around, and explore. I think the extra stimulation would be so good for him. Plus, he really could use some other adults that he's accountable to for behaving, listening, and following directions (he doesn't excel in these areas for mom!).

I looked into enrolling Nicholas in the 2 year old class last year at this time. That would have meant he started school this past September. Our church offers a great preschool program and, as an added benefit, it is super close to our house, which makes it very convenient (we could even easily walk there if we wanted to). After getting all of the information, we decided to wait another year. The 2 and 3 year old classes are Tues.-Thurs. from 9-1 and I felt like that was too much at the time. I was looking for something more like a few hours 2 days a week. I wasn't ready to let go of my baby quite that much!

Here we are now, a year later, and I just got an email message saying that Nicholas has a spot in the 3 year old class for next fall, and it is time to pony up the money to hold his place. Last year when we decided to wait, I was sure I'd be ready when this time came. But, now that it's here, it's still just as hard to think about. I feel like it's such a big-boy step! He is going to start school in the fall and will be in school until he's all grown up and moves away (I'm so dramatic, I know! Imagine the mess I am going to be when he starts going to school all day, every day!). As much as it's tough for me, I KNOW it is what is best for him. He really needs this. The time has come to officially commit and we're going to do it.

The only potential obstacle to preschool is that he has to be completely potty trained by the time school starts to be in the 3 year old class. I'm nervous about this, as he hasn't shown a ton of interest in losing the diapers. He knows all about the potty and will go if I put him on the potty. He just doesn't care enough to tell me before he goes in his diaper. We are really going to have our work cut out for us this summer!

What's Happening Around Here

As always, we've been busy and so I've totally been neglecting my blog. Let's see. Last week Avery turned 6 months old. She went to see the pediatrician on Thursday and Dr. Plonk said she's doing great. Developmentally, she's right on track for her age. Some of her skills include picking up and examining objects (she loves any of Nicholas' toys), passing objects back and forth between her hands, locating objects (if she drops her paci she is now able to find it and put it back in her mouth) and rolling all over the place. She is also doing better in her car seat. She doesn't seem to hate it quite so much now, which is such a blessing for me, as we spend a lot of time in the car! Avery weighed in at 15 pounds, 10 ounces and is 26 inches long. She's such a big girl! We weren't able to get her 6 month vaccines because they were out of something (so annoying!), so we're going back this Thursday to get her up-to-date on her shots. On the flip side, Avery's sleeping habits have taken a turn for the worse. She has become very dependent on me getting her back to sleep when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Next week Keith will be working nights, so I'm going to suck it up and endure the hell of sleep training my little girl. Her doctor has assured me that she doesn't need to eat through the night anymore and she is old enough to learn to get herself back to sleep. It really is best for everyone!

Last Wednesday was a big day for Amanda. She had her first official interview for a summer job and was hired on the spot! She will be working as a lifeguard at a neighborhood pool about 5 minutes from our house (the minimum price of homes in this neighborhood is 1 million dollars!). This is a great job because Amanda will only have to work from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so it won't really conflict with school. Also, she is hoping to make some contacts for babysitting, as that would be good work for her to do on weekends throughout the school year. She will be 16 next September and is anxious to start saving up money so that, once she has a car, she can go out with friends and do the things she wants. We are so proud of her! We are also in the process of re-doing Amanda's bedroom. The weekend before last, we spent both days cleaning and painting. She got new bedding just before Christmas. Next week, Charlotte's IKEA is opening (so excited!) and we are going over there to buy a futon for her room. Once it's all done, I'll post pictures.

Nicholas is just busy growing and getting into trouble. The weather here has been so beautiful the past week--in the 70's everyday--and Nicholas has been loving every minute of it. He has been playing outside every morning and every afternoon after his nap. I even got out the bike and trailer last Saturday and figured out a way to get both kids in there so that we could take a bike ride. They were a little cramped (Avery's not big enough to sit in the seat, so I had to put her in the trailer in her car seat, which left very little room for Nicholas, but we made it work!) but we all had a lot of fun. We've also been taking walks to the park by our pool and the elementary school off the bike path in our neighboorhood so that Nicholas can play on the slides. And sometimes, he and Newman just run around the backyard and play with his toys and balls that are scattered all over our yard. Nicholas definitely has spring fever!

Alaina has had a rough few weeks. She's very all-over with her emotions these days. Lately, she's been dealing with some boy drama that has really been difficult for her. Her daddy finally decided that it was in her best interest for her to end things with her boyfriend. When we were talking after the break-up, Alaina even agreed that some aspects of this relationship were not really good for her. This has been hard, but I already think she is seeming more like herself than she has in months. It's really been a joy to see some of the Alaina of happier days return. I've missed that girl! Last week, Keith added Alaina to our gym membership. Now she can go with us to work out or attend yoga class with Keith and Amanda. This coming week we are going to sign her up for a rec. volleyball team that she can play throughout the spring. She wants to keep her skills up so that she's ready to try out for the school team again in the fall. These extra activities are going to be great for her!

Keith and I have been busy too. We are throwing around the idea of moving. We love our house but we really could use more space. We found a house in a nearby neighborhood (not the $1 mil. neighborhood!) that we like pretty well, but it's a corporate home and they won't accept an offer contingent on us selling our house. So, that means we have to list and get an offer on our home before we can make an offer on that one. Just the thought of attempting to keep our house always show-ready is exhausting! I just don't know if I'm up for it. We're still deciding... I'm also in the process of starting a small business with one of my friends from church. We are buying boutique-type outfits wholesale, will hold a few local "dress shows" and then sell the leftovers in an ebay store. This will allow both of us the chance to get lots of the cute outfits that we love for our girls (and some for our boys) at an affordable price. We met with the representative from Vive La Fete last week and placed our first order. I'm so excited about all of the super cute outfits that I'll have for my kiddies this summer!!!!

That's all for now. Time to get back to work. More sooner rather than later...