YMCA Soccer

Well we finally caved and signed up our first kid for a YMCA sport.  We had pressure from the neighbors to make a team of our 5 year olds. We were able to borrow shoes, shin guards, and a jersey so we decided to sign Camden up.  (thanks to our family and friends who let us borrow their stuff) Camden was excited to start but didn't really know much about soccer.  We had a quick get together last Tuesday to meet the players and talk about what to expect.  Today was Camden's first game.  They do a 25 minutes practice first and then a 25 minute game.  The weather wasn't the greatest but the game went really well.  Camden got in a few kicks and enjoyed running around.  Even though they don't keep score they technically won 5-3.  Here are a few pictures.

I didn't realize his eyes were funny in all of these :(

spectators

more spectators

practicing passing

lining up for a fun skill game before the scrimmage starts

water break

and the game begins

Circus

This past week we were invited as a family to go to the circus with the Scribner grandparents and the other Scribner family.  The kids were really stoked about going and Chad and I went along for the ride.  Right after swim lessons we drove down town and took the kids to Raising Canes for dinner before the fun really got started.  Carter got to see his first homeless man and had *a lot* of questions about him.  He was devastated when we told him that we were not going to give him any money. He was very concerned about the man not getting enough to eat or that he might get cold.  We did explain to him that we give to our church who in turn helps the homeless through shelters and soup kitchens.  He was very curious about the whole thing, and I was happy that he was compassionate to those who are less fortunate. The circus was pretty good. There was a lot of acrobats, and stunts which I prefer over animals.  They had a guy that worked with crocodiles an unfortunately an elephant.  The older I get the harder it is for me to see animals in captivity like that.  The most important thing was the kids had fun, and they loved the toy that grandma and grandpa bought them.

eating at Raising Canes

with one of many creepy clowns

it took them a while to realize it wasn't real

Noah and Carter

Aunalie and Camden

They loved this clown. He would make your nose squeak if you were the lucky one.

posing in front of the sign

grandpa with baby logan

St. Paddy's day

I just learned today that if you shorten St. Patricks Day to St. Paddy's day it should be spelled with "dd" instead of "tt". We had a pretty uneventful day but I did buy the kids one green item from the dollar section at target for them to wear.  The younger two wore their t-shirts from last year and Carter had a green t-shirt in his closet.  For dinner I got cheese ravioli in the shapes of shamrocks and pots of gold.  The kids liked them and we did too.  Carter was sad that we never saw the leprechaun but was easily cheered up when we said we would all play hide and seek.  That is how we ended our night!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

our little leprechauns 

dinner

Spring break fun!

Over spring break we a lot of things but fresh air was our most favorite!  We went with the triplets and grandma Ellen to pioneers park one day to get out and run in the beautiful weather.  I took my little camera along and captured a few moments.

monkey bar fun

slide!

notice his static-y hair

rock wall

The boys hiding in the trees

playing on the outdoor stage

this was hard to get

but not this one!

callan and grace

standing by the native american statue

the whole gang

one last stop at wendy's for frostys

Callan visits the dentist

Callan had his first dental visit last week during spring break.  He was excited to be just like his brothers but you could also see a little bit of apprehensiveness in him.  But he did great! He hopped right on up into the chair and let them count and clean all of his teeth.  He did say he did not like their toothpaste.  I took a few pictures of my last child's first dental visit.  It is one more first that is done.

ready for the dentist. he was watching monsters university on the tv

polishing his teeth

waiting for the dentist to see him

a quick shot of Carter who was right next to him

Coming in like a Lion

March has definitely come in like a lion. It is blazing by and before we know it Easter will be here and then school will be out and summer will be in full swing. We have had a tiny taste of some amazing weather and we are all itching for it to be nice and stay nice.  This past week was spring break for Carter and with it came some good weather.  Monday Carter got to have a play date with a friend while the younger two and I cleaned and organized the garage.  The day was absolutely beautiful! Then on Tuesday we went to story time at the library and took Oma, grandma Ellen and the Niebuhr family with us. Then after that we went to lunch at Culver's.  Wednesday was low key and Thursday the weather was nice again so we headed out to pioneers park with the triplets for some time to just run and play.  We ended the afternoon with a quick stop at Wendy's for a frosty thanks to grandma Ellen.  Then Friday the boys had a special evening out with the Scribner grandparents to the movie "Mr. Peabody" and then to dinner at McDonalds.  I think it was a pretty good spring break for everyone.  Next week our regular schedule begins again.  I am not gonna lie, I do miss our routine when we are out of it.  The good thing is our garage is clean and organized and I was able to get through all the kids summer clothes so they are ready for when the weather decides to warm up for good.

Carter is still trucking along in school. His teacher just e-mailed all the parents to let them know how the kids did on their third quarter testing.  Carter is doing really well and staying on target.  His ready is making steady progress and he is becoming so much more confident in his reading.  All the reading we do in the evenings is really paying off.  He has started work on fractions in math.  The first night of fraction homework was not my favorite but I think as they practice more it will come more easily.  Carter was exciting to bring home some PAW (positive actions and words) awards this month but was sad his name wasn't drawn for the monthly PAW award prize.  The week before spring break we had a week of no TV or any electronics to try and get the boys to focus on being more polite and helping out a little more.  Although the first few days were rough, the latter few were pretty good.  The boys started to find more things to do and made up a lot more games to pass their time.  Carter was the one we saw the most improvement from by the end of the week. He was doing tasks without complaining and helping his brothers out willingly.  We had a few talks about how these are going to be his brothers for life so they all need to start loving each other more.  I felt like he took it to heart and did make some changes.  With all the basketball games going on, Carter has had an increase love for basketball lately. He has been playing with our small indoor hoop a lot but is outside on the driveway with a ball any chance he can get.  On Friday Nebraska men were playing on TV and Carter asked if he could watch.  So I turned on the game and he watched and played on the hoop in the basement. I went down stairs to get something and he asked me to touch his head.  Without looking or paying attention I did and he was soaking wet.  He told me he was really sweaty from all the b-ball playing he was doing (he had put water on his shirt and hair).

crazy boys!

packing food for families in need

Camden is breezing by. He is outgrowing all his jeans and shirts and needs it to be spring so that he can wear size appropriate clothes.  We have kindergarten registration this week and I can't believe it.  How did my little one get so big already?  We still haven't had his 5 year appointment at the doctor because it has to be done a little closer to school starting.  I am sure he will be thrilled about all the shots and blood draw.  I am curious to see how much he has grown.  Camden's quick wit cracks me up on a daily basis.  He now understands sarcasm and will tell you when he thinks you are being sarcastic.  He is still amused by words with silent letters.  He is able to read them appropriately but then laughs and says the word with the silent letter and usually talks about it the rest of the day. The new word he saw while reading was island.  Camden has attended several birthday parties over the last few weeks and has enjoyed them immensely.  He even enjoyed a princess party of a girl from his preschool class.  He was the least effected by the no TV, no electronics week and just spent more time playing with his toys, or annoying his brothers.

crazy boy!

packing food

all cam's preschool friends at his gym field trip

camden and callan at the gym

field trip fun!

Our little nugget is struggling, handling being three. It is so much harder than two apparently.  His life is harder, we are more unfair and everyone is against him.  He can be a fun loving, easy going kid but man, when the mood strikes him, hold on to your hat!  He likes to say no a lot and he debates almost anything you say.  Is it too early to say he following in his big brothers footsteps?  Other than being three he is busy being a toddler.  He takes pride in being able to so things on his own and has recently tried to wipe himself.  As appealing as it is to not have to wipe anyone anymore it is something that is annoying to teach.  Needless to say there has been a ton of wasted paper and a few messes I would prefer to not have to clean.  But hopefully practice makes perfect and soon we won't have any more butts to wipe!  He now gets to go to the gym or game room at the YMCA which makes him very happy and loves doing it! We got a new app on our tablet for Callan to learn letters and I am happy to report that he knows almost all the letters now!  Since the other boys read a lot with us he is also eager to be apart of that so we have him point out the letters and that makes him happy.  

one night he fell asleep outside his door. i guess his bed was not that comfortable

when you are 3 it is ok to wear your underwear backwards

back view

Here are some pictures of our little hooligans having some fun

we took care of a friends kids one morning. they had fun!

bedtime reading 

grandma karen celebrated dr. seuss's birthday with the kids

and she made cupcakes

they saw cat in the hat at the library

they wanted to all sleep together in the same bed

later that night

jimmy johns

helping move boxes

packing food

corn heads!