Soccer Picture Day!

Today was soccer picture day. Princess Sparkley's picture time was 8:30. We aren't normally awake and 8:30 in the morning. And if we are, we aren't dressed and ready to go. So it was an early day. And it was COLD! I wore two of everything, including coats. I forgot to wear two pairs of socks though and nearly lost my toes. Brr. PS's game started just after her picture time, around 9.



Team Picture: top to bottom, left to right
Coach Greg, Dana, Princess Sparkley, ?, Hannah #1, ?, Aiden, Asst. Coach Charles
Daniel, Hunter, Paul, McKenzie, Caroline and Gabriel (Hannah #2 was sick)

Buddy's picture time was 9:30 and his game time was 11. Between Princess Sparkley's game and his, we had some down time but not enough to actually do anything, so we just kicked the soccer ball around some more.



Team Picture: top to bottom, left to right
Coach Mike, Megan, Natalie, Buddy, Micah, Brandon #1, ?, Asst. Coach Lewis
Trey, Michael/Timmy, Timmy/Michael, Mariah, Ryan or Brian, Andrew
(Morgan and Brandon #2, not pictured)


Buddy and Princess Sparkley were both the second tallest on their teams (although, if Hannah #2 had been there, she is taller than PS). PS's team is 7-8, she's a young 7. Buddy's team is 5-6, he's a mid 6.

Fall Day at the Battlefield

I drove near the near the Manassas Battlefield the other day and saw all the beautiful autumn leaves and decided we needed to go back later in the week and walk/hike around. We invited some friends to join us Thursday mid afternoon and one family (from our homeschool group) took us up on the offer. So here we are with H (6 years), S (4 years) and E (17 months). We asked a guy to take a picture of all of us, 6 kids and 2 moms. He supposedly did it, but there is no proof on my camera. So either it didn't work, or he acted like it worked, but it didn't.


After climbing on the canons (which you aren't supposed to do, BUT every kid does so how can I stop just mine. Especially when it's their FAVORITE part of the Battlefield?) we wandered further on the path and some of the kids ventured into the tall grass fields (mainly Buddy and H). PS was a little hesitant of the grass, as you can see in the pictures, and stuck by the short grass. As did Little Guy at my request because the tall grass was taller than him. They started playing Little House on the Prairie while in the grass and kept that going for awhile.



Then back to climbing on canons. After our friends left, we drove over to some other parts of the Battlefield we haven't explored yet and wandered around. The close up picture of Buddy is him missing both top teeth. I had to pull the 2nd one out the other morning when B wasn't around. Bleh. The close up of Little Guy's teeth is because he has to do everything his siblings do. So if I took a picture of Buddy's teeth, I had to take one of his as well. Little Guys' Bandaid is just to prevent a sunburn on his cheek where it's glued shut. It's not quite ready to be covered in sunscreen yet.

Primary Program 2010

This years Primary Program was a HUGE success. It was a great program, but also, this year, Buddy went up there all on his own and SAID his part. He barely whispers a word or two when we help him read a scripture, give a talk or say a prayer in Primary. He went up there and said the first sentence of his part without any help at all (he sort of said it from memory/read it) then his teacher helped him with the second sentence. He said afterward that he went blank. I didn't expect him to even try to do it from memory. Yea Budd! And, my friend in the Primary presidency said that he's their big singer for junior Primary. He says it's because he's annoyed that no one else will sing.

Princess Sparkley did a great job as well. She wrote her part (I'm not sure if Buddy wrote his or not). She also sang very nicely. The senior Primary had a lot of songs just for them where the girl and boy parts were broken apart.


Buddy: I like the prophet. I like it when he tells us things he wants us to do.

Princess Sparkley: Jesus' example helped me by being reverent. On my baptism day I tried to be more reverent like Him. When I got out even though the water was cold, I felt warm from the Holy Ghost.

Little Guy's Eye Update

Friday Little Guy woke up and his eye looked sort of swollen shut. Or, I suppose, his cheek was swollen and making his eye kind of close. Saturday a big bruise under his eye became more visible. Poor kid. Once he realized I was trying to get a picture of his eye, he was trying his best to turn his head so I wouldn't.

Soccer!

Red Runners!

Buddy is in red, #23 wearing black pants with a white stripe down the side.


Purple Panthers!

Princess Sparkley is #8 in purple with brown pants and two ponytails.
For some reason, the team PS was supposed to play didn't show up so they put yellow vests on half the team and they played each other, but needed more players so Buddy and an older sister of a kid from the team played goalie. Buddy was THRILLED.

Shenandoah Leaves: take 2

We went to Shenandoah last week (getting a 7 day pass with our entrance fee of $15) and the leaves were just sort of changing. So after apple picking on Friday, the kids and I headed a little further out, back to the park and saw the leaves a little further on their trip to red. I loved all the blotchy hillsides with reds and yellows and greens and oranges. And I have that Little Guy yelled out, "MOUNTAINS!" when we saw a little hill on the drive out.




We stopped at one of the Visitor's Centers this time to get stamps in our National Parks Passport books. And we took some pictures of the view outside. I had all the kids by a rock. Then Princess Sparkley wanted a picture of just her. Then Buddy wanted a picture of just him, but Little Guy insisted on being on Buddy's rock with him. So Little Guy finally moved to his own rock... which turned out to be a really short one only a couple inches off the ground. It cracked me up.

Apple Picking

One of my Facebook friends mentioned apple picking earlier this week and it got stuck on my mind. So we went to Stribling Orchard in Markham, VA to pick apples Friday (on the way to Shenandoah to use our 7-day pass to see the trees all colorful again). We were lucky enough to be joined by some friends. And the kids totally outdid any past "pick your own" categories I'd placed them in. Before when we've gone apple or blueberry or asparagus picking, they just sort of help and I do most of the picking. This time, I didn't realize how all out they were going with their picking until I got all the bags together to figure out their weight and price. Yikes! We picked almost 30 lbs. of apples. Needless to say, we'll be making A LOT of apple recipes this weekend.

Here are a few I'm going to try out:
Apple Dumplings and Crock Pot Applesauce
Crock Pot Apple Butter or I might make a similar recipe a Facebook friend recommended
Freezing Apple Pie Filling




We looked at their farm animals when we were leaving. And a special trip to see the horse because Little Guy requested that we go see the "Forsey" which is what he now calls horsies unless we correct him.

Christmas Lists

We wrote our Christmas lists for handwriting practice today because: 1) I knew they wouldn't complain about writing a Christmas list, 2) I'm an early shopper and 3) we're thinking we'll be in Ohio with Grandma and Grandpa M for Thanksgiving, meaning they'll probably send our gifts home with us then meaning Grandma will start shopping soon.

Princess Sparkley's list is here
Buddy's list is here

And here's Little Guy's list:
1. a soccer ball whistle
2. a Wally (Red Sox mascot beanbag)

Those he came up with on his own, the rest Princess Sparkley helped him with and he agreed to.

3. Take the Cake (game)
4. Green Light Saber
5. Toy Story 3 dvd
6. a leash (?)
7. Froggy movie (LeapFrog dvds, we only have Letter Factory and he LOVES it)
8. Blue car from Lightening McQueen
9. Webkinz kitty cat (I think PS pushed this because he steals hers all the time)
10. They might be Giants dvd/cd "Here Come the 123s"

Shenandoah National Park

After the Pumpkin Patch... B decided on an impromptu visit to Shenandoah National Park to see the fall foliage. With soccer and everything else going on, he figured this free afternoon might be our only chance to make it down there. And our location at the pumpkin patch put us about 20-30 minutes closer than from at home. So we continued west.

The colors weren't the reds and oranges that we were hoping for, but still beautiful yellows and the beginnings of reds here and there. On the way towards the mountains, Buddy kept asking, "are these hills yet?" And when he spotted a mountain in the distance he said, "Whoa, look at that giant hill!!" I guess moving from Kansas to a flat part of Virginia has messed with our kids' sense of what defines mountains and hills. Oh, and Little Guy calls fancy fountain water features in man-made lakes "mountains" instead of fountains.



Our first scenic overlook.


Driving in the car.


Second overlook.


Family shadows (minus Buddy who had run ahead too far).


Same overlook, we hiked up a tiny bit to a rock cliff.
Notice the kids by the "watch your kids" sign. Apparently, when they want the picture taken, they know how to hold still and smile at the camera.



Our third and final overlook. Obviously, my camera didn't do this sunset justice. It was gorgeous.

Pumpkin Patch

Princess Sparkley before the pumpkin patch when we sent the kids out to get in the car while we gathered up the camera, etc.

After buying our pumpkins from a road side stand (which is still better than a grocery store) last year, I decided this year I better search high and low for a free pumpkin patch. I found one about 20 minutes away that included a free hayride as well. This is probably the first hayride in
Little Guy's memory.


The Hayride.


Picking Pumpkins.


Checking out the GIANT pumpkins.

Go Purple Panthers! Go Red Runners!

Princess Sparkley got to play goalie today! She told us afterwards the coach told her her position and she said "no." Then she laughed and said, "I didn't say the "no" part out loud." This was a position that terrified her, but she accepted the assignment and was super lucky that her team kept the ball way far away for the five minutes or so that she was guarding the net. PS is #8 in all the pictures.

Buddy's team may have actually won (they don't keep score). And he had at least one assist, maybe two or three. And he finally got his official jersey with a number... 23.

An update on Little Guy's black eye.

The kids did such a great job playing soccer, and it was such a hot day, Daddy treated them to ice cream after their games.