Out with a bang!

Will and Noah ended their season on a high note! Noah scored 2 goals and Will scored 3! Their team ended up winning 6-0! It was not without stress though. A couple of the kids on the other team pushed like crazy and were constantly saying mean things to our team. It was like a repeat of Ethan's last game! After one throw in Noah got possession of the ball. Well, #8 (aka the pushing trash talker) pushed Noah in the neck in response. Noah kept on trucking down the field with the ball and once #8 (see description above) realized that he wasn't going to catch up, he full on threw himself at Noah and pushed him harder than I've ever seen a kid push in a game before and the boys have been playing since they were 3! Seriously, I couldn't believe it. I normally don't say a word, but reflexes kicked in this time and I jumped up and screamed, "What was that???? That better get called!" Bad timing on my part since the entire field was silent at the moment! At any rate, it did get called and Noah got a free kick. Apparently the mom of #8 got upset at Melissa when she said something to Noah about #8 pushing him down and actually wanted Melissa to apologize to her kid. Huh, never did it cross the woman's mind that HER CHILD should being apologizing to Noah. It shouldn't be surprising since the kid had to pick up that bad sportsmanship somewhere! Ugh...

The boys were really excited tonight because their teacher, Mrs. Nelson, came to watch them play. They definitely put on a good show for her! I didn't even see her, but they certainly did and were grinning ear to ear that she came.

The boys got their report cards on Halloween. Will and Noah don't get letter grades yet, but they both did very well. Ethan continues his unbroken streak of straight A's. We still owe him, actually all of them, some sort of treat for their hard work.

As promised...

Here are pictures of Ethan's soccer game from Saturday. Like Jen said in the previous post, the team was very "game" despite their dirty soccer techniques. We still kicked their butts though. Enjoy the pictures.

I really need to work on throw-ins with Ethan. This was during the game before the ball even went out. Just kidding.

This is the coaches son, TJ. His other son Blake, plays goalie on the team as well.

Here Ethan challenges another player for the ball.

Remember Ally? It's hard not to get a picture of her during the game because it seems as if she is everywhere all of the time.

Christian had a great game as well. He is one of those kids that just does not give up, and he seems to be improving everyday.

Here the team runs over to us after their big win. The coach told them that this would likely be their hardest game. It was funny, the other coach asked Coach James what he did to make them play better in the 2nd half (it was a pretty close game at half time). James quickly replied that he told them that he would take them to Chuck E. Cheese's if they won. I don't think he really told them that though, because there is no way the kids wouldn't hold him to that.

Their victory lap!

Halloween!

Last night we all met up at Pamela's (aka The Stoddard's) house to trick-or-treat. The kids had an absolute blast together. The group actually grew from this as they met up with kids from school.

Here the kids prepare to take to the streets of New Smyrna Beach.
The not so respectable picture of the crew.

Noah was the skinniest Iron Man that you ever did see!

This is Sammy, Pamela, and Ethan. Ethan and Pamela came up with the phrase, "I'm Barack Obama and I approve this candy."

Will as Bumblebee!

The first victim of the crew! Okay, she is not that much of a victim since she too teaches at our school. Susan is a 1st grade teacher.

The group struggles to stay together on the sidewalk! I brought Abby along to take part in her first Halloween. She was completely exhausted when we got home!

The kids all got enough candy to significantly weigh their bags down. They were sick of carrying their bags around at 7:30 and called it a night!

Ethan had another soccer game today. The team he played was the toughest team they have played yet and they still managed to win by a landslide. The final score was 5-1. Ethan was astonished by how dirty the other team played. I was proud of our team for not feeding into the craziness and they played clean the entire game! Honestly, I would have had a hard time keeping my cool out on that field today! Ethan said that they were also talking trash the entire game. Hopefully Chris will post some pictures from the last few games. Ethan finally got on him about it, so I'm sure they will appear soon.

Pre Trick-or-Treat Fun!

The boys are so happy that Halloween is finally here! They started out with Halloween cinnabuns!
Kindergarten and 1st grade had a whole morning of Harvest Day stations. All the kids dress up as cowboys, cowgirls, or farmers.

Ethan used the tattoos that Aunt Lori sent for earrings!

Paige in her cowgirl get up! I don't know what happened to her hat!

Ethan's class just had all out fun all day! Here he poses with Emily and Pamela. This trio has been together in the same class for the last couple of years. They are a force to be reckoned with!

Bryce just arrived and the girls will be over in a bit. They are having their traditional Halloween pancake dinner. After dinner, we are heading over to Pamela's house to trick-or-treat with the entire crew. Should be fun!

Yes, even more soccer!

Tonight Will and Noah had another game. They lost Monday's game. I wasn't there to see it. Tonight they won, and won big! I think they said the final score was 8-0. We lost count mid game. Noah scored three and Will scored two. Ethan had practice and fell and hurt his arm. He was tired so what normally would have been a brush off turned into a major event. In the end, he pulled himself together and got back in the scrimmage. It took some convincing though!

It has been chilly here in Florida. I took full advantage of it and had all my favorite hot beverages. The morning started with Sugar Cookie hot tea, the afternoon was coffee time, and now I just made hot chocolate! It is supposed to be back in the 80s this weekend so my time is limited!

The boys are looking forward to trick-or-treating on Friday. Ethan has a game on Saturday. This game is far away as well. We are finally getting a taste of the travel involved in traveling soccer! Will and Noah's last game is next Wednesday and Ethan's season wraps up the Saturday before Thanksgiving so we are winding down!

Look, Abby has made her own costume!!!

I do believe Abby has decided to be a bag of Nutro Max for Halloween! Today after we opened her new food and poured it in the food container, Abby decided to see if she could find any bits left at the bottom of the bag. Little did she know that she wouldn't actually be able to get her head out! She was standing like this just trying to figure out what to do. I took a video which is even funnier! She certainly gave the boys and me a good laugh after school.
We took advantage of the perfect 77 degrees and headed out to the park with the dogs. Here will and Noah collected citrus from the many, many citrus trees around the park.

This is group shot take one. It is impossible to get a picture of the boys, never less adding two dogs in the mix!

Abby enjoyed watching the pelicans diving in the river when the boys played. Yes, she does indeed need to wear that Gentle Leader head harness or she will yank my arm off!

Hanzie was done after the walk around the ponds!

This bird let the boys get right next to it. When I approached with the dogs it was smart enough to get out of there!

This is take two! Not much better!

Tonight Will and Noah have a game and Ethan has practice. The weather will be perfect for soccer.

Playground and New Toy

Last night we went to the playground at the beach. The kids had a ton of fun running around and in general acting crazy in the cooler weather. The dogs have been enjoying the cooler weather as well.

Abby shows off her new favorite toy. Okay, she has lots of "favorite" toys but this is the newest. It has a loud annoying sound and she is quite pleased with herself whenever she makes that loud noise! (Her playmates have one and she always loves to play with theirs so now she has one of her own.)
Noah at the beach. (He hates his new haircut! He says it is WAY too short.)

Will was quite happy with his new cut.

Ethan looks like he is about to fall asleep!

Today Ethan finally scored his first goal of the season. He is always on defense so it is a bit difficult for him to get scoring opportunities. He was actually playing defense when he scored today. He played an awesome game all around so the goal was just an added bonus. I think his team won 8-1. We lost count, but it must have been 8-1. We were thinking it was 9-1, but the game would have been called. Chris has pictures which I'm sure he'll post one day in the not too near future! It was a perfect day for soccer. The high was in the upper 70's and it was sunny and breezy. Tuesday is supposed to be cold here! I wish it could be cold when the kids go out trick-or-treating on Friday, but we'll take what we can get!

From Goldielocks to Golden Locks

Yes, it has been a while since I last gave the boys a haircut. So long, in fact, that I was starting to confuse them for girls. Surely you have even noticed this in some of our recent postings. Look at this one, for example. I know Jen claimed that these were Halloween costumes. The shirts and the glasses are, but not the hair. You'd be amazed at what a little gel can do to tame hair like this. She was just too embarrassed to admit the truth. Even I was in denial. I'm happy to report that their hair is of normal length now and they are cute boys again. I'll post some pictures in this post later to celebrate the occasion.

This morning, before I realized it was pouring rain, I promised Will and Noah that I would take them to the skate park. Of course, we went anyway. A little rain never hurt anyone anyway, right? No horror stories here. They had a blast skating and scootering through the puddles and generally just getting soaked. I enjoyed watching them - from the comfort of the rear hatch in my SUV.

Fall Literacy Night

Tonight at school was literacy night. Mrs. Crandall and Mrs. Adams read the kids some fall stories, sang songs with them, and did a little craft project. At the end of the evening they each got a pumpkin, book, and punch. The boys had fun as did the rest of the kids.

Ethan hangs out with Nick in line.
Will, Noah, and Emma ham it up in line for their pumpkin and book.

Sophia got to pick first since they lined up by age.

Here they are outside Ethan's classroom.

Also taken outside Ethan's classroom. (His classroom is directly next to the media center.)

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day. The boys do not have school. Unfortunately, it is a teacher duty day so I do! We just got back from walking the dogs and it is so windy out. The boys took their pumpkins on a tour of the neighborhood to introduce them to all the other pumpkins and jack o' lanterns around.

Ethan has a soccer game on Sunday. It was supposed to be Saturday, got moved to Sunday, back to Saturday, and now is on Sunday again! The other team keeps changing their mind. Personally, I was hoping Ethan's coach would say, "Okay, we'll move the game to Sunday if we play on our fields!" The game is far away this time (over an hour), so it would have been nice to keep it at home. I mean, we are letting them move the day and time so they don't have to forfeit, the least they could do is move it to New Smyrna Beach!!!

Wishlist

Many people have started asking what they should get the boys for their birthdays and Christmas. I have started their wish list on the right. We too will be purchasing from this list so I will try to remember to delete our purchases as we go!

Cheetahs Take Their Prey Down

Will and Noah had their 7th game tonight and the Cheetahs did not disappoint. They won 4-0 this time. Of course, Will and Noah had a great showing as well. Will scored two goals. Noah didn't score any, but he still did great. Of course, I teach them that it is not just about scoring goals - which it isn't. Sorry for constantly posting soccer pictures on the blog, but that's pretty much our lives right now. Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays are all spent playing soccer. No complaints from me though, because I love soccer too. It keeps me young...ish.

Will splits the defense.

Not sure what Will is doing here - maybe trying to show off his juggling skills?

Noah's got some power in those skinny, little legs of his.

As you can tell from this picture, tonight was perfect. It's nights like these that make living in Florida worth it.

Here is Ethan after his practice was over. He usually practices for a couple of hours, so he is typically exhausted afterwards. I guess not too tired to ham it up for the camera though.

As a side note, one of Ethan's teammates, Nick, made me laugh so hard tonight. When we arrived at practice, he told me that he liked my sunglasses and that they made me look cool. He went on to ask if I wear them to get the ladies. It may not sound funny now, but he had me and the other parents laughing pretty hard. The kid is too funny!

Hallodork!

Noah was going through the Halloween bins and found Chris' costume. He even ran into his room to get his Chapstick out!

Will was feeling left out!

Strikers Win...Again!

When the Strikers win, they win big! The game was called just after the half because of the mercy rule. The score was 8-0 and once a team is up by 8 they call the game. I was bummed because Ethan normally plays defense, but since they were up by so much the coach moved them around and Ethan was playing up for the few minutes that they played the 2nd half. Just before Ally scored the last goal to end the game, Ethan had an awesome shot! It went right off the goalie's glove. The grass was wet this morning and so was the ball as is evident in the water flying off the ball in this picture.
The Strikers had nothing to worry about this game!
One of the few moments that Will was actually paying attention to the game.

While Ethan's team warmed up for an hour before the game started, I walked Will and Noah over to the stadium. A few of the kids from my school were either in the football game or cheering. I had been promising one student that I would make it to one of his games but they always clashed with Ethan's soccer games. Since this was the last game of the season I had to make an appearance. Will and Noah were super excited to go into the stadium. We aren't football fans so we had never been in there! They thought it was so cool and got a little bored when we headed back over to the soccer fields!