Fall 2009 Soccer

Kaylen is now three weeks into soccer. She's actually doing outdoor soccer this year. She's on a team with other 1st and 2nd graders.

It's amazing how much of a difference it makes just moving to outdoors, but then someone mentioned that the grass slows down the ball from what it was on a hard gym floor - duh! There are times where all the girls are kicking it as hard as they can and then chasing after it in a mob, but they are getting better at actually dribbling it (shorter kicks as they run). They still have some work to do on learning to us the teamwork to their advantage though.

Today's game there were a few stints where they kept going out of bounds, so they need to also work on their not kicking when they're near the lines until they're positioned correctly. They were better today at being goalies and at the stopping when the ref blew his whistle. I'm still not clear on when the ball goes out the ends why sometimes they do a kick from the goal box and sometimes they throw it in from the corner circle. Maybe I'll have to look that up! :)

At any rate, it's keeping her (and me!) busy with practices two times per week, and games on Saturdays. They've had 2 games so far, and have 4 remaining - although Kaylen will probably miss the last one because we'll be walking for Race for the Cure. Unless of course, they have poor weather one of the next three weeks and it gets rescheduled for the week after Race for the Cure.

Kaylen is doing really well, and is enjoying it - and we're enjoying watching. Last week Kaylen's team didn't get any goals, but had a couple scored on them. Kaylen saved one but then the other team got another shot right away and she wasn't paying attention - I guess she was thinking that if she threw it back out once she had a little time. She did get two shots on goal later in the game when she wasn't playing goalie, but the other team's goalie at the time was really good.

This week Kaylen was again goalie the first quarter and again saved one but one got through. But then later in the game she scored 2 (or maybe 3?) goals! She would have probably had another one, but she realized about 3/4 of the way down the field that she was going the wrong way - it was after halftime when they'd switched sides - she had such the determined, focused look on her face when she went past us, it really was too bad. But all was well - her team got it right back down the field again.

I'm glad they don't keep score at this age, although I have a hard time keeping track of even just Kaylen's things. Oh well. Soon enough they'll be talking about winning/losing and the attitudes that go with it, instead of just having fun and learning the game.

So much fun! A few pictures...
Team pictures:
Cheering her team from the goalie box:
Two shots she had - one went left, the other the goalie caught:
I forgot my camera today, or else I might have more fun pictures. :(

This is Our God

Labor Day Weekend

We went camping with my family over Labor Day Weekend. My dad has a permanent site at a campground near where I grew up and near where my one of my sisters lives. He had reserved the site next to his (which is not a permanent site) for my other sister (the one that doesn't live quite so nearby) and us to set up our tents, which also allowed for more parking if our nearby sister came by and for the kids to play. Saturday we were gone the afternoon and evening, for the aforementioned 60th birthday party. We had gone up Friday late afternoon, and then had Sunday to lounge around and visit. Some fun pix from the weekend...

Sorting rocks:Cousins playing games with Jock:Caden wasn't feeling well Sunday :(We were joking about our high-tech camping - notice the two laptops:And the two little guys watching a DVD on the portable one we keep in our van... Soon after this, Kenny fell asleep, then Caden puked on him - poor guy hadn't felt good all afternoon! Then he was upset after dinner when we roasted marshmallows because he couldn't have one. :(


My dad had cut a big log to make a Swedish candle. I'd never seen one but it was really neat - I was mesmerized and intrigued by it. What is it about watching a campfire that is so mesmerizing - and this was about 10 times that! He started it by pouring kerosene down the middle to fuel it, and then lit a couple newspapers he stuck in a couple of the cuts to get it started.First smoke starts puffing up through the center...Then intermittent flames start shooting up out of the top center:Then constant flames shooting high up out the top of the log (and we started roasting marshmallows - it was hard to not burn them, but that's how most of us like them).Then the spaces start burning and creating larger spaces as the coals fall inward. So neat to watch!Loved the star shape from the top - so neat!And a picture with my flash, to show those HOT! coals in the center!After this we were all tired and ready to turn in, so Dad and Jock started scraping the coals off the insides of each piece sticking up and helping them fall down so we wouldn't have to worry about it overnight. This is how we left it at night - that one stubborn piece wouldn't burn as fast as the others.I didn't get to see it in the morning - Jock got up before me and had already put new logs on the fire to stoke it up again, but Dad said there was still part of the bottom of the stump that hadn't burned totally - but it was mostly coals and ash.

We kept Karen busy over the weekend. She did 7 haircuts, one perm, and one deep-condition. Gracie's deep-conditioning:So serious - Caden (before he started feeling sick - notice the dorito-mouth)Kenny also had dorito-mouth, but I love this one! I think Karen should use it for advertising and call it "have clippers, will travel" - notice the canoes on the river in the background. :) :)
Monday we packed up, visited a little more, and went mini-golfing, as we'd promised Kaylen, before heading back home. Kaylen enjoying (or at least it looks like it - she was really very frustrated at her lack of putting skills) mini-golf:
It was a beautiful weekend - not too hot, but not cold either - well, maybe a little chilly at night, but mostly beautiful weather. Hopefully we can do it again next year!

Dad's 60th Birthday!

My sisters and I and our step-mom threw Dad a surprise birthday party. It was quite the feat - Dad is too smart, so we had to be REALLY sneaky!

Jock, Kaylen and I, and my younger sister and her husband were camping the weekend with Dad and Terry, like we did last year. Dad and Terry have a permanent site near where my other sister lives, so it made sense. Dad and Terry have a large building on their property where they host receptions, so we planned to have the party there - and prayed for nice weather so we could still camp and have Dad off the property. :)

Dad's birthday was actually on Saturday, so when my other sister came by the camp site to visit us, we had her ask Dad if he wanted to go out for supper. He hemmed and hawed and said that we could just have grill something at the campsite, but she came back with, well, she already made reservations and invited grandma, so he had to agree. Then after lunch, Amy proceeded to ask us (Jock and I and Karen) if we wanted to come help her can salsa or make peach jam - so that gave us the out to go get things set up. :)
Terry's job was to conveniently forget some things at the house that she needed for the weekend at the campground. So she was to talk Dad into running by the house to get things before dinner at the restaurant. We figured how long it would take Dad and Terry to get from the campground to the house, then to "get her forgotten things" then get to the restaurant, and calculated back from there for when they would arrive and when to have the guests arrive.

When Dad and Terry were on their way to the house, she texted us to let us know how far out they were. She told Dad that we were asking where things were in the camper for us to get ready for dinner - thinking we were back there after canning salsa or something. :) We were secretly gathering the guests in the parking lot to sing to Dad as soon as he got out of the truck.

Dad looked really surprised. I thought for a minute he was gonna lose it - his face got red, etc. and he turned back to the truck for his hat and was OK then. We took a few picture, then the dinner and mingling began. It was a great evening and it worked out really well.

(Mom and Dad got us these t-shirts for Christmas one year)

I think we actually did surprise him - or at least he let us believe we'd fooled him. He said he had no idea, and was a maybe a little irritated that Terry had "forgotten" several things at the house. :) Then he said he was confused why were "texting Terry about the blow dryer and curling iron" in the camper. Then when they got close to the pole barn he saw a couple cars and got mad that people had thought their garage sale was the wrong weekend and stopped by anyway, then he saw more cars and thought the barn might have been on fire, then he recognized whose vehicles and knew something was up. hee-hee.

We're thankful the event went off (almost) without a hitch (we ran out of plastic forks). It was a lot of fun to see so many family and friends there, and a beautiful day for a nice party! Instead of gifts, we asked the guests to bring a salad to share and a funny card for Dad. We had yummy cake - the kids had fun (after everyone had had some), peeling off the black frosting and making their mouths black. We had lots of left-over beans and hot dogs, just enough potatoes and hamburgers, and just enough cake to have a little left-over for the rest of the weekend.

(Yes, we lit all 60 candles - assistance was needed from 4 grandchildren and one great niece to blow them all out!)

Hope you had a wonderful 60th birthday Dad! (ps. don't think we'll ever be able to pull off another surprise party on him - he'll be too suspicious now - at least until he starts losing his memory :) Love you, Dad!

Haiti Adoption Prayer Requests

There have been several encouraging happenings lately, but along with those comes some negatives that tend to get people down. I’ve had a lot going on in life this past week or two, but along with that, several issues have been laid heavy on my heart. I cannot and do not bear the burden, but instead have been lifting them up, along with many others, to my heavenly father. Little-known to us, but He has it all under control. I continue to lift these things up, and ask that you do as well. I ask this on behalf of myself and many friends struggling through their adoption processes…

I pray for families who have waited so long and those who have much longer to go, and are weary of the process. I pray for encouragement for them, for comfort and peace during the wait. I pray for the Lord’s hand on the process itself. May the mountains that stand in the way of what is good, be thrown into the sea.

I pray for families who are struggling financially with their adoptions. One family is VERY close to having their adoption process completed, but without the funding to pay their adoption expenses, their process has come to a halt. Until paid, their beautiful girls remain in an orphanage in Haiti, unable to come home. Countless others are nearing this same realization. I pray for encouragement for these families. I pray for God to place these needs on the hearts of those able to give and help families unite.

I pray for families who have had paperwork go missing in a various office or between offices. I pray that the paperwork is located or replaced very quickly.

I pray for the Lord to sustain the health of the children and staff at the orphanage, as Haiti enters its cooler, rainy season, and as hurricane season is heating up. I pray for those who are ill, for their needs to be met and for healing.

I pray for the financial situation of the orphanage. They are facing an enormous deficit, and struggling to maintain the excellent level of care they provide for so many children.

I pray for families who are struggling with the uncertainty that comes with the unknown location or health status of their children’s birth parents. The US government requires birth parents to attend an interview and sign paperwork to ensure that the child meets the US’ orphan criteria – thus allowing the child to enter the US as an immigrant. When a birth parent cannot be found, is ill, or otherwise has difficulties traveling to the city for the interview, this creates much uncertainty on the part of the adoptive parents. I pray for the safety and health and location of the birth parents, for the interviews to be completed quickly and successfully, and for encouragement and peace for the adoptive families.

I pray for the families who have brought their children home or who are awaiting final word to bring their children home. May the Lord bless their adjustment to their “forever” families, and provide strength and encouragement for the difficult days ahead.

Please join me in prayer for these requests above.