Football is for girls too

Recently Mac and I signed Kate and Avery up to play flag football this Spring season. It is our first experience with field sports, and I thought - hey, they get to run around a lot, it's non-competative (right, because it's just FLAG football, not tackle) - perfect! Well, I was right about the first part - they get to run around a lot. The girls get to be very active, and I can see how good it is for them. They are just beaming all the time now. They love being a part of flag football, and they exhibit a real sense of pride and self-confidence being part of a team. It's easy to think that your boys need to be active, but I've realized it's just as important to have your girls be active, and just as beneficial for them as it is for boys. So I am really happy that we decided to do this. However, I was wrong about the competative part. I was totally overwhelmed when we went to the first day of practice with all the teams gathered together for skills and drills. There were several coaches whose techniques were aggressive and in-your-face with the kids. There were also tales from parents and some coaches about other coaches who were in it to win all the time, and wouldn't let the girls play offense at all. Now that got me really concerned, so I've been watching carefully at practice to see how the coaches deal with my girls and to see what they say about their approach. So far, Avery's coaches are golden. I couldn't ask for better guys. They give everyone a chance to play equally in all positions. They are strict but kind, and they seem really welcoming and glad to have Avery on the team. They have expressed repeatedly that their main purpose is for the kids to have fun. I'm afraid Kate is not so lucky in her coach. So far, he seems really focused on winning, and it looks as if Kate might get stuck on defense with a minimal role in the game. Mac tells me to wait and observe some more before I go jumping to conclusions, but I have a hunch that this coach's style is going to rub me the wrong way, and I'm already planning out what to say to him if my hunch is right. Something like, "When is Kate going to play offense? When will you give her more direction than just "watch the ball"? How can she improve if she isn't given a chance to play in that position?

I get mad just thinking about it, but Mac is right. I'm making assumptions now that I don't know to be true . . . yet. I'll be watching closely, and I won't be afraid to voice my displeasure if my kid doesn't get fair treatment. That's right. I'm one of those moms now. And that coach better step up his coaching or watch out!

Some Catching Up To Do

A lot has happened since my last post. Beside moving 1000 miles, we celebrated two birthdays and other milestones.

Avery turned four - here is the cake I made, using one of those giant cupcake pans. I didn't like how one side cooked faster than the other.
Here is he family enjoying one of Avery's new toys, the bubble machine!

Lilly turned two!

Not related to Lilly's birthday in anyway, but this dress Ave is wearing is something I made in sewing class!

The happy birthday girl, looking a little beat up with a cold sore and a cut on the cheek.

Lilly loves cats, so I made her a cat cake.

Our other milestones include me learning how to sew (yay!), Kate's piano recital (photos to come), Kate & Avery's dance recital (photos to come), Mac starting grad school, and registering Kate for Kindergarten (yikes!)

What 3 and 5 year-olds think is funny

Lately, when the girls are supposed to be getting their pajamas on at night, we hear a lot of giggling and noises that don't inspire a lot of confidence in their actions. This is what they had to show us after we sent them to get ready for bed one night:

And of course, they thought they were so hilarious, that these costumes were repeated night after night after night for a while. The one thing I do have confidence in my girls- their silliness!

My Angel Babe Turns Three

It's fun for me to reflect on the last few years I've known Avery. When I was pregnant with her, I got an inkling of the kind of person she'd be by how she was in my womb, and by that I mean that she never moved. Sure enough, when she was born, she never moved either! She slept all the time, rarely cried, and was a complete joy! She rolled when she was 9 months old, crawled when she was 12 months old, and walked just before she was 16 months old. Despite these late milestones, I think she's pretty smart. Plus, she was the easiest baby ever! A great sleeper, eater, smiler, sitter, and non-complainer - what more could a mom want! I could have nine kids if I knew they were all going to be like Avery as a baby. She was completely enjoyable. I can't say that about my other two babies, as much as I love them. As Avery's grown, she's gotten a lot more sassy and defiant, but I guess that happens with most kids. Maybe because she was so easy going for so long, and we never felt the need to discipline her, she grew to think she could do whatever she wanted. She's still a lot of fun, though. Some of my favorite things about her: No one is sillier and can make us laugh as easily as she can. She's a great little mother to her dolls. She loves Beyonce's All the Single Ladies and always asks for me to turn it on. As much as she loves her daddy, she still prefers me to sing to her at night. When she's excited, her whole body lights up. Her speech is still very much that "baby" talk, which makes it very cute but very difficult at times to understand. Happy birthday to my beautiful three-year-old!

April in Idaho Falls

These pictures were taken this morning.

Here's baby sister wondering why she can't have fun too.

I just LOVE Idaho Falls in the SPRING!

What Color Is Your Day?

After reading about establishing early writing habits from this website, I felt inspired to get Kate and Avery their own journals. They love writing in their journals. It's much easier to get them dressed and ready for bed when they have their journals to look forward to. They usually draw pictures, but I try to encourage Kate to write a few words and Avery to write a few letters. It's fun for them, plus it's rewarding for me to see them enjoying something kind of academic.

Drawing Your Dinners

Yesterday I stopped by The Post Register's office (our local newspaper) and purchased a THICK ream of paper for $7. Seriously, the paper is going to last forever. And for $7, I think I got a gread deal. Before dinner, when I needed time to get things cooked and ready, I spread the paper over our table, gave the girls crayons and markers, and let them draw their dinners. They got as excited about this as they do when I tell them they can watch a movie. Kate was especially enthusiastic, asking me repeatedly, "What else do we have for dinner, Mom?" And then she went around to the other side of the table and drew toys and animals. Today she asked if they could do it again. It's never been so easy to prepare dinner. I read about this idea online, only now I can't remember which awesome website it was, so I apologize for not being able to cite the source. But to whomever it was, THANK YOU!

Playing Dressup

Two Christmases ago, Mac and I got the girls a chest of pretty dress-up clothes - fancy dresses, crowns, necklaces, and dainty gloves. The girls loved it, and they used it all the time . . . for a while. Recently, the girls played dressup again, only this time they got creative. They forgot all about their special chest of princess dresses and accessories, and instead, came up with this:

Yes, those are panties on their heads. At least they're clean panties. I know because when I saw what they'd done, the first thing out of my mouth was to ask where they got the panties from - from their dresser drawer or from the dirty laundry basket? They assured me that they got them from the dresser, and I believed them, so then I grabbed the camera. I hope that I've raised sensible enough girls that they don't go putting dirty underwear on their heads, or anywhere on their bodies for that matter. Don't they look sensible to you?

Who's the Boss?

The other day, Mac and I were getting Kate and Avery dressed for bed. The girls like to race to see who can get ready the fastest, but usually the loser throws a fit, so I've begun discouraging the racing. Mac, on the other hand, likes to encourage it, so here we were, Mac telling Avery to hurry and race and me telling them, "There will be NO racing!" We went back and forth for a while until Mac finally asked Avery, "Who's the boss, mommy or daddy?" Avery enthusiastically yelled, "MEEEEEEEEEEE!" With raised eyebrows, I told Mac, "She's got that right."

High School Musical Dancing!

We're big High School Musical fans at our house. We just took the girls to see the third movie in the theaters. They are still a little young to have the stamina for a theater movie, but it was still fun. Kate and Avery do a good rendition of "Bop to the Top." I'll have to find the video and post it, but this video was readily accessible, so I hope you enjoy it. (And yes, sadly, my house is usually this messy.)