Roller Skating

Logan went to his very first Roller Skating party. There were a ton of kids from his class there so he wasn't too crazy about trying something new in front of everyone. About 1/2 of the kids had already been skating before. Who know people still roller skated? Being the good mother that I am, I completely forgot socks so that I could skate with him and I forgot my camera (that would have never happened to Kasey!). I did take a couple of pictures on my blackberry that will have to do. He did pretty okay for his first time. He did not want me to help him which is a first I'm not sure that I'm happy or sad about. He always makes me do new things with him. On his first full lap he fell backwards and cracked his head on the unforgiving concrete. I had to wheel him off in tears. The skates were pulled off and he was done forever 'cause skating is dumb! That lasted all of about 10 minutes and the skates were back on and he did 4 more full laps. Think we are going to have to practice the skating thing. Good winter activity.

A day off of school

SVdP had the day off of school but Steve didn't so I took the day off. We had a pretty fun day and they didn't push me over the edge...got close the edge but didn't go over. Kale wore the big boy undies for a while today and had no accident until we put a pull-up on. He's pushing my buttons with this potty training thing! Being that we had to time schedule the boys got a cooked breakfast over the normal microwave version. We got to play in the bath tub versus me rushing them through it. We built a fort in the playroom, rode the scooters, met Steve for lunch, washed our car, memorized the cub scout pledge, and went to the Heritage High War Eagles Homecoming parade. We go to the high school homecoming parade every year and the boys love it. This year we have 2 high schools which means 2 parades. You would think we went trick or treating with all the candy they got. They saw several kids they know and both of their babysitters were in the parade. Emily was actually up for homecoming queen but I don't think she got it. I know how she feels as I was the runner up and lost to Susanna. Unbelievable I know! We had a fun day together and now it's about to end for the 3 little Berens boys. Time for them to sleep and build up energy for their soccer games tomorrow.

Picture of the fort before tornado Kale tore through
Digging in the sand at the park near the parade route
Waiting for the parade to come through
Kale's favorite thing is to climb on my back and wrap his arms and legs around me anytime I sit down

Take a picture quick before Lucas' nose starts running again.

Haircut

Logan doesn't think he needs a haircut. I think he needed one a month ago. Anyone that can do this to their hair definitely needs a cut!

A free evening!

In seems like forever where we have had an evening with no obligations. No soccer (we won our game yesterday!!!), no meetings for Steve, no traveling for me. We got to play outside. Kale would tell you that he would have preferred we had some place/thing to do 'cause the playing out side thing ended with a bumble bee stinging him on the back and on his pinky. OUCH!

How do you put words to this picture?

Franc says layering is in this year and that's fashion.
Workers sanding the bench so Steve

can prove to me that spray painting is the way to go.
Army guys on scooters.

Lucas' latest trend

For all those following the Trends by Lucas, the latest is wearing his shirt backwards. Happened by accident one day and the rest is history. Now he just does it as often as he can. This kid is interesting. I may have to dedicate a section of my blog to his fads as there have been several. With Camden knowing Fashion and Lucas' trend risks, this pair might just have their future already laid out.

Another one bites the dust

So I pick Logan up from School today and here's how our conversation goes:

L: Guess what happened to me at school today?
M: What?
L: I lost a tooth.
M: What???
L: Yeah really mom. Miss Ganoung pulled it today.
M: I didn't even know your tooth was that loose. You know I like to pull them.
L: Well it's too late. It's gone.
M: When did it get so loose?
L: Well I've been wiggling them and grinding them so I don't have to get them pulled in 6th grade:
M: What? Who told you that?
L: Dad.
M: No he didn't.
L: Yes he did. Dad said if I don't lose all of my baby teeth by 6th grade they will pull them all out and put braces on my teeth.
M: This is not something you need to worry about. They will fall out on their own but you will be getting braces.

I think I may have to handle the birds & the bees conversation when it's time....maybe I'll let Kasey take it on.

1st Official Tiger Cub Scout event

So it's official, we are now active scouts. Today was the Rocket Launch and Pack photo. So don't you know I had to truck it down to Springdale yesterday to buy the shirt and patches and tiger cub book. I can barely type (or sit up straight) from having to stitch four patches on his uniform. We haven't even earned any badges yet, ughhh..... So I may not be so in to scouts but Logan had an amazing time. He started off in classic Logan fashion...deer in the headlights look, standing on the outside of the group observing, waiting for a grown up to step in and get the whole thing over with. They did the scout salute when saying the Pledge of Allegiance and he had to figure it out on his own. He had the wrong hand up and his cheeks turned a little red. Plus they had all the new kids stand up and he was one of 3 and the other 2 were brothers. You could tell he wasn't comfortable. My heart went out to him and at the same time I was really proud of him for expanding his comfort zone. Then he was called up to get his Tiger cub scarf and the world was better again. A shirt with patches, a scarf...ahhhhh, the real reasons he signed up! Then the rocket launch started. The tiger cubs launched first. There was only 3 of the 6 in his den there so all three got to push the button to launch. Then they took off for retrieval. Lightning Logan was not the first to the rocket. In fact about half way there he gave up and just waited for Charlie and Matthew to bring it back. They also go to build water rockets out of empty water/pop bottles. Jill (the Mom of the year for signing up to be Den mother) helped him build and launch his first version. He added to it twice and launched it 8+ times. I tried to get him to leave a little early and he made me stay to watch the group rocket launch. We'd been there 2 hours to launch like 6 rockets..come on I still have a house to clean and dinner to cook! So we're in this scouts thing because it's something he would like and it's good for him to try new things. We're in it for the right reasons because he really did have a fun time. I guess I had an okay time as well.

Beware he has to sell $400 worth of popcorn so look for an e-mail or knock on the door soon!

Visit from the Grandparents

The boys had a fun filled weekend with their Grandparents. They were well behaved for not just one but 3 meals out. Quite shocking but it did happen. It seemed like a really quick visit since we were always on the move. There was the 2 soccer games, lunch, then Lucas took them shopping. He showed Grammy were all the good decorating shops are. Somehow he ended up coming home with candy from the candy store. He also took care of his brothers an brought them some Halloween decorations. He even picked out a small notepad holder with a pen for Logan. That's the sweet side of Lucas. We survived as Saturday night mass without the congregation giving us dirty looks until we left. That mass has the crowd that has already raised their kids and has forgotten that kids are seen and heard, especially in church. We rarely go to that mass for that very reason. Then we were off to my favorite pizza place for hot pie and a pitcher. Pitchers of beer were a big part of my college days but rare since then. At $8 a pitcher it's a no brainer! It hits the spot with the New York style pizza. I love it! The highlight of the visit for all 3 boys is the fact that Grandpa brought a cane. All three of them needed it at one point or another. Kale played with it the most being that he used the crying game to win over his brothers.

Thank for coming to visit!

Kale with the cane.
Big boys with Grandma. Kale is boycotting group pictures lately.

Saturday Soccer

No tears today from Luke-Dog on the soccer field. He had hustle and game. He mixed right in and went after it. Gammy & Gampa (Kale's titles) were able to watch Lucas & Logan play today. Logan and I were only able to stay for half of Lucas' practice/game as the Revolution had a game at ten. They got smoked! They played the first 2 quarters as though it was the first time they had ever been on a soccer field. Blank stares with no hustle. The other team was a really good team and schooled us. The second half the Revolution got a little more aggressive and figured out it was good to take the ball away from the kid dribbling by them. They even scored a few goals. Logan had the play of the game. He blocked a free kick right in the gut. His hand got in the way and he went down. He had to come of the field and recover. Let's hope we have a better game on Tuesday. Here's few pictures:

Goal Keeper getting ready to "Cherry Bomb" the ball

Showing some hustle

Getting attacked!

Captain Underpants

Cool man Luke

Just when you think Lucas couldn't be any cooler we discover a new hair style... the faux hawk. He loves it except Taggert at school keeps messing it up... at least that's Luke's story. Hard to tell if it's true as he lives in a fantasy world. Allegedly he caught a daddy rabbit and a baby rabbit today at school and gave it his teacher. She took it home and won't be at school tomorrow for me to ask. None of this is true.

I just love his beautiful smile!

Finger Lickin' good

Just because game day is Wednesday this week doesn't mean the game day activities shouldn't go on...they are just a million times more lame. So Steve isn't slamming beers and talking trash on Louisville and KU (just because he is a true Wildcat fan). Instead we had wings and cheese dip with Sonic pops. We keep the calorie intensity but it just wasn't in the liquid form. Darn ol' jobs! Here are some pix of the boys enjoying the wings.

Go Cats!

Opening day of Soccer Season

Today was the first day of the soccer season in the lovely Rogers, Arkansas. Though the threat of rain toyed with us both boys were able to get their games in. Lucas was first off the block with the newly created program called the "Little Kickstas". Okay it's really the little kickers but Lucas is taking it Soprano style...with far better language. Essentially they take all the 4 year old kids that signed up and gave them a soccer ball and they practice. He was dressed like a pro. New cleats, soccer shorts and new pee-wee shin guards that go well above the shin - he's vertically challenged. At the end of the practice they scrimmage. Lucas was slow out of the gate with the dribbling games but there were like 16 kids on his field. The last 15 minutes Lucas had his game face on. He got right after the ball. He was a force to be reckoned with...until he got called for using his hands. At this point he crumbled. Alligator tears streamed down his face and he he buried his face into my leg and he was done. He did have a fabulous time and is already geared up for next weekend!

Next the Revolution took the field. Of course, it wasn't the same field or even at the same soccer park. Awesome. Logan's team did amazing. We have been working on playing a position and that has caused the boys some confusion but in the game they were awesome. They won 7 to 4 even though officially you don't keep score. They were pumped. All the kids went crazy and all of them tried to jump into my arms. It was difficult to stay on my feet. Thank goodness they don't have Gatorade at the games!



Here is where you would see pictures of Logan's game. Since I was coaching I couldn't take the pictures so I gave Steve the camera. He didn't take any pictures. His story is that he was so wrapped up in the game he forgot. Hmmmmm.

Benton County Fair

The SVdP Pre-K took their first family field trip today to the Benton County Fair. Nothin' makes a good field trip like a bunch of sweaty 4 year olds mixed in with some carnies! The school bus has joined the scrap heap in heaven so until the school board can scrap together the funds to get a new one we're going with parent drivers. So Steve and I had Dwayne join us (aka Little Bill's cousin). Lucas loved having Dwayne as part of our family. As you can imagine Lucas' highlights of the field trip were seeing a couple of cows being milked since that's what the boys survives on. Not to be topped by seeing the cows poop and pee. Cows are disgusting but they don't smell nearly as bad as goats, sheep, or pigs. Lucas and Dwayne we very vocal about how bad it smelled. Lucas had to cough/gag very loud to get the smell out. He was giving a fair ribbon after petting a goat named Lucy. Pretty sure he is sleeping with his ribbon on. They had 5 or 6 rides available for the kids to ride for free. We rode 4. Anything that gets taken down and put together 52 times a year and trucked across the country isn't anything I really consider safe or clean. I am so not a fair kind of gal. Needless to say he was limited to the just the rides that go in a circle. His favorite was the Tilt-a-Whirl. I have forgotten how fast those things spin! I think all the kids had a good time and Lucas was glad to have his parents with him.

Leaving a comment

Okay. I have fixed the blog so that you can leave a comment if you don't have a google account. Just click on comments, write your comment and include your name so we know who it's from, and then click Anonymous .

Vacuuming

THANK YOU FOR THE NEW VACUUMING CAMDEN!

KALE IS A VERY HAPPY BOY!

Camden's 4th Birthday

Camden is a girl that loves birthday's just as much as her Aunt Shan. Any mention of it beig her birthday and her face would light up. We had a great time at her Pump-It-Up party and feel privledged that we made her invite list (she was very selective!) Kale's favorite is still the slide and this time he braved going down on his own. Now if we can just get him to climb to the top on his own we are set! Logan and Lucas bounced their buns off. They get so sweaty. Camden got the hook up when it comes to dress up clothes. That is why you see Kale wearing hot pink gloves. Pink is his favorite color so he was in heaven.

We also got the chance to watch Em lead the Rockstars to a win on the soccer field. The girl has talent!

It was also nice to get to watch a Wildcat victory! Go cats!

Rain, Rain - Gone..finally

After 2 days of straight rain the boys were finally able to go outside. Now that it is a little cooler note that Lucas has added a hoodie to his wardrobe.

This is there trick pose. Very interesting...

Getting all 3 of them to stand together for a pic is difficult. Kale wanted no part of it.

That's a stick bug sitting on Logan's shoulder.

Little Brother Advice

So Sunday night we went to a dinner/pool party at my boss Eric's house. Eric is neighbors with our friends the James' so Logan's buddy Cole was there and Lucas' hero Austin was there as well. There was another 6 year old there and a couple of other older boys. The three 6 year old boys: Logan, Cole and Bradley and these older boys were playing pool basketball. For a reason I'm not sure I fully understand, Bradley called Logan a cheater. So on the way home Logan is telling us the story of how Bradley wasn't nice to him and we are all listening and asking questions when Lucas inserts himself into the conversation.

Lucas: Everyone be quiet. I need to talk to Logan. Logan when that kid says that...
Mom: Says what?
Lucas: Your a cheater. You just look at him and say, "Oh yeah, well you're a loser!"
Mom: We don't call people names and Loser is not a nice thing to say.
Lucas: Well he was mean to Logan.
Logan: Yeah Mom.
Mom: No reason to call names.

While I appreciate Lucas taking up for Logan, where does a 4 year old come up with this?

Labor Day Fun

Sorry for the delayed posting of our fantastic Labor Day weekend but Kale has been running a fever since yesterday morning making it difficult to blog with a cling-on.

The Jamey's and the Kasey's came to the beautiful Rogers, AR to enjoy a marathon day on Beaver Lake. Some may say they now have the Beaver Fever and will come more often. We had 7 cousins together and they can make some noise! Everyone arrived late Friday night so it was inside play until their early bed time at 12:45 am. They were having tons of fun digging through all the toys and I mean all of them. At least they get played with every once in a while! Em an Ella were planning on sleeping together but that only lasted a very short time before they were separated to get some real sleep. After a few hours of sleep we were up and moving for the lake...although not fast enough for Myles. We stayed out on the lake from 10:30 to 8:30. Steve made chicken wings for our lake lunch and they were a hit. The kids mowed right threw them. I made the ever famous peanut butter fingers to celebrate Myles' 8th birthday. Unfortunately I couldn't get the candles to light so we sang and he faked a good blowing out of the candles. Throw in a bag of Doritos and Camden was a happy camper. Everyone tubed except Kale. Steve tossed Ryan and Kasey around like a couple of rag dolls. Jamey tried to dump Steve and I off with no luck. Jamey and Kasey both slalomed and are probably paying for that today! Logan skied some. The big story is that Myles skied for the first time. I stayed in the lake and helped him and Jamey held the other end of the rope so that he could video Myles' accomplishment. He was a natural! Emerson gave it try as well. She was really nervous so she had a hard time standing up. She hung in there for 2 tries and made it a little way but never quite stood up. I was so proud of her as she tried even though she was afraid. Next time she will get it for sure. Jamey and the boys played several round of "King of the tube" and I don't think Jamey ever won. The dads left us floating in the lake to go get dinner and a cooler refill. We didn't think we would be there all day so we weren't prepared. Some of Kasey's friends were there and they had a jet ski. The boys made a new best friend Zack (Kasey's friend's husband) who took them on several rides. They even let me drive. Logan has asked me more than once to buy a jet ski. I don't think so! After another round of tubing and skiing we called it a day. It was so much fun!

Thanks for coming! Now Jamey needs to buy a boat so that we call all go at one time!