Soccer is kicking my behind:)

I still can't believe it, but for the past 3 weeks, I've been playing on an indoor ladies' soccer team! I'm playing on a Rec team with a few friends from church who either played in high school or have always wanted to try. It was supposed to be a "beginners' league" but they didn't have enough beginner teams sign up, so we were thrown into the advanced league...... GULP! The guy that runs the program has agreed to coach us, so we have a game and a practice every week for the next 6 weeks. There have been moments when I've wondered "who am I kidding???" and others when I've felt absolutely fired up about the way I'm playing. I can tell you that this is the best workout I've ever had and I am really having fun.

I grew up watching my 3 youngest siblings play a LOT of soccer. My sister Monica plays indoor and outdoor soccer and played competitively until her 10th concussion. I am in complete AWE of her now! 

Here's our little team. I enjoy playing with these ladies and am so glad for the experience:)

Back in the ER...

I'm beginning to think that I might start bubble-wrapping Corey! He's just so active that he's always getting hurt. May 2nd was one of those days...

The kids had school off and it was a Monday. We'd had a good day around home and Ashlyn had a friend over. I had just taken the laundry upstairs to put it away when I heard Corey scream. You know how sometimes a scream is just different? It's a noise that tells a Mom that her child is really hurt, and that's how it was. Corey ran upstairs and when I looked at him, there was a lot of blood. I couldn't even tell where it was coming from, but his mouth and face were all bloody. I noticed blood was gushing from his chin and that's when I saw he'd split his chin open. He'd also bit his lip in 2 places. 

I called Dan and Corey and I headed to the same Emergency Room we'd been to 3 weeks earlier when Dan dislocated his finger! It turns out that Corey had our bird on a perch that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Corey was bouncing up and down and talking to the bird and Corey had bonked his chin on the counter! He was a champ when the doctor stitched his chin closed with 5 stitches. The cut was all the way down to the bone, but thankfully, it's healed nicely. I even took the stitches out by myself. 

So, we're hoping that our bad luck doesn't run in 3's, as they say (especially now that I'm playing soccer)! We've certainly had our fill of ERs and have now met our insurance deductible for the year. 

Claire's preschool...

This week was our last week of preschool for Claire. We've been so blessed to be able to do a co-op preschool with 3 friends from church this year. It's been a wonderful experience for Claire and I have absolutely loved teaching and getting to know Claire's friends better. We are planning to do it again next year using the Mother Goose program. Claire looks forward to preschool so much that she asks me nearly every morning, "Do I have preschool today?" In the picture above, we learned about Zoos and zebras for the letter "Z" and the girls played Zookeeper!

Claire has made a lot of progress lately. She still loves LEGOs and dinosaurs and now loves drawing and coloring. Her drawings are really taking shape lately and I love seeing the world through her art...

This is her drawing of a lion!

April 29th: Reflections on the Royal Wedding

 Yes, I admit it... I love fairy tales, princesses in beautiful dresses, handsome and chivalrous princes and happy endings. I have probably seen way too many Disney movies and true love is just in my blood, but I was SO excited to watch the wedding of William and Catherine in England on April 29th, 2011. I wanted to see Kate's dress, to watch the crowds outside Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace waving their Union Jacks, and to see the happy couple kiss on the balcony. I was cheering for them and I wanted to see the fairytale, from the comfort of my living room:)

In addition to my fascination of the royals, Dan & I do both have a fondness for England. Dan served a mission in London and I studied abroad at Cambridge. We went back to visit the UK 12 years ago and I'd love to go again someday. Dan, in fact, just laughs at my interest in this wedding. He thinks the Monarchy is a bunch of malarchy:) Well, the royal wedding did not disappoint me. Both the bride and groom looked amazing and happy and seem to genuinely love each other. 

I've been to Westminster Abbey 3 times, but I've never seen it look so incredible. The trees indoors make it look less huge and cold. Really beautiful...

Now, this picture (below) couldn't have been staged more perfectly if they'd tried! How adorable is the little flower girl covering her ears to block out the noise of the crowd? 

So, if you think that England and America must be very similar because we both speak {somewhat} the same language, take a peek at some of the hats worn by the wedding guests. We have the Kentucky Derby, but wearing a hat there is still very tongue-in-cheek. NO, these women take their hats seriously...

Speaking of hats, it seems the winners for the most hat buzz are Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. I helped with a baby shower the week after the wedding and some of the ladies were passing around a Facebook picture comparing Will and Kate to The Prince and Cinderella and the Princesses B & E to the stepsisters. Of course, it's been photoshopped to match the colors of their clothing and hair, but... ouch!

England's Telegraph online took it even further when they posted this {Photoshopped} picture with the lead, "The hat the rocked and shocked the world." This is the picture of the Situation Room at the White House during the capture of Osama Bin Laden. You may never be able to look at President Obama the same again...

At the end of this week, the hat was auctioned off on eBay for more than $130,000, with proceeds going to charity. Props to Beatrice for using that 15 minutes of fame for good!

So, the prince and his princess rode off into the sunset in a 1969 Aston Martin that's powered by wine, no less (the car, not the newlyweds). I loved watching their fairytale wedding, but I'm happy with my real one... 15 years next month!  

I snapped this picture in the grocery store with my cell phone. Guess I'm not the only one who loves a good wedding...

*Pictures from People.com

Easter: 2011

I love Easter, especially when it comes with Spring weather, tulips and new green grass, buds and leaves. It's amazing to watch everything turn from yellow or brown to bright and green in a matter of weeks. This year Ashlyn's friend Kaylee helped us dye Easter eggs. I always love how involved Dan is in the whole process! This year we had a foil egg kit. Dan had perfected the technique and all the kids wanted his expertise. I served dessert and took pictures:)

Claire was in a very silly mood that night!

The day before Easter, I took Corey & Claire to an Easter Egg hunt at The Butterfly Pavilion. (Ashlyn had a volleyball clinic that morning) They braved the chilly weather to hunt for a few eggs and to get their picture taken with the Grasshopper (who did you expect, the Easter Bunny?) Then we went inside to do some crafts and see the butterflies. 

Easter morning is one of my favorite times of the year! Claire was so excited to find her basket. That Easter Bunny was tricky this year, because it took the kids a long time to find their baskets and eggs! 

Right after church, we took some pictures of everyone in our backyard. It was still chilly, but at least it wasn't raining!

For Easter dinner, we were so glad to have Dan's sister Christa join us. Ashlyn LOVED playing piano with her as I finished getting dinner ready. I am so happy we live near Christa now so we can get to know her better!

I couldn't help thinking that Ken had Easter dinner with us last year. I thought about him all day on Easter and how I'm so grateful for Christ's atonement so that families can be forever. It gives me hope...