I Am One

Ari is 1 today. I can hardly believe it. I love this girl to death. She is quick to smile, quick to laugh, and such a joy!

If Ari could talk, I think she'd describe herself like this:

• I love the stairs. Anytime Mom has her back turned, I run (or hurriedly waddle) to the stairs. When Mom catches me, I give her my guilty smile and shake my head "no, no, no".
• I love to suck on apple cores. Then when I'm done with them, I hide them for my friends to find later. Halle wasn't too happy to find an old apple core in her soccer cleat. I thought she'd like the surprise better.
• Music with a good beat is my favorite. The opening music to Modern Family makes me dance happily. I like to bounce, clap, and turn around to the music.
• I love water! Dumping things in water is the best. When Zach and Halle are taking baths, I like to find things to throw in their bath water - clean clothes, toys, and even TV remotes if Dad isn't watching.
• I am a good eater and like most foods. However, if Mom puts broccoli or peas on my plate, I will immediately throw them on the floor. Not good!
• I like giving open-mouth kisses, drinking out of cups, reading books, waving, jumping on the tramp, dogs, being outside, and eating rocks.

Playing Ball

Look at this stud! He looks like a real baseball player!

We've been busy the last couple months with evening soccer and baseball games. I've loved it! Nothing makes me happier than watching my kids play sports. I try really hard to be like the other moms and keep quiet, but I've got too much of my dad in me for that. I'm that loud mom that likes to cheer and shout pointers out throughout the game. Zach's a good sport and mostly ignores me.

Zach's a great little baseball player and has enjoyed playing Coach Pitch this season. His favorite position to play is pitcher because he gets the ball so often. He is good at that position because he is always aware of where the ball should be thrown. When he makes a good play, he always looks for me on the sidelines and either gives me a nod of the head or a thumbs up.

Zach surprised me this season with how fast he is. In Tee Ball, he would jog to the bases because nobody gets out in Tee Ball and he didn't want to waste the energy - smart kid. But in Coach Pitch, he sprints to the bases.

This last picture cracks me up. I was taking pictures and yelled to him, "Act like your ready to play baseball!" This is the pose that he gave me.

I Wanna Grow Up

Ari watching the big kids play out the window.

Toilet Water

I think Ari has a 6th sense - the Bathroom-Door-Is-Open-So-I-Must-Put-Toys-In-The-Toilet sense.

Ari likes to un-organize. Books on a shelf? Nah. Let’s put those on the floor. House decorations? No way. Let’s put the basket on my head, make funny faces in the glass bowl, and wiggle my bottom in other bowl. Bedroom picked up? I don’t think so. I will dump out my toys, litter books about my room, and try to pull dirty diapers out of the garbage can. Ari has heard the word ‘no’ a few times the last couple days.

Yesterday I caught her trying to pull decorative balls out of a vase. When she saw me looking at her, she knew she’d been found out and started shaking her head – like she knew the no, no, no’s were going to come out of my mouth. The funny thing was I didn’t even know she knew how to shake her head. Apparently, monkey see, monkey do.

Rapunzel Party

Rapunzel came to visit for Halle's birthday party on Saturday. Halle loved her but told me she wasn't the real Rapunzel. Can you see what she saw? Halle told me this Rapunzel wasn't the real one because she didn't have green eyes. You can tell we're into princesses at our house. It reminded me of when my father dressed up as Santa and I knew it was just Dad in a Santa suit because Dad and "Santa" both had a sore on their lip in the exact same place. Kids are smart like that. Halle wasn't going to get tricked into believing this was Rapunzel when she clearly did not have green eyes.

The party was a success. I should have handed Excedrin out to my adult helpers after the party was over, but besides that, the party went off without a hitch.

 

Playing games:

My favorite picture of the day - I can't look at it without laughing:

 

Rapunzel visit:

 

Cupcakes:

 

 

And opening presents:

 

 

Princess and knight party complete. Check.

Soccer

Tiny Tots soccer may be the most entertaining thing on earth. Seriously, I cannot get enough. Halle is playing soccer for the first time this season and I love watching her games. There are the kids that cry for Mom during the game, the kids that take their arms our of their shirt holes and run around armless, the kids who dance, the kids who pick the grass and throw it at unexpecting children, oh and the one kid who commentated on the game as he lazily stood by his team's goal - "I'm just going to stay here. It looks like they've got it under control".

I thought Halle was going to be the child who cried the entire game, but she loves it. She runs around with a grin plastered to her face. Last Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa Allan, Aunt Chelle, Eve, and Savannah came to watch her game and she had so much fun running around at the field smiling at her fans and waving. Halle does have some skills though scoring 3 goals her first game and 1 the last game. This girl loves soccer!!

**Note: Bless those soccer coaches. Trying to teach 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds soccer is liking herding cats.

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