i'm officially a soccer mom

I guess it was inevitable once we got the suv and started having more kids that I'd end up here. But, Elle and Todd really enjoy playing soccer. Originally, I thought it would be good to sign them up because Todd would like it more than gymnastics, because his favorite thing to do there is play with the balls, and he loves sports. I also thought this would be a good way for me to get some exercise while doing something with the kids. So I checked out Soccer City online and signed them up. They play on two sections of a big field next to each other so I can watch what Elle's doing while "helping" Todd in the parent/tot class. Elle has surprised me and absolutely LOVES playing! I think more than Todd most of the time. They have games and exercises that the kids do with their coach to teach them the skills, so it feels more like play time. I like that it's indoors! If you can, you should check out the facility sometime. It's pretty amazing. Chris got to go with us one afternoon so it gave me a good chance to take some pictures. For some reason Elle was the only one in her class that day.

elle and todd february 2014

Elle has been busy this month making plans. Her mind is working all the time and she has concocted lots of ideas. This included plans for the new house, cutting out pictures for different letters, and her most elaborate this month was for a sleepover. She's so sweet to Todd, loves playing with him, and is thoughtful of things he would like or letting him pick things first. She's often heard calling him sweety or baby, which makes my heart swell that they have such a close and loving relationship. I pray that the new baby has a loving spot in their little group. She did come up with a name for the baby if it's a boy. Remember it's "Fifi" for a girl, but after reminding her that it may not be a girl she decided on "Lettuce" for a boy. I have no idea why she thinks this is a good name. She's getting really good at sounding out words, and is so sharp about picking up on things! She learned to play a Mario game on the Wii, and likes to watch Doc McStuffins and Dinosaur Train this month. She's been learning to play checkers, and really wants to learn how to play chess. We stayed two nights at the new house and Elle loved it! I think she'll do well with the transition.

Todd has started talking less like a cave man and more like Stitch. I've become his interpreter for Chris. Todd decided to give up high chairs over the last month, and we took the side off his crib to make it a toddler bed. He's having a lot of trouble still sleeping through the night, but instead of throwing a fit, and getting too worked up to go back to sleep he just comes and gets one of us and we walk him back to bed. He LOVES sports! One of his favorites right now is football. He loves keeping up with Elle and talks about her the most. He's so loving to Mops as well. He had a bit of a rough transition back to school after Christmas because he lost both of his teachers, and got two new ones. Being out the last week of school for sickness then the holidays just made it that much more rough. But he's bounced back in the last week and is warming up to the new teachers. He's so active! On the go and into everything! He's learning to say his prayers, and we can make out everyone's name and "amen". He loves playing on iPad or iPod, and will try and swipe the screen on my laptop. I got to go on a date night with Todd the last night of January to our Mother/Son Rodeo. It's so special when I get times just with him. He was such a sweet and fun date!

todd, the next piano prodigy?

During our stay at Chris' parents for the holidays Todd discovered the piano. We could not keep him away from it! He would go find it by himself, climb up, and play away! He even insisted on having a song book. Maybe once we're in the new house we can arrange to get the piano for him, and he can entertain others with his music.

elle may 2013-january 2014

I wanted to catch up on what Elle has been doing since the last monthly update. She has changed so much, but it's especially noticeable as I was going back through pictures. This girl! So full of drama, but so much fun too. We love her so much it's crazy! She's still teaching us tons about how to be parents and it's a constant adventure. Elle loves her friends and family, and talks and prays about them often. We have worked on getting her to be confident in saying her prayers. She's pretty lovable when she does it, and you can't help but want to smile and cry at the same time. She loves her brother so much! I catch her saying "okay, baby?" to him when they're playing together, and I melt. They definitely have their sibling squabbles, but for the most part she's very sweet to him. And protective! She has really enjoyed Todd being at Sonshine School with her. She's doing really well in gymnastics, and recently started playing soccer. She lights up when she gets on the field. Her favorite things are doing crafts, My Little Ponies, the color pink, and watching TV or movies. She is so smart, and loves to write her letters and read. She likes to tell knock-knock jokes, and to make people smile. She's really excited about the new baby, and of course wants it to be a girl. She has decided to name it Fifi, and that she will share a room with it and Todd in our new house. She talks about it a lot, and is very concerned when she thinks I'm doing something that might hurt it. The other day she wouldn't let me jog inside to soccer when we were late because she was afraid the baby would fall out and get smashed. She cracks me up sometimes with the things she can come up!

Elle May-December 2013

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todd's 2nd birthday party

Todd's party this year was a tricycle theme because that's what he loves to do! The only day we could reschedule was to the same morning we had Christmas program practice. It actually ended up working out really well, except it was a little wild and crazy. The kids had a blast though so that's what's important!

All the kids were invited to bring a riding toy, and we set up a road inside the family center at Mayfair. It was complete with a drive-thru, drive-in movie, decoration station, gas station, auto shop, rest stop, car wash, and a home station to play with cars. Todd's cupcakes were supposed to look like a vintage tricycle wheel with an oreo and red 2 in the middle. We also had Todd's favorite cookies and some "bicycle rods and spokes" using skewers and fruit. We were so blessed to have so many people join us, especially those who came from far away, to celebrate Todd, and we truly appreciate their generosity with so many gifts!

Here's some of the fun we had:

todd is 2!

We were scheduled to have Todd's party on his birthday, but because of the snow storm we had to reschedule. We did presents and birthday pancakes in the morning. Elle was a big help getting him to open presents.

You can tell how impressed Mops was with everything.

Daddy made a special present for Todd to work on with this tools.

We couldn't just sit around another day so we decided to take the kids to Chickfila and to get our Christmas tree. The roads weren't terrible so we were able to get around ok, with Chris at the wheel. (We also closely followed the OU/OSU game while we were out!) Todd ended up falling asleep after lunch so I sat in the car with him while Chris and Elle picked out and cut down the Christmas tree this year. We finished the day by decorating the tree while watching the Baylor/Texas game. And then of course it was an even more of a celebratory day as our Bears became the Big 12 champs!

todd december 2013

Todd turned two on December 7th! I haven't been able to blog about his monthly updates, so I'll try and catch up from May (the last time I updated, yikes!). It's so hard to know what to start with, and there's so much about him that can't be summed up. He's. He's so incredibly sweet and loving, busy and adventurous, thoughtful and smart! Todd has learned to say several things, but it really wasn't until the last couple of weeks that he's really been talking. For the most part it was Elle or Momma, ball, or beep beep honk honk! Lately he's really been putting words together to make sentences. Chris was not too happy when Todd was saying Donald Duck more than Daddy, but now he's got his name down too. He loves balls, wheels, puzzles, tools, and watching Mickey and Thomas. He is such a sweet boy and really good natured…most of the time. He absolutely adores Elle, and is usually doing what she wants to do. Poor little brother! He's been found in princess shoes many times, but is also working with tools at the same time so Chris says not to worry. He loves his gymnastics and soccer practice, and of course still loves his tricycle. He likes music and dancing! I know there's so much more! It's hard to believe it's been two years since we rushed to the hospital! We have been incredibly blessed by God to have him as our little boy!

Here's a review of Todd from May-December:

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