Picture Updates

It's been awhile since I've posted pictures here, so I thought I'd add a few recent ones. Most of the shots I've been taking have been of Nate and Ben's soccer games. Sadly, the kids are moving around so much, I've had a tough time getting decent shots.

See, this one of Nate would have been great..

had it been clear. Humph.

Oh, well. I'll just settle for the shots that do turn out okay...

despite the funny faces and all. :)

Here's Ben being goalie...


and throwing in the ball...


and running alongside a classmate/opponent.


The boys really have done well in soccer this year. They are running fast and hard, despite having "bumped up" a level and now having a much bigger playing field. They've each had a chance to score a few goals, although have been frustrated a few times with some of the older kids who also are much bigger than they are. In a sport where it's hard not to push or be pushed around while you're going for the ball, Nate and Ben don't have much of a chance against some of those big kids. But it was a good year for them. They love it and look forward to each game and practice. Their last game is this Saturday, so the end of this season is fast approaching.

We have had some gorgeous weather over here lately, so we've been enjoying it while it lasts. Here's Kurt taking advantage of some down time.


And Karis and her neighbor/friend Abby having fun on the swings. They tied the two swings together with a jump rope and were having a ball together.



Woohoo!
Here we go!

And as you can see in the picture, Karis is just wearing socks. I seriously don't know how many pair she has ruined. We have reminded her and reminded her to not wear just socks out to play. She needs to be either barefoot or wearing shoes. Pretty soon she won't have any decent socks left to wear. Maybe if she doesn't have any to wear, she'll learn her lesson. ?? Who knows.

Another activity that the boys have been doing on these nice days is play football. I've posted about that already - their "coach", the neighbor boy, who has been teaching them the plays, the practices and mini games, etc. It's quite a hoot! Well, they took a bit of a break from it these past couple of weeks, but then the other day "Coach Dalton" came over again. So now they're back at it. I was able to snap a few shots during their last "practice". Now the kids knew I was going to take some pictures, so Dalton thought it would be helpful if the boys posed so I could get a good, clear picture. Let's see what you think...

Posed...


Not posed...


Posed...


Not posed...


I think it's quite hilarious. I much prefer the non-posed shots. Oh, well. Now I know that my boys can't pull off truly "posed" shots. Ha!

So, they each practiced kicking and receiving on this particular day. After they each had a chance to try, they huddled to go over the progress.


Then back to some more playing. Here's my favorite shot of the afternoon.

Looks like they're having fun, huh?

Now on to the final category of pictures. The Pumpkin Patch! One afternoon this past week I took the kids to our local pumpkin patch so they could pick out their pumpkins, and so that I could choose a bunch, too, to use for decorating outside. Now this pumpkin patch is just a small town, come get your pumpkins kind of place. No games or rides or anything like that. (We're hoping to do the "full fledged" pumpkin patch adventure later this month.) But for now, just picking out some pumpkins was good enough. :) The kids had a blast! When they found out we were going, they were nearly beside themselves with excitement. Yes, all we were doing was picking out pumpkins, but to them, it was seriously the highlight of their week. Which is great! I love uncomplicated and wholesome entertainment. :)

So, here they are just after we got there. They didn't know where to start, there were so many pumpkins!


Karis was the first to find one. Here's her little "baby"...


Then Nate saw this funny shaped gourd and asked if I could take his picture with it. I didn't buy this silly thing - just way too big and expensive for my decorating tastes. :)


Then Ben found his...

which proved to be just a tad on the heavy side. But he was able to manage it.

Then Karis kept finding more and more for "her" - just a huge pile. And she and the boys also decided to name their pumpkins. (Bet I know who came up with that idea!!) So here's Karis holding a smaller pumpkin, then putting her arm around "Spencer"...


Finally Nate found his - and I can't remember the name. Jack, maybe?


Regardless of the names, it was a fun time for everyone. And I enjoyed putting up my hay bales and pumpkins and getting the outside entrances all decked-out for Fall.

It's just a great time of year! :)