Fitness - Soccer fun

The kids love kicking balls around in the backyard. Gabe frequently talks about going back to soccer camp. So, we decided, on one of our pretty fall days, to go outside and do our fitness activities out there. I set up a little skills course for the kids to run through with the ball. They had to...

 Kick the ball under three hurdles and jump over each of them.

 Then they had to keep the ball in between two ropes on the ground

 which takes a lot of concentration not to lose control.

 and then shoot it at the goal.

Just over!

Daddy's turn

It was a really fun time. We couldn't get Ezra to join in (It was one of those days...), but I'm sure it won't be long before he wants to play, too.

Carolina Sciquarium

This has been a favorite place for us to go hang out and spend time. It provides lots of entertainment for the kids and yet it is a relaxing sort of place to hang out. The kids love every display but I would say that they spend most of their time at the Stingray exhibit trying to touch the Rays or at the large tank of the Shark Reef exhibit.

Okay, so maybe all the animals and aquarium-like exhibits took a back seat once the boys discovered this airplane. Why is it there? I don't know. But Ezra found it right away and announced that he would spend his time there. :) There is no denying what the boy likes. 

Irene - 4 months

Irene is still a little peanut. All of our kids have a growth curve that sits in the lower percentiles or even below. But, Irene takes the cake. She was born our smallest and continues to be our smallest. She is also more proportional than the others. Her head circumference is actually in the lower percentiles just like her weight and length. She is 10lbs.

 

Rolling Over!

"I'm tired of doing tricks for you!"

She knows what she wants and is very vocal about it. She really only wants to play or be alone for a short time. I guess that is what happens when you have so many siblings along with your parents to keep you entertained. We love to hear her to coo and talk to us. It is so sweet and just never gets old. (I imagine we will think differently in a few years. ;) We may or may not have thought the same way about some of her siblings. ;) )

She is a bundle of energy. She is constantly moving. She moves around like her sister Olivia did with the back of her head. There is quite a bald spot to prove it. She likes to look at things upside down. She grabs with her hands or scratches at things pretty much anytime she is awake.

 



She has very expressive eyes. She has the skeptical looks and scowls of her brother Ezra. She has a bright smile and her eyes light up and crinkly up beautifully when she is happy. She is starting to laugh more freely. She likes to "stand" supported in our laps and will lean forward and wiggle her whole body when she wants to interact. It makes us smile and brings us great joy.

In other news, she pretty much consistently sleeps through the night and it is just wonderful! :)

Apple Picking

I took the kids up to Cana, Virginia to do some apple picking. It's great to do things like this with them because they can reach out and touch the food that they get to eat and see how it grows on the tree. We picked about half a bushel and then bought another bushel back at the stand. Looks like applesauce will be coming soon!

Afternoon Play

The boys have so much fun just kicking a ball around in the yard. Gabe went to a soccer camp last summer before he even turned 4 and he still talks about it and asks when he can go back. Gabe loves to kick the ball and score goals. Ezra, however, likes to steal the ball away. They both like to stand in the goal and play goalie. Gabe has a wonderful ability to laugh at himself when he misses the ball or falls down without getting frustrated or mad. 

Personalities

Ezra is king of grumpytown. Rebecca has taken to calling him "Grumpybear".

But it usually doesn't last long.

Random silliness

There's just something about Gabe and Emma... They have a very special relationship. Emma doesn't say many words yet. Where she just screams at Ezra when he has something she wants, Emma will actually call out Gabe's name when she sees him. Gabe can always make her laugh, even when she's been fussy. They are both sweet and silly. 

Emma is a true girl: she loves shoes!

Mudbug Run 2013

As I mentioned in the Sukkot post, we ran the Mudbug Run again this year. However, it was a very last-minute decision and so we didn't do any preparing for it. (not that I did any last year, but Rebecca had at least done some running ahead of time)

On the walk to the race, there were a few firetrucks and rescue vehicles just in case of a mishap on the course (yes, there was fire to jump over) and the boys, of course were very excited. The firefighters were so nice and immediately offered to let them climb up into the driver's seat. Ezra passed, but Gabe was all about it.

"There's a lot of buttons."

Grandma and the kids. Grandma and Grandpa volunteered to watch the kids at Hagan-Stone's awesome playground while we ran our race.

Rebecca and I before our start. Nice, clean, and in my case, fluffy.

Here's what we had to look forward to.

About 3/4 of the way through, the course ran right by the playground so we stopped and got a picture. Not too dirty, mostly from the waist down. Little did we know what the last 1/4 had for us.

Some serious mud. We literally crawled through a 100-yard long trench on our bellies. My beard was a bit heavier after that one.

If you've never done a mud run, it's a ton of fun and you don't have to be in shape for it. Well, this one at least. I'll be putting out the notice next year for anyone who wants to try one. I'd love it if we could put together a good group of folks. Let me know if you're interested and I'll keep you in the loop.