Good Soccer Weekend

We ended this weekend 3-0 for our various soccer games. It was very exciting! JADs team is playing up a year (during the outdoor season they are a U13 team, but for indoor we are playing U14) and they played an excellent game last night. With the opposing teams being usually a year older than the majority of our boys, they are usually taller and bigger than most of our team. JADs team, however, has some real talent on it and they have jelled together very well over the last 5 months. They played against a rival club team and beat them 3-2 (yes!) with JAD scoring the winning goal.
JED had an early game this morning and his team, made up of mostly young 8 year olds, beat the opposing team 3-2 as well. JEDs team plays in the U10 league, so teams can be made up of anyone from 7 - 10 years of age; that's a huge gap considering development at this time!
CEDs game rounded out the weekend with a cool 13-2 win. Every girl on the team, with the exception of our well-played goalkeeper, scored a goal. It was very exciting to see these girls start to play the way the parents know they can play and this win will hopefully really boost their self-confidence as soccer players. I'm proud of all my kids - they played excellent games this weekend!

Not Much to Say

There's not much new going on in my life other than my crazy schedule - you've all seen it. I go to work, come home, shlep my children to their various places, come home, do laundry, work, and go to bed, then start all over again the next day. I don't particularly care for my job (at all), so that can make life a little less 'sparkly' for me. I've been sitting and looking at my blog over the last couple of days thinking 'what should I write about?' The answer? I got nothin'. We go to soccer games and soccer practice. I take MED to and from the conservatory. This week we start the crazy schedule with four pageant performances. It all just seems so routine - almost humdrum.

My life was put into perspective tonight, however. A friend, who's son plays soccer with JAD and JAD is pretty close to, told me tonight that her husband has colon cancer. And not just colon cancer. Stage 4 colon cancer. I really didn't know what to say to her. I love her and her family dearly. These are some of the absolute nicest people you will ever meet. They will bend over backwards and then some to help you out. To hear that they were hit with this just makes you say 'why?' All I can do is pray for them, offer support I know they won't necessarily take, offer a shoulder to cry on and I just don't feel like it's enough. I'm just speechless. This week is their 19th wedding anniversary and her husband's birthday, which is now going to be clouded with this news. I wish I could understand why this happens to people - especially good ones!

Preceding all this was news that my neighbor, only in her early 50s and mom to a 10 year old - a good friend of CED, had a stroke about a week ago. She's grateful, oh-so-very-grateful, that she's alive and has full use of her left side. However, she will never regain feeling on the left side of her body. She has to learn to live with the pins and needles numbness that annoys us all when our foot falls asleep for the rest of her life. Again, another good person who goes out of her way to help others stricken by something serious. Again, speechless.

So, my schedule, as hectic as it may seem, doesn't seem so bad now. I'm healthy. K is healthy. We can get our kids where they need to be without issue. Perspective is all it took.

My Upcoming Schedule

I started thinking today of the next week and a half - mainly because that means that I have two GLORIOUS weeks off school. And then I remembered all that I have coming up between now and then. Here's a synopsis:

Wednesday, December 8:
MED to Conservatory from 4:15 to 6:00 (with a 20 minute commute time either way)

Thursday, December 9:
indoor soccer practice from 5:15 - 8:30 (fortunately at my school so I can feel like I'm accomplishing something, sort of)

Friday, December 10:
Possible sleepover for CED's birthday
*Updated to add: Actual sleepover begins at 6

Saturday, December 11:
MED Christmas pageant practice at Conservatory from 4:00 - 5:00
JAD soccer game at 6:10 pm

Sunday, December 12:
JED soccer game at 6:55 am
CED soccer game at 12:55 pm
MED Christmas pageant from 2:00 - 4:30

Tuesday, December 14:
MED pageant practice at Conservatory from 4:30 - 6:00
CED music program at school from 6:00 - 6:30

Wednesday, December 15:
MED pageant practice at Conservatory from 4:30 - 6:00

Thursday, December 16:
MED Christmas pageant performance from 6:00 - 8:30
indoor soccer practice from 5:15 - 8:30

Friday, December 17:
CED's birthday
MED Christmas pageant performance from 6:00 - 8:30 in Woodland Park (about a 35 - 40 minute drive into the mountains)
8:00ish - K's dad arrives

Saturday, December 18
MED Christmas pageant performance from 2:00 - 4:30

Sunday, December 19
CED soccer game at 11:25
JAD soccer game at 1:40

Monday, December 20
CED soccer game at 10:40
JAD soccer game at 1:40

Tuesday, December 21
CED soccer game at 9:10

And then Christmas... Don't be a hater of my fanTABulous schedule! Happy Holidays!

Christmas is Coming

I've finally started pulling out the boxes of Christmas decorations. Yes, I know that it's already December 6. I've just been so busy, and sick, and overwhelmed with other goings-on that I just haven't gotten around to it yet. However, yesterday I began dragging out the boxes and strategically placing Christmas decor around the house. In my opinion, the more lights, the prettier, and for some reason I really LOVE white lights. This year, though, I put green lights on the mantel and I'm LOVING them. I also set up my Christmas village (Department 56 North Pole set). I haven't put it out in so long, it was like discovering something completely new all over again. CED helped me put it up and she seems to really like all the houses and the scene that they put together. It's easily been 5 Christmases since this village has been up; our house in Wisconsin just didn't have the space for it and I've just made excuses for why I can't/shouldn't put it up here. I'm still terrified that one of the little ones will end up pulling it off the table, but I guess that's a gamble I'll have to take. Hopefully we'll get the tree up tomorrow night. We'll see.... we'll see.

She's an Individual, Alright

This is MAD. Yes, she dresses herself when she can. She went to soccer in this outfit this weekend, sans wig, but instead with movie star sunglasses and a pink sequined diva hat. She wore the sunglasses the entire game. Which is inside. She has absolutely no inhibitions. I'm jealous of her freedom. Usually. But I certainly applaud her individuality!

First

First fire of the season. What's better than sitting around a warm, crackling fire with your family?

Braces, Part Deux

Today JAD had his expander removed and lower braces put on. He has been looking forward to this day for a while. Not to get his braces on, but to have the expander removed. He says that he feels like there's a lot more space in his mouth. Even more creepy, he wanted to KEEP the expander. Why? Because he can. And who wants to keep it? MED. Double ew! But, JAD is back at the beginning with the pain in his mouth. I'm sure it will subside in a day or so, but until then my food bill stays lower!