Look who's potty training Little E...

Thank you, dear Buddy, for showing Little E how to be a "big boy".  Little E is fascinated with Buddy in the bathroom.  Fine by me!!  We now encourage Little E to follow Buddy in to the bathroom and watch.  (Oh, the things you do as parents!)

Potty training is going really well....when we are at home. For some reason, Little E does NOT like to potty away from home. He'll use the potty at school 80% of the time. The other 20% - well, let's just say I'm doing more laundry than normal these days!

Softball Games

Here are a few pics from my phone from this summer.  The kids love going to the hubby's softball games.  Sugie cheers so loudly for her daddy.  It's so sweet. 

The boys LOVE digging in the dirt and throwing it on each other. You should see the bathtub when I get through washing them. Ick!

Team Rage

Since she's a big 8 year-old now, Sugie has moved up one level in soccer.  She plays on a bigger field, with more players on the field, and they have an actual goalie.

I had to throw in this pic - In between games, Sugie wrapped up Little E like a taco and carried him around.  They both loved it!

Sugie was thrilled to get her "1" shirt again!!  (The shirts are numbered smallest to largest, so there's a good chance that she'll always get to be #1!)

Sugie is one of the best players on her team.  She's very, very fast and loves the game.  She can kick the ball far and maintain pretty good control while dribbling down the field.  A little more aggression would help her game.

Although she's best at mid-field, Sugie likes to play goalie.  The girls aren't used to the new rules that they can pick up the ball in the goal box.  I think Sugie is scared of getting her fingers squooshed!

Even though Sugie is an awesome player, her team isn't too stellar.  So far, they've lost every game except one.  It was tie.  That's fine.  We'll take it!

Keep up the good work, Sis!

Team Galaxy

Buddy started playing soccer this fall.  He says that he only "kinda" likes it and can't wait to play baseball again in the spring!

Little E, whose favorite words are "outside play", loves going to the games!  He kicks the soccer ball, throws the baseball, and chases down the football.  He mostly loves just being thrown around in the air by the hubby or Mimi.



Buddy's team, Team Galaxy, is actually really good.  I think they've only lost one game.  Here's Buddy getting a high five from a coach!

After a slow start, Buddy has finally started going after the ball.  At first, he didn't want to get into the pile of kids because he didn't want to hurt anyone.

Now, he doesn't mind giving out a jab or two trying to gain control of the ball.

He still does stay out of the pack, but he runs to the goal or middle of the field.  He is also known for looking at the clouds and pulling his shirt up over his head.  It is our Buddy we are talking about after all!

By doing so, our Buddy has scored TWO goals so far!!  (One was on intentional; the other bounced off of his cleat into the goal.)  We were so excited for him!!!

We still think his favorite part of game time is guzzling his Gatorade, pouring water on his head, and eating his post-game popsicle!

Buddy, we are proud of you for trying out something new!!

Rainy Day Fun

Rain, rain, and more rain!  That's what we had a few weekends ago.  The kid's soccer games were rained out.  We also decided to not go to the Race for the Cure since it was so rainy.  I was really disappointed about missing the race, but it didn't make sense to drag our precious trio out in the cold and rain.

Instead, we went to Walther's Golf and Fun!!  The kids played for a long time in Monkey Mountain. 

Little E didn't really like Monkey Mountain, but he loved this red jeep!

The kids also played a few games.  I'm not sure who won this air hockey game.

Little E played a game where he collected balls in a honey pot.  He actually played this several times and was pretty good at it!

We left for lunch at the games.  The kids were too hungry for a round of putt putt.  I guess we'll save that for another rainy day!

The Hubby's Puffy Face

Do you notice the puffiness on the hubby's face, blisters, and his droopy eye?

He thought it was a reaction to a spider bite.  Nope.  My man has the shingles.  Poor guy!!  I've heard that these are terribly painful!  You couldn't tell that from the hubby, though, because he hasn't complained about it once.

The doctor's were worried about his eye, so he was sent to a specialist right away.  Turns out, his perfect vision and beautiful blue eye are a-ok, despite being all puffed up and droopy!

Buddy's 5 Year Checkup

Earlier this month, Buddy has his 5 year old checkup / Kindergarten physical.  I can't believe he is such a big boy now!!  He had to pee in a cup, which went great, and read the eye chart.

He weighs 46 pounds (75th percentile) and is 44 inches tall (50th percentile).  I had the nurse give Buddy the nasal mist flu vaccine while we were there.  He sniffed it up and then promptly sneezed it out!!  I hope enough of it stayed in his nose!

He also had to get 4 shots!!  Our little Buddy handled them like a champ.  He, of course, had a panicked look on his face with each poke, but he only had one little tear.  I felt bad for the little guy, so we stopped at his favorite donut place for a chocolate devils food donut with sprinkles (that's a must!), chocolate milk, and a cookie.  That seemed to make everything all better!!

Buddy's legs didn't look too good a few days after the shots.  One leg had a big bruise.  The other was very red and inflammed.   He's always been the kid with the weird reactions to medicines/vaccinations.

I guess my Buddy is now ready to enter the world of Kindergarten next fall!