Soccer Season Begins...

Abigail is playing soccer this fall and has played in two games now. She seems to really enjoy though it didn't look good at the start. At her first practice a week and a half ago she didn't really get into it and complained that soccer was boring. I told her she was just having a bad attitude but she didn't believe me. Her first game followed that Saturday. She ran all over the place and scored her first goal and had a great time. After practice this week she told me, "You know, Dad, I guess was just having a bad attitude. Soccer is fun!"

Abigail's team, called "Freedom", consists of girls from Lakeland Hills Elementary in kindergarten and first grade.

Soccer is certainly more entertaining than t-ball to watch. The kids seem to get some great exercise while in t-ball they just stand there. This week we arrived at practice a little earlier than the other girls so Carly, Abigail, and I were able to get some good practice in. We ran back and forth and the girls kicked the ball up and down the field. I had a great time running around. I actually felt like I could dribble the ball around pretty well but that might just be because I was trying to keep the ball away from a 3 and 5 year old. I played soccer for 6 or 7 years when I was a kid and scored only two goals and one of the two was for the opposing team, so needless to say, I was playing for fun as I was definitely not the best player on the field.

Puyallup Fair

Going to the fair is becoming an annual tradition for the Fletcher family. Most of the time it is the Puyallup Fair but we have also gone to the King County Fair in Enumclaw. We usually go with my parents and I take a day off from work so we can avoid the weekend crowds. We like to come home with some goodies and a full stomach. We used to spend a lot of time sampling the food from the Vitamixer stand but since we bought one at Costco we are no longer so intrigued. In years past we have bought our fair share of scones but as my dad and I are watching our portions we decided to limit ourselves which required some self control as they were sure good. We made our typical stop at the free chocolate milk stand with many return trips. This year we chose a Monday and it was a rainy day. We had to buy ponchos to keep dry and found a great way to protect the stroller from the rain.

We bought the kids some new rain gear for our predicted rainy winter which Carly loved toting around the fair. Now the trick will be to teach the kids that we don't need umbrellas in the house or when it is slightly drizzling and it would take more time to open the umbrella than actually walk to whereever we are going.

My dad had not yet been fitted for his new shoes so I got to push him around in a wheelchair while Holly pushed Jason in the stroller. Thankfully Jason was his usual self and slept a lot.

Carly loved the rides as we knew she would. We missed taking Abigail as we decided not to have her miss her second day of Kindergarden.

We look forward to many more fun days at the fair (minus the rain!)

Swim Clips

I've finally gotten around to figuring out how to post video clips. These were taken last month on the girls last day of swim lessons. They both learned so much this year. With this being Carly's first year swimming I'm amazed how well she did, my three year old can now swim as well as me.

Justin and the girls went swimming yesterday and Carly is quite fearless. We really have to keep an eye on that one!

One Lucky Guy

I took this picture two weeks ago and thought it was so sweet. Abigail was perfectly content holding him until he woke up. Jason is very lucky to have two big sisters that absolutely adore him. I too am completely taken by him… who could resist cuddling this little guy??

Our Happy Little Guy

100 Things About Me

I’ve really enjoyed reading these lists from others and thought I’d break out of my shell (see #44) and make a list of my own. It was actually a lot of fun so if you haven’t made your list, give it a try.

1. I HATE being hot – making Seattle an ideal place to live
2. I can’t swim yet I’m a certified scuba diver
3. I’ve touched a shark… actually the shark touched me
4. I’ve been going gray since high school (thanks mom)
5. I can’t dance
6. I’ve been saving the proof of purchase from Kraft macaroni and cheese since I was a child (in my defense it started because you could send them in for cool free stuff, now it’s just a habit)
7. I love to scrapbook
8. I’m not a kid person (except my own of course)
9. The summer before my senior year of high school I was a nanny to five children, (including two year old twins, and a baby) every day, eleven hours each day… probably resulting in my not being a kid person
10. We collect the annual Swarovski Christmas snowflakes (the only year we are missing is 1999 – the year we were married)
11. I dread straightening/blow drying my hair
12. I have three amazing children
13. My favorite subject was math, least favorite history
14. I love clean, unwrinkled sheets
15. I love to sleep in and need at least eight hours of sleep each day
16. I am not a morning person – don’t call me before 9 am
17. I am allergic to exercise – honestly, Google it... it’s true
18. I need dessert every day, usually something chocolate
19. My favorite job was working at McDonald’s in high school
20. I’m not very patient
21. I am a very frugal person
22. I can tell you exactly how much we’ve spent on anything for the past eight years – not a dollar goes unaccounted for
23. I have a degree in accounting
24. I don’t drink water unless I’m at a restaurant, I’m a milk girl
25. I have a short memory
26. I use bag balm everyday (I think this is my Dad’s doing)
27. I’ve never had a massage – although I’d love to indulge in a day at a swanky spa (hint, hint)
28. I am usually on time, even with 3 kids I still get to church, on my own, at least ten minutes early – and we have the 9 am time
29. I expect a lot from my kids (and my husband)
30. I love to eat out
31. I don’t like cooking (baking is another story)
32. I have a very low tolerance for pain
33. I strongly believe in epidurals and any other means of pain relief
34. I sort my M&M’s by color, and then eat them in order, making sure to keep them all in balance (also applies to skittles, smarties, etc…)
35. I walk quickly
36. My knees make a squeaking/crackling sound every time I go down the stairs
37. I have a really hard time making decisions
38. I don’t eat fish or meat (only occasionally chicken or turkey)
39. I love watching movies
40. I never fall asleep while watching TV or a movie
41. I have a hard time falling asleep in general
42. I can’t imagine life without our DVR – commercial free is the best!
43. I love the founder’s favorite at Cold Stone (sweet cream ice-cream, fudge, caramel, pecans, and brownie) Yummy!
44. I’m a private person
45. I enjoy spending an entire day at home
46. My favorite music is still 80’s rock (favorites include: Def Leppard, Poison, and Bon Jovi
47. I love to travel
48. I’ve been to 17 countries
49. I get cold sores if I get too stressed out or don’t use bag balm (see #26)
50. I’ve never mowed the lawn
51. I’ve lived in Utah, Idaho, and Washington
52. I’ve left an unstylish, broken, homemade clock on my mantel for well over a year... will someone please come throw that thing away?
53. I return a lot of what I purchase (results from #21 and #37)
54. I love watching HGTV
55. I have a bright red washer and dryer – the amount of stress this purchase caused me was ridiculous
56. I’m not good at decorating (I have fake trees, a toilet rug, and vertical blinds!) Oh, and you can’t forget #52
57. I’m still in search of a great pair of jeans
58. I had lasik surgery over 2 years ago – worth every cent!
59. I’m a city girl
60. I love playing games (unless they are made to humiliate you – in that case I enjoy watching games)
61. I’m horrible at spelling
62. I’m a fabulous secret keeper
63. I hate giving talks
64. I love have a night out with the girls
65. I don’t like road trips, I’d much rather fly
66. My nickname growing up was “hippo” – thankfully I wasn’t overweight
67. I’ve been married for 8 ½ years
68. I eat a lot of Top Ramen and peanut butter Captain Crunch when I’m pregnant – they seem to stay down the best
69. I love driving a stick shift
70. I am dependable
71. I love my back yard
72. I have scoliosis
73. I joined a book club a few years ago – it’s forced me to finally start to enjoy reading
74. Favorite Chinese: P.F. Changs
75. Favorite Mexican: Chevy’s
76. Favorite Steakhouse: Outback (gotta get the cheesy fries)
77. Favorite Italian: Macaroni Grill
78. Favorite Fast Food: Taco Bell – cheesy bean and rice burritos
79. In junior high I was called “poodle bangs” – you can imagine why
80. Never got lower than an A- in college until I married Justin
81. Worked as a tax accountant for a year and a half before motherhood
82. I love being a mom
83. I don’t like shopping at yard sales
84. I find shopping in huge discount stores like Burlington Coat Factory or Nordstrom Rack completely overwhelming
85. I am a coupon queen
86. I don’t know how to play to football
87. I haven’t ridden a bike for a least 10 years
88. I am learning how to knit
89. I lived in the same house my entire childhood (since age one)
90. I was married in the Salt Lake City Temple
91. I don’t like long meetings
92. I love getting Christmas cards, especially if it includes a family letter
93. One of my biggest pet peeves – nail biting (who could possible do this?)
94. I don’t like leaving my windows open
95. My house is usually a disaster zone
96. I love orange juice
97. I don’t have a middle name
98. I am very independent
99. I love traditions, although we haven’t started many of our own
100. I don’t like being scared – no scary movies, haunted houses, or crime shows on TV

The wait is over!

It was the first day of school, exactly three years ago; the girls and I were taking an afternoon walk around the block. As we walked by the Gibbs house, Aaron, one of Abigail’s friends, was outside waiting for his school bus to come pick him up for pre-school. We waited as Abigail watched Aaron get on his little bus and head off for school. When we got to our house another friend was waiting for her bus to take her to her very first day of kindergarten. After we watched the bus drive off I started to head back into the house. Abigail remained on the sidewalk and very matter-a-factly said “I’m going to wait here for my bus.”

It’s been a long three years of waiting, but this week Abigail finally got to get on her school bus and head off to kindergarten.

Summer comes to an end

The girls were able to take three sessions of swim lessons this summer. They had a great time and both advanced two levels. Abigail can now swim across the entire pool without stopping and Carly can swim by herself several feet. I’ll try to figure out how to post some video clips of the girls swimming over the weekend.

This was Carly’s first year and she absolutely loved it – she constantly had a smile on her face.

Abigail also played t-ball this summer. This was our first experience with organized sports – I must say the games were a bit long for me, but Abigail really enjoyed learning how to play. Today Abigail is starting soccer. We had a hard time deciding whether we wanted to get involved in soccer and commit ourselves to weeknight practices and games every Saturday, but we let Abigail decide and she really wants to learn to play. Living in the northwest I guess it’s unrealistic to pray for dry weather on game day… oh, what we do for our kids!