Soccer

We had a fantastic (albeit short - 4 weeks!) soccer season this September.

I found myself saying several times, "I love to watch them play!"

I also came to a deeper understanding of a wise phrase that I have engraved and displayed in my living room:

Do not prepare the path for the child. Rather, prepare the child for the path.

Let me just say, if could prepare the path for my children - it would be laden with soccer balls, shin guards and some great passing followed by a stellar goal! ☺

The 4th - 6th grade league was fast, exciting and fun to watch!

Hamp played great... scoring a couple of goals throughout the games, making some really great passing plays and even making some pretty sweet saves when playing goalie.

The 1st - 3rd graders where still working on several key skills in the game, but that didn't suppress their enthusiasm! As assistant coach, I got a first hand look at how excited Sam was to get in the game, move the ball down the field and once even - score a goal!

So while I can't tell them what sport to love, you better believe I did my best to tell these boys how much I loved watching them play! And I think they enjoyed it almost as much as I did...

Summer fun

In May, as school was coming to a close, people would ask me "what are you going to do this summer?" and I had already decided that my response was, "nothing. get bored."

Well to clarify, what I really meant was: "We have very few specific plans. We didn't sign up for a bunch of programming. Other than a single, big trip to see family, I hope to live day by day and see what adventure the boys come up with on their own."

And by 'bored' I really meant: "I hope to keep my children free from tv, video games and computers long enough to hear them say 'I'm bored' and then discover 5 minutes later that they created their own game in the backyard involving a couple of trucks, some army guys, a minor construction project, and the water hose!"

To help things along, we made a list at the beginning of the summer - not to try to structure our adventure, but just as a guideline of things we might like to do! - and when I looked at it the other day, I realized that we did a pretty darn good job of doing fun things and filling our lazy summer days with plenty of activity!

an outdoor movie at the park

evidence of floating the river

the Buford Fish Fry & camping - Father's Day weekend at South Fork campground

Rockies game - we didn't make it to Denver, but Grand Junction has a minor league team now and it's just as fun!

mini- golf wasn't on the list... but it was a bonus activity!

bowling!

a day at the wave pool with friends!

complete the triathalon - Hamp didn't make it to his... but I did! ☺

hiking to the top of China Wall - the boys and I made it (almost) to the very top...
it was hot, they were tired but we were pretty proud and the view was awesome!

concert on the lawn - another of my favorite summer activities!
Hamp got out front & center to dance with his buddies...

another adventure not on the list: playing at the lake!

Then of course, there was the Warrior Dash in August and our backpack trip, too.

And even though we never set up our lemonade stand or went biking through the Glenwood Canyon - it's safe to say that we never went for lack of something else fun to do!

We even decided to spend the night out on the tramp one hot night right before school started! Just the boys and me, 3 sleeping bags and all the stars...

So anyway... all that being said, it worked.

We did nothing, and therefore we did everything!

And we were 'bored' - which allowed us find so much adventure right here in our backyard.

It was an awesome summer - and we've already talked about next year's list!

First week!

We made it through the first week of school... and subsequent weekend!

It was a shocking adjustment for us all, for many reasons:

• Sam is now going to school ALL DAY! ☺
• Hamp went to school, then to soccer practice, then to auditions for the school play! busy bee...
• And while Jason hasn't really had much of a vacation this summer from work, he does have several new staff members in his building that he is excited about - and nervous for!
• Finally, I am adjusting to a full day of domesticity! Don't worry, it's not too bad. ☺

In fact, I spent the majority of my first week of kids in school volunteering at the Meeker Classic! I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way... it is one of my favorite events all year long. And of course there is still plenty to do at home (including update the blog!!!) and I have some prospects on the horizon for gainful semi-employment. But in the meantime I plan to post more pictures, hike with the dog, bake yummy snacks for the kids after school, and generally be a Donna Reed ~ Betty Crocker ~ Michelle Obama hybrid!

captured a great moment at Hamp's first soccer game last week!

the Meeker Classic!

Go Cowboys!
Nothing better than Friday night lights...