We Survived!

So, we resumed soccer today, and - surprise, surprise - I think it was a success. Annika seemed to be enjoying herself - at least for the first half. (And about half the kids were rolling around the field late in the second half, so she wasn't alone with that!) While there were no touches on the ball today, there were no tears, and I think that's a great start. As you'll see in the pictures below, she's one of the youngest and smallest playing, so I say, "Bravo, Annika!" We're very proud of her.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words (And At Least That Many Toys)

This picture sums up our day with Annika. When she went to bed, everything in her room was put away - thanks to her hardworking mom. In a little under two hours, she quietly got out virtually every toy in her closet and littered her room with them. (Here's a game: Can you find Annika in the picture?)

Our entire day with her is pretty much summed up in that picture. We took her to soccer practice (#2), and she spent pretty much the entire practice grousing about her shinguards hurting rather than actually learning how to dribble a soccer ball. I'm guessing this whole season will be more a test of our perseverance - we won't let her quit - than it will be a time for her to enjoy learning something new.

The irony in all of this is that I start teaching a parenting class at the church tomorrow. I've never felt less-equipped as a parent than I do right now. Thank you, Annika for breaking us. Ugh.

Random Pictures

Since it's been almost a month since we last posted, I thought I would just put some random pictures up from this summer. With the fall coming, our schedules really picked up the pace. (And we seem to be doing a great job ignoring the fact that another HB is going to arrive here in two months.) Annika started soccer today, so I'll try to get a couple of pictures up as soon as I get them loaded. For now, these will have to suffice.


Sam does lots of "boy" things - cars and balls especially - but he loves stealing his sister's dress up stuff and cruising the house in it.


Sam and Laila are kindred spirits. She's only 1 month older than he is, and you can tell.


Annika took a couple trips to the beach this summer. It's actually a good place to cool off when the temps hit almost 100. She even lost her legs once.


We're proud members of the Jacksonville Zoo. On this trip, we got to feed the Lorikeets. Sam thought it was interesting - some of the time.


Finally, Annika's learning how to spell. Here's one of her first efforts with Sam's name. We'll keep trying!