Goal!

This weekend we headed out of town to Kirsten's soccer tournament.

Our "room" was way more than we expected. We basically stayed in a house. That happened to be on the water. This was our view Saturday morning.

We had a playground right out back, featuring Brendan's favorite:  the swing.

 Kirsten played three games in one weekend. And she plays full games. I have no idea how she has the stamina. But then, I wouldn't know how. You don't have to know me very well to know that I don't do sports.

I was wishing I had a zoom lens. I had to take what I could get when they played on our end of the field.

During the first game, she scored her team's only goal.

This is one of my favorites. The girl is not afraid to go after the ball. I wish I had gotten a shot of her when she shoved another girl down. And then looked around to see if anyone noticed.

Needless to say, I was exhausted simply from watching. Oh, and I was exhausted from trying to keep an eye on this.....

and entertaining this.....

I had to try to pay attention to what was going on during the game, and watch Makayla doing cheers.



And of course I made time for pictures of the little cutie.

While the team practiced we took Brendan and Makayla to the playground.

Our intention was to let Makayla slide down the slide, while holding Brendan on her lap. Little did we know, she thought he could go down by himself.

And there he went. Luckily, neither of them got hurt.

And this time she got it right.

Our weekends with the girls right now are bittersweet. We are trying to soak up every minute that we have with them. Our days here are numbered. The two of them are nothing, if not entertaining, and we had a fantastic time with them. There's just something about being "on vacation" that makes people act better. Even if it is a mini vacation.

Here are just a couple more highlights.

Makayla was a huge help keeping him entertained. He loves her. He loves to watch her and she can always make him smile.

I spy some good looking legs in the background.

And to say that she loves him back would be a complete understatement.

She ADORES him. Tom asked her if she would take him home if she could. Without hesitation, she said yes.

I have one more week of work left. I'm definitely ready to get it done. Only one more week until I can stay home with this guy. Can't wait.

No More Baby Tub

The Big 4-0

Tom turned 40 on Friday. We know, he doesn't look it.

 Some highlights from his special day....

I stuck this sign in our yard Friday morning while he was in the shower. He saw it as we pulled out of the driveway.

Last year I managed to sneak into his office to put up a Happy Birthday banner and some balloons. This year, however, we are down to one car in anticipation of our big move, and it is VERY difficult to sneak and do anything. So, I enlisted some help from two ladies at Tom's work. They did an outstanding job.

I surprised him and took him to KFC for lunch on his birthday. Yes, for him, KFC was a treat. Long story.... Anyway, he was surprised with an Oreo ice cream cake when we got back. He is not much of a cake eater so an ice cream cake was perfect.

And when he got home, he got to open his presents.

This was Daddy's favorite card. I told daycare that it was Brendan's dad's birthday and asked if they would make something with his handprints. Daddy loved it. 

These are Lindor truffles, and they are our favorite chocolates. I bought Tom a bag of them for his Christmas stocking last year and he made a joke that I bought them for myself. He had never had them before. He ate his first one and could not believe how good they are. If you have never had them, go buy some now. You won't be sorry. Or maybe you will, if you're like us and have a problem stopping at just one.

These two are always in the middle of everything.

We were both so full from lunch and cake that we didn't want to go out for a big dinner. We ended up running out to rent a movie and stopped in our favorite Mexican restaurant. It's small, service is always quick, and you can order just a taco if that's all you want. Well, after we ate, Tom asked me to hand Brendan to him. As I was pulling him out of his seat, my arm hit a big glass of iced water. And knocked it right into my lap. FAIL.

I know nobody reads this blog to see pictures of Tom and the cats. I'm sure my sister, especially, is ready for me to get to the good stuff. And here he is. In all his glory.

He has been SO happy since he got the tubes in his ears. What a difference. Last night was the first night all week that he woke up during the night. And even that was just long enough to get a small bottle and he went right back to sleep. He had been falling asleep holding onto his little ear. Not anymore. And this morning? He fell asleep in my lap. He was dead asleep and LAUGHED out loud. How precious.

This kid LOVES to get the remote in his hands.

So Tom said that his best birthday gift was getting Brendan's ears fixed. We are both so happy that he is feeling better. And his next best gift? Finding out Friday that all three kids will get to trick-or-treat together. Brendan is going to be a tiger. We're so excited.

Happy birthday to the best husband ever. I love you so much, and I'm so excited to begin our new adventure together!