Soccer Camp

Some friends told us about a free soccer camp that a local Lutheran church puts on for the community.  It was every day for 5 days, and all the participants were given a really cool sports water bottle, shin guards, a t-shirt and a soccer ball.  I repeat - IT WAS FREE!!!  Wow!  Max, Harry and Bennett all participated in their respective age groups.  It was a long and exhausting week, but the boys really had fun.

We had many friends participating also.  It was fun for the kids to have friends there, but maybe more fun for me, or at least more easily endured, because I also had friends there.

Bennett and his friend Jonah from church.  

One night, right before soccer camp started, Bennett and I were reading a book together.  He suddenly became so excited because he saw his friend Jonah IN THE BOOK!!!

Maybe if Jonah was an African American he would look like this.

Harrison had a great time!  He loves soccer, and is getting better and better.

Bennett loved it at first.  He was thrilled to be given a water bottle, ball, shin guards and a shirt.  The excitement of it lasted for just a little while.  After that I had to beg, bribe and plead with him to participate. 

Because it was a Lutheran soccer camp all the kids had to attend a 15 minute "lambs" lesson.  It consisted of a short bible lesson, and some songs.  The first day, when Harrison realized what was happening, he made the most hilarious/angry face at me.  He stood up and loudly whispered at me, "You tricked me!  This is not a church day!"  In his mind soccer and church shouldn't mix, apparently. 

Can you see him right in the center?  He's actually smiling!

Bennett's friends, who are brother's, were not so into listening to the lamb's lesson either.  They are our Bishop's sons which just makes this extra funny.

By the second day Bennett was done with soccer.  He picked a lot of flowers instead.

And cute little Theo had a fun time too.

I helped my friends out one day, and had her girls over, so they joined in the fun.  The organizers of the camp were so nice and let the girls play for one day, and still get all the free stuff!  It was AWESOME!  I was really happy for the girls.  They loved it!

Amelia and Harrison

Bennett and Peryn

(I love their fake cheesy grins!)

Here is a better smile from Peryn.

The youngest, Greta is kind of a monkey, and I was happy that she was content sitting in the stroller and watching all the soccer going on.

Peryn and Bennett at the Lambs Lesson singing songs together.  

They were SO cute!

Amelia during a scrimmage.  She seriously stopped to smile for the camera.

Max is considered an older kid, and his group played in the afternoon.  I was literally at the field all day long!

It's hard to smile for the camera when the sun is so bright.

Max and Harrison

Brothers and friends.

On the last day I could not find Bennett's shirt anywhere!  He was pretty much done with the week, but I convinced him to at least participate in the stretches.

It took Lily to sit and keep him focused.

I got these two videos of Bennett doing his best during warm-ups on the last day.  

It is harder to bunny hop than you think.  Is it OK that I was laughing at my son's inability to hop like a bunny?  Is it OK that I was bribing him with cookies to participate in a free soccer camp?

After stretching he needed a chair and some water.  He was done for the day.  He was ready to pick more flowers, and play with his friends.

What a surprise...or not.  Bennett refusing to stand and participate.

And of course he has a flower in his hand.

His flower needed a drink.

One of the little boys started to pile soccer balls, one by one, on my friend Emily.  Two of the little boys are hers.  You can tell she is a mom of 5 kids.  She was really good at holding on to and managing all those balls.

On the last day there was barbecue lunch for FREE sponsored by the fire department.  Fire fighters came out and grilled for all the soccer players and their parents.  It was awesome!

Brother Time

It is really fun doing what I get to do.  Witnessing what I get to witness on a daily basis.  Watching little boys grow up, and developing a strong brotherly bond.  This post is dedicated to them.  

On a Sunday afternoon.  I was trying to take a nap.  It didn't work.  It turned into a "selfie" session.

Bennett loves Theo a lot, but he really adores his little 9 month old cousin Norah, whom he's never even met in person.

Yesterday morning I was laying in bed with Bennett in the morning.  Max brought Theo into us.  Bennett excitedly greeted him.  "Good morning baby!  Did you sleep good?  You are so cute! ....I love Norah."  Theo smiled at him with admiration the whole time, and was not offended at all.

It's too much to have 3 little boys into the bath at once.  We usually get Theo out pretty fast, add a bit more water to the tub, and then Harrison jumps in and joins Bennett.  Recently Theo has not liked this plan so much.  He wants to be in the tub with brothers playing.  We have a hard time keeping him away.

Bennett trying really hard to keep Theo in the picture with him.  It doesn't always work out.

I really love that these three all have an apron, and want to help me bake.  This usually happens on a Sunday afternoon.  Here we are making Strawberry Muffins.

  

I've posted stories and videos on here before about Harrison singing songs.  He's been singing a lot to Theo lately.  I captured this recently.  He came in as I was cuddling with Theo, and about to go lay him down.  He wanted to sing him to sleep.  I told him he could try, and he did pretty well.  Theo was actually laying down, and starting to fall asleep, until the song got a bit too up beat.  This video makes me laugh so hard every time I watch it.  

Last week Max was gone all day, every day, at cub scout day camp.  He came home one day to his eager and bored brothers.  He dressed them all up like Pirates and they ran all around the yard, house and neighborhood for an hour before dinner.  Max was the strongest, Harrison was the scariest, and Bennett was the hairiest.  

Bathing beauties.  Summertime joys!

Every now and then the brothers hurt each other.  Sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident.  On this day Bennett tripped over Theo, who was busy digging in a kitchen cupboard.  When Bennett landed on him he slammed Theo's head into the bottom edge of the cupboard.  It was so sad!  Theo had a concussion.  He started throwing up in the middle of the night.  It took him a couple of days before he was back to normal.  I was pretty freaked out.  Jason was good at monitoring the situation.  

I really love being their mom.  I have the best job ever.  Nothing is better than watching them form their personalities and relationships.  My biggest complaint is that it is going too fast.

Helping Hands

Every year on, or around September 11th is set aside as a national day of service.  I wonder how many citizen's of our country actually know this.  I don't hear much about it except at church.  Our church, which is established throughout the world, takes this National Day of Service very seriously.  Church leadership in Salt Lake City encourages all congregations to organize a service project that will benefit the communities we live in on this day.  The Service Projects are usually designed for all members in the families of a congregation to participate.  Through the years Jason and I have helped out with many of these projects.  Each one has blessed our lives and others.  

This year our Stake, which is a group of seven congregations like a Catholic Diocese, planned to collect food for local food banks.  We were asked to invite and involve our neighbors to also help gather food.  Jason and I took the bags around to our neighbors.  They all donated food.  One of our neighbors went to the grocery store and brought us about 15 bags of food.  It was very awesome, and seriously caused me to shed a few tears.  It was a thrill to gather food from our neighborhood, and then drive a van full of food to the church.  My favorite part was that my children were able to participate in this awesome project.  I was sad that Jason had to work, and didn't get to be a part of the project on the gathering day.

All Volunteers had to wear one of these.

Glenn and Max worked so very hard.

Our Stake gathered over 15,000 pounds of food!!!  It was awesome!  When the first food bank guy came to pick up he was happy and overwhelmed with how much food we had for him to pick up. 

This is just one of three locations filled with bags of food like this.  It was so awesome!

Many hands make for light work.
Do you see Max and Glenn?  They were two of the only youth there.  Max was the youngest helper.  I was very proud of them.

Harrison was bummed that I wouldn't let him do too much.  I told him that the best way for him to help was to sit on the curb.  He did NOT like that idea at all.  

Lily was helping too.  

Did I mention that it was hot?  Well it was.  After all the hard work we had to go get some Frenzi Frozen Yogurt.  YUM!