All good things must come to an end...

I made the big parenting error this semester of signing Brooklyn up for SOCCER and T-BALL!

She was excited about both, but the games for both are played on Saturdays and the games often overlapped.  Regardless, she made HUGE strides in both sports!

 This was Brooklyn's second soccer season and she has really gotten the hang of it!  She can get out in front of the ball, turn it around and get it going in the right direction.  This is a FAR CRY from last season when we called it a great day if she just went on the field without crying and ran (regardless of whether or not she was anywhere near the ball).  

In fact, this season, she even scored her VERY FIRST soccer goal and above was the picture taken just after she did it.  You can't see my face, but I think I might be smiling even bigger than she is!!  Very proud moment in light of where she started with this sport.

 This was her first season EVER playing t-ball.  She had hit a big plastic baseball of our big plastic tee, but that was about the extent of what she knew about this sport.  She had no knowledge of running the bases, different positions on the field, fielding a ground ball etc.   

 She is left-handed, but based on our backyard observations, it look like she might be a right-handed batter, so that is how she started off the year on offense.  And on defense, she started off mostly just playing in the dirt with no knowledge or care about where the ball was on the field.  The coaches just tried to put her in a spot where she wouldn't get hit by the batter's ball that she was paying no attention to.  Throughout the season, though, they taught her how to get in a ready position and how to watch the batter and ball.  Eventually she started running after the ball whereEVER it was on the field and held it in the air like a prize if she ever managed to get her hands on it, but still wasn't remembering to throw it to first.  And this is why I was SHOCKED during the last game to see what position the coaches started her at.

 I was looking all over the filed for B and DIDN'T see her and was really confused.  I asked Eddie where she was and he pointed to the pitcher's mound!!!!  I didn't even look there because that is where the older and better kids usually start because, at this age, that is where 95% of the action is.  Suddenly, I was so nervous!!

 But she did SO AWESOME!!  She stood like this for every batter...with her glove on the ground, ready to field the ball and eyes trained on the batter.  She stopped EVERY single ball, shuffling left or right and did AMAZING!  She was good about picking it up and throwing it, too...not necessarily to the right base and she didn't get any outs, but again...compared to game 1, she was a super-star!  We also switched her to batting left-handed during the season and she really hits the ball solid.  Plus, halfway thru the season, she also started remembering to run to first!  It's the little things...

 After the game, she got a trophy and a medal and can you see how proud she is of herself?  After she decided she didn't like gymnastics or tennis, we are starting to find some things that she is loving and it is so fun!

School is also over and we are so sad because we are going to miss their awesome teachers and sweet friends!

Before we went to school this last day, I wanted to get a quick pic of each girl.  This is what Chandler gave me:

 I promise...all I was telling her to do was to smile...

And finally

 

Chan is such a poser!

 B was very cooperative and her photo session was much quicker!  =)

On Brooklyn's last day, they passed out awards...

 Brooklyn got the "Skittles" award for showing a rainbow of kindness to others!

This is her last school pic before she is officially a "kindergartener"!  Tear.

Once again, I asked the girls to take one last picture together and to smile...no surprise that this is what I got:

Man, we've had a great year and been blessed with the BEST teachers that have just LOVED ON and POURED into my girls!  Chandlers teachers sent home a SCRAPBOOK with all kinds of pictures of Chandler that were taken throughout the year with cute pages and stickers!  I can't imagine the hours alone that it took to just do Chan's book...much less every student!  Such a treasure!  And B's teachers made DVDs of pictures throughout the year and sent home prints of all the ones that B was in.  I'm telling you, all of their teachers just really went above and beyond.

So Blessed!  But now it's time for some summer-time fun!!

(supposedly...but with 3 tiny kids + 100 degree heat...not real sure...but here we go!)

Gibson - 6 Months Old!

6-Months Stats

Height:  28 1/4 inches...95th%
Weight:  17.5 lbs...50th%

Head Circumference...17.5 inches...75th%

Tall and thin with perfectly soft baby skin!

If I had to pick 3 words to describe Gibson right now, they would be:

1.  Studious - 

He's constantly studying (not just watching) his hands and how they move, his feet, his environment, etc.  I think he is going to be like his Daddy and have his LOVE for learning.

2.  SMILEY -

He will smile at anyone at anytime if they happen to make eye contact or try anything to make him smile.  I LOVE this about him!!

3.  Strong - 

He is constantly grabbing things and if it happens to be the skin on my arm, I literally wince with pain.  His hands are so strong!!  His legs are pretty strong, too.  He stands very easily.  He eats in a bouncy seat and is constantly kicking his baby food out of my hands.

Those would be my top 3 words, but a close 4th would be "Sweet".  He LOVES for someone to hold his hands and is constantly giving big, wet kisses!!  He's a lover.

He's got blue eyes like his sisters and the cutest dimples I've ever season.  His hair is still too short to tell the color.  Although he has about 3 random hairs on different parts of his head that are kinda long...very strange.  The thing that people still comment on most about him, is the perfect, round shape of his head.

New Things this month:

1.  He's found his feet.

2.  He's not only found his voice, but likes figuring out the different volumes and different octaves it can do.

3.  He likes to watch the Baby channel on TV.

4.  And can sit with some assistance.  His stomach is strong enough to support himself, but his balance isn't quite there yet.  If he's not holding onto something, he falls over sideways.

 One of my favorite all-time things about a baby is when they sleep like this with their little bottoms up in the air!! 

 Gibson is still a napping champion, but still not quite sleeping thru the night...still getting up around 5 am for a feeding, then sleeping in until about 8 or 8:30.  

 What IS new, though, is that he wakes up happy and either coos or studies his hands for like 30 minutes after he wakes up.  Often I don't even know he is awake until I glance in the video monitor to see that he's rolled onto his back and his eyes are open.  And when I walk in, I get the biggest smile in the world.  Can you tell I'm a little smitten with this guy?  =)

Poor little guy is such a good sport.  I've found him in sunglasses, tiaras, headphones and more.  I usually laugh on the inside, but ask the girls not to put stuff on him for fear that he might get hurt in the process (so far he's not been injured and honestly doesn't seem to mind).  This one caused me to laugh out loud, though and I had to get a pic (sending the girls mixed messages, I know...bad mom).

 Gibson also got to meet his sweet cousins Henry and Olivia this month.  They live in Tampa, but happened to be visiting grandmas in Arkansas this month so we took advantage of that and made a trip down to meet them.  As you can see, Gibson instantly bonded with them. 

Love his sweet little hand on Olivia's knee!!

 How cozy does this look?!?  This is a nap nanny...if you are pregnant right now and haven't registered for one of these, I highly recommend it!!

I somehow don't have a picture this month of G in his carseat, so this is the next best thing.  I wanted to mention it, though, because his carseat is his favorite place on earth.  I think if I kept him in it all day long, he would be perfectly content.  If ever he is starting to get restless, I just strap him in and he calms right down.  It's crazy.  I think it makes him feel safe and secure and protected from his crazy sisters.  =)

And now a few outtakes from our photo session...

 He does have HUGE hands and calves and feet, but he is not as chunky as this next picture makes him look.  It's just the angle.

I like this next angle much better.  Seriously.  I LOVE the angle that makes their heads look bigger than their whole bodies!!

 If this next picture were Chandler, my caption would read,

"I'm Chandler, could I BE any happier???"

(Any old "FRIENDS" fans out there get it???)

 Loves his fingers

 Brooklyn was very "helpful" in getting him to laugh/smile for me.

 Studying his hands...

Mother's Day 2013

This year my Mother's Day started off with Muffins with Mom at school

 We attempted self-photos...not the absolute best, but you get the idea!

Chan made with this sweet votive candle holder...her thumbprints are the center of those little flowers!

 I LOVE Brooklyn's sweet little answers on this placemat she made me!

Gotta love it when your job is to "wear clothes" and I'm guessing we must have had tacos the night before this survey???

 Love all of the hands and arms in the picture above...can you tell whose are whose?  =)

 Chan proudly brought those beautiful roses and sweet little card for me out of her Sunday School class!  She's got some awesome teachers!!

The kids also got me a gift card for some pampering at a spa!  Pretty fabulous day and feel pretty blessed to have the awesome privilege of mothering these amazing little humans!!