Pink Pandas and Fireballs

Jake and Addi each had their first soccer game over the weekend. Addi got both of her wishes for soccer - she got a pink uniform, and her friend Kenzie is on her team. So, we should have a successful season ahead of us. They decided that they are going to be the Pink Pandas.

Jake somehow managed to end up with the EXACT same color of bright orange uniform that he had last year. Last year, his team name was Fireball Pumpkins. This year, they are simply, The Fireballs.

I couldn't believe it, but I had to miss Addi's very first game of the season. It happened that the games were both at the same time, and they are played in two different locations. So, Jay and I had to split up. Addi got to choose who would be there for her very first game, and that was, of course, a no-brainer. Jay would go with her, and I would go with Jake. I loved getting to be there for Jake, but I was also really disappointed to miss Addi's first game. Jay said that she was super cute out there though, running around and going after the ball. She was very excited because they won 4-1. They are supposed to have a half hour practice before the game, and then a half hour game, but apparently they had to call the game a little early because all the girls were too worn out!

Jake's team, on the other hand, lost the game 4-0. He was not happy about that. They each have to take turns sitting out a quarter, and Jake happened to be sitting out in the very first quarter when three of the goals were scored. He was very frustrated by this and said to me, "I need to be out there!" Yes, because THAT would have made all the difference in the world.

I also somehow ended up as Team Mom for both of the kids' teams. Nobody else was volunteering, and I figured that I was capable of putting together a snack schedule and planning a couple of pizza parties at the end of the season. I was then informed by my neighbor, Sarah, that for Addi's team, that meant that I also needed to make and provide matching bows/ribbons for all the girls on her team...because apparently ALL the little girls teams wear matching hair bows. So, the cute ribbons you see in the photo below in Addi's hair...nope, not my handiwork. Sarah did them for me!

That'd Be Alright

Jake decided that he needed to get some exercise to get himself in shape for soccer season. So, he asked to borrow the ipod and hopped on the elliptical trainer. He was getting his workout motivation from a little Alan Jackson, "That'd be Alright," not that you would be able to figure that out based on his singing. We were cracking up because he doesn't know most of the words, but when it would get to the chorus, he would belt them out at the top of his lungs, and with some sort of southern accent. He is pretty much tone deaf though and it was quite an entertaining show. Sorry for the dark video and the fact that I'm recording him from off to the side. I was trying not to let him see that I was recording so that he wouldn't stop his singing, so I couldn't adjust the lighting or my position. Sorry also for the sideways video...I don't know how to fix that.

4 Weeks To Go!

Well, we are finally in the homestretch...only 4 more weeks until the due date. Here is my one maternity photo to commemorate the entire 9 month pregnancy. I told Jay that I needed to have at least one pregnant picture of myself, and since I had actually dried my hair and it wasn't a mess or in a ponytail for about the first time in a month, I figured it would be a good day for one. Since my swollen feet and ankles are not captured in the photo, it's not a true representation of what I'm really looking like these days. I am always fortunate enough to get the big balloon ankles right around this time of the pregnancy and they stick with me right up until the end. Other than that though, and some pretty painful heartburn, I don't have too much to complain about. I'm still feeling really well overall and getting more and more excited for little Tate to arrive. Yes, I'm pretty certain that we have settled on the name Tate (no middle name yet). Jay and the kids have been calling him that for months, not wanting to consider any other options. I have been the one holding out, saying that I just wasn't yet convinced that that was the name. They talk about "Tate" all the time though, and it's so cute. I just can't switch it up on them at this point. And don't get me wrong, I love the name too. Plus, I happened to look up the meaning and it means, "He who brings happiness." I love that. Jay loves the fact that he already has a million nicknames for him, like "Tater Tot," "Po-tater," "Little Man Tate," etc.

We have done absolutely nothing to prepare for his arrival though. His room was pink until yesterday and actually probably would have stayed that way for quite some time, but Jake and Addi felt strongly that baby Tate's room needed to be baby blue. I threw out some other ideas, but they were convinced that a baby boy needed a baby blue room. We love that they are so excited and want to be so involved, so we took them to Lowe's and let them decide together on the perfect shade of blue. And then, we had them paint the room. Seriously. They painted Tate's room. Jay taped everything off and did all the edges and corners, but they mostly did the walls themselves and loved getting to be involved.

So now, the room is painted, and I suppose it's about time for me to start washing some blankets and onesies, getting some diapers to have on hand, pulling the stroller out, etc. Neither Jake or Addi came early, so I'm just kind of assuming that I won't be early this time either and that I have at least a few weeks to get things done. I'm sure the time will fly by and I just can't wait for this new little one to arrive. Last night, I was frustrated because I couldn't sleep at all. But, as I was laying there awake watching my stomach as Tate was doing some sort of gymnastics routine in there, I was again thinking about what a miracle he is and how amazing our God is. He has created this little life and allowed him to grow inside of me, and I am so incredibly grateful for that blessing and privilege.

Gopher Busters

This morning as we were eating breakfast, Jake looked out in the backyard and asked why our grass and dirt had been dug up in a certain area. Jay immediately said, "Oh great...gophers." We had a gopher problem at one time at our last house, and they are really hard to get rid of. And, in case you've never experienced a gopher problem, until you get rid of the gophers, they destroy your backyard. Jay took the kids out to show them that if there was one hole, there would be another one nearby. Sure enough, they uncovered the holes and got a little gopher lesson from Jay. He then went inside to take a shower, and Jake and Addi declared that they were going to stand watch and wait for the gopher to come out. Jay told them that the gopher wouldn't be coming out anytime soon, but they were not deterred.

After standing watch for a few minutes, Jake got the brilliant idea that he was going to flood the gopher out of his hole. So, he turned the hose on and waited. A couple minutes later, I heard Addi scream and they came running in to tell me that the gopher had stuck his head out and gone back down. They considered this quite a victory, and decided that this method was definitely working, so Jake got back to work flooding the hole. Sure enough, a couple minutes after that, Addi ran in to tell me that Jake had gotten that little bugger to come out and had chased him up against the wall at the side of the house. He was now guarding him so that he would not get away. I then went out to keep watch, while they ran up to get Jay to deal with it. Needless to say, Jay was thrilled at their success. He got his big shovel and was about to deal with it (snake style), but Jake became very distraught that Jay was going to kill the innocent little creature. Apparently, killing poisonous, deadly snakes is okay, but not furry little rat-like things. I started to explain to him that we were not killing him just for the sake of killing him, but that this one tiny little critter was about to set to work on destroying our entire backyard. Still, Jake was not having it. So instead, Jay helped Jake to scoop the the gopher into a big bucket, and then Jake and Addi walked it down to the end of our street and let him go down in the canyon. I'm really hoping that the gopher hadn't grown too accustomed to his new home in our backyard and doesn't try to make his way back. If he does, he'll have Jake to deal with!

And, I'm sure this will come as no surprise, but Jake then declared that he is now going to start a company called Gopher Busters. Anybody in the area have a gopher problem that needs dealt with?

The Gopher Holes

The very proud "Gopher Busters"

Off to set the gopher free

School is in Session!

I hadn't planned on starting school until Monday, but we ended up having our first day today. The kids have been really excited to start - probably because they've seen their new markers, colored pencils, etc. sitting there for weeks and haven't been allowed to touch them - but, I've been holding off. I've been holding off for a few reasons: One, because I've been busy getting organized; two, because I've been waiting on some materials to arrive; and three, because starting school means actually committing to that schedule that I've been working so hard on, and I haven't been quite ready to do that. After all, it's still summer, and who wants to be committed to a schedule in the summer (or anytime, really)? The materials that we had been waiting on finally arrived yesterday though, and the kids actually begged to start school today. We didn't have anything going on and so I decided to go ahead and have our first day a few days early.

Here are the obligatory first day of school photos: I figured that I'd keep it real and show what my kids really look like for school most of the time - little unkempt ragamuffins with unbrushed hair, soccer uniforms (that have been slept in), pajamas, and, of course, cowboy boots. That's how we roll at the Herron Family Homeschool.

The morning went smoothly and I'm hoping that the kids excitement lasts at least a little while. I'm actually really excited too about the new curriculum that I'm using. Last year, I attempted a kind of hodge podge of various things without really having set goals in place. That didn't work so well for me, and by the end of the year we were pretty much just flying by the seat of our pants. I definitely learned that I need a better plan to follow. So, for anybody at all interested, here's what I'm using this year (Jake: 2nd grade; Addi: Kindergarten):

• Adventures in My Father's World (for Jake and Addi): This is the 2nd/3rd grade My Father's World (MFW) curriculum and includes our Bible, Literature, Science, Art, Music Appreciation, and History curriculum. Addi will have no problem participating in this as I can tailor it to meet her needs and level as well.
• My Father's World 1st Grade Curriculum (for Addi): I'm only using a very small piece of this curriculum (the Reading and Writing portion) for Addi.
• Math: Singapore Math (1A and 1B for Addi, 2A and 2B for Jake)
• Spelling (for Jake): Spelling by Sound and Structure Book 3 from Rod and Staff
• English (for Jake): Primary Language Lessons by Emma Serl
• Handwriting (for Jake): Pictures in Cursive by Sandi Queen
• Art Instruction: I Can Do All Things art curriculum (this is included with our MFW curriculum)
• Art Appreciation: Child-Size Masterpieces
• Music Lessons: Piano (Jake only - taking lessons from me)
• Foreign Language (Jake and Addi): Spanish class once a week
• Extra-curricular for the fall: Soccer (Jake and Addi), Engineering with Legos class once a week (Jake)

Give me a few weeks and I'll be happy to tell you what I think of our choices!

A New Look

Jake has really been wanting to cut his hair short. He doesn't like it getting in his eyes, and he is obsessed with wanting to be able to spike it. So, after his last haircut (back before the beginning of the summer), we promised him that the next time we took him to get his hair cut, he could get it cut short. And, because of that promise, I've been stalling. His hair definitely started to get way too long for my liking, but I kept putting off taking him to get it cut because I knew that we would lose all of his wonderful blonde curls that I love so much. Really, I don't want us, or our kids, to be focused on looking a certain way, and we try to make a conscience effort to teach our kids that what they look like is not what's important. I'm just used to his curls and knew that he would look like a different kid without them. He's still as cute as ever...but with a whole new look!

Before...

During...

After...

Summer is Coming to an End...But I've Got a Plan in Place!

Certain events are marking the end of our summer...for example, Jake had his first soccer practice yesterday. He has been so excited to start back up again, and has been counting down the days. Addi is going to play this year as well, but she's still at the age where she won't have a midweek practice. They will just practice a half hour before their games on Saturday. She's pretty excited to start as well, but for very different reasons. I think that the only thing she really cares about is finding out what color her uniform is going to be. If it doesn't meet her approval, we could have a very long season ahead of us! I mean, what fun is playing soccer if the uniform's not acceptable?

Here is a rare photo of me included in the bunch. I'm NEVER in any pictures because I'm the only one who ever takes the pictures. But, Jay happened to take one of me this time. I have had some complaints that I haven't posted any pregnancy pictures. Unfortunately, due to the way the picture is, you still can't see my belly...just my puffy face and arms! I actually don't think I have one single photo of my pregnant self this time around. I'm going to try to remember to have Jay take a profile shot and post it on here. Just last night he said to me, "Your stomach's getting really big." Gee, imagine that. We've only got about 6 or 7 weeks to go!

We also had an end-of-summer family room campout. We have talked many times lately about trying to take the kids camping, but have just never actually done it. Instead, the kids built a fort in the living room and we all "camped out" in there one night. Needless to say, it was extremely cramped and uncomfortable and we ended up carrying the kids up to their own beds and sleeping in our own bed about halfway through the night. That didn't matter though. They got to fall asleep in their fort and didn't know any different after that.

And, finally, the plan that I have put in place for the Fall...you would laugh at me if you knew the ridiculously insane amount of time that has gone into making this little schedule. It has been an ongoing process this summer that has been visited, re-visited, changed, and color-coded. You would laugh even more if you realized that it will be a miracle if we stick to it for even a week (a new baby certainly won't make my schedule any easier to stick to either). I think I have mentioned though that I'm great at planning, and not so great at follow-through. Here is my goal for our fall schedule though.

I have named our first official day of school to be Monday, August 29th. So, come mid-September there will probably be a post about how my much toiled over schedule has been scrapped. But, we'll see. My personal goal for the school year is FOLLOW-THROUGH!! So, maybe the post will be about how great it is that I have such an awesome, color-coded, toiled-over schedule to stick to!