Team Spike

Brady had his first soccer game of the season today. I'm the coach...and it was a bit embarrassing, honestly. I felt like I must have missed some critical aspects of the game because we got soundly stomped!

I told the kids at practice that the most important rule was to have fun, and they all said they had fun today...I guess I shouldn't be too upset!

Papa and his boys

My mom and I went to the hospital to visit Rebecca while she was in labor...Papa got some QT with Brady and Rudy!

Beach time, part 2

We headed back to the beach Thursday evening to visit everyone at the time share. The boys spent about 5 hours at the beach and pool yesterday(and have been napping for about 3 hours today because of it!).

Baby Lila

We were really hoping to meet baby Lila last weekend when we were at the beach...this was as close as we got!

Ever seen this superhero?

Super-Rudy, apparently wearing his amazing invisible pants...

Golf with Dad

Brady has soccer practice once a week now, which has provided James and Rudy with some quality time. Last week, they played 9 holes of golf, which Rudy has been wanting to do for a long time!

Comparison...

Just a little side-by-side comparison of the first day of preschool...

Yes, they are wearing the same shirt! Brady outgrew this "airplane shirt." It was his favorite, so he made a big deal about giving it to Rudy, who was thrilled to own it. Every time he has worn it, he's told everyone that it's his airplane shirt and that his big brother gave it to him. There was no hesitation on his part when I asked him what he wanted to wear on his first day of school!

Wow - I didn't realize how big the hydrangeas had gotten!

It looks like Brady is a whole head taller than Rudy. He was about 6 months older when he started preschool.

First day 2009, round 2

So my littlest man started preschool today!

He was beyond excited; can you tell?

Very impressed with himself, for being big enough to go to school like Brady:

Old Time Photos

So, this was a first for me...would we have cut it as a family in the late 1800's? :)

Love it...notice the Ace up Rudy's sleeve? And the expression on his face?

Beach time

Kathy and Tony have a timeshare at the beach and invited us to join them. Kelly, Dan, and Cooper flew in for the week as well. Since it was Rudy's first week of school, we could only stay for the weekend but we still managed to cram in a lot of beach time.

We arrived Saturday evening and pretty much made a beeline straight for the beach, even skipping dinner! (I don't have much of a steady hand, so the night shots are a bit blurry!)

Almost-full moon rise:

We were at the beach by about 8 am the first morning! James managed to convince Brady to try boogie boarding. After an initial meltdown because he couldn't stand up (I think he thought it was a surfboard), Brady had a great time piggy-back boogie boarding!

Even Popsie caught a few waves:

Once the guards showed up, they put up the red flags and kept people pretty close to the shore. We had come prepared with our kite though:
And the sand itself provides endless hours of fun for little boys:

Sea Turtle Rudy:

Brady spider:

Getting up so early on vacation definitely calls for a family nap:

We headed out for seafood for dinner that night and finished up with Kentucky Derby pie to celebrate Kathy's birthday:

Fall begins...

It's the last week of summer for Rudy and I. I had grand plans of spending the entire week at the pool, but it's been too chilly. It was 47 when we got up this morning! That's insanity for this time of year.

I love fall - it's my favorite season - but I still wish it could have held out for one more week. And I just know that it will be blazing hot again soon...and the pool will be closed!

Rudy and I decided to take advantage of the weather to start our fall activities. We went to a local orchard and picked up the very first apple cider doughnuts of the season. It's a bit early for too many apples, but we picked a couple pounds of lunchbox apples as well.

Rudy, contemplating his next move:

Showing off his prize:

After the orchard, we met Cindy and Ben for a little local hike. We added an unexpected detour when Rudy needed an emergency bathroom break and we had to head back to Cindy's car to use her portable potty in the parking lot. Charming, I know...but I can't really complain because Rudy is finally out of diapers!!

While there, I got a call from Brady's school that he was in the nurse's office. I had to go pick him up because of his still-unidentified illness. I think it was a combination of really-nice-day-itis and boredom. He rested upstairs for a bit when we got home, but then kept insisting that he wasn't sick anymore. He was less than thrilled when I refused to let him do anything besides rest on the couch, but hopefully he got the message!

Time out

I believe the conversation went something like this:

K: Rudy, it's time to pick up your coloring books.
R: I want you to help me.
K: I didn't throw them all over the room. I'm not going to help you.
R: I want you to help me!
K: I'm picking up the kitchen. You can do it.
R: NOOOO. I WANT YOU TO HELP ME.
K: You need to put your coloring books away.
R: NOOOOOOOOOO. [Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.]
K: It's been a long day. I know you're tired, but it's time to pick up.
R: I'm NOT tired. I'm NOT going to pick up.
K: I'm going to count to three. If you're not picking up, you're going to have a time out and then you'll have to pick up. 1 ... 2 ... 3
R: I'm NOT tired! [Stomps to time out chair.]

1 minute later: