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Off To A Rough Start

Thing 3 began his soccer career this week in the Under 5 division of Loudoun Soccer known as Mini-Soccer. It’s his first experience playing organized sports although he has watched his brothers play soccer and baseball many times.

The 45 minute sessions consist of half drill time where everyone gets to practice with their own ball, and the second half there is a “game” with two sides all chasing the same ball. At the end the team gets snacks which is the highlight of their day. ?See if you can pick out Thing 3 in this photo.

Here’s a clue: ?There is only one kid NOT wearing the team’s red shirt that was handed out at the start of the game. ?Yes, that would be Thing 3. ?Picking the shirt he wears each day is a painful process that only he can decide. ?Do you really think he’ll put on a different shirt just because all the other kids do it? ?Please. ?I suppose being a non-conformist is a good thing.

You’ll also notice all the other kids are chasing a single ball except Thing 3 who is carrying his own ball in his hands. ?Why would he do that? ?Well, he didn’t like the part about sharing and taking turns with the ball. ?And he got really, really mad when one of the defenders kicked his ball. ?So he decided to hold onto his ball just in case someone else tried to kick it.

After storming off the field and threatening to walk to the playground, he decided he would conform to these perceived arbitrary rules and join the game. ?Except in true Thing 3 fashion, he would rather?sabotage it for everyone else if he can’t do it his way. ?So?he set out to be the one who gets the ball. ?I have to say he was quite good when he set his mind to it. ?A result no doubt from having two older brothers. ?He would steamroll through the other kids and fight his way to the ball, and came out from the pack to break away with the ball on several occasions. ?Except his purpose was not to get the ball in the goal. ?Instead, he kicked the ball as far out of bounds as possible to stop the game so the other kids wouldn’t be able to play. ?All because he couldn’t play with his own ball.

I’m glad I have this blog so we can look back here in 10 years, when he is a star soccer player, to see how he got his start. ?I’m not getting discouraged by this first experience. ?I just found Thing 1’s first time playing organized sports which also did not go so well, but now he can’t get enough team sports.

A New Bed

Thing 3 got a new bed today.? It’s a full-size bed with a trundle underneath for future sleepovers.? He had been in a toddler bed for so long, although it’s not like he was actually sleeping in it.

We made mention of it a couple of times but didn’t make a big deal.? This is Thing 3 after all.? You give him casual notice of change, but do not dwell on it because he will resist the more you talk about it.? When I picked him up at preschool today I told him there was a surprise in his bedroom.? He was excited.

He didn’t get upset when he saw it.? I think he was actually liking it.? At bedtime, he was reluctant, but I lured him with the promise of a special bedtime story.? To my shock he got in the bed.? Under the covers.? And put his head on the pillow!? Those may sound like no big deal, but did you read this?

Here he is all tucked in.

Adorable, right?? Except it lasted about 10 minutes.? Then he was out of bed as usual, complaining that his bed was “unsafe” and demanding that I “put it back the way it was!”? The last I saw he was lying horizontal across the bed, on top of the covers, with his feet on the wall.? We’ll see where he actually falls asleep tonight.

A New School Year

It was a clear, post-hurricane Irene morning for the first day of school today. Thing 2 started first grade, riding the bus for the first time, and Thing 1 is an old pro now in second grade.

SuburbanMommy made them endure the yearly ritual of hair combing, collared shirts, and lots of pictures.? One day they will thank her.

Thing 3 and Thing 4 eagerly watched their brothers from the front door.?? Thing 3 started pre-K today.? New teachers, new friends, but he adjusted? well and enjoyed playing with all the dinosaurs in his new classroom.

Thing 4 was feeling a little left out, but she felt better once she found a backpack so she could be like one of the boys.

Getting My Hopes Up

Considering all the struggles we went through to finally get the boys potty trained, I’m trying not to get too excited about Thing 4 wanting to sit on the potty. She also tells us when her diaper is dirty and happily lets us change it.

Potty trained before two years old? An end to 8 years of diapers!? A parent can dream.

Back To School

It’s that time of year. Back to school is celebrated by parents everywhere. Today was open house where kids can meet their new teacher, find their desk, and get used to the fact that summer vacation is over.

Thing 1 got comfortable in a reading chair in his second grade (wow!) classroom.

Thing 2 tried his desk out in first grade.

Beach Trip Through Pictures

We’re back from our week in Corolla, NC. It was the first trip we’ve attempted as a family of six.? It was exhausting but a good experience.? For a look at one of our previous trips, see this post on why I call it a trip and not a vacation.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 were very excited to be at the beach.? Here they are bright and early our first morning, bathing suits on, showing off their booties.

Suburban Grandpa joined us for the first few days.? Here he is enjoying a game of Chutes and Ladders with Thing 3.? Note the glass of wine by his side.

Thing 3 normally walks around with little to no clothing.? But at the beach, it seemed to take on a whole new appeal for him.

With four kids, you don’t just get up and walk to the beach.?? There is at least an hour of preparation, packing, applying sunscreen, with many false starts due to forgotten items, and then, finally, lugging all the gear across the sand.

Keeping Thing 4 on her nap schedule was not easy.? We’ve learned over the years to take advantage of nap times whenever and where ever they may occur.

There was a lot of boy bonding and surprisingly little fighting.

We all climbed to the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.? Well, all of us except Thing 4 who I carried to the top.? As if walking up 214 stairs in the brutal heat weren’t enough, try it with an extra 24 lbs in your arms.

Speaking of brutal heat, the temperature hit 110 on the deck of the pool one day.? The heat put a damper on some of our daytime activities, especially for Thing 3 and Thing 4.

At the the end of the day we took in the ocean breeze and a swing.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 played some mini-golf.

Probably the best part of the week for the kids was the daily ice cream.?? We relaxed our dessert rules and often had it before, instead of, or as a meal.

Unlike the way he sleeps at home, it was no trouble getting Thing 3 to sleep.? He even slept in a bed with a blanket.

We were lucky to have Suburban Babysitter and her boyfriend join us for a few days.? He was a very good sport and let Thing 1 and Thing 2 bury him in the sand.

The drive back home is always the worst part of any trip.? It took 7 hours to get there but almost 9 hours to get back home because of traffic.? The boys took it well with almost no whining or complaining.? But by the 8th hour Thing 4 wanted O-U-T and the last hour was filled with crying.

Dreams Are In There

Thing 3 has a new sleeping arrangement following a dream episode last week. He woke up screaming one night, terrified of bumble bees. He spent the remainder of that night in our bed. Which means we got even less sleep than normal with his squirming and kicking.

The next night the dreams came again, and this time he spent the remainder of the night on the floor in our room. At least we all could get a decent night sleep that way.

The next night, before bed, I had a long conversation with Thing 3 to try to ease his fears. I explained that dreams are not real, like watching TV. The way to stop a dream is to just wake up because then it’s gone. And I told him about the “magic” toys in his room that will protect him from dreams, something that worked well with Thing 2.

He wasn’t really buying it. Instead I got a barrage of questions as only Thing 3 can unleash. What are dreams? Where are they during the day? Why do dreams come when I sleep? Do you have dreams? How about animals?

The questioning went on like this for a good 10 minutes. Then he decided he couldn’t sleep in his room because dreams are hiding there, so he found a spot in the hallway just outside his doorway. He has been sleeping in this spot for a week now.

Happy Six Years Old

Happy 6th birthday to Thing 2 today! The time really does fly.