Soccer: The Logical Choice

So, I am officially a "Soccer Mom!" Gavin had his first ever soccer game on Saturday, and my heart nearly burst because it was so cute! Ever since Gavin was born we said that there might be activities that could be challenging for a one-handed kid (ie. monkey bars, tying shoelaces) but that soccer definitely wouldn't be a problem!! And this is his first attempt.



I fully believe that Gavin will be able to do anything he wants to do and play any sport he wants to, regardless of limb deficiency, but I encouraged soccer over t-ball because I really don't like baseball. It has nothing to do with his hand and everything to do with my sports preferences!



So, the first game was really cute. I quickly discovered that Gavin is not an aggressive competitor. He's actually very naturally athletic--he can run really fast and kick pretty hard--but he lacks that "eye of the tiger." He sort of just ran around the field gleefully, just happy to be there, and would stop and say, "HI MOM!" everytime he ran by me. It was adorable!



In soccer, there's not much turn-taking. Whoever goes and gets the ball gets the chance to kick it, so Gavin got a little discouraged when his own teammates pushed him out of the way to get to the ball. I tried to tell him that it was okay to get in there and try to kick it, but I guess I should be glad that his concepts of appropriate play (no hitting, no pushing, and turn-taking) carried onto the soccer field.



We'll see if he becomes more of a competitor as he starts to learn more about the game and what he's supposed to be doing. I tried to tell him about defense, but that's kind of an advanced concept for a 4-year-old who just really wants to kick that ball into the goal.



As he gets older, and especially if he plays basketball, I will have to fight my tendency to be a competitive, sideline coaching, sports Mom. But, for now, I am just so proud of him for getting out there on the field and being unafraid to try! There were lots of kids who left the field, either from boredom or discouragement of not getting the ball. But, my little Gavin just kept running with a smile on his face the whole time!



The first time Gavin even attempted to kick the ball, during warm-ups, he fell flat on his behind! But it actually made for a really cool action shot!

My BIG, FAT truth

I love it when people are really open and candid about their weaknesses. I have read some great "Blog Confessions" where women I love and admire admit to eating M&M's for lunch or make excuses for why they don't exercise as much as they should. It makes me love my dear friends even more when they show their "dark side." So, I feel that sharing my own "confession" will be freeing and cathartic for me, and hopefully elicit empathy and understanding from my friends. Here goes:

I have already gained 30lbs!! I am only 27 weeks pregnant and this is ridiculous! I only gained 29lbs my whole pregnancy with Gavin and I think about 35 with Nick. . .so I am on track to gain 40-50lbs total by the end of this pregnancy. It is so shameful! Here is a good look at my chubby face and double chin:

Now that I see it captured in pictures, it has become so painfully real. Even these pictures make me look better than I actually do in person. In person you can see my giant love handles! I am not one of those cute pregnant women who gets a big round belly and is skinny everywhere else. My baby weight makes my entire midsection spread--my shoulders, my ribs, my arms get bigger, my sides and back get fat, etc.

I am completely and totally to blame for my excessive weight gain. I am a total Cherry Coke addict--I drink a couple 44 ouncers every day! I am obsessed with cookies, especially peanut butter ones. Even my favorite healthy food is watermelon, which my Mom just informed me is like ridiculously high in sugar. I eat Quaker granola bars for snacks (which really aren't much better than candy bars.) And I don't really even want to go into my whole struggle with exercise.

On top of making myself fat, apparently I am ruining my unborn child. A woman who works at Walker's, who has seen me like twice a day buying my Coke for years, felt the need to tell me that "I really shouldn't be getting my unborn baby addicted." Yeah, yeah--okay it's not great, but, it's not like I was buying a pack of cigarettes!

You see, after being super paranoid with my first baby--I gave up all caffeine, I wore gloves when I was using household cleaners, and I ate my greens and yellows--I still had a child with a birth defect. So, going through that has actually made me less paranoid during pregnancy. So, yes, I do drink caffeine. I have a feeling that my Cherry Coke habit is far more detrimental to me than this unborn baby!

I know I should really start cutting back on the sugar now, because eventually I'm going to have to do the work to take all these pounds off later. I'm only making it harder for myself in the long run. I'm really, really afraid that a lot of this baby weight won't ever come off again. I know I have FP (fat potential) because I was chunky through high school and especially my freshman year in college. But. . .the confession is that my fear of fat still has not given me the motivation to put down the Coke, (or the cookies, or candy, sometimes ice cream, the occasional Butterfinger, etc. etc.)

Okay, I feel better putting that out there. But, there is one last ugly part to my "BIG, FAT truth." I had Mike take these pictures to document my pregnancy (through 3 pregnancies I've avoided very many pregnant pics), but they are NOT an accurate depiction. In these pictures I am wearing makeup and my hair is done. Those two things rarely happen. I was still trying really hard to look as cute as possible, and on a regular day I don't try at all!

Since I am way too insecure to actually post a picture of what I look like most of the time. Here are a few representations that will give you the idea:

When I'm thin.

When I'm not-so-thin.

With curly hair.

WARNING: Contains complaining!

Mike and I try to live by "The Secret" code. If you haven't seen "The Secret" or heard about it on Oprah, I will give you the most important gist of it:

Thinking and speaking positively amplifies the positive things in your life and brings more positive things into your life; whereas speaking negatively, focusing on the negative, increases the negative things in your life.

Pretty simple, right? And I have really seen it work wonders! So I totally believe it, I think it goes back to basic human psychology or something. HOWEVER, that being said, sometimes I just really need to vent and bitch for a few minutes. And in fact, this venting may actually be productive if it saves someone like myself, another Mom of young children perhaps, from suffering!

So here goes: I've officially decided that I HATE Discovery Gateway (the children's museum.) I bought a 6 month pass a few months ago, because it costs less to buy the pass than it does to go twice. I've gone several times now, and my frustration and irritation has grown to the point where I think I'm done with it forever! It probably didn't help that I took a few extra neighbor kids this time, too. Here are a few of my annoyances:

1--These same children who can play in my backyard for hours upon hours, go to Discovery Gateway, where there are 7 zillion different kinds of activities, play at each thing for about 40 seconds and then GET BORED! Are you kidding me?

2--Each kid wants to do something different at any given moment, making it harder to keep track of all of them. I just confine the bigger kids to one main area and then chase Nick, my two year old, all around the whole place.

3--This place is always overcrowded. . .is there never a slow time? It is just mobs of children running around in complete chaos. There always seem to be school groups or day cares overrunning the place which means about 4-5 kids to 1 supervising adult.

4--Which brings me to my biggest pet pieve of all--whenever we go there I have to turn into "The Regulator." I feel like I am the only Mom in the place who is paying attention to how these children are treating each other. There are some kids who are like dominating everything and will not take turns until a grown-up steps in. I guess I just have a timid child who just sits back too much. . .and stands by helplessly as more and more children butt their way in front of him as he tries to wait patiently for his turn on some toy or another. I get so freaking sick of waiting and watching the injustice of it all that I'm the adult who finally steps in and starts regulating the turn-taking, and who gets after other children for being bullies and toy-hogs. Which, inevitably, offends those kids' parents and then they give me the "What a bitch!" look. I really do try, for awhile, to step back and let the kids work it out. . . .but, honestly hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman standing in the heat, waiting for her kid to get his turn "flying the helicopter," while four other 8 year-old kids, who totally know better, step over this shy little four year old and steal his turn!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm done. Let this stand as a word of caution--if you are a laid back Mom, who has children who are old enough to be self-sufficient and self-regulating, who doesn't mind total and complete chaos and anarchy, who also is okay with spending a small fortune on gas driving to Salt Lake and driving around and around to find that rare parking spot that is actually close to the museum. . .then, Discovery Gateway may be a great day of fun for you and your kids!

The "Cheeser"

So, I finally got a new camera yesterday. I have been taking pictures constantly, trying to figure out the different settings and what not. My pictures still aren't turning out great. . .but Nick is turning into quite the model!

He has now mastered what I call the "cheeser." Whenever there is a camera pointed at him he gets his signature look--the "Blue Steel" for 2 year olds.

Here are a few of his best "CHEESERS"





















It looks painful, doesn't it?

I love it! He also says, "MY-OH" (for "smile") before each picture. But, let us not forget my other little poser, Gavin. He, too, can pull of the "cheeser."

Gavin does the "cheeser" when he's bored with the photo shoot!

Once I actually figure out how to work my camera properly, I may just start sneaking up on them for candid shots!

Only 7 Years? It seems like a lifetime!

Today is our 7th anniversary!

I can't believe it has already been 7 years. It went by so quickly. When did life speed up so much?!! Our seven years of marriage have been as long as both my high school and college years combined, and it went by so much faster!

Even though it has flown by in a flash, after 7 years of marriage it also seems like we've spent a whole lifetime together. Life doesn't really even begin until you get married. You really don't become yourself, completely, until you get married. At least that was the case for me. I feel so blessed to have found such an amazing man who wanted to spend eternity with me (and all my crazy!!)

He could have chosen someone much prettier, (or definitely someone tanner), and I know there are plenty of babes out there who could have made him really great breakfasts (which I don't). . .but he picked me anyway!

Most people don't know Mike very well, not even my family, because he is pretty closed off and pretty anti-social. He doesn't let people in very easily, in fact, he keeps almost everyone at arms length. I don't know how I got so lucky that he actually put down his bridge and let me come over to the "Island that is Michael." But, I just want to say to all of you who know me and haven't ever really gotten to know him, that the last 7 years have definitely shown me that marrying him was the best decision I ever made. . .and just meeting him was truly the greatest thing that has happened in my entire life!

Mike is an awesome husband. And I have fallen in love with him more and more as I've watched him be an incredible Dad to our two sons. I think he is so sexy when he's tucking the kids in bed and singing them bedtime songs!

The truth is, today there probably won't be any flowers or chocolates or romantic, candlelit dinners. But, my husband is patient and kind every day, he helps take care of the kids every day, he brings me a cherry coke at lunch every day, and he is willing to do anything I ask (and I have asked for a lot from him lately.) I mean, what better celebration of our marriage is there than that!!

Broken Camera

I broke my digital camera about a month ago, so I don't have any current pictures to post or any fun kid anecdotes. So, I will start my blog with something cute I saw on another blog:

What was I doing 10 years ago?

I had just finished my freshman year at Ricks College. It was such a wonderful experience! Despite all the roommate drama, I still wish I could've gone back to Ricks for a second year. If it had been a 4 year school back then, I would've done my degree there. I started at BYU in August of '98, and I never loved it as much as Ricks!

What was I doing 5 years ago?

I was hot five years ago! You will all have to forgive my vanity, but I just love any excuse to show off those pics. Five years ago I was working as the coordinator for Utah County Rape Crisis. I was also dabbling in modeling a little. But, 5 years ago this week was when everything in my life changed forever. I found out I was pregnant with Gavin! I only worked with Rape Crisis for a few more months after that (because the morning sickness became so debilitating) and I haven't had a real job since.

Also, becoming pregnant with Gavin was the beginning of the end of my "hotness!" It's sad, but true. Since I've had children I've never been quite back in modeling form. And now I'm almost 30. . .so I think that ship has sailed! Oh well, at least I have a few pretty pictures to stroke my ego every now and then.

What was I doing one year ago?

Michael had just finished building a treehouse and play area in our backyard. . .which turned out to be the one of the greatest investments of time and money he has ever done. Our backyard has been used non-stop ever since by Gavin, Nick, and lots and lots of friends and cousins!

Oh, also last year this week Mom & Dad returned from their mission! Yeah! It has been so wonderful ever since. We only live a few blocks away, and so they are such an integral part of our everyday life.

Which brings me to--What was I doing yesterday?

Gavin & Nick had a water fight/water party at Grandma & Grandpa Top's house with their cousins Caleb, Alyssa, & Eli (Justin's kids.) I also spent a few hours in bed, struggling with pregnancy pains and problems. But, I'm feeling a little better everyday and I hope it gets better, rather than worse. That is a topic for another post!