Stone and Emerson

I always love my family, but sometimes I'm overwhelmed with love for these kids of ours.

A few things I want to note at the time:

Emerson

*She has recently gained a Texas accent. Wahoo!! When leaving the gym the other day, she said, "BAH!", while waving to every single person in our path. And let me state that when she first learned the word "bye", there was no accent whatsoever. This is a new development.

*She is possessive of me! She doesn't mind if I'm holding little babies, but if Stone is in my lap, or any child her size, she FREAKS out until my lap is free. Which leads me to this story:

*Emerson was sitting on my lap, got down, and Stone quickly took her place. She was furious, and grabbed my phone (he had been playing with it). She quickly ran for Cliff's lap for protection. Stone was not thrilled, threw a little fit, and went to the ground. Meanwhile, she peaks over the edge until he sees her, then clearly rubs it in his face as she pretends to talk on the phone. She sticks up for herself!

*She loooooves the primary song, "I am a Child of God". 1)When we listen to it in the car, she hums it in the back, and when I turn around to tell her she sounds so pretty, she gets completely embarrassed, swats her hand towards me and grunts. She's so shy at moments! We know she does not inherit that trait from me! 2)If I try to sing ANY other song while rocking her, again, I get a swat and a grunt, until I sing "I am a Child of God."

Stone

*While at the park last week, Stone said, "Mommy, my teacher at church told me that I can pray to Heavenly Father wherever I am and he can help me know where I am. So you can leave, mommy."

*While at the park earlier that week, Stone yelled out to Emerson, "Get over here you little farp nugget!" ....Cliff may or may not have called him a little "fart nugget" at some point....TOTAL term of endearment, OF COURSE. And Stone pronounces it"farp".

*One of Stone's favorite ladies at the gym whispered to me yesterday that Stone told her a secret. She wasn't supposed to pass it on, but I got lucky. He confessed that when mommy and daddy are not looking, he jumps on our new couch. My new green couch that I loooove. Oh, and he told her when we are downstairs, he sneaks to our room and jumps on our bed. This kid.

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These kids are growing up too fast. The other morning we were lounging around while Cliff was getting ready for work (usually we're rushing trying to get out the door for the gym, but I don't teach a class Wednesday mornings). We were all piled up in our bed, and Cliff says, "How could anyone want anything else?" They make our hearts happy. I love my family. A LOT.

Soccer!

I am officially a soccer mom, and I think I became "that" mom a couple Saturdays ago. You know, the mom that is wearing a t-shirt that matches the color of the jersey, with "Stone's Mom" on the back. The mom that cheers so loudly you'd swear she was a cheerleader for 10+ years of her life (oh wait, I was). The mom that is snapping pictures like crazy, even though all shots begin looking the same. THAT is the mom I have become, and I love it!

Stone's first game was two Saturdays ago:

okay, is this not the cutest kid ever?!

Stone made a COMPLETE 180 from game one to game two. Let's start with game 1.

The first game was....well.....not a success. And I'm not talking about winning VS. loosing. I'm talking the team had one practice that was glorified tag, with an occasional kicking of the ball. And therefore, the boys had NO idea what was going on first game. I'm talking half the team covered up their ears when the whistle blew and literally just stood there while the other team scored. I'm talking Stone threw a few fits for one reason or another.....too hot....didn't get the ball....etc., etc., etc. I'm talking Stone said, "Mommy. I want to do football, not soccer." (could this possibly be Cliff's son?? yes. yes, it is).

The fits were a little embarrassing, I'm not going to lie. Cliff and I were a little shocked. Our boy LOVES to run around. He loves to play, he is very athletic. and he is competitive. His behavior caught us off guard, and he heard all about it in the car.

The next practice rolled around, and it was a real practice. These boys started to learn the fundamentals, and ALL week long we talked to Stone about his attitude on the field.

Cliff assured him that we don't care if he wins or looses. We just want him to have fun out there, run hard, hustle, and most of all, enjoy it! Cliff practiced with him during the week, and by the time Saturday rolled around, Stone was stoked, and boy oh boy, was he a different little player.

He scored 2 goals, ran hard, and even did a little trash talking. We're not sure what he said, but as he was preparing for kickoff, he pointed to every single play on the other team, had his grump face on, and then made a couple fists. This kid was pure entertainment for everyone there. He may have climbed on top of the goal a couple of times (oops), and every time a mob was around the ball, Stone ran into it, and came out of it with the ball.

A little pep talk, practice, and bribing of McDonald's went a long way last week. Here's to hoping #10 keeps it up this season.

Go Stone!! We love you!

Stone & Danny at Western Playland

This last trip to El Paso, Stone opened up to Cliff {with tears in his eyes} saying he did not want to leave El Paso. One of his favorite things to do in El Paso is hang with his BFF {can we say that for boys??}/cousin, Danny.

While Cliff and I went to his high school reunion, Marcy and Kevin took the grandkids to Western Playland...a small amusement park. Amusement Park=Heaven for Stone. He's such a thrill-seaker, and you can see from this video, that he is in heaven. I love love his laugh and smile.

As always, he had a blast with grandma, grandpa, and his cousins.

And then there was a toga party.

This weekend we attended a toga party for Cliff's boss' birthday. I wasn't too fond of the costumes I found online, so I actually thought about pulling out my sewing machine, pulling out the manual, and trying to sew something together. {gasp...I do not know how to sew unless my mom is by my side, and then, I am really just there to step on the pedal, because let's face it. that's the best part} But after looking for fabric, and trying to figure out how to do it with two children running around everywhere, I came up with the idea to barter. I thought I'd give away a photo session if someone could sew me two (and I had people quickly jump on that offer!). ...I love bartering, FYI. ....Then, I realized I was causing stress where it was not needed. I could pull something together for the two of us. And so I did.

{also photographed, Emerson sans shorts-a-la-monkey backpack and Stone in what appears to be winter attire in triple digit weather...he was dressing up for the babysitter. hehe}

...it came together, and it worked!

We had a fun time, and my kids loved the babysitter. It's always fun to do something different with a hunky guy at my side!