Complete

When this little big guy was placed in my arms five years ago, I remember feeling in that moment, "Our little family is now complete."

There had been something missing and Seth was it.

What joy Seth has brought our family in those five years.  Joy, joy, joy!!!  He has also brought adventures, lots of cuddles, a touch of cantankerousness and so much sweetness.  

He officially turned five on Monday, which believe it or not, did not make him exactly happy. Oh, he enjoyed all of the celebrating over the weekend with family and friends, but turning five was just not his idea.  He had been telling me for days that he liked being four just fine and was simply not going to turn five. 

On his birthday morning, he did not bound out of bed ready to accept the happy birthdays.  Instead, he pulled the covers over his head to drown out our jubilance.  True to his character and very much contrary to his brother's, he had to ease more into it.  By the end of the day, he had settled into being a five-year-old and I even heard him tell his buddy this morning that he was not only five, but five and a half.  I guess he is okay with it now.

Oh, we love our Sethie!

We are so thankful that God chose him to be in our family, because he is the perfect fit!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

The Rest of Opening Day

Soccer Bros.

Tante and Uncle Tim joined us for opening day of the soccer action.  The first part of Caleb's game coincided with the last half of Seth's, so we divided and conquered the soccer fields, with Dada and Uncle Tim going with Caleb, while Tante and I stayed at Seth's game.  We made it to Caleb's game at the end of the second quarter, so all was good.

Caleb had a great first game back!  This season, the Fireballs have a lot of returning players, so many of the boys were familiar with playing together and it showed.  It is really neat to see the team concept developing with Caleb's age group.  They are really learning to utilize each other's strengths.  Caleb and Jacob (#6) really played well off of each other, as their individual skill sets really compliment one anothers.  Last season, Caleb really blossomed as a strong defender and that continued on Saturday.  His footwork and control have definitely improved, and he scored 3 or 4 goals and blocked a number of shots.

Go Fireballs and #11!

Team Workman

Seth's First Soccer Game

Seth was in pure bliss last Saturday at his first soccer game!  The smile never left his face once during the game.  He was completely in his element and loved every minute of it!   Before the game even started, Biz was cheering Seth on! Which of course, only added to Seth's delight. It was Seth's turn to take the field and after nearly three years of waiting his turn, and he shined in a big way.

Even though he had only one practice under his belt, he took to the field like a super star!  He got in the mix right away and savored every second of being a part of the team.  His footwork was quite impressive and he was a strong defender.  He proved to be anything but shy about going after the soccer ball.  He had so much control and finesse.  His coach was quite impressed, too, and was surprised that this was his first game.

I was most impressed with how great of a sport Seth was.  The opposing team, the Zombies, was REALLY good and it was quite obvious they had all played together before.  Not only did Seth excitedly exclaim to me on the sidelines, "Mom, the Zombies are really good!,"  I heard him tell one of his competitors, after he scored a goal, the very same thing.  He wasn't threatened by the fact that the other team outscored them, but had a lot of appreciation for their skill.  Humility and encouragment are two of Seth's greatest God-given attributes and will certainly serve him well as he continues to grow in his giftings.

Even when taking a break, Seth was all smiles.

It was a great first game for Seth.  He is so ready to play again and asks every day if he has a game.  I love his enthusiasm and spunk!  Now, if only this rain would stop!  It is definitely going to be a great soccer season!!!

Go Dragons and #21!!!

Team snack...perhaps, the most anticipated part of the game!

Special Note to the adoring fans (aka grandparents and Aunt B): I am sorry for the delay. We got a new camera (YAY!), but the downside is that I haven't yet figured out how to upload pictures to the computer from it. Ho, technology and all your trickery! Anyway, I finally had the bright idea to just put the memory card back in my old camera (esp. since these pics were taken with it anyway) and upload the pics that way until I have the time to figure out my new gadget. Ha! Ha! Technology, you thought you had me beat, didn't you?

(Not that you really needed that long drawn explanation, but you know me and how I always have to give one.)

Ready for Action

Well, we were able to remove Seth's treasured new uniform without any force.  Of course, he had the promise that he could put it back on immediately when he wakes up in the morning. 

Peaceful negotiations.

When I went upstairs to tuck the boys in last night, this is what I found:

Seth had lovingly got his, and his brother's, entire uniforms ready for them to jump right into when they wake up.  That sweet, sweet boy!

I'd say Seth is more than ready for his very first soccer game!  We can't wait, either!

Number 21

Yep, trying to pry this off of him tonight may be the fight of our lives!

V.I.P.

A couple of weeks ago, Caleb was selected to be the class V.I.P. for the week.  It is quite an honor and one that each kiddo in Caleb's class will have bestowed upon him/her by the end of the year.  Mrs. Franklin alternates drawing boy and girl names each week to determine the week's V.I.P.  The kiddos can NOT wait for their turn to be in the spotlight. 

As I drove up to the school, the massive smile across Caleb's face told me that something pretty special had happened to him that day.  And when I saw the large stuffed dog that he was holding in his arms, I was pretty sure I knew just what it was.   Charlie was coming home with us for the weekend!

If any of you are familiar with The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, and her website, blog, and cook book, then you might already know Charlie-The Ranch Dog.  He is her beloved basset hound and even has his very own book written about him.  He just so happens to be Mrs. Franklin's 1st grade class's mascot (well, the stuffed version of him is anyway).  When you get chosen as the class V.I.P., you get an extra special visitor for the weekend.   Actually, you get two extra special visitors, because super cool Pete the Cat also comes along for the trip.

The boys totally rolled out the welcome mat for Charlie and Pete.  They made them their very own beds and gave them food bowls.  Seth even made them their own special pizza, made lovingly of paper, so they wouldn't be left out on our pizza night.  Charlie and Pete got to go on two playdates with the boys, climb trees, ride bikes, color, read, watch TV, and I am sure played Legos.  It was a pretty full weekend, to say the least, and our visitors were pretty much treated like royalty.  We were very sad to see them go on Monday morning. 

Just to note, if taking care of stuffed pets is any indication of how my kids would take care of a real-life furry creature, then I am one step closer to being sold on the idea of getting the boys a dog. However, our visitors had no "real" needs so I am pretty sure that it was nowhere near a realist gauge, even though it was really sweet to see how seriously they took having a couple of "pets" for the weekend.

Caleb had to write in his journal about Charlie's visit and include a picture of something fun they got to do together..  He also go to make a pretty cool "All About Me" poster to share with his class on Monday.  On Tuesday, he brought his favorite book to share with the class.  On Thursday, Caleb got to have a special V.I.P. lunch and invite someone to join him.  I knew that he would want his Daddy to come to lunch with him, but of all the weeks for Eric to be out of town (And Eric is NEVER out of town during the week), it was this one.  I usually eat lunch with Caleb once a week at school, so I figured me coming would not be anything extraordinary, so I brought with me a couple of surprises.  Caleb's buddies', Jacob and Nathan, are homeschooled and live right around the corner from Caleb's school, so I thought we would be able to work it out.  I also knew having lunch with them in the middle of the week AT SCHOOL would be a very unexpected treat.  Along with their Momma, the Bowden boys helped make Caleb's lunch extra special!

My favorite part of the V.I.P. week, though,  was what Eric and I got to do for Caleb on Wednesday.  Mrs. Franklin asked us to write a letter about Caleb, so she could read it to him in front of his classmates.  It could be funny, serious, and include something that the class might night know about Caleb.


Below is our letter to our Biz:

February 21, 2012

Dear Caleb (aka Biz),

We certainly named you appropriately when we named you Caleb, which means “Bold and Brave.”  You are definitely both of those things.  From the day you were born, you have had little fear and when it comes to physical challenges, you have had NO fear.  You love climbing trees, climbing mountains, and you have been riding roller coasters since you were three-years-old.  You are one of the bravest people we have ever known.  You are a protector, very strong, and a brave Warrior for God.

Caleb, you have been active from the start and ready for any new adventure that comes your way.  That is one of the things we love most about you.   Although it has not always been easy to keep up with you, it has been a lot of fun trying.  We always say that you came running into the world and have never stopped!  You were crawling when you were five months old and walking at nine months old.  You are so full of life and it shows in how much you absolutely LOVE life!  You have so much energy and use that in many ways, especially in play and in helping others.  

Caleb, you are such a blast to hang out with.  You are creative, fun, and have such a vivid and exciting imagination. You are never at a loss for having friends to play with, because you are just so good at playing.  More importantly, you are a faithful friend.  “Faithful” is another meaning of your name.  You are kind and respectful and just a great kiddo.  Your little brother absolutely adores you and is your biggest fan!

Caleb, you love Jesus and He loves you very much more.   And to Him we are so grateful, because He allowed you to be in our family.  We are so thankful for you and love you so very much!

With all of our love,

Mom and Dad

What a fun week!