Everyday's a costume party!

I was getting ready to post our recent trip to South Carolina and saw this picture. I had to include it. Greg leaves early Sunday mornings for meetings so I'm rushing to get the kids ready and out the door. It doesn't matter when church starts-it is always a rush! I haven't quite figured that out yet. Getting dressed is usually a compromise. This picture was taken before walking out the door. The spy glasses an purses were removed before entering the chapel.

Soccer

Henry has started soccer! It has been so much fun. I feel like I am experiencing a new parental right of passage-extracurricular sports. He is on the green team, if they have a name beyond that we don't know about it. His entire team played together in the fall and Henry is the only new addition. They practice for the first half hour and the second half hour they play another team. Their are six teams in the Oakhurst league and each team has five or six players. They don't keep track of goals, I think it's a success if all the players just stay on the field! Well the first time he played he just stood in the middle of the field and watched the boys run around him. He had no idea what was going on. It would have been helpful if I had introduced him to the game a bit before just throwing him out there! I was worried he would immediately be overwhelmed even disenchanted with the whole game. My extracurricular sporting experience would be dashed before it started! But no, Henry liked the "costume" I mean "uniform" way too much. He wants to be the goalie because I told him they wear long sleeves and gloves. We just completed our third week and he is really getting the hang of it. This week he actually passed the ball and stopped a goal. Yeah!
We all love it. Elsa and Ansel are dragged along every time to watch. It wears us all out. The two-minute ride home can be a bit long.

Daddy's Home!

"I'm so glad when daddy comes home!
Glad as I can be
put my face underneath the door when he needs his privacy.
There's so much to tell I just can't wait!
He needs to see what's new1
Most of I've got to give'm a--great big kiss!"
Greg returned home from a seven day work trip to NYC Monday night. We were so excited to see him again! Can you tell? He actually got home really late on Monday and then left really early Tuesday morning so when he walked in the door Tuesday after work Henry and Elsa could hardly stand to be out of his presence.

Chubby?

Ansel has been getting a lot of attention lately for his chub. To this I must say. . . all the more to love.

Elsa's down time

Elsa has been spending a lot of time at the easel lately. I love the way she brings a chair over and puts her hat on in preperation for the next creation.

visits

Here I go trying this again. Hopefully this will work.
We enjoyed having family visits last week. Audrey came out with Calvin and Natalie last Tuesday and Travis joined us Thursday night. My mom and dad flew in Friday afternoon and Greg came home late Friday night. We had lots of trips to the airport and lots of fun playing with cousins. Henry and Elsa have asked again and again to play with their cousins or when they can visit Grandma and Grandpa. Oh the pains of being so far away.