Soccer Shots

We enjoyed a really nice late morning game last weekend.  The weather was nice and the girls had another fun game and win.

 

We also went to Ryleigh’s game over the weekend, and the two older cousins found ways to entertain themselves on the sidelines.  Not bad form!  :)

A Visit to Ohio

Last weekend we made the trip to Ohio for the memorial service for Mark’s dad.  We left on a Thursday afternoon and spent the night in Morgantown, WV, and finished up the rest of the ride on Friday morning.  We got to relax on Friday, the girls drove the golf cart around Nana and PaPaw’s yard, and we went out to dinner with Nana on Friday evening.  We got to see Mark’s sisters Deb and Tonya after dinner on Friday night, then we all reconnected again at the church on Saturday morning for the memorial.

The memorial service was very nice, and Mark did a really nice job speaking for his family in giving a memorial tribute to his father. It was an emotional time, but he did a great job sharing about his dad. The many friends and family that gathered for the memorial had a lunch together at the church after the service, then the family went back to Nana’s house to spend time together.

Before we changed into our comfy clothes for the rest of the afternoon, we got some picutures together.  Here we are with Nana, and Mark’s sister Deb, and her two girls Issy and Annie (Deb’s husband, Rick, was taking the picture for us).

After hanging with family on Saturday, we had to get on the road Sunday morning.  It was an 8 hour drive home, so needless to say, we were all happy to be out of the car once we got home.  The other very happy family member was Cayenne.  She had been staying at Mousey and Poppy’s house, and while I know she got spoiled and had tons of fun with Maggie, she evidently didn’t sleep too well on her first time away from home and family.  My mom had dropped her off at our house right before we got home from Ohio, so she was very excited and happy to see us, then she followed us to whatever room we went it but fell asleep everywhere she went.  I definitely think her sleepover camp wore her out!  

  

Special Honor

Nina received a special honor last week. She was named the Athlete of the Month at her tumble/cheer gym.  While her coach told me ahead of time that she was going to receive the honor, she was completely surprised when her coach made the announcement.  She received the tank top (pictured below), the feather boa, and the crown while her coach talked about why she was the recipient.   While we are very proud of the progress that she’s made in her tumbling as of late, we were most proud that her coaches said that she was selected because she consistently works hard, she overcame a lot of her fears, and she never gives up on working towards goals she wants to accomplish.  Needless to say, she was thrilled with the honor of being selected, and we were super proud of her also.  We celebrated by heading to Sweet Frog when she got home from practice!

Pumped up from her Athlete of the Month selection, she landed a new trick that she had been working on - a roundoff backhandspring tuck.  I love the celebration afterwards!  :)

Soccer and Settling In

Since school started we’re settling into our routine with the daily schedule, sports practices, games, etc.  Over Labor Day weekend, Lyla’s team had their first tournament and first opportunity to play together in a real game.  The first two games proved to be pretty tough.  They were playing against more experienced teams, and they were just figuring out how to play together. They lost both games and didn’t score any goals.  

 

By the third game, they started getting their stride, and Lyla scored the team’s first goal.  I love that toothless smile we got after the goal!  They won their game, and even though they didn’t advance to the final, they got their confidence back and left the tournament on a good note.

 

After being in Maryland most of the day for the games, we came home for a relaxing dinner and smores.  It was actually nice that they didn’t play in the final as we got Labor Day Monday to just hang, relax, and meet friends for one last visit to the pool for the summer. 

The girls have adjusted pretty well to getting back into the school routine, and seemingly so has Cayenne.  I think she misses having the girls around, but I was able to take her on a hike in our neighborhood one afternoon in lieu of her usual run, and she had a blast.  She found an old dead fish by the water and rolled all the stinky dead fish goodness in her fur before I could get to the water to stop her.  Needless to say, a bath was in order when we got back.

 

We also met Mousey and Maggie at Silver Lake for a hike and a long walk.  These two are still the best of buddies and love any opportunity to hang together.

 

This weekend was the start of the regular season for Lyla’s team.  Normally, they’ll just play one game per weekend, but this weekend they played on both Saturday and Sunday. The team won both games big and the girls seem like they’re having a really great time.  Lyla loves her team and they seem to be a great group of girls, so we’re happy that she’s enjoying herself!

 

 

 

Last, but not least, no offense to Leonardo da Vinci, but I think I’m a bigger fan of The Mona Nina!!!  :)