USA

On Sunday Ben and Isabella went to Fountain Square to see US play Portugal. Ben snapped a couple of photos.

Today was the US v Germany match. The kids weren’t sure who to cheer for at first-but in the end decided on USA.

A brief break from soccer

Outdoor soccer is officially over for a little while.  I captured these photos after our last game.  This season was a success.  We were able to keep a lot of our indoor players on the same team as outdoor and you could tell the girls trusted one another to play their positions.  We won 6 games, lost 1 and tied 1.

Team photo

Just the 3rd graders on the team

The girls with (coach) dad. I love to watch their interaction with one another on the field. You can tell they are the coach’s kids.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.- via soulemama

A favorite

We are in the thick of soccer season right now. Games on Saturdays and Sundays, practices on Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m trying to keep my soccer pictures limited, but this picture Ben took from last night’s clinic at Walnut Hills High School is one of my new favorites.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.- via soulemama

This weekend…

This weekend in between soccer games and a quick visit to the hospital after a soccer injury, we squeezed in a visit to the thrift store. We went to see if we could find any Halloween decorations.  There were a few, but none that interested us too much.  My thrifting motto has always been that if interests me enough to pick up and carry through the store while negotiating three children through narrow aisles, packed with people and if I still have it in my hand by the time I reach the check out counter, it is worth purchasing.  This time around I found some pastel dishes (usually not my thing, but I really liked these), a Roseville pottery crock, a corn husk doll sealed in glass from Czechoslovakia and some books for the kids.  Ben found a couple of soccer jerseys and Blackburn snagged a Transformer car from the toy aisle.  I also found two skirts (which I will post a photo of at another time).

Ben and Vita made some gluten-free cinnamon rolls from scratch.  Each time they make them they get better and better. We spent Sunday night putting up some Halloween items, including putting Vita’s Frankenstein monster in the window and hanging up skeleton and ghost lights on the fireplace.

She is much better now. She went down at the end of the game after scoring three goals back to back. She collided with another girl and hurt her leg. At first we thought it was her knee because she couldn’t walk so to be safe we took her straight to the hospital. Turns out she has a very bad bruised muscle. A very expensive bruise!

Life lately…

Yesterday we signed Blackburn up for kindergarten, it was bittersweet.  He is very excited and so is the kindergarten teacher that both the girls had.  She said she has been waiting for him!

Outdoor soccer is almost over.  Isabella scored two goals her last game. They were “pretty” goals where she actually looked up and centered herself before shooting.  Vita came close to scoring during her game.  She averages about two a game usually.

Isabella is number 28 – here is a shot of one of her goals 

Vita is number 80

We have some Osage Oranges in our backyard and the squirrels are loving them, but making a mess of them.  I usually put some inside during Halloween because they look a little like creepy green brains.

We tried the Pillsbury gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough – it was given a thumbs up by all.  We have some thin crust pizza dough to try next.

The girls started in the Running Club at Fairview.  They run from the school to Mt. Storm Park twice a week.  As a group they will run local 5k’s.  So far they are enjoying it.

I am loving this cooler weather, I hope it is here to stay.

 

These days…

we have been working on our version of an art studio.  The kids and I both wanted somewhere we could leave unfinished paintings, drawings, projects and have a place to go and create.  The best place for this was part of the third floor, the unfinished part of the attic.  The downside the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter, but we will figure out a way around that.  The pluses outweigh the minuses in my opinion.  Lots of space so everyone can have their own area, exposed rafters which fill me with joy, and a window in the back that swings inward and lets you have a nice view into the trees.   It is not finished yet, we still need to put together a large table in the middle, I need to get some string lighting and bring in some more supplies that are still scattered over the house, but here is a sneak peek.  It doesn’t look like much now, but I see a lot of potential.

We have celebrated the first week of school, worked in the yard, built a new fence, worked inside the house and started soccer practice…

This evening we are going to work on a new fire pit area for the backyard and possibly pitch our tent for a backyard campout.

Columbus Crew…We Are Massive!

On Saturday after the Father’s Day get together at the Lake, we met up with other Fairview parents and their kids to see a Columbus Crew Soccer Game.  It was so much fun to see the game, the fans and all the Fairview kids who know so much about soccer enjoy a professional game.  Even better, the Crew won 2-0 against Montreal, Canada.   This was our first time attending a pro-soccer game and I am glad we got to enjoy it with the kids.  They were really excited to see Frankie Hejduk on the field.  The girls attended a soccer clinic given by him and some of the other Columbus Crew members earlier this year at Walnut Hills High School.  I see more of these games in our future.

A row of some Fairview friends.

Waiting for the game to start

I loved hearing and watching the rowdy fan section.

C R E W

All Blackburn wants is ice cream…

The kids were all amazed at how far down the field the ball was kicked.

Game talk

Planes flying overhead during the game

We have to learn the chants…

Vita, her friend Myles, and Isabella enjoying a YummyEarth lollipop during the game

Ben and I after the game (kids safely contained next to us in the car – pretty much the only way get pictures by ourself these days)

I think all the kids had a blast and I am pretty sure Ben did too.  It was a great way to spend Saturday night.

Snapshots

Northside Farmer’s Market- we bought flowers and visited with friends

Backyard Lilacs and Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

His last day of preschool for this year…sibling love.

Ferris wheel

My favorite part about this picture – Vita ignoring his scream singing.

Getting pumped up for the soccer game.

Soft serve ice cream – twist style for us.