Soccer Mom (Almost)

I was bound and determined to sign Avery up for soccer this spring. I couldn't wait to get out there with my chair and cheer on my kid! I was made to be a soccer mom or any kind of sports mom. A few months ago, I called One Goal sports to sign up Avery.  It was going to be perfect because I was going to get him on a team with some of his friends and "us moms" were going to cheer our kids on together! Right….wrong! Avery missed the cut off to play by 5 days. He had to be 3…. F-I-V-E days earlier. I tried everything I could do to sign him up. I even told them we would skip the first game, but of course, NOPE! He couldn't play. I was bummed. However, one day when I was leaving the neighborhood I saw a sign for Soccer Shots. It was for ages 2 and up! Score! I went home and researched them and gave them a call. Within an hour, I had Avery signed up and ready for his first soccer experience!! Whoop-whoop! Skip ahead a few weeks and we were ready for our first class. With Soccer Shots, they  don't play actually games but just learn skills and the basics. Each week they also work on a character trait to go along with sportsmanship as well. John's aunt and uncle were in town for the first class and came with us. Good ole soccer mom (and dad) forget chairs for everyone to sit in while we watched the game. It was a hot day and I had him in his jersey with a thermal shirt  and long pants to keep him warm. He came up to me and let me know he was sweating! Good thing I could at least take off the thermal shirt. 

Pictures from his first class are below. The beautiful yellow flower was one that he picked for me while he was playing! Gotta love a kid that knows how to focus on the game and take it serious.

 Avery on his first day! He got his jersey this day. He was so excited to go and play.

Each week we all learned new things! Avery learned lots of new soccer skills and his mom and dad did a good job remembering chairs, blankets, water bottles, sunglasses and everything else we needed to be the best soccer mom and dad we could! We enjoyed watching him learn more about the sport and watch the kids "play a game" at the end of each class. The last day he played I was screaming, "Get the ball and kick it, Avery." He turned and looked at me and gave me a mom your embarrassing me look already! I thought I had several years before I would embarrass him! 

John's brothers, aunt and uncle came and watched him. Nay Nay and BeBe also came. Most days after class we had lunch at our favorite restaurant, The Boulevard. We really enjoyed our Saturday morning tradition!

His last day of class (we had to end it early because we will be at the beach the last 2 classes) NayNay came with us. Dada was out of town for work. 

Here are some action shots of our little soccer player!

"Soccer Mom" with her boys!

Nay Nay was a big fan of her boy! I love how they are holding hands in this picture!

Here he is with his medal! 

I would say our first sporting experience was a success! We look forward to many, many more Soccer Saturdays and other sporting events over the years! Being a Soccer Mom sure is fun! 

A Peek Into the Class with Mr. Thomas

Friday mornings mean we go to Sports Com and go to a class with Mr. Thomas. When I first heard about the class, I thought this had something to do with Thomas the Train! I was so pumped because I knew that would be just what Avery would love. This class does not have anything to do with trains. It is a class led by a man named Thomas!

The class begins with a little music.

Here they are singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Then they go around and walk in a circle while Mr. Thomas plays his harmonica. When he stops the kids go and get into a colored hula hoop. He will go around and ask the color of the hoop they are in. He also makes sure and includes everyone's name which the teacher in me loves! :) 

Red Light, Green Light is next! This game makes me think of my childhood. I always enjoyed this game! Mr. Thomas has a red ball and a green one. He will lift up the ball to signal to go or stop. 

He will pick a child that has been following directions and he or she will get to be the line leader for this activity. They get in line and take different steps while walking on the red line. Here they are taking BIG steps! 

We love when we get out the huge parachute. They work on the difference between their left and right by walking around in a circle. They raise the parachute up and down different ways according to what Mr. Thomas says! (Love how they are working on listening and following directions, what 3 year old doesn't need to practice that!!) Then they get to raise it up and go under and Mr. Thomas will tell them the story of the 3 Little Bears!

One of my favorite things to watch is when Mr. Thomas and the kids "Go on a Bear Hunt!" He has the best voices and is so animated! The kids love it (well most do some are scared of the "bear")! 

He ends the class by singing with them. Here they are singing The Wheels on the Bus. 

We are so glad we found out about Mr. Thomas and his class. Even if it doesn't have to do with trains, Avery sure loves going! 

Of course Reed Morgan is always with us! Here we are with our friends, Molly and Baby Annsley. 

Library Days

Most weeks we try and go to our public library, Linebaugh. Avery has his own library card that he got when he was 2 years old! The library is one of our favorite places to go! On Wednesdays they have a story time for the kids that includes a puppet show, music (freeze dance is Ave Man's favorite), story, short video and a craft. Some weeks they have a special character come too! Avery even knows how to check out his books all by himself! This has been something Avery and I have really enjoyed!

                                          Freeze Dance! He only does it if I dance with him!

                                 He is such a big boy checking out his books all by himself!


The summer programming is about to begin at the library so this week we just went to visit and check out some books! BeBe came with us and Avery enjoyed showing BeBe some of his favorite things!

Bebe reading books they picked out. Avery showing off his puzzle skills! 

 Mama enjoyed picking out books while they played. We are picking out books this week for our upcoming BEACH trip!!

One of the best things about our library is the area outside! Avery gets so excited to go and look at the fountains. They haven't started up yet this season but it won't be long. Looking forward to more leisurely days at the library, checking out the fountains and walking to a local ice cream store, Frozen Treats From Mars, and getting the best homemade ice cream this summer!

Foodie and More

It seems as if Reed Morgan changed over night! These days he is eating anything I put in front of him. He loves to take my hand and pull the spoon towards his mouth. I believe an accurate name for him would be foodie. A foodie is a person with a particular interest in food. Some foods he has tried so far are cereal, green beans, carrots, apples, bananas and peas. I have been waiting to get a picture of him making a funny face when he tries a new food. The best one I could get was when he ate the bananas. He eats them but he definitely seemed to like those the least so far. (I don't blame him!) 

Trying out the bananas…..love his expression on the left! 

Eating cereal mixed with apples…You can see his little hand grabbing my arm here! He is about to pull my hand toward him. 

I decided that Reed was probably ready to join the dinner table full time instead of the temporary visits he has had so I moved the high chair over to the table tonight. He sat with us throughout our meal and ate some apples with us. I could tell he was so proud to be part of the family time. He also enjoyed a little playtime. That flower was Avery's. John and I bought it for him after we went on our "first date" after we had Avery.

 After dinner he started really showing off and decided to show us how he was ready to start sitting up by himself! I was shocked to see how well he was doing with it. We will keep "practicing" it this week. We have his 6 month pictures this weekend and it would be great to get a few of him sitting up! 

He is such a joy to be around! That sweet smile is there 99% of the day. We are so blessed with these boys! 

Spring has Sprung

There are many reasons why I love to call Tennessee home. One of my favorite aspects of Tennessee would have to be the seasons! Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer are all so vibrant and enjoyable here. Fall brings an assortment of colors as well as  pumpkins, mums and crisp air. Many times there are hayrides, bonfires and of course trick or treating! Then Winter begins to peek in with much colder air, sometimes if we are lucky some good snow for play, fires, hot chocolate and of course Christmas. Christmas will be a whole other blog…I am known as "Mother Christmas" around here! But out of those dark, long, cold days of winter we then begin to feel that warmth again! The sun begins to stay longer,  flowers are blooming, and laughter fills the outside streets of our neighborhood. Spring is here and with it there is this hope and beauty!

This past week we have been in Spring mode! The weather has been incredible. Just this past weekend we went on 3 picnics! It felt so good to spread out my quilt, take off my shoes and feel the breeze. Avery has also enjoyed the extra time outside at the playground! Reed Morgan has been relaxing on the quilt with Mama taking it all in.

Reed Morgan soaking up the sun at Siegel Park. We are lucky because we live right down the road from this park. I love his smile in this picture! He is so carefree and happy! (Also notice the quilt, John's mom made that for the boys. We love when she makes us one of her quilts! They are all so unique and special!) 

                                       
Avery James at Siegel Park! He was ready to go play but was patient and took a picture for his mama! He is always so sweet to take pictures for me. I am sure those days are going to be few and far between one day. For now though, I will click away!

Here are the boys at another picnic from the weekend. BeBe got to come and join us. We enjoyed a nice evening together. The crowd had started to wind down and we almost had the park to ourselves.  

We all went down the slide too! Here is Reed Morgan after his first time going down the slide! I remember taking Avery down when he was that size!  I am sure there will be many more trips down those slides for them both!

On Monday, we went to Kid Castle, another park in town. This park is special because it is one of the only parks with swings! What happened to all the swings at the playgrounds? Those are the best equipment out there! As a kid I spent many hours on a swing! 

Love both these pictures of Ave Man! That smile is exactly how it should feel to be at the playground on a beautiful day! The other picture on the right makes me smile because he looks just like his Daddy. That expression is totally John Caleb Wilson!

 We went to the park with the girls today, Adeline and Hadley. It was fun to spend some time together in the sunshine! I love how cute their smiles are in this picture! "Let Them Be Little!"

Here is good ole Reed chilling with Mama! He eventually fell asleep. He is my cuddle bug for now and I will enjoy every minute of that! Also note that Mama has her drink of choice with her! Sonic Diet Vanilla Coke is the way to my heart and sanity!

So thankful for this beautiful season both literally and figuratively! Spring is very nice but this season of my life is even better!

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ready to Blog the Bruddies!!

Everyone says that I will blink one day and my boys will be grown. Of course that very thought makes me want to burst into tears. I cannot imagine life when my two boys are out of the house and on their own. There are so many days where I sit back and look at my life and think that this will never get any better than this!

I am a mama to two boys, Avery James and Reed Morgan. Avery just recently turned 3 and Reed Morgan will be 6 months in two weeks. These two bring me such happiness and are literally my greatest accomplishment. I want this blog to be all about my life with my boys so that one day when my boys are grown and out on their own, I can go back and remember all these special moments. 

If these boys' lives aren't documented enough already all I need is to add a blog to the list! I guess I am trying to make sure I don't forget a second of this time. My Instagram account is probably what most people would consider an obnoxious amount of daily pictures. Not only do I post these pictures, but yes every single picture is printed and put into albums in chronological order since Avery's birth. I just love these books because I can look back and remember so many everyday moments that may have been forgotten.  My bookshelves also have several Shutterfly books documenting special occasions; baptisms, birthday parties, trips, etc. If you have seen the video Instagram Husband, this totally fits for my life. I am constantly getting my hubby to snap a picture (or let's be honest at least 20 shots) to get the best picture to make me look 10 pounds lighter, everyone looking AND smiling at the camera. If you haven't watched the video please watch! My favorite quote is when one of the husbands says, "I'm basically a human selfie stick." You got it right dude and don't forget it! Let's be honest without our sweet (or eye-rolling) husbands we wouldn't get all these pictures! :) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFzKi-o4rHw 

However even with all these endless pictures, I feel like I missing something. I am missing the words, conversations, the silly and sweet phrases from these little guys' mouths. John (he is the lucky one married to me) and I keep saying to each other, we need to write this stuff down, we are going to forget it. So here I sit, ready to go and blog my life with my boys. 

Avery has been the sweetest big brother to Reed Morgan. I had no idea what to expect when we brought Reed home from the hospital, but he has blown me away with the patience, kindness, and flat out love for his brother. After Reed had been here for a month or so, Avery started calling him "bruddy", which was brother and buddy combined! This word is one of my favorite words and I knew had to be part of the name for this blog. Below are a few pictures of the bruddies from the beginning! 

Photo below taken by: Sara E Rose Photography                               

Reed Morgan's First Week Home

Avery's 3rd Birthday Party

Easter 2016

"And she loved two little boys, very very much even more than she loved herself." -the giving tree