Texans Home Opener

It was a super fun weekend for this football-loving family! Yesterday was Connor's first flag football game (pics and story to come soon) and today was the home opener for our beloved Houston Texans! The only bad thing about today was that Jeff was away on a business trip, forcing him to miss only his 2nd Texans home game in the entire 10 years of the franchise. Poor Jeff! Kevin, Connor, Kaitlynn, and I were happy to take Jeff's place at the game, though. It was a great day -- gorgeous weather, great family time, and an awesome win for our team. Go Texans!

Gameday pic. It was Liberty White Out day so we wore our white jerseys.

Connor's signature pose while playing football in the parking lot.

My tailgating cuties.

Future Texans cheerleader :-)

In our seats at Reliant Stadium.

Before the game. Go Texans!

1st Day of Preschool

When Connor started back to school last week, Kaitlynn was NOT happy. She was ready for her own school to start and it couldn't come soon enough. We kept telling her it was next week and she didn't understand why she couldn't go sooner. Last week we went to Meet The Teacher and she was asking me why I wouldn't leave the classroom. She was ready for school!!

This year Kaitlynn is attending her same school, Foundry Faith Academy, and she'll be attending on Monday/Wednesday/Friday each week. We were beyond thrilled to learn that she will have the same teacher that she's had for the 3rd year in a row, Ms. Susan. At Meet The Teacher, we recognized over half of the kids in Kaitlynn's class, and the best news by far is that Kaitlynn and her best friend, Anais, will be in the same class together! I've never seen happier girls together!

Kaitlynn woke up this morning and was SO excited that she was finally getting to go to school today. She wanted to hurry up and get dressed so we could take back-to-school photos like I did with Connor. And probably the thing she was most excited about was getting to strap on her brand new Pinkalicious backpack with her princess water bottle and lunch kit. Oh my, it was like Christmas at our house this morning!

On the drive to school, Kaitlynn was a chatterbox and kept saying how excited she was about school. She was a little concerned about whether or not I would stay at school with her, like I did at Meet The Teacher. She definitely did NOT want that. She told me that there wasn't a spot for me in her classroom and that I would have to go home. Alrighty, then!

Taking pictures was my idea; posing like this was hers.

Ready for school with her new backpack.

At school, she was all smiles.

One last pic in the hallway before entering her classroom.

Showing Ms. Susan her new Pinkalicious backpack. 

At Meet The Teacher, Kaitlynn and Anais were squealing with delight to be in the same class!

Such sweet friends, they always make me smile!

No More Paci!

Last month was a big month of change for Kaitlynn. She finally moved out of her baby crib and into a big girl bed! We had been meaning to move her into a bed for a while, but it took me some time to decide what I wanted to do with her room and what type of furniture she would need. I'm still trying to put the finishing touches on her room, but I hope to post pics soon of her big girl room.

As part of the transition to her new bed, we knew it was time for Kaitlynn to finally give up her pacifier. For the past year or more, she only ever used the paci at home during bedtime and naptime. But she just LOVED her paci! We've been talking to her for a while about trading her paci for a big girl toy, and she would get excited and say she was ready every time we mentioned it. We decided to wait until after our Florida vacation, just to make sure the transition was as easy as possible.

After we returned from Florida, we reminded Kaitlynn again about giving up her paci. We told her that pacis are for babies and that she needed to give her paci to a baby since she was a big girl now. With fortunate timing, Kaitlynn's best friend, Anais, had just become a big sister again to her newborn brother Joshua. Since he was the only baby we knew, we talked to Kaitlynn about giving her paci to Anais's baby brother Joshua. She seemed to understand that and was more than ready to give her paci to him, mostly because she was ready to go pick out a special big girl toy from the toy store.

We weren't able to visit baby Joshua right away, so we told Kaitlynn that we needed to mail her paci to him. I found an envelope and Jeff tried to explain to Kaitlynn about mailing her paci to baby Joshua. She said goodbye to her paci and then placed it in the envelope. Then they walked solemnly to the mailbox. It was quite the serious occasion.

Placing her paci in the envelope for baby Joshua.

The quiet, solemn walk to the mailbox. 

She placed the paci inside, and then she waved and said "Bye bye, paci!"

She was very sad and needed reassurance from Daddy.

Kaitlynn was very brave and didn't look back once her paci was in the mailbox. We went inside and Kaitlynn said it was time to go get her big girl prize for giving her paci to the baby. So we all loaded up and drove to Toys R Us for her to pick out something special. On the drive to the toy store, Kaitlynn suddenly said, "Daddy, I not a big girl" followed by "I not happy with you anymore!" Uh-oh, she was having second thoughts about giving away her paci. We needed a new toy diversion and we needed it quickly.

Finally we made it to the toy store and Kaitlynn seemed excited about picking out a special prize for herself. She roamed up and down all of the girl aisles and looked at everything carefully. Jeff, Connor, and I tried to help by steering her towards baby dolls, Barbies, princess dolls, and even dress-up clothes, but she refused to look at anything we suggested. She was on a mission.

Eyeing the baby doll speculatively.

Checking out an Olivia toy with Connor's help.

Finally, I saw something that caught my eye up on a higher shelf. It was a bag full of princess toy hair accessories: blow dryer, brush, curling iron, flat iron, and even a lipstick. I showed it to Kaitlynn and she immediately grabbed it and said "Yes!" That was the toy for her. Somehow I figured she'd like it because she's always wanting to fix her hair and makeup like Mommy does every morning. :-)

Kaitlynn's big girl prize: a princess hair accessory kit!

Can I just say, I found it so amusing to see what Kaitlynn picked for her prize. This time 3 years ago, Connor was picking out his own big boy prize and he settled on a 20-pack of Matchbox cars. Jeff and I both just continue to marvel at the differences between boys and girls!

After Kaitlynn decided on her hair toys, it was time to check out. She walked up to the counter by herself and handed over her selection. She was overjoyed with her toys!

Time to check out.

No more paci for this happy big girl!

Of course when we got home, Kaitlynn was anxious to open her hair accessories and play with them. They were quite the hit! She fixed her hair, my hair, and even all her babydolls' hair. To this day, she carries those toys around with her and loves to play with them. I think she made a great choice!

Brushing her hair.

Applying lipstick.

Her favorite toy in the kit: the working blow dryer, just like Mommy's!

And now for the aftermath. Despite being thrilled with her big girl toy selection, Kaitlynn almost immediately began to feel sad about no longer having her paci. On the way home from the toy store, Kaitlynn began saying, "I miss my paci." We kept reminding her how lucky she was to have her new big girl toys. We were worried about bedtime and how she would do without her paci.

That night was tough. Kaitlynn was crying pathetically and missing her paci. She took her toys to bed with her, but she really had a hard time sleeping without the paci. I went in to console her at one point. As I held her, I said, "Aren't you happy that you gave your paci to baby Joshua so that he can have a paci now?" And she replied through her tears, "And Joshua give it back to me!" It definitely tugged at my heartstrings to hear her so sad that night.

Over the next several days, Kaitlynn had a little trouble going to bed but she had her hair accessories on her nightstand to remind her that she was a big girl now. She still catches me off guard sometimes when she mentions her paci out of the blue. She'll say, "I miss my paci" and once when I asked her why she misses it, she told me, "It makes me feel better." Broke my heart!

Overall, the transition wasn't too bad and now she is doing great without her paci. She likes to remind me that baby Joshua has her paci now because he's a baby and she's a big girl. Incidentally, we were able to visit Joshua about a week after Kaitlynn gave her paci away. She was quite enamored with him so I think that softened the blow a bit. ;-)

Kaitlynn with her best friend, Anais, and Anais's baby brother Joshua (a.k.a. the paci thief). 

Flag Football

As passionate as Connor is about football, it was only fitting that he start playing at some point! Connor started fall flag football this month and he is having so much fun. They began practicing early this month and Connor just loves it. His team is called the Fiest (pronounced "feast") Saints and their uniforms will be just like the New Orleans Saints. They've been practicing 3-4 times per week and have even played a few scrimmage games so far. Connor began playing defense (defensive end) as well as offense (right tackle), and recently he was named as the starting center (the ball hiker as he calls it, ha!). He is learning so much about the game.

As much as Connor is loving football, I think Jeff may actually be enjoying it even more. He has taken on a lead role in the coaching staff of Connor's team and has been put in charge of the offense. He has even drawn up a couple of new plays in his newly produced team playbook, ha! I knew he was hard core when a recently scheduled business trip threatened to interfere with one of Connor's games as well as a Texans home game, and Jeff was trying to reschedule the trip to make sure he didn't miss Connor's game (with no mention of missing the Texans game?!). Too funny!

As hot as it is outside during the practices and games, I have been surprised at how much I've enjoyed watching the kids play. For years I have dreaded this season of life -- hauling kids to/from all their activities -- so it's been a pleasant discovery to realize how fun it actually is. I am really enjoying the involvement with new parents and kids in our community, as well as witnessing the joy of the kids at their events. I've also been impressed with the discipline of football as a sport and how much character it builds for these young boys. I definitely need practice becoming a football Mom, but I'm loving it so far!

The official season for the Fiest Saints begins next week and I'm sure I'll be posting ALL about it! In the meantime, here are some pics from the practices and scrimmages so far.

Coach Hooper throws a pass to Connor in the first practice.

What does Kaitlynn do at the practices and games? Play with the other players' sisters!

Coach Jeff and Connor at practice.

Connor missed a week of practice while we were in FL but that didn't stop him from doing some drills with Dad at Grandpa's house. Check out his fierce look!

Don't let Dad get the flag!

Here's Connor going against his teammate Noah -- they are the only ones from the same elementary school.

Kaitlynn at practice.

Connor in his official practice gear after a scrimmage. (My camera settings were screwed up so the color is weird!)

Kaitlynn decided to join in the fierce football stance. I thought it was funny that they are in almost the exact same pose.

Cute siblings on a hot summer evening.

1st Day of 1st Grade

Connor started 1st Grade this week! How did this happen? I remember this time last year and I was in tears for days, as well as in a funk for weeks, when he started Kindergarten. It still amazes me how quickly time passes and how far we've both come since then.

 Connor's 1st grade teacher is Mrs. Emswiler. She seems like a perfect fit for him and has been teaching 1st grade for over 20 years. I've already signed up to the be Room Mother again so hopefully I'll get to know the teacher and students well like I did last year. And I'm also on the PTO Board of Connor's elementary school this year so I will be spending a lot more time there in the weeks to come.

Connor and I both couldn't be more excited about the upcoming school year! Here are some pics from his 1st day of 1st grade.

Ready for school with a big smile!

Connor with his 4 neighbor buddies -- we all carpool together and they love it.

My handsome 1st grader. Love this kid!

His seat inside the classroom.

1st day picture with his teacher, Mrs. Emswiler.

End of Summer

Who loves summer?

We do!

I don't think I realized how busy our summer would be when it started back in June. We've taken so many trips, had so many playdates, visited so many friends, watched so many movies, swam in so many different pools, and eaten so many pizzas and brownies, ha!

Another "so many" we've had this summer is doctor's appointments. I'm not joking, our medical expenses have been outrageous. Connor had strep throat 4 times, staples, stiches, and a foot infection from a splinter. Jeff had (and still has) a messed up hand from his Olympic competition with Bob back in May. Kaitlynn has had strep twice in addition to her normal annual well visit. Collin had strep as well and just last week had surgery for a hernia. And I've also had my share of medical visits with chiropractor treatments and a strange staph infection on my skin. Needless to say, we've spent a lot of time in doctor's offices, which meant that I had to pack a bag of entertainment everywhere we went (hence, the chiropractor visits, haha).

I can't remember if I posted these already, but we sure had a lot of fun in our pool this summer. We had even more fun than ever before because of a super cool project we've yet to finish at our house. I can't believe I haven't posted about it yet, but we're still deciding how to finish it off. Pics coming soon!

We got a little spoiled over the summer with so many fun playdates with friends. It's going to be hard not seeing them as much during the school year, but that's just how it goes when you live in a big city and you have friends all over.

One of our last playdates before the end of summer. They were playing "spy" which was the game of the summer!

Goodbye Summer and hello to another busy Fall!