First Soccer Game

Kyle had his first soccer game on Saturday. Although it was quite cold and windy, it was a blast! His team didn’t bring home the win this week, but it was exciting and fun to watch. Kyle did not score any goals this week, but he definitely had more shots on goal than anyone on the field. I lost count at about 8. It seemed that every few minutes he was on a break away down the field. In fact, I was in the opposing team’s area trying to get some photos while he was bringing it down and I heard them say to their team, “Here he comes again. Get ready, he is quick!” It made me smile. I think he is kind of a “sleeper” in that he is smaller than everyone on the field, but probably the quickest. They don’t expect it. Despite the loss, Kyle was voted the dirtiest of the game as he fell numerous times while he was in the action. The field was wet and muddy from the previous night’s rain, so it was easy for him to pick-up the mud. Plus, he must have fallen 20 times. I think it was a combination of being where the action was and his small size versus the bigger kids. You will see from the photos how much bigger the other kids were. Next week is his second game. Maybe we will be able to report a victory. We are really looking forward to it. Check out the photos and the video below.

TGIF

Friday night we stayed outside as long as we could, since we knew this would be the last warm day for a while. The kids and I played outside while Craig mowed our lawn for the first time this spring. Kyle and Clara swang for a while, then went for a ride on their John Deere Gator. Before going inside, we visited our neighbors and Kyle got to check out the inside of a police car (our neighbor is a cop). Overall, it was a great night and a good way to end a busy work week. TGIF!

Deck Project - Day 2

Below are some more photos of our deck project. This is how everything looked when we came home from work on Thursday. The framing is complete now, except for a few minor adjustments (like trimming down the tall beams). Now we just wait for the rest of our materials to arrive from Lowe's and we'll be one step closer to having it finished.

Deck Project - Day 1

As you can see from our photos below, our deck project began this week! This is how our yard looked when we came home from work on Wednesday. One of the guys working on our deck (Dan) told us they would have been further along, but the lumber did not get delivered to our house until 2:00 p.m. Oh well. We think the progress was great! Craig and I are not very handy ourselves, so we were impressed with their work.

Stay tuned for further updates on our deck project. :)

Soccer Update

On Monday, Clara's Kindermusik class was canceled, so Clara and I went to Kyle's soccer practice for the first time. It was a lot of fun! There were lots of other parents there, and the weather was great! Kyle is doing really well with soccer. He may be the smallest kid out there, but he is one of the fastest! This gives him an advantage when he plays because when he gets the ball, he takes off with it and breaks away from the rest of the kids. In fact, Kyle scored three out of the team's four goals while we were there! We are very proud of him and are looking forward to his first "official" game, which is coming up soon.

Outdoor Fun

Here are some pictures of Kyle and Clara playing outside last weekend. They both LOVE to swing, and Clara just learned how to go down the slide all by herself. We have been spending a lot of time outside lately, trying to take advantage of this nice April weather we are having.

Spring is in the air!

As you know, the weather has been beautiful and we have been taking advantage of it. Last week, I took both Thursday and Friday off to do some work on the yard. On Thursday, I purchased 10 plants and planted them, installed 8 landscape lights, and spread five yards of mulch. On Friday, I put down Preen to prevent weeds in the flower beds, then cleaned, leveled, and installed rubber mulch in the playhouse. I was hoping to clean out the garage and the inside of the cars too, but ran out of time...maybe this week or upcoming weekend. Today, I tested the sprinklers.

In addition to the work, we have had plenty of opportunity for family time too. On Friday, Tracey, Kyle, and I went to a Whitecaps game in Grand Rapids. It was an event with my team from work. It was super crowded since Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers was playing. Fortunately, we were in a suite along the first base line, so we were quite comfortable. This was Kyle's first ball game and he really had a great time. I am sure there will be more in our future. Although, now that he has been spoiled by a suite, I am not sure how he will feel about sitting in the stands.

On Saturday, after Kyle's soccer practice, I went for a 3-hour bike ride. While I was out, Tracey and the kids played outside on the swings and in the playhouse. It sounds like they had a blast. Both kids love swinging. In the evening, we went over to Holland for some shoe shopping and for a visit to Captain Sundae!

Today, Kyle, Clara, and I cleaned Tracey's car when she went grocery shopping. Then, after lunch, it was back outside to play in the yard. We are having fun already and it is only April! I think we are all looking forward to more good weather and fun times outside.

I will write again soon.

Craig

Date Night

Craig and I enjoyed our monthly date night on Saturday. Thank you to Grandma Kat (Kathy) for babysitting Kyle and Clara for us. I chose the restaurant and didn't tell Craig where we were going until we got there. We went to Naya Bistro & Wine Bar, a fairly new restaurant in east Grand Rapids. It was very nice. We always look forward to our monthly date night. It is the one time each month we get a "break" from the kids and can focus on each other. Honestly, I think it has been one of the best things we have decided to do, and I recommend it to all couples . . . . especially those with small kids.

When we arrived home from our date, Kyle had drawn three new pictures for us - Alvin, Simon and Theodore from the Chipmunks (our rental movie this weekend). I thought they were so cute I decided to post them for your enjoyment. :)

Grandma & Grandpa's Harley

Last weekend we visited Grandpa Bob and Grandma Marilynn. We had a great time and got to see their new toy - a Harley motorcyle! Above are some photos of them, the Harley, and Kyle, who thought it was very cool. Craig was able to take it for a test drive, which he thoroughly enjoyed. :)

Soccer Time

Yesterday was Kyle's first soccer practice. It was cold, wet, and fun! He is on the Panthers with about 10 other kids his age. We didn't know what to expect for the first practice, but quickly learned what it was all about. They started out with some stretching, running, and ball dribbling drills. This was followed by a very informal scrimmage against the team's helpers. Kyle's team scored three goals, of which, Kyle scored two of them! He is pretty fast and very determined to get the ball in the goal. When asked how he scored them, he said, "I just worked hard!" Enjoy the accompanying pictures.

140.6

I really haven't given much detail on the Ironman, so I thought I would give a quick breakdown of what it is all about. It starts with a 2.4 mile swim in a lake. By the way, all 2000+ competitors start at exactly the same time, which causes mass chaos and body contact! The swim has been described as being in a washing machine. Following the swim, it is on to the bike for a 112 mile bike ride through the rolling farmland of Wisconsin. This ride will take about 6 hours, which is about 3 hours longer than I have ever gone. It will break my legs down, which will make the final discipline, the run, tough. The run is a full 26.2 mile marathon. I have done several of these with times around 3 hours, but I suspect that following the swim and bike, I will be lucky to make 4.5 hours. So, in total, the event is 140.6 miles which must be completed in 17 hours. My goal is: (1) to finish and (2) under 12 hours. The biggest challenge will be how to stay nourished during the event. I need to figure out how to take in at least 1800 calories, probably about 2400 throughout the event. If I can't get it in, I will never have the energy to finish.

I will keep you posted on the training for it in the Training Corner.

Ironman in Training

Kyle is officially riding his bike on his own. It is amazing to me how quickly he picked it up. Less than one week ago I was researching how to get him to ride his bike. As suggested, we bought him a Razor scooter so he could learn balancing on two wheels. He rode it for about 20-30 minutes four times and really got the hang of it. Two evenings, he rode down the slope in the yard trying to pedal past the tree. Tonight, he rode beyond the tree and then decided that he would give the cul-de-sac a try. He did it! No falls, tears, or frustration...he just got on it and took off! The best part was when he told me that now he could do an Ironman like me! I am so proud.

Tomorrow he has his first soccer practice! Stay tuned for an update on that...