Soccer Time!

Last summer when Brett was 3, we signed him up for soccer in Ann Arbor and Kyle coached his team. Kyle did an awesome job and loved sharing his passion with Brett....however most days Brett just sat on the sideline watching. He didn't like sharing his daddy with all the other kids, had a hard time concentrating for that long (45 minutes), and all in all just seemed too young to really get into it. Fast forward a year, and here we are again, hoping that Brett will enjoy soccer a little more, be a little braver, and maybe, just maybe, participate in the game at the end of practice. Well....we will see :-)

On the way to the first soccer practice, Brett was excited, a bit anxious, and had lots of questions for us. "How many kids are going to be on my team? Are you going to play with me, daddy? What is a Jersey?" We calmly answered all his questions the best we could, and drove up nervously to the field. Well, I don't know if Kyle was nervous...but I know Brett was and I was too. I wanted so badly for him to have a good time and not let his anxiety get in the way like it sometimes does. I wanted him to have fun and feel proud of himself...not scared and insecure. We were one of the first families there which was nice because he got to meet the coach and his two boys, and watch all the other kids arrive. The kids were given their Jersey's and then it was time for the fun to begin. Because it is a PreK group,  Coach Kevin encouraged parent's to participate during the warm up's....Brett was a little unsure at first, but soon got into the fun and loved kicking the ball back and forth with his daddy!

Then it was time to pick a teammate to pass back and forth too. Brett loved that part as well and did awesome!!

Next the kids lined up and took turns making goals. Brett had some great kicks and the coach even commented on how well he was doing! So far soccer was going great and I was one happy mom!

Unfortunately, the fun didn't last though :-( The last 20 minutes of practice the kids play a real game of soccer against another team, and the parents are asked to stay on the sidelines. Brett became extremely anxious and worried about what was about to take place. We were able to get him out on the field a few times, but he just jogged way behind everyone else and never even attempted to get near the ball. No more smiles, no more excitement. He had been so happy just a few minutes earlier, and it broke my heart to see this transformation. The good news is that he tried something new, and although he got stuck in his anxiety at the end, he still did it. Even though he was scared he went out on that field and attempting to do something that was way out of his comfort zone. And since this was only the first day of soccer, I'm hoping that each time he will get a little more comfortable, a little more confident, and maybe I'll even get to see that beautiful smile out on the field too!

Wedding Fun!

A couple weeks ago we headed to Wisconsin for my father-in-law's wedding to a wonderful woman named Roberta. They are very much in love and it was so great to see John so happy. Brett was asked to be the Ring Bearer which had us excited and anxious all at the same time! He took the job very seriously and ended up doing amazing (and I'm sure the M&M's promised afterwards didn't hurt either!). You should have seen his proud face as he carried the rings down to the alter...priceless! I didn't take any pictures during the ceremony because it was such a small wedding and venue (at a Bed and Breakfast) and I didn't want to make a scene...but I'm hoping the photographer got some good shots that I can post later! 

Here is my sweet little boy at the Bed and Breakfast :-)

My handsome boys waiting for the wedding to begin.

The moment Brett and his cousin Lily saw each other for the first time (in over a year!), they gave each other a big hug. Too cute for words!

 I was able to snap this quick shot of Lily and Roberta's grand daughter...so precious.

More hanging around :-)

After the ceremony we went outside for appetizers and champagne...and the kids did great! Here Brett is teaching Lily how to play a game :-)

Our little stud hanging out with the ladies :-)

The legos we brought were a big hit!

There was so much going on, this is the only shot I have of John and Roberta...right before they cut the cake :-) 

Brett had fun hanging out with his cousins the day after the wedding! Out of like 10 pictures taken of the 3 of them, this was the best shot :-) Hey, atleast 2 out of 3 are smiling!

We stayed with Kyle's mom while we were there and greatly enjoyed her nature filled back yard! 

Kyle and I in our Packer gear for the game....too bad it didn't bring them good luck! Oh well, we had fun anyways!

Hot Air Balloon Fest 2013

I'm way behind in my posts but am trying to catch up! Earlier this summer we went to the annual hot air balloon fest in Jackson with our neighbors. It was just as fun as last year and we loved watching all the balloons launch into the air!

This is a great tradition that we have started and we will definitely be going back again next year! 

The Chelsea Fair

The Chelsea Fair is this week so of course Brett and I had to check it out! Like me, the animals were his favorite part (and the games were a close second, especially when he won a Light Saber!). He also loved the hobby barn where he saw all sorts of lego creations. "I want to do that next year, mommy!" is what he told me :-) Lego Club here we come!

Everyone needs a little love sometimes :-)

Brett loved the bunnies! I told him we will get him one when he is older (sorry Kyle!) :-)

 The Miracle of Life barn was another highlight. We watched these newly hatched chicks for a long time, and this one had lots to tell us :-)There was also an incubator where you could watch the chicks hatch out of their eggs! 

 Brett even got to milk a cow! Okay, maybe it wasn't real, but he still thought it was pretty cool :-)

"Smile!" :-)

And of course no trip to the fair is complete without pretending to be the farm animals! Oink oink.....

Neigh!

NY Day 3 - Our 7th Anniversary!!

We started out our last day in NY by packing up some snacks and heading to a nearby beach. Brett loved playing in the sand (which was more like dirt, but he didn't care!) - making tunnels, little lakes, and sandcastles. My favorite part was being able to relax and soak up some sun, and than cool off in the beautiful lake! Kyle enjoyed playing with Brett in the sand and later swimming out to the dock and jumping off the diving board! I wish I had gotten a picture because it was priceless :-)

After playing at the lake for a few hours we came back to our cabin to take naps and freshen up before heading out to celebrate our 7th anniversary!!

Our handsome boy all ready to go :-)

Before going to dinner we stopped downtown to check out some shops. It was a pretty hot day so we didn't last long since there was no water to jump into! 

Brett didn't seem to mind though....because there was a toy store where he got to pick out a little surprise! It was so cute to watch him carry his bag all around :-)

Happy Reading at the Restaurant!

Happy Anniversary, my love!

After dinner we walked on the dock outside the restaurant to look at the boats. Brett instantly spotted some ducks and was off!

After a fabulous anniversary dinner surrounded by the beautiful lake, we went home to enjoy our last night at the cabin. Usually when I go on vacations I am ready to go home by the time the trip is over..but not this time! All 3 of us wanted to stay longer and were sad to leave. It was the perfect vacation for our family and the good memories will stay with us forever.