it's true

it really is that time ...



my seasons change with the rotation of starbucks' menu
and today i had my first pumpkin spice latte
SO ...
fall is officially here.

mmmmmm.

next up ...
candy corn.

kickin it with alex

although 2 boys in football keeps us PLENTY busy ...
this fall we are adding one more sport to the mix

alex decided he wants to play soccer



tonight brought his first practice

it was our first night of having
3 different boys
at 3 different practices
on 3 different fields
all at the same time

BUT ...
after watching alex play
i know the busyness is worth it



everyone got where they needed to be
when they needed to be there



and i have no doubt that it will be a fun season!

i just wish that i could schedule the games
so that i never had to miss any :(
having to choose where to go when all 3 boys play at the same time is SO hard :(

no turning back now

as much as i don't want to believe it ...
open house was tonight
and that means school REALLY is right around the corner

all 3 boys were placed with GREAT teachers this year
and i am SO excited

alex has mrs debuhr
yes ... in case you hear ... i did pay him a dollar to let me take this picture



ben has mrs mcpherson
look at this picture
and tell me there is not a more perfect classroom for my ben



and drew has mr enerson
along with 3/4 of his football team ... good luck mr enerson ;)

each of their teachers seem to be great fits for them!

i can't say i am overly excited that all three boys will be at school
AT THE SAME TIME! ;)
BUT ...
knowing that i am leaving them with in the hands of these 3
gives me peace
because i know they are going to have SO much fun
and just like camp ...
they probably won't even miss me a bit.

little boys at play

continuing on with our 'last week before school' fun ...
we spent today at the childrens museum



it's been a while since i have taken all 3 boys there



so part of me was a little nervous that the older 2 would get bored quickly
BUT
boy was i wrong ...




their imaginations did not disappoint

it's the same little boys ...

just slightly bigger bodies :)

KICK OFF

our day today was filled with football scrimmages



although we have been practicing for a few weeks
today was the REAL kick off

we started out with ben

he scrimmaged against 3 different teams
AND
what was most exciting ...
for him ... but made me most nervous
he spent half of the game at QUARTERBACK!!



to hear his little voice making the calls
and to see him starting the plays
is REALLY fun
but it also makes me SO nervous!!


#1 goal is for him to have fun
but of course i also want to see him do well
AND
hopefully not get hurt in the process :)

i feel like at QB
he will definitely have a TON of fun
BUT
the pressure to do well is SO much greater
and now he is the target ;)
SO
my need for anti anxiety meds may greatly increase as the season progresses ;)

thankfully ...
today went really well
he did great for his first time
ben even got his first paw print sticker for his helmet
to show that he made good plays and had a good game

it made me SUPER excited for the rest of the season.

and also excited to watch drew!!
his scrimmages began immediately as ben's ended

drew is on the same team as last year
16 of the 18 boys are returning
and they are coming out of the gate strong

drew is on the offensive line



a big offensive line

these 'little 5th graders'
seem so big and so old
as they walk up to the line
confident
ready to go
and
working so well together
i LOVE it!
each time they do it
my heart just melts



drew has come a long way with learning his position
and how to use his size



he helped his team have a great first scrimmage
then ended up sitting with them halfway through the 2nd scrimmage
because the coaches for the other team
decided we were 'hitting too hard' ?! and pulled their players
in 5th grade football?? really??

thankfully we ended with a fun 3rd scrimmage



i'm looking forward to an exciting lions season as well!

both boys had a GREAT kick off to their season
up until today i wasn't looking forward to football
football means that fall is really here
fall being here means school is ready to start
school starting means it is going to get cold
and we all know i don't like cold.
BUT
i do live in minnesota, afterall
and
after seeing their teams today
and seeing how excited they were
i will suck it up
because it's time
and really ...
i'm excited too!

along for the ride

with just over a week left before school starts
we are feeling the pressure to cram in all of our last minute fun.

one thing we wanted to do this summer
was to spend a day playing at como town



we met up with some friends
and spent the majority of the day hopping from one ride to the next

they all had different ideas of what makes a ride fun
drew loves spinning
ben likes SOME spinning
and
alex is content to just be

so thankfully it wasn't overly busy
and we could ride most of the rides without waiting - multiple times
we even had a barnett only ride on the tea cups!

the older boys favorite ride was the sky gliders

ben looked absolutely terrified
BUT
when you ask him now what his favorite ride was -
sky gliders is his answer

alex had the same mixed feelings about the dragon coaster

he and i rode it together.
he HATED it while we rode
he kept telling me he didn't like it
and really i didn't either
yet now he says he liked it
and is glad he rode it

who knows?

the older boys rode the sky drop over and over



while alex and paige decided the train goes WAY too slow

the firefighter ride was my favorite
because it seemed to be fun no matter how big or little you are!



the boys were WIPED by the time we were done
and football practice came a little too soon
BUT
i'm guessing that in the end -
they'd say it was all worth it

why alex is so cool

hey mom ...
do you wanna know why i wear this shirt with long sleeves
even though it is SO hot out?



it's because it keeps me so cool

it's the cooler off-er 3000

---------

hey alex ...
watch phineas and ferb much??

minimalists

somedays ...



i wonder ...

why we have a playroom full of toys ...

when something as simple as a package of pipe cleaners
kills SO much more time

an up north story

this past weekend we got to spend time at the cabin with my dad

we had a lot of fun -
and i could tell you all about everything we did ...
like how drew drove the boat for the first time
and how drew drove a 4 wheeler
and how alex caught the first 3 fish out of EVERYONE
a walleye was his very first ...
and he's quite proud ;)

i COULD tell you about how the cabin is the PERFECT place
for 3 boys
and a dog ;)


BUT ...
as you can imagine i have plenty of pictures
and in this case ...
i think they tell a MUCH better story!