Soccer!

So fall time means soccer time!

We like to have the girls in some sort of sport each season. Winter- Gymnastics, Spring- (want to get her into T-Ball/Softball), Summer- swimming, and Fall- Soccer!

Soccer is very near and dear to the hub's heart being a soccer player through college and actually still is to this day. :)

This season we signed Bella up for a real soccer team through AYSO.

She LOVED it.

She started out a bit timid and the idea of stealing the ball from others and what not was very foreign to her. She's also the littlest on her, and most of the other, teams.

But after a little practice with daddy, she was a different player. She's fast, she's tough, and plays hard until the whistle blows. Her first goal was so exciting. She hit it in and immediately threw her arms up in excitement and flashed the brightest smile. Wish I had caught it.

She got several goals through out the season but I think she excels at defending, she works hard to not let anything get past her.

We also put Brynn is the beginner soccer class Bella did a couple years. Let's just say soccer is probably not her thang. Not because she's not good, she's actually pretty good and quite fast, but she just doesn't enjoy it. We made her stick the class out but every week it was a fight to go. She gets embarrassed SUPER easily, so if she felt silly or missed the ball or anything it mortified her. During the last class the kids play the mommies and daddies. She got the opportunity to make several goals and this definitely brought some confidence and happiness about playing back to her. :)

Here are some pics from the season:

A proud moment for the hubs as he helped coach his first baby girl!

Look at that face!

Kicking around the net....

Lining it up....

And Goooooooal!

Brynnie working on trapping in her class.

Such a cutie. :)

Orchard Rewind!

After yesterday's post I thought it would be fun to post a pic from our orchard visits from the years past! :)

This was the farthest back I got- 2004-before this we didn't have a digital camera- does that make us sound old or what?!

2005- Bella's in my tummy cooking! :)

2006- Is Brooke a mini-Bella or what?! :)

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011- Did I get the most out of those pumpkin shirts or what?!

Fall!!

So I've been working SO hard to get caught up on here and finally I can see the light!

I was feeling very sad with all the adorable Halloween pics people are posting and not having mine up yet.

But soon my friends, soon! :)

As much as I love the summer, I love, love, love the fall. I just love the cooling in weather, the beautiful colors, having yummy Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate, etc. :)

One of our biggest fall tradition is hitting Royal Oaks Apple Orchard in Harvard, IL. One of my besties' sister's family owns and runs the orchard so we go every year for our apples, pumpkins, and of course apple doughnuts!

Here are the pics from this year's fun!

Sorry to bombard my posts with so many pics lately! :)

Brynn making goofy faces while listening to how the orchard works

Hay ride time!

Finding their apples!

Gotta give a taste test. :)

Somebody was very proud to have her own apple.

Loves for Stephie!

Picking out their perfect pumpkins...

Happy Fall!!

Day 7....

To catch up on our vacation: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6

Our last day, Thursday, we had another adventure planned.

We were going to camp out at the beach!

Should be interesting with three little ones, especially a baby not sleeping great, right? :)

So that morning we packed up all of our stuff and after Brooke's morning nap headed to the beach!

The girls played all day in the ocean, sand, and with a little girl at the campsite next to us.

We got an enormous tent with 3 rooms (however they were just separated with a sheet).

Bella and Brynn slept in one room, Mormor and Poppi in the middle room, and the hubs, Brooke (in a pack and play), and I in the other.

We played ladder ball, built sand castles, cooked out, of course had yummy s'mores, and played cards after the girlies were in bed.

The big girls slept great. Brooke however, like I mentioned in a previous post, had been crying in her sleep this week and I was so afraid that she'd wake everyone that I jumped at every peep. The other thing was the hubs and I were sharing an air mattress that was impossible to get up in and I of course woke him with every movement, I even brought her into bed with us for a short bit.

So not a lot of sleep but a whole lot of fun!

Next morning the hubs cooked us up some yummy egg sandwiches and then we had to pack all our things up (our only regret about camping was only doing it one night, it was a lot of work and packing up to leave not even 24 hrs later) to get ready to fly home!

Once home, Brooke took her morning nap, while we loaded everything up (we had packed the night before).

We had to make one very important stop on our way out, In and Out just one more time!

Our flight home was definitely not as pleasant as the one out. Unfortunately it was a LATE flight and we kept Brooke up hoping she would nap again on the flight but I think it just made her over tired. She fussed and cried on and off for a good hour probably and the hubs was sitting next to her and lets just say he just doesn't quite have the patience for crying as much as I do, totally understand though. Brynn had fallen asleep on me but after a while I finally persuaded him to switch with me. She finally fell asleep and maybe slept 30 minutes and of course woke up cranky. So we spent the last hour and a half/two hours or so feeding her, walking her around, entertaining her. It was EXHAUSTING. We FINALLY landed at 10 to us but midnight IL time. Funny thing is a couple people told us how well behaved our kids were, REALLY?! I felt like the shuttles and baggage could NOT take any longer.

Finally we were home and got all the girls into bed and soon we were dreaming of our fantastic vacation!

I'm standing at the door of our tent for this picture. :)

Plugged up so she won' t eat sand!! :)

They were hiding out from the waves. :)

Cooling down for the night, so getting snuggles from Poppi.

Cooking us up some hot dogs for dinner.

Caught telling secrets while coloring and waiting for dinner.

Locked this one in the tent for a bit to get a break from chasing her everywhere. :)

Playing with their new friend.

Neighbors let us use their Ladder Ball game, quite fun!

S'more time!

Snuggles by the fire.

That night there was this thing called Red Tide, I guess, that when the waves crash it literally glows. It was an amazing site. Listening to the waves crash all night was so awesome.

Stayed up a bit too late trying to win at cards, I did not. :(

Good Morning snuggles!

Breakfast with a view.

Saying goodbye to the ocean. :(

And yummy shakes from In and Out to go!

Bye California and Mormor and Poppi! We had a wonderful, wonderful trip and are so thankful for many great memories!