R.I.P Jerry, May 16-May 30

May 16 was declared the day we got out first pet. A fish. Named Jerry.

I made them come with me after school one day to run a bunch of errands, and at the end, I asked if they wanted to go into Petco and just see the animals. Just call me a sucker. I had no plans on walking out of there with a fish, but we somehow did.

 They were soooooo excited! They seriously loved this fish. Eli especially.  Every morning he would go check on Jerry and declare how much he had grown, how pretty he was, how much he loved him. But seriously, judging by this picture, poor guy didn't have a chance.

 This could have quite possibly, been the most well loved Beta ever.

But then...it all came to a shocking halt. I had planned on writing about our Jerry today, but in my original thought, it did not end like this.
He was doing so good.....until Eli was helping me change out his water and he plopped him into the clean water before I had the chance to tell him not to. Come to find out, the water was too cold for him, and he shocked poor Jerry's body. We had not given the water enough time to warm up to room temperature.  He flounced around for a few hours and Eli convinced himself that he was playing dead...only problem was that he was not playing.  That evening, he was full on floating in his bowl.

Eli was devastated. He came into my bathroom with eyes filled with tears and told me Jerry was dead. I gave him a big hug and let him cry for a bit.  Owen got sad after we buried him last night, and Cash just keeps saying "too bad Jerry died" with no remorse whatsoever.  Eli is really processing the loss of Jerry, and talking about it a lot. He wanted to make sure his best friend's mom let him know that he had died that night.

After dinner we found the perfect coffin and spot for a burial in the backyard.  Eli and Owen both write little notes and I gave a speech to Jerry thanking him for being the best first pet we could ask for.

So today after school....just call me a sucker...meet Carl.

Can't Handle That Face

That's A Wrap!

This soccer season was so, so much fun!

This was Owen's first season to ever play--but you would not know it by watching him.  It helped that he had a phenomenal coach and a fun team. But he really did so great and always, always did it with a smile.  I was so proud of the way he would go out there and always give it his all.  There was not a single game that he did not score multiple goals...and do it all while smiling. He literally had a smile on his face the second he stepped on that field. He was just the perfect amount of aggressive, he was strategic in his moves and made friends with all his teammates.  I was so proud (and not gonna lie, a little shocked) at how great he played and carried himself this season.

Eli took last season off,  by fault of mine because I waited too late to register him!  Oops.
But it all worked out and he got on his best friend Ty's team. These two boys are like two peas in a pod. They are like the epitome of best friends. I hope and pray that this friendship lasts.

Eli had such a fun season as well. I get the feeling he is really in it for the social aspect of it, which is A-OK with me! He was interested in the game and would get out there and play a good game, but was not totally into it all the time. We have had some follow though issues in the past, so I am so proud of him for always being excited and happy to play and practice this season. He had a lot of fun and seemed to really enjoy himself out on the field. His coach is good, the polar opposite of Owen's coach and had a more relaxed, everyone is doing amazing, who cares  kind of approach, which is great for kids! But he did not learn a whole lot of skill or get constructive criticism on how to get better.

Cash finished up his first season of Developmental Training with Lonestar as well.  All I can say is that the kid has some natural skills.  He was by far the youngest one out there every week and it did not phase him one bit. He got in there and played!  He is signed up for a team next year and can not wait to see how it goes for him!

We Made It In The Statesman!

Not only did we make it in the paper for National Bike to School Day, but Eli entered a raffle that morning because he rode his bike and his name was called in front of the entire school to win the prize!  He came out of school with the biggest smile on his face and was so excited to tell me about the "huge basket!!!!" that he won!!!

Only A Few Thursdays Left

I am sure going to miss hanging around with these two on Thursdays next year!

Shout Out to Savannah

Since I have been so had this year about my blog, I just felt like I needed to give a little shout-out to this pretty girl.  She is just the most beautiful, easy-going, delightful little chunk. Just look at that face!

 And then you put these two together....does not get much better than this!

Christopher Columbus

I think Eli really enjoyed learning about Christopher Columbus...if I had to guess....

Saturday Night Fun

I told Rachel that I would babysit the girls a few Saturday nights ago so they could go out.  Turns out that Blaine was working, but no problem! The boys came with me! They all love each other so much and I love being with the girls, so it was a win-win all around.

 Rachel got a sitter to come while the girls were sleeping so I could get home and get mine in bed.  On the way home, we saw a lot of people standing on the Congress bridge waiting for the bats. So I asked the boys if they wanted to check it out.  This is something that I would usually plan for and research best spots, times, etc, but we did it totally spur of the moment.

 Of course it was also that weekend that it rained the entire weekend. But we had an umbrella and it was perfect weather for making a little dam in the middle of the crowd!

 Not gonna lie, it was pretty darn anticlimactic.  I saw the bats from a boat a year ago and remember thinking it was really amazing. I think because we were not in the water, and it was not summer yet, there just didn't seem to be a ton of bats. The part leading up to it was more fun that watching the actual bats, but we all had a great time....but were all ready for bed when we got home.  It was a "lets all pile into bed with Mommy kinda night." We will plan better and try the bats out again another time!