Tiny Tot Soccer

Sylvia had her first organized sports experience this summer...as did Dan and I. We signed her up for Coralville's Tiny Tot Soccer. Her team, the Lizards, was made up of 3 and 4-year-olds with varying degrees of experience and athleticism.

Sylvia was very excited for soccer, and the first week went very well. All of the teams practiced together and each child had his/her own ball...the whole time.
The following weeks, there was a 15 minute practice followed by a 30 minute game. After Sylvia spent much of the first game trying to be on the sidelines with us or standing still in the middle of the field, Dan and I realized that we and her coaches had never explained the whole idea of soccer...or any team sport for that matter. Sylvia was not prepared for the fact that there would only be 1 ball on the field and that all of the boys and girls would be running around after that 1 ball.

Each week she showed some improvement, although she still played around plenty. She was often a little sad that she couldn't get to the ball. Practice before the actual game and playing on the sideline while she was not on the field seemed to be more fun for her than the actual game. He coaches were wonderful and very patient. We were very impressed at how they continued to get her involved when she wasn't so sure about the whole thing.


If you ask Sylvia what her favorite part about soccer was she says, "How about treats?"
We enjoyed getting outside as a family and watching her grow each week. Dan and I definitely learned a lot about Sylvia through this experience. I missed one perfect picture moment of Sylvia adjusting her underwear in the middle of a game. I decided it would be better for me to run out and help her rather than take a picture so that one will just have to be a memory.

Our New Place

Here's a sneak peek at our new place. We're closing tomorrow morning. Then the work begins. Painting is one of the first projects on the list.

Indianapolis Children's Museum

While in Indianapolis we visited the children's museum with Papa. Dan's cousin, Kerry, also joined us with his wife and son, Matthew. I'd love to journal more about it but I'll leave it at this...We had a wonderful time and hope to return to the Indianapolis Children's Museum soon.

Indianapolis

We traveled in to Indianapolis in July with Nana, Papa, and Granny. After figuring out how to load one rental vehicle with the belongings of seven people, we were on the road. Sylvia enjoyed watching a couple of shows on daddy's ipod during the trip. Nana spent a lot of time entertaining Erickson. He was especially fond of the ceiling lights that clicked on and off.
We spent a long weekend at Granny, Nadja and Kecia's house. Dan's cousin, Kerry, and family showed up for a surprise visit as well. Sylvia brought along her new library books to read. Eric wanted to check out all the decorations.
We were very thankful for the extra help with the kids...especially with so many things to get into and investigate. Sylvia attempted to sleep in Nana and Papa's room but ended up joining me in bed.
Sylvia was promised one ride on the electric chair before heading home and she was not about to let us forget about it.
Granny's house has a beautiful front porch which was perfect for sidewalk chalk and swinging on a sunny day. We also beat the heat by taking a swim at the Rivera. The camera didn't make it with us so we'll just have to remember.
We enjoyed a few gooseberries from the patch in the backyard.
Matthew and Sylvia spent Sunday afternoon "planting" and watering seeds in the front yard. They seemed to have a lot of fun together.
Granny's great grandchildren. Sylvia, Matthew, Erickson, and Nicole.

Our family with one of the most wonderful people in the world! We love you so much Granny and are so thankful for all the time we got to spend with you this summer. It was such a treat and a blessing to us. Sylvia is still talking about holding Granny's hand and helping her get around.

4th of July

We were joined at Iowa City's fireworks by my cousin, Jennifer, and her husband John on the 3rd. After last year, we weren't how Sylvia would react but she did great. Dan was responsible for bringing ear plugs for her, and she reminded him of that on a daily basis the few weeks leading up to the 4th. Eric seemed to enjoy the fireworks but always wanted to be pretty close to mom or dad.
On the 4th of July we went to the Coralville parade. My dad headed down early to set up a tent which provided wonderful shade. There was even a pack and play for Eric which was a life saver. John and Jennifer joined us again as well as my Aunt Sarah and her boys, Bill and Becky's family, Great Nana and of course Grandma and Grandpa. Sylvia knows all about collecting candy and wanted to make sure I had brought a bag for her. She liked sharing her candy with the people around her. When given a box of crayons, she said she wanted to share them to someone else because she already had crayons. I love her generous heart. We were all pretty tired by the parade's end...especially Eric.
Sylvia enjoyed doing sparklers for the first time. Last year, we didn't trust her not to grab the hot end.

We enjoyed spending lots and lots of time with the Hoefer family while my dad's five siblings were in town. Uncle Lee is a science teacher in Georgia. Adam, Katie and Sylvia got to help him make a car out of an old stereo my parents had sitting on their curb.
I was asked to take a Hoefer family picture. After figuring out who should stand where and getting the sun off every one's face, we were able to get a few successful pictures. I should do a post with the many, many pictures of my dad talking or singing thus having a funny face. He wasn't the only one causing problems but he was the main culprit. I wonder if that's how things were when they were growing up.