Iowa City Fall Soccer

Sylvia finished up fall soccer a couple of weeks ago.  It meet at Willow Creek Park for a month.  She had Tuesday practices and Thursday games.  Sylvia seems to enjoy practice more so we liked that the focus wasn't on the games.  Her soccer game has improved quite a bit since first playing in Coralville a couple of years ago.  She even stopped the ball and got it going the right direction in a few games.  It was fun to have Grayson on her team (and his parents on the sidelines with us).

 

Eric enjoyed sitting in (and getting out of) his chair during Sylvia's games.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or some type of snack usually kept him occupied.

 

The last game of the sason was a little cold.

We usually stopped at the playground before or after soccer for the kids to play.  The tire swing is becoming a favorite.

 

Walking?

Drake has been pulling himself up and walking along furniture for quite some time.  He recently started pushing things around while walking and today he even stood on his own for a few seconds.  I think Sylvia enjoyed getting a ride from her baby brother.

Sylvia's Special Day

Sylvia had her first special day at preschool last Monday. She got to help with calendar time, be the line leader, bring snack for the class, act out the Bible story and bring a share item(s).

 

Spelling her name for Mrs. Fink.

 

Dressing the weather girl.

 

"Sarah" and "Abraham waiting for a baby.

 

Delighting in their new baby.

 

Getting excited for share time.

 

Telling Mrs. Fink about her Chicago dinosaur.

 

Showing her feather to her classmates.

 

Singing Going on a Bear Hunt with her class.

 

Winking at Mrs. Fink during the goodbye song.



Wilson's Orchard and Pumpkin Patch

We headed out to Wilson's Orchard with some friends last weekend.  There aren't any apples on the trees so we checked out the pumpkins

 

Sylvia was so excited to look for a pumpkin that she picked up the first one she saw before we even made it to the pumpkin patch.

 

Drake snuggling with mommy during the tractor ride. 

 

Looking for a pumpkin in the sparse pumpkin patch.  Dan noticed that most of the pumpkins on the vine were rotten.  The nice ones looked like they'd been set out there.

 

Eric and Eli hanging with Andrea and Josh.  The guy in the background is strapping his pumpkin into the stroller.

 

Eric and Sylvia got to take an extra trip on the tractor with daddy.  Sylvia and I found a red ticket out in the pumpkin patch and she won a free donut.

 

After eating some apple donuts and turnovers, Sylvia took a picture for us.

 

She was able to get this one too after I asked her to make sure daddy's head was in the picture. 

UIHC - Iowa River Landing

Dan's work over the past two years on the University of Iowa's River Landing project has finally paid off.  The kids were excited to be in a project photo shoot before the building opened on October 8th.  We took the family to an open house last weekend and showed the kids around.  Sylvia and Eric enjoyed watching the building under construction and referred to it as "daddy's building" anytime we drove by.  I'm very proud of my husband for his commitment to work and for doing his best even when things can be difficult at times.  His job requires a lot of hours but he still manages to prioritize his family and be there for me and the kids.  He is such a blessing to us.

Fall Woodpecker Trail

Sylvia's preschool class took their first field trip of the year.  I got to drive a bus full of preschoolers out to Woodpecker Trail.  The kids enjoyed hiking out by the lake and taking in God's beautiful creation.  It was a chilly morning but they all had a good time.  I even took the boys along for the hike.

The Red Song

September was spent learning about the color red at preschool.  Sylvia found these things around the house for her red picture and even wanted her toenails painted red.

 

Sylvia's class singing The Red Song on Red Day at the end of September.

Iowa Football

Dan and I took the kids to Kinnick in August for Kid's Day.  They enjoyed walking around the stadium and learning a little about football from their daddy.

 

The kids and I checked out FryFest with Grandma and Grandpa in September.  Sylvia and Eric liked meeting the gymnasts.  They got to walk on the balance beam and do some somersaults on their mats.  We also got to say hi to Herky.

 

Grandma and Granpa took us and Sylvia to the Iowa vs Central Michigan game.  Papa walked to the game with us.  Bill and Ben were also at the game.  Sylvia made it through the first quarter in the stands then I took her for a walk.  We checked out the relief sculpture and the statue of Nile Kinnick.  While in line to get popcorn we saw her friend McKenna and said hi.  Sylvia enjoyed the halftime show and then some hot chocolate before going on a walk with Grandpa.  He took her to see the cheerleaders, Herky and Papa.  I think she enjoyed herself despite the outcome of the game.

Bearilynn

Sylvia got to be the first student to take the buddy home from preschool and she was very excited about it.  It took her quite a while to come up with a name before settling on Bearilynn.  She also considered Bearyl which Dan and I liked. 

 

What did you do with the buddy?

Play games and celebrate her birthday. Went downtown on the bus and played on the playground.

Where did the buddy sleep?

In my bed with me at nighttime.

What did the buddy eat at your house?

He ate pizza at a restaurant downtown. Happy Birthday Grandpa cake.

Did the Buddy go anywhere special with you?

Downtown on the playground. Grandpa and Grandma's house for a birthday.

 

 

 

My Boys

Erickson James turned 2.5 on September 6.  He is growing and changing so much each day.  Eric is becoming very indepent and likes to do things "All be myself."  He asks, "What's it is it?" when he wants to know who or what something is.  Monday mornings he goes to a coop playgroup and loves having something special for himself while Sylvia is at preschool.  He still likes to get into everything and figure out how things work.  He loves his big sister and also loves to push her buttons (which he does very well).

Drake William was 9 months old on September 10.  He's crawling around, pulling himself up, walking around furniture and working on stairs.  He loves to laugh at his brother and sister and has a very loud cry.  Drake enjoys the outdoors just like our other two.  He'll sometimes cry when Sylvia and Eric go outside and the door shuts in front of him.  He's a good eater, is growing steadily and is currently wearing 12-18 month clothes.