I Spy a.....praying mantis?

While sitting at Cole's soccer game on Saturday, we "spied" a praying mantis. Now, I know that if Taylor would have been there, she would have totally freaked out, but we all thought it was pretty cool. We first spotted it when Tony (a boy on Cole's team) came to the sidelines for a break, and it was on the back of his sock!! I carefully took it off and put it in the bush, and was quick to grab my camera and snap a few shots. I would have hated for one of the boys to stomp on it when they saw it. THey are pretty amazing creatures!!

Impact....Week 4

September 27, 2008

Wow....already to week 4 for soccer!! Woohoo!! This season is taking it's toll on me because the kids game and practices overlap, and it makes it so hard!! Plus, Adam has been out of town so much that I am trying to juggle it all by myself. Thank goodness George, Sharon and Uncle Dan are always willing to help out. So, here is the recap....

Taylor's team, the Elephants (yes, the slowest, most un-driven animal out there is what they picked) played excellent!! They won their first game, and Taylor actually really got in there and played the game. I think it helped that the temperature was in the 70's when they played and it wasn't too sunny yet. They did so good!! Way to go Elephants!!

Now the Wild Hogs had an EXCELLENT game!! They won, 9-0, with Cole scoring 4 goals!! He played goalie the whole first half, and was still able to pull off 4 goals!! So far their record for the season is 2-1-1...can't complain about that!! I know of a few major league teams that would love to have that record 4 games into their season. Great job, Wild Hogs!!

What a nice surprise!!

September 23, 2008

Well, to start, I was having a horrible day. It was crazy busy at work, I was still so tried from my marathon read of "New Moon", and I could tell I was coming down with something. So, imagine my surprise when George & Sharon brought me over flowers and a really sweet card. I know she will kill me when she sees that I am going to put what she wrote to me on my blog, but it meant so much to me, that I had to share.

Dear Leigh,
I thought of you when I read this poem:

You are my constant light

to help show me the way.

You've been there to guide me

and I feel that everyday.

Thank you for your love

in everything you do.

When I look inside myself

I know I've learned from you.

George & I don't tell you as often as we should what a wonderful mom you are to Cole and Taylor. You are Cole's and Taylor's "Constant Light"-how lucky they are to have you. As Grandparents we so appreciate all that you do-always putting their needs first (Adam's too). We couldn't ask for a better daughter.

We love you

George & Sharon

Well, as I am sure you guessed, I cried when I read it. It made my day. Wow...how a little thing like a card can turn your whole crappy day around. Thanks George & Sharon!! I love you guys too!!

Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas USA

A Farewell to Rice Eccles Stadium

September 20, 2008 was the last game RSL would ever play in Rice Eccles Stadium. Their next home game will be played at the RSL Stadium in Sandy, Utah on October 9, 2008. There were over 26,000 in attendance!!! Yes, I am nuts is all I am going to say from the beginning. I, me alone, took Taylor, Cole, and 3 of Cole's friends (Reis, Hayden and Tony) to the game. The kids did have a good time but I was a wreck trying to keep track of them all with the HUGE crowd. And to top it off, we had to wear ponchos because it rained!! Okay, okay...I will admit that it was a fun night with the kids. Cole's friends are such great kids and honestly kept me entertained. The worst news is that RSL lost to Chivas...1-0. This was their first home loss all season. They are now in 3rd place in the Western Conference. We are hopeful that they will have a few more wins this season and make it to the playoffs, BUT we are MOST looking forward to the game in the new stadium!! We can't wait!! They have some of their toughest opponents ahead, and only a handful of games left. Let's just hope the Coach Jason Kries can pull it together and give the fans a BIG WIN on October 9th!!
Here is Cole and one of his favorite former RSL players, Alecko Escadarian. Alecko was traded to Chivas a few years ago but has always been such a nice guy, and totally remembered Cole...by name!! Thanks to Alecko for making an 8 year olds night!!

Impact Week #3

September 20, 2008

Will these updates ever end? Probably not until November when the season is over. This week was yes, another exciting weekend of soccer, Soccer, Soccer!!! Adam was out of town this week and boy did he miss out!! Grandpa George took Taylor to her game. Again the kids games overlapped and Cole begged me to go to his game. I was sort of bummed that I misses Tay's game because she SCORED A GOAL!!! Her team is way more about being everyone's buddy than scoring goals....they lost this one 14-1. But she could care less which is what makes it more fun!! Thanks again to Grandma & Grandpa for helping out with the crazy game schedules!!

Cole's game was another story. We knew they were going to be in a tougher bracket this year but geez!! Does it have to be such a nail biter every week? The Wild Hogs came out really strong with Cole & Christian both scoring in the first 10 minutes. I think they boys got too confident and thought they had it in the bag. The other team came back with a vengeance in the 2nd half and ended up tying us in the end. It was a great game and the boys all played really. Everyone is improving so much....thanks to Uncle Dan and his AMAZING coaching skills. Good thing Adam is there to supervise....ha ha!!

Oktoberfest 2008

September 14, 2008

Today we decided to take a shot at Snowbird Ski Resorts Annual Oktoberfest!! It is always a ton of fun with great food (gotta love HUGE bratwurst & potato pancakes...yum!), cold beer, people makings fools out of themselves dancing, and a lot of neat vendors selling a bunch of junk!! We had a good time all in all. We didn't stay long...we have decided that we need to go up there WITHOUT the kids so we can really enjoy ourselves. They can only last so long without running you to the poor house with all the stuff they want to buy and do. It was really a beautiful day and we were all dying to get up in the mountains. Hopefully we will make it back before the last weekend in October. Definitely a great tradition....kids or not!!

Me and Princess Taylor

Me, the kiddos and my beer mug!!

Best buds...well most of the time. It looks like Taylor is trying to rip Cole's head off!!

My AMAZING silly kids!!

Impact Soccer Week #2

September 13, 2008

Wow....today was a crazy soccer day. Throughout most of the beginning of the season, the kids games overlap. So, Adam and I have to take turns on going to each of the kids games. This week Dan was going to be out of town, so Grandma Sharon took Taylor to her game, and both Adam & I went to Cole's game. We really wanted Taylor to know that we would miss her so we stopped by her game to give her a good luck hug and take a few pictures. Grandma said she did o.k. but mostly wanted to hang out on the sidelines. It is just fine with us. It is more about being social at this age than anything.

Well, Cole's game was one of the toughest yet. It was the Wild Hogs first LOSS!! Yes, in the 2 years they have been together they have either won or tied every game. The boys were devastated. The score was 2-1. The boys played their hearts out but it just wasn't in the cards. Cole did score the only goal for the Hogs which made us so proud!! The best part was that the boys accepted the loss and didn't shed a tear....at least not with the other boys around. I think it was really good for them to take a turn at losing. It is bound to happen. WE ARE SO PROUD OF ALL THE WILD HOGS!!!

Debbie & Louis' Wedding continued....

I just wanted to add these pictures from the wedding reception. We all had a ton of fun, and Deb was a beautiful bride!! Again, Congratulations to Deb & Louis!!

Another season of Impact begins....

On September 6th, both kids started another season of Impact soccer. Taylor is on the under 5 team and her coach is Dan Murdock. She has some really cute kids on her team and seems to be really enjoying it. She isn't much of a go-getter but has tons of fun being a cheerleader. Oh well, it is all about Taylor getting out there, getting some exercise, and making new friends. Cole is now on the under 9 team with most of the boys from his team last year. And yes, Adam and Dan are still the coaches. This year is much more challenging for all the boys. Not only do they have to learn positions but they also have to learn the rule of offsides. Cole's team won 4-0 with Cole scoring one goal. It should be another exciting season for both kids!!

Taylor.......the Bride?

On September 9th, we went to a wedding reception for our neighbors Deb & Louis. Taylor just adores Deb!! I think she would rather play with her than anyone. They have picnics, do yardwork, and just hang out ALL THE TIME!!! When we got the invitation for the reception in the middle of July, Taylor was so thrilled that she asked me every day how many more until the "party". It was a ton of fun and simply beautiful. They had it at Pierpont Place in downtown Salt Lake City. There was food, dancing, and tons of fun. Taylor was thrilled when Deb took off her wedding veil and let her wear it!! She kept going around telling everyone that "she and Deb were the brides!!" How scary is that as a mom of a 4 year old!! We wish Deb & Louis all the best, and we couldn't ask for better neighbors!!