Spring Soccer

This was our first soccer season with all three kids playing, and on three different times. It made for some busy Saturdays! We had a bunch of icky weather weekends this spring, so several games were cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled again, and eventually made up. All in all, it was fun, with a few hiccups along the way.

Ryker was part of Lollipops, a program for 3-5 year olds, which consisted more of soccer drills and fun games, and less actual soccer competition. After watching Sydney and Myles for two years, he was really excited at the idea of playing, but only a little excited when it actually came time to participate. Ryker is not really shy, but rather he lets his opinion known, and his opinion is often that he doesn't want to participate. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that we've already had experience with a kiddo who refused to participate in most activities at 2 and 3 years old (Sydney), but the silver lining is that I know this too shall pass. Thankfully, Sydney is a willing participant in almost anything now, and does it with a smile on her face. Ryker's soccer skills are pretty good, and a lot of the time he had a good attitude and gave his best effort, but other times he needed a bit of encouragement (or needed to be ignored when he was just looking for attention). He refused to wear the Lollipops issued t-shirt (no big deal to us), but my favorite was the week we were in a hurry, and I didn't notice what shirt he had put on. We got to soccer (late) and Ryker was wearing a bright green t-shirt with the letters MVP in bold black lettering across the front. I can only imagine what the other parents were thinking!

Myles had probably his best season of soccer yet. He again played with the TOPS soccer program, specifically for kids with disabilities. A high school soccer team joins each week as volunteers to assist the coaching staff. Myles was focused, played hard, was excited, and had a good attitude. He has matured a lot in the past year, and took his soccer playing seriously. He was a lot of fun to watch!

Sydney continues to play 3-on-3, and was on the same team as in the past, with a few of the same teammates. She enjoys soccer, and is coming into her own as an athlete and competitor. She is pretty fast with her long legs, scored in (I think) every game, and is starting to understand the nuances of the game. And although 5 and 6-year-olds on a soccer field can mostly look disorganized and a bit clueless, it is fun to watch her, her big smiles, and good attitude on the field.

It looks like we have more soccer Saturdays in our future!

Notes from Sydney

Sydney continues to be our artist, crafter, and note writer. It's common to get multiple notes/drawings from her in a day. They're mostly filled with sweet messages about how much she loves us, like this one:

"Sydney Belle Gilbert. I love you Mom and Dad. Thank you Mommy and Daddy for all the help that you teached me."

But sometimes she'll slip in some requests, like the night Gilby and I came home after my mom had watched the kids, and found 5 notes (one for each family member) requesting that we put a La Croix sparkling water drink in her lunch for her zoo field trip the next day. Or this one she wrote last week:

 "Dad, please next time that I have gum can you get me the green gum?" 

She keeps us laughing, silly girl. 

Mother's Day

We had a fun and low key Mother's Day this year. My parents joined us at our house for brunch, we had fun playing at the park, and my mom and I escaped for some shopping alone (at Costco, but still, alone!). The rain came in the afternoon, but we had sunshine for the first part of the day, which is much nicer than the snow we had the previous two years on Mother's Day!

Rainy Day

Never mind the laundry that needed folding, errands to run, house to clean, and on and on - we took advantage of a gloomy, rainy afternoon by snuggling and reading books in bed, which is by far one of my favorite things to do with my kiddos.

May Day

May Day with these silly cousins ~

Siblings

These two...

Something I jotted down a few Sundays ago:

Sydney and Myles were at the top of the slide at the park today with some acquaintances from school. I heard a girl a few grades older say, "Guys, let Myles go, he has a disability." Sydney turned to her and asked, "What's a disability?"

cue me giggling

Of course Sydney knows that some things are harder for Myles and sees the differences between him and most other kids, but for her, that's just because he's Myles, her brother, and not because he has a disability. I'm not even sure what she thinks Down syndrome mearns, but it doesn't really matter, at least not now.

Siblings of kids with disabilities can have it tough sometimes. I see it with my own. But, they don't know any differently, and I know mine woudn't have it any other way. I witnessed Sydney stick up for Myles at school earlier this year when an older boy was making fun of the way he talks. She defended Myles and moved on; it came so naturally to her. Things that still are tough for me as an adult seem so instinctual to her. I see it with other siblings too, and am awed by the power of these relationships.

And for the record, in our family, if it's your turn to go down the slide, you go. If not, you wait, regardless of your special abilities. Sydney was just confused that somebody would think otherwise.

Embracing the Moment

We took Myles out of school one Friday in April so we could all go skiing for one last time this season. It was great. But, then we got stuck up in the mountains thanks to a crazy snowstorm. We brought nothing for the situation. Nothing. Except Gilby's contact solution, he threw that in "just in case." We bought overpriced swimsuits so the kids could go swimming at our hotel. As an adult, I would have much rather been at home where I wouldn't have had to sleep in my ski clothes only to continue to wear them the next day. But, I'm pretty sure the kids couldn't have thought of a better scenario. We worked to embrace it all in the spirit of family togetherness and childhood memories. It ended up being a sweet and slow 24 hours away that included cuddling in bed watching Saturday morning cartoons - something we wouldn't have done at home. I love my little family and these wild and crazy years with young kids.

Lion Diorama

First grade lion diorama! Myles was very proud of his diorama and report, and did a great job presenting it in class!

Skiing Day Date

Gilby and I had the chance to go skiing, just the two of us, one day this spring. We used to do this all the time together, but then we had three kids. I was grateful for the day we had this season.

Rockies Game

In April we were gifted tickets to a suite at a Rockies baseball game. It was Sydney and Ryker's first ever game, and despite me not having high hopes for staying long after we'd already had a long day of soccer games, the kids did great and we all had a lot of fun!

Easter

Easter 2016 - A sweet and mellow holiday this year with our family celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. The kids are starting to understand what this all means, and it is a privilege (and big responsibility!) to help them formulate their thoughts and beliefs. We had some traditional Easter fun too!

Tie-dyed egg coloring::

Easter baskets:

Family photos::

Easter egg hunt & the bunny before church::

Lunch with Grandma and Grandpa::