We are the Champions
Reilly's soccer team had an undefeated season and won the club tournament in a shootout with Reilly scoring a goal and ending the game as star keeper to finish out their clinic careers. Peter and Reilly have been playing with the same group of kids since they were three years old and this was a great way to cap all the fun they've had together on the pitch. We took a moment to remember all the ups and downs of the last four years, including the two seasons Reilly spent more or less cheering from the sidelines with his broken leg and then learning to walk and finally run again and thinking back on some of the crazy team names and jersey colors they've had: Red Race Cars, Orange Tigers, Blue Whales, Turquoise Tie-Dye Surf, Lime Green Lizards, and finally the Red Raptors. It didn't matter what color they were, they pretty much dominated the other teams every season (think of Peter as Will Farrell in Kicking and Screaming and Reilly and teammate Henry as the ITALIANS) and are now ready to move on to competitive county soccer. You're one of the big boys now, Reilly. Way to go.

Soccer is a BIG Dad and Reilly thing and I didn't really do much, but I came up with a great cake for the team party, right?

Even the orthodontist said the day before Halloween is
"Bad Timing"
for getting braces!

Happy Halloween!

Now... aren't you scared?

Spooky School

Dr. Toxic and Count Dracula gobbled down their breakfasts this morning and headed to school for the annual Halloween parade and classroom parties where they had a creepy time with all the other ghosts and goblins.

Scary second graders before Mom kicked off the party which included make your own green slime with borax, glue, water and food coloring and learning all about 'Dem Bones.

Fourth grade frieks warming up for a dance and karaoke contest headlined by Eye of the Tiger... don't ask me, I was downstairs with the little kids....
WARNING: The mad scientist and the vampire were scheduled for one-day-only appearances this year. They are now secluded in the eerie basement lab, preparing for a dramatic midnight transformation into their REAL Halloween personas... check back tomorrow... if you dare!

Happy Birthday to My Blog!

It's been one year since Jennie set up Bringing Up Boys! Thanks again for the sweet present. I would have missed sharing so many great (and not-so-great) family events if I weren't blogging with y'all. Now I can not only name all the cousins in birth order, I even know what makes them each tick... and why all of us moms have a tick! Peter, the boys and I are also very grateful for the outpouring of love and support we received from our friends by being able to share news about Connor's accident through the blog. It's the gift that keeps on giving.... along with the gorgeous cake Peter ordered all on his own, and the yoga mat the kids tried out for me last night!

This can't be happening to me!

It is a BAD day when the laundry equipment fails in a house with five boys, especially after a weekend of unending rain and muddy soccer games. HELP! Peter and the boys all sat down and watched a YouTube video on how to repair a broken dryer belt and now we're just waiting for the part they ordered to arrive.

In the meantime, Pierce and I packed the van full of filthy clothes and headed to the laundromat yesterday when everyone went to school. As I was lugging in basket after basket of laundry, I was very grateful the laundromat had an automatic sliding door. I was also grateful for the 55 lb. load washer. I was grateful there was a quarter machine on site, which I forgot to think about until after the sliding door thing and all the stuff was in.

But... by the time my five giant loads were done washing and drying, I felt wrung out myself after chasing Pierce all over the very DIRTY store, repeatedly dragging him out of the industrial dryers he would hide in, pulling him down off the folding counters he climbed onto, chasing him and back and forth through the automatic sliding door I was no longer very grateful for, and bending down 10,000 times to pick up quarter after quarter that he was having a blast throwing around the place. WHEW! Why can't that boy sit down and watch some "Price is Right" like everybody else? And WHEN is that replacement part coming....?

Building Friendships

Everyone enjoyed working on a castle together one rainy evening... and a whole half hour went by without use of a BALL, although Pierce did try throwing the blocks. Thanks Grandpa Joyce for the wonderful homemade toys!