Saturday Morning Soccer

Highlights from Katie's soccer game this morning:

Katie and Her Puppy, Lucy

It's been about 20 years since we had a puppy in the family and wow, it's all coming back to me now... I have to say, it's a good thing she's as cute and sweet as she is during the day, because her barking for attention in the middle of the night is anything but cute and sweet! Each night, I wonder what in the world was I thinking to agree that we get a puppy! I have to believe that she'll soon learn to chill out at night so we can get some uninterrupted sleep! Potty training is actually going well. We're really enjoying her. I especially love taking her over to visit Betty (Regina's Mom) who is in a nearby rehab center recovering from her June 10 stroke. Betty enjoys holding Lucy (the puppy) in her lap. Her face lights up when she realizes we've brought the puppy with us to visit. Lucy loves the attention, of course.

Here's a short video of Katie and Lucy playing in the yard:

Added to the Family Today

Katie has wanted a dog for so long and this past week Suzie and Katie went to the shelter and found a great dog. We went today to see if she was still there and no luck. After checking out all the dogs, Katie got more upset because she could finally get a dog but there were none to bring home. So, we checked out some puppies (thought we were going to pick one of the cock-a-poos that were just born to pick up in a few weeks) and found this one ready to come home!

It is a Yorkie Poodle mix and very tiny (just over 2 pounds). She is cute, playful and really likes to be around us. We haven't seen the cats since she arrived! Suzie and Katie came up with "Lucy" so we have a dog and a name! We finally got both to bed -- everyone was excited.

Katie's First Soccer Game

This morning was Katie's first soccer game and appropriately so, since we are in the Pacific Northwest, it was raining. They didn't let a little rain stop the games though! Katie refused to wear any kind of rain gear and couldn't wait to get wet.

This soccer league is all about having fun. The girls will learn the basics and get to try out their skills in a game, but nobody is keeping score.

Katie could hardly contain her excitement as she played. Everytime she looked over at us on the sidelines, her huge smile shone brightly through the rain. All of the girls were excited to be out there.

We are pleased to report that Katie scored a couple of goals and one of them involved taking the ball from one end of the field to the other without allowing anyone to steal it from her and then she aimed right for the goal and it went in. She was particularly proud of this play!

Today was the first of eight games. So, we'll be on the soccer field every morning for the next 7 Saturdays, cheering for the girls!

Day at the Zoo

Katie and I decided to go to the zoo since it was in the upper 80s and absolutely beautiful outside. Of course, we did not know that it was the opening day for the lion and wild dog exhibit. We got there after lunch so we missed the really big crowds.

As we were walking into the zoo, Katie told me that she wanted to see snakes first. The Portland zoo only has a few in various exhibits around the zoo. When a zoo helper saw us looking at the map, she showed us where they were and then told us we needed to see the snake that was in the new exhibit area first. She walked us all the way there. The lions were out so we saw them first. Then, Katie could not take her eyes off of the wild dogs. I had not seen them before and they were very cool looking. They were very active, too. Yes, we have a stuffed animal wild dog now!

The snake was huge, too! We saw birds of prey up close in a show and then rode the train before walking around and seeing several other animals. We ended the long day at Red Robin for dinner and then visiting my Mom.

Happy 13th Birthday, Paige!

Love - Regina, Katie and Suzie

Katie's First Day of Kindergarten

Our baby Katie is a Kindergartner! She was excited, but admitted she was nervous. She's worried about not remembering names the first day.

I packed her a lunch today, for the first time. She requested turkey roll-up for lunch, so that's what I made. She also got yogurt, milk and red grapes. Her morning snack is, per her request, strawberry cereal (bite-size shredded wheat with strawberry-flavored coating).

At about 8:30, the teacher had to remind all the lingering parents that it was time to go. She and her assistant already had the kids busy with a small project.

Their school day is over at 1:30pm, which will take some getting used to because preschool went to 6pm! I'm going to miss all that extra time I used to have to get things done.

Head in the Clouds

I find myself spending too much time thinking about the things I don't have or can't have instead of living in the moment. It sure is fun to daydream about what could be and on a sunny warm day it feels like it is all within reach.

It is a fun way to pass time...

Power Walk

I have been working out and trying to close out strong for our Biggest Loser competition at work. I haven't been feeling very well the last few days but I was determined to walk even if it meant doing a lot of little ones. Today, I did two power walks and combined walked 6.75 miles! I even had to walk over a snake... my feet are soar but it felt good.

Can't wait for the new season of BL! I have been watching some of the old ones as I didn't watch it much before the last two seasons. The show sure keeps me motivated.

Leaps and Bounds

While I went to my dentist appointment this morning, Mel was kind enough to watch Katie for me. I was gone for a couple of hours or so and when I returned, Katie and I stayed there the rest of the day. It was a hot, sunny afternoon, so we spent some time in the backyard getting wet and playing with bubbles. When I saw how excited their dog (also named Katie) was about the bubbles, I ran and got my video camera. Take a look at what she was doing:

In the Kitchen with Katie

Katie made breakfast this morning! We had cinnamon biscuits my Mom used to make for us when we were kids. Check out this video of Katie in the kitchen:

Me? Youtube-ing?

I loved the link Suzie shared with the wedding dance. I just saw this one and thought I would share it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QujA8YYgTWU&NR=1

Enjoy.

Daycation to Lake Wenatchee

Katie and I drove this morning to Lake Wenatchee State Park to spend the day with Mel and Courtney and their family. We had hoped to tour the lake on their boat, but the winds kicked up causing it to be pretty unsafe. So, we hung out around their campsite and on the shore. We left at about 9pm and got home two hours later. It was a fun day! I didn't take much video, but here's some of what I did get:

Katie loved spending time with Mel and Courtney's dog, also named Katie! One of these days we're going to have to get her a dog!

Celebrating Another Day of Life

Although I seem to be feeling a little down recently, my spirits were raised by visiting Mel and Courtney and their 17-month-old twins, Jack and Avery. Katie and I spent a few hours over at their house late this afternoon and they treated us to pizza for dinner. The kids played in the backyard getting dirty and wet, while having a great time together. Of course I had my camera running and here's what I got:

No More Training Wheels for Katie!

Today was the second time Katie tried to ride her bike without training wheels. A few weeks ago she tried it, got frustrated pretty quickly and quit. This time, however, her friend next door was with her. He gave her a quick lesson and she caught on very quickly. She refused to let me help her at all and as it turned out, she didn't need my assistance anyway!

Wow... With Only One Lesson!

We decided to go to a skating park last night because they had open skating. I, of course, watched as my feet need to be firmly on the ground. Katie asked me why I didn't skate and I told her I didn't learn when I was a little kid. My Mom didn't let us skate or skate board as she was certain we would break out arms or legs (apparently many kids were breaking bones back in the day). She thought about it and then throughout the night kept telling me to call my Mom and ask her if I could skate now.

Suzie did a good job, but Katie was a maniac She fell a few times, but most of the time she was racing around the rink. Oh, to be young again! They both skated from 7 until almost 10:00!

Katie's New Adventure

First thing this morning Katie and I headed over to the Skate King in Bellevue so Katie could learn how to skate! She was so excited! It really amused her that the very first thing they learned was how to fall correctly. Who knew there was a right and wrong way to fall! Anyway, she got lots of practice falling, as you'll see in this video. She did a good job though and is anxious to keep learning.

Can you believe it?

I was looking at old movies and pictures. Check me out! I was VERY fashionable. Clearly, it was because of my Mom!

And then, there were times where I wonder - what was she thinking!

I am hooked on this artist!

I have yet to figure out how to buy this online, and download it to my iPod, but for those of you who have that skill set add "The Good Stuff" by Schuyler Fisk. It is a great album (do they still call it that?) and it is perfect for when you want to sit back and just relax. There are some upbeat songs, but it is more low key.

Enjoy!

A Video Tribute

One of the things Regina's Dad, Alex, enjoyed was to capture the important and interesting events in his family's life in home movies. Fortunately, all of the 8mm films he shot were converted to DVD a few years ago and each of his kids now has a copy. Over the last few days, I have been reviewing all of that footage (whew!) and put together a 4-minute video of clips I pulled from Alex and Betty's home movies. Enjoy!