Officially a Soccer Mom

Isabella played her first soccer game this past Saturday morning. She is playing on the Upward Soccer League, on the "Little Cowboys" team. I think she is really enjoying it.

The league is a Christian-based organization that encourages the kids to learn a Bible verse each week about strength, perseverance, respect, or some similar virtue to coincide with their practices and games. Her coaches, John and Monica, are really wonderful and encourage having fun and not giving up.

Isabella receiving this week's Bible verse from Coach John

It took her about 15 minutes to figure out what it was she was supposed to be doing on the field. Once she realized that all she really needed to do was to chase the ball toward one goal, she channeled her dad's athletic nature and competitiveness and kept up with the biggest boy on the team.

She even received a star at the end of the game for "Best Effort." I was so proud of her, especially since she is by far the smallest child on the team.

In fact, she was only one of two kids who stayed in the game all the way to the end, even after taking a fall.

She's #9 - watch her go!

Grammy and Papaw came to watch Isabella play. They cheered for Isabella and helped me keep an eye on Sophia.

Sophia really wanted to play so badly. She would run out onto the field during warm-up and time-out to play, too.

After the game was over, Isabella was a little disappointed that she didn't score a goal herself.

She even said to me, "Mommy, I'm sorry I didn't play much good." It was all I could do to not cry when I heard this; it reminded me so much of myself.

I would love suggestions on how to keep her from criticizing herself and look at the game as a way to have fun. Be competitive, yes, but take pride in doing her best, too. Anyway, we are looking forward to rest of the season and seeing how she's going to grow and gain confidence over the next few months.

2009 Year-in-Review, Part 1

Well, it is officially February, and so far I'm still not updating my blog as frequently as I'd planned to in the new year. I think part of my problem is that there were so many events that took place last year that I didn’t write about, and now I feel guilty going forward. (Yes, my obsessive-compulsiveness is more a hindrance than a help). My solution is to do a series of entries, each of which will include a number of events or milestones from 2009, so that I can feel free to move ahead with 2010. So, here goes...

To begin, 2009 was a big year for Sophia. She turned 1-year-old in March, so obviously she had her share of milestones. To begin with, she became quite good at playing by herself.

Here she is at 11-months-old. She already loved feeding her baby dolls.

At twelve-months-old, she already loved a purse and makeup. I can't deny that she's mine!

Sophia also learned how to walk, and my life hasn’t been the same since. She was about fourteen-months-old when she decided she was ready; she never looked back.

This was just before her first birthday. She loved any toy she could walk behind and push.

By Mother's Day, she was ready to take on the world.

One of the hardest milestones for me was the last time Sophia rode in her infant carrier. I knew she was getting too big for it. I knew she was bored facing backward. And, I knew the front-facing car seat is much easier and more practical. However, just knowing that I wouldn’t be carrying around an infant carrier anymore was really hard, especially since I had carried one since September 2006!

Here she is on the day after her first birthday. It was her last rear-facing ride.

Isabella also had a few milestones of her own last year. The first big one came when we transformed her crib into a toddler bed. We knew it was time when she began climbing out of her crib, but I chose to ignore the obvious next step; I just didn't want to see my baby grow up. At first she only climbed out occasionally, but soon she was doing this...

pretty frequently.

We knew it was time, so we decided to make the change to a big-girl bed. This was a hard day for me. Especially when she did this...

Isabella saying good-bye to her crib.

This was her last night in the crib.

Once it was done, I think she liked the change. Now there's more room for her books. (I can't deny that she's my baby either).

Mommy and Daddy also had a "first" of their own last year—we took our first overnight trip without the girls. Phillip and I went to Asheville for our sixth anniversary in March. We only stayed away one night, but I really missed my girls.

We're at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. Phillip proposed there in 2002. We even had dinner at the same restaurant.

We also ran into John Boy (i.e., "John Boy and Billy" on the radio) who was at the Grove Park for the Annual Comedy Classic. He's not the first person you expect to run into at a super-fancy resort, but it was fun to meet him and he was really nice to us.

I think this first year-in-review will have to end here. Isabella and Sophia just woke up from their naps, so my "free-time" is now at an end. I'll continue with my next installment of 2009 highlights soon. I know you're on the edge of your seat! :-)