Family Vacation

This year for our family summer vacation we again went back to Myrtle Beach, SC. The kids love this vacation spot and asked to return this year. 

This year Sybella and Cooper were both able to really enjoy the waves and sand...

We always boogie board while we are at the beach but this year, the boys also used the skin (skimmer) boards to glide across the top of the water in the shallow areas. And yes, our most adventurous child, Cooper, spent lots of time trying to figure it out. He discovered it's harder than skateboarding.  :)

We had 7 days just swimming, running in the sand, building castles, and enjoying the sun. It was amazing! David took a special day with each of the kids to do something one-on-one that they wanted to do. He took Colin golfing. Connor chose a 3D movie, Sybella took him shopping. And Cooper took him outside for a walk and to throw the ball (every day---apparently, the youngest gets more dates!)

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Virginia's Gold Cup

In early May, David and I had the opportunity to attend Virginia's Gold Cup in The Plains, Virginia. For those who don't know, this is a horse race on a grass track. It is great fun. There is food, hats, horses, more hats, seersucker suits, the races, and lots of socializing. Thanks to our friends Jamil and Lambeth for inviting us!

Referee Squared

This should, but may not be, an incredibly long post about what a great son I have and how he is following in the footsteps of his dad- we now have Referee Squared at our house.

Here's the story:

My awesome son, Colin, is a Entrepreneur, skilled at soccer, and has a hero in his dad. That all adds up to becoming a soccer referee (and collecting his first paycheck) at age 12!

After years of playing soccer, this year, Colin went thru a 10-hour class, a mentoring session, and a test to become a Grade 9, United States Soccer Federation Soccer Referee.

He serves as a Center Referee for recreational or house games for kids that are at least 2 years younger than he is. He can serve as an Assistant Referee (Linesman) for a more senior referee to kids in the older age groups.

He did a total of 13 games this season and had lots of encouragement and recognition from his dad (who was a National Referee). Colin did a great job! He has a good understanding of the game, of his role, and of the need serve as a teacher to the young kids who are still learning the game. He is planning to ref again in the spring and take the class to upgrade to a Grade 8 referee. (All this, and he made the honor roll in his first quarter at Middle School- 7th grade- while taking 3 Honors classes.)

Can I just say that this kid makes it easy to be a proud mama!

Future FIFA Referee?!

Half-Marathon

Pam, Kate, Lauren, Sharon, & Lexi

Thanks Ladies for a Great Race!

In September, I had the opportunity to run a Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) with some gals from our church. Thanks to Lauren for getting us started by sending out an email to see if anyone would like to get together and do some longer runs on Saturday morning. This was a relaxed (show up when you could, with no guilt over missing) way to have some companionship on what is a mentally grueling process of training for a race. The plan to do the 'Half' together didn't come up until later but it was the perfect way to celebrate some of our results at the end of summer. We chose the Wilson Bridge Half-Marathon. It starts at historic Mount Vernon, goes up the George Washington Parkway, across the Wilson Bridge (and the Potomac) and into the new National Harbor Complex in Maryland. (It's a 2 state race.) There was quite a bit up "uphill" running, I am glad I didn't look at the elevation map until the morning of the race. The view was amazing though and made it worth the hills!

I have run one other 'half'...it was 11 years and 3 kids ago. Colin was just 1yo at the time. This was a fun opportunity to prove that I still have 'it,' whatever it is. I didn't tell anyone but my secret goal was to finish this race faster than I did the other one. And honestly, I was convinced I could do it until about a month before the race when I started struggling with runner's knee. So on the morning of the race, I figured I'd give it my best and be happy about however it turned out.

Long story short, I ran the first 6 miles at a GREAT pace which saved me on miles 10-13 where my knee was really hurting. The last mile was absolutely no fun, I couldn't even enjoy the last mile 'high' because we were running on gravel and it made my knee hurt worse. But, I am happy to say, actually I am THRILLED to say that my official time was 36 seconds faster than my time 11 years ago!! Apparently, I still have it. :0)

**For those who are curious, I have deferred the Marathon until next year. I had enough time to train in a perfect world. But as you can guess, with a husband who worked very long hours this summer and 4 kids (one who was teething and not sleeping thru night most of the summer), it is not a perfect world. The marathon is coming up in 2 weeks and I could have done it but I would not have been happy with how much I probably would have needed to walk (vs. run) and I would have risked injuries. Ultimately, I started not to enjoy training b/c I knew I was pushing my physical and mental limits. The pressure of the process by far outweighed the pleasure in the pursuit. So, in a VERY TOUGH decision, especially for a first-born, type-A, who doesn't like to ever quit anything, I decided deferring to next year was best. I am happy with the decision that I made and I hope that the training goes better next year with a few extra months to build distance and prevent injuries.

No words needed!

Catch Up

When you have been gone this long from blogging, where do you even start????

I have no idea! So, I will just jump in with a little summary of life.

David- doesn't have to travel too much with work now (as compared to previous seasons of life) but over the last month, he has been very busy. The first week of February he stayed in DC for the week in order to support the President's National Prayer Breakfast and to work. DC isn't far away but his schedule is so packed during this week that it just makes more sense to stay downtown. The next week was Snowmagedden for us in Northern VA. Here at the house we got 30+ inches. Then David's travel went in motion. He spent 8 days in Germany, had 30 hours at home, then went to Columbus, OH for 4 days. He had 3 days at home and then spent 3 more days in Columbus.
He is home now and it is SO NICE. We miss him when he's gone.

Colin- He is doing well in 6th grade. He loves school and loves playing outside. He is participating in Area Orchestra (experienced students from 6 Elementary Schools). Their concert is in 2 weeks. Colin is prepping for Spring Soccer Season and already starting to plan his birthday party (he can't wait to be 18, so 12 needs to hurry up and get here). Just a couple of weeks ago, I attended the Parent Orientation Night for Colin's move to middle school next year. Colin has been attending Youth Group at The Falls Church since January. He loves it. There are about 200 kids for the first hour and then they break out into small groups of 12. He has a great group of 6th grade guys and 2 awesome leaders (we are thrilled that he likes it and BONUS- it's only 15 minutes a way!).

Connor- is ready for Travel Soccer Season to start. He has enjoyed Winter Training (for the last 6 weeks on Friday nights) but he is ready to be in fully engaged in the season. His team attended a Pre-Season Scrimmage Event last Sunday and went 2 and 2. In the last game, Connor scored the winning goal! Since he normally plays midfield or defender. He has had many assists but this was his first goal in a game since starting Travel Soccer. It made it that much more special to him that it was the game-winner! Connor is also doing well in school and enjoys it. He starts learning the recorder this month and can't wait for next year when he will be learning Violin.


Sybella- loves preschool and is ready to start swimming lessons. She has the vocabulary of a much older child and is quite certain that she is the "first born," it must be that 6-year space between her and Connor. She is a wonderful helper and so smart. I am constantly amazed by the conversations we have. She is truly a blessing to me. The highlight of Sybella's month is that while dad was gone to Germany, Sybella's room went from white (with marker drawings) to Lime Green (or Lemon Green if you ask her, she can't remember the word lime). Last week she wore her 'Cat in the Hat' Hat to school to celebrate Dr. Suess' Birthday. She loves Dr. Suess books, especially Apples up on Top, One Fish Two Fish, and The Cat in the Hat.


Cooper- This child is ON THE MOVE. He can crawl up the stairs (all the way to the top). He can surf down our short staircase (5 stairs) on his tummy. He uses sign language to communicate: milk, more (as in food), and down (when he's done in the high chair). He is trying to stand independently, cruises our furniture with ease, and will soon be walking. He has the cutest curls in the back of his hair and his eyes have stayed blue. He is starting to try to say words: DaDa, Dow (for Down), and shakes his head No whenever he doesn't want something. He has a contagious smile and is definitely going to be trying to keep up with the older kids! He has 2 bottom teeth and the top 2 are coming in now. The only thing he doesn't do that I am READY for him to do is.......you guessed it, Sleep Thru The Night!

Sharon- I am busy staying at home with the kids. I have taken on a role as the Connections Ministry Leader at our church. I have taken on a project for the PTA. I still attend Community Bible Study in McLean once a week. I am leading a Video Teleconference Small Group this semester (a new role and total experiment that I love-- post to follow soon). I am the treasurer for the Travel Soccer team. I am working diligently on weight loss. And drum roll........since I turn 35 this month, it is the year of the Marathon (post to follow)!

National Firearms Museum

Today, the kids and I went to the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA. The museum is co-located with the National Rifle Association (NRA). For any who aren't aware, my oldest sons are gun enthusiasts! They read about guns, they write about guns, they play army, army, and more army. They own at least 2 Air-Soft pellet guns each and are always asking for more. They have large (encyclopedia-like) books about guns and read them frequently. You might ask, does this bother me? No, it doesn't bother me at all. I sometimes get tired of hearing about guns but...they enjoy it, they are learning, and we often utilize this keen interest to help them set goals in other areas.

I grew up around guns. I think I was probably 9 the first time I shot a weapon (probably at a empty soda can, a fence post, or a cow patty--I was visiting my extended family in Texas). By 13 or so, I would go to shooting ranges and "practice." And, later I had to "qualify" with an M-16 as part of my annual Army requirements (as did David). So, you might say that I am uniquely-likely to have sons that would have such a great interest in weapons. At any rate, we decided that today we would go and see the museum. Admission is Free and it's close to our house so, it made for an easy Day Trip.

The Museum Exhibits are nice, the collection of weapons is well organized and informative, and there are historical references in order to both educate and give context to weapon development. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I was impressed. There were many more weapons than I expected and the history was very interesting to me.

For instance, I didn't know that until WWII, General grade officers had to provide their own pistol!?! That seems ridiculous! And now, a pistol is issued to each General and they are the only weapons issued by the United States Armed Forces that do not have to be returned. It's a cool little tidbit of information and there are many more like that.

Sybella's favorite part of the museum was the computers; most of the display cases have too much in them to have descriptions on placards. So, instead, there are computers where you type in the case and item number to find out what the item is, it's maker, and the history of the weapon. Sybella LOVED typing on the keyboards. She would then repeat the name of whatever weapon the boys were talking about (as if she had actually looked it up). The boys also enjoyed the computers but they used them to confirm that they had accurately named a weapon. I was downright surprised at how versed they are in WWII weaponry. I hear them talk about guns but they were actually able to pick them out!

Obviously, we enjoyed our visit to the museum and much to the boys' delight, they sell Air-Soft pistols in the gift shop! The boys used their allowance money to purchase a Sig Sauer and a Walther P22, which they are in fact using in "target" practice outside right now. What a great day!

***Don't forget that if you click on the mosaic or any other picture, it will enlarge for better viewing.

July 4th Parade

On Independence Day, we spent the morning at the City of Fairfax Parade. It was awesome. I didn't expect it to be nearly as big as it was. We had McGruff the Crime Dog, the Chick-Fil-A Cow, flying candy, lots of convertibles, many Fire Departments, Bands from as far away as Minnesota, Veterans, The Shriners, Police Departments, The Redskins Band, BIG balloons (I mean Big!), Floats, boy scouts, dance troupes, Girl Scouts, local officials, and the Lt Governor!
Even Better was the fact the parade was 2 blocks from our house so Granda came over and we were able to walk to the route and not have to get there early.
The kids enjoyed it. Sybella waved at all the participants and clapped for the performances. I didn't even manage to get a picture of the boys because they sat in the front row and never moved. I also forgot to take a picture of Cooper, who slept through most of the parade but looked adorable in his red, white, and blue attire. His shirt had stars on it and said "Born in 2009." He was quite cute. Here are some shots of the parade and Sybella waving. Enjoy~


Happy 223rd Birthday to the USA!

Missions Team Reunion

David and I led a Missions Team to the Dominican Republic earlier this year. Our team tries to get together every couple of months to hang out and stay connected. Since Katie McFaddin, one of our teammates, is embarking on an 11-month missions project in August, we wanted to get together one more time and hang out before her departure. So, off to Baltimore and an Orioles Game we went! Dana was thrilled, as she lives in Baltimore and for once, she didn't have to drive to us. :) We missed not having Carol with us, but hopefully she can make it next time.

We sat in the first row in the upper deck, on the First Base Line. The boys got excited about several Pop-Fly Foul Balls but needed to be a few seats further down to have a chance to catch one of the balls that came our direction. Oh well, maybe next time!

***If you click on this picture, you can enlarge for a better view, note that Chad is holding Cooper and if I do say so, Chad did a great job --- he held Cooper for most of the game!

We took all the boys with us to the game even though only Colin went on the Missions Trip. It's not that we don't think Sybella would have enjoyed herself, but it was an afternoon game right in the middle of nap time, naps are important when you are 2 1/2, so we left Sybella with her Granda.

All Stars Soccer

There have been many soccer posts over the history of our blog. So, one more should not come as a surprise. :-)
Both the boys had an awesome Spring Soccer Season:

Colin scored several goals, had an opportunity to develop more in the goalie position, & performed quite well as a Middle Mid-Fielder. This was his first season playing with Coach Driver and Colin thoroughly enjoyed the experience; he looks forward to playing with Coach Driver again next spring.
Connor played primarily in the Right Wing position but also got to try his hand at goalie. He also scored several goals. Connor was in his 3rd Season with Coach Damon and we will MISS him very much as Connor moves on to Travel Soccer (see Travel Soccer Team Post). The highlight of Connor’s Season was being selected to play on the All Star Team. Two kids from each team are selected. The kids practice together for 2 weeks and then play in a final tournament against other Northern Virginia teams on Father’s Day weekend. Connor’s team did awesome. They played some very tough teams but still performed quite well…AND, they scored more goals than they gave up! Great Job guys! Connor was thrilled to be playing with his best soccer friend, Matt.

Date Night-

Every once in a while David takes Sybella on a “Date Night.” This is usually an afternoon or evening where she gets a little dressed up and goes out with Daddy for a milkshake. Their destination of choice is Baskin Robbins. It only takes about 30 minutes but it is the highlight of her week!
Sybella loves milkshakes, almost as much as she loves her daddy. This is an awesome tradition that allows them to spend some 1-on-1 time together on a regular basis and develop relationship even in toddler-hood.
Here is a picture of tonight's "Date Night."

Travel Soccer Team

We got the invitation this morning for Connor to join the Vienna Boys Rising U-9 Travel Soccer Pool. There will be 4 teams of U-9 Boys and we do not yet have a team assignment but we have accepted the invitation and will begin our travel soccer journey in August. Travel soccer is designed to be a developmental program and more competitive than Recreational or House League Soccer. There are try-outs that a player must go thru to join a team.
CONGRATULATIONS to Connor for making it through 3 rounds of try-outs. Approximately 40 boys were selected and approximately 75 tried out.
This is a great opportunity for Connor as they schedule 2 practices a week and one of those practices is run by Brazilian Trainers who can help improve the boys’ skills.

Colin did not choose to try out as he spends the fall playing American Football.

The National Zoo

This past Wednesday, Sybella, Cooper, and I went to the National Zoo. Our friends Kylee and Shauna rode with us and we met up with lots of NCC Moms to trek around the zoo and have a picnic lunch. I heard there were 18 kids under the age of 3 with us. What a FUN time! Here is a picture of us right before we got in the car to go back home....and we LOOK like we enjoyed ourselves.

Sand Box

We are trying to get out of the house every day now; I don't mean get out of the house to the grocery store or to run the boys to soccer practice, we have to do those things. I mean get out of the house to do something that Sybella and I will enjoy. It is not always easy with a 2 1/2 week old, but Sybella loves the sun and playing outside.
Wednesday, we went to the NCC Mom's Play Group at Lacey Woods Park in Arlington.

Here are some pictures of Sybella's first time in a Sand Box. She loved it!!

Field Trip Fun

Today, I took Sybella and Cooper to Van Dyke Park. Connor's class had a field trip this morning and stopped at the park to enjoy their lunch and recess before going back to school. Parents and siblings were invited to join them.
We made the trek over to the park (since it's less than a mile from our house).
The skateboarding park is also located here so we got to watch some skateboarders (a big hit with Sybella and the 2nd graders).
I took some pictures of the kids: having lunch, Connor helping Sybella out with the Monkey Bars, Sybella driving the fire truck, Connor playing with a group of his classmates, and then Hugs "Good-Bye." Sybella had fun. Cooper ate and then slept through the whole thing. And Connor was thrilled and surprised that we joined him!
**Don't forget that if you click on the pictures/mosaics in the blog, they will enlarge for better viewing.

Time to Have Some FUN!

My recent Facebook Status: "contracted all night. Now, no contractions, no baby, no sleep. Doctor's appt this afternoon." The next day's Facebook Status: "slept great- amazing how well you can sleep when you are not contracting! Seriously, I feel wonderful; I have just never had: every 3rd night, all night, false labor. This is new---guess the 4th child has to be different somehow. ;)"

NOW, I have slept really well 2 days in a row and I am 100% back to my completely happy pregnant person attitude. I have to admit it was very strange for me to be so discouraged and frustrated; amazing what sleep deprivation does to you. I had experienced 4 or 5 nights in 9 days with little or no sleep and had definitely reached my limit.

I have said all that to say that now that I am back to Happy Pregnant Person Status. I am ready to have some fun. So, we are going to have a guess the baby's weight contest. We have never done this but we have also never been pregnant this long before!

Here are the facts for you to consider when making your guess:

Colin was born at 39 1/7 weeks and weighed 7lbs 8 oz, I gained 26 pounds.
Connor was born at 38 2/7 weeks and weighed 8lbs 4 oz. I gained 26 pounds.
Sybella was born at 39 weeks and weighed 7lbs 10oz. I gained 27 pounds.
I am currently 39 3/7 weeks and I have gained 28 pounds (so far). Cooper was estimated to be 6lb 4oz at the 36 week Ultrasound. I am scheduled for an induction on Tuesday April 28, 2009.

The rules:
1. Guesses must be posted before time of birth. (And it could be anytime between Now and Tuesday, April 28.)
2. One guess per person.
3. Guesses may be posted to the Blog OR Facebook.
4. The winner will be the person who comes the closest to Cooper's birth weight, WITHOUT going over (this is like The Price is Right folks).
5. I am the Final Authority on who the winner is--and there will be no appeals.
6. There will be a prize, likely a gift certificate. AND, I reserve the right to not mail it out until Cooper is 3 months old....just in case 4 kids is as crazy as I am imagining.
7. By entering the contest, you are consenting to have your picture posted to this Blog and Facebook, especially if you live local and I can get a picture of you with Cooper.

Let me know if you have any questions and Happy Weight Guessing!

Take your Child to Work Day

Until yesterday, we didn't know that today was Take Your Child to Work Day. It was a little late to pull the boys out of school and organize a day at work. Sybella is a bit young and has too short an attention span to spend the day at Dad's work [and she is with Mom at work every day :) ]
But, I decided that 10 minutes at work might be do-able. After running some errands, I took Sybella to David's office to see some of the people and to "play" with answering the phone.
I think that both her and David enjoyed it.

Water Water Everywhere...

A few candid moments while the
boys 'soaked' in the great weather
here in Northern Virginia.
As much as they can be 'all boy'
I love to watch them have fun and just be brothers. It is also great to live in a neighborhood where they have tons of kids their age to play with.

~David

Sharon & Cooper's Baby Shower

What a blessing! Saturday at 2pm, my wonderful friends, Shauna and Anna, hosted a beautiful baby shower for Cooper and I. I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to have such loving friends. David and I have only been living in Virginia for 18 months and if anyone who has known me for a while is reading this, you know how hard it is for me to make friends. I have always had lots of acquantances, but it has always taken me a long time to develop true friendships. Moving to DC was no different, in fact, it could've been harder. This is the center of all things closed, political and click-ish, which can easily make you feel like an outsider and make it difficult to establish trusting relationships. But God has been faithful in this move and I have awesome friends!!
So, back to the baby shower: my sister-in-law, Kristin, was able to drive in from Ohio along with her mom Debbie and her sister Amy (who David has known for most of his life). My mom was of course here and my godmother and name-sake, Sharon Perry was also in attendance. In addition, friends new and old whom David and I have met were able to attend along with others from church, from the military, and from our recent mission trip. Shauna and Anna created a beautiful event. The food was awesome. The atmosphere was special. The "activities" were creative and unique. They had the guests shape "babies" out of play-do and had me judge whose was the best. They created an ABC book for Cooper which we will read with him often, where each lady did a letter of the alphabet. They had all the guests sign a Pig "Piggy Bank" for Cooper instead of a guestbook. It is ADORABLE and what a cool, tangable memory for us to be able to look at daily. I just don't have words to describe how touched I am, thank-you seems so inadequate but it will have to do for now, so, THANK-YOU ladies.

**Don't forget that if you click on any mosaic or picture in our blog, it'll enlarge the pictures for a better view.

The women in the group picture are:
Front left---Laura Blackann, Lindsey Braley, and Anna Martin
Main Row (left to right)---Glenda McMath, Dana Frisillo, Katie McFaddin, Me, Kristin Simon, Debbie Havaich, Susan McDermitt, Jessica Powers, and Lambeth Evans
Back Right (left to right)---Shauna Oswald, Jenny Herald, Stefanie Chappell, and just in front of them---Sharon Perry and Bettie St.Clair
Not Pictured: Gwen Graber, Jenni Graber, and Amy Havaich who had to leave early

"Little Mommy"

This morning, this was my Facebook Status report: "Sharon changed Teddy Bear's "Nasty Poopy" for 3rd time. Put Teddy in a onesie, socks, & blanket, in a doll car seat - I think NOW we can get in the car. OH MY!!!"

It was an adventure for the "Little Mommy" and me, to say the least. Here are the photos I took...note the diaper bag and purse.