{Soccer and more}

 

I love my boys. And i love watching them play soccer, more than basketball. Did i just say that out loud? I might get in trouble for that one. :) I feel like they do GREAT at soccer and they fit well in it.  They LOVE it and they are playing all the time, in my house....much to my dismay. It's a blast watching them play at their games. I really hope soccer is their number 1 sport when they get older and have to pick between just a couple sports to pursue.

 

Last saturday Gavin ROCKED his game. He was attacking that ball the whole time. He scored their first goal. It was great. I think Shane being there pushed him to work harder than ive previously seen him.  This was the first time shane was able to come to a soccer game since the season started. Poor guy. Two of the saturdays he was working on day from being on call. Another time he was studying all day. Two saturdays were cancelled from typhoons. It's been wild.

 Tanner is so fun to watch. He can't seem to make those legs run as fast as the other kids, BUT he sure does try really hard to make his presence known. I think most people naturally underestimate his abilities, but he always surprises everyone with what he can do. It's so fun watching him play soccer. He plays an awesome defender and just attacks that ball when it gets close to the goal. Most kids run back to the goal and stand in front of it to guard it...he doesn't wait for it to come to him. As soon as that ball crosses over into his half of the field he gets this look of determination and goes after it and kicks it to the other side.

 Just for fun....

 The boys have some new hobbies lately. First, they like to make their own pokemon cards. Second, they love drawing. Third, they LOVE playing with legos. Fourth, soccer.  You will always find them doing one of these four things and nothing else. Jaydon likes to do whatever his brothers are doing...so he goes along for the ride, but likes to create chaos amid the fun. He just naturally destroys things. I don't know how , but he does.

The boys are playing really well together. Tanner and Jaydon have a better relationship than theyve ever had. They always have their moment of teasing and fighting, but they love each other. The more i try to accept that they won't always be nice to each other, the easier my job as a mom will become. :) And its working.  I have cured gavin of his whining over his homework(crossing my fingers it stays that way).  He just does it now, first thing when he gets home. He has been rewarded for doing it without whining, and i think he realizes that if he gets it done right away he will have the rest of the day to do what he wants.
I have struggled with Gavin, and i am sure many of you know this.  He is a very zestful, spirited, analytical boy. He has been a challenge for me. I am not patient with whining, complaining, etc. I just have 0 patience for it on a scale of 0-10. It automatically makes me mad. With such a spirited child , such as gavin, my patience is tried constantly, my EVERYTHING is tried constantly. It's challenging. I am reading a book that is helping me realize a few things about him and his personality.  I am beginning to realize that it's not a bad thing.  His whining and complaining means he is a boy who knows what he wants and will do what he can to get it. Persistence. That will pay off when he gets older and as he learns how to use that trait in a good way, rather than whining. And he will learn. He is just young and has to learn how to direct his intensity appropriately. That's where i come in. :) I have to help him figure that out. I am still learning how to do that. :) haha! BUT i am hopeful it will all turn out fine. :)  Jaydon is another SPIRITED child of mine. He can be very challenging, but i am learning how to work him. I am just glad i have one child that isn't so intense...it gives me more strength knowing that ONE won't give me such a hard time. :) I really love my boys.

IN OTHER NEWS...
Shane ran the half marathon on saturday. He is doing so great with his health. I am so proud of him. He ran the race well. AND guess what? I saw my cousin for the first time since he arrived on the island. :) He and his wife and daughter now live here. He ran the race too.  I always knew he was a machine when it came to running, but didn't realize how much until this race. He got 2nd place overall in the 1/2 marathon with a time of 1:26.  He even said that was slow, and used the excuse of not running it faster because he has been sick. Crazy kid. Seriously. He and my uncle are big time runners, cyclists and swimmers. It's insane.

Shane is in tokyo right now for some leave. Can i get some leave? :) I must admit...ive been feeding the boys cereal and pizza for dinner. It's kind of like leave for me in a way too. :) AND my house became a disaster from the time we dropped him off at the airport in the morning up until evening of that same day. I felt like not doing any cleaning, and that's what happens when mommy doesn't clean for about 8 hours...the house falls apart. And it did.  I am really slacking with him being gone. AND i stayed up until 1 am reading and watching some tv series. hahah! I never watch tv and i don't remember the last time i stayed up that late. Good thing i have shane to help me keep it together, and good thing he isn't gone much. :) I hope that helps him realize how much i do around here is because i want to make him happy , and i do want him to come home to a clean home with dinner prepared. :) He is my motivation.

I tried running again, and it hurt my hip again. It felt so good running, i was so hopeful i would be fine this time. NOPE.  It's not hurting as bad as last time, BUT there are a few things i realized that might be contributing to it, so i am going to try running again this week and see what happens when i adjust a few things. :)

I love general conference. i love the way it makes me feel, and the motivation it provides me.