Day 272 - where did September go?

it's hard to believe september has come and gone.  how fast it all goes by.  today is my father in-laws 69th birthday.  we love you papa bob!!!

Day 271 - playing like a team

i know it's only U10 girls soccer, but WHAT FUN!!!  the girls are playing in the first division despite dave's efforts to have them play in the 2nd.  although they have been practicing twice a week since the beginning of august it was today's game that really showed how far they have come and how much they have learned to play as a team.  congrats girls on your first win of the season!!!

Day 270 - my boys

after luke's soccer game (another win!!) we went out for pizza.  as i sat across the booth staring at my three boys i was overwhelmed with love and joy.

Day 269 - strings and such

today was lukes first day of orchestra.  he decided that he would like to play the bass.  i assumed he would join a number of young strings enthusiasts but we quickly found out that he is the only 5th grader playing bass!  lots of one on one instruction - whoo hoo!!  although it means getting him to the highschool an hour early two days a week i am thrilled that he is doing this.  i am even more excited by his enthusiasm to play.

who knew we would be a strings family :)  caleb is equally excited for luke and his encouraging words never cease to amaze me.

in other news - lilly successfully juggled 10 times without letting the ball drop.  to say she was excited would be an understatement.  guess who gets to go out to breakfast this coming week?  way to go lilly - keep up the good work!!

day 268 - one on one

wednesdays are crazy days!  i'm thankful for friends who can step in and help with the kids when we need them.  caleb had a football game in holland this afternoon - they lost their first game - boo.  caleb didn't play much, but he got out on the field for a few plays.  he was bummed about the loss but thrilled (as was i) to spend a little one-on-one time with his momma!  we headed into downtown holland for dinner.  as we sat at the table caleb talked my ear off about school, friends, football, trying out for the play, homework, girls, orchestra.... he told me several jokes that had me laughing.  i cannot stand how much i love caleb and how much i enjoy just hanging out with him.

Day 267 - you never know

today we went to the funeral service for Fred Thomas.  my step mom's dad.  although i didn't know the man i know his loving daughter.  i also know how much a daughter can love her daddy.  susie we love you and are praying for you and your family as you journey through this time of remembrance.

 our deepest condolences to the family.  here is a link to his obituary.

on a much lighter note - our family is in a you tube video featuring one of our favorite sandwhich joints, fatty lumpkins.  they are in a contest through lifetime right now and whoever gets the most views/hits/whatever to their video will win.  what? i'm not exactly sure.  so, check out the diller family cameos, share the link with friends (so fatty's wins) and GO to fatty lumpkins if you live in the area are traveling through muskegon or better yet, make a special trip out for their how now brown cow!!

Day 266 - setting goals

luke and lilly came home tonight from practice in a whirlwind of excitement.  dave told both of them that when they can juggle the soccer ball 10 times they can have a one on one breakfast date before school and when they reach 50 juggles they each get a "big" prize.  lukes goal is for new video game and lilly is going for a new bitty baby.  caleb wanting in on the action has to run a mile in under 7.5 minutes for his breakfast date and run a 5k in under 30 mins for of his prize (which he can't decide is worth the price of running a 5k).

lilly is practicing any chance she gets - notice her damp thighs.  gotta love a little competition and goal setting!!

Day 265 - hello fall!!

it's true fall is officially here!  as we drove up 31 to ludington this afternoon, for yet another soccer game, i couldn't help but be in awe of all the colors and beauty.  it is a bit bitter-sweet to know summer is over but fall is sure beautiful!

know what else is beautiful?  this boy!  lukes team won their game today.  actually to say they won is an understatement - they slaughtered the poor team they played.  it's weird when that happens, although you want your kids to play their best and win, at some point (like when you 14 goals ahead) you start to feel bad. 

lilly and i after the game headed over to our friends house for a Create-A-Frame party.  we did one much earlier in the year and had sooooo much fun.  tonight did not disappoint either - we had a ball crafting and making our frames.  mine isn't quite finished (i spent a bit too long on the flowers) and lilly's is awaiting a photo to complete hers and affectionately referred to hers as "a tornado of art". 

 we took a picture of lilly with two of her dear friends to clip on her frame.  she worked diligently for at least 2 hours putting it all together.  she kept leaning over and say, "thank you mom". 

like i said, i spent too long making the flowers and drinking sangria and chatting with friends that i didn't finish my frame.  my goal is to put a metal clip to the right of the flowers for a photo and then paint a simple inspiration along the bottom.  did i mention how much a LOVE creat-a-frame.  i am planning on hosting a party in the coming months. 

Day 264 - a day of soccer, family and art

there is nothing like a day filled with family activities (although i could have done without the headache in the middle of the day).  both luke and lilly had soccer games.  we were able to hang out with jess and rita for a bit and had a super fun dinner at fuji yama in grand rapids and then headed to art prize downtown GR and met up with stephen.  watching the kids around art prize is the best!

luke had a 8am game - ouch!!  the sun broke through and made for an absolutely gorgeous morning for soccer (despite the time).  it was a great game and the boys won!

lilly's game was a bit later in the afternoon - the chill in the air reminded me that fall is FOR SURE here!  this was the girls first official game of the season and unfortuantely they lost - by a lot.  the girls spirit seems to be good and i'm looking forward to them coming together as a team.  lilly has improved in her ball handling skills by leaps and bounds.  she is so fun to watch.

i can't wait to make our way back to GR for more art prize fun!!

Day 263 - it never gets old

i ran into meijers real quick this morning to grab a few items and as i walked through the home decor section this was on display...

it really never does get old to see your designs as finished product for sale.  i circled all of my pieces.  it makes me even more excited (and nervous) for the misty michelle line that will be coming out in december!

Day 262 - pink unicorns

tonight we did a lot of screaming and cheering for the pink unicorns!!

Day 261 - proud mama

most days i can say i am a proud mama.  my kids continually amaze me in how they interact, what they say and do, how creative they are....the list could go on and on. 

wednesdays are game day - today was caleb's first home football game and it's homecoming week.  the boys have one more win under their belt and caleb did great out on the field.  but my "proud" hat didn't appear until later in the evening...

after lilly and dave were home from soccer practice, luke was back from youth group and caleb and i had returned from his game we sat around the coffee table in the family room talking about our day.  caleb, very nonchalantly says, "i prayed for the team before the game".  dave and i both look at each other and then back to him for further details.  he then proceeds to share with us that him and a few other guys had decided to pray together prior to the game - once the other players saw what this small group of guys was doing they asked caleb if he would pray for the team.  caleb didn't hesitate and had everyone gather around as he prayed for their safety, good sportsmanship, and fun!

i shouldn't have been surprised this is the kind of kid he is - but i was.  i pray he will continue to stand for Jesus and continue to be bold in his faith on the field, at school, at home - wherever he may find himself.

Day 260 - getting excited for snow!

ok - many of you may want to punch me in the face or at the very least give me a noodle lashing BUT our family is REALLY excited about snow.  of course that was magnified today as we loaded up the van with all our ski and snowboarding gear and headed in to Bill and Pauls in grand rapids to take advantage of all their deals in september as well as their 70% buy back program for the kids gear.

bill and pauls knows how to do it right - the kids walked away with all this swag AND season passes to caberfae and crystal mountain. 

 another area our pocket book feels the love is with the $20 coupon (the month of sept.) for a tune-up!  like i said - bring on the snow!!

Day 259 - this is where we live

i had an appointment today in grand haven and took advantage of being in the area to walk along the boardwalk and pier.  wow.  the beauty of it all took my breath away more times than i can count.  it never ceases to amaze me what a beautiful part of the world we line in and what a joy it is to call this home.

day 258 - tourney day 2

i wish i could say we finished off the tournament with at least one win.  unfortunately the boys lost 0-2 which means they not only lost all three games but never scored a single goal.  the bright side is that the boys played like a team - they played with aggression - they played hard!

 way to go boys!  we are proud of you and excited to watch you play and grow this season.
after the game we packed up and headed out for further adventures around traverse city.  we stopped for a picnic at one of the state parks at the bay and then headed out to the end of the peninsula between the west and east bays.  it was a beautiful drive and we stopped and stacked stones along the shore.

Day 257 - tourney day 1

we drove into traverse city last night for a soccer filled weekend.  we are all here to support luke and his team as they are playing in our first soccer tournament for this season. luke had two games - they were rough.  the boys did not score in either game and lost both games.  what made it much more difficult was the fact that we all felt as though the boys could have played much better.

the first game the boys lost 0-3.  luke plays defense and seemed to have a tough time finding his aggression :)

in between games we were able to head into the down town and walk along the bay and go for a fab lunch.  i am so thankful to be feeling better (although i was able to squeeze in about an hour long nap).

the second game we lost 0-4 BOO!!!  the boys began to play more like a team but gave up three goals in the first half and never quite found their footing to come back.

we spent the evening hanging out with the team and then as a family for dinner.  we laughed so hard.

Day 256 - funny family time

Luke: I wanna coon dawg (in his best southern accent)

Dad: what kinda coon dog?

Luke: awe...ummm.... a red fern coon dawg!

All of us around the table burst out laughing. I adore my family!!!

Day 255 - Bringing Home a Recipe

i couldn't help but smile this evening as caleb came into the kitchen unfolding a recipe he wanted to share with me.  as a mom it completely tickled me that first - he thought of me, second - he took the time to write it down and share it and third - that he knew what quinoa was and thought it would make a GREAT dish!!!

 my plan is to make it next week - thanks caleb for the great recipe!!

Day 254 - first football game

today was calebs first football game of the season.  wow - it's been a long time since i was out sitting in the stands watching football.  it can't help but remind me of watching my younger brothers playing when they were in junior high.

caleb is number 63.  he is 2nd string offensive guard as well as defensive tackle and also plays on kick-off & return.  i was surprised by how much he played (with being 2nd string and all).  he did great!  i am really proud of him and all his hard work.  their team beat grand haven 25-0.  way to go sailors!!

Mimi and papa were able to make it to the game too.  papa drove in earlier today to see the game and pick up mimi.  shar has been a life-send this past week as i have been recouping.  i'm not sure what we would have done without her - thank you shar!

so proud of our football player!! seriously - he is going to be taller than me before this year is out i'm afraid.

Day 253 - never forget

each one of the kids, at different times, today talked to me about 9/11.  they asked questions like, "where were you when it happened?", "what were you doing?", "how did you find out?", "what did you do", "did you know anyone in the towers?"..... and many more.  it brought new meaning to each of them as they remembered visiting the 9/11 memorial last year.  caleb shared a video he watched in school and shared how hard it was not to cry as he watched it earlier in the day. 

it's hard to believe 11 years have gone by and how much has changed in that time.  it's troubling to know we are still at war and comforting to know our countries resolve.  9/11 is a day none of us will ever forget.

Day 252 - school projects

it's hard to believe we are already finishing up our first big school project - first week = first project!  lilly was pretty proud of her "all about me" poster.  love this girl and her creative spirit!!

Day 251 - all about Luke

i finally got myself out of bed long enough to help luke with his writers notebook.  he picked out all of the pictures and helped me lay them out on the computer.  he knew exactly what he was looking for and did a great job of being patient with me as i am still pretty tired and moving slowly :)

the notebook came out great - he is so excited! hopefully having a fun notebook will help to inspire him to write more.  he reminded me how much he dis-likes writing as we were working together on the project.  i need to make sure i remember to encourage him and his writing!

Day 250 - opening day

i know i am going to pay the price for doing too much today - but we really had a great turn out and it was fun!  AND i did go home in the middle of the afternoon for a two hour nap!  the kids had a blast eating from the food trucks, jumping in the bounce house and obstacle course and of course submerging their dad in the dunk tank. 

both luke and lilly played soccer games this afternoon too.  luke's team played Team USA and beat them 14 - 1.  lilly had an equally successful win as they scrimmaged the other U10 girls team.  i can tell it's going to be a fun season for the kids and i'm looking forward to watching both of them progress in their soccer skills!

 lilly scored twice - i was able to catch one of her goal shots.  it's tough trying to shoot pictures of games when they are both happening at the same time!!

luke and lilly were equally thrilled to have mimi at their games. 

 dave's entire team lined up for an opportunity to dunk him... lilly (along with many others) were very successful in their efforts!!

dave was a great sport in the tank.  he taunted and made big splashes.  it was super cold and i didn't hear him complain once.  thanks dave for making it so special - the kids loved it!

Day 249 - prep work

we spent the afternoon and evening out at the fields today getting everything ready for the West Michigan Storm Opening Day Celebration.  yeah - it's a mouthful!  this is the first time the club is going to such efforts and we have no idea what the turn-out will be like.  here's to hoping we break even.

dave went out and spray painted the fields.  i'm fairly certain he is going to have a soar back tomorrow from all the leaning over.  i'm still moving slowing and not feeling great - my rash is fading (thank goodness!) and my joints aren't hurting too bad today.  dave keeps reminding me to take it slow and "let go" of whatever it is that i think i need to do - but, that is really hard when you feel responsible for an event.  i'm working on "letting go"...

Day 248 - all about Caleb

just because your in 7th grade doesn't mean you don't still need to decorate a notebook!!  caleb did a great job of coming up with all these photos to decorate his health folder with. 

Day 247 - all about Lilly

the only thing i was able to accomplish today was this project with lilly.  i feel awful and am so thankful shar is here to help dave with the kids - because i'm useless.