Fall soccer

Oh yes, we love our soccer season! Another year of three big kids playing on their own teams, soccer five days a week with several days getting multiple kids to multiple soccer locations. Good times! Actually, it's one of the few activities where it actually feels worth it to be living the "taxi service - food truck" lifestyle. You have to really love soccer to deal with all the shenanigans these few months provide. Go Red Dragons! Go Fierce Kittens! Go Firehawks! (side note... Marcus' very very favorite hobby was to yell "Go (team name)" at the top of his lungs, but PURPOSEFULLY picking the wrong team to get a reaction from anyone who would notice. He is so funny! And such a stinker! I love him.

The Red Dragons team was a really fun new change for Marin this year - new team, new friends, new coach, more travel and overall a GREAT year for her. She was pretty close to quitting soccer after last year, and this year has revived her interest and excitement. I'm thankful for a positive year! Her coach demanded high standards, and she rose to the challenge. He complimented her at the end of the year, telling her that she took instruction well and gave her all each time on the field.

The Fierce Kittens team continues to be a fabulous group of girls from Maddie's school, and an equally awesome group of parents. Tight knit, been together for years, and very committed to making soccer a fun and family oriented experience. Totally perfect for Madeline, who had a bit of complication this year with heel injuries requiring physical therapy (a few weeks of being "benched") and then a wrist injury which caused another blip in playing, but over all she loved soccer, and loved her fellow Kittens. I am pleased she kept at it, and overcame her obstacles. I know the friendships were what drove her to never give up. She was honored by her coach for doing a great job in goalie, using her booming voice to shout direction to her team (I still can't quite believe that girl likes goalie, she is always surprising me!!)

The Firehawks team was super fun for Max too. He really took to it this year, and was complimented by his awesome coach for always doing his best. I love that. He definitely shows a natural ability and love for the sport, and I can't wait to have many years ahead of cheering for him!

Soccer. Best. (and now we can rest from such a grueling schedule! -* ish * - next up dance and piano!)

Madeline #19

Face is reflective of his soccer attitude * shenanigans *

Max #4

Marin #9

PT with Nick (she cried when it was over, they became good friends)

Fierce Kittens

Daddy schooling the kids

Nice soccer parents entertaining Marcus

Because soccer apparently does not use up all their energy :)

PT with John (the soccer pro!)

Marin playing goalie

Max and Coach Aaron

Maddie playing goalie

Maddie's team playing glow-soccer after daylight savings!

Marcus/Mom date

My original idea for my date with Marcus was to take him to the beach where they have a cool old fashioned train you can ride. But time got away from us, and after Labor Day they only run on the weekends. Between soccer and church, weekends are not happening! So... because the Baby Child is three, it is pretty easy to get him excited in a new direction :) So... a day at the Portland Children's Museum, and a day at the Oregon Zoo. Both days alone with mom, and with all undivided attention!

The piano outside the museum for the kids to play

I think we are related :)

Special fall moments

Periodically I need a page for all the random and special things that are going on... So many cute moments :)

Marin found a tire swing!

Marcus and his "city"
(don't meth it up, Mommy)

Max getting his eyes checked.
I love his little toes, and his funny glasses :)

Our beloved pediatrician is battle breast cancer.
The patients are writing her white board messages
whenever we come in the clinic!

Mom and Babylove at the park :)

On a hike with Nana & Grandpa

 Maps are a must!

Max and Madeline were both awarded the Friendship Award at school.
One child is selected from each class, so this was special.
Marin won this award last year.
Proud mommy!

Chillin' at McMenamins with my parents!

Marin and bestie Silas both reading during our family dinner :)

Big and Little holding hands down the trail :)

Max/Dad date

Wrapping up the last of the sabbatical kid outings! Max and Kyle finished off the summer together on a camping trip - kindergarten started a few days later than the big kids, so they took advantage of the free time by camping during the first week of school :) The original plan was for them to go on a helicopter ride in Seaside, but a certain young boy got a slight panic attack as the heli started taking off. The pilot was awesome though, and noticed this in the rearview mirror. He stopped the takeoff, and offered for them to get off (full refund too!)... Max just didn't know what he was getting into, so maybe they will try this another time. Instead, Kyle took him to the Seaside aquarium and they fed the crazy seals :) This was much more enjoyable!

They also went kayaking (same place as Marin earlier in the summer), and of course the camping! Kyle presented Max with his first knife. Father-Son bonding times spent camping, whittling, searching for critters, creek stomping, eating MRE's, shooting the spit gun, boating, almost flying, beaching, and best of all spending time together :)

Coming of age: his first whittling knife!

Oysters for lunch

Seaside aquarium

Delicious (?) MRE's

Spit gun!

Almost made it up in the air ;)

PS. About a week after they arrived home from camping, I started to notice droppings in my mini-van, which after a long and freaky day of me investigating, we discovered there was a critter living in our car. Kyle thinks it snuck in from the campground, since the car was open a lot of the time. We did our best to try and get the little thing out in a humane way, but in the end we had to set a trap since it was hiding from us. It was a CHIPMUNK!!! Poor baby, it was probably dying of thirst and hunger (although let's not kid ourselves, my mini-van has enough crumbs and water bottles to feed 10 families of chipmunks). But we did find scratch marks all up and down our interior doors (nice, I know), so we just had to get it out. It didn't take long in our little electric trap, but we all had some sad feelings about that cute little thing being trapped in there for a week (AND I WAS DRIVING AROUND WITH IT IN THERE). My wordy word.

Madeline's Nail Art

While up at my parents house for 4th of July this year, Madeline got to messing around with a bucket of nails and some scrap wood. She was hammering away out on the driveway, and after a little while came trotting in with the cutest thing I've ever seen. A sign that said "I love the Newells", which she proudly gave to my parents :) Then she marched back outside and a little while later, came back in with ANOTHER treasure... This time the sign said "God is real" and she wanted her younger cousins to have it (which I hear is proudly displayed in their bedroom). Both recipients were totally thrilled and loved her creations.

This interesting day kicked off some big ideas for this little entrepreneur. 

Kyle was gone on a fishing trip, and yet the wheels were turning. She couldn't bear to wait for Dad to get home. He is, after all, the one who usually helps with these big ideas. She went out in our garage, rounded up all the nails and scrap wood she could fine, and made a "sample sign" to be used for advertising purposes. This girl had a business idea! "The Corrigan's" was her sample sign, and she asked me if I would post on Facebook that she would custom make any sign for $3. She got a BUNCH of customers, including one of our favorite teachers at Quatama. This teacher, once she got her sign made for her classroom, asked if Maddy would consider a bigger project for the school garden. A large, painted nail sign that could be mounted in the school's section of the community garden. 

Madeline spent the entire summer working on these signs, and I would say the only mishap was when Dad came home from fishing only to discover that all his "scrap" wood had been used up. I use quotation marks because it was his really nice wood that he was saving (oooooops). But, the awesome Dad that he is, didn't flip his wig, but instead took her on a shopping trip to Home Depot to buy her a bunch of her own supplies. 

Her final project was the school garden sign, and (while her business is on hiatus during the school year), her wheels are already turning on what new business plan she can come up with.

Marin's turn  is next... (a little preview: Marin's Fabric Company... "it's sew amazing"! she already made a commercial!!!)