Soccer Uniforms

I picked up the soccer uniforms for Carter's team today.  We were given 8 extra-small shirts and shorts and 4 small shirts and shorts.

I assumed Carter would need the extra-small (or smaller) in both.  I tried to get the extra-small shirt on him and there was absolutely no way that shirt would go over his head.  The head-hole is so small (or else Carter has a huge melon, which is a possibility).  I'm curious to see if the other kids on the team can get them on.

I was able to get the small shirt over his head but it's pretty big everywhere else.

And the extra-small shorts are so big.  I'm not sure I can tighten the drawstring enough.  He's going to end up with his shorts around his ankles during the game!

We were also given socks, pinnies, and disc cones.  We ended up with a sponsor too - Pain Management Group.  Interesting :)

Drawing

According to Carter, this is Rylan, me, and him.  Why is he the only one with hair?

I'm glad that Carter is finally starting to draw instead of just scribble.  He's also getting better at staying in the lines when he wants to (which isn't often).

Speech

Carter started speech on Monday.  He's going every week at noon again this year for 30 minutes and is the only kid with Ms. Judy during his time slot.

I did a horrible job of practicing with Carter this summer.  We may have only done something once every week or two.  Luckily Ms. Judy said he didn't lose anything (though he didn't gain anything either).  I'm planning on pulling out all of Carter's homework from last year and am going to work on it with him over the next week since he doesn't have speech on Monday because of the holiday.

This week's homework was saying words that begin with the "k" sound.  It took me a minute to figure out the bottom sheet ... "Cool vs. Tool: Which one has a back sound?"  I eventually realized it was referring to the beginning of the word and what part of the tongue makes the sound ("k" is the back of the tongue and "t" is the front).

Ms. Vicky will also be coming to Carter's school once a week to work with him there.

I feel like Carter has a lot more confidence than a few months ago talking to other kids and adults.  I think that some of that is due to his improved speech and I hope he continues to improve.

Friends

Go Pack!

We had heard rumors about a game between NCSU and UT since we moved to Knoxville.  It was put off and put off, until this year.  Tonight they play each other in Atlanta.  We are ready!

Titans Game

We went to a preseason Titans game last night against the New Orleans Saints.  The game started at 6 pm so it wasn't too hard on the kids and keeping them up.

We picked Brian up from work and then headed downtown.  We decided to try the Fan Express Shuttle instead of parking downtown and then walking across the pedestrian bridge to the stadium.  Parking was free and the shuttle cost $10 per person with kids under 5 being free.  Since parking downtown for games is usually $15 to $20 anyway, using the shuttle and not having to walk as far (while carrying the boys) worked out great.

We got through the gate about 30 minutes before game time and took our time walking up the ramp to our seats.  Someone was handing out Titan eyeblack stickers.  Carter didn't want to wear his so Rylan and I wore them.

On the walk up we started seeing more rainclouds.  Luckily the storm split us and we didn't get any rain.

Our seats were in the upper deck, end section, and the second row.  There were only 6 seats per row in this area and we had 4 seats and the other 2 were empty.

We only paid $5 per ticket and I was totally happy with our view.

The boys sat still for quite awhile before I had to pull out snacks!  They were just taking it all in.

I think Carter's favorite things was the mascot (T-Rac).  Carter pointed him out all through the game and loved all his outfit changes.

The Titans running onto the field out of the giant inflatable helmet ...

Usually when I try to take a picture of Rylan now, he gives me this look.

Carter liked looking down over the edge.  No fear of heights here!

Cheering!

I tried explaining a lot of the game to Carter.  One thing he picked up on was First Down and doing the arm movement.

Touchdown, FINALLY!

The boys, especially Rylan, weren't big fans of the fireworks.  When they went off during the national anthem, Rylan wouldn't let go of Brian for a long time.

We left about midway through the 4th quarter.  There was no more scoring after we left and the Titans won 10-6.  We had a lot of fun and the boys did awesome.  They paid attention to a good portion of the game and Brian and I actually got to watch a lot of it too.

Recent Pictures

Here are some random pictures from the last few weeks ...

The boys and I took Charlotte to the vet for her annual check up a couple of weeks ago.  As I was checking out, everyone else (kids and dog) were trying to leave.  Finally I was finished and I told Carter he could open the door.  Unfortunately Charlotte darted out between him and the door and he didn't let go of the handle.  The leash lifted him up and rubbed hard on the inside of his elbow.  Fortunately Carter kept holding on and didn't land on his head when he was being pulled up by the leash.  It's hard to explain what exactly happened but it could have been ugly.

Carter had a mark on his arm (it really wasn't bad) and for the FIRST TIME EVER, he requested a Band-Aid.  I have offered him one numerous times, and he has always refused (he's only worn one after getting a shot at the pediatrician's office).  He was really proud of his Toy Story Band-Aid.

And since Carter was getting a Band-Aid, Rylan had to have one too for an old scrape - his was a Cars Band-Aid.

Carter got a Camelbak from Aunt Shannon awhile ago and we finally pulled it out.  He was obsessed with it (wore it all day for a few days) until he ripped the bite valve (he was bending it too much).  I need to get a new one and I'm sure it'll be used all the time again once I do.

Last week we went to the Belle Meade Country Club were Heather's family belongs to go to the pool.  They have a set of three diving boards.  Carter jumped off once but Hannah and Will jumped and jumped and jumped.

Hannah has no fear!!!

Carter had a blast with Hannah.  They played on the steps together for a long time.  I love their matching hair!

We went to Missy's neighborhood pool on both Friday and yesterday.  We are trying to get in as much pool time as possible before they all close for the summer this weekend!

One of our errands today was at Walgreens.  They have a bunch of their summer toys at 75% off.  One of the things I got were these magnetic fishing poles and fish for $0.62.  The boys had fun playing with them and getting wet after naps.

Double success!

Now time to relax :)

Aspen Grove Park

The boys and I ran a few errands this morning and we stopped by Aspen Grove Park for a couple of hours to explore.  The park is in the middle of Cool Springs (a main shopping and office area in Franklin).

The park is really clean and kept up well.  The kids had fun playing on the playground.

(Rylan ran away everytime I tried to get a picture of him on the playground.)

Then we walked on the paths to see if we could find any of the seven letterboxes that are supposedly placed in the park.  We found none.  We were definitely in all the right spots but it seems that someone has removed all of them (they seem to get stolen often in heavily used parks when random people see others find them).

We still had fun exploring the park and crossing all the bridges.  Both boys enjoy the search and finding the landmarks more than finding the actual letterboxes anyway.

We stopped for lunch at a picnic table next to the stream.  We were under an oak tree that had dropped tons of acorns.

The boys spent probably 30 minutes collecting acorns and tossing them into the water.

The simplest things are always the most fun!

Soccer Practice

Last night was Carter's first soccer practice.  It was from 5:30 to 6:30, the exact same time as preschool orientation for Carter (at 5:30 pm) and Rylan (at 6 pm).  Thankfully Brian was able to attend orientation (though it's killing me just a little that he got to meet the teachers and I didn't) and Missy's husband (Warren) was able to watch Rylan and Luke.

I am a complete dork, but I wrote up an outline for practice.

Missy and I like to be prepared and wanted to make a good first impression with the parents (and not seem like we had no clue what we are doing).  Even though we didn't follow the outline exactly, it helped us never have down time to let the kids get bored (and start picking flowers or something).

We now have 12 boys on the team (one had to switch teams because of a scheduling conflict with practice) and all 12 showed up.  We put name tags on each kid as he showed up because with names like Aidan, Braydon, Brady, Brett, Ben, Caleb, Carson, etc, there was no way we'd learn any names the first practice without them (I think I have about half learned at this point - one more week and I should be good).

Missy's father (Bill) is assisting us and I think we did a pretty good job controlling the boys and also giving a few some one-on-one coaching.  The main thing for us is to not let the boys get bored.  We gave very short explanations of our games/drills and everyone always had a ball and was doing something.  We tried to make it fun but also teach a few skills.  We have a few that want to pick up the ball a lot and a few that didn't want to leave their parents, but most of the boys did (almost) what we told them to and seemed to have fun.

It was super hot so we did water breaks between each game/drill (which each lasted about 5 minutes).  That gave us coaches a minute assess how things were going and what game/drill to do next.  Overall, I think it went well!

I asked Carter on the way home if Missy and I did a good job and he said we did (he can be very honest).  I asked what he liked best and he said all of it.

Rylan apparently had a good time too.  Warren let him and Luke crawl all over Missy's car and also had the DVD player on in there (as well as the air conditioning) so they were content!

Hopefully next week Brian will take a few pictures for me!

Raleigh Trip - Day 2

While in Raleigh last weekend, we met a bunch of people I grew up with in Burlington at the City Park on Saturday.  The highlight of the park is a historic carousel.

Matthew and Kari live in Greensboro.  Matthew's family lived across the street from my family when we were little.  And Kari and I have known each other since middle school. They have a daughter Anna that is one month older than Rylan and are about 3 months pregnant with their second.  Matthew was working out of town so we only got to see Kari and Anna.

Matthew's twin brother Steven is married to Steph, they have a son Luke who will be 2 at the end of October, and they live in Durham.  They are due with another boy next month.  Steph had to work on Saturday but it was great to finally meet Luke!

Matthew and Steven's parents Cathy and Bob live in Clemmons and they drove over as well.

I was also friends with Kari's sister Katie (we even played JV basketball together in high school).  She lives in Raleigh but was planning to spend the weekend with Kari since her husband was out of town so they also joined us.  Katie and James have three kids - Josie (who was born a few hours before Carter), James (who is close to Rylan's age), and John (who is 5 months old).
I didn't get a picture of Katie when getting family photos because she was feeding John, but here are Josie and James.

And a picture of baby John.

I also grew up with Jason (we've known each other since preschool) and he came with his wife Katrina and their daughter Olivia (who is 3 1/2).  They live near Winston-Salem.  Like Kari and Matthew, they are about 3 months pregnant with their second.

Anna was the only one of the kids we had met before so it was great to finally meet all the other kids.

Everyone had about an hour drive from different directions.  We met at the playground and let the kids who didn't know one another, get to know each other.  I didn't take many pictures on the playground, but here is one of James, Carter, and Olivia.

Then we hit up the amusement rides at the park.  First were the cars.

Carter and Rylan rode in the back of a firetruck.

Josie and Anna were in the car behind them.

Next were the boats.  Rylan, Carter, and Olivia ...

With Josie, Anna, Luke, and James behind them.

We had a little drama when Rylan didn't think Carter was sharing the bell with him enough and he headbutted Carter in the back several times.  Carter was not happy about it at all.

Carter rode on the next ride without his brother.

I think cousins Anna and Josie were attached to each other all day.  They are so sweet with each other.

Then we rode the historic carousel.  It was the longest and fastest carousel ride ever!

We picnicked in one of the shelters before riding the train and a few of the other rides again.  Cathy had fun corralling the kids.

The train ride went over a stream a couple of times and through a man-made tunnel.

Both our boys said this was their favorite part.

A few more cute pictures of the kids on the plane and helicopter ride ...

It was great to see so many old friends and meet all their kids.  Hopefully we'll be able to do it again the next time we are in Raleigh.

Before leaving City Park, we found a letterbox ("Dentzel Dreams") that was close to the amusement ride area.

In the letterbox we found a "hitchhiker", which is a separate stamp and log that when you find, you place in another letterbox.

We brought the hitchhiker back to Nashville and are going to place it here sometime this week.  It originated in New Jersey in 2007.

(I know I'm a total dork, but I think it's fun to hunt for these and Carter talks about it all the time.)

The kids took a nap on the way back to Raleigh and were ready to go again.  After dinner, we went to a Carolina Railhawks soccer game.  They are part of the North American Soccer League, which is a Division II league, under MLS.

On our way in, the Carolina Soccer Club was giving away free t-shirts to kids so both boys got one.  They are a bit big but Carter had to wear his (and GG's hat).

Rylan wasn't too interested in sitting still at first but has a nice modeling pose.

Once the game got started, the boys did a great job watching (especially after I got some popcorn for them to eat!).

One section over from us was the "Standing and Chanting Section", or the section for the crazy fans.  Our favorite guy was the one that lit up orange and blue smoke canisters on his hard hat when Carolina scored.  It was cool until the smoke drifted our way and we had to breathe it!

Carter and I went down to visit the mascot when he was coming by.  Carter was so stoked about this!

Carter also provided the half time entertainment and danced for everyone :)

Brian's parents got the kids Railhawks shirts.  Again they are a little big but Carter had to put it on and has worn it a few times already since we've been home.

There were several open seats around us so the kids were able to roam some.  They did great though.

Carter actually watched a lot of the game.

Carolina tied the game with less than 15 minutes left.

And then scored the winning goal during stoppage time.  Go Railhawks!