soccer and sunday

j has started soccer with the club in town--the “KinderKickers” program. I think he’s doing ok, but I’m only hearing this from P. Most activities done with j are better with one parent, and P is on soccer-duty. I hope that j will get into the soccer groove enough that he doesn’t notice my coming, hanging out, and hopefully meeting some more parents. I just think it will take a little while. He got a little annoyed at Saturday’s practice when another kid was trying to kick the ball away from him. I mean, the nerve! :)

Today was a nice Sunday. We spent the morning at home just hanging out, which I don’t think we’ve done as a family for about a month. We basically finished the organization of the baby room, so we’re ready if he/she makes an early appearance. I would prefer this, of course, because if I go to 41 weeks I will have to have a scheduled C-section, so we’re going to start some "natural" induction techniques starting at around 37 weeks (considered full-term).

This afternoon we headed to a birthday party in the village--a friend of j’s from gymnastics class who was turning 5. We all had a great time. The party was in the parking lot of a local restaurant owned by the birthday boy’s grandparents, which we liked more than the other ones we’ve been to--at Chuck E. Cheese, McD’s, or some of the other party-places around here. There was a bouncy house outside, but it felt more casual. (At one party j went to this year at a party-place, we were all unceremoniously ushered out as soon as the one-and-a-half hour mark hit.) Today, Buzz Lightyear made an appearance (ok, a guy dressed up as Buzz Lightyear). We tried to get j to go over to him so I could get a picture, but j told us “He’s not *really* Buzz Lightyear.” Which was true: Tim Allen did not actually attend this party. But the kids all seemed to have a good time and P and I did as well.

Then we drove to the city, where I had chorus rehearsal (this baby inside likes to move when it hears singing, which is fun) and P and j visited a friend of P’s for the rest of the afternoon. Good times.

j still seems to be doing well at school; we went to his Back-to-School night this week. Reading is a strength for him, and having a strength is a good thing when other issues pop up (like chewing on every crayon, pencil, and eraser in your desk, for example). I’m just happy that he seems to be happy there for the most part.