P365 - 2015 - Day 150 - Love my soccer girl

P365 - 2015 - Day 150 - Love my soccer girl

The Princess and her team had the first day of the two day Sunburst Soccer Tournament today.  I was with The Bear for his game so I missed her first game but I made it there in time for her second game and saw her score a beautiful goal from the top of the 18!!  They tied their first game, 1-1 and won that second game 1-0, with The Princess' goal being the winning goal!!  Unfortunately, this team won't be staying together in the fall....many of the girls are going in different directions.  The Princess tried out for, and made, three other teams and she is headed to Toms River after this season.  But for this weekend (and the rest of the season) these girls are still a team and I thought that this photo was a great shot.  This is what brought these girls together.... a bunch of cleats and a ball.  Love my soccer girl.

P365 - 2015 - Day 149 - Field Day 2015

P365 - 2015 - Day 149 - Field Day 2015

Another year, another field day.... Field Day 2015 marks the last field day that The Bear and The Princess will be in elementary school and the last year that we will have all three kids in one school for field day.  That is just crazy to me.  The Hawaii themed field day was a ton of fun - the kids had a blast and My Wonderful Husband and I had fun helping out.

P365 - 2015 - Day 148 - student council

P365 - 2015 - Day 148 - student council

This school year is quickly coming to an end.  My two sixth graders are almost done with elementary school and I honestly can not believe it!  One of the many great opportunities and experiences from this year was the chance for them to be in student council.  The Bear was elected president and The Princess was elected secretary.  They were lucky enough to have an amazing teacher coordinator this year as well.  It was a great experience for them and today the whole student council was presented with these shirts.

P365 - 2015 - Day 147 - Stage Two

P365 - 2015 - Day 147 - Stage Two

Stage Two of the front of the house transformation - we have lattice!   I love, love, love it!!  Bring on stage three.

P365 - 2015 - Day 146 - final reward

P365 - 2015 - Day 146 - final reward

The Bear and The Princess have waited all year for the final reward for being a Safety Patrol this year.  They got to go to Great Adventure with all of the safeties! They had so much fun!!  The Bear and all of the boys didn't get in the photo...but they were there too.  But this group of girls had a blast and took a photo. :-)

P365 - 2015 - Day 145 - s'mores and some silliness

P365 - 2015 - Day 145 - s'mores and some silliness

Finally a day in this long weekend without soccer, 5:30 am wake up calls, and bitter wind.  (ok yesterday wasn't that windy, but I needed a third thing to finish that sentence.. so go with me.)  Summer 2015 officially, unofficially has begun.  I started the day going for a run with a friend, came home to get some seeds planted, started gravy (because I decided to buck the BBQ tradition this Memorial Day), and then the kids and I walked up to the beach and then met up with friends that we have missed over the cold winter.   After dinner, we ended the day with a fire, some s'mores and some silliness and laughter.  Welcome Summer 2015!  I am so ready for you!!

P365 - 2015 - Day 144 - feet in sod instead of sand

P365 - 2015 - Day 144 - feet in sod instead of sand

In the past, Memorial Day weekend meant days spent at the beach, toes in the sand, the unofficial beginning of summer.  These days, Memorial Day weekend is spent at soccer tournaments.  Yesterday and today The Bear and The Boy and their teams were in a tournament, in two different places of course.  So that meant My Wonderful Husband and I kept in touch and up to date through texts.  He did a much better job of getting photos than did so I got to "see" the excitement when The Boy and his team won their final game and got third place in their tournament.  I also got to see The Princess super happy about her Alex Morgan shirt that she got at her brother's tournament.  I unfortunately shirked my responsibilities on the photo front and only got this photo of The Bear in his new shirt from the EDP Tournament.  So, I will paint a picture with words instead.... as I sat with my feet in sod instead of sand, I watched The Bear and his team play a great game which unfortunately ended in a 1-1 tie.  They didn't advance to the finals this time, but they played 3 great games.    As always, whether there in person or in spirit, I love to watch my kids play soccer.

P365 - 2015 - Day 143 - MVP

P365 - 2015 - Day 143 - MVP

Today The Boy and The Bear each had soccer tournaments - in two different directions.  So, I took The Bear and My Wonderful Husband took The Boy and we kept each other posted through out the games with text updates.  I was so happy to get this photo in a text after The Boy's last game - he was chosen as MVP for that game!!  He was super proud and so am I!!

P365 - 2015 - Day 142 - My favorite surf instructor

P365 - 2015 - Day 142 - My favorite surf instructor

The unofficial start to summer has begun... the crowds have descended...and that means that surf lessons have started too.  My favorite surf instructor (My Wonderful Husband) had his first lesson at 8 am right after the kids got on the bus and I left for a day of subbing.  Whether he is wearing his professor hat, his coach hat, or his instructor hat or even his Dad hat.... he is always a teacher.  And a darn good one.

P365 - 2015 - Day 141 - Stage one

P365 - 2015 - Day 141 - Stage one

Stage one of the front garden is complete.  We have the shape and the border done.  And by we, I mean My Wonderful Husband ;-)  It already looks better and I can not wait to see the next stages.

P365 - 2015 - Day 140 - living on an island

P365 - 2015 - Day 140 - living on an island

One of the absolute best things about living on an island is getting to watch the sun set over the bay.  It never stops being amazing, no matter how many times you have seen it.

P365 - 2015 - Day 139 - I want a garden

P365 - 2015 - Day 139 - I want a garden

We still have things to finish inside the house - let's not get me started on that...  I have found my zen with it all.  It will get done.  Someday I will have closet doors.  Of that I am fairly certain.  But in the big scheme of things and priorities, I have decided that I care way more about getting the outside finished than I do about those doors.  I want a garden.  I consulted with my "gardening expert" across the street and she gave me some awesome tips (Thanks Ginger;-)) and I am itching to get this started.  I want an English, cottage garden...  I want green and colors, herbs, and veggies...  I have "pinned" ideas, looked at books, and drawn diagrams (because I am crazy that way...).  The only thing left to do is get started.  That is where I will be enlisting the help of My Wonderful Husband.  I need help getting the beds ready for planting.  But then I have a dream that I will become a "gardener".  I want to learn to have a green thumb and make things grow.  I want to take my love of decorating outside.  I want a garden.

P365 - 2015 - Day 138 - strawberry muffins

P365 - 2015 - Day 138 - strawberry muffins

I saw a recipe for strawberry muffins on Facebook and they looked too good to pass up.  So with all of the ingredients in the house, I set to work.  When I say that these muffins smelled amazing, that is a vast understatement.  They smelled ridiculously delicious.  The whole house smelled like warm strawberries and cinnamon. Yummmmmeeeeee

P365 - 2015 - Day 137 - Thanks Bob! :-)

P365 - 2015 - Day 137 - Thanks Bob! :-)

This is one tired pooch... and one lucky one as well.... He waited all winter for this.  He would check the house next door, sniff around and wonder where his friend was.....  But the warm weather is back and so are our neighbors and that means one thing for The Pooch - long walks with his favorite buddy while we are driving around the state of NJ for soccer.  When we came home from Sunday's games, The Pooch was still out and when he came back, he asked for some water and then planted himself right there for a good long while.  He was pooped.  And happy.  Thanks Bob!  :-)

P365 - 2015 - Day 136 - my runners

P365 - 2015 - Day 2015 - my runners

Today The Princess, The Bear, and I ran in the Get LBI Running 5k in Surf City.  I am so happy to be sharing my love of running with my kids and I am so super proud of how well we all did today.  This was The Princess' first race.  She was a bit nervous but she did a great job, finished in 26:58 and came in first in her age group.  This was The Bear's second race and he finished in 22:02 (more than a minute faster than his last race) and came in first in his age group.  I have decided that I like the 5k format...I never ran for time much before but I am now hooked.  I finished in 27:17 (26 seconds faster than my last race) and came in third in my age group.  I could not have asked for better running weather... sunny, warm, with a breeze.  And I couldn't have asked for a better "running team" (except to add The Boy and My Wonderful Husband... next time..) I am pretty sure The Boy's on board for the next one especially if there is a mile run.  He came home today and went for a mile run with his Daddy who could barely keep up with his 6:54 min mile.  There is another fast Leonard kid in this family.  Super proud of all of my runners.

P365 - 2015 - Day 135 - LOVE this guy

P365 - 2015 - Day 135 - LOVE this guy

If I haven't mentioned it before... I LOVE this guy.  And as I said the other day... he is home and for the time being before the craziness of surf lessons begins, he is ALL MINE.  So today we had a date day to celebrate.  Lunch at our favorite taco place that just opened for the season and some shopping in Beach Haven.  It may have only been a few hours of "us time" before the kids came home from school with science fair projects to do and soccer practice to get to... but it was a few hours I would not trade for the world.

P365 - 2015 - Day 134 - field trip

P365 - 2015 - Day 134 - field trip

The Boy and his class went on their 4th grade field trip to Allaire State Park.  He had a ton of fun and luckily one of the other parents that chaperoned sent me a photo so I could see the crew. :-)

P365 - 2015 - Day 133 - my favorite day of the year

P365 - 2015 - Day 133 -my favorite day of the year

He's home!!  It's officially unofficial summer!!!  My Wonderful Husband has taught his last class, graded his last paper, attended graduation, and sat through his final meetings of the school year!!!  He is officially mine and on island time now.  No more 4 hour drives to Virginia and no more three days and  two nights away until AUGUST!!  It's time for him to turn in his professor hat for his surfer, surf instructor, soccer coach hats. This is quite possibly my favorite day of the year.

P365 - 2015 - Day 132 - Spring cleaning

P365 - 2015 - Day 132 - Spring cleaning

It was a "cleaning day" and a "cleansing day".  I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, changed sheets, and cleaned the kitchen.  I also started a two day "cleanse" for myself.  Time to clean out the toxins and generally "yukkyness" so my body can I can perform at my best.  It's time for Spring cleaning:-)

P365 - 2015 - Day 131- Operation Science Projects

P365 - 2015 - Day 131 - Operation Science Projects

Today was Operation Science Projects.  The Boy started his experiment for his science fair project first thing this morning.  He and a friend are making "naked eggs"....stay tuned for the final results.  The Bear and his friend started their project at the soccer fields after school.  They are testing the effects of different shoes and feet sizes on kick distance.  Stay tuned for that result too.  The Princess decided on her project and will be getting started this week.  She will be testing different brands of chewing gum to see which create a bigger bubble.  I love that they are excited about learning and participate in any school activities that they can!

P365 - 2015 - Day 130 - the reason I get to celebrate

P365 - 2015 - Day 130 - the reason I get to celebate

These three are the reason I get to celebrate today and I am so lucky to be their mom.   I am thankful everyday to have them in my life and I honestly can not think of a better way to have spent my Mother's Day - after a 5 mile run with a friend I got to watch all three of my kids play soccer.  After that, we had a nice dinner together at a good Jersey diner and a fun ride home with lots of laughs.  I am a happy mom.  xo

P365 - 2015 - Day 129 - My Mother's Day baby

P365 - 2015 - Day 129 - My Mother's Day baby

It's the day in between his birthday and Mother's Day, but ten years ago this guy entered our lives on Mother's Day.  So that makes him forever, my Mother's Day baby.  It was a rough Mother's Day that year...my mom was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks prior and was set to start chemo the next day, so she wasn't able to rush down when I went into labor like she did when I had The Bear and The Princess.  So here it was Mother's Day and I was in a hospital without my two other children and without my mom about to welcome our newest family member.  It was bittersweet for sure.  But then this guy arrived, he was healthy and whole and ready to go home far quicker than his brother and sister had been able to so in no time at all I was home with all of my "babies"....Unfortunately, that was the last year I was able to wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day here on Earth but I was given the gift of a  Mother's Day baby that would forever remind me to smile and be thankful for the mother that I had and the opportunity to be a mother to my three kids.  So today, as we celebrated day two of the birthdaypoloosa, I made sure to get a picture with my birthday boy... my Mother's Day baby.

P365 - 2015 - Day 128 - Happy 10th Birthday!!!

P365 - 2015 - Day 128 - Happy 10th Birthday!!!

My Wonderful Husband unfortunately had to leave on The Boy's birthday to go to campus for senior awards and graduation.  Since he was able to be there for breakfast, I made monkey bread (per The Boy's request).  Of course I added candles and we sang happy birthday.  It's not everyday that you leave single digits behind and enter the world of double digit ages.  Ten is a big one and it calls for some celebration.  Since we were planning to wait for My Wonderful Husband to get back to do presents, we had to let him have one of his presents in the morning.  He was a good sport about waiting until the day after his birthday to celebrate, but no present at all on his birthday seemed cruel ;-)  He was super thrilled to open up his LeBron Soldiers!!  He will surely not get lost in a crowd....  Then it was off to school, then soccer practice and some Skipper Dipper to end the day.  My baby turned 10 - I don't know where the time has gone but I have enjoyed every minute.  Now if only he would slow down while I catch up.... Happy 10th Birthday!!! xoxo

P365 - 2015 - Day 127 - birthday eve

P365 - 2015 - Day 127 - birthday eve

The Littlest Leonard is turning 10 tomorrow... double digits.  Tonight is the last night that The Boy will be 9 and single digits....where has the time gone?  Wasn't it just yesterday that he arrived and made us a family of five?  My Mother's Day baby who gave me a forever reminder to smile each year on that day.  Tonight on his "birthday eve" as he called it, I am sentimental as I remember the sweet baby that entered our lives 10 years ago and completed our family.  I smile as I remember the little boy that could be sweet, funny, charming, determined, and tireless.....we didn't call him Mr. Big Stuff for nothing... :-)  But I am also filled with love and admiration for the big boy that he is becoming - still determined, smart, athletic, always charming, creative, funny, and resilient.  I am so proud of all he has accomplished and become in these past 10 years and I look forward to all that comes next.  Tonight is the last night that my baby will be 9, but he will always be my baby.  We love you "to pizza"!!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

P365 - 2015 - Day 126 - Color me happy!

P365 - 2015 - Day 126 - Color me happy!

We finally painted the door!!  (or I should say My Wonderful Husband finally painted it....I may or may not have said I was going to tackle this job way back before the temperatures reached single digits...I'm not sure though, that was a long time ago ;-))  I absolutely LOVE it!!!  It is a bright, happy pop of color - like a ray of sunshine!!  Color me happy!

P365 - 2015 - Day 125 - clean

P365 - 2015 - Day 125 - clean

Do you see that?  No?  I'll tell you what I don't see... dirt, trash, smudges, sand.... my car hasn't been this clean since we bought it I am pretty sure.  My Wonderful Husband took my car through the "fancy" car wash where they full service clean the inside.  I was beside myself excited to have a clean car again.  With three kids, one dog, many soccer games, a husband who surfs, and all of the dirt that goes with everything, my car was pretty much an embarrassment.  I unfortunately had to let the kids back in the car tonight, but there will be some new rules for now ...at least for a little while so I can have a clean car for at least a few days.

P365 - 2015 - Day 124 - smiles

P365 - 2015 - Day 124 - smiles

Three dentist appointments and one orthodontist appointment later....three sparkly white smiles, no cavities, and some pink braces.  That's just how we roll on a Monday.

P365 - 2015 - Day 123 - Forget the glass slipper...

P365 - 2015 - Day 123 - Forget the glass slipper...

"Forget the glass slipper... this Princess wears cleats".... and The Princess wasn't letting anyone else get to the ball!!  I absolutely LOVE to watch my daughter play soccer.  I am so proud to be raising a strong, smart ATHLETE!  xoxo

P365 - 2015 - Day 122 - A Soccer Saturday Flashback

P365 - 2015 - Day 122 - A Soccer Saturday Flashback

As we sat at first The Bear's game and then The Boy's game this Saturday, I couldn't help but think of soccer Saturdays past....  We've been doing this quite some time now and I imagine that we will be doing this for a lot more time to come.  The Bear's shirt is right - soccer sure does stick to ya!  I can't believe this little guy is so big now but his smile is just as bright... especially when he has a ball at his feet. :-)

P365 - 2015 - Day 121 - Welcome back Skipper!

P365 - 2015 - Day 121 - Welcome back Skipper!

It may not feel like it (at all) but summer has to be on the way because the Skipper Dipper opened!!  After a day of school, a special project at school, soccer practice, evaluations, and a game we took the kids back to the Dipper for some late night dessert.  It's a tradition to get there on opening night and we wouldn't have missed it for anything!  Welcome back Skipper!  Now let's get some warm weather.