Perryville Soccer Tournament-Day 1!

What an amazing day! We headed up to Perryville today for Matthew's 1st soccer tournament. Their first game was at 9:15. Matthew was a starter in the center postion...his coach told him he had the best kick and he wanted him in that position. (Please forgive...I'm just a very proud soccer mom today!!!) Within about 5 minutes, with the help of several teammates, Matthew scored the first goal against the Perrville team!!! It took a while for the boys to "gel" together...and they still need some work...but all in all they did great. They ended up winning game 1 with a score of 2-1 (total points=8...you get 6 points for winning and 1 point for each goal scored up to 3).

It was then time for a break...we didn't have to be back at the soccer park until 12:45. We headed to Rhodes for a break and then went to the tractor store (Rob's big idea!), and then went to the park for a while so the boys could play.

We got back in plenty of time. Game 2 was against Sikeston. Matthew played the center position again. Before the half (they play 2 - 25 minute halves) Sikeston had scored 1 goal. After the half, the ball was down in scoring position almost the entire time for our team, but they couldn't seem to score. Sikeston ended up winning 1-0. So, we ended the day with total points of 8.

Tomorrow, Matthew plays at 10:30 and then at 1:00, for either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. It was such a beautiful day...hope tomorrow is the same. Matthew had a great day...he was so excited about his new jersey!

Check back in tomorrow night...I'll have an update on how the day goes!

What's Been Going on Around HERE?

Well, lots of stuff! I haven't blogged in almost 2 weeks, and I, once again, had to go grab my calendar. In short, this is what we've been up too:

~ Soccer, soccer & MORE Soccer! Matthew has 2 practices during the week and one on Sunday. He plays in his first tournament this weekend in Perryville. He's excited!

~ Birthday celebrations! Our good friends, the Franklin's, had a party for their son, Carson, who turned 7! And, our nephew, Joshua, turned 12!

~ A trip to the Dentist! Jacob & Matthew both had dentist appointments that just went perfectly! Next spring, we'll be talking to an orthodontist about a palette expander for Matthew. Not looking forward to that for him, but, it's the perfect time to start.

~ Scrapbook Night w/Friends! Always fun for me to get to do this!

~ Scrapbook SHOPPING trip! This past Sunday was a little getaway for me...all day...just the girls...great times.

~ Mudpuppies at the Conservation Center! This week Jacob and I went to a program called "Missouri's Magical Trees". We learned all about the changing leaves and we went on a nature hike and looked at all the different types of leaves. It was a gorgeous morning for that.

~ Parent/Teacher Conferences! We attended those this week for both Matthew & Jacob. All GREAT reports from their teachers...that is such a blessing to have 2 boys that (right now!) LOVE school! We couldn't ask for any better teachers...they are amazing.

~ 4-Wheeler Helmets! Took this boys this past weekend and bought them official helmets for their 4-wheelers. They always wore helmets (don't freak out anyone!) but they probably weren't the safest on their little heads. We're all set now...check out the photos!

~ Rob! Still working a BUNCH...but the Lord is so great to provide work for him even in the midst of economically hard times.

That's about it in a nutshell! Wanted to say a huge "Happy Birthday" to my sister, Elizabeth, whose birthday is TODAY!

Prayer Request: Please keep my friend, Christy, in your prayers this evening and in the next few weeks. She delivered her 4th baby today by C-Section and he died within a couple of hours. It was completely expected, but it doesn't hurt any less. Please pray that God would comfort her and her family (they have 3 girls) and that she may recover quickly from her C-Section.

Bible Study, Barnes & Noble & Soccer

This gorgeous day today started off by taking Matthew to school and then heading to Bible study. It took me the longest time to decide if I wanted to spend one of my mornings off at church participating in a Bible study. After all of the excuses that I had made about not wanting to go...I still felt God leading me there. This has been the third week there and I am so glad I decided to go. I am not a big "sharer", but I am so thankful that some women are. Without going in to detail, I have just been so greatly encouraged by what other moms/women have had to say about what God has done in their lives, whether it be big or small.

After Bible study, Jacob and I headed to get lunch for Rob. He was so completely busy that he had to eat "on the run" so we didn't get to stay and eat with him. (P.S. His boss called him today and told him what an incredible job he had been doing lately...working so much and not complaining...having lots of responsibility and just getting the job done...it's nice for him to hear that every once in a while...his boss is not one to say that too often!) We headed to Barnes & Noble. Jacob had gotten a gift card from his Aunt Magdalene & Uncle Mark & cousins Zachary & Joshua. It was finally time for him to get to spend it! He chose a book about how a seed grows in to a pumpkin for himself, a book about the 1st Thanksgiving for Matthew (I didn't even have to encourage that...he just said that he wanted to buy Matthew a book...Yeah, Jacob!!!), and then a stuffed Donald Duck! He thought that his Mickey Mouse needed a friend!

We got a call this evening from the Soccer All-Star coach. Matthew made it to the All-Star Team!!! I can't tell you how big the smile was on Matthew's face when we told him. He has just really improved this year and has really liked the game. We are so proud of him...looks like we'll be at the soccer fields for three more weekends starting at the end of October. He'll have tournaments in Cape, Sikeston & Perryville. Congrats, Matthew!

Please remember my friend, Linda, and her family, as they have the funeral for her brother-in-law tomorrow who died recently of cancer.

~Becky

Where's John McCain, Mommy?

This morning Jacob & I walked Matthew to his classroom. On the way back down the hall, heading to Jacob's room downstairs, we were admiring the artwork of the 3rd graders. On the opposite wall there were individual portraits of the Presidents. Jacob said, "Mommy, look, all of the Presidents." Then he said, as Mr. Perr (one of the 3rd grade teachers) was standing right in the doorway of his classroom, "Where's John McCain, Mommy?" Mr. Perr & I got a little chuckle out of that!

This isn't exactly "tomorrow" but...

here are a few photos taken last Saturday at Busch Stadium!

St. Louis Cardinal Fun!

Earlier in the year, we had signed up Matthew & Jacob to be in the Cardinals Crew Kids' Club. One of the benefits of being in the club is that they were invited to an end-of-year Fiesta at Busch Stadium. That Fiesta was this past Saturday! So...we headed to St. Louis early Saturday morning and met Paul & Kristi (my brother & sister-in-law) at the Pujols 5 restaurant in Westport Plaza for lunch. What a fun place. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take any photos. (Scrapbook girlfriends...you'll appreciate this...my husband went back in to the restaurant to pick up a coaster...he thought I might like it for our scrapbook! I did not even ASK him to do that...he thought of it all on his own...can you believe it???)

After lunch we headed downtown to Busch Stadium, Gate 5, at the Ford Plaza area. The party consisted of players signing autographs, a Tony LaRussa Q&A session, free food & drinks, & a 20% off coupon for the Team Store. We listened to Tony LaRussa for a while, then stood in line and got one autograph...Brad Thompson (pitcher)...Matthew got his hat signed on the outside, and Jacob got his signed on the inside of his hat. Other players that were there were Adam Wainwright (his line was VERY long), Josh Kinney, Russ Springer, Ryan Franklin, Jason Motte, Kyle McClellan, Brendan Ryan & Chris Perez. I did get photos of the backs of some of the players...they were just a few feet away!

After that we headed to the Team Store there at the Stadium and we bought each of the boys a little momento...Jacob chose a leather keychain with "Pujols" on it...Matthew chose a bracelet with "Pujols" on it. Are we Pujols fans or what???

After the party, we headed back to the van to rest for a while. We had free tickets to the game that evening at 6:15. We were in Big Mac Land! We were handed foam French Fries to wave, bumper stickers with "BML" on them, coupons...and more coupons. We had a great time...the Cardinals won 8-5. We got to see another awesome Pujols homerun, and two other homeruns...I can't think of who they were...and lot of hits from both sides. It was a great game. Glad the Cardinals won! Great memories!

I'll post a couple of pictures tomorrow...I've got to get back to my Bible Study for Thursday!

Tuesday, September 23rd

Wanted to share a few photos of my brother, Paul, and his wife, Kristi, on their recent trip to the Northeast...Maine, Nova Scotia, and I'm not sure where else. The pictures are just beautiful.

This morning I took Jacob to Dr. Hoffman's for his 5 year checkup. He asked yesterday if he would be getting shots, and I said no. It didn't even dawn on me that he would be getting 4 shots...as the nurse quietly told me as we got there this morning...since his birthday falls in September this will be his last annual check-up before kindergarten. Jacob's little face just looked so sad when I had to tell him this news. Poor little fella. He did great though...it's just always so difficult to see your own child in pain. A little trip to the hospital gift shop to purchase a new little stuffed elephant really seemed to help! He has really been milking it though this evening...and I don't think he really even knows what "milking it" really means! He would hobble down the hall so that Matthew would help him and he wanted me to carry him to the van, and things like that. It is such a relief now that it is over. We won't have to worry about shots now for several years!

A Quote to Share

I just read an awesome post on www.lisabearnson.com/blog about a family sharing the household chores. If you get a chance it's a great one to read...the author is the founding editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine and a leader in the scrapbooking industry. I wanted to share a quote that a daughter of hers shared:

"Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know." Charles Kingsley

Many times I get so caught up in the things that need to be done each day that I don't ever really think about what life would be like if I had absolutely NOTHING that had to get done each day, no responsibilities, nothing. I know, I know...every once in a while it would be really nice (!!!)...but for all the time...life would probably get pretty boring. Just something to think about...

Priceless!

I forgot to mention in Jacob's birthday post about his soccer game Saturday. Jacob doesn't care at all really about scoring a goal...he just kind of runs with the pack of 4 and kicks the ball when he can. He's just happy to be able to play! Well, Saturday, he kicked a goal in and scored! It was just priceless...he turned around and just looked at us and smiled...like he was in complete shock! It was just so darn cute! Something I will never forget!

Happy 5th Birthday, Jacob!

It is just so hard to believe that Jacob is 5 years old today! We spent a good portion of the day at the soccer fields while Rob had to work yet another Saturday! Jacob is such an amazing little boy...he just loves life and you can tell it! We love you, Jacob!

These are are few of the things that Jacob loves right now:

~ playing Monster Trucks on the Wii
~ riding his 4-wheeler at the farm
~ playing soccer
~ he loves the tv shows Franklin, Arthur & Curious George
~ playing with Matthew
~ going to the farm with Daddy & Matthew
~ being read too
~ going to pre-school
~ riding his scooter

Gas Craziness!

On the 5:00 news tonight, there had been rumors that gas prices were going to go up drastically overnight due to the hurricanes. I didn't think too much of it. I left to go work at Pizza Pro, then at 6:30 headed to a meeting at church. The gas stations were completely crowded. I thought...Hmmmmm...I'm NOT going to stop and get gas...I had a quarter of a tank. After my meeting it was around 8:15, I made a quick stop at Walmart, then headed home. One of the gas stations was at $4.09, one was $3.47, and the other $3.69. When I got home, I talked to Rob about it...wondering if I should go and at least fill up one of our tanks. I decided to go and fill up the van...amazingly at Kidds I only had one car in front of me...but, while I was sitting in line the price on the sign went from $3.47 to $3.69! I thought, man what a bummer. But, when I went to pump my gas, the pump still said $3.47! So...we have one tank FULL of gas...just pure craziness!

Gotta LOVE an Early Fall Day!

Jacob & I are home today and we've got the windows open and the breeze is just blowing thru the house. The cats even love it...they have been sitting in windowsills all morning!

I'm working on cleaning our bedroom this morning. We bought a black, iron bed last year and I would LOVE to add some new pieces to that...BUT...we have to sell our old bed, dresser & dresser w/mirror on it FIRST! If anyone knows of someone that would like a nice bedroom set, please let me know. It's such a good feeling to get things cleaned out and organized! For some reason, our bedroom is usually the last thing I work on. I guess because no one usually sees our bedroom except for us!

Well...gotta go...Jacob is calling me to watch Mickey's Christmas with him!

Have a GREAT day and enjoy this nice, cool weather!

Trying to Play Catch-Up!

We've had lots going on since my last post! For some reason, I've not been in the blogging mood lately...hopefully that will pass! I'm going to share a brief recap of what we've been up to, as well as share a few photos:

~ I hosted our monthly crop night at our house...always a ton of fun.

~ We went to a birthday party and celebrated our little niece, Maria's, 1st birthday! Her mommy fixed her a simply beautiful ladybug cake...it was adorable. Check out the photos.

~ Rob started to take his 70 Oliver tractor that he has been fixing up for a couple of years now, on an antique tractor ride. He and a friend's ride was cut short when a Harley rider crashed and Rob & his buddy went to help him. The rider is okay, except for a broken leg, thank God.

~ Matthew was invited to a birthday party and had a blast. They had water gun fights and stuff like that!

~ Between Matthew & Jacob, we've had 4 soccer practices and 3 games since my last post. Yesterday, Matthew had an incredible game, scoring 2 out of the 4 goals that his team scored. He and his teammates really worked together passing the ball...not worrying about who scored. Jacob is just so happy to be playing...he doesn't care about anything!

~ My friend, Julie, hosted a crop at her church. A blast as usual!

~ Rob's been working 10 hour days plus Saturdays...he's a little cranky at times but still manages to spend as much time with the boys and me as he possible can. He has been going to soccer practices since they're in the evenings and since he can't make the games on Saturdays.

~ Today we served in the 3-year old nursery at church. We teach in there once every 4 weeks. It's not a big committment, but it has been one way in which we can give back for all the years our boys were in the nursery. We simply LOVE that three year old class. We had 15 kids today and they just did great...I actually think they "got" my Bible story...that is such a praise!

~ Today after church we headed to the soccer field for another game. After the game, we went to the park for St. Paul's back-to-school picnic. The boys had fun playing Plinko, trying to dunk teachers/principal in the dunking booth, jumping in the bounce house, etc.

Well...that's my recap...thanks for checking in and enjoy the pictures!

Well, we made it through the first few days of school! Matthew & Jacob both have had a great couple of days...we're praying that it continues!

Yesterday Rob had to work all day over at the University...bummer. I went with the boys to their first soccer games of the fall season. Jacob was so completely excited...especially when he got his shirt right before the game. His is grey and Matthew's is red this year. The highlight of Jacob's game for him was ALMOST scoring a goal from a kickoff! In Pre-K they play without a goalie and when he went to do a kickoff it went all the way to the goal...but, just missed it! He had so much fun! Matthew's game was in the afternoon...it's a good thing we live pretty close to the soccer fields! One of the highlights for Matthew was getting really close to scoring a goal himself...his didn't quite make it either...but he was excited none-the-less. We're off to a good start for the soccer season!

Today, after church, Rob and the boys went out to his Dad's house. Rob is working on rebuilding an old Oliver 70 tractor...he's taking it on a big tractor ride next weekend...the same one he was in last year. Rob took some time off and took the boys fishing for a while at his Dad's pond. Jacob caught tons of bluegill and Matthew caught a 16-inch catfish. The photos are on Rob's phone...I have no idea how to download them here or I would!

I stayed home today and got caught up on laundry, did some cleaning & watched a little bit of t.v.

Thanks for taking the time to check in and have a GREAT week.

First Day of School!

As most of you know by now, we've decided to keep Matthew in school at St. Paul, along with Jacob in Pre-K, for this year. They had a FANTASTIC first day! Matthew is so excited because this year he has his own number...He is #13! He said he has to memorize it. He got a new pencil that says "2nd grade is #1" which he thought was way cool too. But, best of all, he got to play soccer at recess with all of his buddies. Jacob had a great morning as well. He started out at the play-doh table and then he said they had recess, and he ate all of his grapes for snack...but, "Mom...I just wasn't in the mood for cheese" he said! I guess I won't send any more cheese sticks for his snack for a while! He got to play dress-up and he got to play with the "workin' tools". He was quite busy this morning.

Jacob's 1st Pre-K Soccer Practice!

I cannot begin to describe how excited Jacob was this week...he had waited about 2 weeks for this day! His 1st SOCCER practice! On Wednesday morning we went and bought him a new soccer ball, shorts & socks with the shin guards built in. He had a pair of cleats from Matthew so we didn't have to buy those. All afternoon he wanted to put on his soccer clothes...and finally...it was time! He had such a great time even though the sweat was just dripping off his tiny little face. He actually seemed to know a little bit about what he was doing. I guess watching big brother for 3 years now helped him a little bit!

Interview with Matthew

Name: Matthew Thomas Moore

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Thing I Did This Summer: Went on Vacation

Who Do I Look Up Too: God

Favorite Sport: Soccer

Favorite Hobby: Going to the Farm

Favorite Word: Tractor

Favorite Book: My Star Wars books

Favorite Thing to do Outside: Ride my Bike

What I want to be when I grow up: An Engineer...since I'm good at building things.

Favorite TV Show: Finnius & Ferb (SP?????)

Favorite gift for Christmas: 4-Wheeler

Favorite thing to do inside: Build Legos

Favorite place to go on vacation: Florida

What did I like about vacation: Going crab hunting

What is your favorite movie: Star Wars

If I got to do one thing before school started I would: Go to St. Louis

Who are my pets: Calli & Oliver (cats)

Favorite pet I have ever had: cat

Number one thing I want for this Christmas: Bow & Arrow

My favorite room in the house: my room

A Few Random Thoughts...

~ The other day I got a phone call from a friend of mine from high school...I hadn't talked to him since graduation. He reminded me that our 20 year reunion was in 2009. Just talking to him has brought back so many memories from high school...they've been on my mind a lot lately. Thankful to be where I am at today.

~ A week ago today I turned 37. It's getting harder and harder for me to remember my age. Probably because I don't WANT to remember it. 37 YEARS...it just doesn't seem possible...gets me to thinking about what is REALLY important in life.

~ I seem to have been doing a lot of thinking lately!

~ I had a bit of time to myself this evening. Rob and the boys went to help Fred "cut calves"...if you know anything about farming...you'll know what that means. I won't go in to detail. I finished another Nicholas Sparks book that I had been wanting to read. I also cleaned off our shelves in the living room...I'm wanting to do a little rearranging. I've always got to be in the "right" mood...the "cleaning & organizing" mood...some of you may know exactly what I mean.

~ Tonight I am thankful for a relationship of mine that seems to be on the mend. That's all I can say...I'm just very thankful.

~ That's all for tonight...I have some friends traveling home tomorrow from Gulf Shores...please pray for safe travels.

Interview with Jacob

I COMPLETELY stole this idea from my friend, Heather's, blog...fabulous idea...thanks!


Name: Jacob Austin Moore

Favorite Color: Camoflage

Favorite Thing I Did This Summer: Went Swimming

Who Do I Look Up Too: God

Favorite Sport: T-Ball

Favorite Hobby: "What's a hobby, Mommy?" After explanation, he said, "Baseball"

Favorite Word: Poop

Favorite Book: My Monster Truck Book

Favorite Thing To Do Outside: Probably Fishing

What I want to be when I grow up: FBI

Favorite TV Show: Man vs. Wild

Favorite gift for Christmas: Guitar

Favorite thing to do inside: Watch T.V.

Favorite place to go on vacation: Texas (we've never been!)

What did I like about vacation: Going in the swimming pool.

What is your favorite movie: Indiana Jones

If I got to do one thing before school started I would: Go swimming

Who are my pets? Calli and Oliver

Favorite pet I have ever had: a cat

Number one thing I want for this Christmas: a Shotgun

My favorite room in the house: the basement



Coming up next...Matthew.

Matthew's Birthday Get-Together!

Yesterday, instead of having a birthday party, Matthew chose to spend the day with a couple of his best friends (he missed you, Jed!) doing some fun stuff! We started the day by going to Creative Ewe where each of the boys got to pick something to paint. They had a GREAT time. Matthew chose to paint a dolphin...Jacob chose a dinasaur...the other boys chose a semi-truck, squirrel & spoon rest. We then headed to Pizza Inn...man, can some of those boys eat! After lunch we had a little bit of time to kill before the movie started. We stopped at my parents' house where the boys all played kickball in the backyard for about a half hour. They were completely hot and sweaty after that...typical boys! Then we headed to the movies...Wall-E...it was a really cute movie. Matthew had a great day being with his friends and celebrating his 8th birthday!