Risk-taker

 Schoolwork is in full swing! I loved this assignment and what Morgan wrote!

Soccer

Fall soccer started a week ago. This year, quite a few things are changing... we have a bigger field, bigger ball, bigger goal, goalies, offsides will be called, and now we have actual referees (instead of the coaches just refereeing the games). This season, Avery decided she wanted to play soccer, too. I guess she got tired of watching on the sidelines at Morgan's games! We have the same coach as last season, Ava's Dad - Coach Alex. This season we are half Whittier kids and half Lester kids. A few more girls from our school joined, which is fun for the girls. Matt is helping out the coach this season as well.

The first game was short. It was right after we got Milo, so Matt stayed home and I went with the girls and my parents. Our team got off to a slow start. I think the larger field threw them off. Morgan and Avery were off the field first (we were running a little late... oops!). After they got in and the team started to get in the game more, it was fun to watch. Morgan scored a goal... and a millisecond after her goal, the lightning alarm went off! Ugh. Then, it down poured! So, the game was over.

The second game was a total scorcher and we even had the early game! They gave the girls a few breaks during the game to get water. We had brought wet washcloths with ice for the girls to put on their necks and it really helped. I sat in the shade with Milo, while Matt and the girls were on the sidelines. Someone had brought some beach umbrellas so at least the girls got some shade while they were off the field.

Like I've mentioned before, Morgan loves soccer and is pretty good at it. She is very aggressive and competitive, which goes a long way in 3rd grade! :) She is also really fast and gets around the field... wherever the ball is, Morgan is usually there. She has a way of getting the ball away from the crowd and down the field. It's a different game this year with the goalies. She kept getting close to the goal and ready to shoot, but the goalie would run up and snatch the ball.

I wasn't sure how Avery would do, considering she hasn't really played a lot of contact competitive sports. I had told her she can't just sit back and watch the game, she needs to get in there and go after the ball. (I hate watching the kids play where there are like 4 kids around the ball and no one goes after it. Ha!) I shouldn't have worried! She did great! She is also surprisingly fast and is really determined. Since she hasn't played before, she is still learning the basic skills. But, she is picking things up fast!

Hard to see, but that's Avery in blue kicking the ball

Avery in the middle throwing in to Morgan at the right - sister teamwork!

After the game... they were ready for some A/C

First day of 3rd grade

Third grade here we come! Avery and Morgan are in separate classes this year... fingers crossed we stay in person and don't have to go remote! Avery has Ms. Karius and Morgan has Mrs. Modine. I know really nothing about either of the teachers, so we'll see how it goes! Avery is doing the accelerated math program this year, so she skipped 3rd grade math and is going to Mr. Miller's 4th grade class for Math. We were supposed to do 3rd grade math over the summer, but it was hard to get it all in with vacations and summer camps, etc. Hopefully, it's not too much for her!

And this is how they looked at the end of the day... Morgan is a sweat ball! Heat advisory and no A/C = a couple of hot kiddos!

 

 

Little Destroyer

We have to keep on our eye on this boy all the time!

One minute he's sleeping on the floor in this silly position...

And a few minutes later, you discover he had been munching on the corner of the wall! We put the gate up here to deter him. He keeps going back and trying to make it worse!

Jump

The girls don't start school until Thursday and there are no camps this week... so, we headed to Get Air to get out some energy. Daddy was taking Milo to his first vet appointment.

Meet Milo

The girls have been asking for a dog FOREVER! We decided last Christmas that we would pull the trigger and get a dog. Of course, the waitlist for the dog we wanted was long! 

We FINALLY got our puppy this past weekend! He is a mini bernedoodle and all fluff... and all adorable! 

We surprised the girls... we told them we were going to a golf tournament and Mama and Papa were watching them. We said we'd be back later in the afternoon. They really had no idea!

On the 3 hour car ride home - he slept most of the way!

We stopped at a rest area to go potty!

 

 

Avery likes Milo much better when we he is relaxed or sleeping. She likes to watch him. Here she is enjoying a snack and making sure Milo is doing ok.

Milo has definitely taken over our lives! He needs to get up every couple of hours overnight to go out. So, it's like having a baby again! And he bites everything! He's ripped some pants and socks of ours already. We're still working on house training and he starts Puppy Kindergarten in a couple of weeks. Yay!

Carnival

We went to the Rotary Fest on Friday with the girls' friend Gwen for a bit before Mama and Papa got into town. It was SOOOO hot! But, the kids had a blast! Lots of fun rides and some much needed lemon shake-ups!

They did the hammer strike. For the kiddos, the guy just throws the thing to the bell so they always get a prize. But, Avery was determined to do it herself. She mustered all her strength and smacked that thing all the way to the bell. Ha!

With their prizes!

Avery at the top of the funhouse while the other girls rode the Tilt-A-Whirl.

The slide was incredibly fast - ha!

Racing down the slide with their friend Gwen.

 

Mama and Papa came into town. Avery and Papa worked on a unicorn puzzle together.

Grayson stopped by and played with Morgan in the backyard searching for bugs!

 

Last day of summer camp

We finished off our summer of camps with Fun with Fairy Tales at the Downers Grove Museum this week. The girls had a lot of fun and met some new friends! Turns out one of the girls from their camp is on their soccer team as well! 

 

Another lost tooth

The other tooth we were waiting for Avery to lose finally came out! That expander definitely did the trick! We had a visit with the orthodontist the other day and she found out she gets the expander out at her next appointment in September. To say she was excited is a total understatement! Just in time for her birthday! Of course, she still has to keep the braces on for a while longer, but we're getting closer to the finish line!

New belt

Morgan got her new belt at karate on Tuesday. She got the orange/yellow belt this time. She is now on a longer schedule between testing. So instead of every 2 months, she will test every 4 months for the next few belts. This gives them more time to perfect their skills.

Karate has been really good for Morgan so far. It builds her confidence and she's really determined to move up in the belts.

Happy Birthday to Matt

We celebrated Matt's birthday again at home with Ruth after we got back from vacation.

I think he will always have help blowing out the candles! :)