Professional Soccer Pictures and Dallin's First Trophy

They did soccer pictures this fall and as team mom, I got a free package (yippee!). I was very excited to get his first soccer pictures. I still have mine from when I was in sports. I thought Dallin's turned out really good. Here is his whole little team.And, we sprung for the buddy shot (Dallin and his coach-Papa). I thought it would be meaningful. Also, I have one of these shots from when I played baseball with my dad coaching. It was a good shot. I think my dad looks incredibly happy. We had a planned a little team party at McDonalds after the last game. Well, the game was rained out...but we still met to celebrate the season and hand out the trophies to all our little players. Dallin was soooo funny. All of the trophies were EXACTLY the same. No personalization or anything, but he looked in the trophy box and picked out "his" trophy. He was adament that one was his. When they were handing out trophies, I kept picturing them handing another kid the one he had picked and him flipping out. We laughed because he was soooo serious and they were ALL THE SAME, but apparently it was important to him and he took the matter very seriously. He was so excited to get his trophy that he could hardly stand it. Kate was running around the playground and while looking the other way ran right into a padded pole so hard with her head that she fell over and looked like thisYou can't really tell how bad it was in the picture. It made a HUGE gooseegg and a really nasty bruise that didn't go away for weeks......sigh....oh coordination...where are you?
We got a couple of shots of the team before the trophies were handed out. Here they are doing their very favorite pose--the superman pose. They would do this at games and practices to pump themselves up and to remember not to use their hands. It was HILARIOUS! I think the other team was always surprised when they saw THIS at the kickoff! Finally, it was time for trophies. Here is Dallin showing me his trophy. They handed him "the wrong one" at first, but don't worry.....he corrected them LOL Yep, he got THE trophy he picked out. How he could tell the difference was beyond me, but he was happy he got the one he wanted. Here is the whole team with their trophies. This was the first trophy for most of these kids so they were VERY proud (despite the fact they would have gotten one for just breathing...lol) As team mom, I coordinated for all of the parents to pitch in so that we could get a nice plaque for each of our coaches as a gift. The plaques turned out really nice and the coaches seemed to really appreciate them. Too bad the YMCA didn't tell us they were doing plaques for all the coaches too! (Oh well...ours was waaaay better and bigger...that should count for something)
Here is the coaches shaking hands. We really enjoyed Coach Matt and will sure miss him this season. He has split off with another dad to coach their own team this winter. We are excited to play another season and I am sure Dallin will "bring it"! Go Dallin!

Dallin's First Season of Soccer

This fall, we decided to enroll Dallin in a sport. I have known for a long time that he needs a healthy outlet for all his energy. I have watched him for years wondering what he might excel at, and based on his personality and natural abilities I always thought soccer would be it. He is in constant motion with a neverending supply of energy. He is always kicking things (and has a foot on him!) especially balls. He has a good deal of hand-eye coordination. He is pretty big for his age. He is not afraid to mix it up, fall down, and get up again. We chose to enroll Dallin in the Round Rock YMCA Youth Soccer Program. This was for 2 reasons. First, they have a very non-competitive format and do not tolerate name-calling., yelling, poor sportsmanship (for the littles they don't even keep score). Secondly, Dallin's birthday is September 29 so he was still 3 at the start of the season and the Y allows ages 3/4 to play.
He was placed on the Galaxy team, and I was later informed that the team had no coach and if no volunteer stepped up they would have to be disbanded. So.....I pulled out the big guns and called my dad! He coached me and my brother, Will, in sports when we were kids and I thought it would be really good for Dallin to have his Papa there. He was glad to do it and excited to be able to have that time with Dallin. Here they are warming up at their first soccer practice.I have to say I got warm fuzzies watching my dad coach my son. I hope that Dallin always remembers that special time with his Papa and the sacrifices he made for him. I did NOT get warm fuzzies from seeing my dad in his shorts....pulled up to his navel.....ummmmm yep.
The season started in September and ended right before Thanksgiving. And I have to say.....I WAS SOOOOO RIGHT. Dallin was absolutely the best kid on his team. Here is probably my favorite picture of the whole season...as Dallin takes on 3 of the opposing team by himself. LOLThis was a big surprise for me and my family because none of us was really athletically inclined. I was the one who was the closest to athletic in our family (which is really a sad sad commentary). Will was the daisy picker. He might not score any goals or even pay attention on the field, but at half-time...he had a nice bouquet for mom. I didn't really care if Dallin was good...only if he was trying. But I do have to admit, it is really fun being the mom of the allstar (mostly......you would be surprised how catty and jealous the other parents get. apparently in non-competitive leagues actual talent is discouraged so that it is more fair) He was really a superstar and had A LOT of natural ability. He has a really good control of the ball and isn't afraid to go and get the ball from the other team. Here is a little video clip of him taking the ball down the field. This was early in the season, so you will notice that when the other team got into his comfort zone, he would fall on top of the ball, regroup, and start again. LOL....yes, he was weaned off of that! At the first game, he was the ONLY kid who moved at the kickoff. LOL Most of the kids had never played before so we spent a lot of time in situations as pictured below....pointing where out goal was. We had several team members score in the wrong goal over the course of the season...and they were soooo proud that all the parents cheered anyways (and the coaches would gently point out the right goal in passing lol) My dad often said that coaching this age was like herding cats...LOL And from watching them, it was a very factual statement. During the games, one coach is allowed on the field and they were constantly moving kids around like little chess pieces just to get them ready for a kickoff (or kick in as pictured above). It was really funny! Here is a picture of the kids showing their "listening ears" They did this A LOT...LOL Here they are yelling "gooooooo galaxy!" It was really cute because Dallin and Kate would practice this at home. Dallin scored lots of goals during the season and at least 2 at each game. And most importantly really really enjoyed himself. We did have some "learning experiences" with regards to sportsmanship and acceptable behavior. So we would repeat catch phrases on the way to practice and games. Some of them were - you don't take the ball from someone on your team -you don't use your hands or your elbows on the ball or members of the other team - if they blow the whistle you stop and give the ball to the coach or the ref. -you don't tackle the ball. you need to stay on your feet. We did have to pull him out of one game based on his behavior, but by the end of the season he was a very good little player skill and sportsmanship wise. Throughout the season, he had a lot of support from his family. Christopher or I (and most often both of us) were at every practice. Kate made every practice (except one when she was sick) and every game. It was really cute seeing ways she found to entertain herself. Here she is playing princess dressup with DaddyShe would beg me to take her picture (hence the one above), but I felt kind of bad later because apparently when I took this picture Dallin made an amazing play and scored....oops! Here....Christopher stepped in something at the game...LOL
And here she is dribbling down the side lines with "her" ball. She did this a lot and was pretty good. We had several parents say they should put her in since she has the best ball control on the team. LOL She can dribble AND accesorize! During the season every member of the Sharp family came to at least one game and even Grandpa and Grandma Kellogg came all the way down from Utah and watched him play. It was a lot of fun.He loved it so much that we have chosen to enroll him in the indoor winter soccer season at YMCA. I learned a lot the first season and I am not sure if I will keep him with YMCA or move him to the Round Rock Soccer Association in the spring. Either way, I am glad he enjoys it and we are really proud of our little soccer star.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Christmas morning came early at our house. I have a confession to make, I was the first one up. I was so excited about what the kids would think and say on Christmas morning that I was up with that excited anticipation at 5! Dallin was the first one up at 6. He was sorely disappointed that he had to wait for everyone to be ready before going downstairs to see if Santa had left him some toys. This was made even harder since Kate decided to sleep in until 7:30!! I played board games with Dallin, read books, helped him get ready, got ready myself, and watched some Land Before Time. It was a terribly loooong wait for a very excited little boy, but he did it!
Christopher went down first to see if Santa had come (and to turn on some Christmas music and get the video camera ready). Sure enough, Santa had been there and eaten his cookies and drank up all his milk. Then the kids raced down the stairs to see what was there. The way things were left, mine and Christopher's stockings and the things for the pets were at the base of the stairs (Dallin and Kate's things were on the opposite side of the room (not so easily seen coming down the stairs). This made for a very sad moment for Dallin (but pretty darn funny for the rest of us) when he came downstairs and thought that Santa had not left him anything. His little face just fell as he looked at the stockings (none of which were his) and kept saying over and over "Santa didn't bring me ANYTHING!? Not anything!?" After several minutes, he finally turned around, saw his things and lit right up. It was so hard not to say anything and wait for him to discover it himself. Christopher got it from the front with the video camera and it is hilarious. I got the video from behind with the camera.
The kids were thrilled with the wonderful gifts Santa had brought them. They were pretty good this year all in all :) Dallin got his Handy Manny toolbench. Here he is with his Santa stash. And Kate got her play kitchen. Here she with her Christmas morning loot. They played and played with the toys. Here is Dallin dressed up as Handy Manny with his new toolbelt set. After a while, they dug through their stockings and uncovered many fun little trinkets and toys (apparently Santa is a big fan of the $store). Here is Kate stuffing her face full of chocolate. It is a good thing that Santa only put a few pieces in there. They were ALL gone in seconds. This girl is a sugar fiend. She has replaced all food groups with sugar....the holidays have not been good for her. I'm afraid the New Year will be a rude awakening. LOL The stockings are so great because they are big and when the kids dig in them, it looks like they are going to get lost in there. LOLSanta even filled stockings for Mommy and Daddy and the pets. Hey...we were REALLY good this year :) The kids enjoyed helping us unpack our stockings tooDallin went through all his presents from Santa quickly and was ready to rip through everything under the tree right away. Kate, on the other hand, was content to play with what Santa had brought and seemed obilvious to the fact that other presents were under the tree. After making Dallin wait for a while, we began opening the gifts under the tree.
Kate got a pop-on princess doll. They are put out by Fisher Price and I love them because the outfits snap on and off so it is easy for little girls to do. And the princess one had her name all over it! lol Dallin got a doctor kit, which had to be used right away since apparently Christopher was "off the chart!" according to Dallin and needed immediate medical attention. Both kids got a fun dressup costume too. At our house, we dress up year round. So they were so excited to get something new and they put it on right away (of course) Dallin got this sweet superman costume with cape. It was a little big, but that means more play time! Kate got a really cute Cinderella dress with "glass slippers" She looks just precious in it and wore it the rest of Christmas day. I have to brag a little bit here and say that I got the entire thing (including the shoes) for $4! I am such an awesome shopper! I love the expression on her face in this picture and how she is admiring her glass slippers. Priceless...and oh so Kate! lol
Both kids got their own copy of the Book of Mormon. So no more fighting over who gets one at family scripture study! YAY! They got a fun Candy Land Castle game from Grandma and Grandpa along with some fun leapfrog toys which they have barely put down!
It was a lot of fun seeing the expressions on everyone's faces when they unwrapped their surprises. We didn't get pictures of all of them....we were really blessed by our friends and family :) This year Christopher and I made it a point to get gifts for each other. Christopher got me something really sweet.
Yep...it's a puppy. I named her Macy. I actually got her a couple of days before Christmas. Anyone who has known me sometime knows I owned dogs earlier in our marriage. I have missed my "Tiny" (50 pounds...lol) terribly and would still search for her. So, Christopher called the landlord and made it happen....I have a dog again. She is a terrier mix (with a bunch of other stuff). Her mom was only 12 pounds pregnant so we are hoping she won't get too big. It seems she will be an average sized dog and I am happy to have her. Also, this year the kids bought presents for Christopher and I and also each other. It was really sweet seeing them practically burst with excitement over picking the perfect gift and wrapping it and then watch them struggling to keep it a secret. They were very proud to give their gifts on Christmas morning. Kate hit it completely out of the park with her gift to Dallin. It was a pretty realistic toy trumpet. You can actually play it. It is plastic even though it looks real, and the price was very nice! Dallin has thanked her repeatedly and she beams and says "yo welcome!" Dallin got daddy his own saw. I was really proud of him because he came up with the idea all by himself. He somehow remembered that last year Christopher had to borrow a saw from the neighbor to cut our Christmas tree and so he wanted to get him his own. He told Christopher a million times "you remember that you had to borrow a saw from a neighbor because you didn't have a saw? I want to tell you what I got you!" I thought he was going to explode. So I am pretty sure that Christopher knew, but he acted surprised and he was definitely touched. Kate got me a star necklace and earring set. I really love stars so this was a great choice for me. I loved how happy she was when she gave it to me and will remember that every time I wear it.
Later in the afternoon, we went to Nana and Papas house for a delicious Christmas dinner and more presents!!! The Old Settlers Ward elders live with my parents and we really enjoy having them around. My kids really love them and the elders are always so wonderful with them. The only downside is how much we inevitably miss them when they transfer out. Here is Elder Lund holding Kate while Christopher was looking for his present.
Yep you read that right....I said "looking for his present". Christopher only got one gift this year so the elders set up a scavenger hunt to stretch out his "special" time. lol Here he is with one of his clues
Looking inside...
Looking outside....
Was it worth it!? Oh YEAH! He ended up with a PS3!!!!!! (with 2 bonus game and a blu-ray!). He was/is one happy boy!
My mom made each grandchild their own quilt this year. So all of her gifts to them were along that "theme". Dallin got Cars. Kate got princesses (and Madison got Dora for inquiring minds). The kids LOVED their quilts. They sleep with them every night. But I was especially surprised by Dallin's reaction.At first he said nothing and set it aside. My mom thought it was a total bust. But within a few minutes he was playing with the ties and sucking his thumb. He wallered all over it saying "blankie! blankie! i love you! i got a new blankie!" He has taken it everywhere with him. It is just precious. He still insists on sleeping with the blue blanket/rag at night along with the new one but it no longer travels which is a blessing for all! Here are the kids playing with their voice changing microphones they got from Uncle MichaelThey totally loved them. (He also got them each 25 for college savings....but when you are 2 and 4, the microphone is waaaay cooler...lol) Thanks Uncle Michael! My mom got each of the grandkids one of the "If You Give..." books with the accompanying animal. I was very surprised about how excited they were. They always enjoy books, but they were just ecstatic about the matching animals (especially Kate who got "If you Give a Cat a Cupcake")Here is Kate packing around her little princess dolls she got from Grandma Faye. They were a homerun big hit! She carried them ALL around with her everywhere (this was quite a challenge because I think there were 10 of them or so...LOL) She packs them all over the house...still, but my favorite is that she sets up little tea parties with them...only each princess sits IN a teacup. Very cute! Also, if you are wondering....yes, Nana and Papa got her a princess nightgown that she had to put on right away.....and YES....she is STILL wearing her regular clothes AND the Cinderella dress underneath it.....and YES...she stayed that way until bedtime. It was a good thing she didn't get even more clothes! LOL
I got some nice things as well. I got my mattress pad and a VERY nice sheet set I wanted. I got a super sweet fruit bowl that I wanted and a couple of other things. I have decided that when you get older your gifts sound so totally lame. I mean tell any kid what I got for Christmas this year and they would look at me like they felt bad for me...LOL, but I was waaaay happy to get it! But the funniest thing I opened was from my Grandma Faye
Ok...so my finger is covering the words a little, but you are probably reading right....it's PREPARATION H! Alright!? It was just what I wanted!! LOL I had a good laugh about this, but really my grandma was just using the box to wrap things in. It was a really nice necklace and some very appreciated cash. Thanks Grandma for the great gifts (and the laughs!). Love ya!
We had a very fun, very busy, and very blessed Christmas and hope all of you had the same. At the end of the day I felt very grateful. Grateful for friends and family. Grateful for our homes and all of the wonderful things we are able to partake of. Grateful for my husband who works hard for us and loves us deeply. Grateful for my children and the magic of Christmas through their eyes, but most grateful for my Savior. It left me feeling like I wanted to be a little better, a little stronger, a little more like Him. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you keep the spirit of Christ in your hearts always! Merry Christmas!