The Tangrens

We signed up Hyrum for soccer this fall because his bestie was signing up for it and we thought we'd give it a try to see what all of the hullabaloo is all about. The first practice was on an overcast slightly rainy day...just the way tee ball started. Complete with a rainbow


Things were looking up. We got to the park where they were having practice and Hyrum got right to work kicking the ball around with his friend.



I don't know if it was just the socks but he really looked like a soccer player to me.


They went through some drills, dribbling around the pavillion and kicking it through the "goal"


I was impressed! Hyrum seemed to do really well. "He's a natural" I thought. Then they had a scrimmage and discussed repeatedly which way each "team" (it was three on three) was going. They kicked off and when running down the field.


After the score they were running back and I heard Hyrum say "Whoo, that was harder than I thought it was going to be!"  I don't think he was anticipating so much running. :)

Despite the hammering they still lost direction and couldn't figure out which way to kick the ball from time to time. At one point one little girl got frustrated that she just sat down on the field and started to cry.  She was three and snuck on the team because she was the coaches daughter.


The coach literally said in exasperation "There's no crying in soccer!"  A little later on when she gave up again Hyrum was heard to yell "Will you ever quit?!  No! We want some more! We want some more! We want some more!" ( a la 'Remember the Titans')  It didn't help.

But they had high five practice so they know what to do when they score a goal.


That was harder than you'd think it would be.  Here we go again! Love this kid!

( To be read to the music of Aerosmith )

Baby's got a gun

Baby's got a gun

Not sure what's just been done. Now everyone is on the run.

What did his brother do? What did he give to you?

He took a tiny little baby and put a gun right in his hand!

This song kept repeating in my head while I saw this happening. I guess we have a photographic record of the day that Elijah was first given a gun.

Today was the first day of kindergarten for Hyrum and he could NOT wait! Dad stayed home for the morning to be with Hyrum on his first day of school. 12 o'clock couldn't get here fast enough.

Finally (at least for Hyrum) we went out to take pictures by the tree


It was bright

very bright.

This is pretty much how it was for Noah


He really felt like he was being left behind.  He always wants to be lock step with Hyrum.

As we were getting everything together Hyrum took off to the bus stop.


Then that magical moment when the bus arrived.


It seemed to swallow him up as he excitedly climbed aboard. Dad teared up as we walked back to the house and jumped in the car to race the bus to the school to watch him disembark into a new adventure.


We managed to stop him briefly for a picture


Before he was off and into his class room without a backward look.


We came home with a crying Noah who was very put out at not being able to go on Hyrum's adventure with him.  We had to console him with "school" at home.


It seemed to work

Dad had to take off on a business trip which left Noah Elijah and me to document the triumphal return. That was not the easiest to hold a video camera with one hand and a still camera with the other and actually get everything right.  I did manage to get a picture of him coming up the walk to the house though.


He's off and running.

The Avery's couldn't get enough of family reunions either and came out at the beginning of August for another one, this time for Nathan's side. But we couldn't get enough Averys so we snuck in a day together in SLC.


The boys picked up right where they left off in Michigan


We hit temple square first


Then we made our way into visitors centers where we cooled off and got some snuggles


watched some of the video presentations (do you notice neither of them are watching the screen above them)


Or played with electronics instead ( which is of course what they were doing in the previous picture)

But there were wild rides for others.


Then we walked to City Creek Center and took in some reading


And cooled off at the splash pad


If you look closely you can see that the water has just finished landing on Noah's head in this picture. They were completely soaked by the end.

All too soon we were off to lunch and then on home. And they were off to the wedding of Nathan's sister. While we were at lunch Hyrum needed to use the bathroom so I was taking him and he insisted on going in the men's bathroom.  I protested but he insisted saying that he could do it by himself and he went in.  I stood at the door hopeless and a little panicked knowing that anybody could be in there but shortly he came out saying that the guy was taking too long and we went in the women's bathroom.  After we came out I walked up to my sister who was in a daze.  I asked her what it was and she said that a man had walked out of the bathroom and asked her how to use his phone she told him she didn't know how.  He mentioned something about just getting out of prison.  He had just walked out of the bathroom my 5 year old son had gone into without me.  Which got me thinking. First of all how grateful I was that Hyrum came out of that bathroom safe. And second...at some point he won't be able to go into the women's bathroom with me and Derek is not often around when we are out and about. What will I do then?  My sister told me that a friend of hers makes her son whistle or hum the entire time he's in the bathroom with out her and if he stops she goes in.  I can TOTALLY get on board with that. That is my plan for the future.  I don't particularly care what I see.

It's always so good to see the Avery's. We can't wait till next time!