Toddler Soccer

Last year Owen really did well with soccer so we signed him up again for this fall season. The only difference was that this year he would be the youngest. The first week was challenging for him. He was getting very distracted and frustrated. This led to us being upset and stressed too. By the second week, he was doing much better. Fast-forward a few weeks and he still wasn’t enjoying it. Last night started out rough with Owen just not wanting to participate, but after a few minutes of whining Tony was able to convince him to keep playing.

At the end of every practice, they play a mini-scrimmage. I think Owens favorite part of it is that he gets to wear a pinny. He gets so excited when he gets to touch the ball. He, like many of the kids, doesn’t really even understand what they are supposed to be doing. So it’s basically a hive of bees running around. After all the stress it is great to see him smile. There are only 2 more weeks left in the season, and he will have a new coach. I’m hoping that they go smoothly and without any tears.

 

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Wet undies and Trains

Owen is so different when he is at school vs. home. At school, the teachers say that he listens and he never has a bathroom accident – he even takes a nap. At home, well, you know the drill. I sound like a broken record asking him if he needs to pee every hour and forcing him on the potty. I hate doing it, but he has multiple wet underwears every day. We’ve taken away TV on days that he wets himself, and we’ve given him timeouts because he doesn’t listen. Is there anything parents can suggest that might help. It is getting really old.

Other than peeing in his pants, Owen is growing more and more every day, and during a meetup yesterday he rode the Mars Shortline Train all by himself. I think he could have stayed there all day if I let him. He also likes to say, “holy heck” and “privacy please” when he needs to poo. Oh boy, he might drive us crazy most days, but he does have his cute moments too.

Big Boy Prize

A few weeks ago we told Owen that he was now a big boy and no longer needed his potty sticker chart. His prize would be his first bike. So we took him to Toys R Us and spent some gift cards that we’ve had from his past birthdays. It was pretty funny when he picked out a quad that he wanted. Sorry, buddy, I don’t think we’ll ever buy you a quad. I was surprised that Toys R Us had one. After pulling out a few bikes and testing them out, he chose a red one and a Nemo helmet. Since his head is so big we had to get a helmet for a 5-year-old. He is getting better at pedaling, but he still has a lot to learn.

Lots of Walking

Sometimes Owen is throwing mayonnaise and mustard packets on the floor of a restaurant because he is done eating and doesn’t want to wait for everyone else, and other times he is playing nicely at the zoo. Yesterday we had a great day at the zoo just the two of us. Since school is back in session, it wasn’t crowded at all. We spent a while looking at all of the animals and even got to check out the playground. We did so much walking that Owen fell asleep in the car on the ride home.

Field Trip to Shenot Farms

I’ve been wanting to check out Shenot Farms for a while now, and we finally got the chance to go on Friday. We went on a walking tour of the whole farm. It was a long walk that started out with seeing the cider press. Then we saw where they sort the apples for cider and box up the ones to sell. Next, it was off to the fields to see the corn and other vegetables that they grow with a quick stop in the barn to have an apple. There we also learned about all the vegetables they grow. When we made it back to where we started we got to drink some cider and the kids got a pumpkin and a coloring page. Everyone really enjoyed their time, and I think we’ll go back in a few weeks for a hayride to the pumpkin patch.

 

 

 

 

Getting Back in the Groove

I almost called this post, “Poop in Pants” because ever since we’ve gotten back from vacation Owen has regressed a bit from potty training. He did great on the drive down and the drive back, but now he puts up such a fight when we suggest that it’s time to try the potty. Last week, when we were playing outside, I ran in to get some water and by the time I got back outside Owen was standing funny and he said, “I pooped in my pants.” Gross! As parents who have gone through potty training know, it’s a lot easier to clean up poop in a diaper than in undies. Today he has somewhat told me when he had to go, and his underwear has been dry, so maybe we’re turning a corner.

In other non-potty news, Owen has been doing great at his new school. I’ve had to pack a lunch for him  (which is new to me) and he has been eating most of it so that’s a plus. To keep him interested I got him a Bentgo Kids Lunch Box. It has fun little compartments that I try to fill with healthy food.

When we moved into our neighborhood over a year ago we had 2 sets of neighbors give us baked goods when they introduced themselves, so I thought I would do the same for our new neighbors that moved in a few weeks ago. After one failed attempt with them not being home, we were able to meet up the next week and deliver some muffins. Since it is almost fall, I decided to make some pumpkin muffins. I hope they like pumpkin.

A trip to the Outer Banks

This summer went by so fast with all of the fun things we’ve been able to do. Last week we were lucky enough to be invited to go on vacation with family to the Outer Banks. It was such a different beach experience for us. We stayed north of Corolla, which requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle to drive 20 minutes on the beach to get to the house. Our CR-V couldn’t cut it so we had to park at the rental office and have the family drive us to the house. The beach itself was very pretty and secluded – with wild horses roaming around. The only downfall was that you had to look both ways for cars, or horse tours, when you left to walk down to the beach. After the first day we got used to it.

You know what they say about vacationing with kids – it’s just parenting in another place. Owen definitely had his good and bad moments. For some reason he was afraid of the ocean this year. He did enjoy playing in the sand though. He also really liked the seafood boil that we had for our last dinner from Outer Banks Boil Company. He liked it so much that he gave our cook, Matt, a high five when he was done :).  Maybe we have a chef in the making.