Red Dragons & Wolves

I truly understand the term "soccer mom" once January hits....minus the van part. (I am still scarred from driving the Big Green Rocket aka Aerostar Van all throughout High School) Regardless of the mini van...Soccer season is in full swing at our house with practice twice a week and Saturday morning games. Cassidy is back for her second season. This time she is playing with the Red Dragons. This is McKenzie's first year playing soccer and loves to wear her bright orange jersey and cleats around the house!  She told me months after I signed her up that she didn't want to play but once she got out on the field, she couldn't wipe that cute grin of her face the entire game! Cassidy has definitely picked the game up better this year. She is such a fast runner, we may just have a track and fielder in our family. She is still working on being more aggressive when going after the ball. Both girls especially love when their Papa shows up for their games. You can't miss him with his cowboy hat and big black camera case full of snacks and water bottles. Merrick suprisingly does well on the sidelines.  Notice I didn't say sitting...unless he is busy stuffing his face with snacks.  I think Merrick is going to be our big soccer star of the family.  He already has some talent kicking the ball down the field as he runs!  Here is to the next 8 weeks of busy Saturday mornings.

New Years Day in the Desert

We celebrated the first day of 2013 out at Bulldog Canyon. The extended Phelps clan has been celebrating New Years day out in the desert for years and now it has become one of our favorite family traditions. Papa and Abu always bring up the horses and golf carts for the kids to roam the dusty desert all afternoon. The Brintons always pull out the camp stove for warm cheese crisps and yummy salsa. Not to mention the never ending table of everyone's leftover Christmas goodies. There is no way I could ever start a diet on January 1st with this much temptation! When it starts getting cold, the bonfire is built and everyone circles the campfire with their chairs and a warm cup of hot chocolate filled with endless possibilities of creamers. This year my favorite.....Almond Joy!  I may have seen Papa take a few shots of it himself inbetween hot water refills. Now I know where Cassidy gets it from! Once the sun is hidden over the west mountain we usually pack up and head home for a nice hot bath.

I'm going there someday....

The ground breaking for the new Gilbert Temple was Nov 12, 2010, the day after Merrick was born!  Our Stake President challenged us to take a picture of our family on the temple site so we could look back someday and remember what a special opportunity it is to have a temple built so close to us. Well...... it has taken us almost 18 months to get an actual picture, but we finally did it! I really wish I had taken my camera with us the many times we drove by when it was just a big dirt field.  The temple is still a long way from being finished but it has been fun to drive by often and see the progress.  After church yesterday, on our first 100 degree day of the year (yes it is only April), we headed over to the temple site and were able to go on the observatory deck and find out some more information about the temple.  The kids were even given a piece of rock from a panel that didn't quite make it up during construction. I will have to write down all the neat opportunities and things we have been able to do as a family, ward and Stake in preparing for this temple.  We are sure excited and blessed to have a temple being built so close to us!

No more training wheels!

A couple Saturday's ago, Cassidy noticed some bigger kids riding bikes in our neighborhood without those tiny wheels on the back of their bikes, like she had.  After I told her those extra special wheels were just training wheels, she was determined to take those bad boys off and ride like the big kids.  Now, if anyone knows Cassidy, you know she comes with a lot of drama and emotion!  I told Jared she wasn't ready yet!  I figured she would crash and burn and with all the falls, scraped knees and road rash that come with learning to ride a bike, Cassidy would never want to ride again.....and cry about it for days on end. But she persisted and Jared had no problem taking the wheels off. After a few practice runs down the sidewalk with Jared crouched over holding onto the back seat, Cassidy literally took off all on her own.  She was circling the street for a good couple hours after that, only making right turns....left turn circles came with a little more practice.  Overall,  no crashes, not even a scraped knee, nothing!  Her little legs were pedaling so stinkin fast that her chain kept falling off! I thought for sure she would turf it real hard!  That night we had to literally drag her inside cause it was getting dark.  The first thing she did when she woke up the next morning was ask to ride her bike!  I guess she proved me wrong! Cassidy is growing up way to fast.....not quite sure what to think about all the changes that have been happening with our oldest baby girl lately....guess I will have to start letting her go....... 

Cassidy was so excited she could ride her bike with no training wheels, that she had to show her Papa and Aubu at Sunday Dinner that night.  We have been enjoying these nice 70 degree days the last few weeks. It has been fun to just let Cassidy ride outside all day long.  We love to go on family bike rides to the park and the lake in our neighborhood too. It won't be too long until McKenzie catches up with her! 

More Soccer...

More Saturday Soccer games for Cassidy.  She has started to figure out the game a little better.  She is sure a fast sprinter!  If only she could look at the ball instead of all her fans on the sidelines.  She always makes sure we are watching!  She still is working on getting aggressive enough to get in a kick the ball.  It sure has been fun watching her play on the field.  Cassidy scored a couple goals the past few games!  So far she is still super excited to play each week even with the season half over!

Go Blue Lightning!

 Cassidy started her first season of soccer this year with a couple 4 and 5 year olds from our Lakeview Trails Ward.  Every Saturday we have been soaking up the perfect Arizona weather and watching this cute girl play on the field.  This is the only sport I never played..so it was all new to me.  Hence the reason she was wearing her shin gaurds outside her socks the first day of practice!  Yes....that bad!  Luckily Cassidy has picked up on the game fast  and looks forward to the practices and games each week!

 Getting a little juicy during the half time orange fest!

 She can keep up with boys and gets a little more aggressive each game.  Good thing the boys on her team don't get mad when she kicks the ball away from them.  We are still learning!

 Here's the family, Papa, Abu, Aunt Mishaun and Merrick cheering her on!

 Best part is the hand slap, end of game snacks and the tunnel run!

Go Blue Lightning!