Back to Cinci

When we originally planned our summer trip to Cincinnati, we scheduled our visit for late July into early August. We then found out that my parents were going to be in Utah for some of that time and we would only be able to spend a couple days with them. So, we decided to visit Cincinnati twice this summer just cuz we can!
It's good to be back!!

These two are too cute!!  They are definitely best buds!

Bracelet makers.

Unlike last summer the weather this year was absolutely beautiful while we were in Cincinnati thus ensuring lots and lots of pool time!

I love these group shots!

This summer was all about chicken fights!

Ashy's face is priceless!!!

Try as they might, the other kids had a tough time beating Ashy and Sav...they were quite the team!

Switching up teams!

Winners!

More fun jump-in shots!

When cousins had to go home the kids enjoyed time in the pool with dad.

We spent some time up at the Clarks house as well which is always fun for the kids.

They even opened their own restaurant.

Our summers in Cinci just wouldn't be the same without time spent with Uncle Bryan. He always keeps us laughing!

We took the kids to see the Minions movie.

And my parents treated me and David to The Precinct for our 20th anniversary dinner. It was so spectacularly yummy!

The last few days we were there Grandma pulled out a new game she had bought for some poolside fun. It's a cross between tether ball and paddle ball. The kids loved it!

The time we spend in Cincinnati is so precious to us and I'm so grateful that we live close enough to be able to visit several times a year. My kids love their cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles so much and have developed such close relationships with them. I hope they will always look back on their summer visits to Cincinnati as some of the best times in their lives.

Hangin' at Hammerman

Summers are made for the beach, even a fake one.

Siblings spending some time together, cooling off.

Thank goodness the Hardys arrived because my kids were getting antsy for friends to show up. Chicken fights quickly ensued.

Noah decided to start digging a hole to China...

but took a break to get buried in the sand.

They made him a merman.

The other families finally showed up and the rest of the afternoon was spent having fun in the water,

chatting and snacking,

napping in the shade,

and digging in the sand.

Spencer got buried - love his belly button -

and Noah made progress on his hole.

It was such a fun day with friends! (Front: Xander, Evan, Spencer; Back: Madison, Luke, Logan, Jared, Kendal, Myka, Raith, Emma's friend, Emma, Zach, Sydney, and Savannah)

Soccer Camp Week 2

Oh, yeah! Bring on week two!!
We started things off with a huge group stretch.

Alex and I had our groups work on shielding with the fun game of sharks and minnows.

What these kids didn't know was that Alex the eagle would, every once in awhile, charge in to get those minnows moving faster. All the kids wanted to show me their best eagle pose.

My first afternoon was spent with these three crazies...

and all these crazies!

Plus this cute little Sunny! Her name totally fits!

And when they drove me nuts, I would have them play "quiet time", one of my favorite activities at soccer camp.

The little ones adore Jesse and Jeffrey; these two young men definitely keep things light and fun in the afternoon with the little group.

Popsicle breaks.

And then more afternoon antics.

Time to get down to some serious soccer.

Okay, so maybe we throw some water balloons into the serious soccer but it's all about receiving.

And there's always time for serious discussions about life with these little cuties.

And then it's back to serious soccer.

And more water balloons.

These guys couldn't decide if they should get Coach Paul...

or Coach Potter. Ahhh, what a good sport!

Savannah works extremely hard at soccer camp and every summer I see her ball skills improving.

Getting compliments from Coach Paul.

But even the older kids need some time to cool off.

Here comes Jan...he has Savannah in his sights!

Noah enjoying some sort of yoga with Coach Potter.

Getting hugs from my sweet Melissa.

The afternoon 3v3 games are always tough with that sun beating down on us and the humidity reaching high levels. The kids certainly work hard...

and deserve those popsicle breaks.

Lunch times are also a wonderful break to our day and these kids sure know how to entertain themselves as well as all the rest of us.

There goes Cole, into the box, ha ha! We all got a good laugh about this one (except for Bill...we just got his glare).

Emotions were riding high during the lunch time movie.

Wednesday it was time for another jersey contest and this time we held it in the gym.

The girls decided not to compete but they still posed for me. And there's always Jesse, posing in the background.  Interesting, he and Savannah have the same pose.

Noah is always a natural on the cat walk.

Xander decided to make it interesting this year. He started off with his Spain jersey...

and then pulled it off to reveal his Real Salt Lake! Clever move!

I even participated this year, walking as part of the USA team.

Go USA!

All week Savannah and Carolyn dressed up as twins. I caught their picture every day except one.

Goalie training was high on both Xander's and Noah's list this week. I just don't understand why they want to play goalie but they love it and learned a lot from Coach Jesse.

A new coach we had this second week was Coach Nikki, Bill's sister-in-law. At first I was a bit intimidated by her because she played college and has traveled all over the world coaching soccer camps. But she was awesome, not only at soccer but as a person. It was nice to have another lady around and we had a fabulous time together!

Soccer pinata,

scrimmages,

and toothless kids filled our days!

It's easy to see why at times we all got worn out!

My absolute favorite part of camp is hangin' with the teenagers. We joke, we laugh, and we play soccer.

Good times!

Xander loves helping, like the older kids...

but then acting like a little kid and dumping himself with water.

I honestly don't know how these kids had any energy left by the end of the day but they did. They were always ready to ham it up for pictures.

And just act plain goofy!

I love how past campers come and visit. Jeffrey even spent a couple of days helping me out at camp.

And these two, Ryan and Alex, always pop in to say hi!

All too soon the final day of camp had arrived. We started off the day with a torture session with Coach Potter.

He might look all innocent and nice...

and the kids all thought this was going to be a piece of cake...

and then he turned on the switch of pain. After awhile Noah couldn't even keep up!

After all the pain came the fun games. Jahlil and I had our group play musical soccer balls which the kids always have fun with.

It definitely wears them out!

Last days are always filled with picture taking!

The younger ones played soccer tennis but instead of kicking the ball they worked on throw ins and goalie throws.

Musical soccer ball battles...

goalie wars...

and soccer tennis headers!

After the morning games, Noah used Bill's trumpet to summon all for the big Coaches/Campers games.

No surprises in any of the games...the Coaches always win.
Savannah gained a new fan this week...

and Jahlil got taken down.

We did get a super great picture of all the campers from Week 2.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my cute little campers. We called our scrimmage team The Candylanders.

And we can't forget the slip and slide that comes out each year to teach the kids how to safely slide tackle.

Not quite sure why Noah is half naked.

Saying our goodbyes.

Another fabulous year at North Bay Soccer Camp!