Soccer Saturday...for the next 7 weeks!

The Texans were awesome today!! We won our game and the kids had a great time.



Getting instructions from Coach Anna.


Ready for action!


Lots & lots of running


About halfway through the game, I realized a little something about myself....apparently I'm competitive. In every other area of my life, I'm pretty non-competitive. But, put my kid on a sports team and I become that mom. The one who doesn't sit down the whole game who is yelling for her team. Did not see that one coming.


More running.

Jonathan under the blanket....it was a chilly one!

Not sure if Benjamin was more excited about winning or the snacks that come at the end of the game. He also mentioned after we got home, "You know at the end of the game, they make the other team congratulate you. They tell you 'good game'." I asked if he told the other team's players "good game" as well. "No. They didn't win." Sheesh. We'll be working on some good sportsmanship for next weekend.

Things I have learned in the past of week...

- Jonathan is uber-athletic. Or maybe just uber-Wii-athletic. He can birdie the third hole in golf. Beat me at tennis. And take us all down on bowling. It's scary. The flip-side: he's the biggest sore loser you'll ever meet. We're working really hard on that one.

- Benjamin cannot scarf down pizza, chug a capri-sun and immediately bounce in a bounce house. He will throw up. Six inches from the garbage can. In front of an entire birthday party. And he will do it at the exact moment his brother is being hauled out of the bounce house screaming by daddy. Leaving mom to clean up the puke. So sorry we ralphed at your sweet party, McKenzie. Please invite us back next year.

- David finally realized he is overly-addicted to his smartphone after watching a documentary called "Crackberry'd". Thank you, CNBC. Thank you.

- My youngest is almost four....wow. Where did the time go? We're pretty much 99% sure we're done and we're good with our family of four. But, sometimes, you just miss those baby times. So much so that you try to rock a 40-lb. almost-four-year old to sleep, only to have to wake him up when you're done since he's so heavy you can't get up out of his rocker to carry him to his bed.

- Benjamin is one good kid. We've been bringing a friend of his home after school every day while her mom finishes up a class. Yesterday, I watched her try to get Benjamin to break a rule I had just stated. She whispered to him to do this thing anyway. He turned right around and told me. While I'm not a fan of tattle tales, I am a fan of a kid not bending to peer pressure.

- I can't make a Wii Mii that resembles me at all. It just can't be done. I hate the Mii channel. It just frustrates me.

- I really, really miss my camera. It is in the shop for the second time in the last six months. But, I am still keeping up with the 365. Keeping my word to my husband to make it happen. Blurry, out-of-focus photos and all.

The Holidays, Pt. 2

We had such a great time ringing in the new year in Pecos with David's whole family. It was great that we were all able to be there at the same time. The cousins all had a B-L-A-S-T! Benjamin said it best Thursday night when he said, "I just love it when the whole family is together!"

The whole bunch:
(L-R) David & I with Benjamin & Jonathan; David's brother Daniel & his wife Syndi who is holding their youngest, Everet, along with Eli, Elena &, Ema; David's parents, Fred & Nyla; our sister-in-law, Arly, holding Nathan with David's youngest brother, Sam.


LOTS of fun Wii time!


And being mesmerized by Uncle Sam's game skills.


Lots of cooking...here's Everet helping his mama make deviled eggs. Syndi's deviled eggs are just like Great Grandma Dominguez's...she adds deviled ham to them!


Great Grandpa Forrister slicing up the ham for our big dinner.


Mmmm....these are probably one of my ABSOLUTE favorite holiday treats. And my mother-in-law makes them BEST. Fudge Marshmallows. She always makes a big tray of them and leaves them in the fridge so we can graze on them 'til our heart's delight. So good.


Jonathan & Eli


I just thought this was hilarious. This photo was an accident. David was messing with our camera to figure out how to put it in timer mode. Benjamin walked by "locked & loaded" as the camera took the photo. We didn't even realize it until we got home. Not sure who he was tracking down, but he was on a mission.


Sweet sisters: Elena & Ema


Lots of present unwrapping. Go, Nathan, go!


It's been the year of Iron Man for Jonathan...he loves him!
Thank you Uncle Dan & Aunt Syndi!


Benjamin received this awesome safari vest & Ema had hers, too. They were spying a bird nest!


Eli hard at work.


Aunt Syndi brought crafts!! We had a blast making snowpeople out of socks!


Ema's snowman in the works.


Benjamin's, Jonathan's, Ema's & Elena's
Aren't these so cute? They were so fun to put together.


Sleepy guy.


Benjamin got a bit of shiner/rug burn when he took a little tumble down the stairs at Great Grandma & Great Grandpa's house. He didn't let it slow him down too much!


Grandpa & Everet


Saturday morning, before we headed home, Great Grandpa fixed us all a big breakfast. Here he is at the waffle station! YUM!

Good times!

Back in the 365 saddle...

The last couple of months, David has been looking through the 365 from a couple of years ago. He is convinced that we should do it again this year. While I'm not so sure I can totally keep up with it, we'll give it a go. And as a disclaimer, I'll add that I may just post weekly, even though I will *try* to actually take the photos daily.

I have a bunch of photos from this weekend to post, but so far, I've just loaded a favorite from this morning onto the new 365.

Feel free to follow our year in photos.... El Rancho Dominguez 2011 Project 365