Soccer!

We signed Ella up for soccer this fall.  She was so excited to play since she has seen Daddy play so much in the past.  Somehow I ended up being the coach, which was especially challenging since Brad only was able to make it to 2 games this season.  Every Saturday I hauled all 3 girls to the 30-minute practice, followed by a 15-minute break, followed by a the 30 minute game.  It was fun, but it was a lot of work trying to run practice, coach and cheer, as well as keep Hadley happy on the sideline!  Needless to say, I didn't have much of an opportunity to take pictures.  Luckily for us though, Brad was able to make it to the final game of the season, which allowed me a small window to get out my camera!

Ella really enjoyed herself.  Brad and I talked about it and agreed that while we are not certain that she really loves soccer, she definitely LOVED being a part of a team.  She was not agressive on the field at all, which if you know Ella, shouldn't be surprising.  She was polite and didn't want to take the ball away from other people.  She would wait til they gave it up a little bit before trying for it herself.  She was an awesome cheerleader and may have enjoyed cheering for her teammates just as much as she did playing on the field herself.  She was the first to console someone who was upset after missing a goal or falling to the ground.  She definitely deserves the sportsmanship award for our team.  She never scored a goal, but came close a few times.  Towards the end of the season she did grow into quite a good defender after she decided it was okay to take the ball away from someone else if they were close to scoring a goal on us.

It was fun watching her play, and coaching her as well!  She will play again in the Spring and then Maggie is super excited to play in the Fall when she will finally be old enough to play too.

Balloon Glow

 We made it to a Balloon Glow while Grandma and Grandpa Holbrook and Mike and Niki were in town as well.  It was our first as a family--we have been to a number of mass ascensions but never made it to a glow mainly due to Brad's schedule.  We were so glad to make it this year.  The girs seemed to enjoy it even a bit more than the morning activities since it was warm when we got there.  They were able to run around on the grass and have fun playing among the balloons rather than being too cold to get out of the stroller!   Maggie loved hiding underneath the balloons that were on the ground beginnning to inflate and the girls loved running through the "tunnels" created by 2 balloons inflating right next to each other.  I love how you can get so up close and personal with the events of the fiesta and really take part of it all--it seems like there are very few things in the world today that allow you that up close experience--too many rules and worries about liability!  Once the sun set we were treated to the glow and lots of "oohs and aahs" at the sight of the balloons all lighting together.  As soon as the balloons were finished and deflated we enjoyed a WONDERFUL fireworks show that lasted about a half hour with a surprise show on the side as well.  I didn't take any pics of the fireworks though as I was too busy snuggling with my girlies.  It was an awesome night!  A big thanks to the Holbrooks for coming down and experiencing it all with us!



Mass Ascension

Went to the Mass Ascension with Grandma and Grandpa Holbrook and Uncle Mike and Aunt Niki who came down to join us.  It was so fun to attend it with them.  We always have to dress in layers as it is very cold before the sun rises.  The girls bundled up and enjoyed riding in the stroller before the sun started to warm us up. . .Ella was obsessed with taking pictures herself of all of her favorite balloons, and never wanted us to stop taking her picture either!  There are WAY too many pictures here , but when you take 300+ in a 2-hour span, it's hard to even get down to this number.  I tried to limit it to just our favorites and this was the best I could do.  People say that the Balloon Fiesta is the most photographed event in the world--don't know what the source is on that one, but I definitely believe it!