This boy can play ball!

Thomas started soccer last week. He is playing on the Micro Blue team, which is composed of kids in kindergarten and first grade, plus Thomas. He loves practice, and he had a blast at his first game on Saturday, scoring six goals! True, there is no goalkeeper and no one keeps score, but we proud parents thought that was a pretty smashing debut for Thomas!

Waiting for the game to start

And off they go!

We were impressed with his ball handling skills.


The blue team dominates!

Both the blue team and the green team seemed to have an awesome time... looks like soccer will be lots of fun.

Homecoming 2011

We had a busy weekend. First up, homecoming at AGHS. The festivities started on Friday at the end of the school day with the parade and pep rally followed by the evening football game.

Thomas briefly joins sister Anna and the rest of the spirit squad during the parade.

It's not a parade without a marching band.

Class float

Downtown pep rally

Anna and friend Jessica

You have to crown a king and queen...
congratulations Shayla and Braxton!

Cheering on the team!

Thomas waiting to release his balloon at the game...

the twins were off hanging with their friends.

Half-time dance performance

Saturday evening br0ught the big dance. Anna and her friends met at our house for pictures before going out to dinner and then on to the dance.

Anna and BFF Abbey

Anna with date Scott

The girls

And the entire squinty group!

Family beach party!

Although both Tom and I are from Indiana originally, my mom is originally from Nebraska; when we moved to the state thirteen years ago, we had extended family nearby for the first time since getting married in 1986. For the last few years, we have had a cookout/beach party for our Mulcahy family relatives in the Omaha metro area. It's great to visit with my cousins, their kids, their spouses, their kids' spouses, their grandchildren, etc., etc., etc. Lots of people, food, water fun and good times... my cousin Sandy took all of these great pictures.

Me with my brother, Matt.

The littles on the new "jumpoline".

All of the kids think my cousin Tim is great fun!

Disembarking after a tour of the lake.

My cousin Connie and her nephew John take the jet ski for a spin.

Cooper

Enjoying the beach

Child of God and lots of injera

This weekend, we celebrated Thomas' baptism. My brother Matt and his wife, Sandy, came to Nebraska for the occasion.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy with the littles.


Since we are rarely all gathered together for a picture,
it was really nice of Aunt Sandy to take this one!

Bobby loves Uncle Matt. Bobby pretty much loves everybody.

The baptism

Thomas with his godparents... Uncle Matt and big sister Anna.

After the baptism, we went into Omaha for Ethiopian food at the aptly named Ethiopian Restaurant. Thomas enjoyed his injera and wat immensely.

Two months with Thomas!

Today marks two months for us home together as a family of eight. Thomas continues to adjust beautifully... he fits right into the family. He loves playing with the twins; he equally loves agitating them... just like a normal brother. He is eager for Emily to come back from college for the weekend, and he loves hanging out with older brother Kenneth and big sister Anna. I have been enjoying some time alone with him since the older kids went back to school and he is a delight. But most of all, Thomas loves Daddy. It's a beautiful thing.

Thomas, Candace and Sarah playing Zingo together while Bridget watches from a comfy seat.

An ambulance for them; adoption funds for you!

Because Every Mother Matters is raising money for the community of Mareya in Ethiopia. This vehicle will help save hundred of lives and keep families together. Since the bulk of the women involved with the BEMM board have adopted children, this is very dear to our hearts. Now, BEMM would like to encourage currently adopting families to help us out... and by doing so help yourself! Click on the logo above to read about how you can have a chance to get help funding your adoption by giving a $20 or more donation... or you can donate to help out an adopting friend. Time is limited so check out the site now by clicking on the logo!

Failure dreams

I dream very vividly, and I have many recurring dreams. Some of them are kind of funny, like the one I have where I'm on a flying scooter. Or sometimes I dream that I can jump or leap so high that it's almost like flying. I have this horrible recurring nightmare where I am in college and I just realized I never went to a particular class, I never dropped it and I don't even know where the room is located... and it's finals week. I've gone to several different colleges, and features of all the campuses show up in that one. Sometimes I dream that the pet mice we used to have have multiplied and taken over our basement, and I'm trying to cover it up. Plus the traditional "whoops, I'm naked in public" dream occurs in my brain fairly frequently.

Lately I've been having these disturbing dreams that I have decided to call "failure dreams". In these dreams, I end up in some situation where I have some impossible task to fulfill and I just can't do it. For example, in the one I had last night, I was somehow back in competitive gymnastics, only as my 48 year old self. I am informed that I need to learn all of the level 7 skills before such and such a time. In the dream, I'm pretty sure I can do the beam skills (back handspring in a series... huh?!) but there is NO WAY I am going to be able to get the bar routine. This sounds funny, but I am so stressed out when I wake up, it's horrible. Another one I have had involves me planning several party/fund raiser events and losing all the information but assuring everyone that it's FINE, and then there is one where I have to find my way home, on foot, from the farm my grandparents lived on in Indiana when I was under the age of seven.

Whew. Obviously, I have a lot on my mind. Psychoanalysis, anyone?

Friday night lights

One of the things I really love about living in a small town is how much the whole town gets behind the high school sports teams. Friday night football games are packed with people young and old and every home game is a major social event. The first home game of the year is also the game where all the elementary school girls who participated in the summer cheer and dance camp get to strut their stuff with the big girls. We were also excited to share the magic of high school football with Thomas!

Before the game I snapped this blurry sibling photo.

Anna (second from right) and the
"real" cheerleaders doing their thing.

The cheerleaders are joined by the little girls.
Anna is on the far right.

Sarah cheering with cheerleader Mallory and a friend.

Candace and bestie Ava... I promise they were actually having fun.
Also, Candace did have pants on.

Bluejays (in blue) in action.

Marching band at half-time... it's a small school.

Little girls performing with the dance team at half-time.

Pictures I love

This picture is from the mid-nineties when we lived in California. I don't know what we did that day while Grandma Spears was visiting, but it must have been exhausting because Emily and Anna sure look pooped out.