August is off to a busy start! Soccer games started, we went to the beach to visit Pop and Noni before they headed up to New Hampshire. Had a great time just hanging around beach and house. Maks did an outlet run with me, he loves shopping with his mom!

Alek is doing great with soccer. He is really into this year and it is cool to see how much better he has gotten. It is neat to see it all come together. His team is the Strikers, but they also call themselves the bees due to their yellow colors.

They play short sided soccer, so it is 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 and no goalie, which is great for the kids, alot more action and they are really learning to pass to each other and talk on the field.
Our little David Beckham is a goal scorer, he has had 5 in each game. He loves offense and whines about playing defense, which we have talked to him about. He is doing so much better listening to the coach and learning. It is amazing to see the difference a year makes.

I am knee deep in this volunteer coordinator thing, it really is alot more work than I thought. Emails daily, parents not showing up when they volunteered, people wanting to change their dates, it really is a pain in the rear. Not to mention all the bad weather we have had has messed up the fields and trying to rally people to get out an reline has been rough.

We were at the game last night and Kevin looked around and said, so this is what I always hear about....this is soccer mom world. Yes it is and your wife is now coordinator of them all :o)

It is neat to me, to take it all in, so many years of dreaming about this kind of stuff and now it is real. Yes it is draining and can be annoying, but it is fun to be a part of and be the mom cheering on her kid and trying to entertain and corrale the younger one who has no interest in watching the game.

This week also brought the annual school field trip to the Elmwood Park zoo. It is a nice little local zoo, small animals, not overwhelming and with a great playground. I help out each year. Last year was rough, Alek and his buddies were so wound up, it was crazy and humid. So I was worried about this year. But it was cool and the kids were great. One of the teachers and I were talking about how much different a year makes with the boys. They were great. It was alot of fun. I even let Alek ride the big bus with his friends. He was sooo happy and excited. He looked so tiny though, it made me a bit sad. Maks and I rode behind in the car, he was bitter about not being allowed on the bus. I told him next year.

Maks had fun, but short attention span. He can be a whiney old man (I'm hot, I'm cold, I thirsty, I'm hungry, I tired, my feet hurt...)

AFter the zoo one of Alek's buddies came home for a playdate (not sure what I was thinking, since I was exhausted after the zoo), but they all had fun, playing and swimming. I love seeing them interact with their school pals.

We are headed back to the beach this weekend with Andrea and her kiddos. 2 of us, 5 kids (needless to say, the wine and beer are chilling....) Hopefully the weather continues to cooperate and we get good beach time.

We will pretty much be spending the rest of August back and forth to the beach house. Soaking in the remaining bit of summer! We head to Nags Head right before school starts, so a great way to end the summer (although that will be a house with 8 adults and 12 kids, so not sure how relaxing it will be).

But we love our beach time and love the summer. It goes by so quick so we need to savor every moment. Before I know, Alek will be on the big bus headed to kindergarten.