Soccer Shots

Olivia had her end of season soccer "show off" class again where all the parents come watch.  My expectations were not very high because she had previously told me that she liked everything in soccer except where you have to run and kick the ball in the goal.  Soooo.....I was unclear as to what that left for her to like, but I still attended nonetheless.

The first thing the kids did was show off different drills they do to practice various skills (dribbling, shooting, etc).  (Like the previous soccer show and Christmas show, Olivia basically refused to make eye contact with me.  Cate and Emma couldn't stop waving and/or smiling at me.  Not my own daughter though...)

 

They each got a chance to do a trick (she did "pull back") and then kick a goal

 Then it was time for the game.  I am guessing this is the part she doesn't like.  The coaches randomly choose the "jersey" the kids get - either red or green.  As I'm sure you can imagine, Olivia is horrified and offended there is no option for purple.  She also doesn't like it when she is not with Cate and Emma.  Lucky for her today, she was with Cate.  They played 3 against 3.  Olivia, Cate and Tierney were "Team Barbie" (Yes, I just died a little on the inside.  I asked her if she knew who Barbie was.  She said "a pretty girl" and that one of her friends brought a Barbie coloring book to class.)

Luckily, Team Barbie had limited competition in Team Unicorn-Tiger (two other little girls and one boy).  It was cute to see them all trying so hard and running after the ball.  And the best part for me was that O scored 2 goals to win it for her team.  She was SO proud of herself.  I'm not sure this really signifies any great athletic talent, but we were all cheering as if it was the World Cup.

It was a fun morning and I'm glad she left soccer on a high note!

One other story for the memory book - we were driving to school earlier this week and Olivia asked me "Is it hard to be a mother?"  I was so taken aback by this question that I wasn't sure how to answer.  I stammered for a moment and then replied that in some ways it was very easy to be her mother because I loved her so much and I loved taking care of her.  But then I said that it was hard too because I always worry whether she is safe, healthy and happy and if I am taking good care of her.  She paused for a moment, thinking about what I said.  Then she responded "Well....you're a good driver."  So.....not quite sure how to take that one??  I guess I will take it as a compliment on my driving and try to work on the rest?  Crazy little one.

This & That

I've been a terrible blogger lately.  No great excuses - just life stuff.  But, here is a peek at what we've been up to lately:

Tennis

We went back to Southwestern for an alumni weekend where an award was endowed in honor of our good pal Sam.  It was such a gorgeous day and we loved showing Olivia around the campus and letting her see the tennis courts.

checking out the new hammocks on campus

playing catch with daddy

hanging with the Merrill twins

And, Olivia started taking tennis lessons here in Houston.  So far I think she really likes them.  The coach is great and I think she likes the idea of any sport where you can wear a skirt!

But that 30 minutes WEARS. HER. OUT.

BFF Time.  We have been hanging out with Miss Cate a lot recently since her mamma is on bed rest.  We have been trying to do weekly dinners and these 2 crack each other (and me!) up!

Mommy/Daughter time.  Matt has done quite a bit of traveling lately and while O and I usually fare great with him gone, one trip recently got a little hairy.  We got into a bad bedtime routine....which led to tired and grouchy mornings...and I got this face A. LOT.

But, as if on cue, the day before Matt got home she helped me turn things around.  It was particularly bad morning (see above picture!) and I finally got her dressed, in the car, and to school.  As I was telling her good-bye, she told me she needed to whisper something to me.  So I picked her up and she said "I'm sorry.  I love you the most."  I started to reply with my own apology but she quickly put her hand over my mouth and said "No.  I don't want to talk about it."  So, that was it.  A simple apology and all was forgotten and my heart burst with love for her all over again! ;)  We spent that entire next morning (no school/work!) curled up together in our Toms slippers.

Weather.  We have also been enjoying all the various Spring weather Houston has had.  

Some rainy days

And luckily some sunny ones

Out and About.  We have been cheering on the Astros and sitting outside for lunches and dinners whenever we get the chance, before that hot sun takes over Houston! 

Weekend fun.  And, I snuck off for a quick trip to Dallas to hang out with Casey, Sara and Ryan 

While Matt and Olivia had a fun weekend together in Houston playing princess, going to ballet and going to an Astros game.

That is what's been keeping us busy over here!  Our neighborhood pool opened last weekend and we've already been twice, so we are ready for summer fun at Casa Dean!

Mothers Day

We had a great Mother's Day weekend this year!  Olivia loves a holiday - whether its for her or not.  (Because, lets get serious - what holiday isn't about her?!)  So she had been anxiously awaiting Sunday.  In fact, she climbed into bed with us on Friday  night in the middle of the night and before snuggling up, she yelled "Mommy!!  Tomorrow is Mooothhheerrrr's Dayyyyy!"

On Friday morning, her school was having their annual Muffins with Mommy.  But, since she doesn't go to school on Friday (and I had no interest in getting dressed and driving to school just to eat a muffin), we had our own Muffins with Mommy.  At Starbucks.  With no make up.  Perfect.

And then on Sunday, I was awakened by a HUGE smile and a cheery "Happy Mother's Day!"  She presented me with a present that she wrapped and picked out.  Lavendar Toms!  It is such an "Olivia" present and I was pretty smitten with the idea that she picked them out for me.  While I probably wouldn't have purchased them for myself, I absolutely adore them and if you see me out this summer, it will probably be in my new kicks!

We then got dressed up (she picked everyone's outfits) and headed to North for brunch.  It was delicious and, more than that, it was fun.  Olivia is to an age now where she can sit in a restaurant, have a nice conversation, try new foods, and is generally pleasant to have a meal with.  Both Matt and I were struck by how "big" she seems lately.  I love this age!

And, we of course were thrilled to celebrate our own wonderful mothers. We FaceTime'd with both grandmas, had a special dinner with Matt's mom last weekend and we will get to celebrate my mom in a few weeks!

Easter Weekend

We started our Easter celebrations with Olivia's annual Easter Hat Parade at school.  The day was cold and rainy, but that didn't stop the little participants from enjoying their parade!

Like last year, we made plans again to head to Dallas this year for The Blast, a walk/run benefiting neuroblastoma research for Cook's Children's Hospital.  The weekend also coincided with a birthday celebration for our good friend Palmer, so after a long week, we were looking forward to a weekend out of town with good friends.

Unfortunately, I did not get many pictures from the weekend but we stayed BUSY.

We spent Friday morning at the zoo, hung out a little with Blythe and Erica, and then headed over to celebrate sweet Palmer's FIFTH birthday.

This girl has not fallen asleep on me in years - but I guess a long drive to Dallas, followed by a morning of running at the zoo will wear a girl out!  I didn't have any complaints either - I could have snuggled this sleepy little love bug ALL. DAY.

Unfortunately, our plans to come home on Saturday afternoon were ruined by the fact that I caught a nasty stomach bug in Dallas.  Instead of driving home and doing Easter with the family, we were stuck up in Dallas at a hotel pumping me full of medicine!  But, after a good night of sleep and another round of meds, we made the trip back to Houston.  And after some lunch and a nap, Olivia was thrilled to see that E. Bunny did come to visit.

He even left her a scavenger hunt to find her basket.  The clues took her all around the house...

The mail slot

The fridge

Her stinky shoes

Until she finally found her basket hidden in the bath tub!

She quickly dumped it all out to examine her loot!

And then, it was out to the garden to hunt for eggs!

One of the goodies Mr. Bunny brought her was princess playing cards for her daddy-daughter poker games.  She was thrilled!

While, our Easter didn't go as we planned (which is a lesson we are learning more and more these days!), I think our little bubble-blowing bunny had a good day!