Apr 3 ~ Craig met me and the girls at Coral Ridge Mall to get pictures with the Easter bunnies.  They always have the live bunnies at the mall which is nice.  I decided to dress Natalie and Katelyn up in matching outfits for the first time - they wore these cute little spring dresses that were mainly like a dark pinkish color, but had other colors as well...kind of reminded me of a very colorful swirly Easter egg. They both had on white socks and black dressy shoes.  It was adorable!  Craig has been kind of concerned that I'm going to dress them alike too often - I've assured him that it won't happen that often...but you have to do it once in awhile...it's just too darn cute!  And when Daddy showed up at the mall and saw his precious little ladies in their outfits...you could tell he loved it.  Nat and Kate had a good time taking their picture with the bunny and petting it's soft fur. 

 

Apr 4 ~ Natalie and I colored Easter eggs today.  Tomorrow she'll have fun putting some stickers on them.

 

Apr 5 ~ Mom and Dad Essington came out to spend Easter weekend with us.  Craig had his last two games of this session for the Coralville Rec Center basketball league tonight.  I was able to go watch him play while the kids stayed with their grandparents.  The team consisted of only Craig, Matt K, and Ken tonight so it was tough.  I enjoyed watching though!

     Natalie had a fun day today at preschool. They got to participate in a little Easter egg hunt...so she came home with some plastic eggs filled with stickers, candies, and pennies.  A few days ago she came home from school with a palm branch and was walking around our house, waving it in the air, and calling out "Hosanna, Hosanna!" and saying "He is Risen!".  Today she showed me how one of her plastic eggs was empty, and she was incredibly excited to tell me all about it!  She said "The egg is empty!  It's like the cave, because Jesus is not there. Only the angel is there.  Jesus is alive!"

 

Apr 6 ~ Grandma Essington had the idea of taking the girls to Walmart photo studio for some quick pictures in their Easter dresses.  So Katie and Nattie got all cleaned up with baths and I put on their outfits.  Craig and I are so incredibly blessed to have these two darling little girls!...they looked so beautiful.  They wore matching navy blue "sailor" dresses - the only differences being that Natalie's came with a hat while Katelyn's came with a headband and included little bloomers. They also wore matching white lacy socks and they each had white dress shoes. Oh, and they also had matching white sweaters to go over the dresses since they were sleeveless.  I was able to snap a few individual pictures of them before we took them to Walmart.  After their pictures we strolled over to the layaway area where they were taking free pictures of the kids with the Easter Bunny.  I figured we'd at least get a cute photo of Kate with the bunny - but was not counting on getting one of Natalie. The past few years she has been scared of people in costumes, so we don't push it when it comes to photo ops with characters such as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  But this time she was excited to sit next to the bunny (it most likely helped that he had candy)!  You could tell Nat was still a little wary, but she did it! 

     The girls received some nice Easter gifts from Grandma and Grandpa during the evening.  Natalie's bag contained lots of chocolate candy, a new coloring book, and the DVD of Happy Feet.  A couple days later she was also given the new Elmo TMX (Tickle Me Extreme)- it is quite hilarious...Natalie laughs every time she plays with it.  She had wanted that doll for awhile and was excited to get it.  Katelyn's bag contained a soft stuffed sheep, a Winnie the Pooh bowl and spoon set, and a toy set of keys. 

 

Apr 7 ~ My dad came out to visit for a few hours today!  Nat was excited to see her "Paw-Paw" Bair.  She got to play horsey with him and was very intrigued watching him do cool tricks such as putting a coin in his fist and "squeezing" it to produce multiple coins! :)  She was very upset when he had to leave. Before taking off back to Bloomington, Dad followed me out to Parkview Church to sit in on our choir rehearsal.  Choir was singing that night for services, so we had our usual hour rehearsal beforehand with all involved.  Choir rarely ever combines with the instruments or other vocalists until that hour before the actual service, so it is a pretty pumped up time trying to make it all come together...and it never ceases to amaze me when it does end up coming together.  I love it!  I walked my dad out after rehearsal - he was very impressed by the worship music.  He had never been to our church before, so that was a big thing for me. 

    

Apr 8 ~ Happy Easter!  I was up bright and early to sing at church - we had five services total during the weekend - two on Saturday night and three on Sunday morning, with the early one starting at 7:30 am - yikes!  Our stage set-up consisted of choir, orchestra, vocalists, and other instruments such as drums, guitars, various percussion, mandolin, piano, keyboard, etc.  We started the service with some more reflective/meditative type material - then Pastor Gilmore spoke on "The Anatomy of Grace" - then we ended the service with an explosion of celebratory music.  We sang By His Wounds, How Great is Our God, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises, Hosanna, Grace Like Rain, and Mighty to Save. My favorites are the last three songs listed...I feel like I could sing and listen to those forever!  It was a wonderful weekend of worship and fellowship!  After church, Mom and Dad Essington treated the family to brunch at Beefstro.  Which there just so happened to be another Easter Bunny there that Natalie got to meet. 

     The girls received their Easter baskets from Mommy and Daddy in the afternoon.  They each got a new book, a cross decoration to place in their room, and these funny little Easter-themed eye glasses!  Kate's basket also held a green stuffed bunny that had "Baby's First Easter" written on the tummy.  Nattie's basket also contained some candy, a card game, and a Dora computer game.  There was also a new tee-ball set for the backyard (for when it finally gets warmer outside).  I admit, we went a little overboard spoiling the kids this Easter...it happens sometimes.

     Craig's parents watched the girls for us in the evening so we could go to a movie.  We saw Wild Hogs, which was pretty funny. 

 

Apr 11 ~ It was cold, very windy, and snowed steadily all day long today.  I really hope this is the end of the cold weather for awhile.  The girls and I spent some time together at the Childrens Museum. It wasn't too crowded, so it was a nice time. Natalie behaved and played really well the majority of the time we were there, but had a slight blow-up right before we left. She had decided that she didn't want to help clean up her items at the pretend grocery store area, so I told her we would not be having tacos at the food court if she didn't clean up.  She proceeded to get angry and slam her grocery cart with all her might into the wall in front of her.  I hadn't seen her that angry in a long time.  I then let her know that because of that display of attitude we for certain would be skipping tacos...oh did the waterworks begin!  She cried and cried huge tears and promised over and over that she was "ready to be a good girl" and "tacos, please" "tacos, please" over and over.  I about cried myself! Now maybe I shouldn't have given in, but I gave her a second chance to clean up (and we talked about what she did wrong) and we had our tacos.

 

Apr 13 ~ Been having some problems with Natalie and markers lately.  I am not exaggerating when I say that she has probably had her markers taken away at least a dozen times the last couple months.  Most of the time it is because she has written all over the table in her room (and you can clearly tell when it is on purpose vs. an accident).  More recently she's been caught drawing all over her body, clothes, and today it was on the two pink rugs in her room.  I want to thank the person who invented washable markers...but the point I'm trying to make when I put her markers away for a few days is that we do not draw on anything that is not paper without permission.  I know that she knows this rule and understands it, so it is frustrating that this keeps happening so frequently.  So today after the rug incident I decided to step it up a notch...not only are all art materials gone for two days, but she is not allowed to play with her new tee-ball set today...something she has been really, really looking forward to. Again I say - parenting is hard!

 

Apr 14 ~ Tonight was Family Game Night at the Brezinski house.  We had lots of fun and everyone made some great food.  Steffany showed us the flyer and info on the house they are moving into this summer...they will still live around here - Iowa City.  Paul and Heather will be moving this summer as well, but they are moving to San Antonio, Texas (Paul is in the military).  It was nice seeing all the little babies tonight and how fast they are growing.  Natalie had a super time with her friends, minus one small episode where Gabriel pulled her hair. Natalie yelled "NO!" really loud...which is what I've told her to do.  Sometimes at preschool some of the little boys pick on her a bit and I tell her to say no to them and to then tell a teacher.

 

Apr 16 ~ The kids and I met up with Steffany, Heather and their children today at North Ridge Park in Coralville.  Even at 4:00 pm the weather was beautiful.  Natalie ran around with Gabers (Gabriel B), Big Gabe (Gabe K), and other kids there.  They spent most of their time on the merry-go-round.  I think Katelyn enjoyed being outside just as much as the big kids!

 

Apr 17 ~ The girls and I had lunch at McDonalds today.  Natalie has been so upset when I pick her up from preschool lately.  She loves school - she honestly doesn't even notice me leave when I drop her off most days!  But when I pick her up she cries and cries about how she wants to go to lunch at McDonalds with her favorite friend Jake.  Well, of course we can't do that every day so it is a struggle. So today I just decided I'd go ahead and take her to lunch with or without Jake or other friends.  I think part of the problem is also that she is just so tired and overwhelmed by the time I pick her up from preschool...sometimes Natalie has a difficult time switching gears and calming down in certain situations.  She is definitely a child who thrives with structure - she likes to know how and when things are going to happen.  Otherwise she gets very anxious.  I find that usually what helps her the most after preschool is to just have a good, quiet lunch and a nap.

     Craig spent time in the evening with the kids while I went to dinner with some ladies from Hearts In Touch. My small group never really came together well this year, so we ended up combining with another small sized group.  Barbara Willhoit is the leader of that group along with her mentor mom, Lisa Nierman.  Barb put together a dinner outing at Olive Garden. I got to know a few other women better, so that was excellent.  Sally Wolinsky was there (my mentor mom) - also Beth Cullen, Ayla Kolosik, and Jennifer (brand new to HIT and I didn't catch her last name). 

 

Apr 18 ~ Craig's basketball league ended last week - at least until this Fall.  Tonight was the start of his Wednesday night golf games through the league at Pearson. 

 

Apr 19 ~ Ashley Williamson and I met up at House of Aromas for coffee while our three year olds were at preschool this morning.  It was energizing to be able to just sit and talk for a bit. The babies were a little on the restless side at first, but soon they both calmed down enough to fall asleep. 

    

Apr 20 ~ Katelyn had her 4 month appointment this afternoon.  She is moving right along with a weight of 17 pounds, height at 26-1/4 inches, and head at 16-3/4 inches.  That puts her at 95-97% for both weight and height and at 85% for her head.  She had a repeat of the same four shots she had last appointment.  She cried and held her breath and then cried some more. Dr. Miller was happy with her growth and also with how vocal she is and her neck control.  Kate seems to be pretty much on target with all the usual milestones for her age.  The doctor said we can go ahead and start her on cereal if we choose and she also increased the dosage on her acid reflux medication since she weighs more now.  Looks like it is time to switch to larger size three diapers...no more Pampers "Swaddler" diapers - they only make those up to size two...I love those diapers, they are so soft and stretchy (I can't believe I am typing about my love for a diaper!).  Also looks like it is about time to move Kate out of the infant "carrier" type carseat and into a rear-facing big girl carseat to accommodate her long legs. Time is going by too quickly for me.  I must also mention that I am starting to have those feelings of wanting to have another baby.  That urge has come upon me faster this time than it did after Natalie - after Natalie it was around the time when she was six months of age.  But this time the urge is even stronger.  Even though our everyday life is crazy right now, we want more children.  God knows every deepest desire of our heart...

     Craig took the afternoon off work to play some golf with Matt Kroeger and Matt's father-in-law.  He was concerned about missing Kate's appointment.  But I was totally okay with it - besides, Craig always goes so above and beyond when it comes to his kids' doctor appointments. He's been to every single scheduled doctor appointment since Natalie was born...that also includes my pregnancy appointments.  He is always there to do the dirty work such as undressing and re-dressing the kids and holding their little arms down while they get their dreaded shots.  I always seem to get the nicer parts such as soothing them after those shots. So I told him I could handle it today.

     In the evening, Natalie finally got to play with her new tee-ball set!  And a very girly set it is...it's pink and purple!  Nat had a blast smackin' the ball around with the bat.  Katelyn sat in her exersaucer and watched from the sidelines, while Mommy and Daddy tried their best to stay clear of the ball!

     Nat has been doing an excellent job with potty training lately!  She wears panties all day every day except during sleeping times. But even the past few days she has been waking up from nap with a dry pull-up!  Soon here I will get up the courage to let her wear underwear during naptime. She is still refusing to poop on the potty, but hopefully that will come with time. She will wait until that pull-up or diaper is on to go. While on the subject of poop (great topic, huh?) - Katelyn has pooped out the backside of her diaper and up the back three times over the past two days!  Part of it may be because she is ready for the next larger size in diapers, and I have neglected to exchange the packages of small diapers yet. Will get on that task this weekend for sure! 

 

 

**Family Updates! **  So I have finally caught up on the journal entries since I decided to resume online journaling again!  Everything I typed from October 2006 until now was from a very poorly-kept attempt at a handwritten journal and some scribbled notes.  So now I can vow to keep up on the online journal!  But, I still have some very random notes I want to remember...so I am just going to list them here below:

 

~ Natalie and preschool: Starting preschool has been such a benefit and a burden.  I'll list the burdens first since it is a shorter list - she is tired a lot when she comes home which makes her whine more, she is bossier now, and she has picked up bad habits from other kids such as "potty" language and bad manners.  The benefits have been wonderful though - she gets to play with peers, she is learning more about God, and she is just learning more in general. She comes home and reads to her dolls and stuffed animals as if she is the teacher - sitting them in a circle and turning the book around to show the pictures.  She sings songs such as Zacchaeus, This Little Light of Mine, Five Little Ducks, and Five Green and Speckled Frogs. She has learned her left foot from her right foot.  She can recognize the letters A, K, N (and knows it is for Natalie), O (it is for octopus), X, and Z (it is for zebra).  She can recite all the months of the year in order (though a few are hard to understand).  She can also recite some of the days of the week (still working on that).  She has brought home some really cute artwork - her coloring skills have improved a lot lately. She has learned what being at the front or back of a line is...which is not necessarily great when she says in a demanding tone "I will be in the front and you will be in the back.  I am the line leader!"...so I've had many discussions with her explaining what bossy means and why we don't act that way.  She has learned how to sit "criss-cross-applesauce" which I guess is the politically correct term now for "Indian-style". 

 

~ Natalie in general: 

- says bigger words such as "excited", "disappointed", "disgusting" and "important"

- asks me difficult questions such as "Mom, where is God?" and "What is a cemetary?".  Try answering those two questions without sounding confused!  As for the God question I kind of stuck with the thought that He is everywhere, etc.  As for the cemetary question I kind of touched on the fact that it's where a person's body goes after they die, etc.  Of course I gave a little more detail than that on these two topics...she seems satisfied for now, but I'm still thinking on and off about questions like these and I'll just be waiting for them to be brought up again in the future :)  Oh, also try explaining to a three year old the difference between "an accident" vs. "on purpose"!

- likes to sing at least one song before naptime and read two books before bedtime. 

- is able to sit still and listen to longer stories now with less pictures.

- loves listening and singing along to praise and worship music in the car.  Also loves to belt out the same type of music into her pretend microphone up in her bedroom.

- has told me on more than one occasion that God will put another baby in my belly and that it will be a boy baby.

- still sleeps with and carries "Ellie" the stuffed elephant around quite a bit...since she was about 4 months old.  And still sleeps with "Pooh Blankie".

- can name her five fingers: thumb, pointer, middle, ring and pinky

- still loves to see the moon and airplanes in the sky

- loves dressing up, dancing, and pretending she is a princess

- for some reason loves Spiderman and Superman...she's never seen those movies

- is now afraid of real spiders and other bugs if they are near her...but likes reading about them and watching them on TV

- loves visiting Daddy at work...watching videos on his computer, drawing on the dry erase board, visiting Mark Flanders (Dad's friend and co-worker), and getting candy from various employees there!

- totally loves her Uncle Michael and loves talking about how he lives in Chicago and takes a train.

- is wearing her hair up more often in ponytails and such and says she does not want to ever get her hair cut...she has still never been anywhere to get her haircut.

- asked me not too long ago what "college" was.  Says she wants to go to college someday.

- knows how to make her bed and set out her pajamas for that night (Grandma taught her this).

- is pretty good at dressing herself now

- likes to trace her hands

- can now spell her last name...she says her name is "Natalie Ann Essington, E-S-S-I-N-G-T-O-N".

- loves to make Katelyn laugh!

- knows her birthday is in the month of October

- knows her pediatrician's name is Dr. Miller and her dentist is Dr. Rubel

- knows the first names of her Mommy, Daddy, and Grandparents

 

- I think she understands words such as "milk", "MaMa", "DaDa", "Natalie", "dog", and "fresh diaper"

- has been getting acquainted with "Raffie" her stuffed giraffe

- loves playing in the exersaucer and now reaches and grabs for the toys attached to it

- she is very oral...loves to chew on her hands and toys

- she is very vocal...always growling and cooing and making noises

- still loves to be cradled against the left side of my chest...she strokes my shirt.

- loves sleeping in bed with Mommy (too much)...she now strokes at my face to make sure I'm still next to her.

- loves to be sung to...especially Return to Pooh Corner which I used to (and still do) sing to Natalie as a little girl and also Someone's in the Kitchen with Dina (except we say "Katelyn" instead of "Dina")

- she is very flirty...smiles a lot and very expressive with her eyes.

- enjoys watching ceiling fans

- likes to grasp your hand while drinking from bottle

- her nicknames have been "Pumpkin Pie", "Kates", "Katie McKates", "Katers", and "Katie Bug"

- not rolling over yet, but has pushed over onto her side a few times

- loves to kick with her feet a lot

- loves her crib mobile and gives it big smiles

- starting to reach out and touch the dogs

- loves to sleep in the car and stroller

- loves when Dad plays "Super Katelyn!"...he picks her up high over his head like she is flying.

 

- I am still in shock that we have these two wonderful children!  I am in such awe with the thought that God has given them to us to take care of, raise, and love. Just amazed at how at one point a doctor had told us we'd never be able to conceive without major medical help...and here we are with our two babies.  How could we not believe in God after all of this??  I mean, I don't necessarily need physical proof like this to believe in Him, but how could I not after something as big as the birth of two healthy girls?

- There are many great things about having Katie with us.  One thing lately has been that I can look down at her sleeping face and it seems to take me back to when Natalie was her age. And in that way it is like re-living Natalie's younger years all over again.  And now I can also just watch Katie grow and see the differences between her and Natalie as well.  It is hard to explain :)

- I think it is really great that Nat and Kate will get to grow up together. I can already see the bond forming between them. The way they look at each other, and interact, and laugh back and forth...

 

 

Apr 21 ~ The kids and I spent part of the afternoon running errands.  Got Nattie a soccer ball to kick around since she'll be taking her first soccer lesson soon!  I let her pick the colors of the ball...of course she picked pink and purple.  Craig spent the afternoon over at a euchre tournament.  Katelyn tried rice cereal for the first time today...I think she really enjoyed it, but she became impatient quickly and wanted her bottle.

 

Apr 22 ~ This morning I helped out over at "The Spot" in Iowa City.  The Spot is a ministry run by Parkview Church as an outreach to the at-risk urban youth in our community.  The Spot is located over at Crosspark Avenue (the Broadway Area) in Iowa City. I received the "grand tour" from DeDe when I arrived...there is a large meeting/game area, a gym, some smaller rooms for studying/reading, a chapel, an office, and a kitchen.  Also grassy area and concrete area outside to play. It is a safe place for youth to hang out. Volunteers provide homework help, organized games, open gym, fieldtrips, one on one mentoring, chapel, devotional groups, Sunday school, and meals.  Our choir was there to provide and serve a meal for the kids after chapel. I'm guessing we fed about forty kids...the guys grilled hamburgers outside while the ladies set up chips, fruit, drinks, salad, and cookies inside.  After we served the kids we did clean up and hung out for awhile. I really enjoyed helping out over there...would love to do it more often - a little difficult to do right now taking care of our kids at home.  But would also love to take Natalie over there with me when she's a bit older.  Our choir also talked about maybe singing out there some time during chapel - it would be great to see that be a reality and come to life!

 

Apr 23 ~ Kind of a lazy day the first part of today. It was cloudy and rainy out so I took the kids to the mall for lunch and play time.  While shopping at Hallmark I found this cute plaque for our laundry room.  It says - "What if success is just getting the wash into the dryer before mildew sets in?"  That is what life feels like some days :) 

 

Apr 24 ~ Natalie pooped in the potty today!! It's a big deal, because she has refused to do it since like last fall or something.  She was so happy about it, too.  I was finally able to give her the little "prize" that has been in the linen closet all this time...a cool battery powered toothbrush...she was excited! 

            Nat also started a conversation with me on the way to preschool this morning.  She saw an older man walking along the sidewalk as we were driving to school.  The man was having some trouble walking and was moving at a very slow pace.  Natalie says something along the lines of "Mom, that man is going to be with Jesus."  I said "Really? What do you mean by that?"  Nat says "He is going to be with Jesus and then his body won't hurt anymore!"  I said "Oh I see...you mean he is going to go to heaven and be with Jesus?"  She said yes and then I went a little further and asked Natalie "Would you like to go to heaven someday and be with Jesus?"  She said "Yes!" with so much excitement in her voice :)  So I then took it a little bit further and asked her "Natalie, do you want Mommy to tell you about how you can go to heaven and be with Jesus someday?"  At that point her sweet little three year old mind was ready to switch gears and start another conversation.  Of course that was completely fine...but I was just floored and so thrilled about that conversation! I pray that we have the chance to build on that discussion as she grows older and becomes more mature!

 

 

Apr 26 ~ Nat, Kate, and I spent some time over at Steffany's house after preschool today. Natalie played with Gabe, Kate babbled with baby Jillian a little bit, and I got to talk with Steffany for awhile. 

     Had another conversation with Natalie today...she talks a lot...I think she gets it from me :)  I was changing Katelyn's diaper and Nat tells me she wants us to have two babies.  She's told me numerous times how she wants another sibling...specifically a boy.  So once again I reminded her that we'll just have to wait and see what God allows.  Then Nat says in the most serious and frustrated tone of voice "Well, can we just call Him (God) on the phone and ask???"  I had to turn my back so I wouldn't laugh in front of her...it was just so innocent and cute!

 

Apr 27 ~ I thought I heard Natalie talking during naptime today and was curious. I tiptoed up the stairs and cracked her bedroom door open just enough to take a peek inside.  She was kneeling next to her bed...I think she was praying.

     In the evening our family went over to Sycamore Mall.  We had dinner at The Pizza Ranch and then played over at Par-Tee Zone.  There was a group of older girls celebrating a birthday, so Nat had fun running around with a few of them. Daddy even played on the structure for awhile!  We stood Katie up on one of the playmats with her bare feet...she was all smiles!  Newest news concerning the girls: Natalie now points out the letter "N" wherever we go - she says "That's my name!  'N' is for 'Natalie' and 'nest'!"  She also knows what the number three looks like. Natalie learned at school to ask "May I be excused?" before getting up from the table...so now she is doing that at home as well.  As for Kate - she is starting to enjoy playing peek-a-boo.  She is also making a lot of new sounds...nothing too distinguishable yet - but definitely new sounds.  She also likes to blow raspberries and bubbles with her mouth.

 

Apr 28 ~ Natalie tried out her new soccer ball in the backyard today.  It ended up not being as fun as I think she expected...it didn't last too long.  She was more interested in throwing sticks for the dogs to catch. 

 

Apr 29 ~ I met briefly with Terry Ausman right before last church service this morning.  Terry is basically the head of the deaconesses at Parkview.  She wanted to meet me and just ask a few questions before officially inviting me to become a deaconess.  She explained the deaconess role in more detail, asked me what all I was currently involved in, and what I may be interested in pursuing next.  I told her I'd honestly be willing to help in any area - but that if there was an opportunity open to make or deliver meals to new moms that I'd be interested.  There is supposed to be a meeting in July where I'll find out more about what I'll be doing. 

 

Apr 30 ~ Had to bring Brigit into the vet today. Craig noticed some very bad swelling in her right ear - couldn't even see into her ear it was so bad. The vet said it was very bad indeed and he did a test which came up as a staph infection.  So she'll be on ear drops and antibiotics twice a day for ten days.  The vet isn't sure it will completely clear up with one round of drugs, so we'll see where it's at during the next checkup. 

      Natalie had her first soccer practice/game tonight!  She is playing in a Coralville Parks and Rec program for three and four year olds.  They practice and play once a week for six weeks.  She is on team "Galaxy" and their color is purple (Nat's favorite color!).  Her coach is Dawn Harris - assisted by her husband George. The team is roughly half boys and half girls. Their goals for the kids right now are just to learn fundamentals such as dribbling, shooting, passing, and not touching the ball.  It was cute watching these little kids play for the first time.  As Craig had mentioned - they just kind of run around following each other in little herds until their feet happen to come upon the ball.  It's a sight to see...but I think it is great!  Natalie had some drama when it came to a few things tonight - she got knocked down a few times and thought that the kids were being mean and pushing her. But after kneeling down to her level, calming her down, and explaining that they are all just trying to get the ball she seemed to be okay with everything.  She appears to really like another little girl there named Una Weber.  We also ran into the Caylors at the soccer field.  Madeline is wearing a yellow shirt and playing with team "Stars".  It looks like they won't play against each other until the very last game.  After soccer we stopped for ice cream.  Natalie says she really loves soccer!