Where we last left off....

Our crazy family was in the throws of Matthew's 6th Birthday month celebration. We took in a couple Spring Training games while Uncle Todd and cousin Caleb were here.. Matthew pretty much has been eat, sleeping, and breathing baseball during their visit. Here's the aftermath results of an A's vs. Giants game with Uncle Todd and Caleb.

Batting practice before the Mariners vs Diamondbacks game at the Peoria complex. Spring training is such a great experience for the whole family.

Matthew gets a few signatures on his baseball by some Mariners. The highlight of his day!

Our DBacks season is in full swing and our DBacks are playing some amazing baseball. Matthew is loving this season of baseball and doing a great job. Coach Pitch did take alittle getting use to and plays on a team of 6,7, and 8 year old boys.. but he has 4 amazing coaches and they are so good with the boys and working on their skills. They have really been coming together as a team and figuring out all the "plays" and where they are. So cute to hear them yell out "plays at 2nd, or plays at home", even though we are "suppose to not be" keeping score anyone who knows me knows that would be an impossiblity for me to do. So yes our Dbacks have lost only one game to those dang Yankees. Funny even in coach pitch they are not very nice to play against... lots of trash talking that day.

          

Katie's Storm season has ended and they went out with a bang by beating the only team they lost to 5-0 in their final game. These girls are an amazing team and I can't wait to see them on the big fields finally this fall and putting everything together that they have been working on for the last 4 years. Now we are in a holding pattern until school is out for her summer swim team season to begin. I love watching her swim and yes I am the loudest parent on the side of the pool deck!

Emma has been begging me to play soccer so we will sign her up for the fall season too along with Katie. She already thinks she is a soccer player and loves to put her hair up in a "soccer" ponytail. She has been watching her big brother and sister play for so long she already knows the basic skills so it should be fun to watch her develop. I just hope we get lucky with a great beginning team just like we did with Katie.

Wow I just can't believe that we only have 4 weeks of school left and then we are on summer break. We have been busy with end of the year school projects. Katie had to do a state project and of course she chose Washington. Part of their project was to put a "state float" together that they walked around to the other classrooms and showed off. Then she had to present her state to the class and talk about it. She did a great job doing all the research for it and I would say did at least 60%  of the float. She made all the mountains and painted them as well as cutting out all of the flags and picking out all the items at the hobby store that she wanted to put on it.

Matthew is wrapping up his Kindergarten year in amazing fashion, he loves to read, and is doing great on his spelling words that they just introduced a few weeks ago as well as his math fact that are moving into a 1st grade level. We are so proud of how he has matured academically and socially this year, even with those few yellow and red days but for the most part we have great "stayed on green and finished my seat work" days. Our little Emma is finishing preschool/beginners program and will be heading into Pre-Kindergarten next year. She loves to write her name and is doing incredible knowing all her colors, numbers, shapes and just how her overall verbal skills have developed. Thankfully for all of us her teacher next year had Matthew so she will be prepared for the girl version of him.

A picture is a 1000 words right???

As we move into Summer for the most part we will live in the pool. Heck when it's over 100 degrees everyday its the best place to be. Katie will have swim team practice daily, and then everyone will do swimming lessons daily. This summer Katie is attending a week long swim camp put on by the ASU swim coaches with her big cousin from Bellingham Sophie, we are all so excited to have Sophie visiting us for a week this summer.

So that pretty much brings up to date on the happenings of the 3 Wallen kids. As you can see we are still a crazy busy bunch but having a good time while we are doing it! So with that I don't know what tomorrow will bring but I do know that there is a plan that I will only be given insight to when I wake in the morning... so until tomorrow and the blessings it brings.

Happy 6th Birthday Matthew!!!

Today officially started our month long celebration of Matthew's 6th Birthday. We started our day out doing last minute party preparations putting goodie bags together and getting everything we would need for the party into the car so nothing was forgotten or left behind. Then it was get ready for our days activities... Baseball practice for Matthew,

Storm soccer game for Katie, then home really quick to change our clothes and then off to Bounce U for the big boys party.

YUMMY!!! Matthew getting ready to blow out his candle on his Nascar cake

Down the slide he comes!!

Bouncing with good friends what more could a birthday boy want?!?

Even Miss Emma got in on the action!

Miss Katie hanging out with all the big sisters of Matthew's guest

Here's what a party of 25 kids looks like... hence the reason it wasn't at our house

Present time!!! Birthday Prince sits on his present throne.

PRESENTS!!!!

So the excitement has begun, Tuesday is the "official day" however if you ask Matthew he will tell you he is 6 now since he has had his party. Then Uncle Todd and cousin Caleb come to town on Thursday and next weekend is spring training games. Then Grandma comes a few days later for 2 weeks... so who needs a birth day when you can have a birthday month?!?

One season ends.... two more begin

So today was a bitter sweet day for us as Matthew wrapped up his first season of flag football. Their team did a great job this season, for a team of 4, 5, and 6 year olds who have never played football before let alone together we did some amazing things. So the icing on the cupcake today was making it to the Pee Wee division finals, ending up as the runner ups after a hard fought back and forth game. The boys played incredible and were flag pulling monsters today. So he ends his first football season with 6 Touchdowns, 2 extra point run ins, and 2 safeties, a sportsmanship medal from his coach, a team trophy and a division runner up trophy from the league. I see a loft conversion to our sports room/trophy room in my near future.

So with football ending Matthew doesn't let any time go to waste before he starts up his next sport... yes starting Tuesday we will be starting our baseball practice with opening day on March 27th so stay tuned for the Little League Coach Pitch Diamondback team updates...

Katie is just gearing up her Spring season of Storm Soccer. These girls are an incredible group of girls that have been playing together of over 7 season now and are really good friends too. After losing our opening game 2 weeks ago 0-4, today was the "partly cloud chance of Storm" day. With Katie leading off the game with their first goal we ended the game winning 3-1. So it's a good day as far as sports go in the Wallen house this weekend.

 

So as we start to wrap up another week in the life of the Wallen 5 we can say it has been a good week, as we look toward next week and what is to come.  I don't know what it will bring but I do know that there is a plan that I will only be given insight to when I wake in the morning... so until tomorrow and the blessings it brings.

You Know When Your Day Could Take A Turn For The Worse When....

You were suppose to be up at 6:00am and you wake up at 7:00 only to realize you and the kids are all still asleep and have to leave for school in less than 50 minutes. But we did it even with one outfit change due to a mishap between Emma and Jake 5 minutes before we had to leave. So what could have started out as a complete disaster managed to be like most normal mornings just alittle more hurried.


Tuesdays, are one of my "open" days in that as of right now we have no kids activites scheduled but that is soon to change with Little League baseball practices starting next week. So I just tried to enjoy it keep the kids focused on their homework so that we would have time this evening to spend together. So for a day that started crazy and hectic ended fairly calm and enjoyable.


So on to tomorrow I don't know what it will bring other than Kaite's soccer practice, but I do know that there is a plan that I will only be given insight to when I wake in the morning... so until tomorrow and the blessings it brings.

And The Week Begins!

Well I had an epiphany the other night on how keeping this blog might be a great location to keep everyone updated on the daily activities and current pictures of the busy Wallen family. We will see how long it last but for now it seems like a good idea.

So here we go....

We kicked our week off with pouring rain - something you don't see a lot of or very often in Arizona and puts all of your days activities into a tail spin of pure chaos. It's amazing how it can send your day into a day of do we's or don't we's when it comes to all kids outdoor activities. So Mike spends his afternoon at piano class for Katie wondering do we have soccer practice or don't we up until about 30 minutes before he has to run out the door with the kids to practice he gets the hoped for email from the coach saying... "practice is cancelled." YEAH oh I mean BOO!

Now for everyone who has children in school you will completely understand this next part. As I get the call that soccer is cancelled as I'm rushing home from work secretly celebrating in my car since it's just one less thing I have to run to for the night... I come flying into the house only to get the kids to hurry up on eating their dinner that Dad has taken care of for me (thanks Mike I couldn't survive our crazy schedule without you as my partner) change my clothes from working Stephanie to mom Stephanie and out the door we head as of course Mike is working tonight and the kids are off to school with me for my PTF (Parent Teacher Fellowship) meeting. 1 1/2 hours later it's homeward bound and right to bed to start is all over again the next day...

So I don't know what tomorrow will bring other than as of right now there are no scheduled activities, but I do know that there is a plan that I will only be given insight to it when I wake in the morning... so until tomorrow and the blessings it brings.