besties

best little friends ever.  dax is always talking about joshua and apparently joshua is always talking about dax.  so, when i saw them both dressed in their gingham button down shirts i told them i must have a photograph to document this immense friendship.

today was the Easter musical performance at preschool.  we didn't have our expectations set too high since in previous attempts at singing on a stage dax has either frozen completely up, or been more interested in the plants behind him, the carpeting, or laying down on the stage.  however, our hearts leapt out of our chest today when not only did dax stand still with his classmates, but he actually sang words and did the hand motions too!  we were so proud of our sweet boy pulling this off.  he sung his little heart out and our favorite moment was when he sang "roll that stone away" and he acted as if his stone was heavy to get up the hill, but easily rolled down at about 50 mph.  he gave struggling rolling hand motions followed by rolling hand motions that were almost completely out of control.  too hilarious.

we love to see his personality blossoming and watching him develop friendships.  he's pretty popular at school and we're glad that he's proving to be a good and compassionate friend.  we're so glad he's not shy like mommy and daddy. every night he still prays for his friends, his teachers, and his family.  such a sweet soul.

happy easter!

soccer mom

it happened.  today was the day.  today was the day that dax got to "play" soccer for the first time.  (i use the word "play" loosely because it was more like a tutorial on how to actually get acquainted with the world of soccer.)  however, we knew from the instant that this boy is a natural.  he's been geared up about it since we signed him up, bought his shin guards, socks, and a new ball.  he knows daddy used to play soccer when he was little and he wants to be just like daddy.  he even played along with the obligatory front porch photos to mark this momentous occasion.
 

now we like to take pictures with a cheese face.  this means you close your eyes.

more cheese.

shiny new soccer ball.

this picture is brought to you by olan mills.

now he's being a ham.

he was stoked when we reminded him last night that today would be soccer day.  we all got up early and the house buzzed with excitement about the main event!  we got him all dressed up in his uniform and loaded up the car to head to the soccer field.   
 

seriously listening.

not a fluke, still listening.

you got it.  still listening.

following directions and doing his stretches.

dax was excited to see where he'd be playing and joined all of his other "friends" on the field.  i settled in a spot on the grass while will helped dax get acquainted with the game.  however, it was not too long before will got to come and join me because dax was ready for this!  dax immediately took to listening to each of the coaches and was more focused and intense than i'd ever seen him.  he listened, stood still, did as he was told, and was good at what he did.  it was the first time we'd ever taken him to a practice of some sort where he continuously got thumbs up from m&d.  
 

he'd learned this stretch before at gymnastics, but never actually done it properly.

getting excited to use the soccer balls!

dax getting some kudos.

who is following instructions?  my child!

dax will show you how to do it.  you put your foot on the ball - just like this.

amazing control getting the ball through the cones without over shooting it!

looks like a natural!

super confident on the field!

amazing foot work!

go for the goal!

we were so proud to see him enjoying the game and doing as he was told.  it was an overwhelming feeling to see him doing so well and being in love with playing, meeting new friends, and learning a new skill.  we were very impressed with his mad skills and cannot wait for next saturday to see him do it again!  

signed,
officially a soccer mom.