Saturday at the Soccer Field 10/17

Strong Family Picnic

We had a Strong family mini-reunion at Pixley Park. It was great to see so many relatives. I had not seen some of them for years. It was a reminder of how fast time goes. I found myself thinking about when Uncle Don and Aunt Lorene lived on the ranch. I remember my Aunt Lorene, Aunt Venus and Aunt Beverly all seating around the table drinking sweet tea.

Pop Pop Celebrates 69 Years!

Pop Pop is a pretty cool guy. He loves all sports and does his best to make it to the kids games. He is pretty laid back and is always willing to help, unless you ask him to change a diaper. He didn't do it for his own kids and won't do it for anyone else. Although, I remember this one time when Ryan was a baby. Pop Pop looked like a western bandid as he changed his grandson's stinky diaper. A makeshift bandanna (a folded up shirt) covered his nose.

Faith

Faith is a funny girl. She says the cutest and most remarkable things. I always vow that I will record the next story or laughable moment, but somehow I continually forget what should be unforgettable. Today I wanted to share something uniquely Faith. Faith loves fingernails! She loves to clip them. She notices is they are getting too long or in need of attention. One of her greatest pleasures is trimming her daddy's nails, as he is her most willing customer (other than herself). Yesterday, Faith woke from a nap and was very excited about her dream. She had a dream about Elmo's needing his fingernails clipped.

Faith is amazingly independent is so many ways. I think this is due to the fact that she is third child (with two significantly older siblings). She has been able to dress herself head to toe for a couple of years. Granted, she doesn't have the best eye for wardrobe. She dumps the sand out of her shoes and puts them back on. She buckles herself in the car and will even buckle up her cousin. She will climb to get in and out of cabinets or the fridge, which I don't always appreciate, especially if it leads to a messy spill.

It is so funny when I think about Samantha at the same age. I undoubtedly was helping her with all the above tasks. It wasn't that she wasn't capable, but I never thought about letting her try. She was the picture perfect first child. I am thinking back about all those dresses and matching hair bows. Over the years, I have learned the value of creating greater independence in my kids and wait....(gasping).........I think it might be okay if they ditch the hair bows and wear mismatched clothes (occasionally).