Soccer

Libby and Mary completed a successful soccer season on Saturday.  The season ran for three months of indoor soccer and over that time, both girls learned the game, improved and had lots of fun.  For Mary, it was her first time playing.  So it took her awhile to get used to how the game works.  But once she figured it all out, she enjoyed running around and kicking the ball.  Her favorite part, however, was the fact that she had her own special water bottle that she brought each week to use for water breaks.  She might be the kid whose favorite class in school is recess...

For Libby, this was her fourth go-round with soccer, but her first in over a year.  She did a great job.  She was a great teammate, always making sure to pass the ball and cheer for the other players when they scored.  Judging by what we've seen of her game, if her soccer career were to continue, she has a future on the defensive side of the ball.  Libby seems to have more fun trying to stop the other players from scoring than scoring herself.  She has even taken it upon herself to play goalie.

 

 

The best part of the whole season was on Saturday, as for the first time, Mary went to see Libby play.  Without being prompted, Mary vocally cheered on and encouraged her sister.  It was great to see her yelling and screaming FOR Libby instead of AT Libby.  Who knows, this sister thing might work out, after all!  And to put a bow on the season, Mom, Dad, Libby and Mary went to Bearden's for burgers and milkshakes!

Happy Rainy Halloween!

The Ladies all dressed up!

Halloween 2013 was a rainy one.  But the Yandek Ladies made the most of the event.  It started a few weeks ago with Boo at the Zoo and continued with a Halloween Party at school and trick-or-treating at Aunt Reen's store.

This is the best we could do...

On the big day, the girls dodged rain drops to score some major piles of candy.  Grammie and Papa Yandek came over for the traditional homemade apple pancakes with apple syrup dinner.  Of course they brought cookies and candy, too.

Libby and Mary with Will and Henry (and no, that's not Libby's beer)

After a soggy jaunt up and down the street the girls played with their friends, Will, Henry and Ellie, before visiting with Aunt Holly and Uncle Matt.

Not bad.

The evening ended with Libby on the couch with Mom and Dad watching The Great Pumpkin and eating candy.

The end of a rainy night!

Not a bad way to spend a Halloween, IMHO!

So, How Have You Been?

The Wicked Witch and Sophia

 

When last we left, you, Catie was 6 months old, Libby was finishing up her first year of ballet, and Mary was barely speaking.  Six months later, Libby and Mary and in ballet, Libby started pre-school, and Catie had a birthday and started walking...TODAY!  There's been so much happening, it's been hard to keep track.  We're going to do our best to get everyone caught up, but I'm sure we'll miss some events along the way.  What's most important is that the girls are doing great and Mom and Dad are surviving.  With Halloween just a few days away, the girls have their costumes all ready, and gave them a test drive at Boo at the Zoo on Friday night.  Libby chose the Wicked Witch, Mary is going as Sophia the First, and Catie Bug is, well, a Lady Bug.  If it was an indication of what Halloween is going to be like this year, there will be all sorts of craziness.  Which isn't always a bad thing!  

The Yandek Ladies

 Libby is two months into pre-school.  She took to it rather well, quickly shooing Mom out of the classroom on the first day.  And, proving my point that it is something they teach kids in school, when Libby was asked what she did on the first day, her response was "Nothing."  Great, so we're paying for nothing.  That said, she must be enjoying it, as she is excited to get up and go every morning, and she can't stop talking (ever) about school, her friends, and her classes.  Libby is also in her second year of ballet (more on that another time) and playing soccer and taking swim lessons.  She likes each of these activities and has shown some ability in each.  The important thing is that she is keeping busy, which helps her (and Mom and Dad) sleep better at night.

Miss Mary is also playing soccer and taking ballet.  She's not quite to the paying-attention-all-the-time stage, especially with soccer, so some days are better than others.  Mary has come a long way in her speech and communication, as she currently challenges Libby for air time.  Her sense of humor continues to develop, as well as her mischievous streak.  Of the three girls, Mary is going to be the one to push the limits of Mom and Dad's patience.  It's tough to get angry with her, however, as she still needs her daily cuddle time with Mom and Dad.

Bug the bug!

Catherine celebrated her first birthday in style, destroying her entire birthday cake before any of her guests were able to enjoy it.  She has been crawling for quite some time now, and over the last few weeks has been pulling herself up and taking an unsteady step here or there.  Today, however, bored with watching yet another Browns loss, Catie decided enough was enough and walked clear across the room.  Was she realized what she was doing, that's all she wanted to do for the rest of the night.  Catie continues to be a great sleeper and is slowly starting to eat some real food.  Maybe she'll start eating vegetables, so Mom and Dad can say at least one of their children does...

Remember Us?

Catie getting ready to get her grub on.

 

Okay, so it's been a long while since anyone has made an appearance on the blog.  Let's just say that three kids are a lot of work.  We're talking like, so much work, that even when Mom and Dad are asleep, they're awake changing diapers, cleaning puke and making bottles.  Or is it cleaning diapers, making puke and changing bottles?  Whatever.  It gets done.  At some point.  That said, everyone is doing extremely well at the Yandek house.  It took awhile, but everyone recovered from Christmas and we were able to celebrate Mom and Libby's birthdays--she's FOUR already!!!--St. Patrick's Day and Easter.  There're been so much to do and see, including a trip to Rochester to visit Uncle Tony and Aunt Nellie, playdates with cousins and friends, and a Chuck E Cheese birthday party, we don't know where to start.

 



Libby and Mary rocking their Irish sweaters.

Miss Libby turned four in early February.  It already seems like months ago.  Which it was.  It truly boggles the mind how quickly she has grown.  Libby is writing, doing some reading, is an expert in all thing potty related (including jokes) and has developed into quite the young lady.  She is almost finished with her first year of ballet, which culminates in a recital in June.  A recital in which her lithe and nimble father will have the pleasure of sharing the stage with her.  It is almost time for another summer of soccer, and most notably, Libby will be starting preschool in the fall.  Along with all the activities, Libby has taken quite the liking to her youngest sister.  She tries to help out with Catie whenever she can, she loves to hold her and to help get her ready to go in the morning.  Although, much to Dad's chagrin, she hasn't quite mastered the art of changing diapers...

An Irish Princess.

Mary Frances, has developed her own very unique personality.  She has almost caught up with her big sister in terms of speed, frequency and rapidity of speech.  Between the two of them, it's a wonder either Mom or Dad is ever able to string together more than a few grunts.  Seriously, Mary is doing a great job with her words.  She loves telling jokes, playing tricks on Libby, and cuddling with Mom and Dad.  And while Mary is oh so adorable, don't let her looks fool you.  She is full of fun, wonder, excitement and MISCHIEF.  Mary has honed her skills when it comes to push people's buttons.  She knows how to push all of them and to push them very well.  That said, she is a big helper around the house.  She loves helping clean up, emptying the dishwasher and "looking after" Catie.  By the end of the summer, she will be three and starting ballet and other activities that have, up to this point, been for Libby only.  And that's a good thing, for despite all the tomfoolery, Mary does love her big sister and they really do play well together when they want to.  They have been sharing a room for quite some time, and they are actually to the point where they can go to bed at the same time and not annoy each other.

Firefighter Libby with Firefighter Joe.

 

 

Last but not least (or clichéd), Catherine is six months old and growing more every day.  She is rolling over on her own, eating all sorts of "real" food, and holds her bottle all by herself.  Her favorite things to do include puking on any and all relatives, bouncing in her jumper and saucer and laughing at her sisters.  Seriously, she gets the biggest kick out of Libby and Mary.  And they enjoy it just as much when they are able to get her going.  While the house is pretty much Thunderdome all day every day, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible.  Things will calm down.  The Yandek Ladies will be friends and playmates and leave Mom and Dad alone.

The girls and their bunnies.

With the school year coming to a close Dad is looking forward to spending lots of quality time with the girls.  It will be a busy summer with Aunt Holly's wedding and such, but there will be plenty of time for trips to the zoo, Kiddie Park and other fun places.  The girls still spend time each week with both Grammies and they see their friends at daycare.  Libby and Mary were invited to their first "friend party" and they had an absolute blast.  Mom and Dad enjoyed seeing them interact with their friends as if we didn't even exist.  Honestly, when we got out of the car at Chuck E. Cheese, they were four and two.  By the time we got inside, they were 14 and 12.  It's not going to be long...