Ahhh, time to breathe!

Winter sports at the McCartan house have finally come to an end. Amen! Between Mason's basketball, Connor's wrestling, and religious education, there was something nearly every night of the week. As far as physical fitness goes, we were more than happy to fill out one of those PE surveys this winter because the boys had waaaaayyyy more minutes of vigorous physical activity per week than I would have if I exercised for an entire month (or two, or three)! Can I blame this on my back surgery?

This is our first week with no practices and I must say, it's RELAXING! I'm sure Ron would definitely agree with this since he was the one at most of the practices. In the end though, as with all of their activities, they learned a lot, had fun, synergized with their teammates, and stayed physically fit.

Connor with his coach (and a 2nd place trophy).

Mason's last tournament medal! He has quite the collection now.

Did I mention Mason's baseball team starts practicing on Friday? Here we go again!!!

Technology!

Owen proudly opened his folder from preschool today and announced, "I got a text from Mrs. Zabel!" Actually, it was just a bill for tuition and daycare!!! However, it makes me realize all the "techy" terms we use on a daily basis and how this is a natural part of little ones vocabulary. Do you think this is why Mason can change the ring tones on my cell phone easier than I can?

Owen proudly showing his "text", AKA "bill"!

Happy Valentine's Day...

from the McCartan boys!

Wednesday!

Thumbs up. We're half way through the week!

Take Down - Pin ?????

So, Connor developed an interest in wrestling a year or so ago and was pretty insistent on wanting to participate in the sport. Ron and I literally had no clue what the sport involved when he started practicing last fall. But after watching 75 intense minutes - 3 times week we are a tiny bit closer to comprehending what's happening on the mat (maybe I should rephrase that to Ron knows what's going on). According to Connor's coaches at USA Mat Club, he has some athletic ability and is a quick learner. Since Connor Boy is an "in your face" kind of kid, I'm not surprised that wrestling is his preferred sport because of all the close contact (a little too close if you ask me)! Here are some highlights from his first tournament in Tripoli.

Don't ask!

Owen is definitely our free spirited child. Don't you like the cowboy look, purse and all? He is very easily self entertained and can turn just about any object into a toy and misuse just about any other object. The sternly stated phrase "Owen Robert" is heard quite often in our house! I guess that's what makes Owen, well Owen!

Happy Birthday Connor Boy!

Mr. Connor boy turned 7 on January 6th. Due to the fact his birthday is so close to Christmas we chose not to have a family celebration this year. Instead we had a giant cookie at the McCartan Christmas and he had a friend party in the middle of January. I feel bad for him, but I also don't expect family to travel a couple of hours when we just saw them.

We celebrated his actual birthday by going out for supper and Connor chose Texas Roadhouse just so he could ride the saddle!

Cupcakes with his favorite orange frosting were waiting for us when we got home!

Mason catered to Connor for his birthday...breakfast in bed! Made to order and everything - toast with peanut butter, cereal, and orange juice in a sippy cup:)

Connor requested a bowling party this year and oblige we did (which turned out to our advantage). He invited 10 friends, so we had 12 kiddos (including Owen and Connor) for a total of 3 lanes. Hind sight says we should have stuck to 2 lanes of kids...3 was too many to manage with two adults and a wild three year old! The kids had a blast with the help of bumpers, but the lanes/equipment didn't cooperate very well and we had lots of break downs causing a bit of frustration on our part. However, the staff was very cooperative and helpful and even gave us the party for FREE (hence to our advantage)!

Connor is HUGE into WWE wrestling and I'm pretty sure he let all of his friends know about it! The excitement on his face as he opened his presents showed his new passion for the sport of wrestling. As a mom I could live without the shirtless kids wrestling in the basement, but this too shall pass! A few UNI items are also new to his collection as well as more sports equipment. I definitely live in a house full of boy toys!