Soccer fun ... school has begun

So much to write about! Kids have completed over a week now of school. 6th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, and preK. And of course Matt, PA program. And to top it all, we're doing fall soccer. 5 kids. 5 different teams. Crazy. But it's all good. Once the kids are at school in the AM, I go to the gym, run errands, etc. and when they get home, it's snack, homework, chores, then soccer. Car pooling has become a reality for me. But it's really the only way I can be at 5 places at once. As much as I love sports and it's important to me to see my kids involved, it REALLY helps that they enjoy sports. Jess is really impressing me this season w/her soccer skills. She's a little pistol out there! Anyways, it's been a great start to the 2012 school year. Colby LOVES middle school (so far.) People ask why I don't homeschool. Guess if you have lots of kids, you're automatically clumped with the super involved homeschool moms? 1st of all, I'm not cut out of that fabric. I don't have the patience and I'm just super not interested in it. 2nd of all, my kids are social. They love friends, they love people, they'd be miserable if I kept them home. Dallin's doing great, too. He's said on several occasions, "My whole class is friends with everyone." I like hearing that. Angela ... she's pretty consistant w/her love for school. She loves teachers. I'm 100% positive she'll be a teacher when she chooses her profession. Jess loves it. She misses her best friend Rosie from last year, she's glad a bully girl from last year isn't in her class, and she's loving her teacher. Addi just can't wait for preschool to start. It's crazy how much she loves it with how shy she is AT HOME. I've decided to volunteer on a regular basis at the schools. I want to be a part of the kids at school, and more importantly, be AWARE of what's going on. Soccer is going well. Can I just vent though? Because of Matt's schedule, I have to do some things with all the kids. And I don't mind, especially taking them to the soccer fields where they can play and run around while their sibling/s is/are playing. Of course this elicits comments. Of course it's the, "They ALL yours??" And most common as of late, "How do you handle 7? I can't hanle 2!" I'm not going to answer rudly or defensively. I just wonder, really, why anyone would CHOOSE ON PURPOSE to have only 1 or 2 children. I really don't. I understand that some simply KNOW THEIR LIMIT and are responsible and mature enough to stop when they know they need to. That I get. But to just have 1 or 2 because it's convenient or more "acceptable" or "expected" or what have you, I just don't get. I have 7 because I want a big family (not to mention God gave me the blessing of 7). I love what Dirk said in church today. He was talking about his MIL and how she, being 88 or 89, is now depending on her daughters for emotional support. I loved that. I love family. I love how the circle of life brings the mom back to her children. I love it. And the best thing a child can have is siblings. No one understands me like my siblings do. Not even my husband. So why wouldn't I WANT to give my children a support group, a unit, a team, that nothing can compare to? I grew up with 1 sister and 2 brothers and quite simply, that wasn't enough for me then and it's definitely not enough now. I wish I had more sisters to call, to vent to, to analyze life with. And that's why I want to give my children siblings. And a lot of them. Anyways, not the point of this post. The kids really are doing well. Dallin did hurt his foot in soccer last week, so we'll watch it this week. Hopefully he finishes off the season! He mentioned to me having no desire to play football because he wants to concentrate on soccer. I'm down with that!! ;) OK, it's past midnight. I'm beat! I'll chat more later!