We had the BEST day yesterday!
For starters, yes, Sam is still puzzle King! Here he is dancing after an "advanced" puzzle. With no help!
We had a yummy lazy summer breakfast. The boys have taken to scooting their chairs all the way around the table so they can
both sit
right next to Daddy and talk.
Now, here is where it starts getting
really good! Yesterday was the last day of my college summer class, the last day of the boys' once-a-week-during-the-summer-day-camp, AND the final day of Tate's week-long super intense competitive soccer camp! Whew! Lots going on! Chris picked me up for a romantic celebration lunch while the boys were bowling/painting at camp, and told me that we were
getting a dog! Yeah! We've talked about it for nearly 11 years, but we finally did it! We picked the boys up from camp together and told them we had a great surprise!
We wanted a female Burnese Mountain Dog, and there was a litter Chris has been following only a couple of hours from our house!
Can you tell which one we picked?
Here is the proud papa, with his 11 week, 20 pound girl, on the way to show her off out our first outing...
Tate's final night of soccer camp! 
Unfortunately, she didn't feel like walking a half-mile to the fields in 100 degree heat. She laid down and wouldn't be moved. So......
Chris got to carry his big "baby" all the way, while Sam, unhappy at losing his free ride, complained.
Once I got the soccer fans set up, I tried to get as many pictures as I could of my little soccer star.
However, he is far too serious to pose for me!
He is in the white jersey with the blue socks and purple shorts on the right side of the huddle. This was during a drill.
Look at his cute "team" uniforms! His team was "Spain."
Mom, please. We are trying to get ready for the tournament.
To make a very exciting night a little shorter, Tate's team (which was co-ed mixed ages, with Tate being hands-down the smallest and least experienced) made it through the first round of the "World Cup," barely. The team never complained when Tate got the only foul (hands on a punt) or missed tackles or kicked the ball away from his own player. He cheered for everyone and never even understood the tournament brackets, even at the end. He was having the time of his life. I just prayed he wouldn't loose it for them, and not cry when they got kicked out. (There is lots of intensity in competitive soccer with kids, as we are finding out). Well, they made it through round two, beating the second placed team. Then round three! Then they were in the final World Cup! Tate was so excited! It came down to the last 45 seconds, still no score, when the big girls scored one against Brazil, for the win! It was pandemonium folks! We were jumping and screaming! Sam was so excited for 'brudder,' and I was excited for Tate to have such a great experience! I missed all the great team photos, since I was so enthusiastic, but here is one of the kids dumping water on the student "coach." 
We went home exhausted, and slept hard (of course after Tate called everyone he could think of to tell them he won the world cup in soccer!).
Today... we spent all day loving on puppy. Aunt Miranda and Uncle Matt came to meet their new "niece" and kept saying how big she is... (Look at those paws!)
So Sam laid down next to her and they both stretched out.. turns out, Sam is right!
He is the biggest!
This is living!!
