GOAL!!! x 9

Saturday was a long day of soccer games.  Princess Sparkley's game was first.  She's doing great. 

Then Little Guy's game.  Halfway through Little Guy's game, B and Buddy had to head over to Buddy's field for his game.  That's when Little Guy started scoring goals.  First he scored one goal (only his second or third in a game all season).  Then while I was texting B to let him know, he immediately scored again.  Then again and again and again.  Once he got the hang of getting the ball and breaking away from the other kids, he was on a roll.  He ended up scoring nine goals.  Nine goals!!!!  So many that I just got the camera ready to film and captured a couple.

Soccer - Game 2

B went to Buddy's game in the AM and we all went later for PS's and LG's games.  Little Guy scored a goal.  He tells a long story about how he kicked the ball through the legs of a red team player who was standing in front of the goal so the ball went in.  He was very excited about it.

 

Mystery Baby watching soccer games.

Olympics

We love the Olympics.  For our Family Home Evening treat this week, Little Guy wanted cake or cupcakes.  I knew Princess Sparkley had already discussed getting to decorate cupcakes to look like the Olympic rings and we hadn't gotten around to it yet so I talked Little Guy into that.  Here's what we ended up with.

Pioneer Day Picnic

A family in our ward does a Memorial Day picnic at their home each year.  This year, we did it in July and called it a Pioneer Day picnic.  They set up a slip and slide each year that the kids love.  And this year, Buddy got to try out his new badminton skills he learned at Cub Scout day camp.  He seriously loves badminton and keeps making us watch it in the Olympics.

Pittsburgh: Day 3

Our third day was Sunday.  We thought about going to the zoo (but it would still be cold) and we were worried about getting downtown to pick B up from his conference right about the time tailgating would be starting for the Steelers game so instead we picked a church downtown to go to at 1PM and then just had to leave early to pick B up at 3ish.  The downtown church parking lot was full so we had to pay for street parking and only had enough money for an hour and one minute, so we left church after an hour (which the kids were happy about because they didn't want to have a "welcome" song sung to them) and drove around nearby.  We drove up to Shenly Park and just saw the pretty trees and park then parked for about 20 minutes and waited for time to pick up B.  One of the things I liked in the park was this street sign.  There was another one that said, "Golf Course.  Park at your own risk."

 

Then we picked up B and headed to his grandparents to watch the Steelers game since we'd only seen them for a couple of hours when we first arrived and B hadn't seen them at all.  We had a nice dinner with them, watched the Steelers beat New England and the kids drew a lot of pictures and built stuff with dominoes.

The kids with Great Grandpa and Grandma Pf (Grandma M's parents)

We left Pittsburgh after the game and arrived home around 1:30AM on Halloween.

Superbowl!

This entire trip was created so that B had somewhere to go to watch the Superbowl. Not only was it a huge sporting event and he's a huge sports fan, but it was the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hometown team.

We of course had way too much food. First a delicious dinner. Then a plethora of snacks and appetizers to eat during the game (sort of).


I didn't realize both boys were wearing gray pants until I was taking the picture. And I totally forgot to get a picture before Little Guy went to bed, he was also sporting a Steelers shirt. The first thing Buddy asked when I woke him up the next morning was who won. Poor kid.

And check out this fun: http://www.bakerella.com/superbowl-sweets/

Ice Skating

For New Year's weekend, we headed down to Richmond to spend time with the P family. They are always super fun and plan lots of cool stuff for us to do while we're visiting. On New Year's Eve we let the kids stay up until midnight and then run down the cul-de-sac banging pots and pans. On New Year's Day they took us to an ice skating/laser tag/arcade place. The kids were thrilled with all of it, but especially the ice skating. On the way in Little Guy informed me we were going to have to buy some ice skates. I explained that we just rent or borrow them. He told me he was going to get two, one for each foot.


I can't believe they have ice skates for kids this little. I couldn't get over how cute they were. Little Guy was very proud of himself when he figured out how to stand up with ice skates on.


Buddy was especially excited to learn to ice skate because he realizes this is a skill he needs to be able to play hockey. He told me beforehand he hoped he was good at it. Because of this, I think he was a little disappointed by how hard it was, but by the end he was a lot better and a lot more pleased with himself.

We signed the kids up for laser tag at a specific time then rented skates and went to the rink... just in time to watch the Zamboni for 10 minutes. The kids of course all loved watching the Zamboni, but we were on a schedule now! When we got on the ice, Buddy and Princess Sparkley stuck to the wall with me slowly making their way around the rink. B took Little Guy ahead of us just holding Little Guy's hands up above him and having him skate between B's legs. B told Little Guy not to worry about moving, just to keep his feet under him and B would move them. LG's left foot started to slide out in front of him and he said, "but that foot's going crazy."




Then the big kids, the cousins, the aunt, the uncle and B went to laser tag (we only made it one lap) and stowed their skates and coats in a bench around the rink. Little Guy was not happy about ice skating now that he realized how much it hurt his feet and arms. I convinced him to come out with me again and we went one more lap. Then we stowed our skates and coats and walked around the arcade some until everyone was done at laser tag. B took Buddy and PS around again and they got much braver, letting go of the wall. I hung out with Little Guy on a bench until I left him with his aunt and uncle and I joined the kids on the ice. Then B and I skated around together holding hands all romantic-like. :)



And here's the video I got... as you can see, they aren't so much "ice skating" as they are "walking on ice without help." But this is much improved from the first lap around the rink where they were clinging to the wall for dear life and still couldn't keep their feet from sliding away.

{more pictures to come, H got some with her camera when I was busy ice skating and helping the kids}

Soccer Trophies

And Soccer is over. It was a lot of fun for the kids, but I am glad to have our Saturdays back. Plus it was starting to get really cold for those early morning games and practices as the sun was setting. Princess Sparkley's team had a party after their last game and they were given their trophies and a certificate the coach had made up for each kid on the team. The coach's awards were all silly things about the kids. He gave PS the "positional player and listens to the coach" award because (especially at the beginning of the soccer season) when he told her her position, she didn't stray from that spot on the field at all. They didn't keep score, but the kids all knew they hadn't won a single game, except for the last practice of the year, they scrimmaged against the parents and beat them 8 to 2. The kids were all happy about that.




Buddy's coach has a daughter on Princess Sparkley's team. So he just handed out trophies really quickly after their game ended, took a few team pictures, and one parent brought little cupcakes for everyone. Then we all ran up the hill to PS's soccer party.

Soccer Picture Day!

Today was soccer picture day. Princess Sparkley's picture time was 8:30. We aren't normally awake and 8:30 in the morning. And if we are, we aren't dressed and ready to go. So it was an early day. And it was COLD! I wore two of everything, including coats. I forgot to wear two pairs of socks though and nearly lost my toes. Brr. PS's game started just after her picture time, around 9.



Team Picture: top to bottom, left to right
Coach Greg, Dana, Princess Sparkley, ?, Hannah #1, ?, Aiden, Asst. Coach Charles
Daniel, Hunter, Paul, McKenzie, Caroline and Gabriel (Hannah #2 was sick)

Buddy's picture time was 9:30 and his game time was 11. Between Princess Sparkley's game and his, we had some down time but not enough to actually do anything, so we just kicked the soccer ball around some more.



Team Picture: top to bottom, left to right
Coach Mike, Megan, Natalie, Buddy, Micah, Brandon #1, ?, Asst. Coach Lewis
Trey, Michael/Timmy, Timmy/Michael, Mariah, Ryan or Brian, Andrew
(Morgan and Brandon #2, not pictured)


Buddy and Princess Sparkley were both the second tallest on their teams (although, if Hannah #2 had been there, she is taller than PS). PS's team is 7-8, she's a young 7. Buddy's team is 5-6, he's a mid 6.

Soccer!

Red Runners!

Buddy is in red, #23 wearing black pants with a white stripe down the side.


Purple Panthers!

Princess Sparkley is #8 in purple with brown pants and two ponytails.
For some reason, the team PS was supposed to play didn't show up so they put yellow vests on half the team and they played each other, but needed more players so Buddy and an older sister of a kid from the team played goalie. Buddy was THRILLED.

Go Purple Panthers! Go Red Runners!

Princess Sparkley got to play goalie today! She told us afterwards the coach told her her position and she said "no." Then she laughed and said, "I didn't say the "no" part out loud." This was a position that terrified her, but she accepted the assignment and was super lucky that her team kept the ball way far away for the five minutes or so that she was guarding the net. PS is #8 in all the pictures.

Buddy's team may have actually won (they don't keep score). And he had at least one assist, maybe two or three. And he finally got his official jersey with a number... 23.

An update on Little Guy's black eye.

The kids did such a great job playing soccer, and it was such a hot day, Daddy treated them to ice cream after their games.

Go Red Runners! And Purple Panthers!

Buddy and Princess Sparkley both had soccer games Saturday (10/2). Princess Sparkley reminded me to bring the camera, but Buddy's game was first. And by the time I packed up all our stuff and moved to a different field for her game, I had forgotten all about taking pictures. So... next week, this will feature the Purple Panthers.

Buddy did great! He got to play both forward and defense and was a lot more confident about where to be. He seemed a little bit timid when it came to kicking the ball away from the other team headed toward him, but he stopped at least one goal attempt.

Princess Sparkley was also much improved in her game. Both kids played against teams that had at least one really good player that would get the ball, kick all the way down the field and outsmart the goalie (or just score, since Buddy's level doesn't have goalies). PS said after the game that she liked being a forward best.

Buddy is the kid in the pictures wearing a red shirt with no number (they didn't order enough) and red shorts.

Soccer Season

Princess Sparkley and Buddy started soccer last week. This is the first year either of them has played soccer. They are on different teams in different age groups through the same church sports league (not our church) that Buddy played t-ball with.

I've forgotten my camera for two practice days and one game day now. So these are all cell phone pictures. And the one with B lined up with our three kids, is just our family playing soccer together for practice one night before the game, not even an official soccer practice.

Princess Sparkley's team is the Purple Panthers. Her coach has been coaching for years and is really great with different practice ideas, and learning the kids' names. Buddy's team is the Red Runners (the kids elected a much longer name like the Red Super Duper Fast Runners, but the coach shortened it). It is Buddy's coach's first year, but he's going pretty well figuring everything out. Buddy's dream position is goalie. Unfortunately, the 5-6 year old league doesn't use goalies yet even though every kid on the team is super paranoid about having an open goal and wants to guard it.

The two really cloudy pictures are from tonight's practice. There were supposed to thunderstorms so Buddy's coach canceled practice, but it hadn't actually rained yet, so Princess Sparkley's coach kept practice. They only got sprinkled on a tiny bit at the very end. And he was nice enough to let Buddy, and a couple other kids from Buddy's team that showed up, practice with his team. Before practice, Buddy was sitting on his soccer ball at the other end of the field watching PS practice. It looked like such a cool picture, but the cell phone camera couldn't handle it.