Michael's Soccer Team- The Kidz

For the first time in a long time, Michael was able to play soccer with this classmates!  Because Michael's age is old for his grade, his age usually prevents him from playing soccer with his friends.  This has proven to be good for Michael in the past because he plays with boys a year older and the skill level challenges him.  The bad part is that he misses playing soccer with his friends.  Well, this year- it worked out that his grade level was playing U12 which meant Michael's age allowed him to be with his friends!

This season, Michael played center defender the whole season.  You can just tell he loves it out there!  He is excited for practices and games and is always ready for a scrimmage of some kind.  Michael excels back there because his timing is really great and he is most always in the correct position.  He's not afraid to body up anyone, even if they're considerably bigger than he is.

It's been fun to watch him learn and grow this season.  His coaches really value what he brings to the team and they have generally played him the whole game which makes Michael feel really amazing!  We have loved watching Michael battle it out on the pitch and bring his A game every single Saturday.

Michael- you are awesome!  We love watching you run down every ball, slide tackle anyone threatening to shoot on goal, throw your body in any direction needed, make your first PK, come off the field every time with the reddest and most adorable face, and smile while dominating on the field.  We know you hate the team name, The Kidz, but we sure are proud that you are one of our Kidz. Love you, Buddy!

Claire's Soccer Team- Ice Breakers

Claire couldn't wait to play Fall soccer again.  For her- there is something about the long hours of daylight in combination with hanging out with her friends that just clicks for her!  She was able to play with a good portion of her team which has been together for the past 4 years.  A lot of the good players on her team went and joined a comp team over the summer.  This really poached the team of the good core that they had but Claire and a few others resolved to make the best of it.  Claire decided that she is not ready for comp.  She wants to have fun with her friends and isn't ready for the pressure that comp can place on kids.  She is mature enough to see this and I couldn't have been more proud that this was truly her decision.  She said she might want to make the jump in the Spring but at the moment- she just wants to play soccer and have fun with her friends.

Claire is a great soccer player!  She is focused, determined, competitive, aggressive, and very coachable.  She loves being out there and isn't above helping one of her teammates understand a concept better.  She realizes that she can't do it alone out there so helping the others along the way will help her in the end!  In the past, Claire has primarily played defense.  This year, coach George wanted to move Claire to the midfield so she could be effective on both offense and defense.

She has made the transition easily and now is working on conserving her energy as midfielders literally run end line to end line the whole game.  We love watching Claire.  She is so intense and focused and you can see she is thinking two steps ahead when the ball is in her area.  While she loves to be focused, she also loves to break into laughter in moments of absurdity.  She and her friends are confident girls and when they screw up and it's kinda funny- they aren't afraid to laugh as a group at what has transpired!  Another thing that make us proud is the way Claire constantly gets up and brushes herself off after being slammed into the ground. She is one tough girl!

Claire- we are so proud of you and your efforts.  We know that this year has been tough because of the loss of some good former teammates.  Despite some of the struggles, you have given 110% right up until the end of the games.  We love you and absolutely love that you are having a blast out there!  Go Ice Breakers!

Family Sports Fun

Seeing that all of my kids love sports (and we do, too)- we spend our Saturdays somewhere on a soccer field.  Are we busy?  Yes.  Is it crazy sometimes?  Yes.  But do we get to spend a lot of time together, out in the sun, cheering on one another while having a lot of fun?  Yes!  Here are some pictures that make me smile when I think of the super sport Saturdays that we have!

Matthew's Soccer Team- GALAXY SHARKS

What do you do when you propose two different team names to a bunch of 5 year old boys and they can't come to a conclusion on just one name?  You combine the two names and roll with it.  Introducing, the Galaxy Sharks!  This is Matthew's first official soccer season!  He has been chomping at the bit to get on a team and play 'real games'.  After having attended a ridiculous amount of games for Michael and Claire- it's finally Matthew's time to shine!

Last Spring, Matthew practiced with a bunch of boys on Thursdays.  It was a chance to go out and play, learn soccer rules, while sharpening up on his soccer skills!  Well, this Fall the same coach (Patrick Malone) got the boys together and formed a team!  There are a few of Matthew classmates on it (Ethan, Issac, Nate and Luca) which is fun for him since Kindergarten at St. Chris is still very new to him.

Matthew absolutely loves playing soccer.  He is focused in the drills and loves to go out there and be physical!  I love that after every practice his face is so red!  Matthew has also been loving all of his games!  It is a little crazy out there on the field with big groups of boys clumping all over the place.  But after a few games, they are really getting the hang of it!  I love to watch Michael, Claire, and Emily cheering him on!  They love seeing him out there and you can tell Matthew feels really proud when they cheer for him!

The things we are loving the most about watching Matthew in his games are the fact that when Matthew goes for long runs, he has been doing these exaggerated big running steps while swinging his arms and elbows from side to side.  He also scrunches his face as if he is trying to be as focused as possible!  We also love that after years of being a spectator to all sports, he now gets to play them!  Because of his exposure to the game from his siblings, Matthew understands a lot of the spacing and angles that are used in soccer.  It just make us laugh to see him constantly in the right position in relation to the ball!

Go, Matthew, Go!  We hope you have the best season ever and have a lot of fun in the process.  You are the cutest Galaxy Shark we have ever seen!  Of course, you are the first Galaxy Shark we have ever seen but you will always be the cutest, regardless!  We love you #12!

Emily's Bravery Prize

Who doesn't love a good bribe?  Amidst all of the arm breaking, x-raying, and casting talk- I told Emily that if she was super brave, I would take her to get a Bravery Prize!  During the casting process, she really forgot about it. It was only when she woke up the following morning that she told me that we needed to get her a prize.  The image of those sweet sleepy eyes next to her neon cast broke my heart.  I feel so bad that her arm is broken.  I swear- it hurts me more than it hurts her.

Once all the kids were in school, Emily and I headed to the mall to do the 'bravest' shopping ever!  Naturally- she wanted to go shopping in the Disney Store.  What little girl wouldn't?  We looked at a lot of things but nothing seemed 'just right'.  She finally settled on a pair of yellow Minnie Mouse high heels but after a conversation with Damien over the phone, something about broken arm and high heels just didn't match up.  After a tireless search for that perfect Bravery Prize, Emily finally decided on the very safe Minnie Mouse slippers.  She loves them.  In fact- she has been wearing them out and about!  I figure, she might as well get use out of them before she grows out of them!  You were brave Emily and we are so proud of you! You are one of the strongest little girls that we know and we are glad that you have your cast on and now just need to work on healing.  So . . . will you stop climbing, running, dribbling, and falling so your arm can get better?  What's that?  You'll get back to me?  Well, at least that's not a no!

Emily Breaks Her Arm

Hi.  This is Emily.  I've had a really crazy week!  It started off this past weekend when my Dad took me up to Healdsburg for the weekend to visit E and Papa.  We had a wonderful time up there while my Mom was away for the weekend with her friends.  On Saturday, I went with the park with everyone.  I watched my brothers and sister climb on the more difficult toys and was frustrated that my Dad told me that I couldn't go on some toys and kept telling me to be careful.

At the park, Matthew told my Dad that he had to go to the bathroom.  My Dad told me to be safe on the toys while he was gone.  E and Papa were watching us while we laughed, climbed, and ran around the park.  Claire was on a toy that was spinning her around and around.  It looked like so much fun!  As soon as she got off, I hopped on.  I figured that Daddy wouldn't be back for a few minutes so I better do this quick.  The toy started spinning and I was loving it!  Around and around I went.  It was fun until it started to go faster, and faster, and faster.  Pretty soon- I was going so fast that I didn't think I could hold on anymore!  Before I knew it, my hands slipped off and I went crashing into the ground.

"Daddy, be quiet and let me tell my side
of the story!"

My Daddy had just come out of the bathroom and saw me fall.  He came running over to me and knew something was wrong because I was crying harder than I ever have before.  I'm really tough so when I cry- I'm definitely hurt.  I told Dad that my arm hurt.  He picked me up and we all went back to E and Papa's house.  They iced my arm and kept asking me if it was feeling okay.  I guess they were worried it was broken but it looked okay and I was using it well.

Nonna and Grandpa sent me Doc McStuffins
for being so brave!

This afternoon, my Mom came back from her trip.  I was so happy to see her.  Daddy told her that they were worried that I had broken my arm but thankfully- it was okay after all.  Mom breathed a sigh of relief.  On Memorial Day, we went to the pool.  I swam around, Dad threw me in the pool, and I played really rough.  My arm couldn't be broken if I was able to do all of these fun things!

Just a small ring of swelling above my wrist.

Two days later, Mommy was putting me to bed and saw that I was not using my arm.  I kind of slithered into my bed rather than using my right arm to brace myself when I moved back toward my comforter.  She asked to see my arm and by the look on her face, she seemed a bit worried.  See, there is this ring of swelling on the top of my wrist.  It doesn't look really bad but it certainly doesn't look normal.  Mommy pinched both sides of my arm starting at my elbow and just like I told her, it didn't hurt.  Well, it didn't hurt until she moved her fingers to that ring of swelling.  I didn't cry when she touched it, I just grimaced and pulled it back and got under my covers.  I could hear Mom talking to Auntie Gina and Daddy about my arm.  She thinks it's broken and she's upset she didn't notice before now.  I think I heard her say that due to her neglect- she won't be able to win 'Mother of the Year' this year.  After all, if I did break my arm- that was three whole days ago.

Waiting patiently for Dr. Safir and not using my
right arm.

We went to my pediatrician this afternoon to have them look at my arm.  We knew right from the start that things didn't look good.  The nurse came in, looked at my arm and said, "Yeah.  That's not normal."  Mommy tried to play it cool and kept me calm.  Then the doctor came in and started examining my arm.  For those of you that know me, I am ridiculously tough.  Sometimes too tough (my Mom says).  Dr. Safir started feeling the bones in my arm and I was fine until he touched that same spot above my wrist that my Mom touched.  Instead of screaming or crying when he touched it, I just laughed.  As he manipulated the bones in my arm, my laugh became more intense and grew louder but I refused to scream or cry.  He told my Mom to go right away and have it x-rayed.

At the radiology clinic, I was a bit nervous.  When they called me back to get an x-ray, I made sure to hold my Mom's hand.  She promised me that this wouldn't hurt but I was scared that the room was dark and the machines were big.  The lady who took my x-ray was super nice.  She moved my arm into position and then told me to hold really still.  That was no problem.  After each picture, she told me I could wiggle it around.  I misunderstood what she was saying so instead of wiggling my fingers, I wiggled my whole body and shook my booty.  Mom though this was hysterical!

It was clear from the x-ray that I had broken something in my arm.  It wasn't until we went to the Orthopedist right after the x-ray that we learned that I had broken my arm in three places.  Yep.  Broken arm in three places and have been living with it for four days.  Mom says I am crazy tough.  Mom and I were both excited to see Monica Sweet (who has a daughter in Claire's class and is Mom's friend) working at the Orthopedist.  She made me feel really comfortable because she knows me and was being extra nice!  I wasn't scared when she started putting my cast on.

She explained everything and as usual, I was being brave.  I was wearing bright pink running shoes at the appointment and she asked if I wanted a bright pink cast to go with my shoes!  I totally agreed!  Bright pink cast?  That's perfect for me!  Dr. Sweet even gave us the waterproof cast (an extra $40) for free.  Mom said she would have paid double for that anyway.  I can be kind of a messy kid so the idea that I can swim, bathe, wash my hands, and not worry about getting this cast wet and stinky is awesome!

I love my cast.  I wish I didn't break my arm but I like that I am getting a lot of attention from people.  Right when we got home from the doctor, I got on a bike and was riding around.  I think I heard the doctor say, "Emily needs to take it easy and not do anything physical for a few weeks," but I am not so sure she knows who I am.  I don't set limits and really never stop moving.  This cast better be strong enough for me!  While I like the look of the cast, I did ask Mom to take it off of me before dinner.  She explained that for the next six weeks, I need to become best friends with my cast and can't take it off.  Ugh.  Mom also told me that my cast is kind of like a weapon and I need to make sure I don't hurt anyone with it.  A weapon on my arm?  My siblings will fear me even more?  This sounds amazing!

I took some Motrin the night I got on my cast on but throughout this whole debacle (breaking my arm, swimming with a broken arm, wrestling, being Emily, getting casted, etc.) I've been the perfect patient.  Thanks Mom for noticing my arm was broken or it might have never been diagnosed.  I guess I should start to listen to my pain receptors and tell Mom if I am hurt.  Nah.  I like to keep everyone guessing!

Labor Day Weekend

While I took the liberty of leaving town for the long weekend to vacation with some of my girlfriends, Damien took the kids up to Healdsburg to spend a few days with his parents.  They all had a lot of fun!  Lots of swimming, summer snacks, and an eventful trip to the park (more on that later).

I came home last night and we vowed as a family to do all things summer today as the kids had school off today!  First up, was breakfast outside on the patio table.  We all love to eat out in the backyard on warm sunny mornings.  After breakfast- we packed our swim bags, grabbed Togo's sandwiches, and headed over to the pool for a long, lazy afternoon.

The kids jumped right in.  Damien and I pulled up some lounge chairs (one in the sun, one in the shade) and settled in for a wonderful few hours.  We love having down time as a family.  It gives us a chance to relax, pay more attention to one another, and enjoy the simplicity of life!

Daddy throws Emily.  Little did we know, her arm was broken
in three places at this moment.  

Emily was cracking us up because every time she jumped in, she yelled Alleluia!  Matthew, Claire and Michael fiddled around in the deep end and had swimming race and breath holding contests.  Damien and I both got in and enjoyed our four beautiful kids.  We truly are blessed.

Las Vegas with My College Roomates

I have been spoiled this year with the amount of time I have been able to get away from the house.  This trip sort of landed in my lap- so to speak.  It started with an email from one of my college roommates alerting us that the one and only Neil Diamond was going to be touring in San Jose during the end of August.  Trouble was that the concert was going to be on a Tuesday.  Two of my friends don't live in the Bay Area which makes traveling for a Tuesday concert sort of a bust.  So what was suggested?  My Vegas loving friend Brook suggested that we go see him the following weekend in Las Vegas.  At first I scoffed at the idea.  Then, they all said they were in and were going to start planning the weekend.  One conversation with Damien later and I too, was in!

Brook flew in from Denver, Jaime flew in from Phoenix, Lani and Kristine flew in from San Francisco, and I flew in from San Jose.  By some small miracle- we all arrived around the same time and planned to have a great weekend!  We stayed at The Mirage.  I loved it there.  It has a great layout and the rooms were really nice and spacious. 

We did a lot of lounging by the pool, ate a lot of food (naturally), laughed a tremendous amount, shopped, and got to see Neil Diamond in his last concert in his Farewell Tour.  Let me just add that I have seen Neil before with Damien in San Jose.  This show in Las Vegas was phenomenal and topped San Jose with ease.

It was a wonderful chance to get away and be with my girlfriends.  I miss all of them.  We all lived together for either three or four years and they were some of the best years of my life.  It was even more special to be able to spend such wonderful quality time with Lani, too.  Being that we are family, we rarely have time to spend time alone with each other and catch up as friends.  This weekend with her (we roomed together) was like old college times and was exactly what we both needed.  A break from home and a chance to rekindle our friendship which means the world to me. 

Cereal for Start of School!

The quality of this picture is poor, but the impact of the surprise cereal delivery to the kids was great!  Nonna and Grandpa spoiled them once again with a mother load of cereal!  Every year, my parents order a ridiculous amount of cereal and have it delivered to our door by Safeway.  I never tell the kids that is it arriving and love watching them open the door and screaming with delight!  Thanks Nonna and Grandpa for the awesome 'Back to School' gift!  They will enjoy the cereal and think of you every day before they go to school!

A Day at the Beach

 

What's better after your first week of school than a day at the beach?  We were so lucky to be invited by our good friends, The Turners, to spend the day at their beach house in Aptos.  Michael actually went last night and spent the night with his friend Zach.  When we showed up this morning, Michael was not at the house- he was instead surfing with Zach, his brother, and Zach's Dad.  That is the life!

We all stayed at the house until they returned and then headed back down to the beach as a group for a lazy day in the sand.  The kids had such a great time.  Boogie boarding, dolphin spotting, splashing, touch football, lunch, laughter, and lots of sun.  It was an amazing day. 

I think my kids really needed a little late dose of summer after their first week in school.  They loved school and seemed to enjoy getting back into the swing of things (despite the early morning wake up call) but going to the beach seemed like just the medicine one needs after the first week of school.