Summer 2011 Kickoff

This kids are done with school for the year, which is really hard to believe. D has completed elementary school, and is moving on to middle school next year, which is even harder to believe. Both of them had a great year and are looking forward to a fun-filled summer.

Holly and I are trying to take as much time off as possible this summer, and we have a few trips planned, both to the beach and the mountains. We are all looking forward to some whitewater, some camping, and some lazy time off.

Both kids are playing summer soccer, which is about as informal as you can get; it basically amounts to two pickup games per week. It's casual (or supposed to be), and it let's the kids keep their skills fresh until the Fall travel season starts up again.

Speaking of travel soccer... both C and D made Tallahassee United teams for 2011-2012. That's awesome news, as it will (hopefully) mean more family travel where both kids are playing the same tourneys. We'll see. It's a big change for D, as he is leaving behind some great friends and awesome coaches at TOF. C's U10 team should be very strong, coming off a really awesome U9 season. They ended up playing the U10 bracket at all their tournaments, which was just some awesome experience for them.

D has started running cross country this week in preparation for the Fall middle school season. He loves it. I'm not sure if he sees it as a sport unto itself, or just a fun way to increase his stamina on the soccer field, but either way we'll stay behind him. It doesn't hurt that he found that he's actually pretty decent at it as well.

We'll be trying to keep this better updated as the summer progresses!

Soccer Returns!

via youtube.com

Excerpt from this mornings game. This is U12, Capital Soccer Association, and D3 plays for the Battlesharks (navy blue). They are all nine and ten year olds who are playing up and having a great time.

Naps

So D3 and I are sitting here watching Holly's car get washed. We are chatting about nothing important, when he says, "I wish I could take a nap."

"Well," I reply, nodding to the bench, "go ahead."

He thinks about that for a minute before replying, "No thanks. I don't want to look like a hobo. Or a homeless person."

I think everyone sitting around chuckled at that one.
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Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone

Spring Break 2009

This week is the school system's Spring Break. Rather than have a week of 'bring your kids to work day', Holly folks graciously offered to let the kids come visit for the week, meaning Holly and I don't have to burn vacation time.

So D3 and C are down in Fort Lonesome, killing time with the grandparents. There's a pool, a golf cart to drive (yikes) and plenty of room to ride bikes, so I'm sure they are having a good time. They went to the beach yesterday, and C tells me she found lots of shells.

Holly and I enjoyed a couple of evenings of not having to feed/bathe/cater to children, but that's worn off and we just kinda miss them now. Friday we will all link back up, and we are headed to Kennedy Space Center this weekend with the scouts. We get to sleep overnight there, and do all kinds of great activities that I... I mean the *kids*... are looking forward to.

It's been a busy month. Soccer has started back up, scouts has kept D3 and I busy, and the work pace has picked up for me. I hope to get a bunch of new photo albums posted as soon as I can. Bear with me.

Everyone have a great April Fools day!

Talking at the Speed of Sound

Holly and I look at each other in confusion as C tells some story about school... or her toys... or soccer. It was impossible to tell since she was talking at about 900 miles per hour. I just shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know what you just said. Was that even English?" asks Holly.

"Who me?" replies Chase.

"Uhm. Yes." I tell her.

"I don't even know. How am I supposed to know if that was English?"

I just grinned and shrugged my shoulders again as she skipped off, happily talking to... Whoever was listening.

I give up.
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Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone

You Want What?

"Daddy, can I get real earrings?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I get earrings that are real?"

I stare at her for a second.

"You mean, you want to have your ears pierced?"

"Yes."

"Talk to your mother."

That's the broad outline of the conversation I had with C last week.  After reading about it in a book, she had decided that she really wanted to have her ears pierced.  With a sharp object.  This is the same girl that has a pathological fear of needles, so I decided on the spot that I was recusing myself from this decision.  After holding her down so the doctor could stitch up her eye, the last thing I wanted was to voluntarily get into this conversation.

As I continued to work in the kitchen, I could see C talking to Holly.  And I could tell that we'd be going somewhere that weekend to get the deed done.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against C getting her ears pierced.  It's one of those things that I really don't have much of an opinion on one way or the other.  It's not the same to me as girls wearing inappropriate clothes or makeup, so I kept quiet and let Holly steer it the way she wanted to.

So on Saturday we headed to the mall.  And after a little shopping, C and Holly stopped into one of the accessory shops, and a few minutes later C walked out with two tiny gold earrings.  She was (rightfully so) very proud of herself.  So for the next  6-8 weeks we will be cleaning and disinfecting and making sure nothing goes awry. 

On a funny note, as we were walking back to the car, C asked how long we had to keep the earrings in.  Holly told her "six to eight weeks", to which C stole a line from Madagascar 2 and replied, "Sixty eight weeks!"  We apparently have a budding movie quoter in the family.  I have no idea where she gets that from.