What a Weekend!!!!

Sorry it has taken a couple of days to update the games from this weekend but we have been in the mid to upper 80's since last Friday so there has been a lot of time outside enjoying the warm weather. Both kids had soccer games on Saturday and then Maddux had baseball practice in the afternoon. Both games were shutouts with Maddux winning 7 - 0 and Brooklyn losing 8 - 0. One good note, Brooklyn has a new soccer coach and I have already seen a huge difference. The last game they spent a lot of time around the other teams goal and even though they didn't score any goals they spent a lot of time down on that end of the field. They usually all stay right around their own goal and don't get to the other end. Her new coach is very vocal and has them focused on offense and not just trying to keep the ball out of their own net. Brooklyn played her friends team, who is probably the best team in the league, and they had times when they looked like they belonged on the field and knew what they were doing. I look forward to watching them grow as the season moves on. Maddux's team kept on rolling and played a good game. One of these times I am going to have to videotape one of his games so you can see his chase-down speed. He is so good and running the other players down from behind and taking the ball away before they can get close enough to score. The other coach commenting on it to me during the game after about the 5th or 6th time that he did it. Every single time he caught up to the other player and took the ball away. His coach calls him " rocket boots" because of his speed. Anyways, we couldn't have asked for better weather for the weekend and enjoyed the time we got to spend outside. We hope that this weather is here to stay. Here are some pictures highlighting the kids games.


Brooklyn running down the field with her teammate. A week ago they would have just kicked the ball away.


Brooklyn on a break away to the goal. She had a couple good plays were she got out in front of everyone but just couldn't quite finish. As the season goes on and she gets use to keeping the ball I think she will get the hang of it.


She loves to play defense and kick the ball away from the other team. This is probably her best position on the field and allows her to stand around and talk during the game.


Payton just hanging out watching the game.


Here she is again kicking the ball away just as the offensive player is coming in to get the ball.


Brooklyn working on her passing skills and kicking the ball to herself as she goes down the field.


Maddux didn't have any subs for his game so in between quarters he made sure to sit down and get a quick rest. All that running around in 85 degree weather can wear a little boy out.


Here he is catching up to the other player and kicking the ball away before they can get to the goal.


You got to love that form. It is kind of funny because he will catch up to the other player then turn the ball around and wind up for a big kick down the field.


Here he is scoring his first goal of the game. A fast break where no one caught him and he went uncontested to the goal.


Maddux also has no regard for his own teammates. The only thing I can say is good thing this was a girl.


This was the funniest part of the game. He was standing just in front of half field doing a throw in. He has a pretty good throw in compared to the other kids and actually threw the ball into the goal. Well later in the game the coach had him do another throw in and instead of throwing the ball to his teammates on one end of the field he decided to throw the ball towards the goal, where no one was, and try to score that way again. I guess he figured it was easier to score by throwing it in rather than kicking it.

These are some pictures of Nolan from the other night. He rarely goes to bed without some type of fight or commotion. We have to put him in bed a couple of times before he gets tired and stays in. Jennie has to lock the door when she is putting Payton done so he doesn't keep her up. Well the other night I was in the backroom watching the CAV's game and Nolan got up and wanted to see Jennie. Well after a couple minutes of not getting anywhere he decided to wait it out. I headed to bed about 10:30 and this is what I found laying in front of the door. Nolan had brought his blanket and Wiggle towel out and decided to fall asleep in front of the door. I must say that it was quite funny.


He has his blanket, his towel and his sippy cup. He also had is stuffed alligator under his blanket. What more could a boy want?

A Nature Walk

I found these pictures from a couple of Sunday's ago when we went on a little nature walk with some friends. The weather was perfect and it was nice to get out of the house for a little bit. We are lucky to have a few places like this that we can go and do the outdoor thing.


Here we are just hanging out on a couple of logs that were laying on a hill.


Nolan found this little tree that he was determined to knock over. He probably spent 5 minutes pushing and pulling down and finally got it. Just look at the look on his face.


There were a bunch of branches hanging around that the kids could climb all over. Here is Brooklyn hanging from one of them.


This may be my favorite of the bunch. I have no idea what he is looking for but it looks like he is ready to pounce on something.


Here is Brooklyn standing in front of the little pond that was there. She does like to dress herself.


Maddux climbing up one of the vines that was hanging down.

Soccer : Week 1

Well the weather finally turned around and the kids were able to play their first soccer games of the year. Saturday was bright and a toasty 70 degrees. Brooklyn was first to kick it off at 9:00 am. She is stuck on the same team as last year and not much has changed. They will most likely be the worst team in the league. Their coach didn't even have a practice prior to the first game and it really showed. While the other team was running around trying to score most of the girls on Brooklyn's team had no idea what to do. They were just standing around watching the other girls score. I think they were scored on 3 times in the first couple of minutes. I don't know how the other parents feel but I can't stand to watch those games. I get so frustrated and can't bear it. Brooklyn seems to just be happy running around and talking with her friends. I really hope that we can get her off this team for next season.


Take a look at that left foot.


Brooklyn doing what she seems to do best, play defense. When she decides to go after the ball she does a great job at kicking the ball out of her zone. The issue is that she likes to stand around a look a lot.


Brooklyn in action going after the ball. She did beat the other girl to this ball and kicked it out of bounds.

Maddux's team returns just about everyone from a team that only had 1 loss last year and they picked up where they left off last year. It is funny because they don't really keep score but Maddux is sure to let the ref know that his team is winning. He won 8-3 and scored one goal during the game. His one goal, however, was very impressive and he kick a laser with his left foot past all the other kids. I have never seen him kick a ball as hard as he did and it was with his left foot. I may be biased but I think he is one of the better kids out there. He is by far and away one of the quickest. I feel bad for some of the other kids sometimes because they are running down the field with the ball trying to score with all the parents yelling and then Maddux catches them from behind and takes the ball away. I really feel bad when he does it to the girls but he just has the competitiveness already and goes after the ball. We have so much fun going out and watching them play and they are having a blast.


I am not sure what type of defense this is but this is what they would do when the other team was kicking off. I guess they were just conserving their energy.


Nolan can't wait until he can get out there and play.


Maddux with his "Super Kick." He perfected it last year to the point where he would kick the ball as hard as he could and then would beat everyone down the field and score a goal.


Nolan chugging down a Gatorade or a "alergade" as he calls it.


Maddux right before the start of the game. It is funny because not only do him and Brooklyn have the same team color but they also have the same jersey number, 16, and did not pick those on purpose.


Maddux with the throw-in. Look at that form and the finish.

We finished the day with Maddux having baseball practice really for the first time. He has the throwing and hitting down and just needs to work on his catching. I guess I forgot about that when teaching him how to hit. He is the youngest on the team and in the league but since I am coaching they let me take him. He will do just fine and has already shown that he is a better hitter than most. We have one boy who is 8 that hits a little better than him but that is it. I am glad that I am able to coach his team and look forward to watching him progress thru the year. We just hope that the weather stays nice so we can get out and work on his catching skills.

Happy Easter

Well this past week was a rough one for the kids. Brooklyn, Maddux, and Nolan were all sick during the week and have just recently come out of it, although Nolan is still a little under the weather. I don't know if it was the flu or just a cold but it knocked them out for 3 or 4 days. At least Jennie didn't have any of the other kids during the week to worry about infecting. This is what your hair will look like after laying around and sleeping, without a shower, for 3 days.



This was not fun to brush out. Just ask Jennie and Brooklyn.

On Easter we took the kids over to Jennie's brothers, Greg, house for dinner, an Easter Egg Hunt, and some kite flying. It was a little brisk but turned out to be a very nice day. The kids always love to go over and play with their cousins and even Nolan seemed to be feeling a little better that day. I am not sure if it was all the candy or just being able to run around all day but he seemed to snap out of his little funk for the day. We are going to take him to the doctor today as it seems to have come back and may be an ear infection. He has been a little trooper and hopefully can shake this soon. Here are some pictures from the weekend's festivities.


And their off. Little did the kids know but most of the eggs on the grass were empty. It didn't take Kenzie long to figure that out. She was running around and picking them up and shaking them. If it didn't sound like anything was in them she threw them back on the ground. It was quite funny.


Brooklyn trying to get as many as she could.


Maddux with a bag full.


Nolan getting his own.


The kids were also lucky because while they were out looking for eggs the Easter Bunny left them presents inside the house. This was Payton's gift and she loved it. Anything that makes noises she seems to love.


Maddux shoveling his face with candy.


Checking on the other side of the fence just in case an egg fell behind.


Maddux checking out his stash to see what he got and to see what he was going to trade with his cousins.


Brooklyn seeing what she got.


I asked Nolan what he was eating and this is what he said, or showed.


Some of the kids got kites from the Easter Bunny and it turned out to be a perfect day to fly them. At one point we had 5 of them up in the sky. The kids had a lot of fun although at the end of the day all the kids were inside playing and it was five adults outside flying the kites and trying to reel them in.


Brooklyn flying her kite.


Maddux making sure that things are under control. Look at the focus in his eyes.


Great Grandma playing with Payton, one of her favorite things to do.

IX Indoor Amusement Park

Every year Cleveland turns the IX Center into a huge indoor carnival. There are probably over 50 rides inside complete with games, petting zoos, food, and live entertainment. Last year was the first year that I took the kids and they had so much fun that I took them again this year. They even have rides that are perfect for Nolan. They have everything from a 120 foot slide to the spinning cups and more. It is the perfect place to take kids who like to do everything. You pay one price at the door and can ride all the rides all day long. Where they get you is the food and games. They also got to meet Dora and Diego.
We spent a little over 6 hours there and I never heard them once ask when are we leaving or complain about being tired. They had so much fun and it was a great way to kill some time on a cold rainy day. They can't wait until it comes back next year and we can go again. Next time Payton will be a little older and bigger and will be able to go with us. Here are some pictures from our day.


Maddux and Nolan on the swinging swings. Brooklyn was too tall and couldn't ride for fear that he legs would hit the ground.


Nolan on a spinning ride. He was too small to ride the firetrucks so I took him on this one while Brooklyn and Maddux rode them.


Maddux passing Brooklyn on the firetrucks.


Brooklyn on the firetrucks.


This is Maddux on the spinning cups. This was one of the rides I got to go on them with and got this picture. They made me spin it as fast as I could. Needless to say this was the last spinning ride that I went on.


Brooklyn and Maddux going up in the bee. The only way that they would let Nolan on is if I went so we are in the bee right behind them.


Here is the giant slide. The first time Nolan went with Brooklyn so she had to help him up the stairs. You can see that Maddux is almost down and Brooklyn and Nolan are not yet half way up. I felt bad for the people who got stuck behind them up the stairs. There was probably a good 3 t o4 minutes where no one went down because they were all stuck behind Nolan.


Nolan on the Carousel. Note the intense look.


Maddux on the Carousel. I don't know what is up with his smile. He use to have a perfect smile and now has this one. Maybe it will change back.


And Brooklyn on the Carousel.


Brooklyn after her ride down the slide.


This is probably my favorite. They went on the bunnies and Brooklyn and Nolan sat in front while Maddux was in the back. I don't think Nolan was too excited about this ride, probably getting tired, but Brooklyn put her arm around him the whole ride. I also love the fact that Nolan wore his Wiggles hat almost the whole day. This is the first time that he has really worn a hat for more than a couple of minutes.


The three of them in the bunny ride.


Nolan riding on the caterpillar. Another ride that he went on while the other two were on their own ride.

So that was our afternoon. The kids had a blast and I wore them out for a good night's sleep.