Trophy season

It's the end of the school year and lots of things are wrapping up, meaning lots of end of the season events and lots of celebrating.

Andy is getting his Tiger Badge, which I don't quite understand, but I think this means he can move up to being a Wolf scout next year.

He's pretty excited. I wish I could I have talked him into wearing pants that matched even slightly.

This was the Three Piggy Opera, the first grand spring musical. Beyond adorable. He's on the front right in a white shirt. I was able to negotiate better clothes for this one. The teachers told the kids specifically to have their parents pick out the outfits.  

Andy got up the nerve to invite his babysitter, Avery, to come with us. He's got a bit of a crush. Margaret had pajama day that day (and every day she's not wearing a gown practically).

End of season wrap up for soccer. I used to think participation trophies were lame until I had kids and realized just how important they are to the kids.

Here's the whole team. We actually have one more game.

Fancy pants camera

I am still loving my fancy pants camera (and the fancy pants husband who gave it to me). I'm now coveting a new device that will let me post pictures even faster. In the meantime, here are some recent fancy pants pictures.

This girl can move! Here she is jamming at Andy's soccer game.

Classic father-son photograph. Classic picture of Mark refusing to smile.

The "boys", our boy kittens Perry and Mittens. I thought they were so cute asleep like that.

How good looking are these folks?

Our friends Jenny and Sean who were kind enough to ply me with wine and let me stay at their house last time I was traveling.

Andy getting a badge for his work at the last Cub Scout meeting. The whole Cub Scout business is really adorable. It also satisfies Andy's need for outdoorsy stuff that's not necessarily a competitive sport.

Mark really needed a haircut.

Dad in Arizona. We climbed "A" mountain in Phoenix right next to Arizona State University. It was a nice hike, and short, but staight up. I really dug Phoenix. Next time Mary does a triathalon, I want to bring the family and stay for a few days.

Sun Devil stadium from "A" Mountain.

Mary and Mom before race day.

Mary's car all decorated. Elizabeth and I did this after a few drinks and a $100 win at the casino. We are very cool and have fantastic talent.

Mary after the 1.5 MILE swim. That's right, 1 1/2 MILES in the water. And that's just the first leg of this Ironman triathalon. Seriously, it was amazing and inspiring. And naturally, I haven't exercised since.

Cool picture of the bridge and all the bikes.

The bridge at night. As you can see, I was really loving the fancy camera. I thought it turned out really nicely.

Mary after 1 1/2 miles in the water, 112 miles on the bike and 12 miles running. I was tired and I walked a mile. Seriously, it's amazing.

Bjorn putting the star on the Christmas tree.

Andy doing his spelling "sort."

Soccer

I love soccer. I always have. I still play it now and love the friends I've made playing as a kid and adult. 

But Andy? Not so much. This is his fourth season playing and his first season playing with real goalies.  I keep hoping he will love it like I did, but right now he's just not that into it. He always whines and cries before most games and practices. He's happy after he's done, but leading up is torture for me. And let's not forget, it's all about me.

But see how cute and athletic he looks all in uniform?

See? He's running!

I have this framed now. I love how grown up he looks here. And that it looks like he's trying to stifle a laugh.

Look at those vampire teeth?



What a weekend

Bjorn turned 34 today (convenient what we me turning 29 and all a couple weeks ago). He came home for the weekend. It was so nice and normal that I have sort of forgotten that the next time he's here will be when we move out.

My mom came to visit. She bought me a new camera for my birthday to replace the one the beach destroyed and all I could do nice for her was take this awful picture. Thanks, Mom!

I have no idea what he's doing, but I love it.

Andy celebrated his end of soccer season party and got a trophy. Yay for trophies! I used to mock "participation trophies." Now I get it. I then tried to get him into watching the USA v. England game but he decried it "boring" and I decried his attitude one that must be in another room.

I didn't mean to take this artistic picture of her, but look how awesome and perfect her face is?

We had Andy's preschool graduation Friday. The folks at the George Mason CDC really did a nice job. Here they are preparing for a song to sing the parents.

The event was complete with caps. Sadly, no gowns as I had expected or I might have dressed him a little better. Also weird is that while he has "graduated," he's still got the summer there. Good thing he doesn't really understand what it means yet.

Andy standing outside his school. I've been quite impressed with them. I hope we can find something as good in Southlake for Meg.

Double uh oh

In addition to "no," she's also picked up "uh oh." Meanwhile, Andy seems to spend half his day saying, "No, Meg. Not that, do it this way," or whatever. The charming little dictator certainly has his opinions. I wonder where he gets that from?

Andy had his second soccer game/practice today. Last season, I was the assistant coach of this organized playtime with soccer balls and jerseys. He spent half the time whining at me which made it tougher to pretend I knew how to coach, much less coach four year olds. Part of the problem was the games were all at 2 p.m. -- right in the middle of his usual rest time. Even if he doesn't nap, he's still used to some downtime so probably running around in the sun didn't help his mood.

This season, he's playing at 11 a.m. and I'm not right there. So far, it's so much better. Plus, he's actually got some skills. What a difference a few months and a better time slot can make.

Bjorn is reffing football which is cool except he does like five games in a row which eats up all of Saturday. Fortunately, Jennifer was around today to help me get all the gear to Andy's game and manage the all-important handing out of juice and snacks. I tell you, that kid is a good egg these days.

Soccer day

Today was soccer day. Andy has been practically counting the hours until his first "game" (well, he would if he really understood the concept of hours. As it is, he just asked every day when his first game was and the all day today he was ready to go. I am not sure it lived up to the hype as about half an hour in to a one hour practice/game, he was ready to sit and have a third water break. The bad part about being an assistant coach was I was right there for him to whine to during the practice.

We had an hour long coaching clinic last night. The main message was keep the kids busy with lots of games and don't focus too much on the fundamentals of soccer. Just have fun, keep things moving and you'll be fine. Easier said than done. I have a whole new appreciation for preschool teachers. The 10 kids did great for about the first 30 minutes. Then we had the obligatory water break and they never quite recovered. In their defense, it was 75 and sunny -- by far the nicest day since last fall. I'd give my first effort a C+. We'll do better next week.

In an unrelated note, Meg cannot be without a diaper for a minute without peeing. Sometimes twice. It's a struggle getting Andy undressed at bath time and I sometimes get her dressed to motivate him that she's going to "beat" him into the tub. Sadly, that means she's sometimes naked for all of five minutes. Tonight I got her undressed and she promptly climbed on Andy's bed and peed. I then took the sheets off and as I walked them the FIVE FEET to the hamper, she climbed on the bed and peed again. Thankfully, I have a plastic sheet on his bed.

We went to the doctor yesterday and Andy had an allergy test. It was an interesting thing for them to have a six pronged comb type thing that they scratched onto his back to test for allergens. The good news is he's not allergic to cats or any foods, but he does have reactions to dust mites, pollen and tree molds. He recommends Claritin daily through spring, a vent cleaning and getting rid of the down pillows in favor of polyfill. Fortunately, he doesn't seem too bothered, but it's something we'll have to watch.

Soccer part 3

This soccer thing is getting to be a theme. Good thing I like it so much.

Andy is wearing his soccer socks, shin guards and cleats to school today. I am positive I did the same thing at his age (and older, likely). I think my mother even let me wear them to church. And by let, I'm sure I mean she couldn't pry them off my feet for any amount of candy and/or television in the world. Bjorn did have the foresight to take some classic pictures of Andy wearing his soccer gear on his feet...and nothing else. Prime picture for that high school yearbook seniors' picture or his rehearsal dinner slide show.

He's starting to get dressed a little by himself, which is an exciting thing as I know ultimately it will mean he is more self sufficient. In the meantime, it takes him at least twice as long to get dressed by himself with all the associated drama. I do find half the time his clothes are on backwards. I usually just shrug that off, although that's the time that I run into someone I might actually want to impress at the grocery store. The other day he insisted on wearing his underwear on backwards. It was obvious, what with the big "pocket" as we call it on his butt and all the extra fabric in the front, but it's not like he was ever going to unzip his pants, reach through the flap and pee that way.

Bjorn has been traveling a lot for work the last two weeks. I'm excited for him as in theory, all those presentations could turn into sales for him, you know, important opportunities for a sales guy. But we've missed him. Fortunately, both kids have been angels more or less. And by angels, I mean healthy for a week or so. Both seem to be coming down with colds again, and I'm trying t be all zen about it and not a big baby, I mean. They're colds, right? But it's hard to see them unhappy and, truthfully, mama needs her sleep. I know, how lame.

Soccer part 2

Bjorn took Andy to get cleats for soccer today. He ended up spending $40 at Dick's on a package that consisted of Umbro cleats, shin guards, socks and a ball. Andy was so excited that he's sleeping tonight with his socks and shin guards on. "In case anyone tries to kick me in my sleep." Adorable and ironic since if anyone does any kicking at night, it's him.

Sports

Soccer starts in two weeks. And, no, I don't mean me. For the first time in probably 15 years, I'm not currently on a soccer team. I just got burned out playing outdoor, mostly due to my age and out-of-shapeness that I wasn't willing to overcoming for two hours in the sun on a Sunday morning. That part feels weird. As does Andy being signed for soccer. It's a mini-me league that has "games" on Saturday afternoons. And by games, I mean organized playtime. I'm not even sure if there are jerseys, but I'm sure there are trophies.

I even volunteered to be an assistant coach, which both thrills and terrifies me. I always wanted to like coaching. I even went so far as to be help when my dad was my sister Mary's coach back circa 1982. But like my stint as a camp counselor, I was never one with the children and never really acheived that awesome status as a fun coach that also teaches the kids stuff that they really like and listen to. Bjorn did a lot of coaching for Mark and Jennifer in basketball and I loved being a helper to do the quiet tasks like keep the score books and mark off how may fouls every had. I never really aspired to be the one teaching drills. That part filled me with terror.

But Andy needed an assistant coach and I volunteered. Assistant I can probably handle. I think that means making sure parents show up with drinks and snacks after the games. I might even suggest a few drills so long as they don't make me actually run them.

The basement and my Chippendale's dancer

Before (below) and after (above)

Someone asked to see before and after pictures of the basement. Viola. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the new floor for the first week when it was still pristine and clean. In this picture, it looks a little cluttered, but really it's tons better than it was before. We're really psyched. Bjorn's going to be mad that he's in this picture, especially since he's all sweaty from the gym and was mad I was taking the picture.

After a rough day and night Tuesday, Andy slept well last night and did fine at school today. Bjorn also took him to my indoor game at the Fairfax Sportsplex where he picked up some soccer moves in that hour that are still hard for me to do. I know, I know, I've always said he could play the violin, be a mathlete, learn origami, but man, it would be cool if he liked soccer as much as I did/do.

Meanwhile, check out my Chippendale's dancer in training. I was cleaning out some clothes and came across this tie with Velcro on the back. I put it on him as I was getting him dressed for bed and then he didn't want to take it off. Classic blackmail picture of him sitting on the potty with a tie on.

Snow and soccer

It dropped snow, sleet and freezing rain all over the D.C. metro area yesterday. It's beautiful. And very slippery. I leave for Mexico tomorrow so I'm hoping the airports are back to operating normally by then. I'm meeting my mom in Dallas and continuing on to Cabo together. I hope the travel gods don't conspire to missed connections.

In other news, Arlington County where I play soccer is trying to change the residency requirements and limit team sports to only Arlington County residents, which means folks like me won't be able to play any longer because our team which is made up of residents from many counties will have to break up. I get limiting reserving activities for residents when it comes to individual classes like yoga or swimming, but for team sports, it's hard to require that everyone come from the same area. It's hard enough to find good, reliable and funny players, much less mandating that they live in a certain county. If you are interested, please sign the petition telling Arlington not to do this. It's online here http://www.petitiononline.com/ACK/petition.html.