Friday Night Basketball

New Hair -- for the boys!

Stefan loves his hair short, short, short. He knew exactly what he wanted... he also made sure he had his shoulder massage at the end of the cut.

Joey, on the other hand, really didn't want to have his hair cut. He likes his long hair, which is fine with me. The problem came when he put on a baseball hat last week and it didn't fit. Yes, it fit on his head, but his hair was so long that it looked ridiculous. He looks very dapper. He was very sad after the cut, so I bought him a soda (soda cures all) and texture cream (really sticky stuff for hair to make it stand up in front). Now, he's happier as he likes to "do" his hair each morning. He's getting so big!

No Camera in Tow...

No camera with me, but my boys' had AWESOME basketball games tonight. Joey had his friend Jayden over afterschool... they played Lego Star Wars Wii game. They play on the same team and play well together. Joey has found his stride has a defensive player AND knows what to do offensively... he had a couple of shots and some nice plays.

After Joey's game (which was on the farthest side of town), he asked if we could go to Stefan's game and watch the end of it. From a mom's perspective... that is the sweetest request ever! I would have driven for an hour at that request. We made it to Stefan's game with 20 minutes left. Stefan played AWESOME according to his dad. We watched Stefan have some good plays... but he had the game ending shot... he go the ball, dribbled to the other end of the court... through players, etc. and pulled up on the outside right side... he made it... SWISH! It was great. When I asked him about it later, he said that he thought for sure it was going to be an air ball... not our Stefan... nothin' but net!

YEAH boys!

Two Boys

What do you do when you have a foot of snow outside and it's still coming down?



You play virtual football! Line up your cards, make plays and move them around... kind of reminds me of playing cars when they were little.

Snow?!?!?!?

Fun Times at our house. After much threat of a winter storm (which skipped us), we finally had a little snow fall. They boys played football (just like Lambeau is what I heard them say) and then it melted and Mommy had to go to work. So we all loaded up and headed to work and then they canceled Vancouver schools. We still aren't sure why as the roads were completely clear... but the weatherman had threatened freezing rain (which didn't come). By 4pm the snow was gone. But then we woke this morning to snow... still not a ton, but more than yesterday. The boys' school closed yesterday for today... what? crazy! We'll see what happens.


Here is Joey in his new favorite reading spot... by the warmth of the pellet stove. It's been running all week.

Moments

I turned from doing dishes last night to see my boys "trading" football cards. We are obsessed with football cards right now. They have found Daddy's weak point and can easily get him to buy more on their special outings for "bread".

I saw my three boys' heads from the back and was stunned at how big they have become. The three of them carrying on a conversation about their cards; justifying their trade. I stood still, trying to take it in. Before I knew it I had grabbed my camera... a chance to catch them together, unnoticed.

Stefan gets his day

Daddy got some great photos of Stefan during Saturday's game. The team had listening issues, but I still love coaching them!



Not to leave Joey out... Their team was beat, bad... 9-1... ouch! Joey did score the only goal of the game; which was very exciting. I took a ball to the face... major OUCH! I think the boys learned a thing or two about hard work and focus.

Practice shots before the game... MOVE Coach -- I'm trying to take a picture!

Preparing for the throw-in. He did a great job catching his breath and surveying the field.



A much needed water break!

My future?!?!?

He's big... big enough to drive his own bumper car. When did that happen? Is this a glimpse into my future... "Mom, can I borrow the car?" Slow down... not quite ready for that.

Stefan drove a bumper car as well... he was still just short enough that I had to ride with him... thus, no picture.

Last Day

The boys headed off this morning for their last day of zoo camp. (I will take the girls this afternoon.) They have had such a great week. They have had animal visits to their "classroom" each day, gone behind the scenes, taken a train ride, walked with the dinosaurs, sang, made new friends, created art projects and I'm sure much, much more. What an awesome experience for them. Next week, life is back to normal!

Piano Recital

The boys had their piano recital together... Joey is in a different class, but we were out of town for his recital. He asked if he could play during Stefan's recital. Being that they have the same teacher, he was fine with it.

Stefan played four songs. He did well. It was his fist recital. After, in the car he announced that he was really sweating.



Joey played three songs. He announced in the car that his fingers wouldn't stop shaking. Both boys had a lesson in nerves!


They did well. Learned about nerves and how important it is to practice so that when the nerves kick in you can still play well. We were very proud. At one point, Emmi yawned really loud... I think it was while Joey was playing. Of course it sounded like a truck had rolled through his performance because it was so quiet in the room. It took everything Joe and I had not to laugh out loud.

Baseball has FINALLY begun!

The rain stopped and baseball practice could finally happen. The boys were so excited. Joey had a headache so he sat out (actually slept in the car). Stefan ran out on the field... skinny little kid... ready to play. One of the "dad" coaches bent down on one knee and threw him the ball. He bobbled it, but finally got it. He then threw it back. The coach had to jump up quickly to retrieve the zinging ball out of the air. They turned and looked at me with "that look". I smiled. A few more catches and throws and then... you know, that kid has an arm. Stefan was beaming.

About 1/2 an hour into practice Joey made it out of the car... in his crocks he asked me for his mit and says, "My heads at about a "5", where's my mit?" I chuckled... A) I didn't bring your mit, B) you have crocks on and C) your not playing with your head at a "5". You can, however, sit in the dugout and watch practice. So there I sat with my boy as he sized up the team. He leaned over casually and said, "Stefan's not bad; we've been practicing." I smiled... he can't wait to get out there next time and show them what he's got.

And where was Emmi? Somehow the stars aligned and the boys practice on the field right next to the big play structure. She immediately found a friend (a sister of one of the boys on the baseball team) and played and chatted the girls ear off for an hour.

We Wiiiiiiiii

The boys have the Wii bug! They love playing on our friends and now want one of their own. They are doing chores to earn money. They decided that if they work together that they would earn more money, faster. We'll see how long this lasts. For now, every 10 minutes I'm asked if there is another job they can do for me. I've never had such organized shoes!