Creature Bug

Baby Bluey

Are you my Baby Bluey?

(Name that tv quote.)

Addie got acquainted with a soccer ball the other day. Naturally, she will grow up knowing a lot about soccer. At least, if her dad the soccer coach has any say about the matter.

Oddly enough, we haven't managed to go to any of his games this season. That's the trouble with Washington boys soccer. They play in the spring instead of in the fall (like Oregon). Spring soccer = cold and wet and better suited to devoted fans (which, alas, I am not; particularly if I have to bundle up 3 kiddos and keep them out past their bedtime).

Speaking of devoted fans and soccer: Jason got season tickets to the Timbers (Portland's new MLS team). He got to experience his first game on Sunday, and evidently it was quite something.

He has general admission tickets, so he sits with the Timber Army. They are loud. They are really loud. You have to stand the whole time or fans harass you. You might get beer poured on you. You might have to listen to a lot of profanity. You might realize that you are not in the stage of life where any of this sounds like that much fun.

Next year? Jason is paying extra to get tickets in a section where they don't mind if you sit down.

Three cheers for soccer, for sitting, and for afternoons in the sun!

And three more cheers for being almost eight* seven months and one week old!

*Someone told me Addie was eight months old, and either they miscounted or I misheard because I realized this morning that she just turned seven months old, not eight. I'm so sleep deprived.

Soccer Chick

Sydney had her first soccer game today.

It was very exciting. 

They have team shirts, but they get to choose their own shorts and socks. She's the only player who wears awesome pink socks. That's my girl.

You might think that because Jason is a soccer coach that we would have had Sydney playing soccer earlier in her life. At least, it seems to be that a lot of his soccer pals start their kids playing soccer really young.

But soccer never really seemed to fit Sydney's style. She's more of a ballet kind of girl. More of a song and dance and paint and play the piano kind of girl. Certainly girls can be artsy and sporty, but I've never really seen Syd in the sporty spotlight. Maybe I'm just limited in my view of her, but I think she'd agree with me.

Nevertheless, when her school had soccer sign-ups at the beginning of the school year, Sydney said she was interested in playing...as long as it didn't interfere with ballet. The girl has her priorities straight.

Also, Daddy had to be the coach.

In case you didn't know, there's a big difference between coaching high school boys and early elementary aged kids. For instance, the little girl to Jason's right is holding a caterpillar. See my caterpillar? See it? See? See? See?

Jason spends all day teaching middle schoolers, but the most exhausting part of his week is the one hour he spends coaching those K-2nd grade kids. Little kids are a lot of work.

Run, Syd! Get between the ball and the goal!

Sydney plays defense. She hates crowds, so she is one of the few kiddos who would rather not run after the ball. She'd rather just keep it from getting in the goal.

Good hustle, Syd! Don't let that 2nd grade boy push you around!

Speaking of 2nd grade boys, they thumped our team. We don't have any 2nd grade boys on our team. We have 2nd grade girls, and even though they are tough, they don't quite match up.

We do have adorable kindergarten boys who do a fantastic job, but couldn't quite get the ball in the goal today.

Jason gave them a nice pep talk after the game. Fortunately they weren't too broken up about the loss. Juice boxes and granola bars make everything better. 

Beautiful weather and lots of family out to support our little athlete--all in all, it was a grand way to spend an hour this morning.

Week 247: March Madness

Last Thursday the girls and I moved out of our apartment in Salem.

I had had it up to here with our neighbors and their noise complaints, and so I took out two suitcases, filled them with our clothes, kissed Jason goodbye, and drove us up to the Family Farm to the house we'll be living in for the next several months.

It's feels a bit anti-climactic, leaving Salem. Of course, I still have my two-day-a-week teaching job in Salem, and the girls and I will still stay Tuesday nights down there (for the library and then Sydney's dance class Wednesday morning), but otherwise I'm done. No more grocery shopping there. No more church there. No more MOPS (aside from the one I'm speaking at next month). I think I might even go get my Washington driving license this week, although it will be hard to give up the Oregon one and all its tax-exemption perks.

Sydney cried because we left Daddy behind.

Jules cried because her nighttime Reign of Terror is going to come to an end now that we won't acquiesce to her every desire in order to make sure she doesn't cry.

As for me? I didn't cry. After two weeks of getting very little sleep, it takes way too much energy to cry. I'm just happy to be breathing.

***

I'm also happy to have nights out in Portland doing one of my favorite things: going to see musicals.

Last night, friend Becca, former-student-of-mine Paige, sweetest-husband-ever Jason and I saw Wicked. This picture is actually from when I saw it last year in L.A. with my sister, but I didn't take my camera along last night and the picture is still appropriate. The show was fabulous. I was nervous it wouldn't be as good the second time around, but it was. I'd say go get tickets, but I think the Portland show is all sold out. If you ever have a chance to see Wicked, I highly recommend it (although I do not recommend the book).

Next month I'm going to go see Grease with my cousin. I think I should plan to go see a musical every month. They're just so much fun! Alas, my budget will not allow for too much musical fun.

***

And finally, it's that time of year for a little sports fun. I'm hosting a NCAA tournament bracket again, and the invitation is open to whomever wants to join. If you played with me last year (or the year before), then you should have gotten an invitation email. If you'd like to play, email me (using that link on the sidebar) and I'll get you hooked up. The prize to the winner is $20 in Amazon money.

I'll be rooting for Portland State, even if they don't stand a chance against Xavier.

Worth staying up until midnight

Favorite Olympic moment so far?

Watching the amazing men's 4x100 freestyle relay on tv last night. Oh. my. gosh. I was cheering in the living room, waving my arms in the air. Never did the faces of winning gold look so triumphant, and the faces of winning silver look so defeated. Ah, those French shouldn't have trash talked our beloved American team. What was that, Bernard? Going to trash the Americans? Au contraire.

Here's the video. The end is the best part. I think I've watched the last 50m of the race a dozen times.

I do love great Olympic moments.

Someone To Cheer for at the Beijing Olympics

My brother's good friend and former teammate from Willamette University, Nick Symmonds, is going to the Olympics!

Nick--who has shown a talent for running ever since he was in high school*--won tonight's 800m at Hayward Field in Eugene with a personal record time of 1:44.10. I saw Nick run many times over the years that I was going to my brother's cross country and track meets, and I can tell you he's a good guy. My family is really excited to see him reach such a tremendous achievement. (Jason reminded me that we've even had Nick over to our house before.)

So, yay for Oregon--where he now lives and trains.

Yay for Willamette University--where he graduated with a microbiology degree.

Yay for Boise, Idaho--where he grew up.

And yay for Nick!

Watch for him this summer in Beijing.

*An earlier version of this post said that Nick didn't run competitively in high school, but I got that confused with Andrew Wheating, the runner who placed second behind Nick in the finals. Andrew Wheating, a sophomore at U of Oregon, will also be representing the US in the 800m.

Play Ball!

Just my luck that as baseball is winding down, the draft for online fantasy basketball went on this morning. Jason  huddled over the laptop before I was even awake, making decisions that will at times affect the mood of the house for the next several months.

There was some talk of Ben Wallace, a good player, but a bad free-throw shooter.

Some grumblings about not getting a good forward.

Some hesitant optimism about picking up Dwayne Wade.

I wished him Good Luck and silently thanked my lucky stars that we don't have ESPN.

Join the Madness

I know nothing about college basketball. Seriously. Not a thing. Well, no, I guess that's not entirely true. I recognize schools who have been in the NCAA tournament the past several years. I *even* know some players' names. I suppose that must count for something. **Edit: although to prove my general ignorance I didn't even have the NCAA letters right in my original post.

Last year was the first year I joined a bracket group. One of my grad school profs put it together, and it was seriously the most fun I had in the entire month of March (aside from attending my Irish literature class which was the epitome of fun for me). Jason was impressed that I followed along on the games since it is his favorite sporting event of the year. Better than the Olympics. Better than the World Series. He loves March not because of spring or spring break or St. Patrick's Day, but because of NCAA basketball.

I know you are all fantastically busy people, but I thought I'd throw out an invitation that will cost you minutes of your time but provide endless hours of entertainment. I would like to organize a bracket for all who are interested. (And if you're shaking your head saying "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING TAKING ON ANOTHER PROJECT!" Relax. It takes me all of five minutes to do. Sportsline does all the work.) You don't need to know anything about basketball. You don't even need to watch the games. It's just something fun to do. I'll even throw in a prize for the winner. A secret prize. That defies description.

But mostly if you win, you earn the right to go trouncing through the blog kingdom proclaiming your greatness.

Who's in? Comment by Wednesday, and I'll email you a bracket invitation.