Pop-a-Shot

My buddy Dennis bequeathed this to us, from his basement. The boys loved it the first month but then stopped playing with it. It took up a lot of room in our garage but had a good run.

Sports Family

 Wish it wasn't so much in the front yard and street, but they love to play out there. Margaret is putting on roller blades.

Sunday Soccer and BBQ

 We had a classic Sunday. First, we played the "cone game," which is a traffic cone in our neighbor's yard and two teams, usually boys vs. girls or parents vs. kids. One team tries to kick soccer balls to the cone while the other side defends. One point each time the ball hits the cone. Later, I BBQ'd up some meats and we made a little video for Julia in Brasil.

YouTube: Cone Game

TF's First Soccer Game

Owen had so much fun in soccer the previous year, we signed up TF. I agree to coach his team. They didn't give us traditional colored jerseys but red and white switch-out's. TF was #1 for his first game. Just like with Owen, I wasn't sure how he would do in his first 'real' game, but he took it over. He was adept in dribbling the ball around opponents and had no problem taking it all the way to goal. He put 5 or 6 in the first game until I held him back on defense. Pretty proud to see him get after it like that.

Still Baseballers

At the Weisse's





Edward at home. He can slide!

Owen's 2nd Soccer Season

Owen played a second season of soccer up at PV Park, in the City League, this time coached by me. He moved up an age bracket and was consequently the smallest kid on the team, but also the best, which tells you a lot about the team....  We lost every game. Clearly, the coaching wasn't at fault. I think for a lot of the kids it was their first time playing. Owen had fun, though. He got a couple goals throughout the season. The only ones for the team. These pic's were from out last game.

Owen's Last Game / Team

They went undefeated.

Owen's First Soccer Game

I signed Owen up for the little City of Phoenix soccer league up at PV Park. I didn't get roped into coaching, like we did for JoJo years ago. I wasn't sure how Owen would do in his first game. I knew he had some skills and wasn't afraid of the ball, but I didn't know if he would back off or let others take it.

Well, those thoughts went right out the window because as soon as he got the ball, he went right down and scored, like it was nothing. He ended up being the best player on the team. He bonded with another boy named Jack who lives about a mile from us. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of his initiative and a fearlessness.

It was pretty chilly out, but Bobbins enjoyed seeing Owen tear it up. Not as much as me, of course.

Brothers supporting each other.

On the Field at Homecoming

Poppy and the four kids and I went out to ASU for homecoming. Aunt Katie and Uncle Zach joined us. It was fun to walk around and see what each of the colleges/schools put on. There was a lot, and a bunch of free stuff to go with it. We went to the football game that afternoon. One of the perks of my job is getting to know an ASU police officer who always works ASU home games. He allowed us to come on to the field before the game and for the players' entrance. It was awesome! Poppy got to come down with us. Quite an experience.

JoJo at Horse Camp

Also courtesy of Grandma Jay, JoJo got to go to horse camp up in Cave creek for a week.

 

 

Owen & MM at Gymnastics

Grandma Jay sprung for Owen & MM to spend a week at the Sunrays gymnastics camp up the street from us.

Broken Finger

I got back into softball. The dads from the girls' school got a team together for a City of Phx "D" rec league. We won our first two games and had a lot of fun. The second game of the second week I was pitching. Bobbins will tell you I shouldn't have been there at all. We had our pastor over for dinner and I left to go play. Mind you, she had forgot about the dinner, so Father showed up unexpectedly, and I had already committed to playing....

At any rate, near the game's end, a batter hit a hard liner right at me, and I instinctively put my hands in front of me stop it. The ball ended up hitting my non-glove hand and smashing my ring finger. I picked up the ball and threw the guy out. I tried to bat that inning but could barely grip the bat. I took myself out and iced it, then went home after we lost. The next day at work everyone said it looked bad and convinced me to go to urgent care, where an x-ray confirmed a fracture. Just to make sure, they referred me to a specialist. I didn't want to go but ended up going because it was my right hand.

Sure enough, it was actually 2 fractures (the urgent care doc missed one), the second on the joint. The specialist gave me the dire news in a worst case scenario and said surgery was a must.

Me with the splint from urgent care, and shots of the finger:

 

X-rays showing the damage:

Watching Basketball

T

he other day Bobbins stopped at a (low-tech) gym on the way home where the kids' school had a basketball game. The boys crushed their opponents but the girls did not fare so well. Our kids along with our carpoolers enjoyed cheering them on. Booch especially got into it.

Karin and Basketball

To make friends and do something extra at school, Karin joined the girls basketball team. The sport doesn't come naturally to her, but she's trying and working to improve, which is admirable. We've had a few communication mis-steps as far as practices and locations, and I've had to pick her up late at night a few times, but she's found some rides and seems to be enjoying it. She was excited to receive her own new ball for Christmas. That's her on the far right, number 12.

Cornhole Set

My cousin Randy, the PBR rep, said he'd send me a cornhole set, and sure enough, he came through. The girls thought it was a lot of fun and we got a little use in the house before I stowed it in the garage.

MM Gymnastics

JoJo's First Soccer Game

Always in the shadow of her big sister, JoJo wanted to do something of her own that was not ballet.  Oddly, she chose soccer.  Thankfully, the City has a league in a park right by us, and it was only $45.  Of course, they needed volunteer coaches, and of course, Bobbins signed us up.  We got JoJo's team, gray in color, and the kids chose Grayhawks as our name.

JoJo really struggled during the first game, getting pushed down and being scared from then on out, crying at some points.  I tried putting her in goal and that didn't work well either.  It was a learning experience for both of us.

 

 

End of Summer Golf Outing

The guys at work had our annual end-of-summer scramble golf outing back at the beginning of Sep. at the Scottsdale TPC Champions Course (sister 18 to where the Phoenix Open is played).  It was analysts vs. SOSs, more or less the old guys vs. the young guys.  The old guys prevailed.  The pic at left is my buddy Dennis on the green of a wicked dog-leg left that he managed to drive.  We couldn't sink the eagle putt, unfortunately (just cool to even type that!), but it was nice to tap in for birdie.  I think we finished at -4 overall, pretty good for this group, and Dennis & I were on the winning team for the first time in years.  (We're the organizers.)

A Few PMGT Shots

 

First Game in the C League

Since we dominated the D league this time out, they promoted us to the C league for the spring playoffs.  We won our first game fairly handily, with a good crowd cheering us on.  In the last team photo, look for a certain someone in the dim background.