Finding Krissi

The fall season of soccer is underway.  This year S. is back on the field along with A. S. is actually playing coed soccer. At first she was not to happy about this change. Playing with boys just seemed weird and dumb. After last weeks practice her opinion seems to be changing. I saw an actual for real smile on her face. When I asked her how practice went, she said... wait for it.... "GOOD!"  No whining, no complaining, no vague answers. An honest to goodness happy answer. I almost fell down. One day I will write a post about living in a house with two teenage daughters..  A. is on a U14 team and I swear it was just yesterday that he played U8. Now he is on the big boy team. Crazy! S. and A. are also working as refs for a near by region. They are gaining some work experience and learning how to be yelled at. I feel like I have properly prepared them for this job. Meanwhile, H. has taken on the football world. I have to say I had major reservati...

The softball/machine pitch season is coming to an end. The season started out with rain, rain, and more rain. The result has been a longer season than normal. Really that has been ok as Al. and H. have kept somewhat active through June. I should say Al has remained active because H. is never not active. That boys wears me out. Due to the rain and a baseball schedule that conflicted with school I feel I am seriously lacking in the picture department this season. Although, I did catch one of H. and my favorite of his many sport faces. Yup, this is the face. It makes me laugh every time and lets you know just how into the game the boy can get. Funny thing is this picture was taken just a moment before. That is the thing with baseball wait for it.... wait for it... wait for it.... GO!!! This is not my favorite picture of Al but when I attempted to get closer I was rewarded with a hard ball to the leg. Apparently, these girls have learned to hit and you have to watch ...

It is among my summer goals to do my best to reconstruct the past six months. In short, life turned into a whirlwind of events. Between family, church, school, and work this blog was pushed to the side. My creative juices, and time were beyond depleted, and this blog was the biggest casualty. Well this blog, and the laundry room. How creativity and laundry work together is a mystery, but that is my excuse. Meanwhile, life marched on, and now I have a folder bursting with pictures, and another folder bursting with videos. All of those pictures and videos must land somewhere, and this is the place my friends. This is the place! So over the next few weeks expect posts that begin like this: Dear Blog, blog friends, and cyber world I'm ignoring you because I am (was). . . ... watching soccer. Another soccer season has come and gone. This season the boys played and Super S. reffed. Every Saturday Super S. found herself on a soccer field for seven hours of reffing fun. A...

This year we had our first taste of being football parents. It was flag football and I have been assured that it was only a fraction of what real football is. I have not made any hard and fast decisions about the football world. I dragged my feet until the last possible second to put H. on a flag football team. In fact I dragged my feet so long that he ended up on a 3rd and 4th grade team. Good thing it was flag since there is a profound difference in the size of a second grade boy and a 4th grade boy. After every game H. asked the same question, "When can I play real football?" Again and again we said, "Let's see how this goes." We made it to the end of the season he is still asking and Brent and I are staring at each other trying to figure out how to get out of it. We haven't come up with any brilliant reasons. So if you have any lying around send them my way. I guess my major concern is that he will get hurt. Football is a crunch and munch type ...

Monday Field Trip/ A. and Brent go and explore the Great Salt Lake. Bug spray packed. Baseball Meeting/ H. playing his first year of machine pitch. He is going to have to hit a ball that is coming at him. Mom also realizes that the days of t-ball are behind her. Digging through the mitts to see which one H. will use and trying not to cry as she realizes that the tiny mitts have to find new homes. Tuesday Surgery/ Brent has surgery on his arm removing a benign tumor. The result is 17 stitches. Owwww! Wednesday Girl’s softball meeting/ still shocked that Al has agreed to play and that she is very excited. Hey, is it possible that there is an athlete hidden inside her. Thursday Track Meet/ S. participates in her first track meet. Places third in the shot put. Distance she threw 23.04 distance that second place threw 23.05. Seriously! Elementary Education Orientation/ Still taking deep breaths and not freaking out about all the requirements. Friday Swim Meet/ A. swims and S. times. Practic...

The soccer season has come and gone. Considering the weather that is a good thing. We are suppose to get snow this week. We even turned on the heat this morning for the first time. BRRR! Before we get to far away from soccer I thought I would post a couple more of my favorite soccer pics. These pics are of H. and the crazy faces he makes when he is playing. He is so focused and so into the game Brent and I just laugh. Hope you have a great Monday. After work today I start a new class, yay!

Only three more soccer games and the fall season will be over. As I told everyone at the beginning of the season, my brother moved to Texas leaving me holding the coaches whistle. This experience has taught me quite a lot about boys and I want to share with you a few things I have learned about 10/11 year old boys. #1. They no longer can hear a mom voice. Yelling at them is pointless because they can not hear me. Somewhere along the line they have learned, loud, yelling, mom, voice tune it out. Therefore, when yelling one must drop the decibel of your voice making it sound like a yelling dad. You can also stand by a dad and have him yell. Dad yelling means everyone listens. #2. Do not say please. "Please get that ball." "Please run faster." "Thank you for throwing that in." Pointless! Completely pointless I might as well go home. #3. "Get that ball NOW!" " Smith if you don't run faster we will do sprints all next practice!" "...

Saturday we dragged everyone out of bed after a late night and made it to the first soccer games of the season.  I have to admit that it was a little bit chilly and I am in a reluctant soccer mom stage.  Meaning I'm not all that excited to be back into soccer mode. However, like most things once you see how much fun the kids are having you put a smile on your face and enjoy the day.   What took me by surprise yesterday was how much my boys are growing.  A. is this tall, lean fast kid on the soccer field.  I keep looking for him realizing I'm looking right past him.  He has changed so much his confidence, his ability, I hardly recognize him.   H. is as excited as ever to be back on the soccer field.  While all of my kids have a bit of a competitive streak H.s is a bit more competitive.  Okay a lot more competitive. Okay I see him being one of those screaming coach dads sometime in his future.  We are trying to teach him about being a good sport.  We are trying to teach him about...

This past weekend was busy, busy, busy. S. did an awesome job at State she brought home her best times in every event that she swam. She dropped almost a minutes worth a time over 8 events. S. swam many hard races including, a 400 IM, a 200 IM a 200 Backstroke, and a 500 freestyle. She rocked them all. The most exciting news of the weekend is that the she achieved a zone time. Zone is one of the many steps on your way up the swim ladder. It is a step or two away from Nationals which is the one place all Olympic wantabes want to end up. She was thrilled to see that she had finally achieved one. She has been close for a few years now. When she learned she had broke the time she said, "I knew I would always get close I didn't think that I would really ever do it." It was great to see all her hard work and dedication payoff. It was a great weekend and I am now officially exhausted. The kids are off of school tomorrow and except for having to work for a couple of hour...

My boss at the pool has been working hard, she has been wheeling and dealing, begging and pleading, plotting and scheming. After months and months of all of the above. She received enough grant money to give every 4th grader in our city free swim lessons for two weeks. Yesterday 2 buses delivered over 100 kids to the pool. The kids were lined up on one side of the pool and told to swim across. There were four teachers stationed across the pool. Depending on how far the kids could swim placed them in their class. I was on the other side of the pool if they made it to me without looking like they were struggling I sent them on. It is a very interesting thing that happens when you put a ten year old in the water with his/her peers. There were kids who couldn't swim a lick who made it across that pool because they had a rep to protect. There were kids who looked at us like we were nut jobs and didn't budge an inch. There were kids who were downright insulted when I told t...

As I warned you last night today was cold and wet. Nevertheless, with only two more weeks left in the soccer season both of the boys coaches were reluctant to cancel their games.  So today Hubby and I headed off in opposite directions to watch the boys play ball. I'm not going to lie and say it was pleasant, the rain came down hard, and the temperature lingered in the high 30's.  It was crazy weather. Even so, this week armed with an umbrella and my smaller camera I braved the elements to bring you these wet soccer pics. I wont tell you what the coaches butt looked like when he stood up, because of course I didn't look, but I am sure you can imagine. Do these boys look like they are dressed for soccer?  I think they are more ready to go skiing. Although they do look like they are enjoying themselves. Our little man had an impressive game scoring 6 goals.  Of course I think this had a lot to do with the fact that all of the boys were having a hard time staying on their feet....

Remember how I said that we had an unseasonably warm fall? Well, fall finally made an appearance today. We were hit with our first full day of rain. Which in the world of AYSO usually means no games. However, Sam is now playing in an competitive league so a full blown rain storm means nothing.  I take that back it means 85 minutes of soccer in the rain.  The game, putting the rain, wind, and cold to the side was a pretty fun game to watch.  I say watch because if I had to play I would have called uncle before the game even started, Sam is certainly made of sterner stuff than I.   I was amazed watching these girls run around the field.  I wish I could have brought my camera with me but the weather had me leaving it at home today.  That and the hopeful wish that we would get to the soccer field and they would call the game. Like I said I'm a wimp. I will just have to do my best to describe to you the game and some of the fun stuff that happened. This week our girls were in their blac...

Can you say this in one breath: SUPER SOCCER,SWIM, PICTURE, WOMEN'S CONFERENCE SATURDAY. Ok, you can breathe now.  As you may have gathered today was a very busy, busy day.  We started at 6:30am getting up and going in order to get to Andrew's very first swim meet. It was a pretty exciting meet, watching Andrew really get a chance to test out his swim abilities.  He has been on the team for about 6 months and was more then ready for this day.   He participated in three events the 50 back, 50 breast and the 50 free.  He did awesome on his 50 back his very first event ever. Here is a pic of his time. After the meet Andrew changed into his soccer uniform and we made a run to his game.  Where he was so pumped up he scored a goal and came close time and time again. It was really fun to watch Andrew have a successful athletic day.  After soccer we had to run and have a team picture taken. What you can't see in the above picture is the return of Andrew's Mo-hawk.  Last night i...

I know, I know I am two days late posting my SUPER SOCCER SATURDAY post.  The only excuse I have is that SUPER SOCCER SATURDAY wears me out.  Especially when we are lucky enough to watch all the kids play.  Meaning the schedules work out that we are able to go to all the games.  While it is fun to watch all the kids play it makes for a long day. I might also want to add that Sam's game which is two 35 minute halves was played almost in it's entirety in the rain. LOTS OF FUN people.  Let me tell you life just doesn't get much better than watching 70 minutes of soccer in a down pour. Any way I thought some of you might be wondering about our child who has chosen not to participate in SUPER SOCCER SATURDAY.  What does she do on these soccer days?  Do we love her even though she chooses a different lifestyle? Well we still love her and in fact she provides us with a lot of entertainment on SUPER SOCCER SATURDAY.  Each week she chooses one or two soccer games to attend. While sh...

Today was another fun soccer field (get it soccer field, ha ha ha, I'm being funny people) Saturday. It was also a very rare soccer schedule day being as Hubby and I were able to go to all three games together.  That hardly ever happens.  We started out this morning at 9 am at Andrew's game.  Which turned into a very interesting game, when parents from the opposing team began to yell at our coach and the referee.  Sometimes the thing I hate most about sports is parents.  There little boys just let them have fun and learn the sport.  Andrew played very good as long as the coach put him in the position he wanted.  When he wasn't in the position he wanted he was a bit of a toad.  I blame it on the green uniform.  This is a picture of Andrew, notice his back is turned, we have been having many a discussion of my lack of Andrew photos and one day him going, "Hey, mom why are there no pictures of me."  THIS IS WHY!!! The little bugger hardly ever lets me get a good phot...

Once again Soccer Saturday is upon us.  After a week off due to Labor Day weekend we were up and going this morning.  Three of the kids had games at 11, 12, and 12 and all three were in different cities.  The closest being about 5 minutes away the farthest being about 30 minutes away. Oh what joys!  Brent and I paper, rock, scissored and then Henry told us who was going where.  So Brent took the boy's whose games were close by to their games and I took Sam.  Check out the below photo.  Sam's team was in black this week.  I much prefer this uniform over the bumble bee uniform but the girls complain about being hot. As they say, "WHATEVER!" Sam's is the middle with her hair pulled up.  AMAZING!  She made this awesome pass over to the girl on her wing.  It was a pretty fun game and the girls are starting to play amazing together.  They are an awesome team.  I'm not just saying that because as of today they are still undefeated.  Nope not me because I don't ke...

Today marked the first official day of the Soccer season. A day full of mixed feelings, on one hand there is the dread.  Dread of trying to figure out how to get multiple kids, to multiple fields, but funny enough at the same time. Can anyone tell me exactly how that works?  Of course on the other hand there is the kids.  Who love to play soccer, I guess they think there is something fun about chasing a ball all over a field. Again I will ask, can anyone tell me exactly how that works?  The day started off with a 9am Henry game.  It was a beautiful 74 degree day with just the right amount of clouds to remind you of the second reason you love soccer. Being outside on beautiful Utah days. As previously stated the number 1 reason is because the kids love it.  I ask does this kid look like he is being tortured?   The number 3 reason is because of the uniform, where else can you take  your kids wearing these clothes and people not look at you funny? I'm not really a parent who keeps sco...