What a difference!

Second Varsity Lacrosse game was yesterday (Tuesday). Oh my goodness, from the time the first whistle blew to the last horn of the game, it was hard to tell they were the same team as Friday night. We played the Alhambra Bulldogs (always a rivalry) at College Park. The kids came out hard and played that way the whole game. Alot of hitting and a better zone defense. One thing that really stood out this time was ball control. We lost the ball so many times because of bad passing or bad catching. Occasionally, just losing the ball when it fell out of the stick. The goalie is not clearing the ball down the field but lobbing it to the closest teammate, which created an issue a number of times. It is interesting to watch the team grow with each new game; I can't wait for the rest of the season.

One thing that really annoyed me though is the fact that it is cold. I froze my butt off again. We need to see some sun.

Oh yea, Jake played the majority of the first quarter yesterday in defense. The in the 2nd quarter he went in as a long pole middie for a couple of restarts, then back in defense for the end of the 4th quarter. He is taking a lot of hits and giving a lot of hits. There are times that I just cringe when he gets hit. The pads are much thinnier and lighter than in football, yet he is taking the same amount of beating on the field. He loves every minute of it.












(Victory comes to those with the drive to win.)

13-0!

First varsity game was terrible but Jake came away with a smile on his face. The team played Foothill on Friday night in Pleasanton. Foothill's Lacrosse team is 6th in the state, with a number of returning players. College Park has had a hard time keeping a coach, new one for this year. We have 3 retruning seniors, 3 returning juniors, about 6 new players have played some type of lacrosse, and the other 12 have never played lacrosse before. So needless to say it was a learning experience.

It was really painful watching the first part of the game as the team didn't touch one player. Lacrosse is a contact sport, you wear shoulder pads, arm guards, etc. not one contact from our players. Jake did not start in this game, but I knew he couldn't wait to get in. He had told me not to plan on him playing this game as he could not beat a senior out of is spot. I knew that was a possibility, but like I told him for football.."If given the opportunity, it's your spot to win or lose, do something to make the coach notice you and earn that spot." So coach puts him in with about a minute left in the 1st quarter. He goes out and does a few poke checks (with the stick), plays a great zone coverage, and time ends in the quarter. Out he came. Second quarter no Jake, the kids are still playing the same, very little contact. Third quarter the kids are getting better about playing and a little more contact is occuring. Start of the fourth quarter and Jake is back in. The first play I knew it was on for Jake. He was all over the guy, alot of body checks, stick hitting, and that continued through the rest of the quarter. He carried the ball a couple of times, etc. Of course, I was in the stands freezing, and yelling for the kids.

After the game, he came off the field with a smile on his face, said he had a great time. I have to be careful about yelling because I can be really loud and I get really involved in the game. So Jake tells me on the way to the car.."Mom, I heard you yelling for me out there to hit the kid...so I did." Next game I'm gonna be quiet.

Oh yea, did I mention Jake is already looking at letterman jackets. He's played 1 varsity game, uugh.

How can I convince my husband.....?

I have been trying for years to convince my husband that we need to move. I look at houses that are amazing and in our price range. They are 3 times the size of my house here in California. They are just beautiful, i.e. the latest find:

This house would be perfect for our family, although at 5 bedrooms and 3 baths I think that is a little small. However, it has a home office, a 2 car shop garage, a sports court, a play house, RV parking, and the extra height garage. It is on almost an acre (also a little small), but with all the amenities, it would be perfect. Now if I could only convince my husband of that. Soon.....I have a feeling it will be soon.

Varsity?

Well as of today it looks like Jake will be playing Varsity Lacrosse this year. The first game is Friday, March 5, at 7 pm versus Foothill. It will be at Foothill for anyone that wants to come out and watch. We will see what this year holds for the lacrosse team. They have a new coach that is fairly young but has some great experience. They only have a handful of returning players, however, many of the boys have played club lacrosse in the area before trying out for the Falcons. I guess I shouldn't say boys, there is no womens lacrosse team so there are 3-4 girls on the team as well. Jake's jersey will be #5 this year.

Disappointment

It is hard to say I am disappointed, but this time I can say it. I am disappointed in the choices that some people make. Am I angry at the choices? NO! I am extremely disappointed. However, sometimes people need to try something before they realize that they made a mistake. Bad choices are a part of life and I can't be angry at that. I have made bad choices in my life, everyone does, but it is how you correct yourself (or if you correct yourself) that makes the difference. I can't and I won't step in to stop the bad choices and the inevitable downward spiral, but I have and always will be the person that carries a rope.

It is funny to see how bad choices do spiral downward and never lead to positive things. You make one bad choice and it turns in to ten more bad choices and before you realize it you have dug yourself a deep hole and your stuck at the bottom with nothing to help get you out. When you finally realize that your so far down, it may feel impossible, but it will be time to make the correct choices. Those good choices and only those choices will get you out of that hole. Because one of those choices will be the rope that helps you up.

Christmas Cards

I found this article on Mormon Times today: http://www.mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/tiffany_gee_lewis/?id=12415

For some reason this is so true. Our Christmas cards went out late this year (or will go out late, probably tomorrow..fingers crossed). But for those of you who sent us your christmas cards and letters, we really enjoy reading about your families.

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010!

A new year is upon us. Really it only seems like a few months ago it was January 2009. Oh how the time flies. I have done random posts throughout the year about some of the kids if not all of the kids, but I will post an update for those who do not keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Jake just turned 15 in December and is already shopping for the car he wants and has memorized the driver handbook. He has already asked me to make his appointment at DMV for his permit (I should remember to add this to my things to do list). He was a starter on the freshman football team this year (Go Falcons!). Although I tried to convince him to play freshman soccer he decided that it was better to take a break this quarter to concentrate on the Sheriff’s Explorer program. He will be playing lacrosse in the spring though, and it looks like on the varsity team, woo hoo! The cadets are headed to Chandler, Arizona next week to compete at the 2010 Tactical Explorer Competition they will compete in such things as Tubular Assault, SWAT Fitness Challenge, Marijuana Field Raid, Tubular Assault, Active Shooter and more. Jake is really looking forward to being able to compete. Since we are not going with him, I will try and keep everyone posted with the results on Facebook and here on the blog. That is as long as he calls his mom and tells me.

Jared turned 14 in November and is looking forward to summer getting here so he can play more video games. I believe I blogged about why it was that I buy this child $60 games for him to finish them in a day or two. Out of all the gaming consoles he loves the XBOX 360 the most. It gives him the opportunity to play with people all over the world as well as his friends next door or down the street without being in the same room with each other. There have been many vacation days where I have gotten up at 1 or 2 in the morning and he is playing video games with people in Japan or Australia. They do not speak English, so this is a good opportunity for him to learn a number of new languages. He is talking about playing football in September when he is a freshman. But spring weights start early in the morning and he is not a morning person, so we will see how he likes the early morning hours.

Jordan turned 9 in September and is growing like a weed. Some days I wonder how long it is gonna take before all the kids are taller than me (2 of them are already). Jordan loves being a Webelos scout, but still enjoyed hanging out with the older Boy Scouts this summer on vacation. He can’t wait to move up to Boy Scouts. He also loves to play video games with Jared, but he will skip doing his homework to play so we had to put a stop to that. He loves to make things up and creates imaginative stories to tell.

Jessica will be 4 in February. She is a lot different than the boys were at her age. She is brilliant and makes us laugh all the time. She spends a lot of time with her brothers so she has a huge vocabulary and has learned not only to use the internet on the computer to get to her games on Playhouse Disney, but how to watch movies on both the computer and her brothers laptop with no help. She surprised me the other day when she gave me directions to the Baskin Robbins in town. I had asked her if she wanted some pink ice cream and of course her answer was yes (pink is her favorite color). I was talking to Dane about what I needed to get from the store and she interrupted to tell me that she wanted her ice cream from the store next to the McDonalds. When I asked her which store that was she told me to go to the McDonalds and make a left, it’s the store right there, it has the candy in it. Of course, she was right. Dane and I both started laughing. She is the princess of the house of course and the boys love her and spoil her, sometimes rotten.

2009 was a good year, but I expect 2010 to be an even better one!