Field Trip and a Championship

Greetings. A little late then usual on the blog posting. We were out of town from Saturday morning till about 4:45pm today, but we'll get back to that later. It was a very busy week over here. Mia had a dentist appointment Monday, and a parent-teacher conference on Tuesday night. From what Jill said, she had a great conference with Mia's teacher. She thrives in art and writing (go figure, right?) and pays close attention to details. She's made new friends and helps out when she can. All good things to hear about on her last few weeks of 3K. Wednesday, we had a field trip to attend. Mia and I (one of 5 chaperones) went with her class and a few others to Green Meadows Petting Farm in Waterford. Talk about an interesting experience. We had 16 kids in our group. The Poor kids were FREEZING it had got so cold :(

 Basically, the chaperones just had to keep an eye on the kids and make sure everyone was with the group. Mia joined the group single-file line and very calmly got on the bus. I was quite impressed. She sat with her friend Alexa and a girl named Haley. She was about 4 rows away from me and her friend Brooklyn's Mom. Every once in a while she would show me a "thumbs up" that she was enjoying the ride. I think that may have been one of her favorite parts of the whole experience was riding a real school bus. They got to pet goats, turkeys, kitties, ferrets, bunnies, a 2-week old Kid and even milk a real cow. The cow almost looked like she wanted to eat Mia's hair, but luckily didn't. She opted not to ride a pony (which is weird because she's done it countless times before at the zoo). Easily, her fav animal she got to pet was a kitten. They handed her this small gray cat (she named Smokey) and she was in love. She payed close attention and handled the animals very carefully and it was nice to see that she listens to her teacher.

Lunch time, we hung out at the picnic tables and ate. I helped her friend Hannah open her juice box and straw as well as this other little girl named Audrey. Some how, the kid dumped her sippy cup of water all over herself. Sorry kid, I didn't bring extra clothes. After lunch, the kids played some before lining up again to get on the bus. We almost lost a little girl that booked it for the tractor ride. Mia's teacher had to sprint to get her. Mia didn't get to sit with any friends on the way home, but sat with Mia. She did get to talk to her nearby pals in the seats in front of her. All in all, great field trip and she's been talking about it ever since. Friday, she had school. She learned about ponds and made "wirlygigs". They're some sort of bug creature I think. Work was busy (per the usual). Saturday, we left for Illinois for the weekend. This was by far, the very first weekend I've taken off for Memorial Day. Usually, I work on the holiday and collect time and a half, but this time, we took the weekend to relax and enjoy some time with Jill's family. Sunday Mia and I watched the Chelsea vs Sunderland game. I missed the 0-3 loss on Monday but was glad I got to watch the finale yesterday. Remy picked up two goals and Costa with the equalizer via PK. It was incredibly awesome to see them hoist the Premier League trophy and their ceremony and collect the medals. Drogba has to be some sort of lucky charm. Last time he was with the club they took the Champions League, and this time, the BPL title. This was, however his last year in the Chelsea shirt. No matter where he goes, he'll always be a blue. Rumors are circling he could go to the MLS. Speaking of the MLS, it was Also the last day Lampard would play in the Premier League as well. He got a proper send of from his current club Man City before going to NYCFC. He's got a lot of work to do with that train wreck of a team right now. I wish him and Drogba all the luck on their next adventures.
Today we came back and I cut grass the rest of the night. Back to work tomorrow. Florida trip coming up fast! Thanks for reading!!

Daddy-Daughter Weekend

Good Morning. Hope everyone had a great weekend and got to enjoy the beautiful weather. Lots of things to talk about today. Tuesday, Mia wanted to drop off a Mother's Day card for her teacher so we stopped over. Wednesday we went to the park with her friend Hannah. I had high hopes it would warm up, but no, it was pretty cold but the girls didn't seem to mind at all. Later, we had to take my car in to get it looked at (surprisingly, nothing was technically wrong) so we sat there a bit and suffered watching Sponge Bob. Ugh...Friday she had school. They learned about frogs, tadpoles and practiced their songs for the end-of-the-year graduation. I was also told that she could go on a field trip to the Green Meadows petting farm. Mia of course wants to do it, and they need chaperons so it looks like we BOTH are going this Wednesday. I'm not sure what Mia's more stoked for: The petting farm, or riding a school bus for the first time. Either way, she's really excited to go. We went there last Summer so this should be a lot of fun.

I took off Friday night from work so Jill could spend the weekend in Lake Geneva with her friends that came up from Illinois and Indiana. This would be the very first time Jill would be without Mia. It was actually a really nice weekend with the diva. I told her we could get pizza and a movie Friday night. We went to Pizza Hut to pick up our Cheese/Alfredo pizza and were going to watch The Boxtrolls on Netflix but for some reason it wasn't on there anymore. So, we ran over to Pick N Save and got Big Hero 6. That was another movie she's been really wanting to see. It was real good, and she loved it too. She was a bit bummed Saturday when we had to return it. She was really missing Jill Friday night, but eventually fell asleep. Phew...Saturday, she had soccer. My Mom came to her practice. I didn't dress her in her full Chelsea kit so she picked out a pair of purple shorts and tank top with matching long socks (which for some reason, she wears ALL day after practice) She did really good. She totally gets the "little touches" when she's dribbling and was shooting really well. She still has problems here and there with the cones. She participated in all of the games (Red Light, Green Light) so I was happy. She doesn't have practice this weekend for Memorial Day weekend, and the following weekend we're in Steven's Point for a wedding so her LAST week of soccer, is their one and only game. I think it actually may be outside because a parent brought it up to the coach that "why don't the kids play outside?" "Oh, I thought you guys would rather be indoors". On a sunny Saturday? I don't think so. 

Saturday afternoon, I was able to cut all of the grass while Mia and my Mom hung out outside. Later, we went to the park. Mia's newest favorite thing to do is basically, make a new friend. She no longer wants us to exclusively play with her. Same thing yesterday when she was was Jill at the park. "I wanna go and make new friends". I love it. Anyways, she played really nice with this one girl who was older then her. They went down the slides together and did chalk drawings before we left. Later, we ate real quick and went to my brother Andy's hockey game. They won 4-3 ( I believe the score was) Mia had fun playing on the bleachers with her dolls and yelling to Andy "If you want one of my cookies, you better get a goal!" When we got home, we watched Ratatouille before FaceTiming with Jill. Mia wasn't upset this time talking to her because we told Mia that when she woke up Sunday morning, Mommy WILL be there. So, Mia quickly wanted to go to sleep so she could wake up and see her. All in all, it was a real nice weekend. It was kind of nice having a "just the two of us" Friday and Saturday. We didn't have any arguments and she listened real well. This week is SUPER busy. Dentist appointment today, parent-teacher conference tomorrow evening, Wednesday the field trip, Thursday, nothing and Friday school. Plus, we're leaving town Saturday for the holiday weekend.  Today, Chelsea plays their LAST away game against West Brom. So close to finishing the season! :) 

Thanks for reading!! 

Mother Knows Best

Good Morning everyone. Got a late start on my day, for I am not feeling the best. At work last night, my throat got real sore and my head started to pound. Whatever it is, I need to shake it out of my system. Anyway, it was a pretty busy week, so let's get to it. Earlier in the week, we went to the park with Hannah and her Mom. Looking forward to going to the park more and more during the Summer when the kids are out of school and the weather is slightly nicer. It was pretty nice that day, but as of right now, it's rainy and gloomy. Wednesday, Mia and I had a picnic at the park. Mia just had to bring her two stuffed tigers to the park (for whatever reason) but in the end, she surprised me. She shared them with the kids there. There was a family getting ready to head out, and this little girl came up to me. Her name was Sydney. She was petting Mia's tiger and Mia slowly handed it to her to play with. So a brief few minutes, the kids played real nice. Her Mom told her it was time to go, so Sidney gave Mia a huge hug goodbye and they were gone. Mia turns to me and goes "SEE?! I can share!" A few minutes later, this other girl came up to Mia. She wasn't saying anything to Mia, but real bouncy around her, and also, would pet the tigers. Mia handed her one, and with a big smile on her face, the two ran into the tree. I noticed her Mom get up and saying some things to her, that were not in English. Turns out,  they were from Finland, and the little girl knew very little English. I loved that the two could play real nicely without having to say much at all. The Mom was real nice, explaining to me that they had lived here for a couple years and that her daughter Isabella would be starting preschool in the Fall (same place Mia goes).

Later, we headed home. What a great day at the park. Mia's now at the age, where she can play with just about any kid at the park, and they make up a game. It's really nice, actually. Sure, she loves playing with her best friends, but she also loves meeting new people and making up games. Friday, she had a great day at school. She had a substitute teacher but told me that she made her a picture. She told me that in class, they played in the garden, tried some new foods and played with jump ropes. Her classmate Brayden came up to me and told me he was Mia's partner. Mia told me on the drive that Brooklyn and Brayden cut their hair during art time. "BROOKLYN CUT HER VEINS!" I think you mean "bangs" sweetheart. I love that she's really enjoying school. Saturday, Jill's parents and brother came to town. They went to Mia's soccer practice. Ironically, her classmate Brayden was there. Sure enough, his hair looked like he cut it. Practice
didn't go as well as the previous week did, but in the end, she was fine. While dribbling around cones and passing, she struggled with getting the ball back to he when the coach passed it back to Mia. So, she stopped and cried a bit. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, and when I saw they brought out goals, she immediately jumped back in the practice and got three goals in a row. We took my parents and hers out to lunch for Mother's Day and gave gifts. Saturday night, Mia, Jill and I had a movie night watching Despicable Me 2.

Sunday, Chelsea vs Liverpool. Literally, a game that didn't matter for the title (since we already won it) but pride was on the line. Terry had a great header to give us the 1-0 lead early. He officially has the record for most goals scored in the Premier League by a defender. Liverpool later tied it and ultimately, we finished 1-1. Jill loved all the different Mother's Day gifts Mia and I gave her. Most of them put together at school. This week, Jill's going to Lake Geneva with her friends that are coming up for the weekend, so it'll be Mia's first time away from Jill since she was born. Hopefully it goes well. She'll have soccer on Saturday as well. Lastly, I completed my 3rd kit for the Torrent. It appears that most of the people are liking my blue/black vertical striped kit. Just hoping they give me some insight on if some design gets picked for any or all of the kits and if there is any money that could be made. Thanks for reading!

"Fabregas is magic, he wears a magic hat..."

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! Good grief has it been a busy week with all kinds of things to discuss. So it turns out, I had the date wrong on Mia's parent/teacher conference and it's not for a few weeks. Dammit. Oh well. Early in the week, I completed the 2nd kit (also known as the "away kit") for the Milwaukee Torrent.  This turned out really great.  I'm really proud how it came together. I was surprised a few days ago, I saw the Slinger Soccer Facebook page had saw it, and shared it reading "Sweet Uniform design for our future pro team in Milwaukee" I was stoked the concept was circling around because I really like the clean design I came up and truly hope they chose at least one of the kits I've come up with. It's been really fun getting creative and coming up with different ideas that the community likes. I started the 3rd kit on Friday and have a lot of work to do. My goal is to come up with three completely different kit designs and hope they all turn out well.

Mia got to hang at the park Wednesday with her pal Hannah. The weather was nice and it's always fun when the two get together to play. It was real cute, at one point Mia was at the stop of the slide lending out her hand to pull Hannah up. Later, Hannah left and Mia and I hung out a bit to kick the ball around. When she had her ball, I could hear her talking to herself saying "okay, he's got the magic in his feet and is about..to take a SHOT". Couldn't stop laughing at that one. Later, we watched Chelsea take on Leicester . Great win for the team. 3-1 FT. Awesome to see Drogba get the equalizer and that strike from Ramires was absolutely perfection. Easily, a goal to watch again and again. It was a struggle at first, but the 2nd half secured the win setting the stage for Sunday, but we'll get to that later.

Mia and I went home shortly after. She drove her Mustang around the cul de sac waiting for her "boyfriend" Max to come out and play. She even was doing donuts while driving BACKWARDS! He never came out. Bummer. Later, Jill, myself and Mia went to StoneFire Pizza for dinner. It was weird because we haven't been there in quite a while, and upon arriving, we learned that they have a Wednesday $5/buffet and $5 for a $10 game card! Good deal! Mia had a blast playing games. Needs to work on her racing, but had a lot of fun. She really enjoyed the bounce house. I can't even remember how long she stayed in there, but she had a total blast. Friday. she had school. She learned all about bees and how they help the Nature. As I was dropping her off, she could NOT get rid of me faster. "OKAY DAD, LOVE YOU SEE YOU LATER" When I went to pick her up, her teacher immediately told me how she is absolutely impressed with Mia's art skills. "Mia is so interesting to watch do art. She made a bee today, and carefully lined up the stinger on the bee and made she each stripe fit perfectly on the body" as she showed me the finished bee. It was really great. I'm glad Mia enjoys art as much as I do. Jill and I used to talk about how our kid will love music and art because we do so much. Mia has always enjoyed being creative and has really developed a great style.

Saturday, was Mia's FIRST soccer practice. She's been amped about it all week. When we got to the field, she was complete with cleats/socks and matching Chelsea jersey/shorts. But there were NO kids there. WHAT THE...I ran inside. Every kid was in the gym playing. Are you KIDDING ME?? Why is the practice in a damn gym? It's gorgeous out! So I told a parent that we'll run right home to grab sneakers since running in cleats on a gym floor would most likely lead to her falling straight on her face and I would hate to see that happen.  So, we came back and slipped the shoes on. Mia was a bit nervous at first, but got into it. She learned how to dribble around cones and pass/stop the ball. It was real difficult for the kids to dribble around the cones, because MOST kids play on grass. Hopefully next week's practice is on an actual field. At least she had fun, and throughout the ENTIRE day, she didn't want to take off her jersey/shorts. Later, we went to the park. There was a big group of people playing, flying kites and playing baseball. Mia ended up meeting a little girl named Abby and they played "hide the pixie dust from pirate-Daddy" It went from two kids hiding from me, to three, then  4 and ultimately 6 kids were running around playing the same game. Mia had SO much fun with the kids and talked about the day as soon as Jill got home from work.  When it was tome to get ready for bed for Mia, she STILL was wearing her jersey and shorts. Why "Because they are so comfortable Dad, can I still wear them??"

Sunday was the big game. Chelsea vs Crystal Palace. And WHAT a victory it was! A PK for Hazard (which he got the rebound on and headed it in) secured the only goal scored and the clinched us the title. FIRST title in 5 years, and fourth title to date. What a sweet sweet victory. It was a fantastic season, and fitting for Drogba to rejoin his Chelsea family.  4th title for King Drogba. Even with the injuries and suspensions throughout the season. Even with Costa, the man who got 19 goals was out, we kept going and stayed on top of the table. Couldn't have been more proud of the Blues. Hazard has been a real benefit for the club and is easily the best in the league. Fabregas had a great first season with the club and became absolutely vital throughout the title race.  I look forward to watching them lift the trophy at the end of the season. The cherry on top, was Terry, giving his condolences to Rio Ferdinand's family after the death of his wife. Talk about total class act. It was a rare moment, going into work happy (despite all the work I had to do) but thinking about the positive season, the goals and how amazing we played sure made the evening better.

Mother's Day this weekend. Jill's family is coming up. Plus, Mia's got soccer, so we've got all kinds of stuff going on this weekend. Thanks for reading!