Hard Work Pays Off

Good morning everyone. What a busy week and exciting week it was. Almost could say a bit of sadness but we'll get back to that.
Throughout the week (art-wise) I did some spooky Halloween-inspired drawings for Mia. Some were okay, others "meh". I got my car back finally after almost a month of repairs and painting.  I'm going to totally miss the 2018  Rogue, but it was good to have my ride back. They did a fantastic job on it and now I'm just waiting for my insurance specialist to get the deductible back from the truck company. That part of this whole thing has been pretty frustrating so hopefully they'll get it.

Thursday I watched the Chelsea vs BATE match. Great win as always. Mia was stoked to see my car with Remi in the front seat (with his signature sunglasses of course) because she doesn't have to really look for my car, she just hears the chorus of kids screaming "OOOOOHHH LOOK AT THAT DOG!!!" and she knows "yeah my Dad's here". We got a snack post-school and Mia immediately got ready for practice. She wanted to get to the field as soon as possible to prepare herself for a possible 2nd chance at a PK since she missed last week. Okay fine. She didn't really work on the PK's when we arrived and more so worked on dribbling around me to shoot from every angle. Also equally important. We had a few girls missing but ran the practice as usual. Did a bit of a relay working on ball control and speed. A lot of the girls are very quick so it was well worth it. Did a few pass and shoot drills and did something we haven't done in a long time: A scrimmage. They really liked revisiting this familiar part of our practices and played well into the darkness. We called practice a little before 6:30 before visibility was practically gone. Overall, solid practice and they all felt confident going into Saturday's match.

Saturday came. Our final game of the season.  Mia was pretty bummed thinking about it as she got ready after breakfast. We got to the fields, I got the medals as Mia said a quick "hi" to her preschool BFF Olivia and new friend Tenley that played earlier and she joined her team warming up. The kids did their usual 1v1 against a defender and keeper. A few other quick drills and it was time to play. Olivia took the captain role for the last match. The Leprechauns looked almost like mainly 2nd graders. Or, they've got some seriously tall 1st graders on team. Most likely, the 1st one with the way they were shooting. Tons of power but somehow our girls weren't letting them through. In fact, some of these girls played their best game all season. One notable one was Charley. She had the most amazing 1st half ever. Every time the ball came near her, she booted the ball far and high out of our side of the field. Adalyn picked up our first goal of the match dribbling around a few of their players and finally finding the net getting her 9th goal of the season. The big shocker was still to come though.

Mia got the ball and outran one of their much bigger players and left footed it from outside the box right in the left side of the net.  UNBELIEVABLE. She was very reserve in her celebration. Originally she said she'd pick up her BFF when she'd score but she wasn't in at the moment. Her and fellow winger Sophie just looked at each other with big smiles and Mia ran back to the line ready to have another go at a goal. Her bench went crazy because I promised I'd do the "floss" dance if she scored...and well she finally scored. All the hard work paid off and she did so well in our last match. She made two goals this year. Learn to skateboard and score a goal. She accomplished the 2nd one very well. Adalyn got one more goal totaling 10 for the season. Great goal before the end of the half. The girls were feeling great going into the next half. Ainslee was solid in the back getting a great clean sheet. Sofia's turn. The Leprechauns put on the pressure but we did our best to keep them from scoring. A few scary moments of our defense clearing the ball to them gave me small heart attacks. Thanks Jana :P They got a handball against Ainslee and blasted a free kick that sneaked from under Sofia's legs and she scrambled to grab it and it leaked in. Damn. Game ended 3-1 and the girls went insane. Their traditional "Cheetah pile" before saying "good game" to the other team...then they piled up again. As promised as parents circled around the team for the medal ceremony, I floss-danced with the kids. They loved it and we had a good time. In sports, you have to keep it fun and this team was a complete blast. We gave each one of them their medals as we revealed their stats for the season and highlights. I hope they all enjoyed their time this season as much as I did. They bonded so well and were a blast to coach. The frustrating moments always subsided when I'd see the fun and smiles they had. We had just a great group of girls and both Coach Kevin and I are so proud of them. He was a great help this season and I couldn't do it without him.

Next season, 4 of them will be moving up to the 3rd/4th grader's Juniors division. If the sign up is low, they may add 5th graders like they did this season. I hope it doesn't come to that but we'll prepare for it. Mia and Cecilia will (and anyone else who wants to join us) will train over the Summer  for this new challenge. If the younger kids want to play casually with us as well, I fully welcome it. Love the kids so it'll be fun. Later after the game, We went to business trick or treating in downtown Waukesha. Mia kept her soccer uniform on with new medal so she went as a "champion soccer player". The weather was pretty great and she got plenty of good candy. Later, my parents met us up at MOD for pizza and we carved pumpkins. Jill made a gorgeous sugar skull, Mia did a red panda and I did Oogey Boogey. Sunday I had to work an early shift. Later we went trick or treating with Mia's cousins. Not the best weather but they had a total blast. I was Snape, Jill was McGonagall, and Mia was Hermione. This week, a return to art lessons, a Fall party at her school and I have to turn in the equipment back to the NBAA. That's all for now, thanks for reading!!

Halloweeeeeeen Time

Good evening everyone! Quite a busy end to what I think, was a very mild October. We totally got lucky with weather and because we were pretty used to 70s-80s throughout the month, everyone got that rough shock of temperature change when the weather changed to some bitter temps. Mia especially didn't care for the chilly walks to school in the morning. Wednesday afternoon on my day off, I watched the majority of the Chelsea vs Everton League Cup match. Great win for the good guys. Mia and I had conferences to attend so we basically ran home, she grabbed a snack and we went back. Her teacher told me all good things and how great she's doing with reading and story development. She gets up in front of the class daily to tell what the weather is like outside and the day of the week. She's really getting a good grasp on the math as well. Math was never my strong point so I'm glad she's doing well. The beginning of the year she really didn't like it at all but has come around and really improving. Later, we carving pumpkins. I attempted to do a Milo (Descendents) one, Jill did a Lite-Brite inspired cat and Mia carved a kitten as well. Mine's concept was good, but a struggle at times. I couldn't get the glasses right and the knife I was using was a major pain. Mia did really well and Jill's is totally unique.

Friday, Mia had her Fall party which included games, crafts and good food. Saturday, Mia woke up sorta bummed she didn't have soccer. :( Same here kiddo. It was always a blast for me. I watched the Chelsea vs Bournemouth match before we went business trick or treating. Great win for the Blues again. We met up with my sister and Jill's friend Christina's family to hit up some of the local businesses near the studio. It was pretty cold but the kids made the best of it. Later, we went to Mia's major crush Trey's Halloween party. She got to hang out with old preschool friend Audrey as well and her sister. The kids FROZE going from house to house, but had fun getting all kinds of candy. Last year was so much more enjoyable weather-wise. The houses were giving out shots just like last year when we went. Jill made some really cool macarons for the party that were a hit. Later, we said our goodbyes and went home. We stopped at a RedBox on the way and picked up some movies. Mia watched Captain Underpants before going to bed. Silly, but fun movie.

Today when she woke up, we watched Lego Batman after breakfast. The weather was a bit warmer but still chilly. My nephews came over for the annual trick or treat meet up like they've been doing since they were babies. Remi dressed up as well with a stuffed squirrel on his back. The kids had fun running around together. Mia ran into her friends Noelle and Cora, but the boys lead the group the other direction. The boys didn't last too much longer before having to leave. At that point, Mia was cold and wanted to go home. We didn't get to hit up some other houses on the way back. She just about had it. We had some dinner with our parents before they all went home. Overall, great weekend and trick or treating. This week, Not a lot going on. I think we've got some friends coming up Saturday and I'm supposed to take my Dad to a Pop Convention Sunday after a baptism.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Halloween Weekend (Blah bla blahhhhhhh)

Afternoon everyone. Quite the busy end to October with a short week for the diva (she was off Friday). Wednesday was her first conference at her new school. Her teacher praised her skills, she's in a higher level of reading group and has conquered 59 sight words. I was quite amazed as she told me all of these amazing skills. We had other grounds to cover, regarding her recent issues with a friend, playing "too rough". Mia was reminded to tell the teacher if anyone gets out of line and hurts her. Hopefully the problem is solved.

Saturday was a busy one. Dance class was first. After we picked her up, we jetted to Madison to meet with Jill's family to stroll the Botanical Gardens. Gorgeous weather made the walk oh so enjoyable. We grabbed some lunch before changing into costumes for Mia's boy, Trey's Halloween Party. The adults packed up the beer coolers full of jello shots, drunken gummies and brews and we were on our way.  It was a lot of fun walking around East Troy with this large group of kids and adults. Some houses even handed out shots to the adults. Awesome! Towards the end of the trick or treat session, I volunteered to pull the wagon with some kids in it up and down the hills. I don't know what the capacity of children for this particular wagon was, but they somehow squeezed 5 kids in it totaling the combined weight to about 250 pounds (not counting the candy). The task was difficult at times, but the kids had fun as I charged the hills thinking "WHY THE HELL AM I RUNNING??"

After wards, we ate, watched some of the baseball game and were outta there. Mia had SO much fun running around with her old preschool friends and fell fast asleep on the 30 minute ride home.

Sunday morning was an early one for me. Worked 6am-2pm so I could go with Mia and the gang trick or treating in New Berlin. Chelsea beat Southhampton while I was at work 2-0 and are back in 2nd place. We met up with my brother/sis-in-law and their kids with his bro in laws girlfriend. My in laws joined us as well. The kids had a blast. The weather wasn't as warm but they didn't seem to mind. After wards, they went home and we had spaghetti. Mia went to bed and Jill and I watched the Cubs/Indians game. I've never seen her more into a game. Probably because the game was so close.

Last night I completed my month of spooky lunch notes for Mia. Back to normal for November. I ran out of time today to draw for her so I'll have to come up with something today. This weekend, we've got the Goosebumps play we're going to so that should be pretty fun. Other than that, that's about it. Have a great week and thanks for reading :)

Bazinga!

Good morning everyone. We had a busy week, and a pretty good weekend. Wednesday was Mia's parent-teacher conference. It expected "she's a shy little girl" but got something totally different. Her 3k teacher had said only positive things. She has a great imagination during class and recess and gets along with all of the kids. She can count well and can recognize the majority of her letters and numbers as well. I felt very proud of my little Mia. It's a weird feeling going to a conference as a parent. I always went along with my Mom to our parent-teacher conferences. It's just a different feeling going as a parent. I'm so stoked to hear the progress she's making. This was the same pride I had when she was just a baby, rolling on her side, or crawling for the first time..Or that time she said "Daddy". She's growing up and it's been a surreal experience for both Jill and I. Mia's got a Halloween party this Wednesday at school
. Should be fun. She had a great day in class Friday. In fact, for some reason they had a lot of kids there including old pal Hannah. When her Mom dropped off Hannah, her sister Gracie saw Mia, and gave her a huge hug. (all told to me by Mia) Her teacher said that she was happy to see some familiar faces.

Friday night, Tommy and Jill's pal Leanne came to town. Tommy, to visit with friends and trick or treat, and Leanne, for a party we were attending. Saturday morning, Jill, Leanne and my Mom went to an arts and crafts fair. Mia and i hung out here. Later, we took Mia full in costume to Delafield where they do the business trick or treating. She took a 8 minute nap on the way, but when I woke her up, she was ready to roll. Lots of cute kids in costumes hitting up all of the different stores and restaurants. My favorite was the kid in the shark costume. He had a hole in the mouth so they could drop treats in. There were so many Elsa and Anna's and of course Mia was Anna despite having the natural hair of Elsa. Later we dropped her off at my parent's house, and we headed out to a party. Jill and I went as Amy Farrah Fowler and Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. Most could tell who we were, especially when I was walking in . Jill wasn't in costume yet, but I'd hear "SHELDON" from people passing by. The party was fun. Always enjoyable catching up with old friends. Jill played flip-cup. When we went to get Mia, she was fast asleep on my Mom's lap. We took her home and ended up staying up for a while watching Orange is the New Black. Still an addicting show.
Delafield

Sunday, we went out for breakfast, and I watched the Chelsea vs Manchester United game. It was a close one. We had the one-goal lead early in the 2nd half from Didier Drogba and I really thought we'd get the win, but after a trip outside the box from Ivanovic, which resulted in a 2nd yellow (which of course lead to a red) Van Persie was able to squeeze a late-goal resulting in a 1-1 draw. Still at the top of the table, no matter the result. I went to work at 2, and later Mia went trick or treating with her cousins and my brother in law. From what I heard, they had a really good time. The weather was perfect for it. Made me real sad that it was the first time since she's been born that I missed trick or treating with her.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Dancing With Myself

Happy Halloween everyone. A lot of different things to talk about, so lets get right into it, okay? Over the weekend, my twin sister got married outside at a vary cold park. I photographed it for her as she stood frozen under a tree looking at her now-husband. Saturday evening, Me, Jill and Mia went to Andy's hockey game with my half-bro and his kids. They lost 4-2, but it was still a fun evening. Mia EVEN wanted someone to take her out on the large oval ice rink that surrounds the Petit ice arena (it's for speed skaters and open skating) so sure enough, her Dad takes her out. "MOMMY LOOK I'M ICE SKATING!" We could be in for some fun come winter :)

Sunday, I worked then we went trick or treating. Mia had SUCH a blast. The weather was better, a bit windy but temperature-wise not bad at all. She got lots of chocolate (oh great) candy. Halloween has always been one of my favourite holidays. As a kid, you get candy from strangers. As an adult, you get drunk in costumes with your friends. As a parent, you can get drunk in costumes and get your kid's halloween candy (because no kid really needs to eat that much candy right?) This year, like the last few, we just took our kid out. No parties. No big deal.

So Wednesday, Mia got a Halloween package from her grandparents in Illinois. She loved everything in it, including some tattoos. Now, we've tried doing temporary ink with her before and she ends up just putting them on Jill. Wednesday, she wanted them on HER. So, of course I did about 5 that she picked out. It was a great exercise in counting (passed her usual 20) She absolutely loved them and showed them to EVERYONE she could. Kept her sleeves rolled up all day. She also
started her very first dance class. Because she didn't nap all day, she was incredibly difficult. There were about 10 girls in the class, most were into it, others were defiant. Mia just was too tired and crabby to put up with some random lady telling her what to do. We'll see if she wants to do it next week. If it happens again, maybe we'll drop out of it. At home before she passed out on the couch, she was doing the basic ballet moves the instructor was showing her. The instructor seemed a bit scattered-brained, with no real flow to the class. So, we'll see what happens next week.

This weekend, we're doing some engagement photos up in Madison of Jill's old roomie and fiance'. hopefully the weather is good. Sunday, I work and we've got no plans so far. Have a great Halloween everyone!

All Hollows

Hey peeps. Short blog post today. Gotta be up early Friday morning. Just had some cool things to share. The warm weather has been great (even though it's gone now) Today, Mia and I took advantage of the seasonable October weather and raked up some leaves. I'd rake the ones out of the drive way, and she'd pick them up and put them back. Eventually she would realize it was more FUN to just throw them up in the air and put them in her hair. Strange kid. Anyways, so my Wednesday off was quite busy. The first and important stop, was to Brookfield Indoor Soccer complex. I recently discovered that they host Men's Open soccer on Sunday nights. Games beginning at 7, 9 and 10pm. So we ran down and checked out the place and got more info. When Mia and I walked in, it was pretty dark in the complex since they had no games going on, but Mia could tell what wasn't lit up: 5 beautiful soccer fields/pitch and she quickly said "DADDA SOCCER!!!" We talked to a woman who gave me the run down that you basically show up on game days for the first few weeks to see if anyone needs an extra player. Since THIS Sunday is trick or treating, I didn't think I'd be able to play at night..BUT she did inform me that the Waukesha Men's 35+ group meets and plays Sunday mornings. Even though I'm 29, she said I was "close enough" so she gave me some contact info. Today I got a response from the guy who must run it on game days. No permanent spots open for anyone, however he did say I could come down and see if they needs a field player. As stoked as I am to go down and play, I will not get too excited because who knows if they truly need a player. He said it's no guarantee but most likely I'll be able to play. So Friday morning, Mia and I need to hit up Steffans and get some shin guards, long socks and a pair of shorts.

When we left, Mia was pretty bummed she didn't get to watch any live soccer. She loves watching live hockey so I know that if daddy gets to play Sunday, she'll have an absolute ball. The complex is pretty cool. Very big with great seating everywhere.

Like I mentioned, Trick or treating is Sunday, so we're pretty stoked to take her out. It's gonna be 45-48 degrees so hopefully it won't be as windy as it is now, or we won't get that far for a 2nd year in a row :(

Anything else to discuss? I dunno. She pooed in the toilet a few days ago which is rad because it's one step towards her getting potty trained! Yay. Alright, that's all for now. Thanks for reading!