A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

Good evening everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the week and what feels like the proper start to Fall. It was a busy week, with an even busier weekend but we'll get to that part soon. Wednesday, we had a mostly successful practice. The girls learned how to do "fake-outs", some first-touch shooting and played a game of "sharks vs minnows". All in all, fun time and they were prepared for their upcoming match. Friday, Mia begged me to join her for lunch/recess so I did. When her class came down the hall, her face lit up like a light bulb. She was so stoked that I remembered to come. We had lunch wit her and her crazy friends that were all telling me stories at once. It was intense. I felt like a cat trying to follow a moving flash light spot on a wall. Mia said when we sat down "Oh, you have GOT to come to recess, okay?" Sure why not. Before lunch was over, her friend and fellow teammate Cecilia asked me a couple times "CAN I PLAY STRIKER SATURDAY!!??" Yes, oh sweet pint-sized one.

Recess was crazy. The girls threw around a football a bit before playing duck-duck-goose. It was a beautiful day and she truly appreciated that I could join her. Saturday was a busy day, that she was looking forward to all week. Not just her soccer game, but Family Sci-Fi day AND Auntie Leanne was coming to town. First, we had to get her to team picture day with her team. One by one, the girls arrived at the venue ready for their pictures. We were only missing one kid, but we'll do another team photo at the last game with their medals. The kids did well and listened and after, we met at the field for warm ups. I had our goal scorer Kylee do some passing to her teammates to get them to shoot.
Then, it was game time.

My starting line up was a bit different. I started Cecilia as striker instead of Mia so she could get a good idea on how things should go up front. Kylee and Cecilia worked well together and Kylee started tallying up some goals. Defense played well, holding their positions and clearing out the ball. One almost got a goal when she took a turn up front. Half time, I had Kylee in the back while some of the younger less-experienced players take a stab at strikers. Some did well, others were lost at times, but in the end, all had a great time and we won 4-3. Everyone played well and are looking forward to their next game. Wednesday is practice, but I have to keep an eye on the weather because I heard there are possible storms coming.

After wards, we jetted home, quickly changed into our Star Wars costumes and went to the Family Sci-Fi Day at Discovery World. We had an absolute blast. There were a pair of stormtroopers greeting guests outside so we quickly snapped a picture with them. Mia ran into school friend Ryan and her family, so we hung out with them. It was nice that she got to spend time with a friend at the event. The kids got as many pictures with the different characters as possible including Kylo Ren (who stabbed me after I took the picture), some sort of snow bounty hunter, Darth Vader, R2D2, Luke Skywalker and more. They checked out the different weapons and played with the wide variety of scientific things. They loved all the Legos and before we left, we went to a lightsaber bat lit talk about which weapon is cooler. They didn't care for that as much and were bummed they missed the Lightsaber 101 class due to their earlier soccer games. All in all, they had some much fun. I sincerely wish I could get some trooper armor and participate in the charity work they do. I imagined how fun it'd be to direct traffic at Mia's school since the drivers rarely see kids trying to cross, or playing wit the kids at recess as a trooper. We stopped over to say hi to R2 again before meeting up with Jill, Tommy and Leanne. A quick visit to the beach and we headed home.

Later, we went to the China Lights for a 2nd year. Great lights, super crowded and very cold but overall, fun time. Sunday, Jill, Leanne and Mia went pumpkin/apple picking while I went to work.

This week, hopefully a practice and Mia's got an 11:30 match. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Good evening everyone. Hope you all enjoyed what could be the last bit of "abnormal" weather. If I remember correctly, the day my best friend got married in October, it was in the upper 80's so it's not completely baffling that it's been pretty warm. The week was pretty busy as well as the weekend. Wednesday I had practice after school for the girls. I made an attempt to go over positions and where I want the girls to be, and for the most part. they got it but we'll get back to that later. I had them do some drills and another scrimmage.

Friday, Mia went to a school dance. She said it was fun and she was glad to hang out with some friends. After work, I headed over to my friend's apartment. Him and his wife were planning on going to move to Florida, but after the hurricane came through, they changed their plan and are going to Madison for an undetermined time. It was fun hanging out with old college friends for a few hours. Couldn't stay too long. Early to rise for the last of our 8:30 matches. Mia woke up excited for the game. I knew the hot weather would be rough and hoped the early start time would mean it wouldn't be as unbearable as it was, but the girls were still melting out there. They were already kinda bummed to have to wear blue pinnies since the other team were wearing pink as well.  I gave them mist bottles to cool off when they were on the bench. The first half started out well. Kylie was netting goals like usual. One was what she referred to as a "long distance shot". Things started to slip soon after our 3rd goal. Our defense was all over and it was an off day for our keeper Antwita. She mostly did quite well but had a few mistakes which had them leading at the end of the 1st half 4-3. 2nd half I tried to mix things up. Switched keepers and had my lead striker in the back. Didn't work out. Scarlet started out okay but let in some easy goals causing me to once again switch keepers and put Bella in for her first ever time at goal. Didn't work at all. None of them were talking and Kylie, who I moved back to striker couldn't get the support she needed. They put in several more goals ending the match 3-9. Our first loss. Mia was completely out of it most of the game but the one that surprised me most was her friend Cecilia. She played very hard and was giving high fives to fellow teammates. She may have been bummed they lost, but she was running hard. Addison returned from a two week trip but struggled to get herself into the game. At practice, we have to work on communication, passing and taking shots when given the chance. Mia had a couple good ones that she could have blasted in, but she sorta backed off. Throughout the game, Mia and Cecilia when they were on the bench, were actually making plans for the evening. We were invited for a bonfire later.

After the game, we hit up the library for a book sale. Mia got some books and we went back home to relax the rest of the day till the bonfire. Mia kept asking all day "when do we get to go?" Finally when the time arrived and we got to the house. her friends Cecilia and Hayden came sprinting to our car in their jammies. They actually wanted her to sleep over. Mia's still pretty nervous about it, but really wants to try it some time. They played, made Smores. and later we went home. Jill was feeling pretty lousy and did her best to stay social. but her sinuses were really acting up. Mia was bummed she had to leave as well as her friends but we'll do it again hopefully soon.

After we got home and the girls went to sleep, I watched the Chelsea vs Stoke match. Fantastic match. Morata getting his 1st hat trick and Pedro's goal was stunning. Glad they're doing well.

Sunday, Jill was feeling better. We hung outside a bit, Mia read in the grass and before long it was time to go to work. This week, we've got practice, Mia's got Picture Day and a game Saturday and immediately after, we're changing and going to the Star Wars day event at Discovery World. Mia and I are both dressing up and she couldn't be more excited. With the cooler temps, I hope that helps our team get back on track and win. Leanne is coming into visit so they'll probably do the pumpkin patch Sunday at the Elegant Farmer. That's all for now thanks for reading!

Surprises, Soccer and Summer-like Weather

We're fully in swing of the school year with the added bonus of dance and soccer. Phew. Mia survived her 1st full week of school. It's definitely different for the diva. Homework (math) is a bit more difficult which has caused a bit of headache at times but I think she'll figure it out like she always does.  Wednesday, I watched Suicide Squad while working on art. It was okay. Later I went to lunch/recess with Mia. She had rough start to the day so I surprised her. Lunch was fun and recess was as well. Good to see some of Mia's friends again. She was ecstatic that I could join her and hopes I can do it again. 

Later, we had practice like always. I brought some pinnies that didn't seem to fully help out during scrimmage. We worked on a drill or two which mostly helped prepare for their 2nd game. Friday, the team received a new player who joined us for our 2nd game. They had a 9:30 match that I was really running late for. Luckily I found our new player, got her suited up and the kids were ready to go. Didn't get to do much warm ups, but when I arrived at the field, they were shooting on net with some parents. The game was off and running. Kylie picked up a goal early that soon after, they equalized. At the time, I thought this could be a tricky match. She pulled 3 more goals throughout the game which gave us our 2nd win. At half time, I switched keepers and had Kylie play a back position with my other older kid who plays back to give Scarlet a little help. It worked well and later I had Kylie come back out and join Mia as a striker. Mia's getting better but gets pretty nervous when the opposition comes at her. Our new player Aleeza did well and we'll work on developing at practice. The team still struggles with communication, but will get better. The weather was warm but most handled it well. She played against neighbor friend Izzy and buddy Lydia. Both are excellent. 8:30 match this Saturday. Hope they can continue to work hard and get another win. Would love to see other girls getting goals as well. Mia got to say hi to her best pal Olivia when we were heading out. She had a game right after ours which drew 0-0. Her team will be tough to play against in October.

We relaxed the rest of the day, did some cleaning and had my parents over for dinner. They brought their latest feline Chelsea to see how she'd do when they fly to Vegas. It didn't go well for her and Marie so I'll be feeding her while they're gone.

Today I got up early to watch the Chelsea vs Arsenal game. 0-0 draw. Lack of urgency at times and Arsenal was falling and diving over everything. Hazard came in the 2nd half but couldn't pull back any signature goals that he can blast. Conte is still cautious of using him clearly. They play an FA cup match Wed that I don't know if I'll get to watch it. 

This weekend, soccer game at 8:30 in the morning.  That's all for now. Thanks for reading! 

Kickoff

Good evening! Wow, what a week it was. Mia started school on Tuesday. The bright-eyed bushy tailed girl could barely sleep Monday night but luckily, was able to get up and get ready for that 1st day. She excitedly put on her Harry Potter shirt, Descendents pants and fashion boots, met her friend Noelle, and was off to school. She gave us our hugs and kisses goodbye and was on her way running in with Noelle to her class. First time there wasn't tears from Jill. The drop off last year was a bit more of an event for all the kindergarten parents but this year, poof, that was it. Easy peasy. I wouldn't see the diva till the next morning but Jill had left work early to pick her up.

Along with that, she started her new dance class, which involves ballet, tap and jazz. She had a great 1st day at school, and funny enough, when she saw what they were doing, she said to herself " oh its gonna be a LONG day" but she informed us that the day went by really quickly. She got to reunite with friends at lunch and recess which was her favorite part.

The next day when she was walking with Noelle, Charlie's Mom stopped by and dropped her by. The BFF missed the bus so Mia had the rare treat of walking with two friends. Awesome! I was stoked to be off so I could pick her up and have our first after-school practice. Once again, great day and she was super excited to go to practice. We held our 1st scrimmage. Sadly, we were short a girl so it was a bit difficult to work on positioning but for the most part, they got the gist of how things run in a match. The rest of the week, I was a bit worried going into the Saturday morning match.

Saturday came, and luckily, Mia was excited and got up at 7:00am. Both sets of her Grandparents plus Uncle Tommy came too. All of my girls showed up excited for their 1st game. Kylie dribbled around the defense and netted our first goal early in the 1st half. Throughout the game, I was subbing as much as I could. One girl, Addison was a bit nervous to go in and wanted to wait. No problem. Kylie got a 2nd goal from a very tricky angle when she caught their keeper out. AWESOME! Scarlet let one goal in to get them on the board. The girl kept forgetting to use her hands. She didn't like how wet the ball was :P.

At halftime, I switched her out with Antwita who's one of my 2nd graders. I tell you, I've never seen a more fearless kid playing goalkeeper in my life. She dove for every ball within 3 feet of her. Kylie picked up her 3rd goal to get her very first hat trick of the season. The Eagles pulled another lucky goal passed Antwita bringing the score to 3-2. Luckily, Kylie pulled back another one finishing the game 4-2. Great game by all. It was a 1st game in any competition for a lot of the girls out there. Mia was desperately trying to get a goal. She would get hung up trying to get space and had an issue with a free kick actually kicking the ball forward. All were smiling after the match and all deserved their after-game brownie from Cecilia's Mom Andrea. I'm totally proud of Antwita killing it in net. If she loves playing the position, I'll keep her there. Her Mom informed me she played keeper last year as well. It was cool to see the crowd cheering for every save.  Mia had the most fun ever. She never wanted to come out and was sad when the match was over. "Bud Dad, I don't wanna wait another 7 days for another game". Luckily, the next one won't be as early.

This week, I've got another scrimmage set and even though Addison will be M.I.A. for a few weeks, we'll work on some game stuff. I'm really enjoying coaching and I'm quite glad the girls were listening as much as they could during the game. Jill and my parents went to the Farmers Market after wards while I took the diva home to relax. Jill had to do some work later so Mia and I hung out till we met them for lunch. Later, Mia and I went over to Noelle's house so the diva could play till it was dinner time. For some reason, she ran ALL the way from our house to hers. She played with Noelle, Addison, Katelyn and Cora. The kids are always fun to watch. Later, we made pizza for dinner and Mia fell asleep watching for a 2nd time. I missed the Chelsea vs Leicester match but I saw they won and watched the highlights later. Great game. Another 3 points. Quakes lost badly though.

Sunday, Jill and Mia dyed their hair. Mia's now sporting a very ocean-y blue and Jill's bright red. After I went to work, Jill and Mia went to the in-laws to make gummy bears/worms.

This week, Mia's got dance Tuesday after school and practice Wednesday after school. Saturday's match is at 9:30 so we hope to keep up the hard work. We were incredibly lucky that Mia's been able to get moving and not be running late so far for school. I think it helps that she can walk to school with her friends. That's all for now.

Thanks for reading!

Last Week of Summer

Good evening everyone. VERY late getting this out. Just got back from chalk drawing before all of the kids go back to school. A bunch of parents were meeting up today to draw inspiring words for the kids return to school. I drew a large BB-8 with "May The Force Be With You" on the sidewalk. Sat outside for an hour keeping a keen eye for police. I think for the most part it turned out alright.

Monday I had a flat tire after work. Great. Luckily it was an easy patch and only took an hour out of my day. Mia had her soccer practice Wednesday. 2 hours before practice she was already wanting to go SO badly. We spent most of my day off getting any last minute school supplies we missed on the list. Practice went great. A short one since it was also Open House. I had the girls work on one touch shooting, red light-green light for ball control and some passing while calling out each others names to whom you'll pass to. Sorta worked. This week will be a scrimmage before their very first game.

Open House went well. Mia got to see where she'll sit on her first day back and meet the teacher. She also got to see who is all in her class. She is beyond excited. As bummed as I am to see Summer go, I can tell Mia really needs to get back to a routine. She'll be starting dance this week as well in her 2nd level. Jazz, tap and ballet. Hope she doesn't burn herself out.

She played with friends in the neighborhood on Thursday before I went to work. Beautiful day to spend those last few days having fun. Saturday, we shopped and got her new shoes for dance. Luckily we should be able to sell the old ones since they're in good condition.

Mia had been begging to go ice skating for at least a week so despite only getting about an hour in, we drove to Eble and her and I skated. Plenty of figure skaters practicing and a couple kids trying for the first time. This kid LOVES to skate. Her double blades are officially too small on her and she'll probably be moving to single blades by winter. She's not excited about it, but they don't make doubles in bigger sizes. Plus, she's going to have to learn somehow. It'll be a new challenge probably harder then her learning how to ride on 2 wheels but I'll help her along the way like I always do.

Throughout the week, I've been looking into what it would be like doing a shark diving expedition with my buddy who we'll be visiting in Hawaii. It looks hella fun. I think the fear of "you just don't know what sharks will be there" and thrills of swimming in the open ocean gets me pretty excited. We've also been looking at AirBnBs still trying to find the best one for the price. Hopefully we can decide on one in the near future.

This week, first day of school tomorrow followed by dance after. Practice Wed. FIRST game Saturday which will occur during the CFC/Leiscaster match. Hopefully Chelsea can continue winning. My bro leaves for Disney this Friday so hopefully he avoids the hurricane. Have a great week and thanks for reading!

Dribbling Divas

Hello everyone. A little over a week before school starts. So much going on and leading up to it, so let's get right to it. Mia lost her 6th tooth! Can't believe how many she's lost. Monday was the solar eclipse. We didn't get the best weather in the area for it but eventually after I went to work, Mia did from my parent's sun room. Awesome. Won't see the next one for several several several years so I'm glad Mia could catch it. Tuesday was Picture Day. Mia dressed up in her Harry Potter shirt and Descendants leggings with fashion boots. Took a total of 5 seconds to nail a couple pictures of the diva and we were on our way. On the walk down to the driveway, Mia insisted I take a picture of her pretending to hold a wand so that "Daddy can Photoshop me with Harry Potter images". So I did. Later before work, I worked about 10-12 minutes on an image that Mia thought turned out pretty rad.


Wednesday was Mia's very first team practice. She was pretty excited all day about it. Eventually, it was practice time and she was eagerly excited to meet all of her new teammates.  She ran out on to the pitch and with the first kick in her new Adidas boots she yells out "OH MY GOSH THESE CLEATS FEEL AMAZING!!" Scarlett was the first one that showed up and immediately, Mia and Scarlett ran around kicking and chasing the ball. One by one the team showed up with a familiar face that Mia was stoked to see: Cecilia. All 8 girls came to their first team practice. Awesome. No one dropped out. We did some basic passing having the girls partner up and pass to each other. After a few minutes, they switched partners and continued. The idea was to have them be familiar with each other. I'll be doing some more passing exercises this week. After that, they once again in partners, came down the pitch and passed to each other ready to shoot on me. We later added a defender and keeper. It sorta worked. After that, I had them practicing throw-ins. They'll obviously need to know this before their first game in a couple weeks. One of the last things we did was dribble around the cones and shoot on a keeper. They liked this one but will have to work on shooting as soon as they can instead of waiting 15-20 seconds. One of my favorite moments was when Mia and Cecilia asked me "so like, when does the OTHER team show up?" Sorry girls, we've got practices first before a match.

Overall, great first practice.  Some great talent on the team that I'll have to figure out the best way to utilize at matches. I handed out uniforms and we'll meet for a short practice this week. I'm going to work on the girls passing while calling out teammates names. I think we'll do 1st touch passing in this exercise in a circle group. I also want to have the girls run up to a ball as I pass to them and have them shoot directly to the goal. Another 1st touch exercise. Plus, we'll get to see who will work best in goal.

Mia and Cecilia played a bit before we left for the day. Mia and Jill were starving for some MOD pizza so we made a stop there for dinner. Later, we met up with my parents at Yo Mama for some frozen yogurt. Delicious! Always a great selection there. Friday night when I came home from work, Tommy was hanging out and gave me a late bag of presents. Thanks man! The weekend went pretty quick. Saturday, Jill, Mia, Tommy and their parents drove to the Jelly Belly Factory after a quick family photo. We haven't done one of those in a long time. My bro Andy and I went to the Torrent game. Last friendly to end the season. The good guys defeated Milwaukee Sport Club 1-0 to end the season on a high note. It wasn't always the best results this season but I was always there to support them. Hopefully with a whole bunch of new things coming for the team, the attendance will grow and they can develop talent and finish better. After wards, we went to the bar for a beer before heading out.

This morning I got up early to watch Chelsea beat Everton 2-0. Great game. Solid result and I look forward to the next one. Quakes toppled LA in the Classico 3-0 as well. After work tonight, I came home to find Mia learning Photoshop with Jill. She helped her touch up pictures for work.

This week is Open House for Mia. Tomorrow morning she's hanging out with an old friend from her pre school. Should be fun. Hoping we can enjoy the last week of Summer Break before next week's start to school.

That's all for now thanks for reading!

Magic At Her Feet

Afternoon everyone. Another busy week in the books and plenty to discuss. I was off Tuesday for the NBAA (or New Berlin Athletics Association) coaches meeting. Mia sat well but was pretty bored. Even with her Kindle. Sigh. When I used to get forced to go to meetings with my Dad, I had to settle for a yellow legal pad and pen and would sit alone for at least an hour or more. They gave me her roster, equipment and uniforms for the season. That day I had learned at least 4 of Mia's friends signed up for the Minis Girls soccer team. Luckily , one of the 4 landed on her team. Cecilia. Bien! Both girls are super stoked. I've got a team of 8 girls total. 4 from Mia's school and 4 from Poplar Creek school about 10 minutes away. After the meeting, I grabbed my bin of uniforms. Not only are they pink but all of them have numbers. Mia's super stoked and picked out #10 to match Eden Hazard. When we got home, she immediately put it on (minus the socks) and was playing soccer with the neighbor girl Izzy. She'll be playing as well so the two girls will probably play against each other. Both kids have great passing skills.

Earlier that day, Mia and I went to the park and she brought her scooter. The kid, who not too many months ago couldn't balance both feet on it, was bombing down the little hill behind Malone Park playground. Very proud of her. That night I was going to bed, Mia threw up twice. Once on me. Poor kid had a stomach bug but didn't want to tell us. WHY? The next day. she felt better and had a couple of friends over to play. She got to show Cecilia the new uniform and she loves it. First practice is set for this week. The girls watched at least 10 minutes each of 4 movies while playing before Hayden's Mom came to grab them. Mia was so tired from the night before when she wasn't feeling good, she took a couple naps. Friday night after work, I watched Deadpool after finishing some art for Mia's lunch notes. Great movie. Better than last nights movie Sausage Party. I had planned to watch the Quakes vs Union match but couldn't get a live streaming of it :(

This morning, I ran over to my parents house to watch Chelsea take on the Spurs. Super nervous going into the match but the Blues successfully won at Wembley 2-1. Great job and effort from Alonso. He totally saved the own goal from Michy.

This week, Monday is the big solar eclipse and Mia finds out which teacher she'll get. Tuesday is Picture Day. First practice is Wednesday and the last Torrent game of the season is set for Saturday. Should be great time. I believe my brother Andy is coming too. That's all for now, thanks for reading!