Henry's first soccer game

Last night Henry had his first soccer game. It was a lot of fun watching him and feeling like a "real" parent.

Henry did really well and seemed to enjoy himself. He mostly just ran with the pack of kids. He wasn't aggressive at all. If the ball came to him and no one else was around he would kick it, otherwise he would just keep running. It was pretty cute, especially when he was smiling and running at the same time.

During the game I pitched my chair on the corner of the field. The sun wasn't in my eyes and I was close to Henry if he needed me (he did get frequent drinks). I didn't sit by any of the other families which is fine; I was there to see Henry, not socialize. Still, maybe part of me is a bit antisocial. For instance, there is a kid on Henry's team that seems to have a bad attitude. Whenever he was at the corner of the field he always kicked the cones off from their respective spots. Once he kicked the cone almost at me. At this time his mother was right there and she didn't say anything. Later I quietly put the cones back, and guess what? He kicked them again. I felt that mother needed better discipline so I didn't talk to her. During the game there were some very energetic parents that were yelling and jumping. I thought that seemed a little too much, so I didn't sit by them. This is not very neighborly of me. Maybe I should adjust my attitude.

After the game Henry and I walked home and he seemed a little sad. He said he wanted to score a goal. He quickly cheered up at home with some hot chocolate.

Last night around 4AM Henry started crying and told us he peed his pants. He always wears a pull up to bed, but tonight he soaked it through (maybe it was the hot chocolate). He was crying and I stripped him and put on dry clean clothes. I put him in bed with Aaron and I. Immediately he stopped crying and said "this is awesome." We'll see if this happens again.

My holy grail

Last week I stumbled on something amazing. I was looking for co-ed volleyball and I got to Overland Park's co-ed leagues. I scrolled down to the volleyball part, but I noticed there was a part that said Women's Basketball. Wait, what? I scrolled back up and looked. There was a Monday night league with only women. I saw there were 8 teams and they started 2 weeks ago. Oh man, I just missed it. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I called the league coordinator and he suggested writing an e-mail to him and he would pass it to all the team captains, and if they needed an extra player they would contact me. I sent out the e-mail, and waited. Nothing happened. I guess everyone already had their teams. I could always do it next season. I wasn't too discouraged because before this, I didn't even know Women's basketball was an option here. But, then later, I got a call...

One of the team captains asked if I wanted to be on their team. Oh boy, would I? She gave me the logistics and I was to start playing on Monday night. The first game was at 9:30pm. This made for a very busy and long yesterday. After work Henry had soccer (see picture above). Then, I had my session with my personal trainer. I didn't want to cancel because it would be too short notice. In hindsight, maybe I should have. My trainer has been very impressed with my strength progression and promised to make this lesson harder. That he did. This time he taught me super sets, which is very exhausting. I felt that at the end of each set I could not even lift a pencil. After my session I read a book to Henry then went to my game. I went an hour early for check in and also a team meeting. I found my team pretty easily and they were all really nice. This whole night, I never got too anxious. I felt like aerobically I was ready, but I knew my basketball skills were sleeping. I was going to play good defense to make it up.

Pretty soon the game started. Quickly a girl on my team got fouled shooting and had free throws. On the second shot the ref said " has to hit the rim." I thought that meant the ball has to hit the rim to count, but apparently I was wrong. You are not supposed to move until it hits the rim. When I played before, you were able to move as soon as the ball left the shooters arms. Well I got out of the lane right away, the shooter made the shot, but it didn't count because of me. Whoops. Mistake. That's okay, brush it off, no problems. The next time the ball was in our possession I made a shot and it went in. 2 points! Woo! Maybe I redeemed myself. So, I guess technically I made our first points of the game (but it should have been the second).

In the first half we were playing man to man. I realized that maybe I wasn't in the shape I needed to be in. This was a lot more intense than my jogging or even circuit training. Maybe it was because I already worked out, maybe it was because we only had one sub, but I got tired. I wasn't too bad and kept up fine, but I had to limit my explosiveness. Later we changed to zone and I felt much better. Funny that my basketball skills weren't too bad but my aerobic capacity was my limiting factor.

During the game I scored 5 points, 2 shots and 1 free throw (1 for 2). Not too bad. The game was a blast! We ended up winning in double overtime. Very exciting. Everyone there (including the opponents) seemed to be playing for fun. That's exactly was I was looking for. Can't wait to go next week.

Trolley Run

This morning we had the Trolley Run and we all had a lot of fun. I'll give you a recap of Aaron and my run, then I'll show you pictures of Henry's run. Aaron and I got to the starting line a little early and got in our respective places. We were in the green group, which was the third group. I was excited to enroll in this race knowing we were not in the slowest running heap. At the start line we had to wait a little, and that is when things get a little nerve racking. You stand still, amongst other very athletic people. I was getting a little cold and a little nervous. I wasn't scared that I wouldn't finish (like other races), this time I wanted to make a good time for myself. Everyone told us this was a good, easy, quick race and I wanted to do my best. When it was time to go, we took off with the big crowd. At first the pace was a little fast, but it settled down at my goal. I wanted the first mile to be 10:30 and then take it from there. I felt I could hold that pace for 4 miles if I needed to, but if I felt good I could decrease the pace. The first mile went quickly and we ended up with 10:37. I didn't know that during the race because I didn't hear the little beep and wasn't looking for it, but I guessed it to be that amount. The next mile we held it back a little, but got faster as we passed downtown Brookside. It was nice there because the road was getting bigger and it was easier to run the pace we wanted without having to weave as much. We finished this mile at 10:13 and I still felt good. We kept our fast pace from the end of the 2nd mile and just continued. I followed Aaron's lead a little. Toward the end of the 3rd mile I was getting a little tired, but not enough to change pace. We finished the next mile with the astounding pace of 9:38. I am not an under 10 minute runner, so after this I knew we were doing good. For the last mile, I did have to push it a little just to keep Aaron's pace, but it was a good amount of push. The type of push you should have for races. We were closing in the last quarter of the mile when I saw the finish line. I also looked at my watch and saw that we were close to finishing under 40 minutes, but i knew I had to push it, so I did. The last bit was about an 8:00 minute mile. I was starting to feel more uncomfortable, breathing hard and a little bit queasy (not too much). Then, the finish line was above us and the race was done. I looked down at my watch and saw 39:59. Yes!!! We did it. A great pace and we finished the race. It was better than I hoped and I loved everything. After our race was Henry's race, but there was an hour wait until it started. Henry was excited to start which made it a long, long hour. For his race there was a small area of grass designated for the little kids races (age 1-6). There was a path around the kids area for the older kids. They could go half around (~ 1/4 mile ) or all the way around (~ 1/2 mile). Henry wanted to race on the path, so we let him. We lined him up with the older kids and we were off. I ran with Henry the first time and he did great. The other kids quickly passed him, but it did not deter him. When he crossed the finish line he got a ribbon. Immediately he wanted to do it again. Aaron ran with him the second time and then we went home. All in all a good morning.

PS If you want to see more pictures, you can visit our flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/henrywilliam

New Camera

We've been without a nice camera for a while. Graciously, Aaron's folks let us borrow one of their cameras that they don't use very often. It is a nice camera with a big lens in front. It feels weird to zoom by moving the lens, but I'll get used to since it makes pictures like this.

So Sporty!

Let's see, I guess this week started with Sunday night when Aaron played roller hockey. The next day Henry played soccer and I met with my trainer for weights. On Tuesday Aaron and I ran; on Wednesday Aaron and I took golf lessons and Henry had soccer and gymnastics. It was only 4 days, but we encompassed 6 different sports (if you consider weight lifting a sport). Can you believe how sporty this family is?

I'm going to break it down a little for you.

Last Monday was Henry's first soccer practice and he did so well. Afterwards he told Aaron it was "awesome." He listened perfectly to his coach and did all the soccer moves he was supposed to do. It was a lot of fun watching him. On Wednesday he again had a great time and seemed to be a little bit better at dribbling the ball. He's been wanting to play soccer in our backyard non-stop so we bought him a little soccer net and he loves it.

With my new clubs, we finally tested them out at our first golf lesson. It went really well. I have always been very inconsistent with my hitting and was looking forward to more instructions on the big swings, but we started with putting. I wasn't excited, but the instructor did well. He gave good pointers and had good drills that we could practice. He obviously knew his stuff. Next we moved to chipping, which is almost like the shot I wanted. I found this much more difficult, but again he would correct my form and swing. It is hard thinking of 5 different things I am supposed to do, but also keep relaxed to swing like a pendulum. I'm waiting for my muscles to get smart and just do the things they need to without me thinking about it. Still, I was having more success than normal and it was obvious Aaron was enjoying himself too.

Afterwards the instructor gave us the balls we were practicing with and said we could hit them off the tee (by ourselves because the instructor had another lesson). Now this is when I got excited. I took out my new driver, put the ball on the tee and let it rip. The ball soared!!!!! I was so excited (I'm might have said an expletive). The ball went really far (and a little to the right). I felt like it was the best hit I ever had. So, I put another ball on the tee, and you know what? The same thing. Good hit, a little to the right. I'm a golf genius! To be honest, I did have a couple of bad hits, but not nearly as much as I normally do. When we got back home Henry was jealous that he couldn't come and kept asking to play golf. We knew that we had to practice this week and it would be hard without Henry support so we bought him a little golf club. He loves it! Now we are a golfing family. I will show you pictures next time.

Besides the new sports, Aaron and I have been running frequently. Next Sunday we have a 4 mile race and Henry has a kids race. Should be fun. I'll let you know how things go.

I love sewing

I did it. I finally made myself a new wallet. Before I show you the new one, take a look at the old one. I made this about 5 years ago. It is made of synthetic leather on the outside and left over fabric on the inside. It was getting worn out and the magnetic button was not working.My sewing machine didn't like all the layers; you can see the irregular stitches.

Now on to the new. I picked a nice bright set of colors. Here is the finished product.

You can see I put the card holders perpendicular to the money opening. This will help the cards not fall out. The fabric is only cotton, so I put in interfacing. Unfortunately I do not think it will be enough to keep the wallet stiff. Also the magnet is super strong and eventually it might pull on the fabric. I might have to make another one in 6 months or so, but for now this is great.

I actually made a wallet cover out of squares that I didn't like so I started over. With the left over squares I made a new potholder! We've needed a new one for a long time. I will probably make some more in the next couple days.
It's always a good day when I get to sew new things.

A very productive day

Most of my blog posts don't have pictures. Our camera isn't working so I only have my cell phone camera. What comes out is usually a less than stellar picture, but it works. Today was my day off and was a busy and satisfying day. To answer my own question, I'm going to start playing golf. Today I officially have my own set of clubs. Take a look. I got them off craigslist and the women who sold them to me said she only played with them once. I believe her. These look new. Even though the bag is pink, it is actually pretty cool. It has a harness-type strap to help you carry the bag and there is a little spot that says cooler. I can't wait to use that part. I'm very excited for our first couples golf lesson. It should be in the next week or so. Yesterday I went to an upholstery store and bought some great fabric. I need a new wallet and was thinking of using it for making a new one. When I got home, I felt the fabric wasn't bright enough for a wallet but I thought it could make a good purse. I need a new purse; all I have right now is a little black one. After searching Etsy for a good design, I found one. This afternoon while Henry and Aaron were watching the Royals lose, I made this.

You can see my shoes and that can give you a little scale. It's nice for keys, wallet, cell phone and maybe a book. It was pretty simple and I am happy about the way it turned out, although, if I could do it again, I would make the handle a little thinner. The fabric is so thick my sewing machine didn't cooperate a few times. The bag is fully lined with a shiny pick fabric that I have had forever. It's always nice to use up old fabric. I really wanted to make a tutorial, but my phone camera was not doing well upstairs. Sorry. It was very easy: I first sewed the sides, then the middle stripe, added the lining and sewed on the handle. Well, I guess I didn't need a tutorial after all.

Tonight before Henry went to bed he asked what he should do. I told him to draw me. This is what he drew.

Isn't it great? I must tell you that all of the colors besides blue are bones. He made bones in my hair. I just told him he was silly. I made little pencil dots for the letters and Henry connected them. After he was done with drawing me, he was ready for Aaron...

This is a monochromatic version of Aaron. Henry said his head was like a moon. I couldn't agree more.

So there it is, our day. I guess I should mention that I also went to the dentist, Henry had gymnastics, we all went to the YMCA and had dinner out. Pretty good, huh?

Henry's big run

Yesterday was a beautiful day. When I came home from work I went to our backyard with Henry. For a while we just watched the birds. I wanted to go running and Henry was clinging to me and told me he didn't want to go. He gets this way sometimes, especially after weekends where he is used to having me around all the time. I asked him if he wanted to go running with me, and he enthusiastically said yes. Rob and Jenny graciously let us use their running stroller (again). We went to Loose Park. I fully expected Henry to run for a couple minutes and then get in the stroller, but I was curious how far he would want to run. We did some pre-run stretches (see above) and we were off. Henry did great. He would run for a couple of minutes and then take a drink of water and be off again. Every time we started running, we would have to get into the running stance and Henry would say "on your mark, get set, go!" Although, toward the end he started getting silly and said "peanut butter," "poop" or "pickles" instead of "go." I was so impressed, my boy ran 0.9 miles before he took a break. After that he played on the playground a little, then I pushed him in the stroller while I ran, then we walked together and went home. A perfect night where everything was right.

So many options

Ever since I helped Phil find a soccer team to play on, I've been looking for activities to do myself. The more I look into things, the more I find them. Here are my options so far.

1. Beginners running club. The KC Track group has a beginning runners group. The upside is that I could find runners at my same level and it would be nice to run in a group. The downside, it starts in June. That's two months away. I e-mailed the people in charge and they have a specific schedule. Apparently they start at 3 miles and work their way up to 6 miles. Sounds not to strenuous and maybe I could work on my speed a little bit.

2. Golf. My dad just found out I only work 4 days a week. How we missed this essential bit of information for over 7 months, I'm not sure. But his reply was that I have to start golfing then. Last time I visited MN we talked about a golfing trip to Alabama, but my dad said I would have to hit 170 yards to get it over water before we could do that trip. So, I need to start working toward that. When I was in junior high I took golfing lessons with Renae. I remember absolutely nothing about the actual instruction, but I remember we called the teacher "Dorky Dan." Alright, a little immature. I get it. I think I have grown up a lot in the last 15 or so years in my life and am ready to try again. First I need some golf clubs. I'm looking into this as we speak (craigslist). Second, I need to take lessons. There is a nearby golf place that Aaron took one lesson from before. That single lesson went fine, so I could try that place. In fact, Aaron is ready for a go again so will probably do couples lessons. The upside is that it could be a fun new hobby for Aaron and me. The downside is the cost of golf clubs and lessons.

3. Basketball. Well, right now this is not really an option, but I still want to do it. I have searched a lot of places and I cannot find any adult women's basketball. What is with this? I would be extremely happy if I could find something, I would even settle for co-ed. Basketball is a fun sport with a great workout. I'll keep looking.

4. Rugby. I played rugby for 2 years in high school and I really loved it. I found out there is a great women's rugby league here and at first it seemed really exciting. Definitely a good workout and good with my competitive nature. The down side is the time commitment. They meet 1-2 times a week and have games on the weekend. Sometimes they travel. With my work schedule and family, I don't know if I can do all that.

5. Biking. Ever since I've finished residency, I have wanted a nice bike. I assumed I would be biking to work, but my place is so close I walk it easily. Still, our practice will be moving and a lot of things in Brookside are a bike ride away (and not walkable). I found a great group of female riders here in Brookside that do it once a month and other places that do other rides. I know nothing about the dynamics in bike racing, but it sounds exciting. The downside to this is that I don't even have a bike. I'm thinking this could be later when I've "mastered" running and want to try something else.

Well, these are all my options. 2 weeks ago I didn't know any of them existed. Isn't this exciting? I'll let you know how it goes.

Henry vs Fireworks 0-2

Baseball season is starting, which means Aaron will try to watch, write and see as many games as possible. Last year Henry went to a Royals game and had a major meltdown because the fireworks scared him. He was still talking about it until a few weeks ago until I suggested ear plugs and suddenly he got very excited about going to a Royals game. This last Saturday was a double-header of sorts. First the Royals played the Angles (at least that's what Henry told me), then the Royals AA team played against the AAA team. Sounded good to me because everybody knows that this season the Royals are going to be bad, but they have some strength in their minor league teams, which means in a few years they could actually be great--- or good (we got to tone that down a bit, um they are the Royals after all). Looking at that statement I just made shows me one thing... I actually listen to my husband with his sports mumbo jumbo. Everyone does not know this, but I do.

Anyway, we bought a pair of ear plugs for Henry and he said they were perfect. We got to the stadium when the first game was ending and unfortunately for Henry, but fortunately for many fans, the Royals won. So what happens when the Royals win? Yup, fireworks. Henry had his ear plugs in, the crowd was loud and he never even heard the fireworks. But, he saw them! He seemed okay for a little bit and even gave me a thumbs up, but about 5 minutes later he was begging to go home. He said he didn't like the fireworks and acknowledged that he couldn't hear them. He said they weren't his favorite color. His whole body was tense and any time the announcer said anything, he clung closer. It's so hard. As a mother, I want to comfort him, but I also want to teach him that things are fine and that he is over-reacting and he needs to learn how to calm himself. As a person, I just wanted to enjoy the game. Both roles seem to fail and I gave up and took him home. Urgh, so frustrating.

Not sure where this leaves the future of baseball games, but outlook not good. It sounds so nice for Aaron to take Henry to an afternoon game while I'm working and they have good sporty bonding time. Guess it'll have to be Wii sporty bonding time for now.