Soccer Times Two

We have finally arrived into the season of life where both kids are in a sport at the same time this fall. Saturday's are full of soccer.

This is Shane's third year playing on a Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association team. He did have two seasons of pee wee soccer back when he was 3 and 4 years old, but we don't really count those since he sat on the sidelines most of the time. He's certainly come a LOOONG way since then. Each year we've seen him progress amazingly! From a little guy who didn't want anything to do with soccer to the kid who had a hat trick in his game today (hat trick = 3 goals in a single game).

Last year he was a defensive maniac. There wasn't any ball getting past him. He'd just boot it back down the field. This year he is still a defensive maniac and has really come into his own offensively as well. Last year he scored 1 goal the last game of the year. This year he's 3 games into the season and already has 4 goals in his pocket. He can hang with the best of the goalies as well, but prefers to be in a defensive or now offensive position.

Kenny coached his soccer team last year out of default since the team was about to be disbanded if someone didn't step up and coach. This year he is playing U10 and they are suppose to have referees provided by the league, so far that is hit or miss. Kenny refereed his game today. 

This kid is just every where on the field. He's really suppose to be in his assigned position, but continues to be a rock star every where. He's head is so deeply into the game and what is happening. 

 Goal celebrating! He's finally playing on a team this year with classmates and enjoying it that much more.

Goal #3 of the game for Shane. They won 7-1.  So far this season they have a loss, tie and win.

Shane and his best buddy, Collin, out on the field. 

Then there is Adalyn. Gymnastics really is her passion. We felt though that she should give a team sport a try this year. She halfheartedly said she'd give soccer a try. Thanks goodness for pee-wee soccer and only 7 days/weeks total!! They have a 30 minute practice followed by a 30 minute game once a week. 

She's done great getting out there and following the ball around the field. She's kicked it a couple times. Overall, she's not sure this is really her thing. We know it's not, but proud of her for giving it a try. 

 Warm up time is adorable!! 

At least she looks cute while she practices.

Game Time!!! 

Coach gave her the ball to kick, she's considering her move her. She also had the only thrown in of the game and rocked that. 

Our Saturdays are full and I don't mind it when the sun shines. Soccer and rain and I don't do so great. Only 6 game days left! But who's counting??!

Baseball AA Astros

This was Shane's 2nd year playing AA baseball with the Kirkland National Little League. He truly has a love and deep passion for the game of baseball. You could say it is in his DNA. Kenny managed the team for the first time in Shane's 5 year Little League career. Kenny started out being present and around the first couple years to help Shane with his anxiety issues. By his 3rd and 4th years Kenny was able to be an assistant coach as Shane didn't need quite as much 1 on 1 attention. This year manager's were needed and Kenny stepped up to take on the team. Through the chaos that a group of 12 1st-3rd graders brings, I think he was able to find joy and fun in the midst of all of that.

Many of the kids on the team were playing AA for the first time and 2 of the kids had never played baseball before. With those two aspects in play, this team grew SO much. Kenny really was able to teach them a lot of skills through the season. There were 8 teams in the AA level this year. The Astro's only lost 5 games, which were to the top two teams that consisted basically of all 2nd year AA players.

As they went into the playoffs we really had no idea how things would shuffle out. Lots of little things ended up making their playoff path very challenging. In the end though, they took on the two best teams and just about beat them both games (losing in the last at-bat to both of them). They were nail biting, adrenaline rushing, sore throat from cheering, flip-flops in your stomach kinds of games. Shane has some amazing skills as a first base man, pitcher and batting. Not to mention he can stop just about any ball behind home plate as a catcher.

I spent the majority of the baseball season keeping score and keeping track of Adalyn. I was able to catch a few pictures here and there. 

They look so calm and into the game in this picture. Don't be deceived, dug out duty was rough! Those boys have a very short attention span and spent much of their time spanking each others bottoms, dumping out water cups, or just plain making havoc.

This kid is either beaming ear to ear OR crying when he plays baseball. 

He takes each play, pitch and hit so deeply personally.

Little Father-Son pow wow while a new pitcher warms up. 

Adalyn spent baseball games running around with friends. 

She rarely had any idea what was going on with the game. 

After game wrap up. 

 

Shane got nailed in the lip by a foul ball when he was batting. 

He took got a little pep talk from Dad, a hug from Mom and jumped right back in to finish batting. He even got on base and made it home before he could get ice on his split swollen lip. 

No damage was done to his teeth, thank goodness!

End of the year awards. The kids had just lost a playoff game that they had fought so hard to win.

Gymnastics {2nd year}

Adalyn has completed her 2nd year of gymnastics classes at The Gymnastics Connection. It's a non-competitive gym which I really like. She truly LOVES gymnastics and has already asked me numerous times if she can take classes again in September. Her one summer camp she got to pick was a gymnastics one. She can't get enough of it!

They work on five different areas throughout the year. During the year end show they rotate through each station to show off their hard learned skills. Here are some highlights from the show:

 Bars

Beam

Her Coach Mags in the background clapping.  

Floor...they did a routine to a Micheal Jackson song. 

 My FAVORITE part of the routine, when they posed "bad". 

Cartwheel skills. She's come a long way on these! 

Vault

Trampoline 

We hope that next year she gives a couple team sports a try, but we'll let her roll on this gymnastics love as long as she wants.

Happy 9th Birthday, Shane!

This kid turned 9 last week! His birthday this year landed on the last Friday of the school year. It was a day full of friends, field day, and fun!

 

 

His birthday breakfast wish was waffles with strawberries and whip cream. When asked if he wanted to go out for his birthday dinner, he said, 'No, I'd like tacos at home'.

He opened his gifts before school. Sister got him Pokemon cards and a Pokemon book - his new obsession. We'll see how long the Pokemon phase lasts in our house.

Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Bob got him this Mariners jersey and matching shorts. He was SOOO excited about it. He even changed his planned birthday outfit instantly and worn the jersey to school instead. He has very particular clothing thoughts.

He followed his Mariner's jersey gift with tickets to a Mariner's vs. Astro's baseball game in July from Grandma and Grandpa Booth. Needless to say, he was one happy 9 year old baseball and Pokemon loving kiddo. He also received lots of other generous and loved gifts from family and friends.

After school Shane had a friend from school (and they played on the same baseball team this year) come over for a sleepover. They were so awesome together. I pretty much wanted to sign Maddox up for a sleepover every night.

We are so proud of whom Shane is growing up and becoming. He is a passion filled kiddo, which can lead to challenges and has been challenging over his 9 years of life. As he gets older and he channels his passion into school, friends, baseball, and hobbies, we all live in harmony a lot more often then not. We look forward to enjoying him in his last year in single digits as he heads off to 3rd grade in September.

CrossFit {1 year anniversary}

A year ago this week, I walked into CrossFit Kenmore. I had butterflies in my stomach. My palms were sweaty. I was terrified and equally as excited to see what this CrossFit thing was all about.

It had been years since I had regularly worked out, if you don't count all the hours I had spent chasing after kids. That big 40 was in the back of my mind and my kids were starting to be more self sufficient. It felt like it was my time to embrace some new healthy life style habits. I was so tired of "crashing" at 2pm from either poorly eating or shear exhaustion. I knew I couldn't get into the gym more then twice a week. Work, kids, schedules just wouldn't allow it. I decided that if I could give 2 days a week, it was so much better then none at all. Since I step foot into CFK a year ago, I've worked out twice a week every week. Through illnesses, conference weeks.crazy schedules, vacations....I've gotten a workout in. It may not be ideal, but it's better then not going at all.

I had several friends that posted about their CrossFit journeys and I was very intrigued by them. I even worked in Redmond across from a CF gym for two years. I listened to their loud music and watched as they would flip tires, run laps and do a variety of  other things that looked like sheer torture. I hated running, and these people did A LOT of running. How the heck could CF work for me?

I decided to just jump in. I spent 5 sessions learning CF basics and then was let loose with all the other CFers. Man, those first few times, and even the first few months, I still walked in with butterflies. I am by no means a natural at some of this stuff. Snatches!?! Oh my! A year later I may just slightly be getting better. You want me to squat while I do that!? I still can't even make my body do that. A pull up?! You want me to do 10 all on my own. Thank goodness for bands. That huge thick blue band I needed to do a pull up with a year ago. This week I did 2 strict pull ups with the a skinny purple band, the smallest one at the gym. I can't do a pull up on my own yet, but I'm getting closer.

Running...that was an evil word to me. Even married to a guy that has run every single day for almost 12 years now. My body just flat out didn't like doing it. I can now run a mile with out really thinking twice about it. I'm not the fastest runner, but heck...I can run a mile!! I could barely run 400 meters when I started with out calling it quits.

I've dropped 10 pounds and I am stronger then I've probably ever been in my life. I don't have what I like to joke as "resting muscle". Those muscles that just sit there even when you are not flexing. I've got a decent biceps and triceps when I flex though. Those "resting muscles" are on my to do list. I'll get there.

About a month into CFing, I decided if I was going to be working my butt off as hard as I was twice a week, then I sure wanted to put better food into my body. Kenny agreed to do the Whole 30 challenge with me. From there we've morphed into a Whole 30/Paleo diet and have continued eating that way for about 10 months now. Getting rid of grains was a big deal for me. I didn't even realized how bad they were making me feel until maybe 6 months off them. I now like a sugar fix here and there. I also have a touch of diary now and again. Overall though, my eating habits have changed drastically and I don't "crash" any more during the day.

I've met a lot of great people at CFK. I love the challenge and versatility of CF. I love that I can modify it to work for me and where I'm physically at. I love to see my improvements and successes. Not every day is my best work out. I've left in tears, feeling so ticked off at my body for not getting it. Most days though, I walk out ready to take on the world.

I have "before" and "after" pictures. Though I don't think you can see a lot of changes between the two. It was a quick after thought one morning a year ago when I asked Adalyn to snap a quick picture.

 A year ago at the beginning of my CrossFit adventures.

A year later. You can't see it, but I'm feeling way more fit!