Have Fun, Play Hockey Clinic

Lily and Trevor participated in the "Have Fun, Play Hockey" clinic at Lake Superior State. The Laker hockey team was on hand to run the clinic and help the kids learn how to play. Both kids had a lot of fun and worked really hard. No trouble getting them to sleep on this night. The video is of Lily puck handling. The pics are of the kids in the locker room, and Trevor getting help from Laker goalie Brian Mahoney-Wilson. He helped Trevor out a lot during last seasons clinic, too. We'll probably do this again next year, unless I can get them into a full time hockey program.

Walk This Way

Yes, it's true. At only ten months old Brian is up and walking like crazy. Looks like he's ready to steal second base in the big game. What an amazing kid. He is really smart, too, as he's learning all sorts of new things. Lily and Trevor are really into him and help out quite a bit. At this rate with Brian, we'll have MLB scouts hanging around in no time.

Skating With The Lakers-Again

This has been a tradition for the Laker hockey team for some years now, and it's always the highlight of the season for Lily and Trevor. The players are really good to them, and are always happy to get a picture or sign an autograph. The Lakers were wearing special pink jerseys as they were raising money to fight breast cancer. The kids were actually going to 'skate' this year, but didn't have time to get their skates ready before the game. They'll both be at the Lakers hockey clinic next month, so they'll get to skate with them then.

The Lakers won Friday's game 3-1, but dropped a 4-3 decision on Saturday. Here's my article from MiCHO:

http://michigancollegehockey.blogspot.com/2008/11/lakers-sink-during-pink-in-rink.html

Papa Joins Us For Hockey

Lily and Trevor were excited this week, as thier Papa came to visit from Cadillac and went with us to the hockey game. Brian played strange a bit, as he hasn't seen him since August, but warmed up after awhile. Papa treated us to dinner and was nice enough to buy new coats for his grandkids, as it's a blizzard up here now and winter is upon us.
The Lakers won Friday 2-0 and the Saturday game Papa was with us at 5-4 in a shootout. Here is my article from the MiCHO site:
http://michigancollegehockey.blogspot.com/2008/11/lakers-sweep-falscons-with-shootout-win.html

More Hockey For The Amigos

I felt brave and packed up all three kids for the Laker game on Sunday afternoon. All three kids were actually very good, and we had a great time watching hockey. This was only Brian's second game, but that didn't stop him from taking everything in. He didn't even really get scared when the Lakers scored and the horn went off. Top picture is of Lily and Trevor doing the 'chuck-a-puck' thing during the second period. I don't think we'll bring Brian to all of the games, but he'll get his share in this season. Lily and Trevor are just happy to be going to the games again.

The Lakers won 7-3, and won Saturday 7-0. Here's my article off of the MiCHO site:

http://michigancollegehockey.blogspot.com/2008/10/lakers-rout-exhibitions-foes.html

Oh, Canada

With so few nice days left up here for us to enjoy, Lisa and I packed the kids up and headed to Canada for the day. A lot of really nice color and weather was perfect for us to play outdoors. We ended up in Gros Cap just west of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. As you can see by all of the gratuitous pics of the fam, we all had a great time. Just east of the Sault (I had us going in the wrong direction on purpose, to see more of the sights), we were able to see a lot of the mountains and rivers around the indian reservation and stuff. Lisa and I want to get back up there by ourselves sometime to get some hiking or rock climbing in.

First NCAA Football Game Fun For Kids

Lily and Trevor enjoyed their first taste of NCAA Football this past weekend when they went to Mt. Pleasant to watch the Central Michigan Chippewas take on the Temple Owls. Papa has season tickets so we had no problem getting good seats for the event. Brought up on hockey and baseball, they really didn't know what to think of football at first, but ended up having a really good time after awhile. They liked the band and the half-time show. Lily, now being a cheer leader herself, like watching the college kids perform. After the game we got to go on the field and get some pictures. All in all, they had a fun day with Papa and Nana. We'll plan on getting them to another game next year, too. Oh, yeah, CMU won the game 24-14 which made it a bit more fun.

Laker Blue/White Game

The Laker Hockey season kicked off tonight with the annual Blue/White game. The kids were pretty excited, as we always have so much fun watching hockey together. We were happy that the Blue team won 3-1, as our friend Nathan was on that team. We got to spend some time with his parents before the game as they were up from Cadillac, too. We'll be missing the home opener next weekend, though, as we'll be down in Mt. Pleasant watching the Central Michigan football game. This will be the kids first football game so they're pretty excited about that. Stay tuned.

ESPN Tailgate Party

Tonight was the ESPN Tailgate party at LSSU before the annual Blue/White game. This wasn't as glamorous as the commercials made it out to be, but everything was free and the kids and I did have a good time. They got to run some obstacle courses and throw the football around. We also got some free hot dogs and drinks. That's always good when you've got kids. Running the course, Trevor looks like he could be a fullback, and Lily was throwing the ball really well. She seems to be a natural at everything she tries.

Skater Boy

Yes, Trevor has decided to take up skateboarding. He got a skateboard from Santa last Christmas, and we've been working with it a bit this summer. I guess I'll have to get one, too, and show him some 'sick tricks' I used to do when I was a punk kid. Hopefully, this doesn't put me in the hospital. Pictured is Trevor sporting his Tony Hawk gear (exclusively at Kohl's) and is board. More to come this weekend, to stay tuned.

L-I-L-Y The Cheerleader

Lily started her cheer leading lessons this week. It's part of the squad that travels to competitions and won a championship last year. I hope Lily can be part of this success, too. She's having a lot of fun, though, which is all that counts. I think it's called the 'All Americans' or something. I'll update the blog when I find out for sure. They're just doing basic stuff right now, before moving on to the pom-poms and uniforms.

Biker Gang

I really thought that teaching the kids to ride a bike would be harder than this. I must really be a superior biking mentor. Lily literally jumped on the bike and started to ride. Trevor got the hang of it after a bit of practice, too. I took them to the ball diamond down the street so they wouldn't be afraid of falling on the concrete. They both have bikes that are a little bigger, but needed this one to help them learn. This is perfect for keeping around until Brian is old enough to ride, too. Enjoy the video.

Hittin' The Links

Monday was Lily's 7th birthday, and for her big day she wanted to go 'real' golfing. So, being the good daddy that I am, I packed the family up and headed for the Soo Country Club. Both Lily and Trevor had a fun time, but like driving the golf cart the most. Yes, I gave them each a turn driving the golf cart. How brave is that? Lily takes after her daddy, and drove it pretty well, and Trevor takes after mommy a bit, so.....Anyway, they enjoyed hitting the ball and putting. We didn't get all nine holes in because it was getting late and cold, and we were getting hungry. Lily decided on Taco Bell for dinner, so our fun day ended with tacos and nachos bel grande.

Hockey....Already???

Yes, I know it's weird attending a hockey game in early September, but we'll take it. The last few days have seemed cold enough to be thinking of winter sports, too. This was the first exhibition game of the new Soo Eagles team of the NOJHL. Pullar Stadium is only a few blocks from the house, so this is great for us to be able to just walk to the games. I anticipate us going to a lot of games here this winter and even doing some skating here. We had a lot of fun and I got a game puck for Trevor. His little friend Sydney from school also came and sat with us, so it was a special night for him. The kids also got signed up for tap-dance today and Lily will start cheer leading in a couple of weeks, so no rest for us with summer coming to an end. Trying to find something else for Trevor to do, but he just might hit the gym with me while Lily is in her cheer leading class. Stay tuned, it'll be a busy fall and winter.

Bowling For Birthdays

Saturday was Trevor's 6th birthday, and for fun he wanted to go bowling. Hey, it's his day, so why not. As usual we ended up having a great time and this is something we will be doing more of in the future. Lily was beating everyone in the first few frames. Trevor did great, and had a good time, too. Lisa and I ended up tying for the lead, which was probably a good thing and avoided a fight at home. Sometimes we both can get a bit competitive. For Lily's birthday we plan on going golfing, so check back for the results of that little adventure.

Adventure Island Fun

Another fun day for us, but the rain finally came to ruin our fun. Before that, though, we were able to get in some go-cart racing and bumper-boating. The kids really liked the go-carts, but they weren't old enough to drive themselves. I drove Lily around and a worker drove with Trevor. I proved my superior driving skills by leaving the kid in the dust on my way to victory.

They both really liked the bumper-boats, too. Lily was a little more aggressive, blasting her brother whenever she had a chance. The rain came just after that to ruin our plans for putt-putt golf. We still had a great time and the kids got to spend more time with Nana and Papa in Cadillac. We'll get some more putt-putt in before the summer's end.

Brian's First Ballgame

What a fun weekend we had, and kicked it off by taking Brian to his first pro baseball game. We watched the Traverse City Beach Bums take on the Southern Illinois Minors. I think Bums got beat in the end, but we had such a good time it didn't matter. We spread out some blankets in the outfield and watched the game from there. This was a lot more comfortable for Brian, and Lily and Trevor enjoyed the playground they had in the ballpark, too. It really is a fan and family oriented place to watch a game. There will be a lot more game in the future for the 'Four Amigos'.

Working It

Just trying to work Brian into the website a little more. Here he is getting ready for hockey season (toughening up), getting ready to crawl up top. And right, well, he's just being a Momma's boy. Nothing wrong with that I guess.
He should be crawling very soon. He's up on his hands and knees, but

doesn't really know what to do from there yet. He can still pretty much get anywhere he wants to go either by 'scooching' himself or rolling. He's over seven months old now, but a big boy wearing 12 mo. clothes.
He'll be going to his first baseball game this weekend, as we're taking him to Traverse City to watch the Beach Bums.
He's such a good baby, but soon we'll have our hands full when he starts crawling even walking around. Time to stock up on the baby gates again.

A Good Night For Racing

Friday night I decided to take Lily and Trevor to the races in Kinross. We'd never been there before, so we didn't know really what to expect. We ended up having a great time as it was 'Kids Night'. They got free ice cream and were able to take a couple of laps around the track in one of the race cars. Trevor was a little upset he didn't win a free bike in the raffle, but other than that, he loved watching the cars go around. I can't stand nascar, but it's fun to watch the local guys down there. Maybe taking them again next week, and this time I won't forget the camera. Lily and Trevor in a race car would have made a great pic. Here's the official website:

http://www.kinrossspeedpark.com/

Fishing Tourney A Bust

Lily and Trevor got shut out at this year's fishing tournament on Rotary Island, as did many other kids. We only saw about four fish being caught, and only two of those were really worth keeping. Don't know if the older division kids had any better luck. We did have wonderful weather, and had a good time. There were so many screaming kids, the fish probably swam as far away as they possibly could. Lily didn't go home empty handed, though, as she won a new fishing pole and tackle in one of the raffles. They also got a coupon for a free ice cream cone at Dairy Queen, which magically makes everything all right.

All Good Things.....

As the old adage goes...all good things must come to an end. As has our Little League baseball season. Lucky for us, the rain held off this week and we were able to get both games in.

On Tuesday both kids did better at the plate. We played two innings and they both hit well. Lily was able to play first base in the first inning, so she got a lot of action there. She does a good job of getting in front of the ball. Trevor did a good job of fielding the ball, too, when he's paying attention. He's too much like his daddy, though.

Thursday was a fun night, too, but sad because of the final game. Lily and Trevor did well hitting the ball again. We played three full innings, so lots of chances to do well. Lily is back to hitting left handed and Trevor feels more comfortable hitting lefty, too. Lily was a little vacuum in the field, scooping up everything hit to her. Trevor finally got some balls hit to him in the third innings and did a good job. All the other kids seemed to play some of their best ball, too. It seems that just when they start listening and getting used to doing things the right way, the season comes to and end.

This summer was a dream come true for me. Coaching my kids and all of the other was a great experience. I'm glad I could be a part of their lives for a bit. I hope I can coach some of them in the years to come.

Putting In Petoskey

On our way back up north from our little trip down to Cadillac and Grand Rapids, we decided to take some time for putt-putt golf. We passed the Pirates Cove Adventure Golf in Petoskey last time we were down this way, and knew we'd like to go there when we got the chance. The kids really enjoyed all of the Pirate props and the shark. It was the funnest time we've had golfing together yet. It also helped break up the long trip home for us.

Fun Weekend At The Ballpark

Despite the Whitecaps losing both games over the weekend, Lily, Trevor, and I had a great time. We kicked off Saturday with lunch at Chuck E. Cheese's in Grand Rapids. The kids loved playing there and getting the 'prizes' with the tickets they won. We then headed to 5/3 Ballpark and immediately got in line to meet the Peoria Chiefs manager, former Chicago Cub legend, and Hall of Famer, Ryne Sandberg. It seemed to take forever (over and hour of waiting), but Ryno finally came out to greet his fans. Luckily enough, we were able to get some autographs (top picture) and we were the LAST ones before the game started. Tough game to watch as the 'Caps were shut-out, but a beautiful night for baseball and we enjoyed fireworks after the game.

On Sunday, the kids an I were able to get on the field for autographs. We got a free team picture before the game, so the team signed that for the kids. Pictured at the bottom is Lily in front of the West Michigan dugout. It was a hot day, but we survived and the kids even found the energy to run the bases afterward. Middle pic is of Trevor 'rounding third. All around fun weekend, and I hope we get a chance to get to another game before the summer is over.