Lily Learns from Lady Lakers

Lily had fun today at the Lake Superior State's Winter Softball Clinic. Lily attended all day on Tuesday, having a pizza party for lunch.

The clinic helped the girls with thier throwing, fielding, and hitting. The older girls were able to touch on pitching and base-running.

I was able to watch Lily in the batting cage where she proved her superiority. I was beaming with pride after watching her pound line drives back over the pitcher's head. The above video doesn't really do her justice as to how well she was stroking the ball. She's used to hitting a baseball, so seeing a softball thrown at her must have seemed huge.

We'll be heading back to the college as usual this winter with Trevor in tow, working on some baseball skills and having some fun. They did get to play around for awhile after it was over.

We're Thankful For Hockey

Papa and Nana came to visit from Cadillac this weekend for an early Thanksgiving. Tomorrow we'll be up to our eyeballs in turkey and stuffing. Tonight, though, we're thankful for hockey and the chance to be together. The game sucked, as the Lakers blew a two goal lead to lose in overtime. The kids and I still had fun, though, and Papa keeps spoiling them rotten.

We'll be heading down to Cadillac next weekend to visit more family down that way. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. We'll be back at a game soon, I hope.

Trevor Gets Blue Ribbon in Cub Scouts

Trevor got a blue ribbon for his 'Genius Kit' entry last night at the Cub Scouts pack meeting. The kit contains basically garbage, paper, and 'odds & ends' that the kids have to create something out of. Trevor picked the 'space' theme, and we made an alien and his ufo landing in the woods. Everyone in the family pitched in and helped with this (except Brian, who does more 'destruction' than 'construction'). Cub Scouts is new to us, so we're just getting into the type of activities we'll be doing. I can't wait until the car derby race thing when we make our own little car. I might get a tad competitive on that one. That month Trevor won 3rd place for his 'space cake' that Lisa helped him make. He doesn't really care where he places, he just has fun with whatever he's doing and is happy to get something. He's a great kid, and I think Cub Scout will bring out a lot of his positive attributes.

Lily Earns Stripe In Kuk Sool Won

Lily passed her testing in her Kuk Sool Won class to earn a yellow stripe on her belt.

This is just a small step for her, as I anticipate we'll have many more memories like this in the future. It was really a nice ceremony as they honored all in the class that moved up. Afterwards they provided a pizza party which Trevor and I really enjoyed.

Lisa and I are so proud of all of the hard work Lily has put into this. This is good for her self-esteem as she continues to impress. Most importantly, though, is that she is having a lot of fun. Her master is very nice and patient with all of the kids in the class. Expect many more pictures of Lily in the future.

Vetrans Honored at Hockey Game

This is not the way you want to see a local 23 yr-old soldier come home. Specialist Brandon Steffey was killed over in Afghanistan by an enemy IUD. He was honored at the Soo Eagles game on Saturday. Also in attendance was the National Guard unit that will be departing for Iraq in a week or so. It was a sad way to spend the weekend, but makes me thankful for all that I have and that I have the opportunity to spend this time with my kids while our armed forces make these sacrifices.

As far as the game goes, we did have a good time. The Eagles got spanked 5-2, but Trevor got a game puck so all was good (it actually hit him in the leg). They also got to play with their friend Sydney again, which is becoming a good habit for them.

Pictured is the National Guard, the banner honoring Steffey, and the kids with the game puck. The Lakers are in town the weekend of the 20th, so we'll try to make that game.

Sunday Afternoon At the Rink

It was a nice Sunday afternoon, so the kids and I headed to Pullar Stadium for the Soo Eagles game. The kids can sill ride their bikes (no snow..yet). We had a lot of fun as usual, and the kids got to play with their friend Sydney who we always run into at either the Eagle or Laker games.

At home the kids were playing around in their Halloween costumes and, being Dad, told them to put them away before they ruined them. They were good and did as they were told. They put on hockey jerseys for the game. We got there only to find out that kids could get on the ice during the first intermission if they had costumes on. Way to go, Dad. They were pretty easy on me, though. Wish I would have known that ahead of time.

Good hockey game as the Eagles beat Blind River 5-4 in a shoot-out. Halloween next weekend, so I don't think we'll make it to any games. More soon, though.

Great Time At Lake State Weekend

It's Great Lake State Weekend up here in the Soo, and, well, that really doesn't mean a whole lot because we live here. Papa and Nana came to visit yesterday, though, and after a fun day with them we capped it off with Laker Hockey. It was a good game as the Lakers won 5-4. All the horn blowing gave Lily a headache, though, so maybe I'll bring her some ear plugs next time. Trevor had fun, too, and they both got ice cream after the first period.
Papa and Nana spoiled the kids and bought them new coats and boots. Even Brian will be out in the snow this year. He was pretty fussy at dinner, but Momma took good care of him. More hockey for the amigos in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we'll get our camera working by then.

My Karate Kid

Lily has joined Kuk Sool Wan and is doing very well. Trevor tried it for a week, too, but decided to go with Cub Scouts instead. Lily is getting a lot of praise from her Master and seems to be grasping the concepts well. She's already learned a lot of moves, and can count in Korean. It will be fun to see where she goes with this and how far she can advance.

She has this twice a week, so lots of time for practice. Trevor and Brian usually accompany me when Lily is kicking around the gym.

First Hockey Game of 09-10

Saturday the kids and I put on our short sleeves and shorts and rode bikes to the hockey game. No, this we didn't go watch the Florida Panther, the Tampa Bay Lighting, or even the teams in Texas or Phoenix (yes, they have NHL hockey their thanks to the dwarf Bettman).

We just went two blocks north to the legendary Pullar Arena to watch the Soo Eagles take on the Marquette Rangers in an exhibition game to kick off the 2009 hockey season. The Eagles didn't fare too well, but we had fun anyway.

Brian got to watch some hockey, too. He won't be going to too many game this season, as he's a little too rambunctious and is always running around in the stands and getting into mischief.

Last Game of the Season

Finishing up our last fun weekend, we hit the Traverse City Beach Bums game. We had a good time, but a long ride home after the game. It was Brian's second baseball game, but the kids spent more time on the playground than they did watching the game. Papa and I had a chance to watch for a bit and had fun. The kids got free baseballs at the gate and got some autographs before the game.

Wet and Wild Weekend

Here we go with another 'the last weekend of the summer before school lets out' type weekend. We headed down to Cadillac to visit Nana and Papa because I, luckily, had the weekend off.

Friday we finished up some school shopping and went to Adventure Island on the west side. This year the kids went of the go-carts and the water slide. I had to drive both Lily and Trevor, and Brian stayed with Papa. Brian liked to watch the go-carts zip around the track, though. He also got to play on the playground there while Lily and Trevor were at the water slide. They had a good time and want to do that again next year. It's part of their birthday present, too, as Trevor turned 7 on the 30th, and Lily turns 8 on the 8th.

Wisconsin Bound

Dad and I took one last road trip to close out the season. We'll probably hit a Beach Bums game later this month, but the Wisconsin trip was a blast. We caught a 7:05 game on Tuesday and a matinee at noon on Wednesday before heading home.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lost both games to the Kane County Cougars. Tuesdays game went ten innings with the Cougars winning 4-2. Wed. afternoon the T-Rats lost 3-1. We saw some good baseball and met a lot of really nice people on our trip. Fox Cities Stadium is a nice place to watch a game and we had really good weather for both games. I can't wait until next years trip.

Get To The Point...

While I was stuck working a double shift, Lisa took the kids out to the Crisp Point lighthouse for some fun in the sun. Lucky for them, it was a beautiful day to spend on Lake Superior. The kids had a great time with mom playing in the water and searching for the elusive agate stones. Next time I hope I can tap along for the fun. We don't get too many nice days up this way, so I'm glad they could take advantage of one.

Hawks Take 3rd Place In Sault Soccer

The Hawks pounded the Panthers in the 3rd place game 6-1 on Thursday night. Trevor played really well, and came close again to netting his first goal in the first half. In the second half, it was a 2 on 0 for the Hawks, and I thought Trevor's teammate might pass it to him and give him a shot.
The second place team the Hawks beat three times, and the chamionship team we lost to only 1-0 when the ref gave them a free shot right in front of the goal.
Trevor really enjoyed his first soccer experience this season and wants to play next year, too. Lily will be playing next season also now that she's all healed up from surgery. Trevor has his soccer banquet on Tuesday night.

Weekly Roundup July 20-24

First off, let's go over last week. I didn't do a post because all we had was one baseball practice and one soccer game. Our baseball game on Wed. was rained out, and we headed downstate on Thurs., so Trevor had to miss that game. The Hawks unfortunately lost both games last week. Lily did have a doctor's appointment on St. Ignace, and they said her hand is doing really well and her x-rays looked good. So, this week she returned to the lineup, so we can recap that...

Monday Lily returned to the lineup and did pretty well. She went 2-3 at the plate and hit the ball pretty well. Trever went 1-3, but he hit the ball well, too. Sometimes they hit it hard, but right at someone. On Wed., it was the last game of the season. All of the kids seemed distracted by this, but we did ok, anyway. Both Lily and Trevor went 2-3 at the plate again, but had some trouble making contact at first. I don't think any of the kids were really paying much attention, just trying to get through the last game. Both kids also made some nice plays in the field, though. It was kind of a sad day for me.

In soccer, the Hawks won both game to improve their record to 3-2 in the playoffs. Next week they'll play for either 1st or 3rd place. They won 3-1 on Tuesday, and 4-2 on Thursday. Trevor played well in both games and got an assist in the first game. I think all of their players showed up this week, which made a big difference. Lisa even came to Thursdays game to root him on.

Friday we had Fun Night for baseball. The kids got to partake in various activities and had a lot of fun. I even took a turn in the dunk tank and got extremely wet. I told Lily I'd double her allowance if she knocked me in, and she did the very next throw. Lots of fun and I wish we would have gotten some pictures of that.

Birthday At The Ballpark

It doesn't get much better than spending your birthday at a baseball game with your kids. We headed down to Cadillac, and Papa took Lily, Trevor, and I to the Whitecaps game on Friday. First we went to Chuck E. Cheese's for the kids, and no, I didn't have a birthday party there. We got to the ballpark and met Barbaro Garbey, who played on the Tigers 1984 World Series team, and who is now a coach with Peoria. He was nice enough to sign some cards for the kids. Also on hand, was former Tiger John Wockenfuss. He also signed some cards for the kids and was very nice to them.

The game itself was great, as the Whitecaps pounded Peoria 9-0. We saw some great plays and a home run. It would have been nice to have Brian and Lisa there, too, but Brian is a little too rambunctious to have at a game, so Lisa took him to meet some family in Mt. Pleasant. Spending time with my family at a game was the best present I could get.

Weekly Roundup July 6-10

Another busy week for us and we finally had some nice weather. We were able to get in both baseball games, soccer practice and a soccer game. Papa and Nana even made the trip from Cadillac to see the kids, too.

Monday we had a good baseball game. Trevor is starting to hit the ball a lot better. It's not taking him as many swings to hit, and he's making better contact. He went 2-3 at the plate, but no RBI's, as no one was on base when he hit. He's making some good plays in the field, to, just have to learn to take the throws when he covering a base. Wednesday he went 2-3 also, with four RBI's being the last batter in the inning. Papa even helped out on the field a bit. Lily is still doing a great job helping on the bench. I actually would be lost without her keeping track of the lineup for me.

Thursday started the soccer playoffs. I am really proud of his team the Hawks, as they had NO substitute players and won the game 3-1. Trevor almost had his first goal, but missed the ball by just centimeters. If he keeps playing like this, he'll get one soon. He did have an assist, though, and is doing really well at throwing the ball in. No more practices, as we'll have game on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now on.

Happy 4th From The North

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays, and this year it was made even better by the fact that Lily, Trevor, and I were in the holiday parade here in town representing the Sault Area Little League. We were happy to be involved as nothing is more American than baseball, other than maybe hot dogs and apple pie. We had a pretty good group of kids turn out from all levels of baseball and softball. Another few years and Brian will be riding along with us, too. I'll try to find a way to get some pics of him up on the site. In the picture here, I'm in the middle of a wave, but looks like I'm casting some wierd voodoo spell on Lisa or something.

Denied The Cup-Again!!!

It was bad enough that the Detroit Red Wings flopped in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the last two games to a less talented and less worthy Pittsburgh Penguins. The only silver lining in this dark cloud was that Sault native, former Soo Greyhound, and current Penguin Tyler Kennedy would bring hockey's 'Holy Grail' up north here for all local fans to enjoy. So he did. Unfortunately for Lily, Trevor, myself, and hundreds of other fans who waited in line for hours, we were denied the Cup once again. The staff at the Essar Centre must have brainstormed to come up with the least logical and least efficient way to get fans through to meet Tyler and see the Cup. Instead of hurrying people along, the staff let the lucky few who made it to the front chat with Tyler like they were old friends who had all day to catch up. No offense to Tyler, but we were there just to see the Cup so the kids could get their picture taken with it. No big deal for me, as I've seen it a few times already, and have been to Toronto to see the 'real' Cup. So I guess this just adds fuel to my fire, another reason to despise the Penguins-denying my kids a chance to see the Stanley Cup.
I did get a pic of the kids with the Cup in the background, and I guess that's as close as they'll get for now.

Weekly Roundup June 29-July 2

Lots of rain this week, so we missed out on baseball practice on Monday and soccer practice on Tuesday. Not that I didn't need the rest, but summer isn't that long and we hate to miss out on anything, not even practice. I had some good drills set up, too, so we'll have to save those for next time.
We played baseball in the rain on Wednesday, too. Only had five players show up so we borrowed a couple from the other team. Trevor went 2 for 3 at the plate and hit the ball real solid his first time up. Maybe I can get them out this weekend and work on some things. He made a nice play in the field, too. He's getting a lot better at catching the ball and at least getting in front of it. Lily is being a big help as an assistant coach, as my regular is on vacation. She's calling out the batting order and actually providing the game pics of Trevor.
Thursday night Trevor's soccer team the Hawks suffered their first loss of the season as they fell to the Wolverines 4-2. Trevor had an assist on the first goal, but didn't get a lot of playing time in the second half when the teams defense fell apart. They were short-handed again, only having one sub and missing a couple of their better players. They'll have to toughen up and get them next week. Trevor's doing better, but keeps getting distracted by the seagulls flying around.
Also, we'll be marching in the 4th of July parade with Little League Baseball.