Ready To Rumble

Trevor had his first taste of 'in ring' competition last week. The Sault Youth Wrestling program held it's intramural tournament, and there were three kids in Trevor's weight class. He fought well, but in the end he lost to both of his opponents. Both of the kids he wrestled have been in the program for four years, so they have lots of experience over him. Once he learns his moves, he will be tough to beat. He had fun and learned how to keep fighting, which is the important thing at this point. There was also very good sportsmanship between the competitors, too. All the kids shook hands and really helped each other out.

Pink In The Rink

Last weekend was our last Laker game of 2011. It was the 'pink in the rink' game, with the Lakers wearing their pink jerseys to auction off after the game. Lily also got her face pained, and there was some other events going on to help battle breast cancer. Lakers beat Northern Michigan 6-3 to end the year on a high note.

Amigos Meet More Former Tigers

Set on another adventure, the kids and I travelled to Traverse City to a baseball card to show for some shopping, and to meet two former members of the Detroit Tigers' 1984 World Series Championship team. The kids wanted some baseball and hockey cards, so Papa and I hooked them up with those, and Brian got a couple of Hot Wheels cars and comic books. The players, pitchers Dan Petry and Dave Rozema, were very nice to them and had a lot of fun with the fans. Rozema arm-wrestled Brian, and Lily and Trevor had their picture taken with Petry that turned out nice. We'll try to make it down to Grand Rapids in February for another show, since we had so much fun at this one!

My Little Devils

On the weekends that the Lakers are out of town, we've been watching the Sault Blue Devils high school team play hockey to pass the time. It's really a lot of fun, especially for the kids who get to interact with thier freinds from school. We like hockey at the Pullar anyway, so this is a good chance for us to get out and have some more fun. At Saturday's game, they were selling used jerseys for only $1, so the the kids each got one (even Brian) to wear to the games. Pictured are Lily and Brian doing the 'chuck-a-puck' during the second intermission.

More Bowling And Wrestling

Lily and Trevor are back in the swing of things after the Thanksgiving break. Trevor's wrestling practices have really picked up, and Lily is doing a lot better in bowling. Trevor is really trying to build his coodination and learn the wrestling moves. He actually pinned an opponent a couple of times in tonight's practice.

On Saturday, Lily broke her high score and bowled an 83!!! She followed that up with a sold 50+ game, but she had a couple of strikes that helped her out. She also recieved patches for bowling a 50 game, and 100 series. Next time she'll get more for her new high score. So proud of them both.

Lucky For Us, Lakers Win

The Lakers faced the #2 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish over the weekend, and the return of coach Jeff Jackson. JJ coached the Lakers back when I was in school, and lead them to National Championships in 1992 and '94. I was lucky enough to travel to Minnesota in '94 and watch them win that game 9-1.

That was then, and this is now, though. The Lakers dropped the Friday night game 4-1, and we missed that one because we were travelling back from Thanksgiving in Cadillac. We went to Saturday nights game, though, and the Lakers won that contest 5-2. Lily stayed in Cadillac an extra couple of days, so just me and the boys. Trevor spent a lot of time with his friend Alec, so mostly just Bri-guy and me!

Trevor-Mania!

Trevor got his first taste of wrestling practice last night, and he really liked it. It's a lot of hard work, and he's doing a lot of exercise and conditioning he hasn't done before, but it is really good for him. I'm proud of him for participating, and know this will be a good experience for him.

Frosty and Frosty Jr.

Lily and Brian took full advantage of the first snow fall of the season, making a couple of snowmen. It was fun while it lasted, as rain pretty much decimated both of them. I'm not too happy to see the stuff, myself, especially since the wet snow caused us to slide into the curb in the van. A cracked wheel hub and $185 later...ask me again why I hate snow.

Lakers Split With Future WCHA Foe

A lot of history between the Lakers and Bemidji State. They used to play in the same league back in the late 60's and early '70. LSSU even beat BSU for the NAIA National Championship in 1974. This weekend was some really good hockey, too, and I look forward to these teams being in the same league in a couple of years. They lost the first game on Friday 3-2 in OT, but bounced back to win 2-1 on Saturday. Lily was at a friends house, so just the boys and I attending. We had a lot of fun, but left in the third period because I had to work and Trevor wasn't feeling all that well. Brian was really good, and played with his trucks in his seat, too. Lakers are out of town this weekend, but back home I think after that to take on former coach Jeff Jackson and Notre Dame. Should be some really good hockey in the coming weeks for the Lakers.

School Carnival

Friday night the kids dragged me to the carnival at Lincoln Elementary. The kids had a fun time, and got to participate in games, a bouncy castle (Brian only, the other two are too mature, now), and got their faces painted. All the money goes back to the school, so it's a good cause and the kids really had a good time. Brian can be deadly with a hockey stick, though!

More Bowling For Lily

Lily is still plugging away at bowling. Her scores haven't improved a whole lot, but once I can buy her her own ball, she should improve. She's still working hard and having fun, which is the important thing. We didn't have Brian this time, which made things a little easier, and didn't make it this weekend because I was still feeling sick (recovering from bronchitis). We'll make it up during the week, though. I tried to clean these pics up a bit, and brighten them.

Lakers Split With Falcons

We enjoyed another weekend of Laker Hockey, with the Lakers losing 1-0 on Friday, and winning 4-1 on Saturday. The weather was nice, so the kids were able to 'high-five' the team after Saturday's game and watch them ring the victory bell. It was just the Amigos this week, as the kids didn't have any friends at the game this time. Next weekend they'll be on the road at Miami, but back in two weeks when Bemidji State visits.

Varsity Blues

Trevor finally played his football game on Saturday, and he did a great job. His team, the Lions, won 14-8, and he played well and had a fun time. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for football, as it was 50 degrees and sunny. Trevor was effective as the starting center, but his team couldn't produce much offense. On defense, he did a great job and made a few 'tackles' Brian was a little reckless, but enjoyed seeing his brother on the field. After the game, Trevor got to hang with his team, and his opponents, for pizza and pop. Next year on to tackle!

Lily Still Knocking 'Em Down

Lily is still doing a great job in her bowling league. She's a little discouraged because her score isn't improving a whole lot, though. Talking with some of the other parents, it looks like we'll have to get Lily her own bowling ball. Some of the other parents stated that the house balls usually pull to one side, throwing off her throw. I told her to keep trying and keep having fun, and things will fall into place for her. I'll get her her own ball within the next few weeks, and we'll see how her scores improve from there. Go, Lily!