Visitors since 10/1/2010
Erica's soccer team played their last game of the fall season. Erica had a shot on goal, but it was a little off to the left. The team won again in windy conditions.
Erica playing left wing, running into some opposition from the other team.
The girls will start back up in the Spring and hopefully continue their success.
Soccer bright and early today - an 8:30 game! Fortunately, the sun was shining and the winds weren't blowing like their last 8:30 game.
And another win for the green team!
A special Thursday edition of soccer. A perfect evening to watch the Green Team play the Red Team. It's like Christmas on the field.
The coaches confer with the girls before the game. What perfect lighting for today's pictures.
I'm taking photos for the entire team and trying to focus less on Erica, like this photo of the goalie kicking away the ball.
And like week 1, the green team won over the red team, 3-0.
The day started with rain and wind, then just wind, then some sun and wind and finally clouds and wind.
The wind made today's soccer game very chilly and challenging for the girls, but they still managed a 4-1 win.
This is my official P365 picture - I love the group cheer just before the 2nd half.
A big surprise towards the end of the day - a rainbow! With the wind blowing the clouds around, it only lasted about 10 minutes.
Did I mention it was windy today? Oh yeah, that's standard for around here.....
It's Saturday, which means soccer. This morning's game was scheduled for 8:30, so I didn't get my long run in this morning. The weather was perfect - a crisp 50 degF and sunny.
I positioned myself along the Teams' side of the field, which is the east side. So much better for taking pictures of the action.
The green team won again, 4-0. Erica had a couple of opportunities to score on goal, but it didn't happen - she played the wing position towards the end of the game.
After the game, Brian set out to complete the Medieval Market Hotel. Once he finished, he set up market square scene and we took a picture of it. Oh, I stand corrected - Brian took the picture. We set the camera on the tripod and he clicked the remote control.
Last night, Brian's school held its Fall Festival Fundraiser. Games, dunk booth, inflatables, silent auction, raffles and lots of goodies. Erica served as a Middle School National Honor Society volunteer all night, working several of the games, and the Face Painting Area.
And she coerced Brian into her Face Painting area so she could paint a skull on his cheek. I was amazed by their cooperation!
And the finished product -
It was a great event and lots of fun!
More like big sis bossing around little brother.
Yes, we ended said Soccer Practice after the kids started punching each other.
Next time, I'll just send them out to run a couple miles. That will tire them out enough to hopefully prevent physical blows to each other. Maybe.....
Yesterday's soccer camp ended with black clouds, torrential downpours and flooded streets. Today, the storms passed through at noon, leaving the hot, sticky air behind. Actually, it's been hot and sticky for the last two weeks. Having all that rain seems to exacerbate things though.
We wrapped up a wildly successful soccer season tonight with a little celebration party with Erica's undefeated soccer team. The coach awarded each player with a small trophy along with kind, encouraging words from the season.
The best part - Erica will get to play on the same team in the fall. The 8th graders will move on, and new sixth graders will be added, but the current 6th and 7th graders who sign back up will be placed back with this coach. We were very impressed by the overall program and look forward to cheering on Team Green this September.
The last soccer game of the season, and Erica's friends came out to support her [actually, they slept over last night and didn't have a choice, but I think they had a good time watching her play, even at 8:30 in the morning!].
They spent some time texting.
But they showed their support of the Green Team:
And the team played a great game.
A little storyboard I made of Erica stopping, setting and kicking the ball:
Their team won and remained undefeated for the season. The girls celebrated by dousing their coach with their water bottles. A fitting end to a great season.
A freezing cold day at the soccer pitch. Today, I was prepared - I wore my winter coat, with the warm, fleecy hood, fleece gloves and a big wool blanket around my legs. And I was warm.
The girls stayed warm by running around the field.
The Green Team remains undefeated. We are so excited for the team!
Erica made her first goal during tonight's soccer game, during the second half. Her team went on to handily win the game, 4-0.
The bad thing, we weren't there to see it - Scott and I were at Brian's school attending Family Arts Night and the 4th grade concert.
The girls' second match of the season. Erica played defense, wing and forward.
They dominated and won the game, 4-0.
Opening day on the soccer pitch. We drove 30 miles south to play our only "away" game and came away victorious, even with some first game jitters. The team picked up several new players, but they are pretty much the same as the team from the fall. The only exception - most of the girls have grown taller over the winter!
Erica enjoys playing and really engages with her team. A lovely sight to see:
No pictures of the soccer game today. I didn't bring my "real" camera because at 8:00, the day was shaping up as a repeat of the past 4 days - cloudy, cold and dreary. The sun came out around 8:45, giving us a little respite from the cold. Barely.
At the half, Erica's team was down, 1-2. I decided to take a brisk walk around the fields to get warm and wished that I had my other camera. I took this picture of the just turning trees. Although it is blurry, I kind of like it because it looks old (like a blurry picture from the 80s).
Erica's team came back from their deficit to win the game 4-2! The girls were all muddy and wet, but happy they had won.
Erica's soccer team played against a team of all 8th graders today - a really good match ensued, but "Team Green" prevailed, 2-1 and their record improved to 3 and 0.
I am really proud of Erica and her accomplishments as a first time player.
Time for my 12 pictures taken throughout my day. First of all, Scott and I celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary today! Nothing special planned, though - just a normal day - we'll take some time out in the next coming weeks to do something together by ourselves (like play a round of golf)
We had to get up early this morning - I hit the pavement at 7:30:
In my new-ish running shoes:
I ran 6+ miles this morning. I felt good, too - like the first time in several weeks.
And when I got back home, Scott was back from the gym with some treats!
We all enjoyed breakfast.
Brian's birthday is coming up, so he reviewed his birthday list with us:
We headed out to the pitch at 9:30 for Erica's soccer game:
Brian took the above picture and several more:
He insisted that I put on the lens hood - because he knows it helps reduce flare in sunny conditions. My budding photographer.
Erica's team looked great and won the game. Only 10 girls showed up for the game, which meant only one available sub during the game. They were worn out by the end!
Back at home, we had to run the sprinkler for the first time this year. Something you don't expect for September, but today was fairly warm, and the lawn is looking crispy.
I went to the grocery store, armed with the week's menu and shopping list:
Back from the store, I tried my hand at replicating Domino's Lava Crunch Cake (read here for the back story from a couple days ago) by making Molten Chocolate Cake - a recipe off The Pioneer Woman's website. 
I managed to burn the edges of the cake slightly, but they were tasty. Very comparable - I'll try a few adjustments to the recipe to make them less cake-y and more chewy.
This evening, Scott and Brian will attend the Fighting Illini's Home opener game against Illinois State. Scott will watch the game while Brian eats junk food. [He did eat a decent dinner before heading out, though]
Finally, the latest song Erica downloaded off iTunes yesterday - this BoomBoomPow "song" [note I have the word song in quotes - because, how in the world can this be considered to be a song?]. 
We heard the Black Eyed Peas perform this selection during Thursday night's NFL opener, and Scott and I thought it was ridiculous. Of course, Erica likes the "song". And so, it is official - Scott and I are Old. We admit it without reservation.
Erica's first soccer game today - she did a great job!
Before the game, waiting:
She mainly played the defensive wing:
She sustained a slight injury when one of the opposing team stomped on her foot. She'll survive. And they won the game!
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