Another soccer season has come and gone...

This youth soccer season nearly didn't happen at all for the Steers family, as I was a bit distracted during the sign-up period.  I kept thinking that I would just get online and register, but things kept coming up: moving out of our house, staying with friends, leaving my job, giving birth, little things... We ended up missing open registration completely, but fortunately for us our new neighbors know just about everyone in town, and they just so happened to know the league's registrar. They were able to pull some strings to get our boys on an U-8 team together (a feat in itself as the team was already full and we needed Koen to "play up"), but there was a catch: the team needed an assistant coach. Kirk rose to the occasion, I agreed to help out as team mom, and we were in business.  

Their team was called "The Original Ninjas," and we all ended up finding some great friends amongst their teammates and their parents. As always, to watch the boys play was a combination of overwhelming pride, sheer entertainment and exquisite frustration. 

Considering that he was playing with and against boys 1 to 2 years older than him, Koen did a remarkable job of holding his own. There was lots of tumbling and some "injuries," as would be expected, but he was always positive and willing to play (a vast improvement over seasons past). Kirk was in constant fear of Ko being hit in the face with the ball; my main concern was that he remember to wear his "cheap" glasses to practice and games. 

Dillon continued to astonish us this season, getting faster, stronger and more aggressive. Somehow, it hasn't yet occurred to him to be angry when he loses, so he's still a pleasure to deal with on the field. (Of course, in any game at home he is a nightmare when he loses, so it's nice that he has maintained sportsmanship in soccer, at least.) He was one of his team's top scorers despite taking lots of spills, and in always theatrical style. He  also had the pleasure of playing on a team with some of his long-time friends from our old neighborhood. They were a bit short-handed for some games, so he "played up" on their U-9 team, "The Force," and had a wonderful time. Last weekend, he also had the honor of playing in the U-8 "All-Star" game.  It is always a nerve-wracking experience to watch one's child be coached by someone who doesn't know that child's areas of strength or weakness, so it was a challenging game for Kirk and me. Dillon loved it, however, and he ended up making the only goal for his team, leaving the final score tied.

As of this writing, we're not sure what the off-season holds for us. Dillon may go play occasionally on some friends' indoor soccer team, both boys are going to be playing basketball after the new year, and I keep hassling them to take a hip hop dance class. It's a challenge not to over-schedule ourselves, but they do seem to be like both of their parents and thrive on activity.  As long as they're happy, trying their hardest, and enjoying themselves, Kirk and I are happy to squire them from practice to practice, from game to game. I admit, though, I look forward to the day when a clear favorite activity emerges and we can devote our time and energy to just that endeavor. I know at least one of the Steers parents dearly hopes that the favorite ends up being soccer.

Fall 2011 School Pictures

So, I was just rummaging in my file drawer (OK, so really I was filing Dillon's "Student of the Month" certificate, but I was trying not to brag...) when I came across envelopes still full of the boys' school pictures.  Oops.  If you are a grandparent, auntie, uncle, or someone else who should have received one of those in the mail several months ago, my apologies.

One of the reasons that they were not mailed out in a timely manner (As if I need an excuse other than having a newborn and a house to unpack, right?) is that Dillon forgot to turn in his order form on the first picture day.  We had sent him to school scrubbed, ironed, combed, and smiling, expecting a lovely photo. Imagine my surprise when a week later I found still in his backpack his order form & check. Much to Kirk's dismay, two days before retakes Dill lost a front tooth, only his third lost tooth to date. I was actually thrilled, because I've always thought that nothing makes a kid look more like an authentic second grader than a big jack-o-lantern smile!

Dillon

Second Grade

Koen

First Grade

You just can't get good help anymore...

I'm writing this post from the garage, where I am supposed to be serving as chief assistant for Kirk's latest project: organizing our garage. I get to hand him tools and materials, but my most important job should be to cover the baby's ears when things get difficult. Lawson is learning lots of new words and is providing moral support from the back of my car:


It's going pretty well so far. Half of the garage looks like this:


Nice, right? Unfortunately, the other half still looks like this:


Theoretically, all of the mess will fit in the cabinets, and suddenly peace, order, and contentment will come to the Steers home. Well, at least the garage will be organized.

I just had to add this shot of Kirk behind the new cabinets re-plumbing the hot water heater:


What, you can't see him? Oh, that's because he's behind the cabinets here:


I appreciate that he smiled for this shot. I appreciate that he crawled behind the cabinets at all. There is so much to appreciate in what he has done here at the house. It seems so far off still, but I'm sure a day will come (probably in 2018 or so) when we can send the boys off to school and just sit down and relax. Until then, I'll just smile and nod and hand him tools, dreaming of the day when our home is complete.

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Halloween 2011

This was our first Halloween trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood (and our first time staying home for Halloween in 4 years), and I am happy to report it did not disappoint! We were joined by new friends (from soccer & school), which really made the night special for us.

Costumes were somewhat a last-minute affair this year, actually chosen from our dress-up bins which I replenish at the post-Halloween sales each year. After accessorizing  it with a coonskin cap for our first party outing, Koen decided his "explorer" costume wasn't interesting enough; he decided he wanted to be Johnny Appleseed, and demanded a pot for his head.  I made one out of posterboard and tin foil, and the result was truly impressive. Unfortunately, the handle isn't visible in any of these shots, but it was very cute! Dillon's Darth Vader getup was great fun for him; his only disappointment was that I couldn't figure out a way for him to sound like Vader too. 

An added bonus was having my mom, step-dad & grandmother here for Halloween. Papa Phil and Gram held down the fort at the house, while my mom came along for the fun. Our new neighbors are incredibly generous, and quantity of candy the boys collected is truly astonishing! Kirk & I have both been raiding their bags for several days now, and they haven't yet noticed. It was a wonderful evening, and by the end of the night my new friends and I were already plotting next year's outing.

Johnny Appleseed and Darth Vader

Boba Fett & Darth Vader

Little Dinosaur (the same costume baby Koen wore!)

Dillon as Darth Vader

Koen as Johnny Appleseed

Just for fun... Lawson & Great Gram