Winning Streak

The Firecrackers got off to a rough start, losing their first two games of the season. We have a lot of players that don't have a lot of soccer experience, so it has been a real work in progress to improve their skill and motivate them to give it their all. Allison has played really well as goalkeeper and has been a good support on defense and playing midfield. Reanna has been our ace on the field and is working her tail off!

Allison's corner kicks and punts are the best we have seen at this age group and our team is starting to turn things around. They won last weekend 3-0 and pulled off a nice 6-2 victory today. It is so nice to see them taking what they have learned at practice and applying it to gameday!!

Let's hope this little winning streak continues...!

Phase Two

After a year and a half break to lose the rest of her baby teeth, Taylor began Phase Two at the orthodontist today. She has one more molar to lose on the bottom before brackets can go on, so today, it was just brackets on the top. She chose teal and purple bands for the first round and was already feeling the pain before going to bed tonight. She will likely be on a soft food diet for the next few days as her teeth adjust.
Dr. Taylor estimates the process taking 18-24 months, getting them off just in time for High School!! For now, no more gum, popcorn, sticky candy, pretzels, carrots, etc....

Team Bonding

Our September team party was at Madison's house. The girls each brought a snack to share and spent some time swimming and playing tetherball before doing what they love best...playing SOCCER!

10 Years Ago Today...

The events of 9/11/2001 are permanently etched in the minds of all who witnessed it. I will never forget Matt waking me up after the first plane had hit the World Trade Center and then being glued to the TV as we witnessed the 2nd plane hit, the towers collapse, the attack on the Pentagon and the crash in Shankesville, PA.

As the 10 year anniversary has approached, the girls have been asking questions and looking for answers. We have watched several documentaries over the last week or two and given them as much age-appropriate information as possible. Some pictures have been too graphic and have sent Taylor into a real panic, but most have caused a great amount of discussion and have been good teaching opportunities.

The 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero looks absolutely amazing and we hope to one day visit it as a family.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!

2011 Presidio

The 2011 Presidio Season is officially underway and our GU12 Hawks White team is excited and has high expectations! We started the season with a Saturday game in Poway.
Stretching before the game Ready to take the field. We had never seen this team before and it was a tough battle the entire game. They often beat us to the ball and beat us with speed and took an early 1-0 lead in the first half. We played a much stronger second half, scoring with a minute left in the game and left satisfied with the tie.Sunday, we were back on the field at home for a game against San Elijo Matrix. The players and families all paused for a minute of silence to remember the tragedy of 9/11 before game time.

Taylor had a great game filling in at Right Defense and covered #7 very well. Our midfield and offense played well together too and we came away with a 3-0 win and are tied for first place after week #1.

We have a pretty packed schedule with games until November 19th and can't wait to see what this team will do!

Then we were off to Birdsall to cheer on Emily. It may be the only chance we are both playing in the same place on the same day and her team did well with a 4-1 victory. I love these soccer weekends!

Remembering 9/11

As the 1oth Anniversary of 9/11/2001 will be remembered this weekend, TTES held a special flag salute today to remember those lost on that tragic day and honor the hereos that help keep our country safe. Students held the Flag of Honor that lists the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks and the entire school paused for a minute of silence.

Students (including Allison) held the chains of kindness, while a few 5th graders read their
chain links out loud. They explained how they would perform an act of kindness on 9/11 as a tribute to the victims. The 5th graders lead the entire school in "God Bless the USA".

The ceremony ended with local police and fire doing a siren send-off. Although most of TTES students weren't even born by 9/11/2001, it is important for them to understand what occurred that day and honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

South Carlsbad State Beach

The beach is a must on Labor Day weekend and it worked out perfectly that Chris and his boys were camping at South Carlsbad State Beach and invited over for the day.

The water was a little cold, but the girls had fun digging for sand crabs...
playing frisbee...
and building sand sculptures.

Then we made our way back up this staircase to Chris' campsite for dinner and s'mores.
Chris grilled delicious tri-tip and corn on the cob and we had lots of fruit salad and side dishes.
Not exactly 5 Star accommodations, but great oceanfront property nonetheless!
We finished the night with a gorgeous sunset and yummy s'mores. I think we might have to give this camping thing a try!

Back to Work

With the start of another fall season getting underway, Taylor and her buddies are given the opportunity to earn some more spending money by referreeing the games. Unfortunately, due to some very frustrating miscommunication, Taylor and Madison were at the field without an early game to ref, so we tried to find shade and stay cool while waiting. I bought them slurpees...

...and they used ice cubes on their bellies to beat the heat.

After watching Allison's 1:00 game, Taylor worked the 2:15 game on the same field. I am so impressed by her confidence, her attention to detail and her drive to learn more about the game while earning a little cash to call her own. We're not sure how much she will get to ref with her Club season starting in a few weeks, but she will take every opportunity to fit some games in.

Let's Go Firecrackers!!

Another fall soccer season is upon us and Matt and I decided to coach Allison for what may be her last season in the recreational league. We are excited to be working together, coaching Allison and to get Reanna as our other property player. The team chose The Firecrackers as our team name and after just two weeks of practice, we were on the field for the first of 10 games in this fall season. Unfortunately, the first game fell on the hottest day of summer so far. I heard reports varying from 107-109 degrees, but no matter the temperature, it was HOT! The team checked in with the refs, took their places on the field and got underway.

Allison and Reanna started off strong as forwards and gave us an early 1-0 lead on a nice shot by Allison.

Although she loves playing goalkeeper, she is a tough competitor on the field as well...improving footwork, great aggressive play and a powerful shot on goal!

She got two quarters in goal as well and blocked several opportunities for the other team to score by coming our and jumping on the ball before the forward could take a shot. I think goalie clinic has really paid off! She had some beautiful punts to bring the ball down field, but did let two goals go by and we lost 4-2. We have a lot of new players on the team who are just figuring out what they need to do, but we have high hopes that they will improve each game and have lots of fun in the process. We hope Allison and Reanna will be good team leaders and continue improving as we work our way through the season!

"Cousins"

We were so happy that Lisa and Olivia were able to meet us at The Grove before we left LA today! We met at the American Girl store which worked out perfectly. Olivia warmed up to the girls quickly and they all loved looking at the dolls and being "big sisters" to her.

Could her red boots be any cuter?

We ate lunch at Chipotle, had a little time to chat and catch up and did a little shopping before heading home. Olivia sure loved her accessories and we loved getting to see them. I really wish we lived closer, but I'm glad we got a little visit in!

IRIS

My parents spoiled us with another weekend getaway to Hollywood. They flew down for a quick trip and we all stayed at the Renaissance Hotel adjacent to the Kodak Theater. The Hollywood sign at the top of the mountain and the view from our room!

We spent a little bit of time walking along Hollywood and Highland, seeing Grauman's Theater

and looking for stars we haven't seen before.

We satisfied our sweet tooth with delicious treats at the Nestle Toll House shop and ate dinner at CPK before heading back to the hotel to get ready the highlight of the day...

IRIS is the newest production to be released by Cirque De Soleil and is playing at the Kodak Theater.

It takes the audience on a journey through the world of cinema.

We were even lucky enough to spot one of the main characters walking through the lobby before the show started.

Photography wasn't allowed in the theater, but we snuck in one picture of the gorgeous stage. The show was amazing from start to finish...spectacular costumes, breathtaking acrobatics, powerful music and an incredibly talented cast and crew. Some of the stunts had us covering our eyes in fear for the safety of the performers and other moments had us laughing out loud. Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful day!

Taylor in Action!

Unfortunately, I don't take many soccer photos anymore while coaching from the sideline, but thanks to Mary and her sister Julie, I actually got a few from the Carlsbad Wave tournament that show Taylor in action...

This year, she is really working on her aggressiveness,

her speed,

and using her whole body (minus her hands) to gain control of the ball.

She is spending most of her time at left midfielder or left forward, but has filled in when needed at left defender and even played some sweeper. It is nice to be trusted as a utility player!