Las Vegas Day #3

Leslie and I rallied all of the kids for a delicious Sunday breakfast at The Cracked Egg before today's final.  I really wanted to see Red Rock Canyon since we were only a few miles away, so Leslie took Allison and Reanna to the field and I took the big kids with me.

It seemed like all of Las Vegas had the same idea today so we didn't have time to do the driving loop, but did stop at some pretty photo spots.

 Andrew moved to Temecula from the Vegas area about 7 years ago.  We were only a few miles from his house, so we also made quick stop at his house in Summerlin.  He shared some cute stories about his childhood and drove us by his elementary school too before we headed to the field.

Again the girls played amazing and beat West Coast FC 3-0 to win the game!

This win was a true team effort!  Several different girls scored, the defense saved so many scoring opportunities and Allison did her job very confidently.  

This year has been such a growing experience for Allison and we are so grateful to Coach Heidi for providing such a wonderful environment for her.  Her skill and confidence continue to improve and she is so motivated to continue to improve.

 These 3 should be proud of all they have accomplished this season and it was 

a great weekend of soccer and team bonding!  The win made it extra special!L

Las Vegas Day #2

I was out of the hotel early this morning to get Reanna and Allison to the field by 7:00.  As we arrived, Taylor called to ask if I had her purse in my trunk…nope!  Luckily Allison remembered seeing it on the back of Taylor's chair at Subway last night when we ate at the hotel.  After some searching and praying, she was happy and grateful to learn that an employee turned it in with everything in it!  

Leslie and the big kids got the field just in time for the game and it was a nice 2-0 win over Irvine Slammers!

The team advanced to the Semi-finals with 3 shut out victories! 

We celebrated and killed time between games on The Strip!  

We parked at New York New York and got some treats at Hershey's!

Chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treat and S'more…yum! 

 Andrew had fun seeing all of the Kansas gear in the Adidas store 

 and Allison stocked up at the M&M store.

 These 3 had quite a good time together this weekend and Taylor and Andrew were great cheerleaders during Allison's games!

 We got a delicious lunch at the very crowded Shake Shack

and left time to ride the roller coaster at New York New York before heading back to the hotel for a little break before the night game.

 Arsenal faced their toughest competition tonight.  They were down 1-0 pretty early against Claremont Stars, but never quit and tied it up with just minutes left.  However I knew that meant penalty kicks again to determine who would advance to the finals.  Again Allison's team was amazing!  All four of her teammates scored their goals and the opponents only scored 2.  One went wide and Allison blocked the other to win the game! On to the finals tomorrow!

 We were pretty tired after the busy day, but stopped at The Strip again for dinner at Caesar's Palace

 and some shopping at the Nike Store.  The Strip is exhausting-so much car traffic, foot traffic, smoke-filled casinos and lots of chaos, but it was fun for the day!

Las Vegas Day #1

Yesterday I checked the girls out of school at lunch time and we picked up Andrew for a weekend in Las Vegas for Allison's Player Showcase.  The drive was smooth and we checked into the hotel with enough time to get dinner at PF Chang's and dessert at Cream with the Lebitski crew.

This morning we were able to wake up without an alarm and eat breakfast in the room before heading to the field in Henderson.  They faced Eastside Hawaii in the noon game and won 2-0!  After the game the girls from Hawaii gave our players macadamia nuts and seashell hair pins.  It was a fun experience for them and a nice win!

Between games, we all went to an italian restaurant for a pasta, pizza and salad buffet.  

We were back at the same field for a 7:00pm game under the lights.  The weather was perfect and the girls beat Colorado 4-0!

Celtic Cup

Friday night I got a text from Troy, the Arsenal North coach, asking if Allison could play in a tournament this weekend in San Bernadino.  She already had a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday afternoon and futsal in the evening, but I drove her up for the Saturday morning game and all day Sunday.  The team finished with a tie in Saturday morning and a win in the afternoon.  They had to win Sunday morning's game to advance to the finals.  The game ended tied at the end of regulation so they had to go to penalty kicks to determine the winner.  

 Allison's teammates scored all of their goals and Allison blocked one of the opponent's goals to win the game and advance to the championship!  

 They won the final as well with a 3-0 victory!  

 The team was so grateful to have Allison play and she got some great practice before her tournament in Las Vegas next weekend.

Each of the players got a medal and Champions t-shirt for the victory!

Disney

Unfortunately, Matt and I both had to work today and I had to be home for the bathroom contractor, but the girls skipped school and went to Disney with everyone.  They had a wonderful day!

 Wendy kept me up-to-date with pictures throughout the day.  They loved Splash Mountain, the boys got to do Matterhorn for the first time and loved Space Mountain too.  

 They said they did about 16 rides and were there from opening to closing.  Getting up for school in the morning was a little difficult, but well worth it!

We love these guys like family and are so grateful for the time together!  

Knott's Berry Farm

This week is Nolan and Parker's Spring Break, so Wendy and David drove out Saturday for a few days…splitting their time between our house and Jen and Carlos'.

 Andrew joined us today for our trip to Knott's Berry Farm.

 Charlie was his biggest fan!

 The big kids split their time between Camp Snoopy with the little guys  and took some time for the bigger rides too.

 Parker even braved Coast Rider (with a little bribe from Wendy), but then did it again later in the day!

 Charlie stole a few group hugs, loved holding hands with Taylor and Andrew and followed them all day…so cute!

 We snuck in one group shot before Jen and Carlos headed home.  It was so nice to the see them and the kids!

 The park was pretty quiet so the lines weren't long at all.  Nolan tried out Boomerang for the first time, while some of us did the train ride with Parker and Charlie.

 Allison and Andrew braved Xcelerator and then Allison went on it 4 times with Nolan and David!

 Nolan and I shared lots of laughs on the coaster inside Camp Snoopy

 and these 3 waited patiently for their Icees!

We had a great day together.  I sure wish we could do this more often!

Our Goalie in Action

I have been really bad with my camera this year at Allison's games, but luckily Leslie has been good!  Allison's goalkeeping has improved so much and here are a few shots of her in action...