USA 1 - 0 Costa Rica

The forecast said rain turning into snow, but I never thought we would witness something like this. The World Cup Qualifier between the United States and Costa Rica might not count if the visitors have their protest upheld, but that doesn't mean it will be forgotten.

I worked pretty hard to get tickets to this match. It had been five years since a World Cup Qualifier had been played in Colorado, and I had never seen the United States play in person. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a group together and head to Denver.

The kids had a slumber party at Grandpa and Grandma's house, so we were able to leave around 4:30. We stopped for dinner and made it there comfortably. The weather was cold and there were a few flurries, but nothing to be worried about. The groundskeepers were able to keep with the snow.

The weather was poor, but not bad through the first half.  Tottenham Hotspur's Clint Dempsey was fortunate to have a deflected ball land directly in his path for a tap in goal. Halftime came and so did the snow. The flakes started falling big and fast. Around the 55th minute the referee considered abandoning the game. While he talked to both teams and coaches with the ball in his hands, the crowd chanted "let them play!".

The game went on and the snow kept coming. Towards the end of the game you couldn't tell where the ball was on the pitch. Guys with shovels were running on to the playing area and shoveling the lines while the game was going on. You can see them in one of my pictures. At one point they delayed a goal kick for a few seconds until they could get off the field.

I don't know what the official rules are, but the players weren't in danger and the ball seemed to roll pretty well. Only towards the very end of the game did the ball really start to slow down because of it.  I think because the game was so far along it was able to finish. At the end the snow was getting a little too deep, but it made for some entertaining falls, tackles, and saves.

I'll try to find some better pictures to show what the playing conditions were really like. This was a much needed win for us considering we lost our first match in Honduras. Speaking of Honduras, they played Mexico to a draw in 103 degree heat.

Julia's Big Day

Today was a big day for Julia...OK, and for us too. 

This morning we received confirmation that she had been accepted into our school of choice, Chinook Trail Elementary. We think she will do really well at this school. The teachers, environment, other kids, and testing scores all seem to be pretty good. We have to decide by Monday if we want her in full day or half day kindergarten. On one hand full day might be great activity and stimulation for her. On the other hand it might be too much to jump from three half days a week to all day five days a week. Either way she'll be in a good school.

In the evening was her first soccer practice. We've signed her up for Pride Soccer Club.  She did pretty well for her first time, even though she was a little shy. Having me there really helped calm her fears. She said she had fun and was interested to know when the next practice was and when her first game was. Apparently she didn't get to play "real soccer", just games and drills. Her favorite game was sharks and minnows but didn't like being a shark because they can be mean.  I had to explain to her that taking a ball from someone else was OK when playing soccer, not being mean. I'm sure that this won't be the last time that I'll have to explain that to her.

Life In Pictures

Although the days and weeks are dragging on and flying by at the same time, and the cold weather has prevented us from doing much, here are there we are reminded in pictures how we've still done some pretty neat things.

For a few days Jonathan swapped out his Spider Man mask for his Cars baseball cap, proving that you can mix and match television characters and still look cute. We spent an hour or so filling up the slinky with various toys from the toy bin. I had to hold up the slinky high enough so that things would fit, but not too high else things would slip through the cracks.

Julia has always enjoyed coloring and drawing. I came home one day from work and she had made this house out of foam. It was our house, of course. I think the reason why I liked it so much is because of how she depicted kitty. In terms of stick figure animals, this is about as close as you can get.

At the end of this week we found out that soccer practice starts on Thursday. So, we needed to take her to the store to buy some gear and clothes. It was snowy and cold and I was a little tired, but it was so much fun doing this for the first time with Julia. She was so excited about her new cleats that she hasn't really taken them off except to sleep. She even wore them and her shin guards over to the grandparent's to show them off. She also has been sleeping with her new ball. We passed the ball back and forth for an hour or two this weekend because she wanted to, not me. This time she genuinely seems excited about playing and that I am going to be there every practice as an assistant coach. I think she'll do great as long as she's not too shy. She has great coordination and focus if she likes something. I just hope she has fun.

This weekend Stacey also spent some time just with Julia. The two of them hit up a free event in town where kids could make fun shapes and animals with food. Julia made a spider with olives, bread, a pepperoni slice, and carrots shoots for legs. It was a fun activity. There happened to be a camera man from the newspaper at the event and, not surprisingly, Julia caught his trained eye. He asked Stacey if he could take Julia's picture while she played.  After taking many pictures he took her name and made sure it was spelled correctly. Stacey was pretty sure she was going to be in the paper on Sunday.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this weekend we witnessed the first steps of Julia's path to stardom. Whether it be as an artist, soccer player, or celebrity, you saw it here first.

Zags #1

For the first time ever the Zags are the top ranked team in college basketball!

I've watched the Zags regularly for over ten years now, and early on you could tell this team was different. They had some big wins early in the year, have really only been beat on the court once all season, and have been blowing teams from the West Coast Conference out of the water on a regular basis. It's not that they've won a lot of games, although the Zags have already passed their record for wins in a season, but it's how they've won their games. It's been fun to watch them progress.

No matter what happens they've already made history. However, to make it a truly memorable season the Zags will have to perform in the tournament too. If the Zags can win their two conference tournament games this weekend, they'll probably be given a number one seed. Although the Zags have made it to the Elite 8 before, they did it as a Cinderella team. This season will probably be as easy of a road to the Elite 8 as they've ever had. 

With success comes pressure, but this Zags team should have enough to make a run deep into this tournament. My personal opinion, looking at the projected bracket with the Zags as a number one seed, is that they should make the Elite 8. A loss in the Sweet 16 would be a slight disappointment and a trip to the Final Four not surprising but definitely not expected either.  Assuming the top seeds advance, the Zags would face teams like Robert Morris (64), then San Diego State (32), then Ohio State (16), then Michigan (8). A lot depends on who they end up facing in the Sweet 16, because there are some four and five seeds (instead of Ohio State) that are barely or not even in the Top 25. 

So, all that to say I think they could make it very far but I personally won't judge the success of this season by how far they get without taking in consideration who they play. That's what makes the tournament so exciting...almost any team on any given day can win. The best team doesn't always win. It should be exciting and nerve racking at the same time. 

Jonathan Update

About two weeks ago we decided that it was time to begin the transition from tube feedings to solid food with Jonathan. His interest in food and overall maturity had improved, so we gave it a shot. 

Stacey took him in for a weight check. Unfortunately, he hadn't gained any weight since October. In fact, he had actually lost an ounce or two over the past four months. Head circumference grows first, then height, and lastly, weight. This concerned us a little bit. He's been doing really well but this brought up more suspicions that there is something else going on that we just don't know about.

In hopes that solid food would help, we pressed on with the plan. We cut his feedings during the day in half but kept his night feeding. The medical staff wanted us to get at least 1,000 calories in him a day. Cutting back his feedings a little bit is better then stopping cold turkey because it doesn't put his body into starvation mode.  He did really well. He ate more then usual. With the help of certain junk foods in the afternoon we averaged 1,000 calories or more a day. When we took him in the following week, he had maintained his weight. Things were looked promising.

The day we took him in for a weight check a week after we started he got the flu. He couldn't keep water or food down, so over the course of this past week we paid two visits to the pediatrician just to make sure he was OK. Stacey had to deal with the vomit and not being able to put him down at all, to the point where she couldn't even shower. He's since gotten over his sickness except for the massive diaper explosions, so hopefully he'll recover soon.

Unfortunately this derailed our first attempt to get him off of the pump. Also, because of his size, by the end of the week you could see his ribs and spine. The poor little guy just doesn't have any reserves, so when he gets sick, he gets hit hard. The pediatrician even asked Stacey if we had covered all of the basis with the GI doctor, just because it seems like something is still going on. We don't really have any other options other then to repeat mal-absorption tests or what not. The only other avenue we haven't really explored is with an Endocrinologist. Perhaps there is something in his field or something genetic going on.

Our hope is that on the genetic side he just has small people genes and that once he starts eating real food he'll be his normal, small self.

Too School For Cool

Today we officially submitted all the necessary paperwork to choice Julia into an Academy District 20 elementary school. For those of you not familiar with the process, the entire city has a choice program, meaning you can choose to attend whatever public school you want as long as they have space and you are willing to make the commute. I very much agree with the concept because it introduces competition into the "marketplace" in terms of school performance.

We live near the crossroads of three major districts in town. So, although we would have to make the 10 minute drive to school every day, it's not a very far commute. The school we are looking at for Julia is on my way to and from work, as well as next to places we run errands and the YMCA, so it shouldn't add much driving to our day. Our first choice was Chinook Trail Elementary. It's a relatively new school and located in a newer, higher-end neighborhood.

We took a tour of our neighborhood school and Chinook Trail. Although our neighborhood school was OK, there was a pretty obvious difference between the two. The District 20 office and school staff were more responsive, the facility and environment was better, the other children that attended the school seemed happier and more well-adjusted - basically everything appeared to be better and a better environment for Julia. It's not surprising that test scores for the school are as high as any other elementary school in the state. Additionally, other factors like reviews online and feedback from a former teacher confirmed this as our top choice.

Now would be a good time to say that we're not "those type" of parents. We're not psychos about getting Julia into the best school possible or that we're in competition with others. It's really about getting Julia into the right environment for her to learn and grow. If there is a great school a few blocks away (and free), why wouldn't we choose to send her there? We also want her somewhere that will allow her to realize her potential and challenge her, not stifle her. We think this school will be a better fit for her.

We'll find out by April 1st if she was accepted. We feel confident given the numbers we know that she'll make it in. If not, we'll probably keep her at the school she's attending now at least for another year and try again.

Touch A Truck Video

Some footage of the kids having a great time at the event. Lots of running and jumping...

Best Valentine's Day Card Ever

A text message from Stacey:

Jules keeps coming up to me, giving me kisses and lovies and telling me that I'm the best mom in the world. Then, she goes on to say that she has the best dad and the best brother in the world. I asked her why all the lovies and she said, "I don't know, I just love you guys."

Touch A Truck

This morning was the third annual Touch a Truck event. We had never heard of it until this year. The word spread quickly on Facebook so we decided to be there when it opened to avoid the big crowd.  We stayed for two hours and by the time we left the place was packed.

The kids absolutely loved it. There were cars and trucks of every kind...construction vehicles, police cars and fire trucks, race cars...all parked and ready to be climbed on and around. It was fun for the adults too. Jonathan bumped his face when he tried to climb down a wheel well, but other then that he loved it.

We saw a total of about 10 people that we knew, including classmates of Julia's, so it was quite the place to be this Saturday morning. The event was definitely kid and Grandma approved.

Hidden Camera

Jonathan being a monkey at 5 a.m.
Julia and Freckles taking a nap
The kids getting fresh air and cold - cuddling for warmth