Cincinnati Cyclones

 A co-worker of Kevin's had extra tickets to a Friday night Cyclones game a few weeks back. They were free; it was $1 City Barbecue sandwich night; and the kids have never been to a Cyclones game. It was a perfect fit!


We didn't realize that these "free" tickets were in the third row! I spent a good portion of my pre-teen/teenage years going to games when they played at the Cincinnati Gardens. It was a smaller venue so I wasn't too far away from the ice, but I was never this close!

 I'm sure they would have loved the experience regardless of where we sat, but to see the players' bodies slamming against the walls right in front of us was quite a sight for them! Meredith's attention somewhat waned toward the middle of the second period (we only stayed for the first two because the boys had basketball bright and early on Saturday), but luckily there were twin two-year-old girls sitting right in front of us. They bonded over their love of suckers.

Anyone know how to rotate pictures?? Sorry about this...

It was closing in on 9pm so we had to leave with the Chicago team leading, but there were five goals scored overall so they definitely witnessed an exciting game. We had a safe trip home, but it wasn't that way for everyone. There was a car who attempted to cross the bridge and ended up on its back. The next morning we woke to ice-coated cars and canceled basketball games. Too bad we had to leave the game early, but we did enjoy the day "stuck" at home in our jammies.

Soccer Shots

Lou, pumping the fist after a goal.

Benny in goal, Lou at halfback

Not sure what's going on here; they're too quick for my camera.

It seems like all the pictures I take at soccer games look the same, so these may be the only ones you see from this season.

This year started out rough. From practices it was easy to tell this team was young--mainly first graders, and the first time on a big field (read: lots of running). The first game was a disaster, as they all looked shell-shocked and not one goal was scored by the good guys, while the other team had quite a few balls make it into the net.

The second game and those thereafter have been much better. The boys are working together and although their passing game could use some work, it's been neat--and exciting--to watch. They haven't won every game, but they've played competitively and they are having so much fun. It's hilarious to see a goal score and the boys do chest bumps and pump their fists in the air. They deserve it. That's a lot of running around for only one goal!

Back it up: Cape Cod: Day 5

Right next door to the neighborhood where we were staying was a gorgeous place called Nickerson State Park. Kevin and I took the kids on a hike there the next day. The boys are really into hiking and exploring so this was the perfect day in their minds.

We decided to go into the part of the park that doesn't have defined trails. The boys really had fun with that, pretending that they were blazing new trails, going places no one else has ever been.

Then they came across this shelter and came up with stories of the Indians who lived there, and wondered where they were at that moment.

The park had so many opportunities for some really great shots. Luckily, Kevin and the boys were all for it.

If you're wondering, Meredith is on my chest in one of those backpacks you wear on the front.

It took forever for them to understand the pose I was trying to put them in. But, like I said, they were game for pretty much whatever!

When we wrapped around back to where we had parked, we decided to stop and have a snack on the side of the road. We come prepared for practically any situation, as seen with the chairs for our rest time.

Kevin took a lot of great shots of the nature in the park, including this butterfly. This was seen when we went to a different part of the part that had a paved path. Not as exciting as what we had just experienced, but still nice.

Later that evening we went to a baseball game. The Cape Cod league is what my dad played in during the summer when he was in college. The boys were in heaven.

The fans all come out to watch the guys play, maybe witnessing a player who will make it to the big leagues. Sean Casey, Jeff Bagwell, Nomar Garciapara, Craig Biggio, and Barry Zito are all guys who played in this league and made it.

Afterward, we came back and had an awesome seafood dinner and topped off the night with some sparklers!

Shooting Hoops

I've been doing a lot of writing about Benny and wrestling, but haven't remarked much on Louie's basketball season. There's not a whole lot to comment on, other than the fact that he's been a shooting machine. He's Louie "The Pistol."

These don't show Louie making baskets, but he does. His height is definitely a factor! Last game he made seven baskets.

I love that he has so much enthusiasm. Each time he makes a basket, he's the first one back on defense, pumping his fist while running back.

Victory is his!!

In his first tournament Benny was nervous. He had never seen so many people watching little kids wrestle. The gym where he practices has enough room for the mat, and about a foot of tile beyond the mat before there is a wall. People don't normally stay to watch the kids practice, so it's just him, his teammates and coaches.

This was a little different. All the other boys have been wrestling for a while and knew that when you're waiting for the tournament to start you play around the with other guys, doing moves and horsing around. Ben's not all that comfortable yet with his teammates, especially to just take a guy down that he sees standing on the mat.

Fortunately, the head coach's mom, who's been around the sport for a while, coaxed Benny and another little boy to practice together. That poor kid. Benny felt like he was the only one he could practice with, so when that kid went to shoot at another kid's legs, Benny followed or stood there and watched, looking extremely uncomfortable.

And I watched it all from the top of the gym. There were two levels of bleachers and the lower level was full, so we went upstairs to give the other kids some room to move around. (It was a big mistake to bring them in the first place. Wrestling tournaments are long!) So I sat up there feeling terrible for Ben. He didn't know I was watching him, seeing how nervous he was, standing there in such an odd getup. I was trying to send him my vibe, hoping that he'd know that we were all there supporting him, wishing him luck from up top because we weren't supposed to be down by the mats.

The first match came and went and Benny lost. His eyes were filled with tears. This wasn't fun. Whose idea was this? Part of the problem was that he was replicating what happens at practice. When a teammate is making a move on you, you let it happen. They're practicing. When you're doing a move on a teammate, you go so far and then do another drill. Benny pretty much had the kid at one point, but stopped, just like he would have if he was at practice. He was being way to nice and allowing his nerves to get in the way.

After the first match, Benny's coach told him that he didn't have to take the other guy's pushing him around. He had Ben push on his chest to show him how he should take care of the next guy. It worked. Benny came out fighting the next round, got that look in his eyes that I imagine will scare the living daylights out of future opponents.

When it was all over, Benny got 4th place and that came with a medal! It wasn't easy for him, but he didn't give up and got the added bonus of bringing home some hardware. His brothers are excited--although I'm not sure if it's more because it was time to go home or if they were thrilled with their brother's accomplishments!

Thanks so much to Uncle Hog, for your tips, supporting Benny from matside, and for taking these great pictures!

One Huge Hurdle

Benny is fortunate, compared to most of us, in that many things that he tries he succeeds in right away. But the downside to this is that when he isn't successful right away he gets incredibly frustrated and wants to quit.

The passion he shows when he gets angry or gets down on himself is exactly what he needs to be a good wrestler. Wrestling has not come easy for Ben.

We have been struggling with him to go to practice. He hasn't wrestled in a tournament because he was sick the majority of December. It must be hard to put in all that work at practices to not know the fruits of your labor.

Part of the problem is that wrestling is a difficult sport, there's no way around it. For a while he didn't realize that you could win by getting points for certain moves, not just by pinning his opponent. Once he learned that, it helped quite a bit considering at practice he had never pinned a kid.

But it wasn't getting any easier. He still cried when he went to practice and didn't want us to leave him there by himself. It is not encouraged for parents to stay at practice and that became overly evident one night when Benny convinced Kevin that he should stay. Half way into the first drill Ben stopped, burst into tears and ran to Kevin. He couldn't be consoled. They ended up leaving practice early.

That was a Monday, and on Wednesday I took him to practice. On the way there I went through a speech meant to pump him up and build confidence. Anyone who know my second born knows that the kid has a fighting spirit. I asked him what animal he thought each of his brothers was like. He said Louie is a lion. Charlie is a cheetah. I asked him what he thought he was. He said dog, so I went with that. I told him how he has a bulldog inside him and even though he gets nervous and is unsure of the situation, he knows that he has what it takes to win. I tried to explain to him that even the best of the best athletes get nervous before a game. (He asked what an athlete was.) I was hoping that talking him through this might help him realize that it's ok to be nervous and scared, that it is natural, and that he can use that to get better.

He seemed ok in the car, but when we got to the gym he was crying and holding onto my coat. I told him that I was leaving, but would be back early to watch the end of practice. I was counting on his lack of understanding of time (he told me to "come back at 4" when his practice started at 6pm) and his coach's support to help him get through practice without receiving a phone call. His coach was really great about stepping in, talking to him about what they would be doing and getting his mind off the fact I was leaving.

I called my uncle immediately when I got home. For many years he coached both high school age and little kid wrestling teams. He has an incredible ability to know what to say to kids and how to treat them in order to build their confidence and ability. He gave me some tips and said he'd go to the next practice to see how it was going. Thank goodness for kind and thoughtful people!

I left to pick up Ben and stood outside the doorway, making sure that he couldn't see me watching. He completed the cool down drills, and did so without any tears shed. The coach gathered the kids around and I just listened from the hall. He asked who was planning to wrestle in that weekend's tournament. A bunch of kids yelled, "I am! I am!" and surprise of all surprises, one of those voices was my Benny!!

The wife of one of the coaches, who coordinates the tournaments and knew of Ben's issues, looked at me with similar shock and happiness. I don't think it's that uncommon for kids to struggle with the sport, and many kids quit. She asked if that was ok for Benny to wrestle that weekend. "OF COURSE!" I said ecstatically!

Ben went into another room to get weighed in and I caught him on the way. He was so proud of himself, telling me what a great practice he had, and his coach confirmed this. I think everyone was surprised with the turnaround that Ben made in an hour and a half of practice!

A couple of the hardest parts with being a parent is seeing your child struggle and get upset. Who knows where it will go from here, but this was one huge hurdle he overcame and we are so very proud of him for it.

On Saturday

Saturday morning, bright and early (9am--hard for this family to get out the door!), Louie had his first tournament game for soccer. It was pretty chilly, lots of frost covering everything, but the boys were fired up to take on the Wildcats.

Between chasing kids around, chatting with the other parents and screaming for the team until my throat was sore, I didn't take any pictures of the game. Awful, I know. Good news though, the boys won their first game and the second took place three hours later. We went home, ate lunch and then headed back to the field, this time to take on Mustangs.

The outcome wasn't as great this time. It was obvious that the boys were worn out from the first game. The other team was running circles around them. It probably helped that they had a bye in the first round. The guys had a great season, definitely something to build on next year. Louie didn't want to hear any of that, though. The poor guys was in tears after the whistle was blown. The tears didn't stop during the ride home and when we got out of the van.

I took him aside to talk, because this is something all too familiar to me. After every season I would tear up. Embarrassing, I know. I don't know if I was like that when I was as young as Lou, but as I got older, and definitely in high school. You don't want it to end, especially if it ends on a losing note. You put so much of yourself into the sport, it almost feels like you're losing a part of yourself when its over.

I don't remember what I said, other than sharing with him that I've been there, too talk. It's not a bad thing, although it's hard to see your kid upset. But it means that he was really into it, he cared about his team and the sport. He's got passion already in his short six years, and I think that's something that we are in short supply of these days--in both kids and adults.

He dried his eyes and I gave him a hug and he went inside to change out of his uniform. Basketball starts next Saturday, and after that is baseball. Soccer will be back next fall, but it's not about one sport or another. Or even just sports. Louie puts his heart and soul into almost everything he does and for that, I am proud of him. He's a good kid.

Grab Bag 4

The boys started out the summer with barely wanting to put their heads under water. That isn't exactly true. At Grandma and Grandpa's Benny is comfortable going under, but he didn't do a whole lot more than that, and wouldn't go under at all at lessons. Louie was lucky if he got the back of his head wet, but would never put his face in.

All that changed this summer, thanks to three swim instructors, Alycia, Sammy and Brian. We are much indebted to them for helping our boys overcome their fears and develop swimming technique. When the second session was over the boys received a check off sheet saying that they are able to go on to the next level. On both, the instructor wrote that the two of them have progressed more this summer than any of the other kids in swim lessons. Louie and Benny were busting their buttons.

I now realize that what I thought was a good intention might have prohibited them from being a good swimmer sooner. I wanted them to swim without the "crutch" of goggles. I feared that they would only go under if they wore them, and what would happen if they fell into water and weren't wearing goggles? (Ah, the fears of a mother!) When they found some that we bought last year, I finally broke down and let them take the goggles to swim lessons.

I'm not sure if it would have been the same if I let them use the goggles from the beginning, but both boys gained confidence from using the goggles, even to the point where if they forgot them they still went under, though wouldn't do the strokes for as long. I feel like a bad parent for holding out on them for so long, but I guess it all worked out in the end!


One thing I learned from swim lessons is that I really need to get better at taking pool pictures! The first one is Benny jumping off the board, then Louie. I don't have any that are better than this!

Cheering them on, Alex, Meredith and Charlie

A Great American?

Apparently I've never blogged about Benny's obsession with being a "great American." It's a long story, but here goes:

There's a local radio personality who calls himself a "Great American" and guests on his show whom he finds ideas that he agrees with he also calls "Great Americans." I have an uncle who had a back and forth with this celebrity at a Reds game and it was a really funny story when my uncle shared it with us.

This morphed into a thing that all my uncles now do with my boys--specifically with Benny--they call each other "Great Americans." I've shared before how Ben has roles for boys and girls, and apparently only boys can be "Great Americans." The boys have gotten very passionate about this thing, even though I'm pretty sure they have no idea what this means.

My thoughts were proven correct when we watched the Olympic hockey finals on Sunday. The boys were very excited, as they absolutely love hockey, and they made signs to root for their team. Guess who Benny made a sign for? The Canucks.

He did not back down. Not one iota. He was rooting for Team Canada and no one was going to tell him different. Oh, but by the way, he is still a "Great American."

The game was incredible--just what you want in a gold-medal competition. Benny never backed away from his choice, even though the rest of us were wholeheartedly cheering on the Red, White & Blue. Benny gets that way. Once he gets something in his head, he sticks with it and I have to say that may be partly my fault. I tend to get very stubborn about things and once I make a decision I'll often stick with it even though I may come to realize it's not the best decision. And a lot of times the choices I make are because I don't like doing what everyone else is doing. I don't know how to justify that.

In the end, Benny was very excited that "his" team won. He wants to remind you that he still is a "Great American," but he's also a winner.

Saint Kevin

On Saturday, I had an annual event where I travel a little less than an hour to spend an entire day scrapbooking with my good friend from college. Catching up on our lives through chatting goes on more than in the pages in our albums, but it is something I really look forward to each year.

That day also turned out to be Louie's basketball banquet day as well as a fundraiser at his school called "Fun Fest." Kevin, who I knew would have no problem doing it all with all the kids, took everyone to both events and gained the respect and admiration of other mothers who were at both events. They were mesmerized by his lack of anxiety over having the four youngins out by himself. They actually called him "Saint Kevin!"

I count myself fortunate that I have a wonderful husband who is willing and comfortable taking his kids so I can get away for the day, and I don't have any worries while I'm gone. Thank you, Kevin!

Still Shots from Hoopsfest

Here are some pictures from the warm-up and game on Saturday. Sorry the pictures are so grainy. The light wasn't the greatest and because they were playing full court I was taking the shots back a little further than in previous games.

The kids were so excited even though I don't think they had any clue what was going on. The organization that runs the basketball (and baseball) program is incredible. The woman in charge is so dedicated to the kids--really emphasizing that it is about the kids having fun. The kids learn a lot because the pressure is not there and grow both as an athlete and as a person. So glad we're a part of it!

In line doing their layups before the game

After they ran through the banner, the team members were announced individually

Louie always plays under the basket with his hands up

Gracie wore her warm-up suit just in case they needed an extra player.
Turns out Louie has a teammate named Grace who made some great shots!

Meredith wore her ballerina outfit to be the cheerleader on this special day. (Can you believe I allowed this? Ah, how time has changed me ;)

Hoopsfest!

In the schedule we saw that on Saturday it was supposed to be Hoopsfest, but we didn't know what that meant. We were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a big production! On hand for the game was the biggest group of fans any kid could ask for: Uncle Jay and Christina drove down from Columbus; Uncle Paul came in from Cleveland; Aunt Jill and Uncle Nick came from Dayton; as well as Grandma and Grandpa R, Aunt Erin, Uncle Joe and Gracie, and Grandpa M.

Usually they have two games going at once, on shorter courts. This game the kids played full court, which is a big difference for those little legs! But I'm getting ahead of myself--before the game even began the lights went off, a smoke machine started up and a spotlight shinned on a banner made by the moms of each team. As the team was announced they broke through their banner and ran to the center of the court to be announced. For whatever reason our gold team wasn't able to break through their banner. Here is a short video of it:




Louie didn't score any points that day, but he had rebounds in the double digits! Each time the announcer called out his name! It was such a fun way to end the season.

Stay tuned: baseball starts at the end of April!

Superb Owl '10

Uncle Denny and Aunt Sherry hosted another great party this year. The group was an overwhelmingly Colts crew, save for me and the boys and a couple of others. Well, we never got out of Charlie what he wanted, but I'd be pretty surprised if he did anything different than his brothers!

Halfway through the game (when it looked like the Colts were going to run away with it) Benny decided to switch sides. For whatever reason that frustrated me. I don't care who you're rooting for, but don't be a bandwagoneer! I think it's important to stick to your guns when making decisions, even if it is as unimportant as who's going to win the Superb Owl.

And you can see how much I actually cared about the game, considering the following are the only pictures I took:

"So Gracie, who are you rooting for," asks Andy.

"I don't care. Give me some soup," says Gracie.

"I love these shoes, Mere. Where did you get them?" asks Gracie.

P.S. Joanie came up with the "Superb Owl" a while ago and I thought it was a great name to take the place of the ridiculous rules put in place by the nfl.

P.P.S. I often like to pretend that the girls are in a Look Who's Talking movie.

Two Goals

This league doesn't keep score but when the whistle blew and the game was over Louie came running over to us yelling, "We won, 6-2!"

Not only that, but he scored two goals! He came close to scoring a third, kicking it from almost halfway down the field, but missed it by about a foot. He is definitely improving with each game and is really loving it.

Afterward, we headed down to the high school's football field to watch them take on my alma mater. The boys had a great time watching the game up close, but it was getting late so we didn't stay for the whole game. As we were walking back to our van Ben says, "That's Ok, we can just listen to the rest of the game on the radio." Children of whatever letter generation this is...they believe everything in their world is at their fingertips.

Fierce competition

It took three games, but Louie has come out of his shell on the soccer field. A little too much for my tastes. I'm not sure if this is one of the times specifically (all pictures in this post are courtesy of Kevin), but if you look at Lou, his comments are being directed at the little girl on the other team.

He was yelling, "Nice shot! Ha-ha! Real nice shot!" and I honestly thought he was cheering on the other team. Then I realized that Uncle Nate and Tia Katie were laughing in that they thought something differently. He was taunting the other team. That little girl kicked the ball out of bounds and Lou thought it was perfectly ok to make fun of her for that. Where on earth did he pick that up?!

Not more than a couple of minutes later I heard him tell his teammate that their kick out of bounds was "terrible." I gasped and the parents who were in their lawn chairs next to me snapped their heads in my direction. What happened to my sweet little boy? I do not remember him ever saying anything like that in baseball. If he did I wish I would have known right then and there. The whistle blew for the end of the quarter and I went marching over to the side of the field to have a chat with Mr. Lou. Thanks to Kevin you have evidence of my nipping it in the bud.

Louie was on the field with Daysia and Jackson. Louie and Daysia made a great team. Lou is a pretty good kicker and could get it pretty much from one end of the field to the other. Daysia's specialty is being able to kick the ball through a crowd of kids and was able to score almost each time. Although he didn't score himself, Louie had many assists. (Please correct my terminology if it is wrong!)

Ah, watching four and five-year-olds is always a hoot! An early visit by the Headless Horseman.

These two were so cute. Each time they scored they jumped up and down, galloping down the field, and when one would stop to give the other a high five the other would still be jumping. Then the second would stop jumping to give a high five while the first would start jumping again. I'm sure they'll get the hang of celebrating goals by the end of the season!

Edited: I should probably say that I didn't yell at Louie, by any means. I just wanted to talk to him right away, while it was fresh in his mind. I'm a big believer that good sportsmanship starts young and that if he is going to play sports he's going to know how to be a team player! Sorry, if you that caused you to feel bad for the little guy!

Still Kicking Away

Here Louie is doing a corner kick. I think that's what it's called. I played years and years and years ago, but have lost any knowledge of the game that I may have possessed.

He definitely seemed more at ease during this game. Whereas most of the kids on both teams would do a little dribbler kick, Louie would crush it down field. In the right direction, this time.

You can see in this picture how serious Lou is with the game. He's still learning about what his job is, but he takes on the task with such intensity. I love it.

The Blue Racers had another victorious game, this one being a complete match. At the end, many of the parents ran onto the field, made an arch and all the kids ran through giving high fives. At first I thought they were doing the spanking machine! The shock of what was going on glued me to my lawn chair. This should be an interesting season!

juego de futbol

This picture gives the impression that Lou knows what he is doing. He does not.

He gets the idea that you're supposed to kick a ball, and kick that ball into a net, but what net? Are these other people supposed to help me score a goal, or is it every kid for himself?


This is team Blue Racers, and at the beginning of every game the players introduce themselves to the fans.

I'm Louie!

It's really cute--they only play 3 on 3 on these miniature fields. I think it's a great way to learn the game, that there are role for people to play, not just bunching up all the players on the field. It must be difficult, though, to remember which direction you're supposed to be going when you get turned around attempting to take the ball away from the other team. Louie did that once this game.

They don't keep score in this league, but it was pretty obvious that the Blue Racers dominated, scoring something like seven goals to the other team's one. It didn't last very long because soon after the rain started, then thunder and then a lightning bolt.

But we had fun anyway.

Family Day

Who cares if the lawn needs to be mowed, closets need to be organized, and rooms needed to be cleaned--it was Fan Appreciation Day! All the work I had typed up on a To-Do list flew out the window because we needed to take advantage of a nice day and the ending of a pathetic season.

The bleachers were too hot so we headed down under the stacks to get misted. They weren't on, but the boys enjoyed having lots of room to play baseball, since the game wasn't much to watch.

Here's some brotherly love! Yes, I saw how dirty the ground was here, but they're kids and dirt is a magnet for them. A good thing for the Reds: If we can manage to hold on to some of our young players, next season will have some bright spots to it. There is definitely an energy there now that wasn't there most of the season.