Flag Football - Last game

Today was our last game of the Flag Football season. It was an 11 week long season and we had some fun but we're all somewhat relieved to be done. This ends my career as an assistant coach and we probably won't put Connor in football (tackle or flag) going forwards.

Connor enjoyed himself quite a bit and he improved throughout the season and I believe he became the best all around player on the team. He wasn't the best on the team at flag pulling or at throwing the ball, however he learned all the positions, all the plays, and was a great listener. For the last few games we put him in the quarterback position and he excelled and helped the entire team. He did well listening and remembering the plays to run and handed off the ball well with two hands and consistently so the ball wasn't dropped. I was extremely proud of his effort, his good attitude and his athleticism on the field.

On the last game, we got a babysitter for Paige so we could get some good pictures and videos, however the battery on our good camera was dead so the only pictures and videos were from Andrea's phone.

Andrea did capture two of Connor's good runs on video.

After the game, Coach Clay handed out trophies to everyone and the kids got to snack on some goodies.

I'm so very proud of Connor and can't say enough good things about him.

For my part, I'm very glad to be done with coaching. I found it to be frustrating and it definitely tried my patience and nerves. It was obvious the parents had high expectations and Clay and I both worked hard to push the kids and teach them what they needed to know. I met with Clay and discussed things with him, however it was difficult for me to understand boundaries and work within the role of assistant coach. I know I was not much of an asset early on in the season since I didn't know the rules or understand the way the games would go. Once things got going, I did my best to play a part in the practices and games. It was a learning experience for Connor and for myself. I have a greater respect for the people that put themselves out there and take on the challenge of coaching.

Daddy Daughter Dance

On Friday night, Paige and I got all dressed up and went to the Daddy Daughter Dance in our neighborhood. Mommy had a really cute dress made for Paige and it turned out super cute. I'd talked to Paige about the dance the night before and she was very excited for it all day. We snapped a few pictures of us together before we left.

Of course I had to get a cute picture of Paige with Mommy too since it was all thanks to Mommy that we looked so nice.

When we got there, we snacked on some goodies and then the music started and we danced a little bit. The DJ organized a few games like "hot potato" and another where everyone joined hands and tried to pass their bodies through hula-hoops. It looked like fun, but Paige was too little for most of it and was completely uninterested.

Paige did have a bit of fun dancing. Her initial dance moves consisted of spinning around in circles until she was dizzy, then falling and crashing in to people. I eventually broke her of that and she liked dancing.

Most of the night consisted of Paige pulling me from the dance area and towards the snacks.

Yummy! The snacks were definitely her favorite part. We had some chocolates, cookies and jelly beans. I had to cut her off after a few things or she wouldn't have left any for anyone else!

I really enjoyed our special time together. Paige is my wonderful beautiful little girl!

Connor's "Red" month

For every day in January, Connor got a red day at school! In his classroom, there's a color chart, and everyone has their name on a clip and everyone starts each day on Green. If they are good, their teacher moves their clip up and if they're bad, the clip goes down. Red is the best you can get and pink is the worst. As long as the clip stays on or above green, it's a good day and we're happy with his behavior. You have to be especially good for the clip to end up on Red. There were a few days where Connor was the only child in class to have a red day. We're very proud of Connor, he's such a great student!

An adult Disney weekend

Andrea and I had been planning to go on a cruise this Spring, but due to some factors outside our control it didn't work out. Instead, we went to Orlando to have a fun and relaxing weekend together. We went to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. We enjoyed being able to ride the grown up rides and we loved spending time with each other.

Connor and his Youtube videos

Connor loves to watch Youtube videos while he eats. We have been talking for years about how some animals eat other animals and he loves to watch wild animals hunt. The other day I had finished making him a meal and I was just starting to eat some food myself when he got my attention. "Daddy, look at this hyena! He made a hole inside this giraffe and he's eating it! He's so cute!" I looked at the video, and to my disgust and horror there was a hyena inside the rotting carcass of a giraffe, eating it from the inside out. I lost my appetite. I got a cute picture of him smiling with the video up.

Connor ties his shoes

We've been working on tying shoes with Connor for a while now. He has struggled for a while with it, but Mommy found an easy method on Youtube (I can't find the link now). Anyways, it was still hard for him, but he's been working on it whenever we do football and have to wear his cleats. On Tuesday when we went to practice, I asked Connor to try and tie them on the way there. Just in time, when we pulled up, he did it! All by himself! I had to take a pic of my big guy.

Grandma and Grandpa with the kids

Grandpa and Grandma watched the kids for the weekend while Andrea and I had a mini-trip out of town. They took Connor to his football game, took Paige to the park, and played with the kids quite a bit with their toys and games they got for Christmas. Thankfully it sounds like the kids were good for them and we hope they all enjoyed their time together.