soccer's over!!

It seems like each day another activity is ticked off our calendar and it feels so great!  The lily's flowered and they are SO pretty.  I had another one bloom that is smaller and all purple with an even more dramatic shape, but I didn't get it in a picture I don't think.

It was a very busy weekend.  Dominique and my team played 4 games.  2 Friday night and 2 Saturday and Ivan played 3 with his team.  It was cloudy, but didn't rain, which was perfect- except our last game when it was scorching hot.  One team told me they had 2 players go to the hospital for heat stroke- one was throwing up and the other passed out!  My games were really spaced well that second day and my kids didn't want to quit playing.  I have one missing from this pic.

It was so great to watch them come together as a team.  We had played really good games all along, but by this point, we'd figured out each kid's natural gifts and what position felt right for them- so I had a couple of super goalies, some ace on forwards and mighty defense.  They made a formidable team for soccerfest and after winning only 1 game all season and one tie, they went undefeated this weekend.  They were passing and playing positions and working together- it was so cool!

Dominique decided that she liked me coaching, so we may do it again next year, but for now it's so nice to not have practices to plan or rush to and games every Sat.  all over to drive away to.

My beauty queen played in fashion too.  She wore a jean skirt with built in shorts and a flowy fancy shirt with halter straps under her soccer shirt all weekend.  She was so hot and I kept telling her to just wear her soccer shirt without the other heavy shirt- but oh no- gotta look good on her big day!

Brian got all the play structure up apart from a roof he wants to put over the fort part later in the summer- or at least before winter.  We hung the tire swing with a chair caster and it seems to work well.  We also hung a hammock my cousins gave me and it's so fabulous!  We have a picnic table from my other cousins and our backyard is now our second living, dining and playroom.  The days are absolutely gorgeous and it's so fun to just hang out back there- reading, talking, playing, eating.

I had the easiest sub job day EVER and will get paid a wack load of money for it too.  I was at an adult ed. place that will remain unnamed, but since the semester is nearly over (3 days away) and they don't have exams, no one showed up!  My instructions were to help anyone if they needed it, if they came in- they didn't expect more than 3 people, possibly just one, but no one came.  So I got to label pictures and get them in an album, work on some projects I have going on, write a couple of e-mails and read- all while sitting in an air conditioned, beautiful room, looking out onto the lush green hills.  Crazy!  The kids have 2 more days and then Woodtick festival!!  Yeah- summer is almost here!!!

Happy Father's Day!

It was a big fun weekend.  The eldest local cousin had her grad Friday night. Victoria is the gorgeous redhead, not to be mistaken with the gorgeous blond and gorgeous brunettes.  This was my first time to attend a town grad.  They did little speeches for each grad (more like roasts of the grad) and announced to a packed out rexcenter that she is also getting married this summer.  Tyler is next to her in the pic here... 25 days until the wedding- which also happens to be Dominique's birthday.

She spent several of her early growing up years on a reserve up North with her family.  Her parents were given the moccasins that they now passed down to Victoria.

We had a fun family meal together with the Muirheads.  Here is Victoria with her grandparents- aunt Mary is my dad's first cousin.  It's great fun because aunt Mary likes to tell stories and she knew my grandmother who I never met, so I get to hear snippets of family memory treasures from her.

Speaking of family, my mom and dad were also able to come for the night.  They were coming to watch Ivan and Dominique play soccer which happened to be the day after the grad.

Dominique played her best game ever and scored a goal to impress her grands.  The team has done so well improving their skills.  It's really fun to watch them go.  The other team was really good too, so it was a tight game the whole way and we went away with a tie.

Next up was Ivan.  Half way through his game we got some freak, intense weather blow through.  It was a windy, crazy hard downpour that immediately drenched all the players (us wimpy parents retreated to under a covered entrance way, where we could watch our kids continue their game in slanting sheets of rain.

After about 5 or 10 minutes, the system swept on through and the sun popped back out.  It was surreal.  So lots of adventure.  Today the kids gave Brian their handmade gifts from school and we added this year's pages to his Father album.  They write a note to Brian each year of their favorite memories and we add some recent pics of them together.  It's a fun way to journey through his life as dad and watch them all grow up together.

Only a couple of weeks left of school!

in the Baggett house

About the same time that Dominique's first tooth got loose, Ivan busted his lip on the pavement and started showing the smallest hint of top teeth coming through.  They are both quite proud of their accomplishments.  I remember hating loose teeth and being terrified of my dad and his pliers and grand schemes for extraction, but this new generation seems quite eager.  Of course it has helped their enthusiasm that they are "late" loose toothers".  Most kids lose their 1st tooth in kindergarten.  Ivan lost his first in 2nd grade and Dominique at the end of 1st!

Today we got a call from three of the cutest kids not in town right now.  The Sinclairs are in Japan visiting family.

Emora got to talk to her friend Ayumi.

And we also heard Konomu and Nozomu's voices.  Ivan was the one to answer the phone.  First he said "who is this?", then when he found out it was Ko, he exclaimed "are you PAYING for this?".  Can you tell we are Scottish?

It was a great surprise to the day to hear about their lives on the other side of the world and much later in the day!  The boys are e-mailing, which is also showing us the importance of correct spelling.  Ivan was passing on some tragic news about one of their classmates, but he had it spelled all wrong and they couldn't understand what he'd written.

My right hand lady and I taking on the watering.  I'm so excited because I have irises and other flowers given to me from friends and my mom that I have never seen flower.  Last year, I had one bud and Ivan snapped it off.  He's a bit peculiar about things that look different... but all this time and I still don't know what color they are!  This year, the irises are budding like crazy and some other leafy things are seeming to grow buds, so I'm anxious to see what they hold.  I'm sure there is some deep lesson in that, but I can't think of it now!

One thing that was AMAZING this weekend, was that  I got my first of what I hope will be many swims in.  I was gifted with a wet suit for my birthday last year, but I only got to use it once since it was already fall.  This weekend was hot and I summoned up my courage to go try a swim.  The water was cold, but there were 3 teens in the lake with just shorts and shirts and lifejackets, so that gave me courage.  I had also gotten boat shoes and some gloves.  The cold took my breath away, but once I got used to it, it was perfect!

Every once in a while I'd try front crawl with my face going in and after about 6 times, my face and head hurt, so I know the suit was doing it's job, because the rest of me was toasty warm.  I even took off the shoes and gloves after a bit and that was so freeing too.  AND all these years here I have been mourning the fact that there is no pool here-- and while it really does suck and I really do wish we had an indoor pool so that  I could still swim all winter, I realized Sunday that swimming is a whole new experience in the lake.  In the pool, I was just counting laps- no scenery, no awe, just stroke, stroke, stroke.  Which I love.  But I couldn't do that here.  For one, I've gotten horribly out of shape for that level of swimming, then the shoes would slip and the suit is a bit cumbersome and my face would get cold....  but also, the lake offered WAY more than a swim.  The sun was shining, the hills were dimpled in pinks and greens, the waves rocked me AND the best part, some gorgeous bird and later it's mate came and played with me and pelicans soared all around, one flew right over my head, so close, like 10 feet.  The first bird would appear all of a sudden, bob a while, then dive under and reappear not too far again from another direction.  I did this 3 or 4 times, then it'd be out where I could'nt see it, then 20 min. later, there he'd come again.  Before I left, there were 2 of them romancing me.  It was so cool.  And I don't know if I've written about the pelicans before.  They are my favorites.  They are so graceful as they fly and soar.  Next time I'm going to take my binoculars.  I did get exercise too, but it won't be my highly structured swims of before.  I used some of my water aerobic knowledge, so I'm glad I had all those years doing that too and would do different strokes as I felt like it.  100 of my swims in the pool could not compare to this.  It was amazing and I left so in shock that I get to live here.  And, this is just one beach, on one of 4 lakes here!  They all look different and have other experiences to offer depending on the spot you are in.  So thankful for the lake, and my wet suit and the gift they offered me.

soccer season

Soccer season is short and sweet here.  I mere 6 weeks.  It was delayed a week this year due to late snow melt.  Today we played in a light drizzle.  This year, I took on the challenge of coach.  They were needing volunteers and I'd thought I would much rather work with kids than do some organizational job.  It's been fun. 

I've got a great group of kids who play their hearts out.  We've had our bumps and bruises, our learning curves, a bunch of close losses and today- our first win!  I've learned things:  like when to make substitutions (no it's not like hockey where you can switch them out when the ref whistles).

Dominique got her first goal this season today too- so she was pretty happy.  I've got a good mix of boys and girls.  It's a bit of a challenge to keep them organized during a game.  I've got 11 players and we play 5 on the field at a time.  Today we played with only 8 players and it was WAY easier to keep them figured out.  I could just pull off the 3 most tired looking ones at a time and didn't switch out my goalie as much.

Ivan plays right after our game, only not always in the same town.  Today he played an hour away.

Every once and a while, he is in the same town and I get to see him play too.

We've had plenty of hot days and our garden is popping out of the dirt- so now we can see just how badly we planted it!!  Hey- you get what you get with 3 little kid helpers in the mix!

Brian started building the kids' play structure.  We'd promised them we'd build it again once we moved up here.  That was 3 years ago.

Oops!  Better late than never.  They are quite excited about it and of course Brian is making it now and improved and bigger- yikes!

He's working some now with another construction guy, so we are figuring out the balance for everyone to have peace and be fulfilled.

School is winding up bit by bit.  Dominique is excited about her class' trip to the city to the Imax and gymnastics outing.  I'm not sure what Ivan's year end hoopla will be yet.  But we've been liking activities dropping off the calendar.  No more dance, karate, School Community Council, Reading record for grade 3...  We've enjoyed all these activities, but it's also nice to have a break and enjoy a different season.  I was hoping to try out my wet suit for a swim in the lake this weekend.  Maybe the rain will let up ;)

Play day and track and field day part 2

It was a bit chilly as the day started off.

Since Ivan had no one to run against, they let him run with the (slightly) older boys.

Sidewalk chalk was one of the morning activities for Dominique.  They split all the kids up into groups with a couple of kids from each grade- which I love.  So she had a button with the color of her group and was paired with kindergarteners up to grade 2ers and they did each station together.

Other teachers told us that Ivan did really great at high jump, but he was having troubles clearing it as we watched-- too much pressure with parents and camera rolling?

Go son go!  Fly like a bird- higher, faster, stronger!

I'm hoping I will get to catch most of his events Friday, but have a double session to do at the library this week, so it stinks that it's the same day, but at least regionals are being held in Fort Qu'Appelle this year.  We lucked out in so many ways!

Play day and track and field

So apparently it pays to be one of the youngest in the class.  Our school does a special play day for grades K-2, which involves outdoor activities and games and then racing in the afternoon.  The grades 3 and up do track to qualify for regionals.  They do this by age and gender.  Ivan was one of 3 kids who started the year as a 7 year old in grade 3.  All the others were 8.  The other 7 year olds are all in grade 2, so they don't do track.

He got to pick 5 events to try to qualify in.  One of the other age 7 boys did not make it that day.  So in a couple of events he was the lone contestant and came away with 1st!  In the others, he beat the one other boy and also got 1st!  So he got 5 ribbons for 1st and will compete in regionals on Friday against all the other younger boys.  Unfortunately, I'm doing a double session at the library that day, so I may miss quite a bit of it- ugh- but I'm hoping to catch some of the action!

Dominique also got a 1st.  She's pretty fast and tall and lanky- so I can easily see track in her future.

Here's our super athlete of the hour--- Ivan in long jump.

Dominique about to face off with the other 6 year olds.  She just raced against 3 other girls I think.  They ran them in small groups.  I got to give out ribbons last year and it's pretty tricky figuring out who was 1st, 2nd, 3rd...

Ivan and his loot!  Such a lucky guy.

Dominique also got to do a hoola hoop race with a partner.  They got 4th.

She acted happy enough there, which I was so proud of her for, but at home we had some aftermath from the placing of 4th!  She may have a bit of a competitive streak in her.

Emora and I got to watch and cheer all day, Brian got to see some of it too.  By the end, she was wanting to race too, so I had here race me and guess what- she got first too!

More pics to follow tomorrow.  Brian got some great shots of his high jump.