Birthday Twins

Lots of basketball on their birthday but they wouldn't have it any other way.

Last Game

Soccer ends the season with another loss but the boys ran hard. We are at a preseason basketball tournament now.

Team Party

The boys are getting a little old for the team party thing. It was a rough soccer season but they had fun.

Nobel Chemists

Win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, get your face on our building.

Happy Halloween

The boys have given up on "trick or treating" this year. They were a little big for it last year but now they they are too cool.

All Dressed Up

Pouty Face

Channeling Uncle Tom

Tom was a notorious land mine layer at parties and would have been proud of our work at Tim and Stephanie's wedding last night. This is just one of a number of good ones. Everybody looks happy in a land mine shot.

Gentlemen

They clean up good

World Food Prize Building

The old central library turned into a LEED Platinum museum.

Farmers Market

We had a nice brunch and stroll through the Des Moines farmers market. Nice day in Iowa.

Uncle Bill

Got to hang with the Adelman side of the family after getting into Des Moines yesterday. It. Was good to see Tony, Tim, Stephanie, Robbie and of course Uncle Bill. The wedding weekend has begun.

Camera Shy

Ava seems more interested in the camera than Dylan, Mick and Sam.

Eighteen and Nineteen

It was a chilly night for soccer but Nicole and I got 2 and a half mile walk in around the track during the game. Our team is a little on the short side.

Flag Goodness

We got back on the winning track again yesterday in Flag Football.  We managed a very convincing victory over the Falcons with the boys showing some excellent situational awareness.  We never trailed in the game but it was close for a while.  We made a few mistakes but managed to learn from them and move on to the next play pretty seamlessly.  Remember, this is mostly the boys calling the plays and organizing the defense during the game. I simply give them advice from sideline based on what I'm seeing from my vantage point.  I've really been trying to help them run their own game this year and make them think critically about what's happening and how to adjust.  I think that will be an advantage as we roll into the playoffs.  The other teams have multiple coaches and are still sending in the plays.  I like our system better and win or lose, my team is being forced to find solutions on their own which will only benefit them as they enter high school.

We lost our 7th straight soccer game.  Sam had a nice goal and they both ran hard but our young and undersized team couldn't keep up.

Wheelbarrows

I used to have to do these in football. The boys had a 90 minute football practice then a 90 minute basketball practice. They should sleep well tonight.

Little Daylight

Soccer practice's are coming to an end soon. At least the ones on fields without lights. We share this field with a girls team. Both teams try to ignore each other but I catch the looks from both sides.

Band Man

The first concert of the year was tonight. They play better every year.

Strikers

Both boys played up as strikers or forwards most of the game but the Blue Strikers had a hard time getting the ball past mid field, limiting their goal scoring potential. Great day for soccer anyway.

Hallow Run

I guess you need to stop for a ghost or the during a 20 mile run.

Try outs

One more year of club basketball before high school. It looks like we will have a couple really talented new kids his year. One from a rival program with a notoriously horrid coach. My understanding is that a few kids from that team bailed to other clubs. Bad behavior as a youth coach catches up with you eventually.

Blueberry Sour

...via PhotoToaster, using these settings.

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Central Park

Been looking out this window most of the day. Meeting is going well but I'm thinking of things to do with the boys when we come back up for thanksgiving.

8th Grade

Last year of middle school.

8th Grade

First school picture with no braces.

Victory

The boys came away with a nice victory in Flag Football on Saturday.  We played a team with some kids we have played with for years and the game came down to the wire again but we held them off for the win.  It was a nice change from losing two games at the very end and showed that the boys are learning to manage the games better.  We only had five kids show up so I didn't have to make any substitutions or position decisions. They boys pretty much handled that on the field.  The rest of the weekend was pretty chill with no soccer games.  The boys have a four day weekend coming up and we have no games scheduled.  Not sure what we are going to do with all that freedom.

First Fire

A little cold and very damp. I just needed a little flame.

Basketball is Back

Alongside, soccer and flag football. October will be a busy month.

Stylin

They say they hate cotillion but I think they like it, just a little. Where else can you find a bunch of girls their age all dressed up and looking good?

Sunny Days

It had barely rained around here the las couple months but we are due for a few inches the next couple days. It's been great for getting games in but my lawn is in rough shape. No soccer this weekend, only football.

Penalty

The boys lost their soccer game again yesterday but Dylan had a nice penalty kick go in for our only goal. We also lost another football game at the last minute. That's really frustrating.

Young Vikings

Had a great practice on a warm Fall evening. First time I had all 7 of them together for a workout. Fun group of kids that learning to run their own team. I'm just Walter Matthau in Bad New Bears but they aren't bad news. That are all very good. 

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Iron Giant

First day of Fall. My favorite time of the year. 

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Sportpocolypse

Well, not really that bad but we lost our flag football game on Saturday by a point, lost our soccer game by 5 Saturday afternoon and now lost a second soccer game by 8. Sam twisted his ankle in the first 10 minutes of Saturday's soccer game and had to sit out today. Dylan scored on two pick six's and threw a 40 yard bomb to Sam in the football loss and scored the soccer teams only goal all weekend today. Need to reset and go back at it next weekend. 

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Friday Night Lights

Late Friday practices tend to create a late start to the weekend but it's getting nice out for sitting outside. 

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T-Rex

Things you see outside National Geographic.

One Week Down...

8th grade marches on. Not a lot of home work yet but I'm sure it's coming.

Sports Saturday

The boys played a flag football and soccer game with a 100 degree heat index yesterday. The flag game was my coaching debut with my own team and I was very proud of the way Dylan and Sam were leaders n the field. The whole team played really well and pretty much managed themselves in the game. They called their own plays and talked to each other on defense making it really difficult on the other team. We ended up winning 49-28.

Sam and Dylan also provided a lot of the leadership and most of the scoring chances in a 6-2 loss in soccer. Sam scored both of our goals with Dylan providing a perfect crossing pass on one of them. Dylan also had a beautiful shot from about twenty yards that just missed the upper left corner by a few inches.

It was a great day for the boys.

8th Grade

Next stop, High School but let's enjoy our last year of middle school first.

Night Practice

Soccer has started and we have one of our weekly practices on Friday nights. We had a very fall like day and a great sunset. Not much going on this weekend, need an at home weekend.

Separate Rooms

The new furniture for the boys bedrooms arrived yesterday and they are officially in separate rooms.  They spent almost 14 years sharing a bedroom but it was time to put them in bigger beds and give them a little more privacy.  The long history includes the first six months, when they had Victoria the night nanny with them most night in cribs, then toddler beds and then single beds.  They both seemed pretty happy with the new, much bigger and more comfortable mattresses but Dylan did say that he was going to miss being able to talk with Sam once we shut the door and turned the lights out.  I'm going to miss that aspect of them sharing a room as well.  

Birthday Dinner

It has been a great weekend on the lake. Perfect weather for the big birthday dinner extravaganza.

Catching Air

And some of this.

Lake Day

Did a lot of this today.

8 bedrooms, 8 Baths

This house was designed for big birthday parties like this or one huge family. We took the boat to dinner last night and made it back ok in a pretty moonless and dark lake. The Stars were amazing but we couldn't see anything on the water. One more day then back to see the boys and Dylan's brace free teeth. He got them off yesterday.

Lake Gals

We have a nice pontoon boat with the house on the lake and we have explored a bunch of the lake but it's a big, multi-armed beast and we may not see the whole thing. Great weather.

Deep Creek

Three hour drive to western Maryland and a beautiful sunset. Nicole and I are here for Carrie's birthday and some fun on the lake. The boys are home with Aunt Elaine. Elaine was very nice to come down from Philly to watch the boys for us. I hope they don't bore her to death. They spend a lot of time plugged in.

Subtle Shift

The boys have been at camp all week and Nicole picked them up while I was on the train to Philly. I talked to them when they got in the car to head home and they told me a little about the week, including their desire to go back there for 2-3 weeks next year. I have not seen them much this month and I won't be home for a few more days to hang with them which is hard.

I will miss them terribly if they do camp for two or three weeks next year but it's a noticeable independence trend that is inevitable. They are finding freedom in doing things independently which is what we are trying to help them learn as they grow older. It struck me as I watched the clouds go by the window on the train that they've made a little more progress toward an independent life. I'm happy and frightened at the same time.

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Jury Duty

This week started with my first ever jury duty summons and subsequent two day trial. We the jury found the young man of felony fleeing police and endangering the public. He got 12 months in the slammer for fleeing the cops on a motorcycle at speeds of 149 MPH. This was the fifth time he was caught going over 100 MPH in the last two years and the only reason he was caught this time was because he wiped out on an off ramp and broke his femur bone in two. It wasn't real hard to convict him because two state trooper cars had video and the young man was wearing a Go Pro camera showing that he saw the troopers and the speed in which he was traveling. His lawyers argument was that he was driving safely because he used his turn signals while going 149 and his punishment was a broken leg. I realize the attorney didn't have much to work with but that's pathetic.

Anyway, it was a fascinating experience that I shouldn't have to repeat for at least three years.

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Cayuga

Six campers, two counsellors and a counsellor in training. Sam and Dylan are taller than all of them. I hope they are having fun. It's been hot during the day and stormy at night.

Off Again

The boys are off again for 6 days at camp tockwogh on the eastern shore of Maryland. I don't get to see them much this month which kinda sucks but September is right around the corner. They are going to have a hot few days there. 100 plus heat indexes all week long. Lots of time on the water I would bet.

I have jury duty today for the first time ever. It's very quiet in the jury waiting room this morning. Lots of people silently hoping that they won't be picked.

Flag Clinic

We are doing a whole new flag league this year. Our friend Cory started a northern Virginia NFL franchise this year and held a clinic for about 75 players this morning. It was brutally hot but the boys got a workout in. The are off to camp tomorrow. It's gonna be a hot week on the Chesapeake.

Fish Slayer 4

Fish Slayer 3

Fish Slayer 2