Happy Christmas!

It was a crazy morning with wrapping paper and squeals in the air.  Just as it should be.  The Xbox isn't set up yet but the Nintendo DS XL got some heavy use today as did the PlayDoh set.  Thanks, Santa!

Ready!

The elves finished helping Santa at about 12:30 am!

The Annual Christmas Pajama Pic

Happy Christmas to everyone far and near!

The Man With The Bag

This year went MUCH better than the last!

More Devil Worship

 

 

Go Blue Devils!

Things got crazy at the end of football season in late November and I realized that I never posted anything about the most exciting sports experience so far in Connor's life....his AYFL Blue Devils won the C League championship on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. They played at Briar Woods High School and, honestly, Connor had one of his best games ever. It was really exciting.

Huge balloon arch that we built the night before.  It took 3 hours.  And then the stupid adults that were holding it dropped it too low and the FIRST kid through broke it to smithereens.  I literally was torn about whether I wanted to punch someone in the teeth or just drop to the ground and weep. 

Game Day Breakfast

The coaches made a nickname tribute to each player.

The trophy

Smiles At the Portofino Pool

Hurricane Sandy

This past Monday the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States was absolutely devastated by a hurricane that collided with a nor'easter.  Schools were closed here on Monday and Tuesday and, of course, we were very worried about my family, friends and co-workers in New Jersey.  In the end, we just had some very profound wind and rain.  Around 70 roads in our county were closed after the storm due to downed trees and flooding.  The Garden State, however, was hit very hard.  Sandy came ashore in southern New Jersey near Cape May at high tide on the day of the full moon.  The water damage to the coast and to New York City is pretty much unimaginable.  Luckily, no one I love or care about suffered more than lost electricity and cable TV.  As of today, however, the death toll is over 100 and literally hundreds of thousands of people have no where to live.  Houses that were there on Sunday were gone on Tuesday-wiped off the map.  Manhattan was dark for days.   The subway system is flooded.  It is not a exaggeration to say that the images coming out of there are downright apocalyptic. 

Mother Nature is a bitch when she wants to be.

For me,  the most profound thing is the damage to Seaside Heights and Park...the boardwalk beach towns where I grew up and spent my summers.  Its where I played with my Pop-Pop as a little girl and built sandcastles and dug big holes (Wow, that wave totally knocked his bathing suit off!).  Its where I goofed off as a teenager--ditching school early as soon as it got warm to go over and lay on the beach with my friends (Sunblock, nah.  We used baby oil and IODINE).   Its where I first got drunk and chased guys and was generally stupid (The Bamboo Bar--no appropriate stories to share here).  In short, its the place in our memory that all have...a place that somehow sort of makes us what we are but that we leave behind to move on to better and other places and things.  That place, wherever it is,  never really leaves us.  But now, for me, that place is changed.   The boardwalk is devastated.  Buildings are gone.   It won't ever, ever be the same.

I'm grateful I lost nothing substantive.  But I'm sad for the place and the people.  

Visible Satellite image of Sandy before she came ashore

Connor just rode this coaster in July. 

Casino Pier

Washed away homes

Blue Devil Peak

We're headed to the playoffs next weekend.  The boys are ready.  Here they are today, looking their fiercest, on the hill they conquered all season long. GO BLUE DEVILS!!

The Journey Of A Raindrop--By Connor Tate

Pumpkin Time

We had a great morning at Wegmeyer's farm in Hamilton. Its become an annual tradition. I love it there because its not a big commercial operation. Just a family farm with a great sunny hillside of pumpkins, a maze, and a hayride. Perfect.

Blue Devil-A Post From Dad

Connor is in his 2nd year of playing tackle football and is really starting to "get it".  Last year, his first season, he was mostly a fill in on defensive line and started several games towards the end of the season due to his speed.  This season, he is 1 of 5 returning players and our coach was really counting on those five to be 2-way starters and be leaders on the team.

Connor was given a try to be the fullback on the team but he hesitated too much when running the ball.  After that, moving him to tight end was a natural fit since Connor is quick and strong and has really good hands even though we do not throw the ball much.

Defensively, the D coach wanted to try him at linebacker, again mostly due to his speed, but again, with no experience he hesitated too much reading a play.  REVELATION TIME! During our first scrimmage, the D coach moved him to defensive end to give the starter a break for a few plays and WHOA NELLY, he had a couple of tackles for loss and a sack and found himself a position (the other side end) he is now excelling at. 

The Blue Devils defense has only given up 2 TDs so far this season through 7 games.  They are also the dominant offensive team in the league making them 7-0 heading into the playoffs.  He does get to run the ball sometimes as a backup runner and he runs much harder than he used to.

I get on him much more than I probably should about some of his play, but it is only because I see so much potential in him to be VERY good at most sports.  Hopefully that will develop in the coming years and I can be a much more relaxed father on the sidelines. :-)  I am very proud of my football player and the progress he has made. His little brother is also happy with big brother as he gets to tackle him and some of the other kids on the team every now and then.

Chiquitas

Had a lovely afternoon today at 868 Vinyards in Purcellville for Sharon's birthday.   Grown ups drank wine and kids ran around.  Perfection.  Happy Birthday to my dear, dear friend.  I don't know what  would do without you and I hope you have a fantastic year.

Pink Out

Today was Ashburn Youth Football League's PINK OUT for breast cancer awareness.  They held pink lemonade sales and accepted donations for the wife of an AYFL coach who is currently suffering with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer.  It totally makes you stop and think. 

Not that you want to.

What would I do to keep getting bitten by this little monster? 

How would I feel knowing I might never get to see this again?

And what if this was the only parent he had to kiss him back?

Peace to all who are sadly touched by this devastation.  I wish and hope for you all the best of life.

Injury!

First official time the team has had to take a knee for Connor.  Smashed right elbow.  He's fine but he got a nice artificial turf burn right through that shirt.  Blue Devils still undefeated and once again Connor got to carry the ball and got some nice yardage.  

Tailwind

This week Connor got to play tailback...and that means he got to carry the ball. It was super cool and super exciting. He got hit hard and he was fine with it.

The Apples of My Eyes

It was a nice early fall day today so I decided to take the boys out to Marker-Miller Orchards in Winchester. Last fall got away from me and it was the first year in over a decade that I didn't go apple picking. I wasn't about to let that happen again.   It bugged me all year.  What a great day.  And we've got a half-bushel of Romes, Staymans, Nittanys, and Goldens.  Yum!

His pumpkin.

My pumpkin.

Gosh, I love those smiling eyes.

A little fun on the playground.

The reach.

The examination.

The bite.

Sharing

The chase.