Medal Ceremony (281/365)

TIME: 6:33 PM
PLACE: Gymnasium
SUBJECT: Stella and her medal

Well, they lost the first round of the tournament.
They all got medals though (not really a fan of that, but what are you gonna do?)
I think she’s happy it’s over.
Now she can go to the comic book store and play “Werewolf: The Apocalypse”

Waiting on the Serve (279/365)

TIME: 5:24 PM
PLACE: Gymnasium
SUBJECT: Stella

Soccer yesterday, volleyball today.
It’s a learning league – and a quick one, it only runs about 4 weeks.
Stella’s team was assigned yellow shirts and decided to call themselves the “Minions”

Keeping It In Bounds (244/365)

TIME: 5:17 PM
PLACE: Collinsville High School
SUBJECT: James

Soccer season is back in full swing.
James is playing on the Junior-Varsity team.
He’s a Defender (of truth, justice and the American way…)

The Blues (055/365)

“All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.”
Gordie Howe (Canadian former professional ice hockey player, b1928)

TIME:  7:34 PM
PLACE: Scottrade Center
SUBJECT:  Hockey game

I was asked last weekend if I wanted tickets to go see the St. Louis Blues vs. the Montreal Canadiens.
Of course I accepted them.
I took my dad.


Who took my photo with Louie the Bear.
The Blues lost 5 to 2.

After the game, I joined my husband at the ER.
James had collapsed while riding along at his drive-time at driving school.
He was dehydrated due to a viral infection.
They gave him an IV with fluids, anti-nausea and pain medicine.
They discharged him and we arrived back home about 1am.

Vertical Flight (304/366)

TIME:  7:33 PM
PLACE:  Junior High gym
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy – jumping

Wow.  That boy can jump.

(He didn’t block the shot, but his opponent didn’t make the basket either)

Run Forrest! Run! (094/366)

Forrest Gump: Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running!

Forrest Gump, Paramount Pictures, 1994.

TIME:  4:57 PM
PLACE:  Junior High
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy running
(first half of the 800-meter)
(picture taken by HandsomeHusband)

MB had his first track meet this afternoon.  He ran the 800-meter event.  He did ok for his first meet, coming in 6th (or was it 5th?) out of a field of about 40 runners.

Annoyances At The B-Ball Game (319/365)

“Those of you who think you know everything are very annoying to those of us who do.”

Unknown

TIME:  6:49 PM
PLACE:  Junior high gym
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

MB’s team suffered a loss tonight.  I have to admit, our opponents were a better team tonight.  My only complaint is about one of the visitors sitting behind us on the bleachers.  Let’s call her “Over-Aggressive-Basketball-Mom” or OABM for short.  OABM was loud and a tad bit over-enthusiastic about any and all plays made by her son/team on the court.  In addition, OABM was constantly trying to beat the ref on any fouls called against our team and getting upset if she thought there was a foul and it wasn’t called.  Funny, when the fouling situation was reversed, OABM would not say a word.  After the 7th grade game, MB wanted to stay a little bit and watch the 1st half of the 8th grade game.  I was wary about it because I didn’t want to have to listen to her for another game.  I’m glad we did though.  Our boys were really kicking butt and taking names and it was nice to note that it caused OABM to finally lose her voice.  Too bad.

Cornered (296/365)

"It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer"

Larry Bird (American, NBA basketball player and coach, b1956)

TIME:  3:55 PM (Saturday)
PLACE:  Basketball tournament
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

About 10pm this evening I realized that I hadn’t taken a photo today.  And I decided that I didn’t feel like scrambling to do so either.  So I’m using one from yesterday’s basketball tournament.  Here, MB has the ball and is being pressured a couple of players on the opposing team.  He managed to get the ball to player #3 (he’s coming in on the left) who was able to make a basket.  Nice pass MB.

Hoop (301/365)

“To win, you've got to put the ball in the macramé.”

Terry McGuire..Dick McGuire's (American professional basketball player and coach, 1926–2010) wife, explaining the strategy of basketball.

TIME:  4:42 PM
PLACE:  Back yard
SUBJECT:  Basketball hoop

Grade school basketball season is in full swing now.  MonkeyBoy had a game this evening at 5:00pm – Our team lost by about 18 points but…MB actually made some baskets this game and he did not foul out – hooray!  That’s progress.

Soccer Practice (251/365)

 
“Football is all very well a good game for rough girls, but not for delicate boys.”

Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)

TIME:  6:31 PM
PLACE:  YMCA Outdoor Center
SUBJECT:  StellaDella

We signed SD up for a seven-week soccer fundamentals course through the local YMCA.  They will start out with drills and work their way up to scrimmages.  She’s never played before and this should be a good introduction to the game for her.  She had her first session this evening and she loved it.

Gone Fishin’ (178/365)

 
“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.”

John Buchan (Scottish Statesman and Writer best known for his swift-paced adventure stories. 1875-1940)

TIME:  5:17 PM
PLACE:  Bunker Hill, IL
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen

StellaDella had her last T-ball game of the season this afternoon and when they were finished we headed out to my brother-in-law’s for his granddaughter’s high school graduation party (HandsomeHusband’s grandniece).  They have a lake that was well stocked with fish and very generously lent the kids fishing poles and let them try their luck.  SD was in heaven and MonkeyBoy enjoyed himself too.  At first DQ didn’t want to fish, but changed her mind and joined in after her sister caught a blue gill, or as SD called it, “A blue-gi-oh” (not to be confused with Yu-gi-oh).  I even got a nice smile from DQ as she was fishing – shocking.  SD caught one more “blue-gi-oh” and while DQ and MB each had plenty of nibbles, they did not catch any fish.  Maybe next time.

Baseball Camp (202/365)

 
Tripper: And even if we win, if we win, HAH! Even if we win! Even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days; even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field; even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk because they've got all the money! It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER!
Rest of group: IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER! IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER...

Meatballs (Bill Murray, written by Len Blum, Daniel Goldberg [as Dan Goldberg], Janis Allen and Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman-director, 1979)

TIME:  11:43 AM
PLACE:  GCS Ballpark
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

Although his baseball season is over, we signed MonkeyBoy up for a 2-day, baseball camp at the GCS Ballpark.  The ballpark is the home of the Gateway Grizzlies, a minor league baseball team which is part of the Frontier League.  HandsomeHusband took him yesterday, and the girls and I went with him today.  It was cool and overcast, but the rain held off until after 12 o’clock when the camp ended.  If you *click* and make the picture bigger, you can see the green ball MB hit just above the black screen that is in front of Brandon Peters, the Grizzly player at this station. 

My Ballplayer (182/365)

 
"Baseball gives a growing boy self poise and self reliance."

Albert Spalding (American, professional baseball player, manager and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company, 1850-1915)

TIME:  8:21 PM
PLACE:  Bantam Diamond - Little League Fields
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

Tonight was the last game of the regular season.  The Tigers won and ended the season with 10 wins and 3 losses.  Woot!  Woot!  Playoffs begin a week from Saturday, so they have a practice next Wednesday evening at 6pm.  I really like this picture of my boy - especially the Gatorade mustache he is sporting!

Angel in the Outfield? (113/365)

 
"Innings and afternoons. Fly lost in sunset.
Throwing arm gone bad. There's your old ball game.
Cool reek of the field. Reek of companions."

Robert Fitzgerald (1910-1985). Cobb Would Have Caught It (l. 23-25). . . Western Wind; an Introduction to Poetry. John Frederick Nims, ed. (2d ed., 1983) Random House.

TIME: 6:44 PM
PLACE: W-- B-- school ball fields
SUBJECT: StellaDella

I got to take StellaDella to her T-ball practice tonight.  They only practice for about an hour.  I believe that's about the length of the attention span of a 5 year old.  The older two were with me, making it feel like a much longer period of time due to their incessant whining about how bored they were.  Luckily, I've learned to tune that out, otherwise it would have been quite irritating.  SD only had to visit the portable restroom twice during practice.  It was a nice little hike to that facility as it was a short distance from the fields.  But, if I look on the bright side; I got some exercise in; the weather was nice; and I got my picture for the day.  So it wasn't too bad of an evening after all! 

Basketball Game (033/365)

 
"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs."

Gloria Clemente (White Men Can't Jump, Ron Shelton - director, Rosie Perez - actress, 1992)

TIME: 7:04 PM
PLACE: Franklin School gym
SUBJECT: Basketballs and chairs

DramaQueen had a basketball game tonight.  HandsomeHusband is the coach and recovered enough from his flu bug to make it to tonight's game.  DramaQueen is not too happy about playing basketball this year.  She was excited at first, but then only 3 girls from her school signed up to play.  HH had already volunteered to coach the team.  He contacted another coach at different local school and they worked together so that the 3 girls would play on one of that school's teams.   The day DramaQueen brought home the uniform was especially tragic.  She moped in the front door and when I asked what was the matter, she answered without stopping to catch her breath, "I don't want to play for that school I want to play for our school I don't like their red uniform [our school's color's are purple and yellow] and they gave me number 10  I'm not 10 I'm eeeeeleeeven!"  Tears are just streaming down her face and she's hiccupping from crying so hard.   I got her to calm down a little and had her go to her room and lay down.  Oh my.  I just can't wait until the teen hormones kick in.  It's not going to be pretty.

We got our clocks cleaned tonight.  But, the girls played their best and we did score 7 points - which is 7 points more than last Monday.  I'm predicting a double digit score for Wednesday's game!