Read the subject….That’s it!
Soccer Coach Dad (x2)
I never thought I’d coach my kids soccer team. Sure, many other people assumed I would. I am just that kind of guy with my kids – the kind of person not as scared of putting himself out there and getting out of his comfort zone for his kids. Heck, sometimes just their very presence gives ME strength.
I got roped into coaching E’s team 2 years ago. An email came out saying a team had no volunteers and if someone was interested. My response back was “if absolutely necessary”. Next thing, I know I’ve got a team, a roster and practice plans. My emails asking for clarification went unanswered and that’s how I wound up co-coaching Team Force in 2019. Because I am who I am, I don’t do things like this lightly so I read all the rules and practice plans and made sure I knew the kids names and “scouted” who we were playing (I mean, checking WHO were were playing and when). It wound up being a lot more fun than I expected and we even got a CHAMPIONSHIP season out of it (that me and my girl had to miss because she got sick on the day of the last game).
Anyway, THIS season, I misread the layout and thought I’d be able to coach a single team for both kids. I couldn’t let my boy know that I coached his sister once and not him so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. I don’t know much about soccer so anything past age 8 and they would need a REAL coach. But I could do this.
Well,…turns out there is a 5-6 league and a 7-8 league so they were separate. But guess who got roped into coaching TWO teams? And no assistant coach this time around. You got it!
The first games were today – 4 hours
on the pitch (hey, Ted Lasso taught me something!). It was Tennessee hot – Heat index of 99 at game’s end with barely any breeze. I was honestly nervous as all get out. COVID has kept me away from people and small talk and I was going to have to “perform” in front of 10 kids – and their watching parents.
(Oh, of course, my old friend major back pain had to make an appearance during the week also. I wasn’t able to run with the kids like I wanted to and it flared up a few times when celebrating with them after goals but I hope my kids learned a lesson in responsibility and commitment by seeing their dead ole dad out there – I know Emerson knew how much pain I was in before getting to the ball fields)
As far as a first day, it went outstanding. We got two wins (but who’s counting) and the kids had a blast. My goofiness worked and everyone seemed to have an amazing time. I’m excited to NOT have a game next week but ready to see them all again in 2 weeks.
Sports Dad (and my 2 new fans)
My daughter and I starred this thing a few years ago and it started getting official last season.
For the Tennessee Titans (our favorite NFL team), we do a weekly notebook entry. It’s got your basics – the final score, stickers with each teams logos and the week number. It was kinda a fun way to encourage her growing language and writing skills but it just became fun.
If you know me, you know that sports is one of the things I love most in this world. I used to play them a ton as a kid in the neighborhood and in video game form in college. I’ve cheered on the vols and Titans with a passion that borders on ivscene. I’ve cried when my team has lost and had whole weekends ruining.
It’s pretty awesome to have my oldest be into something I love. She doesn’t watch the games the same way I do – or even the whole game. But that she engages at all is pretty sweet.
Oh, and Lincoln totally gets in on the Williams Family touchdown celebration dance (no pictures, please)
Christmas 2020 Funny Kid Gift
I hate pickles…I don’t understand why they exist or people eat them (except the fried ones, especially at Toots).
My daughter loves pickles. She has to get like a hundred on her cheeseburgers. She does not understand why I don’t like them. This has been going on for YEARS. It’s just a fact at this point yet she’ll still try to fool me into eating one – nope, not gonna happen. The only thing worst than a pickle is an olive. YUCK!
So what does she get me for Christmas?
Pickle socks…
You should have seen the smile on her face. She was beaming from ear to ear.
Things to Never Forget
I have a 7 year old…that hasn’t quite fully sunk in. When people ask me my kids ages, I still start off with “6 year old girl and 4 year old boy”.
There are things that Emerson does that I will forget as the years pass by. Little quirks and character features that will probably go away as she gets older. But a few I want to hold onto forever. And here’s a few
1) She loves pinatas. Like is addicted. So much so that she got one for her Mom’s 40th birthday. But it was NOT for her mother
2) She loves jackets. What kid loves jackets? She has a gray one that is beyond filthy that she wears every day. Sometimes, it’ll be 75 degrees and she’ll walk out of school with it on.
3. Gum, mints – she’s like her dad and just wants something to taste at all times.
End of An Era – and the start of a new one
My little girl just finished 1st grade. I’m not sure it’s fully sunk in. Maybe because kindergarten didn’t really get to complete because of stupid COVID. Maybe because we just moved our entire life from our home of 7 years to an entirely new neighborhood in the past 6 weeks. Maybe I just don’t want to accept that she is growing up fast and the days are starting to FLY.
On top of that…my little guy just completed his last year of pre-K at the place where he has been for the last 5 years. Where a member of my family has been for the last 7 years. Next school year will be the first one where a kid is not at the school where Becky teachers. No running down for a quick hug or check in. No super small classroom size. No built-in familiarity.
I am so proud of these kids. They do things their own ways and in their own times but they are…simply amazing.
Idea for a new TV Show
“Becky after Bypass”…it’d be a smash hit!
The keys
I took possession to the keys of my home on April 12th, 2021. I knew all along what this house would be like – we got to choose almost every fixture and color. We watched it go from just an empty field to a foundation to framing and finally to a finished product, suitable for humans to live in.
We spent many pandemic evenings and afternoons driving by and checking out the progress. I didn’t really envision life within the house. I just knew it would be an upgrade and get us into a spot where our kids would live among their school peers without having to be transfer students.
We had so many snafus towards the end from paperwork to incomplete build items to missed signatures. It almost became comical except this was my family’s well-being in the balance.
These keys are earned. They were never a privilege and never will be.
Here’s a timeline of how we ended things. I swear these things probably happen to people – but probably different people.
- 30 days to Close Letter (email): February 24th – doesn’t seem feasible but YAY??%?
- Blue Tape: March 27th – um…I think we used all the tape in Tennessee. It was NOT where we thought it would be for us to move in in 4 days.
- Closing Date: March 31st – well…the appraiser failed us to due to all of the blue tape and there still wasn’t a proper roof in front of the house and, and, and….some blue tape gone but still TONS left. Oh, and the painting look like I did it and not professionals. And oh yeah, an important document was not filed properly so…12 day delay to close with Good Friday not counting as a “work day”. Also…utility company cannot find conduit to connect Internet…
- NEW Closing Date: April 12th – house looks livable (still blue tape spots missed but it’s good. Oh yeah, another document issue due to some crap…delay, delay, delay…but by noon-ish, I have KEYS in my hand
- Move in Date: April 13th – movers lose lots of items – most of kids clothes giant comforter, my laptop bag (thankfully I removed the laptop)
- Post Move- In: missing downspout in the front yard so when it rains, this one area just gets DUMPED on and turned into mud; no Internet for the first 10 days as they DIG UP THE FRESHLY PUT IN SOD to try to find the buried line; various other items that pale into comparison with the first 2.
Daddy’s Little Ballplayer – Volume #2
Tonight was the boys turn to have his first scrimmage. I wasn’t really sure how he would do. Focus and patience aren’t too of his strong suits. He is on the same team with his BFF from 5 years of daycare so that helps with getting him there (their excitement at seeing each other an hour after leaving daycare is a thing to behold. He will literally stop whatever he is doing and go run up to her for a hug)
T-ball may have been more fun to watch than softball. There wasn’t S much pressure to hit the ball (even though Linc took a few wicked cuts and swung and missed). And with 5 and 6 year olds who mostly didn’t have a ton of experience, it was kinda like a comedy version of baseball – unless someone hit the ball directly to a base, no one was getting out.
The rules for the scrimmage were a max of 6 batters per inning and no one was called out. So everyone got to round the bases fully and get the swing of things (no pun intended).
Linc has some amazing speed. His hustle on defense surprised the heck out of me. He wasn’t afraid of going after the ball. He even tracked down a grounder – there was no follow up throw.
The best thing is…he didn’t complain once. Not about being hot or bored or anything. Even after a long day of preschool.
I’m really excited to see the growth this season as he picks up on the rules. He already knows all the bases although he can get stuck in that paralyzed zone trying to recall it all in the heat of the moment.
So proud of my #5 for Team Super Buys! Play ball!
Daddy’s Little Ballplayer – Volume #1
We signed the kids up for their first season of baseball this summer (I didn’t realize how much that would fill up the calendar!). I figured it was a safe enough sport during this crazy pandemic world we still live in and that my boy needed to at least have one season of baseball/tball under his belt. And when my daughter found out her best friend was playing, she decided to join in too.
As for Lincoln, he’s been known to have an outburst or two when things don’t go his way. I’ve seen 4 year old tantrums before; I’d put his up against anyone’s. When we would just play around in the yard and he would make an out, he’d run crying and screaming to the front porch or the edge of the yard and just sulk or cry huge tears. I fully expected him to do this when we started a league (his first scrimmage is next week so that will be in Volume 2 :))
Emerson had her first scrimmage tonight – Tuesday, May 18th, 2021. I didn’t have anything else to do so I helped out and coached third base. There was such a buzz around the field – kids, parents, siblings, the bright lights for the 7:10 start time. The kids did a great job getting all their equipment together and gathering in the dugout. They (mostly) paid attention in the field and listened to their coaches.
Watching your kid go up to bat is…something. I kept waiting to see where she was in the batting order and wondered how she would do. Nervous, jittery, anxious…all those words applied to ME. I think she was okay the whole time. She got up for her first plate appearance in the 2nd inning and there were 2 men on and 2 out. She took 2 pretty good swings (and 1 not so good) and struck out to end the inning. She didn’t make contact with the ball. She took it like a champ, got some encouragement from her coach, grabbed her glove and headed out to play the field. She wasn’t the first strikeout and she wouldn’t be the last.
Her 2nd at-bat came a bit later. She got to an 0-2 count and then barely fouled off what would have been Strike 3. I was getting a bit nervous and honestly, expected another strike out. But she took a swing and made contact! The ball didn’t make it back to the pitcher but it didn’t matter. She paused for what felt like forever before dropping the bat and taking off for first. I had a runner coming to me for 3rd base coaching that I needed to handle but she made it to FIRST. Her first hit in her first scrimmage! I couldn’t have smiled bigger!
She made it to 2nd base on her teammates next hit and was heading for 3rd when the last out of the inning was made. She told me later on she wanted to get to third so she could spend some more time with me (what a kid).
She started in the field at catcher and did a pretty decent job. She was able to dribble the ball back to the pitcher and she fell down once trying to grab a ball on the move but she shook it off well. She fielded a ball in the outfield and threw it back into the infield (“fielding” and “throwing” in the loosest sense of the word but hey, we know what to practice on now). She also had a few balls squeak past her in her various positions in the field but we’ll be working on anticipating where the ball is going too but hey, she’s only SEVEN and it was her first live action.
I am so so so proud of this girl – if you can’t tell from my writing. I honestly thought she might want to give in when she found out her and her best friend weren’t on the same team – and that would have been