Spider Patrol, Lego Masterpiece, and more Soccer

Here's a random assortment of updates from our house this weekend:

• This is the final version of Andrew's Lego ship, which has now been dismantled. Sam was getting frustrated with not being able to build much, since Andrew had used many of the good pieces. It went out in a blaze of glory, i.e. Sam dropped it on the floor and it exploded into a million pieces.
• We have an autumn visitor outside our family room window. He or she seems to have found a good spot, so now we observe him/her eating, repairing the web, etc.
• There were 4 soccer games this weekend - Andrew played in a local tournament. His team came up against some good competition from Seattle, and went 1-2 this weekend. Sam had one game, and it was quite one-sided in their favor. The most interesting part came when Coach Bruno offered to bring treats to Thursday's practice if they passed the ball more. After that, there was A LOT of passing, to the point that they were passing up easy goals.

Spicciati Soccer Scoreboard, One Word Edition

WET.


I know, we better get used to it. The forecast said 30% chance of rain on Saturday, but it seemed like 100% to us. We survived 3 very wet games. The kids didn't seem to mind at all, but the parents did. Sam's team met up with some good competition this week. He scored 3 goals in the first game and none in the second. There was a lot less scoring overall - maybe they're starting to get the hang of playing defense. Andrew played well in his game, mostly as a defender. He had a nice "header", his first one in a game situation.


As a side note, Sam of the discriminating tastes decided he'd try a sip of my coffee during Andrew's game. He loved it, and now he sips my coffee every morning. Yesterday, he told me he likes the coffee we make at home better than what we get at Starbucks.

Preview

Modeling their finery for Art and Pam's wedding!

(They look like they could be running for president!)

Spicciati Soccer Scoreboard

This might have to become a weekly feature....


Today was a 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. soccer extravaganza. We had 3 games, and both teams' pictures. Sam's game was first. He had fun and scored about 7 goals. His team won, but nobody really knew the final score. We brought the snacks, which seemed to be their favorite part of the game.


Andrew played a double-header today. The first game was against his team's toughest opponent from last year, the Crushers. Andrew's good friend, Ben, plays for that team, so they have a bit of a rivalry going. Andrew's team came out strong from the start and never looked back. They won 5-2, though it could have been a lot closer. Ben's team had a few unlucky bounces (at least 3 balls hit the metal frame of the goal and bounced out). Andrew scored one goal, when Ben was playing goalie. Ben made several great saves while he was goalie too. After a 1/2 hour break, lots of water and cold towels, they played a second game. They won again, and Andrew had a goal and an assist. It's fun to watch them this year, because they seem to understand the game on a different level than they did last year.


Maybe next week we'll remember the camera......

Remembrance

From Pope Benedict's visit earlier this year to Ground Zero:


God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth. Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred. God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events. Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain.


Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all. Amen

Weekend Update

Welcome to September....and very busy weekends! Our highlights:

• Soccer season began, and in Sam's first ever soccer game, he scored 8 goals! 8 goals for #8. To put it in perspective, the team scored about 20 goals. In the under-6 age bracket, they play on a small field, 3 on 3 with no goalie, so there is a lot of scoring. In Andrew's game, his team won 4-0. Andrew played goalie for the 2nd half, didn't allow any goals, and made some great throws down the field.
• Saturday night, we intended to go to the Seattle Storm (WNBA) game. But, we didn't buy tickets in advance, and the ticket options at walk-up weren't good (who knew they were so popular?). So, since it was a beautiful night and we were right there, we went up the Space Needle. The boys and Alan had never done that, and it has been many years since I have. The views of downtown, the Olympic mtns. and Elliot Bay were really spectacular.
• Sunday was Puyallup fair day. The boys played with their violin studio, and did some rides. Sam's favorite part was the Krusty Pup (shown above). He asked if we could go to the fair today again, just for lunch!

Another milestone

It was a monumental day for Sam - 1st day of kindergarten, and last night, 1st lost tooth!

First Days

I'm home alone!

Sam started kindergarten today without a hitch. He was happy to find out that his best friend from preschool is in his class, as well as another friend from his soccer team. Currently, there are 15 boys and only 2 girls in his class! He has the same teachers that Andrew had for kindergarten, Mrs. Friedman and Ms. Dawson. They are awesome teachers, and they both love sports, so I think Sam will have a good time in their class.

Andrew started Tuesday, in a multi-age class of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. He was pretty nervous, but seems to be doing well. His teacher, Ms. Carson, has many years of experience (one the first day, Andrew came home and said, "My teacher's a grandma!"), and she seems very laid back and nice. He has already had homework, but nothing too tough yet.