Drew's Sports Class: Soccer

Mark and I have Drew enrolled in a multi-sport class; 2 weeks of soccer, 2 weeks of t-ball & 2 weeks of basketball. Mark plays adult-league soccer twice a week plus we watch it on TV frequently so I thought for sure Drew would be super into playing. Especially if his dad played with him.

I was surprised to see his reaction to his first class - he wanted nothing to do with it. I was stunned. Here is a kid that runs out in the backyard as often as possible to kick around a soccer ball.... but then when it was an official class with other kids, he wanted no part of it. Say what?!

After much coaxing (and threats.. promises.. etc) he finally kicked the ball around and made it into the goal. If I can brag for a second (and since this is MY blog, I can), Drew is already very talented at soccer. He can dribble, kick, make it in the goal - he's a natural. (Gets it from his dad... not me.)

Stretching before playing

Not interested...

Needing a little assistance from Dad

Hmm... not quite getting the "no hands" rule. 

Putting the ball down in front of the goal

Kicking it in the net

Surveying the result

Wait.. let's try this again...

Dribbling..and..

GOAL!!!!

Victory lap

Next week we start t-ball. Mark and I already agree that we're not sure Drew with a bat is a good idea.

Thanks for stopping by!

Palm Springs

A few weeks ago, my beloved and I had a chance to escape for the weekend to Palm Springs to celebrate our 4th anniversary. And, since, I have a new camera to mess with now, I thought I would just share some pics from our weekend and my attempts at learning how to use this tool of modern technology. 

Bear with me.. I am a complete novice!

It was the best weekend - the weather was warm but not too hot, the food was great, the company was perfect.

We stayed at the Alcazar - a smaller hotel but perfect for our weekend. Very quiet & serene. I highly recommend it for a getaway.

One of the gates at the hotel - beautiful colored glass w/wrought iron

The courtyard had these water walls - they were so cool. 

The pool - very quiet and simple

Alcazar is on Palm Canyon Drive - very centrally located - and within walking distance
to almost everything

Our first stop on Saturday morning was brunch at Pinocchio's. It came highly recommended for its all-you-can-drink mimosas and they definitely delivered!

One of many large art installments along our walk to breakfast

I loved the colors of this bike shop against the mountains & sky

And it was pretty cool in black & white, too!

For our anniversary dinner we ate at Jake's - conveniently located a few doors down from Alcazar. We chose to eat on the patio and it was a great decision. The weather cooled off nicely and just added to our great meal. Note: Jake's is a very small restaurant; make a reservation!

Looking sassy for our date
(Admittedly, not the best photo but the best we could do without
a tripod or a 3rd person to take the picture)

Sunday Morning Brunch was had at Cheeky's - conveniently attached to the front side of Alcazar. The wait is long but the food is worth it. 

Palm Springs is pretty dog-friendly (I think most cities
in Southern California are jumping on this train) but I
just loved how the idea of bringing your pooch
to brunch was so normal. 

You read the paper, they sniff.

This man's pants were so sassy I had to capture their awesomeness. 

The man who puts up with me... and puts up with me
taking like 12 pictures of him in a row while practicing
my skills (or lack thereof)
Isn't he photogenic?!

After looking through these pictures it looks like all we did was eat... which is, in fact, a pretty accurate depiction of our activities that weekend. Having a 2-year old we don't get to eat out much - and if we do we are trying to get in and out as fast as possible. It was great to be able to linger over our leisurely meals, have meaningful conversations and actually enjoy each other - no crayons or kids menus involved.

A perfect anniversary weekend!

Links:
Alcazar Hotel
Pinocchio's
Jake's
Cheeky's

SoCal Ragnar 2012: Recap

Our dear, beloved Ragnar Relay has come and gone... sigh..


I  know I've mentioned it before but Ragnar was sort of the focus of my life for the last few weeks. Trying to work in running every night - juggling a toddler schedule, 2 soccer games, making dinner, the occasional cleaning spree or laundry event made running sometimes hard and frustrating, but it all paid off and we had a great race. 


I shall share a short recap in pictures. 

This is our team - A Case of the Runs - pre-race, aptly located in front of the port-o-potties. It was about 5am.

The Start Line. It was 5:15am so everyone had to wear their reflective vests and headlamps. 

  

 Me (center w/o bib) with about half our team at Exchange 3

Our most stylish runner, by far!

My husband... who makes running 5 miles look like a walk from the living room to the kitchen. And, yes... his legs really are that white. 

Probably the most unflattering picture of me... and notice I'm not exactly running... It was 110 degrees off the pavement so I was walking at this point. Notice I have water, Gatorade and Mark has 2 ice bags for me. It was ridiculously hot. I want no comments about my outfit not matching, either. It did match. And it was bright and cheery! 

Skip ahead about 25 hours and here we are on beautiful Coronado Island - finished with the race. I am on the left end - I  was runner #12 so I had just finished my last leg about 10 minutes before this. Thus the sweaty glow and stellar outfit choice. Notice our very cool medals (they double as bottle openers!)

Our celebratory lunch at Pizzeria Luigi on Golden Hill in San Diego. The pizza is worth doing the race for. Delish!

It was a great race and our team did great! Everyone is so pumped that we're putting together a team to do the NorCal race in September.


But for now... amidst the running... back to food! 


photo credit: Erin & Roger McCraner

Thanksgiving in Cal City

My husband's family has a tradition of going camping & dirt bike riding for the Thanksgiving holiday - this year was our year to go with them. Drew had just learned to walk right before Thanksgiving (luckily!) and had a great time exploring new terrain - literally. Plus, as a bonus, he went on his first quad ride with Dad. I can't quite tell by the big smile on his face, but we might have a future dirt bike rider on our hands!

Guest appearances: Melissa, Roger, Roxy the dog

Better Late than Never....

Slightly delayed but sincere, none-the-less...

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All...

photo credit: Ericka G. Photography

Mud Flaps!

Yesterday, Mark and I joined 20 of our friends & coworkers in the Irvine Lake Mud Run. For those of you unfamiliar with the Mud Run - it is a 5k with mud & water obstacles throughout. It is dirty and super fun. We had a great group and we had a blast! We're already looking forward to the next run this summer!

 

Go team Mud Flaps!

Bye, Dad!

Mark left for Taiwan last night - we miss him terribly already. Before he went I took this picture of him & Drew. Drew is right out of the bath & already in his jammies - which still consists of a sleep sack. I am hoping maybe as the weather starts to get a bit nicer he can transition out of them... but the reality of it is that he will probably grow out of them. The size that he has (and he has only 2 of them) are both smalls... and small only goes up to 18lbs. My chunkaroo is currently weighing in at 17 lbs, 11 oz. So, little man, you have a mere 5 oz before you cross into the no-sleep-sack zone. Enjoy them while they last.



Come home soon, Dad! We miss you!