Wednesday, November 30, 2011

If You Get Lost In Airports, Here's Help

Google just announced that it has begun partnering with 18 airports, including Lambert STL, to provide indoor maps of the airport.

Need coffee?  Google will have it mapped.

Need to know where in the heck you are in relation to where you're going for that connecting flight? Check.

Need food?  Check.

Need to find an ATM? Check.

Oh, but this will only work on the Android system, so iPhone users are out of luck.

The other airports where the indoor maps will be available can be found here.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Squirrel!

I got an email from DP this afternoon that said in part this:

Squirrel...got in the house...


Been chasing for 20 minutes....


Ought to be an interesting evening.

Oh boy.  Not something I wanted to hear.  I'm a fan of the Rally Squirrel, but I don't need him in my house, much less in my boys' rooms.

All's been quiet for some time.  Hopefully he found his way outside. 

I won't be sleeping soundly tonight.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Hungry?

I'm flipping thru magazines in the waiting room at the BJC Center for Advanced Medicine. It's just cruel that the December issue of St. Louis Magazine has this article because I haven't been allowed to eat since midnight on Saturday (unless you count clear liquids which I had to stop at midnight last night).

Looking forward to a snack, hopefully soon. In the meantime I'll have to settle for scoping out some good places for breakfast.

What Would Lewis and Clark Say?

Having just taken the boys to the Gateway Arch and the Museum of Westward Expansion in recent days, I've been answering a lot of questions from my five-year old about Lewis and Clark.  "What President gave them the job?" "Did they buy the rivers and lakes too?" "How old are they?" Etc, etc.

Turns out the Supreme Court is being asked to channel the thinking of Lewis and Clark in a pending case this term.  The Supreme Court is being asked to determine who owns the land below three rivers in Montana.  The State, or a private company. 

"The Supreme Court determined years ago that states own the title to rivers that were navigable at the time of statehood. The question now is whether that ownership is different in segments of the river impassable because of falls or other impediments, or is determined by looking at whether the river as a whole is navigable, evidence of which can be based on present-day use."

So, the question comes down to whether or not the river was navigable, and both sides are claiming that Lewis and Clark's support their case.  So, the Justices are being asked to consider whether or not Lewis and Clark viewed the rivers in question as navigable.  


If the Supreme Court sides with the private company in this case, it could call into question the rights to riverbeds throughout the US, particularly in the West.  If the Court sides with the State, the private company could be liable for back rent....an estimated $53 million and counting so far.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Underground is Where It's At in DC

So what is really being constructed under the lawn outside the West Wing of the White House?

"With all that subterranean space, think of the White House not just as a 200-year-old, neoclassical Federal-style mansion, but as the tip of an iceberg. Think of what you don’t see. It’s a building with roots, which in D.C. is not uncommon"

Underground is where it’s at in Washington — and not only for the president, who makes some of his most important decisions while at the altitude of a mole. Thanks to a height restriction that keeps the skyline in a sort of humble genuflection to the Washington National Cathedral, the city’s highest structure, there are no 100th-floor views. The elevators barely make it to double digits. From the rooftops, people on the streets below look like dolls, not ants."

Top STL Tweeps

Do you Tweet?  I have a Twitter account, and I look at Twitter pretty regularly, though I'm not at all a prolific tweeter.  If I were, today's tweets would look something like this:  "Only clear liquids today." "Broth for lunch...yum."  And so on.  Boring!

What I really like Twitter for is information, usually more real-time information than other sources.  When I was working in DC I learned that it was useful to follow my clients who used Twitter.  They would regularly tweet information that could have been helpful for my work, but rather than telling me directly, I had to find out about it on Twitter.  Frustrating!

Here's a list of St. Louis' "most influential" tweeps.  I think the list is subjective, but here you go:

Slideshow: St. Louis' Most Influential Tweeps

When I first read the list, I saw that I already followed a couple of these folks.  After reading the list, I added a couple others.  How about you, do you follow any of these people? Do you think it's a good list?  Is there anyone else you would add?


Saturday, November 26, 2011

Reindeer Peeps

Connor was introduced to Peeps today, and not just any Peeps, Reindeer Peeps.
Connor is beyond happy.  The Reindeer Peeps, they're going to have a short life.

Thanks John and Kay.


Friday, November 25, 2011

Frozen Custard and Christmas Trees

It's the day after Thanksgiving...thoughts are beginning to turn toward Advent, Christmas, and the fun of decorating the house. 

It's also about 65 degrees and sunny outside.

Where to go?  Ted Drewes!

Famous for its frozen custard, Ted Drewes also is well known for the Christmas trees it sells this time each year.  While we won't get our tree until next weekend, the boys and I decided to stop by and take a look.  Immediately the boys began to ask if they could have some frozen custard. 
The lot isn't yet fully set up with the trees, but there was a big selection already, and quite a few people on the lot buying their trees this morning.
While we were looking around, one of the staff gave each of the boys a sticker.
Here's a good deal: the sticker is good for a free kiddie cone or cup of frozen custard.  The boys got the answer they'd been looking for...yes, they could get some custard.  Bonus: the kiddie cone is the perfect size for them to eat before it melts all over the place.

Oh yes, Flat Stanley joined us on this outing.  He liked the frozen custard too!

Now, off to put up the pine roping we picked up.  Happy Friday!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Soccer!

In an attempt to burn up some energy and work up an appetite for the dinner that is coming, Christian decided to challenge anyone in sight to a game of soccer.

If you've played with Christian, you'll quickly learn that his rules are fluid...and skewed heavily in his favor.

Oma was his first taker.

If you've ever played a game with my mom, you'll quickly learn that she brings the competition and intensity.  No way was she going to let a five year old beat her.

Case in point:

Yes, that's my mom running over her grandson on her way to score a goal.

The battle continues...see the determination in her eyes?  Watch out boys!

Score: Oma 15 Christian 13

Next up: Opa
Dad kept up pretty well, but unlike Mom, thought he could have a rational conversation with Christian about the rules of the game.

Opa scores!
Score: I'm not sure...I went inside.

Connor was referee, perched up in the tree.
Last, but not least, was a game with Daddy.


I think Christian won this one.
Time to eat!



Picture Time...Or Not

We made it over to my folks a short while ago...wow, that ten minute drive was exhausting!

Usually, around this time of year I try to get pictures of the boys for our Christmas card.  The sun is shining today, so we grabbed the camera and took a little walk around the campus to try to get some shots before the boys got covered in dirt.

Trying to wrangle two energetic little boys for a picture isn't easy.

Try again
Nope
Uh Oh
Maybe it will help if we try by the Nativity Scene
Or not
We'll try again later....

Gratitude

Well, I got so wrapped up in the warm blanket of contentment last night after a wonderful day with the boys that I never posted yesterday's gratitude.  Yesterday, today, and everyday, we give thanks for family. 

We are blessed.
Today we'll be heading over to my folks for the day.  To be able to relax, spend the day with family, and not have to drive for hours and hours is a wonderful thing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Showing Flat Stanley Around STL

Today is the first day of a long, five day weekend.  Five days! Five days that I can spend focusing on family...not having to split my energy between life at home and life at work (though truthfully, as mom with a full time job, you never really aren't thinking about what needs to be done at home).

Anywho, thanks to the fact that the boys holiday schedule matched up nicely with my work holiday schedule, I get to have five whole days where we really don't have to be anywhere.  There isn't much we have to do.  Don't get me wrong, there is a LOT to do around the house (you should see all of the unpacked boxes we still have in the basement). There is all the painting I want to do this weekend,  but we don't have to really be anywhere.

Our niece in Texas recently sent the boys a letter with Flat Stanley inside.  Are you familiar with Flat Stanley? He's a little kid who got flattened by a bulletin board, and now gets to travel all around the world learning about new places.  The boys were thrilled to have Flat Stanley visit us for a while. 

So, for the first day of our FIVE days, the boys and I decided to take Flat Stanley out to see some of our favorite places in St. Louis.  Naturally, when we got to our first stop, I realized that while I remembered the good camera, I'd conveniently left the battery plugged in on the charger in the kitchen.  Doh.  So the photos are from the iPhone.

We started out early at Soulard Farmer's Market.  I love the Market.  And, because it is only five minutes from my office its easy to run over at lunch if I need to grab anything we might need at home.

They have the best fruits and veggies here. Plus, the prices are often better than the grocery store.  85 cents for an avocado? Yes please.  Last I looked, they've been ranging between $2.50-$3.00 at the grocery store.

They've got nuts.

If turkey isn't your thing for Thanksgiving, they have you covered:

My favorite stop is the Soulard Spice Shop.  The smells here make me happy.

From Soulard, we ran over to Busch Stadium to introduce Flat Stanley to Stan the Man Musial.  Texans will appreciate this, right?

Next stop, the Gateway Arch.  Christian hadn't been up to the top since he was about 2, and Connor has never been.  So up we went.  We arrived to the Arch right as they were opening and managed to hop onto the first tram to the top.


Connor was a little nervous on the ride up, so he held my hand most of the way.  At the top, the view was great, even on a dreary November day. Hey, there's Busch again!

After a spin through the Museum of Westward Expansion, we set off to the Seminary to say hello to Martin Luther (and Oma and Opa).

Finally, we ended our morning at one of the boys favorite places: Oh Lolli Lolli, a Itsy Bitsy Candy Shop.
Full of treats and tired from the days adventure, the boys are now sound asleep. If today is any indication of the rest of the long weekend, it's going to be good.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Gratitude for Tuesday

Today in our house, we're thankful for:

Connor: "For my Transformer"

Christian: "For MOMMY!"

DP: "Wifey"  (I'm thinking a couple of my guys want something...)

Me: Tonight, I'm thankful for my boys, including the temper-tantrums that we occasionally (like tonight) experience. The tantrums might wear me down from time to time, but these little boys are my heart.

Babies Make You Tired

When I opened up today's email from the Harvard Business Review with the Daily Headslap  Stat, my first reaction was "DAD's with babies are tired? What about the moms who are up nursing, feeding, soothing, or otherwise responding to the cries and calls of their kids?" My next reaction was "Duh."  Of course parents with babies are tired.  It comes with the territory. A study was needed for this?"

From the HBR email:
"Because of interrupted sleep,75% of working fathers with 12-week-old babies report fatigue at least some of the time, substantially more than the general population, of which 22% to 48% reports fatigue."


Me: SOME of the time?


"Findings suggest that working fathers with babies experience fatigue during early fatherhood and are unable to recover due to interrupted and poor sleep patterns."

Boo hoo.  Poor dads.


The focus on Dads being tired just bugged me.  What about the moms?  Those that are at home full time and those that both manage the home and kids AND work a full or part time job outside of the home?  Moms are tired.  Oh, but I suppose the male authors of the study know that.  I hope they know that.

My boys are 5 and 3.  Rare is the night that I get to sleep uninterrupted.  If I'm lucky, I only get the call "MOMMY" once during the night.  Lately that call seems to be coming between 2:30 and 3 am.  When the call comes every hour on the hour, I pour an extra cup or 3 of coffee and do my best to make it through the day alert....or alert enough to fake it.

But, Dads are tired.  Boo hoo.

How to Cook a Turkey, By Connor

If you're a bit unsure about how to roast your turkey this week, Connor has you covered.  Here's his step-by-step guide to cooking a fabulous Thanksgiving turkey.

Skating the Night Away

With the long Thanksgiving weekend ahead, do you have family coming to town?  Do you need an excuse to get outside and burn off some of the Thanksgiving dinner calories? 

How about ice skating?

In St. Louis three ice rinks will be opening for the season this weekend. 

On Friday, the Shaw Park Ice Rink in Clayton will be opening to skaters for the season.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of this outdoor rink.  To start the season of celebration, on Friday, skaters will be treated to hot chocolate and treats.  Additional special events are planned throughout the season.

If you're at all familiar with STL, you've probably been to the Steinberg Rink in Forest Park. This is the largest outdoor rink in the Midwest.  I remember going to Steinberg when we were growing up and having a great time.  I'm not terribly coordinated, particularly on skates, but it was fun to go out and cruise around the rink.  Taking ample breaks over by the fire with hot chocolate and friends didn't hurt either.

Steinberg Rink will open Saturday, but it won't alone.  Also opening on Saturday for the first time will be the rink opening across from the newly renovated Peabody Opera House in Shiller Park downtown.

How fun!  I think this is the year we'll teach the boys how to ice skate. The question will be, which rink do we go to?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Gratitude for Monday

Today we are thankful for:

Connor: "For Mommy because she's so pretty." Aww, Connor gets to have cookies for dinner tonight!

Christian: Blueberry ice cream (I'm not sure when he's ever had blueberry ice cream)
DP: For having Daddy-Connor time this weekend to do guy things...Sears, Lowes, and other guy stuff (insert grunting/burping/etc here).

Me: I'm grateful that my boys are learning to love the Lord.  Christian in particular has a keen awareness and interest in the Bible.  Tonight he told me the story of Ruth and Naomi:




Lobbying by Religious Advocacy Groups on the Rise

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a study today that looks at the number of religious advocacy groups vying for influence in DC.  Lobbying for the Faithful: Religious Advocacy Groups in Washington, DC.  That number has grown nearly fivefold in the past four decades, up from less than 40 organizations in 1970 to more than 200 today.

I'm fully supportive of religous organizations having voice with the government.  I'm supportive of lobbyists--I was a lobbyist for more than half the years I spent in DC.  I represented several terrific faith-based organizations. As good citizens, we have a duty to see that good, wise policy is in place.  I do find it somewhat troubling that while so many denominations are seeing church attendance in decline, the rate of engagement in advocacy is rising.  The two issues may not be related, but I would much rather see church membership growing at a rate as strong, if not stronger than the growth of lobbyists.

The study authors researched the websites, tax documents, and other public discloures of these organization as they conducted the study.  Some data they found include:
One in five religious advocacy groups (19%) have a Roman Catholic perspective.
  • The largest percentage (54%) of the advocacy organizations are interreligious, representing the policy interests of multiple faiths.
  • Collectively, these organiziations employ at least 1,000 people in the DC area (Government is the one area where you'll never know that unemployment is hovering at 9%, as jobs related to government just keep growing...)
  • The study conservatively estimates that combined annual expenditures on lobbying activities are $390 million dollars. 
  • 40 groups accounted for $330 million of the total $390 million in expenditures.
  • These advocacy groups are working on a wide range of about 300 policy issues--everything from marriage and family issues to capitol punishment to abortion to international policy and so on.
The study interviewed 212 religious advocacy organizations, including three Lutheran groups: Lutheran Services in America Policy Office, Lutheran World Relief, and the Legislative Affairs office of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.  (In case you were wondering, none of the three Lutheran organizations were included in the top 40 biggest annual spenders) A complete list, including organization profiles of the organizations included in the report can be found here.

This study focuses on the umbrella advocacy organizations that are working for religious groups.  It doesn't cover the number of individual faith-based/religious organizations that have lobbyists, or that have staff responsible for communicating with the government.  That number would be significantly higher, as many individual faith-based groups, including colleges, social service programs, youth programs, etc, etc, etc have advocates in Washington working on their behalf. 

So, as with everything inside the Beltway, there's more to the story. But, this report is an interesting read and includes some good data.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Gratitude

Heading into Thanksgiving week, I'm reminded that no matter the struggles we face, we have so many reasons to be thankful.

I thought that each day this week I'd ask the boys what they were thankful for and post their responses here (I'll include DP and me too, but our answers might not be as entertaining).

Christian: "Our house." This is the painting of the house he did this afternoon.

Connor: "Crwanberry juice."

DP: That the desk is back in the office...and that wifey is done asking for help with projects around the house for the weekend.

Me: I'm thankful that we're home...really home.  After so many years of feeling like we were living without roots, we're home in a place where we can plant and nurture our roots.  That feels really good.


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Home Based Saturday

What a great, unscheduled, home-focused day today.

After a day of painting...painting the office, painting a lamp, my nails, and painting coffee beans (who knew?) I thought that making cookies would be the perfect ending to a productive day at home.
Yum.

I've eaten far too many, but it was my dinner, so that's ok, right?

Right?

Let There Be Color!

This weekend is the first weekend in ages that we haven't had a soccer game to go to, a birthday party to attend, or other places to be.  What a treat!

When I saw that today was going to be blissfully unscheduled, I took a look at the office that has been crying out to be put back together for a few weeks now and knew what the agenda for the day would be.

Painting!

Of the colors we were considering, we ended up using the Martha Stewart Shale.  In the can in looks like a pure grey, but on the wall it takes on a really pretty grey/blue/purplish tone.  It's pretty, and while darker, still neutral.  I'm beyond happy with it.

Mom, (AKA the master edger) came over to help.  I'm glad she did.  Not only did it make short work of the project, she's really good at edging.

Christian didn't want to be left out, so he grabbed a roller and went to work.


So, just about 2 hours after we started, we were done. Mom has a before and almost after over at Respublica.

I'm thrilled to have color in the house!  Now I'm going to let the paint dry, hang the pictures on the wall, and bring up the desk.  The room is almost ready to be put to use again.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Opa and Christian

On the way into pick up Connor from preschool, Christian and I looked at the bulletin board in the entry and saw this:

If you look closely, you'll see Opa in the Seminary poster right above Christian in the My First Hymnal Poster.

Opa has some friendly competition.

For Sale: Kodak Gallery

Does anyone still use Kodak Gallery for online photo storage?  I used to, and still have quite a few albums stored there, but in recent years I made the shift to Snapfish.  More and more, I've found that I only put photos onto Snapfish if I know I'm going to be ordering prints, or other photo products.  If I'm not planning to print them but want to share them with family or friends, the photos end up in Facebook albums.

According to the WSJ, Eastman Kodak has put Kodak Gallery up for sale, reportedly for hundreds of millions of dollars.  Eastman Kodak has been hit with a significant funding shortfall and is looking to sell the Gallery to fund a turn around. 

A lot of the photos I have on Kodak Gallery are from our wedding and honeymoon.  I  think I may start looking for a way to make sure those are safe.  A traditional photo album perhaps?

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Nouveau Beaujolais

Ah, today is the day that the 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau was released.  This is a wine that is released on the third Thursday in November, with the intention that wine lovers will drink it right away.  

So in that spirit...
Ahhh.

Wait, what's that?  2010?  

Yep.  I popped open a bottle of the 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau.  

I didn't have a chance to get to the store today to pick up the 2011 release.  In my wine rack I had this bottle of the 2010.  When we closed on our house, the kind folks at our real estate agents office gave us this wine as a housewarming gift.  

Nouveau....new house.  Get it?

I hadn't opened it yet, so I thought that today was as good a day as any.  

Cheers!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Midnight Madness...Kindergarten Style

The Kindergarten Chargers Basketball team had their first practice of the season tonight.  At 5:30, the boys gathered in the gym to begin the transition from dribbling with their feet to dribbling with their hands.  Making that transition took a bit of time.

But, once the coaches had their attention, the team listened and began to learn the fundamentals of basketball.

Sorry for the sub-par photos...the iphone camera, fast moving kiddos, and the gym lighting don't mix well.

They started out practicing how to dribble the ball.
Connor came along.  If Christian was playing ball, it shouldn't be a surprise that Connor was eating.
After practicing dribbling and passing, they lined up for kindergarten style freethrows.
Hey, Mom, I made it!
All the boys did great for the first practice.  Lots of baskets were made, and lots of cheers were happening from the parents gathered on the sidelines.  I think this team has promise!




Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Checking in on Appropriations

Here we are on November 15, six weeks after the FY 2012 federal fiscal year began.  The Congress still has not passed a single appropriations bill for the current fiscal year.  But, there has been some progress! Believe it or not, last night House and Senate Appropriators on the conference committee released a "minibus" appropriations package.  When the Congress deals with appropriations bills collectively, rather than separately, they call it an omnibus.  When they combine just a few, they call it a minibus. 

The package released last night, and scheduled for a vote on the House floor tomorrow, contains three spending bills: Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, Science; and Transportation, HUD.  It also contains another continuing resolution that moves the deadline for completing the remaining nine appropriations bills to December 16 (remember, these were all supposed to be completed by Oct. 1).

So, there has been some progress.  Because the Congress has the ability to use CR's, it can keep moving the goalposts.  I still would bet that if these bills get wrapped up before the end of the year, it will happen at the very last minute--right before the families of the Congressmen start wanting them home for Christmas.

While I'm still sort of paying attention to how the process is moving, I haven't missed being in the weeds of the process.  I don't have to read the bills if I don't feel like it.  Unless I'm having trouble sleeping, I probably won't this year.

If you are interested in seeing what is included in the minibus, you can check out the Committee's information here: http://appropriations.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=268919

Monday, November 14, 2011

Fun With Paint

The BoBos love to get out the art supplies. After all, what's more fun than making art (mess) with paint?

Tonight's project was a handprint tree. Perfect art for the fall mantel.

Keeping Up With Books

Looking at the paper this morning, I came across the list of the recent New York Times Bestselling books.  There was a time (pre-kids) that I could look at a list like this and click off how many I'd read.  Usually I'd read at least 3 or 4, if not more. 

Now, with the BoBos, my reading at home is limited mainly to childrens books.  The last book I read cover to cover was Make Way For Ducklings. I'm lucky if I can make it through the first few pages of any book I pick up before falling asleep.

Escaping into a book for fun is energizing.  It can also be a stress-buster.  Trying to find the time to really do it is another story. 

So, here are The New York Times Best Sellers for the week ending Oct. 29:

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "The Litigators'' • John Grisham
2. "1Q84'' • Haruki Murakami
3. "The Best of Me'' • Nicholas Sparks
4. "The Snow Angel'' • Glenn Beck
5. "The Christmas Wedding'' • James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
6. "The Marriage Plot'' • Jeffrey Eugenides
7. "The Night Eternal'' • Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
8. "The Affair'' • Lee Child

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Steve Jobs'' • Walter Isaacson
2. "Killing Lincoln'' • Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
3. "Thinking, Fast And Slow'' • Daniel Kahneman
4. "Boomerang'' • Michael Lewis
5. "Unbroken'' • Laura Hillenbrand
6. "Three and Out'' • John U. Bacon
7. "The End of Normal'' • Stephanie Madoff Mack with Tamara Jones
8. "Seriously … I'm Kidding'' • Ellen DeGeneres

Have you read any of these?  Do you recommend any of them? Or, are there titles not on the list that you really enjoyed?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

(Rare) Quiet

Can you hear that?  No?  This is one of the rare moments that the house is quiet and still (well, except for the hum of the sander coming from the basement--DP is helping me wrap up the desk refinishing project).  By quiet and still, I mean the boys are zonked. 

Connor is headed past the three hour mark on his nap.  Should I wake him? Probably, but not just yet.

Christian is worn out from a busy day of being five.  After church he had indoor soccer (Breakaways won, 3-1!).  After a quick lunch he was off to The Heights Aquatic Center for a pool party.  Bud Bud is T.I.R.E.D.  He's not asleep, but zoned out on the couch watching football.

This is good.  This is what Sunday afternoon should be like.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Soccer Saturday

Today was the last game of the season for the Chargers soccer team.  These kids did great today.  Absolutely great.  All season long they've been playing in the Catholic Youth League against some really good teams.  It's been said before, but we're pretty sure the Catholic teams have been practicing together since before they could walk.

We've watched the Chargers improve each game this season.  They've come to work well as a team.  Each player has started to find the position he's most comfortable playing.  For Christian, that position seems to be back playing defense.  He's becoming fearless--he's not afraid to go after the ball, to run down an opposing player, or to kick the ball out of the way.  It's really fun to watch him and the rest of the team come into their own on the field.

After a game a few weeks ago I suggested that maybe he didn't want to be dancing in the backfield.  "I wasn't dancing Mommy, I was filling the space."  He was getting ready.

The fun part about today's game was that the Chargers kept the action away from their end of the field and stayed in scoring position most of the game.  The last time we played St. Michael's it was quite the opposite.  Our defense got a huge workout that game.  Today, our defense, including Christian had some time on their hands.

More time.  All the action was at the other end of the field.

Yep, see the defense down there.  They've got it easy today.
After working so hard on defense, they subbed out and cheered on the Chargers.

Connor talked Opa into taking him over to the playground.


Christian gets set to take a penalty kick.
Connor wasn't happy about having to leave the playground.
Proud Charger parents line the sidelines.
And that's the game.  Chargers tied 1-1.
Way to go team!  We're proud of you.

Stay tuned for the indoor version of Soccer Saturdays.  Several of the boys on the team wanted to keep playing after the season ended, so one of the parents formed an indoor team for the kids.  The next installment of Soccer Saturdays will feature The Breakaways.