That’s what you should be saying if your son is playing against Noah, errr Mog, in soccer. This morning, Noah was slide-tackling and bumping all over the field. So were two other bruisers on his team. It was awesome to watch as a parent. After the game, I heard that the other coach was complaining about Noah’s physical play. I only have two words in response to that … Ha ha!
3:33
I just read a note from Dana Blair. I’ve been getting pretty stressed lately about sports… well, not just sports, but lacrosse in particular. I always try to do the right thing for the kids, create the best environment for the kids to play in, and make sure that they have a positive and supportive environment where they can make mistakes, and learn, and grow, and develop into self-confident young adults with drive and conviction. In my quest to provide this environment, there are always obstacles, politics in sports, adults pushing kids in certain directions, or parents acting very selfishly for their own kid’s interests without regard for the best interests of every other child in their community. And I’ve put myself in a leadership position in a club organization where parents trust my father and me. I like the position we are in, because it allows us some freedom to do the right thing. And we care.
Lately, there have been many pressures. And there have been many politics. The landscape of youth lacrosse is changing, and our club is in the forefront of the change. And we have been trying to advise parents within our club to make very responsible decisions for their children’s best interests. There are many folks in leadership positions within different lacrosse organizations that are not taking into account how much pressure is being put on the children in their communities. They are more concerned with winning, with being competitive, with keeping their registration numbers up, with putting their foot down, with creating policies, etc, to stop and think about what is best for the 10 year old girl that they are going to put their foot down on.
Issues like this weigh very heavily on me. And I have been losing sleep lately worrying about doing the right thing when the path is not always clear, or when I think the path is clear but it might take other parents longer to gain the perspective that I have to understand the effect of the path that is clear to me already.
Well, on one of the issues that has been weighing on me lately, I had a breakthrough. It came from one of the parents on my team. And when I shared the breakthrough along to some of the other parents on the team, I got a note back from Dana Blair, which included the following:
Please don’t be stressed–thanks for everything you do! You are a great dad and coach to all of our girls 🙂
After I read this note, I felt a sense of calm within me. And I looked at my clock, and it read 3:33. For some who are close to me, you know the significance of the time. I seem to have all of my divine interventions at 3:33. For years, I believe that my grandfather has come to me at that time, and has saved me, time and again. And not just to me, but I believe that he comes to Marcia, and to Bobby, and to my father at the same time.
I love you Grandpop
Sack o’ potatoes
What a grand night I am having! Marcia went out to dinner with some friends. And Elizabeth is at a laser tag party for her friend, Sophia. Which means I’ve got 5 munchkins all to my self. And Eden is a huge helper tonight. All bathed and getting ready for bed and only one thing to figure out…
What are these two little feet doing sticking out of my sack of potatoes?!
Who is in there? Is it Luke? And where does Jack think he’s going?
Six get sick
Not much has been able to slow down this crew lately, until the kids got sick. First Luke… then Noah. I thought we were done. A few sleepless nights getting up with the boys to throw up. No big deal. Neither one complained just vomited and went back to bed. But then Eden, Elizabeth and Jack all got sick at the same time. What a nightmare. Maggie still standing … for now.
Cascade Lake Our Exciting Adventure
This adventure was so much fun! There were so many people and the slide there was so fast. I even made a friend there. The high dive was so high and I jumped off it so many times. I even went on a poop deck that sank when these men got on one side.
Luke had a blast at the water park.
The water totally tired me out.
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns, a set on Flickr.
On July 21, 2012, the Kennedys took a grand adventure to Luray, VA and the Shenandoah Valley National Park. Eden, Elizabeth, Mom and Dad each had cameras to capture the fun and the sights. These are pictures from inside Luray Caverns.
Kennedys take a day trip to Cascade Lake
We were planning a grand adventure today. Maybe Assateague. Maybe Gettysburg. I got up at 5AM, ready to go. By 7:30, I realized both of these options were probably out. Everybody was tired. So, we got …
That’s right. Cascade Lake. $80 for the carload to enter. The kids had a ball. They had a lake, some slides, some diving platforms, and a “poop deck”.
The highlights: Eden, Liz and I went down the Miracle Slide. Liz and I jumped off of the high dive. It was about 15 feet up. And yes, I did land on a girl below.
Look out below
I was too afraid to look down, so I just jumped. Oops.
There was also a little splash and spray area for the little kids. 4 hours. $80. I think we can chalk this one up as an “adventure”. But, I’m not sure if we’ll be back.
Check out our trip on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixwithsticks/sets/72157630906056910
Cascade Lake – Adventure #4
Today, we were at Cascade Lake. Adventure number 4. I went on a huge slide called Miracle Slide. It was really fun. It’s not as scary as it looks.
I went to the diving boards and I went off the platform. I passed my swimming test. It was kind of hard. But I made it.
The bracelet was the color pink. I lost my goggles on the way. Good thing my dad was there with me, because he got them when I finished. I barely made it.
Noah went down the little slide. When he got home, he threw up lots of times. Poor Noah.
Luray and Shenandoah
Marcia and I decided to take the kids on an adventure on Saturday. We planned the trip for a few days prior, but we didn’t tell them where we were going. We kept it a surprise. We only told them what to prepare: a change of clothes, a sweatshirt or jacket, cameras, shoes/socks and flip flops, a bathing suit and binoculars. The trip we had planned was a day trip to Shenandoah Valley. The kids asked fo days, “Are we camping?” and “Are we staying overnight?”.
We got the kids out of bed around 5:30AM on Saturday the 22nd. We left the house at 7:30. Our first stop was at Luray Caverns. None of us had been there before, and we were not disappointed. We spent about an hour touring the caverns. Then we spent time in the Garden Maze. And the kids mined for gems and minerals in the sluice. We left in time for lunch.
I thought it would be good to picnic at a scenic point in the Shenandoah National Park. We were planning to drive Skyline Drive and see the sites. It was so cloudy, we could barely see 10 feet in fron t of the car. So, we had a picnic in the clouds. And then we all experienced our first toilet pit along the Appalachian trail.
We took a hike down Dark Hollow Falls Trail. Luke on my back and Jack strapped to Marcia, we all hiked down to the falls. It was a beautiful sight. THe kids played in the falls at the bottom, and then we hiked all the way back up to the top of the trail.
But when we got to the car, our adventures weren’t over. The car was very low on gas, so we consulted with our maps. Found the closest gas station, several miles south, and gassed up. Phew. We made it. It was quite an adventure. And we caught the bug on adventures!
Catoctin Mountain
Catoctin Mountain has orchards and waterfalls with big pools, and they have one huge waterfall that is about 78 feet up from the ground.
Eden at the rocks
We hiked on a trail to see the waterfall. When we got there, I got to climb rocks and get on this one big rock over the waterfall. I got to see down and see the big pool. It was really beautiful.
After we went on the hike, we swam at the lake, and we got all sandy. At the lake, I got to see many cool rocks. And I got to swim with my brothers and dad. And the sand was really soft.
Hunting Creek Lake
Then I went to get my badge at the visitors center. I got to see lots of cool stuffed animals at the visitor center. On the way home, we went to an orchard and got a yellow melon, peach butter, and some plums. The peach butter was really good.
Six With Sticks 