Eden and I ran this morning at 6:15. It was maybe the hardest I’ve ever seen Eden run. I think she was properly motivated. Something had to do with maybe me setting a time goal for her and for not letter her give up.
Eden has also become quite the laxer as well. She scores at will in her Tyker league. She probably should have made the travel team. At least we didn’t complain. Her she is doing the draw against her friend, Neve.
Luke has become quite a handful lately. He is going to need to go to anger management soon if he keeps this up. Tonight, he smacked Noah in the head with a toy car and then ran over to me with a smile on his face, as Noah cried, to give me a hug.
We think he is getting a little frustrated that he can’t voice his thoughts yet, and so he gets violent. Last night, we went out to dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day. What a disaster! We went to Dimitris because we thought it would be easy. Jack was a total handful for Marcia. And Luke was a handful for me. After a few different appetizers, we ordered the check and hightailed out of there. It was the toughest meal we had in a number of years.
I am looking forward to Luke being out of this phase, but I am sure he will be.
Elizabeth turned 10 on Friday. Marcia’s quote on Facebook:
Ten years ago today I met the determined little lady that made me a Mommy. She is still living her life with that same fierce determination that brought her into this world. Tell her she can’t and she will show you five ways she can. We are so proud of you Liz. Your large family loves you so much. Stay determined the world is filled with endless possibilities. Happy Birthday!
I couldn’t have stated this better. Determination = Elizabeth. Have you ever met a kid who has been denied more times but keeps proving everyone wrong? And doing so with grace and humility. I’m proud, and also impressed that my daughter has some qualities that I have lost in myself. Such as humility … I have to brag on the kids all the time. I don’t like braggards, but I see so many mediocre kids have been put ahead of my kids because they have been hyped so much by their parents, yet aren’t as worthy as mine. So, I’m going to brag on my 10 year old.
She’s become quite the draw girl in lacrosse. She pulls the ball. Here she is against Perry Hall, she scored 4 in this game.
Liz in a 12-5 victory over Perry Hall.
On her Redshirts team, she is a 4th grader playing against 5th and 6th graders. Two weeks ago, we lost to a RGLC 2018 team (6th graders), 17-10. Liz scored 4 goals, including the last goal of the game as time expired, never quit, although she was the smallest girl on the field. Marcia and I are so proud.
Tonight, she wrote an essay for the principal at Hillcrest in order to be a safety next year. Her essay was on responsibility and being a role model. Here is what she wrote:
Dear Mrs. McVey,
Please consider me for the school safety position for next year. I would be happy to be any of the safety positions, but I am most interested in being one of the safeties that takes care of the kindergarteners. I like taking care of little kids because they are cute, funny and they make me smile. I would like to be a good role model for them. I care about safety and following rules, and I think I will make an excellent school safety.
One of the qualities that I think is important in a safety is responsibility. I show responsibility at home and at school. At home, I am the oldest of six children. I help my mother with my younger brothers and sisters all the time. Everywhere we go, I help get them in the car and put their seatbelts on. I also help with chores, like making their lunches in the morning or helping them at bath time. I have a younger brother and sister at school, and I make sure they get to where they are supposed to be before and after school. At school, I volunteer for the jobs that nobody likes to do, like the janitor. I think it is important to have a clean classroom. At school, I am responsible for myself and my schoolwork. For example, I always turn my homework in on time, and my library books are never overdue.
I think it is important that school safeties are role models for the rest of the school. I think I would make a good role model. I am always on good behavior. In class, I have always been on green. I am quiet and I always follow the rules. I am hard working and determined. Because of that, I am a GT student and have earned straight As. I also model good behavior at home and work equally hard at sports, including lacrosse, field hockey, basketball and swim team.
For these reasons, I think I would be a responsible and patient school safety. I hope you agree with me. I have wanted to be a safety since I was in 2nd grade, and I hope that you pick me. Thank you for considering me.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Kennedy
As much as I am proud of her, I also am fearful that she will be denied something again by adults. I’m just so used to it at this point that it is discouraging. I told her tonight that all we can do is try our hardest at everything, and if others don’t notice or pick us, that is their problem; just as long as we know that we have done our best, that is all we can ask.
This morning, Edie was on fire. A goal, 2 assists, and a bunch of ground balls. She went into a few scrums and came out with the ball. Just awesome. I’m so proud of her.
Last weekend, Liz tried out for Lightning A. She showed her stuff. She played really well. A goal, a pipe shot, a saved shot, a few draws and some really good plays. Unfortunately for Liz, the “powers that be” in Catonsville had decided the A team before the tryouts. They didn’t even watch her play. They didn’t care. Just so unfair and reckless. These adults should have no business being around kids. Just shameful.
They put Liz on a B team, which had nothing to do with her abilities. It had to do with her father, they didn’t want me coaching.
Liz, you’re a rock star. And your sister Edie is on your heels.
Sometimes I feel that a human beings natural desire to be liked or to be part of the in group that society says is the norm clouds their ability to make fair and rational decisions. It is the true leaders and good men that stand up for the wronged. True and wonderful accomplishments would never occur if hard choices weren’t made or if people just went along with the status quo. In the end, I am a true believer, that everyone gets what they really deserve.
– Marcia Kennedy
My wife wrote something profound today. I think she is on to something. I hope she embraces it. Because she is absolutely right. And I’m inspired by my wife.
Luke and Dad
McLovin, that’s my boy lately. They go through phases… well Luke is in a definite daddy phase. Not sure where it came from, but he can’t get enough of Daddy right now. It’s an unusual phase. They all go through phases where they can’t get enough of mom. Every once in a while, they love their dad, and he wants me all the time for the moment.
I’m loving it while it lasts. Love you Luke
Dad
I am very torn lately. I want to teach my kids the right lessons in sports. And I want them to grow up and be confident in themselves, and, at the same time, exercise good sportsmanship.
Lately though some things have really puzzled me. What is the right move? What is the right action for me to take?
Two examples:
1 – Elizabeth tried out for Catonsville lacrosse Lightning team. She was playing great. One of the best through the drills. But, when the split the teams, they said that she was a C team player. This was not right and it was blatantly obvious. It was also apparent that this was no accident. There are some very mean people making the decisions that are very jealous of me. Elizabeth was very upset, but I didn’t know what to tell her.
2 – Elizabeth and her field hockey team yesterday played in the Harvest Hockey tournament. We had some of the best players on our team, and we could have beaten anybody. We got stopped though in the quarterfinals. Elizabeth Perry’s goal was not counted and we lost by one goal. I told the kids to forget about the bad call and not complain about it. But that is hard for kids to swallow. Hard for me to swallow.
Chip Marshall told me recently – “God grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change”
I went to Loyola. The full quote:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”
I struggle with the last part.
Marcia is convinced we all have Celiac’s disease. There is no cure, but it requires a gluten-free diet. Why?
The reasons are plentiful. For all of us. But most recently, Noah has had some blood results that are very troubling to Dr Arshad. He needs a litany of tests over the next few weeks. Yesterday, Marcia had me worrying about Leukemia.
After I bathed Noah last night, I talked to him as I was dressing him for bed. I told him he needed a lot more tests. From lady doctor? That’s right buddy. She needs to test you so the itchy rash goes away. And we need to get your blood tested again. Maybe all of this will stop your nose bleeds. I don’t like nose bleeds.
I’m proud of my son. Yesterday he was counting all of the lights in the room. And he was grouping them and adding together. There’s 2. There’s two. There’s 5. There’s 3. Altogether there’s 12! And last night he was doing Highlights magazine and wanted me to read to him.
I am overextended lately, and Marcia is way overextended. I find myself telling Noah “no” way too many times when he asks me to read to him at night. If I read to him, I fall asleep in his bed, happens every time. But, I need to do it more.
Noah takes everything like a man. We tell him he can’t do something or can’t eat something and he understands. Last night, he got very upset that he could no longer have bread and cookies, etc, in addition to already being “allergic” to peanut butter, milk and eggs. Poor guy.
So, we’ll try this diet for 30 days and we’ll see. Maybe Marcia’s right. Maybe this will make all the difference.
A few weeks ago, a man saw Liz and I playing catch and was very impressed with her skills. He’s associated with SkyWalkers club and wants Elizabeth to play there. He asked her to play in the Catonsville fall league. It’s a league for kids a few years older than Liz. She said yes. This morning, after she spent the night out at the Baecks, she was a little nervous about playing with the older girls (grades 5-8, she’s the only 4th grader).
But, when she stepped on the field, she did very well. She scored 2 goals. On one of the goals, she was tripled teamed, brought the ball out, juked all three and created an open lane to the goal for herself. It was very pretty, and many of the parents clapped. Marcia and I are very proud.
We are also worried. There are a ton of politics in Catonsville sports, and we’ve been hearing the ugly side of everything lately. I fear that Liz will not get her fair shot, and that Eden will also get her share of the shaft. Parents in this town are behaving poorly, very poorly, and I want to protect my daughters from all of the nonsense. I fear that I won’t be able to.
Also today, Liz’s field hockey team played the war hawks. Last year, the war hawks crushed every Catonsville team. Today, we beat them 11-0. Liz had a goal and she played very hard.
Eden played field hockey tonight as well and had a goal. Go Edie!
Noah played soccer yesterday with Jack. They play for Jack’s dad’s team. We are so pleased with Mike’s coaching, and the fun that Noah is having with his friend. They won 4-0, and Noah had a break away goal. It was great.
I am so proud. They are enjoying sports, and they are excelling. Elizabeth works as hard as any kid I know. I have a feeling that the others will as well as they get older.
Luke got his own lacrosse sticks today. PopPop and Grammy brought them over for his first birthday present. And he had fun with me on the floor, throwing balls to me, holding his stick, and putting the ball in the pocket of my stick.
“My first conscious memory was of my father crazy gluing a putter in my hand” – Tiger Woods (impersonator) – SNL sketch
For the last three days, I’ve been in St. Louis. First time to St. Louis or Missouri in general. I visited the Gateway Arch. And I crossed the Mississippi into Illinois. St. Louis is a city that celebrates exploration and discovery. Lewis and Clark embody the spirit and the push to the West.
Dave under Gateway Arch. St. Louis, Missouri
Dave atop Gateway Arch
Now I’m at the airport blogging. I found myself singing an old Simon and Garfunkel tune. Homeward Bound, I wish I was. Home, where my thoughts are escaping. Home, where my music’s playing. Home, where my love lies waiting silently for me.
I’m coming home!
Six With Sticks 