Caleb's 1st Annual Football Jamboree

Caleb had his first football Jamboree this past weekend...kind of an opening ceremonies to kick off the season. All of the football teams from his league play a few scrimmages against eachother, they have different contests (dash, throw, etc.), there are vendors out there, cheerleaders... everything you can think of. We played at the side fields of the University of Phoenix Stadium where the Cardinals play. It was neat to be over there and feel the atmosphere. Many of those boys dreams is to play there someday...

It was hot, but it was windy, so it wasn't too bad in the shade. It was so fun watching Caleb in his first ever tackle football game (even though it was only a quarter length). And boy was he on FIRE! He played the entire time...both offense and defense...Lineman of course. He did play Center the majority of the time on offense. He played so well, I was so proud of him.

Caleb is, of course, the biggest boy on his team. There are a few other big guys, but not as big as my BIG GUY! The other teams out there had quite a few big guys on their teams as well...boys just as big as Caleb. But that didn't slow him down. He was kickin' butt and taking names. He had kids looking over to the sidelines at their parents, with that "what do I do" look, not knowing what to do with Caleb...because they couldn't do anything.

He's still working on his blocking skills. PopPop has shown him a thing or two (PopPop played football for ASU), and he is working to perfect those skills. When he does, he will be a serious threat! I can't wait...

He had a fumble recovery that he was very proud of...

He had a many many great blocks...

He even had a QB sack, that I happened to get play by play of. That pour QB didn't have a chance...

It was a great first day to hopefully a great season. GO CRUSH!!!

Jacob's First Day of Preschool

It has finally arrived...my baby boy's first day of preschool. Jacob is the first and only child to receive 2 years of preschool. He is one smart cookie, and it's not like he needs the social atmosphere...we just felt he needed this for structure (and my sanity). The whole way to school, Jacob kept telling me he didn't want to go to school. "I just want to go home Mom," he kept telling me. His teacher's, Mrs. Wilkins and Miss Wilkins (a mom/daughter duo) are phemominal teachers (Miss Wilkins was Caleb's 1/2 grade teacher and I just love her, and her mom is a National Educational Speaker and just wonderful as well). They are so soft spoken and so nurturing, but Jacob still wanted nothing to do with them. He didn't cry or anything, but he was just very sturn that he did NOT want to be there.I somehow got him distracted and I snuck out. When I came back to pick him up, he was SOUND ASLEEP. Yes, SOUND ASLEEP on the floor. They have reading time at the end of the day, and they dim the lights, and it happens to be around Jacob's nap time. So, he took full advantage of the opportunity and fell fast asleep. I didn't believe it at first. When I went to pick him up, he was dead to the world. He stayed asleep with me putting him the car, taking him back out of the car, and bringing him into the house. It was obviously a very exhuasting 1st day of school...

The best part, is when he woke up at home, Miss Wilkins called him to let him know how proud she was of him. She told him he was the best at sharing, the best at helping, the best at leading. He was just GREAT! I was so impressed that she actually called to share this with him. But then again, she is phenominal! Jacob talked to her for a little bit (I heard him telling her how he fell asleep in class), and they said their goodbyes.So, here comes Thursday...day #2. This time Jacob decides he WANTS to go to school. He had a great time on Tuesday (before falling asleep of course), and he's decided that he likes school after all, and that he wants to go. YEAH FOR MOM! His favorite part is putting his lunch bag and water bottle away. They sing a little tune while they do it...and he sings it at home now. He has to show everyone his Spiderman lunch bag. BTW, this Spiderman outfit he's decked out in is his absolute favorite. He asks me to wear it EVERYDAY! I have to tell him it's dirty and he can wear it next week. Thank goodness he is okay with that.When I go to pick him up at school...once again...Jacob is SOUND ASLEEP! And the only child in class to fall asleep BTW. This time he's curled up next to all the stuffed animals. So, when talking with Miss Wilkins, she tells me the story of how she noticed he had his head down at his desk while they were doing desk work. Miss Wilkins seemed a little concerned and went over to talk to him. She thought he might be sad and wanted to find out what was wrong so she could help fix it. Jacob's not responding to her, so she proceeds to tickle him a little. No response! He wasn't upset...he had simply put his head down and fallen asleep :) So, they gently picked him up and place him in a cozy spot next to the stuffed animals on the story time rug. It was so cute, and kinda funny. I of course didn't have my camera either days, so Mrs. Wilkins took pics for me, and hopefully I'll be getting them soon...

So, there you have it. Jacob's very busy first week at preschool. Sooo busy, it just knocked him out!

BTW, all weekend long, he wanted to go to school. And wondered why he couldn't go. He didn't understand that it wasn't a school day, so I finally had to tell him she wasn't there. He told me "We can go pick her up and take her to the school. I know where she lives, she lives by Target." Okay, we have no idea where she lives, but apparently Jacob does (HA). He absolutely loves school now and wants to keep going. Yeah for Jacob! Yeah for Mom!

Jacob telling me he's 3 years old and ready for school. And he promises he will NEVER fall asleep in class again. We'll see about that :)Here is one of Jacob's school projects from the first day of school. The color for the week is RED and the shape is SQUARE...And Bella taking off with Jacob's work. It was almost WW3 trying to get the homework back from Bella. The "my dog ate my homework" trick can become reality....

Let Them Be Little!

It doesn't matter how old the boys get...they are still boys. From my 3 year old to my 9 year old...they are both still, well KIDS.

I sometimes forget Caleb is still 9, because he is soooooo big and mature for his age. Until I see this...and I remember, he is and always will be my baby!!!! It reminds me of the song, "Let Them Be Little." They're only little for a short time, so let them just be. I have to continue to remind myself of this always, since I want them to grow and mature into great leaders, I often forget to just "Let them Be Little."

Jacob was so proud of his tower he build all by himself...with Darth Maul on top, and all the Star Wars guys surrounding it. I had to close my eyes, and he led me into the playroom. He led me right in front of it (thank goodness I didn't trip over anything else along the way). Then he says, "ready, open your eyes" with his big crooked smile :) He was so proud...and so was Mom.

As for Caleb in his battle...we were just the obstacles he had to overcome, to fight evil...

By the way...with Jacob, everything has to be "THUMBS UP."

Abigail's First Day of Kindergarten - YEAH!

Abigail could NOT wait for this day to come...to go the school with big sissy and brother. Unlike Madelyn, who had a very rough first year, having to unattach herself from her mother's hip...Abigail sailed through her first day with flying colors. She was so excited and had a great time.

Abigail is on the PM Tops program too, so she goes to school the same time Caleb and Madelyn do. It's very nice in our carpooling...I only have to go to the school once...absolutely wonderful!

Her teacher, Mrs. Tina Lang is such a sweet, nurturing lady, who is also a great academics teacher. So, Abigail has the best of both worlds. We are so excited for this year and Abigail growing and maturing and learning...

Abigail already knows all of her letters and sounds, can spell her first and last name, is attempting to spell words on her homework (ex. ball is spelled bol...that's how it sounds, right?) can count to 50, knows numbers to 11, and is in the process of beginning to read. She seems further ahead of her older siblings at this age...maybe that's what happens with each child...either way, she's doing great.

Mom and Dad are so proud of her and her hard work. She loves her homework, and loves to write. And of course, absolutely loves to sing...which is probably her favorite part of the school day. We look forward to a very successful school year :)

Abigail's brother and sister were excited to start school again too. Caleb has Miss O'Brien again, but is in Ms. Dean's 5th grade Math class (and already bringing me home 100% - GO CALEB!). He is starting the year off great! He has a great attitude, is organized with his TONS OF HOMEWORK, and is loving going to school. Madelyn is in Mrs. Yeargain's class. She didn't get in the same class with her dear friend Sadie, but they get to see eachother in Math class and at recess. Mrs. Yeargain is a phenominal reading teacher, and teacher in general and comes highly recommended. I'm very excited about this year for Madelyn. She is starting the year off great too. Still getting used to the new homework load (lots more homework in 3rd grade), but she is my organized student and will be just fine. Already acing her spelling tests...but that doesn't suprise me. I'm looking forward to a very successful year for all of them.

Football, Here We Come...July, 2008

Here we go, straight into Caleb's first season of tackle football. And boy is Dad is excited! We entered into a league where they go by grade, not weight...so our BIG GUY finally gets to play :) He's playing for CRUSH this year...

And boy does my 9 year old look big in those pads. I sure don't want to be the little guy on the other side, staring into Caleb's eyes. He's bigger and taller than the 5th and 6th graders, and pretty much towers over his team.

Coach Ike, who is also the PowerHouse U17 Bball coach is excited to have Caleb on his team. He's got big plans for Caleb...hopefully Caleb steps up to the plate and takes care of business. This is his first year, so we are looking at it as a "learning year," but we still hope for much success.

What I've seen so far...KILL OR BE KILLED! Caleb seems to be doing well. His passion is totally there, and he's learning the skills of blocking. He absolutely loves it, and we love watching him.

Some of the other Medina family members seem to love it as well....

Slumber Party Weekend - July '08

Madelyn has immediately warmed up to her new Arsenal girlfriends. They are such sweet girls and are so welcoming and friendly, which is so important to Maddy. Hannah, Abriana, and Madelyn seemed to click the most and the quickest. I think Hannah called Maddy at least twice per day through the summer. Madelyn even looks forward to going to soccer practice to see her new friends. (She didn't like practice too much before because of the running...she loves the game, but hates the running...go figure :)

We decided to brave the slumber party with a few squeeling girls...and it actually went wonderfully. They are such respectful girls, I didn't have any problems at all...except for assistance on building their "fort" if you call it that...

They kept busy all night, dancing to Camp Rock, listening to song videos from You-tube, or playing Webkinz on the computer. Isn't that what all 8 year old girls do?!?!?!? Their dance video of the Camp Rock songs was priceless...I had to get it on video.

We look forward to many more slumber parties and other fiestas with these girls. And look forward to a great soccer season :)

Tucson Sporting Chance U9 Champs - July '08

What an exciting weekend in Tucson.....
The boys went on the road for their final tourney of the season. They had a 3 day tourney at the UofA and played their hearts out. Everyone showed up with their game day face on and ready to play!
Our first game was against Team Magic. What a way to start off a tourney...to play the team we just can't shake! But we finally got the monkey off our back and beat them with ease. The score was close, but the game really was not. We carried the lead and the upperhand the whole game and finished with a victory. Our boys were not totally "ON" and possibly could have shut them out. It was a good warm up game to a great weekend.Saturday morning we played Team AZ Bryant, played tough, put another victory under our belt...and one WIN closer to the playoffs. Our boys are getting better and better and gaining more and more confidence with each game.

We came back Saturday afternoon to play Tucson Magic and totally shut them out by 36 points. They were a tough little team that played their hearts out, but we were definitely the better team. It's good to play some of these game too...to keep building their confidence and work on their skills!

Our final pool game Sunday morning for a place into the championship game was against Team AZ Amp...our rivals! We are always head to head with Amp's team, and it's always a tough game. But we came out on top, winning by 2 points. We actually carried the upperhand most of the game and were up by 6 in the last few minutes. With both teams in freethrow territory, going to the line with each foul, we played it safe those last few seconds, which brought them up 2 baskets in the last 30 seconds of the game. Yet another victory under our belt, and a place in the championship game...with of course Amp again.

The final game started slow, with our whole team dragging their feet. We were very sluggish, but kept the spread to only 5 (4-9) after the first half. However, we showed up to play in the second half, taking the lead with an 8 point start...now up 12-9 within minutes. The rest of the game was very intense with a very close score. Up, tie game, down, tie game, back up again...

The last 10 minutes of the game was crazy intense! It was absolutely phenominal how tough they played, and how great our fans were. It felt like a High School State Championship game. Other teams and fans started lingering over to watch us...THE U9 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. So much intensity in the air.

The last 20 seconds we go up by 1. Amp comes down, stalls a few, then sinks a 3 with 8 seconds left to go. Powerhouse takes it back down, and with 2 seconds left, sinks a 3 from the NBA 3 point line. The crowd goes wild! I wish I had a picture of our fans coming off the bench and onto the floor. Other teams and fans from other teams were even jumping in the air with excitement from the game! We finish the game 37-36, with another 1st place trophy!

These boys bond like nothing else. They get along so well off the court as well as on. I can see them still together in 10 years...just rocking AZ and anyone who dares enter. Caleb really enjoys hanging with them, and they are really good kids. And that is so important to have good quality friends in your life as you grow up. And I'm proud to call these families our friends.

My kids had a blast the whole weekend, swimming at the hotel every night, watching movies with the boys next door, eating out, playing with friends...it was a nice, bonding weekend. The little ones were also good cheerleaders during the games...they loved to cheer the boys on.

We even caught Jacob letting UofA know we feel about them...since we are ASU fans...

Now, back to bball...Caleb played his heart out this weekend. His defense was phenominal. Nobody could drive the lane when he was in. His offense was great too, averaging about 10 points per game. We are so proud of him and his passion towards the sports he plays. One thing I will always remember...and share with him when he gets older...is he NEVER COMPLAINS. It doesn't matter how many days per week, how many hours per day, how intense it is, how much running he has to do...he shows up to play/practice/work hard with a positive attitude and ready to go. He absolutely loves sports and always has a good attitude no matter what he's doing. This is hard to do at age 9, especially with everything else going on...school, church, scouts, piano...and I'm very proud of him. Caleb, YOU ROCK!!!! I love you!