Happy Halloween

There is never just one day of Halloween at the Medina household. This is almost a week festivity, with usually more than one costume. Of course if I had my way, we just sit at home and pass out candy, and be done. But the kids love, love, love...did I say love their candy.

Our first pass is Trunk or Treat at our church. The kids dress up in costume, go to the church parking lot, and go trick-or-treating out of the trunks of the cars...hense TRUNK or Treat. We start off with a small dinner...this year it's navajo tacos...YUM, and smokey rootbeer. This year we also had a member come out and DJ, so the kids were dancing in the streets. Then they finish the night Trunk or Treating, over and over, until their bags are stuffed. They have so much fun, and we know the candy is safe.

Our second pass is Big Nana's nursing home. The kids and grandkids of all the elderly in the home come and go trick or treating up and down the halls. They have a spooky story time and costume contest in the main living room. The elderly men and women just love this time of year, to be able to see all the kids in their costumes...especially their loved ones. Big Nana was so excited to see Joseph and the kids, she couldn't stop crying. When she hugged Joseph, she wouldn't let go. She didn't want him to leave. It even brought a tear to my son, Caleb's eyes. He was very moved. The girls did a few cheers for Big Nana, and we visited a while. It breaks my heart to see her so lonely. We really need to visit her more often.Our third pass is the kids school's Character Celebration. The kids have to dress up like a character from their favorite book. I was not about to go out and buy yet, another costume just for this event. So, we dug for our "books" to match their costumes, and away they went. It is only for the 1st-6th graders, so Abigail didn't get to participate. As you can see, we went the easy way out, and stuck with what they already had...sports uniforms :) Caleb's class had a party as well that day, where they went from station to station, building scarecrows, skeletons, pumpkin race, frosting cookies, and pumpkin pie eating contest. Caleb's team won the skeleton contest...
And our last but definitely not least pass....the actual Halloween night. At this point, they had already had plenty of candy, so no need to trick or treat a ton. We did go up and down our street and one other street. Caleb only went down our street, then came home and played catch with dad, who was handing out candy at our home. We hung out, in front, passing out candy, listening to music, and playing catch, until the streets died down. Then finished the night back in the house, counting and separating the candy. We don't let them keep all of their candy, so we separate it, letting them keep some of their favorites. Then the rest goes back in the pantry for occassional snacking. All in all, it was a very fun and festive week for the kids. And I'm ready for it to be over...lol

Football, Football, and more Football - Oct, 2008

Hut, Hut, HIKE! That's what has been ringing in Caleb's ear this Fall. As the star Center, Defensive Lineman, Offensive Lineman, and an occassional Tight End, Caleb has played some serious Football.

Caleb played both offensive and defensive, coming out for maybe 1 play each half. He was the definite strength on the team, and the Team Captain and leader as well. He's just a natural leader, has the smarts, and definitely has the size.

This is Caleb's first year at tackle football (at 9 years old), and you would think he'd been playing for years.

I didn't get to watch as many games I would have liked, since I was running Madelyn to her games, but when I did watch, I tried to take as many pictures as I could...and to cheer my BIG GUY on to victory.

It sure was fun watching him play...especially watching him block 3 guys at the same time, as seen below. What a proud parent I was watching him.

I read a quote and instantly thought of him...."A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into useful skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." Caleb definitely has a natural talent. And he also has the passion and the hard work ethics in whatever he does. He is going to bring me so much joy watching him in his talents in the years to come.

Madelyn's Soccer Debut with Arsenal - Sept, 2008

For a very short time, we switched Madelyn to 2000 Arsenal Premier. We thought it would be good to have her play with her own age. She had some good training sessions over the summer, and improved her skills with Coach Daryl.

This was the one and only tourney she played in with Arsenal. They took 2nd place in the CCV Stars Tourney at Reach 11. They killed a few teams 17-0. The championship game was a little closer, losing 0-1. Madelyn played well.

However, for many reasons, we felt it was best to move her back to Barcelona, with Coach Jimmy. Thank goodness Jimmy took her back...

It was like she never skipped a beat. She jumped right in and was back on track in no time. And not 1 month after we moved her back to Barca, Coach Daryl was let go from Arsenal. So, it looks like it was a great move, just in the knick of time.

She made some good friends, and learned new skill sets. However, she and the team/coach was just not a good match for her. We also felt it was better for Madelyn, and the way she plays, to continue to play up a year. She seems to play tougher/more aggressive with the 10 year olds, than with the 8-9 year olds, as you can see in this picture.

And we love Coach Jimmy and what he has done with her and the team. It was quite ironic that her first tourney back with Barca, they faced Arsenal 99 Premier, Gene's team. She went from playing with 2000 Premier to playing 'against' 99 Premier.

Madelyn played awesome, and the team finished in 1st place, beating Gene's team in double OT, resulting in shoot outs.

It really does feel good and comforting to be back with Barcelona. Everyone welcomed us back with open arms, which was a definite bonus. Looking forward to a great season ahead...