Splash Mountain - Family Style

Ok .. here goes nothing!!

He blew the height requirement away!!

Excited for the ride!!

Getting ready for thunder mountain!!

Zip a dee do dah ... we had a great time at Magic Kingdom yesterday. The kids were so excited because William is finally 40 inches tall (he actually is taller ... check him out getting measured!) and can go on Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. Julia surpassed the 44 inch mark a while ago, but this is the first time we have been to MK in a while. Julia and Matthew rode Space Mountain for the first time. It was really fun to all be in line together ... loving this new stage in life!!!

Tball

Super fun night at the ballfields ... Julia's first tball game. The Gambles came out to cheer her on and all the family was there (except for Matthew who was at a party). She was so excited all week and was dressed right after school for the game!! She had three hits and got to score each time. She was very serious and always in baseball ready position. We were pretty impressed with her batting stance!! Loved watching Sean and her together .. he has coached all of their tball teams ... will try to find some pics of him with the others to post!!

Libero

Katie played libero this week for the first time ... Miranda our libero was sick so Katie got the white jersey!! She did a great job ... explanation of libero below. Trying to still understand it myself.The volleyball libero is a defensive specialist position in indoor volleyball. The position was added to the game in 1999 along with special rules for play in order to foster more digs and rallies and to make the game more exciting. The libero remains in the game at all times and is the only player not limited by rules of rotation. She usually replaces the middle blocker position when they rotate to the back row and never rotates to the front row himself.The libero is chosen by the team before the match or tournament and that designated player must remain the libero for the entire match or tournament. If the libero is injured, he/she can be replaced by any player who is not on the court, but that player must remain the libero for the remainder of the match.

What does the libero do during a play?

The libero is responsible for a great deal of the passing in serve receive. Often the libero will be responsible for a much greater part of the court than her teammates. The libero is in the game to add ball control, so her main responsibility is to pass the ball well so the team can run the offense. On defense the libero needs to dig well, getting a hand on every ball he can to keep the play alive. Since the libero has no attack responsibilities, he must chase down every ball he can. She may also be responsible for setting if the ball is dug by the setter or out of the setter's range.

Go Muckdogs!!

Getting ready to go ... bow and all!!

Getting to her powerline!!

Waiting her turn!

Get those feet wide little girl!!

Ok, another sport post. This is getting kind of boring!! But I guess lots of teams, lots of sports, lots of pictures. Julia entered the t-ball world this week. Sean is coaching her team, the Muckdogs (a minor league team name!). She is excited to have Daddy as a coach and had a lot of fun at her first practice. Sean coaches tball just like he coaches the big kids - lots of drills, proper technique and a lot of fun mixed in!! Not sure how Julia is going to like wearing a hat ... she inquired about how the bow is worn with the hat. We will have to work on that one!!

Varsity Volleyball

Our little 7th grader got moved up to the Varsity volleyball team earlier this week. We were pretty surprised and a little apprehensive, but trust Coach Bookamyer to know where she best fits and can help her team. Plus, the additional games, practices and speed & agility training that she gets on Varsity is going to really help her come travel ball season. She is a feisty, competitive and focused athlete!! Good job Miss Kate!!

Where's Andrew, do you ask??

I noticed that I have not posted about Andrew in a while and I figured out it is because I only post about sporting events of late. Since he is not eligible to play (due to his "redshirt" year) I haven't taken many photos of him. BUT ....

In typical Andrew form he is doing great and is an incredible young man. Always helpful and respectful .... and just a nice guy!!! He is working out with both baseball and football, keeping up on his studies and trying to fit in time to just hang with his friends. This past weekend he spent the entire day with some friends out on the boat tubing and then back to one of their houses to just hang out!! Hopefully I will get some of those pictures.

Don't worry ... Andrew is still here, doing great!!

DEFENSE

Just some great photos Kristin took of my linebacker at practice the other day!!

Another Ballplayer?

Julia starts t-ball this week so Sean has been doing some hitting workouts with her. Well ... William insisted on going to hit with Sean the other day. I heard Sean cheering in the backyard so I had to see what was going on. So cute to watch Sean and Will together!! William actually listened to Sean and hit it a few times (with the right grip and powerline!). I think I have millions of more ball games in my future!!

Another Frustrating Game ...

#13 - Matthew is one of today's captains!

Ready to make the tackle!!

Matthew's team lost 31 - 0 today!! Really a frustrating loss and season for the team. He plays on the defensive side of the ball and they have had a lot of time on the field the past 2 weeks. Our offense is really struggling .... but he is having great instruction, loves his teammates and is keeping his head up!!! Hoping to get things started next week!!!

Silly Sock Day

To kick off our school's fundraiser, the lower school had silly sock day. Julia was so excited to wear her mismatched silly socks!!!

BIG 40!!!

We had a fantastic night of suprises, food, friends, laughter and pranks for Sean's 40th birthday!!! 20 of our friends gathered at Season's 52 to surprise Sean for his big day!!! He didn't have a clue and thought the two of us were going to the Chef's Table for an intimate dinner!! We pulled off the surprise. But the surprises didn't stop there ... his best friend, Rich, flew in from RI that day and arranged with Season's to act as a server for our table. He grew a beard, dyed his hair and beard black and really fooled Sean. It took Sean almost an hour to recognize him ... granted he looked really different and had lost some weight. But Rich was acting very "goofy", jumping in pictures, making weird comments, and even announcing one of the courses of the meal with names and places from their childhood. Sean still didn't make the connection ... until Rich went over and shook his had!! That moment was priceless ... Happy 40th Birthday Sean!!

THought I would share the toast that I gave him:

To the guy who swept me off my feet in college
Moved me out of the Midwest
Pushes me out of my comfort zone
Challenges me to be a better person

A faithful servant
An adventurer
A dreamer
Cup half full kind of guy
A loving husband
A dedicated father
An amazing coach
A Tireless worker
A loyal son

From the day I met him ...
He's been Sean Kane
Love him or hate him!!

Well ... I LOVE HIM!! And I know we all do!!

Happy 40th birthday Sweetie!!!

Rich & Sean ... finally he recognizes him!!

All our friends ... check out Rich in the bottom right picture with Holly and Jim.