Friday night was soccer practice in preparation for Linus' very first soccer tournament. Linus got his special soccer bag with practice uniforms, game uniforms, team sweatshirt, and team tracksuit. He was so excited and happy, so much so he didn't sleep and was up at dawn. Dave spent Saturday and Sunday with Eileen and Robin while I hung out at Starfire and Southcenter Mall with Linus.
I don't know the rules of soccer. This weekend I learned about off sides. It was fun watching the boys play and getting to know the other parents. Linus' team played with such heart. I started the weekend with low expectations and was shocked when they won their first two games, including a shut out.
Saturday night my sister asked if she could babysit our kids as a birthday present to Dave. Best.present.ever. Seriously. No money? No creativity? Give a parent the gift of your child supervision. They will love you forever.
Dave and I drove around Phinney/Ballard/Fremont and stumbled across Giddy Up Burger Bar. I had no idea what to expect. I also couldn't believe that I ordered a sloppy joe. The beer/cider menu was awesome. My sloppy joe was ridiculously good. The place is big and no frills. What they lack in some aspects, they make up for with awesome seating. With no kids to fight over it, I let the birthday boy sit on the special chair.
Sunday's game was hard. The team was a little sluggish and couldn't find their rhythm. The shocking part was the behavior of the other team. Parents screaming on the sidelines, stepping onto the field to yell at players (theirs and ours), coaching from the sideline, coach throwing a water bottle, getting in the ref's face. The parents were horrible sports and would set off their car alarms every time they scored. The other team was very aggressive, to the point that one kid punched one of ours in the face. I don't know why the ref was calling stuff. It was not a fun introduction to the world of youth sports. The game ended with our team in tears.
The good news/bad news was that the team made the finals. The other team was the awful team. The coaches did a really great job of pep talking. I get the sense the tournament organizers got some complaints about the team. The ref made all the parents move back from the field. The parents were close to silent. No car alarms went off. The coach was pretty quiet. At one point the coach started yelling and the ref stopped the game, pointed at the coach, and marched over to him. Coach was silent with arms behind back. It was kind of great. Today's ref called all the rough play. No longer fending for their lives, our boys played great. Linus, while one of the weaker players on the team, did an especially great job with defense. The team played to a shoot out and lost.
2nd place your first tournament feels good, especially when you know you played with integrity.
The unexpected highlight of the weekend was Linus' discovery of IHOP restaurant. I took Linus there in between games on Saturday for a cheap meal. Linus could barely catch his breath, he was so overwhelmed by the menu. He informed me that you could tell IHOP was a "fancy" restaurant because of the variety of syrups on the table. He was impressed that there was even honey along with jelly. Linus loved IHOP so much he insisted we take his siblings there for lunch after the final game. The drive consisted of Linus extolling the wonders of IHOP. The whole experience served as a reminder that kids don't need a lot to be happy.
We finished the weekend playing at the playground of the elementary school by our house. This afternoon I put out some of the fall decorations. My house is now pleasantly accented with orange. It makes me happy. I'm ready to welcome fall--new school year, crisp sunny weather, sweaters, cross country meets, and pumpkin everything.
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