Saturday, October 12, 2013

Victory in Defeat

Today, Wonder Boy and his team faced down the top team in the division. Unlike many teams in the division, this group of guys have (mostly) been playing together for a number of years and every last one of them is fit and ready for a grueling season.

So it was with a fair bit of trepidation that Wonder Boy and his teammates lined up across from them this morning.


Things started off well enough and our beloved Green Team managed to end the first half with a draw of 2 goals apiece.

However, the trend just couldn't be sustained in the second half. Wonder Boy's team tried their hardest, but were simply outmatched this time.

But with that said, I think this might have been one of Wonder Boy's finest performances.

About midway through the second half, when the guys in orange had taken a firm lead, you could see the guys in green physically slow down a bit as they became physically tired and emotionally demoralized. Even Wonder Boy seemed a step off pace. But then some switch turned or maybe he got his second wind. Because after that fleeting moment of lethargy, Wonder Boy kicked it back into high gear. He encouraged his teammates, he covered a vast amount of the field - running back and forth from offense to defense - and did his very best to give his team every chance to make a comeback.

The comeback didn't materialize, but we saw Wonder Boy change right there on the field. He went from just being "one of the guys" to being a leader on the field.

And we literally could not have been more proud of him in that moment.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Birthday In Da House!

Today Wonder Boy turned 12 years old. Twelve!

There is a large part of me that would like to focus on the nostalgic side of this birthday, wondering where my baby has gone. But the truth is, this was such a FUN birthday, that even nostalgia gets put aside for this sappy mom.

The day actually started several days, weeks in advance. Or rather, the planning and prep work for the big day started well in advance.

You see, Wonder Boy and Wonder Dad have a bit of a friendly competition where birthdays are concerned. They each try to top one another in terms of creating "memorable moments." And this must be a dominant gene because they are both quite fantastic at this particular skill!

Past birthdays have seen pranks, poems, birthday zombies, special meals, and even underwear scavenger hunts! Birthdays in this house are NOT to be missed!

For the first big event of the day, Wonder Dad and I spent several nights blowing up balloons in the secret halls of our bedroom closet. We blew up over 100 good sized (12") balloons that we then used to fill the alcove outside of Wonder Boy's bedroom! We managed to stack them about 6' high! So when we called the Boy to breakfast this morning, he opened his bedroom door, and the balloons came flooding in!

It was quite a sight to behold!

But that was not the end of the birthday hijinks! Oh, no! We went right into Prank #2.

A few weeks before this auspicious day, Wonder Dad noticed that there was still one yet unopened present from Christmas. I am not sure if Wonder Boy is intimidated by it or what, but Wonder Dad thought (& I agreed) that it would serve the Boy right to wrap it up again and give it back to him. And who knows, maybe that little jab would be enough to get him to tear off the shrink wrap and give it a try finally.

So ... after splashing through the deluge of balloons, Wonder Boy was ready to get down to the business of opening presents. He grabbed the box waiting for him on the fireplace hearth and went to town ripping the wrapping right off.

And then he stopped.

He stared at the box a bit.

And like a good little minion, turned to us and said "Whaaaaa?"

"But I already have this one!", he continued.

He looked to Wonder Dad for explanation, clearly confused. At which point, Wonder Dad launched into a VERY convincing pitch regarding the newness of said gift.

For those that don't know ... Wonder Boy is not what you would call "a morning person." And as such, is not the most clear headed first thing in the morning, even on his birthday.

So ... just as he was beginning to question himself, Wonder Dad spilled the beans and brought out the real gifts (much to the relief of our dear Wonder Boy).

Surprisingly, Wonder Boy took it better than I would have thought, laughed along with us and didn't hold a grudge for the little pranks. In fact, as the day wore on, it seems his favorite thing to do was to tell others the torture we had put him through that morning, but he did so with a big grin on his face, so no hard feelings!


This really is a good picture of how the day shaped up in general - just fun and laughs and lots of good times for us all.

After opening gifts, we settled down for breakfast. Then we got to enjoy a FANTASTIC soccer game where the Boy and his team came away with a 6 to 2 victory (Wonder Boy had an assist)! After that it was home for a sinful lunch of bacon shell tacos (for the Boy anyway). Then a bit of time to start playing with new toys. And then we capped off the day at a special dinner, where we were joined by Wonder Boy's two best buds.

The boys laughed, one of them danced, and we all ate to our hearts' content.

As we drove home, a much anticipated cool front blew in, and we enjoyed a cool walk with our Wonder Pup as the perfect end to an INCREDIBLE birthday!

Wonder Boy should turn 12 every day if this is the way things are going to go!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

It's In the Fingers

Wonder Boy continues to amaze the two of us when it comes to his musical abilities. His piano lessons are going so well and he seems to just soak in music in ways we can only dream about.

He is getting more and more confident reading music. But what still just makes my jaw drop is to watch him pick out a tune by ear. He'll sit down and bang away until he finds the right combination of keys. And really, it doesn't take too long at all. Some times he'll even change the key a bit and play the same tune in a new way. Seriously, this just blows me away.


After listening to him the other day, Wonder Dad asked what he was doing (it sounded to us like he was working out another new number) and Wonder Boy replied that he was getting the new piece "in his fingers."

I just loved the way he phrased it.

To him, that's where the music lies ... in his hands.

Even when he's working on a new assignment, it may take his hands a little time to catch up with what he knows in his head. So he practices and practices in order to translate the music to his fingers.

I wish my fingers worked like that.