The kids frequently, OK almost always, ask to have a friend or two or three over after church on Sundays. With how crazy the rest of the week is Sundays are ideal days.  Sometimes I have to fight the urge to say no.  More often I just want a day to relax but really having kids is no big deal.  This Sunday was no exception and Lona went off with a friend and we hauled two extra boys home.  At one point John was laying down in the yard when they noticed and they all Isaac included dog-piled on John.  There was a 20 minute full on wrestling show in my backyard.  You'd never catch a group of girls doing this but this is oh so manly.

Job is under there somewhere

He was content with his raw hide, no wrestling this time.

This season was supposed to be easier.  This was the season that my husband was going to take a break from coaching. This season I was just to get Lona to and from RDL practice.  This season the boys were only going to play a school sport, but this thing came up. "We need more kids to get this off the ground", I heard.  "Just sign up, there aren't any practices just games", I heard.  "It'll be fun", I heard. "We just need 5 more kids", I heard.  I asked and almost begged Isaac, please don't sign up.  He's already part of the tennis team.  He's got lots of homework each night.  He has a goal to get a 4.0. "Don't do it", I said.  He wasn't going to but they only need 5 more guys.  So he signed up for Rangers Competitive High School soccer.  I knew that it was going to be tough.  This was the year that I was only going to have 1 game to worry about and it was going to be either at 8 or 9:15 on Saturday mornings.  The kids were going to referee and so I just needed to make sure they got to the fields and then pick them up but I was only going to be on the field for one game.  It's not that I don't like soccer.  I do like it.  We are a soccer family.  It's fun watching and cheering my kids on.   I was just hoping for a low-key Saturday.  So here we are with two playing soccer on Saturdays instead.  On Monday we received an email asking if John would coach this team. I texted John who was in Amsterdam and 9 time zones difference from us.  Sure he says.  Really, this was the season that he was just going to be a parent on the sidelines.  So I replied to the email that he would but is out of town until Friday.  Great, a trainer was sent out to practice to cover for him.  This was the practice that we weren't supposed to have because it was low-key.  Wednesday I dropped Lona off early to her practice, picked Isaac up from his 2 hour tennis practice, gave him a burrito and dropped him off for a two hour soccer practice and told him to walk home with Lona.  I had volunteered to be a youth group leader.  John was still in Rotterdam.  So this morning we had an 8 am soccer game for Lona.  I drove home to pick up Job for his referee job.  I watched the last 10 minutes of her game and took her home to pick up Isaac for his 10 am game.  Apparently it was a 10:30 game but the coaches were told 10 am.  Then back home to bring Lona to her first referee job.   Then finish watching Isaac play and home to change get lunch and right back to his referee job.  Then started the cycle of picking up kids.
John had less than 24 hours to get things organized for the game today.  He can't help but coach. He loves it.  Today I realized that he can teach the kids to be competitive and compassionate.  He has a lot to give  to the kids.  This is his outreach.  This is the way he gives back. This is his passion.  Today I watched him have concern for the other team.  The other team was thrown together with kids from Stanwood, Anacortes, Friday Harbor, and Burlington.  They didn't have enough players.  They were short kids and coaches.  John had two subs.  He looked around his team and gave the other team one of our players.  He gave Isaac, my Isaac to the other team.  After it was 3 to zero he started moving kids out of their natural position and had them try other places.  At half time when it was 9 to 0, he pulled one of his best players and had him play for the other team.  Then he put a kid in goalie that had never played on a soccer team before.  This allowed the kid to experience the position in a non threatening game and gave the other team a chance to score.  He also pulled a player off the field so they were playing a man down.  It has to be competitive and fun for both teams.  So even though we were supposed to have a very different soccer season this year, I'm glad that we have a chance to shape kids. At the end of the game, the kids get into a huddle and cheer the other team, just shout their opponents names and then give fist pumps to the other team.  The stand in coach asked Isaac if he wanted to go back to his team, and he smiled and said, "I started the game with you guys, I'm ending it with you."  Of course when he was "traded" to the other team.  At the beginning Isaac laughingly and in a good natured tone said, "Screw you guys I'm going to the other side."  His team is the green team.  I like his fun loving somewhat sarcastic attitude when it shows up.  I'm glad that this season isn't the season that was supposed to be.

The first tennis meet of the season.  Home meet against Sedro Wolley.  We won most of our matches except the ones we had to forfeit due to not having enough practices.  Each person on the team is required to have 10 practices in order to compete.  Some didn't so we had to forfeit. I showed up a little after 3:30 to watch Isaac, he's on the third doubles team.  I still don't know what that means.  My brain is trying to wrap around the terms "love" "deuce" "15" "add out".  I had them down at the end of the season last year but need that refresher course this year.  I speak soccer not tennis. Anyhow, I think that his partner is a little freshman.  Something happened after they won their match that I want to treasure in my heart.  I really thrive on compliments about my kids.  Not because I have done anything right but because I glimpse a little about who my kids are.  The coach asked if Isaac wanted to stay and play an exhibition match.  He said, "yes, wait."  "Mom, is that alright if I stay?"  I told him sure and he turned around and told his coach yes.  The other kid's mother asked me if she had heard correctly that Isaac asked permission to do something.   She said she hasn't heard that in years from kids.  I guess I took it for granted.  I guess I want my kids to be considerate of others and their time.  For the most part, I'll agree to what they want to do, just be considerate and ask and check our schedule.  It's not that Isaac or I did anything right.  I don't want to brag I just want to treasure a time that he was considerate and someone noticed and it can make an impact.  I see little bits and pieces of what kind of person they could become.  Will it be a habit? a character trait of theirs?  I don't know.  I'm rambling and this blog is really for me when I lose my memory and don't remember anything anyway.

So Lona made RDL, which is the Ranger Developmental League.  This year is all about developing her as a soccer player so that she will make the Ranger's team next year.  These kids show potential for being great soccer players but need a year or two to develop their skills.  It's a year to introduce the parents to the whole competitive soccer.  I'm not sure that I've bought into the whole competitive soccer.  We all know that it won't land her a scholarship.  It does however allow her to play soccer with other girls who want to play soccer, who aren't out there because their parents need another babysitter or for a social hour.  Sure it's social but during practice it's work, they can chat before and after practices and games.  It's a time to work for something with a work hard, be happy attitude.  This weekend we were introduced to the game.  All games are either at 8:00 or 9:15 which I absolutely love.  This means that she can referee in the afternoon and I am done with soccer at 10:30 am at the latest.  Yahoo.  What we noticed was a difference in the level of play.  All the kids could play soccer. There wasn't a girl who couldn't run or kick the ball.  They knew what they were doing on the field and the skill level was high.  Another thing that I loved was that none of the parents yelled at their girls to do something.  We as parents could only say good job and way to go to both teams.  The coaches didn't yell at the refs, the parents didn't bad mouth the refs.  Coaches asked politely to clarify a call because they hadn't seen what was called.  It was polite and fun.  John hung out behind the coaches and listened to their advice to the girls.  She has three high level coaches that are positive, understand the game and understand how to coach.  They lost their first game but as the coaches said, developing their personal skills and they will start winning games.  It's not about winning it's about personal development, the wins are by-products of their development.  I'm excited about this season.

Job came home with an assignment about himself.  I think that it is quite insightful. He had to finish the I am... poem.

I am Job
I wonder what it's like to build a robot.
I hear that I might be famous someday.
I see that I have a great future.
I am a small person.
I pretend that I can do anything.
I feel like I am the smallest.
I touch my Lego's when I need them.
I worry when I am confused.
I cry when my feelings are hurt.
I am one of tomorrow's engineers.
I understand that I have a hard future.
I say that there is no Evolution.
I dream that I will work for Lego.
I try to create the best Lego creation.
I hope that I could invent a new kind of robot.
I am Job A. Parks.

I can't believe that school starts tomorrow.  Tomorrow!  Most of the public schools around here started last week.  Last week I wasn't even near ready.  I'm more ready tomorrow yet still have so much to do.  This morning though it was time for a celebration.  We had mini bacon and cheese quiches and fresh strawberries.  The girls decorated the windows in our 'school" room and then decorated some of their folders.  We (the teachers/mothers) discussed school, schedules, and perused beautiful knitting books.  It was a wonderful quiet time of visiting.  The boys who start tomorrow didn't get up until 11 about the time we had s'more mini pies.  Unfortunately this party wasn't for them.  Marie brought the girls beautiful gift baskets stuffed with all sorts of useful and fun things to help them with their day.
Later on in the day I drove Job to school to pick up his revised schedule.  When we had originally received his schedule, he didn't have any advanced classes.  We had received a letter stating that he was accepted into those classes but in looking at his schedule they just weren't on there.  We were told to come back Tuesday before school started to pick up the revised schedule.  They printed one out for us but it was the same schedule, when I questioned it I was told to come back tomorrow. Tomorrow is the first day of school.  Really?  So at 7:40 we will be waiting for a new schedule. On top of that I tried to look up what time they would catch the bus.  Apparently our bus stop isn't on the bus schedule.  When I look up our address it says to take bus 19 and it stops at 7:07. However there isn't a bus 19 on the schedule.  I'm confused.
I thought to get Lona's stuff ready for tomorrow as well but there isn't any classes listed for her tonight.  This morning and the whole week before there were these classes for her.  I really don't know what I'm doing with her online classes.  She has a mandatory class assembly online to attend on Friday.  I find that funny though.  We'll see how it all shakes out.