Just Tri

Sylvia participated in her first triathlon in August.  She thought it was funny that I had to wait till I was 34 to do my first tri but she was only 6.  Her swimming improved immensely during our family reunion when my aunt Linda spent time working with her.  I took her to the pool ahead of time so she could practice getting into the deep end and swimming where she couldn't touch.  We were so proud of her that day for swimming the whole length of the pool with touching the bottom or side.  The race included a 25 meter swim, .9 mile bike and 1/4 mile run.  Sylvia did great during her transitions which we practiced ahead of time as well.  Putting socks on wet feet can be tricky.  She was so proud as she finished the race and enjoyed celebrating with her cousin Katie who also raced.

Phillies Tee Ball

Sylvia and Eric played tee ball this summer.  Although their teams were divided by age they were both on the Phillies and had back to back practices at Willow Creek Park.  Eric didn't end up to interested but we stuck with it and made it through the season.  We owe his coaches a big thank you for the patience with him and the other 3 and 4 year olds.  Sylvia was much more interested but we need to work on batting and catching with her during the off season.  She's got quite the arm and can run pretty fast.

Revolution Soccer

Eric played soccer on an Iowa City Rec Department team named Revolution.  His coaches attempted to teach him about the rules and positions in soccer but he was more interested in hitting the flags while doing warm up laps around the field.  He also enjoyed clawing at the grass.  Eric got lots of exercise running during soccer...sometimes in the direction the ball was going and sometimes not.

He was in on the action from time to time during the games.

But he was often off running around by himself.  In an attempt to keep other kids away from him he would swing his arms like he was swimming breast stroke while he ran around.

And this is what playing goalie looked like.

Making it to the end of the game with his team was a success at this point.  Snack on the sidelines with his siblings was much more enticing.

IC Kickers

Sylvia played soccer on an Iowa City Kickers team this spring.  There were other kindergartners from Horn as well as students from Weber.  Her coaches did a really good job with the team and Sylvia's soccer skills improved immensely during the season.  She would get right in there to get the ball.  She was happy to make a few goals during the season but also proud of her assists.  We're not sure what activities she'll end up sticking with but it's fun to watch her try new things and show improvement.

tumbling

We signed the kids up for three weeks of tumbling at the downtown rec center.  Their classes were back to back from 9:00-12:00.  I went along with Drake to his class but the older two got to go alone.  We played basketball and foosball, checked out the exercise equipment and went to the New Pi for groceries to kill time during sibling classes.

Track Club / Run for the Schools

Sylvia participated in her school's track club this fall.  It met Wednesday nights for five weeks.  I believe we may have a runner on our hands.  Sylvia ran 3 miles her first week.  She had very sore legs the next day and didn't do quite so much running at future track clubs.  It was a fun activity to participate in as a family.  Sylvia and Grandpa signed up for the 1 mile Run for the Schools Race while Dan and I were out of town.  She was very excited to get a participant ribbon.

Tiny Tot Soccer

Eric played on a Tiny Tot soccer team this fall with his friend Hayden.  Their team name switched back and forth between The Green Machine and the Alligators...and maybe sometimes the Crocodiles.  His coaches helped him stay somewhat focused and he seemed to enjoy chasing after the ball.  Snack was also always popular.

Iowa City Fall Soccer

Sylvia finished up fall soccer a couple of weeks ago.  It meet at Willow Creek Park for a month.  She had Tuesday practices and Thursday games.  Sylvia seems to enjoy practice more so we liked that the focus wasn't on the games.  Her soccer game has improved quite a bit since first playing in Coralville a couple of years ago.  She even stopped the ball and got it going the right direction in a few games.  It was fun to have Grayson on her team (and his parents on the sidelines with us).

 

Eric enjoyed sitting in (and getting out of) his chair during Sylvia's games.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or some type of snack usually kept him occupied.

 

The last game of the sason was a little cold.

We usually stopped at the playground before or after soccer for the kids to play.  The tire swing is becoming a favorite.

 

Spring Tiny Tot Soccer

Sylvia participated in Coralville's Tiny Tot soccer this spring.  After last summer's experience I wasn't sure if she'd do soccer again but she asked so we signed her up.  She did a much better job this time around staying with her team instead of being on mom or dad's lap.  I don't know if her actual soccer skills have improved much but she chased after the ball more and got a couple of kicks. 

Each week, the teams had a short practice before the game.  Sylvia liked the practice better than the actual game because she got more time with the ball.  Here she is practicing her kicking.

Our friend, Parker was on Sylvia's soccer team.  I've got quite a few pictures of one chasing after the other as they run toward the ball.  Sylvia also took frequent breaks to hug Parker during the games but I didn't get a picture of that.

 

She really seemed to enjoy soccer this year.  We'll have to wait and see if she asks to sign up again next year.

I love how her tongue is sticking out in this one.

Good game.

Although practice and the game were fun each week, snack time still won out as her favorite part of soccer.

Macy and Eric also enjoyed spending time (running away) together each week.  They were hard to keep up with if we didn't have them strapped in their strollers.  Grandpa helped us out one week by bringing his wagon and giving them a ride.

Tiny Tot Soccer

Sylvia had her first organized sports experience this summer...as did Dan and I. We signed her up for Coralville's Tiny Tot Soccer. Her team, the Lizards, was made up of 3 and 4-year-olds with varying degrees of experience and athleticism.

Sylvia was very excited for soccer, and the first week went very well. All of the teams practiced together and each child had his/her own ball...the whole time.
The following weeks, there was a 15 minute practice followed by a 30 minute game. After Sylvia spent much of the first game trying to be on the sidelines with us or standing still in the middle of the field, Dan and I realized that we and her coaches had never explained the whole idea of soccer...or any team sport for that matter. Sylvia was not prepared for the fact that there would only be 1 ball on the field and that all of the boys and girls would be running around after that 1 ball.

Each week she showed some improvement, although she still played around plenty. She was often a little sad that she couldn't get to the ball. Practice before the actual game and playing on the sideline while she was not on the field seemed to be more fun for her than the actual game. He coaches were wonderful and very patient. We were very impressed at how they continued to get her involved when she wasn't so sure about the whole thing.


If you ask Sylvia what her favorite part about soccer was she says, "How about treats?"
We enjoyed getting outside as a family and watching her grow each week. Dan and I definitely learned a lot about Sylvia through this experience. I missed one perfect picture moment of Sylvia adjusting her underwear in the middle of a game. I decided it would be better for me to run out and help her rather than take a picture so that one will just have to be a memory.