stuck in the net

so at last night's soccer game--to which we had all kinds of fans--joshua had a minor setback. he was putting his time in as goalie, because he told the coach he needed a rest. eventually, lo and behold, the hive of soccer players came his way. of course, like the rest of the kids, when joshua is goalie it is prime time to play in the net. unfortunately this meant that when he saw them coming and tried to go after the ball, his hand was stuck in the net. he gave it a very valiant effort, but to no avail. a goal was scored. what makes it even better, is that the goal was scored by his own teammate while all the parents are yelling "other way eli!" it was great.
now i love this picture because of the sweatbands on his wrists. these were a gift from his aunt lorri who was at the game last night. joshua loves these things, and so spent the entire game swinging his arms around like this. then he would look our way and wipe his wrist across his forehead, just making sure we noticed how cool he was. we noticed.

are you going to george washington?

i'm going to washington, dc this week, sans my three boys. i keep telling joshua about it, so that he's ready for me to be gone, and now he keeps asking me about when i go and what i'll do when i'm in "george washington." i keep having flashbacks to 2000, and the all too short time i lived there as a lowly intern for the senator who shall not be named (although "clout" might ring a bell). one of the greatest moments of the semester was when omar kader told mary bell she was a right-wing nut, which of course matt, nick and i knew all along. sweet validation! i think of leaving union station each morning after my metro ride and hearing a homeless man playing jazz standards--he made my day everyday. i think of endless debates--because i was one of three democrats in the group, and matt usually refuses to engage (and i think he's too smart so no one wanted to mess with him) and nick was very confrontational, maybe without meaning to be, so that left me to take all the heat. i think of dying to get out of the city and so three of us going camping without any real gear (because we left everything at home) and FREEZING (it was march). i think of three or four of us sitting on the steps of the supreme court on one of our last days. jeff and i had been offered jobs to stay on. nate hadn't, and he was one of the only ones planning on staying, and was desperately looking for a job. it was so pitiful as he sat there telling us how much his life sucked (his girl had just broken up with him as well) that it was one of the most hilarious moments. i think of night after night after night of kennedy center concerts--that was the life. and many many many other good and great times...

bee happy, b-e-e

for an exciting friday night, after putting the kiddies to bed, josh and i watched this documentary--spellbound--about 8 kids and their journy to the national spelling bee. it documents their family lives, and has something positive to say about 'the american dream.' it's from 2002, and was actually nominated for an academy award that year for best documentary, so many may have already seen it. if not--watch it! we were cracking up. it is a bizarre world, and you end up just loving the kids, and being frightened by some of the parents. my favorite parts are: one of the mothers with these huge red glasses that has all these super cheesy things to say--one of which is "bee happy, b-e-e!" i also love these two old ranch owners who employee some illegal immigrants who are parents of one of the girls. they are typical hilarious old-style, well-meaning but prejudiced texans. very funny. and the mom of this adorable black girl ashley--from DC--is so stereotypical it will crack you up. one thing she says is "fo' 10 thousan dolluhs i could do anythin! i'd know every word in the dictionary for 10 thousand dolluhs." worth the watch--thanks matt and anna b for the recommend!

gray thunder

so i said i had two cute boys, here's number one. joshua himself. please take special notice of the cleats; joshua sure does. when he's goalie, you'll see him over there jumping around in his cleats, and when he's on the field, he may very well stop mid-dribble for a look at his cool digs. he really does love the game itself, and asks if he can go over to his friends house to practice 'soccer ball.' he may very well be the next beckham (minus the spice girl).
now, i can't exactly tell you gray thunder's--the team--record. most of the goals scored, on both sides of the field, seem to be made by the opposite team (although the goalies do seem to be getting more and more ruthless.)

jumping on the band wagon

and not just any bandwagon, the mommy brag blog wagon. that's right, all you other mom friends of mine with your cute stories of your cute kids and their cute pictures and the cute things they say...you've inspired me to jump on board. this week alone (and it's only tuesday), i've gotten 2 new friend blogs. so lest i be too horribly behind the times, i'll give you another blog to check. after all, i have 2 cute kids of my own...