That Time His Front Yard Practices Paid Off

On the very last weekend of the season, Danny’s Concorde Fire team finally managed to play in a tournament. Coming off an injury to his knee the weekend prior, and with a blazing hot forecast, he headed into it with a fair amount of trepidation. Let me put it this way: Before the first game, he was too nervous to eat bacon. Bacon!

I took him to the first game, on Saturday morning. The boys played hard, and Danny managed with his knee just fine, but they came up short. As we headed home to bide his time until the next game, which wasn’t until 6:30pm, Danny was definitely frustrated and we both wondered how much more the team had in it.

Tim took the evening game duty, and clearly brought with him some better mojo, because they came up with a solid win this time. This meant they would play again at 8am the following morning (a much better option than the 2:30 consolation game, given the heat). Feeling invested, Tim again headed to this game - and what a contest! The opposing team had a player get issued a red card, their coach a warning, and a lot of tension between the parents. At the end of regulation it was tied 2-2, so they headed into PKs. Danny was not among the first 5 to kick, but after that round it was tied at 3-3, so three more players came out to take shots. Danny was the last to do so, when it was tied 5-5 and their player had just missed. With an unsaveable (if a bit unplanned) kick, Danny won the game! Like a scene from any great sports movie, he turned and ran to his team, who were already running towards him with pure joy. They were headed to the finals!

This team dug in, KEPT THE PRESSURE, and pulled off a 2-1 victory after being down 0-1. The team wanted to win, pulled together more than they had all season, and were crowned the champions of the GSA Revolution Cup!

Baby, You Can Drive Our Car

With great excitement, Clare earned her driver’s license in mid-May. As she was in the midst of a stressful week at school, and suffering from a cold, it took a couple of days before she could go on her first solo voyage. When she did, it was to her job teaching swimming lessons at the YMCA. It was a glorious moment for both of us, because I was not on chauffeur duty, and she was free to come and go when she was ready. I couldn’t help thinking that this was in stark contrast to my own maiden voyage as a driver, when I went to the drugstore to buy a new curling iron!

Of course, the real moment of liberation for both of us came when Tim and I finally got around to buying a third car. The original intention was for Tim to give her his Murano and buy himself a new car. But after almost 9 years of driving it, Tim decided he simply was not ready to let it go. Thus began the search for a car for Clare. We made a plan to go on a Thursday when Tim did not need to be in the office, but we opted not to tell her we were doing this in case it didn’t pan out. After a somewhat insufferable half day at the car dealer, we emerged with a car we really like and knew she would be thrilled to drive. She was indeed shocked and amazed to see it parked in the cul-de-sac when we got home from school that day, and she has been falling in love with it ever since. So far, she has used it to drive to school, work, altar serve at Marist, and study and eat with friends. This is a lifestyle we can both get accustomed to!

La Mejor Estudiante

At the end of a 10th grade year that has gone by in a blur, Clare was once again honored for her academic prowess. This time she received the award for her performance in Spanish III. After hearing from experienced Marist parents a couple of weeks ago about how hard this subject is considered to be, I am all the more impressed by her work. And, as always, very proud. ¡Te amamos!

Laura’s First Communion

It was a beautiful day and a wonderfully blessed weekend! Laura made her First Communion on a day that was supposed to be rainy and gray, and turned out to be anything but. We woke up bright and early to execute the perfect hair, eat breakfast, and take photos before the 9am mass.

The family banner made its third and final appearance.

Sweet friends, excited for the main event!

Fortunate to be surrounded by all four grandparents. 

I was so pleased that we were able to get a photo of the whole family. We passed many happy hours together this weekend!

Possibly my favorite picture from Laura’s special day. There’s a lot of love for this sweet and spunky girl!



We ended the celebration with a dinner that included Meghan and her parents, because no major event in Laura’s life is complete without Meghan!

Danny the Teenager

Despite our pleas, Danny insisted on turning 13. He made the celebration fairly easy, too. On the big day itself, which fell on a Wednesday, his buddies Luke and Alessio came home with him to play soccer, video games, nerf wars, and eat ribs. They even coerced Laura into playing soccer, with Danny nabbing her for his team - to great success!

We followed this up with having Luke over for a sleepover on Saturday, and joining us for dinner at Fogo de Chao. This was Luke’s first time at Fogo, but he and Danny are kindred spirits when it comes to meat, so I feel confident he’ll return.

Danny even placed an easy cake decorating request, essentially the jersey of his favorite Arsenal player. May the rest of his teen years be similarly low-key. 

Last, but not least, Danny’s list included some specific books, and then requested that Clare choose some dye to her excellent record with him so far. This stack should keep him busy for a short while, at least!

We sure do love you, Danny Boy!

Three for Three

Well, now all three kids have experienced a cast - and each on their left arms! Too bad Laura is a lefty. She fell while playing tag at recess - two days in a row - and her thumb took the brunt of the fall. The orthopedist decided to be cautious and protect the growth plates - but promised we can get it off the day before First Communion. Phew!! Too bad she had to miss the playoffs for Team Ecuador, especially since she was having a fantastic season. Better luck in the fall!