Sad Day for Rick

Any of you that have known Rick for awhile probably know that he is a Peyton Manning fan.  He ALWAYS has been.  So, when Manning didn't play this past year due to his neck injury, it was not a good thing in Rick's mind.  And when the Colts announced that they released Manning from their team, that was an even worse day.  But the worst part of the whole thing was watching the press release video of Peyton Manning saying good-bye to Indianapolis!  It was a sad evening in the Heck house...

(and I won't say if there were or weren't watery eyes as the video played on.... but I will say it was sad!)  ;)

Soccer for Trev

It's fall soccer time again. Trevor decided that he wanted to play once again so off to the soccer fields we went. He had a lot of fun and enjoyed running and playing again. Pee-wee soccer is always interesting because you get the kids that are just starting and just run in circles following the ball. Then there is always that one kid that is the oldest in the group who takes control of everything and steals the ball away. And finally, there are those that are in the middle somewhere and are starting get a bit more aggressive, but aren't "controlling" the game yet. And that's where Trevor falls. He knows the drill since it's his 2nd season in pee-wee, but he's not quite comfortable (or fast) enough to get in there and just take it away. But he was more aggressive and did get in the middle of things more often this season compared to last. Of course, the highlight of every game is what snacks/drink they are going to get at the end of the game.


Since Cooper was with me most games and many games Rick was not (due to work stuff), there are not as many pictures this year. But we've got enough to prove that he was part of the team :)  Way to go, Trev!!

Punt, Pass & Kick

This past weekend, Ethan entered his first NFL Punt Pass & Kick competition.  We made a day of it as a family and had a good time.  In addition, Ethan did very well and took first in his age division 6-7 year olds.  He was so excited and was even more so when he realized that he was going to the next level of competition later in the fall. 

Scoping out the field and competition

Very Excited about his brother's competition

Just trying to kill time before it started

Listening to the directions

The Pass...

The Punt..

The Kick....

Two competitive boys comparing their scores...

Wasting Time by making field goals

Trevor wanted to watch the skateboarders

Happy, but very hot, little boy

Happy about his performance today.... his trophy

2011 T-ball Season

Ethan was once again in T-ball this summer.  Trevor wants to play so badly, but he is not old enough yet!  Next year, little man. Next year.  But this year, it was Ethan's activity for the summer.   Mr. Potter is the coach for his team and he is really great with the kids.  They have fun and it is showing when they get out on the field each week.

Let the Soccer Balls Roll

We started our spring soccer season today.  It was a day of firsts for both the boys - actually, for ALL the boys, including Rick.  To start, Rick is helping coach this season.  Neither he or I know a lick about soccer, but what better way to learn than to be assisting a coach that knows a lot about the sport!  So, it was Rick's debut as a soccer coach for both Ethan and Trevor's teams. 

Trevor had his very FIRST soccer game today!  He has been sitting in the stands with us for the last 3 seasons while Ethan gets to play; however, this season, he is finally old enough to join in the fun.  He did a fantastic job and even scored his very 1st goal!  He was so proud.   And Rick and I are just proud and OH SO VERY THANKFUL that he is out there running around and keeping up with the other kids.  When he was born we didn't know if this day would be in his future, but it definitely is and he is going to run, run, run, and have fun with the rest of the kids!

Ethan has been playing soccer for a couple of years now, but today he made the big step out of the Pee-Wee league and into the Minors.  This is ages 6-8, is on a much larger field, they have goalies and play the various positions rather than all running around in a "bumble bee swarm" chasing the ball.  He moved from the "lets just have fun" league to the "it's time to WIN and SCORE while still having fun" league.  Not that competition is anything new to Ethan - he loves to play to win, but he was a bit nervous about playing with the bigger kids.  We could see him being a bit hesitant, but he did a fantastic job! He got his foot on the ball several times and will be just fine once he has a couple games  (and even just a couple more practices) under his belt. 

The pictures of Ethan's game are not very good nor are there very many.  That's because of a couple reasons
1) it was colder and windier on his field so I was just trying to keep warm, and
2) (and this is more of the reason) I got side tracked chatting with some friends of ours and I quickly learned that in the older leagues, if you're not paying attention you miss the good picture opportunities!

But I'll get you next week Ethan - no worries!  It was a fun morning to watch them play... a bit chilly yet, but it was still fun!  Great job boys!!

Almost Perfect Afternoon

Back in October we had some beautiful weather (and are still having it in mid-November) and the boys and I took advantage of that weather by playing outside.  One day in particular, they had an absolute blast playing football.  Kelty even got to play with them - more by her choice than theirs! 

I wish it could stay like this all winter!! It was an almost perfect afternoon.  The only thing that could have made it perfect is if Rick would have been home to enjoy it with us.

part of being an athlete

As any athlete knows, it's a good day when you get done with your sport and don't have any injuries to show for the hard work you just put in.  However, every athlete also knows, that it is when you are doing the simplest of things that you get hurt.  

This lesson was learned by another future athlete in our house.  Ethan came home from school on Thursday limping and told me he had twisted his ankle during class.  He was playing some sort of game in gym class (outside) and when trying to get up on the curb he only stepped with 1/2 of his foot.  Of course, the other half, which then carried the rest of his body, fell off the curb - twisting his ankle. 

There's not much you can do for an twisted ankle except ice it and stay off of it for a bit.  Because of that (and because we've both "been there done that") all Rick and I said to Ethan was, "We know it hurts.  It'll be sore tomorrow morning, but it'll get better.  And here, put some ice on it!"  Something every athlete learns at some point during their days..... 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. 

Ethan relaxing and icing his ankle before bedtime.

Watching Cousin Jake

On Tuesday, July 20th my oldest nephew, Jacob, had a baseball game at Helfaer Field which is just outside of Miller Park (where the Milwaukee Brewers play).  The game didn't start till 7pm and it's a 2 hour drive from Green Bay so I was a bit hesitant to go at first, but I knew Ethan and Trevor would just love it.  And we were on vacation, right?  So what if they are tired the next day, we could do as little or as much as we wanted.  It was settled, we were going.  My mom, Trevor and I packed things up and off we were headed to Milwaukee. 

If you really read the last sentence of the paragraph above, you're probably wondering where Ethan is in this whole "packing up" thing, huh?  If you didn't catch it, it's ok... I skim sometimes too!  Well, it just so happened that my dad (who drives truck) was going to be able to make it to the game as well.   He was back in town on Tuesday morning and had to head back to lower Michigan for the next morning.  Because of that, it was better for his schedule if he could take his truck/trailer to a truck stop near the ball game and then just continue driving from there since he had to head further south than Milwaukee anyway.  So, Ethan, the lucky son-of-a-gun, got to ride with Grandpa in the semi all the way to Milwaukee.  He was so excited!!  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of his smiles, but he told me that his favorite parts of the ride with Grandpa were getting TWO pieces of gum and watching for the exits where they needed to weigh the truck. 

After picking my dad and Ethan up at the truck stop, we made our way to the tail-gate party at the ball park.  The great thing about this field is that it is kid friendly.  There is a playground just outside the right field fence and it's not a jam-packed bleacher area so the kids are free to roam and walk around.  We had so much fun at the game and it was great to see Jake play since we don't get to do that very often!  They had a great game and ended up winning which made it even better. 

You'll notice below that I have a different format for my pictures.  I'm trying this "collage-thing" that my friends Julie and Amy have done on their blogs.  I had a ton of pictures that I wanted to share from this fun night and it is a great way to show them all.  If you want to see them bigger, just click on the picture and it'll be enlarged.   Thanks Julie, for convincing me to do this by continuing to make such cute collages on your blog this week!

And here we go... the pictures.

Pictures of the stadiums, the kiddos and Jake.

Trevor was giving Jake some advice in the black and white picture on top ;o)

Pre-game fun at the park. 

The crew laying on the ground was getting ready to go back after eating.  Thanks Jordyn for taking 4 rowdy boys to the park!! 

Trevor was having fun hiding behind the pole from Auntie Traci

Some of the extra ones from the night. 

Don't the kids just look like they're up to no good in some of these pictures??

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This weekend, the first official weekend of summer break, was a hot one.  And where were we?  Sitting in a nice pool with a fruity drink to keep us cool?  NO.  We were sitting directly under the sun, on plastic seats that had been "warmed up nicely" by the sun prior to us sitting on them.  We were sweating bullets by just sitting there - not even moving a muscle - except for the muscles used while bringing a water bottle up to our mouths so we didn't dehydrate.  But we had so much fun!!!

Rick was able to get some great tickets through work to a St. Louis Cardinals game on Sunday afternoon.  He was gone to WI the whole week prior so we thought it would be fun to take a quick get away weekend with the kids after the long week.  We left Saturday morning for St. Louis and just spent the afternoon/evening bumming around.  We went to REI (a store that we dearly miss having near to us) to get Trevor a lighter weight hat for the game on Sunday.  In addition, I have been wanting a light weight, but wind stopping, jacket for a long time and I was able to find one for a reasonable price.... FREE.  We had some dividends to use up and I gladly accepted them when Rick said, "You've been wanting a jacket, so get it!"  But I felt bad -- REI has always been "Rick's Store" so I felt kinda bad using the money that I know he would love to spend as well.  It was the FIRST time EVER, did you hear me, EVER that we left REI with something for someone and Rick was not included in that "someone". 

After REI we ventured to the hotel to check in.  The boys were ready to swim right away, but it was almost dinner so we kept them from taking their clothes off to put on a swimsuit for just a bit longer. We went to eat at Outback Steakhouse (another thing that we miss dearly -- restaurant variety) and then it was swim time!!  The boys were in no way troubled that they were going to swim withing the 30 minute swimming after eating rule.  They were dressed with life jackets and swimsuits in no time.  Did I mention I love life jackets?  Even in a hotel swimming pool, I love them.  At one point both boys were swimming with no assistance from Mom and Dad.  It was heaven to not have to hold on to them every moment we were in the pool. 

After swimming it was bath time and a quick snack was had by all.  Then sleep time so we were ready for the big baseball game (and the heat!).  On Sunday, we got to the game just as they were opening the gates - about 2 hours before game time.  We wanted to have the time to look/walk around, let the boys try to catch balls in the outfield bleachers as batting practice was going on, eat lunch, and just relax.  We did it all... with enough time to get to our seats and see the first pitch of the game.  Ethan was "a bit" disappointed that he didn't get a ball during batting practice since some people around them were getting some.  At one point he even told Rick, "Dad, you have to hustle!"  But there would be no trampling over, pushing, or pouncing on others so Dad lost out on getting a ball. 

So, did I mention that it was HOT while we were at the game?  When I say hot, I'm not talking low 80s, sun and a nice breeze.  I'm saying it was HOT!  And for any of you that know me, when I say it's hot, it has to be really hot!  It was 93 degrees, full sun and maybe a little puff of wind every now and then.  IT WAS HOT!  Surprisingly, the boys did a great job.  Ethan lasted until the bottom of the 5th inning before he said, "Mom, can we go to the van - I'm really warm."  During the game we were drinking plenty of fluids and would escape to the tunnel that took you to the concession area.  There was a great breeze in that tunnel and it was shaded so it was the perfect spot to stand for a bit of a reprieve from the blasting sun.

After the 6th inning we decided to grant Ethan's wish of going to the van.  We had been there long enough in the sun, both boys were going without naps, and we still had a 4 hour drive back home.  It was fun while it lasted, but it was time to go.  We got back to the van and before we even got on the highway (less then 6 minutes) Ethan was already sleeping!  He was wiped.  We had an uneventful drive back home and found out the next day that the game went into extra innings and the Cardinals won (they were were down by 2 runs when we left).  Dang it.... why is it always the games you leave early that end up to be the exciting ones?  Thankfully, we got to see a home run or two while we were there and the boys loved the excitement around that.

It was a fun weekend and I'm sure we'll be heading to more baseball games in the future.  But maybe we'll try to go to a night game or a game earlier in the season so the weather is a bit more comfortable.

Our New School

Now that we no longer live just down the road from Utah State, we've had to find some other school to watch sporting events at. We've gone to a couple of the high school football games, but there just isn't the excitement there that we need to keep the boys REALLY engaged the whole time. Just not enough action and noise at a small-town football game (when the football team isn't... let's say... the best team around.

When we were in Utah, the boys loved going to see this guy at USU (sorry the picture's a bit blurry... and no, I'm not talking about the guy in the green shirt!)

and now we get to go see this guy (or should I say, girl) .... the Jenny of The University of Central Missouri, otherwise known as "The Donkey" when Trevor and Ethan talk about it!

We have been to just a couple of the women's volleyball games this fall and the boys (and Rick and I) have loved going to them. It is a Division 2 school, but they are nationally ranked for volleyball and play some great teams which makes for good games to watch! Ethan and Trevor like watching the sports and the "Donkey"; however, I have to admit I think they like the idea of getting popcorn better than anything else. But that's ok because that's just part of going to a college game. One downfall to the games is that it's about a half hour drive to get there. Not that a 1/2 hour is very far away, but when you're used to 2 minutes like we were in Utah, it seems like a long way.

Now that the volleyball season is almost over, I'm sure we will be heading to some basketball games in the winter. Probably won't be quite as fun as the super loud arena of USU, but hopefully it'll give us and the boys some entertainment options for the winter months.

Here are just a few pictures of our latest venture to UCM...Trevor had the best seat in the house... no bleacher butt for him on this night!

Getting Back in the Game

Now some might think back in the "dating game", but NO... I am happy to say that Rick and I are very happy and there's no need to start the dating game again. Unless you want to count a monthly late dinner after the kids go to bed our "date night" - then yes, we're still dating.

But what I am really talking about is getting back into the volleyball game. It has been 3.5 years since I've played any sort of volleyball (and boy do I - no, DID I miss it!) When we moved to Missouri, some ladies that Rick works with needed an extra player for their Rec Ball season. It isn't the women's quad, sand volleyball league that I was used to from Wisconsin; however, it is volleyball. It is hard court. It is women's 6's. It is bumping. It is setting. It is serving. It is ME playing volleyball again!

I love playing again, no matter what the competition level. It's just feels good to get back on the court. That is, until the ball started hitting my forearms the first night. I'm not sure what the heck happened. I don't know if it was the indoor balls or if it was the fact that my arms hadn't had a volleyball hit them for 3.5 years or that the callouses that had been on my arms from grade 6 through grade ?? ...ummmm til I was age 29, had disappeared in the 3.5 years I was away from the game.

Whatever the reason, it took me 2 full weeks to get rid of this.

It started on night 1 of volleyball. There was a knot in it that hurt to touch. We played Monday night. It hurt Tuesday, was a bit better on Wednesday until I played again. Knot came back after I bumped the first ball and got bigger as the night went on. Hurt Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Sunday wasn't nearly as sore and then came Monday when we had to play again. Start all over again... and the picture above is what I ended up with on Thursday of the 2nd week.

Thankfully all is better now and my arms are once again "tough enough" to handle playing ball. I am enjoying being back on the court and playing a sport I love...

And the "W" Goes To....

Running to Get Into PositionThe Athletic Stance
The Kick-offThe Run & Tackle
(Trevor is actually pulling on Ethan's shirt, somewhat crying because he wants the ball)

Victory for the Underdog

(Ethan is crying saying, "It's not fair, Trevor won't give me the ball!")

This picture is one of my new favorites!!!