Spring Soccer

Henry started rec league soccer this year.  The season got off to a rocky start with the first week of practice cancelled due to poor weather and the first game held in a steady rain.  Needless to say, Henry was less than excited to continue playing, but after a few more practices and games, he warmed up to soccer and eventually scored a few goals later in the season.  This was our first experience with the Alexandria Soccer Association, and overall we were impressed by the program.  The children in Henry's age bracket play four-a-side scrimmages of 10 minutes each and there is no keeping score (and few rules).  The emphasis is on participation and building fundamental skills rather than strategy.  Despite his occasional reluctance to mix it up on the field, Henry did really well.  We're hoping we can convince him to try soccer again next spring...and hopefully this time we'll have better luck with the weather.  Below are some pictures of Henry in action on the pitch.

 

 

 

Henry's first goal!

Easter 2014

We spent Easter with Mimi and Paw Paw in Alabama.  It was our first time back in Mobile since our ill-fated beach trip of 2012 (see Labor Day 2012).  This time the weather was perfect, and we took advantage of the spring sunshine with lots of outdoor activities.  On Easter morning, Henry and Vivian awoke to discover that the Easter Bunny had brought them roller skates!  After a few turns around the neighborhood, we went to church with Mimi and Paw Paw and spent the rest of the day playing with Bryant's childhood toys (check out the vintage sit-n-spin below).  The next day we headed to Dauphin Island for a day at the beach.  We planned to stay only a few hours but ended up spending most of the afternoon playing in the sand.  On the way home, we stopped at The Mariner restaurant and picked up some fried Gulf seafood for dinner.  The beach was hard to top, but we came close with a visit to Alligator Alley in Baldwin County the next day.  We were expecting a tourist trap, but this place was beautifully maintained and very informative--well worth the hour drive across the bay to get there.  We just missed the 1:00pm feeding but were still able to see some massive gators.  On the way over, we stopped at the "world famous" Dew Drop Inn for chili dogs and fried onion rings.  The only thing we needed to complete our Mobile visit was some of Mimi's sausage balls--and we had those on our last day (see Things We Like: Sausage Balls).  By the time we got back to Washington, the kids were already asking when we could visit again.

Planting jelly beans to grow into lollypops (see below).



  

 

 

 

  

Hanging out at Mimi and Paw Paw's house.

 

 

 

Fun in the sun at Dauphin Island.

 

"Captain Crunch"—the biggest gator at the farm.