Random Fodder

Last year, Sebastian told me that his Kindergarten teacher said "the S-word" to the students and I got nervous, but I had to assume that it wasn't the S-word because I knew his teacher wouldn't slip up like that. (As it turns out, "the S-word" was "stupid".)

This week when I came home from work, Sebastian and I were talking for a while. Suddenly, Sebastian got a serious look on his face and he told me that some older kids were outside our window talking loudly. He told me, "I heard one of the kids say a bad word — the bad "SH-word"."

Again, I was concerned. This wasn't "stupid" because he gave me the dreaded second letter — obviously, he wanted me to know that. Sebastian knows that there are bad words to say and really bad words to say. I prefer that he doesn't yet learn exactly what these really bad words are, but I know that eventually he'll find out. I thought perhaps this was an indication that he had already learned of his first curse word.

I raised my eyebrow and replied, "Oh, really? Sometimes older kids say things they shouldn't say." I paused to get a response.

Then, in a hushed tone, Sebastian whispered, "You know, the 'Shut up' bad word? That's what he said." Sebastian looked closely for my response to this atrocity, so I tried to keep a serious face. I'm sure I couldn't help but smirk after hearing what "the sh-word" was.

You can't protect them from "the sh-word" forever!

Game 13 – Yellow Bees

This week, they beat the Yellow Bees 2-1 for their sixth and final win of the fall season. The Blue Dragons spent most of the game with a comfortable 2-0 lead, but a late Yellow goal made the last two minutes of the game more exciting.

Sebastian had a great final game this year. He played more aggressively than ever before and had some great opportunities because of it. Despite not scoring a goal this year, Sebastian was literally a foot away from scoring his first goal this week. Check out the video (and instant replay) to see just how close he came:

Fall Season Recap

The Blue Dragons won every game of the fall season! These six games were much closer than the seven spring games. In the spring, the only game decided by one goal was the game the Blue Dragons lost. In the fall, four of the games were decided by just one goal and the other two games were decided by two goals. This may be because the Blue Dragons lost one of their top goal scorers as she moved up to the next division for the fall season. Sebastian played harder and smarter than in the spring. If he keeps up this pace, next year should be a great experience.

2007 Season Recap

The Blue Dragons' combined record over both seasons of the year was 12-1. The only defeat was to the Purple team, who they did not have to play in the Spring season. The Blue Dragons beat all other six teams twice — once in the spring and once in the fall. On average, the Blue Dragons scored 3.1 goals per game and their opponents scored 0.8 goals.

Great job, Blue Dragons!!!

Game 11 – Red Hawks

In the 11th game of the season, the Blue Dragons battled the Red Hawks. Despite the game being knotted up at 1-1 for quite a while, the Blue Dragons were able to score one last goal to win by a score of 2-1. Sebastian displayed some smart decisions on the field, proving that he is able to think about the strategy instead of just kicking the ball whenever it is close.

This video starts with a pre-game warmup goal that Sebastian scored. What's funny is that Sebastian doesn't celebrate — he walks to the back of the line nonchalantly, just like when he doesn't score . . . but you can see that he's proud under it all.

Game 12 – Dark Blue Dolphins

Sebastian showed that he was growing as a player during his twelfth game of the season. He took opportunities to shoot when he had a decent chance, he got open for throw ins instead of bunching up with the crowd, and he was able to take the ball down the length of the field. As we discussed the game later, Sebastian even articulated some of his strategies. Despite going down by one goal early on, the Blue Dragons were able to tie the game and eventually win 4-2.

The Blue Dragons had a close game against the Orange team. After taking an early lead, Orange tied it up. Late in the game, the Blue Dragons scored and eventually won by a score of 2-1.

Sebastian did a great job against this aggressive, physical team. You'll see Sebastian getting knocked down hard by an Orange — Sebastian jumped right up, and the other player acted hurt. Check out the instant replay of the collision:

The games in this fall season have definitely felt like closer games. None of the games in the spring season were decided by just one goal, except for the game they lost. So far, two of the three games have been one goal games. If nothing else, it certainly makes the experience more nerve-racking.

Sebastian's team, The Blue Dragons, have begun another winning streak by beating their second opponent of the fall soccer season.

The Blue Dragons defeated the Green Machine by a score of 3-1. Sebastian was on the field for all but one goal. Sebastian made a couple key moves and almost had a great scoring chance — you'll see him getting knocked down as he starts to attempt his power kick around 55 seconds into the video:

The weather was cool, windy, and rainy at the beginning of the game. By the end, the rain stopped but it didn't warm up much. Poor Sebastian played the entire first half (they have 3 shifts per half) and was stuck on the field with only his regular soccer shirt, but by the second half, he was able to get his Spider-Man sweatshirt on under his jersey.

The most interesting goal (not seen here) was a hard clear by one of the green defensemen — it richocheted off of a Blue Dragon's shinguard and quickly skittered past three defensemen and the goalie.

So, as I mentioned, the Blue Dragons now have a two game winning streak after dropping the last game of the spring season against the Purple team. As luck would have it, the fall season is one game shorter than the spring, and the Purple team is the only team they don't play a second time. It's too bad, too, because that was a great, spirited game.

Sebastian's team the Blue Dragons started up the second half of the year. The fall season began with a battle against the Gold team.

In the spring, the Blue Dragons beat Gold by a score of 10-0, but it wasn't nearly as easy this time around. The game was essentially scoreless, with the exception of an own goal on the Gold team. Thus, the Blue Dragons won by a score of 1-0. Take a look:

Sebastian showed much more confidence, attacking the ball harder and more often than in the spring. He is already showing improvement on moving the ball upfield and shooting the ball. We can't wait to see how he develops over the next few games.

Dylan has finally moved to the critical potty training stage. He's no longer in the "I'll sit naked in this cool-looking chair and have fun" and has moved to the "Oh, now I see what I'm supposed to be doing here and why I have no diaper on!" stage.

Potty training sure beats the alternative, though. Dylan recently wet Sebastian's bed and told his mother, "I broke it!"

Despite the fact that it has only been three or four years since potty training Sebastian, I have forgotten about the details of potty training:

• It doesn't matter how many times you say, show, or help boys to understand that they need to point themselves into the potty, it rarely happens.
• The frequent ritual of watching the kid pee, praising him, wiping him, putting a diaper on, waiting three minutes, and having to do it all over again. Where does that second round of pee come from???
• Dylan loves being naked, so we will often get a potty call just to watch him get naked, sit on the potty for two seconds, and then get up to run around the house. This is even more unsettling when we can't be sure if he has to poop or not.
• Our potty plays music when you poop in it. I often find myself pondering what life would be like if our adult toilets were built in this way. (And when I say it plays music when you poop in it, I mean it plays music when a child poops in it.)

My wife discovered an interesting, fun, and disturbing Japanese cartoon about potty training:

Go ahead, watch it again. I know that, despite your reaction, you really really want to.