Ben the Soccer Player

It's great to see Ben doing a team sport!  He has really been enjoying soccer and gets to be on the same team with his BF Evan and his cousin Mitch.  They all have done very well considering none of the three have played soccer since they were little.  They are on a co-ed team that includes ages 10 - 15.  Some of the kids have obviously played before and have great skills, but Ben has held his own and we have been impressed by his efforts.  He seems to really be enjoying it too which is fun to watch!  The team has practiced for 6 weeks and had their first game yesterday - which they won!  The boys all played the entire game and really did well!  Go Sidewinders!!

Alex the Swimmer

Alex has been taking swim lessons from Sami at Swim Kids for almost 2 years - he has progressed so much - it's just amazing to watch him swimming and floating!  A few weeks ago, Alex had to show his skills to the head instructor to pass his survival series.  He had to do the entire lesson in his pajamas!  It was so great to watch him accomplish passing this level!  He got to ring a bell and everyone in the pool area clapped for him.  He also got a medal and had his picture taken!  We are so proud of Alex's hard work in swimming!

Fall Break Fun

Fall Break was pretty mellow this year but we did have some fun like the Bounce place with the Phipps and a few sleepovers with Ben's friends.  One day we went to Kiwanas Park with Tina, Heather and the kids.  The boys played a little soccer, some of the kids brought their bikes and rode around.  Of course we had Markie in tow as well!  Alex had fun on the swings.  When Alex got overheated, he went and dipped himself in the icky water of the pond there - he was cooling off as I was running after him to get out while a dead fish floated by!  While Fall Break was a little subdued, we always have our fun moments with Alex!

Pizza Night and Fundraiser

Alex loves his friend Anna

The two BFF's

Jacob, Ben and Markie

so much good pizza

Kathryn and me!

Tina and Heather and great supporters of mine and Alex!

NYPD Pizza hosted a fundraiser for Down Syndrome Network and I recruited some friends to come down and help support our favorite non-profit!  We had a big table and so much pizza!  Kathryn came with the family, as did Tina and Heather!  What a fun night we had - the kids had a great time visiting and indulging in the best food ever - pizza!!

Reconnecting with old friends

While I was in San Diego I got to reconnect with my old friends Andy and Sandy Hanshaw.  Andy and I were friends since we both worked at the Hyatt in like 1989!  It was funny because we also both lived in San Diego in the early 90's at the same time - I was in law school and Andy was working for the Hyatt there.   Of course I met Sandy through Andy and at some point they got married and lived in Portland for a while.  We all ended up back in Phoenix for a while too!  Anyways, several years ago they moved to San Diego and Sandy opened a wine bar on Shelter Island.  Thanks to the wonder of facebook, I found out about the wine bar and finally got there on my trip to San Diego.  Sandy was a great hostess and helped us select wines and amazing food that she serves at the wine bar.  Andy came down to the wine bar to visit and we all had a great time catching up!  Their establishment was so awesome and I hope to get there again in the near future!

San Diego September Girl's Trip

In September, I was fortunate enough to get invited to San Diego!  Lynn and I flew in and met Julie and her friend Brandi for a 2 night, 3 day stay in S.D.!  We stayed in Julie and her husband's condo, which was a dream location - right off the Bay, also facing downtown San Diego on the 23rd floor!  The view was absolutely amazing and the balcony offered the finest views, as you can see from the sunset photo!  No trip to San Diego is complete without a trip to the beach and we all voted between Mission Beach, Coronado and Del Mar - Del Mar won out!  We got to spend a kid-free day on the beach with perfect sunny skies and ocean breezes!  We even got a margarita at a beach front bar before returning to beach chairs for a perfect day.