A Swimmingly Good Time

Emily and Elena get ready to open presents.
Emily and Elena celebrated their 10th birthdays today at the Lied Activity Center in Bellevue.

As you can imagine, swimming was only part of the party. Mom and Elena's mother, Angel, prepared a fun game of "guess who is in the baby picture," featuring the girls' fellow classmates. (See photos below.) Another one of Emily's basketball teammates won by being the only one to correctly identify herself in her baby picture.

After opening lots of presents, it was time to hit the pool. Veronica, who absolutely loves the water, enjoyed lots of attention from Emily's classmates (the girls, at least). Julia learned to do the dog paddle, while Lauren did a great job of clinging to anybody who would hold her above water.
Dad watched Julia float while Mom held Veronica.

Emily's Birthday Party, Part III

Getting the gift bags together was a team effort.
Since it's nearly April, we're getting ready to put the finishing touches on Emily's birthday party - part III, actually. This one will be the classmates party, which is actually a co-party with fellow classmate (and basketball teammate), Elena.

Fun With Photo Booth

So while we wait for technical assistance with some of our photos, here are the results of our afternoon of playing with "Photo Booth" on our new MacBook.
We found this picture of Mom giving it a whirl.
Now that's a scary thought.
That's Dad's torso/neck between the two Veronicas.
Again, a very scary picture.

Kindergarten Roundup

Olivia is just a preschool graduation away from becoming a member of the kindergarten class at St. Mary's of Bellevue.

Today, she took part in her Tante Mion's kindergarten roundup. When Julia participated in it, she cried. But there were no tears for Olivia. And, as you can see from the picture above, she was very fashionable for the big event.

Yes, We Are Still Alive

Dad has been very busy lately. But he has plans later tonight to add a few items and catch you up on things.

In the meantime, enjoy this photo from last night's bike ride:

How Much Do You Weigh?

With a house full of girls, Dad is guessing the game we played tonight might be pretty short-lived.

We pulled out the scale after dinner and had everyone guess how much they - and their siblings - weighed. Some of the guesses were pretty close, while others (Olivia thought she weighed 80 pounds) were very off the mark.

We'll share the totals this time. But Mom thinks this might be the first - and only - time you'll see how much the girls weigh on this blog.

Emily: 88
Lauren: 49
Julia: 57
Olivia: 43
Veronica: 27 (We think. She kept stepping on and off.)

Locks of Love

Laura and Emily before the big moment.
Emily joined her classmates Laura and Maddy (not pictured) in donating their long hair to the "Locks of Love" program. Their hair is used to make wigs for children who wouldn't otherwise have hair (cancer treatments, burns, etc.).

It was quite a moment, as you can imagine, since it takes a long time to grow your hair that long (something Dad would not know anything about). But the girls took it well (see pictures below).

Backyard Bike Riding

Emily and Julia did some bike riding recently in the backyard.

Happy Birthday Emily!

One decade ago tonight - at 8:57 p.m. - "little" Emily came into this world. You would not have known it either, because she didn't cry. Not even a little wimper.

Since Dad was in the non-gross out section (standing up by Mom's head), he didn't know that Emily had even been born. All he heard was these "oohs" and "aahs" as if people were admiring a painting that had been unveiled. It wasn't until he asked what it was that he found out he had a daughter. Doctor Bassett finally smacked Emily on the bottom to see if she'd cry. She looked at him with this "why did you do that?" kind of stare, and then started crying.

By the way, this is not our Emily YD.

Emily's UnBirthday

Dad isn't quite sure where the term "Unbirthday" came from - only that Mom tosses it around the day before someone's actual birthday.

It would appear to be just another reason to celebrate something, as is often the case in Mom's family. If you're a regular reader of the YD Cafe, you know there is typically not just one birthday party for one of the girl's birthdays. No, there's the "Family Birthday" and the "Friend Birthday" and the "Actual Birthday" and the "UnBirthday."

So today is Emily's UnBirthday. She turns 10 years old tomorrow. Hard to believe isn't it? We'll run through a list of her accomplishments tomorrow. But today we'd like you to share your favorite Emily story in the "comments" section.

'Destructor' Gets A New Name

Don't let that smile fool you. She's a human tornado.
The Sci-Fi network had a show last fall called, "So You Want To Be A Superhero?" (or something like that). It was a reality show in which adults "became" a superhero and became the star of a Marvel comic book drawn by Stan Lee (Spider-Man's creator).

We think Veronica should be part of the second season of the show. Perhaps as "The Human Tornado." She can wipe out entirely clean and spotless rooms in a matter of moments. She'll shred paper, destroy toys and scribble on walls if you turn your back. Thank goodness she's only so tall so for now she can't reach things we put on shelves or cupboards.

We Lost... Again

The postgame handshake is about all that's worth showing.
The old saying about the third time being a charm didn't hold true in tonight's basketball game for Emily and Dad's team.

Faced with playing the same team (St. Peter & Paul) that had handed the Spartans' their only two losses of the season, Dad got the girls fired up to win this time. But the game plan was signficantly changed when Laura, the point guard, picked up three quick fouls in the first quarter. We'll have to do some checking, but we don't think she had three fouls total all year.

Anyway, a 4-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter became 8-2 at halftime. Then, Laura picked up her fourth foul and it was really over. You can see the final score above.

So Emily and Dad's team finishes the season 15-3 overall and runners-up in the CYO league and tournament and runner-up in the Holy Ghost Tournament.

A Fire Truck In Our Neighborhood

The girls dribbled their basketballs over to see the fire truck.
It's not every day that you see a fire truck in your neighborhood - and it's usually not a good sign. But in the case of the one we spotted just a block from our house, there was no emergency involved.

One of our neighbors apparently sells fire trucks. This particular "aerial" unit was headed to Lexington or Cozad, judging by its license plate.

On The Verge Of Elimination

Emily's expression says it all after the close call.
Yes, we know this is turning into a "Basketball Blog" with all the reports of Dad and Emily's basketball team. But honestly, that's about all we've been doing. Emily's team played Monday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night in the Holy Ghost tournament. It was set up in pool play, so they needed to win all three games to assure themselves of a spot in Saturday's championship game.

Thursday night was a game against Christ Child Center, an opponent they had not played all season. On paper, it seemed like a sure win. But several factors made it much more difficult.

First, the referees seemed to be a little partial toward Christ Child Center. Secondly, the other team had a girl that shot from outside a lot. Unfortunately, some of her shots went in - to the tune of all 14 of their points. Yes, one girl scored all 14 of her team's points. And yes, she took three steps each time she heaved the ball toward the basket. Did the referees call traveling? What do you think?

Anyway, it was 10-10 at halftime and still 10-10 going into the fourth quarter. If that wasn't exciting enough, a little Christ Child Center fan decided to pull the fire alarm. For the next 10 minutes, the two teams sat there listening to the darned thing go off.

When it was finally shut off, Christ Child Center ran off four straight points to go up 14-10 with about four minutes to go. Emily's team didn't fold, though - especially when Dad reminded them that their season would end right there if they lost. (Mom - and many of the parents - probably didn't realize this.) The girls responded, scoring two baskets to tie - including one off their "diamond" inbounds play. The winning basket was scored by Maddy, the smallest player on the court, off a fast-break layup with less than a minute to go. The final score: 16-14.

To say it was a relief to Dad would be an understatement. When we got home, it seemed like Dad had been playing - not Emily. His shirt was drenched with sweat and he looked like he had been through the wringer.

So what's next? The championship game is Saturday night. The Spartans will be playing their nemesis, St. Peter & Paul, whome they've lost to twice (by scores of 15-11 and 14-7). Their coaches spent the whole game watching - and even rooting for Christ Child Center - hoping that there wouldn't be another rematch. After the game, they called the tournament organizers to try and get the game moved up to 4 p.m. Dad said "nope" when the tournament officials asked him about moving it up. So not only are the Spartans the home team, but they're also going to be playing a team that would have rather played the game two hours before. Oh well.

The team's final practice is this afternoon. We'll see how it goes.

The Final 15 Seconds

You decide: Does Emily really double dribble?

Emily's Big Game

Emily and Dad's team played its second game in three nights Wednesday at Our Lady of Lourdes, winning 30-4.

Emily had her best game of the season, scoring the team's first six points. Two of those baskets were "nothing but net," too. Overall, all seven players scored baskets and the girls did a great job of passing the ball around without running up the score. (Dad says it could have easily been 50-to-something.)

Tonight (Thursday), Emily and Dad's team plays again in its final game of pool play. If the Spartans win, they move into Saturday's championship game.

Meet Little Mia

Danielle was reminded of just how small newborn babies
can be when they're born.
Our friend, Stacy, had her baby Feb 20. Little Mia (pronounced ME'ah) was six pounds, one ounce and 19 inches long. She's a cutie, as you can see.

The girls each got a chance to hold her, which they absolutely loved to do. Mia was born four weeks premature, but now she's doing well and gaining weight. Her first big outing was Sunday, when she went to church. She was quite the popular little girl.

Growing - Emily Does It Every Day

Emily is now seeing eye-to-eye with Grandma Bep.
When Emily turned three years old, Dad got out the measuring tape. From what he had read in books and online, the height of a three-year-old can be doubled to determine their approximate final height. For Emily, that meant she would likely be pushing the six-foot mark because she measured in just a shade over three-feet-tall on March 16, 2000.

Nearly seven years later, Emily is already past the five-foot mark and growing fast. She's the second-tallest player on Dad's basketball team and has grown about an inch since school started (as evidenced by some of her pairs of pants).

That height did pay off in the team's game Monday night. Emily scored a season-high six points - swishing two of her three shots. But Dad's having to remind her to grab rebounds, not bat at the ball like a volleyball. The won their game tonight, 32-10, in the first of three pool play contests. If they win two more games (Wednesday and Thursday night), they'll play in the championship game on Saturday. Go Spartans!

Lauren's Belated Birthday Party

The calendar might have said March, but in our house today, it was Feb. 19. That's because Lauren's long-delayed, twice-postponed birthday party was finally taking place.

As you can see from the picture above, she had a heart/valentine theme going. As is the standard practice in our family, Lauren got to invite as many friends as she was turning years old. So eight of her classmates, friends and cousins were on hand to celebrate. The girls made purses and received diary books customized with a picture of themselves and Lauren (thanks, Aunt Bridget, for running out to make the prints).

Veronica Update: 17.5 Months

We missed the 17 month update on Veronica (Dad was out of town), so here's an update on what's happening in her life these days:

"No" means "yes" to Veronica. A typical dialogue:

Mom: Are you hungry?

Veronica: No.

Dad: Do you want a million dollars, Veronica?

Veronica: No.

She also says people's names over and over until they acknowledge her. This can get particularly frustrating for Mom and Dad when they are trying to drive and Veronica is just behind them saying, "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom."

At church at the sign of peace, Veronica becomes a politician, shaking hands of anyone she can get to. At a recent mass at the church downtown, she walked up and down the aisle squeezing palms with strangers.

We think she might already be getting her "terrible twos" because she can throw a pretty mean fit if she doesn't get her way.

She likes Mom's new iPod so much that she sometimes uses the drawstrings on Mom's coat to imitate her own ear buds. (Pictured at right).

Unfortunately, Veronica is still using a warm bottle of milk to go down at night. Dad has set a goal of getting her off that habit in the next two weeks. She's also down to one (afternoon) nap a day.

Coming Up Short

The title game was played at Gross High's "Cougar Dome."
Dad's team came up short in Friday night's championship game against St. Peter & Paul. The Spartans lost 14-7 after only trailing 4-2 at halftime. Turnovers and mental mistakes were the biggest problem.

Earlier in the day, things were looking good during a 90-minute workout at the gym - the team's first practice in three days because of the blizzard on Thursday. The only consolation after the game was all the hardware that was being handed out. Emily and Dad's team finished second in the league and second in the tournament, meaning each player received two trophies. It was initally a sad affair, but the trophies seemed to make up for the loss.