Nathan's 3rd Flag Football Game of the Season as a Raven

GO RAVENS

The only times you will ever hear me cheer against the Packers is when Nathan plays them in football.

HA HA HA

He loves to play football, and it really doesn't matter which position he is in.

Just being out on field throwing, catching, and running with that ball or pulling flags on defense.

I love to watch the emotion and passion he plays with even at this age.

Keep up the great work buddy.

Nathan's 2nd Flag Football Game of the Season as a Raven

It's Football Season . . . WooHoo.

It doesn't matter whether we win or lose . . . it's all about having fun and learning to play better.

They were so stinkin' close.

Only lost by one extra point.

Nathan had a lot of great flag pulls in this game against the Seahawks and even through two touchdown passes as the Quarterback.

Rock On Buddy.  Great Job.

Nathan's First Flag Football Game of the Season as a Raven

FOOTBALL SEASON IS BACK . . . YEAH

I'm so excited that football season is back and so is Nathan.

He loves to play flag football and this season is a Raven.

He had a great first game under the lights on 

Saturday, September 6.

The first half he was a Wide Receiver on offense, and the second half he was a Safety on defense.

He got his first interception too right towards the very end of the video.

Soooo proud of him.

Nathan Catches the Winning Touchdown with No Time Left on the Clock!!

Sorry I've been MIA for a little bit.

Last week was crazy busy and filled with garage sale prep on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Then the official sale began Thursday and went thru Saturday.

Sunday was then spent cleaning it all up.

My parents were also in town the entire week so I wanted to make sure I spent time with them as well.

This was one of the most exciting flag football games Nathan has been a part of, and I'm very excited to share it with you.

Two weeks ago Nathan scored the WINNING Touchdown with no time left on the clock.

He was super excited as were we!

I love watching my kids play sports . . . but football is my Favorite!

Nicely Done Little Man!

Flag Football Time -- Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Sehawks

Nathan's FAVORITE sport is FOOTBALL!

Don't get me wrong . . . he enjoyed wrestling and was very good at it.

BUT . . .

The kid loves to catch the ball, run the ball, kick the ball, etc.

I don't think he could ever get enough.

He was super excited to play this season because this year they no longer have the coaches as the Quarterbacks but rather have the kids themselves throwing and handing off.

This program has the 2nd and 3rd graders playing together so he is one of the youngest kids on the team.

He wasn't worried . . . 

he can catch, he can throw, he can run, and he is fast.

The only thing that made him sad this year was the team he was put on . . . the Green Bay Packers.

For those of you that don't know me very well . . . let's just say that him being a Packer made my day.

Of course I don't want to see my child upset or sad, but knowing he was a Packer couldn't have been more bitter sweet . . . LOL!

You see, his dad is a VIKING fan and has corrupted the poor kid.

I, on the other hand, am a total Packer fan . . . LOL.

Nathan has gotten over the jersey shock and was now just excited to get on the field and PLAY.

This video is of his first game on Saturday, May 3.

He was SUPER EXCITED to SCORE a TOUCHDOWN as a RUNNING BACK for the GREEN BAY PACKERS!  WOOHOO!

Way to Go Nathan!

Nathan Took 1st Place at the River Valley Tourney!!

On January 25 Nathan took to the mats in Spring Green at the River Valley Tournament.

Going in to this tournament he told me that he was going to take 1st place.

He said this tournament was for me because it was on my birthday.

The kid is so darn sweet.

He had a huge cheering section at this tournament as Auntie Shana, Uncle Craig, Auntie Brandy, Uncle Jon and cousins Gabe and Dom came to watch on top of his normal cheering section of Sean, me and Morgan.

For the first time this season he got a GREAT workout.

All 3 of his matches went the distance...3 matches with 3 periods each 1 minute long.

Match 1 -- He won 10-0.

Match 2 -- He won 8-2.

Match 3 -- He won 6-4.

The last one was a tough match.

Nathan ended up giving the Waunakee kid 2 total points on illegal moves.

You can't lock your hands near the head or waste, and Nathan did it twice.

Normally the first time the ref will give you a warning, but not this time.

He awarded 1 point to the Waunakee kid right away.

Nathan didn't learn from his mistake the first time and did it again so a 2nd point was awarded.

EEK!!  It was a nail biter, but he pulled it out....soooo proud.

I was not happy at the end of the last match.

The father of the Waunakee kiddo did not want to shake hands with Sean after the match.

Then when it came time for the awards ceremony he grabbed his 2nd place medal and left.  

They wouldn't stick around for the group picture.

Same thing happened with the 3rd place kiddo.  He never even showed up to get his medal.

CRAZY.

I'm so proud of Nathan because win or lose he shows GREAT sportsmanship.

Congrats on your hard fought 1st place buddy.

THANK YOU for the BEST Birthday Present Ever.

Follow Nathan's 2013-14 Wrestling Season:

2nd Place -- Sugar River Rambler

1st Place -- Badger K-6 Challenge

1st Place -- Oregon Youth Tourney
4th Place -- Stoughton Tough Man Tourney

2nd Place -- DeForest Gold Medal Tourney

Nathan Took 2nd Place at the DeForest Gold Medal Tourney

I could tell Nathan was a little more nervous for this tournament than usual so I asked him what was wrong.

He told me he was really wanting to do well at this tourney.

I told him that we were just as proud of him whether he came away with a 1st Place Trophy or a 4th Place Medal.

He looked at me and said, "I know Mom, but I want to do this for me."

Seriously this kid is a hard worker at practice, a great sport and is really doing well.

Every time he is on the mat I get nervous as all get out, but I know he is having fun.

Sean and I know he can handle the losses as well as the wins, and THAT is what makes us so proud of him.

There are 30+ kids in the grades K-3 wrestling program, and he is one of two that goes to tournaments almost every weekend to get the practice and to learn what it means to be a good sport...win or lose.

There are 20+ kids in the grades 4-8 program of which Nathan (2nd grade) actually wrestles at after his K-3 practice.  There are only about a handful of those kids that go to tournaments.

This is not something we are making him do...it is something that he asked us and his coach if he could do.

He truly has the passion for this sport and wants to learn and get better, and we totally support it!

With that said...he did do very well at last weekend's DeForest Gold Medal Tourney.

In his first match he tried a head-and-arm throw which ended up in the other kid's favor...LOL.

He tried something new, but he knows he needs a little more practice on that before introducing it into his bag of tricks in tournaments.

I was proud of him for giving it a try...that's what these tournaments are for at this age!

He ended up pinning both of the next two kids to give him 2nd place.

He was happy with the outcome and couldn't wait to show his neighbor's his newest "bling".

And, that my friend's, is what it is all about -- FUN!

Follow Nathan's 2013-14 Wrestling Season:

2nd Place -- Sugar River Rambler

1st Place -- Badger K-6 Challenge

1st Place -- Oregon Youth Tourney
4th Place -- Stoughton Tough Man Tourney

Nathan Took 4th Place at the Stoughton Tough Man Tourney

It was a crazy busy wrestling weekend for us.

On Saturday, January 11 Nathan wrestled in the Oregon Youth Tourney, took 1st Place with all 3 pins.

We then headed back to Verona where Sean and I volunteered at a table at the Verona High School Duals.

It was great fun, and Nathan enjoyed watching the high school wrestlers compete.

On Sunday, January 12 we then headed to Stoughton's Tough Man Tourney.

It was Nathan's first back-to-back weekend with tournaments.

Unfortunately it was a lot tougher than we anticipated...hence the name I guess...LOL.

Nathan lost 6-5 in a tough match first match.  He fought really hard though.

In his second match he ended up losing 15-6, but he had fun and that's what matters.

Nathan ended this tourney in 4th with getting "pinned" at the very last second. 

The other coach agreed he wasn't pinned and said to keep wrestling, but the table peeps called it. 

It is what it is, and Nathan walked away with a winning attitude anyway. 

I seriously LOVE this kid and his awesome sportsmanship. 

After the awards ceremony we headed to get lunch with some ice cream to end a great wrestling weekend!! 

We Are So Proud of Our Little Man!!

Follow Nathan's 2013-14 Wrestling Season:

2nd Place -- Sugar River Rambler

1st Place -- Badger K-6 Challenge

1st Place -- Oregon Youth Tourney

Nathan Took 1st Place at the Oregon Youth Tourney

Nathan has been wrestling for the Verona Wildcats since he was in Kindergarten.

His first year he pinned 7 kids in the 7 tournaments he went to.

We were quite impressed, and he was having a great time.

Most tournaments have a Pre-K and Kindergarten No Crying Policy.

It's hard to watch when the little guys (and gals) lose because for many of them crying just happens.

We were lucky in that Nathan never cried, and we made sure to tell him what a big boy he was for understanding that he was there to have fun...Win OR Lose!

In those 7 tournaments he took more 3rd and 4th places with a couple 2nds.  No 1sts, but he had fun.

Last year he went to 6 tournaments and had 4 total pins.

Last year was more difficult for him as he was now in 1st grade so he wrestled with the 1st and 2nd graders.

He was no longer the big Kindergartner with the Pre-K kiddos.

He had more 2nd and 3rd place finishes than 4th place though.  

Still No 1sts, but he had fun.

This year Nathan made it his goal to get at least one 1st place finish.  He was determined!

I am SUPER happy to say he succeeded at that.

He tied for 1st place at the Sugar River Tourney which ultimately ended him in 2nd place with 2 pins.

Then he got 1st place in Waunakee at the Badger Challenge 

with 2 pins.

And I'm happy to report that he took 1st place this past weekend at the Oregon Youth Tourney with all 3 pins!

Check him out in action!

Last year he got 2nd place at this tournament and received a trophy, but it was not as impressive in Nathan's eyes as that silver wrestler pictured above.

On the way to Oregon he told my husband how he was going to work so hard and really wanted to get 1st place as he REALLY wanted that awesome looking trophy!

He was also excited about this tournament as he got to take the bracket home.

Most tournaments give the 1st place finisher the bracket, but the Badger one did not so he was kind of bummed.

Also pictured above is the only other Verona wrestler that attended this tournament.

Nathan and Jay BOTH took 1st place!

Both boys thought that was pretty cool, and so did us parents...LOL!

We were super proud of Nathan!

At the end of the 3rd match you can see what a good sport he is with the extra pat on the kid's back.

Wrestling has made him tougher physically, 

more determined mentally, 

and he appreciates the sport and his fellow competitors more.

WE COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD!

CONGRATS BUDDY!

Follow Nathan's 2013-14 Wrestling Season:

2nd Place -- Sugar River Rambler

1st Place -- Badger K-6 Challenge

1st Place -- Oregon Youth Tourney

When Can We Go Sledding??

I keep getting this same question over and over from my kids...

WHEN CAN WE GO SLEDDING?!?!

Last year they had been able to play outside a TON by this point in winter, but not this year.

Frigid temperatures have kept them couped up inside where it is warm.

Monday and Tuesday school was cancelled because it was in the negative teens for highs with negative 40 windchills...

THAT'S CRAZY COLD!! 

I remember them having SNOW much fun last year with the neighbors.  

HERE is the post from last year of them having a blast.

Hope they can get outside again soon!!

Here is the layout I created at the Fall Album Retreat of them playing out in the snow!!

Nathan Tied for 1st Place at the Sugar River Raider Rumble

Nathan has been wrestling for 3 years now (since he was in Kindergarten), and after each tournament my husband creates a video of his matches.

Nathan LOVES to rewatch his matches and see what he did and what he could do better.

With the holidays Sean was a little behind on creating the first video.

Nathan tied for 1st Place at the Sugar River Raider Rumble on December 15.

Ultimately he ended up getting 2nd place based on the overall standings but this is how it went down:

He wrestled the kiddo pictured in 3rd place first.

You can see in the video that it was a scrappy match, and Nathan ended up losing 12-11.

Then he wrestled the kiddo that is not present on the podium.  He pinned him, and after that the kid quit wrestling and went home.  Oops!!  =)

Then for the last match Nathan pinned the kid who actually ended up getting 1st place.  Crazy to me to see that he ends up winning it, but it turns out that the 3rd place kid that Nathan lost to was pinned by the 1st place kid...hence putting Nathan in 2nd I guess.

Nathan really wanted 1st place, but he was good natured about getting 2nd.

He knows that Wrestling is not a team sport.  You have no one to blame for your losses except yourself.  After watching the video he even points out to me things he should have done to win.

LOVE THAT KID!!  

He is a VERY good sport AND a very good little athlete!!

Follow Nathan's 2013-14 Wrestling Season:

2nd Place -- Sugar River Rambler

Nathan Took 1st Place at the Badger K-6 Challenge

My son, Nathan (just turned 8), loves to wrestle.

This weekend we traveled to Waunakee to watch him wrestle in the Badger K-6 Challenge.

He weighed in at 61.2 lbs which put him in a bracket with 3 other boys.

His first match lasted around 20 seconds with him pinning his opponent.

His second match lasted around 30 seconds with him pinning his opponent.

His third and final match went the distance.

He knew going in to this match that the other boy had also pinned the same two kids so it was going to be a tougher match.

This match went all 3 1-minute rounds with Nathan coming out on top with a 3-2 win.

This was Nathan's first ever 1st place finish.

 (He tied for 1st place at the last tournament he was in but ultimately got 2nd place).

He was super excited as were we!!

Every time we looked at him he had a huge smile on his face.

It was a HUGE accomplishment and awesome to watch.

He has been in 2 tournaments so far this year with a 1st Place finish with 2 pins and a 2nd Place finish with 2 pins.  

Can't wait to see what the Oregon Wrestling Tourney brings this Saturday!!

GREAT JOB NATHAN!!  WE ARE SOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!

Follow Nathan's 2013-14 Wrestling Season:

2nd Place -- Sugar River Rambler

1st Place -- Badger K-6 Challenge

Ziplining in December Anyone?!?!

Yesterday we hung out with some friends 

to watch the Packer Game.  

Afterwards Nathan and Morgan went outside 

to do a little ziplining.  

Yup...that's right...ziplining in December!!  

I can't believe the snow we had earlier this month is ALL GONE!!  

Christmas is right around the corner.

Don't worry...we are suppose to get more on Wednesday, 

but we had to get out and enjoy it while we could!!

SNOW MUCH FUN VIDEO!!

Winter's First Snow 2012!!

Today we got about 3 inches of snow here in Madison, WI.

Our kids, Nathan in red jacket and Morgan in pink jacket, 

went out to play in the snow with our neighbor's kids in our back yard.

We have a fun little sledding hill for the winter,
and in the summer it's our slip-n-slide hill...LOL!!

The snow is really wet and is already starting to melt.
It's suppose to hit 40 degrees this week so may just melt.

I would be just fine if we only had snow for Christmas Day!!  LOL!!