hoops 2014.

Lincoln just finished another fun season of basketball. He's really shown great progress this season. He's always ready for the rebound, looking for the open teammate who can make a shot, staying on his man as he plays defense, and making a great number of shots himself. Perhaps he has his coach to thank for his increased skill set...

Coach Matt (dad) and Lincoln

Lincoln truly loved having his dad coach this season. 

The team at the end of the season.

Lincoln earned 3 medals this season:

            1. Good sportsmanship

                 2. Leading scorer on team

3. Participation

The team finished in the middle of the pack and only the top 3 teams earned trophies.
Lincoln had a great time playing and was happy enough with where his team finished. After all, it's all about having fun and learning a little something with each season, right?

Below is a quick video of Lincoln playing.

Gosh, now that I'm writing this post, I'm realizing that this is Lincoln's second go at basketball this year. He played in Grayslake in Feb/March, just before we moved. Here are a couple of pics from that season.

Little Hoopsters Winter 2014

Lincoln and his buddies, Nick and Brendan. He sure misses these guys.

Up next: Fall baseball.

Detroit Tigers in Phoenix!

I don't really know all that much about baseball, but life in a house with Matt & Lincoln makes it difficult to avoid absorbing some sports information. As I understand it, there are only a few times per season when an American League team, such as our Detroit Tigers, plays a National League team, such as the local Arizona Diamondbacks. This year, we lucked out with just such a series.

The four of us went to the game on July 22 at Chase Field.

Game time temperature: 108 degrees. Inside temp at game time: 80 degrees (thank goodness for the retractable roof that was closed when we there). 

Before the game, we ate down the street from Chase Field at Alice Cooper's restaurant, Cooperstown. I was sure to put Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits on in the car on the way there. Thanks to my older brothers, I can't not be a fan after listening to him as a teenager (or probably younger). How is it possible that his Greatest Hits album was released in 1974...before I was born? Great music. I digress...

The restaurant is like a sports bar, full of music and sports memorabilia.
I had hoped to see Alice there. He must've been busy that night. Heck, he was probably at the game!
He's from the D, so he should've been there rooting for the Tigers. 

The kids outside at Alice's restaurant.
It was 108 degrees -- too hot to eat outside, but we did stop for a picture.
Notice the fans. They have misters to help cool the area. You see misting systems at a lot of outdoor restaurants around here. 

Matt and the kids outside the ball park. 

Little sis and big bro near our seats inside the park.
We were on the first base side. 

A unique feature of Chase Field is the pool in the outfield. 

The Gough's in the outfield. 

Unfortunately, the Tigers lost the game that we went to, but they won the series 2-1.

It was uncanny to see the number of Tigers fans that were at the game. I fully expected that we'd feel like outsiders with our Tigers gear on, but we sure didn't. There were people with Tigers, Michigan/Michigan State, Red Wings, and Lions gear everywhere we looked. There were even several "Let's go, Tigers" cheers going on. Love it!

first day of school - 2014.

Here in Chandler, AZ, we are on a year-round school schedule where the kids have a shorter, 7-week summer and a few 2-week breaks throughout the school year. I think we'll like this type of schedule since the kids didn't really have enough time to settle into summer boredom and they supposedly retain more (or lose less) of the knowledge that they had learned in school the previous year.

With this schedule, the new school year starts in July. Today (7/21/14) was their first day of school. Lincoln is starting 3rd grade, where they indicate that the school work will be increasingly difficult, and their will be an increased level of personal responsibility for the students. I am excited to watch as Lincoln really comes into his own as a student this year. I can see that he's really a big kid now.

Today marks a major milestone for Cassidy. She starts full-day kindergarten and gets to take the bus to and from school. She surprised Matt & I by shedding no tears this morning. She seemed fairly excited and just a little bit nervous. I think it helps that we got to "Meet the Teacher" last week. She got to see her classroom, meet her teacher, etc.  Having some familiarity with how things will look and where things are certainly helps so we are grateful that they do the Meet the Teacher thing before school starts.

I am anxious for the bus to arrive this afternoon to see how the kids fared during their first day.

Requisite first day picture of Lincoln.

Big Kindergartner!

Big bro and little sis on the first day of school.

The kindergartners wear school shirts on the first day so that they can be easily identified. 

Lincoln chose a Super Mario shirt for his first day.
He's looking so grown up. 

As all of you know, I am an emotional person. I surprised myself when I didn't cry when Lincoln went off to Kindergarten for the first time. Maybe I felt confident that he'd find his way due to his outgoing nature. Plus, I knew that I still had Cassidy home with me to take care of and to keep me company. Today, Matt & I watched the kids get on the bus and I was excited and nervous for them, but by the time we walked back into the house I had tears streaming down my cheeks as I realized that this is a milestone day in the Gough house. I am proud of my kids and I am excited for them to become their own people. I am also looking forward to having quiet time in the house during the day so that I can work and take care of household things, but I am also feeling reflective as I now see that I officially have two school-aged kids. That's a big thing. We are moving forward!

summer dance.

To help keep the kids busy during the hot summer months in Arizona, I signed each of them up for an activity. Cassidy did a ballet class, while Lincoln played basketball (good indoor sport!). Below, you can see Cassidy enjoying her dance class. I'll have pictures soon of Lincoln playing basketball; his season ends next week. 

Cassidy in "second position".

Last day of class.

Here, Cassidy is practicing on her tippy toes.