マディソンのちょっと早い２歳の誕生日プレゼント...：)/Madison's early 2nd birthday gift...:-)

デイブがマディソンの誕生日プレゼントにバスケのフープをあげたいと言っていたので、先週早速アマゾンで注文してそれから２日目にはもうアパートに到着、やっぱりアマゾンは早くて良いな〜：）
Dave had an idea to get Madison a basketball hoop for her birthday coming up so we ordered it from Amazon last week and two days later it was here thanks to our prime membership which has been very useful for so many of our purchases we make from Amazon:-)

最初はちゃんと包んで今週末の誕生日会か来週の本当の誕生日にあげようと思っていたんだけど、マディソンと一緒に一階にいるドアマンからその箱を貰って来た時からとても興味しんしんでいるのを見て、部屋の隅に可哀想に置いておくより使わせてあげた方が良いとデイブと決めてあげちゃいました：）あげて良かった〜組み立て次第これは何をする物なのかしっていて早くボールを入れたくて仕様が無いって様子だったので、ちょっと待ってと慌ててビデオを撮り始めたんだけど...
Anyways, I thought we were going to wrap up the box and wait until her birthday or 1 week early birthday party to give it to her, but the box was too big and I wouldn't be able to wrap it nicely plus Madison already saw it when we picked it up from our doorman and was trying to tear it open very interestedly so Dave and I decided to go ahead and give it to her instead of torturing her by semi-hiding it in the corner of our apartment... Oh we were glad we did! Her eyes brightened and she knew exactly what to do with it right away which was to slam dunk! So we asked her to hold her thought and grabbed our camera to capture her very first moment with the hoop but then she did this...

日曜日にプロの様にバスケをし始めたマディソン！どうぞご覧ください！
Well on Sunday Madison started to really play like a pro! Watch this!

Friends in NYC...

While we don't have any visual proof, Sunday we had a great time worshiping and visiting with our old congregation at Springfield Gardens...it was well worth the three trains and taxi ride it took to get there!!

Then on Tuesday Anna and I split up and she visited her old playgroup friends with Madison, while I went and visited old co-workers at my former school and then took out a few of my former players for some fun in the big city...

First Anna's pictures...

Group Shots

PlaytimeMasaki makes his move...

Awwwww...

While Madison was busy with her boyfriend, I had a great visit with my former co-workers and then took three of my former players to Dave and Busters for lunch and some game play...

Of course the first thing I always have to do is break the pop-a-shot record...

Mission accomplished..

Anna and Madison met us at Dave and Busters...

Madison wasted no time winning 150 tickets by picking the right color that a ball bounced into...
She also took the lead when the six of us raced...we came in second...
Time for goodbyes...

パパの練習試合へ行く/Daddy's Scrimmage Game

今日、パパのバスケの練習試合が学校が終わった後あったので応援をしに行ってきました。
Today Mommy and Madison were able to come to my first scrimmage of the season.
初めての試合で緊張していたのか前半は結構の差で負けていたんだけど後半はどんどんと追いついて４分１５秒の残りの時に２点差...
We were down a lot early as the guys seemed a little nervous, but we battled back big time as the scoreboard shows with 4 minutes and 15 seconds to go we had cut the lead to 2...
でも、トップ３人がファールアウトで抜けた後追いつく事が出来ないまま...
With my top three players fouling out in the 4th quarter we were never able to quite complete the come back...

結局他のチームが７点差で勝利、でも今年一番最初の練習試合にしては良くできたからみんな満足していろいろ練習しなきゃ行けない所が分かったみたい。
They ended up winning by 7, but for our first scrimmage of the year we have a lot of positive things to take away and a better understanding of what we need to work on.
そして写真では見せられないけど、この騒がしいゲーム中にベンチに座っているママの膝の上でお昼寝をする事が出来たマディソンは本当にさすが！
And although there was no one to take a picture of it you can now include pretty loud basketball game as one of the things Madison can officially sleep through as she slept in Mommy's lap in the corner of the bleachers while students and parents went crazy as we made our comeback.

Introduction to Basketball／バスケの紹介

Yesterday, Madison saw where Daddy spends a lot of his time during the work year...sort of. We had a quick feeding on the bleachers and then she was out for almost the entire two hours that we were at the gym. She even slept well enough to allow me to get in there and play a game with my guys...my principal (also a new father) was quite jealous...he kept going over to Madison's stroller and just shaking his head that she could sleep through all the noise in the gym...see it does pay to live on a street that is a fire truck alley!!
昨日パパの仕事場 (高校)にマディソンを初めて連れて行きました。体育館でミルクを飲んでその後約２時間の遊び時間の間お昼寝をしてくれました。ぐっすり寝ているマディソンのおかげでパパも生徒と一緒にバスケをする事ができました。やったー！お父さんになったばかりの校長先生はマディソンがうるさい体育館の中でぐっすり眠っているのを見て信じられない顔をしてばかり...家の前騒音多いから慣れてるんだろーな：）

I guess I should have seen the signs when she was yawning right before we left for the gym...then I learned just how many red lights are in Brooklyn as at each one Madison would scream her lungs out and then stop as we moved and then scream again and there is a lot of red lights on our trip between our house and the school...it was not fun, but I do think it wore her out even more :-)
家を出る前にアクビをいっぱいしていたマディソン、そしてブルックリンまでいくつ赤信号があるか発見させられることに...毎回止まるために大泣きそしてまた動くと泣き止むの繰り返し...こんなに赤信号があるなんて知らなかったー！
Here is her introduction to basketball...I think she is dreaming of slam dunking on her daddy!!
バスケを紹介、パパの頭にダンクするのを夢見ているのかな！？

This morning I re-taped Madison on her playmat showing off her neck strength...it is not as impressive as the five minute version that wouldn't download, but you still get the idea...the girl is a fighter :-) and if you listen closely you can here Ellie crying when she hears Madison struggling...such a good sister!
今朝、マディソンの首の筋トレの様子をビデオに撮ってみました。がんばり屋さんでしょ？耳をさまして聞くとマディソンが唸っている後ろでエリーが泣いてる声が！本当にいいお姉さんです：）