Baller.

I find it interesting that "Baller" is the first part of "Ballerina"....anyone get me on that one?? Huh??

*Tap*Tap*

OH well.

We signed Bella up for basketball.

Good idea, bad idea...I dunno.

I want my kids to DO stuff....and they are. The girls are both in dance {thus the ballerina comment above}, but Bella likes her sports {she's obsessed with soccer atm} so since soccer isn't going right now, we put in her basketball. And in the spring, both girls are signed up for softball.

Well...she had her first practice and it went ok....

then she had her first game...

and you could tell she just didn't get it and she just wasn't having fun.

There may have been a few contributing factors:

a. she was kinda sick (turned out to be Strep when we took her to the dr, whoops)

b. it was loud, noisy, chaotic to say the least in that gym

c. she was the only girl, and very self conscious

d. the boys were a little rough

But...even with all that, she did fine. Even when she ducked when her teammate passed her the ball.

 She's so stinking tall...which is a good thing {or at least I will ALWAYS tell her that}

so I've decided to teach her how to post up underneath the basket. And to play defense under the basket. I LOVE practicing with her....and we're getting a basketball goal this weekend, so we'll be able to play big time now! :)

 I'm just so proud!

Even thru my nervousness {feelings from way back when I first started playing basketball...they were very traumatic times, so I remember them well!}

it's so hard to try something new!

But my Bellagirl is a brave one!

Go Lakers!

We wanted to put Bella and Aube in the city pre-K basketball league this summer....well, when we went to sign them up, the lady dealing with the leagues asked if we wanted to be coaches. Ummm, sure...especially since coaches kids get the sign-up fee waived...which is like THEM giving US $100 to coach, so.....heck yeah.

We really have no clue what we are doing....but wouldn't you give it a chance for $100?? I mean, we both play basketball...we know the game...but we're finding the biggest challenge is keeping them and their high-octane energy busy for an hour during practice. AND...keeping the girls from crying during the games. Ü

Our first game was last Saturday...it was an....experience.

Actually, it was a blast of an experience...it was hilariously cute.

Turns out...we have the only girls in the league...3 of them. Bella, Aube and this cute little girl who everytime you look at her has tears in her eyes and sometimes streaming down her face. I had to bribe her with bench time, just so she would get out on the court. "Sweetie, run up the court 2 more times and then you can sit down."

We also have the smallest kids in the league, it seems. The babies. But that's ok, because when they make a basket (even with help from the coach, lifting them up) the crowd goes wild!! Both sides!! There is nothing cuter, or more hilarious, than an itty-bitty tot, running down the court, and making a basket.

I wear the "head coach" crown for this team of ours....the Lakers (yes...we picked that name..OVER the Mavs...you're welcome). James is our "assistant coach" and now my verbal bodyguard. The parents that have 'complaints' or comments...they go to him. That's probably the worst part about coaching a team...the parents...and their opinions.

I'm a touchy person....a sensitive chick. I take things to heart...and because I really do try my best in all that I do (thank you Girl Scouts)...I get a tad bit 'offended' (yes 'offended'...double quotations there, because I'm really not, but I am) when people question me and my so-called methods. I really have no clue how to coach...yet (I'm learning more and more ....esp since the team that shares the court with us at practice has a killer-coach, who does drills and all sorts of cool stuff...so we just copy them, mwhaha).

So, I've got to learn how to take comments such as: "You shouldn't have so many parents helping on the court" as constructive criticism, right? But really, parent??? I should turn away help keeping 9, 3-5 year olds occupied? Yeah...ok. I totally understand their point of view, they're afraid the kids will get confused on who to listen to and learn from. But to me, the dad's that are out helping and keeping the peace, do know what they are talking about and I'll take the help where I can get it. Now...we are going to take their advice and change things up at the games...last week we had like James and 2 other dads on the court...don't know why, esp when there's only supposed to be 2 of us our there, max? Just happened that way...but thank goodness James takes care of the telling-of-people-what-to-do-and-such, he can tell them what's up.

I was so very pleased with the jersey the rec center provided! The girls looked so stinkin' cute. And Aunt Lisa was here last week, so she put purple in their hair to show some team spirit!

All-in-all...this is turning out to be such a fun experience. I truly believe that being involved with your child and their extracurricular activities, makes things that more enjoyable than just sitting back and watching. I now see why my dad was at every game and every practice...coaching when I was younger and just being there all thru out my high school career. A great example to live up to with my girls!

Yes...we are Laker's fans....

....and proud of it!

Don't we look smashing in our coordinating Purple and Yellow Ü.

For one of James' Christmas gifts this year, I bought him (well, he bought them himself...but I told him he could Ü) Laker vs Mavs tickets. The game he chose to go to was last Wednesday and we had a blast. Instead of driving, we took the TRE train into Dallas. It was a bit easier avoiding game-traffic and just as much of a walk if we had driven and paid for parking.

Our seats were pretty much perfect (go James!)...I got to sit on an aisle seat (yay for small miracles for this big ole body), and we were just one row away from the edge of the overhang, so no unruly fans in front of us!

This is the view from our seats...not too shabby at all.

I got some nice (blurry) closeups of the players....I am a Kobe Bryant fan....sorry, guys. He's one of the best (if not THE best) players in the NBA...there was a guy behind us yelling out "Overrated!" and "Beats his wife" everytime Kobe got the ball. Personally, I don't think he's overrated at all...if you WATCH him play, he's pretty dang awesome, even when he doesn't have the ball. And as for the other comment....I came to watch him play basketball...not read the tabloids.

The Mavs have this group of dudes called the MANiac's...and they are hilarious. Here they are performing to some rendition of a Michael Jackson song...if you look closely (past those scantily-dress broads) you'll see some shiny right-hand gloves. Funny guys.

I've always wanted James to be able to go see a game, he says he's seen lots of them as a kid...he's been a tried and true Laker fan forever. So glad we got to go!! (And that he wanted to take his big ole preggo wife with him to share in the fun! Ü)

Pictures from the Mavs game.

View from our seats in the Deloitte suite.I finally learned how to digital zoom! LOL. The Mav's played a really good game....until the end! Lots of meaningless turnovers, etc...and they lost by what, like 2? So sad!Dirk, Dirk, dddddDirk.....yay.

Not much to say other than it was FUN. But I think that's been stated before :)! I love watching the players, as they play....when they come on and off the court....how they interact with the other players. It makes me miss basketball!!

Go Lakers! haha.Wait.

If I had planned better, James and I would be been rooting for the Lakers at the game last week.
But instead, last minute...James finds out we get to go to the Mavs vs Orlando game tonite. How totally crazy is that? And it's for free, in one of the boxes Deloitte uses, which just happens to be James' old company! How fantastic. This almost makes up for the fact that I'm not flying to Vegas right now to celebrate my sister Laura at her baby shower. :(
I did some fancy footwork and swapped my shift....so instead of BLOGGING I need to be NAPPING, since I won't get to sleep again till 8am! Yikes.