Brace Face!

Poor Aleah. She got her braces and a herbst appliance on last week. Yes, it is as bad as it sounds. She has a whole mouth full of metal. A funny story - Thursday she opened her mouth too wide and it got stuck!! Then the bar gave way and was sticking out of her mouth. She was a sight to see until we could get her to the orthodontist! The things we do to be beautiful!

McKenna's team was doing even more celebrating this weekend when they only lost 3-2. We thought they had a tie in the bag but they allowed a goal in the last minute. But they played very well and actually had more shots on goal than the other team. And do you remember how I said the other teams have been much bigger? Here's a picture to show you just how much bigger the girls are that they are playing against! This was the first game that Rob has been able to catch. He took one look at the other team and said, "What are we thinking?!" We told McKenna she's not allowed to get hurt because we just can't take any more injuries this year.

On that sad note, Kaylyn is injured again. Same knee, probably the same thing but maybe worse. She got the start Saturday against UPS and was so excited to be playing forward. She said she had had the best practice the day before. 24 seconds into the game she went down in excruciating pain. She's on crutches again, which she hates, and will see the orthopedic doc again this week. Keep her in your prayers. She's quite discouraged. It didn't help matters either when UPS beat us 3-1 and we tied PLU the next day 1-1.

We're still trying to catch up on our sleep after Lexi hosted her team breakfast and new player initiation. She had 12 girls come over on Monday night about 10pm and they stayed up all night, laughing and planning out their adventures. They left at 3am to go "kidnap" the new players and bring them back to our house to make them look totally ridiculous. They had to wear these outfits to school all day. We got up at 5:30am to make them breakfast although I'm pretty sure we were already awake!

On Wednesday, Lexi was back in uniform and the Knights beat CV 3-0. Lexi had a great game and scored a header goal off of a throw in. On Friday they played Mead. They looked like they were off to a great start when they scored first. But then Mead came back and won 4-1. Lexi had a good game and shut down the middle but Mead figured out how to go around her. It's good to see her playing again but she is plagued by this leg injury that's bothering her again. It seems to be getting worse but, you know Lexi, she's stubborn and doesn't want to miss her Senior year and is playing anyway. Hopefully she'll be able to walk later in life.

We hope all is well with everyone. It seems like this is our time of trials for our family. We're just hoping that we can learn what Heavenly Father is trying to teach us through all this (probably patience and humility!) and move on. It's been a very interesting year!

An Emotional Roller Coaster Ride

Whitworth opened their season this weekend in Oregon ranked number two in the nation. The number one team, TCNJ, lost Wed. so if we could win both our games we would be #1! Kaylyn felt like her knee was pretty good, still a little sore, but nothing to stop her from playing. However, she and half the team came down with head colds and could hardly breathe, let alone get any sleep. Thank goodness for drugs! We doped them up with cold medicine and headed for Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.

The first half was somewhat uneventful and no one scored, although we had way more shots on goal. Some of Kaylyn's teammates believe that she actually scored on a header that sent the ball behind the goal line before a defender kicked it out but the AR didn't see it. Then Linfield scored in the 64th minute and appeared on their way to a colossal upset. Who wouldn't love to upset the #2 team? They were fired up! And to make matters worse, Kaylyn went down with a sprained ankle! After being helped off the field, Mel (the trainer - we love you Mel!) iced it and then wrapped it and said she was okay to play. So back in she went and almost tied it up in the 75th minute when she ripped a shot from 30 yards out that hit the crossbar.

It was getting down to the final minutes and the parents were all trying to determine who knew CPR so they could revive the rest of us! We couldn't stand to watch. The clock counted down: 5 mins, 4 mins, 3 mins, 2 mins. and we're down by 1. Parents were passing out right and left! The girls really turned it on the last 20 mins and had shot after shot but they weren't going in. The shots were 27-8 in our favor. It came down to the last minute of play before we were able to tie it up! Whew! We then went on to win 2-1 in overtime. So now, technically, even though the polls won't show it, the Pirates were #1 for the day!

I think the girls decided that they didn't like making these games closer than they had to be because the next day they came out with a vengeance!! We scored in the 8th minute and then about 3 mins later we had the opportunity to make it 2-0 on a PK. But..... unfortunately we missed it and for some reason that seemed to take some air out of our sails. We let up a little and Willamette tied it up 13 mins. later.

After the half, we just couldn't seem to get our offense going and it was all we could do to hold the Bearcats. They finally scored in the 85th min which, again, didn't leave us very much time to come back. We came close a few times but just couldn't get the ball in the net. Again, although a narrower margin, we outshot them 12-10. So, once again, parents were needing oxygen and time to get our heart rates slowed down. See what I mean by an emotional roller coaster ride? I don't know if I can handle it! We didn't know what to expect last year so I guess we just enjoyed the ride but this year seems a lot different. Actually, truth be known, I don't know if Rob can handle it!!

The girls were disappointed with the loss, especially Kaylyn. She's always so hard on herself and thinks she let the team down. Remember Kaylyn, it's a TEAM sport and everyone has to do their part. Because of her knee injury, it's been hard for her to keep up her conditioning and the coach is easing her back into play. She just hasn't had the playing time that's needed to be on top of her game. But it will come and hopefully they will all keep their chins up and mentally, as well as physically, prepare for a very BIG game on Saturday against UPS.

On a brighter note, Lexi was cleared by the doc on Friday to resume playing soccer and is so excited to be back with her team. I asked her how practice was on Friday and she said, "IT WAS GREAT!!!" She also was asked to the Homecoming dance on Friday so she was flying high. Her next game is Wednesday against Central Valley at home.

And McKenna never thought she would celebrate a loss as much as they did on Saturday. They only lost 2-4!! Remember, they are playing 2 yrs. up and much bigger and stronger girls. But as you watch them play, you can see them improving and learning how to use their speed and agility to get around the larger girls. GO FIRECRACKERS!

#2 in the Nation!!!!

The Whitworth Pirates Womens Soccer team is now ranked #2 in the nation out of 432 schools! How exciting is that? We are currently 4-0 and open the season this weekend against Linfield and Willamette in the Portland area. Kaylyn is 100% ready to go!
Again, their website is www.whitworth.edu then click on athletics. If you would like to check out the polls go to www.nscaa.com , click on college rankings (under rankings and awards) and scroll down to NCAA Women div.3.

Good News and Bad News

Do you want the good news first or the bad? We'll start with the good. Kaylyn is back on the pitch! Her knee is all healed up and she was able to play in last Thursdays game against Whitewater Wisconsin. She played about half the game - coach wanted to ease her back in. She said she felt a little rusty but it felt very good to be back on the field! Grandma Jenson and Grandma and Grandpa Plumb came to cheer her on too. Whitworth improved to 4-0 and are now ranked FIFTH in the nation!!!! Go Pirates. Rob and I will be traveling to the Portland area next weekend to watch their next two games.











Now for the bad news. Lexi is now on the DL. Her leg had been bothering her for a week or so but we figured it was shin splints and they would eventually get better. But it got worse so the school trainer said she couldn't play any more without a doctor's permission. So off to the doc she went and now she is in a boot for two weeks. Bummer! She tore the posterior tibialis muscle away from the tibia bone which is quite painful. The doc said the only way it can heal is to stop playing soccer and keep it fairly immobile. She's missed two games and will miss their season opener at Gonzaga Prep Wed. night which is a big game. Not only is it a night game under the lights, but we've never beat GPrep so this was the year! She really is disappointed but hopefully on Friday she will get the go ahead to get back in action.







Today was a beautiful sunny day and we celebrated Rob's birthday (which is tomorrow). Kaylyn came home for the day and Rob's parents joined us for a BBQ. It was yummy! Happy Birthday Honey!



Today was also the missionary farewell for our dear friend Nick Novakovich. It was bitter sweet. Great to see him go, knowing that he's doing Heavenly Father's work but hard at the same time, knowing how much we'll miss him on all our camping trips, at Thanksgiving, and just having him around to make us smile. We've known Nick since he was nine years old. He will make a fantastic missionary in the Canada Halifax mission and will be a great ambassador of the Lord. (It's interesting to note that his mother, Nikki, lived in this mission when she was baptized as a little girl, so Nick is going to her old stomping grounds. Cool!)



We love you Elder Novakovich and we'll see you in two years!

San Francisco

Rob and I flew to the Bay area to catch two of Whitworth's games this last weekend. We had a great time exploring San Francisco and celebrating Kaylyn's 20th birthday with her. And watching the Pirates add two more wins to their totals!

Friday's game was in Santa Cruz, which is right on the ocean. Rob and I spent the afternoon walking the beach and inhaling the salty aroma of the sea. The weather was beautiful, hotter and clearer than average we were told, and it felt so good to put our feet in the cold Pacific ocean. Luckily the game was further inland though because by 4 pm the fog had rolled in and you couldn't even see the coast any longer. Strange!

The game was exciting to watch even though Kaylyn wasn't able to play. They were hoping that she would be ready for this weekend but wasn't quite there. In last Monday's season opener, she got to be the "water girl". This weekend, she was asked to film the games. Is that considered a promotion or a demotion? She said she didn't mind but kept forgetting that she was filming and should probably have kept some of her comments to herself! Oops! They won 2-1.

Saturday was a free day so we took Kaylyn to San Francisco. That was an experience! We saw all kinds of things - some were "squeegee moments" for sure! But we had a lot of fun. We walked the wharf and checked out the piers. Lots of shops and lots of sea lions to see. Boy, were they noisy. There were hundreds of them!

Then something caught Rob's eye - a ROCKETBOAT!!! So we had to do that. It was sooooo fun. This boat went about 50 mph out in the bay. They took us to see all the sights like Alcatraz, AT&T park, Golden Gate Bridge, Bay bridge and more. Kaylyn sat behind us so she could be on the outside which we thought was silly but oh well. Turns out she got soaked! Ha!

Kaylyn and Rob with Rocketboat in the background.

"I'm gonna wet my shorts!"

Golden Gate Bridge

Famous San Francisco Street Car

Our lunch consisted of Dreyers Ice Cream cones (double deckers) and garlic sourdough bread. Nice combo, huh? San Fran is famous for their sourdough, and after watching them make it, we had to have some.

Need I say more?

On Sunday, the women played again and beat Cal State East Bay 2-1. We had a lot of fun eating out with other parents and getting to know them better. The team is made up of a great bunch of girls and the parents are just as great - maybe even better! haha We had a great time flying home with them on the same flight.

They play again on Thursday at home and Kaylyn has been cleared to play! Yeah! We're looking forward to that and also to Lexi's and McKenna's games this week. We were bummed that we had to miss their first games on Saturday. Lexi's game went well and they won 2-1. Lexi scored the first goal on a header from a throw in. McKenna's team got beat 7-1 but they are playing girls two years older than them. And bigger than them. They learned a lot and are ready to practice hard this week and get ready for the next game.