World Cup Bound?

Started playing soccer a couple weeks ago and MAN do I love it. The running, learning the ball skills, the whole bit.

And check this out. I go on Saturday mornings with my bestie Shea and my friend Reese so it's like you're also able to just hang with your friends.

Here's Shea and I playing a little bit of one-on-one...

Not much different than back in July when we were on the hoops court getting after it.

I have a feeling this is going to be a sport that I enjoy for a long time.

Jumping Jacks Pax

Lots of people when they see me now they say, "So what's Pax been up to, Fin?" so I figured I'd go back through some of our recent photos so I can fill them in.

Bottom line is he's been up to a lot. Kid can destroy the inside of a home in 1.7 seconds flat. And I'm talking every room in the house. But he's also a circus load of fun, so here's a little peek into the life of Paxton Oliver Skertich.

Soccer practice

Strappin on the old apron and doing some cooking

Eating... naked of course. He just LOVES to be naked. Just runs around the house pulling his shirt and pants off and yelling "OFF, DADDY, OFF!" or "OFF, MOMMY, OFF!"

Reading. Lots of reading, just eats it up... oh, and naked, of course.

Playing multiple instruments at one time.

Smiling. Lots of smiling.

(by the way, that last picture right there - yah, that's my favorite picture in the whole wide world)

Wearing Mae's old shades while at the haircut place getting his mop chopped.

Sulking. Yah, he's really sulking here. Life's real rough, eh Pax? Just running around naked all the time playing ball, cooking and reading books?

Getting all grown up on the big boy potty (he's got it mastered. Didn't beat Mae's all time record of 17 months or whatever it was when she mastered it on her own but he came close.

Yah, this last one... not so sure what's going on here. Dad went back into the bathroom to get him out of the shower only to find him standing there with a bucket on his head. And when Dad said "Okay, Pax, time to get out" he just lifted up the bucket, said, "No, Daddy" and pulled it back down. Weird dude sometimes, that kid.

So that's basically what Pax has been up to. Life of Reilly, that kid, I tell ya.

The Privileged Character

So Mae and I haven't been up to much lately - just back in the swing of school and hanging out and being locked inside due to the annual visit from Mr. Winter.

But Pax? Well, he's been rocking it out pretty hard and I figured this might be a good time to give you the scoop on the winter heat this guy has been bringing. Much like Pax's day to day demeanor around the house, I'll give this one to you in rapid fire.

Garfield Park Conservatory visit with mom and dad. I like this picture a lot and have decided something. You know how when people become famous sometimes they change their names. Well, when he becomes a famous author or musician or something like that his pen name should be Pax Garfield... although then I'll have to change my last name to Garfield so people will believe me when I tell them Pax Garfield is my brother. Finley Garfield... ... ew, maybe I'll keep thinking on this one and get back to you.

A visit to the Shedd Aquarium

Introduction to teeth brushing

His first soccer practice, where his shorts were... let's just say ill fitting

Lots of grocery store and Target runs, where he insists on having his own basket, only to fill it with 900 things that are either in the cookie or chip family, only to find it too heavy and start yelling at Dad to carry it

Piano practice with Mae

Pilates with mom in the basement on his own mat ("SIZE!" he calls it, short for exercise)

Some in-store hockey with Dad at Dick's Sporting Goods

A Pretty-In-Pink moment when some snow angels were in order and all we could find for snow pants were my old ones

Reading time with Mae every night. Now this deserves a little bit more narrative and is why I named this post what I did. You see, every night Mae and I get Pax all set up and prepped for bed. I'm in charge of getting his snack, so I go down and thoughtfully prepare a bowl of something for him (think cheerios and raisins) and get him some milk or water. Meanwhile Mae gets Bubba (his pet dog and best friend in the entire world) out of his bed along with his blanket and sets him up very nicely on the reading blanket. Then I bring in his snack and he eats while Mae reads to him. It's a little bit much, and by a little bit I mean a lotta bit. It's like he's royalty. Well, I guess after reading that maybe it's not a bit much since he IS royalty in this house. Lots of love funneling in his direction every day... lots of love.

Mae Soccer

Hey Fin, so what's Mae been up to? Okay, here's what... soccer. This is her first practice, when they didn't have a uniform for her yet.

A little dribbling, Dad's really pumped, she's loving it, and then...

... she completely lost interest. Lounging around on the ground for a few...

Her own snack break (which lasted about 15 of the 45-minute session)...

A miserable time on the parachute ride, etc. etc.

So wait, Fin, it probably got better the next week, right?

Well, only because she showed up in her sweet uni that looked like it was trying to eat her.

And then after 30 minutes of wandering around, she wanted to come see my practice, where she sat on the chair and cheered me on.

And by the by, there was a lot to cheer about when witnessing these skills. No, guys, that is not Landon Donovan taking that ball coast to coast.