Date Night

Amie and Nik

I had the opportunity to take only Nik out last Weds night. It doesn't happen very often that I only have to focus on one of them so I was really happy to have some time with and we got to have some fun. Pretty soon he's not gonna want to hang out with his mama! We went to dinner at TGIF Friday's and then went to a Grand Rapids Griffins game. For those of you who don't know the Masselink5 LOVE Red Wing hockey and the Grand Rapids Griffins are the next best thing. They are the minor league team that feeds the Red Wings. We have a lot of young talent on this team and best of all they are only about 10 mins a way from our house! I have a really cool perk at work too....I get FREE tickets occasionally! I was able to get tickets to about 3 games last year and the season is just getting started this year, so hopefully we'll be attending a lot more games this season.

Amie and the kids

I just couldn't resist posting this picture.....everyone is smiling and there isn't a bruise to be found!

Little Man, Big Dreams

This is a great pic, but the story behind it might be even better. Friday Oct 17, Nik, Caleb and I went to Grandville’s "Rocket football night” at the high school game. The pregame ceremony included all of the Rocket football teams, so Nik was out on the field with his friends, slapping shoulders with the big HS kids (and I mean big, wow I don’t remember them being that big when I was in HS!).

He was kind enough to give his old jersey to Caleb, but Caleb was very angry that he could not go out on the field. So he went up to get a better view from the 2^nd level of the stadium, and he refused to let me take his picture. But as he surveyed the action below, I was able to catch this one. I can only imagine what was going on in that little brain of his, but I surmise that he was picturing himself out there, hence the subject line.

Anyway, it has become one of my favorites, and even though it was taken with a crummy RAZR camera-phone it turned out pretty decent.

As for the rest of the night, Caleb did finally get to hang with the “big kids”. Rocket night was a blast, hundreds of jerseyed kids running amok in a fairly empty stadium. And the big Dawgs did not disappoint either, pulling out a thrilling victory that went all the way to the end. Great stuff. And after the game, the 2 Masselink boys sandwiched themselves in the middle of football players, students, and cheerleaders all singing a victorious version of the Grandville fight song (Nana may know this one but I sure didn’t). It’s a scene I won’t soon forget, nor will they. Unfortunately I couldn’t get any pics of them, as they were buried in the mass of humanity. But it was fun!

Enjoy!

Final Game....under the lights

Go Eagles!

Discussing stratgey

Go get 'em Nik!

Got Him!

It's really feeling like a football game tonight. The cold, crisp dusk air makes us shiver as we wait for the Golden Eagles to be announced over the loud speaker......then we hear it "in at number 84... Nik Masselink" You know he was smiling big under that huge helmet once he heard that....and it wouldn't be the last time tonight.

The boys started out with a quick touchdown from the kick off.....6-0.... flashed up on the scoreboard. We are off to a great start! But that was the last hurrah, at least for a while. The the Gladiators reeled off 28 straight points and we went to halftime a bit shell shocked. Everyone figured the season was over. Except coach Rob and the boys.....

I'm not sure what they said at half, but our kids came out on fire.....shutting down the Gladiators and closing the score to 28-20 with just minutes to play. I don't think our D allowed a first down the entire 2nd half. With just a few minutes left, we had the ball down to the 10 yard line, poised to score and then go for the tie on the conversion. But a distarous fumble was recovered by the Gladiators, and then one of their kids broke off a (80-some yards?) long TD run to finish it out at 34-20 as the clock expired.

The boys put up a ton of effort and we were all very proud of the way they fought back in the 2nd half. I guess if you can't win, this was still a great way to finish the season.

Afterwards, Nik got a copy of his "Bob Sandsers Award for his outstanding play in week 3. Once we can deglitch our scanner, we will add it to this post, its pretty cool!

Football Game # 5

I am ready!

Go Get 'Em Nik!

Huddle Up!

Good Job Nikelback!

Go! Go! Go!

Another brisk Saturday morning at Davis Football Field as the Golden Eagles get geared up to play their last regular season game and were in quest of victory again. This is the second time we've played this team and the first time we did we WON! Today we weren't so lucky.....unfortunately the Golden Eagles lost 6-26. Nik had some great plays once again. We are very proud of how well he's doing as a Linebacker.

One more game to play....the game under the lights.

Keagan and Braxton

I'd like to introduce you to my friend Braxton

We like to play together.

So now that the boys have gotten soooooo much attention on this blog I decided to add a little something about Keagan and her friend Braxton. Braxton is the little boy I still babysit for on the weekends, he's 2 1/2. I feel like sometimes I have twins! Whew they can be quite a handful when they want to be which is pretty much all the time!

Caleb's Puck to the Melon

A little blurry...but here's right after he was hit

Caleb today...It's a little green still but no bump!

Both boys have been playing roller hockey over the past few months and really love every minute of it! We have endured floor burns and blisters and Caleb running into the wall 3 weeks ago when he marked up his chin, but never any real battle scars until now. Two Saturdays ago Caleb stopped a puck with his head. Yes Jerilynn he had a helmet on however not one that had a cage on it and the puck hit just below where the helmet stopped. Of course it looked horrible but he didn't cry. I think he was a little dazed and didn't really know what was going on for a minute, but the swelling went down within a few hours and now he's left with a nice looking bruise that is several different colors. Doesn't stuff like this always happen before pictures? Well picture day at school of course was the following Tuesday....can you say retakes!