February 4 - Haley Goes With New AAU Basketball Team - The Cape Cod Waves - To Ladies BC-Duke Game

Seats On The Floor

Haley Gets Autograph From "BALDWIN"

Ray Allen in White T-shirt and hat

Ayla Brown & Haley

The AAU season is fast upon us. Haley and Sydney’s only sport right now is basketball. They stopped swimming a couple of years ago, and as of now, they have yet to venture off into any other sport. This does not thrill me, as I would prefer that they play different sports in different seasons, just like everyone else used to do when we (Bridget and I and everyone else) were growing up as kids. In fall, I played football. In winter, I played basketball. In spring, I played baseball or rowed crew or whatever. I did fine jumping from season to season, and I succeeded in all the sports nonetheless.

These days, it seems specialization is the wave of the future. Sure, there are girls that are friends with Haley and Sydney that play multiple sports, but it also seems to me that they are playing one or two sports almost year round. That is where AAU now comes in. Before now, I thought that Haley and Sydney were too young to be involved year round with AAU at a much higher level… I didn’t want them to get scared away or burnt out. Now, since their love of basketball, and their skill, continues to grow, I know in my heart it is time for them to jump into AAU.

Being new to the AAU scene (which stands for Amateur Athletic Union), I have been looking around and talking to people, trying to figure this all out. There are so many AAU teams and organizations out there now, it can get confusing and overwhelming trying to figure out which tryouts to go to, and what teams are the best fit, if your daughter is lucky enough to make a team. The idea, in theory, is that AAU is an All Star team, of sorts, where kids can play at a higher level with better players on their team and better competition to play against. There are weekly tournaments, mostly on the weekends, all over the state, all over New England. So, in the end, especially with two girls now entering the AAU world, it seems like the best scenario for Haley and Sydney is to find teams that will have local practices and local tournaments, at least as much as is reasonably possible. The time commitment is huge, and it would help if traveling could be kept to a minimum, if possible.

All that being said, again being new to the scene, I started taking Haley to tryouts this past weekend (Sydney’s 6th grade tryouts don’t seem to take place for another week or two). Additionally, we had been sought out by some Scituate coaches who had seen Haley play and they wanted her to be on their AAU team that they were forming. So, right away, there were options revealing themselves. Haley went to one tryout this past Saturday at Thayer Academy in Braintree for the Bay State Magic… she was maybe in the top 3 players there that tried out (again, remember, she’s a 4th grader trying out for a 5th grade team… there are far fewer 4th grade teams in AAU), and she made the team, essentially, even before we left the tryout… the coach told us. I was honest with her, though, that we were still looking around and trying out, and talking to some other coaches.

Then, this past Sunday, another tryout presented itself in Kingston, and even though I took Haley, it was mainly more for the experience and the fun of trying out, more than the actual expectation that she would a) make the team, and b) even if she made the team, be suitable for the team, since it was a much more intense and competitive situation that had rumors of being TOO much so for Haley at this point. The coach had a reputation, warranted or not, of being too over the top, and too intense, and willing to play only his five best players in order to win a game. But, that was just rumor, and I wanted to give Haley the experience anyway, so the two of us went to feel out the situation.

Right away, I was impressed by the competition and the level of play from most of the girls trying out. Also, I knew that seven players were already “on the team”, and the tryout was really to seek out the final three players to complete the ten girl roster. So, I was initially containing myself not to get too excited about the prospects for Haley. However, after about 45 minutes of this two hour tryout, I started to think to myself, “Haley has a chance to make this team!” Yes, the competition was great, but at the same time, this was bringing out the best in Haley, and she was doing great, and she was all over the court, catching the coaches’ and other evaluators’ attention (I was impressed with the organization of the tryout, and the fact that they had multiple evaluators there, etc.).

At one of the first water breaks, I went over to Haley, and leaned down and whispered into her ear, encouraging her, “Haley, you can make this team… I want you to try to make this team… keep doing what you’re doing!”

Haley, all out of breath, but with a twinkle in her eye and talking in between big sips of her Gatorade, said back to me, “Daddy, I WANT to make this team!”

She was having a great time, and for the first time in her basketball career, she was really enjoying playing with girls that were her equals, if not actually BETTER than her. She was thriving in this competitive arena.

It’s funny how life takes twists and turns. I know this AAU thing is not life or death or anything, but considering that both Haley and I almost decided not to come to this tryout because of various reasons, but having been through half the tryout now and going along with the premise that “things happen for a reason”, I was so completely excited – as was Haley – that we had decided to come to this tryout. Haley was getting along with the other girls, and she was really making waves… ironic, since the team we were trying out for is called the Cape Cod Waves. I was beginning to think that coming to this tryout was one of the best things that has happened in Haley’s short basketball career…if she makes the team, she will be playing with (and against) some of the best competition in the state, and that can only make her a better player still.

I was also excited about Haley (and Sydney) finally being coached by someone other than their Dad. This would be good for them, so they can experience other coaching personalities and other ways of doing things, but it would also be good for me… I can finally sit in the stands and watch my daughters play basketball without the stress of having to coach a bunch of other girls and manage the chaos of a basketball game. I was excited to really WATCH them!

So, at the end of the tryout, the head coach and one of the primary evaluators, who also happens to be in charge of the entire Cape Cod Waves AAU program, signaled me to stay after the tryout for awhile so they could talk to me. Because Haley was in the fourth grade, and all the other girls were fifth graders, they had an initial reservation about putting Haley on the team. Not because she wasn’t good enough, but because they wanted to try to assemble a team that they could keep intact for several years, and they feared that Haley might decide to leave the team next year and play within her proper grade level at that point. Also, I think they might have suspected that I would want to coach a second 5th grade team that they were trying to assemble, a “B” team if you will, and that if that was the case, Haley could be the headliner on that team and I could coach. “No thanks,” I told them…. I had no interest in coaching at this point.

So, after talking with them for awhile, Haley and I finally left, but it was all but clear that Haley was going to make the team and fill one of the final three spots they were looking for to complete the 10 player roster.

When the news became official the next day via an email from the coach, Haley was so excited, as were I and Bridget. This team was going to be far and away such a much more competitive and successful team than the other 5th grade AAU teams we had been looking at, that we simply couldn’t pass it up. Even if Haley is not going to be the best player on the team (which she is not), and even if Haley is not going to be getting the most playing time (which she is not), the two practices a week and 10 tournaments over the next three or four months can only make Haley a much better player in the end. This team, and this coach, has very high aspirations, and I thought it was something Haley simply couldn’t pass up, regardless of how large her role on the team will be, and Haley agreed.

Haley, Bridget and I are ready for the big commitment this team will bring. They are going to play in almost twice as many tournaments as the other AAU teams we were looking at. We know the coach is intense and serious. We know there will be a lot of weekend traveling involved. And we all accept this.

I met the head coach’s wife, and I really liked her. She is involved as well, much like Bridget is involved in some form or fashion with the teams I coach. Also, the assistant coach is a guy a few years younger than me, who I played against a lot when I played pick up basketball in Weymouth on Saturdays over the years. Also, their daughters, who are both on the team, and the other 7 girls, all seem to be great kids, and Haley seems to fit in very nicely with them.

So, the coaches wasted little time in assembling all the girls right away for our first outing of bonding and basketball. Tonight, Thursday, five days after the tryout, we all went to the BC-Duke girls’ basketball game, with pizza and salad at a kid-friendly restaurant beforehand. Eight of the ten girls, and six parents, all met in my office parking lot to coordinate who was going to be traveling with whom. I drove Haley, Emily and Brianna, and Brianna’s father Eric.

The game was a great experience for all of us. We sat right on the floor to the right of the basket. Duke was ranked 6th in the country, I believe, and BC led the game virtually from the beginning to the end. With a one or two point battle back and forth for much of the second half, the game finally ended with BC’s tremendous upset over a shocked Duke squad. Much to Haley’s and my surprise, we bumped into three of our 5th grade travel players who also went to the game… Bailey, Jillian and Maddie. Also, Ray Allen of the Celtics was there, and the girls all were enthralled with Ayla Brown, the BC senior and former American Idol contestant. She is basically a celebrity of sorts on that basketball team, but she is actually quite a player as well. She played about half the game anyway, and she really impressed me and the other coaches/parents there with us. She’s solid. At 6’0”, though, I found her to be a little too small to mix it up with the bigger, stronger girls in the 6’5”, 6’6” range, and not completely fast or skilled enough to run step for step with the point guards. That being said, she showed a lot of aggressiveness and toughness, and she didn’t back down from anyone, and I was impressed.

So, with our first team gathering under our belts, both Haley and I had a great time, and I think there is no question that we made the right decision by showing up for this team’s tryout, and accepting their invitation when Haley made the squad. We are so excited, and so happy, for Haley. I can’t tell you how proud I am. I am a one proud Dad!!!!

******Our attention now turns to Sydney, who will begin her tryout sessions over the next week or two. Ideally, at this point, we hope to be able to get her on the Cape Cod Waves sixth grade team, as this would certainly help reduce some of the traveling to some extent, as they will be sharing some practice time slots and participating in many of the same tournaments, but we will visit a few AAU tryouts nonetheless, and hopefully everything will fall nicely into place for Sydney just like it did for Haley.

January 29 - Ryley Loses A Tooth, Her 7th Tooth Overall

It’s hard to believe that Ryley has lost only 7 teeth at this point, but it’s true. Today, she lost her 7th, the second from the left in her upper jaw. A tiny one. Ryley is funny, it seems she wills herself not to lose any teeth, that’s just the type of personality she has, and maybe her body listens to her and keeps them in her jaw as long as absolutely possible.

Haley, on the other hand, seems to have lost 100 teeth already. She just keeps yanking them out of her mouth left and right, and seems to have been doing so for years now.

It’s funny how different girls in the same family still have very different developments and personalities.

Anyway, the Tooth Fairy came, and left Ryley $7.

January 28 - Perry's Report Card & Teacher Conference With Mrs. Mullen, Bridget & Mark

Perry brought home her first report card yesterday.

Then, this morning, Bridget and I had a 9:00 a.m. teacher conference with Mrs. Mullen at South School. The kindergarteners had the entire week off while all the teacher conferences took place. So, GG Evelyn was at home watching Perry… or maybe it was the other way around.

Anyway, the kindergartener report card consists of number evaluations from 1 to 3. 1 means “Exceeds Expectations”, 2 means “Meets Expectations”, and 3 means “Not Yet Meeting Expectations.” Perry received a handful of 1s, mostly 2s, and a few 3s. One of the categories Perry got a 3 in was “Demonstrates Book Handling Knowledge”. I couldn’t wait to ask Mrs. Mullen about that one… does that mean she takes books and drops them involuntarily or throws them against the wall???? Another side of the grading used letters, with S meaning “Secure”, D meaning “Developing”, and N meaning “Needs Improvement”. The categories using these letter grades were Personal/Social, Work Habits, and Fine Motor Skills. In these areas, Perry did wonderfully… All S’s, with only two D’s (Works Independently and Focuses On Task).

Anyway, as we walked into the teacher conference, given that there were a few 3s scattered around on her report card, Bridget and I wondered if this would be a serious and concerning meeting with Mrs. Mullen. As it turned out, Mrs. Mullen was delighted with Perry and her progress. She is basically the youngest kid in her class, and when she first showed up in September, Mrs. Mullen all but told us that she couldn’t get out of her own way academically. Now, she says, she has taken tremendous strides and despite her age and slow start, is right where she needs to be and is progressing every day.

So, I guess everything is relative. What Bridget and I (or maybe more me than she) expected to be a real reality check turned into a meeting where there was more laughing and smiling about Perry than serious talk and concern. We left that meeting feeling a little bit better.

Then, when we arrived back home to pick up my things before I left for work, we both went into the house and saw daughter #4 sitting nicely on the couch where we left her, diligently watching TV, and watching GG.

GREAT JOB PERRY! YOU’RE DOING GREAT! WE LOVE YOU!

January 27 - Haley Loses Tooth In Car Ride To Practice, 5th From Her Top Left, Just Another Lost Tooth, Per Haley

Haley was complaining about two back upper teeth yesterday, saying that they hurt her. Today, the two of us were driving to our Wednesday night basketball practice after I picked her up at the Holden’s house after CCD class. She had a lollipop that she got at the Holden’s and she asked me is she could have it before practice… I said sure.

Perhaps forgetting about her pained teeth, she foolishly bit into her lollipop a little, and winced in pain. She asked if she could pull her tooth. I said no, thinking that if she started the process to try to take it out, it wouldn’t come out in time for practice, and then she would have a tooth half dangling during practice, and she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. I told her she could take it out after practice.

One minute later driving down the road, the tooth was in her hand.

“Oh, here it is,” she said, so matter-of-factly, blood dripping down her chin and hand, her tooth between her fingers.

Pulling teeth for Haley is like flushing the toilet after you go to the bathroom. It’s just something you do. It’s no big deal. She takes care of business and then moves on to the next thing.

Hilarious.

January 15 - Girls Make Fort Out Of Blankets In Living Room

Friday night at the Blasetti residence… fort-making time!

I remember when I was a kid, and my sister and brother and I would make forts in the living room made out of blankets. We had TV trays back then (remember those American household staples… those ugly, often floral-patterned folding table trays that you could set up in the living room in front of your television so that you wouldn’t miss a minute of TV during the dinner hour?)… these TV trays were great fort-building base structures, and we would set up a bunch of TV trays, combined with various other items of furniture, and drape every last blanket in the house over all the structures, to create a veritable city underneath. Our imaginations could then be let loose, and life in the tent, for whatever reason, was just the greatest thing ever. We could play house in there, eat snacks in there, take naps in there, camp out in there, bring flashlights in there… the bigger the fort, the more tunnels there were, the darker it was… the better!

Of course, from an adult perspective, it probably just looked like a complete mess, something annoying and cluttered in the middle of the house, that would only have to be broken down and cleaned up once the thrill had worn off. Indeed, that was always the saddest part of the fort building experience, when the adults told you that enough was enough, and it had to be broken down and folded up and put away… what a drag!

Anyway, I was thrown back into my childhood today when the girls decided to build their massive fort in our living room. And yes, to a certain extent, to Bridget and me (the adults), it was simply a nuisance, an annoyance, another thing to clean up later after the girls have gone to bed (of course, they had asked us if they could sleep in their fort tonight, which we, as adults, refused). However, on the other hand, it was so much fun to watch them build the fort and hear the excitement in their voices, and then, once built, to hear them fight over who got what part of the fort as their own.

Blanket forts… nothing better as a kid!

January 15 - Sydney's 12 Year Pediatrician Checkup

Today, Bridget took Sydney in for her 12 year checkup. She got two shots… one for meningitis, and one for tetanus. Her blood pressure was 112/68. Her pulse was 75. Her height was 5’4” (with shoes off) and her weight was 129 lbs (apparently putting her in the 94th percentile for height, the 93rd percentile for weight, and the 87th percentile for BMI – Body Mass Index – based on her age… NO IDEAS if those numbers are correct or really how the BMI relates to the separate height and weight percentiles).

The curve in her back has apparently improved and is of little concern, I guess, to the pediatrician at this point.

Onward and upward!!!

January 12-13 - Sydney's 12th Birthday!!

Today is only Tuesday, the 12th, but since Sydney’s real 12th birthday, tomorrow, falls on a basketball practice night, we decided to have her birthday party tonight, since this is one of our only “free” nights of the week. So, the regular family crew showed up around 5:00 p.m., including the Blasetti Six, GG Evelyn, Grammy Valerie and Grampy Michael, Grandma Marilyn and Grampy Mattie, Grandma Roma and Bob, Jen and Matthew, etc.

We all had a great time. Bridget and I can probably count on one hand the number of birthday parties we have had for our girls where they actually invited non-family member friends. We have a big enough family that there has never been a need or a desire to crowd it up with anyone else. I think we all like it that way… no pressure, no chaos (OK, still some chaos), no stress (OK, still some stress… actually, not really, just kidding)… just family. It’s nice to have the family around to celebrate yet another birthday of one of our daughters.

Sydney (and all our girls for that matter) is just getting so big. I measured Sydney on our basement door, as usual, and this might have been her biggest growth year yet. She is 5’ 3 ½” tall!

She is getting pretty mature, also. For her birthday, she actually asked for things like clothes, a foam temperpedic mattress top, etc. For crying out loud, she’ll be a teenager next year! Oh no.

Happy Birthday Sydney!

January 12 - Sydney's Tucking-In-At-Night Routine

Ever since we can remember, Sydney has had more stuff on her bed at night than not…. When she was not too much younger than she is now, it used to be dozens of stuffed animals surrounding her at night, not to mention about ten different style blankets, all needing to be placed on top of her in the correct order. Now, for the most part, the stuff animals come off her bed at night, if only because she is getting so big there is very little room on her twin mattress anymore. However, she still keeps a few stuffed animals with her, even now.

The procedure is so involved, I am not even sure if it is possible for Sydney to tuck herself in… she needs us to assist. To tuck Haley in, it takes about ten seconds. She’s got her favorite Winnie-the-Pooh blanket, maybe her basketball blanket, then her sheet and her top quilt. That’s it. For Sydney, it’s like an entire pre-bed routine. First, she has to knock everything off her bed. Then she puts her two or three pillows in place. Then, her giant stuffed dolphin must be placed properly (I think there might be another stuffed animal or two still in the process there somewhere, I’m not exactly sure). Then, she positions herself in the middle of her bed, ready for either Bridget or me to begin the blanket process. The ordering of the blankets is critical… if we find ourselves putting on the wrong blanket in the wrong order, we will quickly hear about it, as she carefully supervises her own tucking-in process. With each blanket placement by Bridget or me, there is a brief pause, as Sydney lifts up her legs and swings the blanket bottom under her feet, allowing the blanket to wrap under her feet to allow better protection and security. By the end, after at least two minutes have elapsed and seven or eight or nine blankets have been put in place, she can barely lift up her legs to tuck the last blanket in under her feet, as there is so much weight resting on top of her.

When the ritual is over, she is probably wrapped up tighter than the great Pharaohs of Egypt in the Great Pyramids!

The funny, and annoying, part about all of it is, when Bridget and I go back upstairs a couple of hours later to retire for the evening, I sneak inside to give the girls a kiss on the forehead, and Sydney is essentially alone on that darn bed, with all the blankets and accessories all over the floor around her.

It’s almost like she pulls a great Houdini escape trick every night! Why do we even bother?!

January 12 - "Burnt Biscuits" - Celebrate Our Differences, Nobody Is Perfect, And Nobody Is Exactly Like You - Email From Aunt Billie

I, for sure, have a tough time remembering this. It is easy to forget sometimes that we are all different, that no one does everything exactly like you or thinks exactly like you, and that we need to learn to adjust and accept other people’s different thoughts and different ways of doing things… especially with those close to us.

With that said, enjoy the words below (thanks Auntie Billie), as I go out to start my day with the hope of being more tolerant… (ya, right!?).

FW: Burnt Biscuits/ worth the reading

jimmy gregory to you

From: jimmy gregory Hide
To: MarkBlasetti (and others)

Date: Tue, Jan 12, 2010 11:14 am

When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad.

I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults - and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."

God Bless You..... Now, and Always....

So Please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burnt one will do just fine.!.!.!.!

BLESS someone who has enriched your life... I hope I did!

January 4 - Ryley's Follow Up Visit With Orthodontist

Today, Bridget took Ryley in for a follow up visit to Dr. Fitzgerald. The Popsicle stick trick has been working, and in only a couple of weeks! So, Dr. Fitzgerald told Ryley to keep up with the Popsicle stick trick for two more weeks, until January 20th, and then they will get together for a new follow up in about a year.

See you next year!