Father's Day

Both in America and Down Under, Mothers' Day is observed in May. However, in Australia Fathers' Day is celebrated not in June, but in September. I tried to convince Stephanie that we should have two Fathers' Days as choosing only one would turn our back on our American heritage or offend the sensitivities of our host nation. Stephanie wasn't buying, stating "when in Rome..." or some such wet blanket babble. So I had to wait until September for my Fathers' Day.

But it was worth the wait. Actually, it couldn't have been much better! I received gifts from the kids - a mug from Hank and a picture from Abe.

For dinner we had meat pie, pea and potato mash and salad - a real Aussie meal.

And we finished it off with some delicious carrot cake that Stephanie made.

It was great to have a day where my family recognized my role as father, but even better to reflect on how blessed I am to be a father. It's the best job I'll ever have.

(posted by Ben using Steph's account)

A Farewell to Auskick

Back in March, we signed Abe up for Auskick-a community Australian Rules Football (footy) program for primary school children. Abe was a bit ambivalent at first. Because he hadn't really played before, he was worried that he would embarrass himself with less-than-perfect kicking and marking (catching) skills. But the new footy, bag and cap that came with registration really got him in the spirit.

At Auskick, Abe learned the basics of kicking and marking (shown in the red and blue jersey) and hand-passing and bouncing. Notice all the different jerseys being worn - each kid wore their favorite team's colors with pride every week. They were a colorful bunch.

We had the camera rolling at a recent match and caught Abe putting those skills to use.

He practiced so much at home that that shiny new footy from March was reduced to this in a matter of a few short months. We've also had to put limits on how often he can play at home because he has almost killed all the grass in our front yard. Two hours a day after school - every single day - will do that to a lawn.

Alas, Auskick has come to an end. The awards ceremony is in a week and we will post some pictures of that celebration. But the purpose of this post is to reflect on and mourn the passing of this activity which has filled our Saturday mornings since April (we didn't even get a break for Easter!). The final Auskick match pitted parents against kids. Here's Abe and Ben going for the ball.

Here's Abe in motion. We anticipate hearing "Who wants to kick the footy with me?" three hundred times an hour as Abe acclimates to the loss of his very favorite two hours of the week.

Coach Charles (what a great guy) says goodbye to the kids. Hopefully, he'll coach the year 2s next year. Doesn't that boy next to Abe (right of center) look a little too young for this crowd? Hank loved sitting next to his brother during announcements, and I think that Abe appreciated the adoration.

Since it was a special day, we marked the occasion with traditional Aussie barbie that's served up at the end of every Saturday morning's practice: snag (sausage) on white bread with grilled onion for Steph...

Just tomato sauce (ketchup... or is it catsup?) for Abe.

Perfect way to end the season. Thank you, Australia, for Auskick.