ncc christmas dessert

The NCC Christmas Dessert for the ladies of NCC and all those whom they invite is tonight at NCC (we're calling tonight "December Eve" since it's so early in the year for a "Christmas" program). Four Cryin' Out Loud, my barbershop quartet, is performing as the opening act of the program. As soon as I can, I will be posting a video I uploaded to YouTube of us singing our introduction song. I think we're hysterical, but you can make up your own mind. Check back soon!

eleven and four

The Suns (11-4) have now lost 2 games in a row, and they deserved this loss. The Suns were playing sloppy again. They looked like they didn't know how to shoot the basketball. They ran down the shot clock almost every trip down the court where they normally shoot within the first 7 seconds (and do much better doing it that way). The Suns weren't down by a lot: they were only behind four points at the half. The Suns just barely kept from matching the Rockets (9-7) each quarter, but they couldn't get Yao Ming contained. He had his way with scoring (Yao had the game's only double-double with 31 points and 13 rebounds). I thought by the end of the game he'd be too tired to score and we'd come back in and dominate, but he pushed hard all 40 minutes he played. Only three Suns scored in double figures, and no one earned a double-double. Nash had a Suns-high 29, while Stat and the Matrix had 25 and 18 respectively. Because the Suns couldn't get more of the team scoring, the Suns couldn't pull anything off to defeat this Rockets team that had McGrady, who scored 18 points, back in the line-up. The Suns take on the Orlando Magic (14-3), the hotest team in the entire league right now, tonight in Phoenix. Should be a great match-up. We're one of their only three losses. GO SUNS!

injustice

I meant to post this awhile back. I wrote this during a doctor's appointment for Kate after we'd been home for three days. They checked her weight and gave her the 6 month shots they didn't the last time we went in because of the weight issue. Her weight, according to the numbers the doctor gave us, was up a pound and a quarter from what it was when we left the hosiptal. I find that incredible. The LORD does answer prayers. By the way, she is now taking formula from a bottle by herself (allowing Amy to simply sit there and hold her as she feeds, instead of having to be more proactive). She still takes about 45 minutes to finish her feeding, but at least she's progressing. And her little body is starting to take on body fat again. Praise the LORD. Here's the post I meant to do on November 21st (last Wednesday):

Aidan's first injustice was done to him today by one of his peers (that I've at least been witness to). When we were at the pediatrician's office today, a girl wouldn't let Aidan play on the same waiting room apparatus as her. She told him "no" and "go away" as she waved her arms at him. He handled it with poise, but he was not totally sure what to do about her. He stood at a distance, tried to give her space as he moved, and was faced with opposition when he tried to play near her. The girl's father would say things to her like "you can't dominate all of the toys" and "be nice" and "don't tell him no," but was sadly inept at controling his offspring. It was quite the lesson for me to watch, since I decided that I shouldn't interject on his behalf. Aidan did enjoy spinning the "picture body arrangements" and sitting in "Aidan-sized" chairs (which he needed help to sit in and get out of; still a bit too tall for his little legs, or, at least, his dexterity).

eleven and three

The Suns (11-3) were on their way to at least tie the best start in franchise history after 16 games, but they won't make that magic 14-2 record anymore after this loss to the Golden State Warriors (6-7). The Suns had 37 points after the first quarter, but that didn't stand up to the Warriors' 45 (remind you of any recent games but flip-flopped?). The Suns lost every quarter, never being able to shoot as well as the Warriors were shooting all night long. A lot of the reasons for losing are summed up in this: 20 turnovers. The Suns didn't even have most of these turnovers force on them by good defense; it was just sloppy play. Steve Nash had 23 points, 13 dimes, but an uncharacteristic 8 turnovers. Grant Hill had 17 points, 5 dimes, and 5 boards, but added in his own 5 turnovers. The Matrix had another solid game for him with 10 points and 14 rebounds, though we could have used more points from him, too. 6 Suns' players scored in double figures, but this time it wasn't enough. Stephen Jackson and Monta (pronounced mon-tay) Ellis, both of the Warriors, scored 32 and 31 points, respectively. Baron Davis added in his own 28 points and threw in 10 dimes just for fun. The Warriors cooled off the Suns with a 129-114 win. A 15 point loss after an 8-game winning streak kind of stings, but the Suns have to have control of the basketball, and it just wasn't there. The sad part is, the Suns even out-rebounded the Warriors 48-39, and even got 15 offensive rebounds. Sounds like the Warriors simply beat us at our own game. We will bounce back with better lessons learned, though. The next game is tonight at home against the Houston Rockets (8-7). Should be another good match-up (that we should win). GO SUNS!

(Now that's a cool pic!)

eleven and two

The Los Angeles Clippers (6-5) came out like they wanted to play. They made me think twice about them as a club as they came in and took an early lead, seemingly having match-ups that were in their favor. Chris Kaman (Kaveman), who has a much better haircut this year (it's funny if you knew what he looked like last year, hence "Kaveman"), was a force to be reconned with with his 7' of height and seeming dominance in the paint whenever he felt like it. The Suns (11-2) did manage to hold him to only 17 points, but he brought in 14 rebounds for the Clippers. Sam Cassell continues to be the punk of the NBA (and a whiner at that), but he still can play. He put in his own 26 points as he got an irregular starting role in this game, as he's been just coming in during the fourth quarter for the Clips. This time, though, he only played the first three quarters and didn't even get off the bench once during the fouth quarter as he watched the Suns run away with a dominating 19-point victory. The Suns are really starting to kick it up in the second half, unlike last year's norm of getting a nice lead in the first half and then letting go of it in the second. Stat got 29 points and 11 rebounds, while the Matrix got 21 points and an outstanding 17 rebounds. Nash put in 20 of his own points and dished out 10 dimes to boot. Grant Hill put in 19 points, too. The Suns won 113-94, making this an 8-game winning streak for the blazing Suns of Phoenix. We are just hot in the wins column right now.

ten and two

Who would've guessed that the Kings (4-8) would have scored 38 points in the first quarter against the Suns (10-2). That was quite a feat...the only problem for the Kings was that the Suns actually scored 47 points in the same quarter. The Suns scored 80 points in the first half alone. What an incredible shooting and non-defensive display by both teams, though the Suns still had a win they coasted to. Six Suns players scored in double figures. Marion had a Suns' high of 25 points, while both Nash and Barbosa had 18. Nash also had another 15 assists, giving him the only Phoenix double-double. We had 7 steals, 7 blocks, and only 7 turnovers. The bench got cleared and the starters became spectators for the last 9 minutes of the game. Alando Tucker, new to the Suns this year, made it to 10 points off the bench. The Suns won this shoot out 127-111, though it could have been a much larger hole for the Kings than that.