Happy 10th Birthday Colton Godfrey
Somehow an entire decade has passed since you were born. 10 years!! Despite covid, there were some pretty awesome moments over the past 12 months. Here are a few of my favorites, with plenty of photos and gifs to keep you entertained.
Fantasy Sports:
One of your buddy’s dads decided it would be fun to set up a fantasy football league for a bunch of 3rd graders who’d never played before. What could go wrong? Well, for starters, you proposed about 1,482 trades, most of which created alerts for the responsible dads like Larry who actually monitor their kids’ internet use. All that action led to exactly ONE actual trade (Zeke for Chubb). Worth it.
In between trade requests, some actual games were played. You were intensely focused, and got very worked up when things didn’t go your way. You lost two games by less than one point, one when your guy picked up nine yards on a play (needing only 7 to win), but had the run called back for holding. And he got injured on the play and didn’t return. 0.2 point loss and a gut punch. A window into life as a Seattle sports fan.
Filling out a March Madness bracket isn’t technically a fantasy sport, but it invoked a similar level of stress and anxiety as you bounced between games on our three TVs while monitoring standings on an iPad. Mercifully there were no trades or lineups to adjust, so every five minutes when you said “I need to check my bracket” I could credibly reply “No. Nothing has changed!”
And when the opening weekend completely blew up your bracket, you got very upset. But you got over it quickly.
Like a band-aid — right off!!
Fall Baseball:
Covid shut down pretty much everything fun for 6 months, but we did eventually get clearance to run baseball camps in the fall. You’d been doing some SLU work and it showed as you starting hitting balls into the outfield, making hard throws across the diamond, and just generally looking like a baseball player.
You still swore you didn’t really like it, and you didn’t want to play infield because you were “scared of the ball” (if fairness, the crazy lip at Trinta does create some dangerous hops). But I started to see the smallest glimmer that maybe, just maybe, you were starting to appreciate the game.
Football Camps:
Next level wasn’t allowed to run a normal season in January, but they did have some camps. Being back on the field definitely put you in your happy place and made us all forget about covid for a little while. You threw a Hail Mary touchdown at the end of your first camp session. Lance apparently saw it and remarked “that’s how you end a game!” At the last session you caught this long touchdown on 4th down.
I assume other stuff happened at the sessions in-between, but the most important thing is that you were back on the field.
Potpourri:
A random collection of random things from a not-so-random year by a not-at-all-random kid
Catch Phrase:
“Let’s go!!” is your new go-to whenever you’re excited about something.
Good play in a football game? “Let’s go!!”
Finding out a friend is coming over for dinner? “Let’s go!!”
Allowed a little extra screen time? “LEEEEEETTTT’S GOOOOO!!!”
My dad joke, of course, is always “where are we going?” You haven’t laughed at it yet, but I‘ll wear you down eventually.
Speaking of dad jokes…
You came into my room and announced “I’m bored.” Before I had a chance to make my terrible dad joke, you immediately clarified “To be clear, my name isn’t bored, I just don’t have anything to do.”
One too many dad jokes apparently. Or maybe just the right amount. I’m going with the latter.
Speed:
You like to think you’re pretty fast. I guess at least one of your friends thinks so too. This is how you’re listed in Alex’s iPad (or maybe Carter’s? I can’t keep track anymore):
Dropping knowledge:
Back in November we were watching Jeopardy (with pretty limited success). But then Final Jeopardy started and it was game on. The categoy: 18th Century Americans
Me: Ah, has to be a founding father
You: Really?
Me: Probably. That covers most of the famous Americans during the 1700’s
Clue: One eulogizer of this man noted, he “was able to restrain thunderbolts & tyrants”
Me: What do you think?
Colt: Ben Franklin?
Me: Why is that your guess?
You: Because he flew the kite with the lightning
Me: That was my thinking too
Two of the three contestants (and Mom) guessed George Washington. The answer, of course, was Ben Franklin. Great minds think alike. And as is often the lesson — don’t overthink things.
Big Kid Things:
You finally started learning how to cut with a knife. Only took about 9.5 years. Although I guess that’s what happens when I cut all your fruit and meat and vegetables and everything else for you and your siblings. Helicopter parenting at it’s finest.
Friends:
Even with school (mostly) shut down, your social life didn’t seem to suffer too much. We kept a much tighter social circle, but you made the most of it. You’d ride your bike down to Carter’s house, or do SLU with your baseball buddies. But mostly you just lived at Cody’s house.
Ideally this would mean taking advantage of their batting cage (and the epic baseball wisdom of Cody’s dad), but instead you were intently focused honing your whiffle curve. Or learning how to put left handed, which definitely feels more important than learning to bat left handed.
The rest of the time I assume was spent endlessly playing madden and other video games. I don’t love you playing tons of video games, but somehow it seems more OK when it’s not in my house. So kind of a win-win I guess.
You’re at Cody’s house so often that Cam and even Clara have started following you down there. Which is no terrible thing for me, but maybe not so awesome for Cody’s parents.
Lake Tahoe:
We did our annual Tahoe winter trip a bit early this year. The ski resorts weren’t yet open, but there was enough snow for sledding. And you and Cam made the most of it. You spent hours weaving through trees in the lot next to our rental house, and even met your old buddy Dean for some steeper hils at the golf course.
When you weren’t sledding, your time was mostly occupied with playing ping pong (the genesis of your love of the game) or lounging around in the hot tub. You already have one of the best lives of anyone I know, but hanging out in Tahoe somehow makes it even better.
Brother Camden:
Outside of veging out in front of TVs or on iPads, you and Cam basically do two things together:
- Reading. You’re both really into books, and will often sit and read peacefully and quietly. This represents about 5% of your waking hours spent together. It’s what I like to call the best part of the day.
2. Roughhousing. This represents the other 95%. Sometimes it’s the harmless fun of flinging Clara around (which maybe doesn’t always seem so harmless to her). Or fighting over the same 12 inches of couch space.
Or yelling and screaming and trying to push each other off the piano bench in a fight over who goes first. But mostly it’s beating the hell out of each other.
Tackling, pushing, hitting each other in the face. All of which seems out of line. Unless one of you is holding a football. Then, suddenly and inexplicably, it just sort of feels right. And awesome. You can still juke him most of the time, but he definitely has his moments.
Sister Clara:
You and Clara don’t always hang out. But when you do, someone usually ends up in tears. And usually that person is Clara. But, from time to time, you do take your role of big brother seriously and try to teach her things. My favorite is when you pitch her balls. You tend to be pretty critical of her swing, although even you were impressed with some of the bombs she hit.
Interesting Conversations:
Much like your mom and dad, you’re a talker. And that leads to some fun conversations. And some not so fun ones.
Example 1: One night before bed someone noted your amazing covid hair and I pointed out (as I often do) that half your genetics come from me and therefore I deserve half the credit for your great hair. You stated that you had a “big question”, somehow sensing the gravity of what you were about to ask:
You: “So…how did half your genetics get into me?”
Me: “Huh?”
You: “I mean, I was in Mom’s tummy so I understand how her genetics got into me, but how did yours?”
Me: “Umm…Uh…How old are you again?”
(I didn’t want to have that conversation right before bedtime, so the next day we had the talk — or at least a very abbreviated version.)
You (post-explanation): “Wait, if I want to have kids I would have to do THAT?!?”
Me: “Well, you’ll probably WANT to.”
You: Puzzled look, (mercifully) no words
Me: No words, just silently hoping that’s the end of this conversation…for now.
Example 2: I walked in once on your zoom “school” and saw “describe yourself in one word” on the screen
You: “I chose athletic”
Me: “That makes sense. For me I’d choose handsome.”
You: “Nope. No.” “I’d say ‘not handsome.’”
Me: “Sorry, ‘not handsome’ is two words.”
You: “Old!”
Me: “Old? What about ‘Dad’? I think the one word would be ‘Dad’”
You: “Nope, old”
Me: “Well at least you’re learning something…”
Pretty sure that was the most thought provoking exercise that happened during your entire home school experience.
“School”:
Speaking of school, it was awful. You hating being at home. We didn’t exactly love having you at home. And as mentioned, I didn’t get the sense there was a whole lot of learning going on. But one aspect of school that did perservere? Having all the 3rd graders learn to play the recorder. Of the entire school curriculum, this might be the least conducive to home schooling. Mainly because all these ear-piercing squeals are happening in my house. It was like a high-pitched version of the Ferris Bueller “never had one lesson” scene. Just brutal.
Juggling:
You got a set of juggling balls for Christmas. For about a day and a half you were intent on learning to juggle, hoping to eventually move to four or five balls once you mastered three. By December 27th, I think we’d lost one of the balls and that was that. But it was fun while it lasted.
Ping pong:
We got an outdoor ping pong table for Christmas and you were super into it. And unlike juggling, your obsession has persisted. You still ask me and mom almost every day to play ping-pong. It’s especially entertaining on windy days when the ball seems to defy the laws of physics.
The happiest time of this past year may have been when Gaby had some friends over for her birthday. We stayed away from the house most of the day, but you eventually came home to a ready supply of guests who were happy to play ping pong to your heart’s content. You were in absolute heaven for about two hours.
Early on, at least 75% of your serves would either hit the net, or, comically, you’d miss the ball entirely. And lest you deny or forget, I caught this slow motion gem to jog your memory.
You’ve since improved greatly, and even learned how to hit a legal serve. I can still outplay you most of the time (and Gaby dominates everyone), but you’re more than capable of hitting put-away shots and making great saves. Pretty sure any mention of ping pong in your 11th birthday post will be about how I won’t play against you because you’re too good. Or too arrogant. Or both.
Spring Baseball:
We finally got to play a real little league season, a full year after the last one was cancelled due to covid. We started strong with a 6–3 win over the Chihuahuas. You were the starting pitcher and struck out Jagger and Connor which made your day.
The season was a roller coaster, with five 1-run games (plus a tie) — most all of which involved a walk-off either for or against us. In one game against the Aces (Matthew, Crosby and Hudson), we erased a 10–2 defict with nine runs in the 5th. Two days later, we blew a five run lead in the 5th, only to score two of our own in the bottom half to win 12–11. Never a dull moment.
You pitched a ton, hit for a high average, and made a spinning play at shortstop that coach Andy called “the best fielding play I’ve seen all year.”
In the playoffs we won our semifinal game 16–6, setting up a championship against the Aces. Down 2–0 early, we battled back but couldn’t quite close the gap. We lost a tough 3–2 game in which kids on both sides played great. If you’re going to lose, that’s how you do it. And since you were selected as a District 52 all-star, your baseball season was far from over. We’ll come back to that later.
Night terrors,
Night terrors are terrifying. When you were younger, as often as 3–4 times per week you’d climb out of bed screaming about something incomprehensible, jump around for a few minutes, and then go back to bed. Come morning you’d have no memory of the event. Nowadays it’s only about once every couple months. You even managed to have a ‘night’ terror while taking an afternoon nap.
To avoid oversharing, I won’t post any videos here. But we’ve got a doozy from June 2nd if you ever want to see it. Sort of has that vibe of when Sarah Connor attacks the psychologist in Terminator 2.
It’s probably best for everyone that you don’t remember any of this. But this post is here to remind you.
Writing:
You swear you hate writing, but you do tell some pretty interesting stories. Like your explanation of why tacos are such a great food:
And your writing can be very educational! For instance, it’s good to know that my biggest contribution to you life is making sure you were born:
But of course, what you most love to write about is sports. And what greater sports event than your first flag football championship back in 2019!
Baseball Fandom:
Playing baseball is great, but sometimes watching is even better. Especially when you’re a magnet for balls and other amazing experiences. To wit:
June 17: We got seats in the bleachers, and were on TV when a home run was hit near us. Later, an outfielder threw Cam a ball, and you were determined to get one too. So determined, in fact, that another fan asked me if he could give you a ball he’d gotten from JT Snow before the game. Persistence pays. And what enchanted game visit would be complete without some flossing on the Jumbotron.
July 11: We’re in San Diego at a Padres game. Despite a less-than-memorable at-bat in the kids whiffle “hitting experience” (after a 40 minute wait), the game wasn’t a total bust. You, Cam and Alex posted up along the left field line, and even got someone to throw you a ball. Or was it thrown to Cam? That will be the endless debate, but Cam ended up with it. Until he inexplicably traded it to you for a foam ball that Gaby caught. I think we all know who got the better end of that exchange.
August 8: We had front row seats at an Orioles game, right along the left field line. The only problem? The fencing runs all the way to the foul pole. The first batter hits a fall ball about 15 rows behind us and fifty feet closer to home. It clangs off an empty seat, bounces, and comes to rest in a virtually empty section for several seconds before a fan casually walks over to pick it up. You and Cam set up camp in this empty section, and the next batter hits one right to you. Mission accomplished.
August 14: We got invited to join Carter Golde and some of his buddies in a suite right behind home plate. No chance to catch a ball, but there was tons of delicious food, an amazing view, and great people to share it with. It was a night game that went brutally long, but you were determined to stay awake to enjoy “the best seats we’ll ever have.” (true). You almost made it.
San Diego + Virginia:
Baseball wasn’t the only thing we did on our brief summer travels. San Diego of course included a trip to Legoland (which you loved) and the Zoo (not so much). Ninjago and the roller coasters were your favorites, and it only took you a few tries to nail the perfect ‘dab’ pose with Gaby.
In Virginia, you got to visit Ama and Agong for the first time in two full years!
We also road the subway into DC and visited the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the reflecting pool. All the while, we played trivia with me struggling to come up with questions, and you oscillating between “that’s too easy!” (3rd President) and “how would I know that?” (All-time MLB hits king — how do you NOT know that?). We also took a long walk into Georgetown, and upon our return you decided that the best way to cool off was to dip your head in a fountain. Even though it had been raining all day. I’m sure there was some logic in there somewhere.
Grandma:
Ama and Agong weren’t the only grandparents you got to reconnect with after too long apart — Grandma also came down for a visit! Even though you facetime with her almost every week, it’s been about 1.5 years since you’d actually seen her in the flesh. She got to watch you play football and just generally reconnect after a long absence. You must’ve made a pretty good impression because she flew back down again yesterday — just for your birthday! She’s here right now, as you’re reading this!! The greatest gift a kid could get! (except maybe a PS5, but you’re not getting one of those).
All-stars + SLU
As I teased earlier, the end of your little league season was really just the beginning. You were selected as a District 52 all-star on the 9–10 year old team. Besides getting to play more baseball under the tutelage of Cody’s dad Jason (along with Coach John and Coach Dan), you also got to play with several of your best buddies.
As a tune up for the D52 tournament, you also played on an SLU team with most of the same kids. In all, you had practice or cages most days, and played in a couple scrimmages and tournaments. And it was successful from the start as you won your first ‘travel’ tournament with a 3–0 record.
It was never quite that easy again, with your team needing a 6-run, 2-out rally in the final inning to force a tie that would send you to the championship game of the Burlingame 10U tournament on Fathers day. We’ll come back to that later.
You drew a bye to start the D52 tournament, which felt like a gift. We beat Belmont in the first game 8–1. You had a couple hits and scored a run (if I remember right?), but the most exciting play was on defense. No outs, last inning, runners on 1st and 3rd. You caught a fly ball in left, and when the runner tagged from 3rd you made the throw to home. No hops, and Jagger didn’t even have to budge as he caught the ball and tagged out the runner. Double play!
From there it wasn’t so smooth as we were overpowered by eventual champion Alpine, and struggled against eventual runner-up Hillsborough. A great learning experience and lots of fun. And you’re that much more prepared for next year!
Flag Football:
Football camps are great, but there’s no substitute for a Next Level Flag Football season. Last year you were the Ducks (ugh!) and had your championship game cancelled due to covid (double ugh!!). This year, the season started late, but being back on the field was worth the wait. And this year, you were a Husky!
You obliterated the first team about 70–6. The 2nd week you faced off against Jagger’s team (who you would have met in last year’s championship). Jagger threw some long TDs, but you scored a couple touchdowns and won in a shootout.
A few weeks later, I noticed a trick play the Ducks (Hudson, Crosby) were practicing during warm-ups. I grabbed you and gave you a quick description of the play and what to look for. On the third play of the game, they line up in that formation, run the play, and you immediately blow it up. You run back to the sideline and yell “thanks Dad!” It’s amazing how well your sports brain can visualize and dissect those situations. For context, I explained the play to Larry as well (our Defensive coordinator) and after he was like “oh, that’s what you were talking about?”
But your favorite play of the year wasn’t a touchdown or great defensive stop. You’re always begging Coach Jason to let you play quarterback, to no avail. But the student coach will occasionally dial up a halfback pass for you. And on this particular play, your dreams came true with this long pass to Carter. It didn’t get you any closer to lining up under center, but at least you got to feel like a real QB for a few moments.
You breezed through the regular season and playoffs, setting up the same championship game against Jagger that got cancelled last year. To find out what happened, we fast forward to Father’s Day…
Fathers Day
In theory, Father’s Days is supposed to be all about me. You know, the “Father.” But this most recent Father’s Day was definitely all about you. You had three big games: The Burlingame 10U tournament baseball championship in the morning, Next Level flag football championship in the afternoon, and to top it off, a Redwood City 9U tournament baseball championship in the evening.
How’d it go? Glad you asked.
Burlingame 10U Championship:
As noted earlier, the semifinal was intense, with a six run two out rally securing your place in the final. The final was not nearly as dramatic. You had a great shoestring catch in the outfield, plus a couple hits and a couple runs scored — including a steal of home with two outs. Not that any of tipped the balance as you won 22–7 in 5 innings. Championship #1 secured.
And just in the knick of time — your flag football championship starts in barely an hour. Away we go!
Next Level 3rd Grade North Championship:
The matchup everyone’s been waiting for since March 2020 when covid cancelled the 2nd grade championship. You beat them earlier in the season, but with Jagger at QB they always have a shot. More than a shot apparently, as they were up 19–12 at the half. You had a TD in that 1st half, and your squad played lights-out defense in the 2nd. In the end, it wasn’t that close as you won by a couple touchdowns to claim a loooooonnng overdue NL Football championship and the coveted in-box trophy that comes with it.
The football championship was the biggest potential prize, but not the last. Two down, one to go.
Redwood City 9U Championship:
You led off the game with a bunt back to the pitcher, but still somehow almost beat it out. I love that bunt. As a team, you put up two runs in the 1st and six more in the 2nd as every bounce went your way. They made a late push, but you held them off down the stretch for a 9–4 victory.
Three championship games, three wins, three trophies. (Well, technically two trophies and a ring. But you get the point). Most kids don’t win three championships in their entire childhood, much less one day. Happy Father’s day to you!
What a year! There really isn’t much left to say except I love you. And happy 10th birthday!
