My Babies...Well, okay, not so much anymore...

Just thought I'd post the kids' school pictures from this year. They all turned out so good and check out Trenton - finally, a smile from that kid!

Toothless Wonder

Last night Gabi decided her other top tooth (central incisor) was ready to be pulled. She lost the opposite one a few weeks ago. We were hoping she could sing the tune, "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" when the first top one started to get loose, but her teeth were just not cooperating with the time I guess. We had visited the dentist last Tuesday and he even told her it would be ready soon. We also had to make an appointment to the orthodontist because of the size of her teeth vs. jaw. More on that when we go in a couple of weeks : /

So, as the regular routine unfolded, she went to daddy and asked him to verify that it was ready and pulled it out. She looks too cute with two front missing teeth! Needless to say, the tooth fairy did visit last night.

Our toothless wonder!

A Fun Day With Friends

Yesterday the kids were out of school for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Lina and I have been trying to get the girls (Gabi and Emma) together to hang out for quite some time and with wrestling it just hasn't been easy to do. We figured yesterday was the day. Gabi couldn't decide between roller skating, going to a movie or bowling so she consulted with Emma. They chose roller skating. Tyler was up for the challenge also so we headed to Holiday Roller Rink for a few hours. I thought it wasn't a bad price...$8 for admission, skates, breakfast (we went later so we didn't get breakfast) and lunch. Skating was from 8 am to 4 pm. The lunch consisted of a hot dog, chips, grapes and a drink. Adults skated for free on Mondays so Lina and I lucked out on that. And yes, we even roller skated! It wasn't pretty but I did it. ; )

Tyler brought along Marissa for the fun and little Joey (Emma's brother) came too. He really got the hang of it by the end of our visit. All in all, a fun day.

Rock Band

Trenton and Tyler came home from "team bonding" - staying the night with all the wrestlers at one of their houses - a couple of weekends ago all pumped up about Rock Band - a game very similar to Guitar Hero but add drums and a lead singer! They went on and on about how fun it was to play and talked about all the songs they could get, etc. Well, little did we know that my parents would bring the complete game home on Sunday for us to try out. That night we decided to invite Chad, Amber and the girls over for pizza to check out the game and play some Rock Band. We figured Guitar Hero was a big hit for Chad and the boys while camping this summer, why not add to the mix. It took a few tries but the boys figured out who was best for what part in the band...Chad on the bass, Tyler on lead vocals and Trenton on drums. Anyways, the game was a hit and the boys have been suckering at least one of us adults into playing every evening. It's definitely entertaining!

Hobart Invitational

My parents, Gabi and I all went to Hobart to support Trenton today. Trenton was seeded first in his bracket. His first opponent was from Lawrence Central and Trenton pinned him. Then came a wrestler from Munster and Trenton pinned him as well. The scene was set for a Plesac/Reinoehl match for the final round. Trenton was up 4-3 in the third period. Trenton was called on a full nelson and Plesac got a point. It was then 4-4. Trenton decided to cut Plesac giving him another point for an escape. Trenton knew he needed a take down to win. Lo and behold with 6 seconds left in the match...he got the takedown for the win! Trenton beat Plesac 6-4!!! As one of the other dad's was leaving he said to me, "we are going to call Trenton the 'cardiac kid' from now on!" How true. My heart was pounding out of my chest as he won. I can hardly take these matches he has been winning. So exciting but scary at the same time! We are very proud of Trenton!!! If you haven't noticed...check out where Plesac stands at this point in the rankings in an earlier post....

Also, the entire Mishawaka team individually were in the Championship match! How cool is that! Everyone but one wrestler got 1st place! Go Cavemen!

Trenton should be moving up!

Next stop, sectionals!

Rensselaer (31-0)

Tyler finished out his junior varsity record at 31-0!!! A new record has been set at Mishawaka High School. Very cool! Tyler had Ben, Uncle Dave and Marissa to help cheer him on today while he pinned his first opponent from Valpo, beat his second guy 13-4 (from ), and pinned his last kid from Frankfort in 44 seconds. GREAT JOB Tyler!!!!!! His official JV career is over but he will still be weighing in for team regionals, semi state and state. A very exciting road ahead!

Lakeshore

Great wrestling last night. It was a late one but it was well worth it. We traveled across the state line to Lakeshore High School for some different competition. This team is supposedly one of the better teams in Michigan and has visited Mishawaka High School's open room in the past, so the coaches thought it would be a great opportunity to wrestle someone different. This school could be compared to Penn...a bigger school with higher income surroundings. The atmosphere was awesome. Their team got lots of support, much like Mishawaka so it made the dual meet even more fun-their fans even used cowbells when they got excited about their wrestler doing something right. Needles to say, it could get loud at times.
Tyler did a great job, beating his opponent 12-4. I caught a short video because I haven't posted one of him this year. This will probably be his last dual meet. Tyler has one more JV tournament this weekend in Rensallaer. Ben, Dave and Marissa will be going to support him. Tyler will still have to be on weight though, through Team State, because he is the backup at 125 lbs. It will be a good opportunity for him to go with the team and share in the excitement first hand. Also some exciting news...Tyler, along with two other boys on the wrestling team should break a record on the JV team...30+ wins (has to win two more this weekend). In fact, Tyler is still undefeated on the JV team. His varsity level record is 1-1. VERY COOL!

Trenton didn't do so well last night. As I said before, Lakeshore came to wrestle and did prove to be pretty solid, even though we beat them as a team. We noticed most of their kids are good on the mat, as we later found out about Trenton's opponent (Nick Humes). Trenton, on the other hand, is better on his feet. He had tied the score up 8-8 with about 40 seconds to go and Trenton got caught before he could get out and ended up getting pinned. A lesson learned. We could tell that Humes was one of the team leaders and one of the better kids on the team just by the fan support he got. It was definitely a good match. Trenton will be wrestling at Hobart this weekend so Gabi and I will be going to support him. He should get a couple of good matches in, at least a couple of ranked kids so we are excited to watch that.
Enjoy pics from last night here.

South Bend Clay

We shut out Clay last night 75-0 (varsity score). Trenton beat Nixon 6-2 and Tyler had a forfeit. The dual meet went by quickly...we were done within an hour. That's how I like 'em! Pictures here of Trenton's match.
Haven't gotten many You Tube videos of the boys...will try to get one of Tyler tonight, since this will be the last time I will watch him wrestle this year (JV). We travel to Lakeshore in Michigan for exhibition matches. Their team is supposedly good so we are looking forward to some good competition.

Another Season of American Idol

Another season of American Idol began last night. Some auditions were funny. Others were good. I do recall one that was supposed to be funny - in fact, Paula and Randy laughed hysterically because I think they thought this guy (second one in this video) was a jokester but he really looked like he was going to cry after seeing their reactions of laughing. It was kind of sad. I felt bad for that guy. I know I would not want to be laughed at, but then again, if I knew I was that bad I would never audition. It makes me wonder who on earth would tell people they are good singers if they aren't. Scary.

Anyways, looking forward to the new season - probably won't be able to catch alot for the first few weeks or so because of wrestling but I'll catch as much as I can. Tivo is looking better and better.

"At Home"

My sister in law had an Uppercase Living party a few months back...I finally got a ceramic tile to put my order on. I have had it for a while but have not taken the time to actually put it on a tile and display it. Considering we are "between" houses it was not a priority thing for me. I had to get some items at Lowes yesterday and decided to pick out a tile and put it together so I could see how it would turn out. I'm loving it. It will look so nice displayed in our new home, hopefully sooner than later {wink}.

NIC Superdual

The NIC was at Marian yesterday so Ben went with Trenton. He also went 5-0 with two forfeits and three wins. Trenton wrestled Laville and pinned him in 3:22. He then beat Elkhart Central 8-2 and Teched Marian in 2:49. One more win (hopefully Wednesday) and he will be first team NIC (first place in his weight class). PS What do you think of his new "chin cup?" He is excited about it. Also got more great news...check it out...he is now ranked! See preliminary results below:

130

1 Marsh-West Noble 12
2 Spencer-Pike 11
3 Zuber-Evansville Mem 12
4 Torres-Portage 10
5 Wojdyla-Brown Co
6 Harmon-Southwestern (Han) 12
7 Roach-Crown Point
8 Mann-South Adams 12
9 Barrett-Eastern (Greene) 11
10 Reinoehl-Mishawaka 11
11 Dickey-Milan 12
12 Vest-Perry Meridian 12
13 Wight-Homestead 12
14 Larowe-East Noble 10
15 Youngs-Zionsville 12
16 Plesac-Hobart
17 Meunier-Avon 11
18 Torres-Portage 10
19 Corsaro-Cathedral
20 Angermeier-Mooresville 10

Charger Invitational - Elkhart Memorial

Tyler had two forfeits and won three matches yesterday for a record of 5-0 for the day. Tyler pinned Crown Point in an exhibition match (because his opponent did not make weight). He then went on to beat Penn (Davis) 4-2 and Elkhart Memorial 9-3 (Matteson). It was a nice tournament...one of the best as far as "clean" - they washed their mats off after every round! It also went quickly, maybe because it was team format this time. All in all, another good day for Tyler. Pictures here.

Holy Geesepond, Batman!

Because we have been under flood warnings and everything is pretty much under water as of late, Gabi and I decided to check out our lot the other day. We wanted to see if anyone has had trouble with their basements or if our lot was flooded, etc. Good news...no flooding. The ground was just wet, nothing out of the ordinary and no one in the neighborhood had any kind of flooding in their basements. We were, however, very surprised at all the Canadian Geese on the pond! It was amazing. Gabi got really excited about it and wanted to feed them but we didn't have any bread to throw. I explained that having geese in our yard would not be fun and daddy probably wouldn't be as excited as her. Needless to say, Ben and I talked about options to keep them out of our yard when we get there.

Jimtown

Last night was full of highs and lows for us...Trenton and Tyler both wrestled...Tyler was varsity too. We knew he would have a tough match against the Jimtown kid because he placed 5th at the Al Smith Invitational (of course, a very tough tourney). Because Tyler had this in the back of his mind he was nervous to begin with. It was Senior night last night and the team decided to wrestle under the spotlights. This is very exciting for the wrestlers but I knew it added to the pressure Tyler was already feeling, and you could see it everytime he looked up in the stands before he had to go out on the mat. Unfortunately, he took his first loss ever in 3 years (school) but it makes him 1-1 at the varsity level for high school. We were glad he was given the opportunity to wrestle varsity again...he needs to feel the pressure and get the experience. I am sure he will see this as a stepping stone to his successes in the future.
Last night was great for Trenton. He has just been wrestling awesome lately. You can tell he REALLY wants to succeed and prove himself. Trenton only beat this Jimtown opponent at the Al Smith by one point but Trenton was confident he would do better. Less pressure, less nerves. He was right. He took it to Brian Williams. He beat him 9-3. You could really tell Williams was upset by the third period the way he threw himself down at the start of the period. At this point, I knew Trenton had it no problem. When you get out of control and your opponent takes your heart out of the match, it is pretty much over. That's what happened. Trenton drove the entire match. In fact, Williams' dad came over to Trenton afterwards and made mention of the Al Smith, stating he thought it was a "fluke" that his son lost to Trenton. Don't think so. Trenton is on a roll and he is not going to stop anytime soon. Great wrestling last night boys, we are very proud, as always. Enjoy pics of both of the boys here.

Choices

Finally, I have finished choosing colors in our house we are building. After going back at least three times, I am content with my choices. We have chosen a slate-Napco color siding with classic blue shutters and Chapel Gray roofing. We have also finished the layout...we made alot of changes to a basic floor plan and will share the actual one when we get it signed off. The blueprint should be ready to sign off on this week and staking should begin. As for the inside...colors chosen. We have chosen a red oak flooring that will be in the entryway, kitchen, half bath and laundry room. The half bath will have a pedistal sink and commode. Therefore, no countertop had to be chosen. I chose a cookie color carpet (cross between a shag and plush) that will be in the family and living room, as well as the dining room, staircase and throughout upstairs. The fireplace will have ceramic tiles surrounding it that will look match the wood flooring and cabinets in the kitchen beautifully. The kitchen cabinets I chose were Sinclair Birch (Autumn color) that matches the flooring well and I have chosen a baltic granite countertop. I am very pleased with this choice. For now, we are going with the standard white appliances...to possibly upgrade in the future.

The bath for the kids upstairs will have this flooring...

and this countertop (mineral spa)...

The master bath was fun to choose colors for. We will have a shower, walk in closet, commode, sink and a jacuzzi tub. I am very excited about that! We chose this for our flooring in the master bath...

and this is what we chose this for our countertop color (jeweled mica)...

As for paint, we chose for them to do two colors through the entire house. Trim in pure white and walls in pacer white. We will probably end up painting the kids (or at least Gabi's) rooms a different color. We will see. At least we will have the contrast right off the bat, rather than one color throughout. You can check out the colors here. I must say it has been very exciting picking and choosing and we have basically only begun. We get to meet with the lighting store next and then we get to choose storage, cable, etc. This ride has just started. It is interesting to see all that goes into building and we are looking forward to watching it every step of the way! I will continue to share as I go.

Another Quote...

Loving this excerpt from this website. Great site to keep updated on Indiana sports.

"#1 Mishawaka 33, #7 Bellmont 19
Mishawaka’s state-ranked lower weights – plus the red-hot Reinoehl, who continued his stretch of knocking off highly ranked opponents with a 3-0 decision over sore-shouldered No. 7 (at 125) Will Sheets – dominated the host Braves as six of the Cavemen’s eight victories came right in a row at the smallest classes."

Full article here.

Bellmont Invitational

Wow, talk about a tournament! David graciously offered to drive and go with me to watch Trenton yesterday. Ben was able to go to Calumet - another great tourney - so he told me to go and watch at Bellmont. Some say one matchup is a precursor to the team state finals...Mishawaka vs. Perry Meridian. It was certainly intense. The first matchup was against Witko. Trenton pinned his opponent (Ryan Busz) in the first period. The second round was Bellmont and Trenton faced Will Sheets again (rematch from final round at Al Smith) and beat him this time 3-0. Great match. The third round was against Bloomington South (Richard Reschke) and Trenton also pinned him in the second period. Then came Perry. The preview of state finals right before us...Our team made some pretty dumb errors and we had to sub in two of our varsity wrestlers and we lost 24-30. I can see that we can beat them...we can. It will take alot of work and discipline on our side but it is an absolute possibility and I look very forward to that rematch at team state. Trenton's match was against Brian Vest...ranked #3 in the state and beat him 2-1. Boy, oh boy, what a match. Last round was against Evansville Memorial and Trenton had Conner Zuber (ranked #4 in the state also). At this point, I think alot of wind was taken out of sails because of the team loss. Trenton lost his match 2-3 but I really think he will get him next time. It was another great match.

David got a new camera and was able to take some pics but I haven't gotten any from him yet. I will post them later because he got some GREAT photos. Nice camera too - I have to say, I am very jealous. A Sony Alpha to be exact. Anyways, I was glad I went...the drive was long, but the wrestling was well worth it. Awesome competition and Trenton proved himself again. VERY PROUD.

Riley Invitational

Ben, my parents, Gabi, Marissa and family and Ben's dad were able to go to Tyler's tournament yesterday. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pics because Ben can't work a camera and video camera at the same time. Greatly appreciated, I think I will have some pictures coming because a friend was able to capture some : )
Tyler went 4-0 and won out in 125 lbs. His first round was against Penn (Alex Soijka) and Tyler got a pin, the second round was against a Munster kid (Swift) and Tyler won 12-6, the third round was against another Penn kid (Wendtzel) and Tyler beat him 13-2 and in the Championship round Tyler beat an Elkhart Memorial kid 4-1. Tyler actually wrestled him last weekend and won 6-0. It was a LONNNNNGGGGGGG day for them. I guess the wrestling started at 10 am and Tyler finished around 8:30 pm. Tyler got a nice medal...the best one he has received yet. Great job, Tyler!

Hoosier Authority Quote

Found this excerpt today...

Can you say SHOWDOWN?

Back at the Al Smith Invitational, the last two rounds of the tournament were highly competitive for the most part. The finals saw four pins and 10 decisions, while the consolation round had three pins, 10 decisions, and a major decision.

But the host Cavemen were the dominant story in this prestigious event. All five Mishawaka champions defeated opponents that were ranked in the Top 10 in the finals, with Trent Reinoehl registering perhaps the day’s standout performance.

Reinoehl was the only unranked wrestler to win a title, and his route to the top of the 130-pound weight class was capped by an 8-6 overtime upset of Bellmont’s Will Sheets, ranked No. 7 at 125.

“Trent wrestled an outstanding tournament,” Snyder said. “His conditioning and focus definitely showed. His overtime victory in the finals might have been the best match of the entire tournament.”

The entire article here at this website.

2007 In Review and Looking Ahead

2007 - what a year! So much has happened and I am grateful that I took the opportunity to journalize it in this blog. What a great chance for me to keep everything written down and have the ability to share with friends and family. Some highlights from this past year...

Ben - still working at Days. He has been so busy lately...a mixture of good and bad, I guess. Bad because of the long hours (one day he worked 5 am - 10 pm) and good for business. He really has a wonderful job as far as flexibility, etc.

Cindy - still working at United Family. It has been a rough year for me because of audit requirements, etc. but it is work in progress. I am still very thankful that I am able to be at home and work at the same time.

Trenton - Trenton had a busy year. He started his first job at the Parks Department (summer) and he loved it. Kept him busy and gave him responsiblity. He enjoyed working outside and was thankful that they worked around his busy wrestling schedule. Trenton also got his driver's license this year. A definite stepping stone. As far as his wrestling career...he took it to the next level going to Fargo, ND for Team Indiana (Freestyle and Greco). He started a new school with a new set of friends and has exceled. We are proud. Trenton just recently won the Al Smith Invitational - a HUGE accomplishment. With the new year, he is looking to go to High School State Finals with his team as well as an individual. He is also looking forward to ISWA and hopefully making Team Indiana again this year. Trenton will also work for the Parks again in the summer.

Tyler - Tyler has come a long way as well. After the tragedy of breaking his leg in wrestling he got right back up on the horse for another try and he has exceled not only in wrestling but in football as well. A sport he wasn't sure of playing before we moved school districts. Tyler is so glad that he played and is looking forward to playing this year (2008) as a sophomore. He loves it. Tyler is also looking forward to taking driver's training and undergoing a small surgery to remove the hardware in his leg. He will hopefully get some ISWA in as well and start football at the beginning of the school year.

Gabi - She certainly always enjoys her pom camp in the summer with her friend, Emma. Gabi epecially loved the family time camping at Jellystone and lots of swimming at maw maw and paw paw's house. Gabi didn't do as much gymnastics this year and is starting to really develop some likings to other things...such as volleyball and soccer. We will do our best this year to help her experiment with what she enjoys. She also enjoyed a quick trip to the zoo to see the manatees. Gabi had such a good time with just Ben and me. Don't get me wrong, she missed the boys, but loved the attention.

Our Family as a whole - We had a great summer at our seasonal site (Jellystone) this summer. The family time we spent together will always be etched in our memories. Great times. We did lots of traveling for wrestling (ISWA) and got to go to Ohio to the zoo with Gabi. This year we will probably take a trip with the high school team to some great national competition somewhere (maybe Disney) and we hope to make a visit to North Carolina to visit Ben's family.

Anyways, lots done this year and we will cherish the memories, but on the other hand, we are looking forward to a new year and new memories to make. Happy New Year!

Blades of Glory

Would you believe we have never taken the kids ice skating. It came up in conversation the other day and we decided to take them when we had a chance. Well, today we had opportunity and they did really well. I don't think the boys were too impressed, in fact, Tyler said ice skating is "overrated." Trenton and Tyler did entertain themselves (and others)...trying to do cute little moves and spins and playing tag with their dad. Gabi, on the other hand, had a fabulous time and wants to go again. Ben was the brave one and ventured on the ice with her. After a few falls, she got the hang of it pretty quickly. All in all, it was a good time as a family.

Al Smith Awards

A good friend of mine caught this on tape - Ben was busy taking pics (as you can see in the video) and I was busy enjoying the moment and clearing the happy tears from my eyes. It all went by so fast that I couldn't catch it all. In fact, Kathy also caught Trenton's last part of his match and all the hugging and celebrating afterwards...a definite keepsake. Unfortunately, I couldn't put that on youtube because it is too long, but it is priceless. Note - Trenton is believed to be the only unseeded wrestler to win the Al Smith. History has been made.

In The News

In the newspaper this morning...front page of the Sports section (picture included)! Also, pics of the Al Smith that I took - here.

Article published Dec 29, 2007

Going the distance

Unseeded Reinoehl works overtime for win

TIM CREASON

Tribune Correspondent

MISHAWAKA -- Trent Reinoehl could be a poster boy for the phrase, "Never Give Up."Given his unseeded status and previous history at the huge Al Smith Wrestling Invitational, the Mishawaka junior really had no business capturing a 130-pound weight class championship Friday afternoon.For that matter, he really had no business even wrestling on the second day of the 32-team tournament.But there he was, on the center mat at Mishawaka High School's gym, locked in an overtime battle with Bellmont's Will Sheets for the 130-pound title.Trailing 4-1 after one period, Reinoehl scored a crucial takedown with 23 seconds remaining to send the bout into overtime. Then, with 24 seconds left in the extra period, he locked up a wing and spun to Sheets' back, scoring the winning points and claiming the title, 8-6.A year ago, when he was wrestling for Penn High School, Reinoehl didn't even get through the morning of the tournament's first day. He lost his first two matches in quick succession.This time around, he was a monster on the mat, dispatching top-seeded Jake Leitch of Elkhart Memorial in the semifinals and giving Mishawaka a huge lift on the way to its second consecutive Al Smith team championship."After I beat Leitch in the semifinals, I knew I could win it," said the first-year Caveman, who improved his season record to 14-3."I knew I had to wrestle six minutes non-stop, and as it turned out, I had to go even longer (in the final)," said Reinoehl. "I actually felt stronger as the match went along. I was unseeded, so I knew that people probably didn't think I would win. I'm glad I had a chance to show them otherwise."Reinoehl was not ranked in the most recent state power poll. Look for that to change in a hurry, as finishing first in the state's most prestigious mat tourney carries a lot of recognition with it.In all, five Mishawaka wrestlers won individual titles, and two others took runner-up honors, as the No. 1-ranked Cavemen ran away from the field.Though 145-pound senior Neal Kostry was ejected and all his points were lost due to a flagrant misconduct call in the wrestlebacks, the Cavemen still won by 92 1/2 points over runner-up Bellmont. They scored 274 1/2.No. 7-ranked Bellmont nipped No. 11 Elkhart Memorial for second place, 182 to 180 1/2."We wrestled really well," said Mishawaka coach Darrick Snyder, whose team had the title mathematically wrapped up before the finals ever began."We're aware that being ranked No. 1 puts a target on our back, and everybody is shooting for us," said Snyder. "That's OK, we have to learn to deal with the pressure if we are going to win a state championship this year."Paul Beck at 103, Josh Harper at 125, Caleb Norville at 171 and heavyweight Randy Morin joined Reinoehl in the winner's circle for Mishawaka, while Steven Sandefer (140) and Brandon Mersich (152) were second-place finishers.Beck knew that a victory in the first match of the day could set the tone for his teammates, so he quickly knocked out Merrillville's Zach Stevens, 7-0, in the semifinals before beating Lawrence North's Brandon Nelson in the finale, 4-0."I went 100 percent the whole time," said Beck, who gave up no offensive points during the tournament. "I wanted to get things rolling for the team."In a rematch of last year's 112-pound state title match, Harper pinned Lawrence North's Cashe' Quiroga in 3:05 for the 125-pound championship. Norville topped Bellmont's previously undefeated Ben Bultemeier, 8-4, at 171.Morin then finished the day in possibly the tourney's roughest showdown, pinning Riley's Mike Palmer following an extremely physical first two periods.(Palmer) and I get pretty intense," said Morin. "It's been building more and more the last couple years. But it was a lot of fun. It really felt good to seal the deal for the team."Jimtown's Ryan Konrath won a championship at 189, edging Elkhart Memorial's Steve Stahl, 3-2, in the finale. Riley's George Malone, meanwhile, took a 4-2 decision from Jasper's Jeremy Steinhart to win the 215 title.And what to make of Warsaw? The Tigers, who have lost most of their dual meets this season, walked out with three champs -- Justin Brooks at 112, Matt Elvidge at 140 and Andy Keener at 152."I know, it's weird," said Keener, who improved to 23-0 with a 5-2 victory over Mishawaka's Mersich in the finals. "It's kind of discouraging to lose as a team all the time, but individually, we've got some pretty good guys. I'm really happy to win today, because I didn't wrestle my best."

AL SMITH WRESTLING INVITATIONAL

At MishawakaTeam scores: Mishawaka 274 1/2, Bellmont 182, Elkhart Memorial 180 1/2, Lawrence North 165 1/2, Merrillville 157 1/2, Peru 151, Riley 150, Hobart 147 1/2, Warsaw 128, Jimtown 114, Prairie Heights 106 1/2, Chesterton 103 1/2, East Noble 98, LaPorte 96 1/2, Jasper 80, Valparaiso 80, Lowell 74, Lake Central 69, Rochester 69, Penn 68, Lawrence Central 64 1/2, New Prairie 62 1/2, Princeton 57, Goshen 56, Benton Central 52 1/2, Adams 52, Calumet 45 1/2, Southport 38 1/2, Wawasee 37, Clay 36, Bremen 32, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 20.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND103: Paul Beck (Mishawaka) dec. Brandon Nelson (Lawrence North), 4-0.112: Justin Brooks (Warsaw) pinned Ben Williams (Chesterton), 5:31.119: Anthony Napules (Merrillville) pinned Caleb Smith (Princeton), 1:43.125: Josh Harper (Mishawaka) pinned Cashe' Quiroga (Lawrence No), 3:05.130: Trent Reinoehl (Mishawaka) dec. Will Sheets (Bellmont), 8-6 in OT.135: Eric Galka (Hobart) dec. Zack Corpe (Elkhart Memorial), 10-4.140: Matt Elvidge (Warsaw) dec. Steven Sandefer (Mishawaka), 6-4.145: Brennan Cosgrove (Hobart) dec. George Markou (Peru), 5-2.152: Andy Keener (Warsaw) dec. Brandon Mersich (Mishawaka), 5-2.160: Ryan Baker (Bellmont) dec. Jordan Schultz (Rochester), 14-7.171: Caleb Norville (Mishawaka) dec. Ben Bultemeier (Bellmont), 8-4.189: Ryan Konrath (Jimtown) dec. Steve Stahl (Elkhart Memorial), 3-2.215: George Malone (Riley) dec. Jeremy Steinhart (Jasper), 4-2.285: Randy Morin (Mishawaka) pinned Mike Palmer (Riley), 4:55.

CONSOLATION ROUND(For 3rd place)103: Travis Barroquillo (Prairie Hts) maj. dec. Zach Stevens (Merrillville), 8-0. 112: Carlo Martinez (Merrillville) pinned Miguel Perez (Riley), 4:01. 119: Ryan Stahl (Elkhart Memorial) dec. Aaron Garretson (Peru), 1-0. 125: Frankie Porras (Hobart) dec. Brandon Harvey (Elkhart Memorial), 6-4. 130: Jake Leitch (Elkhart Memorial) pinned Jacob Plesac (Hobart), 1:58. 135: Tom Churchard (Valparaiso) dec. Jeremiah Edwards (Lawrence North), 10-5. 140: Johnny Dillon (Hobart) dec. Matt Goodwin (Lawrence North), 5-2. 145: David Oviatt (LaPorte) dec. Braden Barkus (Goshen), 7-5. 152: Sam Mitchel (Peru) dec. Mike Roberts (LaPorte), 2-0. 160: Quinn Kurtz (Prairie Hts) dec. Tim Forte (Mishawaka), 3-0. 171: Derick Nesvold (LaPorte) pinned Damon Jones (Lawrence Central), 0:52. 189: Jake Salas (Merrillville) dec. Billy Baker (Bellmont), 4-3. 215: Dylan Forbes (Prairie Hts) dec. Braxton Riley (Wawasee), 8-2. 285: Bart Bugay (Southport) dec. Nick Polson (Lawrence North), 5-2.

CONSOLATION ROUND(For 5th place)103: Nick Neilsen (Riley) pinned Mike Moore (Elkhart Memorial), 2:37. 112: Matt Guerra (Mishawaka) dec. Cameryn Brady (Lowell), 3-2. 119: Adam Guerra (Mishawaka) dec. Mark Olsen (Adams), 1-0. 125: Jeremy Hill (Jimtown) won by forfeit over Taylor March (East Noble). 130: Paul Manbu (Warsaw) dec. Frankie Valdivia (Merrillville), 12-8. 135: Trace Hall (Riley) pinned Braden Happ (Benton Central), 1:54. 140: Doug Linthicum (Bellmont) maj. dec. Tyler Lymburner (Riley), 14-1. 145: Joel Spaw (East Noble) won by forfeit. No 6th place. 152: Trent Busse (Bellmont) won by injury default over Jordan Martin (New Prairie). 160: Bryce Grimes (Lawrence No) dec. Elliot Carner (Peru), 3-0. 171: Zach Groves (Jimtown) dec. Henry Waring (East Noble), 2-1. 189: Nick Poplawski (New Prairie) pinned Jake Urednick (Bremen), 2:15. 215: Derrick Shire (East Noble) won by injury default over Zach Spurgeon (Jimtown). 285: Clint Wurm (Bellmont) won by injury default over Kyle Edlund (Goshen).Officials: Bob Foster (South Bend), Roger Griffith (Middlebury), Ken Gradeless (LaVille), Ray Aldrich (Mishawaka), Andy Wood (Elkhart), Jeff Colborn (Granger), Mark Miller (Rochester), Mike Faulkner (Mishawaka), Mike Overmeyer (Warsaw), Mike Golando (Valparaiso).

Al Smith Invitational

One of the biggest tournaments in the state was held yesterday and today. Trenton went 5-0 to win his weight class! Some of the toughest wrestlers, some even ranked, were there. It was exciting! Trenton had a forfeit the first round and beat Jimmy Larowe from East Noble 6-4. His last match of the day yesterday was against Brian Williams of Jimtown, winning 6-5 putting him in the semi final round. This morning he beat the number one seeded wrestler for his weight class (Leitch) from Elkhart Memorial 3-2 putting him in the final round today at 1:30. His final match was against Sheets from Belmont and he won in overtime 8-6. You can actually watch the final round online here! Just click on "Al Smith Invitational"and go from there to hear it or watch it. Trenton is on cloud 9 knowing he won the "Al Smith" today and we couldn't be more proud! A huge thank you to everyone who came to watch and support Trenton over these past two days. We are lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. In the words of one of Trenton's buddies from the wrestling team, "Here comes the leg train and Trent's the conductor!" Pics to come soon!

**Complete results here.

Merry Christmas!

Busy, busy day....we started our day by opening gifts as a family and finding what Santa left for us in our stockings. Santa left Gabi the Eyeclops and a new MP3 player under the tree. He also left some sweet treats and other small goodies in our stockings. The kids opened their gifts...some highlighted gifts for each included - Trenton (jeans, a flannel shirt, a new Mishawaka Wrestling hoodie, a tranformers t-shirt, CSI for nintendo DS and a pair of cowboy boots as his big gift), Tyler (camouflage shorts, a Mishawaka Wrestling hoodie, an electric shaver, some Vans shoes (red and black) and his big gift was the Zune. Gabi got a Pokemon game for Nintendo DS, an aquarium for tadpoles to grow into frogs, lots of books, and Life's What You Make It (Hannah Montana) DVD. We had fun trying out the Eyeclops (see a short video here). From there we went to Chad and Amber's house for brunch - egg casserole, hash brown casserole, cinnamon rolls and muffins, fruit and sausage was on the menu. We opened gift and enjoyed Star "brughs" cappucinos. We were able to visit with Ben's side - Dave, Dad R., Jeff, Pam and Bren in the afternoon where we also exchanged gifts. Lots of family time today, indeed. Now it's time or some R & R - playing with some of our gifts, checking them out and sitting around, eating leftovers from Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Merry Christmas to all and to all a great night! Enjoy pics from the holiday here.

Special Gifts

As shared last year, we open "special gifts" on Christmas Eve. This year we opened them a day earlier than usual...we opened them yesterday and read our letters along with them. Trenton got this from Gabi, Tyler got these (for wrestling) and a t-shirt sporting this from Trenton, Gabi got this (except a cute pink one) and some earrings from Claires from Ben, Ben got this and a git card to here from me, and I got these -chestnut color (not the real ones because they cost too much - fake ones are still very cute) from Tyler. All in all, it was a good time opening our gifts together as a family. Looking forward to our annual get together with my mom's side of the family this evening...lots of fun, food and laughter!!!

New Prairie

Tyler had a tournament at New Prairie yesterday (pics here). Didn't get home till almost 6 pm...it was a long day for him to only wrestle 3 times. He teched his first two opponents in the second period (18-3 and 19-2) and his last match 6-0. Very proud once again. Looking forward to the Al Smith tournament on Thursday and Friday - biggest tournament in the state! Trenton will be wrestling in this one. Tyler gets to work the tables, etc. because it is at their home school. Go Cavemen!

Let It Be Christmas

Favorite Christmas song by one of my favorite country artists. Click here. Two more days...

"All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth"

The tooth fairty visited last night...now there are two holes in front (one on top and one on bottom)!

Cavemen

For those of you who do not have the history of Mishawaka wrestling...check this out!

St. Joe - Varsity!

Tyler's first Varsity match! Tyler was able to go 125 for the St. Joe dual meet. He pinned his opponent in 30 seconds, while Trenton got a forfeit. Tyler said he was a little nervous about this being a varsity match but he went out and did his thing! We were so proud!

Santa

Look who we saw on Saturday! Just as the winter storm was blowing in...we ended up with about 7 inches of snow on the ground!! Seems we will have a white Christmas!

Gabi asked for a Nintendo DS and some games to go with it...Almost finished shopping...just a few more to go.

Penn

64-0

the final score from last night's varsity match. What an awesome atmosphere-with so much family and friend support, we just couldn't have gone wrong! Trenton won his match 15-3 and it was exciting to say the least. Enjoy pics of Trenton here. Support crowd included, but not limited to...my parents, Ben's dad, Jeff, Pam & Bren, Dave, Marissa and her entire family, Mike, Shannon & Briella, Aunt Annie, Aunt Becky, Bill and boys, Kathy and family, (Chad and family cheered at home...Chad was not feeling well but kept informed throughout the meet) - THANK YOU for loving us like you do! We love you all and appreciate your support.

Things got pretty crazy when Trenton and Tyler were wrestling on different mats but at the same time! Catch pics of Tyler here. Tyler pinned his opponent in 5:28 (third period). We were so proud of this video moment I captured with my camera - two boys wrestling at the same time (Trenton's match on far right of screen and Tyler's on the left)!

Friends and Traditions

Gabi and I met up with Lina and Emma for their annual gift exchange at McDonalds this evening. When we set this up Lina asked Emma about meeting us and Emma said, "we have to do it at McDonalds, it's tradition!" How cute! I think at one point during the evening Lina also made a comment, "do you think we'll be meeting here and exchanging gifts when you girls are 16?" Boy, that was a silly questions because both girls looked at us with serious faces and replied, "yes." Gabi got "Meet Miley Cyrus" CD and a Barnes and Noble gift card while Gabi got Emma "High School Musical 2" CD and a Borders gift card. Great minds think alike!

Reinoehl Christmas Party

We had the Reinoehl Christmas Party today after church at DeAmici's. Marissa was invited and she graciously accepted. She was able to meet alot of Ben's side of the family. The one thing my kids absolutely LOVE about the party is the food. Some famous dishes include Aunt Becky's shrimp dip and crackers, my hash brown casserole, and Aunt Becky's taco dip. Those being only a handful amongst the two tables worth of food from chicken and meatballs to cupcakes and jello salad. We also have an ice storm warning till 10 pm so the streets and parking lots are sheets of ice. Ben fell at least 3 times, Tyler, a couple of times, and Gabi, more than 5 times! The kids were having fun with this though on our way out to leave from the party. Caught it on tape. Good food, good times!

Calumet

Trenton went 3-2 yesterday at Calumet. It was certainly a LONG day for him as they did not get back till almost midnight. The team won the tournament as a whole so it was a great day for them! Unfortunately, Ben is not as talented as me so he was unable to film, keep score and take pics. We opted for the keeping score and filming, so that is all we have. Very proud of Trenton. You can read more about this tournament here.

Goshen Invitational

Today we headed to Goshen for Tyler's tournament while Ben and Dave went to Calumet for the Varsity tournament (more on that later). This Invitational was individual so Tyler went 130 lbs. and won out, pinning the first two opponents and winning the Championship round 8-4. My parents, along with Dennis, Kristi (Marissa's parents) and Marissa stayed the whole time with us to watch and support Tyler. We were also excited that Grandpa, Aunt Jenny, Travis and Mackenzy all came to watch his last two matches. So glad they got to watch Tyler!

Elves

My sister in law gave me this idea...thought it was cute, so I tried it.

Click here to enjoy!

18 more days to shop!

First Big Snow With Cousins

Gabi was able to enjoy the snow with Mackenzy (her cousin from Texas). Today she had half a day of school and because Mackenzy and Travis are with Grandpa while Jenny is in Chicago till tomorrow (at a conference), she was able to share some fun times in the snow with her! They had a great time outside and warmed up with a cup of hot chocolate! I asked Mackenzy if she had snow in Texas and she answered, "no, not really." I think she had a fun time with Gabi today playing Barbies, throwing snowballs at Tyler, eating snow, playing grocery store, talking about High School Musical 2 and Hannah Montana...girl stuff. They certainly enjoyed each other's company!

Elkhart Rookie Classic 2007

We were able to catch Tyler's last match (championship round) after leaving Plymouth (Trenton had a forfeit). Tyler went 5-0 for the day!! Tyler had 3 pins (one in 13 seconds!) and 2 decisions. We were so excited that we made it just as soon as the championship round was starting. I think Tyler was happy we made it also. Earlier in the day, a friend was able to catch photos for me as well (she was watching her son there also). It makes it nice to have someone catch the pics you can't - it's greatly appreciated! Uncle Dave and Marissa made Ben company at Tyler's tournament. Enjoy all the pics we have from that day here.

Plymouth Invitational

My parents, Gabi and I went to Trenton's tournament in Plymouth yesterday (and we will switch with Ben next weekend) since it was closer than next weekend. He did awesome! Trenton's only loss was to the Plymouth kid (3-4) and it was mostly from penalty points Trenton gave him. He'll get him next time. Other than that Trenton won his other two matches, and got a forfeit win from the third. Enjoy pics here.

What Matters...

Can I tell you Gabi was too cute yesterday as we went to two, yes, we made it to both tournaments yesterday. After Trenton's one loss Gabi and I went to the bathroom and she said to me, "it's okay mommy, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, what matters is that you have fun....but, it didn't look like much fun out there, it looked like hard work."
Only words from a wrestler's sister.
**Pictures to be posted later...

Gabi's Wish List 2007

Here is Gabi's wish list to Santa...I have a feeling he plans on bringing most of them to her...here's a sneak peek at some of them:

This...in pink (stylish)

She would absolutely love this...to be like her brothers

This version of Rubik's cube

Her favorite singer/actress new movie

This - because her last one fell off the back of the truck coming back from the campground this summer

A favorite game she plays at her best friend's house

This and this book

A sample of the things on her wish list for family include:

This book or others like it

This movie

This or this leapster game

These dolls - her or him

In her letter to Santa recently - Gabi told Santa that she thought he deserved a gift this year for delivering toys to all the boys and girls - how sweet!