Bring it on!

We have been trying to do as many American things as we can during our holiday here.  Trick or Treating last week was awesome and very American; it was just like we have seen on TV.  Today we tried another typically American thing - we went to the football to see the Brookline Warriors play the Milton Wildcats.

I have to say that I am not a big fan of football and I had never even heard of American Football before but since the rest of the family were going on an adventure I figured that I had better go along too.  I am really glad that I did, not because of the football but because of the cheerleaders.

In Action

The cheerleaders were way more interesting to watch than the football.  They were really friendly too, they lifted me over the fence onto the playing field so that I could have my photo taken with them.

Milla is a Wildcat :-)

It was like being a part of Bring It On.
Maybe if AJ moves to America to be an ice hockey player, I can be a cheerleader.
Love Princess George

Auskick Extravaganza

I was dragged along to Auskick again today. I really really didn't want to go, especially since it was raining - football is bad enough without getting all wet and muddy. Luckily instead of playing football we all went in to the community centre to listen to Andrew Welsh talk about being a Champion footballer. I didn't really listen, I was too busy playing with my friends.

As well as playing with my friends, we got to have a barbeque and get more free football stuff. It is a shame that it is Essendon footy stuff and not bulldogs footy stuff.

Love Princess George

Land at the End of the Rainbow

I know that I keep saying that Auskick really isn't that much fun but quite clearly it must be a great place, it is at the end of the rainbow!

Don't tell mum but it was great that there was a rainbow at Auskick, it meant that it was raining and we didn't have to play football!

Love Princess George

Football Stars?

For the last few months mum and AJ have been dragging me along to Auskick. I really don't like football, but mum and AJ seem to like it. Luckily I am happy to go along and visit my friends there. This week at Auskick we found out that if our parents wanted to take us in to Etihad Stadium we could play in the half time Auskick games out on the ground. Naturally AJ thought it was the coolest thing ever. I didn't really want to go but decided that since the Bombers were going to play the Bulldogs it might be fun.

Well can you believe it, mum somehow convinced me to take my footy boots into the stadium, just in case there weren't enough players. Humph - they were a player short and I was convinced to play, providing I didn't have to do anything except for go out on to the field, I didn't actually want to have to play football.

Even though I wasn't 'playing' football, it was still exciting being down in the dressing rooms listening to the roar of the crowd up in the stands watching the real game. By the time we walked around to the other side of the ground and lined up in the race ready to go out onto the field I was feeling a bit nervous.

I played on the red team with my Auskick friends and AJ played on the black team with his friend Tiger.

Finally it was half time in the game and it was time for us to run out onto the field to play our game. AJ was great, he got a kick right after the game started and even kicked a point.

AJ had just kicked a point in this photo, that is him on the right.

Our team wasn't very good, but we were all having fun running around on the ground. All of a sudden our team got a free kick and the umpire tried to get me to take the kick.

I really didn't like the thought of taking a free kick and I got scared and started to cry. Instead of taking my kick I ran off the field and ran over to mum.

Later on in the game there was another free kick for our team and it was just in front of where I was. Even though I wasn't really paying the game I decided that I might as well have a kick.

I did an awesome kick and guess what happened? AJ marked it. He did the greatest kick and kicked a goal from the middle of the ground, it was awesome!

I may not have actually played football and my team lost, but I did have fun.

I was much happier when the game was over and I could go and relax with my Auskick friends.

Perhaps I will actually play Auskick next year, who knows?

Love Princess George

Harmony

What did you do today?  We went for a Walk in Harmony.  We started at Flemington Community Centre and walked all the way in to Docklands to watch Essendon play football at Etihad Stadium.  There were heaps of us there and we all had a great time, we even got to have a walk around the ground with everyone in the crowd cheering us on.  

Hopefully by getting Davey to see Essendon play, he will decide to barrack for them too.  I think that it is only fair, I cheer for Manchester United just like him!

Love AJ Pickle

Famous at the Footy!

Did I tell you that I went to the footy the other week?  I don't think I did, but Juice did.   Anyway this was me when mum asked if I wanted to go to the footy.  

I wasn't really that excited about going to the footy, but I was really really excited about having ALL DAY to play with Tiger!

So when we were at the footy, not watching the footy but playing in the park, a photographer came along and took our photo.  

So now we are famous on the sporting pulse website pretending to cheer for Murrumbeena as they played Ashwood.  I guess I should cheer for Beena!

Love AJ Pickle 

Lest We Forget

At school this week we made wreaths to remember all of the brave people that died in the wars trying to make sure that Australia would always be a safe and wonderful place to live.  

I watched some of the ANZAC parade and ceremony on the TV.   I even tried to stand quietly when they played the last post before the football.

There were a few people at our house for a barbeque and to watch the footy, I watched a bit then played wii for a bit.  I came back inside to watch the important part of the game, the end where the Bombers won and the Magpies didn't (sorry dad).  

Thank you ANZACs and Essendon, it has been a great day,

Love AJ Pickle

Bulldogs Roar

Finally we went to a Bulldogs celebration - the Western Bulldogs Family Fun Day in Footscray and it was fantastic.

There were gazillions of people there and heaps of things to do.  AJ played in a handball competition and won me a new football.  I was really proud of him for having fun at the Bulldogs and for winning me a prize!  We both won prizes in a spinning wheel and of course I had my teams colours painted on my face.

I had a great time at the Western Bulldogs Family Fun Day.  For some reason Dad thinks that we should go to the Magpies Family Day too!

Love Princess George

Family Fun Day

This morning I was dragged all the way to Essendon to go to the Bombers Family Fun Day.  Can you believe that I had to go to Windy Hill  - AGAIN?  Has everyone forgotten that I am a Bulldog and not a Bomber?  

It was a little bit fun.  The best part about the day was when all the Bombers fans (and dad too) went to wait around to wait to see the players get their team jumpers - there was no-one in line for all the rides.

First there was the ferris wheel

Then the mini merry-go-round

And even the Clowns

It was a hot day, so we went into the Hall of Fame to cool off.

I figured that as long as I was there I could pretend that I was a Bomber!

Oh, and AJ was there too.  

I think he had fun doing handball.

Hopefully one day I will get to go to Whitten Oval to watch the Bulldogs.

Love Princess George

Footy's Back

Well everyone who knows us knows that our families choice of football teams are a little different to most, see dad barracks for the Magpies, Milla loves the Bulldogs, mum follows the Kangaroos and of course I'm a Bomber.  The friendly rivalry is great fun, but it means that we don't get to go to many games.  

When we found out that the NAB cup footy match between the Bombers and the Bulldogs was being moved back to Melbourne to raise money for the bush fire appeal, we just had to go along.

It was fantastic.  When we arrived at the station and crossed the footbridge to the ground, there were people everywhere, lots of famous people too.  We bought another footy as part of a fund raiser, not to kick but to get a few famous signatures.  We got a Bomber to sign the ball, a Bulldog and even someone from the Magpies just to keep dad happy.  When we got into the ground we stopped to get our faces painted before we found our seats, 5 rows from the front and watched the players warm up.

Finally the game started and it was fantastic, well the first half of the game was!  By then it was really really late and we were all really tired and went home during the gigantic half time break.  

We never did see the end of the footy match, but apparently my team the Bombers won by one point.  The important part is that we helped to raise even more money for the bush fire appeal. 

Love AJ Pickle

Advance Australia Fair

What did you do to celebrate Australia Day?

I went to Windy Hill to see the Bombers at their first training session for 2009.  All of my favourite players were there, it was fantastic.  I got lots of autographs, but the best part of the day was when my friend 'Little Jimmy' (James) and his mum were on the field singing the national anthem with the players.

Check it out!

Seeing the Bombers sure was a great way to celebrate Australia Day.  Sure we had heaps of people come over to our house for a barbeque in the afternoon, but did you see the Bombers?

Love AJ Pickle

Essendon Auskick

Today, as well as doing all the normal Auskick things like kicking, handball, taking speckies and playing footy we learned all about being an umpire.  It was great fun.

I really liked practicing being a goal umpire!

When the clinic was finished, we were all given awards and if we were really lucky, a showbag from Essendon!

Well Auskick is over for another year, what will I do of a Wednesday night now?

Love AJ Pickle

The End of the Rainbow

Tonight after school, we went to the land at the end of the rainbow.  Milla was looking for a pot of gold or a trip to fairy land, but what we found was even better - it was Windy Hill, the home of the Bombers.

We watched the Bombers do some training and then we did some of our own Auskick training but best of all we went to the Bombers Hall of Fame.

Do you think that I would be a great Bomber?

Love AJ Pickle

Goal

We all went to the footy tonight.  Most people would think that that was pretty normal, but we went to the St Kilda and Hawthorn match and nobody in our family likes those teams!  Our family footy teams are Essendon, Bulldogs, Collingwood and the Kangaroos.

Do you know why we went to see such a strange match?  

It was because my mum and some of her friends were umpiring one of the half time Auskick matches.  How cool is that!  I hope that my mum can umpire when I get to play Auskick at Telstra Dome.

Love AJ Pickle

Screamer

I went to Windy Hill, the home of the Essendon Bombers, today.  There was heaps to see and do.

Milla wasn't really interested in watching the footy, she was much happier just drawing pictures in one of her new notebooks from a showbag.

Dad had fun cuddling a koala.

My favourite part of the day was kicking the footy of course!

Do you think that I should train mum to make movies of me actually marking the footy?

Love AJ Pickle

Barbeque

We finally had a barbeque for dinner tonight.  Can you believe it, it is the first barbeque we have had since Clement arrived a month ago!

To celebrate the Bombers beating North Melbourne this afternoon, we had kangaroo steaks.  (By we, I really mean dad and Clement!  I prefer lamb and salad.)  

Clement really liked the steaks, he had extra!  

Love Princess George

PS - We really need to get our yard and spa fixed so we can barbeque more often.  Next on the barbeque menu for Clement - kanga bangas!

The Faces of Footy

Dad and Clement went and saw Collingwood play footy on Saturday and Clement thinks that the Magpies are a good team.  I have been trying to teach him that the Bombers are to best team so today the whole family went to the footy.  We saw the Kangaroos and the Bombers play at Telstra Dome.  

The Kangaroos were winning at the start and I wasn't really very happy!

I was so upset that I decided to play with Milla and draw pictures instead of watching the game.

When the final siren went, I was surprised to find out that the Bombers had flogged the Kangaroos.  I had to check with dad just to be sure.

Go Bombers!

Love AJ Pickle

Champions

Well my first year of Auskick is over.

To celebrate having so much fun learning all about footy, the kids challenged the parents to a match.

It was a really hard match, not just because the parents could kick almost the entire length of the ground, or because the parents could just pick up the kid who had the ball instead of just the ball. The main reason that it was a hard match was because the kids were all so excited and trying really hard to get the ball, that they didn't care who they tackled - I was tackled by my own team player! It didn't really matter in the end, I think the kids won anyway.

After the match we had an award ceremony and I got a certificate, a bag of lollies AND a trophy. I am so excited, my first trophy.

I love Auskick, I can't wait until next season.
Love AJ Pickle

Happy Families

Did you know that everyone in our family barracks for a different footy team. I barrack for the best team - the Bombers, Milla likes the Bulldogs the best (and the Kangaroos and Koalas too!), mum cheers for the Kangaroos and dad goes for the Magpies.

The Bombers have been playing really well this year, but I wasn't very happy this weekend - the Magpies beat the Bombers!

At least the Bombers can fly faster than a magpie!
Love AJ Pickle

Playing Footy

Finally, after begging every day, Dad finally took me to Auskick.

First we start off doing some warm ups and go for a jog. Then we do some ball skills and practice tackling and falling down safely and finally it is time to play a game. I play in the back line most of the time. I am pretty good at stopping the ball from going between the goal posts.

It is so much fun and heaps of my friends go to Auskick too.

I think dad was so glad that I wanted to play footy that he took me to get my very own footy jumper. I don't think he was really happy when I chose a Bombers jumper instead of a Magpies jumper though!

Love AJ 'the Bomber' Pickle