It Was a Gallant Effort

We lost today's game 2-4 to the number five team in the state. It was totally heart-breaking because after we came back in the second half to tie the game, I thought we were going to pull out the win.
We are becoming masters at losing by a small margin.











The highlight of the game was the first goal of the game. Evan, playing defense, ran the ball up the side of the entire field and crossed it across the front of the goal to another player to score. Here are the guys congratulating each other.

It was textbook soccer; I may have done a small cheer on the sidelines and made a spectacle of myself. The kids did, too. I think they were entitled to a little fun, though.

Did Evan just pick William up? Why, yes! Yes, he did.

By the look of this picture, this kid was trying to congratulate Evan's gallant effort with a hug.

And then there's this. I don't care so much that we lost after seeing this picture. It's fierce, it's strong, it's perfection.

He Said It

This conversation took place in the car today:

Keagan: Dad, why did you go into the Army instead of going into the NFL?

Wes: Oh, Keagan! I was never good enough to make it in the NFL.

Keagan: Well, not with that kind of attitude...

Back on the Pitch

Fall soccer is here.
I could not be happier to be out of the gym and in the great outdoors watching my favorite eleven year old playing the greatest game on Earth!

We might have a new club name, new club colors, and a few new faces, but Evan is still playing defense, getting assists with his throw-ins and causing the opposing parents a lot of heart ache.

This weekend we are playing in our first tournament of the fall season; we won game one 1-0 and lost game two 1-2 after it was called for lightning.

We'll be back at it tomorrow morning.

Top Ten of Turning Ten

Keagan turns ten years old today. Ten! I love this boy to pieces and in case you were wondering here are my top ten reasons why!

10. There is little I can say no to when he looks at me with those big beautiful blue eyes and long lashes. His eyes kill me every single time! I say yes to him - a lot.

9. Keagan has a heart for animals and wants to rescue every single one of them. He will be the first to spot a stray on the side of the road, and he is the first to look away when a Save the Animals commercial hits the TV screen. His heart just can't take it.

8. Besides animals, Keagan has a true heart for others. He has a Korean boy in his class that speaks three English words: yes, no, and lunch. Keagan sits with him in the cafeteria, teaches him soccer moves at recess, and studies with him before the big tests. He told me today he wanted to buy a Korean dictionary with his birthday money so he can talk to his new friend.

7. Keagan can run like the wind. I wish I could. He runs just because. I love this about him.

6. Keagan is funny. I mean real funny. He is witty, creative, and has perfect timing with his wise cracks. His sense of humor brings so much joy and laughter to our lives.

5. Keagan can make friends with anyone. The three year old across the street? check! The eight year old girl down the street? check! The fifth grade boy at the end of the street? check! The shy boy in his class? check!  The boy who doesn't speak English? check! I love how open he is to meeting new people and making them feel like his best friend even after only an hour.

5. Keagan is gifted athletically. He can pick up a ball and play any sport with little to no instruction. This amazes me to no end and constantly leaves me asking "How is that possible"?

4. Keagan's love for waffles. I don't know how it is humanly possible to consume so many waffles, but he does. A minimum of two every single day. I keep Leggo in business.

3. Keagan's love for athletic clothes and shoes. The boy walks into a sporting goods store and can smell Under Armor. I have no idea what it smells like but he can identify it. I keep on buying it hoping one day I will be able to smell it, too.

2. Keagan's warm up routine for any game includes headphones and music. It puts him in the "zone." There is nothing I like better than to see him in the review mirror keeping the beat.

1. Every night Keagan asks me to tuck him in bed. He tells me he just can't get a good night's sleep unless I tuck him in. I know these days are fleeting. I treasure these minutes every single night.

Happy birthday, Keagan! I love you to the moon and back. Enjoy your day and your first year in the double digits.

Are you Ready for Some Football?

It's the first day of middle school football practice. I am wondering if he smiling this big at practice right now. I'm guessing he is rethinking that second helping of barbecue chicken he had for dinner tonight.

Evan is one of three sixth graders that made the middle school team. I'm so stinkin' proud of him! Best thing is, he is playing middle school ball and there are no rules for big boys carrying the ball! I can't wait for our first game day!

Dudes at the Lake

This weekend Wes took the boys camping at Energy Lake with some of Evan's soccer buddies. It was the first night I have spent alone in eleven years, and I was beside myself with angst wondering how to spend my free time. I did the only thing I could think of. I went shopping.

The boys spent Saturday in the water kayaking, fishing, and swimming. Keagan was so excited about spending a Saturday in the woods that before he even got to the camp site he told me he planned to tell his friends at school on Monday that he had been attacked by a bear and was able to fight him off with his hands.

But the joke was on Keagan.

Early afternoon he was attacked by a nest of yellow jackets and stung four times on his head. Late afternoon, he cut the bottom of his feet on a piece of glass hiding in the bank of the lake, and he was gouged in the side by a tree limb when he slipped and fell while playing chase in the dark.

He came back home bandaged, bleeding, and blinded with exhaustion. However, he has already told me he can't wait to go back. As for Evan, his report of weekend events was a little less exciting. He told me, "It was fun."

First Day of School

It's back to school time for all of us....starting today. Evan began middle school

and Keagan began fourth grade.

I don't think any of us were quite ready for what the day held. I was not prepared to send my boy to middle school. Evan was depressed thinking of making new friends in what is now his fourth school in seven years, and Keagan still hates school. He began tearing up when it came time to walk to the door of the school. I think we all three shed a tear this morning. 

A first day wouldn't be complete without the afternoon recap. You might remember that last year the boys were most impressed with the cleanliness of the bathrooms. However, this is the first year that neither boy's best memory of the first day of school included food. Here it goes anyway. After school, Evan rode the bus to the high school, and within those short five minutes sitting in the bus lot loading a few students, he decided that the "high school student population is more diverse than the city of DC" with "goths, gays, jocks, and girls dressed as three time Oscar winners" all in one place. It was not lost to me that his most memorable moment of his first day of middle school was actually about high school. It was as if we skipped those middle school years and entered high school. 

Keagan's first day of school report included an explanation for his bleached shorts. He sat on the bleachers just after the janitor finished cleaning, and when he stood up, his blue shorts were white. 

I would like to think summer is just around the corner, but I can't ignore the 179 days of school that separate us from next Memorial Day.

Triple Three

This weekend Team Fuego played in the soccer 3v3 regional tournament. They took home third place and qualified for the national tournament in Florida!

As much as I hate that we did not place in the top two, I am a little relieved we didn't place in the top two. We promised to take the boys to Florida for the national championship IF they placed in the top two (even if the top four qualify), but I couldn't fathom keeping the boys out of school for a week for a soccer tournament. Third place is a respectable finish, but keeps us at home and in school.

Fall team soccer begins next weekend. Bring it! We're ready to kick some balls.