All Star Shutout

Today was the All Star Basketball Tournament.
We lost by 20-some-odd points.
The mercy rule (ie: the clock runs continuously in the fourth quarter) was put into effect.
We had 9 points to our name after four quarters of play.
It was bad. Real bad. Something akin to the Bad News Bears of Basketball.

But Evan is still an All Star in our minds. We were behind by 21 points when Evan stole the ball from the opponent and passed it down the court to a team mate to score our one basket of the third quarter. I was so excited to see our team do something notable that I stood up and yelled, " Way to go, Evan! WOA! That's my baby!" It was my one chance to say something positive, and I jumped on it.

Otherwise, like right here when Evan went up for a three pointer and got caught jumping, I was yelling, "Oh, jeez! STOP TRAVELING and plant your feet."

It's hard to score, though, much less win, when you are playing a miniature version of a team from the NBA. Trust me when I say that this team's basketball skills were way better that their abilities to match their socks.

Good-bye basketball season. You were good to us this year. We will remember the kind words of our coach who said, "Evan, good job. I don't know why I took a likin' to you. I favored you for some reason. I think it is your heart and your desire to win. I'm going to look you up one day."

Please do, Coach. Like, say, in August because Evan's heart is even more faithful to football.

Soccer Pics

This is for Wes who asked, "Did you get any good pictures at the tournament?" 

This is magical; Evan was caught in mid-air stopping the goal.

In the last game, both boys played forward. This has happened only once before.  The excitement of that moment was so great, I tore my calf muscle. I was luckier this time around, and I left the game with all of my muscles working properly.

Evan won the ball and had a shot at the goal. The right leg kick was too wide. I heard the coach yell, "Shoot with your left!" At that point, it was a little too late to offer any advice.

This team stayed in the same hotel as us and they were from another town in Georgia that has an Army post. Several of the kids on the team were Army brats just like my two. After the tournament, my boys went swimming with this guy. There was never any mention of soccer; just three boys hanging out at the pool.

Keagan is always the smallest. This team had a seven year old on its team, too, and Keagan wanted to go against him so badly. It never panned out that way, though.

Kudos to our friend Vanessa for catching these shots on the field. I took my camera, but I only got pre-game shots. Once the game begins, I don't ever remember to pick up the camera. Luckily, Vanessa does. These are great!

Go Gators!

Opa and Oma met us in Tallahassee, Florida for the weekend soccer tournament. We have several tournaments planned in the coming months in hopes that we will be better prepared for the district tournament in May. Right now, there isn't much competition in our area so we have to travel to find teams that offer the same level of play.

Here are the boys in the hotel prior to the first game. Nothing says game time like wearing a soccer uniform while carrying a football.

Evan played goalie almost the entire tournament. I used to have heart palpitations when I saw him put on the goalie shirt; now I just get nauseated. It is so much pressure to put on a nine year old boy. I think he has begun to feel this pressure, too, because after a year in the goal, he has asked numerous times to play mid-field. He played one quarter as mid-fielder.  However, after stopping ten goals in the third game alone, I don't think he stands a chance of getting moved out of the goal anytime soon. He doesn't know it, but I am sending him to goalie camp this summer. Otherwise, I will have to begin spiking my water bottle with Emitrol.

While playing defense, Keagan juked this player in the first game of the series, and the rest of the team put him on cloud nine reminding him of the move all weekend. One of our star players asked Keagan if he would teach him his move, and before I knew it, he was putting on a mini-clinic in the breakfast room of the hotel.

Our next tournament is in two weeks. Go Gators!

Lightning Races

Lightning raced Saturday at the Pinewood Derby. Let me begin by saying I don't get the block of wood falling down a slope. I had no idea how seriously some kids (and adults) take these races...until Saturday. After the first race, I saw people jumping up and down and cheering, and I thought, "Well, can you believe that? It's a piece of wood falling down an incline." And then it hit me! Do people look at me on the soccer field sidelines and ask themselves, "Well, can you believe that? It's just a game!"

Finally, though, after a full hour of waiting and watching all that I could handle of the crazed whoops of celebration, Lightning was taken to the track.

He got second in all three heats and scored fourth over all! 

Keagan was pretty excited about the finish - especially since we had NO idea what we were doing when we agreed to this. Cut with a saw? Sand? Add weights? Graphite? It was all new to me.

There was no jumping up and down and screaming, though. That would just be over-the-top. We save that behavior for the sidelines of the soccer field.

FDR

Evan's social studies project for this week: Choose a famous American. Create a project that explains how he changed American society.

Evan plans to go to school tomorrow dressed as FDR and plans to give an oral presentation about his life. This was his dress rehearsal video clip recorded at home tonight that he used

to produce a short movie.

While we were researching FDR this afternoon on the web, we found an article that mentioned FDR's long time mistress Lucy. I think I spent more time trying to avoid the meaning of mistress than defining the New Deal. Finally, after avoiding it and pretending I didn't hear his persistent, "What's a mistress?" I answered with: "It's a girlfriend." That just generated even more questions, though, because he had already found that FDR was married to Eleanor. Finally, he asked, "Why does a married man need a girlfriend?"

I had no answer.

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Keagan's pine wood derby car.  He designed it, spray painted it, and decorated it, but he has no plans to race it on Saturday. That's what he says anyway. I saw the big slushy stained grin on his face when he finished it, though. And I saw him carry the car to bed with him tonight. (Luckily, I found it before he slept all night high on paint fumes.) I also overheard him tell Evan, "It is a nice looking car. And it has the number two on it...my football number. It has to win." I don't know who he's kidding. I think Lightning has a very good chance of racing on Saturday.

All Star

This is my boy.
He shoots three pointers.
He makes them....most of the time.
I scream and stomp my feet with each one.
I could be known as that "Crazy Basketball Mom", but luckily most know me as the "Mother of the Boy Who Shoots Three Pointers."

Today I am the "Mother of the Boy Who Made the All Star Team." I should be easy to spot at the first all star game. I will be the only mother in the stands with light skin. If you still can't find me, then listen for me. You won't miss me...especially if my boy just made another three pointer.

Basketball Blues

Keagan's team played its last game today. In fact, they played two games, and Keagan played all four quarters in both games all while battling croup. Keagan, always the sentimental one, said, "I'm gonna miss this team, Mama." No doubt he made some good friends with the kids on the team.

Later, he said, "I think I need to have a talk with someone about why I didn't make all stars." I explained that his age group didn't have all star teams, and it's a good thing. He was ready to kick some butt over his non-selection.

Sportscasting 101

For a hot second I considered studying meteorology in college. I thought I wanted to be the 6:00 weather girl, and then I realized people hate you when you get the forecast wrong. I decided, instead, to study education, my one true calling from the age of eight, because I am convinced clouds like to play tricks on people.

You can bet I teach one killer cloud unit, though.

This week Evan has been broadcasting the daily announcements on the school's morning news; he reads the breakfast menu like a pro. He told me he's practicing for TV so that when his NFL career is over, he will know how to work the booth.

Click here to see Evan's newscast.

He can be the next Troy Aikman; I won't mind. But, Dude, you can't be on TV with a jacked up hat. Where was wardrobe when filming took place last week?