Tricks and Treats

 
 
 
This brings me so much joy! I'm so happy to see Evan going trick-or-treating with a friend. I have been saddened that my little boy has become so grown up in such a short amount of time. I am relishing today's costume choice and his excitement for tonight - even if he is ditching us to hang out with a friend.

Keagan and Alex have ditched us, too. Alex's family knows me well enough to know I don't do temps below 55 degrees, and they have agreed to take the boys around the neighborhood. I am so grateful because 41degrees and wind gusts of 30mph spell misery. I lucked out this year getting to sit on the couch in my warm house drinking Port.                                                          Happy Halloween! Hope your night is filled with tricks and treats!

 

Winner, Winner Italian Ice for Dinner

We played eight games this weekend and won them all. We haven't won this many games all season, much less in one weekend. 

Evan's team won first place in this weekend's soccer tournament, too. 

That's my son standing with the coaches. Yep, he's really that tall. Yes, he eats 'normal' food, and yes, I know he looks 15 instead of 11. 

Funny story. A couple of weeks ago the dads took the boys to a sports bar in between games to watch football and grab a bite to eat. Evan was bent over his menu trying to decide what to order, when the waitress asked, "And can I get a beer for you today, too?" Evan looked up. She gasped, and he said, "Sure. I'll take a root beer."

Both boys are coming home today as champions! 

A weekend filled with sports, wins, and beautiful weather? Perfection! We celebrated with Italian ice. 

Savoring the Win

Look at those smiles! The Hawks left today's game with a win - the only win of the regular season. 

In the after-game recap, Evan received kudos for two blocks that led to two touchdowns!

Let's hope this winning streak will be good for one more win! 

Hungry for Goals

Between the two boys we watched eight games this weekend. Friends tell us we're crazy for spending our weekends on the sidelines. I hear them say "think of all the fun you're missing." They must have never experienced the high you feel when your child scores a goal or when your child hip checks the opposing team's player to get to the ball. They have not experienced the joy of winning. 

Our old team is back and playing better than ever! They took home the gold today.

Coach told Keagan he wanted him hungry for goals and there were several pep talks given to him encouraging him to shoot more and pass less. I guess it worked. He scored five this weekend. 

He Said It

 
Keagan: "Mom, are you menoplausal?"

Wes: "Where did that come from?

Keagan: "Those commercials on TV say 'Are you  menoplausal? Are you experiencing these symptoms. Then call 1-800...blah...blah."

Wes: "No, Mom is not menopausal. That happens when females have changes in hormone levels and their bodies."

Keagan: "Well, my body is changing. My foot is bigger, and I can wear a large shirt. I think this means I am menoplausal."

Keagan: "Mom, can I get a griddle like Evan?"

Me: "Evan has a griddle?"

Keagan:"Yeah, Dad got him one for football."

(It tok me a second, but I think he meant girdle.)

I'm a Robot

Nothing says Fall Break Fun like a visit to the doctor. Today Keagan visited the cardiologist for an EKG and evaluation for a heart murmur. We've only been advised every summer to have it done, and I have put it off because everyone I know that has had one is still living. I also like to think that I'm doing my country a service by spending their/my tax dollars wisely. The pediatrician thought otherwise and so I made the appointment. It took us just under four months to be seen.

Keagan was just relieved he got to keep his pants on. All of the wires and the ultrasound wand were kind of cool, too.

As it turns out, Keagan is completely healthy. In fact, the doctor commented that his pulse rates mimic those of a well-conditioned professional athlete. 

 

 

There's no telling how much of your tax dollars were spent on this analysis. On the up side, Keagan received a great health lesson on the working heart.

 



The Long Lost Days of Percy and Thomas

We are wrapping up our weekend of family fun at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo train depot and hotel. Six years ago this would have been our first stop for our young train enthusiast. Today we were asked, " A train? What's so great about a train?"

Leave it to one of my boys to climb up on a train car's platform and try to open the door only to learn it is the sleeping quarters of one of the hotel guests. Oops!

We are headed home to stormy weather, basketball practice, football films, and the comfort of home! 

A Day in Nature

We spent our morning at Lookout Mountain and did our best to see it all done before the rain started. Rock City was by far our favorite spot on the mountain. We arrived so early in the morning that we were the only ones in the park. It was quiet, uncrowded, and just beautiful.

My mom wasn't so sure rock formations would hold the boys' interests, but there's magic in imagining you're fighting garden gnomes around every corner or when you spit just to hear the sound it makes when it splatters against a rock wall. I'm so proud.

After a short walk, we made it to Lover's Leap. The waterfall was beautiful, but the clouds were too low for us to see anything, much less the seven states promised to us in the brochure. It didn't matter to us. As I might have mentioned, we loved this place even without the view!

We also stopped to see Ruby Falls. I'm not going to lie. Falling 260 feet into the depths of the Earth is a little unnerving - especially when your older son points out the cracks in the ceilings and questions the sturdiness of the cave tunnels. 

Next up is nap time. I may have tween boys, but they require as much sleep today as they did as toddlers. It will be much easier to break the news that our hotel does not have NFL Sunday ticket when everyone is well-rested. 

Family Fun

Today's football game was canceled due to field conditions, soccer friendlies were rained out, and all four of us looked at each other and asked, "What now?" 

We hit the road. First stop was the Tennessee Aquarium in downtown Chattanooga. The weather here was perfect for a walk along the Tennessee River. I was eager to see colorful fall leaves, but everything here is still green.

We wrapped up our afternoon with a football game in the hotel pool, and we have arranged our dinner plans around tonight's A&M game. 

May I remember the happy memories we made today when all four of us are in the hotel room together, experiencing real togetherness, this evening. 

Happiness is (Expensive) Soccer Cleats

For the first time in a long time, Keagan had to have new cleats because he actually wore them out before he grew out of them. He was cleated last weekend and the top of the shoe tore across the middle as he ran across the field. So we went shoe shopping. 

Soccer cleats come in wild color combinations and can be found in just about any neon color. Keagan can't resist neon or wild; Flashy is his middle name, after all. However, today he wanted to buy pink cleats. I refused to buy my boy pink, even if all the "good" players wear it with pride. I demanded he pick something else out. 

After lots of huffing and puffing, he found a pair of black shoes with neon pink and white stripes. I agreed these were much more respectable for a boy...until I saw the price tag. Suddenly, the pink shoes were not so bad and I tried to back track as quickly as possible. 

I apologized for jeopardizing Keagan's perfect shoe selection, and kindly offered to buy him the pink shoes. He refused. I strongly suggested he get the shoes proven to be worthy of the best. He refused. I came just short of demanding he put the black ones away and find the pink in his size, when he stopped me and asked, "So pink wasn't okay a few minutes ago, but now you want me to get them. What's going on?"

I told him I wanted him to be happy (perhaps I was really more concerned with a happy bank account). He replied, "I am happy - with the black shoes."

He is now the happy owner of black cleats with neon stripes that cost almost double the price of pink cleats, and I'm wishing my boy would have chosen pink. 

ISO Photos Taken off the Field

I realized this week that most of the pictures of the boys taken in the past two years were snapped while in uniform. Today's picture is no exception, but the great news is Evan's team won this game 3-2. It may be our only win of the season so I will cherish this photo and its memory.

Today I made an appointment with a professional photographer. Ironically enough, because of our game schedule, we couldn't find an agreed upon time until November.