Livin' the Dream

Ever since the boys were about five and seven, they have had a system for playing backyard football. They pick a team (using helmets), pick players (using trading cards), and keep score using a timer/scoreboard combo that was given as a Christmas gift several years ago. I don't understand all of the nuances of their system, but I do know that helmets, trading cards, and brackets all serve important roles. They can spend hours completing a season, and they develop new seasons only if they know they have blocks of time to complete it. So I'm certain when they learned they had an entire week of spring break at home with no interruption, they began planning their next season.

I came home from work all of this week to find football helmets neatly lined up in the living room,

outlines of brackets and seasons stuffed in various corners of the lawn furniture,

and the floors of the bedrooms serving as displays for basketball cards. You better not mix them up or step on them until the season is over. Don't even think about trying to vacuum. 

No doubt! They are livin' the dream this spring break playing football in the backyard and basketball in the front. I am blessed that they have common interests and can entertain themselves all week with something besides video games. 

He is Risen...He is Risen Indeed

He is risen; He is risen indeed. Happy Easter!

My Easter was almost ruined when both of my boys got dressed for church and wore dress shoes with athletic socks. I was so embarrassed. Evan tried to convince me that it was okay. He was certain someone would show up to church on Easter Sunday in camo. And he was right. But that didn't make the sock mishap any less painful for me to have to look at for the entire church service.

The Easter bunny made a stop at our house last night, and this year, he was left unscathed by Maybelle. He left athletic clothes and chocolate - the same things that have been in Easter baskets since the boys said good-bye to Thomas the Train and Super Heroes.



























I also made a basket for the 13 year old foster that is currently living with us. Evan told me that he knows my destiny is heaven because only angels would stuff a basket full of goodies for a child that has lied, stolen, and peed all over our furniture. An angel I am not; but we have all learned some very valuable lessons about love and acceptance.

He is risen; He is risen indeed.

Defining Hard Worker

It's spring break for the boys and every where you look it actually looks like spring. We have the weekend off from sports, and Evan was up real early on his one day off to work. 

He made it successfully through three games before he encountered any hostility. During game four, the coach of the losing team called him names and used foul language over and over again. Evan was appalled that the coach was speaking this way in front of nine year old girls. It became so bad that the director of referees had to observe the last half of the game. Evan came home with a nice paycheck and decided he would do it again - bad names and all. 

 

 

He takes advanced classes, maintains straight As, plays for two travel teams, and now has a part-time job, all at the age of 13. I'm so proud of this guy!

Head to Head

These two, 18 and 10, usually play with each other on the travel soccer team, but tonight they played against each other in a middle school soccer game. With one playing forward and the other defense, it made for a great head-to-head match up!

I have to tell you that my boy won every battle. He was faster and was able to push, or elbow, if you prefer for me to be a bit more specific, just a little harder.

Unfortunately, we lost 0 to 1. Quite frankly, after losing two games in a row, our season doesn't look very promising this year. After winning the championship last year, this is a bit difficult to swallow. We are perfecting losing gracefully.

Third Time's a Charm

This is Keagan's third basketball team in three years. I was hoping third time's a charm, but he had three basketball games this weekend, and unfortunately, three losses. It was the first tournament of the season, though, and my boy was chosen as team captain. He even shot a couple of threes in yesterday's game.

I can attend basketball games and feel assured that I'm not the crazy, super-competitive mom in the stands. There are always a couple who have me beat. Today was no exception. 

Hawks Soccer

Middle School soccer started this week. We only have five returning players, so I don't have many high expectations for this team. We won game one 3-0 tonight, thought, and I am hopeful it is not our last.

Soccer in the Smokies

I love the Smokey Mountains in summer time with the lush greenery, the sound of the water, and the peacefulness of the outdoors. But I hate the crowds. People crawl out of every nook and cranny when the kids aren't in school. In March, though, everything is brown. On the upside, there are no crowds. This weekend Keagan had a soccer tournament there; we avoided the crowds but had to imagine the beautiful green mountains hidden by fog and clouds. 

It was just me and this guy. Making memories.

In between games one and two, we rode the mountain coaster. I tried to take pics but Keagan was so consumed with excitement about steering a luge-like machine up and down hills that I never got one with both of us looking at the camera. He squealed like a girl and was so proud that I never hit the break even while taking turns going 40mph. I was pretty proud of my dare devil self, too. 

We won game one 11-0, game two 5-4, and the final game 3-0. We avoided game four with the threat of thunderstorms. The boys came home with gold. 

I can think of no better way to spend my weekend.

March Madness Champions

 

Championship #2 and we are only in week number 3 of AAU. This is how we spent Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and all day Sunday. I may never stop hearing whistles blowing in my ear.

 



Ice, Ice Baby

The sun was shining, the temperature reached 60 degrees, and we played our first outdoor soccer games of the spring season. It is the trifecta dreams are made of! 

Evan's team won 2-0. Not only did he go an entire game without a foul called on him, but the opposing team's player had a red card pulled on him after pushing Evan to the ground. Yes, you read that correctly. Someone actually pushed him to the ground! It's a soccer miracle! Evan blocked two shots with beautiful slide tackles and his touches on the ball were near perfect. On the way to the car, he said, "Every part of my body needs to be iced down." Then, "My performance today was so good I think I deserve a blizzard." And so we stopped for icecream. 

Keagan also played outdoors. In the last minutes of the second game, he made a cross that scored the lone goal of the game. Sweet! He, too, had an icecream worthy performance!

Now it's time to pull out the ice packs and Icy Hot. It brings a whole new meaning to "Ice, Ice Baby." We know how to live it up on a Saturday night!

Meet My Friend Brainiac

We had an episode in our house on Wednesday, and we never got around to studying Keagan's spelling list. He told me not to worry; he would study before school with Dalton. "Mom, this kid is a brainiac! He will definitely help me at before school care! He studies for a whole fifteen minutes before going to gym time. I mean this kid is so smart that he can't take the minus fours on his paper or he cries. Me? I'm like minus four? I'll take it."

That's my boy! We promote and encourage academic mediocrity every chance we get. By the way, I'm so over spelling lists! Only nine more weeks and both of the boys will be in middle school, and I will never have to review spelling words again!