Leading the Team to Victory

The sweetest thing happened today at soccer practice. Keagan was voted as the team's co-captain by his teammates. I could not be prouder. He wears the yellow captain band with such pride and takes his new role very seriously. He will be the first person to encourage his teammates, and he will often be the last player to leave the practice field because he wants to practice his shot one more time. He is an excellent leader. I might be biased, but I think the boys made the perfect choice.

Football Fever

Football ain't football until you get to wear the helmet and pads AND run suicides. This guy doesn't seem to mind at all and even volunteered to be the first one up for Oklahomas last night. I guess he knew better than I when he insisted on wearing his girdle under his pants to practice yesterday.

At the second day of practice, the starters for varsity were announced. Evan was named the starting outside linebacker, strong side. I think it's perfect for him. I'm ready to cheer on my boy and lose my voice at next week's game. I just need to learn something else to yell besides "Get him!"

Back on the Pitch

We played up this weekend and still took home first place. Some of the games were such blow-outs that the boys had thought-provoking conversations on the field in between plays. This conversation was about gas prices; the boys were talking about how excited their parents were about gas under $2 a gallon.

These boys genuinely love to spend time together. After our Saturday games, the boys went for a swim.

Perhaps the highlight of the weekend, though, was Keagan's goal scored with his knees. The joke is he can score with any part of his body but his head.

Fall Soccer

Evan has played for five clubs in five years, and yet some things never change. Evan is always easy to spot in team photos.

The move to the club in the city was the best move we could have made. Already we have seen huge gains in Evan's performance on the field.

Not to be out-done by big bro, Keagan also played this weekend and won first place.

He's so talented that he scored a goal this weekend with his butt! Good times, People, good times!

Happy Happy Birthday

Happy birthday, Keagan! I never thought it was possible to mourn a birthday, but I will admit that I mourn your turning eleven. It marks the end of so many milestones from the last year of elementary school to the last year of little kid soccer. There are so many wonderful traits that we love in you, but I am most humbled by the empathy and your heart for others. We love you so much! May this be your best year yet! Celebrate! (Just don't get carried away with that new cell phone. We gotta share that data plan, ya know?)

Back to School

I was teaching seventh grade math when Evan was born. I took him to school with me when he was an infant. I had him on my hip while solving examples of fraction word problems on the whiteboard. I can't even believe that Evan started seventh grade today. In my mind he should still be that infant, or at the very least a toddler, not a teen in middle school!

He reported today that his teachers are great. This is BIG for Evan. I mean BIG. He has never come home after the first day of school with such a positive report. 

This guy started fifth grade. This is the first year that Keagan has attended the same school and same grade as his big brother. As luck would have it, he also got Evan's former teachers. Keagan wasn't phased one bit when the teacher told him he had big shoes to fill. He is ready to prove he is as smart as his big brother!

Keagan reported that school was just okay, lunch couldn't come fast enough, and he's still the best baller in before school care. 

Champions

We wrapped up the travel basketball season today with a first place win. In the final game, we beat a team from Alabama by more than twenty-five points.  It's been a great season with more than fifty wins and only a handful of losses. 

Fall soccer season begins Monday. There's no rest for the weary.