Gracious in Defeat

I wrote a little about Trav's amazing soccer season a few weeks ago.  They managed to have an undefeated regular season, clinching the Conference Title in both regular season play and in their Conference tournament.  They also finished the season ranked #10 in Class 1A, which was something they've never achieved in school history before.  It was so much fun to watch his team play and I was (am) SO proud of their coach!!!  A few weeks ago, they went into post-season play where they typically face bigger, stronger schools and in the years' past, we haven't gone too far.  

 We knew they had a good shot to get somewhere in the tournament this year and so Trav's goal for his team was to do better and go farther than we ever have before.  They won their first round super easily, despite a cold and windy day.  We got to host it at our home field, which was also great.  Trav's Mom was visiting and got to be there for the first game and when the second round got scheduled for a Thursday night at 7pm, she graciously stayed home with the kids so that I could go and cheer Trav on.  

 It was super cold that night so I was very thankful to be there alone and not juggling the kids.  We didn't play a great first half but we kicked it into gear during the second half.  Unfortunately it just wasn't enough that night to win and we lost 1-4.  It was disappointing for sure, but I knew Trav was proud of his guys for playing hard until the last whistle and for keeping their composure while being provoked from obnoxious high school fans and some other distractions all night.  In the end, we weren't the better team on the field that night and our season came to an end.  

 It's one thing to be good sports when you are winning and to hold your head high after such an amazing season, but when you lose, well that's when your true character comes to the surface.  That's also why I am so proud to be married to my husband.  I told him later that night, that one thing I always appreciate as the coach's wife is knowing that I never have to worry about him erupting in anger on the sidelines.  He is so even and steady, no matter what is going on in the game and he calls his guys to a high standard of sportsmanship.  He led his boys well that night and although he knew they didn't play as well as they could have, he asked them to give all they had on the field and then showed them how to be gracious in defeat when it wasn't quite enough.  Wins and losses will always be part of soccer and they are certainly part of life.  I love supporting Trav on the field because I know that he is making an investment in his team that goes way beyond soccer skills and school records.  He is also teaching them how to handle wins and losses in life and how to do it with character and class.  

 Yes, it was an incredible season and one we've never quite experienced before.  But as his assistant coach said, these guys also set a new record this year.  

They went 17-0 in the most important way.  

 After every single game and even after this one, their first and only loss, these guys humbled themselves to bless the other team by praying with them and for them.  There just aren't a whole lot of high school boys who are willing to do that or who have the courage to ask the other team week after week if they can pray for them.  But this team did and it was the best thing they did all year.  

Who knows the impact they may have had on the other team or the home crowd that night, but I know that these guys will not forget this season for a long time.  It was the best kind of season and yep, we wish it would have gone on a little longer in the postseason, but these guys have nothing to hang their heads about and every reason to be proud of what they did.  

I'm sure proud of their coach and all that he did too, much of it unseen by the crowds and only between he and the Lord.  It's a lot to coach a high school varsity sport and it takes a big drain on any extra time you may have or family time we have to protect.  There's a lot of stress sometimes and always hard situations to navigate.  He isn't perfect and neither is anyone else on any given team.  

But I can be confident that my favorite soccer coach is doing his best to lead his guys with integrity, character, and spiritual depth that will hopefully impact them for years to come.  

I'm glad soccer is over for now but it was a great run and one worth celebrating!  

This season is in the books and I've got my husband back and my kids have their Daddy back too.  

We are proud to be fans of the SWCHS Stars, but we will always be Trav's #1 fans no matter what!

Happy Birthday, Carter!

A few Fridays ago, on the 10th, Carter celebrated his 4th birthday!  

 It would be hard for me to believe that he is 4 if it weren't for the fact that Walker now gives us a new perspective!  When I look at Carter next to his baby brother, he seems HUGE to me and like he's aged ten times over in comparison!  We have loved these 4 years with our Carty and look forward to another year of seeing him grow and mature.  

 We are in a beautiful stage where birthday parties are not quite on his radar yet and celebrating at home with our family is equally as thrilling.  Mostly because a birthday equals presents and he doesn't really care how to go about that, as long as he can open something!  He's been a trooper for a while, asking for certain things he likes and then understanding when we say "Not now, but that could be something you could ask for on your birthday?" It's always such a joy to come up with (some of) those things later and to see his joy in waiting and being rewarded.  

 We knew our birthday boy would likely wake up at the crack of dawn, all ready to go on his big day. Mornings are not usually his cheeriest times, he prefers to ease into his day if you know what I mean...But on the morning of the 10th, he was all smiles and sunshine!  ha ha!  

 For the last few years we've been doing a family birthday breakfast followed by present opening.  It's so much easier to let them open their gifts in the morning so that they have all day to play with them and so we don't have to answer a million questions about when it's time for presents!  But this year was a little trickier with Ava headed to school.  I knew I didn't have time to make a big breakfast for all of us and get the present opening in, but I also knew she would feel left out if we did all of that without her and there was NO WAY Carter could wait until after school to tackle his presents!  

So we compromised.  

We just let the birthday boy dive into his presents as soon as we all got up! 

He was one happy camper when we spotted the table all full of things for him!  We were fortunate to have his Texie with us also and several things had come in the mail for him, so it was full from lots of family members, not just us :) 

 7:00am birthday pics!  Ha!  So thankful for my sweet Carter and the ways God has blessed us with him! 

 Carter and Trav.  

He adores his daddy, as he should, and as he gets older and older their relationship is constantly transforming.  Carter lives for the moment Trav walks in the door at night so they can PLAY!  And by play I mean, wrestle, shoot dart guns, go for a run, go to the park, play hide & seek, and as Carter likes to tell Trav "play that game where we beat on each other, Dad!"  Ha ha!  I believe that game is basically where Carter climbs all over Trav and pretends to tackle him while Trav makes the appropriate sound effects.  I can only imagine what this will be like when Walker is old enough to get thrown in the mix too!  

 There was a definite theme to the toys, "Planes: Fire and Rescue" is Carter's fave and he was one happy camper when he opened all these fun characters from the movie to play with!  It wasn't long before there were sound effects galore and planes zooming around my head all the live long day! 

 After we sent Ava to school, we asked the birthday boy where he might like to have breakfast and he chose...

 McDonalds!  Ha ha!  

Not quite what we were thinking but totally up his alley simply because of the play-land! 

 So of course we indulged the birthday boy's request!  

Walker hung out with his Mom but next year I bet he'll be trying to do everything his big brother is doing!  Doesn't he look older in this picture??

 Carter was like a flash in the pan the whole time, racing from one thing to the next, missing his playmate Ava but making friends with whomever he could! 

 Love this boy and that grin!

 Trav had a wedding rehearsal to do that night so he got his prep-time in at McDonald's to the tune of kids yelling and running around! ha!  We always try to do a family dinner and movie night for birthdays, so after breakfast we stopped by Target to pick up the cake! 

 As you can see we carried the planes theme on!

 I ran to the party store a few days prior to see what I could find and lucky me, they had just a small amount of planes stuff that was all on clearance!  Gotta love when that happens! 

 In lieu of a party with friends, I love to make our family dinner special for the birthday kid! 

Trav did a quick Wedding Rehearsal while I made dinner.  

His Mom took our picture when he came home  :) He's a keeper! 

 Even Walker got in on the action this year!

 The kids could not stop laughing when this hat landed on Walker's head!  

I think he was just happy to be at the table with the rest of us, checking everything out! 

 The birthday kid always gets to pick dinner and Carter chose Spaghetti, his favorite!  

 Love these two and their special Father/Son relationship!!  

 So thankful to be Carter's Mama!!  

 The birthday crew! 

We watched a little Mickey Mouse movie Carter chose and then we had some cake.  

Love Ava's face when Carter blew his candle out!!

 Oh Carter, you are such a source of JOY in our family!!  You are a ball of energy and passion, always on the move and usually on the lookout for fun!  We love your tender heart and pray that the Lord will continue to pursue you until you surrender it to Him.  We know the Lord has great plans for your life and we praise Him for the way He has made you and shaped you.  You are a gift to us!  

We are so thankful to be your Mom and Dad and we love you buddy.

Happy 4th Birthday!!!  

We loved spending your big day, celebrating YOU!!

Surprise!

The week of Carter's birthday we got a phone call from Trav's Mom who surprised us with the news that she could get to our house in 24 hours if we would have her?  You should have seen the state of my house when that phone call came...it was so bad it was actually laughable!  I warned her that we had a crazy busy week, we were all sick with coughs and the house has never looked worse...But none of that matters when you're a Grandma who wants to see her grand babies, right??  We scrambled and pulled things together a little bit and then picked up Texie from the airport on a Tuesday after the boys and I got done with Bible Study at Church.  Someone was very happy to see her again!  

 She hadn't seen Walker since he was brand new so she had her eyes on him right away!  Thankfully he was all smiles and happy to have some extra attention all week.  He's about doubled in size since she was here last and he reminded her so much of Carter as a baby too.  I'm not sure we could have crammed more into that week and with everyone but Trav feeling sick, me especially, it was nice to have the extra help too.  By the end of the week we managed to get all of the laundry done, which is no small feat these days, and we did a million other things too.  

 It's a new novelty to have Ava gone all day at school when Texie is in town, but the boys were happy to have her to themselves too.  Especially Carter!  He was extra excited to have Texie here while he turned 4!  Can't you tell??

We didn't get to do much beyond what was already scheduled that week but we did pull together a little party for Carter on his big day and that was fun for everyone.  It was a whirlwind visit but we are thankful we got to see Texie unexpectedly for what would have been a hard and long week.  It's always funny to me when I think about how we have packed this condo to the rafters time and time again, but I'm thankful we've made it work and that it hasn't stopped us from having family come to see us.  Someday we hope to have a guest room and lots more breathing room for these visits, although I doubt I'll be any more on top of the housework! ha! Thanks for coming, Pam! 

The Brothers, Big & Little

We can't believe how quickly the days are slipping by and how fast our baby Walker is growing!  Just recently he took a liking to the Bumbo seat, although this picture might make you think otherwise...

 He likes it for only 10 minutes or so and then he's totally over it and starts crying or yelling loudly.  With no warning and no warm up.  Just goes from happy and content to ticked off and vocal in 2 seconds. He's all boy! But while he's still happy in there, all of us like to take advantage of getting on the same level with the "big boy" and none more so than Carter.  

It has been so sweet to watch Carter grow into his new role as Big Brother.  Until Walker arrived on the scene, the little brother role belonged to Carter but he has graciously handed it over and is becoming a wonderful older sibling.  He loves Walker like crazy, sometimes a little too crazy if you know what I mean!  But since these two spend their days together now, it is so darling to watch their affection for one another grow.  

We still have to watch them closely and make sure Carter isn't being too rough or too active while he's running around, but more times than not, he will stop and come over to Walker so that he can kiss him or talk to him or try to give him a hug.   Again, the level of "gentleness" he uses is a work in progress but I love the tenderness in his heart for his brother.  

He's started introducing strangers to his "baby brudder Walkie" when we are out and he is more than happy to do what he can to see Walker smile or giggle back at him.  Sooner than later the days of these two running wild together will come but right now it's fun to see Carter anticipate every new thing Walker does, dreaming about how they can play together soon.  It's also fun to see Walker interact with Carter now.  He's a little cautious (read: scared) with him sometimes when Carter is loud and in his face, but mostly he just grins and tries to talk to him.  

I love that these two will have each other to play with and likely fight with too...whomp, whomp.   Carter has always had Ava to do that with and they are the best of buddies, but it's already different to imagine what brothers will do with (and to) each other very soon.  I know Carter will be beside himself with joy when Walker is mobile around here, although that may change to dread when he starts messing with his toys (yikes!!!) but for now this phase is perfect. What a blessing for them to have each other, I hope they always realize that!

Special K

A few weeks ago we had good reason to celebrate!  For weeks we were counting down the days until it was Ava's turn to be the "Special K" in her Kindergarten class.  Finally that day came in early October and it was exciting for one little strawberry blonde that we love! 

Part of her "reign" as Special K meant that she got to bring in a poster board with pictures and information all about who she is and what she likes.  We also filled out a little questionnaire that her teacher sent home and all week long she got to act as the weather girl, the line leader and some other things that are reserved for the Special K every week.  Ava talked about it non-stop for the two weeks prior to her turn, so believe me, we were ALL very ready for the big day to come just so we wouldn't have to talk about it anymore! ha! 

 She and I worked on her poster together.  She chose the pictures she wanted to use and asked me to draw her favorite things!  She came up with the following to describe her current favorites: School, coloring, princesses, spaghetti, family and Jesus.  I think those are perfect choices to sum up what makes Ava smile these days!  

We think she's a "Special K" every single day, but what fun for her and her classmates to get to know each other all year and to share about what makes each of them special.  

Not one to be left out of the fun and because he was represented heavily on Ava's board, Carter asked me to take his picture too!  Ha ha! He's our "Special Big Bro" these days!  

Kindergarten holds all kinds of fun surprises and this was a great one!