Weekend Sports Update

Saturday had to be the longest day of my life. Next Fall, it just might get longer. If things work the way I think they will, we will have 4 kids on separate teams. I may actually top my longest Saturday ever day sooner than I think.

Baseball Chick started us out. Way too early game, but a good game for her nonetheless. At this age they rotate positions every inning, so at one turn as 2nd baseman, little miss thing caught a pop fly. Major big deal for 7 year olds. Another inning Baseball Chick was covering pitcher. Catches a pop fly and makes the double play at third. Double. Play. Unheard of for 7 year olds. They have had just a handful of these this season. Rare gems, for sure. She was rocking it! For just a few tiny minutes there, us sidelines folks were able to get very excited about baseball.

Soccer Chick had her final game of the season on Saturday. We got there a bit early and time enough for me to see the team finishing up before us. There was a mom on the sidelines. Visor cap on her head, poised and ready at the sideline to cheer these girls on. She was not the coach. But she probably should have been. One moment I hear, "C'mon girls. I want a goal right now. Your pizza's getting cold." Yup, I'm pretty sure that had a good effect on them. Looking at her, jumping up and down, clapping her hands and screaming like a fool, I thought I am so glad I don't look like that. The Hub might disagree with that statement. Well, at least I perform my antics from my seat. I like to be a little reserved in my insanity.

Without exaggeration I would like to inform you that Soccer Chick's team won, 1-0. And Soccer Chick was the one who scored the solitary goal. This was an extremely frustrating game. I would say I stopped counting at about time number 6 when one of Soccer Chick's teammates was at the goal and had a perfect shot...and missed. At one point, the Hub threw his wallet and keys down on the grass while he politely and ever so eloquently expressed his frustration. One incredible time, Soccer Chick was on top of the ball and the last of the opposing team's players was at her ankles. It's just her, the opposition and the goal. She kicks it up a little to her teammate who is literally on top of the goal, who does some kind of kick I have never seen before. It was almost slow motion. Ball just rolls oh so slowly into the goalie's hands. That was the cause of the wallet and keys throwing into the grass. Soccer Chick probably should have just kept the ball herself instead of passing it. We would never tell her that of course, it's all about the team...Thank goodness, this team is over. Tonight is the first practice of All-Stars. On to bigger and better things. Two weeks of practice and then Father's Day weekend tourney.

Basketball! Man, I told you guys to be thinking good thoughts to get them through that semi-finals game. Apparently they were playing an undefeated team known to be the best in the league. Yup. After surviving this game, I can tell you they are probably the best in the league. That was an ugly, ugly game. Oldest gets a call on the way to the game. "Make sure you're coming because we're down 2 guys. All 5 guys will play the whole game." As if the pressure wasn't already enough. All 5 of those boys did indeed play the entire game. Exhausted doesn't begin to cover it. They lost by about 20 points and the loss was pretty evident from period 1. They gave up at about 5 minutes remaining in 4th period. One funny comment to highlight this game: Referee to Oldest: "Son, try to remember this isn't football." Ironically, Oldest spent quite a bit of time at the foul line. Maybe 4 times? Probably causing his all time high score in a single game. Something like 6 points maybe?

I always love to give you a little taste of the comedic routine that comes from Youngest. After church yesterday meant nap for the Hub, tv/chill-time for the kids and catch up on Lost episodes for me. The Hub is snoring away and I am engrossed in Lost. I am nearing the end of Season 2 and as I watch an episode I think of other things I can do after the episode ends, then something incredible happens and I have to watch the next episode right away. I have to see what happens!!! I was in one of those exact moments when Youngest walks up and says: "Mom, you know what my body needs? Fresh air. Do you know where fresh air comes from? Outside mom. It's outside. Can we pleeeeassse go outside???" I suppose that good parenting doesn't involved ignoring those pleas...

And if you didn't get enough of Youngest from that snippet...this morning Youngest is sitting on my sink as I am getting ready for work. Oldest walks in to say his morning conversation about how good he looks going to school. Not kidding, people. Anyway, Youngest looks to Oldest and to me and says "Mom, don't you love me more than Pnut?" To which I promptly disagree, and he says "Sure you do mom. I know you do. Because I do everything you ask me to do, all the time. always." Okay, people. NOTHING could be further from the truth. And the fact that he knows that and I know that. In fact, we all know that, and yet he was trying to convince me that this is true is just a small glimpse of his skills. The kid is good. When he really learns how to use the skill of what he considers to be out-thinking other people, we are all in big, big trouble.