Never Too Late...

Since Soccer Chick has formally finished her fall season of soccer, we pretty much assumed she would be hanging up her cleats for a few months. I pretty much assumed the sports chair and the vocal cords would rest too. A casual email came out from her All-Star coach, mentioning that there may be some opportunities for playing in pick-up soccer games throughout the winter.

What do you know, we get an email the Saturday after Thanksgiving inviting Soccer Chick and anyone else who's interested, to play in a game. The weather was beautiful, so we were all for it. For good measure I brought along a sports chair and a book, thinking a good sit and read would be in order. Because, apparently, I had temporarily lost my mind, I dressed myself to play. Soccer Chick was perplexed, "YOU'RE playing?" Yea, sure. Why not?

I will tell you why not. Because I have not played a formal or informal game of soccer since I myself was a child. I'm thinking like age 8 might have been the very last time the whistle blew for me. Pitiful. One life-long regret admission here: I totally wish I had kept sports in my life. Totally.

So out we go to the soccer field. Five of the 6 Copelands in tow, all expecting to play. The Hub's attention got grabbed by a flag football league close by. That kept him focused there for at least the first 10 minutes of our play. I really did play. Close your mouth. Youngest, BBall Girl, Soccer Chick and I played with two other families. Some were athletic, some not so much. I will not entertain you with my flubs. Let's just say lots of missed opportunities, and it really is much easier from the sideline.

The moral of the story is I'm really glad I did it. If I could do that all the time I would be fit and in shape. If I could join an amateur's team of no-good, talentless soccer players, I would be all over it. It was great. I forced myself to be embarrassed and be comfortable with it. I forced myself to laugh at myself. That part was easy. Just join in with the other who are either shaking their heads or laughing. Once The Hub joined in, I gave him several warnings to remember this was a casual game. After several score updates, I told him no one was keeping score. He needed to let that go. Oh, The Hub, ever the competitive one. Dripping with sweat within 10 minutes of kick off. Tripping up a 6 year old boy and 9 year old girl. Nevermind that they were his own children.

Why I Love Tim Tebow...And His Faith

Caught this article online today. Sums up why I am such a huge fan of Tim Tebow. He put into words, eloquently I believe, to show just how real and important his faith is. I get the other side too. The side that doesn't understand why he is so vocal and visible with his faith. The side that wants him to quit already. I get that there are people that feel like that. But more importantly, I share Tim Tebow's faith, so I get that no matter how uncomfortable it might make someone else, that shouldn't hinder Tim's profession of how much He is in awe of God. Ever.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/11/tim-tebow-responds-to-jake-plummers-comments-on-his-faith/1?csp=hf

What Goes Around Is Coming Back Around

That age-old principal about sowing and reaping, getting what you deserve and things coming back around is one of the truest things I know. Things don't always happen quickly, but when they do it richly blesses my short-term memory. Anything longer than short-term I tend to forget about it in the first place.

I blogged to you about The Hub scooping up the player in the mini-NBA aka 4th grade basketball draft that was assessed with the lowest ranking score. Amidst other coaches debating who would have to take this girl, The Hub delightfully raised his hand and volunteered, cheerfully I might add, to count her on his team. Now, I must tell you The Hub's rendition of this for us, was how noble he was being, how ridiculous it was that this was even an issue, and hey, they are just there to learn the game and have fun, right? Who cares if they win? I promise you that was Mr. Uber-competitive's attitude. I know you don't believe it. We didn't either. I think he had mentally prepared himself for something less than a winning season, but he would make sure it would be fun for the girls. A re-building season, he reasoned.

Yesterday, The Hub gets a phone call from the coordinator. Turns out, that the top draft pick of the 4th grade basketball registrants can't practice on Monday, but only on Friday. The Hub's practice day. How about that for a change in things? The top draft pick has now been added to The Hub's-ahem-"rebuilding season." As The Hub relayed this to Soccer Chick and me, I could see the light in his little eyeballs. I believe he was glowing, actually. The smile creeped up in the corners of his mouth, and try as he might, he could not keep a straight face while telling us of this interesting change in things. "We're about to be killing it out there!" Um. I guess we are no longer rebuilding? Now we are tearing things down!

The Hub's natural competitive nature has resurrected. And here I thought it would be a calm season. The Hub would argue with my presentation of the facts. Insisting instead, that his focus remains the same. But Soccer Chick and I both saw that sparkle and determination in The Hub as he talked. He can play noble-guy all he wants, but for sure, what goes around comes around. His gift was the top draft pick in exchange for his eager willingness to take the bottom pick of the draft. Life really does work that way.

In another sport world, I think Soccer Chick is hoping that principle comes into play for her. This weekend was the All-Star Tournament. Soccer Chick's regular season team found 4 picks to play on All-Stars. Going into practice this week, she was apprehensive about how this team would gel together, and really felt like she and her girls wouldn't get to know these girls within one week's time. How in the world would they play well if they don't even know each other's names? Good thing friendship is so much easier for kids than it seems to be for adults. If it were me, I would still be wondering what those girls' names are. But Soccer Chick and her teammates not only gelled with these girls, they actually played an incredible tournament.

Four short games on Saturday, beginning at game 1: 8am kickoff. Yes, you read that right. 8am. As in, I forgot to even put shoes on and walked onto the soccer field with my cozy slippers on. That kind of 8am. These tournament games are quick, 25 minutes each. The whistle at half-time does not mean a break and coaching huddle for the kids. It means, switch sides, and let's see if you can flip-flop and know your left from right as you do the switch. I swear I think there was someone playing left forward that switched to right forward in that swap. Regardless of positions, the girls won game 1: 2-0, won game 2: 1-0 and won game 3: 1-0. Seriously. They played very well.

Shortly after wrapping up game 1 I advised Soccer Chick to inform her All-Stars coach that she is left-handed and he was misusing her at right forward. Game 2 and Game 3 there was full understanding of her power forward moves at left forward. Game 3 ended in a tie 0-0. Teams are ranked by number of goals made as they progress to Sunday's games towards the championship game. First game on Sunday morning: 10am. Gulp. Had to break the news to Soccer Chick, she would have to miss the game. One of the things that is a house rule: church comes first. We want to make sure we give them the right message. There will be lots of other opportunities for _______, we let them fill in the blank when needed. But any opportunity you have to worship God, should and will take priority. So, disappointed as she was, Soccer Chick swallowed this news like a big girl. We don't expect them to like it or even agree with it, but the rule remains the same. What is that they say? Stand for something, or fall for anything.

If her team won the first Sunday morning game they advanced to the next game at 1:45. I don't think Soccer Chick has ever rushed me out of church so quickly in all her life. She couldn't wait to get home and read the email to see if they won. We rent a school for church services. That means we have to set up the cafeteria for lunch the next school day. Packing up isn't as simple as walking your stuff to the car after services. There is actual work involved. Soccer Chick found herself being more helpful than ever in packing up and setting up. Amazing what motivates us.

We get home and find out the team won, and will advance to the next game. Super-speed swallowing of food and off to the game we go. I don't think I blinked or breathed in that in between half of a minute to be home before we had to leave for the game. In this game, the girls tied 0-0. Best play of the game would have to be when Soccer Chick was running so fast and with such force, trying to save the ball from going out of bounds, she plowed into the side of a trashcan on the side of the field. Great entertainment for us spectators. Not so much for her.

She is an awesome player to watch. She is aggressive, speedy, powerful and makes watching soccer very exciting. The team ended the game in a 0-0 tie. Gulp. Big gulp. That means at this semi-final game they will have to do a shoot-out. It's just a part of soccer, but not these girls' favorite thing to do. Unfortunately they lost in the shoot-out and the other team celebrated wildly. In our defense we had one goal that should have counted during this game, says me, the mom... As the ball was in motion, the ref calls halftime. If it's in motion shouldn't the goal count? I say yes, duh. Nonetheless, the girls lost and took that loss hard. Soccer Chick shed some tears. And you know, pre-game I was commenting to some other parents about how the girls get all worked up over this quick weekend tournament, crying when they lose, and how silly that is. But there my girl was, visibly upset about the loss. And from watching her play, it is understood why. It is easy to see that when you play that hard, and with that much determination and focus, it's tough when you lose. In anything, when you invest your best, you want the best results and it's hard to walk away without a victory.

But again, what goes around comes around, so Soccer Chick has lots to look forward to. She's a great player and has a lot of natural talent. There will be many more games to play and lots of opportunities for wins. As long as she, and we, keep sowing good things, we will be sure to reap the same. All in God's time...

Yes, It Is All That...Apparently

I find it pretty funny to see how this whole 4th grade basketball, NBA-Wanna-Be season is panning out. From the coach's perspective, or, coach's wife's perspective, I could have pre-guessed that it was going to be intense. I blogged to you about the assessment, rating the players in free shot attempts, dribbling, shooting and a 10 minute scrimmage.

The results are in. The good news is Bball Girl was pretty high up in the ranking. The Hub ventured out to the draft meeting last night and friends, I am not surprised at how the evening panned out. Predictably, these fellas (and two high school girls who are coaching - you go girls!) gathered at the coordinator's house to do an actual, serious as can be, draft on 4th grade girls. Since The Hub's daughter ranked pretty high he got the 4th round draft pick.

My disclaimer here needs to be that I do not follow the actual NBA. Since it is disintegrating before our eyes, I suppose my ignorance is not going to matter. As with all sports, I've become smarter and more educated as my children have explored them. Long, long ago I gave up on youth sports myself, much to my life-long disappointment. Since I do not know a whole lot about what I'm talking about regarding the draft system in athletics, forgive me if I am not making complete sense.

What is crystal clear is the competitiveness of the coachs. Although these are grown men, and the players are 4th grade girls, there was a legitimate draft with legitimate negotiations for players. The Hub gave the full report when he got home last night, even a bit surprised at how serious these guys take this process. The Hub was flexible on which girls he got. He didn't attend the assessment so looking at the results on paper was challenging. He tried to get one teammate of Bball Girl's from last season. Their nicknames together should be "tall" and "short," and they make a dynamic team when they are on the court together. Unfortunately, because of scheduling conflicts The Hub couldn't snag her. He did get a pair of twins. Two pairs, actually. One pair is good friends with Bball Girl and this ensures the season is going to be entertaining, to say the least.

The Hub also took the one lone child who ranked at the bottom of the assessment. He was happy to take her, with lots of cheerful talk about the girls having fun and learning skills, and some of that "who cares if we win or not" stuff. Friends, I have no idea what he is talking about. I think he has thrown this season away. I think he has temporarily lost his mind. Or maybe his competitive edge? Not sure what's going on with him. He must be getting sick. I am going to try to shake some sense into him. C'mon, guys. This is 4th grade basketball we are talking about here. Very important stuff. We can't throw it all away, all in the name of having fun. Jeesh, what is he thinking...

NBA (Mini) Season Is On...

I don't know about the big guys. Seems like a bunch of overgrowns acting like hardly grown, to me... but I do know about the little girls. Bball Girl's winter basketball season is in full effect. Yesterday evening found me rushing home from work, swooping into the house like the kids' worst nightmare, rushing kids everywhere, hustling, shuffling and finally getting BBall Girl in the car to zoom to the mall to get basketball shoes for her assessment one small hour after the end of my work day.

Tell me why I didn't take care of this over the weekend? Or, any day prior to last night when the shoes were needed? Well, I can't answer that question myself, so it was a mad dash to get things done. Swooped (or maybe flew) into the mall, hit up Foot Locker and had already pre-determined that I would not be held up by Bball's shoe opinions. Knowing her like I do I prepped her with a clear "we don't have time to be selective." Why is it that my problem of not being proactive becomes her problem? I don't know, why is the sky blue? Why does this always seem to be the way of things. Mad-dash mom ran up in that store and tried to quickly get her to settle on some shoes. "Any shoes will be fine" is what wound up coming out of my mouth. But of course, because I am who I am, any shoes will not be fine. They can't be ugly. Duh. So I gave her a few options and of course she wanted to go outside of those options and go for some atrocious looking things. Good thing for me time was not on our side. Things moved quicker than she would have liked. We settled on some great Air Force Ones. White. She didn't want the white. They will get dirty to fast, she tells me. Doesn't matter, I tell her. Just play ball in them.

As a shoe connoisseur myself, I must tell you they look good on her. We sped (literally) over to the school for the assessment only to find out that nothing was on time. Should have known. Her time slot to show up was 6:30, but literally it was a free-for-all in terms of coming at whatever time you felt like coming. She signed in and got number 23 stuck on her back as her identifier for the coaches. You do know there is a draft for the players, right? Yes, they are 4th graders. I think the #23 was a sign. I'm conjuring up Micheal Jordan in all his glory.

Bball Girl was at least one foot smaller than every single other girl out there. But size indicates nothing, especially if you have speed on your side. The assessment consists of dribbling down the full court with your left hand and then back down with your right hand, making one shot in the process. This is followed by 3 foul shot attempts and finally a 10 minute scrimmage of 6 on 6. Poor Bball Girl was limited by an over-sized penny that was taking up way too much of her time to adjust and keep from falling off her completely and landing around her ankles. Despite that, her speed shined through. She had a few steals and worked brilliantly with a friend, and former teammate from last year, to take a pass, dribble down and shoot for the 2 point bucket. Considering it's been a year since she last played, she was looking like she is ready to have a great season.

Meanwhile, the dad/coaches - sit on the side in sports chairs with their clipboards in hand, taking notes about the players. There is a draft, friends. The dads/coaches will be meeting at the coordinator's house to complete their draft. That I would like to be a fly on the wall for. Good thing The Hub is coaching. You read that right (I wonder if he is personally trying to keep my blog in business). His coaching means my girl is not a free agent. Now, if he can just do his best finagling to get us a great team we'll be in business. I promise you, Bball Girl is more excited about the season than I am. Okay, maybe not.

Shhhhh...

As a working mom with a full time job, four children, a husband, kids' sports teams and a Pastor's Wife to a local community church, this sister-girl is busy. Normally, all is handled well, with a smile and a wink, things are great. Every now and then there is a spirit of irritation that creeps up and says, "listen, friend. These people need to leave you alone." Now you know that is not a pretty sight.

Today was that day. Do you ever just want to have some peace and quiet? All moms out there know what I mean. I made the big mistake of watching a few minutes of "19 And Counting" with Soccer Chick. You know that show about the Duggar family and their 19 kids. Well, she's pregnant so they will have to legally change the name...again...this time to "20 Kids And Counting." Those people are something else. Especially when they get in front of the TV screen talking about how they never raise their voice and don't yell. Are you kidding me? All those kids? I can't imagine trying to get one thing accomplished and you have 15 or so more crawling up your thigh. My gosh, sounds exhausting just thinking about it. Maybe I don't handle pressure too well. But there Michelle Duggar stood, with her soft, lovely voice, essentially stating she is superwoman in a pretty package and a calm voice. Soccer Chick looked over at me, "Mom. You should take notes." Wow, I couldn't change the channel fast enough. These kids, what do they know...

Today was my day of total irritation. Happens, oh, every month or so... I just wanted to hear some quiet. Didn't feel like chatting, didn't feel like answering questions. Really didn't feel like thinking, if that were possible. Do you know that because God knows so much more than we can possibly imagine, He gives us exactly what we need and often what we deserve. Youngest is a chatter-box at the competitive level. My mother used to say something of similarity in describing me. I think she's mistaken. I swear I couldn't have been this bad. Youngest has a mouth that never runs out of batteries. It's always moving, while eating, playing, taking a bath, sometimes even while sleeping.

All those things we hear like, "you are your mother's child," and "history repeats itself," and of course, "this is exactly how you used to be when you were young," are all true. So painfully true. So although I might need Youngest to be quiet, "be quiet" to him is the same as saying "whisper." There is no "off" button. So on my special day like today when I just need some peace and quiet, there is no option. I enjoy the luxurious drive to work for this very reason. The moment those kids get out of the car for school a smile creeps upon my face. Ahhh, finally. A second of quiet. It only lasts a few moments, so with all good things, I enjoy it while it lasts. This is what brings the balance. Enjoy the noise and the chaos, but enjoy the peace when it arrives too.

Hidden Treasure...

Friends, this week a co-worker casually mentioned that I should take my pre-teen daughter to that store Plato's Closet. Have you been here? My gosh, where has it been?!? Apparently, as normal, I am the one out of the loop. I checked out their website here, and discovered they are literally in my backyard.

I gave them a ring, and discovered this is a place I have driven by many times. Who knew? Certainly not I. I must confess as I have glanced at it in the past I have always thought this was a rinky-dinky clothing store that will overcharge me for crappy clothing. But oh no. This little treasure buys back teen clothing - only what's hot, friends - and sells it at an unbelievable discount. By "hot" I mean the stuff they want: Abercrombie & Fitch, Old Navy, American Eagle, H&M, Aeropostale, and on and on... Well you know today my Soccer Chick "needed" a winter jacket. Just kidding, this wasn't an "if" shopping trip. This was legit. She needs a jacket. So we hopped in the car and headed over. Less than 2 miles from my house. Wow.

I still stand by my statement you can't tell from the outside what type of clothes are inside. And from the name there is no giveaway revealing that you will never go to the mall and pay retail again if you step inside. But inside. Oh, friends...inside. Unbelievable. I almost started salivating at the sight. Shoes, purses, earrings, and so many clothes. My girl got herself a NorthFace Jacket AND a Baby Phat Jacket...for $50 bucks. Unheard of.

I asked the wonderful saleslady how long this lovely place has been here. Two years. And I have never visited. Are you kidding me? Friends, never take your teenager to a name brand mall store again without visiting Plato's Closet first! That's a command. I couldn't believe the prices and the quality of the clothing, and like I said, it's everything she wants to wear anyway. I am still in shock and that mini-trip was hours ago. I did tell my little girlfriend, "don't get in the store and get to acting crazy, wanting to buy up everything." Had to put that disclaimer out there. It's my one-liner that I give her before every shopping trip. She can out-shop anyone, at any time. Friends, it wasn't her that needed to be worried about. I did walk out with only those two jackets, but you know I was eyeing some boots and a purse or two. I won't get started on the accessories. The workers WILL be getting to know us on a first-name basis. I'll race you there...

Priceless Joy...

I wish for all of us that we could bottle up the joy that Youngest has. Well, truthfully I wish I could bottle all of my children's athleticism, energy, creativity, good-looks, and you know, so on and so on... If I could package THAT stuff and sell it, I would be a rich woman. Aside from all Youngest's other endearing characteristics I must tell you the boy has pure, unbridled joy. Don't we pray that there are certain innocent things our children will never lose? This would be on top of that prayer list.

Little dude's birthday was yesterday. Six years old. God is so amazing, He crafted together and incredible evening. I couldn't have pieced it together any better myself. Our church small group meets on Wednesday evenings. We purchased a cake to have for dessert in celebration of his big day. About two hours before showtime, I receive a text from one family: whole house is sick, can't make it to bible study. Cool, I think. Hope they feel better. I proceed with making preparations for our group's dinner. Yes, my friends, we serve dinner every Wednesday. 'Cause we roll like that. I put the lasagnas in the oven and return to the project, errr - JOY of helping Bball Girl with her homework. By the way, whoever said fractions were do-able is a big, fat liar. This is our third round of helping children with fraction homework and I swear The Hub and I haven't mastered them yet.

Shortly thereafter, I receive another text. Another family has a conflict; won't be able to make bible study. Wow... that's two families down. We're a small clan on Wednesday nights so that leaves one family remaining that we are sure will come. There are always those infrequent folks who show up, but these three families for sure are always in attendance. I relay to The Hub how things are panning out and he decides to give the third family a call. Turns out they can't make it either. No lie. All three of our regular families are MIA. The Hub and I chuckled, God is giving us a night off. And it just so happens to be Youngest's birthday.

We proceed with enjoying that bible study dinner with just the Copelands in attendance. We celebrate with Youngest's cake and some ice cream and surprise him with an announcement of a trip to Five Below. Do you know Five Below? Shoot, it's a dollar store on steroids. It's a kid's fantasy land. And the store is just small enough that you really can feel alright with letting them run the aisles like they have no sense. I don't think the store clerks are 100% thrilled with our visits, but hey we spend plenty of $5s there so I don't want to hear any grumbling.

I would love to tell you this was a pre-planned birthday surprise. Truth is, us folks are busy. Can I say that as "bizzz eeeee?" This old gal had no time to get the fella anything for his birthday. No worries, I thought to myself. His birthday party is Saturday. We are braving Chuck E. Cheese for this child. He ought to be getting us a present. So here we have this free evening presented to us as a beautifully gift-wrapped present from God. To Five Below we go...

For good measure, Bball Girl and Soccer Chick were shopping too. Youngest was worse than a kid in a candy shop. He loves that store! He got a basket and he roamed the aisles, almost salivating at the mouth over all his choices. What did his mom do? Well, Five Below has pull for not just the kiddos, you know. I roamed the aisles too. You ever shop like that? You know you are in that store for one reason, and one reason only, but you also know, there might be something in that store that catches your eye and you might be buying it. My lovely little eyes fell upon Cow Tales. These wonderful little candies are disgustingly good.

You know when I saw them there was only about 3 flat seconds before they landed in Youngest's shopping basket. I know, I know. A moment of pure weakness. Who needs a stick of white sugar, covered in God knows what and tastes fantastic? Apparently I did. Apparently, in my moment of fleshly operation I needed 4. In my defense, this was my ONLY purchase for my self. Not a very good defense, I know... I think what makes it worse is my discovery upon returning home. I reach in the bag, prepared to enjoy some of my greedy gain, and lo and behold they are the chocolate version. Disgusting. Can I say that as "diss - gust - ting!" As much as I like the ones wrapped in the white wrapper above, I can't stand the chocolate ones. I could do nothing but laugh at my own foolishness. I just had to have them and turns out I didn't even take the time to get the right ones. That's how you know I didn't need them.

The three Youngest Copelands finished their shopping and Youngest, in all his happiness, wound up with a Nerf gun that shoots 6 foam bullets wherever his little heart desires and a few other goodies. The joy on his face from these 5 items he was allowed to purchase was priceless. He could barely contain his excitement until he got home. You know you have to use your ammunition correctly, right moms and dads? "No toys until your bath is done!" Zoom! Flash! Quicker than lightning he was in that bath and ready to go. As If we didn't give him enough play time, you better believe he was the first person up and out of bed today. How do I know? Easy, I'm in the bathroom and hear this light knock on the door. As I stand in my underwear and bra, thinking I'm relatively safe, I open the door and turn back around. No sooner than I return to my preparations, I hear a click and I am shot...literally... in the butt with a Nerf Gun foam bullet. "SCORE!" yells Youngest. The boy died laughing. I thought I was going to have to pick him up from off the floor he was laughing so badly. I'd say he likes his purchases.

We did hit one bump in the road with our progress this morning. At one point, after I removed the newly purchased toys from Youngest's grasp in order to encourage him to get moving on his dressing, I found him sitting on his bed daydreaming, looking as if he was physically unable to move. "What are you doing, Youngest?" I ask him. " Thinking of what I will do when I get those toys back." Hey, so long as I don't take any more bullets in the butt, I think we are good. Before we left the house, he gives me the sweetest old hug you ever wanted to see. "Mom, I love you sooooo much." Gullible old me fell for that, quicker than you can say "huh?" As soon as that little treasure-of-a-boy pulled away from the hug, he mumbled, "now maybe I can get my stuff back..." Hey, I can't be mad at the boy for knowing how to work things.

From The Outside Looking In...

I blogged to you yesterday about going to some sort of Halloween Alternative event type thing instead of trick or treating last night. That's what we did, folks. We went to a church up the street from us to enjoy their festivities. Youngest got this adorable Cheetah face. Does it say anything about him that his favorite animal is also the fastest animal? You would have thought from the massive row of signs advertising their event, that this would have been a bit of a big deal. There was live music (2 singers and a guitar player), about 5 tables of simple carnival games and food. I'd rate the food as a winner. Free hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, cotton candy and sno-cones. It was freezing so I must admit I didn't sample the sno-cones. You can fill in the blanks.


Soccer Chick was less than thrilled as she contemplated sporting a pout across her face. She would have much rather been trick-or-treating. When she was really young we were still participators of that, but of course she can't remember. All she knows is her friends get to do it and she doesn't. Sometimes in life, as parents, we make these decisions that make no sense to our kids. Those also tend to be things that are hard to explain clearly in a way they can understand. In a quiet moment she fell into me for a hug and I said, "hey girl. There are those things in life that we don't get choices about. Our parents are going to decide for us. But we do get to choose our attitude." Totally channeling my mother... As our sweet moment ended, she wiped some tears from her sad little eyes and I could see a glimmer of hope. Shortly after, she was having a good time eating the food and chuckling at some of the costumes. I must say that I appreciate her willingness to cope with tough situations. I seem to remember a certain other girl, who back in her day, knew how to sulk like it was nobody's business. Talk about a major brat. Bball Girl and Youngest, on the other hand, are both still of the precious age where they didn't really care. They may have liked to have gone trick or treating and Youngest sure was running through the house talking about "Happy Halloween" but still, they were very excited to go to the Trunk Or Treat.

What we found was the event was not very well attended. The kids enjoyed the moon bounce and the table games but overall it just seemed like there weren't that many people there and once we ate and did the games the kids were bored. How many times can a kid visit the duck pond game? So what's a non-trick-or-treating family to do? We hopped in the car and headed to another one, of course! A church that sits behind my mother-in-law's house also hosts this annual event. If memory serves me correctly, I do believe we visited both these spots last year as well. This year we pulled my self-imposed home-bound mother in law with us. She did the full-on pout with a stuck out bottom lip. She didn't have any interest in leaving her warm house and trotting oh, 50 feet into her own backyard. This same woman got herself a plastic bag and visited each one of those trunks to collect candy for herself. Just as we predicted, she complained about being pulled out of her house but by the time she returned she couldn't stop raving about how much fun she had. Aren't we just like that, ya'll? We decide in advance what we will like and not like and then come to find that we are usually completely wrong. Speaks volumes about how pre-judge, doesn't it?

What I really have to confess is how each year when we attend these I always feel like we are getting dirty looks from the hosts. Especially when we do the trunk or treat part and you walk up to a car trunk with your kids in tow. Mind you, my kids are not in costumes, and people give these funny looks. I know they are thinking where are their costumes? Occasionally we have even hear people comment about them lacking costumes. I have to pause and think to myself, this is a church providing a Halloween alternative. Why would people look funny at us if we don't dress up? Don't they know the purpose of providing a Halloween alternative? There is also that inside part of me that wants to say, hey buddy! I'm a Christian. I'm not one of THEM. You know...the "thems." The non-Christians that churches are trying to reach through these events. But I don't say any of that, and they don't know any of that, so I smile and nod and slowly move on to the next trunk.

I think these events have become more of a "provide a safe place for trick or treating" rather than a "we don't participate in trick or treating" kind of event. There is a difference. Judging from the costumes of the workers, the bloody faces, scary masks, vampire teeth and fakes knives, I would say the reason to not celebrate Halloween has been lost in translation. Last night there was even a trunk/costume judging contest and the winner was Count Trunk-ula, coming complete with a full vampire costume, fog, a coffin next to the trunk and a lovely gentleman with bloody teeth. Nice. Personally, I would think the guy in the all black with the Scream mask and fake machete in his hand took the cake.