by joe i think we've got it

taylor has asked us in many years past if he could play basketball. after the career that rob had you'd think we would jump on that band wagon, but we didn't, especially after he started playing football and lacrosse. those two sports take up so much time that i wanted the couple months in between to be uncommitted. this year there were a couple of kids that he plays football and lacrosse with that were playing basketball together too. their team just happened to need a coach. hmmmm. one of the moms talked rob into coaching and within five days of football ending we were back at practice.

it's been a little crazy trying to get the team together because it was so last minute but we finally figured things out and managed to get in three practices before our first game last saturday. i try to watch a little at practice but end up talking to the other parents most of the time so i've never really seen what kind of player taylor is. i wasn't expecting much when rob finally put him to the game.

boy was i wrong.

he is his father's son.

he got out there and went crazy. he was stealing balls, his defense was spectacular and he hit a fade away jumper that was nothing but net. it was unbelievable. whose kid is that?!

 and to top it all off i couldn't get my camera to take a decent non blurry picture.

note to self: figure out how to work your camera this week.

taylor has loved football from the moment he started playing but he just isn't aggressive enough. he doesn't have the tough mentality for it. if he sees a kid that's bigger than him it's all over.

he loves lacrosse too. he has the speed you need for that game but sometimes you have to get in there and not only throw some punches but take some as well and he's just not quite there in lacrosse either.

but basketball. basketball fits him. he has the speed and he has the ability. he doesn't have to worry about someone three times his size trying to take him down. he doesn't have to worry about getting whacked with a metal stick. it's just him, a ball and a basket. and i can't wait to see where it takes him.

i love to laugh

remember that song from mary poppins?

i was singing it the other day. i don't remember how i even got it stuck in my head but i started thinking about how much i love to laugh. it's one of my favorite things. there isn't anything much better than laughing. especially uncontrollable laughter.

i saw a print that said something about "there's nothing better than laughing when you aren't supposed to" and i thought how true that was. it immediately brought me to a situation that took place at church a couple years ago. skye and i were at the saturday service sitting in the second row with no one in front of us. she yawned and a button on her sweater popped off. and i don't just mean the thread came loose.

it. went. flying.

talk about dying.

we tried to control it, we really did. but there was no possible way. pastor jeff probably thought we were being so rude but we couldn't help it. it was pure, uncontrollable, shaking, tears streaming down my cheeks laughter. i spent the next twenty minutes getting myself under control and, just when i thought i was ok, i would think about it and lose it all over again.

those are some of the best times.

done and done

the boys had a great season this year. they finished the season 5-1-1, including scoring on a team that hasn't been scored on for two years. we were so blessed to get on the team we have been apart of for three years now. i believe whole heartedly that we have the best coaching staff in optimist football. we also have the best parents. i can't wait to watch these boys as they go through middle school and high school. they rock!

coach buss wanted our boys to be noticed this year. hellooooo green socks! the boys loved them and definitely got them a few looks. waiting to see what next year will bring.

a new thing this year was getting to play a scrimmage during half time of the mountain view game. it happened to be on the 'tough enough to wear pink' night so they were decked out. emily had decided that one year of cheer was enough but after this night i'm not so sure. she loved being out on that field cheering.

this is all the coaches and their kids. pretty great group of people.

from day one they have done this cheer. i love hearing them do it. so simple yet so them, so until next season...

raiders! give yourselves a hand!

(clap clap clap!)

RAIDERS!!! 

thoughts

a friend and i went out the other day for lunch and a shopping trip to a new decor store. they have lots and lots of christmas stuff so we went to take a peak. my friend started talking about christmas trees and asking if i put ribbon in my tree. she had no intentions of sounding stuffy but the more she talked about ribbon and birds and color schemes the more i started thinking that i need to put a tree upstairs for all of our current mismatched and hodgepodge ornaments and get a tree for the living room that is themed.

a grown up tree.

a fancy tree.

and then i started thinking about our current ornaments. and how much i love them. you see, those ornaments are not merely random things to hang on a tree. they represent milestones and memories of our little family. they consist of ornaments that rob and i made when we were growing up, ornaments from our travels together and different stages and phases that the kids have been through.

they are snap shots of our lives. pictures that, each year, allow us to take a walk down memory lane.

 and they mean the world to me.

so this year when we put up our tree we will once again walk down memory lane and i will, once again, be thankful for those ornaments and the memories that they hold and i will go to bed on christmas eve giddy with happiness that this hodgepodge tree sits in our living room.