Cub Scouts

Sam and I ended up being Cub Scout leaders for the 2011/2012 school year.  We were in charge of the Tiger Cubs (Jonah's troop).  Henry was a Bear Cub in another troop.  I'm not exactly sure how we got signed up to be the troop leaders, but we did enjoy the experience-especially the super cool shirts.

 Jonah was the reason we got involved with cub scouts in the first place.  

 He had heard about it and thought that it would be the very best activity for him.  Since Henry was involved in other sports at the time, we initially told him that he couldn't be in cub scouts, but it turned out that he could go on the same nights that we were there with Jonah.  So it actually worked out wonderfully for everyone!  Bridget came along with us to Jonah's class and was able to participate in the crafts and snacks and games.

The meetings were fairly structured but required a lot of parent participation-and our group's parents weren't very interested in participating.  So we just tried to keep it fun and get the requirements done as best as we could.  :)  We set up a snack rotation, planned games and crafts, and made sure the kids were earning their patches and beads as we went along.  We were also required to set up one field trip a month.  We went fun places like the fire station, and the local Christian radio station:

The cub scouts also had a chance to be in a parade!  When we got to the meet-up place the morning of the parade, it was raining and kind of cold.  Both my boys decided they wouldn't prefer to be in the parade after all, so we opted to watch from the sidelines. 

 Some of the meeting were super fun, like the one where they brought in "The Creature Teacher", who let everyone touch a tarantula.  Yuck!

Before the big cub scout camp out, we had a tent-building meeting.  The kids really enjoyed learning to put up a tent, and we packed them each a s'mores snack in a ziploc to enjoy while they played.

Near the end of the school year, we had one final meeting and had everyone come to our house for a bonfire.  The kids roasted marshmallows, met our goats, and ran around outside for a while.  We had mostly city kids in our group, and they all really enjoyed coming out to our place and having some freedom to enjoy nature a bit.  They all had so much fun!  

   It was fun to be a cub scout leader for a season, but at the end of the year Sam and I passed the torch to another parent to take over the leadership.  We decided that since we have so many other activities throughout the year that cub scouts wasn't the best one for our family.  We also spend lots of time outdoors and enjoy the experiences they were focusing on as a family.  We are thankful for the year that we had with such a fun group! 

Upwards Basketball

Henry played on his first ever basketball team with a local Upwards group this year.  It was so fun!  He had a great team and a nice coach.  He already knew some of the kids and made friends with the others...they had a great time together. 

Upwards is a great league for those that want to focus on learning the game as well as sportsmanship, teamwork and godly principles.  

Sam spends lots of time shooting hoops with Henry out in the yard.  It is so fun to have boys take after their daddy!  

Henry scored quite a few goals and really improved on offense this year...way to go, Henry! 

Bridget soccer 2011

Bridget has been eagerly anticipating playing soccer for as long as I can remember. The year she was born is the first year that Henry played, so she has been watching from the sidelines ever since she was a baby.

This year she was finally old enough to play on a team! Bridget was the youngest player on her team, as her birthday was the cut-off for being eligible to play. She was placed on the Tornadoes, coached by Mandy and Andy.

Bridget was so excited to go to her first practice! She ran right over and joined the group...and she hardly looked back.

Actually she made eye-contact with me once, raised her hand in a little half wave, then quickly turned back to her coaches. She takes her soccer seriously. Every time they called out 'water break' Bridget would run over to me, grab her water bottle for a quick drink, then run back to her coaches. Once or twice they told her to go back and sit down a minute to rest. ;)

This is Bridget right after her very first game. She looked so big out there on the field! And after the game, she was quite excited to head over to the snack-shack and get her free juice and animal crackers (which might or might not have been the highlight of the game for her).

Here's Bridget with her two biggest fans! It was weird for Henry to be watching instead of playing this year...this is his first season 'off' since beginning soccer four years ago.

My goofy girl. One of my favorite parts of this season was watching little parts of Bridget's personality develop. She is not usually very aware of the days of the week, but during soccer season, she was constantly counting down to the next practice or game. Friday nights she would lay out her gear and uniform before going to bed, without anyone reminding her to do it.
The referees are very good with the kids and always make sure they know which goal they are heading toward. Bridget was good at knowing which one was her goal; and even though she didn't make contact with the ball much, she was always right in the middle of the action.
Go Bridget!!!
Team picture of the Tornadoes, fall 2011

Back row: Coach Andy, Coach Mandy
Middle row: Mitchell, Maddie, Ryken, Bridget
Front row: Aden, Chesni, Johnathan
Not pictured: Thomas, Diego

I didn't get a good picture of Bridget with her good friend Mitchell! That was another of the best parts of the season...watching Bridget develop a friendship entirely on her own. We showed up for one game an hour early (oops! Should have checked the schedule, Mom.) and so did Mitchell and his family. The two kids played together at the park until game time and they were best buddies on and off the field for the rest of the season. So fun!

I'm so thankful for a daughter who loves sports and is healthy and active, and I'm also thankful for a wonderful community that provides great opportunities like this one!

Football 2011

Henry surprised us all this past spring when he announced that he would be playing tackle football in the fall.

Since he was four, Henry has been playing soccer in the spring and fall. He is good at soccer and loves it, so I wasn't really sure what he would say when I told him he would have to skip soccer if he decided to play football. He hesitated only a moment, asked a few questions (along the lines of, "Can I still play on the same team in the spring if I skip the fall?") and made his decision.

I tried to talk him into trying out flag football, to no avail. He wanted to play tackle or nothing.

So we signed him up!

The first two weeks were evaluations/try-outs. The coaches had them run (and run, and run!), catch balls, exercise, do drills, etc...and they separated out the boys into two teams. The White team was mostly boys who have played in the past, and the older kids (4th graders). The Blue team was mostly the younger boys (3rd graders) and those who were new to the game.

Luckily, Henry was picked for Blue, which is coached by a friend of ours. Coach Michael works with Sam at Sky Ranch, goes to church with us, and his son Luke is a friend of Henry's. Sam told Michael he would be willing to help out if needed, and Michael made him an assistant coach.

The first few practices were helmet-only, to get the boys used to the feeling of running with the different balance and weight that it adds. After that they wore full pads and started learning to tackle. Those first few tackle practices were pretty intense and emotional (for Henry and his mom!). Henry and the other boys learned how to tackle properly to avoid injuries. Once they figured it out they gained quite a bit of confidence and lost some of their fear.

After that it was time to start learning positions, plays and strategy. Henry loved learning the plays and the code words they use to tell each other where they should be. He was put in the position of wide receiver...in the picture below, Henry is #82 (blue jersey, player farthest to the right).

Henry loved his first season of football! He was not the smallest player on the team, but he was close...most of the other boys were fourth graders. That left Henry on the sidelines quite a bit, but he definitely got lots of playing time. Henry was enthusiastic and one of the best encouragers on his team. We were so proud to see him paying attention, helping others up, telling his friends what a good job they had done, and generally promoting team unity.

Sam was a favorite among the parents. There was another assistant coach who was a bit harsh sometimes, and the other parents really appreciated that Sam never once yelled at the kids. Sam is a gentle, encouraging, inclusive coach. So fun to watch! Henry was so proud to have his dad out on the field with him. :)

The Blue team lost all their games...they actually scored 7 points in the second to last game, and they were so excited to have points on the board! At the end of the season when the other teams went into play-offs, we were done. So we invited the whole team (along with their parents and siblings) over to our house for an end-of-season football party. We cooked hot dogs, had chips, potato salad, soda and more dessert than we knew what to do with. The boys had so much fun! The parents mostly sat around visiting, and the boys played catch, climbed around in the tree forts and ran around the yard.

From left: Grayson, Nick, Caleb, Dylan, Coach Sam, Luke, Ethan, Henry, Alex, Blake, Coach Michael, Jordan, Seth, Christian, Braxton, Brody.

It was such a great season! I'm grateful to the Lord for keeping all the boys safe, helping them find joy despite the scoreboard, new friendships, and healthy bodies. Way to go, Henry! We are so proud of you for trying something new and learning that you love football! :)