It's all about the sports in 'Murica

Max's football team he signed up for dissolved- not enough players.  I thought there were plenty of players!  He would have gotten to participate constantly!  Instead he was placed on a team that had played together for years and practiced about 25 minutes away.  When you have almost every day practices this really stinks!  Also they did a lot of Friday night lights and tailgating parties and other things to simulate high school football, but since we had a senior playing high school football we ignored all of those things.  I was either at Sam's game or working so I only got to see 2 of his games.  Poor Max.  He understood, he said.  He played a guard this year.

Joseph ran cross country after much harassing and arguments from us. 

Our cross country team is 1st or 2nd in the state depending on the year, so he was never going to make varsity.  Even the people on the JV team were running 18 minute 5K's, so he was on the C-team.  A lot of people are on C-team.  This is the land of the runner!

Samuel did his senior year on Football.  

 The team mom's made these for all the seniors.  There was a hook on the back for hanging balloons on game day!

He started out on kick off and kick off return team

He ran this ball back for almost 60 yards!

and as an alternate receiver, but since his coach never ever ever changes players, he didn't play receiver very often.  The coach kept trying him in various positions in practice.  He told him that he was too athletic to be sitting on the side lines.  He finally decided to put him in as a nose guard.  Yep all  5'8 140 pounds of him pushing against 250 pounders.  

They had specific plays they used him in.  He was supposed to do specific things, which he usually accomplished despite the huge guy in his way, but usually got crushed in the end.  

We eventually learned to sit away from the main crowd who were loud and rude and yelled a lot.  Our team isn't the greatest.  We have an amazing assortment of skill players!  They always review us well, because of this.  We also get 2 or 3 signed to college every year.  Unfortunately, we have very few big guys for our line (hence using Sam.) So in the end, our season isn't very long.  If we make play-off's we are out the first round.  We didn't even make play-offs this year.  We still got people signed to colleges, however.  When we moved we found out where the main players families sit- like the quarterback's family.  I always wondered if the mom could hear all those negative comments!   Nope!  She doesn't sit by the bench people and the B team families!  

I got slightly more involved this year- only slightly.   These women are a little over the top for me.  But I did help with Homecoming.  They did a great job!

This is Sam going to homecoming... by himself! 

It took almost the rest of the year for me to forgive his friends who caused the rift with the girls that ended with no one going except Sam on his own.  He did find friends there that he hung out for a little while.  

So much for Fall sports.  

Sam and I at the end of year banquet

Onward and upward!

April Fools!

Today it was winter in New Mexico- no lie.  

It's been 70-80 degrees for 3 weeks, but today Mother Nature said, "April Fools!"

Sam's track meet was canceled after they ran the 3200m and the 4x100m.  Our girls scratched because they false started and then our boys scratched because they couldn't feel anything with their hands being frozen and dropped the baton.  Sam's race was up next when they decided to cancel the meet due to the snow!  That's right- Snow!  I had to laugh when I saw the Petroglyph National Monuments fire danger sign at Moderate!

Max however, completed his football game.  You think that's another April Fools?  Nope.  They have spring football here as well as fall.  We signed up late, but they let us on if we would go to the next town over to play with their team.  They have so few players that even when they let everyone they could sign up late, they still only have 10 healthy players and 2 sick ones.  We figured these guys have all played together since they were like 5 so it was about the only way Max would actually get to play.  He started on offense 

and kick return.  

He also played a little linebacker.  His hands were completely frozen when it was all done.  He couldn't even get his pads undone.

With all this winter weather it made me crave meat which I rarely do- so we went to the best burger around!  And we got to see a little Emma there!

What a start to April!

Is Anybody Ready for some Football?

I love watching High school and College football, especially when you know people on the team.  I enjoy watching Sam play.  But as a military mom, I hate team sports!  Every time we move, my kids have to prove themselves and if they aren't amazing- beyond belief they get cut.  And even if they are amazing they have to prove it over and over and over, before right about the end of the season, the coach believes it (and so do the other players- at least the ones that aren't getting their spot taken.)  We got Sam to the states as soon as possible so he could start working out with the team.   I would have much rather have traveled around Europe for the summer and come here in August!  It took until we found a house and had an agreement with them that they would allow him to practice with the team.  We figured this too, so the day after we hit the ground we were running, looking at houses. We landed Friday night and signed on a house on Sunday.

Football is intense and a little over the top, here.  Everyone I talked to was trying to get their son into college ball and were paying for extra coaching on the side or recruiting agents.  They had all been in football since they could walk too!  Summer training was mandatory- expect you weren't allowed to say that out loud, since it wasn't supposed to be mandatory.  Once I finished a run early and watched the practice and realized immediately why it was mandatory.  They weren't doing conditioning, they were doing full on practices- running plays, offense, defense, the whole ball of wax!  

Practices started at 6:15 am.  We lived on the base until we could get into our house at the end of July.  So from the end of June until the end of July I drove Sam to practice, leaving at 5:40 every morning.  I would sleep a little in the car and then go for a run.  There was no vacation time and anyone that suggested around July 4th that they may not be around some of the next week were told that they might as well give up on their dreams of playing that year then.  If we had gotten Sam there any later in the summer, I'm sure he wouldn't have made the team.  

They did end summer "conditioning" with a fun water fight and slip and slide.  

They all divided up according to grade on different sides of the field and then came at each other.  The seniors started out with vehicles, 

but this was quickly kiboshed by the coach!  Looked fun, but I can see the possibility of serious injury!

Sam made Junior varsity.  The kid in his position on varsity had the fastest time in the nation for the 400m.  He was running olympic women's winning times.  Last year Sam never came out the game.  This year it seemed he barely went in. 

The first game was a scrimmage- it's never good when your kid is one of two kids that come out without a jersey on!  Never a good sign.  He ended up having to get a jersey off a kid on Varsity after they were done playing.  Gross!

He played offense

and special teams, 

but they took him out often- anytime they were running the ball and they ran the ball a lot!  Considering that there were about 120 kids on all 3 teams there were plenty of kids that never got into the ball game, period!  His grandma and grandpa came down to see him play and that game got canceled midway through because of rain.  He started the game, but we were late and didn't see.  He had just been taken out when we got there.  They only put him in a couple of times after that.  So Grandma and Grandpa didn't get to see much.  

Then there was the whole Homecoming fiasco.  Everyone on Varsity and JV were allowed to dress out and stand on the sidelines for the homecoming game, except Sam.  He was ineligible, because he was a transfer student.  He wrote me this from school after he found out and I went nuclear parent!  I emailed and texted coaches and athletic directors.  In the end they made me do exception paperwork for military students and he was allowed to dress out.  He told me that I never told him, but I did.  He just thought I was saying, "oh you are going to be allowed to dress out if I have anything to say about it!"  So he didn't bring his stuff.  In the end, it was probably a good thing.  No JV player got to play even though it was a blow out game, so they all just sat around with their pads and helmets on.  Sam on the other hand, stood on the sidelines and comfortably played catch with some of the injured guys.  Later I had a sit down meeting with the athletic director and football coach to advocate for military children to hopefully make sure nothing like that ever happened again to those who were just trying to fit in and become part of team.  These kids lead a hard enough life!  They thought I was going to go all nuclear on them again so they were recording it and trying to be all diplomatic to begin with.  When I was done calmly talking to them they were amazed and relieved.  I am afraid this school knows who I am and they shake a little when I come in.  I have never been that kind of a parent before, but sometimes you just have to go a little crazy to make sure your kid is treated fairly in a school that doesn't understand what a military kid goes through!

It took until the last game of the year that they finally agreed he was good enough to play both offense and defense. 

He still got taken out a lot, but that's because it was the last game of the season and the coach made a point of getting every single kid in.  He took Sam off of one kick off and put this kid in that was so super excited he messed it up!  They had to re-kick!  It was so cute.  I did feel bad for him though.  It meant that he hadn't played much if at all the entire season. Sam got to catch multiple balls that game and even ran one to within 10 yards of the touch  down, but he never did get that touchdown.  They always took him out at that point.  Made me so mad!

He has started individual sports now- Wrestling- and shockingly enough, he is Varsity.  I like individual sports.  You either have it or you don't and there is no politics involved.  There is no bias from the coaches who have "not" recruited players.  There is no quarterback that favors the other kids more than yours.  Sam promised us that this wasn't the case for him, but all we know is that he was open a lot!  The coaches noticed it too and started yelling at the quarterback over and over until he started looking at Sam a little more.  That's team ball.  

You know, I always thought I would be a team mom or a big time booster club parent, but those women here are scary.  They look at you like they want to bite your head off, but always with a smile on their face.  I think I'll just stay with my husband in the stands and send in cookies every once in awhile!

2 Month Photo Blog

 Max on a Motorcycle.  This is up at Ramstein.

 Max's school field trip down to Ritter sport.  They got to make 2 chocolate bars and learn about how chocolate is made.  Max put crispy rice and pop rocks in his chocolate.  It actually wasn't half bad.

 Went to a friends house and learned how to flood cookies.  Love learning something new!

 Crazy baking for Valentine's day.  Max wanted me to make chocolate strawberries for his class. I made a big cookie instead and then some cake pops, but they didn't turn out awesome so I relented and did the strawberries.  Also I made a bunch of other stuff for us and other people.

We may only have one more year of this Valentine's thing.  Rob and I have never done much with the holiday- even though I did decide to bake up a storm this year.  I think we may have even forgotten there was a holiday, except that the little ones always did Valentine's cards for their classmates.  Max is the last one doing that now.  

 Getting serious about moving.  Went through some of our stuff and sold some of it- gave away the rest.

Bought some stickers for my nails- I feel like I am 5.  But really these Jamberry nails are great.  Polish lasts me not even a day before it's ruined and looks horrible.  These last for 7-10 days on me.  I think they are actually supposed to last about 2 weeks, but I am so hard on my nails.  I don't bite them or anything.  It's just my regular every day routines.  My nails are so paper thin and break all the time.  The stickers seem to help protect them. I might be spending a little more money on nail stuff now!

 Sam's European Football Championship ring came in.  Very cool!

 The tulips are out.  Love them!  As soon as I saw they were starting to go on sale, I had to buy some.

 For Leap Year Day we had pond water (margarita mix and sprite) and

 Frog legs and green fields (friend chicken breast strips and salad) for dinner.

I also made an avocado and tomato salad which would have been way better without all the onion!

Notice there are no pictures of my birthday.  That's because we didn't do much this year.  It was Ok, though.  For some reason I wasn't up for much.  Rob and the boys made dinner and I bought a cheesecake for dessert.  

We Enjoy a Full Life

We like to keep our life full, so not only were we busy with Sam's full football schedule and the cheerleaders, we also had Max playing tackle football and Joseph running cross country.  This was a first for both of them.  Max ended up on a team with lots of experienced athletes and we had to make sure he knew it was OK if he didn't play that often- and he didn't.  Even when he "won" his spot during the week, something would change by the weekend.  It was very frustrating as a parent and for him.  He played on the line and did just as good as the other player he replaced when he was out there.  He played around a lot with the quarterback, who is our next door neighbor and learned so much that I was impressed by the end of the year.  Now he spouts off all kinds of football facts, constantly to us.  He is very excited that his favorite quarterback is in the Super Bowl this year- Peyton Manning.

 

It was the first year that CYS offered a cross country team for the junior high age.  There were some immensely talented runners in this group.  Two of the girls actually beat all the high school girls in every race they allowed us to join in.  The boys weren't far behind.  Joe ended up being middle of the pack, but that's not bad considering how little he practiced.  In the end, I think his best time was 22:30 for a 5 K.  I can't do that anymore!

This is how they all ended the race- it was supposed to help with lactic acid- or as we like to call it: Galactic Acid!

At the end of the season party the coach talked about how much Joseph could talk.  She said they would be running 5-6 miles and she would realize that he had been talking to her the entire way!  He can keep a steady stream of conversation going if he feels like it!  What a busy, busy year.  With three in traveling sports (2-3 hours away for most meets), it was good that we knew friends on all the teams, so that they could help us out with rides!  That is one of the things I am looking forward to when we get back to the states- no 3 hour drives to get to meets!