WhatIf?

At the beginning of the school year, Daria's teacher had a fun writing exercise. It is a WhatIf poem. The way it started and ended really spoke to me. The object was to write one real concern followed by a rhyming silly concern following the opening introduction. I had thought about writing my own WhatIf poem, but never got around to it. It may become a regular feature on my blog as I attempt to get back into the habit of writing. I miss it.

I really enjoyed Daria's WhatIf poem. I wanted to "publish" it back at the beginning of the year. I kept waiting...and waiting...for it to come home. Tonight, Daria placed a stack of papers on the counter to be recycled. I decided to see if there was anything in there that I wanted to keep. There, in that pile of recyclables, was Daria's What If poem. So here it is:

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
They sang their old Whatif song:

Whatif I don't do good in school?
Whatif I turn into a fool?
Whatif I get laughed at?
Whatif I get hit by a bat?
Whatif my teacher does not care?
Whatif I get chased by a bear?
Whatif I forgot my things?
Whatif Santa fails in all he brings?
Whatif I slip in the mud while I play?
Whatif the boogey man is here to stay?
Whatif our class becomes one girl less?
Whatif my room stays a mess?
Whatif I don't finish my homework on time?
Whatif eating ice cream was a crime?
Whatif I forgot my lunch?
Whatif marshmallows made a big crunch?
Whatif my mom forgets to pick me up?
Whatif a mouse ate a buttercup?
Whatif I get sick?
Whatif I jump to the ceiling and stick?

Everything seems swell, and then
The nighttime Whatif stricks again!
by Daria Brandt

The Results Are In!!

I have been meaning to get on her since yesterday and share the news regarding Daria's soccer tryouts. Just a moment ago, I just had a revelation that I hadn't done that yet!! I have been so busy getting ready to head out of town to a cousin's wedding, that I totally forgot!!

Monday night, after the second round of tryouts, we received a call from the A team coach from Sherwood. DARIA MADE THE TEAM!!!! Daria was so very excited. I came home from a meeting to see her dancing in the doorway. I figured it had to be good news. She so wanted to play for this coach and that was exciting to see her excitement. Tim wanted me to wait until it was "official" before I said anything on my blog. They posted it on the website....so now it is official.

God really is good. I should have known not to fret. If God had granted us peace about not going to Newberg....I should have known that He would have good things in store for Daria. Tim was also able to have a conversation with the coach about our rule of No Sunday Morning Soccer. She said that she could work with that....and it sounded like there may not be many, if any, Sunday morning games. Yeah. That has been such a huge concern for Tim and I and we were relieved to have that discussion with her so early on.

I am so proud of my Girlie. We are excited for the year to come. Below is an action picture that Tim took this last Spring season. She's in the red. Isn't she awesome????

Tryouts

Daria's soccer tryouts started yesterday and continue this afternoon. My poor mind has just been consumed with it. It is honestly driving me nuts. I remember trying out for volleyball when I was a sophomore in high school. I don't remember being that nervous. I think it was because I knew I had a snowball's chance of making the team since they were only choosing 2 from my class.

But now....I feel like Daria has a really good chance. And then on the other hand...I feel like there is no way she'll make it through the political red tape that seems to be surrounding tryouts. I've been having a lot of conversations with God about it these last few days.

When Tim and I were wrestling with the Newberg decision last week, we came away feeling like God had directed us away from that decision. We had a great deal of peace about that. I have to keep reminding myself that being in Sherwood's tryouts was God's best for Daria. (At least in the small world of soccer!!) And yet I feel completely at the mercy now, of the coaches of Sherwood.

If I am honest, what I really want for Daria is for her to be on the "A" team in Sherwood. I want her to be validated in that regard. I know that I'm her mom and just a tad bit prejudice, but I think she is that good. It doesn't help that I don't want the Newberg coach to be able to say: "Ha...told you so. You made the wrong decision!" Oh my human heart is getting way too wrapped up in this Soccer Drama.

Last night, as I was doing my devotions, God was faithful. Isn't that just like God? The devotional that I was reading was so appropriate for my feelings. The author was talking about the difference between "getting what I wanted" and "getting what I needed." When my Moms in Touch friends were praying with me regarding our Newberg decision, we prayed that ultimately what we decided would be best for Daria's character. Maybe what Daria "needs" is not necessarily what I "want."

There is that conflict of "human wants" and "divine wants." So when my prayer jumps to praying that God would honor Daria with a spot on the "A" team, I quickly ask God to ultimately do what is best for Daria's character....what He wants for Daria. And to help me want what He wants...with no regrets.

Thankfully, Daria doesn't seem to echo my internal struggles. Ultimately, she just loves the game and wants to play and have fun. (To win, too, I'm sure!) We were both pleased to see who would be her coach if, by chance, she makes the "A" team. That was good for me to hear her thoughts on that. Neither of us were sure which coach would be the coach for the "B" team, but she seemed okay with that. And that....is an answer to last week's prayer.

Which reminds me again....God is faithful.

Soccer: The Conclusion

I have been so relieved about our decision regarding Daria's soccer, that I haven't even taken the time to blog about it here. Not that my dwindling audience cares all that much....but for future reference, it is good for me to write about the conclusion.

Last week was one difficult week. I hadn't thought about soccer so much EVER in my entire life. I thought about it in the morning. I thought about it at lunch time. I thought about it at dinner time. And all the times in between. Then, Tim would come home, we would get the kids into bed; and, we would talk soccer. Until way too late at night. Ugh. I seriously struggled with the fact that something as inconsequential as soccer was occupying so much of my time, thoughts, and sleep. It's only soccer!!

On Thursday, when I had the nerve to ask my Moms in Touch friends to pray for SOCCER, one of my very wise friends said....it isn't just soccer....its her character, too. Here I was focused on which team would be best for Daria. Would the benefits of playing in another town for another coach outweigh the frustration of commuting her there two times or so a week? In all the hubbub of the decision, I had forgotten the importance of a coach on a child's character.

Ultimately, I am very thankful that God is in control....and that He gives wisdom freely when we ask....when we seek. God is faithful.

I find myself way to wrapped up, at times, in my feelings about Daria's playing. I find myself too caught up in wanting her to be the best....or to have the best for her. I find that I often have to temper my feelings and my thoughts and make sure they line up with what God would want. It is way too easy to get caught up in "the game" that surrounds our soccer world right now. With all that, I found that I wasn't really trusting my feelings in this whole decision. Maybe that is why it consumed me as much as it did. My main prayer last week was that God would give Tim wisdom and direction in this decision. I really felt like his levelheadedness was what was really needed to make the best decision. I felt like this wasn't an emotional decision.

When that coach was wooing us over to his team, he had a lot of nice things to say about Daria. As a mom, I was just eating them up. I think Daria is a good player...and I loved hearing that someone else, who knew the came, thought so too. Who wouldn't want to play for a coach who saw her potential? Even so, at times, during the week, I just felt "off" about the decision to go there. I hesitated to say anything, because I really felt like the decision and leading needed to come from Tim.

I wish that I could adequately describe the many factors that were swirling around last week. I was feeling totally confused....one minute totally on board for a club change. The next minute I would be devastated with the thought of leaving Sherwood. All week long I was like that. Tim seemed totally on board with the switch. Daria, totally loving the things the coach had said, was totally thrilled with the idea too. I just could not grasp why I couldn't find peace with the decision.

As always, God proves that He is right on time. Never late. And rarely early....but right on time. Friday was our deadline for telling the coach our decision. Oh how I hated that deadline. Tim had spent a good deal of time trying to talk to people who knew about this other coach. For some reason, I was desperate for him to talk to someone. Friday dawned...and Tim still hadn't talked with anyone. To me, it seemed like forever, but finally he talked with some people. Crazy boy. He forced me to wait most of the day before he shared with me the information he had found.

Ugh.

I won't go into the details of what we learned. We both came to the conclusion that this wasn't the best decision for our family....or for Daria. While we were talking, it felt like we were dancing around saying that without really saying it. I didn't want to out and out say that. In my mind, I was trusting in Tim's leading for the decision. Anyway, somehow we concluded that. (We are terrible decision makers....even when it is for where we go to dinner!!!)

I cannot even begin to describe the peace that came with that decision. Tim even remarked on it the next morning. I didn't confess that that was what I felt until he confessed first!! (I was so relieved at Tim's peace. I was almost giddy.) There are still moments where I wonder, but ultimately, I have peace. Daria was a little disappointed to hear of our decision. We had to ask her to trust us that we were making the best decision for her. She begged us to change our minds for the first day....but I haven't heard anything since Sunday.

God is good.

Now my thoughts have been consumed with Sherwood's tryouts. They take place this coming Sunday morning. (Mother's Day!!) I have been praying that God would just continue to be faithful in Daria' life....even in her soccer life. I am also praying that I will feel at peace at whatever happens. Daria has been busy this week preparing herself for tryouts.

I am anxious to see what God has in mind.

Oh the pressure.

Soccer isn't that big a deal. Or at least it shouldn't be.

I love that my daughter loves soccer. I love that she is good at it. I get a lot of joy out of watching her play. I love to hear what other people say about her and her soccer skills.

But right now, it kind of stinks.

The pressure is on for us to make the decision. I really don't like the pressure. I would rather like to feel like the power is in our hands. When our hand is forced, I want to run.

It makes me thankful, again, that Tim is so level headed. I tend to run on emotions and sometimes my body blocks my thought processes. When I hear the jockeying, I cower; Tim steps up to the plate. This is a good example of when we work well together. I asked him the other night to handle this...and he is. I'm so glad.

So....right now Tim is doing a lot of talking with the coach. I'm not sure what will come of it. Probably another night of little sleep as we talk things through. Ugh.

It shouldn't be this hard. It's just soccer.

Things that make you go....Hmmmm.....

It has been a while since I've blogged about Daria and soccer. Not that she has stopped playing....just that things have settled down some. Things are starting to pick up again. Which is okay....but in the last couple of days there has been a lot of things to think about. Soccer shouldn't be this difficult for parents when she is only 10!!

This last month has been Spring Academy for her. I suppose it is like a soccer camp....but it really is just a preview for Classic tryouts. She has also been finishing up a Spring outdoor PDP session. As always she continues to amaze me and does an amazing job. She seems to be improving all the time...and that is a good thing!!

My biggest wish in the world of soccer has been that the selection of teams would be fair and based on the girls' playing abilities. The more I listen in and learn about it, though, I am finding that it is a very political thing....and it all starts back when the girls start playing soccer!! It is just ridiculously crazy. I try very hard not to let myself get carried away with the frustration of it all. It is so easy to get wrapped up in it all. Ultimately, I just want Daria to play with a good team, and for a good coach who we can work with and be respected for our point of view regarding church.

In this last outdoor session, Daria's team recruited a trio of girls from a Newberg team to play with them. Their coach came along too. These girls were excellent....and I knew of the coach from college. He played soccer for George Fox when I was a student. And through other George Fox/soccer connections, I have heard very good things about this coach.

The last couple of games, this coach has said very flattering things about Daria and her playing. Of course, being her mother, I think she is a fabulous player. She continues to amaze me with her abilities. Even so, I still soak up the things that people tell her directly....as well as the things that I overhear. There's just something about seeing and hearing that your children do well. Then on Friday night, at the End of Season party, this coach approached Tim and I about Daria coming to play on his team.

He said all the right things.

This coach believes that Daria should play on an A team. He was surprised that the A team coach in our town hadn't picked her up yet.....that she should be playing on their team. And not just playing.....but starting. He also said that he has a winning club. His team has gone to the medal rounds in every thing they have entered. He says that with a player like Daria....they could go all the way. Whose to know if he's right. A mom wants to believe all that....but who knows if he is just laying it on thick. He also said the he already knows what he would work on with Daria to make her from a good player....to a great player. Now that one I will agree with....the things that he talked about are things I see his daughter do. She is one classy player.

This presents a lot of things for Tim and I to think over...and a decision needs to be made by Friday. He presented a lot of other thoughts....like taking control of Daria's soccer future instead of letting the A team decide it for her. He said he really had picked up on the political factor between the two teams when they played a couple of weeks ago. We also talked with him about our stand on Sunday games during the church hour. He was very understanding of that. We have been very worried about that...especially after this current coach gave us so much grief for missing a game because of church.

So....all that to say....that I'm proud of my girlie. It is exciting to me that she is being noticed and asked for. Yet so much to think about and making sure we make the right decision for her...and our family. I laid awake way too long the other night thinking about it. The relative known vs. the relative unknown.

Hmmmm.....

What a Mom Would Do.....

We've all heard the extreme stories of what a Mom will do for her kids. We would eat scraps. Wear rags. Climb a mountain. Sacrifice our lives. And so the story goes.

Tonight....this Mom went to a whole new level in Motherly Sacrifice.

Daria is pretty awesome at soccer. She puts her poor mom to shame. I have had dreams where I played as good as she does. She seems to be naturally gifted that way. Beyond the practices that have been assigned to her by coaches, she really hasn't worked on her skills on her own. Unless you want to count playing against Dad on Sunday afternoons!!

One of the skills she needs to have for Classic Soccer is to learn to juggle. To me, juggling even with your hands is difficult....much less with your feet and a soccer ball. I've often tried to encourage her to practice that skill....but she has never liked to do it on her own. Yesterday, I decided that if she really needed to practice this skill....I would make it happen.

So tonight, I suggested that she and I do some juggling in the garage tonight. And that is what we did. Now....mind you....I've not played a stitch of soccer....unless you want to count playing against/with Tim on Sunday afternoons. BUT....I was in there practicing my juggling.

I was quite proud of myself. I actually did it about 4 times in a row a couple of times. I could fairly consistently do it 3 times in a row. I was even doing about as good as Daria most of the time. By the time Classic tryouts happen, I may just be the total Soccer Mom package!!

The bonus in the evening was just the fun that we had. Caden came out with us and dinked around with the balls, too. (Anything to get better at soccer!!) We laughed and had a great ol' time. I was a little surprised that Luke didn't come out and join us....but he was having a great time playing with his Rescue Heroes.

So...Here's to being a Mom. We really do do it all!!

Daria's List

Since Daria inspired my previous post about my 25 random things. I decided that it would be fun to post her Alphabet Descriptive words that she came up for herself. I found it to be insightful....and slightly amusing.

Artistic

Beautiful

Colorful

Daring

Elegant

Fancy

Giggly

Hilarious

Impossible (yup.)

Jumpy

Kind

Liking other people.

Magnificent

Nice

Obnoctis (I believe that she meant obnoxious. Yup.)

Pretty

Quick

Ridiculous

Silly

Tender

Unbelievable (yup.)

Violent (yup. Seen it in soccer...and with her brothers!!)

Weird

X-ray. (not sure what she meant here. I think it was the only word she could think of that started with x!)

Young

Zig-zagger.

That's my girl. I'm so proud of her.

Growing Up.

Yesterday was a proud day for this Mom. It has been a while since I have taken a moment to acknowledge that fact. So, I guess I better get busy.

Yesterday, Daria received an award from school for being Responsible and a Good Citizen. I was happy to see that she is more responsible at school than she is at home! I suppose that she is learning something! I am always a proud mom when my kids do their best at school.

Then, last night, when she was practicing her piano, I heard her focusing on a particular part of a song. Usually, she is dashing through her practice, anxious to get onto other things. But, I noticed her playing this part over, and over again. I even heard her express some frustration. I fully expected her to throw a little fit and call it quits. Surprisingly she stuck with it and worked it out.

I was determined that I was going to acknowledge her accomplishment when she came back upstairs. I had spent a lot of time praying over her practicing last year. It was often a source of contention between her and I. So far this year, she is taking a lot more responsibility for her practicing...as well as not throwing these fits about/during her practicing. It really has been weight off my shoulders.

Before I could even get a chance to acknowledge her good efforts, Daria came upstairs quite proud of herself. She gave me a blow by blow description of how she had worked through that troublesome spot. All I could do was smile and tell her I was proud of her for sticking it through.

My little girl is growing up.

Mind-boggling

Today I have been blown away at the competition that is happening in the world of U10 Soccer. (Under 10 soccer) Personally, I have been looking forward to the outdoor soccer season ending. I'm burned-out big time on the go, go, go-ness of our schedule. I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....maybe.

Tonight, though, I have been wondering if, in reality, our soccer life is kicking into high gear. Withing 36 minutes of each other, we had 3 calls recruiting Daria to play on their indoor soccer team for the winter. They were all from the same team!!! With the fun of caller-i.d., I know the exact times of each call.

As we were headed out the door for soccer practice, at 4:53 p.m., we received the first call. It was a mom of one of the players....feeling out our interest and whether it would be okay if the coach could call us. I sort of left it open as a possibility for us. Since we were literally in the van on the way to soccer practice when she called, we missed the next 2 calls. At 5:01 p.m., we get the second call...from the coach himself. He chose not to leave a message. At 5:29 p.m., the team mom calls us to chat with us about the team. She left a message, so I returned her call this evening just to let her know we were thinking about it.

I find this hot pursuit to be absolute craziness!! Part of me is loving the attention that she is getting. I am amazed at the interest!! Personally, I think Daria is an awesome player. I guess it does my heart good to see that others agree! But the other part of me thinks that this is just lunacy....pure lunacy. Do these people really understand what they're doing????

The other part of the craziness, is that Daria's assistant coach has been advocating to get Daria on the elite U10 team here in town. In fact, he has arranged to have her and another girl (his daughter) practice with this team to see what the coach thinks. That happens tomorrow night and I'm kind of curious to see how that develops out. From the discussions that I have had with this assistant coach, it sounds like he has been advocating for Daria pretty hard. I find that absolutely stunning.

I think I am mostly amazed about it because she is nine years old. I never pictured her soccer world being this competitive at this early of an age. But then again, I never imagined that she would be as good as she is at nine years old!! Whatever happened to carefree childhoods and playing a game for the sheer joy of it? So far, I don't see her getting burned out on it. She seems to soak up any opportunity that she can.

Guess I will have to report back in the next few days or so. Her current coach hasn't asked me anything about whether Daria is going to play with this team during the winter. That is interesting.

This all just blows my mind.

Lightning Mc-Daria

I know that my title is totally goofy, but as I was thinking about writing this post, it was the only title that seemed to jump out at me!!! For as many soccer games as I have seen Daria play, sometimes I am amazed at how often she amazes me! Have I mentioned before how much I enjoy watching her play??? Yeah, yeah...I know. I'm the Mama and I have a right to be proud. So, there!

It was a wet, and cool, weekend in our world of soccer this weekend. I always dread heading out there when the skies are gray, the winds blustery, and the rain threatening. Days like that are meant to be spent in front of a roaring fire, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot tea and a good book. It is a good thing that my kids put on a good show playing soccer!! Any way, as time goes on I am learning ways to make my time in the cold, wet, and mud a little more tolerable for myself and the non-playing children.

Sunday, Daria's game was the wettest and the muddiest. We've been in worse...so I am not complaining....too much. Daria played a great game...as always. She still amazes me sometimes. To watch her put on "her moves" on another player, sometimes I am left thinking..."Where'd she learn that???" The game ended up tied, but Daria scored two goals. She was all over the field, zipping in and out of players, and seeming to trip the light fantastic. Sometimes I swear that I'll burst with pride. She's awesome, I tell you, awesome.

After the game, the girls were having a good time together. They stood around comparing mud splatters. One mom declared it was because they were running so fast. Daria brought a friend home after the game and the whole trip home they were comparing mud splatters. Who had it highest on their backs....Hey, Mom...this one looks like a face...do you see it? I'm not much of a mud fan...but the girls thought it was great fun. I was left wondering how to get mud splatters out of white uniforms? (whoever thought that was a good color to use!?!)

When we got home, I lined the girls up and took pictures of their muddy shirts and their grinning faces.

Aren't they cute??

More....for me than for anyone else....

After I received the message from Daria's coach, I sent him a thank you. I appreciated him so much taking the time to write Daria that message. He sent me a reply just now, and I just wanted to post it so that it was with all the "stuff" that I want to store up and ponder in my heart.....

Hey Christine,

Your very welcome. I tend to have a knack for timing when its needed
it seems.

I hope the intent from that one parent saying Daria should not be in
PDP, is that she should be in classics instead. Otherwise they have no
concept of this game. If Daria ever doubts herself, and you feel I can
help out at all, please let me know. I promise to do it in a way that
won't come out like "well your Mom said". Daria is one of the
strongest players in both our Rec and PDP teams, hands down.

FYI: At yesterdays game, in between her two goals while fighting for
the ball as it came out of bounds, it happen to be headed directly my
way and I saw a look in Daria's eyes that I hadn't seen before. It was
that one look that caused me to write Daria and as a coach, be very
proud.

TEA

Heart of a Lion

A lot of the time, the stuff that I write on this blog are for my own sake. In many ways, my blog has become a treasure. I put things in here that I alone want to remember. I probably should make a back up of it somewhere just in case something happens and the words that I have written are gone forever.

Sometimes when I write something out, it describes my thoughts and feelings in the moment. When I type them out, especially if it is something regarding my children, I hope that my children will read it someday and maybe see a side of themselves, or me, that they hadn't considered before.

I have mentioned before that I love to watch Daria play soccer. She seems to take on a whole new persona when she is out there on the field. I see in her the confidence, grace, and maturity that I am sure will surround her as she grows into the woman that God is calling her to be. I often sit there amazed at, being only 9 years old, how she seems to comprehend the game, what needs to happen, and her complete confidence in getting it done. My thoughts are so hard to describe. She just seems to exude a confidence beyond her years. It is like I get a glimpse into her future when she is out there.

This morning, when I checked our email, there was a message for Daria from one of her coaches. The game yesterday was a tough one and the girls on the other team were pretty aggressive. Daria seemed to take it in stride and played an excellent game. As I read the message from Daria's coach, I instantly teared up. I guess that it just spoke to the pride in my Mama's heart. It resonated with the thoughts that swirl in my mind about my girlie and her abilities. Here is the message that her coach sent:

Dear Daria,

I could see at today's game that the elbowing and shoving started to
push a few of your buttons. I also saw in your eyes that this only
made you more focused and determined to not let them get the
better of you. You showed me today you have the heart of a lion, and
the spirit of a warrior. Well done...

PS, awesome goals.

TEA

Daria just ate up his words this morning.

Yesterday, on the way home from the game, Daria had asked me if playing on her player development team was too hard for her. I was a little surprised at her question because she had played so well, as always. She told me that she heard a mother from the other team say that she (meaning Daria) shouldn't be playing PDP. I reassured her that that mom had no reason to say such a thing.

I thought it was so timely, maybe even God timely, that her coach thought to encourage Daria today. It made me so aware of how thankful I am for the coaches that she has. Daria's team may not be the best ones out there; but, I have watched enough games, and teams with coaches who come across harsh and unfeeling, that I am very thankful for Daria's coaches. Her skills and her confidence has just seemed to explode this year.

And it is so fun to watch.

Weekend Highlights

I have been wanting to get on here and debrief for days. Stuff, with a capital S, has been gnawing on my patootie since last Friday. Every time I would sit down to write, I would find myself dancing in my chair. My To-Do List seemed to be nipping at my ankles every time I would sit down. Impossible to focus on writing.

Agony.

So, tonight, as I crawled into bed with an aching back and raw fingertips from pulling up linoleum, my mind decided that it would take over. (Nothing like playing tag team!) The best way to defeat the mind is just to empty it. So, here I am. I have already dumped regarding The Capital S Stuff in my previous post....if you don't mind a little whining and perspective, read on after this one. So, now I need to dump about my weekend. It was full...to say the least.

Daria was in another soccer tournament. Two games on Friday. Two games on Saturday. And a championship game on Sunday. See if can tell from the picture what color her medal is. (By the way...the girl standing to the right looking at her medal? Her name is Daria, too!! Can you believe that???)


I was very pleased that her team came in second out of fourteen teams. She played really well. The last game, her team fought hard and played a great game. A little perceived show-boating by the other team left them feeling a little demoralized, I think. So, I think it took them a while to appreciate their silver medals. It probably didn't help any that they were pretty much exhausted! By the next day, Daria was pretty excited about it...and was determined to become even better at soccer. I reminded her that to have fun and play her best is all that matters. The rest is cake.

Our weekend was also busy visiting good friends. Granted, the timing of the visits wasn't ideal...but it was fun to see them again. Friday night, we drove about an hour away to visit Tim's high school friend who was in town from Alaska. I wish I had pictures of him and his beautiful wife and daughter. Scott understands Tim so well and I usually come away feeling very validated about certain things. He has a great sense of humor and it is always fun to watch him and Tim interact. Some friendships will always remain timeless. We did stay there much too late that night, considering the fact that Daria had two soccer games the next day. 11:30 p.m. is way too late...but time sure flies!!

Saturday night, we dashed down to Salem to visit another one of Tim's high school friends who was in town from Southern California. I really enjoy visiting with them. Their families, their values, etc, seem to match ours so well. It is always refreshing to visit with them. I secretly wish for them to move back to the Salem/Portland area so that our families could be closer. Mike made a comment with the statement of 4 years in there. That gives me a little hope. Once again, 10:45 is much too late, considering the fact that Daria had played 4 games in the last two days and we had church and another game the next day. I guess I should be thankful that it wasn't 11:45!!

Sunday was packed full of non-stop fun. Church, of course, is always a highlight. Nothing out of the ordinary....but it charges one up. We dashed immediately from church to head to Daria's championship game. (Nothing like changing your clothes in the van!) As soon as the game was over and Daria had received her medal, we hopped into the van to head to Tilikum for our church picnic. That is always a lot of fun. The Big Swing is a highlight.....even for the adults.



The only downer for the picnic was good ol' Oregon Rain. It sure has been a "wet" summer. It just seems like we have had more wet weather than normal for this time of year. I hope that isn't indicitive of our coming Fall and Winter. Boo hoo.

So there we are. At least 4 posts in one. Maybe it was a good thing I haven't had time to sit and blog. I could have bored you to tears.

A Little Publicity

Daria's coach just sent us a link about her soccer team. I will post the link here in a moment....but I will essentially post what it says below. It gave some fun little statistics about their soccer tournament this last weekend.

Yes. I'm a proud mom.

PDP Hurricanes Win at Lake Oswego Tournament

Team Hurricanes won 1st place for the U10 Silver Division in the Lake Oswego Nike Cup over July 25-27. The Hurricanes were 4-0 during the tournament and outscored their opponents 19-4.

If you want to check it out for yourself...click here.

Shooting for the Gold!

It sure was a button-popping week last week. I had so much fun watching my nephew's baseball team. I am amazed at these young boys' skills. Wow. I am blown away at their accomplishments. Then this last weekend, I got to sit on the sidelines as Daria and her soccer team powered their way to a first place finish in their soccer tournament.

When I think back over Daria's tournament, I don't think that I can even begin to give a blow by blow account of each game. All I can really say is how incredibly proud of my Girlie that I am. I don't think that I will ever cease to be amazed at her abilities. I am convinced that she takes in instruction so quickly. I can't imagine how else she has obtained the skills that she has. I can't explain it. I find her and her abilities amazing.



And she is so incredibly fun to watch. I love watching her jump in the middle of the fray and kick the ball out of the mess. I love watching her wind up and womp the ball a good one. I love watching her size up an approaching opponent, wait for her moment, and take the ball away without hardly thinking about it. I hope that neither one of us gets tired of the game. We both seem to have a lot of fun.


I remember when Daria was a baby. I was overwhelmed with the feelings of love and pride that comes with being a mother. To watch her beautiful face while she slept. To see her discovering new things and accomplishing new feats. I would just sit back and "ponder these things in my heart." I remember at Daria's first Christmas and reading how Mary pondered in her heart the amazing things about Jesus and His miraculous appearance into her life. That Christmas, I understood that phrase in a whole new way.

The last couple of days, I have been pondering in my heart the wonderful things that I saw Daria doing. I have been pondering the words of praise that others had spoken to me about her. These are things that I am treasuring in the banks of my memories. They are treasures. It is hard to explain, but I feel so unworthy to have those treasures in my heart. It is an amazing thing to watch your child grow up and succeed in ways that you did not. What a joy.

Anyway...all that to say that I am so proud of Daria and her team. Way to go, Sherwood Hurricanes!! Congratulations on a job well done.


(Man, I got gushy!)

Brotherly Torture

My kids have a love-hate relationship with each other. One minute they are the best of friends. The next minute.....they have each other in a death grip and heaven help us all as they won't let go. The logic of your sibling always being there when your friends move on does nothing for them. They will still attempt to wipe the other out if the mood strikes them just so.

Yesterday, Tim and I were busy in the yard. We had 7 1/2 yards of mushroom compost delivered to put in my wasted flower beds. We spent most of the day hauling and spreading it around. Tim was The Champ who did most of the lifting and hauling. I was down on my hands and knees for most of the day spreading it around to look nice. We're exhausted.

Anyway, during the day, the boys were pretty much on their own to entertain themselves. For the most part, they handled that responsibility pretty well. Occasionally, I would hear a thump/smack/crash followed by a piercing shriek followed by more thumps/smacks/crashes. These little fiascos were clearly the times when disharmony ruled the roost and revenge was breathing fire down somebody's neck.

Daria was gone most of the day. In some ways, that was a good thing. As I saw it, it was one less person to stir up the pot, if you know what I mean. As Tim and I were winding up our project, Daria finally came home. She was tired from a all-night/all day event at her friend's house. She was more than a tad grumpy to find that her brothers had invaded her room and her stuff. The storm that rose out of that was a sight to behold. Lord help us.....

Last night, Tim and I were pretty wiped so we headed out to get some dinner at my favorite, Burgerville. We decided to take the car which places all three kids in very close quarters in the back seat.

Poke. Prod. Mom! Kick. Bump. Mom! Jab. Strangle. Mo-om!

AAA--rrrr---gggg---hhh!!!

Fun was had by all.

Then we decided to stop at Safeway on the way home for a few needed supplies. Instead of unloading the whole crew, Tim headed into the store by himself. Why did I not go in myself, I'll never know. You would be amazed at the amount of activity those kids of mine can accomplish in the backseat of that car. The boys were into a regular wrestling match as Daria threw her legs and feet into the mix. Chaos. Pure Chaos. Then Luke discovered the ultimate torture......

Kisses.

You should have seen it. Luke has Caden in a death grip. Legs wrapped around Caden's waist and his arms wrapped around his neck. While he's holding on for all he's worth, he tenderly plants kiss after kiss after kiss on his brother's head. Caden wasn't sure whether he should laugh or scream. Somehow, he managed to produce a combination of both. We were all laughing. Pretty soon you could hear Caden gasp: "Kiss Daria!"

"No......."

And so it goes. Even today as we climbed into the car again, Luke was torturing his brother and sister with kisses. He was chasing them around the house today, smacking his lips at them. I finally decided that I needed my share of the torture. So, when Caden is yelling, "Kiss Daria!" I was yelling, "No....kiss Mama!" Best torture I ever had, as he wraps his arms around my waist and gives me a big ol' kiss.....

Right on my belly button.

A Smidge of Validation

I was a little hesitant to write another post tonight because I didn't want to bury my prayer request that I just posted regarding Luke. But, I did a quick little hop, skip, and jump over to Ken M.'s blog that focuses on our children and youth programs at church. When I got there, of course I couldn't resist the post about The Greatest Mom Ever. I figured that if I took a small little peek, I might get a little grin from something that my kids had said.

Probably like most Moms, I sometimes feel like my life's work as a Mom is pretty pointless and meaningless. My days are often filled with dirty laundry, messy kitchens, clutter, grime, and things that defy recognition. (sometimes...you just don't go there.) Dealing with these daily issues is like being sentenced to forced labor....hauling a pile of rocks from one place to another...and then back again. Laundry, for instance, is never done. Your family is wearing your next load even as you fold the "last" washed item.

Anyway....I digress. I was saying all that to say that sometimes all the work I put in as a mother sometimes feels like the acts of the unsung hero. At times, it feels like all the hard work I put into things to make things "special" just never seem to matter. I certainly don't hear: "Well done, Mom. I will remember this act for the rest of my life." Though, I do often hear about the things that I forgot to do...or that fell short of their expectations. When I am tired and weary, I often wonder if the work I put into things is worth it. What's the point?

Anyway, Ken asked the kids yesterday, on Mother's Day, what was the greatest thing about your mother? Some of the responses were pretty mundane like: "She cooks." (oh joy...) Some were quite amusing. I'm sure that Wyatt's mom would like to know that her greatest thing is that she cleans up after his messy dad. (I'm still chuckling about that one!) As I read the list, my curiosity about what my kids said grew and grew.

When I first read their responses, I was, at first, a little disappointed. Don't we all yearn for great things to be said by our children....especially when they are about you? Daria said that I help them with their homework. (yippee! Isn't that exciting?) Then I read that Caden felt that the greatest thing about me was that I take them on camping trips.

At first, like I said, I was a little disappointed. Then I read Caden's remark about camping again. To remember those few camping trips in a pinch-hit moment like that seemed fairly remarkable to me. He remembers those trips. They certainly weren't very grand trips....but grand enough that he remembers. And that he remembered them enough to think I was great because of it.....well....

That made me smile.