No win for the Eagles after all!
Boooo! They played in 30 degree weather Saturday night in
Bellevue only to lose 54 to 0. It was a massacre, as all the games played by all the teams against
Bellevue have been this year. I really wanted them to score at least one TD, but it just wasn't going to happen. That team is like a machine. The coach told Larry that the same group of kids (about 25 as opposed to our 13) have been playing together for 5 years with the same coaches. Kinda explains a lot. I was amused as the announcer would say for our team, "Now the defense is taking the field."
Uhhhh, our defense and offense ARE THE SAME KIDS! It's more like, "Now the defense is the offense." We only have two extras. I wouldn't be griping about that fact except that when our original team split they took more than their share of kids and left us with so few.
Moving On....The kids received medals for making it as far as they did, and they will each be getting a trophy at the awards ceremony. Sam seemed pleased with his medal. He knew the odds going in.
The other team was a great group of boys that not only did the traditional "good game" hand slap at the end of the game which is expected, they also came back over to our guys at the end of the medal presentation and congratulated them again. It was really nice to see that they did it without any prompting and our boys enjoyed the camaraderie that came with a pat on the shoulder, high-five, or fist bump. Our guys were even able to say, "Good luck in the championship next week" after being treated with such respect. So I will label that Bellevue team as Good Sports instead of Little Twerps, which was their name before the game. I know, they can't help being good, but it's hard not to be bitter when they look like a professional team decked out in Under Armour gloves and gear. Half of our guys showed up in short sleeves and no gloves (30 degrees, remember) because no one cared enough to make sure they were dressed suitably before they left the house. Thankfully, they had coaches that cared and time to run purchase some thermal shirts before the game.
So, this is the end for our little rag-tag team. We will still have the awards ceremony, possibly we will build a Christmas float for the parade, and Larry and I are hosting a cookout soon for them. It is bittersweet because as happy as we are to be getting our evenings and Saturdays back as a family, we will also miss some of the guys that Larry has had so much responsibility for these past four months. They need a positive male influence and Larry is really great at that. So the season is over but hopefully the relationships are not.
The Kids Choir also performed at our Fall Praise and Worship, and Sam was totally into it. So glad that he is still a kid and doesn't think he's too grown for this!
Rememeber the lyrics of that song from the 80's..."It only takes a spark to get a fire going..." They sang that! Brought back lots of memories.
Performing "Awesome God."
Signing "Jesus"
Claire was a bit nervous before each performance but once it started she was shining. I'm so thankful for this ministry at our church. It has been a perfect fit for her.
Larry was cleaning the patio up tonight and making an enormous leaf pile. Kate walked out and when she saw it she yelled, "JUMP!" So the fun began! It was really dark out which made my flash blast everyone pretty harshly, but I couldn't resist capturing the fun.
Unplanned, the girls dressed similarly for church. 
Dancing together
Stopping to pose as they performed
Ready for church!
No win for the Eagles after all! Boooo! They played in 30 degree weather Saturday night in Bellevue only to lose 54 to 0. It was a massacre, as all the games played by all the teams against Bellevue have been this year. I really wanted them to score at least one TD, but it just wasn't going to happen. That team is like a machine. The coach told Larry that the same group of kids (about 25 as opposed to our 13) have been playing together for 5 years with the same coaches. Kinda explains a lot. I was amused as the announcer would say for our team, "Now the defense is taking the field." Uhhhh, our defense and offense ARE THE SAME KIDS! It's more like, "Now the defense is the offense." We only have two extras. I wouldn't be griping about that fact except that when our original team split they took more than their share of kids and left us with so few. Moving On....The kids received medals for making it as far as they did, and they will each be getting a trophy at the awards ceremony. Sam seemed pleased with his medal. He knew the odds going in. 
Yep, that's right. Round one of the play-offs were played on Saturday with Sam's team winning over Cookeville! Now, on to round two this coming Saturday. Ahem, does anyone need a refresher on the story of David and Goliath? If so, that's what we are up against and hoping for the same results. We are playing a team that not only has won all of their games this season, they also have never even let anyone score a single point all season. That's right. All the scores have been like 57 to ZERO! Oh dear me. However, Sam's Bible lessons in school this week are amazingly (Do I believe in irony? No. Coincidences? No.) about David and Goliath. Does this mean we are going to see this story replayed in modern form on Saturday? I don't know. Possibly? Because Divine intervention is what it would take. However, what I am drilling into Sam's head is this: "Anything is possible, so go out there and practice like crazy this week, do your best, and no matter what happens you made it to the 2nd round!! Do you know that when our season started we doubted we would even get a touchdown? That we dared dream of a win? We are in round two, baby, and that's an accomplishment all on its own. And, oh yeah, your name is Samuel DAVID!"