Nerds at the Ball Game

 

My TeenSonMark and basketball are in love with each other. The handsome kid just can't get enough of the game. Most of his free time is spent shooting hoops. He loves it.

I can tell you something he doesn't love...Playing the piano, that's what. I tried. I honestly tried really really hard. We're kind of a piano playing kind of family. I was really hoping he would jump on the music nerd bandwagon with the rest of us. At this point in time....it is not meant to be. (I'm still holding on to the hope that the 9th grade guitar class just might change his mind. He's got an interest there. Cross your fingers for us!)

What do I do....about all this basketball playing?

I cheer. Really loud when I go to his games. Hopefully I am cheering at the right time. (I'm just a music nerd, you know.)

I drive him around town, pretty much every afternoon so he can practice and shoot hoops and "make some wicked awesome shots, Mom. Seriously, I was on fire!"

I listen to him chatter on about plays and strategy and three pointers and swishing this ball and that ball.

My heart grows up big and large when he makes a great shot at a game and everyone cheers for him. 

 And in those moments do you know what I am most grateful for?

That he has an opportunity to build confidence in himself. That's really what it's about, isn't it? Being confident in one's self....pretty much the most important thing a parent can foster in a child. No matter the venue, ball court or piano recital....confidence is really a priceless gift.

At Marks game last week I looked down for just a split second to see this.......

Seriously? 

 

Wonder what kind of nerd LittleTwinBoyAaron will grow up to be?

Where was this poor kids mom when he was putting his shoes on

.....that's what I'd like to know.... 

Moody and Mad

 This pretty little face belongs to my daughter, FashionAnna.

She is a girl with many moods. 

She is 11 years old....going on 12.

Need I say more? 

You remember being that age, don't you?

We all had about 79 mood swings a day, back then. 

Sure glad I'm down to only 20.

Some of her moods are exceedingly endearing.

You ought to see how the girl can handle littletwinboys, age 4.

Sometimes she gets kind of moody and mad.

The sweet thing can go from happy to grouchy faster than the speed of light.

I'm so glad I have learned to manage my grouchiness...

...it takes me at least 5 seconds to switch from happy to grouchy.

Sometimes she is down right hilarious.

Check this out....

  
On a very cold and foggy night a couple of  weeks ago, I was driving some of my children around our little neighborhood.  I had my TeenSonMark, FashionAnna and her dear friend Emily with me in the car. 

When we pulled up to Emily's house to drop her off I noticed one of our family's scooters laying in the driveway. 


"Oh, boy. Looks like one of the LittleTwinBoys rode our junky scooter down here and left it." I said. "Hey Mark, hop out of the car and ride that thing home, will ya?"


"Sheesh, Mom. I'm in my basketball shorts and it's freezing out there!" was his plea. 


"I'm sure you'll manage. You can ride that thing home in less than 10 seconds. Hop out and get the job done, please."

Silence from FashionAnna.

"Alright....but I think this is totally unfair. I didn't even ride it down here....!" he called as he begrudgingly hauled himself out of the van.


FashionAnna and I watched him ride off in to the fog. 


"Hey, Mom." she said. "Want to hear something funny?"


"Sure" I said. I like funny, you know.


"I was the one who rode that scooter down here and left it."


And then....


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....all the way home from the mother and her daughter.


After I had pulled up our driveway and gotten my horse laughing, eyes watering, chortle attack under control I said...


"Honey, that was a really funny joke."


"Thanks Mom. I didn't know if you would think it was funny. You know how you sometimes get kind of moody and mad about stuff like that."

Moody and mad?
Me?
Heavens no.
Haven't been moody and mad since I was 11 years old...
.....going on 12.