Thursday Night Lights

September 11th. Patriots day. The day we remember the worst attack on American soil. I will never forget that day. It is interesting to try to explain the emotions of that day to my children who were not alive or don't remember it.

It was also the night of a big varsity football game. Our school district shares two stadiums between seven high schools so several times a season we play on Thursday nights. This game was Lone Star against Wakeland. Four years ago, Lone Star High School was created from Wakeland. Lone Star has always been smaller and less experienced. Many Wakeland students have enjoyed trash talking Lone Star.

The Dallas Morning News mentioned the rivalry between the two schools even though they had never met. The newspaper picked Wakeland to beat Lone Star. Our team was the obvious underdogs. Our players went into the game with a huge chip on their shoulders and fire in their bellies.

The stage was set for a huge football game.

The Wakeland Blue squad (student section) is legendary. Lone Star had never had a student section.
Until this game....

They made fat heads of the coaches and football players.

They filled almost an entire section of seats. They were loud and proud!!

The school mascot uniform came just in time for the game. His name is R.I.O.T. (Rangers Influencing Outstanding Teamwork).

There was an energy that filled the stadium. It is about so much more than just football.

It is about the band.

The cheerleaders.

The Rangerettes

The Posse.

We had 10-12 families from church sit by us for the game. I love the fact that we have our own little Mormon cheering section. Anyone is welcome to join us. We are not exclusive. These are just a few of the best fans in the stadium.

I have to say that Lone Star's biggest fan is this little guy right here.

Jace loves watching the game he sits and cheers every play of the game. He was so excited to wear his new game day shirt.

They didn't offer game day gear small enough for the twins so I made some for them. 

At half time the score was 21-0 for Lone Star. The second half was harder. Wakeland scored twice and was within striking distance. Our crowd was worried.

In the end, we WON!! The final score was 21-13.

 The team came over in front of the crowd for the final playing of the school song. The end of a great game and the beginning of a great season of football.

 Upon arriving at home, Jace tried on Halle's tutu.

 Then, Keeton took a turn.

Haha. We love those Thursday night lights.

Sometimes You Just Dance

Before the last game of the regular football season. The parents of the senior football players meet their son out on the field. The football player gives flowers to his mother. It is called Senior Night. For weeks leading up to it, I dreaded the thought of it. Those close to me will testify that I am struggling with the fact that my boys are growing up and will soon be leaving home. The thought of it makes tears well up in my eyes every time I think about it.

So it was no suprise that as we waited on the sidelines to meet our boy, I started to get choked up. I knew I had to hold it together. I didn't want to cry in front of the crowd. I didn't want to be "that mom". As I waited, I tried biting my lip. That didn't help. It only made my lip hurt. 

Then, I noticed the lady standing directly behind us. She was dancing a little jig to a song in her head. She had a smile on her face. She looked happy. I looked and felt miserable. She too was waiting to meet her son on the field. She is a single mom. Her son is her only child. Her heart was breaking just like mine. She told me she was struggling to not cry so she started to dance. I envied her. I learned from her. Talking with her while we waited for our boys made the whole thing bearable. She taught me that sometimes in life you just have to dance. 

Here are the photos of the occasion.

Be still my heart. Cue the music.....

Play On!

Esteban missed a total of four football games. His team lost every game. They had several starters also injured and faced a couple of really tough teams. Este hated watching from the sideline. With a few weeks he started the progression steps needed in order to return to sport. His seminary teacher/sports med doctor held him to the same standards they use for professional athletes to return to the sport. I was grateful that he was in such good hands through the process.

We are grateful that his injury was not worse. We are grateful for all the prayers offered on our family’s behalf. I was amazed by the number of people who let me know that they were praying for Esteban. They told me they put his name on prayer lists at their various churches. They had prayer warriors praying for him. Although our beliefs may be different in some ways, we have faith in God and His willingness to bless those in need. It was a humbling experience and helped me appreciate living inside the Bible belt.

I have had several people ask me how I feel about my boys playing football after Este’s injury. I don’t have an answer for them. I know more than ever the risk involved in the sport. I understand the violent nature of the sport. Yet, I also enjoy watching the game. These boys are so fun to watch. They are cute kids and I have enjoyed getting to know them and their families better.

Here are a few highlights of Este's season.

Photography credits go to Victor Diaz, the professional photographer for the Varsity football team

Roller Coaster

You know when life seems to be going up and then before you know it, life is headed back down. Life is a roller coaster, compete with a variety of twists and turns ups and downs.

Just a few days after Este was receiving attention for being crowned Homecoming King, he was receiving a attention for a very different reason.

During football practice early in the next week he tackled a kid at full speed. Este went in to the tackle with his head down. His head collided with the kid's thigh pad. Este felt the impact run down his neck and into his back. He went down. The next thing he remembers is waking up from a dream and being confused as to why his coach was in his face asking if he was ok. He remembered what happened and moved his feet just to make sure he still could. The coaches wanted to call the ambulance but Este told them he could get up and walk. They escorted him to the trainer's room.

The coaches called Aaron and I to come to the school immediately. Upon arrival they filled us in on the events. His vital signs were good at that time but we all knew he needed to be evaluated by a doctor. He didn't want to go to the emergency room in his football pads so the trainer took him into the locker room to help him change. At that point it became obvious that he was having difficulty breathing. He was struggling for air and had difficulty talking. His breathes were labored and shallow. The trainer brought him back into the training room with the rest of his pads still on. We faced the decision of calling the ambulance or transporting him ourselves to the emergency room. Aaron's response was, "I grew up on a farm where we yanked people off the barbed wire fence, threw them in the back of the car, and drove them to the hospital." My response was "My dad is the emergency manager and ambulance supervisor in my hometown." The trainer smiled and told us we had to decide. Because his vital signs were still fairly stable, our compromise was that I would drive Este to a free standing ER just a few minutes away. If his condition became worse or the doctor's felt he needed more than they would transfer him to the hospital. We left immediately. He was still dressed in his football pads, had no shoes on, and still had grass on his face from the hit. I told Este I would be fine to take him but he would have to warn me if he felt like he was going to pass out again because so much smaller than him I needed ample warning if I had to catch him on the way down.

When we arrived at the ER they immediately put a C-collar on him, started an IV, and ordered CT Scan and chest x-rays. We waited.

The room was FREEZING!! They brought Este a warm blanket  because his sweat had made him wet and he was shivering. I didn't know how to ask for a warm blanket for me since I wasn't a patient. I thought about crawling next to Este and sharing his blanket but, he smelled really bad. I decided the smell was worse than the cold temps. I endured it on my own.

The x-rays and CT scan came back clear. No damage done to his neck and back. The diagnosis was a concussion and back sprain. We needed to follow up with our doctor. He was supposed to miss school the next day and just take it easy. This photo was posted online by one of his friends asking the school to come together in prayer on Este's behalf. Although we may differ in our beliefs, we do not differ in our faith in God.  I was so very grateful for each and every person who prayed on his behalf. It's important that we all strive to help each other on this roller coaster we call life.

Boys of Fall

I love the boys of fall. I love Friday night lights and Thursday after noons. I love high school football. I love watching the freshman game, JV game, and the varsity game. Every week football consumes my life for a couple of days. I love it. Most of all, I love all three of MY boys.

On the day they took football pictures they invited parents to come get photos taken with their senior football player. I asked if I could get a photo taken with all three of my boys instead of just with Este. The coach told me if I have three boys playing football, I can get anything I want. I did just that.

AJ's Adventures

AJ decided to follow in his older brothers' footsteps and to play football this year. He spent a lot of time out in the backyard with his brothers in preparation. It was his first year ever playing football. In middle school here they have two teams per grade.There is an A team and a B team. This way, more boys get the experience of getting out on the field. It is also quite apparent that there is major differences in the size of boys his age.

AJ played on the B team. He didn't get a lot of playing time but he didn't seem to mind. He played hard every time he set foot on the field. He did great in practice as well. He even scored a few touchdowns at practice. I asked him what his coaches said about it. He said they just yelled at the defense for letting him through.

Here are a few photos of the AJ's adventure playing football. I love my #19.

Of course they have cheerleaders for middle school B team football. This is Texas after all.

The football season ended on high note with his team finally winning their last game. He loved it and can't wait for next season to start.

The same week that football ended, cross country started. AJ is a natural  runner. He is fast and he can run forever. We were really interested in how he would do in competition.

His first meet he wasn't familiar with the route and it kind of threw him off. He placed 39th out of 200+ runners.

The second meet he was better prepared and was astonished when he jumped up to 29th and placed 1st in his school. I think he will to improve as he continues to train and gain experience.

The problem is that in high school next year, football and cross country are at the same time. He will have to choose between the two. I asked him what he was going to do. He said he wanted to play football because cross country hurts. I said, "And football doesn't?" He replied that football hurts on the outside and cross country hurts on the inside. Being a runner myself, I know exactly what he is talking about.

He has a few more cross country meets to go. We'll see how he does. In the meantime, we'll just enjoy the run (pun intended).