Winter Sports

Basketball for Trey. Basketball at such a young age is simply painful to watch. Maybe it is because I used to play??? I haven't figured it out yet but I just can't help but wince as they run with the ball no dribbling, never passing, and shooting the ball from almost half court!!!! Don't worry though I would never say these things out loud:) Really it is fun and hilarious to watch for all those reasons. They are just beginning to learn the sport. You want to make sure they enjoy it as well and not implement to many rules. Really the only rule is the out of bounds line. It's working too because Trey loves Basketball right now!

Hockey for Taatjes! Oh my my my! How do I begin to explain Taatjes first hockey practice. Let me tell you that I was almost in tears! Not him mind you just me! He could barely stay up on his skates. He took fall after fall after fall. He used every once of energy just to pick himself up over and over again. I thought for sure he was going to come off the ice crying and telling me he never wanted to come back. Taatjes proved my thought wrong! When he was finished he did say it was very hard, but, he really wants to be a hockey player! He couldn't wait for his next practice! And so we have continued and Taatjes has been skating 4 times now and walla he's got it! Side note - Putting on hockey gear makes me sweat! So much gear and making his laces tight enough is going to break a finger some day!!!

So Justin...

On Trey's 1st day at his new school I asked Justin to write him a little note to put in his lunch box. He gladly wrote the note and placed in the box. I knew Trey would just love to open up his lunch as he sat at a table filled with new faces and see something from his Dad.
So at the end of the school day we picked Trey up. I just let him talk on the way home about whatever he wanted or needed to get out. He spoke about the kids, especially the boys who like football:) He spoke about his new locker and recess and lunch time. When lunch time came up I was waiting to hear mention of the note Dad put in. But nothing...um. He just kept going and going, if you know Trey you know what that is like:) When we reached home and were all getting out of the car (a moment of silence finally)I asked him if he liked his Dad's note? He said, "oh yes of course"! I asked him what did it say (I had not looked at it yet). Trey, "Well, I didn't really read it, it was just too much. I just read Trey and Dad". In my head, too much, I wonder what he is talking about??? Of course I grabbed for the lunch box to open it and see what he meant. This is what I found.

This is soooo Justin!!! I laughed a bit as Trey said; "now let me read it". Too funny, classic Justin:) ***Now I must tell you that I am not hurting Justin's feelings by writing this. And, he is fine with me posting this:) Something else that is so Justin is the remarkable ability to laugh at himself when he goes a bit "serious" with his boys. Which is exactly what is so Justin about it. He was a bit "serious" with this note. It is not that Trey couldn't read it. It is that what 6 yr old boy sitting at a table with new kids, who loves to talk as much as he does, takes the time to read this note:) This doesn't take away from the fact that it still meant a lot Trey to see a special note in his lunch from dad. He loved it and when he read it at home he had a big smile. I just love this about Justin! All he needed to write is something like - I love you, or, Have a Great Day, or, Have fun making friends! He knows that, but he has so much he wants to tell his little boy on such a big day for him. The note came from his heart and Justin's heart doesn't work with little words or phrases. He wanted to make sure his boy understood that he was routing for him, praying for him, and thinking about what a great friend he is to others! It is just So Beautifully Justin.
When Justin got home that night he asked about his note. We laughed together as we thought of Trey opening his lunch box and thinking, no way am I reading all that:) We also reflected on the time we took Taatjes out for finishing his 1st year of preschool. The time Justin was giving him a very long speech about how proud he was and Taatjes starred off out the window:) (Sigh) Gotta love him for it!
Let me just say that some day a note like that from his Dad will be a highly cherished possession! Our 3 boys will love him for them! We are glad he is "So Justin"!!!