What I learned being a sports mom for 18 months straight

 It all started like a normal spring. But what started as a normal quickly grew into a whirlwind of sports craziness.

In March of 2015, all three boys played baseball. Timothy played tee ball and the big boys played kid pitch. Curtis was the assistant coach for both teams. Overall, it was a great season! But with three players on two different teams, it was for sure crazy!

During baseball season, in mid April, all four kids started summer league swimming. We were blessed in that there was a homeschool practice, allowing us to have less conflicts with our busy baseball schedule.

In June, during the height of busyness with swimming, Elizabeth started playing volleyball for a homeschool team.

The three big kids had an amazing swim season and went on to swim in the State Games of Texas, which was held in early August.

By the time swim season wrapped up, volleyball season was full steam ahead. Through the organization that did volleyball, we found out about basketball. Micah and Benjamin started going to skills clinics, decided to join the team, and began twice a week practices in October.

In September, Timothy began playing flag football.

Volleyball season came to an end and Elizabeth decided to also play basketball. Two weeks after her last volleyball game, she played in her first basketball game.

Never before had we played a winter sport like basketball. But we were loving the organization, the teams, the families and the coaches. The homeschool state tournament was at the end of February, and baseball started again the next week.

Then, we basically had a repeat, where swimming started during baseball season, and swimming went so well that we swim even after the regular season.

By July I was in full on meltdown mode. While the three big kids were at camp, I cancelled a trip to see my family in Oklahoma and took a much needed mental break.

Since mid July, we haven't done any sports, aside from the occasional basketball skills clinic. As I'm gearing up for Micah and Benjamin starting basketball and Elizabeth joining a club swim team, here's what I've learned.

• Just because there are 24 hours in a day doesn't mean I need to fill every waking hour.
• Saying no to something good is hard.
• Sometimes when you say no to a good thing it opens up the opportunity for a GREAT thing.
• Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.
• It's okay if Timothy doesn't play a sport this fall. He's okay with it, why am I struggling?!
• When you are doing sports non stop, something else in life suffers. It might be homeschooling. It might be the house. It might be your marriage. All the above were effected by the amount of sports we participated in.
• I need to take time for me. Time to exercise, to eat well, to rest. 
• It's easy to gain weight when your main focus is getting the kids from one event to another, homeschooling and church.
• Kids will watch and see where your priorities are. Make sure your priorities are the good things.
• I do my best when I'm busy. But I also need an occasional recharge. 
• Homeschooling CAN be done in the car! But it does take a lot of planning.
• Audibles, through Amazon, is a life saver, as are books on CD from the library.

I'm very, very thankful for the opportunities that my kids have had over the past 18 months. They have learned more than just sports. I am thankful for the coaches that poured into their lives, motivating and encouraging them. I truly believe my kids have stronger character because of sports. Our family will continue to participate in various sporting activities. I'm very excited to see them continue to grow as athletes and individuals. And I'm hopeful that I can take the lessons the I've learned and become an better sports mom.

2016-2017 school year

Name: Benjamin
Age: 9
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: french toast casserole
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: pizza
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: chili
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cake (because there are lots of different kinds)
Favorite movie: Batman vs Superman, Independence Day, Angry Birds, Harry Potter
Favorite TV show: Tom and Jerry Show and Team Titans Go
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: Hank
Favorite thing to wear: sleeveless shirts with shorts and underpants 
Favorite sport: swimming
Favorite shoes: my sneakers

Things that make me.....
happy: Six Flags, my family, my dog, friends
sad: cuts, bruises, my family and friends dying
laugh: jokes
cry: big cuts, sprained foot
excited: Six Flags, car trips to my family's 

2016-2017 school year

Name: Micah
Age: 10
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: french toast casserole
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Atomi
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: Chick Fil A
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cotton candy
Favorite movie: Captain America Civil War
Favorite TV show: DanTDM
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Favorite thing to wear: sleeveless shirts
Favorite sport: basketball
Favorite shoes: tennis shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: sports
sad: getting hurt
laugh: jokes
cry: wasps
excited: rollercoasters

2016-2017 school year

Name: Timothy
Age: 6
Favorite Color: red
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: ice cream
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: ice cream
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: ice cream
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: ice cream
Favorite movie: Batman vs Superman
Favorite TV show: DanTDM
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: The Big Hungry Bear
Favorite thing to wear: my robe
Favorite sport: swimming and basketball
Favorite shoes: my new tennis shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: roller coasters and having a house
sad: when people hurt me
laugh: some jokes
cry: getting hurt by someone
excited: Shock Wave (a roller coaster)

Month of LOVE 13

I love the start of baseball season.

How handsome are these two?!?! 

Month of LOVE Day 10

I really love when my kids wear matching clothes.

Now that the boys are 9 (almost 10!), 8 and 6, I know my matching outfit days are numbered. So when they humor me, like in the picture above, I know it's because they love me. They know it's a fun thing for me. They know it makes my momma heart happy.

I really love the way these boys show their love for me.

Benjamin, 3rd Grade

Name: Benjamin David Krajca
Age: 8
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: cinnamon rolls
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Ghengis Grill
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: sloppy joe
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cake
Favorite movie: Jurassic World, Tomorrow Land, Age of Ultron
Favorite TV show: Bey Blades
Favorite place to go: movie theater
Favorite book: Captain Underpants
Favorite thing to wear: athletic shorts and my Hulk shirt
Favorite sport: baseball
Favorite shoes: basketball shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: my family, candy
sad: people dying 
laugh: being tickled
cry: death
excited: Six Flags

Micah, 4th grade

Name: Micah
Age: 9
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: french toast casserole
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: bone chicken
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: hamburgers
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cotton candy
Favorite movie: Jurassic World
Favorite TV show: Teen Titan Go
Favorite place to go: Six Flags, grandparents' houses and friend's house
Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Favorite thing to wear: my maroon athletic shirt and black athletic shorts with an Aggie hat
Favorite sport: football
Favorite shoes: basketball shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: catching fish
sad: when I fall of my skateboard and bike and get hurt or when someone is mean to me
laugh: jokes and being tickled
cry: getting hurt and falling of my bike and scrapping my knees
excited: going to movies

Timothy, Kindergarten

Name: Timothy

Age: 5

Favorite Color: I don't know

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: candy

Favorite thing to eat for lunch: cotton candy

Favorite thing to eat for dinner: chocolate milk

Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cake

Favorite movie: Ant Man

Favorite TV show: Bey Blades

Favorite place to go: Six Flags and Grand Station

Favorite book: The Pirate pop up book

Favorite thing to wear: #5 Ninja Turtle shirt and shorts

Favorite sport: swimming

Favorite shoes: flip flops

Things that make me.....

happy: playing Laser Tag

sad: eating broccoli

laugh: people farting

cry: Benjamin being mean to me

excited: when I get to go to Six Flags

First Day of PreK

Name: Timothy (he actually answered Baby Grunkle)
Age: 4
Favorite Color: orange and blue and red
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: chocolate milk
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: chocolate milk
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: chocolate milk
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: cinnamon roll pie 
Favorite movie: How to Train your Dragon 2
Favorite TV show: Slugterra
Favorite place to go: the movie theater Dollar Tree
Favorite book: The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear
Favorite thing to wear: something with a skull and a bone x under it
Favorite sport: soccer
Favorite shoes: my Batman ones

Things that make me.....
happy: chocolate milk and when people call me Thunder Blade
sad: getting punished and spanked
laugh: The Boss game when he gets slapped
cry: spankings and pinches
excited: getting to go to the movie theater

First day of 2nd Grade

Name: Benjamin Krajca
Age: 7
Favorite Color: green
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: cinnamon roll cake
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: hot dogs
Favorite thing to eat for dinner:Sloppy Joes
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: double scooped, chocolate dipped, icecream cone
Favorite movie: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Favorite TV show: Tom and Jerry the movie
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: The Foot Book
Favorite thing to wear: shorts and a short sleeved shirt
Favorite sport: baseball
Favorite shoes: cleats

Things that make me.....
happy: swimming at Will's house, going to movies
sad:getting hurt
laugh: getting tickled
cry: getting hurt
excited: getting to name a baby

First Day of 3rd Grade

Name: Micah
Age: 8
Favorite Color: black
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: fried eggs
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: McDonald's
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: pizza!!!
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: pies
Favorite movie: Captain America and the Winter Soldier
Favorite TV show: Tom and Jerry
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: Spy Academy
Favorite thing to wear: sleeveless shirts
Favorite sport: football
Favorite shoes: tennis shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: going to Six Flags, going to my granparents' house and fishing, going to the Nifty Nuthouse, watching movies, playing in the backyard and digging holes.
sad: People being mean and not getting to go to fun movies
laugh: getting tickled, jumping on a trampoline.
cry: getting hurt and almost losing my fingers
excited: Going to GA to see my cousins

Summer Lovin' : Swim Team

This summer, the one thing that consumed more hours than anything else was swim team.  Elizabeth, Micah and Benjamin swam on the Bryan Barracuda swim team for the second summer.  We loved every minute of it!

Elizabeth aged up into the 9 and 10 division.  We knew this would be a big jump for her.  Last summer, she had been at the top of her division, bringing home ribbons and medals after every meet.  This year, though her times improved quite impressively from last year, she wasn't bringing home the ribbons and the medals.  She wasn't put on the "A" relay.  It was hard for her!  She is, by nature, very competitive.  This summer, she was able to learn the value of competing with herself and for the team, not necessarily for the awards.  We watcher her set her eyes on a goal and work her hind end off till she achieved her goal.  She also learned that she and Micah can push each other to be each others biggest competition.  But then they also have to be each others biggest supporters.  We were do proud of her when she qualified to swim at Invitationals, in every stroke.  She had to work hard to make it, but she did it!  She also learned how to swim the 100 IM, and swam it beautifully at Regionals.  

 Last year wasn't Micah's year in the pool.  He brought home a handful of ribbons through the year, never won a medal, didn't qualify for Invitationals, and was never but on "A" relay.  He, like his sister, is by nature competitive, but we really didn't see his intense competitive nature till this spring in baseball.  Suddenly, something clicked for Micah and he turned into quite the swimmer!  We were all shocked when in the first meet of the season, he won 1st place in the breast stroke.  The little boy who rarely placed last year was placing in everything he swam!  It was exciting and encouraging, but also a challenging life lesson.  This summer, Micah learned how to be a gracious winner, how to encourage those who aren't as successful and how to not be an annoying competitor, but rather a motivating one.  At Invitationals, he DQed in his best race.  It was a huge disappointment, since he would have placed.  But again, he learned a valuable lesson, how to press on from that kind of discouraging swim, and not let it effect his attitude.  I'm pretty sure all these life lessons aren't fully in effect and we'll have to continue encouraging him.  But I look forward to seeing how he continues to mature as a young man.

 

Benjamin also aged up this year, swimming with 7 and 8 year olds.  He has a terrible swim birthday, and was the youngest 7/8 year old on the team.  Luckily for Benjamin, he has enough confidence to make up for his bad swim birthday.  He hit the pool this summer with determination and with a competitive drive.  We were pleasantly surprised when he qualified to swim every stroke at Invitationals.  Though he didn't always have a sweet, trainable attitude, he did exactly what his coaches asked of him.  And when he saw improvements in his time, he learned that pushing yourself hard is worth it.  At the end of the regular season, Benjamin was given the  Most Dedicated Barracuda award.  Benjamin finished the swim season knowing that not only is he a good swimmer, but that he can become and awesome swimmer when he listens to those around him.  By the end of the season, Benjamin, the youngest in his age division, was swimming on the "A" relay. 

After the regular season was over, we swam at Invitationals.  Each of the kids placed in at least one race (Benjamin placed in two of his races!).  With how well they were continuing to swim, we decided to not end our season, and started training for TAAF (TX Amateur Athletic Federation).  Because of their ages, and the large number of swimmers, they had to swim in a Regional Meet and the top three swimmers from each race would advance to state.  Micah and Benjamin each swam in three races and qualified for state in all three races!!  Elizabeth was amazing at Regionals.  I've never seen her swim so well!  Unfortunatly, though she swam to Personal Bests, she didn't place in the top three.  Despite that, we couldn't be more proud of any of our swimmers!!  They all worked very hard and had a great season!

Micah and Benjamin swam very well at state!  Neither of them placed, but both swam well and we were thrilled that they made it as far as they did.

I am definitely becoming a sports mom, who sees a high value and life lessons in having your children compete in sports.  I love that they win and can learn how to do that in a gracious way.  I love when they lose and learn how to move past that.  I love when the have good practices and see how strong God's made them.  I love when the have bad practices and need me to encourage them.  I love seeing their eyes light up when they achieve a personal goal.  I love when they still need me to hug them after a bad swim.  I genuinely look forward to seeing how God uses sports in my children's lives.  

We can't wait till next year when all four of the kiddos will be swimming for the Barracudas!

8 years

8 years ago, I started this blog.

My, how much has changed since then.

Our family looked something like this 8 years ago...

And now we look something like this...

While doing lawn work earlier this week, I caught myself think back to how different life looks these days.  I don't have a baby in the house.  I'm not tied to the house with nap schedules and nursing schedules.  I can say "get in the van!" and know that they all will and more than likely, they'll all have shoes on.  We don't have potty accidents.  I don't feel like I'm as anxious of a mommy as I used to be.  I get to have interesting and entertaining conversations with my children.

And while a lot of these changes are good, there are some that aren't necessarily bad, but are challenging in their own way.  My kids have opinions that they readily share with me.  I'm responsible for the three older children's education.  The hurts and sadness and fears that big kids face are real, not as imagined as the fears of my toddlers.

I'm so in love with this stage of motherhood!!  I love seeing the people God is growing my toddlers and babies up to be.  I love that even though they're becoming their own little people, they're still my kids.  They still need me, want me around, sign "I love you!" from the outfield, get a little teary when I won't be around.  I really do feel like I might be in one of the best stages of parenting.

And when the days are long because I don't have a napper and my kids don't go to bed till almost 9, I will remind myself of that.  Because I know it's only by God's grace that we've made it this far!

Dear Daughters-in-law...

 Dear Daughters-in-law,

Tonight, three very sweet, very handsome little boys took me on a date.  Someday, a day that will probably come a lot sooner than I'm ready for, one of these handsome, sweet boys will take you on a date.  Tonight on my date, I thought about you.  As I watched the way my boys treated me, I saw glimmers of the young men they are becoming.  Even though my boys will change a lot in the next decade before they get to go on a date with you, I hope there are some things that don't change.

I hope that they open your car door, just like they opened my car door.

I hope that they open every possible door for you, tripping over themselves to be gentlemen.

I hope that they pay for your dinner, just like they "paid for" my dinner. (I'll let you in on a little secret.  They used my debit card, but truly thought they were buying my dinner.)

I hope that they tell you look pretty, like they told me I looked pretty after they asked me to dress up for our date.

I hope they dress up for your dates, just like they picked out "handsome" clothes for our date.

I will confess something to you, daughter-in-law.  I'm very nervous about the relationship that you and I will have.  As you will find out, my mother-in-law passed away after Curtis and I had been married for only 15 months.  So though I know a bit about navigating the waters of a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, I don't know much.  Our relationship will be a lot of trial and error.  Please know that if I mess up, if I'm over bearing, if I over step in areas, that I'm trying.  Know that I love my son more than you can understand, at least till you have a son of your own.  Know that I've been praying for you since I found out I was going to have a son.

The Lord has blessed me with many woman who've had sons and are successfully navigating great relationships with their daughter-in-laws.  One piece of advice that I've repeatedly received is that I have to become the second most important woman in my sons' life.  I want your marriage to my son to be successful!  And for that to happen, I am fully aware that even though I've been the number one woman in their lives, that will change.  I want it to change.  But it's truly hard for me to imagine at this point.  The deep love that I have for my sons (as well as for Elizabeth!) is a very precious, special, but kinda mysterious thing.  Feel free to gently remind me of the position I meed to take if you see me struggling to hold on to that number one spot.

Also, though I think my boys are pretty awesome, and though I'm doing everything I can do raise them to be godly men, remember that they aren't perfect.  They're sinners and will need your grace and forgiveness.  Grace and forgiveness is an invaluable part of marriage.  If you both keep that in mind, you will be well on your way to a successful marriage.

Love,

Your hopefully not wicked, Mother-in-Law

Today, Motherhood means...

...sending your children to take a FAST shower because we do NOT submerge our heads in the toilet, even if you're wear goggles.

...realizing it's after 2pm and rather than making yourself lunch, you load everyone up to go get yourself (and ONLY yourself) a Sonic drink.

... assuring the Sonic carhop that the screaming children in the back of the van are fine, they're just mad about not getting a drink.

... calling your husband before 9am to ask where the spanking spoon is.

... reminding your children that they were made to work, not just have fun.

... finishing the laundry only to have your children dirty the towels.

... eating Cheetos and muffins for lunch at 3pm with a Rt 44 Diet Coke!

... getting creative withe the consequences, even if that make me "the worse mommy ever".

... not being bothered by the aforementioned statement.

... not crawling up the walls when your 4 year old starts whining.  Again.

... reminding your student that "liters" is not pronounces like "litters" which is hilarious when said student is freaking out because "the book never ever mentions litters!!!!!"

... calling Daddy to spend lunch hour as back up disciplinarian because you've done all you can do and still have the afternoon to contend with.

... counting the hours when you can go to Piyo and enjoy some "me time".

... reminding yourself that this too shall pass and praying that the rest of the week will be easier.

Timmy-isms

While making Timothy some toast for breakfast, I asked if he wanted jelly.  I received an enthusiastic, "YES!!!  Strawberry jelly!"  I was a bit surprised since he's not usually a fan of strawberry.  I pulled the jar out and asked, "Is this the one you were wanting?"  Timothy took a minute to inspect it before asking, "Are there little seeds in that one?"  "Well, yes...." I replied, slightly confused.  "I want the strawberry jelly with no seeds, the seeds make my mouth feel funny."  "Do you mean you want grape jelly?"  "YES!!!  I want the grape strawberry jelly because it doesn't have seeds."

Last night at Covenant Kids, a program at church which exposes children to the catechism, Timothy informed his teachers, "No one can play hide and seek with God and win.  You will always lose."  (The Question I believe he was thinking of is: Does God know all things?  And the answer: Yes!  Nothing can be hidden from God!)

A couple Questions

I believe this to be totally true!!  

In the past minute, Timothy has asked me.....

"Why don't you buy softer toilet paper?" "Why do you press so hard when you wipe me?" "Did you hear that noise?" "Why do my feet make that noise?" "Did you hear my feet make that tingly noise?" "Is there something wrong with my feet?" "Can you measure me on the scale?" "Have I grown?" "Is that why my legs hurt?"

My first half marathon: Race weekend

I can't just blog about race day.  I really need to back up and recap the entire weekend.

Thanks to my amazing parents, Curtis and I were able to spend several days in Kansas City.  It was the first time we've been able to get away, just the two of us, since we became parents.  It was incredible!  We drove back to Wichita Thursday evening.  Friday morning we headed back home, knowing we were heading straight into bad weather in Oklahoma City all the way till south of Ft Worth.  However, we knew that if we didn't leave on Friday, we wouldn't be able to get home till Monday, meaning the kids would miss their Kids Marathon (a 1.2 mile run for kids put on by the same awesome people hosting the half Curtis and I ran) and we would miss our half marathon.

(Curtis and I, heading to Kansas City! Can you tell we were a little excited?!)

(Early anniversary celebration at Melting Pot)

We drove back to Wichita Thursday evening.  Friday morning we headed back home, knowing we were heading straight into bad weather in Oklahoma City all the way till south of Ft Worth.  However, we knew that if we didn't leave on Friday, we wouldn't be able to get home till Monday, meaning the kids would miss their Kids Marathon (a 1.2 mile run for kids put on by the same awesome people hosting the half Curtis and I ran) and we would miss our half marathon.

The drive was SO long! We were in the car for 18 hours.  The kids were incredibly well behaved and God was very gracious.  We narrowly avoided having to spend the night in our on I-35.  We knew we had dozens of friends and family praying for us and the protection of our Heavenly Father.  We made it home without incident at about 3am.  Curtis and I got about 3 hours of sleep before getting up to get the kids ready to run.

 Though the weather in College Station was dry, it was still VERY chilly.  We bundled up our kiddos, loaded them back into the van, and headed to the starting line!

When both Mommy and Daddy are training for a half marathon, the kids are keenly aware of it.  Long runs cut into family time. Mommy and Daddy (mostly mommy in this case!) might be tired, sore and kinda cranky some days.  The entire family schedule is different so that runs can be worked in.  And though Curtis and I tried to include the kids as much as possible, it was still taxing on the kids at times.  Having a race that all four kids could participate in was such a treat for them!  It was all about them, their accomplishments, them having fun!  What a great idea by the directors of the marathon and a great way to celebrate them when so much focus had been on our training.

I was highly impressed by the kids and how they ran!  All four of them ran the entire race with no walking breaks.  They got out there and ran hard, even though they were all quite cold.

Don't they look cute in their running gear?!  My awesome mom made the experience about the kids by taking them all to Target and letting them pick out new running clothes!  They had so much fun and it really built the excitement of race day. Also, notice their warm, blue gloves?  While stuck in traffic on our drive home, I realized that none of the kids had little inexpensive gloves they could wear.  Hayley to the rescue!  She went out and bought gloves for all the kids and put them in our mailbox so they were ready for us!

After the kids ran, they were each given a medal!

I think this race gave my kids the running bug!  Since then, we've gone on several family runs.  All three big kids have races on the calendar for this spring and are excited for their next running adventure!

After the race, we dashed to the studio for Nutcracker rehersal.  Curtis and I also went to the race expo.  I had lunch with my running group.  Then that evening, we watched Elizabeth perform at Christmas at the Creek.  

The two days leading up to my first half marathon were not even close to what I was anticipating.  It was a long, cold, exhausting couple of days.  But they were also days filled with God's goodness, protection, mercy and fun family memories were made.