Drew's Third Year of Basketball!

So far, I've only posted Drew's first two basketball games of the season. To help with catching up (and because we are already into baseball season), I am going to post different pictures from the rest of the basketball season in this one post (instead of game by game like usual). Drew didn't hesitate to play in any of the other games after his daddy talked him into playing in the second game. He was the first one on the court ready to go. In fact, he didn't take a break very often the rest of the season. He played very well this year, scoring several baskets in every game. He still needed reminders to pass the ball at times, and he would get frustrated if he didn't get the ball on the throw-ins. Overall, though, he did very well, and by the last game even these two things had improved greatly. He had a lot of fun, and we sure had a lot of fun watching him this season!!

Drew and Trevor look to see how much time is left on the clock. Mikayla waits patiently for her brother to get his star after the game.
Drew is looking to pass or shoot!

Can you tell he's having fun?

Coach Ritchie (who coached his son on a different team) asked Drew if he wanted to play for his team during this game. They were short one player and didn't want to forfeit, and Drew agreed to help them out. Ritchie came by telling all of our fans, "you better watch out, we got Drew!". Drew knows Ritchie and his son Blake, so he didn't mind this at all.

One of my favorite pictures from this whole season!! Drew and Bryson celebrate after Drew made one of his shots!!

This is the only picture I was able to get of Drew scoring a basket this whole season. At many of the games, Mikayla and her friends Breanna, Emily, and Haley, were helping me take pictures.

Drew and his team got snacks and were given stars (different colors for different achievements) after every game.

Drew looks for his teammate to pass the ball to him.

Mikayla gives her Poppi a hug (I think this is one of the times I had help).

Our guys played very well this season, in all nine games. We lost 3 of our games by 2 points each, and one of the games ended in a tie. In all of our other games, we won. It seemed like basketball season flew by this year, but hey, I can't believe it is already almost April!

Basketball Game #2

Drew's second basketball game of the season was this past Saturday, January 17th. All week long, Drew had been looking forward to this game. But when he woke up Saturday morning, he started saying that his stomach hurt again. I told him that he was fine and that he had to play. I don't ever make my kids do something they don't want to do (when it comes to extracurricular activities anyway), but they both know that once they sign up for something they stick with it through the season. Same with basketball...

I talked with the coach before the game and told him that Drew had a nervous stomach again, but that he was going to play. Drew's coach is not very forceful (which is a good thing), so when Drew told him he didn't want to play any in the first half coach didn't make him. Poppi talked to Drew after half-time and told him he was leaving if Drew wasn't going to play. Daddy also told him he wasn't going to waste his time taking Drew to practice every Monday night if he wasn't going to play in the games. Craig talked to Drew and finally made him go into the game at the start of the 5th quarter (they play 6). We were all excited to see Drew finally play his first quarter of basketball this year. He hustled the whole time, kept a smile on his face, and scored 4 points for his team. You could tell by his face he was having fun. He stayed in the game for the final quarter too, and was upset at the end of the game that his Poppi didn't get to see him play. He called Poppi on the way to eat lunch to tell him how good he did. The first two points Drew scored on a foul. At this age, if you are shooting and you get fouled, your team scores 2 points (3 if you make the shot). The other 2 points he earned by scoring a basket. Everyone went NUTS when Drew scored - all the spectators, Drew, his teammates, his coach, and even the coaches from the other team (friends from Upward and school)! We were all clapping and cheering loudly! Drew sure made me a proud mommy - and now that he knows he can do it, he will be out there every other Saturday!

Drew and his teammates get ready to play defense.

Drew hustles down the court to cover his man. He did a really good job of staying with him.

Drew and the other players look at the referee - Drew looks all sweet and innocent like "what happened?". Don't let him fool ya!

Drew hustlin' some more! I did not get a picture of him making the shot. Mikayla and a friend was helping me photograph - plus I was too busy watching the ball go in the basket and yelling!! I'm sure it won't be his last basket scored this year so I'll try to get a shot of one!

Basketball 2009!

Drew had his first basketball game of the season on Saturday, January 10th. He has been going to practice every Monday night since the end of November, and he has really enjoyed it. Poppi has been taking him to practice because Mikayla's dance class is the exact same time on Monday nights, and I can't be in two places at once. Daddy said Drew does very well - listens, cooperates, makes a lot of shots, and works well with his teammates. I'm sure it helps that Bryson is on his team!! Nanda and I set it up that way for carpooling. Nanda has offered to take Drew to practice for me any night that I need her to. After hearing both my dad and Nanda talk about how well Drew does at practice, I was shocked to hear him complaining of his stomach hurting before the first game. He said "mom, what if we are playing that big boys team?" Right then I knew he was nervous, and that was the reason for his tummy troubles. I reminded him that he would be okay - this is his third year playing. The closer we got to the church, the more upset he became. When Poppi got there, Drew was all but in tears. He ended up sitting on the bench the whole game because he was "sick" even though his coach and ALL of his teammates all but begged him to go in the game.

This is where Drew stayed during the game (when he wasn't in the bathroom), and I was a disappointed mommy. Please don't misunderstand - if he was truly sick, we wouldn't have even been there. I knew, though, that once he entered the game he would be fine! He earned the white star on Saturday for "most Christ like" which made mommy super proud!! His coach said even though he didn't feel up to playing he sat and cheered on his team and was an example for others. On the way home, Drew assured me that he would play in his next game.
Mikayla, on the other hand, enjoyed the social aspect of the game just fine. She, Breanna, and Emily had fun talking, dancing, playing, etc. Mikayla decided she did not want to cheer this year after running through the smoke at the end of last season. This was fine with mommy since she takes tap, ballet, jazz, and clogging and her cheer practices would have conflicted with her dance class on Monday night. I thought she would be upset once the games started and she saw Breanna cheering. She hasn't gotten upset or even mentioned anything about cheering!

I can't believe it's over...

Basketball and cheering that is. All games have been played and we had the banquet Sunday night. I missed posting on all of the games, especially these last few. I do have a few favorite pictures I'll share in this post, then it is on to baseball. We have already had 3 baseball practices so I guess you could say we are in full swing. As a family, we have been super busy and that would explain my lack of posts lately. I hope to get back to my weekly memes soon though!

Our lovely cheering girl! She absolutely LOVED cheering this year. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with Ms. Kellie and Ms. Stephanie, her coaches!

Drew heads down to the other end of the court to get ready to play offense!

Drew (and everyone else) watches as he shoots to see that his shot is GOOD (in the picture the ball has not come down yet)! This is from the same game where he made the last shot of the game - at the buzzer! I didn't get a picture of that shot unfortunately as I was too wrapped up in watching. The crowd went crazy though when it was good and his coaches and teammates ran over and almost tackled him! It was a sight to see, and Drew had the biggest smile on his face! Way to go Drew!!
Our little princess!! She sure is a cutie, huh?

Basketball/Cheer Week 5

Last Saturday, February 16, Drew and Mikayla had their week 5 games. Drew played extremely well, and continues to show improvement each week. Drew gets ready to take a shot (one of the many he made during the game). Drew's team didn't win this game, but the score was closer than it was the last time we played this team!
Mikayla continues to enjoy cheering. Even when on the sidelines (where they cheer until half time), she uses her megaphone to cheer the guys on. She especially enjoys cheering at half-time, as you can see from the picture!

Basketball Games 3 and 4

The last two Saturdays Drew and Mikayla have had games. I don't have pictures from these games, however because last Saturday I forgot my camera and yesterday the batteries were dead. I am most upset about this because last Saturday Drew scored his first basket of the season, and then yesterday he scored several more. They don't have games this Saturday, but you can believe in 2 weeks I will have my camera ready with new batteries!

Mikayla is still doing a fantastic job with cheering as are the 6 other little girls on her squad. One of the moms had a great idea to get buckets for the girls to sit on when they are on the sidelines so they don't have to sit on the cold gym floor. She picked up the buckets and coaches, Stephanie and Kellie, painted their names and polka dots on them. They are so cute and some of the other cheer coaches have asked about them, thinking of getting them for their squads. Now they do two cheers at half time and they cheer quite a bit on the sidelines. What I am most proud of is that they are getting louder so that everyone can hear them! I love seeing Mikayla smile during the game like she's having the time of her life. Keep it up sweet girl!!

Basketball has been very different this year. Drew moved up to the 6 - 8 division (which is actually only 6 and 7 year olds this year because they had so many - thank goodness). Drew is one of the youngest 6 year olds in this division. One of the big differences is they keep score this year. The boys are also a little rougher this year, with some of them even taking the ball from their own teammates. It has taken Drew a little bit to adjust to this, but I have noticed improvement in each game played, especially the game yesterday. Keep it up wild man!!

I hope to have pictures of the game on here next time, and maybe even videos...stay tuned

2nd Game!

This past Saturday, Drew and Mikayla had their second week of Upward games. We weren't sure if they would get a chance to play/cheer or not because they were calling for us to get more snow Saturday. They didn't cancel the games, and for that I'm glad because we ended up getting mostly rain with just a little snow (with nothing sticking).

This week, Drew's game was at nine, and Mikayla cheered at 10. Drew and his team played hard, and Drew got the white star to add to his uniform. The white star represents most Christ-like. That's the biggest compliment someone can get! We are extremely proud of Drew!!

After Drew's game, it was time for the girls on Mikayla's squad to cheer! We worried that Mikayla wouldn't do well during the games because "everybody is lookin' at me", but she has cheered right along with the other girls. Even though she seems to enjoy cheering this year, she still says dance is her favorite!

Basketball Saturdays!

Last Saturday, Drew and Mikayla had their first Upward games of the year with Drew playing and Mikayla cheering! The good news is that (for this week anyway) Drew played at 10 and Mikayla cheered for their game at 10!!

Mikayla and the other girls get set for the game! She loves Breanna and is very happy to be sitting beside her!!Drew (far right) celebrates after Bryson scored a goal for their team!
Mikayla in "ready position"!Drew gets open for a pass! Mikayla and the girls cheer at half time!
A picture of Mikayla after the game. I straightened her hair and it gives her a different look for sure! She wants me to straighten it all the time, so I told her we would when we have the time to do that!

Basketball and Cheerleading

Between Drew's soccer games last Saturday, we had to go to the church to register Drew for his second year of basketball. Mikayla had also expressed an interest in cheering this year (last year she wasn't old enough). Craig said he didn't think Mikayla should cheer because dancing is a year long activity for her. He was afraid the practices/games would conflict with her dance days/competitions. Bryson and his dad arrived shortly after we did to register Bryson for basketball and Breanna for Cheer Leading. That decided it - Mikayla would cheer with Breanna. How could Craig say no to that?? So, we are waiting to hear from Drew's basketball coach (we hope Drew and Bryson are on the same team again this year), and Mikayla's cheer coach. I can't wait to see my little ones in action together!! Rest assured there will be pictures to come...

Basketball Banquet

Last night Drew had his basketball banquet at church. It was a wonderful banquet! The church brought in a professional illusionist who did a fantastic job, and he was also a pretty good comedian! At the end he brought a wonderful message about salvation. During the illusions, he asked many people from the audience to assist him.

Mr. Richie (Blake's dad) was chosen to go on stage to assist with one "trick". He couldn't have chosen a better person - Richie cracks me up every time he's around!

This was such a funny part, as this Marine had to jump up and strike a pose and say "I have the tweezers".

The pastor of the church (not our home church, but a great church nonetheless) assist with one of the "tricks".

Some of the audience members caught mini basketballs that were thrown - Drew caught one and Craig caught one for Mikayla. Then these five lucky children (including Bryson and Blake) found numbers on their balls to get a special prize.

Drew poses with his award for participating in Upward this year. All of the children who participated in basketball or cheer leading received these wonderful tote bags. Drew can't wait to use his on a sleepover with Mimi and Poppi and Aunt Jennie! Drew had a wonderful time playing for Upward this year, and I'm sure we will be a part of this wonderful program again next year!

Last Basketball Game for 2007

Yes we are still here - I'm sure some were wondering because of the lack of recent posts. We have been super busy here, but my goal is to do a better job of updating more frequently. If not, I'm afraid I'll get so far behind I'll never get caught up. You see, our two little ones - our angels - have been keeping us on the run. Drew finished up basketball last Saturday, February 24th (see pictures below of his final game of the season), and then moved directly to baseball with his first practice being yesterday. Mikayla is also keeping us busy with her dancing. So... Oh yea, did I forget to mention that Craig is also working 70+ hours per week. That's happening so much lately - I'm forgetting things. Since I typically have a terrific memory, it is very aggravating to be so forgetful!! I still feel so very blessed to have my hard-working husband, and my two precious angels. I'm loving every minute (okay almost every minute) of being a wife and mommy!

The lights went out in the gym directly before Drew's game started. They started their game in the dark, but the lights were back on shortly after their game started. Oh yea - notice all the posters hanging on the wall. Since it was the last game of the season, they had spirit day and invited parents/families to make posters for their favorite Upward player/cheerleader. Guess which mommy forgot? You guessed it - Drew did not have a poster hanging up for his last game. Talk about a mommy feeling terrible. It helped a little that four out of the six players on Drew's team (including Drew) did not have signs, but I still should have remembered! Grrrrr
I'm just glad he wasn't upset!!! Drew dribbles down to get ready to shoot. The little guy that blocked him during this game was the son of the coach for the other team. He was blocking Drew really well the whole game. Every time Drew got the ball the coach for the other team would say "that's long shot" and his son would get on Drew. I guess he remembered Drew making all those long shots this year. It was great fun to watch.Mikayla and Poppi love watching and cheering for Drew! Drew dribbles the ball down court. Go Drew Go!!Drew gets ready to take his shot - it was good! He didn't get to shoot as many shots during this game because of the good blocking by the other team, but he made most of the ones he shot!All the players listen and watch as the coach of the other team lets one of his players make a shot. That's the great thing about Upward - all children are winners no matter what!

Basketball

Mimi, Poppi, Jessica, and Uncle Jonathan all came to watch Drew play last week. It was the first game Jonathan had made it to - he was pretty impressed with all those little ones. I don't think he or Jess ever stopped laughing.
Drew gets a rebound.
Drew and Bryson talk strategy as Drew dribbles the ball down the court.

Last Saturday at basketball the team we were playing only had four players and our team had all six players to show up. The coach of the other team asked Coach Jeff if one of the guys on our team would play for them to make it more even. Coach Jeff came over to ask me if I minded Drew playing with the other team. He said Drew had volunteered. I couldn't have been more proud of my five year old than at that moment. It takes a lot to join a team where you don't know any of the players and agree to play "against" your team. Poppi looked up and Drew had his jersey turned inside out and he asked "what's Drew doing?" Daddy couldn't believe it when I told him Drew had volunteered. It wasn't but just another second though and the coach was turning Drew's jersey back around. Another one of their players had shown up so they didn't need Drew after all. I was still proud of Drew for offering to do that - I can see that he has really matured a lot even in the last year!

His basketball team is a sweet group of kids! I'm not sure what we will do after tomorrow - that's his last game. Bryson's mom, Elizabeth's mom, and I all took the coach's family out to dinner tonight. Coach Jeff and his family have been so wonderful to our children this season. Coach Jeff has such patience with his children and the children he coaches! It is really wonderful to have a good Christian coach who cares more about the children than he does "winning the game". That's the way it should be in every sport - at least with little children! Look for pictures from our last game and award ceremony soon!

Saturday Basketball (2/10/07)

Last week Drew's team, the cougars, played against Blake and Garrett's team again. You may remember from an earlier post that Blake and Garrett are both in my class at school so Drew and Bryson know them pretty well. This team is also the team that Drew's team matches up pretty well against. Both times these two teams have played, the games have been really good and lots of fun to watch. Most of the players on these two teams are tall, so it makes for really good blocking and rebound attempts! When they were either passing or shooting they had to get the ball pretty high in the air in order to get over the other players' arms! Drew gets ready to catch a pass from Bryson.

Drew takes a long shot - this one ends up being overthrown and flies over the goal.
Drew takes another l0ng shot at the other end of the court (they switched goals after half-time)- this one is good! Notice how high Blake is jumping to block that ball. Drew prefers shooting long shots over closer ones, but he's pretty consistent with making both. Of course he misses his fair share as well - but his face really lights up when he makes them (as do ours)!

This game like all the others was a terrific game. I am proud of all of the players for working so well together.