My Boys

The boys took part in a United States Basketball Association Tournament this weekend. Battle assisted the coach on the bench and Lottie and I warmed the bleachers. They made it to the championship game where they faced a goliath of a team. Yes, they were giants!! The boys fought hard and played well but just could not fell the giant, coming up with a runner up trophy. The boys have continued to improve their game and are playing quite well for 10 year olds. Noah is quite the ball handler and plays with a passion that is unmatched! Graham has stepped up his game and has become an excellent inside player pulling down multiple rebounds and blocking several shots each game. Watching the two of them play together is such a joy!! Especially when you get to see plays like this (Noah (#4 in white) dishes the ball to Graham for an open shot!).........

This mama is so very proud!

Ball Boys

Well, I guess it takes a winter snow storm to slow our family down long enough to get back on the blog. Soon I will have pictures of the kids sledding and making snow angels , but I thought I would back track to where I left off in November and work my way back up to the present.

Sooooo......back in November, the boys had the opportunity to go to a Carolina basketball game. They went with their daddy who had arranged to get tickets from some of the Carolina coaches he works with at summer basketball camp. Carolina was playing a team in which one of his former high school players is now playing.

They went to the coaches office to pick up the game tickets. One of the coaches came out and saw the boys standing there and asked if they would like to be ball boys for the game that night! The regularly scheduled ball boys had not shown up. Are you kidding?? What 10 year old boy would not jump at the chance!

A few minutes later the boys were donning new Carolina t shirts and shorts and making their way into the Dean Dome to take their post under one of the baskets! White towels in hand, they were ready for their duties! They were in "blue heaven"!!

Treasured Traditions

Well, the boys football season is now over. They lost in the first round of their play offs but that was one of only two losses for the season. Coming off of an undefeated season last year, the losses were difficult. They played hard all season and their coach reminded them that losses are a part of life and character is shown more during the losses than the wins. We were thankful the boys had a great coaching staff for their city football league. They learned a lot on and off the field.

The most exciting game of the season was on a Saturday I happened to have been working at the hospital. I happened to get finished a little early and made it to the game right before halftime. I arrived just in time to see Graham as quarterback throw up a long pass to be caught by Noah who then ran it in for a touchdown!!!! That was SWEET!!!!! A Watkins Boys Touchdown!!! And how sweet of the Lord to allow me to get there just in time to see and celebrate with them!

Yes, It has become a tradition to spend our saturdays in the fall watching the boys play football. It has also become a tradition to go to a local diner called the Circus to grab a hot dog after the games. They have 99 cent hot dogs on Saturdays. The boys also like to celebrate with a limeade slushie! The Circus has been around for years. It is near the ball field where the boys play which is in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived most of my life. I have memories of going to the Circus with my grandfather when I was a little girl. I have even better memories of every Sunday afternoon driving to my grandparents house in that same neighborhood and having Sunday lunch. Those memories are priceless!! And those Sunday lunches also became a family tradition as we now travel to my parents house after church most Sundays and have lunch with my parents, my grandmothers, great aunt, and my sister and her three children. The kids have a great time playing with their cousins. They sometimes will stage an impromptu concert for the family or have a pickup game of basketball in the driveway . These are great family times and a treasured tradition. I think Chicken and dumplings is on the menu for tomorrow...can't wait!! Thanks Mom and Dad for carrying on this treasured tradition!

Football Firsts

This is actually the boys 3rd season playing football, but today was the opening game of the season and they did experience some "firsts" out on the field today. Noah started the game out at quarterback for the first time and handed the ball off to his brother to score the extra point ( no field goals at this age) after the first touchdown of the game. Later in the game Graham ran for a 20 yard touchdown play....his first touchdown!! Yes, this proud mama was cheering them on from the sidelines! Way to go Cowboys!!!

LOVE...Disguised As A Mop

Yes, this mop is our beloved furry friend MACY, who joined our family back in June. She was an april fool's puppy so she is almost 6 months old now. She is a labradoodle and living up to the reputation of the breed, being quite smart, gentle and affectionate. She has been going to puppy classes to learn good manners and basic obedience. She is still all puppy though and is into everything!! She came to us from a breeder in Montana. We went and picked her up at the airport at midnight after she had flown in from out west. Here are a few pics from her first night home.

God may give us these furry friends to give us just a glimpse of what unconditional love looks like.

Double Digits

WOW!! It is so hard to believe the boys entered double digits as they celebrated their 10th birthday this past weekend. Their birthday was Friday, September 11th and we celebrated with a party here at the house on Saturday with their friends. This year it was a nerf blaster party where they played capture the flag with nerf blaster guns. Each of their friends was given a nerf blaster gun for the nerf war and then took their nerf gun home as a party favor. The boys truly had a BLAST!!!

The last 10 years have just flown by!! It seems like yesterday they were learning their ABC's and now they are reading novels, solving double digit muliplication problems, playing football...yikes!!...and growing into delightful young men.

Great fun was had by all!!