They Lost - But He Won

Today was S1's furthest away game.

While I sat behind the desk at the library, everyone walked in telling us how cold it was.

How it was a great night for cocoa and a book.

And I had to head out in it.

After school I picked up all the boys, returned to the library so they could eat a snack and get dressed for the game.  My lovely youngest son was in shorts and a tshirt and nothing more to wear.

Alicia called her husband, who ran us over a pair of too small pants that their youngest son had and with a glance of the clock, we flew out and dropped S1 off at the bus right at 3:30, their take off time.

As I drove off to Subway for our sandwiches, I thought how great S1 handles this.  He was ready in time for the game, but getting three brothers ready on time can be...challenging.  Especially when you have less than half an hour.

Our local Subway has been awesome to us.  Because doesn't everyone love to hear, "Hi...we need six subs.  And can you write our names on them for us?"  My cell phone ringing.  "Um, we are going to need to make that nine subs."  And they just smile and get the job done.

Korene met Nancy and I slightly later than we planned to take off, it's called real life, people - so coffee before the game was not going to happen.

And I knew right where we were going for coffee....Uncommon Grounds.

Kor and I bundled up and headed to the game.

Do we look like football moms of boys or what?

Special thanks to Kellyn for my hat.  I tell you, my ears and head were NOT cold during the game.  Honest.

And the wind was blowing approxemetaly 500 miles per hour and there were seriously (no joke on this) snow flakes in the air.  Earlier it had been raining ice.  Lovely weather.

Here is Max, Kor's littlest guy, S4 who was just moving from one screaming disaster to another today, S2 who was happy to not be water boy tonight and S3 who was happy to play some football with his buddies - because we were at a football game, right?

It didn't take us long to realize we were going to need warmth.

I was severly suffering without my coffee.

So Kor headed off for hot cocoa.

We needed the cocoa.  We were nearly frozen and our boys were loosing.

Big time.

The cocoa?  Lukewarm at best.

The usual cost?  Fifty cents.  This? $1.50.

But we grinned about it anyhow.

But then I realized Kor didn't have her hood up.  And with her hood up and my hat, we are hard to miss.

This also is one of my new most favorite photos.

Seriously.

I am ever so thankful for Kor's friendship.

I asked Nancy and her honey to smile and look warm.

Well, at least they look happy.

Our boys lost.  They lost huge. 36 to 0.

At the very end, one of our boys broke free and ran it in for a touchdown.  We cheered.  We were the first team of the entire season to score against them.  And we were loosing so badly that they were just running the clock to end the game for us - and them.

There was a flag on the play and it didn't count.

The coach, a new coach who was filling in for their coach who couldn't be there, was furious with them at half time. The coach told them to do something that my son didn't think was right.

"He's the coach and all, but it's just a game," my son said with a shrug.

My son got it.

My heart soared.  It didn't matter that they lost and we froze, it was all worth it to hear my son's take on the game.

We left the game and scarfed down our Subway.  We headed for coffee...saw the coffee shop and saw the line to get in and drove on.  All that build up for coffee and we didn't get any.  You all must know how this pained me. We drove like the wind to get to the school, taking back roads and saying over and over again, "It's so beautiful out" with the fall colors and the changing sky with the setting of the sun...but the school bus apparently knew a much faster way.

Our boys were waiting for us.

And was waiting with our boys?  The Coach who signed on to help later in the season because our coaches needed help due to their other work schedules.  This coach I cannot speak highly enough of.  He cares for these boys and it's obvious.  I am thankful for him.

Our football season is nearly over, two more games for S2, one more for S1.

And I am as proud as can be of my boys.