Great weekend and Week 13

Let me first start by saying, we had one of the most refreshing weekends we have had in a long time! It was all because we spent the weekend with a 13 month old little boy and his wonderful parents! Our friends the Barts came to visit (it was a end of the school year "surprise to Jon by his awesome wife Jen) We always have wonderful visits with friends that come to stay, but there is just something to be said about some friends that are so like minded with us that can just come and sit and talk to us about the things we struggle with!! Jon is originally from Korea and we have recently come across an amazing store that sells INEXPENSIVE fresh veggies and fruits and all Korean food, since the area we live in has a high population of Koreans! So, Saturday we had such a treat by asking Jon to cook us a Korean dinner! It was wonderful. I think Brent loved it more than I did, only because food and I are not great friends still. Regardless, it was so good. We spent Saturday exploring the Zoo and stayed up each night playing cards! Jen and I thought we had the rotten end of the deal since we both are not spades savy. Actually we killed the boys both nights. I tell you what, don't mess with us. We will rock your world for sure!

Today we are excited to finally be at week 13. I am finally feeling better. In fact I told Brent the other day that I may want to take another test to see if I am still pregnant because I don't feel so bad anymore. Soon after I made that bold statement I was quickly reminded with heartburn that YEP still there!! We have our first sonogram on the 16th of this month. We are looking forward to the first baby picture for sure. We still on standing firm on not finding out the sex or giving out the names that we will choose for the baby. (when it takes 34 years for you to have a baby you take all of the fun surprises that you can get at this point!)


Jen Jordan we have not forgotten your challenge, just need more time to get it ready!! HEHE

Barts with us at the Zoo

I don't know how Brent didn't get in this picture with me

Wrigley was eating dinner at the same time Micah was eating. Micah was trying to say hello to Wrigley by barking at her! It was fun to see them both get along so well. (of course Wrigley finally got to the point that she just ignored him! Hope that continues as her pattern with babies!)

Crazy new parents

We realize that we are already really crazy parents. In fact, we are those people who believe our dog is our baby. We really wanted the chance to do something special as a family this holiday weekend. So we went to Charleston, SC. We actually met Jenna's family (mom, dad and sister). We had a great time. Of course, we took a lot less pictures than we should, but the ones we took were so much fun. We stayed on this incredible island, that cost a ton of money to live there. It was fun to dream for a minute. Wrigley loved the sand, but barked at the water because it scared her so much. The weather was perfect and the beautiful view from our villa was so wonderful. We both could not help but reflect on "last." This was our last Memorial day weekend with just Brent, Jenna and Wrigley. It was a lot of fun to talk about the future and how a year from now we will be taking care of a little boy or girl that is a special gift just for us.

I don't have a ton of great information to blog about right now. We have been hanging low for a Spears!! Although, work has kept us both busy. We are so looking forward to this weekend, as we are having very special friends come and spend the weekend with us! They have a little boy who just turned one and we can hardly wait to "practice." We officially made it to week 12! I can't believe the first trimester is almost over. I did tell Brent today, that this is tough waiting. I can hardly wait to open my gifts on Christmas, and that is just under the tree for a few weeks. How am I expected to wait 9 months for this gift??? The other crazy thing to us has been how many friends we have, that are also having babies right now!! We got a phone call this weekend about two more friends who are also pregnant. (they are all having baby number 2 or 3 though, but still, pregnancy is pregnancy!) I have to admit that it is a great comfort having so many others walking this with me!

Just as a way of keeping our word, we have accepted the challenge given by Jen Jordan to video the soldier dance. We will get to it, we promise!!

Enjoy our pictures from our vacation!

I love bottles

Bet you can't do this!!!

Piggly Wiggly House (the family owns the stores)

Check out this size of this. It stayed on this wall all day long. At night it fell to the ground and by morning was hanging again. Never seen anything like it before

Sick Sick Sick

I have to share and hope not to offend any of my friends out there, but I am tired of women telling me they were never sick a day of their pregnancy! So many people have said, "I just can't imagine what that would be like." Well, I will spare you the details, and realize that in comparison to some friends of mine who had to get a pic line, that I have nothing to complain about, but morning sickness has been for the birds! When people tell me they never had this and make you feel like your crazy that you are sick, I sort of want to kindly poke their eyes out!!! (just kidding people, just kidding... well okay maybe just a few times I have felt that way but hey hormones right???) I have not wanted to sit down and blog about any of this, because really, when I feel good, I want to get things done or sleep or something else lazy like that.

We are getting more and more used to the idea of a baby. Although, there are still days that (me hating change) we think that life will never be just Brent and I any more! Then we think, but we don't want it any other way! Brent is so cute. He is reading all kinds of books and doing everything a first time father should be doing. He gets up early early each morning to make me a p and j sandwich in hope that if I eat something as soon as I open my eyes, I will not stay sick all day. He has cleaned the house and kitchen so many times and does not allow me to do anything around the house! He is fabulous! Not that I didn't already know that, that's why I married that man!! He is the best. He really will be the greatest father in the world too. I look forward to those days for sure. Everyone is telling me to just sit back and enjoy everything. Those must be the women that don't get sick for the first 12 weeks. The other funny thing has been all of the people who have guesses on what we will have. Everyone has their theory. Because I am so sick we have heard it is a girl or twins! I had one lady during a counseling session this week say it is a boy for sure because I have a younger sister! (what???) I had another lady tell me it's a boy because her ring made a circle near my hand!! (see why I am doing counseling with that one!! CRAZY LADY FOR SURE!!!) I heard that it is a girl because at night I have had cravings for sweets! (hate to tell them that pregnant or not, that has been going on forever!!)

I will try to be better about blogging of all you faithful fans! We are both still taking in all of the changes and feelings of being overwhelmed! Hang in there with us!

Honesty

So let me get down and honest! Many of you out there reading this already know this about me, that I get a little anxious about situations that I can't control! One thing in my life, so far - I have been able to completely control is my own self!! Brent and I have talked many many times about wanting a baby. But, for the past several years I have again controlled that situation as well! Finally, God has shown me that He is in control, becuase we found out today that we are having a baby. (my fingers are trembling as I type this out!) I have had to say to myself that God created women to have babies and women have babies all of the time! I just never really thought that we would actually have one! In fact I imagined that one day we would just adopt our children, and got to be okay with that. In a way, I am glad to have a place to talk about rational and irrational fears that I am going through. The neat thing is my seminary roommate is also having a baby and is due (from what we can tell) 9 days before I am! Our baby is due December 10, 2008. I know that is supposed to sound far away, but I am convinced that it is tomorrow. (more anxiety) As I blog I am watching Jon and Kate plus 8! 8 kids, I can't even imagine. Especially 6 of the same age. What a great show, expect now, it's a little overwhelming for me. It's also funny to me that recently a friend from church asked me to read a book with her, since she is also pregnant. I shared with her my fears and (she is also my care group leader) and she talked about being a support. How shocked she will be to know that is going to be sooner than later! So all of you out there in blog land, we (I) need major prayer. Prayer for the normal stuff you pray for friends when they are having a baby, but really pray for me right now, because this is not something I can do in my own strength. In fact, I am so beyond myself, and continue to tremble in fear, that I am completly living on God's strength right now. Not to mention, we live a whole lot of miles away from family. So for now, I feel like I am living for December 11th (totally planning on having this baby on the due date just like my mom!) Both my sister and I were born in like 1 hour and 20 minutes start to finish!! PRAY PRAY PRAY!!

Can't deny truth any longer

RED! RAIDERS! READY!

Here we are again. Our third sport in a row. Actually it is our 5th if you count basketball and baseball last year! No, we still have not had any kids yet, but we are back out coaching again and loving it. Brent is coaching 5 and 6 year old boys baseball. He was so excited when he saw the team names list come out at the beginning of the year. There in the middle of GA bulldogs, GA tech and all of the other SEC and ACC teams, his Big 12 team and Alma mater, Texas Tech was in the mix! You got it, we are the Texas Tech Red Raiders! Our friends Jen and AJ would be so proud of all the parents sporting our Raider Power shirts!! Today was opening day and the first time we were playing on the new fields at church. We did not win our game, but the kids had a total blast! The parents and coaches had a great time as well. One of our kids made a home run! The score of 9-14 did not reflect the heart of the kids that were playing! Enjoy our pics! GOOOO RED RAIDERS!!

The Bulldogs trying to figure out what just happened!

As head coach, Brent is also the pitcher!

Praying before the game

A good friend and assistant coach, Trevor and his daughter helping us out

All hands in, GOOOOO RED RAIDERS!!!!!

Are we crazy?

We painted again this weekend. You would think that we would have remembered it took us forever the last time we painted, but we both have short memories. We painted our hallway, chair rail in the dinning room and downstairs bathroom. It looks amazing! It was worth the effort for sure. We are so excited to have company coming next weekend and then later in the Spring, and wanted to make sure the house was looking good! The pictures below are of Brent painting. I promise I did help!! Someone has to take the pictures!

Before Paint

Frustrated Dog because she is blocked in our room!

Brent painting! (this wall is finished!)

Catch Up again!

Sometimes it takes us a while to update our blog. Sorry! I promise, there are days we do good if we see each other before crashing in bed at night! We will try to do better! So here are three posts with lots of good pictures today.

As many of you heard, last weekend the Atlanta area had some major tornadoes that killed at least two people, injured a whole bunch of others, did major damage to downtown Atlanta and sent us inside our closest a few times in order to take cover. Although the tornado went around us at least 3 different times last weekend, Saturday was a day to remember and a pretty scary experience. We did have some major hail (which is the picture below). The first month after we moved to GA in 2005, we had another, much smaller hail storm, that did major damage to our white car. We were blessed this time to have nothing more than a stressful, eventful day we won't forget for a while!

Hail Storm

Right before the Hail

Old Guys

Winning 4th and 5th grade team!

Today, finally, was the end of the North Metro FBC Basketball season. The last official game of the day, was AWESOME!! Our friends, the Mahr's, kids played in the game and their dad coached. They were losing by one point and Tyler threw the ball from behind the half court and MADE IT!!! We cried, okay well their mom and I cried! It was soooo cool!!! After such a victory, the "old guys" got their turn on the court. The coaches played the refs, then another set of coaches played the high school boys and the winners of the games were going to play each other!! Brent's team lost at the buzzer by a point. BRENT PLAYED AWESOME!!! He of course did not think so, but I had taped a good portion of the game for our enjoyment. It was so much fun. Of course, we were so glad they lost, because, that ment we FINALLY got to go HOME!! After a basketball game at 9:30, baseball from 1-2:30, another basketball game at 3:30 and then this game at 6:30, us old folks are exhausted! It was a really fun way to end the season. Now it's off to baseball with the 5-6 year olds!! What a bunch of cuties they are. Pictures and info on them to come. Enjoy watching Brent play!!!

What a beautiful pass!!

Free Throw Brent

I have more video's, but I will spare my husband and the other coaches! Great job guys!!

GA Weather

Growing up in Maryland, I expected to have snow in February. Since living in NOLA and North Carolina, I expect to have spring by the end of February. Yesterday, we woke to lots of thunder and lighting and the loss of power for a few seconds. We later found out that the areas around us actually had tornado's, with lots of damage. We were blessed to have just the heavy rain and wind. Our weather forecaster said that we should expect COLDER temps today, and then tomorrow it will be in the mid 60's again. After Brent left for work (and I was still in bed) I called him to make sure he had gotten off okay, only to find out that it was SNOWING IN GA!!! It is 32 today with a high expected of 34! The forecast is still saying mid 60's tomorrow. I DON'T GET GA WEATHER!!

We start Baseball on Friday. We should have started last week, but because of rain, we will start this weekend. Brent is coaching 5-6 year old boys. Yet another challenge is before us. As an update, we finished basketball last weekend, with a record of 1-6. Every team at North Metro gets to the tournament. It's a double elimination. We were double eliminated right away. Oh well, better try next year. As one of our parents said, it's not the win loss that we would have wanted, but the boys had so much fun and learned a lot about basketball and the Lord. During the half time of our last game, I told the boys to go out and do their very best and they could still win this game. One of our "star" players looked at me and said, "it's not about if we win or lose, we just have to do our best." They were right. That's what Brent taught them all season. We had a group of boys who many of them had never played b-ball. Our kids were a little smaller than some of the other teams, but that didn't matter because they played their best (most of the time.) Maybe we will do better in baseball, and if not, as Brent says, it's not about the wins and loss, it's about how you played the game!! (leave it to my husband to always have the positive spin on everything! Guess that's why I love him!)

Our Uncle Bob

One thing I remember growing up, was that most people have an "Uncle Bob" in their family! But none had an Uncle Bob like we had. In fact, soon after Brent and I got married, we went out to CA to see my Uncle Bob, at which time, Brent immediately loved my Uncle Bob like the rest of our family. My Uncle Bob was the twin brother of my dad's mom and the family patriarch. But still you ask, so what's the big deal with my Uncle? Well, he lived his life to the fullest. Uncle Bob was a scenic artist. If you have ever had the opportunity to enjoy the ride at any Disney around the world, and rode "It's a Small World" you have experienced the art of my Uncle Bob. His work goes way beyond Disney. In fact he worked on movies with Elvis and Michael Douglas to name a few. He also did work at Hershey Park, Knotts Berry Farm and several others places. In November 2004, my uncle passed away after a very short battle with Leukemia. He was 84. Brent had the honor of officiating his memorial service later that Spring in Mass. One of our favorite family traditions, for those of us who were married before Uncle Bob passed, was that we got a painting as a wedding present from him. Our painting hangs above our bed. It is a simple, yet incredible picture of a small church in New England. Not that we could ever forget our Uncle Bob, but having a piece of his legacy in our home, helps us remember him daily. You would think that would be enough for us to keep his memory alive. But, soon after his death, Brent decided that the first dog we got together, he wanted to name it Wrigley. The name is after Uncle Bob's favorite baseball team, the Cubs!! Our furry bundle of energy name is so fitting for many reasons, but one is because Uncle Bob played golf with his four some friends until close to the end of his time here on earth. He lived his life to the fullest.

I decided to blog about him today, because I came across the website my cousins put together displaying his art work. I know for sure there will be an art gallery this summer in Mass to honor his work. But, like I said, you don't need to go to far to remember my Uncle Bob, just the next time you go to Disney, ride It's a Small World. As you admire the beautiful scene you will have a new memory of the man behind the "scene." Our Uncle Bob!

April 26, 1920- November 1, 2004

What a difference a year makes

Some of the guys Brent works with, at a retreat center in GA.
(Notice our friend Luke, the guy in blue. He's not standing on anything,
he is that tall!! Former NBA player, now chaplain)

I have been trying to come up with something new and exciting to blog about, but can't seem to find anything fun. It has been yet another busy season for the Spears family. Brent and I both were sick for several weeks, fighting sinus infections, colds, coughs, the "just want to stay in bed and die" feeling you have when your sick in the winter stuff. We both have FINALLY come out of that. Jenna got the opportunity to go to Austin Texas to visit friends and Brent's half sister. It was a great week. As I look back and reflect, much of the time I remember was spent eating Mexican food, shopping and just exploring a little bit. A few days after I came back, Brent left for his twice of year trip to Simpsonwood. It is a beautiful retreat center near our house that Brent and some of the guys he works get to go yearly. They always have a blast. The only picture I have posted is of them on their retreat. Besides that, we of course have been playing basketball (we just started the tournment and we lost the 1st game and play one more time on Saturday, unless we win!) On Saturday we also begin baseball. (is anyone else out of breathe from all of the practices and games we have been to since Football back in August?) Brent is stepping out and coaching a different age group this year. Last year we worked with 3rd and 4th grade boys, and although Brent was "head coach" it was by title only. We were able to work with two great coaches that season. Now he will coach 5 year old boys. Because of a basketball game on Saturday that Brent had to attend and coach, I went to the "tryouts" for the 5 year olds. Let's just say attention spans will be our primary enemy this season. Several of the kids made it to second base and then thought the butterflies and bugs were cooler than catching the ball. They were all too cute. It will be a great time.

It's hard for me to believe, as I look back on when we started this blog, that around this time last year I was beginning my adventure at the Bair Foundation. Now, I am counseling in a private practice. Last year, I went from being so stretched on time and energy from working insane hours, to trying my best to come up with ways to introduce our practice to other people around town. But through it all, God provides. He gives us the time and strength to get it all done, and for His glory! Just amazing what a year makes.

Round 2

Look close and you and see the snowman our neighbors made!

To our surprise, last Saturday, we got more snow in Atlanta. It was a blast to see all of the kids making snowman and playing in the snow in our neighborhood. Of course, Wrigley again was not found of any of it. The snow cancelled the afternoon basketball games, so Brent got to come home early on Saturday. But, his game was not cancelled. He says the boys did great, but were just a few points shy of a win again this week. It hasn't helped that we have not had a practice in three weeks because of the rain and snow. Much to our surprise, the cold temps affected church on Sunday as well. Our Sunday School was cancelled and we only had a 11:00 service. That was nice, since I had been sick all week and still needed a few more days of rest. Church services were cancelled on Sunday night because of the cold temps and ice again. Can't believe this time last year the news was talking about how hot the winter was and there were blooms like Spring all over the place. This year there is snow on the ground. Crazy temps for sure.

We had a quiet celebration for Brent's 34th birthday on Monday. Of all things, he asked for mac and cheese for his birthday dinner. My crazy husband. His wish was my command. We had fun spending time alone. I think we even had pj's on by 7 that evening. You know your getting old and don't have kids when that happens.

There is an icicle on our car and Wrigley is scared to death of it! She keeps running up trying to sniff it but it gets her wet and moves!

Front Yard

Look close and you can see the big snow flakes. This was no flurry.

It's cold in Hotlanta

Wrigley in the snow

Our front yard

She sits and watches the fire

I am forcing her out the door and she will not go

We can hardly believe that we are having a "real" winter this year. A close friend of ours gave us some wood so we could build some fires in our house. I think we both were thinking that we may not need a lot of fires here in the south, but this past week has proved different. The temperatures have been below freezing and we actually got snow last night. It is gone today, but it is predicted to snow again on Friday night into Saturday. The funniest part of the snow is watching Wrigley in the snow. She hates getting wet in the first place and really hates going into the yard after a rain storm. (her precious paws may get wet!) So we thought it would be funny to takes some pics of her experiencing real snow for the first time.

Don't Eat Yellow Snow

Why not to eat snow!

Game Day

Well today's game did not go as well as last week. Ours kids put in a good effort, but we could not keep up with the two giants on the other team! We stayed encouraged and fought a good fight and will come out and try again next week.

Brent and I both are experiencing a great deal of "business" lately and there is more to come. It's amazing to me that just in the time when I think we don't have one more second to spare in a day, the Lord calls us to start something new to draw us to himself. We started going a bible study on every other Friday night. Last night was the first time, and it was such a sweet time to sit around, eating, fellowshipping and studying with friends. On a more intimate level, the ministry Brent's serves with, has started a forty day bible study called "40 days with the Master." Again, I thought at first, (just being real) something else to add to my life. But in reality, it is exactly what I am needing to make it through our lives right now. The Lord is allowing Brent and I both to be involved in a lot of ministry opportunities. New families and people are calling me each day asking to come to see me in my new counseling practice. Brent is teaching helping with a new class at church on Wednesday nights. All of this is on top of many others things that we have been doing already. It's funny to me when I look at my calender and see how much we have to do, it reminds me how much more I need HIM. What a relief it is when I take daily time with the Father, my calender looks less impossible and more exciting. (don't get me wrong, this is my heartbeat, but on the other hand, I am praying for a day that Brent and I can sleep in and do nothing!! That is one of the very slim and few blessings that comes from not having kids yet! Although, our dog still needs to go out early each morning! Oh well! I can't have it all)

Last post of the day

And finally, the next season of sports has begun! The Royal Knights, 2-3 grade basketball team, at church. Brent is coaching and Jenna is helping. (really I just sit on the bench during the games and do what I am told!!) We both are having a blast of course. We played our first game on Saturday and won 18-10!! It was such a great way to start the season. Last year we only had 7 players on our team, and this year we have 10! It's like having two teams all in one. It's great. A lot of work during the week at practice, but a ton of fun regardless. We will continue to have games each Saturday for the next 6 weeks (I think, I told you I just show up to the games when I am told!) Of course the greatest part is seeing the kids learn the game and get excited about applying what they are learning in the team devotions on the court!

The picture below is of the team before they took the court! Check out those ORANGE shirts!! Can't miss the coaches this year.

Paint Adventure

The after shot!

Wrigley was locked up in our room for 4 days. Finally she gets some free time!! (She sneaked down the stairs to lay in the sun)

Sleeping on the job

Brent painting trim

Setting up

All furniture in the dinning room

Brent and I have lived in our little house since 2005. We made the decision to stay in this house and try to commit to saving some extra money and then buy a house in 2 years. So with the permission of our landlord, we began the process of painting the inside of the house. We started with the toughest room, the living room. The ceilings are 16 1/2 feet tall and required some extra help in order to get the trim at the very top. We allowed ourselves two days to complete the whole project. A normal person would have accomplished that task in 2 days, but Spears time is normally doubled. After 4 LONG days, we finally finished the task. We are both proud and loving spending time in our new living room!

Playing catch up!

So I realized that I had written a post on the 8th and did not actually post the blog until after Thanksgiving, so some of the information was confusing. Here are some pictures and video from our time with Brent's dad. We really had a great time visiting with Don. It was his first visit to GA to see us since we have moved here. We hope to get to spend some more time with him either this spring or summer.

Lots of New Stuff and The Craziness Starts again

Sooooo football is over like you have read, but we start basketball on Tuesday!! We will be working with all of the 2nd and 3rd graders from our church. Brent coached last year and had so much fun and so we are looking forward to doing it again. This week I celebrated my 34th birthday. My sweet husband got up early and made me homemade muffins!! Of course there is a story behind the muffins. Let's just say it was the thought that counted!! We had a really great day. I had lunch with some special friends and my favorite meal for dinner that Brent cooked. It was a very special day.



I have also started a new job! I opened a new counseling practice with a lady from my church. Business is slow so far, but we do have clients already and we anticipate things to grow quickly. We were able to open the practice a few weeks early, so that has been very exciting. I am so excited to see what the Lord does in my life through this step of faith.



Brent and I spent the weekend in my favorite place in the USA, the Cove in Asheville. We were able to see the colorful trees and take time to hang out together. It was wonderful to get away and just spend some time together in worship!

This past weekend Brent's dad came to stay with us for the holiday. I will add some fun pictures as well in the next day or so! Wrigley was so funny around him. She kept wanting to sleep in his lap in our chair downstairs. To see a 50 lb dog in someones lap is always a good laugh!

Watch for some pics coming soon!

All Good Things Must Come to an End!

I can't believe I am saying this, but I will greatly miss three days a week football and every Saturday football games!!!! Today was our last game. We scored a touchdown, but it was not enough to win the game. Another tough loss. We end the season 1-7. Our first season playing for Collins Hill is officially over. We still have our banquet which is in the middle of November and will be a bowling party. When we look back at our time with these boys, there are so many things we will miss. We could write a book filled with all of the totally funny sayings 7 year old boys come up with. God used this team to teach us many new lessons about ourselves and about His goodness, love and mercy! Each week we would walk on that field with a fresh start and new chance to win a game. But even when we did not get the win, we quickly remembered the lessons were so much more about the process of the game rather than the win or loss. We will continue to pray for each of these boys and their families that the Lord will draw them into a relationship with Him. Already the Lord has given us the opportunity to work with two of our guys again in our next coaching experience. (I am seeing a pattern in our lives. It so far does not involve any kids of our own, but instead coaching other parent's children!! HUMM???) Brent has been asked to be the commissioner of the 2nd - 3rd grade boys group in the basketball league at our church this year. He will also be coaching a 2-3 grade team, too!! So we will take a quick break to recoup, and then November 27th begins our first basketball practice with games beginning in January! So as one chapter closes in our lives, the next sport begins.
On a fun note, Brent and I have been blessed with the chance to go to one of my most favorite spots in the world (or at least the little that I have seen of the world), The Cove in Asheville, NC. This is the Billy Graham Training Center. For those of you that do not know, I am a BIG Billy Fan!! I had the chance to work at the Cove Camp when I was in college for a summer as well as during the fall for some retreats. I have begged Brent to go with me to see The Cove in the fall one year. Well, Marketplace has a annual retreat in the fall that they host at the Cove each October. We were invited to come join them this year! I can't wait to show Brent how the trees appear to be on fire with all of the beautiful colors in the Asheville mtns! Being a Texas boy he still has no clue what us Northerner's grew up seeing each year!!! (another point for the North all you Texas people! HE HE) All that to say we will have some awesome pics from that trip as well. I have included a picture of our boys from football, one last time, that was from youth night at the Collins Hill High School football game last weekend!!
Good season guys!! There's always next year!! (maybe if Jenna can make it)

These little guys are just so cute!

Tough Day

Finally a team picture. Here is the team, minus one player and one coach. Actually, one of the players in the picture no longer plays for us, because of a skull fracture he got the day before our first game. The accident happened at school and had nothing to do with football, for all of you mom and dads with little boys. Just a mean old monkey bar!! Our winning streak came to a halt this week. (as you will remember we have only won 1 game so far, last week). We just barely lost against Dacula, 33-0! Their boys were big and fast. Oh well, at least no one got hurt, right??? The funny moment of the day was before the game even started. One of our kids lost a tooth while playing around with his teammates. His tooth came out and fell in the grass. He was so focused on finding that tooth which was impossible in the tall grass, where we were practicing. I was so glad when his dad finally came over to the practice area to talk to him and help get his head in the game. Of course, Cam was more concerned about finding the tooth so the "tooth fairy" could bring him his money that night. His dad, being the funny, quick on his feet, father that he is, took out his wallet and gave Cam a dollar and said that he was would spot the tooth fairy the money until she "came that night." That seemed to do the trick, because after that Cam was ready to play! Good times on the field! The season is flying by so fast. I couldn't wait for it to end and now I don't want it to end. There is still hope for the playoffs??? (that is what Brent keeps saying) And of course there is always next year!

Sunday

We had a very busy Sunday (as many of you do as well). We attended the funeral for the 14 year old in our community that passed last weekend. The time was special, a little bit of really crazy theology, and a lot of changed lives. Our NBC local news is channel 11. We love this news channel and have told many of you that before. Our pastor's ''brother in-law" (our pastor's first wife Debby died when she was 27 years old from brain cancer, and Chris Holcomb is her brother) is the meteorologist for channel 11. Additionally one of the main news anchors, Brenda Wood, is also a believer, and often you can tell by both of their attitudes and words they use on TV. So we love this news station. Yesterday, one of there reporters stood next to us during the funeral. Of course we did not realize that at the time. But she got us on tape three times! She has a close up Brent's rolled up program with Terrell's face only showing, my whole program and then the back of my super curly hair and Brent's shaved head! I realize that this is a sad situation because of the death of this young boy, but Dr. Cox shared a great message of hope. He also gave an invitation at the end. The staff of our church counted over 400 people that prayed to receive Christ. Dr. Cox admitted in service last night (after the funeral to our church only) that ideally we would have loved to pass out cards to follow up and begin reaching out to these people. But you can't always do that at a funeral service. There were several girls sitting behind Brent and I that we HEARD them praying to receive Christ. At times I know I have had a bad attitude about going to football practice and games three nights a week and each Saturday, but after yesterday, it is no longer just practice to Brent and I. We are going to the mission field!! A lot of the kids and people there yesterday play for the same football organization that we coach for right now. We are just praying that as the years progress with these same kids and families and as opportunities come up, we will continue to be faithful to share Christ with each of them! As it stands right now there are a few families going through some tough stuff in their lives, that I see God using us. Even possible a chance for Brent to do a funeral for one of our parent's father, if he does not beat the cancer he is fighting! You never know, but we are open and ready to used for HIS GLORY!!
I attached a copy of the news story that has a video with us and our church on it! http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=103568

Finally, Hearts and Skills Collide!

That's right folks, our little guys finally WON!!! We won 33-7!!! We knew we could do it, it just took our team a little time. We all caravaned over to the game. The kids and parents cracked up this morning at 8:30 am when Brent and I came driving in with our Saturn honking our horn and all decked out in Green and White window paint, green and white streamers, a football magnet and a football on our antenna! Brent teaches the boys a slogan each week. This week it was "Hey Hey... 93! Which means that 93% of our success in life depends on our attitudes! So one boy will yell out Hey Hey... (the rest of the team screams) 93! So Brent put on the back of our car the slogan. On one window he wrote "7 yr old Eagles will Soar in Game 4!" Sure enough we did. On the other window we wrote, "GO Eagles"!! We were so proud and excited for the boys. I wish I could put some of the littlest guys' cute plays on this site. One little kid, William Huzzie, has developed quite a bit over this season. This is his first year to play. Brent was pumped about his abilities - big and fast. Yet he cried quite a bit in the first few weeks and fumbled "the baby" as Brent tells them. Each week he gets better and more pumped! Today as he was running for a touchdown, he put his hand out with the ball almost taunting the other team. Although he almost cost us the touchdown because of "Excessive celebrating" it was SOOO SOOO FUNNY. He is also our kid that when he has big plays he will do a little dance. I think my favorite play of the day was by "Baby David". He is the smallest kid on our team. He is the youngest in his family. At the beginning of the season he would not hit anyone. Someone told him that he was hitting like a girl {from "Sandlot"}. So during practice one day another kid was trying to tackling David (and the kid was much much bigger than David) and David tells the kid he is hitting like a girl. The kid runs back and creams little David. David stands up, shakes his head and says, "I'll never say that you hit like a girl again." That's our David! All that to say he is our "Rudy." Today, he got one of the extra points. He tucked his head down and just ran right into the middle of those bigger boys and scored the points. He was so proud to hear his name on the loud speaker! His mom was still prouder! She was shocked that her son did that! It was a GREAT GAME! It was so sweet to see the little guys wearing the initials on their helmets for Terrell Wilson, the football player that died last week. It was a great week to win! Of course it is always a great time to win, but this week it was extra special! GO EAGLES!!!! I have some pictures of the other cars and our car below! Thanks for celebrating our win with us!! (Brent may not sleep tonight he is on CLOUD 99)!! Oh yeah, Brent promised the boys if they won today that he would wear this totally hilarious wig on his head all day Monday to work, bed, practice!! Pictures to come for sure!

Wrigley

I just had to add a second post today regarding our sweet puppy. Some of the things she does are so funny. I want to get her on video "talking" but as soon as I bring out the camera, she just watches the camera and stops talking. One day we will get that on tape. For now, I got her barking today. The funny thing is, since she is a hound, she really doesn't bark, but "Hoooooowls" instead. Check out that mohawk! The problem is she hurts her own ears when she does it, so after each bark she shakes her head. One of the other things she loves to do is get her own ice. I have posted two videos of her funny tricks! Hope you enjoy our daily entertainment as much as we do! WE LOVE US SOME WRIGLEY!!

Another Game Day

We are still having a busy yet exciting football season. Worth every second! Our record is not reflective of our hearts for sure! We are 0-3, but that has not stopped our little guys from trying hard. As the season goes on we are seeing more and more progress each game for sure. In fact our kids have often asked on Monday practices if they won or loss the game. So the score and record is not as important to our little guys I guess. We are going to Caravan tomorrow for our last away game. We are excited to dress up our cars and head to SNELLVILLE to take down our next team! I have a video of our little guys getting ready for the last game. To warm up and understand "hitting" they play "Sharks and Minnows." They have a ton of fun doing it as you can see.

It has been a tough week in our league though. We play with the Gwinnett County Football League. Some of these guys play through 8th grade and then move onto the high school team. Unfortunately, one of the 9th graders at our feeder high school, Collins Hill High School, died in his sleep last Friday night after the football game. His name was Terrell Wilson. He died of a torn Aorta. Our guys will be wearing stickers on their helmets this Saturday with a "TW" on the back of them, in honor of Terrell Wilsom. Our church, North Metro, has the opportunity to serve this family by having the funeral at our church on Sunday at 3 pm. Our pastor has been blessed with the opportunity to serve as the chaplain for the Collins Hill high school football teams. Therefore we have been asked to hold the service at our church. We were told that Terrell had quite an impact on folks around him. He was not known for being one of the best players but having the heart and attitude that is required to be the best! Terrell's legacy will be a great influence on our boys and others for years to come! When tragedy like these happen, it makes us (Brent and I) more determined to do whatever it takes to work with families and kids to know the love of Christ. Our pastor told us Sunday that Terrell was known by his friends as someone who lovedGod's Word and read his Bible a lot. He also pointed his friends to God when they were in trouble. This is why we do what we do! Not for the glory, but so that others may see the love of Christ! We are still praying for many of our families that God will use us to minister to them! Additionally, in our area, the local NBC news station has two Christians on the station. One gentleman, the weather man, goes to our church and the main achor lady is also a Christian. I attached a story she did on Terrell on the news last night! http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=103431

Almost Game Day!

As our busy lives continue on, the anticipation of our second football game of the season is upon us tomorrow. We have had several laughs with these little guys as well as the big guys (the coaches). The continuous inward struggle of pushing boys to be all they can on the field and off by teaching them skills, obedience, drive and love for the game of football. At the same time building relationships with coaches and parents and even other teams in our association. The thing that is the most funny to me when it comes down to it all, many of the kids are there to have fun!! One of our little guys asked after the last game, "So who won?" It goes to show you that 7 years old are still little guys and just want to play ball!

Besides football, which at this moment it doesn't feel like there is anything else, Brent and I are teaching a Special Needs older youth/adult Sunday School class at church every other Sunday until the end of 2007. Again another hilarious adventure for sure. The kids/adults are so so sweet and just make us laugh. Brent asked one of our guys who has Downs Syndrome to read our Bible Story for the morning. This little guy reads really well but really really quiet, almost a whisper. So you almost get to the point that you just follow along in your own Bible and hope you end the verse about the same time. The funny part was when he was in the middle of reading one of the boys in the class kept talking and talking. So Blake (our reader) without batting an eye or looking up said, "then God said let there be light and BE QUIET PLEASE, and there was light." I know it was a have to be there deal, but Brent and I could not contain our laughter! They are all so funny. Even the prayer request that they have for us are so sincere and personal and things that we totally forget we need to pray about! As you can see, again we are having a good time. Brent is teaching (because he loves it and does so well) and I am just helping when I can! I took some pictures from our first day in class with our crowns on our heads that we had made, but they are on Brent's phone, so I will post some other pictures from this years VBS which Brent also helped in this class!
These are two of youth that help with Agape (Special Needs
Ministry) dressed up for a skit in VBS.


Some of our "Friends" also in a play