Soccer banquet

End of the year soccer banquet.

Andrew injured again

On January 23, 2025, Andrew tore his ACL playing soccer. After ACL reconstructive surgery and many physical therapy sessions, he was back after eight months. Back to playing soccer.

On January 23, 2026, Andrew tore his ACL playing soccer once again... exactly one year later.

I missed this latest injury/game since I was driving home from Amarillo during the winter storm madness so it was a crazy day when I came home to find out that he injured the same knee.

We went to school the following morning (Saturday) to meet with the team physician and after the examination and MRI, it was confirmed that he tore his ACL.

His soccer career came to an abrupt end. 

Random weekend pics

Andrew (and his friends) at the DECA district competition. He will be advancing on to the state competition. 

Andrew's injury

Within a few minutes of arriving to the game, we saw Andrew lying on the field. 😨

Random pics of the week

Celebrating Lynn's birthday.

8th grade district soccer tourney

The junior high kids playing on the big stage, Freedom Field.

Elliot plays volleyball

Learning the fundamentals.

Soccer banquet

End of the year soccer banquet.

Tyson plays soccer

Tyson made it on the 7th grade boys soccer team. It wasn't a gimmie since he doesn't regularly play soccer. In fact, the last time he played on a team was over six years ago when he played for a recreational team in the Fall of 2018.

He was determined to earn his spot. There were many days leading up to the start of the season, that he would go out to practice with his friends.

Tyson played hard. Being a smaller kid on the field, he was not afraid to get in the mix with other boys who were a whole head taller than him.

They ended the season tied for 3rd in the district.

Cherry blossoms, museums, and monuments (Washington, D.C.)

After five years, I made the trip back to DC. This time, there would be no government shutdown. This time, the cherry blossoms would be in bloom. This time, I would bring the family. But not the whole family. 

The boys HS soccer team made it into the playoffs and advanced. Unfortunately, the second round game would be on Thursday night (the day we leave for our trip). And if they were to win and advance to the third round, they would play on Monday (and we would still be in DC).

I had let the big boys decide if they still wanted to go to DC or stay home and play with their team. Jacob decided to continue on with the trip as planned and Andrew decided to stay home and play in what he said was possibly "a once in a lifetime" opportunity. So with that, we took a family trip (five nights) without Andrew.

Playoff bound

The boys soccer team (Shadow Creek) are headed to the playoffs. It's been three years since the school's last playoff appearance. This year is a bit special since both boys are playing together for the last time since Jacob is now a senior (and Andrew is a sophomore). 

For the first round of the playoffs, they faced Clear Springs. Their current coach was the former Shadow Creek coach, which made this matchup that more special.

That game was probably the best high school soccer game I've watched so far. Was it because of the outcome? Probably. The boys crushed them with the final score of 5-2.

It was satisfying to witness them destroy their former coach.

Another letterman

Andrew earned his letterman jacket as a freshmen.

Andrew the referee

The Texas Child Labor Law allows a person to work once they are 14 years old. I've always encouraged the big boys to work. Not for the money but for the experience. And you have to start somewhere.

Being a soccer referee for a kids recreational league is probably the easiest job for the boys, being that soccer is their life.

So I was proud of Andrew for taking the initiative of getting his first referee gig. Working four hours in the blistering sun for minimal pay. #earnedit

Random pictures

Crawfish boil (and plenty of drinks) at Dennis' house.

Varsity boys soccer

The benefit of both boys being on the same team is that we only have to watch one game.

Random pictures

A typical scene everyday, both high school kids napping after school.

Letterman jacket

Jacob earned his letterman jacket when he joined the varsity soccer team during his sophomore year.

New soccer season

New season. New team. All girls U8 division.

End of the soccer season

We've finally come to the end of the spring season for soccer. 

Elliot finished her first season playing in the U6 recreational league. She didn't stand out like her two older brothers when they started but that doesn't matter... she really had fun playing.

Andrew ended the season with a hat trick (3 goals) on his final game. He finished his junior high career undefeated... well, only the games he played in. He got injured (probably due to overtraining) and sat out for a couple of games (which the team lost). I really enjoyed watching him play for school since he was so dominant.

Jacob's club team had an end of the season party... which is probably the last time he's together with his team. After playing with the club for several years, he chose not to continue with club soccer.

Random weekend pics

International Festival. Friday night at their elementary school.