HutHut HIKE!!....Here we go Again

It is that time of year again!  The weather is getting cooler, the girls are getting back into their school routine, and Sunday afternoons are filled with football!  In case you need reminding, I am the only male living in this house, and coincidently the only one whose mood is contingent on how the Bears are playing.  My girls are now resigned to the fact that they lose me one afternoon a week until February rolls around.  To them, Super Bowl Sunday brings a whole new view on excitement.  The year end football party marks the beginning of Sunday afternoon attention from their dad....and grandpa....and uncle too!

Several years ago, we were headed to a Super Bowl party at our friend's house.  To be completely honest, I don't recall who was playing, the outcome, or how the season had gone for me (shows how much it really matters, huh).   I do remember this.  Laura and Lyz, then 7, were talking about our plans for the evening.  Laura was explaining to Lyz that this is a big deal even if the Bears are not playing because it is the Championship.  I am sure she also explained that the last game had finally arrived, because Lyz'a next question was "Does that mean dad will play with us on Sundays again?'  That caught me by surprise.  Am I that bad?  (all the women in my house yell an emphatic "YES"!) It bothered me for a couple of months and I vowed I would be different the following seasons.  Then September came.......

3 more Fantasy Football Leagues I couldn't say no to.  My reason being I could manage the team after they went to bed.  The Bears were gearing up for another year of optimism, and almost expected disappointment.  Each season comes and goes, and needless to say, I have not gotten much better.....well, not in the way Laura had hoped.  My Fantasy teams do great!!

However, the girls have learned that while I yell and get all excited Sunday afternoons, they are still my priority.  They have also learned the following:

1.  While called Fantasy Football, it is very much a reality
2.  Coming out of their room wearing the orange and blue gets them just about whatever they want on Sundays.
3.  Don't go into the living room after a key turnover.
4.  Don't ask for anything after a loss.
5.  Comfort snuggles make everything OK.

Several years have passed since Lyz's question, and she is actually growing to appreciate football.  She watched the whole game with me Sunday and enjoyed it.  Kenzie tries to hop on the computer and play games in between my Fantasy updates.  Football is annoying to her.  Maddy is game for anything as long as their is something socially going on as a result.  Savy and Katie are too young to know the difference yet.  Savy still lets me put her in the Urlacher Jersey.  Laura puts up with it, and is excited for Super Bowl Sunday to arrive.

The first week drew to a close last night, and so far all is well......Bears are 1-0 and I am 2-1 in Reality Football.  Gonna be a great year.........

School Shoes

I came home from a weekend trip of baseball to a bunch of new shoes I didn't recognize.  They were clean, bigger, and brighter than the ones I have come to appreciate lying around our house.  I liked those shoes, and the story each crease, scratch and stain represented.  I am not ready for new shoes because sadly, that means one thing....another year of school is about to begin.

We love summer and having our girls around.  Tripping over the shoes left in front of the door, while frustrating, means everyone is home.  Days spent cooling off in the pool playing whirlpool tag, a Compton creation, heading to the lake for pronto pups and beach time, and the fact we have no schedule makes summer great.  Now I won't lie, Laura and I always have great intentions of how the summer is going to be different, and how we are going to do this or that.  Most summers, OK, every summer doesn't play out like we plan.  This summer was no different.  It had its disappointments, mainly canceling a vacation we had planned, but we were together, and that made it summer.

Then Labor Day weekend arrived.  It seems to come quicker each year, and the conversations on how we all can't believe summer is over start surfacing.  We pack as much fun as we can until we get to the point where everyone is grumpy (part of it is exhaustion, and the other is we know what Tuesday means).  As the day drew to a close, the girls set out their clothes for school, and the new shoes reappeared.

I don't like these new shoes.  They will quiet and empty our house to the point where Laura will come to tears.  They will force us to a new school year routine.  Worse, they bring us one year closer to our girls growing up and out.  The end of summer officially ties the knot on the previous year.  Lyz is no longer a freshman.  Freshman doesn't seem too bad.  Sophomore seems so much closer to senior.  Kenzie starts 8th grade which means next year is High School.  Maddy is no longer in elementary school.  She is now too big for recess.  Savy has to adjust to not having her sisters around all day, but for only one more year.  Next year she won't be "too little" for school.  Katie has no clue whats going on, so these new shoes mean nothing to her, other than another thing to suck on.

But, these new shoes will grow on me as they always do.  They will take my girls to places that will stretch their faith, comfort their feet as they step into the uncomfortable, and show the wear and tear of another year living a life God has planned for them.  This time of year brings on a new topic for family devotion time, new sport teams, and new challenges to face and pray about together as a family.

I still don't like the start of another school year, but I am excited for what is in store for our family of 7.  So strap it on, new shoes, we are ready to wear you out!!