Alexa Wins Her First Talent Show

So you entered and won your first talent show!  For about the past week, your mom and I have been happily enjoying your success, in partial disbelief that you actually made and won the show!  

Your are talented, but as your classmates are chanting your name when you get back to class, as your friends are asking you for your autograph after your performance, and as everyone is congratulating you on how you did - don't forget two things:

1 - Don't forget how much work you have put into having your succes
2 - Stay humble and thank God for without Him nothing is possible, yet everything is possible through Him.

When you kids get up and do anything - especially get up in front of your entire student body - your parents get nervous.  I love this pic of you.  Nervous but brave; courageous and ready to take on the world!

When you got going, you bounced that ball off of your feet, it rolled into the crowd, and a kindergartener was able to throw it back to you.  From there you took off.  It was perfect, and we have seen you do better - but it was GREAT.

You have had so much success so early in life, I pray that when you do come across adversity, you are able to handle it gracefully and with grit.  If this is any indication - you will be more than okay.

Continue to be brave, continue to take on new challenges and new adventures.  Continue to love life and be a light in this world.  Continue to shine your light bright!!!

Daddy loves you and Daddy is proud of you.

Lil Lon-Lon | Daddy's Girl

This week, we got the phone call that you have tested into the Dual Language Program!  It is a huge accomplishment, and I am very proud of you.  You are a smart, special, creative, free-spirited little girl who is also fierce, strong, and full of potential.

I’m super excited for you for 2 main reasons:

1 – You were originally Daddy’s Girl

2 – Everybody is going to see how gifted, talented, and special you are

When we first brought you home, you were originally a big-time Daddy's girl.  My earliest memories of my Lil Lon-Lon was of you waiting for me to get home from work so that I could hold you, rock you, play with your cheeks and belly, and feed you to put you to sleep.  When someone would try to pull you away from me to hold you, you would just cry your Daddy.  

But, by far you were by far our best baby and within your first month, you were able to sleep through the night so well that others were willing and OFFERING to babysit you earlier than your sisters.  I call this the Gift and the Curse.  It was great having a newborn slept through the night so early, but because you always had someone wanting to babysit you, I had to share you with the world.  Now as an almost 5 year old, you are such a Mommy's girl, and that is great.  You and your Mommy have a very special bond, and you will always be Daddy's Lil Girl.  

With you being the middle child, I definitely see how you can get lost in the shuffle.  Lex is Lex and Zoe is Zoe - they both demand attention at times.  Though you have just enough reason to keep all eyes on yourself like your sisters, you have a quietness and a shyness that the other two don't have.  You seem content in your spot, happy to have your growth and success shine in the shadows, but I also see a slight yearning for some recognition, and I am excited that this will give us more opportunities to celebrate you!  

You have always made life look so effortless - The way you run, the way you color, the way you match up your clothes that you are already picking out for yourself... It might be part of the reason why you might not always get the recognition from us that you have earned and deserved.   You know Lex is always pushing, grinding, and she doesn't have a problem letting everybody know.  Zoe just has to be seen and is always asking me to, 'Look at me Daddy.'  You sometimes request the spotlight and jump on stage, but just as often as I've seen you say, ' Look at Daddy,' or your line, 'Watch this ________," I see you shy away from extra attention.  

Always know that Daddy sees you. Daddy saw you first, Daddy never stopped believing in you, and Daddy knows and has always known that you are special.

Daddy Loves you Little Lon-Lon.

An Open Letter To The Girl In Love With Basketball

Alexa, the second I started to read this, I thought of you.  I love your growing love of the game, but I love you more.  I love seeing the look in your eyes when you finally made that finger roll in the living room on the 5 foot goal.  I love hearing the ball bouncing around the house all day.  I love when I hear you watching the Kyrie Irving top 100 crossovers.  Most of all, I love that I get to share my first love with you and how much you love it and appreciate it.

I hope the game is as good to you as it was/is to me.  The game will give back to you what you are willing to give to the game.  I didn't write this myself, but I could have written it for you.  You can find the original version here.  Daddy loves you.

To The Little Girl in a Jersey,

You are eight years old, and in love. The smell of scuffed hardwood helps you breathe easier, in a way you never knew you could. The sound of squeaking shoes makes your ears perk up and gives you a rush of adrenaline. You're learning to do math behind the snack table, tallying up two dollar Gatorades and five dollar hot dog meals. The teammates that you are on the court with will now become your friends for life, and if you end up in a new place later on down this long, winding road, you can always find a court and a ball to ease your mind.

Cherish it now. You have fallen in love with a sport which will teach you dedication, tenacity, and pure discipline. Your parents will support you and send you to countless tournaments, give up their birthdays and mothers/fathers day to watch you play. They may even drive two hours to watch you sit on the bench. Don't get discouraged when you don't make varsity, or when you stop growing at 5' 3". Don't get discouraged when you have that one coach who doesn't believe in you, because it will happen at least once, and it will not be easy. Don't get discouraged because all of this will make you stronger. That coach who tells you that you can't do it will become the single reason why you should. You will have to learn to pick yourself up at a young age, because that's what sports teach you, to keep going.

In five years, when what you love becomes political and every game becomes the most important game you'll ever play, remember why you love it. Remember that feeling of water finally meeting your lips after five sets of lines. Or the excitement of your first three-pointer in a game. Remember the look on your face in that photo where you got your first medal. Remember looking up at the obscenely high hoop, wondering how the high school girls shot the ball effortlessly, with the type of arc to give anyone goosebumps.

In 10 years, when it's all wrapping up, stand in the middle of the court and breathe it all in. Breathe in that same smell of scuffed hardwood that now is covered with your blood, sweat and tears. Remember the memories of your scuffing shoes, the same shoes that have been on your feet as you play through breakups, tragedies, pain, and hardship. Remember your teammates, the ones who told you that the missed free-throw was OK, and the ones that helped you navigate through defense, and through life itself. Remember what it feels like to be eight years old and in love with the game

Remember to never lose yourself in the process of fighting for the game you love.

I Hate the Late Night Cries, But I Love the Late Night Kisses …

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

It is well past mid-night and I wake up suddenly from my sleep.  I check my clock and realize that I have another couple of hours to rest, so I turn over and get ready to finish the dreams I’ve been enjoying.  Before going back to sleep, I turn the TV to the NBA channel because there is nothing else better than falling asleep to the day’s basketball headlines.  I find the channel and curl up under my pink blanket when I hear the handle of your door move followed by the slowly creaking that means that were woken up by your dreams too.

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

I hear whimpering coming from the hallway and the shuffling that comes from your 3 year old body sliding across the carpet, blankie dragging behind you.  The whimpering gets closer and closer and I am getting more and more afraid.  Not afraid that there is any danger lurking, but afraid of what I am going to get when you walk in the room.

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

You were the ‘difficult’ baby (and your sisters would say the difficult 3 year old).  You were the one we couldn’t get on a sleeping schedule, you were the one who couldn’t stay asleep, and you were the one with the strongest lungs!  When I hear your door knob start to turn and I hear you whimpering and shuffling down the hallway, I get afraid for which Zo-Bo we are going to get – at midnight.

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

Are we going to get the loud, crying Zo-Bo.  The Zo-Bo who refuses to cry her sleep asleep like her sisters.  The Zo-Bo who will only stop crying when Daddy rocks her over his right shoulder while sitting in that rocking chair that he still has in the corner of the room. The Zo-Bo who, despite having fallen asleep in that chair, knows instantly when we get up and starts crying again to protest any movement.

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

Or are we going to get the Zo-Bo who will walk to my side of the bed, reach her arms out as I get up and give you huggies and kissies before whispering in your ear, “Daddy loves you, now go back to sleep baby girl.”  That baby Zo-Bo gives a slight whimper back, accompanied with, “I love you too, Daddy,” as you walk back to your bed, tuck yourself in, and finish the night peacefully with no more interruptions.

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

On this night, you walk in, and you are still whimpering and not crying – a great sign!  Between whimpers, you let out a weak and barely audible, ‘I can’t sleep.’  I pick you up, kiss your forehead and your cheek, and I whisper in your ear, “Daddy loves you,’ as we quietly walk back to your room.  I tuck you in, kiss your forehead and rub your back a couple of more good times – just to seal the deal on getting you back to sleep – and I whisper in your year one more time so that you never forget, “Daddy loves you baby, Daddy loves you.”  (I always get one more in … you can never be too sure)

I hate the late night cries, but I love the late night kisses …

I’m sure that there will come a point in my life where I miss the nighttime, crybaby Zo-Bo, but now is not that time.  But I always love the nighttime baby Zo-Zo kisses.

Daddy loves you baby, Daddy loves you.

To My Wife ...

To my wife, I love you.  I love how perfect we are together.  I love how much we fit into each others lives.  I love how connected we are in mind, body and spirit.  We were made together, and we are blessed to live life and share life together.  Thank you for going on this journey with me.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  

Spring Break 2017 - San Antonio

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated a great Spring Break!  This was our family's first year with EVERYBODY in school.  Lex is in kindergarten, London-Mila and Zoe are in day care, and Momma Lyssa is working at Draper Intermediate School.  So Spring Break was a little more special for us having everybody home together for a week.

We took the girls to San Antonio for a couple of days during the break, and we spent our time at the San Antonio Zoo and at Sea World.  We drove up on Thursday and went straight to the zoo.  Below is a video of our time at the zoo:

That night, we ate on the Riverwalk.  Our hotel was within walking distance from Downtown San Antonio, so we walked by the Alamo, walked around, and took some pictures before heading to eat.  On the way back from dinner, London-Mila said how much she loved walking around downtime in the dark (night time).  It was a really good, chill and calm family night.

The next day, Alyssa was able to set up a behind the scenes tour of Seaworld!  It was a lot of fun and a cool experience getting some individual attention from the animal trainers and animals.  We were able to see behind the shark tanks, watch the trainers feed the dolphins and watch the dolphins do tricks, and we were able to feed the sea lions.  We then saw the Shamu show and rode some rides.  Below is a video of our time at Sea World:

 

We finished up our trip by staying the night in Austin at my uncle Larry's house.  He and his wife have a really nice house on a lake out there.  We were exhausted, but we had a great time!!!

Teaching Alexa How To Shoot A Basketball

So Alexa just finished her first season playing basketball yesterday!  She had a lot of fun, did very well, and grew a lot in the process.

One thing we will work on his her shooting the correct way.  Right now, she shoots with both hands.  Not a big deal, but as a basketball coach, I am always looking for ways to help her change this.  Today, we were shooting around on our goal, and I wanted to work with her a little on changing her shot so that she is shooting with 1 hand and have her wrist flexed and back.

The teaching points that I made were:

1 – Wrist back

2 – Shoot with one hand

3 – Shoot from your elbow, through your arm, through your wrist.

Of course, legs are important too, but I wanted to break this down instead of giving her everything.

See the video below: