The End of a Season...

Well, at our house we have ended two sports seasons this week! Like many of you, our home was full of food and friends as we tuned in to the Super Bowl.

Here is a picture of the kids and some of their friends gathered around our dining table! There was plenty of food and fun as we settled in for a game I thought might never end. I really had no team in this game and to be honest I was kind of out of the loop on the pregame coverage of all the stories about players and their families or careers. Who knew two brothers were coaching against each other? Anyways, we had a great time watching the game and we also had some great dessert.

A friend of mine found a neat Pintrest recipe for some King Cakes made out of cinnamon rolls. The kids LOVED them!!!

Brendan and Ellie shared one before they decided on getting their own!

So as the game wrapped up, the football season officially ended (although today is national signing day and I had no idea this was almost like a college football holiday!)

The boys also ended their basketball season this week, missing out on a trip to the playoffs. To say they were disappointed in an understatement! There is nothing like the high of a win and the low of loss, and for Brendan the low was really low. As time ticked off the clock, our team got the ball with 12 seconds to go and we were down by 3. Since we didn't call a time out, the kids were on their own and Brendan shot a three pointer from a place on the court that he hits from all the time. This shot was not to be and the ball went around the rim and off the far side and the clock hit 0.

As a mother, I hated what he felt knowing the season came down to that one shot. If there had been anything I could have done to make that shot fall through the basket I would have done it. What they don't tell you when they hand you that newborn baby boy is that so many lessons in life will come to him in moments just like this and there is nothing you can do about it but let him walk through them.

Sports is about so much more than just dribbling the ball or shooting the three. I want our kids to learn when you fall down, you have to get up. When your teammates need you, you need to be there. Commitment is being all in for your team not for yourself. Respect the effort others give. Always give 100% in everything every time. Above all, honor God with the talents He has given you.

My prayer is that Brendan uses that feeling from the end of the game to be motivation (as he already talks about making the playoffs next year). My hope is that the boys know sometimes the lesson in a loss is worth more than any trophy from a win. And with that, we close basketball season...until tomorrow when they find a pick up game at the base gym!

Real quick I have to tell you about two new food items our family has found....

Brian bought this gallon of Blue Bell because it was a new flavor and he thought the kids (and us) would enjoy it!! He was exactly right!!!!! You have to try this ice cream sometime!

We also tried something new at our Super Bowl get together and it may shock some of our family that we would even acknowledge we like this...

Yes, I am holding hummus. To be exact I am holding Athenos three roasted pepper hummus. I can't even believe I am telling you that we like this but we do!! We ate it with some pita chips and it was a really good snack food. All this time I thought this was just too weird of a food for us, but I am so glad we tried it!

And with that, I'll end this post. I am looking forward to less time on the road and more time at home cooking. I'll be getting back into my exercise routine, too. Hopefully, I'll do a better job of being more regular with the blog as well. And truth be told, basketball really isn't over!! March Madness will be here before you know it!