Real Basketball

Jaron loves to play basketball. At our school they let the fourth graders move up to play 5th & 6th grade basketball. It would have simplified our lives to NOT sign him up to play at the YMCA this year, but as I said, he loves it. Too much for me to want to tell him no. On his YMCA basketball team, he was one of the oldest players. He had many personal victories, and his team was undefeated. The best of both worlds. It was great fun.

Kevin and I tried to prepare him a little for the differences between being the oldest boy on his YMCA team to being one of the youngest, and smallest, boys on his middle school team. There is such a huge difference between 4th and 6th grade boys so we tried to explain that his opponents would be bigger, faster, etc., in the hopes that he would not get discouraged. I worried a little bit about whether or not time on the bench would hamper his love for the game. 

That would be a 6th grader (far right).

Well, his first basketball game in an Atlanta jersey was against Knox County at the Leonard Tournament. Jaron's coach split our team in half for this tournament to give all of the kids more playing time, so between that and flu season, there were exactly five boys playing for our side. Three of them were fourth graders, and I could feel their first game fear from my seat in the bleachers. Scared. To. Death. Knox County is pretty serious about basketball. Their team plays about 70 games per year.  Needless to say, we were defeated. By about 30 points. My heart ached for our five boys, who played their hearts out without any subs to relieve them. I took a picture of Jaron and his two classmates after their first game, and their sobriety is written all over their faces. On the way home, Jaron said, "You and Dad were right, Mom. Real basketball is way more harder than YMCA basketball." Because obviously, 5th & 6th grade basketball is "real."

 Thankfully, that first game was the low point of the season. We did not face any other teams who were anywhere close to being as hard core as Knox County, and the boys improved at every turn. These fourth graders did not let their confidence suffer for long. In their very next game, the jitters were gone and the boys were ready to go at game time. Their little tournament team ended up winning consolation in the Leonard Tournament with free throws after the buzzer, and their team achieved first place honors in the Bevier and Atlanta tournaments. Great season. They learned a lot about working hard, playing big, giving it their all, and I think they did an excellent job representing their grade. After their last game of the season, they looked like this:

They look like real basketball players to me.

Finally Five

Megan has been wishing to be five for a minimum of two years. For at least as long, she has cried on the first day of school when two of her favorite people climbed onto the big yellow bus without her. Each time this has happened, I just picked her up and let her cry on my shoulder until she was done.

I see myself most in Megan. Most people think she resembles me, but what I am talking about goes beyond that. We are both the youngest, and look up to our big brother and sister. We cheer when they do well. She loves to take her baby dolls wherever she goes. I have many pictures of myself, with baby Tish in my arms, and then Lina Angie, my Cabbage Patch doll. Megan is emotional, bossy, sassy, and is on the move at all times unless she is sleeping. She does not hesitate to speak her mind. I have to remind this child almost every day that she is not my boss and that I tell her what to do...not the other way around. Kevin and I often wonder how it happens to be that our smallest child seems to be the loudest. Shakespeare wrote, "And though she be but little, she is fierce." I plan to put that on the wall in her room.

You know how most girls go through a princess phase? Not Megan. When she puts on a tiara, she pretends that she is the queen. Five years have flown by like a summer vacation. At five, Megan loves to sing along with the current hits station, or the movie Frozen. She loves going to ballgames, playing with her baby dolls, taking selfies, and being in charge. Her favorite shows on TV are Little Bear and Doc McStuffins. I hope she loves going to big school as much as she thinks she will. Maybe that will make it a little easier on her mama when faced with sending her on that big bus each morning! Happy Birthday, Megan! I know you are ecstatic to finally be five!

Jaron's Letter to the Principal

My son is not enthused about school. If it does not have to do with PE, lunch, or recess, he would rather not waste any time or energy on it. I have to give him regular pep talks regarding giving his best effort, following directions, and showing his work, when it comes to school. He tries to mark out dates for concerts on the notes he brings home from the teacher, adding an arrow and a side note stating, "Nothing is Here." When playing sports he is all in. No pep talk necessary.

Sometime in the middle of fourth grade, he brought home a reading test. This test was several pages long and included multiple choice questions and short answer questions. On the back page all of the children had to write a letter to the principal. What follows is Jaron's letter.

Dear Mr. Brummit, 

I don't like homework. Somebody has got to put this homework nonsense down. That person's name is Jaron Peavler. I bet you that 99% of people don't like homework in this school. And that 1% person are the teachers. Plus I got duties to do at home like feed and water chickens, cows, dogs, and sometimes rabbits. Mr. Brummit, please let there be no homework.

Jaron

And also remember I have to let my puppy outside.