Like the rest of the world, we have been glued to the 2016 Summer Olympics the last couple of weeks. One of my favorite things to watch is the parents/grandparents reactions when their son/daughter wins a medal. It is so heartwarming and, as a parent, you can get a glimmer of what they are feeling.
So while my kids will (probably) never be winning Olympic medals, it has made me think of recent moments when I have felt so proud of my kids. And since this is my blog, I reserve the right to use this space to unabashedly brag about my kids.
Lyla had her second year of dance this year. Last year I didn't let her do her recital, but this year I felt more confident that she would go through with it. She was so excited and was never nervous at the thought of going up on stage. The night of her recital she felt like such a big girl and so beautiful as Chase and Mia made a big deal about how beautiful she looked. Watching her confidently on stage and remembering every step of her routine with a big smile on her face, I was SO proud of her.
This past spring Mia had her sporting debut in soccer. I have been trying for years to get her to do a sport to no avail. She finally agreed on playing soccer with a bunch of her friends. I'll be honest, I didn't have high hopes for her skills. I knew her personality lacked the aggressiveness needed to be a star player and she was a little late in the game starting at 7 years old. But I was so happy she wanted to try. Her poor team got pummeled at every game. Being the less competitive of my kids, she didn't seem too fazed. And then at one of the last games of the season, we were actually winning by 3 goals, and who dribbled the ball down and scored the last goal for our team...MIA! I love that she immediately looked over to me with a huge smile on her face. I was screaming like crazy and it was all I could do to not run out on the field and scoop her up into my arms.
Despite my objection, Chase played up a division (again) in baseball this year. His team had a really rough season, only winning about 4 games, and Chase - being the youngest and less experienced on the team - tended to play outfield and bat at the bottom of the line up. It was a little frustrating to him at times. Playoffs came and, being last place in their league, I was a little anxious for our team to get their 2 losses and wrap up baseball for the year. But then something amazing happened. His team kept winning and winning and winning. They actually barely lost their last game, otherwise they would have made it to the city championship. In one of the playoff games was a moment I will never forget. It was the bottom of the 6th inning. The game was tied 10-10 with 2 outs and someone on second. Chase was up to bat. I could hardly watch, I was so nervous. Chase got it to a full count. 3 balls, 2 strikes. And then, he smacked a line drive, bringing in the winning run. His whole team ran out onto the field and jumped on top of him. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. And the look on his face! I hope I remember it forever.
This was the first year for Chase and Mia to do swim team. I was especially nervous for Chase as he was with a big and competitive group of 9 and 10 year olds, and racing 50 meters rather than the 25 the younger kids race. That first meet I was SO nervous for them. But they swam so hard and did so great, and even though Chase finished last I was SO proud of him for getting out there and doing his best. And Mia! Who knew she was such a fast little swimmer! And the last meet of the season Chase won his heat in backstroke by a whole body length and the way he looked at me with a big smile coming out of the pool was the best. I ran to him and got a big, wet hug. And Mia finished every race the whole season with a big smile and beat her best time in every stroke during the last meet.
These are times when being a Mom is just really fantastic.
