Tornados!

Today was the playoffs for Garrett's flag football league.  His team was undefeated and went into the playoffs as the Number 1 seed.  This was apparently a huge deal.  They won the first two games, but sadly, lost the championship game in the final seconds.  Garrett scored his second touchdown of the season in the first game this morning!  It was so exciting!
As you can tell from the tear-stained faces and forced smiles in the picture above, taking the team picture probably should have happened BEFORE the games began.  Those boys played so hard and for so long-the three playoff games were back to back. They all just fell apart when the opposing team (the Dawgs) scored their last-second touchdown.  It was heart-breaking and hilarious, all at the same time.
In this age of hyper-competitiveness in children's sports, I was so pleased with how the coaches handled these boys.  His head coach, Mr Rob, said at the very first meeting that he didn't care if the boys won a single game this season, as long as they all said they wanted to play again, he would feel successful.  That was just what this mama wanted to hear.  And he was true to his word. There was accountability, but also encouragement.  The boys were also encouraging of one another and good sportsmanship was valued above all else.  It was the perfect environment for my little guy to learn about football. Garrett learned so much and improved so much.  We will definitely participate in another season of I9 flag football.
How on earth did my little guy get this big? I am loving this part of raising a little boy!