Character Counts

When my babies were little ones at home making messes and keeping me up at night I often wondered if I would ever get that "pay out". Would I ever see the results of trying to parent in a way that my children would know what it means to love one another even when it's difficult? Would the girls see my flaws instead of the love of Christ? Slowly but surely I have seen my girls grow into lovely young ladies who do love others and see goodness in this world. There are also times they fight and act selfish but that's not what this blog post is about today. :) I don't begin to take all the credit, without God and His Word to guide me I would be lost. 

This week our youngest daughter came home with the Character Award from her school of about 700 students. There are 25 kids a quarter who earn this special honor. This is what her teacher wrote...

Olivia is new to Reeder this year and boy are we lucky to have her! Olivia has such a positive attitude about school. She is a great role model in our class. Olivia is always smiling and working hard. Awesome Job!

Liv and her award in our yard

Keep up the good work. I love you Livie!

California (Soccer) Girls

Reagan's U13 Premier Soccer Team

Soccer...Beaches...Flying...Soccer...Hollywood...Traffic...Soccer

It was all a thrill!

Game 1 Won 2-0  

Game 2 Lost 3-1

Game 3 Tied 0-0

I thoroughly enjoy watching Reagan and her teammates on the field. These girls are so competitive and have so much passion for the game. I'm not sure how this top ranked team did not do better overall but that's how youth sports goes. Sometimes the better team doesn't win. Without stepping too much onto my soapbox I will say, character counts. Work ethic, a good attitude and a pleasant disposition makes a good teammate and a "coachable" kid. Athletes who lack in those qualities also lack on the field. And then more importantly, later in life! This became even more apparent this weekend.

Their next event is in St Jo, Mo. I'm sure Chris will view his trip there as an even trade for my trip to Southern California. After all, he also go to go to Minneapolis in December. What more could a guy want?

Experiencing the Pacific Ocean with teammates

This is what it's all about...Soccer and Sand

4 Generations

These 2 little beauties came to see us during our short stay. Too bad they don't live closer, I fell in love with them immediately. Erika is such a great mommy!

It's great to be home. As much as I enjoy the California climate I cherish time spent with my family. Today I was back to laundry, scrubbing sinks, loving on my girls (Chris too) and making dinner. It's a great life.