Wow - what a weekend! This weekend we wrapped up the Spring sports seasons and kicked off the Summer sports! Reagan played for the Algonkian Tribe Girls 3/4 team this Spring and had a great time. It was amazing to see the improvement in all the girls from the K-2 team she played on for the last two years. Their ability to understand the game, starting to get some idea of a strategy and learning where they need to be on the field has really improved. She has a lot more to learn, but she has found something she loves and we're excited she wants to stick with it. After coming home with her Championship trophy today she announced that she'd like to play until she goes to college! 
They finished the season 6 and 2 and went into post season last weekend. They won last both play off games Saturday and Sunday which put them into a game Saturday then Sunday this weekend. They were in the top bracket for the modified field teams (the A teams play full field, the B teams play a modified field). They played Burke yesterday and Alexandria today to win the Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League (NVYLL) Championship for the Girls 3/4 which placed them first out of 35 teams. The team played hard and really found their groove. She is excited about doing a clinic this summer in addition to possibly being able to play on a summer league (if we find enough girls to play). She will definitely play Fall Box league in McLean. Box lacrosse is slightly modified in that there are no out of bounds. So the game is a little more intense but there are only games once a week with no practices. We will see how it goes!
We also had an end of year awards party for Cole's Dulles Little League Challenger team, the Lugnuts. Cole really started to like T-Ball and was even trying to hit coach pitch. He played once a week in a very laid back environment. Everyone involved was really encouraging and we were surrounded by people who understand that every child is different and that each child is facing his or her own challenges. It has been very hard to find activities that are a good fit for Cole so this was a good shift for us. Time will tell whether he decides to play again next year, but it's so good for Cole to be in an environment where he gets positive support and encouragement. It was really fun to see the smiles on all the kids faces as they ran, walked, or wheeled across home plate!
As we wrapped up lacrosse and t-ball we also kicked off the Summer swim team season. Practices have run for two weeks but we have missed most of them due to weather, lacrosse practice or pool closures. We look forward to the practices moving to mornings once school is out for the summer. Just a few more days! The exciting news is that Cole was in the lowest of three swim groups for the younger kids team last year, the Riptides, but qualified for the highest team this year! They said if he is able to keep up at practices he could even move up to the Rapids in the next two weeks. The biggest difference is that Riptides practice for 30 minutes each day while the Rapids practice for an hour. That's a lot of laps!! Regardless, he was able to swim across the pool without touching the bottom so he is able to swim at the developmental meets with Reagan this year. This is so exciting! And he is very excited. The kids had their first meet this weekend which is called Time Trials. This is run like a meet so the kids get used to what to do, but it's just our team. It places the kids in certain lanes with other swimmers that are about their speed. Our first pre-season meet is this Thursday!
There are many moments I marvel at how far our kids have come. I was in tears as I saw Reagan swim 50 meters Saturday without being disqualified for any errors. Last year she only swam one way across the pool (25 meters). Now that she's 9 she has to swim down, flip and then swim back. I was in awe at how amazing she looked. The delays in the left side are a little less noticeable than last year and it's just the beginning of the season. And Cole made it all the way across without any disqualifying errors! As I get a tear in my eye with pride, I also know both kids came in dead last in their age group. Most people watching my kids have no idea that just being able to swim is a miracle. Sometimes I feel like I share their story too often. I worry people get tired of hearing about how hard they have it. "They look just fine" they say. But I want them to know so they don't think it's for a lack of trying. These kids have such big hearts. We have 265 kids on the Cascades Rapids swim team with 24 girls who swam free style in Reagan's age group Saturday and 13 who competed with Cole. She can't rotate over her hand or even hold up one finger on her left hand. He didn't walk until he was TWO and can't see across the pool. And although I am proud of them, just as with Running with the Stars, t-ball, and lacrosse...I always wonder how different it would be if they didn't have to contend with so much. And as I run up to give kisses and tell Reagan how great she did I see the look of disappointment on her face and she says, "mom, I was last." My heart is broken that she is so sad. I work so hard to keep her from feeling discouraged. I just wish she knew how amazing I think she is...and that not every child who has brain surgery to remove part of her brain ever walks or talks again. And as much as I pray that one day both my children realize how truly blessed and amazing they are, I also pray that they remain modest, work hard and know that their dad and I are so proud of everything they do. And I love that every step of the way Johnny is there to give those pep talks when they get discouraged and remind them never to give up. And for that, I too am blessed...
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