Simply Me +3: Cole's first Soccer game

Last year Cole begged us to put him in soccer ... we said not going to happen bud your playing baseball. Honestly we thought it was a phase that would pass. But Cole remained strong and true to soccer, insisting that this was his sport and that he was great at it. He continued to play out on the streets with his friends and at school during recess. At his VIP day all his friends informed us that he is the King of Soccer. So Jason bought him a ball and started playing with him . After a few days of playing with him J said" I think he's good. " We gave in and agreed to let him play soccer . After his first practice his coach came up to me and said , " he's going to be one of our stars , he handles the ball really well. I was excited for Cole after hearing this from his coach. But still didn't know what to expect. I know nothing about soccer..... completely clueless. Who knew how well he would really do playing with other kids . Not me . And then the big game day rolled around and in the first 60 seconds he had scored a goal and continued to score with 2 more goals winning the game 4 to 1 . And finally he was able to put a big grin on his face and say to us "I told you I was the king of soccer" and we agreed . I'm so happy for you Cole. Way to stand your ground with us silly parents. You know who you are and are adamant about making your own decisions. And that puts a smile on my face.

26 miles or how about 20 ..... Saturday was the big marathon day and it started with J waking up at 3 a.m. tossing and turning in anticipation for the race. At 4:30 he finally got up and got ready to head out. The race started at 7:00 a.m and around 8:30 Me, Char , Kel , Sky, Joe and Cole arrived at our first check point on Holladay Blvd. 5 minutes later here come J and Bennett

ahead of schedule ( 1: 40 ) at mile 12 looking strong and running like Forrest Gump past us... silly kids.

So me and Kel continued on to our next check point mile 21 and this is where things got a little sketchy. We were sitting in our chairs enjoying a crusty , stale hot dog and chatting with Kasi and her friend. When we see Bennett but, no J . Initially I thought he was just lagging behind him a bit and wasn't to worried. So we hoop and holler for Bennett give him a hug and then I ask where's my J? And he says "he broke down about 4 or 5 miles ago" to which I say haha seriously where is he ? He says, " seriously he broken down." This is where I started freaking out a bit. I knew he had reinjured his I- T band and I knew it had to be bad. J doesn't like to lose and he definitely doesn't quit. So Kasi took off on her bike thank god she was there.... and found my broken J. After talking to him on the phone, he decided he was going to pack it up. And thats when I told kelly I'd be doing this again. Long story short he could hardly stand to walk anymore the pain was so bad .He had been running / walking for the last 4 miles and couldn't take anymore. So Ryan took off in his speedy cop car and I took my wounded runner home and babied him.. only for a day... cause I'm just not that nice. he he

Which brings us to today..... Redemption ! My crazy J is going to torture him self again . Why do you ask .... because Failure is not an option. So here is my humble unexperienced advice boys.

keep you head in the game . Stay focused and in the zone, staring now.

Don't leave each other . When one of you is feeling weak you can swat their ass and tell them to buck up !

Run longer than 15 miles before the race.

Try and get some sleep the night before.

The Gatorade is for drinking not an accessory to be worn on your shirt.

Train, train, train !

Pace your self so you can finish strong.

(This bit of advice is for J only . Bennett your skinny enough )Eat healthy and lose a few pounds.