Fabulous Army Life

This was our son's first year playing football and we have enjoyed a fabulous season watching him develop into quite a force on the line.  He plays offensive guard and defensive tackle and has done a great job learning the game, mastering the skills, and playing the game.  I am so very grateful for a phenomenal group of coaches that taught the game and encouraged the players.  They were exactly the right people to lead our boy into this sport that he now loves.   Of course, it doesn't hurt that he comes from generations of football players on both sides of his family ... and his dad has always been the greatest encouragement to him.  It is always amazing for me to see our boys look up to their dad and see his shining example.  This season was definitely a time of bonding and encouragement for my baby boy and I am thankful for it.    

Does anybody else have one child who is a near carbon-copy of themselves? My little mini-me is my almost-ten-year-old son. Since he was a baby, he has physically resembled me ... except his gender, of course, and his eye color (I share that with my youngest). In most other ways, though, my eldest child and I are very much alike. I taught at a junior high school parttime when this child was three and four years old. Even then, our resemblances were striking. The custodian at this school would always ask me, "Where's your twin?" talking about my toddler boy. I also learned early on that we shared an emotional tie as well. His personality, quirks, and tendency to have overwhelming emotional moments ... that's all me. Isn't that crazy? Who knew the DNA strands that would replicate in our offspring? We are both book addicts (to the point that it's sometimes debilitating), highly emotional, forgetful, and math-phobic. In fact, it is eerie to me to watch this male ch...