Tuesday Tradition #25

As you can tell, I think family traditions are important. They bring us together as a families, help us remember the past, where we come from, and at times, they can bring a sense of normalcy to a family.

My kids love the anticipation of family traditions, whether it's a simple routine at dinnertime, a special breakfast on Mother's Day or an annual holiday event. A friend of mine said they have a tradition of hiking a specific trail on 4th of July and spend the evening on the hilltop watching tons of different firework shows across the valley. Or maybe it's spending a girls-only weekend each year with your best friends! I personally love muddy flag football on Thanksgiving morning...others probably love the cooking, but you can find me rolling in the mud conquering the gridiron.

And that brings me to another one our family's favorite traditions....Sports. It's no secret, I've mentioned it plenty of times. But this weekend's events moved our love for sports to the top of our traditions list.

Raising athletic children means we'll be spending weekends and most weeknights at the practice fields and on the sidelines supporting, cheering, yelling, screaming.....and of course encouraging our children along their path to athletic success. There's nothing I'd rather do on a Saturday morning than stroll up to the far end of a soccer field (need space with the heard that I bring), double stroller, a backpack filled with toys, probably a scooter or bike, and a Diet Coke. Some days it's the softball field, whatever, wherever, I don't care. I just want to be on some type of athletic arena.

So this past weekend, my second oldest daughter's softball team made it to the State Playoffs!! It's was a long journey, but worth the hard work and sacrifice. My daughter's team one 10 straight games to become the Florida State Champions! The emotions that we shared as a family, the excitement we shared with the team and their families is indescribable. I would love to give all the details, but there are just too many thrilling moments. But what I do want to share is that our family bonds when we're together. We will be on the fields every weekend and there's no changing that. Some people think of it as roadblock or deterrent from family time, but we have a family motto...a family that plays together, stays together. My daughter had all 6 of us on the edge of our seats, banging the fences, and cheering for her all weekend. Not one person asked when will it be over, how much longer, how many more games! We were there as a family, supporting one of our own and building on a tradition that makes our family the rock that it is!