Pregnancy || 23 Weeks

4th Grade Iowa Outlaws || STATE CHAMPS

What a ride! A few weeks ago, our 4th grade Cedar Falls boys won the State Championship in Ames - a goal that has been on everyone's mind since last February when the team fell just a few points short. Having practiced weekly since August, this team has been working their butts off to get better as individuals and as a team in order to accomplish this feat. And now that Jaden's 4th grade basketball season has officially come to a close, I'll admit that I'm breathing a slight sigh of relief - but also feel some sadness. These times are such a joy and a blessing, and with each passing year, I know these years become more limited. It all goes so fast.

Two days prior to heading down south for the big tournament, we gathered as a team and families for one big spaghetti dinner in the Blocks' heated garage. There was an over abundance of spaghetti, dessert, salad and bread sticks - and it was the perfect way to kick off our big weekend all together. Aside from the basketball success and all that Jaden learns through this process, the people we get to do it alongside of are what makes this journey so much fun. Some of these families have become some of our closest friends, and when I see how other teams interact with one another, this Outlaw group shares something special that not everyone has. We thoroughly enjoy being together both on and off the court, and I think that contributes to much of these boys' successes. It also makes the financial and time commitment worth it. Our little village has rallied around this group of boys, and one day Jaden will look back on these years and understand how lucky he was.

State weekend is always something that everyone looks forward to. The chance to all gather in the same hotel, eat at the same restaurants... and get out of town all together for a couple of days. Though the team was not allowed to make use of the pool or the hot tub due to how our schedule lined up, the little siblings did get to spend Saturday afternoon playing in the pool, and the teammates themselves gathered in our hotel room to watch some UNI basketball on the iPad, play video games... and head to the venue to watch some of the earlier games prior to ours. We also ate at Hickory Park as a group, a phenomenal restaurant in Ames... and gathered in our hotel lobby late and at the end of day one for sandwiches, Kathy's amazing monster bars... and yes... some adult beverages. ;)

And let me mention Brandon here for a moment. He was an absolute gem all weekend long. He has developed a bond with some of the other siblings, and they all have a lot of fun running around together, sharing iPads and video games... and bothering their parents repeatedly for snacks from the concession counters. ;)

And then there's our little athletes. Our team got placed in the 'A' bracket, and had an extremely tough route to the championship game, but after some nail biters and a whole lot of work, they made it to Sunday afternoon and a rematch against the defending State Champs - from Council Bluffs.

Our coaches implemented a 2-3 zone defense for the final game, and the other team was unable to respond to it or play against it. We came away with the championship victory against a team that has often seemed unbeatable, and that just made it that much more enjoyable. Jaden worked his tail off all weekend - a sweaty, sore, exhausted mess - but what a lesson for him to learn that when you want something badly enough - if you put the work in and keep your head high - victory can be yours. It was not always pretty - it was definitely not easy - but that just makes it all the more worth it.

The icing on the cake was that they won the championship on Cody's birthday. Cody has been helping a lot this season, stepping in at practices and being a coach on the bench if one of our other coaches couldn't be present. It was a pretty memorable weekend, and we ended it back in Cedar Falls with a Sunday night celebration in the party room at Doughy Joey's - and all the pizza and shirley temples our boys could consume. ;)

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And the season didn't end there! The Outlaws were invited to a St. Patrick's Day tournament and Dubuque to finish their year off with one more championship and one more trophy. We presented our coaches with posters and gift cards, and then said goodbye to our basketball family - for now. 

So what now? Our focus shifts! We have Brandon's upcoming track season, some big house projects to complete before baby girl arrives... and with the warming temps, it's time to start throwing that football around in the backyard again, as we have a whole new football experience coming up later this summer. The boys have both decided not to do baseball this year, and I'm not at all disappointed. That sport in itself was so time consuming, and I'm looking forward to a spring and summer that focuses solely on pool nights, neighborhood walks, backyard family time... and a sweet little baby girl.

Big breath in... big breath out. Onto the next chapter...