Football — raisingthreeknightsandaprincess.com

Life with Teenagers

Our lives are getting ready to encompass three teenagers.

One 15, one 14 and one 13.

Only our baby girl is hanging out at age 10.

I’m not sure there is anyting in life that prepares you for teenagers unless it is remembering back on your own teenage years and possibly talking to your mom everyday to remind you of what that was like.

Since mom is dancing happily with Jesus now I rely on my dad, my husbands memories, friends and God.

I thought three in diapers was hard.

There are football games, and homework and a new school to get accustomed to this year. Football practice is five days a week. Two of my boys leave at 8am and return around 7pm. It is like having a job and more!

It’s a new season of our lives. I’m proud of my kids and my two who play football starting as freshmen. They are tough, talented and blessed. They attend two different schools and play for two different teams.

It’s a crazy year.

But God always pulls through and provides for us. Drivers. Carpools. Community.

How are you guys handling the new year with new grades and kiddos all over the place?

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City Champions 2013 – Star Ready Gators 14U!

After one hard fought season The Star Ready Gators are the 2013 City Champions!

Congratulations to my boys and to all the young men and who left it all on the field every game! Coaches, we appreciate you!

Our head coach and defensive coach’s reaction after double OT and winning 19-18!!!

Capturing moments like this are priceless!!!

It’s a night we will long remember. I’ve never seen a team play so tired and so hard. They just kept getting up!

The field was wet, muddy and we truly played in “The Swamp”!

To see some of our young men consoling the other team who played their hearts out, just like we did……PRICELESS!!!

Receiving their metals…

No one deserved this more than Coach Dalany!

Our co-MVPs plus one!!!

He’s a sweetheart but tough on the field! They call him POOBIE!

Joshua had two of his biggest fans come out to support him last night. Here they are with Poobie.

Coach D, the trophy and my boys!

Yep, that’s mud! And there was lots of it!!

Way to go Star Ready 14U Team. I’m so proud!!

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Posted: November 3, 2013 by Julie |Category: Football | Tags: City Championship 2013 Jacksonville Fl, City Champs, Football, Jacksonville City Championship, Nothinglikeit, Star Ready Athletic Association, Star Ready Football

Life After LearningRx – A LearningRx Review

It’s been about a year, plus a few months, since we finished our training at LearningRx.

So what does our life look like now?

I’ll start with Baby Girl. She was a very struggling reader! In our year of homeschooling in second grade she was reading at a first grade level. She wanted to read. She tried so hard to read, but just couldn’t accomplish the task. Why? Our testing at LearningRx showed her executive processing speed (I call it her attention) to be a year and a half behind her age. At the end of 36 weeks with LearningRx she tested two years above her age. Now, at the end of her first in school as a second grader she is reading at grade level and loves her books! I find her in bed at night reading before she goes to sleep!

Then there is Son #1. He’s our super smart, super athletic, lover of all things football who has been diagnosed with ADHD! Our first major accomplishment: (and I say this for me as well as for him)….We made it through the school year. 180 days of 5 days a week school! He made good grades, grew spiritually and is excited about being a “senior” as school next year. He stepped into a leadership position this summer with his 904 Elite 7on7 football team in the face of defeat at an intense tournament at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fl. His determination and desire to “leave it all on the field” whether they won or lost was nothing short of amazing.

Here he is making the TOP 15 of all the middle schoolers in the Cam Newton Skills Challenge! SO PROUD!

And Son #3. He’s my steady-freddy. He did amazing at LearningRx, scored years above his age at the end of 12 weeks and he just keeps on keeping on! His biggest challenge is overcoming perfectionism. I just don’t know where he gets that from! He’s smart, sensitive, witty and has a desire to please those around him. He is terrific with animals and has a gentle soul. He enters 6th grade this year!

Still to train is Rocketman, Son #2 and me!

The story isn’t over by any means!!

*Cam Newton Skills Challenge sponsored by Mr. Cam Newton and the Cam Newton Foundation

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/

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Posted: July 5, 2013 by Julie |Category: Football | LearningRx | Tags: 7on7, brain training, Cam Newton, Cam Newton Foundation, Football, IMG Academy, Julie Worthy Photography, Learning Rx review, LearningRX, LearningRx Jacksonville Florida, LearningRx review, LearningRx reviews, learningrxreviews, Skills Challenge

Stopping in…

…to say hello! (notice anything wrong here? Hint: the four in the back were once ALL different heights!)

Life has been crazy since summer break began. The day my second born got out of school we high-tailed it to Atlantic Beach, NC to vacation with my family. We were escorted all the way up the east coast by Tropical Storm Andrea. Literally, we were in the middle of the storm the entire 10 hour ride from Florida to North Carolina.

I packed the car in between bands of rain and wind as Rocketman worked hard to get out of the office early so we could begin our journey. With our car top carrier firmly in place and my excellent duct tape job (so rain would not penetrate our belongings) we headed 10 hours north to be at the beach (which we live 10 minutes away from in FL). Yea, it’s a little crazy, but I grew up going to the beach at Atlantic Beach, NC. It’s home as far as vacation is concerned.

Saturday we awakened to a sea churning from the storm and a Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament waiting to get underway. I love it when our trip coincides with the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. There was some rocky fishing all week at the wind churned the ocean like toilet water.

What a perfect time for Boys vs Ocean!

While dad takes baby girl out into the sea!

Finally on Friday, out last day, the we had a land breeze which made for excellent swells. It was the most perfect day. The weather, the ocean, the playing, the sky…all beautifully made for us that day.

Arriving home found us dealing with an unpredictable bike accident and 7 hours in the ER on Saturday afternoon. My sweet hubbie had quite the collision with a car door on his bicycle. After multiple CAT scans and X-rays we were released with lots of “feel-good” meds and sent home. He has recovered remarkably well and is working in Omaha this week. Men! They are like the Energizer bunny!

Then came the arrival of my good friend, Kathy, from SC. She’s here with me now. We’ve slept, cooked, shopped a little, slept some more and had a grand ole time doing nothing. Friday we leave for the IMG Acadamy 7 on 7 Tournament with teams from all over the US. My oldest is playing in the tournament and I’m photographing the event. I can’t wait!!

I’m staring down the barrel of JULY and then another school year. I vote for 5 months of summer instead of 2 and a half.

Who agrees?

If you are interested in a tear-jerker head on over to Scooper’s blog for her amazing 40th Birthday story…..She’s just the best! I love you girl!

Until after Tampa and lots of football photos…….here’s my precious baby girl turning into a woman right before my eyes. Sigh…….

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Posted: June 20, 2013 by Julie |Category: Football | Our Family, Our Lives | Photography and Tips | Tags: Atlantic Beach North Carolina, Big Rock, Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, bike accident, blogspot, julieworthyphotography, missalamode, Morehead City, NC, scooper, summer vacation, Tropical Storm Andrea

As the Season Ends…

My baby girl has played an amazing season of soccer.

Cuteness abounds on her team.

We have this sweetheart who is a powerhouse. You will see her on the Olympics one day, I guarantee it!

The girl can play some soccer!!!

This guy has the heart of a champion. I just love watching him…

Here they are going through the check list with the referee (Is that what you call them in soccer?)

This awesome guy played goalie on Saturday!

This coming Saturday is their last game. The boys games are over too. My second born led his team to the playoffs as QB!

And our oldest won the Championship Saturday night. 7 on 7 is a fast paced “touch” game of football that is 150% for 30 minutes. Their game are back to back and they usually play 2 to 3 games each weekend. Touch is an understatement for the games are very physical!

I love watching the kids play and am so proud of all they have accomplished this season.

I love you guys!

**PS – for all you photogs out there notice the difference between the first 9 images and the last 2 images. The first were shot jpeg and the last 2 shot RAW!

Road Trip – WAR EAGLE!

This weekend most of my family will be going to Auburn for the Spring Game. We are all excited. After this weekend the trees at Tumors Corner will be cut down – the rolling tradition of those beautiful oaks ruined by a crazy rival football fan. After this weekend the games will exclude the rolling of the trees.

I’m wondering if the stores in Auburn will have to reduce their toilet paper inventory for the fall.

Auburn fans rolled those trees with a lot of toilet paper!!

Oak Trees Poisoned at Auburn

ESPN Article here. AP Photo DAVE MARTIN

Now the poor trees look like this:

Photo credit and story here

So we’ll go do what my husband and sons love most (well, after Jesus and me!)! Auburn football!

My third arm (camera) will be ready to record it all!!!

So have a great weekend and remember: WAR EAGLE!

Are you ready to rumble?

It’s begun!

7 on 7 League football practice for one son and soccer for baby girl! Soon son #2 begins flag football for his school. Our first ever school football team! I’m so excited.

So here’s a peak at #1 son doing his “thang”. Have a great day!

What a catch!!

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Posted: February 22, 2013 by Julie |Category: Football | Tags: 7on7League, Football, julieworthyphotography

The Football Dance

Most of our year is taken up with football in one form or another. After finishing flag ball this year we’ve plugged through the Florida heat and conditioning camp.

Since being gone for the Fourth of July the boys had a particularly hard training session yesterday. We had thunderstorms all around us which made the humidity and the bugs just horrible. The heat was bearable, however the mosquitos that tried to carry us off weren’t.

I purchased a new camera and a new lens a while back and I’m having fun getting accustomed to both. I love the new camera and toted my 50mm 1.4 yesterday.

Here’s a couple shots of the boys during practice.

This is Son#3 with his buddy Cam.

Son #2 with Ms. Kayla as everyone on the squad calls her. She’s a tough one and loves football.

Running full speed backwards. My backside would be on the ground!

This one just never looks fun:

Got to love the one who will pose for mom!!

Because one never will!!

Working the hips on the ladder:

This is just plain working hard!

Check out the height in these two photos:

Playing after training:

Stretching as a team:

I love this one. He loves his new cleats.

Tuckered out after stretching:

I’m thinking Mike needs to train my backside back into shape. What are you doing to keep in shape this summer? Anything?

Football Training

We had a mini example of what football camp will look like this year and #1 son was able to show off some of his mad skills.

Here he is working the ladder with the objective be the explosion at the end.

What do you think? Did he explode?

I’m thinking that’s a pretty big explosion even if I am his mom.

Thanks Mike for all you do for my guy!

3 Comments

Posted: June 4, 2012 by Julie |Category: Football | Tags: agility training, football training, Mike Hicks

Wondering…

Yesterday we had two make-up flag football games. The weather was beautiful and while I was busy trying to capture shots like these of my number one son:

I also took time in between the action to look around me and see things God has put on earth that we consider normal or maybe even a nuisance. Things such as clover:

Growing beside a fence man built. Was this pretty little flower meant for us to enjoy instead of spray and kill? I know horses love it but man? No. I don’t think so.

But it’s a cute little flower with tubular shaped petals reaching up to it’s Maker. Praising in a way we forget to at times. A lot of times.

Do we praise the normal? The mundane? The innocent clover?

I think it’s all about perspective, don’t you?

What do we see in the chains of our lives? Do we see freedom on the other side? Or do we see freedom in the space God has provided for us?

I wonder if she likes clover or the fence?

Or if my kids appreciate the carpet God made just for us…

Or if my oldest knows just where his talent comes from?

And what do I think about people who are different from me? Do I want to get to know them better? Learn about their lives? or do I shun them just because they ARE different?

You know God really didn’t make us all that different. We’re all the same in so many ways. But we have such different life experiences. What if we all learned from one another? What if we all wanted to know more about the other person than telling about ourselves?