An Interesting Year!

So, here we go! Another year over and it seems like it just flew by! Looking at my most recent posts, I can't believe I let so much time go by again without an update. But to our credit here, we've been crazy busy!

The girls are still heavily involved with 4H, Soccer and Basketball, the later of which will begin in January. And yes, Amy and I are coaching for their team once again! This time though we have a little bit of help from a third coach  this season. This is a good thing, being that my current work schedule only allows me to be available for every other practice and game day. Amy won't have to worry about coaching a game by herself now. Although I don't know why she worries, she's an awesome coach and really doesn't need a lot of help! 

The girls really killed it this year in 4H, gaining more experience, awards, plaques and trophies! Hope showed a pair of Barred Rock hens and brought home the big trophy for her birds! She's very proud of that trophy and we are very proud of her! Plus it's nice to know we have a pair of prize winning birds in our flock! Charity also took Reserve Grand Champion for her Buff Silkie. 

As for Soccer, the girls were on their first Travel Team this past Fall! I must admit that I was a bit reluctant to let them play on a Travel Team. I honestly didn't think they were ready for that. Turns out, I was the only one not ready for them to do that. They, on the other hand, were very ready. This time around though, due to my work schedule, Amy had to assist coach their team with two other fellas who were just absolutely outstanding coaches and great with the girls. Even though this was their first time coaching an all girls team, lol. The girls played for the St. Joe Pumas U12 girls team and they ended up taking first place in their division with a 7 - 1 record! They started out a little rough and a few of those wins were a bit ugly, but by their fourth week into the season, you could see the progress they had made since their first game, which they got stomped 6 - 1. That same team they played that beat them that first week, they turned around and beat them a few weeks later 3 - 1! Turns out, this was also Faith's season to shine. Faith loves to play the Goal Keeper position more than anything in the world. She actually had to fight for that spot this season and won it hands down with a more than spectacular play against Hobart, were she jumped higher than I've ever seen her jump before to stop a high ball going into the Goal. She caught this thing in flight and drop kicked it down the right sideline! Uh, it was a beautiful play and I almost cried right then! From that point on, her team sang her praises all season and you knew right then that she was their main Goal Keeper and they weren't going to trust anyone else there! We were so proud of her! Out of the 8 week season, Faith only allowed 4 goals! She was outstanding! Hope also scored her first goal this past Fall as well! Talk about another great moment! That was the second time I almost cried during a game! Charity has gotten considerably better as well! Her speed and agility have much improved, and she came awful close to getting her first goal last season as well! I can't wait to see were they take it in the Spring season! 

Well that does it for now! Don't know if I'll get the chance to update again before years end. So have a great Christmas and a Happy new year!

Spring Update 2016

Well here we are, another Spring has come and gone and we are finally at that point in the year were we can take a bit of a break. Okay, yes, the girls still do have some things to do for 4-H, but at least for the moment, we are done with Sports at least until Fall. Don't get me wrong, by the time we start getting well into July, myself, Amy and the girls will be chomping at the bit to get back into Soccer again. Especially after coming off of our best season yet as coaches, and for the girls, as players!

Black Division Champions 2016: Team Santelik!

Pictured above is the team that took us all to a First Place Championship in Spring Tournament play for the U-10 Black Division! Amy and I couldn't be more proud of this team! It was a tough season, but when it came down to crunch time, this group really pulled together in tournaments, winning all three of their games to take the First Place trophy! They really proved that they knew how to come together as a team when it counted. 

Out of our three girls, Hope was the most improved this season! She incorporated moves on the field that we've never seen her do, helping to make her unstoppable at both the Forward and Defender positions. Those moves, incorporated with an increase in speed for her, really showed how much she has improved, and has really boosted her self confidence! Charity too has reached a new level of play on the field! She also has increased her speed, as well as showing more aggressiveness going after the ball and keeping it in play! Not to mention her ability to challenge her opponents, no matter how much bigger they are than her! Charity really went out there this Spring with more heart in the game than we've ever seen her have! Very proud of her as well! Faith continues to grow at the Goalie position! Out of all the Goalies this Spring in the U-10 division, Faith allowed the least amount of points all season, leaving our opponents scratching their heads, wondering how they were going to be able to score on us with her in the Box! Tournament day was no different! In fact, Faith also upped her game that day, allowing only 4 points between the 3 games we played! She was a monster that day, and received a ton of praise not only from her teammates and their parents, but our opponents and their Coaches as well! The way these girls played on Tournament day, along with their teammates, really showed how well they learned to play as a team this Spring! And really, that's the most important thing. Them coming together as a team to get the job done, win or lose. 

So now we focus on 4-H for the next couple of weeks. The girls are prepared to show their Chickens for the first time this year at the County Fair, especially after the disappointment of not being able to show last year due to the Avian Flue (Bird Flue). Not to mention, the girls are doing a few crafts as well that will also be shown at the Fair this year! Wish them luck! Hopefully they'll get a few First Place ribbons! But never fear, once 4-H is done for the year, it's back to preparing for Soccer again! This Fall, the girls will enroll into a Fall training program with some of the areas top trainers for Soccer, looking to hone the skills that they've already developed, as well as working on other skills to help them take their play to the next level. We are also talking about getting an Indoor Soccer team together over the Winter, to help keep them from getting rusty until Spring Soccer starts up for 2017. The end of the year will prove to be busy again, but that's how things go in the Felton household! Never a dull moment! 

Also, the girls will be celebrating their 10th Birthday this July! Yep, you read that right! 10 years old! Those teen years are creeping up fast and Amy and I are looking for the pause button! In all seriousness though, it's hard to believe that our little girls really aren't so little anymore. I really have to say, I try very hard to spend as much time as I possibly can with them so I don't miss anything, but with this milestone of their 10th birthday coming up in a few weeks, I still can't help but feel that I've missed something due to the fact that this crept up so quickly! It's amazing. You think to yourself in the beginning that you've got a long time before this happens. And when it finally does, it seems like it came so quickly. It's like we just blinked, and the girls went from newborns to preteens in seconds flat! This time around, I don't know who will have a harder time with this birthday, me or Amy. Ugh! And they still have to turn 16 yet! Okay, not thinking about that right now! Just want to enjoy the few short weeks they have left of being 9, lol! Geez, they're growing so fast! 

Anyhow, that's it for now! Stay tuned for the next update! Oh! And don't forget to check out our latest blog called "Our Backyard Chickens"! You can sign up for email alerts so you don't miss a post! Until next time!