March Madness!

I can't believe it is March. I do love it though, the Barker household loves basketball, we just can't seem to get enough. GO JAZZ! GO BYU! GO EHS! Will is currently in Casper watching our Evanston varsity boys in the State Tournament. Sadly though our b-ball madness ended a couple of weeks ago, it was great watching all three (Will, Kenzee, and Jesse) play hoop. They are all so different to watch too, and all so dang much fun. Will got moved up to play with the sophomores, which was a confidence booster itself, but I'm not sure how much court confidence he gained, he did improve a lot by the end of the season, practicing with all those big boys. He plays so deliberate and determined, but in his mother's opinion he should have shot more. Kenzee had a super season losing only two games (both to stinking Star Valley). The highlight of her season was beating Green River, not just once, but twice. According to the GR coach they were supposed to beat EMS by 20 points. This GR team hadn't lost ever! Their whole 7th grade year they were undefeated, and their only 2 losses were to EMS. Kenz plays point guard and is so stinking fast, and goes left so well (most 8th grade girls don't). She would throw a bad pass, and chase it down before it went out of bounds. She averaged 8 steals a game, could have averaged 16 pts a game, if only she made every lay up, getting better though. I told her that would come, speed doesn't necessarily come, so to relax. She told me at the first of the season one of her friends, who was guite good wasn't playing this year, she just didn't want to, and I found myself thinking, what would I do if Kenz just didn't want to play, and decided I would cry and tell her she would have to go to time out until she changed her mind! (Kidding) I just love watching my kids play. Then there was Jesse playing Jr. Jazz, now I realize you are well aware that I love to brag about my kids, and this is bragging a little, but mostly it's just the facts. Jesse, at least in the Evanston, Wyoming Jr. Jazz league, is a man among boys. He just loves to play and he so gets it! He also can go left, he is a rebounding fool, he passes off the dribble, sees the court better than 8th grade girls, got probably 5 blocks a game,and passes to any kid that he thinks hasn't scored yet. One game he was especially determined to win, because a kid at school was trash talking a bit, that team scored a total of 3 points while he was in the game, their other 11 came while he was out, end score 16-14 Jesse's team. The only problem this year was in the 3rd/4th grade league the baskets are lowered, and I think that messed up his shot more than helped, he still scored a bunch, but he said more than once he wished the hoops were regular height. I am so proud of my ballers and how they play the game. I guess it seems crazy to some people how involved we are with athletics, but I know they are learning so much from it and not just b-ball skills, but life skills, and I believe it makes them better people.

Another reason I love March is because some of my favorite people were born in March, and I can't help but think of all those people. I can't see a shamrock and not think of Shannon, I can't even see the color green and not think of her, and I can't blog without thinking of her, she would have been the best blogger! She put any scrapbooker to shame, I know she would have loved this electronic scrapbooking. Her whitty sense of humor alone would have been enough, she would not even have to post a picture. Happy Birthday Shan! (P.S. 24 years ago Shannon and I won the 2A Wyoming State Basketball Championship, with the rest of our team, no wonder I have such a love for the game!)