The Thrill Of Victory...And The Agony of Defeat

No, I am not talking about the Superbowl! Saturday was such an up and down, emotional rollercoaster for me! My three youngest children had their basketball tournament semi-finals and finals.
The day started for us with Evan's semi-final game at 10:00am. He came more than excited and ready to play:

(He's the one jumping!)

He had an awesome game, scoring 10 points, and getting 6-7 rebounds:

Two of his 10 points came from free throw shots that tied, and then won the game for us with 16 seconds on the clock:

 

These boys were so excited to beat a team that was the #1 seed, and for the first time since they started playing together, back in second grade (he's in 5th grade now):

 

I think my favorite moment of the whole day was when he went running and jumped into his daddy's arms after the game, with a very proud grandpa looking on:

 

My eyes fill with tears every time I look at it!

After Evan's game, we watched 2 more games while the twins waited for their turn to play (they are on the 2nd/3rd Grade girls team). They were excited and ready to play as well!

And play they did! They really played their hardest:

They ended up losing 7-9, and they were heartbroken. I comforted them as best I could, but they did take it hard! As a mom, all you can do is wipe their tears and tell them that they have next year to work towards, and how proud you are of how hard they have worked this year...

After their tough loss, we went home and had some lunch and relaxed for a bit before we headed back to watch Evan's classmates, the 4th and 5th grade girls team, play in their finals game.  They lost a very close game-I don't remember the exact score, but I think it was another 1 or 2 point game. But our boys got out there and played.And they played hard. For the second time in one day! They were exhausted, but they didn't give up:

 

I was so proud of our team for bringing home 2nd place in the county, but in that moment-their hearts were broken, because they truly put their hearts and souls out on the floor! And as a mom, my heart was broken too!

 

All I have to say-these kids are all fantastic! They make so proud as a mom when they go out there and give it their best. Win or lose!