Nothing But Net

Matthew is becoming more and more interested in sports lately.  I know it probably has a lot to do with the vast exposure he gets from his older siblings.  He loves soccer, basketball, and baseball!  He loves to go and battle Michael in soccer in the backyard and is constantly asking Damien to pitch to him, too!  Matthew has caught the sports fever and I love it!

The other day when we were out by the basketball court, it dawned on me that Matthew never shoots on our big hoop.  He will shoot on the two smaller hoops we have, but I had never seen him attempt a shot on the big hoop (which is adjustable).  I asked him if he had ever made a hoop on the big basket and he said "No!"  I told him that was about to change!  "Alright Matthew.  Shoot it up high, buddy!", I said.  He told me he couldn't do it.  "Yes, you can!  Just shoot it up and out!", I encouraged him.  Sure enough, he set his feet and shot it up and out.  SWISH!  By the look of amazement on Matthew's face, you would have thought it was Christmas morning!  "My first big boy basket!", he cheered!  It was awesome.

Matthew caught basketball fever in that very moment.  He got a focused look on his face and stayed outside shooting hoops for two hours.  When I put him to bed that night- he asked me, "Can I go outside and shoot hoops when I wake up in the morning?"  It was adorable.

The next day, he asked me to draw a line around the hoop so he could put x's on it where he made baskets.  I thought he was going to draw BIG x's but he was drawing these teeny weeny x's which I thought would make this project last forever!  I tried to convince him to make them bigger, but he was dead set in keeping it the way it was!  It took him all day to finish putting x's around the chalk-drawn arch.  After his last basket, we counted the x's he/we had drawn and realized that he had shot and made 70 baskets!  Matthew rocks!

Matthew loves projects.  If you give him a math workbook, he will sit and focus until he completes it.  He attacked this 'basketball project' the same way.  Determined, focused, and unwilling to stop until he had reached his goal!  We all couldn't believe what he had done.  Claire, Michael, Damien, Emily, and I cheered him on and were so proud of his accomplishment!

Go Matthew, Go!