State Finals: Katy vs Cedar Hill

On Saturday, December 21 we packed up with PawPaw and Nana and headed north up I-45 to Dallas.  I made this same trip last year with a 6-month-old Carter to play the same team, Cedar Hill, in the state finals.  It was so nice to have PawPaw and Nana with us this year to help drive, entertain Carter and enjoy the game with.  Next year if we make the same trip I will definitely need their help with THREE kids!!

State game 2012

Up and ready for a state championship! 

We started out the morning at the high school to send off the team as the busses left for Dallas.  We didn't tell Matt we were going to be there and he was so happy to see Carter walk into the coaches office that morning.  We also made him a little goodie bag filled with his favorite treats and notes from everyone in the family for him to read on the long trip to Dallas.  Can I take a minute and acknowledge how blessed we are to have made a goodie bag for the trip to the state finals for five of the eight seasons Matt has been coaching?! That is an amazing record!

His new "cheese" face

Pretty impressive trophy case

I've been having terrible back pain and leg cramps with this pregnancy so it was nice to have PawPaw drive.  I was able to bring my pregnancy pillow with me and stretch out in the backseat as needed.  Carter was happy with lots of snacks and movies on the DVD player.  He even napped!

PawPaw and Nana dropped us off at Emily's new house in Midlothian, about 30 minutes south of Dallas and the stadium.  Emily and Eric moved into a new house this summer and I was anxious to see her "upgrade."  Basically it's the nicest house I've ever seen and Matt and I will never in our lives own a house like that.  Unless, of course, the Texans come a'callin and we jump into a different tax bracket.  Emily was also nice enough to keep Carter for me so I could go to the 8:00pm game while he went to bed.  Emily was super mom and did dinner, baths and bed solo with all three kiddos.  My hero.  And Eric was nice enough to drive me to the stadium and drop me off at the gate.  Coach's wife + 23 weeks pregnant + twins = VIP treatment.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Uncle Eric's iPad

He obviously loved having his picture taken

Saving this for their rehearsal dinner slideshow 

I met up with PawPaw and Nana who were already there and had seats in the end zone.  I said this last year but I HATE AT&T Stadium.  It has a terrible lay-out, and the fact that the UIL crams in 4 back-to-back games that day make it virtually impossible to get around and find a seat.  It was a bit better this year sitting in the end zone because we were not very crammed with other fans.  The whole Joseph family was able to sit together, which was quite a feat in that stadium.

Scenes from the game:

Halftime:  I love how much time and creativity the band and brigade put into their Christmas halftime show.  It's always impressive and fun to watch.

It's hard to see since I couldn't zoom in far enough with my basic lens, but that's where the coaches box was.  And they are standing and cheering after a quick touchdown right before halftime that put us up by 11.

Unfortunately we laid an egg after that touchdown and Cedar Hill was able to come back and win, 34-24. It felt off from the moment we started with the national anthem and the team wasn't even on the field.  We were not on our A-game, and the state finals are not the place to have an "off" day.  We never gave up, but we were definitely not the better team that day.  Any other day I think we would have won, and done so handidly.  Traveling that far in one day is never a great start for a playoff game, and we just couldn't overcome Cedar Hill this Saturday in December.

Matt and the kids are very disappointed, but with time it will pass and they will be motivated to work hard for next season.

To my Coach-
Carter and I are very proud of you and the season we had this year.  Your job makes our lives so much fun and we thank you for bringing us along on this wild ride each fall.  Thank you for working so hard and showing us what it looks like to love what you do.  We love you.
A & C