Teacher of the Year

Last spring Shauna learned that she was nominated to represent her school district as their elementary candidate for 2014 Kansas Teacher of the Year. On Sunday we attended an award ceremony at the Marriott. There Shauna was named a regional semi-finalist.

The state of Kansas has approximately 40,000 teachers. 105 teachers were nominated for Kansas Teacher of the Year. Shauna was selected as one of the twelve semi-finalists for the state.

I have a truly amazing wife and the state of Kansas is lucky to have such a wonderful teacher.

Sterling

And so it goes...

Another weekend, another tournament, another championship!

Marshall's team won their tournament this weekend. His team won all four games that they played, and they only gave up two goals the entire weekend. They battled several good teams and ridiculously hot temperatures in route to their championship. Congratulations!

Little Apple Champs

5 games in 2 days.
5 wins and no losses.
Sydney had 5 assists and 2 goals.
This weekend her team out-scored the opposition 25-1.
First Place Tournament Champions!

Soccer

Today Sydney's soccer team took second place in a tournament. Sydney played four games in three days and played 230 out of 240 minutes. Needless to say, she is exhausted. She had a great tournament and was named " Team MVP" by her coach.
This season Sydney's team is playing in 2 divisions. They are playing in their age group U10 Division I and they are also playing up an age group in U11 Division IV. "Playing up" allows them to get extra touches against bigger girls on a bigger field. We are very proud of her second place finish this weekend against U11 Division II girls. Next weekend we are headed to the Little Apple for another tournament. Soccer soccer soccer!Marshall's soccer season is also underway. This summer Marshall had an offer to join another club but decided to stay with the same club and same team that he was on last year. His team has a new coach and 7 new players. They are off to a great start in league play with a record of 3-0. Marshall is enjoying the full size field and competition that 11v11 brings. The running of 3 miles, 4 times a week that Sydney and he ran this summer is certainly paying off.

Moriah is 3

Moriah turned 3 years old on July 28th. Moriah wanted 3 things for her birthday...
1. A bounce house.
2. A Minion cake.
3. A bike.

We took Moriah to an indoor inflatable play place, she ate her delicious Minion cake, and she got to ride her new princess bike.

4th of July

Our family had a wonderful time attending the T-Bones game. Marshall and Sydney loved tailgating. Moriah flew a kite and played the washer game. Shauna and I especially enjoyed the beautiful night air, as we all watched the fireworks display.

Bedtime Shenanigans

Bedtime+Climbing+Shenanigans = Broken Arm
A trip to the ER Wednesday night revealed a broken bone near the elbow. Moriah was fitted with a temporary cast. We were sent home around 11:30pm and told to arrive downtown early the next morning for surgery. Thursday morning Moriah had surgery and they placed two pins near her elbow. After 5.5 hours at the hospital, Moriah was sent home groggy and with a special blue cast. She will have her cast for a month and then it will be time to head to the pool.

Snow Day

After spending the morning cleaning off the driveway, we headed out to go sledding. A fun time was had by all. Now, we are counting down the hours until the pork shoulder is done. Mmmmmm..... Gringo Tacos.

Music is Life

I love music! I always have a radio on in the house or car. Marshall, Sydney, and Moriah all have their own taste in music. Sydney falls asleep every night to Bieber or One Direction. Marshall enjoys a variety of artists. He listens to music while completing his homework and when he works out. Moriah sings in the car and has become quite fond of The Lumineers or anything played on 102.7 Kiss (out of Los Angeles).

The playlist for our family currently looks like this...

Ho Hey ---- The Lumineers
When I Was Your Man ---- Bruno Mars
Scream Shout - will.i.am & Britney
Don't You Worry - Swedish House Mafia
Home --- Phillip Phillips
Little Things ---- One Direction
Thrift Shop ------ Macklemore
I Will Wait ---- Mumford & Sons
50 Ways to Say Goodbye --- Train
Battle Scars ----- Lupe Fiasco
As Long As You Love Me --- Bieber
Daylight ---- Maroon 5
Some Nights ----- Fun.
Whistle ------ Flo Rida
Be Alright ----Bieber (acoustic version)

May your life be filled with good music.

Sterling Hammett
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My Ride or Die Chick

My wife is an amazing woman. Shauna is a wonderful mom, teacher, spouse, friend, and person. I'm very thankful to have Shauna in my life.

Twenty years ago, as high school students, we started dating. In the last twenty years, we have cultivated our marriage, had three children, started careers, survived rocky times, laughed, cried, made numerous memories as a couple and a family, traveled, and much much more.

Along the way, we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to some members of our "family". It had become virtually impossible for us to show and teach our kids about what it means to be a family when we constantly had to deal with disappointment, lies, and selfish behavior from the people who were closest to us. You see, Shauna and I have a great understanding of what it means to be a real family.

Other things my change but we start and end with family.

I hope and pray that I will be blessed with at least another twenty years with my wife, my partner, my best friend, my love, and my everything.

Sterling
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Play Like the Comets

Last Sunday, Sydney's soccer team was invited to scrimmage on the Missouri Comets field before the Comets took the field at 3pm for their game. Sydney loved playing on the same field that the professionals play on.

Christmas pictures

Sterling
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Doin' it all...

As the month of November draws to a close and our family briefly catches our collective breath, I thought that I would update our blog.


Sydney has been playing soccer at the New Century Fieldhouse in Gardner. Her first session of the winter season is almost complete. Her team has been playing U10 girls (a year older) and is currently undefeated. Session 2 of winter soccer will be starting after the first of the year. Sydney loves playing soccer and her skills continue to develop. This year, Sydney is also participating in basketball. Shauna and I are coaching her team. We started practice this week and her games will start in January.

Marshall is wrapping up his first session of indoor soccer. He is practicing and playing his games at All American. Marshall's team is currently in third place and headed to the playoffs. Marshall will take a few weeks off from soccer and then resume with his second session after the New Year. Basketball also started for Marshall this week. I'm coaching his team this year and we both are having a blast.

Needless to say, our schedule is jam packed. Soccer, basketball, Student Council, and Mathletics occupy most of our weekdays and weekends. We are so proud of our kids. Moriah will be starting soccer in the spring and is anxiously waiting her turn. In the meantime, she has been practicing her "footwork" at their practices and cheers them both on during the games.

On a side note... if you are not watching Homeland and listening to Lionel Richie's new cd Tuskegee you are missing out.

Sterling
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***After many years of having a Crackberry, I switched to an Android. I have experienced no dope sickness and find myself adjusting rather well.***

Thanksgiving

Our family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This morning, Moriah enjoyed watching the parade. After reading the paper and putting the turkey in the oven, we headed to the soccer field for our annual Turkey Cup family soccer game. We dined on a delicious 24lb bird and all of the trimmings. This evening we attended the Plaza Lighting Ceremony. Everyone loved watching the fireworks. What a wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful weather. As we concluded our evening with pumpkin pie, we all commented on just how lucky we are to have each other.

Yo-Ho-Ho

Trick-or-Treating at Matt Ross Community Center.


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CSI Champions

Sydney's team played in the CSI soccer tournament this weekend. Tonight they played in the Championship game. Sydney's team won the game 2 -1 and they were crowned U9 Tournament Champions.
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KU Weekend

We took advantage of a soccer-less Saturday and headed to Lawrence for the KU football game.
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Halloween decorations are up. Kids enjoyed playing dress- up all afternoon. I am looking forward to fall and all our family traditions.

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First Day of School

The kids are dressed and ready for their big first day. They have switched to a new elementary school and are both anxiously awaiting new adventures. As usual, we will be going out to eat tonight to discuss the events from their first day. School, Mexican food, and soccer practice will make this a very busy day. Such is life...

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At the end of the school year, we gave Marshall $100 for having all A's for four quarters. After months of deliberation, he purchased a personalized Sporting KC jersey.
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Sydney with Matt Besler and Marshall with Aurelien Collin.

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