Truett Kirk, Linebacker, 3rd Season, Team Kirk, 40 pounds, 2 Feet Tall

Around our house, we can't celebrate the new year without celebrating a birthday. On New Year's Day 2014, after a week of Peach Bowl fun and activities and a great game between Duke and Texas A&M, we settled in for a quiet, boring evening. Billy had brought home with him a touch of the stomach flu and had already retreated to the bed, so I had begun preparing a small supper for the boys and me. And that was the end of that quiet, boring New Year's Day of 2014, and essentially the end of any other opportunities for quiet or boredom at our house, in 2014 or the years since.

After a night of labor, the typical New Year's Day staff changes(think 10-15 nurses), and my doctor returning from a ski trip just in time, Truett Harris Kirk joined Team Kirk at 5:46 am. He was, as Dr. Goggin had said throughout my whole pregnancy, a "good Looking boy." He is still a good looking boy, but he's a whole lot more than that now. He's mischief and mayhem, kitty cat chaser, mess maker, and 100% boy. He's Tucker and Tanner and Tate made over again. Basically, he's the perfect addition to our team.

When Tate joined our family, we were jokingly reminded that we were leaving man-to-man defense and heading into zone, and pretty much, "Good Luck with that!" Now that Truett makes it two parents versus 4 kids, I feel like we've left the zone behind and are playing a full-on tackle football game without any refs, instant replays, or time-outs. There. That just about sums it up. We've got too many men on the field some days, blocks in the back, encroachment, and nobody there to throw a flag. Now imagine the ESPN highlight reel that plays over and over: same chop block, same missed field goal, same missed signal from coach to quarterback, on replay forever and ever, or at least for another 15 or so years.

Alas, we are a football family, so I always have a whistle or two on hand; I'm learning when to expect the fake pass or punt, and improving my 40 yard dash time has gotten me to some serious situations in just the nick of time. Luckily, Daddy knows all the plays and can corral the squad most of the time, and when we finally get to sit back and watch those replays decades from now, I suspect they will look less like NFL hard hits and cheap shots and more like an innocent game of flag football, a beautiful mess of little ones on a mission to become men.

So as our newest recruit begins his third season and settles into the offense, I hope and pray he is watching the bigger boys, learning from his frequent penalties, and growing with each punishment, workout, and timeout. I also pray that God is guiding these two coaches who are responsible for the kind of player he becomes, both on the field and off. I pray that I find the perfect play call for every situation that arises and call it at just the right time. I pray often. I pray especially that I will be wise enough to appreciate the chaos, the noise, the messes, the aftermath of a good time with a busy, big family, because there's nothing more sad than a quiet, lonely football field during the off season. I pray daily. For him. For me. For us. For Team Kirk.


Happy 3rd Birthday to the 6th member of our team-- here's to a future filled with championships, milestones, trophies, awards, and rewards. Here's to becoming the player/person you were born to be!