Saturday, May 31, 2008
D.A.R.E.
Our school participates with the D.A.R.E. program. They believe that starting their program at the 5th grade level is the best place to begin. They seem to have an excellent program in place and the kids seem to have a good time doing it. They had a little graduation for the 5th graders yesterday. They talked a little bit about the program and what it entails. The deputy that runs the program is a very nice woman. She loves her job and it shows. I think I saw her tear up a bit :)
I tried to get a picture of Jordan receiving his award but his father decided to embarrass him and he scurried across the stage too fast. I snapped a pic but it looked like a streak of lightening. I managed to snag Deputy Hanslip in the hall and was able to get a pic of them together.
Congratulations Jordan!Labels: kids
Happy Birthday Jordan!
Yesterday was Jordan's 11th birthday. I cannot believe that he is this old already. He'll be a teenager before I know it! Do I feel old! He'll be going into middle school next year and it seems like just yesterday that he started preschool. Where does the time go?
Jordan was such a good baby. He was the cutest little kid! I never really had any problems with him. He learned to do walk and talk very early. Smart like his mom I guess :) He never really threw fits or cried a lot. I was very lucky to have such a good baby the first time around.
He was a pretty well behaved toddler. Not perfect but close enough for me. He gave me quite a scare when he was a few years old. He ran into a table and split his forehead open. Scared the hell out of me. He had to have 6 stitches. If that wasn't bad enough 4 hours after he had the stitches removed he was running around the backyard,fell and resplit that same spot open. Back to the hospital for more stitches. They put them both inside and out that time and I made sure that they stayed in well past the time that they could have been removed. I didn't want him to have to go through that again.
I'd say that I've lucked out with Jordan. Like most kids he can be a pain in the butt. For the most part though he is a good kid. He is very respectful,sweet,loving,caring,thoughtful,generous,kind,giving,helpful...the list goes on. I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments. He has done very well in school. Just this past Thursday he was in the newspaper for receiving a Study Skills Award in school. He is in Boy Scouts and juggles that with being in softball. He wants to join football but I am a bit iffy about that because he has had so many concussions.
Happy Birthday Jordan! Mom is so proud of you and all that you do. I thank God every day for you. No matter how old you get you'll still be my little green bean :) I love you bunches little man!
Labels: holidays, kids
Saturday, May 24, 2008
I've Been Replaced
I'm afraid that the place my hubby had in his heart for me has been replaced. By who? It's actually a what and not a who. This is the culprit.....
A 55'' flat screen tv. Maybe I haven't really been replaced but I have to at least share that space now :) Thank God we didn't get the 65'' flat screen or I'd probably be out the door!
Pat has wanted a tv like this for some time now but I wasn't really willing to pay for it. The only reason that I finally gave in was because we got it for an awesome price. We rent to own a lot of our furniture because we certainly aren't rich enough to buy it outright. We get everything from the same place and over time we have become good friends with the owner. He gave us a kick-ass deal on this tv.
They had a 55'' and a 65'' available. I told him that he would have to settle for the smaller of the two because we had nowhere to put a 65'' tv. I don't think he cared either way as long as he got one of them. He is still smiling about it. I know he really only wanted a tv like this so that when he played his PS3 it would look phenomenal. And I must say that it does. Hey,whatever makes him happy.
Since we got this tv we rotated the rest of the tvs in the house. We put the 36'' tv from the livingroom into our bedroom. Took the 32'' from our bedroom and put it in Jordan's room and took his 20'' and put it in Hadlei's room. Yes,we own a lot of tvs :)
Moving them was a trip. I knew that I couldn't move the one from the livingroom by myself but I figured that the one that was in our room wouldn't be a problem. So being the bull that I am I carried the 32'' tv upstairs into Jordan's room all by myself. I think I paid for it yesterday. I woke up with the worst neck ache. I couldn't turn my head and if I moved just right those muscles tensed up and I was in an enormous amount of pain. Whether I slept on it wrong or I pulled something when I moved the tv I don't know. All I do know is that it is much better today. And no I didn't learn anything from it because I will still continue to be a bull :)Labels: misc
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A Stompin' on the Field
Yup,you guessed it! The Sunbirds won again!!! Their game Saturday was a rematch against the team named Thunder. If you remember my post a few weeks ago about the girls playing a team of giants and barely winning 8-7...that would be the team that they played. This time my girls showed them that they weren't messing around. I could tell that they have all improved so much since then. The final score of their game was 14-7. After their game their coaches took them for ice cream. They so earned it. I know I have probably said this a million times already but I am so proud of them!
In other softball news Jordan's team picked up a win. The score was 12-4 when we got rained out in the top of the 5th inning. They played much better in this game and thank God that crazy ump was nowhere to be found! I got to help out by keeping the pitch count. The kids are only allowed to pitch a certain number of times per game so you have to keep track of their pitches. My mom kept Hadlei for me for the day so I was able to fully pay attention to the games. Pitch count was fun and I may just do it full time :)
Shae's game was rained out. It was scheduled for 4:30pm but with the downpour we had around 3pm the coaches decided to cancel. It had stopped raining but the fields were a mess and there was really no point to getting the kids out in that stuff and having them possibly get sick. A make-up game will be scheduled at some point.
We have next Saturday off due to Memorial Day but we have three games in a row this week...Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday nites. I'm sure a practice or two will be thrown in there somewhere. Thankfully the hubby has a mini vacation this week and doesn't have to work until Friday. So I'll have some help if I need to be in two places at once.Labels: kids, sports
Live from Rockefeller Plaza...
It's New Kids On The Block!!! That's right! The reunion that I have waited almost 15 years for has finally happened. Friday morning NKOTB performed for the first time in over a decade on The Today Show. It was amazing! I only wish I could have been there in person to see it. It was crazy to see all of their fans screaming and yelling for them. Why is that so crazy? Because most of them were my age :) And I would have been whooping it up,too!
The audience was the largest audience that The Today Show has ever had. Some people slept in the streets for 2 days just to be able to see them! Now that's what I call a fan! They sang some of their old hits and then sang their new single "Summertime". I can't wait to get their new cd. I think I have to wait a few months until it's released. I sat there in awe watching them sing and dance. I felt like a kid again. It even brought me to tears. I wasn't alone in that though because I saw many women in the audience doing the same thing.
I know that not everybody likes or has liked NKOTB. And that's fine...that's your loss! I know my girl Shelle is a NKOTB fan so we'll stick togther. We'll have to watch their tour schedule and try to go to a concert together. Most if not all of their shows are sold out. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll come close to us,Shelle. Another Dome concert would be nice :)
Welcome back NKOTB! It's about time!Labels: music, opinion
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Playing by the Rules
Shae had a game tonite which I wasn't too excited about going to because I'm getting sick. My throat has been bothering me all day. She really wanted to go so I went. When we got to the game her coach came over with some papers. They were the rules for her softball division. He said that he had found them and that they were going to start playing by these rules. He said that he didn't even know they exsisted. I had to laugh to myself and think that this must be his first year coaching. Why wouldn't there be rules?!? I'm hoping that with this newly found information Shae's games become a bit more exciting.
The injury list for my kids is growing. Shae got hit in the face with the ball tonite. Two of our coaches and one from the other team ran over to check on her. I sat and watched to see how she would react. She shed a few tears but said she was ok and that she wanted to stay on the field and keep playing. And that's exactly what she did. Her coach told her that she was a tough kid. When she came off the field it was a totally different story. She came over and crawled into my lap and started to cry saying that her face hurt. She must not have wanted everyone to see her cry. Her cheek was a little puffy but that's it. I calmed her down and sent her back to finish her game.
Besides Kotah's shredded knees she got hit in the head with a ball last nite. They were at practice and one of the girls threw it to her and she said it bounced off her glove and hit her in the head. She had a little goose egg on her forehead this morning. Jordan and Skylar are injury-free as of right now. But that could change at any time.Labels: kids, sports
Come On Ump!
Jordan's game Tuesday nite was at the very least a disaster. His team seemed to be playing like crap and at the same time the ump was a total jackass. So which one caused the 5-2 loss?
I don't proclaim to know the ins and outs of baseball. Now if we talk football that is a totally different story :) Baseball is just not my thing. I actually don't even like it. I do however know the difference between a ball and a strike. The ump for this game had a real problem with that. I don't know if this was his first game or if it had to do with the fact that he looked like he wasn't even out of high school yet. All of the other umps I've run across are on the older side. Or maybe it had to do with him wanting to leave asap after the game because he nearly ran us over in the parking lot!
His calls were awful during the whole game. I was sitting almost behind homeplate and could see everything. My mouth was going a mile a minute dropping comments to him when I felt they were necessary. Even Dakotah could tell that he was doing a lousy job.
Jordan's team could have pulled off a victory. They were up last. Jordan was the first one to get on base. He actually hit a triple! He was so proud - you could see it all over his face. The next kid was walked to her base and so was the kid after her. The next kid up was a good hitter so we knew that he would get at least two of them home. That didn't exactly happen. On a foul ball the girl on second base ran to third forcing Jordan to go home. Everyone was screaming at her to go back but she was oblivious to it all. Jordan ran home and the pitcher just missed him with the tag. But...the ump called him out! His coach started yelling that he was safe and tried arguing some rule but the ump ended the game.
Jordan walked to the car trying to hide his tears. I told him that it wasn't his fault. He was safe. It was Liz's fault for leaving the base especially since the coach didn't motion for her to run. And it was the ump's fault for his lousy call. I was pretty riled up because that little girl's father was running his mouth the whole game. He had no clue what he was talking about either. I finally turned to him at one point and went off on him because I was sick of listening to him. It made me feel better :)
Jordan was pretty upset the rest of the nite. He seemed to be better the next morning. I told him that there was another game coming this weekend and that meant another chance to win. And if I ever see that ump at another one of the kids' games I will be sure to give their coach the heads up on him!Labels: kids, sports
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Injured
The Sunbirds had a game Monday nite. As usual they won 12-5. I am so proud of this team. They are doing a phenomenal job. They work together so well. Coach is the best! His team's success is attributed to his skills as a coach. What a team!
Kotah was injured at the top of the 5th inning. Skylar came running over to tell me that Kotah had gotten hurt and she was gushing blood everywhere. I leaned over to see where she was and she waved me over to her. I got up and strolled over to the dugout. Both of her knees were bleeding but they were far from gushing. Skylar tends to exaggerate a bit :) I asked her what happened and she said that one of the girls had pushed her while she was trying to hang up her helmet. Coach was about to fix her up but asked if I wanted to do it since I was there. So I took over. I told Kotah that she if she was going to get hurt she should've done it sliding into home base not hanging up a helmet in the dugout. As I wiped her knees off she started to complain that it hurt. I told her to suck it up. If she was going to play football she was going to have to be able to handle a lot more than a couple of bloodied knees. Coach overheard us and said,"You're going to play football?!" Kotah told him that she wanted to and he said good for her and she should go for it. Thank you for your support Coach :)
The girls have practice tonite. Coach wants to work with each of them individually on some of their weaker points to try to strengthen them for their game this Saturday. From the sounds of it they may be in for a challenge. Good luck ladies!Labels: kids, sports
Monday, May 12, 2008
Happy Birthday Dan
Yesterday was a day filled with different emotions for me. While it was Mother's Day and that should be a happy thing it was also a sad day for me. Yesterday would have been my friend Dan's 30th birthday. It has been just over 12 years since he died and I still miss him terribly. I always will. No amount of time will ever change that. The only thing time has done is lessened the pain a little.
I just wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday and let him know that I still think about him all the time and I will never forget him. I know that he watches over me and that gives me great comfort. Happy Birthday,Dan. Sending you birthday wishes and hugs your way. Love you...Labels: friends
Happy Mother's Day
I'm a day late getting this post up but I didn't have 5 minutes yesterday to do it. It was an extremely busy day. I tried to sleep in but that didn't happen. I kinda figured it wouldn't. I had to get all of the kids ready to go to gram's so that I could make dinner there. We were going to have ham and leg of lamb and all the fixins! Dinner was great. Everyone definitely had a full stomach. After dinner we hung around a while and waited for my mom. She had to work. The kids played outside and we sat and gabbed. When we got home it was shower and then bed time for the kids. By the time I got to sit down I was too tired to even pull out my computer. So...
To all of my mom friends everywhere...I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope you were able to have a relaxing day with your families. You all deserve it :)Labels: holidays
Saturday, May 10, 2008
My Little Trooper
Those amazing Sunbirds have done it again! A win with a score of 19-5! And I must say that I am very proud of my little girl. She woke up this morning barking like a seal and had a sore throat. I normally wouldn't make her go but today was picture day. I told her that she would have to get her uniform on and at least do the picture. I also wanted her to be with her team during the game. So I went in to take my shower and told everyone else that they had better be ready by the time I was done. When I came out of the bathroom Dakotah told me that she was going to try to play in her game. And that is exactly what she did. She played the whole game and she was up to bat 5 times which is more than she normally is. She complained once about her throat and said she was hungry and I found that a glazed donut cured that :) I am so proud of her for sucking it up and playing her game. What a kid!
Jordan won his game today...5-2. He was especially excited because they beat an undefeated team. Go Muck Dogs!
Shae also had a game today but I won't get started on that. The more games I watch her in the more irritated I am with the team that she is on. She is just too good for where she is and it drives me insane that there is nothing I can do about it.
It was a busy day that began at 8:30 am on the baseball field...Labels: kids, sports
Friday, May 9, 2008
A Win and A Loss
Jordan had a game on Tuesday nite and they won 7-5. It was a close game but they were able to keep their lead. One of the boys that usually stands there staring into space ended up getting a double play and he was given the game ball. He caught a ball for the out then threw it to 3rd base for another out. I know that a lot of parents' jaws were on the ground for that one - his dad's included! They played a great game.
He had a make up game tonite from their rained out game last week. I didn't think he was going to go because he has been home from school for the past two days with some version of the stomach bug. But when it came down to it he sucked it up and went to his game. I tried to tell him he didn't have to go but he wanted to. In all honesty I think he was faking some of his sickness :) They ended up losing 7-6. Close game. They were actually down 6-0 in the bottom of the 4th but they scored 4 runs that inning. They scored 2 more runs in the 5th and had a kid on 3rd ready to tie the score but the kid at bat struck out. So close! Hey - you win some you lose some. He has another game tomorrow morning so we'll see if they can bounce back.Labels: kids, sports
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Summer Playground Program
Last Friday I went and signed the kids up for this awesome program that the town sets up every summer. It runs for 6 weeks and the kids love it. This will be their third year. It keeps them from sitting around being bored and it keeps them out of my hair! A lot of their friends go as well so they really do enjoy it. I would much rather get them into something than have them sitting around doing nothing. Believe it or not kids do get bored with their summer vacation. They are kept busy from about 9-2 with all sorts of activities. They can also go on field trips.
Kotah won't be going this year because she is going to Oregon to visit her dad. She is very excited to see him.(she really misses you guys) Jordan may miss a week because I have signed him up for D.A.R.E. camp. That runs for a week and it's an overnite camp. I hope he is able to get in. There is quite a waiting list from what I understand.
The kids have a busy summer ahead!Labels: kids
Monday, May 5, 2008
Muck Dogs Game 2
***Jordan and Shaelyn have the same team name even though they are on different levels...and I don't know where they got the name "Muck Dogs" from***
Jordan had his second game Saturday. He has grown to like playing softball in these past few weeks. His attitude towards it has completely changed since he has had some practice. He feels like he is better at it than when he first started. I told him that it would just take a little time.
He wanted to win their game but unfortunately they lost 13-15. Jordan scored 2 of their runs. They played a good game but it came down to their pitcher walking enough of the other team to put them ahead. I was very impressed with the way Jordan reacted to their loss. I was hoping that it wouldn't get him down. He said that it was ok and that they had another game coming which meant another chance to win. That's my boy!
He actually has 3 games this week - Tuesday,Friday and Saturday. One is a make-up game from last week when they were rained out. No practices for him since they have so many games. He is going to be beat by the weekend :)Labels: kids, sports
My Little Muck Dog
Shae had her first game Saturday. She couldn't wait to get out there and hit the ball and run like the wind. She is very proud about being the fastest runner on her team. (this was determined during practices when they were base running) She did very well. Unfortunately with the team that she is on they don't keep score. I was disappointed to find out that she is basically on the same kind of team that she was last year. They play for fun and don't keep score. They don't have outs or strikes. They pretty much swing until they hit the ball. As awful as this is probably going to sound,Shae is better than that and she needs to be on a more advanced team. I thought that she was going to be on a team like Kotah was last year. I guess they go based on age but I don't feel she is really learning anything new this season. There isn't anything that I can do about it so I guess she'll just have to have fun this time around and wait until next year to develop better skills. Here dad and I will work with her at home to help her along.
Shae has this little boy on her team named James who is absolutely adorable. He is the coach's son. He has some type of special needs and he is the sweetest little guy. He gets so excited when we show up for practices and comes right over to talk to us. Sometimes his mom will have to shoo him back out onto the field because he comes over to play with us. I got a pic of Shae with James. It's adorable! Meeting James is one of the benefits of Shae being on this team.
Even though I am not thrilled with the level Shae has been placed at I will still be behind her 100%. Maybe there is some reason that she was put where she is. Only time will tell.Labels: kids, sports
Sunbirds Game 3
Yes,ladies and gentlemen,it's another win for the Sunbirds! It wasn't a blowout like the last two games were but a win is a win. The girls won 8-7. Close,huh? When I saw the other team I was afraid for the girls. I figured they were about to get their first loss. Their coach even told them that they may not win this game. Why all the doubt? Well if you had seen this team you would have thought the same thing. They were huge! I don't know if they found them in the Land of the Giants or what but they were some big girls. I didn't get to sit and watch the whole game because Shae had her first game at the same time. So I switched back and forth between the games. Dakotah and Sky scored 1 run each. I was very impressed with that due to the way the game was going. They were so proud of themselves after the game. They get a break because they don't have another game until Saturday. But I know their coach and they will be practicing at least twice during the week. Go Sunbirds!
**I didn't get to take too many pics but I did catch Kotah warming up**Labels: kids, sports
Friday, May 2, 2008
Sunbirds Game 2
***before I go any further I need to fix the score for their last game. either the scorekeeper was asleep or the scoreboard wasn't working but the actual score for their first game was 18-4***
Their second game proved to be just like their first - a huge spanking for the other team. The final score was 20-5 and I'm sure that the score is right :) Both girls did well scoring 2 runs each. I wish that I had been able to get more pics but it was way too cold for me to even function. My toes froze because I was wearing sandals - which is all I wear after the snow is gone because I hate shoes. The hubby had to leave early with Hadlei because it got too cold for her to be outside. The game dragged on for over 2 hours! By the 5th inning the girls were all shivering. I felt bad for them because they were dressed in tshirts and shorts.
I gave up my nice warm blanket so that Kotah could wrap herself in it. At one point she called me over and asked if we could get ice cream afterwards! I told her the only thing she was getting after the game was a nice hot shower. That girl is crazy! Our team tried to get the ump to end the game but the other team's coach wanted their last chance to bat. I don't know if their coach was crazy enough to think that they were going to make a comeback or what but he wanted to play. He quickly changed his mind after our pitcher beaned one of his girls with her pitch.
Great job Sunbirds! Their next game is tomorrow morning at 8:30. Hopefully my toes will be thawed out by then :)Labels: kids, sports
