Saturday, January 31, 2009
Welcome Tater!
Kotah has wanted a certain pet for a very long time. So yesterday her wish finally came true. We went to the pet store and she got Tater - a Russian tortoise.
Tater is a land turtle and boy was she expensive. And by expensive I mean $120 expensive. I said that I wasn't going to spend that kind of money on a turtle but I did. And yes I know I'm a sucker. But after weighing the options between an aquatic turtle and a land turtle the costly land turtle won out.
I figured all you needed for an aquatic turtle was a tank with some water and a rock for it to climb onto. Yeah well I was wrong. The tank had to be at least 40 gallons. It needed a heat and light lamp and a water filtration system becuase they poop so much. Even with the filter the water had to be changed a few times a week. And their diet? Crickets! The cost of an aquatic turtle - approximately $20/$25. It's housing about $350. The cost of the turtle was great. It was the rest of it that bothered me.
Even though the land turtle was costly everything else was a better deal. Smaller tank,no water filter,no crickets. They basically have to have a heat and light source,food and water dishes and a log to hide in. Bark is used for their bedding. Their diet consists of fruits and vegetables. And the tank is only 20 gallons.
Tater is a girl - supposedly. How do you really tell? Kotah thought she knew and said she was a boy but the guy at the pet store said it was a girl. Whatever! Kotah has played with her all day today. She has brought her out a few times to roam around the livingroom. I thought that turtles moved very slowly but apparently no one told that to Tater. She can move! Kotah loves her. She's so happy to finally have her and I am happy that I was able to get her for Kotah.Labels: kids
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Proud Mama
The kids got their report cards today and I am so proud of them! They are doing so well. Not that that surprises me. I have a bunch of little geniuses :)
I must brag about my mini me first. Dakotah floored me with her report card. The school's grading system gives them number grades from 1 which is not so good to 4 which is outstanding. At the end of last year Dakotah had received four 4's. When I looked at her report card this afternoon there were thirty one 4's staring back at me. Over half of her report card was perfection. The comments from her teacher were just as wonderful. She said that Dakotah is on or above level in all subjects/areas. Her critical thinking skills in reading and her problem solving skills in math are fantastic. And she strives to go above and beyond what is expected of her. Seeing and reading all of that literally brought tears to my eyes. I can't tell you how proud I am of her - even though I'm trying :) She reminds me so much of me.
Shaelyn did very well also. Her report card was mostly 3.5's. She had some 3's mixed in there,too. Her teacher said that Shae is a role model for her peers. The one thing that Shae has to work on is that she needs to expect that she will make mistakes and to not be so hard on herself when she doesn't do as well as she expects to. Can't imagine where she gets that from :)
Skylar is doing better than we thought. She has had some trouble adjusting to the curicculum as well as with her attitude. The parent teacher conference I went to a few weeks ago was very enlightening. We sat down and had a chat with her about a few things and told her that there were some things needed to be straightened out. Needless to say we weren't expecting to see a good report card. So we were pleasantly surprised to see a mixture of 2's and 3's. Her teacher said that he has noticed a change since the conference so the talk we had with her must have sunk in. She is having a bit of trouble with reading so she has been put into a reading group. Hopefully that will help and we will see some improvement next time around.
With Jordan being in the big leagues now his report card is different. He gets actual number grades. He did pretty well for his first quarter. Math is his downfall so I talked with his teacher and had him put in an extra math lab to help with that. I'm thinking that by next marking period that extra help will pay off and his grades will show it. He must take after his father in that area because I never had a problem with math.
Kudos to my babies for a job well done!Labels: kids
Saturday, September 13, 2008
School = Germ Breeding Ground
The kids have been in school for less than 2 weeks and one has already come down with the stomach bug. Shae was hit with this lovely little bug yesterday. It seemed to be a bug of the 24 hour persuasion. I'm glad it only lasted that long but it's still 24 hours too many for me.
I had scheduled dentist appointments for all the kids for yesterday morning. Shae hates going to the dentist so when she said that her stomach hurt I thought she was faking it so that she could get out of going. I told her that she was probably just hungry and had her go in and get dressed. I ushered everyone out to the car and grabbed the barf bowl - just in case.
Hadlei was going to stay with gram while I took the kids to their appointment. We were almost to gram's when I heard that all too familiar sound coming from the backseat. Shae had gotten sick. Thank goodness I grabbed the bowl on my way out of the house. Looked like gram was going to have a second charge to take care of.
The other kids did well at the dentist. Jordan and Dakotah were referred to an orthodontist and I have a feeling that they will do the same for Shae when they see her. I rescheduled her appointment for Monday but she doesn't know that. I'm thinking that the three of them are going to have mouths full of shiny metal. But I'll save that for another post.
Shae got sick a few more times throughout the day. At one point she started crying and said,"I hate throwing up!" I felt so bad for her. She laid in her room and watched cartoons most of the day. I think she even took a little catnap.
When she woke up this morning I asked her how she felt. She said she was a little achy but her tummy felt better. I gave her some dry cereal for breakfast. A few hours later she was running around and playing like she had never been sick.
Now that school has started it's going to be a continuous cycle of sickness. That is the one thing I hate about school starting. Try as you might to keep them from catching things it never fails - they always get something. And what's worse is that if there's more than one they pass it on to the rest. Wonder who's next?Labels: kids
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Happy Birthday Dakotah!
9 years ago today,at 1:38 am,my beautiful little girl made her entrance into this world. She ended up coming 9 days early. And I barely made it to the hospital. I had worked all day and was in labor for most of it. I went to stay at my gram's that nite and ended up calling my mom to come get me. She drove into Liverpool from Elbridge and I told her that she had to haul ass to the hospital. I went straight to the ER and they brought me out a wheelchair and told me to sit down. At that very moment I was having a contraction and I couldn't sit down so I snapped at the nurse. I was then wheeled into a room and given a gown to change into so that the dr could check me. As soon as I got the gown on my water broke. I got up on the bed and yelled for the dr. In he came and out came Dakotah all within a minute or so.
I didn't know what I was having so I was thrilled when I found out it was a girl. She was so tiny - 6lbs 1oz and 18 inches long. She had a rough start with feeding because most formulas made her sick. It took months before I found one that worked for her. She didn't walk as early as I thought she would and after going to see a pediatric orthopedic dr I found out that she had Blount's Disease which is a curvature of the bone. She had to be fitted for a brace and wear it until her leg straightened itself out. I was worried that she would have a hard time walking with it but she was amazing. She was going up and down our stairs the first day. Thankfully the brace worked and her leg is the way it should be.
Kotah has always been my quiet,sweet girl. I never really have had any problems with her. According to my gram she is a lot like I was as a kid. She has such a big heart and is always willing to help. She is just an all around good kid.
To my sweet girl on her birthday - I love you so much and am truly blessed to have you as my daughter. I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished in life so far. You do extremely well in school because you are so intelligent. You try your best at all you do and don't quit. You have turned into such a lovely young lady. It has been wonderful for me to watch you grow and I look forward to continuing to do so as you grow into a young woman. Happy happy birthday my angel. I love you to pieces...
Labels: kids
Friday, August 29, 2008
My Baby's Coming Home!
My sweet baby girl will be home in less than 12 hours. I can't wait to see her! It has been such a long summer without her. Even though I have talked to her every day since she has been gone it hasn't made the time go by any faster.
So many people are looking forward to her coming home...my whole family - especially my gram. Her grandparents who haven't seen her since they left Oregon weeks ago. Her "adoptive" grandparents who live across the street - I think Grama Earle is just as excited as I am to see her :) She's been counting down the days,too. Her best friend and her family who treat Kotah like one of their own. Their house is her home away from home. Her brother and sisters who are so excited to see her - even if they won't fully admit it. Her daddy who said that today is going to be the longest day ever. He told her last nite that it was going to be hard for him to work today because he is going to be so excited. And of course there's me. I cannot even begin to explain to you how much I have missed her this summer. I had a few breakdowns and sad days but I have made it through. Now I just have to make it until 9:30 tonite!
I think the happiest person of all is going to be Kotah. I know how much she loves her family in Oregon and I know how much she loves to see them. But I also know how much she misses home. I could hear it in her voice when we talked. I hated saying goodbye when we hung up because she sounded sad. I know how hard it was for me so I can only imagine what it was like for her. On the flip side I know what a good time she had,too. She went to the ocean,to Mt.St.Helen's,to the fair,to the market,to a beautiful waterfall and many other places. She had a birthday party at Build-A-Bear. She made some new friends,too.
Pray that she has a safe flight home. I'd appreciate it if you would also throw a prayer in there for her dad who is going to be sad to see her go. I know that saying goodbye is going to be hard for both of them. See you soon Kotah Bear!Labels: kids
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Potty Training 101
Hadlei has finally done it! She is potty trained! Well for the most part anyway. Leave it to one of my children to be stubborn about something like potty training. Couldn't tell you where they get their stubborn streak from ;)
I had the other kids trained between the ages of 2 and 3. I would have done the same thing with Hadlei but with all that went on with my gram last year getting Hadlei trained was the last thing on my mind. Things obviously calmed down on that front but I have still been extremely busy with other things and I just wasn't too worried about it. Last week I decided that now was as good a time as any to get her trained. She has had a Dora potty seat for quite some time so I was making her sit on it 6 or 7 times a day. It wasn't working. She told me that she wanted to sit on the big potty. So off to Walmart I went and I bought her a potty ring to fit on the toilet - Dora of course :)
Here we are 4 days later and she is trained! The first two days I asked her every hour if she had to go potty. She did pretty good and wet herself only a few times. These past two days she is going on her own. She'll tell me she has to go and then calls me in when she's done. She has even gotten out of the pool twice to go potty. And she'll stop playing and come upstairs to go as well. Those aren't really typical actions for a 3 yr old. We ran errands over the past few days and I let her wear her big girl underwear. No accidents!
Her dad and I are so proud of her. And she knows it because every time she goes she asks if we're happy with her. I'm not surprised that she learned so quickly. Hadlei is an extremely smart little girl. What gets me is that she wasn't willing to train unless she was able to sit on the big potty. Little stinkpot!Labels: kids
Friday, July 18, 2008
Picture Perfect
I finally got around to getting professional pix of the kids done. I hadn't done a group pic since approx 2004. At that time there were 3 kids. We're up to 5 now. And individual pix haven't been done since around 2002. So it was definitely time for an update.
You would probably think that taking 5 kids in for a group picture would be hard - if not damn near impossible. And that would be true in most cases but not mine. We had 7 poses taken - 1 group,5 individuals and 1 of all the girls. Most of them were done in one shot. The group pic took like 3 or 4 and I think the girls was done in 2.
Gram bought the wardrobe for the kids. I picked it out. They all had to match to some extent - like in the same color family. I think it made for a nicer picture vs. crazy colors everywhere. Yes,Shelle,I'm just like you!
I did struggle a little with Jordan. He was going to get a buzz cut and at the last minute decided not to. He did his own hair and when I tried to fix it he got a bit irritated with me. So I left him alone. I think he looks better with a buzz cut but I know I can't dictate his hair style for much longer so I let him have this one. Baby steps :)
I must say that they are a pretty good looking bunch of kids. I have had so many people tell me that Hadlei should model. Maybe I should look into it. Dakotah is turning into quite the lovely young lady. Her picture just blew me away.
I tried to get Shae to loosen up. She tried too hard to smile instead of just relaxing. She'll get the hang of it :) Sky fits in so well with the kids. Just by looking at the picture you would think that she has been with them since day one instead of only the last 6 months.
I look at them and know that I am truly blessed.Labels: kids
Friday, July 11, 2008
Leaving Home Part 2
Before we left for the airport we had to make a few stops so that Dakotah could say goodbye to some family and friends. First stop was right across the street at the Earles. Jim and Judy are like another set of grandparents to the kids. I have actually known them most of my life because they did Special Olympics with my uncles. When we moved in here it was awesome to find out that they lived right across the street. They are wonderful people. Next stop was a few houses down - Tessa's house. Tess is Kotah's best friend. They treat her like she is one of the family. They are going to throw a party for her when she comes home.
We left the neighborhood and went to the pizza shop to see her daddy. He said goodbye to her before he left for work but he wanted us to stop before we went to the airport. He came out to say goodbye to her and after she got back into the car he said a quick bye to me and ran into the shop. He was crying and didn't want Kotah to see it because he didn't want her to cry. And he knew if I saw him cry I would have cried. After we left the shop we went to see my gram. Gram held it together pretty well. And Kotah did,too. Me? Tearing up for like the 10th time that day.
We got to the airport a little after 3 and got their suitcases checked. We sat and spent some time together before they had to go down to the boarding area. Kotah called and said bye to her dad one more time and she saw that I was getting teary again. She started picking on me! Around 4 Kotah's grandma said it was time to go. She came over to hug me and I told her that I loved her and was going to miss her a lot. She burst into tears which in turn made me do the same. I just sat there holding her as we both cried. I think we left a puddle on the floor :) I tried to calm her down a little before they went through the ticket line. I told her to make sure that she waved to me after she got through the metal detectors. She did and I could see that she was still crying. Then again,so was I. I watched her walk off and I tried not to lose it. I was holding Hadlei (who had been running a fever all day) and she wiped my cheek and said,"It's ok mommy. Don't cry." Yup,you guessed it! That made me cry even more!
I got to the parking garage and put Hadlei in her seat and just sat there and cried. All of these awful thoughts about things that could happen to her ran through my mind. I sat there and prayed that she would have a safe flight. I was going to be a nervous wreck until I knew that she was safe on the ground in Oregon. Kotah called me around 7 and said that they had made it to Cincinnati. First leg of the trip was over and she was safe. She called again an hour later to let me know that they were going to be delayed about a half hour. The final call was at 3:15 am our time. She had arrived in Oregon and was safe in the hands of her dad. I felt much better after that last phone call - even though I had a splitting headache from all the crying.
Shae is taking this kind of hard. When I told her that I had talked to Kotah and that she was ok she started crying and said,"Why did she have to leave?" I felt so bad for her. She and Kotah are pretty close and now that Shae is old enough to realize that Kotah is gone she really misses her. I told her that she would be able to talk to her and she could send her letters and pictures. Hopefully I can keep her busy enough so that she can't think about it so much.
Thank you for yours prayers for her safe travel. They worked!Labels: kids
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Leaving Home
Well the day has arrived. Kotah will be leaving this afternoon to fly 3,000 miles across the country to visit her dad,stepmom and 3 brothers. Her grandparents are going with her. She has done this twice before but for some reason I am a little more apprehensive about it this year. I just have this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach and I don't like it. Maybe I'm feeling this way because of all that I went through with gram last year. Almost losing someone that you love that much really has an effect on you. I just want my babies with me.
But I can't be selfish and I won't/wouldn't be. I know how much her dad and Sara and the boys love her. And I know how much they look forward to seeing her. And whether Dakotah wants to admit to it when it comes time for her to leave she's looking forward to it just as much. She's always wishy-washy about leaving. But I know deep down that she is very excited to go. And I wouldn't take that away from any of them.
It is,however,extrememly hard for me to let her go. I know that she will be well taken care of and she will be kept safe. It's the getting there that bothers me. I hate airplanes because I hate heights. Been on one once and that was enough for me. I know that they say that airplanes are the safest means of transportation but that is of no comfort to me. I always end up sitting in the parking garage crying my eyes out for at least a half hour. And I'm sure today will be no different.
Shae seems to be very upset about Kotah leaving. Kotah gave her a big hug before she left for summer camp this morning and when I looked over at Shae and she was rubbing her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. She loves her big sister so much. They get along pretty well and I know Shae is really going to miss her. I may let Shae go to the airport with us so she can say goodbye. Hadlei is a bit young to understand what's going on. She's knows that Kotah is leaving but not for how long. And she thinks we're going with her :)
We'll be heading off to the airport in less than 2 hours. Pray that my baby girl has a safe trip.Labels: kids
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Camp
Dropped Jordan off for D.A.R.E. camp on Sunday morning. Surprisingly I was able to refrain from shedding tears. He has gone camping before but with friends or family. Never alone. I did tear up a little on the way home but I held it together.
He was so excited to go. Pat and I bought him a fishing pole and he was bursting at the thought of being able to use it at camp. He and Pat went out last week and tried it out. Their biggest catch - seaweed :) I hope he has a really good time this week. I know that he will be safe because the camp is run by the Onondaga County Sheriff's office. I have nothing but complete trust in them. I have a few friends that work for that department and I think they are the best bunch of cops around. None better.
I was a bit irritated Saturday morning because Jordan's father called and asked me if he had to go to camp. Reason being was that they were going camping themselves and wanted Jordan to go. I said that he absolutely had to go period. Just another shining example of his "parenting skills". I had told him over a month ago that Jordan had been accepted to camp and when he was going. He had plenty of time to change his plans if he had wanted Jordan there that badly. What really pissed me off is that he had Jordan wanting to go with them. He had been walking around the house for weeks saying how he couldn't wait to get to camp. 2 days with his father and he was singing a different tune. Bill had put Jordan on the phone and it took me a few minutes to pull out of him what was going on. The whole time I could hear his father saying,"Tell your mother what you want..tell her. Go ahead..tell her." If I could have reached thru the phone I would have strangled him. I had to explain to Jordan that he couldn't back out now because they wouldn't have been able to fill the space a day before they left and that meant that if he didn't go that someone else that really wanted to be there would lose their chance because he backed out at the last minute and that wasn't fair. Before I hung up I told him that they had better have Jordan home in time or there was going to be a very big problem.
Needless to say he was home on time. And he was just as excited as he was before to go to camp. I hope he is having lots of fun. I miss him a lot and can't wait to hear all about his week.Labels: kids
Sunday, July 6, 2008
District 8 Champions
I would like to congratulate the Muck Dogs on winning the Little League District 8 Green Division Championship! The boys played a great game. They were down 0-5 for the first 3 innings. They scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd - it would have been 5 but the ump said one of the boys didn't touch homeplate when he came in - he did but I guess the ump was cleaning his glasses ;) The boys did a great job pitching and held the other team to the 5 runs they had scored. The Muck Dogs ended up scoring 5 more runs in the 5th inning to guarantee their win. 9-5 was the final score.
The boys were so excited. Two championship wins back to back. When they won their season championship game they pelted their coach with water balloons. When they won this championship game coach said he didn't want to get wet so the boys covered him with silly string!
Congrats on a great season and post-season boys! You did an awesome job this year!
* Kotah's team also went to the District 8 tournament but they were knocked out in the first round. They played a team from Geddes and I honestly think they should have checked the ID's of two of the girls on that team. They were huge! And when I say huge I mean HUGE! (remember the comparison,Dean?) There was no way that those girls were between the ages of 8 and 11. They were like 5'7"-5'9" and like 200 lbs!
I think that most of the girls were worn out from their regular season games. They played extrememly hard all season. You could tell that some of them were just ready for it to be over. They were down 7-15 and in the last inning caught up and passed the other team. Score was 17-15. They couldn't hold them and Geddes won 18-17.
Even though they didn't win the District 8 Championship the Sunbirds had a phenomenal season and have a lot to be proud of. Congratulations again girls! You rocked!Labels: kids, sports
Thursday, June 26, 2008
We are the CHAMPIONS x 2
That's right everybody! Jordan's team has done it! They are the 2008 Double A Baseball Little League champions! My house is full of champions! This has been such an exciting year for the kids - and me,too.
Jordan's game wasn't quite as nerve racking as the girls' was but it was still a great game. They defeated the Storm 12-5. 4 of their 12 points were home run hits. They have some talent on this team. Ironically we almost didn't have a game. We were waiting for the ump to show up and found out that they said the game had been rescheduled for tomorrow nite. The parents weren't having that and long story short they were able to get an ump to come officiate the game.
I am so proud of Jordan. He started out the season not even really wanting to play because he didn't think he was good enough. He has grown so much these last few months. His coach even gave him a chance to pitch during the last game and he loved it and did a pretty good job for his first time.
I may be a bit biased but my kids are amazing and I am extremely proud of all that they have accomplished not only in their sports and schooling but in life in general. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of kids.
CONGRATULATIONS MUCKDOGS!Labels: kids, sports
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Graduation Day
School's out for summer! Not that I should be excited about that. Shouldn't they make kids go to school year round? Wishful thinking,huh?
Jordan had his graduation ceremony Monday. He is officially in 6th grade and is leaving the elementary school for the middle school. He has some mixed emotions about that. He asked me if he could go visit his old school during their recess time. I know he'll do well next year because he certainly did a great job this year. His report card was awesome and he even got a 4 in the "cooperative and respectful" catergory. (they grade on a scale of 1-4) The other kids did excellent,too. Shae had her usual bunch of E's and Dakotah got four 4's on her report card. Skylar did ok but she is still adjusting to the ciricculum and hopefully next year she will be in sync with it.
Jordan's ceremony was tear jerking. Not only was my baby graduating from elementary school but Mr.Frey was giving his last speech. Couldn't hold the tears back no matter how hard I tried. I was able to get pics of him with the kids so that they will always remember him.
On my 1 minute drive home from the school a song came on the radio that was very fitting for the events of the day. It was Rascal Flatt's "My Wish".
I hope that days come easy and moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
More then anything, more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
To your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more then you take.
Oh More then anything, Yeah, and more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
To your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
Congratulations buddy - mom is so proud of you. Good luck in middle school.Labels: kids, school
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We are the CHAMPIONS!
That's right ladies and gentlemen...you are looking at the 2008 Minor Softball Little League Champions! Woo-hoo! I wish you all could have been there. I have never seen a more exciting game. It was such a tight game and the stress levels were through the roof. I think I aged about 20 years tonite!
It was a close game. The teams were neck and neck throughout the whole game and at the end of the 5th inning it was a tie game. Had it been a regular game it would have ended that way but being the championship game they had to play until someone won. The game went 7 innings and didn't end until close to 10 pm! There was no score until the bottom of the 7th inning and I am extremely proud to say that my daughter - Dakotah - scored the winning run for our team! The final score was 15-14.
Dakotah has been on Cloud 9 since the game ended. She couldn't wait to get home so that she could call her dad in Oregon and tell him what she had done. She said that he was going to be so proud of her and I know he was. She's pretty wired so I hope she'll be able to get some sleep tonite :)
It has been an awesome season for these girls. They have worked so hard and tonite it all paid off for them. Coach has done some amazing things with this team. They are a great group of girls. And this was a much deserved win.
CONGRATULATIONS SUNBIRDS!!!Labels: kids, sports
Responsibility
Can someone tell me how a person that takes little to no responsibility for his child can say that i'm irresponsible? Let me set the scene for you...Jordan had his playoff game rescheduled for Sunday because it was rained out on Saturday. I had to go to my mom's to set up for another yard sale and Sunday was the only day I could do it as the sale is this weekend. Surprisingly his father said that he would pick him up and take him to his game. I told Jordan to call me when he got home. He did and he asked me when I would be home. I said it would be at least 2-3 hours. I heard him tell someone that and asked who he was talking to. He said his father wanted to know and it sounded to me like he was having a fit. So I told Jordan that he could either stay home or his father could drop him off at my mom's. He did end up dropping Jordan off. I asked Jordan if he wanted to come and he said no and that his father made him. His father told him that I was irresponsible for leaving him home alone because he is too young.
Are you kidding me?!?! He is the LAST person that should ever be calling anyone - especially me - irresponsible. I am the one that makes sure that he has clothes to wear and food to eat. I am the one that makes sure that he has a roof over his head. I am the one that goes to all of his school and sporting events. I am the one that takes him to the dr when he's sick. The list goes on and on. Want to know what his father does? He picks him up most weekends and works half of that time. He doesn't buy him anything he needs. He doesn't show up at school or sporting events like he should. The support he pays shouldn't even be called that because when you get right down to it what he pays in a week doesn't even cover the cost of 3 square meals for one day! Basically he does nothing. And he is calling me irresponsible?!
Jordan is 11 yrs old. I trust him to stay home by himself for a few hours. He has done it before and he will do it again. He is a trustworthy kid and until he gives me a reason not to I will trust him to stay home when I'm not there.
Not only does what he said piss me off but he didn't even say it to me - he said it to Jordan! Grow a set and tell ME what you have to say. Don't tell Jordan in hopes that it will get back to me. Why are you even putting him in the middle of it? A little irresponsible I would say. I guess I should be used to it because he never has had the balls to say anything to my face. I hear what he says through Jordan,his mother or his wife. And of course with the big mouth I have I don't have any problem telling either his mother or his wife what I think of him or them if need be. I wonder if there will ever come a time when Bill can grow up,act his age and be a responsible parent. That's probably just wishful thinking.Labels: kids, opinion
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Playoff Bound
The Sunbirds are playoff bound! Last nite was their last game before the playoffs and they finshed with a 21-6 win. It was a sweet victory because it was against team Thunder - the only team they lost to. (remember the nasty ump?) They play Saturday morning at 8:30 am and if they win they go on to the championship game Tuesday nite. All of the girls have accomplished so much this season and have a lot to be proud of.
They usually have a pretty good cheerig section but it was kind of small for some reason last nite. I always cheer on all the girls and therefore my big mouth comes in handy :) The hubby was able to come along last nite because it was his day off but he wasn't cheering too loudly. When asked why he said I was doing a good job and didn't need the help. Translation = he thinks I have a big mouth but won't say so because he doesn't want to sleep on the couch. Smart move. Grama Wood came and she cheered right along side me. It's really nice having her and Bob there whenever they can be. I know it means a lot to the girls. I know Kotah would like some other people to be there as well but it's not possible for some of them. Hopefully my posts and pix help with that :)
Good luck Sunbirds! You can do it!Labels: kids, sports
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sweet Sheriff
My family has a very dear friend named Bill. He works for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department. We met him a little over 3 years ago after my daughter was assaulted by serial rapist Kevin Schaus. He was the detective assigned to the case. Without going into the whole story I will say that he did an outstanding job and I couldn't have asked for a better man for the job.
We have stayed in close contact and he is a very good friend of ours. He and Shae write back and forth and he stops in when he can to see her. I told him that she was playing softball this year and she would love it if he could make it to one of her games. Last nite he was able to. He was there when we got to the game. We got there a few minutes late because I had to pry the kids out of the pool and then drop the girls at practice at 6 and have Jordan and Shae to their games at 6. I saw Bill when we rounded the corner but didn't say anything to Shae. I walked up to him and he said that he was afraid that we weren't coming. I explained to him why we were late. Shae was still oblivious to the conversation so I said to her,"Shae,who is this?" She looked up and yelled "Bill!" and almost tackled him to the ground.
He brought her a t-shirt from the Sheriff's dept. She was so excited that he was there that I think she forgot she had a game to play. I ushered her off to her game and Bill and I were able to catch up. Shae played well and she kept giving Bill a thumbs up. Pat showed up a little while later and we stood around and chatted. It was so nice to have some adult time even if there were a million kids running around. I usually bring my camera to the games but I didn't last nite. I had to get a pic of Shae and Bill so I sent the hubby home to get it. He went willingly :)
After the game was over we walked Bill to his car. He was driving an undercover car and as he was pulling away from us he turned the lights on for the kids. They loved it. Shae never stopped smiling. She literally fell asleep with a smile on her face. She was muttering something about being glad that she saw her best friend. It was so precious.
I can honestly say that I have never met anyone like Bill. He goes above and beyond what he needs to. I was telling my gram about Bill showing up to the game and she said that she was amazed that someone in his position would keep in touch the way he has. I told her that he was just an extraordinary man that cared. And that's really what it comes down to. I think in some way Shae's case really touched him. He has a special connection with her and our family. He even went as far as to make sure that we were safe and we had no clue. Last nite he told me that there was an undercover cop that used to live across the street from our old apartment and he asked him to watch out for us. That just shows what a good friend and excellent cop he is.
I'm glad that something so good came out of a situation that was so bad. Bill will always be a special part of our family.Labels: kids
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Searing Heat
Another busy weekend! What's new? Things should calm down a bit after softball ends. Another 2 weeks and we should be at the playoffs point. The mighty Sunbirds rallied and were back strong as ever on Saturday. They played great - even in the scorching heat. The other team ended up forfeiting the game at the top of the 5th inning because they were dropping like flies. Their coach had to bench 2 of the girls because they were dehydrated. Uh duh! You need to keep them drinking! We were winning 11-3 and coach wanted to finish the game out. The other coach didn't and some of her parents were copping attitudes. One lady was like "They're tired! You're winning anyway so why do you care if we quit!" That's all I needed to hear to get my mouth going. I stated rather loudly that some people should lose their bad attitude because they were a bad example for the kids. And surprisingly this time I wasn't the only one with something to say. The parents on our team must have learned from the last incident. ** on a side note relating to that incident - our bookkeeper told us that the ump from that game had apologized to coach. Big deal! He should've apologized to Kiana! **
I was at the field all day Saturday. Shae played during and after the girls game and then Jordan had a game at 1 pm. His game ended early but it wasn't because the other team quit. At the bottom of the 4th his team was winning 9-0. If you get to 10 and the other team hasn't scored you win. I was glad that it ended early because I was burning up - literally. This is what I looked like later that nite....
I know the redness doesn't show up too well but believe me it's there! My back and legs look the same. I took this pic yesterday so I may have lost some of the color. I didn't feel the effects of it until later that nite. It hurt but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
After we got home from the game the kids wanted to swim but the pool wasn't quite ready yet. I borrowed a sprinkler from our neighbor and let them have at it. They had a good time and were able to cool themselves off a bit. I had to mow the lawn so after they were done I dragged out our piece of junk mower and tried to start it. It took me like 20 tries. I thought I was going to lose my arm! I finally got it started and got half of the yard done when it got into some wet grass near the shed and died. Usually it starts right back up after it's been running but this time was the exception. I could not get it to start again. I literally almost passed out trying. I gave up and put the mower away. The hubby was either going to have to finish the lawn or get the mower started for me. I was so hot and sweaty that I had to get a shower. I had to sit down in the shower because I thought I was going to pass out. I'm thinking I may have had a bit of heat exhaustion.
Today I need to go buy a new mower. The lawn is driving me nuts being half done. Not to mention it looks ridiculous! It's not supposed to be as hot today so hopefully I can get it finished. This heat has been unbearable! Time to get the AC going!Labels: kids, misc, sports
Monday, June 2, 2008
What a Nite!
The Sunbirds suffered their first loss tonite and I almost got thrown from the game :) The girls put up a good fight but lost 10-14. It was a very stressful game all the way around. The first few innings they couldn't get their game going. It was like a different team had taken their place. Once they got into their groove the melee began.
The first two innings the pitcher for the other team was consistently violating some of the rules for pitching. I am not quite sure what it was because I don't know much about the rules. I did hear the coach trying to tell the ump and it had something to do with her feet/stance/pitch. I know that last time we faced this team she was doing the same thing and that ump corrected the problem. Not this ump! Coach even went as far as to tell him to go get the head ump and you could tell the guy was pissed. The head ump came over and sure enough coach was right. Nothing was done to correct the problem and I don't know what could have been done. They should have replayed the innings.
Shortly after that fiasco our pitcher,Kiana,went in to cover home and was waiting for the catcher to throw her the ball when the girl from the other team came tearing into home. Kiana put her arms in position to catch the ball and the girl got elbowed. Total accident. Kiana wasn't even watching her she was watching the catcher. Next thing you know the ump throws his mask to the ground and gets in Kiana's face with his finger and yells at her. He said,"I don't ever want to see you do that again! Do you hear me?!" Kiana had no clue what she did and neither did the rest of us. Coach ran over and the ump said that she threw an elbow on purpose. Not even the case. Kiana was sobbing back at the pitcher's mound. Some of the parents were mumbling things but they weren't being very loud about it. I decided to be loud about it. I was pissed. He had no right to treat or embarrass her like that when she did nothing wrong. I started yelling,"Unbelieveable! Are you kidding?! Don't yell at her like that! She didn't do anything wrong!" He apparently didn't like what I had to say and told me to sit down. I then told him to come sit me down. He then said that if I didn't that he was going to throw me out. Wrong thing for him to do - don't threaten me! I started to say something else but coach came over and tried to smooth things over. I couldn't believe that Kiana's dad,who is also a coach,didn't really say much other that for her to shake it off. She was a wreck! No one else would call the ump on it but me. I have a mouth and I'm certainly not afraid to use it. He's lucky that wasn't one of my girls because I would have tackled his ass. Jerk.
Kiana stuck it out and finished pitching the inning. I kept dropping comments just loud enough for the ump to hear me. I couldn't help it I was fired up. When she came into the dugout I called her over and gave her a hug. I told her not to let it get to her. She did nothing wrong and the ump was an idiot. I also told her that when she got back out there she should picture his face on the catcher's mitt and fire the ball right into the mitt. She laughed at that. I just wanted her to feel better.
I was so proud of the girls at the end of the game when they found out that they had lost. There was no whining or grumbling or even sour faces. They were smiling. They said a loss was ok. What an outstanding bunch of girls. I even heard one of the parents tell them that they didn't want to be like the Patriots - have an undefeated season and then blow it on the big one :) On the way home I told my girls that I was very proud of them for the way that they had acted when they lost. I told them you win some and you lose some. And it doesn't matter which you do as long as you do it gracefully and with class. And that is exactly how these girls do it. I was especially proud of Skylar when she said that it didn't matter if they won or not - all that mattered was that they could play the game. Well said kid!
It was quite a nite. During all of this I was going back and forth between games. All of the kids played tonite. I need to clone myself! Jordan's team got another win and Shae took out her coach. He pitched to her and she took a good swing and hit him with the ball. Poor guy - happens to him at least once a game. No more games until Saturday but I'm sure a few practices will be thrown in somewhere. What a nite!Labels: kids, sports
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Beauty Queen
I love taking pictures of the kids. I love getting their pictures taken professionally. I haven't had them done in a studio in quite some time so I decided to take Hadlei and get hers done since I hadn't since she was about 15 months. I will get to the other kids soon as well as to a group picture - which ought to be a ton of fun. She had a bunch of different poses done and I have posted some of them. She is just the cutest little thing! My gram says that she looks a lot like Dakotah did at that age and she's right. I hadn't really noticed it before but they both have that pudgy little round face. She also told me that I should try to get her into modeling for magazines or catalogs. I'm not too sure I want to get into that world. Anyway I hope you like the pix!
!Labels: kids
