Rest in Peace

Grandpa

1933-2007

DH's father passed away on Sunday. Grandpa was a wonderful man, who served in the Air Force, raised three children, worked hard to support his family, had a strong relationship with Jesus, and was married to his loving wife for 45 years. He was the role model for my husband, who is now passing the legacy of good, strong, loving men on to our boys. I thank God for his life, for his love, and for the parts of him that live on in my husband and my boys. May he rest in peace.

Pre-halloween happenings

The big day is near. I am not going to post a spoiler about the boys' costumes, since Josh wants his kept a secret. I will, however, share a few things with you...

We had our "dress rehearsal" on Friday evening as we attended the Halloween Party for the local deaf/hard of hearing community. We took along one of my students, who had a great time. It was fun to watch my two play "mother hen" to this little guy. Very heart warming. Several other of my current students and even a future stuent was there as well. I love seeing families outside of school. It helps build a sense of comraderie.

After the Halloween party at school, we are headed over to a friend's house. I plan on trick-or-treating for a glass of wine while the boys are roaming the streets in search of candy. I'll post pictures after the festivies are over. (May not be until next week)

A fall from grace...

Last week, I had been almost to the point of a panic attack (a la Tony Soprano) due to the stress of, not one, but two large assignments due just a day apart. I was especially vulnerable at church, maybe because that is the one place it is most difficult to hide your true emotions. Anyway, stress may be one of the contributors to the dizzy spell that led to my fall down the stairs.

Yes, you read that right. My un-graceful self fell head-first down five stairs. In front of about 10 people. Including Jake. Who laughed at his mother. Laying on the floor, in a daze. Shins bleeding from scraping down the stairs. Crying, from pain, embarrassment, and the like.

Yep, he laughed. Guess he really is my kid. 'Cause I bet it was pretty funny. I even managed to throw my water bottle and hit the window. That may have been his favorite part.

My back, knee (yes, the right one, the one that caused me to be in physical therapy for a month), arm, ribs, head, shins and places on my body that I didn't even know existed, hurt for several days. Along with my pride. Everything seems to be healing. Even my ego.

It's over...

The Diamondbacks swept our Cubbies in the NLDS. Josh was rooting hard for his team. Appartently, one rally cap was not enough...

Unfortunately, three caps didn't do the trick :(

Jake-The Ringer

Saturday was a busy day for young Jake. Since Josh's soccer team was going to be short a few players, his coach asked Jake if he would play up with the 5-6 grade team. This game was at 9:00, and Jake's game would start at 10:10, so he could do both. Jake and Daddy decided that this was a good idea, so the plan was set.



The weather was very warm, with the high for the day projected to be in the 90's. Jake played a great game, considering how much bigger the other team was.

Case in point

He had a couple of break aways, and really was not intimidated at all, even when face to face with kids much bigger. I was so proud...he really put his heart into the game and showed that he could hold his own with the "big kids"

Josh marvelled the crowd with that amazing foot work he is famous for. At one point, I remember screaming "That's my boy!" I could watch him do that all day.

After Josh's game was over, we headed across the street to Jake's game. Apparently, it started early, even though some of the players had not arrived. Needless to say, Jake was a little tired, but he put all he had into the game. He did get some time in goal, which gave him a little rest.

Jake parting the Red Sea

Haircuts

So, picture day is next week, so haircuts were on tonight's agenda. I took the boys and their friend Kyle to the mall to get dinner and hair cuts. Since they did not want to lose all of their "long" hair, Tammy just trimmed them up and made them look a little less like Shaggy.

Now to find clothes mom and boys can agree on.....(just shoot me now!)

A quick update...

Well, the physical therapy is doing the job. No surgery needed at this point!!!! YEAH!

Jake's Birthday

Jake is nine. How did that happen? Seems like just yesterday he was my baby. Now, he walks to school, talks with friends on the phone, and gets an allowance. Where did time go?

A few soccer pics...

Here are a few pics from recent soccer games:


Is he praying???


Action shot




the caption says it all!


does he look a little short?

As always, thanks to Alan for the Josh pictures.

It has been so long!

Once the school year got rolling, all of my blogging time was sucked away! Here is a quick update....

• no more A to Z words.....I guess that "cervix" was enough!
• I started physical therapy yesterday...ouch! But, the electro-shock thing she did at the end was nice. I think I'll have her stick electrodes all over my back next time...it was like a massage:)
• The boys each won their respective soccer games last Saturday...YEAH! Josh is playing on a bigger field, and was really worn out. Jake spent parts of both halves in as goalie.
• Jake's room is finally beginning to look like a room....he has a rug! We picked out a new comforter and rug for his room. In order to get them, the deal was that we had to clean his room. Much easier on him than on mommy. The computer desk (the desktop) is in his room, and mommy and daddy have a bad habit of using it and leaving a mess. So, I cleaned that and made DH file paperwork.
• It was a good thing that we cleaned Jake's room on Saturday, since our modem went out on Sunday, and the cable guy had to install a new one. I wasn't too embarrassed, since the room was pretty clean.
• I have an incredible student teacher this fall. I could get used to having someone who works this hard around on a regular basis :)
• classes are going well, so far. I'm sure my opinion will change when I have to do more homework.
• I finally got fed up and had my hair cut short again! I had grown it out, since DH has said on a number of occasions that he prefers long hair. I just never felt comfortable in long hair....it's not my personality. So, after a chick butchered it a few weeks ago, I had a different hair dresser fix it. She had to go pretty short to even up the mess left by the other lady. I really was much happier with the shorter cut...I felt more me. So,m it was time for a trim, so I had her "go all the way". I am SO happy!

That's all for now. I will try to post some of Jake's bday and some soccer pictures later.

busty....cervix.....dew?

these are the words my son came up with for his homework. They are doing "A to Z". On day one, they did words that start with a and end in z, then words that begin with b and end with y, begin with c and end in x. They are allowed to use a dictionary. Tomorrow will be words that begin with d and end in w. So, what words will he come up with next???

When Jake came up with "busty" I explained that it meant a woman with really big breasts. So he decided to not use it. DH was home with the kids tonight while I was at class. He told me about Jake finding the word cervix. He did not have Jake eliminate it from his homework. He felt like the teacher needed to see that one. I asked him if he defined the word for Jake. Nope--he looked it up in the dictionary, there is a definition there. As if Jake would understand that, LOL! It may be just what his teacher needs to realize what a strange homework assignment it is. Though, it is better than the word scrambles she sent home where she wrote the wrong letters on the board.

My summer is over :(

I headed back to work on Wednesday. While I really do love my job, I am so sad to see summer end. My classroom is coming together, but there are still a few things that have to be done. Since I co-teach, everything has to be mutually agreed upon, which takes longer than when I taught on my own. It's like having two cooks in the kitchen. Not only do you have to decide on the recipe, but also on how well-done to cook it, whether to add nuts, etc. Definitely a unique challenge.

The boys do not have to go back until next Wednesday, so they are enjoying a last few days of fun. In fact, they are at an overnight back to school party. I will pick them up around 3, so I have a little time to myself. I plan to clean the house a little, and maybe get into my classroom too. Later tonight, the boys and I are heading to the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival (if the weather holds out) to see a Mark Harris concert.

I saw the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. I actually have two cysts in my knee, one on the front and one in the meniscus. In addition, there is damage (strain?) to my hamstring, which appears to be causing most of the pain. I start physical therapy soon to work on the hamstring. Once some healing happens there, then we can further evaluate if anything needs to be done with the cysts.

MRI results

I have a cyst in my knee. I will see the orthopedic specialist next week.

Poor thing...

Great-great-great Aunt Mary fell at the nursing home today and broke her hip. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow.

Time to wake up!

Jake received a long coveted alarm clock from Grandma and Grandpa G. for his birthday (an early present, since we were visiting last weekend). He set it for 7:00 a.m.

He was so upset this morning...he woke up before his alarm, LOL!

Soccer has started

We have begun the delicate dance of soccer practice/mommy going to class/daddy has to work. Please let me make it through this season....

They're back

the students. You can tell that U of I will be starting soon. You can't get anywhere without fighting the traffic. Yuck! Good-bye quiet.

Without further ado....

pictures of our remodeled bathroom! First, a couple of reminders of where we started...

And now for the "new" bathroom:

Finally!

Just a quick update...

to proudly announce the arrival of 2 more A's on my transcript!!! So far I have received all A's for my graduate coursework :)

Another Knee Update

OK, so the Xrays were negative....no arthritis. So, now the theory is possibly a Baker's cyst or ligament damage, or both. An MRI is scheduled for next week.

A few pics from the Dells....

Inside Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not Museum...(note the snake right next to DH's hand)

What has the waitress done???? Giving the boys their own pitcher of root beer????

The boys loved having their own table at Pizza Villa...

This is where Jon and I wanted to go, but thought it might not be appropriate for the minions. Wonder if they have a gift shop????

Wizard Quest--tons of fun! Here are our little "minions" with the dragon and the wizard.

We had such a great time. Big thanks to Jon and Dawn, our hosts, and to Dale, for driving.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 15th wedding anniversary :)

Knee update

or, not really. I got in to see the physician's assistant since my doctor is at the hospital all week seeing patients there. She had xrays done and gave two theories- arthritis or ligament injury. She prescribed strong anti-inflammatory meds and will follow up when the xrays are back.

Graduation

I have completed the Auditory/Oral Graduate Specialist certificate program at Illinois State University. While I still have two more years until my masters is finsihed, I am glad to have met this milestone. They had a little graduation ceremony and reception on Tuesday, following our last class. Here is a picture of our graduating class:

Lobsters

No, it's not what we ate, it's what we look like. Apparently 30 SPF wasn't enough for our trip to the water park yesterday. I am especially tender on my upper thighs (where my skin would normally be covered by shorts). The boys are still asleep, so I'll have to wait and see how bad they're skin is when they wake up.

We are at our dear friends, the Jensens, for a long weekend. They live near the Wicsonsin Dells, so we spent a long day at Noah's Ark water park yesterday.

http://www.noahsarkwaterpark.com/

We had a great time!!! I kept up pretty well (remember the knee?) but decided to sit out the final activity--mini golf. The hills and stairs were really hard, but the rides and the company were so wonderful that it was worth it.

Today we will be heading back to the Dells for more fun.

On the road again....

Tomorrow we leave for another busy week on the road. Monday, I have class in Normal, then DH and the boys will pick me up. We will drive to the in-laws house, where I leave the men in my life behind. I then head Monday night to the Chicago area to stay with others from my grad program. Tuesday's class is in Des Plaines. Tuesday after class I head back out to the in-laws. We'll hang around there Wednesday, then head up to Wisconsin on Thursday to visit with the Jensen family. We will be heading home on Sunday.

Sounds like a very busy week, yet managable. Would be more managable if I have not (possibly) torn a ligament or tendon in my knee! How? I have no idea. ALl I know is that my knee started hurting yesterday. It was so painful this morning that I went to convenient care. The doctor thinks that there is either a torn ligament or tendon involved. Recommendations are to stay off the leg all together (HAHAHAHA!) use a knee brace to stabilize, and to use crutches (yeah, right). I'm ok on the brace thing, but crutches--you have got to be kidding me. You think I am a clutz on two feet, just hand me a pair of crutches and watch me take gracelessness to a whole new level!

I will have to follow up with my regular doctor, and probably an orthopedic doctor, when we get back. In the mean time, my knee brace is really sexy! Poor DH will not be able to resist, LOL!

Quiet night at home

OK, DH and the boys are in Peoria at a baseball game. I have the house all to myself. I cleaned a bit this afternoon, so the house is somewhat in order. I have a big project to finish for my class on Monday (ok, the truth is that the project is not actually due until next Friday, but since we are leaving for "vacation"--a few days at the in-laws then a few days with friends in Wisconsin) I really need to finish it this weekend. So, what did I spend the last hour doing?? Cleaning the laundry/scrap room. Is that getting my project done??? Nope. Why am I procrastinating?? There is absolutely no reason. So, for the next hour, I shall work non-stop. Maybe I will get far enough into it that I will be on a roll.

Psst...

(the grout is done...and it is SO pretty!)

Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee

that's what I am going to call Josh. He made lunch today. I have been wanting to teach him how to do a few things in the kitchen. So, today I coached him through making Kraft Mac & Cheese. He did really well, and was very proud of himself.

A side note: the grout is half done! That was about all my hands could handle. Maybe we will finish tonight. It looks so good! Getting closer :)

A few updates....

Class update:
I have 2 more days of class!!!! I have one big project to type up this weekend and a final essay next Tuesday, but, all in all, I have survived! I was a bit apprehensive entering this summer's classes, considering how stressed out I was during the practicum. It turned out to be quite tolerable, and I have learned a lot. I feel much more confident than I did a month ago.

Next week, I have class as usual on Monday, then the last class on Tuesday is in Des Plaines, where the large majority of our class is. There will be regular classes, then a "reception" of some sorts to celebrate our group's completion of the program. I am feeling a bit ambivalent about this part of the program ending. As of Tuesday, I will have my Graduate Specialist Certificate in Auditory/Oral Development. While I am happy to be done with this leg of the journey (I still have quite a bit of time before my master's degree is done), I am reluctant to leave behind a bit part of what has defined me for the last year. Something to ponder.....

Bathroom Update:
All of the tile is up!!!! I will be grouting this weekend, so that it can cure while we are gone on our trip to Wisconsin. When we get home, I will have to seal the grout, put in the trim, and add the finishing touches (towel bar, toilet paper holder, etc.) and it will be finished! It has been such a LONG process, but it is so beautiful that I do not regret the decision to remodel. I just can't wait to shower in there again!!!

Miscellaneous:
The boys are doing well. While they won't admit it, I think they are ready to go back to school. I sure know that I am ready for them to go back! Josh in particular has been more moody than usual. As I look back, the same thing happened to him last year at this time.

Thank God for our dear friends Beth, Kristen, Mary, Jeannie, Christie and Tracey, who have really been a blessing watching the boys while I have been in class. We could not ask for a better group of friends. You know when they say it takes a village to raise a child, it's true. I am so blessed to have such a supportive village around us.

The men are home

from their visit with the grandparents. Grandpa has made it to the nursing home to recouperate a little before going home. Apparently he looks like his old self...much improved over the last time I saw him.

We are plugging along with the tiling. It should be complete before leaving for Wisconsin. I am hoping and praying we can get it done.

I can tell that I am stressed...my joints are aching. I haven't had such pain in a long while (probably since the week from he*#...oops...I mean spring break). I don't know how I will manage to sit through class tomorrow. Prayers are definately in order.

A quiet evening at home

DH and the boys headed up for a couple of days withthe grandparents (grandpa is finally out of the hospital!), so I am left with a perfectly quiet house. Too bad I have all of this homework to do :(

I did manage to spend a little time shopping for things for the bathroom. The tile is very close to being done, and I can definately see have the grout done by the time we leave next Monday. Once we return, all we will have to do is seal the grout, and we will be DONE!

I only have five more days of class left. It is bearable, but the changing of assignments makes me crazy. One assignment was eliminated, which means less work, but I do not think that my fellow students have realized that now all of our other assignments carry more weight for our grade. Then, to be emailed more reading on Saturday night is crazy. The syllabus should be set before the class begins. Don't get me started about my case study. It is supposed to be a project done with a partner, but since there is no one else in this part of the state, I have to do mine by myself....what the heck?!?! Not fair!

Ok...no more whining, back to homework.

Progress...

has been slow, but I have accomplished a lot in the past few days. The tile tub surround is about half done. Once all of the tile is up, we will still have to grout, wait for it to cure, then seal it before we can use it. While all of that work is still looming, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have finished five days (of 13) of my summer classes. I have to finish a midterm essay tonight, but am well on my way to getting it done. I guess I had better get to work.

Oh, to be the mother of boys...

means listening to a conversation about who's feet stink more. To get to the bottom of that answer, naturally, they must smell each others' feet, then describe the smell ("It's like 5 day old rotten eggs," Jake said). Now, this conversation wasn't just between my two children. Keep it in the family? Oh no...you must involve the neighbor boys from down the street. If their mom only knew, she'd never let them come back!

Now, you not only can use the toilet...

you can wash your hands too!!! I put in the vanity, sink, faucet and vanity light, and DH put in the cabinet and mirror when he got home. Now, the to do list consists of....

• tiling the tub surround (the biggest job)
• sealing the grout
• staining and installing the trim
• choosing and installing the towel bars, etc.

We're getting there...

Day 4 (of 13)

I survived one more day. I carpooled with another student and it sure made the day go faster.

I exchanged the bathroom faucet and have installed the new one. I will have to connect the water lines and drain pipe tomorrow. In between doing homework, naturally.

Jake has been acting like he is completely exhausted all evening. I hope he is not getting sick.

I've been tagged

Cheri on SBA tagged me with this question:

If you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship in a company or field completely unrelated to your current career or specialty, what would be your top 5 choices?

1. Photographer- I love to take photos.
2. Medicine- probably an ob.
3. Writer- maybe a nwespaper reporter.
4. Chef- I like to cook, and would love to be able to create like a real chef.
5. Contractor- I enjoy home improvement projects...I'd love to have the right tools and know-how to really do a big project.

I guess that's it. Pretty diverse list. Thanks for the tag, Cheri. It's my first!

Day 3 (of 13)

Well, actually it is the morning of day 4. Today it was much harder to get up. I dropped the kids off at Beth's at 7:00 and hit the road to Mahomet to pick up Kari. I finally have someone to carpool with!! Yesterday went well, and I got home in time to work on the bathroom sink. Naturally, there was a broken piece in the faucet box, so I couldn't complete the job. I'll have to head out to Lowe's tonight.

Well, class is starting, so I gotta go.

Do you hear that?????

It's the sound of my toilet flushing!!!! We installed the toilet tonight! WOO HOO! No more running to the basement just to go potty.

Today was much quieter than yesterday. We went to church this morning. We went to the early service since I had to interpret. After church we headed home so that I could do homework. I kept falling to sleep, so I got up baked DH a cherry pie to welcome him home.

I am fading fast tonight. It is early, but I feel exhausted. Think I'll head to bed. Good night.

Sometimes, you just can't make this stuff up!

What a day! So, if you read the last post, you know that the boys and I successfully grouted the bathroom floor. After such a successful accomplishment, I felt like they needed a little reward. So, I planned with Tracey that we would take all the boys to see Ratatouille--4:50 p.m. showing.

Gracie was in desperate need of a bath, so I made her an appointment at PetSmart for a bath (since we still cannot use our tub and she's too big to bathe her in the sink or shower.) About 3:40, we all climb in the car to take Gracie to her appointment. Once I got in the car, I realized that I did not have my house key. We were locked out of the house. Which would not be a big deal if DH was not out of town. So, I figured I really did not have to worry about "breaking in" to our house until after the movie, I just put it in the back of my mind. Something to deal with later.

After dropping Gracie off, we ran to Walmart for a few things before going to the movies. We arrived at the theater about 20 minutes early, so we did the bathroom thing and hung out in the lobby, waiting for Tracey. The boys used the restroom, then headed to the arcade games. While they were hanging out, I took my turn in the restroom. Once finished, I re-connected with the boys then noticed Tracey and her crew had arrived. As I made my way over to them, I realized that I had left my wallet laying on the toilet paper dispenser in the restroom. I ran to the restroom, checking the stall. It was gone! I ran back out to the main desk and asked if it had been turned in. Nope. By this point, I was shaking, not sure what to do. Tracey convinced me to at least call the police to report it missing and possibly find out where to call to alert the credit card company. I told the group to head on into the movie, and I would rejoin them after making a few phone calls. I found a lady who looked like she might be a manager and said, "My wallet has been stolen. May I use your phone book to get the phone number for the police?" She told me to wait a minute, that maybe it had been turned in. She asked me to describe it. She then went in the back and came out carrying my wallet! I started to cry and thanked her repeatedly. I wish I knew who turned it in so I could thank them.

OK, so the movie was really cute, and we picked up Gracie and headed for our locked house. I figured that there would be at least one unlocked window that we could get into. It took over windows to finally find one that was unlocked. Finally, we were in the house....long enough to make a grocery list and head to the grocery store.

Now, as I sit here and reflect on the day, watching Gracie lay there with that ridiculous bow on her collar (she is so not a bow kind of dog) I can't believe how bad my luck was today. Then again, I cannot believe how incredibly lucky I was today...everything worked out! Then again, luck has nothing to do with it. God was watching out for us today, and kept us safe, in spite of myself.

Think I will sign off now...I have some prayers of thanksgiving to work on....

Good night.

It's so pretty!!!!

The boys and I have finished grouting the bathroom floor!!!!! It looks so pretty. I just keep walking in and looking at it, thinking...I did that :) DH was at work, and I wanted to surprise him with the finished product when he came home at lunch. The boys were amazing helpers, changing the water and rinsing the sponges. From beginning to end, it took 2 hours. Not bad. I am treating the boys to a movie tonight for all of their hard work.

Sorry for the short post. Just had to share!!!

Day 2 (of 13)

Two down, 11 more to go!!! Today was kind of fun, since the girls from up north were here. It was nice to re-connect since we have not seen each other since May. You know how they say that you bond with people with whom you have shared a stressful, tramatic experience with? That is definately the case here. The practicum can definately be described as a tragic event in my life, LOL!

On another note, DH's dad continues to struggle. It seems as if every few days, something else goes wrong, and no improvement has been seen. Slowly, he is deteriorating. I don't know if the doctors will be able to find the answer, if there is an answer. I am so sad, but I can't imagine how DH's mom feels. His parents have been married for almost 45 years. They are so much in love and are just the cutest couple. Please pray for his health and her strength through this ordeal. Thank you.

DAY 1 (of 13)

I survived the first day of my summer classes. Like last summer, I have one class in the morning and one in the afternoon, 3 hours each. It looks like there will be a lot of homework. As an "ice breaker" (btw, I hate those things!) we had to describe one stategy we planned to use to get through the month. Going for a little humor, I said that I was planning to pay off my boys so I could do my homework. However, that may not be so much funny...it just may happen!

One of the major challenges I face is not the homework, it is finding people to watch the boys while I am in class. Tracey took her turn today, and Kristen will have the boys tomorrow. Next week won't be bad, but I still have to find coverage for Monday afternoon. Beth is planning on taking them on Tuesday, and DH is off on Thursday. So, you can see the balancing act is challenging. At least the boys are pretty well-behaved, so they don't wear out their welcome too soon.

As for the bathroom, things are plugging right along. The tile on the floor is all laid, and it looks great, and we haven't even grouted it yet! We will grout on Sunday, then seal maybe on Wednesday, and put in the toilet and sink next weekend. Things are slowly coming together. Considering the length of time this has taken, I have decided a different approach to planning and scheduling our next project. When I figure how much time it will take, I will multiply it by 10, since that is probably how long it will really take. Then, when I figure the cost, I will then double that, because it will cost at least that much more :)

The bathroom floor...

We are getting closer to getting the floor tiles down. We got back from our weekend on Monday about lunch time, and started on the floor. DH worked very hard on it most of the afternoon and evening. I helped, but had to pick up the dog, take the kids to swimming, etc.

Today, my goal is to cut the last two ornery tiles (very complicated cuts) and adhere the rest of the tiles. We'll see how that all goes....

Another Delay

Well, there has been yet another delay in the progress in the bathroom. DH's father (FIL) has been in the hospital for the past week. First, he was suffering from congestive heart failure. Then, his kidneys began to shut down. It seems that the medication used to treat the CHF has damaged his kidneys. He is beginning dialysis to give his kidneys a break, hoping that they will begin increasing function. He has contracted pneumonia, which is further complicating things. So, we are headed their way to relieve DH's mom (MIL) and lend a helping hand, as well as some distraction (the boys) for FIL.

Complicating their situation is Great-great-great Aunt Mary, who is 95 and lives with MIL and FIL. She needs assistance and supervision throughout the day. MIL has been caring for her for over a year now, in addition to caring for FIL's needs. At this point, the family has decided that Mary will need to go into a nursing home, at least for a while. So, we will be helping with that transition as well. MIL feels badly about the nursing home idea, but she has given Mary wonderful, loving care for the last year and a half, but now needs to focus on FIL.

Please pray for DH's family, that FIL begins to improve and that Mary handles the transition to the nursing home well.

A side project

I have finished painting the bathroom, so since I am waiting for the paint to dry, I decided to tackle another small project. The laundry room has become a disaster lately, and I need at least one area that is orderly. So, while I ordered the boys around to clean up their part of the basement, I re-organized the laundry room. We'll see how long that lasts.

Tonight is the first of two weeks of swimming lessons. After lessons, we will head to Jake's baseball picnic. Tomorrow I will be starting to tile the bathroom floor. One step closer....

Now that the tournament is over

life can return to "normal". Today we finished out British Soccer Camp, where Jake's team (Australia) won the "World Cup" competition. During the penalty kick portion, Jake was the goalie for his team, and he blocked the last shot, which won the competition!

We headed to Boston's for dinner to celebrate the wins from last night. We also bought paint for the bathroom. We are finally to the stage where we will begin "putting it back together". I hope to prime and paint this weekend so that the floor can go down next week. I am very anxious to get the toilet back in....running to the basement to use the bathroom is getting to be a drag!

Tomorrow is the first time in weeks that there has not been someplace where we have HAD to go. I will probably get groceries, but other than that, I can work around the house. I can't wait to get cranking on the bathroom!

Tournament Update

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

Both teams won their championship games!!!!!

Josh: Tournament report- 2nd edition

We won!!!! We're headed to the final game!!!!

I did not get to see Josh's game, since Jake was playing in the next town over. DH was at Josh's game, and I got regular updates from another parent. Apparently, Josh's pitching was nothing short of amazing. He threw 71 pitches, and only walked one batter (plus one batter that he hit). He went into the fourth inning, which is longer than any of our pitchers have ever thrown. Once, while at bat, he got hit by a pitch, in the butt, no less.

Josh's team plays tomorrow, same place as Jake's team.

I'm not sure I can take all of this excitement!

Jake: Tournament Report: 2nd Edition

We won!!!! We're headed to the final game!!!!!!

Jake hit every time he was up. He had two really awesome plays at second base, throwing out a runner at first and tagging the base for another out. We play tomorrow for the championship.

After the game, the coach treated them to Dairy Queen. What an awesome team!

Josh: Tournament report- 1st edition

Josh's team played their first tournament game tonight. The team was definitely not on their game. They barely squeezed in a win, 6-5. They play again tomorrow. It will be a juggling act, since Jake plays in St. Joe and Josh plays here in Urbana. Another report to come tomorrow.

P.S. Somehow, I managed to catch a cold. Or maybe I am allergic to drywall mud....

Jake: Tournament Report, 1st edition

Tonight was Jake's first tournament game. His team won 25-5. Jake played a great game. He hit 4 for 4. Two of those hits were triples!! The bases were loaded for his first triple. It would have been a grand slam, if the other runners had been a little faster. All in all, a great game (though I feel bad for the other team).

Josh had a bye tonight, so he'll play tomorrow night.

In other sports news, the boys started British Soccer Camp today. I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. The bathroom is coming along. I am currently finishing the drywall joints.

Our knight in shining armor....

has arrived! Dale is here! The bathroom sub floor is replaced, the tub is in, and the drywall is going up. Things are moving along well, and we couldn't be happier.

The boys had their last regular season baseball games last night. Both teams won. DH was working, so Dale went with me as we crisscrossed town to see the games, which were at two different locations. I did not time it very well, so we missed most of Jake's game. He hit 3 for 4, which was great!

Josh, my sports prodigy, had another great game. I didn't get to see him pitch, as I was at Jake's game. He didn't pitch a whole inning, which is strange, since he usually can go a couple of innings. He says that the other team was scoring because the defense was not backing him up, but I realize that is his perspective. I did not hear from the coach about his thoughts.

The last inning, Josh caught two line drives right in a row to get the last two outs. Pretty exciting.

So, next week the tournament begins. Both teams are pretty good, and they have a good chance of getting pretty far. Which means that many more games for me to go to...oh well. It's only one more week.

Kids and sports

Last night both boys had baseball games. Jake's game was a practice game,so it did not count for their record. Therefore, I spent most of my time at Josh's game.

Hitting has never been Josh's strong point, though this season has gone much better than last season. But, as you know, defense is as important as offense, and Josh excells in defense. His two regular positions are second base and pitcher. Josh has this sixth sense about sports. It is almost like he knows where the ball will go before it makes contact. Then, there is his deep understanding of the stratgey of the game. Most kids who catch a pop up have stop and think where they should throw it for the double play. Not Josh. He seems to automatically know what to do to make the best play. Last night, he caught a ball for the first out, then winged it to home for the double play, preventing the runner from scoring. I think if you could see inside his thought process, you'd see a diagram of the field, the placement of players, etc. Several years ago, his coach described him as the most analytical player he has ever coached. Hits the nail right on the head.

Last night, Josh also caught a great line drive at second for the out. Then, at the end of the game, when we needed one more out to win, the pitcher was struggling, big time. He couldn't get anything near the strike zone. The coach put Josh in, and the hitter stuck out. The game was over, and we won.

I love to watch my kids play sports. I have never been a true sports fan, in the sense that I would choose to watch a game as my choice leisure time. When it comes to my boys, however, I could watch them play anything. They amaze me. And they are mine.

Monday ramblings....

Kind of a busy day here for me. DH headed back to work after 11 days off, so I was sad to see him go. I made a pact with myself that I would be productive this week and not lay around in pj's all day. So, I started by getting myself and the boys going this morning. I had a few things to drop off for my students at summer school, then took Josh to basketball camp in Champaign. He goes everyday this week, for one hour, forty five minutes. He seemed ot like it. He didn't know anyone there, but said he made a few new friends.

While he was at camp, Jake and I did a little shopping around on that side of town--Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, etc. I have been wanting to get rid of the flower arrangements on the top of my cabinets, since they are so hard to keep clean. So, I found a few things to replace the flowers. Now I will need to come up with something new for curtains....sooner rather than later. The sun is killing me in the evenings.

Jack (Josh's best buddy) came over after camp, since his mom has to work one more week before summer break. He ended up staying over night. His grandmother is having surgery today (she's been in the hospital with heart problems since last week) so his mother headed out to be with her. It was nice to have Jack here to play with Jake while Josh was at baseball practice. Jack is just like one of the family. He just fits in. He is really great with Jake, like with Josh was at practice. It wasn't like he was "stuck" with the little brother. They play really well together.

I have been cleaning out and purging today. I went through the bathroom stuff and my bedroom and threw out a bunch of garbage. I have to get the house in presentable order before Wednesday, when Dale arrives. So, instead of just cleaning, I am decluttering too.

Enough ramblings....good night.

We never knew how valuable Gameboys are....

Until both boys failed to charge them before a long car trip. We just returned from a three day trip to Cinncinati and Louisville. We had a blast, and I will share pictures soon.

On the way down, Jake's Gameboy battery died. Shortly after, Josh's died as well. And neither child remembered to pack a charger! Amazingly, both boys, as well as Mom and Dad, survived the trip with no casualties, despite the lack of anything for the children to do.

P.S. Recently, while preparing for a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, I let the children pack their own clothes. I checked their bags before leaving, and that was a good thing...Jake would not have had anything more than three pajama tops and one pair of shorts. Guess now I will have to check their toy bag, too.

Bad news..

While cleaning up the dust from the bathroom demo, I discovered that the subfloor had some significant water damage, and would therefore have to be replaced. The really unfortunate part of all of this is that we have NO IDEA how to do this. Therefore, we sent out a plea for help to our dear friend Dale, who agreed to join us next week to help us take care of the problem. Dale is a high school buddy of Ken's. He has his own contracting business, and was the one who replaced our windows after we bought this house. While we are very disappointed about this setback, we are excited to have Dale visit for a few days.

Jake's end of the year picnic

I took the afternoon off to go to Jake's end-of-the-school-year picnic. It threatened rain all afternoon, and the temperature was a bit on the low side, but that did not stop the kids from having a good time. Water fun was a big part of the afternoon, with super soakers and water balloons.

One fun game was finding a piece of gum in a pile of powdered sugar. Apparently, this is a tradition for the third grade teachers. It's kind of like bobbing for apples....Here is Jake....



He can't have bubble gum due to his orthodontia, so he ended up with pop rocks....



It looked like so much fun that Belinda (Jake's best friend's mom) and I had to get into the action.....



(That's me on the left :)

Unfortunately, Jake missed the instructions to not inhale. So, he spent about 5 minutes coughing after breathing in a bunch of powdered sugar.

All in all, a fun time was had by all. The best part...it was the last full day of school.

Bathroom Remodel...

Yesterday was the first official day of the bathroom remodel. In the past two days, we have removed the tub, sink, and the ugly green tile from the walls. Now we need to get the place cleaned up so that the new drywall and tile backer can be put up. I am so excited about being able to redo the bathroom. Here are the before pictures...










But, there has been a stall in the construction...due to Josh's sleepover. Now, why would one plan a sleepover during a large project such as this???? We didn't!!! Josh managed to invite over two different kids for a sleepover without asking us first. Yes, I was mad at first, but, considering what a genuinely good kid Josh is, I decided to let him go ahead with the plan. I did, however, drill it into his head to NEVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

Jake is at a friend's house, and will be joining us later in the evening. While the boys hypnotize themselves in front of the PlayStation, DH and I will be removing the rest of the drywall.

BTW, thanks for the congrats on the grade....I am SO HAPPY!!!!!

The votes are in.....

and my grade for my practicum is an......



A!

now, back to regularly scheduled programming.....

OK, now the story of the rental truck...

I mentioned a few posts ago that we had picked up the bathtub since we had the rental truck. Here is the backstory on life throwing us lemons, and how we made a little lemonade....

I took Thursday off to study and work on practicum assignments (ok, I called in sick...shhhh!) DH was off as well, and decided that he would go get the oil changed in my car. That sounded like a great idea to me, since it would get him out of my hair for a while. About 10:15, he called and asked if I was dressed. The answer, of course, was no, since studying is best done in pajamas. He requested that I get dressed and head to Wal-mart to pick him up, since my car needed to be towed to the dealership for repairs.

WHAT!?!?! Yep, once again, Walmart (during the last oil change) had overtightened the plug to the oil pan. Last time that happened, I just had to take it someplace else to have the plug removed and replced. This time, however, in their effort to remove the overtightened plug, had completely stripped the threads on the oil pan, which meant that the whole pan had to be replaced. Walmart's insurance would completely cover the cost of the tow and repair. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that I had to be at ISU for my final, and DH had to get the boys to their baseball games that night. And now we were down to one vehicle. Well, as luck would have it, Walmart's insurance would pay for a rental car, too. Great!

One problem....it was U of I's graduation weekend. The insurance would only cover $30 per day. There were no cars in Champaign-Urbana left in that price range, due to the large number of people coming to town for graduation. After waiting at Walmart for 1 1/2 hours while the manager tried to find us a car, they finally decided to upgrade us and pay for the difference. We were sent down to the airport to pick up a car, which ended up being a Ford F150, which has the perfect sized bed to haul home a bathtub. Therefore, we would not have to rent a truck to haul one home for our future bathroom remodel.

So, that is my story of making a little lemonade...

**A side note: Walmart went out of their way to be helpful and, while they may have an emplyee who apparently does not know how to tighten oil pan plugs, they took care of everything 100%.

A plan for a blissful weekend...

This is the first weekend since January that I have absolutely NO HOMEWORK. And to add to the specialness of the weekend, DH is off. So, I am hoping for a weekend of pure bliss!

Tonight: retirement party for a co-worker, whic meant that I got home too late to fix dinner and DH had ordered pizza; planted some glads out beside the house; planning on heading to the scrap desk later

Tomorrow: sleep in(!); take Gracie to the vet; cook out for lunch; send boys off to Corwin's birthday party in the evening; dinner out (a date!) with DH; shopping at Lowe's for our new vanity and tile for the bathroom

Sunday: church, scrap, clean, work outside, etc.

So, now that I have a lovely plan for my weekend, what do you think will go wrong?!?!?! Stay tuned to find out.....

Grades are in.....

for my Thursday night class, and I got an



A

As for my practicum, the jury is still out. There is some discussion on what kind of points are being given, what counts for credit and what does not. Since this is the first time this program has been offered, there is no precedent set for grading. Hopefully, the grades will be available soon. Right now, my supervisor says my work is A work, but she is not sure that she can give me credit for everything I completed. Unfortunately, now is a little late for me to find that out, since I cannot change/complete alternate assignments. We'll see how things will work out.

Happy Days are Here Again!

OK, so, after a little retail therapy, a movie night with my boys, and a good night sleep, I am definately recovering from the post tramatic stress of the semester. After consulting with my dear friend Tracy, I took her suggestion of retail therapy. The boys were somewhat tolerant of my plan, especially since I bought them ice cream at the mall.

I had promised the boys last week that we would rent Night at the Museum this weekend. We set aside Sayurday night for the movie. It was really cute. Much better than Everyone's Hero, which we rented last weekend. I missed about 15 minutes of the movie, however, when I choked on a piece of candy. I was terrified that I would not be able to get it out on my own. I was about a minute short of telling the boys to call 911 and go get a neighbor when I finally was able to breathe again. Now my chest, ribs, and back are sore from all of the coughing, but at least I'm alive.

Mother's Day was a fun, simple day. We went to church, then met Tracy and her boys at Red Lobster for lunch. Ken was working, so it made perfect sense. Tracy finally gave me my birthday present (yes, my birthday is in January, LOL!), but I am so glad she waited. It was a Red Lobster gift card (the irony, I know) and the new Jodi Picoult book. As she pointed out, now that the semester is over, I have time to read it! After lunch, the boys and I bought flowers and groceries, and spent the rest of the day working in the yard, cleaning the house, and just hanging out.

DH and the boys gave me a gift card to Christopher and Banks, which I will have the time to spend this weekend, when Ken is off, and I have no homework to do! Are you seeing a trend here? Also Saturday night has been set aside for bathroom remodeling shopping. The boys are going to a birthday party, so DH and I will be having dinner out, then buying the vanity, tile, etc. for the bathroom. The demo begins in just a few weeks. The bathtub is already in the garage; we picked it up while we had the rental truck. Now that is a story for another day.

The light at the end of the tunnel....

I am finally there. I have arrived to the official end of the semester. I have been working feverishly for the last few days to complete the assisgnments. I just emailed the last one off a few minutes ago.

I thought I'd be giddy, jumping up and down for joy. So, why am I sitting here, with a major headache, coming down from the rush of cranking out the work. I have no desire to move, much less go out and celebrate.

Hopefully a few hours of relaxing will help my mood.


But, the important thing is...

It's over!

My Final is OVER!!!

One more thing to cross of the to-do list!

Now, to finish my practicum requirements.....

Baseball

Here are a few pics from Josh's recent baseball game....





At second base...



At bat....

Isn't he cute?

Soccer Updates

Soccer season is soon to come to a close. It is by far my favorite sport to watch them play, so I am sad to see it end. Here are a few pics from recent games....

Here is our wonderful photographer, Alan.

Jake as goalie...with those gloves, looking a little like Mickey Mouse.

I included this picture to show you where we play...on the park district fields, right behind he county jail (hence the fence and barbed wire)

Jake and his friend Rosie.

KICK!

Run, Josh, Run!

It's DONE!

While it may not be the last assignment I need to finish this semester, my huge project for my Thursday night class is......


DONE!

And, before 2:00 a.m. on the day it is due!

On to the next item on the to-do list....

Do you hear it?

Chug, Chug Chug, up the hill I go....

I think I can, I think I can....

I can almost see the top of the hill....

A beautiful Sunday Morning

and what am I doing? HOMEWORK :( DH and the boys went up to visit his family, but I had to stay behind to finish all of these overwhelming projects. I made good headway yesterday, and hope to be pretty well finished with my big one today. While I wish I had the chance to spent the weekend with the family, the peace and quiet has helped boost my productivity. Two more weeks, and classes will be over.

I feel like the little engine that could....


I think I can.....


I think I can......


I think I can......

Two words.....stomach flu

Nuff said :(

baseball pics...

I was not able to be at Josh's game until the very end, since I was at Jake's game. I snapped this pic as we were waiting for Josh's coach to arrive. He had 2 hits and a walk. The team won, by a lot, but I didn't catch the score.....




I was able to see all of Jake's game. They lost 9-11 to St. Joe. Jake was 1 for 3, hitting a single midway through the game. He made an awesome play at pitcher, too.

My AHA! moment

or my DUH! moment, depending on your perspective. I have misplaced the cord that links my camera to my computer. So, I have not uploaded pictures in a while. (Alan has enabled me by supplying his). So, now that baseball season has started, I thought it was time to remedy the situation. So, I searched all over last night to no avail. So, I headed out to Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. to see if a replacement can be purchased. It would have to be ordered directly from Kodak, was the answer I got. But, another option, a card reader, seemed reasonable. Then, the Circuit City guy said something that made me take pause.....his computer has an integrated card reader! Heck, my laptop is less than a year old, maybe it has one, too! So, I headed home to check it out. Sure enough.....I have an integrated card reader! Problem solved! DUH!

So, the next post will include a few pics....

One more thing crossed off the "to do" list..

That's really how my life is structured at this point. One big "to do" list. I survive by crossing off one thing after another, watching the list dwindle. Yesterday, I crossed off my last seminar up north. Today, the boys and I crossed off another item on the list...

SELLING 80 CANDY BARS FOR LITTLE LEAGUE!

OK, I had already sold about 15, so 65 were left. In one hour, twenty minutes, we got them all sold. Actually, it wasn't hard. How could someone say no to those two cuties. Plus, when Mom goes along and stands in the road while the kids sell, how can one turn away a $1 candy bar? No, I don't go along to guilt people into buying; I'm there for safety. But, if it helps the candy sell, so be it.

OK, on to some homework, the next thing on my to do list....

Back from Chicago...

My last trip to Chicago for seminar is finished! It was such a beautiful day, and being cooped up ina car and in a conference room with no windows was not what I had listed for fun today. Sure, the first really nice day of weather we have for a soccer game, and I miss it. But, I got the report from DH and it sounds like both boys had a good game, each scoring a goal. The final score was 7-1.

Baseball season has begun. Jake's team had a practice game on Friday night. They won! The first official game for both boys is on Monday. Jake plays in St. Joseph and Josh plays at home. Life really gets crazy when baseball games start, since the boys play on different teams. Hopefully we will be able to pull it off. Thursdays will be especially challanging for DH, since I'll be at class. Hopefully, we will be able to pull this off, without losing the children...or our minds.

Thursday was my IEP day at work. I had 8 meetings that day. I was at school until 11:15 the night before,making sure all of the paperwork was just right. I have one more meeting to schedule, but that one should be an easy one. Therefore, the most stressful part of the spring semester is over for me at work, which will allow me to concentrate on college stuff.

My last trip....

to the Chicago area for my graduate seminar is today. Yes, I should be in the shower getting ready, rather than blogging. I just felt the need to log on and share my happiness! I do have seminar in May, but that one is in Normal.....a little more than a one hour drive. Doesn't compare to the three hours to Chicago. So, if I find the time tonight, I'll check back in and let you all know what's going on.

A few pictures from the soccer game

Again, thanks to Alan for his great photography (and his willingness to share)...

Here are a few of the many great moments Josh had yesterday...

One of his 4 goals...

and one of his break-aways...

Thanks again, Alan!

The soccer game from he@#!

What a morning! The ground was damp when we woke up, and the rain had only begun. We bundled up with multiple layers, grabbed our umbrellas, and headed out. Josh was wearing so many layers that he looked like he was wearing football pads (too bad he wasn't; more details on that below). I made a hot cup of coffee, hoping that would warm me from the inside out. By the end of the first quarter, it was ice cold, just like the rain that steadily fell throughout the entire game.

Thanks to the wet grass, Jake had a hard time staying on his feet. He had mud on his backside even before the game began. Of course, he probably would have been on his feet more had sliding across the grass not been quite so much fun.

Early in the game, Josh scored the first goal. A short time later, Josh took another great shot, but it was caught by the opposing side. Fortunately for us, it was not the goalie that caught it, which granted us a penalty kick. Josh let Jack take it, and he scored. Not too much later, the opponents scored against Corwin, who made a great effort to block, but the wet grass interfered

Throughout the game, there was some tension among the parents, as a result of some rough play by one of the opposing players. He had been called with a foul in the first half, but that did not end his unsportsmanlike behavior. When he went head to head with Ali, he kicked her pretty hard. Shortly after that, she came to sit along the sidelines for a few moments. When I asked her dad if she had injured her ankle, he told me that Ali had been upset that the boy had laughed at her when she was on the ground holding her leg. She needed a moment to gather herself. The rough play continued, with growing concern from our team's parents. There seemed to be no effort made by the official or the opposing coach to remedy the situation.

In an attempt to regain feeling in my frozen legs, I started to pace the sidelines. Josh had an incredible breakaway, against the goalie and a couple of defenders. He made an incredible shot, right in the goal! Score 2 for Josh! Play continued until, once again, Josh took command and sailed another right past the goalie! Then, as he was heading back down for another try, the boy who had taken Ali down shoved Josh to the ground, hard. Josh lay there, writhing, holding his head. Julian, our coach, rushed onto the field to Josh's side. I stood there, not ableto breathe, trying to keep myself from running on the field. Julian was trying to get a look at Josh's head, but Josh had both arms up holding it. It was sickening to watch him lay there. So many terrible thoughts ran through my head....concussion, stitches, emergency room. Julian picked him up and got him to his feet, and helped him toward the sidelines. I could not stop myself from meeting them half way across the field. Once at the sidelines, I removed his stocking hat to see if there were any visual wounds. I couldn't see anything. He looked at me and said, "I am going back in." I could tell he was mad! I looked him in the eye and said, "Make him pay, but play fair...score one more." He went back in and....

scored one more!

Final score.....5-1 Josh ruled the field today!

My heart rate was still racing, even hours after the game. Seeing Josh laying there was terrifying. The boy was taken out of the game after that, but, the damage had been done. Had the official been doing his job, that boy would have been taken out early on, preventing several injuries. Just by watching the opposing coach and the parents from the other team, it did not seem to be the way this team was coached. They were good, but fair. It was just this one boy.

While my heart has finally slowed down, I'm still not completely calm. Josh has developed a headache, which has subsided with ibuprofen. I am curious to see how he feels when that wears off. I pray that it won't return. Thank God my baby is ok.

A Miraculous product.....a testimonial

Un-du is an incredible product. I discovered it as a scrapbooker. You can "unstick" almost anything without damaging it. Thank goodness I had some in the house last night. It saved Josh from being skinned alive!

We were getting the boys ready for bed. I pulled back Josh's blankets, but they stuck together! I discovered glitter silly putty mushed all over his sheets, comforter, stuffed animals, etc. Needless to say, I was ready to scream. I called DH into the room while I took a moment to compose myself. When I went back in, they had stripped the bed. I handed them some clean sheets and headed for the kitchen to try to save what I could. After some elbow grease and about half a bottle of Un-du, I had salvaged the comforter, the Goofy stuffed animal from Disney, and possibly the beanie baby bear. The bottom sheet was a loss, but it can be replaced. I'm thinking Josh is not going to play with silly putty for a long, long time.

Easter Funnies...

Just a few funnies from Easter weekend....

• Josh and Jake stayed with Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday night so that DH and I could have a little break. This means that they had to go to Mass, which is WAY different from our church. About ten minutes into Mass, Jake scoots over to Grandma and asks, "How much longer?" just loud enough so that all of the surrounding people could hear. Grandma said you could see shoulders shaking from the laughter.
• At communion time, Grandma explained that the boys could not take communion since they were not Catholic, but they could go up to ask for a blessing. Josh asked, "Do I have to?" Grandma cajoled him into going up. In the car, on the way home, Josh asked, "What's a blessing?"
• When we arrived on Sunday morning, Scott (Aunt Sue's significant other) told us that he paid Josh to say that he believed in the Easter Bunny. Later in the day, Jake cought wind of the fact that Josh received money and he did not. So, he tells Scott, "I don't believe in the Easter Bunny." Scott asks, "So, would a dollar help you believe?" Classic Jake response, "Yeah, but five dollars and I would really believe."

Hope you and yours had a great Easter celebrating Jesus' sacrifice for all of us.

Brrrrr!

OK, so, you know what I said about soccer season being during warm weather??? Apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo that soccer season has began, since she dumped a big ole pile of COLD on us this week.

Let's go back to Monday, when I was sitting at baseball practice with Jake, not paying any attention to what the kids were doing. I was busy typing up a reading summary (and surfing the net, since I found a wireless signal I could "borrow"). I was wearing a tank top and shorts, while I was putting my bare feet in the grass. It was a glorious day!

Fastforward to the end of the week. Tomorrow is supposed to be a soccer game. I say supposed to be since the park district has cancelled it due to COLD! I have watched soccer games, wrapped head to toe in the warmest layers I have, and complained the whole time how freaking cold it was. That's how cold the park district will let us play. So, needless to say, tomorrow is forecasted to be REALLY COLD.

Brrrrrr!

Soccer season has begun!

Gotta love soccer! Of all of the sports that the boys play, this is my favorite. For most of the season, the weather is warm. The families we play with are terrific. Our coach is great. And, thanks to Alan, I have great pictures to share....

Here is Josh, being taken out by his friend, Keith. Josh got back, later in the game, by blocking Keith's shot!

Here is the big news....Jake made the first goal of the season!

Here is the big score....

Since you really can't actually see Jake in this herd of players, here is a gratutious cute picture of the stud of the soccer field....

Baseball season started this week...more on that later.