Thursday, September 27, 2007
Jake's an Angel
Monday, September 24, 2007
"Look Daddy...I have a new talent!"
Those were Brady's words as he leaned back to balance a raisin on his forehead. Just one more thing to be so proud of. Great job B!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Happy Birthday Poppy!
Friday was Poppy's birthday. It is so neat for me to see how very much Jake and Brady's Poppy means to them, since he means so very much to me. They constantly ask to see him. When we meet Ma and Poppy somewhere, they can't run fast enough to go grab their hugs and kisses. They will let go of my hand just to go hold his, and they always want to play with him (he is the best at hide-n-seek). He is the best Dad anyone could ever ask for, and the absolute BEST grandpa in the whole world too. I could never thank him for all he has done for us and all the love he gives. Happy birthday Dad/Poppy! We all love you very much!
The bear went over the mountain...
Me and the boys took a trip in this...
to do this...
and this...
and to see that.
20 seconds after that last picture was taken, Jake threw up. Brady freaked out at the sight of Jake's Lunchables traveling in the wrong direction. I was just glad the X has waterproof (and puke proof) seats. They are NOT stink proof though. Pee-yew.
That wasn't the end of our fun though...oh no. What should have been a nice scenic 45 minute drive home turned into a 4 hour tour of the State of Arizona. Not sure why, I suppose "they" just like effing with folks on Sunday afternoons who want nothing more than to just get home. I took no less than 3 detours and twice was forced to turn around and go back from whence I came. As a bonus though, I got to talk to the boys about bridges, dams, mining towns, washboard roads, switchbacks, tunnels, man-made lakes, erosion, and remembering that no matter where you are going, always remember Murphy is coming and he's bringing his law with him.
Grateful
I'm sorry we haven't posted sooner about how Great-Grandpa Ritz is doing. Well, as you can see from the picture, he is doing much, much better! Since we posted about him going into the hospital, he has spent time in another hospital type facility, and has just recently been moved to a nursing home. He still receives dialysis in order to keep his body working properly. We hadn't been to see him since he was moved into his new place, because all four of us have been sick. So the last time we saw him, we thought he looked pretty good, but he was still in bed in his hospital gown. After dinner last night, we went up to see him and walked in to see this...a smiling man, dressed in his own clothes, sitting up in his wheelchair! He looked terrific and was very happy to see Jake and Brady, of course! I want to thank you all for your prayers. It means so much to me. Great-Grandpa will celebrate his 92nd birthday next month, and I am so grateful to have him in my life. We love you Grandpa!!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Aunt Linda
Today we were on our way to eat supper with Ma and Poppy and then go see Great Grandpa Ritz. It struck me that in all the times we have gone to see him, we haven't stopped by to see my Aunt Linda, their Great Aunt Linda. She's practically right next door. So, we stopped by to see her. Even though they couldn't physically see her, they did get to meet her for the first time. I feel like dirt that it's taken me so long to take them there. I guess I was worried about how they would react to a cemetery, but they took it in stride as usual. They handle things so much better than we think they can. They kept asking what she used to look like. They wanted all the details. That made my heart smile. 
I told them all about what she looked like, but now I want to tell them who she was, at least to me. She has been gone for just over 13 years now, but it all seems like just yesterday...
She was my Den Mother in Cub Scouts. I thought she was the coolest for doing that. Her son, my cousin, Mamar (Art now) was in our little den. Along with my buddies Jimmy and GW and some other friends from school. At the time they lived right behind our school. I remember playing on the playground and seeing her house and getting excited to go over there for a den meeting. She always made everything so fun and exciting. We would all cram into the tiny living room and she'd read to us from the cub scout manual. Now, if you've ever read one of those things, it can be pretty boring reading material, but she made it all sound really interesting. She had a way of talking to us, not down to us that really connected with our little scout hearts and minds.
One time, there was some trouble over at Aunt Linda's house. I'm not gonna try and get into the details, because I don't really know them all. Suffice it to say she was scared about someone breaking in or something like that and had armed herself to the teeth. I remember hearing that she had the guns loaded and ready to rock and thinking, "Wow, she is one tough Momma." She really was the mother wolf, protecting her cubs. Teeth bared, ready for anything, like in our books. Just awesome.
She cooked one thing really well, that I can remember...spaghetti. Well, actually she cooked spaghetti sauce really well. It was thick, meaty, a little sweet and 100% awesome. However, she served it over spaghetti that she never, and I mean never drained all the way. You'd always have a little water at the bottom of your plate. Still though, it was the best. I can still taste it. I still miss it.
After they moved out here, me and Mamar got to play on the same baseball team. She loved watching us play. I know Mamar loved seeing her there for the games. Win or lose, she was there. Until she couldn't be.
We had a tournament in San Diego one year. All the guys were over the moon excited for the trip and the games. Traveling to play ball is just awesome. We all rode over in huge vans and stayed in a pretty nice hotel. Aunt Linda couldn't make the trip for whatever reason. I believe it was the first night we were there...that a phone call came. She'd had a seizure while driving and had a minor accident. No one was hurt, but there was no word yet on why she had the seizure. I remember watching my cousin as he got the news. I could see his heart breaking. Not because the tournament was over for him, but because he couldn't be there right then to help her. I felt sick to my stomach. The kind of sick feeling you get when you are helpless to do anything to make a situation any better. For a while there was no news, so while my cousin flew home to be with his mother, we played baseball. The whole time though, there was an empty feeling hanging over me. I wanted to be home, not playing ball.
Not long after we got home, we got the news. Cancer. A brain tumor. I remember being shocked, but not really worried. This was my Aunt Linda. She was too tough to be really sick. That just wasn't the case though. She was sick and there wasn't a damn thing anyone in our family could do about it. It was horribly aggressive and she got bad news after bad news after bad news. She kept so positive though. When everyone was down, she was up. She wasn't about to give up. She was the fightingest woman you ever saw.
At one point she had a fund raising event at a local Cajun restaurant to pay for a new treatment she wanted to try. A lot of people showed up and I remember being really happy and relaxed the whole night. She was the star that evening. Everyone that came in got hugs and thanks and got to spend a lot of happy time with her. She must have smiled the whole night. I was so happy for her. Happy for the whole family. At one point she came up and knelt beside me. She put her head to mine and said, "I'm going to beat this thing. I'm going to see you playing pro-ball one day." I remember staring into her eyes and she was as serious as I'd ever seen her. It wasn't just lip-service, she believed it. We both cried, but they were tears of joy. Hopeful tears I guess you could say. Of all the moments in my life that have rocked me to my core, that one is right at the top.
Not very long after that, after all the treatments ran their course, she passed. When I heard she was gone I couldn't face the pain. Momma came into the living room and asked me if I wanted to go up to hospice with my sisters and say goodbye, but Aunt Linda was already gone and I couldn't deal with that. I curled up on the couch and cried so hard I thought I would pass out. By that point everyone knew it was coming, nevertheless I was completely unprepared. She was just 39 years old. I was just 17.
I was asked to be a pall bearer at her funeral, one of the greatest honors of my life. To deal with the over whelming grief of that day I turned to the greatest comedian in our family, Uncle Vaughn. We shared funny stories about her, jokes she had told, and more than once shared the morbid joke of introducing ourselves to each other as Paul. Paul Bearer. That may sound crass, but at the time we were barely hanging on by a thread. Heck, she would have laughed the loudest at jokes like that.
Her ceremony at church was absolutely beautiful. The Priest, Father Jack, made such an impression on me that years later Cindy and I would ask him to preside over our wedding. He shared such wonderful thoughts about her life and talked about extraordinary things she'd done that none of us had ever heard of. She was a beautiful person and deserved nothing less than a beautiful day.
It wasn't until we walked out of the church that I remember seeing just how many people were there. So many people had turned out. I was standing away from everybody, trying to take it all in quietly, while we waited to drive to the cemetery. I was keeping my composure up pretty well. Trying to be the tough guy. Then, two friends from my baseball team walked up with tears in their eyes and I broke. Like glass dropped on cement. Two guys who before I had never had a deeper conversation with than, "Dude, if you were on a stranded island, what girl would be there with you and why?" There we were though. Standing in front of a church in South Scottsdale, crying our eyes out.
Her burial was again, a beautiful moment. The saddest moment in my entire life, but still beautiful. I stood beside Mamar, with my arm on his shoulder as he wept. We all took turns holding each other up with a pat on the back and a squeeze on the shoulder. When it was my turn to say goodbye, I walked up to her and tried to get out, "I love you Aunt Linda", but I'm not sure it came out clearly.
Throughout that next year, I would go see her all the time. I'd sit down and just talk to her. Baseball hadn't seemed so important anymore, and I let it fall away from me. I could have done the brave thing and given it my best shot, but I wasn't brave. I was beaten. Instead of letting her words inspire me to greater things, I tried my best to forget them. I was afraid of failing, of letting her down. So I took the cowards way out and didn't try. I told no one else about how I felt, just her.
As the years passed, I started going less and less until I just stopped going at all. It was just easier not to go, not to think about that pain. I'm a grown man now, and a Father to two awesome young men and it's time to show them the right way to handle pain.
I promise you Aunt Linda, I will make it out to see you on a regular basis. I miss our talks, and even though I don't have anymore teenage angst to vent, I do have some things we could talk about. And, I know I'm a little old to make it in pro-ball, but I'm gonna give you a good show this winter in some adult league action. I've been away from it long enough, and I owe you at least a good laugh.
I love you Aunt Linda. See you soon.
I told them all about what she looked like, but now I want to tell them who she was, at least to me. She has been gone for just over 13 years now, but it all seems like just yesterday...
She was my Den Mother in Cub Scouts. I thought she was the coolest for doing that. Her son, my cousin, Mamar (Art now) was in our little den. Along with my buddies Jimmy and GW and some other friends from school. At the time they lived right behind our school. I remember playing on the playground and seeing her house and getting excited to go over there for a den meeting. She always made everything so fun and exciting. We would all cram into the tiny living room and she'd read to us from the cub scout manual. Now, if you've ever read one of those things, it can be pretty boring reading material, but she made it all sound really interesting. She had a way of talking to us, not down to us that really connected with our little scout hearts and minds.
One time, there was some trouble over at Aunt Linda's house. I'm not gonna try and get into the details, because I don't really know them all. Suffice it to say she was scared about someone breaking in or something like that and had armed herself to the teeth. I remember hearing that she had the guns loaded and ready to rock and thinking, "Wow, she is one tough Momma." She really was the mother wolf, protecting her cubs. Teeth bared, ready for anything, like in our books. Just awesome.
She cooked one thing really well, that I can remember...spaghetti. Well, actually she cooked spaghetti sauce really well. It was thick, meaty, a little sweet and 100% awesome. However, she served it over spaghetti that she never, and I mean never drained all the way. You'd always have a little water at the bottom of your plate. Still though, it was the best. I can still taste it. I still miss it.
After they moved out here, me and Mamar got to play on the same baseball team. She loved watching us play. I know Mamar loved seeing her there for the games. Win or lose, she was there. Until she couldn't be.
We had a tournament in San Diego one year. All the guys were over the moon excited for the trip and the games. Traveling to play ball is just awesome. We all rode over in huge vans and stayed in a pretty nice hotel. Aunt Linda couldn't make the trip for whatever reason. I believe it was the first night we were there...that a phone call came. She'd had a seizure while driving and had a minor accident. No one was hurt, but there was no word yet on why she had the seizure. I remember watching my cousin as he got the news. I could see his heart breaking. Not because the tournament was over for him, but because he couldn't be there right then to help her. I felt sick to my stomach. The kind of sick feeling you get when you are helpless to do anything to make a situation any better. For a while there was no news, so while my cousin flew home to be with his mother, we played baseball. The whole time though, there was an empty feeling hanging over me. I wanted to be home, not playing ball.
Not long after we got home, we got the news. Cancer. A brain tumor. I remember being shocked, but not really worried. This was my Aunt Linda. She was too tough to be really sick. That just wasn't the case though. She was sick and there wasn't a damn thing anyone in our family could do about it. It was horribly aggressive and she got bad news after bad news after bad news. She kept so positive though. When everyone was down, she was up. She wasn't about to give up. She was the fightingest woman you ever saw.
At one point she had a fund raising event at a local Cajun restaurant to pay for a new treatment she wanted to try. A lot of people showed up and I remember being really happy and relaxed the whole night. She was the star that evening. Everyone that came in got hugs and thanks and got to spend a lot of happy time with her. She must have smiled the whole night. I was so happy for her. Happy for the whole family. At one point she came up and knelt beside me. She put her head to mine and said, "I'm going to beat this thing. I'm going to see you playing pro-ball one day." I remember staring into her eyes and she was as serious as I'd ever seen her. It wasn't just lip-service, she believed it. We both cried, but they were tears of joy. Hopeful tears I guess you could say. Of all the moments in my life that have rocked me to my core, that one is right at the top.
Not very long after that, after all the treatments ran their course, she passed. When I heard she was gone I couldn't face the pain. Momma came into the living room and asked me if I wanted to go up to hospice with my sisters and say goodbye, but Aunt Linda was already gone and I couldn't deal with that. I curled up on the couch and cried so hard I thought I would pass out. By that point everyone knew it was coming, nevertheless I was completely unprepared. She was just 39 years old. I was just 17.
I was asked to be a pall bearer at her funeral, one of the greatest honors of my life. To deal with the over whelming grief of that day I turned to the greatest comedian in our family, Uncle Vaughn. We shared funny stories about her, jokes she had told, and more than once shared the morbid joke of introducing ourselves to each other as Paul. Paul Bearer. That may sound crass, but at the time we were barely hanging on by a thread. Heck, she would have laughed the loudest at jokes like that.
Her ceremony at church was absolutely beautiful. The Priest, Father Jack, made such an impression on me that years later Cindy and I would ask him to preside over our wedding. He shared such wonderful thoughts about her life and talked about extraordinary things she'd done that none of us had ever heard of. She was a beautiful person and deserved nothing less than a beautiful day.
It wasn't until we walked out of the church that I remember seeing just how many people were there. So many people had turned out. I was standing away from everybody, trying to take it all in quietly, while we waited to drive to the cemetery. I was keeping my composure up pretty well. Trying to be the tough guy. Then, two friends from my baseball team walked up with tears in their eyes and I broke. Like glass dropped on cement. Two guys who before I had never had a deeper conversation with than, "Dude, if you were on a stranded island, what girl would be there with you and why?" There we were though. Standing in front of a church in South Scottsdale, crying our eyes out.
Her burial was again, a beautiful moment. The saddest moment in my entire life, but still beautiful. I stood beside Mamar, with my arm on his shoulder as he wept. We all took turns holding each other up with a pat on the back and a squeeze on the shoulder. When it was my turn to say goodbye, I walked up to her and tried to get out, "I love you Aunt Linda", but I'm not sure it came out clearly.
Throughout that next year, I would go see her all the time. I'd sit down and just talk to her. Baseball hadn't seemed so important anymore, and I let it fall away from me. I could have done the brave thing and given it my best shot, but I wasn't brave. I was beaten. Instead of letting her words inspire me to greater things, I tried my best to forget them. I was afraid of failing, of letting her down. So I took the cowards way out and didn't try. I told no one else about how I felt, just her.
As the years passed, I started going less and less until I just stopped going at all. It was just easier not to go, not to think about that pain. I'm a grown man now, and a Father to two awesome young men and it's time to show them the right way to handle pain.
I promise you Aunt Linda, I will make it out to see you on a regular basis. I miss our talks, and even though I don't have anymore teenage angst to vent, I do have some things we could talk about. And, I know I'm a little old to make it in pro-ball, but I'm gonna give you a good show this winter in some adult league action. I've been away from it long enough, and I owe you at least a good laugh.
I love you Aunt Linda. See you soon.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Please Pray
On the 2nd day of school this year, I got a new student in my class. He is such a sweet boy with a great smile and sense of humor. I came to find out that unfortunately, I wasn't going to have the pleasure of having this boy in my class for the whole year. He was brought to my school under some horrible circumstances and I am asking you all to pray for him and his family. On August 3rd, his Dad (a father of 9 children) was shot at point blank range, four times in a random shooting, and left paralyzed. The family is from Utah, and the boy in my class was brought to stay here in Phoenix, along with 4 of his brothers and sisters, to live with his grandparents and go to school, while his Dad recovers in the hospital and his Mom stays by his side. When I heard of this tragedy, my heart broke for this family and the struggles that lie ahead for them. I knew there was nothing I could do to ease their pain, so I have just tried to make this boy's time with me as easy and "normal" as possible. I have been able to keep up with his father's progress on their blog, and the family has been nice enough to allow me to share the link with all of you, in hopes that we will have many more people praying with them and for them. My student's last day with me is tomorrow. He is going back a little early to get back into his old routine with his family and friends in Utah. I have truly enjoyed every moment I have had with him and will miss him when he returns home, although I will be happy knowing that it means his father is one step closer to being home with his family. Please keep this family in your prayers.
Here is a link to one of the news articles about this tragedy. Others can be found on the Armstrong's blog.
Here is a link to one of the news articles about this tragedy. Others can be found on the Armstrong's blog.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Up late with Jake
Last night Jake couldn't sleep very well. He was out for about an hour and then woke up at 9 in pretty bad pain. We tried everything we could think of to comfort him, but he just couldn't get any sleep. So, we brought him downstairs and me and him cuddled on the couch for a while. Well, a long while. We finally racked out at about 1AM. Sitting up must have helped his ear, because he didn't complain one time. Maybe watching 2 movies did something to ease his pain though too. Oh and shhh...don't tell Brady but I snuck Jake an Oreo. You would have thought I gave him a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory. He smiled from ear to infected ear.
Jake, I don't know if you will remember last night the rest of your life but I sure will. I hate to heck that you are sick, but it sure feels good to be able to take care of you. I love you son.
Jake, I don't know if you will remember last night the rest of your life but I sure will. I hate to heck that you are sick, but it sure feels good to be able to take care of you. I love you son.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
No Wonder He Didn't Want A Doughnut!
Last night, as a special treat, we offered Jake and Brady a donut for dessert after dinner. Jake said he didn't want his......WHAT??? Something wasn't right. Well, today as we were driving home from school, Jake told me his right ear was hurting. 45 minutes later, we were at the doctor's office, and it was confirmed...Jake has an ear infection in both ears. This is only his second time having an ear infection, but both times he has had it in both ears. My poor "little" (59.5 lbs. at the Dr. today) guy. He is trying so hard to get to sleep right now. Please God, give my precious boy some comfort so he can get some much needed rest. I love you Jake!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Tired little dudes
I guess today was just one of those days that wears a little guy out. For whatever reason they were just extra wiped out today. Jake had his delayed birthday party at school today. He brought donuts to share with his friends. After school, the boys came home and played a little ball while I cut the grass. Then, Jake went inside and I pitched to Brady for little bit. We had supper and they just about couldn't make it through the meal. Jake gets grumpy when he's tired and Brady is just a little squirmy worm when he's zonked. Poor little guys. They hit the sack hard and early tonight.
Rest up my little buckaroos...tomorrow is gonna be another fun day.
Rest up my little buckaroos...tomorrow is gonna be another fun day.
A Day For Mommy and Her Boys
Yesterday Daddy went to the Cardinals game with Uncle Jarrod and Aunt Julie, thanks to some great seats from Poppy. That meant that I got to spend the whole afternoon with my boys having some quality "Mommy and Boys" time. First we took a bath and played a little longer than usual (that was especially for you, B!). Next we went and ate lunch at Peter Piper Pizza and played some games, as requested by both little guys. As we were leaving, it started to sprinkle some rain down on us, so we decided to go home to ride our bikes in the rain. Unfortunately, the rain stopped by the time we got home, but we rode bikes anyway. We came inside and watched The Sandlot while we waited for Daddy to come home. It was an absolutely wonderful day for me, boys. Thank you for sharing your day with me.
p.s. The Cardinals even won yesterday...imagine that!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Where, Oh Where Did My Little Boy Go?
Well Sweet Prince, you're five! Can you believe it? I can't! I am so proud of the boy you are. Having you as my son is the greatest blessing. You have made my life so full. This morning when I heard you wake up, I went into your room and you stood up on your bed and said, 'Look how big I am!" As you stood there with your big, sleepy smile on your face, I wasn't just seeing how "huge" you are, but what a truly big boy you are. You amaze me.
You are so sweet and kind. You share your things and you take your time with your little cousins and your friends at school (and even your little brother most of the time!). I am amazed at how smart you are. Last year on your birthday, I had to read your cards to you, but not this year! You read each one with no trouble at all. You are such a wonderful teacher for Brady as he discovers and learns. You have such an incredible imagination too, Big Guy. I love to sit back and watch you create your own imaginative world around you as you play. I am getting better at learning all of the characters for your favorite movies and toys so I can join in when you say, "I am Wolverine Mommy, who are you?"
I love to pick you up after school and hear Mrs. Dexter tell me all about how well you did in school that day. Not only does she tell me how smart you are, or how creatively you did something (like the time you drank your applesauce with a straw!), but she tells me how patient and kind you are with your friends, and what a good helper you are. It fills my heart with so much happiness to know that you don't need Mommy and Daddy right there with you to help you make good choices and be a good boy, that is just who you are.
You have always been a wonderful son. From the day you were born, you have brought more happiness into my life than I could ever explain. Your sweet dimples can put a smile on my face, no matter how hard things might get. I love it when you ask me to come sit on the couch with you so we can cuddle with the green blanket. You will sit and hold my hand, and remind me that I am the luckiest Mommy in the whole world.
You are a big boy, Jake. You are MY big boy, and the other day you promised me (while I was begging you not to get any bigger!) that you have to get bigger, but you would ALWAYS be my little boy. Thank you, Angel. It won't be long before you are much bigger than Mommy, and if we can keep this very special relationship we have, I will forever be happy. Thank you for being my wonderful son. Happy Birthday!
You are so sweet and kind. You share your things and you take your time with your little cousins and your friends at school (and even your little brother most of the time!). I am amazed at how smart you are. Last year on your birthday, I had to read your cards to you, but not this year! You read each one with no trouble at all. You are such a wonderful teacher for Brady as he discovers and learns. You have such an incredible imagination too, Big Guy. I love to sit back and watch you create your own imaginative world around you as you play. I am getting better at learning all of the characters for your favorite movies and toys so I can join in when you say, "I am Wolverine Mommy, who are you?"
I love to pick you up after school and hear Mrs. Dexter tell me all about how well you did in school that day. Not only does she tell me how smart you are, or how creatively you did something (like the time you drank your applesauce with a straw!), but she tells me how patient and kind you are with your friends, and what a good helper you are. It fills my heart with so much happiness to know that you don't need Mommy and Daddy right there with you to help you make good choices and be a good boy, that is just who you are.
You have always been a wonderful son. From the day you were born, you have brought more happiness into my life than I could ever explain. Your sweet dimples can put a smile on my face, no matter how hard things might get. I love it when you ask me to come sit on the couch with you so we can cuddle with the green blanket. You will sit and hold my hand, and remind me that I am the luckiest Mommy in the whole world.
You are a big boy, Jake. You are MY big boy, and the other day you promised me (while I was begging you not to get any bigger!) that you have to get bigger, but you would ALWAYS be my little boy. Thank you, Angel. It won't be long before you are much bigger than Mommy, and if we can keep this very special relationship we have, I will forever be happy. Thank you for being my wonderful son. Happy Birthday!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Happy 5th Birthday Jake!
My boy is 5! Holy Holy! He's grown so quickly. 5 years of smiles, belly laughs, and giant bear hugs. No matter how old you get Bubba, I want to always share those moments with you. You have taught me more about life than I could learn by reading a million books. Keep teaching me, I'll keep learning.
Today was one of the happiest days of my life. Thanks Jake. Happy birthday buddy.
PS...I forgot to post earlier about the actual party. Jake wanted a Star Wars theme this year. So, that's what he got. Cindy and Grandma-Ma made awesome calzones and I fried up some wings. We had a bunch of family over and everyone played ball, destroyed the toy room, watched football, and ate Jake's ridiculously-oversized R2-D2 cake Cindy and I made. Jake again got way too many presents and he loves them all. It was an awesome party that I will never forget.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Puzzling
So, a few days ago the boys got up way too early which means...before me. I heard Jake messing around downstairs as usual, but I thought B might still be asleep. Nope. As I walked downstairs, I saw Jake on the couch and Brady was at the dining table. He'd gone and found this puzzle and decided to put it together at 7:15 in the morning. He already had most of it done, so instead of sending him back up to bed I let him finish it. Hey if you're gonna lose sleep, at least get something done right?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Ugh.
I cursed myself by saying how good Cindy was at being sick and how truly crappy I am at it. My nose has apparently sprung a leak while at the same time my sinuses are threatening to push their way out of my forehead. Waaahh.
Hey at least the Cards are on MNF right. Still. Waaahh.
Please God, don't let the boys get this nastiness. Jake's birthday is Saturday. He's about as good as I am at being sick. Waaahh.
Hey at least the Cards are on MNF right. Still. Waaahh.
Please God, don't let the boys get this nastiness. Jake's birthday is Saturday. He's about as good as I am at being sick. Waaahh.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
The Price of Freedom
This movie is hard to watch at times and not appropriate for kids. Mike and Adam...again, don't watch. However if you are an adult you need to see it. Regardless of your views on politics...watch it.
Out with the boys
We finally made it. I took the boys to Bass Pro Shops this morning. They were super excited to go. We're frequent visitors to Cabela's so they are used to the whole "Outdoors-Indoors" kinda thing. I have to say this might be a little better than Cabela's overall. Mainly because of the restaurant. The boys got to try their first fried alligator tail...surprise surprise, they liked it. It was a little too spicy for them, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten a piece. Jake, I am very impressed with your food bravery my man. Brady will eat try anything, but you are usually a little more particular. You didn't even flinch this time. Too cool. Brady...you had three pieces down the pipe until the spices caught up with you. You crack me up dude.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Geaux Tigers!
OK, so I got home from work a little too late to make it to Bass Pro Shops. We ended up doing something better together anyway (at least for me). We watched the LSU Tigers rip VT a new one. What a game. Well, not really unless you are a tiger fan. It was fun as heck watching the game with the boys. They get a kick out of watching #18 Jacob Hester run. Really only because of the name, but still...it's cool. Brady is a sucker for a big hit. He thinks it's the funniest thing in the world.
Anyway...BPS in the morning sometime. It'll give Mommy a chance to rest and fight off this little cold she has. Did I mention she's much better at being sick than I am? Yeah well she is. A lot. I can barely move when I'm sick. She cleaned the house, gave the boys a bath, and tucked them in bed...I am in awe.
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Dudes
I had a bit of a rough day with the dudes today. I was preoccupied, they were preoccupied and we just couldn't see eye to eye today. I can't blame them. I could, but what good would that do? I didn't do as good of a job today as I could have. That's just unacceptable.
Tomorrow is a new day. Thank God for that. And for Bass Pro Shops where we will be "reconnecting" at some point tomorrow. Woo Hoo!
Tomorrow is a new day. Thank God for that. And for Bass Pro Shops where we will be "reconnecting" at some point tomorrow. Woo Hoo!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Shiner
This picture was taken a couple of days after the swelling went down and the bruising faded, but Brady got his first good black eye the other day when Jake slid down the water slide before Brady had moved away from the bottom. Jake's knee hit Brady right in the eye and caused a nice little "shiner." Numerous reminders about being safe from Mommy and Daddy didn't stop them, but I think I can safely say now...lesson learned.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Slippery Dippins
We went to a little house party tonight at our friends Marty and Jennifer's house. All of the boys' friends were there from our little circle of friends. They swam, slid down the big slide, rode the powerwheels, and played on the swingset. We all got to eat some great food and hangout with people we like. Doesn't get much better than that.
Thank You, Brandon!
I hope everyone is enjoying the new layout. I think my husband did a wonderful job with the new look. I'm sure you have noticed one of the coolest new things on our site...our adorable birthday counters! THANK YOU to my amazingly talented and sweet big cousin, Brandon, for creating these for Jake and Brady. I cannot get over what a great job you did with these. The boys love them! The countdown is on!
Welcome Back
Ok...so if you're reading it..you have been invited to read it. Cool. For those who haven't been invited yet...I am getting to it. Just a matter of tracking down emails. If you have some you want to forward to me, that would be great. Since I changed the format around you'll notice some of the stuff is missing. It will all be back up there, plus some other cool stuff. We'll be posting a ton of videos of the boys soon too.
Anyway...thanks for taking the time and hassle to register or log in. It makes me feel safer about putting so much personal stuff out there about my family. Now that it's pretty much just people we know personally reading this, we can be a little more "loose" in the way we post. Yes, I'm saying "we" a lot because I expect Cindy to post more frequently too.
We now resume your normal broadcast day....
Anyway...thanks for taking the time and hassle to register or log in. It makes me feel safer about putting so much personal stuff out there about my family. Now that it's pretty much just people we know personally reading this, we can be a little more "loose" in the way we post. Yes, I'm saying "we" a lot because I expect Cindy to post more frequently too.
We now resume your normal broadcast day....