30 Days of Thanks, Day 30

Thankful I am done for yet another year. I am not even going to make any promises of posting more often as it is always my intention, but here's to hoping that I do.

30 Days of Updates, Day Unknown

I obviously gave up on updates. I really thought I could get to 30 but have run out of things to tell you about! We are so busy all of the time, but it is always doing the same things, mostly baseball. I will try to keep a list for next year...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 29

Thankful for my new vacuum cleaner. My old one (and I do mean old) quit working in the midst of cleaning, so I had to go and buy another one. Thankful for good after Thanksgiving sales. My old one must have been really bad, because the amount of filth I got from my floors was amazing. And horrifying.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 28

Thankful for beautiful November days with friends, sitting outside around a fire, watching the kids play laser tag in the dark.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 27

Thankful that no one was hurt in the annual parents vs. kids football game at our Red Sox friends' house. Parents won by the way (first team to 5), but gave them a chance to tie. Which they did.

Happy Thanksgiving All!!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 26

Thankful for 5 days off of work, for good friends to spend Thanksgiving with, for yummy food and full bellies. Can't wait for tomorrow!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 25

Thankful for movie nights and buttery popcorn and the beginning of vacations with the promise of accomplishing much.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 24

Thankful that this blog has the ability to date posts so it looks like I have done this 30 days of Thanks daily instead of all at once because I got so behind...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 23

Thankful for a few hours with my shopping buddy to get a start on Christmas. Shopping is so much more fun with friends.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 22

Thankful for my big sis and her ability to always make me laugh. Thankful that even though we don't see each other often and the miles separate us, we are still so close.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 21

Thankful always for my mom and dad, who have always been there for me and my family. I don't know what I would do without their love and support, and regular phone conversations.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 20

Thankful for the chance to be a mommy. Nothing else in my life has been so hard, so fun, so trying, so wonderfully amazing, so humbling. I am so very thankful for my littles.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 19

Thankful for itch cream. I thought I was going to avoid the poison ivy but it showed up a little later on me.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 18

Thankful for birthday money to buy a new pair of my favorite kicks. Which are already dirty. 

30 Days of Updates, Day ??

I might be a little behind on the updates. You would think that since I haven't posted all year that I would have lots to tell you about, but I am quickly running out of things to say. We are constantly on the go, but most of our days are the same; filled with work, baseball and hanging out with friends. We did get to see my mom and dad and sister in March, but apparently I didn't take many pictures and the ones I did take aren't that great. I guess we were too busy playing Mable, doing puzzles, eating yummy food and keeping up with the kids. So thankful (does this count as a day of thanks?) for my family. And those rare times when we can all be together.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 16

Thankful that I am halfway through another 30 Days of Thanks...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 15

Thankful when I have a clean house and the laundry is caught up, which isn't often.

30 Days of Updates, Day 14 More Baseball

Aubrey had a good season of baseball as well. We played baseball at the boy's complex this season, and moved up to pitching machine. Her Sparkles coach for the last 2 yrs (and one of our good friends) was talked into coaching again (he may or may not have been begged by me to do so), so we put together a co-ed team called the Thunder Sox and played baseball instead of softball. We didn't do too badly, considering that most of the boys on the team had never played baseball at all, and the girls were our best players. Aubrey was amazing. We came in second in our division (it doesn't matter that it was a tie for second or that there were only 4 teams in the division, she got a trophy none the less).

The Thunder Sox didn't play the end of season tournament or fall ball. Thankfully, another coach in the league asked if Aubrey was available to play. So she played for the Astros, and we have decided to stay with them for next spring as our coach (nor Brian or I) really want to coach again. So proud of my little ballplayer.

My littlest ball player. 

Playing first.

Aubrey and her two best friends, who are also making the move to the Astros.

Fourth place trophy in the end of season tournament with the Astros. 

Go Astros! Aubrey looks good in orange.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 14

Thankful that even though every one got poison ivy from my backyard, my friends are still talking to me. Thankful that Austin and Aubrey's rashes are getting better...

30 Days of Updates, Day 13 Baseball

Last fall I mentioned that Austin left the Bulldogs who he had been playing baseball with for 2 years. We thought we were going to the Sluggers who we played a few tournaments with after the spring/summer season was over. We felt like it was a good fit, however we kept hearing that this team had broken up and when we asked the coach he couldn't deny it. So we started looking for another team. We played a tournament in November of last year with the 89er's, and our connection there called the head coach and said we were looking for a team. Austin tried out and made the team, and so this spring he was an 89er. It was a good season. Austin came home with a lot of hardware and we made new baseball friends. Unfortunately, after the summer season the team broke up. This fall the head coach's son and Austin played for the Badboyz, and had a great fall season (after the broken nose incident). I am still not sure where we will be in the spring, but am confident that we will not have a problem finding Austin a team. He is loved wherever he goes.

First tourney of the year, 2nd place.

First place!

Mother's day tournament, no better way to spend it.

Another 1st!

Nice trouphy! Running out of room for all of his hardware!

On one of our off weekends from the 89er's Austin and the coach's son were asked to play with another team...turned out to be the Yankees. Austin was very torn between wanting to play baseball, and putting on a Yankee jersey. Turns out he had a great tournament, and hit in the winning walk off run to take them to the championship game. He was given that game ball from the coach of the Yankees after the game. They ended up coming in second, which is the only time our family has been sad about a Yankee loss...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 13

Thankful for 2nd grade field trips to watch mediocre high school plays about Velveteen Rabbits. Especially thankful that Aubrey wanted to sit with her mommy.

30 Days of Updates, Day 12

Austin started off fall ball with a broken nose. It was his very first tournament of fall season. He was pitching, and the batter hit a short pop up between Austin and the catcher. They both dove for it, neither calling the ball or seeing the other. When they collided I think I screamed a little. I know my stomach dropped. Austin rolled over on his back, and I really thought he had been knocked out. By the time I got out on the field which was seconds later, he already had a knot on his head and blood was pouring from his nose. All I heard was his coach saying "yep, it's broken". We rushed him to the emergency room where of course it took forever for the CT scan and results. We were there at least 4 hours. Our best friends were playing in the same tournament, so after their game they headed to the ER to sit with us. For four hours. Have I mentioned we have the very best of friends? The results of the CT scan came back with the news of a "slight" broken nose. Which earned Austin a day off of school the next day. We took him to a specialist who said that for the amount of swelling and bruising, it was the most minor broken nose he had seen, and he was sure that Austin would not need surgery. He didn't even have a concussion. A week later we had to go back after the swelling went down to make sure. The doc said that fixing it would be purely cosmetic, and given that Austin plays baseball and basketball, he recommended not fixing it as you can't even really tell, and the chances were that it would happen again. Which I hope he was wrong...

Anyway, Austin was happy to hear no surgery. And after a few weeks of black eyes he was back to normal. With the addition of a little scar right above his nose. Only I can tell his nose is slightly crooked, but that is because I am his mom and have memorized every aspect of my children's faces. 

He is still my beautiful baby boy.

 

 At the ER

Austin and his best friend, who came to help pass the time and cheer him up.

Austin 3 days later, on his 11th birthday.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 12

Thankful for hoodies and baseball caps, which constitutes 90% of my wardrobe.

30 Days of Updates, Day 11

Easter 2014

The kids had a good time coloring Easter eggs as usual, and that silly Easter Bunny sent them on a wild goose chase for their Easter Basket. I would love to be able to tell you where that rascally rabbit hid it or what he put in it, but no one can remember. I am sure it was something good. I am also sure that the hunt began before it was light outside which is why I know I can't remember. Thank goodness I at least shot these pictures.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 11

Thankful always for the men and women who have served and are serving to keep this country free. Especially thankful for Austin and Aubrey's Grandpas who both served in the military. Happy Veteran's Day!

30 Days of Updates, Day 10

We lost our beloved Saturn in March. She was a good car, my daily driver until we got the truck, and Brian's daily driver since then until she died on the side of the road headed to Austin's baseball practice. 

We bought this car in 1999 shortly after we got married. It was our first car together. We brought both of our babies home from the hospital in this car. We took a few trips to Wyoming, a trip to Ohio and several trips to Texas in this car.

It was a sad day.

30 Days of Thanks Day 10

Thankful for a few hours home alone while Brian took the kids to Austin's basketball practice. I was able to do a few loads of laundry and all of the dishes, and catch up on a recorded show. Sometimes it is nice to have some me time.

30 Days of Updates, Day 9

We started off the new year this year with a pipe leak under my closet floor.  The plumbers came out and tore up my floor to try and find the leak, found it back in the corner, fixed it, filled in the hole and poured concrete...only to have another leak surface making my closet floor wet again a few days later. They decided to re-route the pipe to bypass this area entirely, going up in the attic and down the wall to my bathroom instead.  So all of this was for nothing...

Great start to the year 2014. Thankfully it has turned out to be a pretty good year.

What a mess!!!!

30 Days of Thanks, Day 9

Thankful for Ibuprofen and ice packs. And leftover chili and beer.

30 Days of Updates, Day 8

Have I mentioned how we have the best of friends? A few weeks ago our buddies came over to give us their grill because they got a new one, and to check out our fence that has come down between us and our neighbor's house. They are going to help us get it back up whenever schedules allow. They are the same friends who last year helped us get our ginormous dead tree down before it took out our roof. We were complaining about the jungle that is our backyard. Machelle said she would take a day when Kevin was working to come hang out and help us get it cleaned up. Today was that day. She came with power tools. We provided the chili and beer. And we all worked our butts off. Our backyard has never looked so good. We split wood from the ginormous tree that has been in the backyard for a year and now have another good stack of firewood for this winter. We still have a lot more wood to get through but thankfully we broke the sledgehammer, because my back couldn't have taken another swing. We pulled ivy until I couldn't stand up anymore, and chopped down I don't know what all that was growing back there. And we found two tiny snakes. The backyard is now pretty functional. I can tell the kids to go outside and not worry about them getting eaten by bears, or large cats.

I am not going to be able to move tomorrow...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 8

Thankful for our Oklahoma Family. I know I have said it before, but we truly have the very best friends anyone could ask for. So very blessed.

30 Days of Updates, Day 7

Aubrey's Room Rules

Austin's Room Rules

Just so you know before hand...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 7

Thankful for my job and the flexibility to make my own schedule. I am so grateful that I can be home when my kids are home.

30 Days of Updates, Day 6

First Day of School Pictures, August 2014

30 Days of Thanks, Day 6

So very thankful that my mom was able to kick cancer's ass one more time.

30 Days of Updates, Day 5

This summer we again tried to spend as much time in the pool as possible. Aubrey still has little tan lines from her swimming suit, despite the layers of sun screen I applied. She gets so dark in the summer time.

Oh how we love the pool! Mostly because we are spending summer days with good friends.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 5

Thankful for those nights when one or both of my kids find their way into my bed to snuggle with me.

30 Days of Updates, Day 4

This spring my work out divas and I did a "mud run". It was a 5K obstacle course through mud and water. We had a lot of fun, and I am proud to say I completed it without passing out (or twisting an ankle), and I was able to do all of the obstacles which consisted of climbing walls, walking across log bridges, running hills, swinging on ropes over muddy water, and of course a lot of just running.

 

The Before Picture

The After Picture
 

I did skip the last obstacle which was a belly crawl under logs which got you completely covered in mud, because I, of course, had a baseball game to get to. And I didn't have time to go home to shower. I was bummed that I had to leave early, because I didn't get my free beer for completing the run.

Gotta love baseball. 

30 Days of Thanks, Day 4

Thankful everyday for God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of my family.

30 days of Updates, Day 3

My Little Artists

Austin and Aubrey both were chosen to represent their school with a work of art from their collection in the annual school district art show this year. Aubrey's was a "point of view" piece looking up a tree from below. I especially like the bumble bees buzzing around. Austin's was a specific kind of art they did on coffee filters that neither of us can remember what it is called. But it sure is pretty! So proud of my little artists.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 3

Thankful for anyone who still stops by my blog with hopes of a new post, even after months and months of disappointment.

30 Days of Updates, Day 2

Halloween 2014. 

My Handsome Vampire and my Beautiful Princess. 

They tricked, they got treated, a good time was had by all. And now there is way too much chocolate in this house...

30 Days of Thanks, Day 2

Thankful for time changes and 1 extra hour of sleep.

30 Days of Updates, Day 1

Boy, where to I begin! I really didn't mean to go almost a year without posting, but days turn into weeks turn into months. So much goodness this year! Aubrey is now in the 2nd grade and doing great, she passed 1st grade with flying colors. Austin is in middle school, which was hard on both of us but we have adjusted. He is doing great as well, had 6 A's and 1 B on his report card so can't ask for much better than that. Both kids played baseball of course, posts to follow. And basketball started tonight for Austin. Constantly running in this house. If we are home more than one night in a row, we don't know what to do with ourselves...

More updates to come.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 1

Thankful for another year of memories with my three favorite people.

Happy 11th Birthday Austin!

Happy Happy Birthday my beautiful little man. For your 11th birthday, you got your very first broken nose. Big shocker it was by playing baseball. I have been told several times since it happened 3 short days ago that it will be the first of many, and that it is surprising that it is the first time being as how you play ball with such passion and heart. That is not very comforting for either of us.

You are brave and strong and courageous.

You are a big middle schooler now. You were so nervous to start junior high but have fit right in and are loving school. I have no doubt that you will do amazing. You were so scared that people would make fun of your black and swollen eyes, but you have become the celebrity of the campus.

You are witty and hilarious and sometimes I am amazed at the sarcasm and brilliance that comes from you. You make me laugh every day. And often this sarcasm and wit get you into trouble as well. Sometimes I get glimpses of you at 16 or 18 or 20, and it makes me sad and proud all at the same time of the man you are becoming.

You are sensitive and kind, and everybody's friend. You're best friend is still Kaehler although Cameron is a close second. All of our "family" here in Oklahoma we have met because of you and your baseball. Kids gravitate to you. I can see why. You, are perfect.

I love you Austin, Happy Birthday.

Austin's first day of being 11, black and blue and swollen.

Happy 7th Birthday Aubrey

To My Aubrey Girl,

Happy Happy Birthday my sweet girl. Seven short years ago you entered our family causing chaos and making us whole. We were stunned to have such a beautiful and precious GIRL in our lives. Since then you have brought us nothing but joy and laughter and love (and more chaos).

You are going to be a big second grader this year. First grade was a breeze for you, you excelled in all areas of school and gained the adoration of your teacher. I know second grade will be no different. You love music and spend hours in your room listening to your CD's and reading or playing or dancing and singing, mostly Frozen songs. You were even brave enough to sing two Frozen songs in the talent show at your summer camp. I was so proud of you!

You still love horses and enjoyed your first rodeo recently, which has only caused you to ask for a horse at least a dozen times a day since then. That and a dog or cat. To which our reply is always that we are never home to take care of either.

You continue to be an amazing ball player. You were invited to play a tournament with a different team of all boys this summer, and showed them all up. We all laughed when one of them said "she's a girl, and she's better than we are!". You even won the "best hustle" award at baseball camp this summer. You and your friend Raya were the only girls in the camp and did better than most of the boys. Keep showing those boys how girls really play. You branched out and tried gymnastics this year as well, and loved it, and are having a hard time deciding between baseball and gymnastics for the fall.

You are still your brother's biggest fan, and don't complain (much) about endless hours on weekends going to his ballgames. You even argued with the umps this year when they called strikes on him that you thought were clearly not. You are happiest when he is playing with you and including you with his friends, and are the most heart broken when he does not. You make friends wherever you go, and are a social bug. Your best friend is still Kaila but most of your time is spent with Austin and his friends.

You are amazing and brave and funny and kind hearted, and I love you so much more than you will ever know. I am so thankful for you.

Aubrey and her best friend Kaila after an "up all night" slumber party for Aubrey's birthday.