Back to School

So far, so good. In the blink of an eye another summer is over & another school year begins. Everyone has had a great first week of school. P is adjusting to Jr High & 5:45AM football practices. W loves his new school and beams because his teachers told him that his class was hand picked because they were the smartest and kindest kids in the entire 4th grade, and M is enjoying 2nd grade and finally having a locker...just like his big brothers.

My classes are beginning well - -more students than last year, but that is a good problem to have to work with. G is busy moonlighting as an AP during part of his school day - not much discipline to enforce just yet, though. We received our M. Ed degrees in the mail last week (no formal graduation plans ...just finishing together was enough for us) - - it is nice to experience the luxury of free time again. There for awhile, we both were so busy that it seems we barely had time to keep up.

It has only been 4 days but I think we have fallen back into our school routine - - we'll see how well that holds together next week when there is more homework (for me & for the boys) and then later on when fall baseball practices begin again.

Until then...go to bed early, line up your backpacks & pack your lunches, and don't forget your homework!

Summer ReCap

Vacation Bible School, Baylor Basketball Camp, Dayton Basketball Camp, Gulf Shores, Houston Childrens Museum, BlueBell Ice-Creamery, Monastary Miniature Horses, Eagle Point/wave pool, Stewart Beach/Galveston, 16th anniversary, finished the deck, repainted 3 rooms...

I think we've had a pretty full summer, although it doesn't seem like it lasted for very long. Today is my last day of leisure...the boys still have another week -- but I think we are ready to get back into our routine. P will be in Jr High! - -I still can't believe that! - and is excited to start the year in a new school, with new classes and playing football then basketball, then track....what happened to my little blonde-headed baby? He's not a baby any more - and not blonde, either. W is excited about 4th grade - cool new school - he can't wait to get into the science lab and try out the new playground (although his big brother reminds him NOT to run on that playground, I think he must have found that out the hard way)! Plus, he is excited about fall baseball...maybe trying something different this year - - select ball. We'll see how that goes. It seems like just yesterday that we were taking him into his kindergarten class...now its 4th grade...time really does fly. M will be in 2nd grade - another school, big changes from 1st grade. He had a great time helping pick out all ofhis school supplies...4 boxes of crayons, 3 packages of pencils, the big pink eraser, etc...He's still the youngest brother...but not a baby by any means.

We only have 10 more years of back to school with our boys....then they will all be college bound. Realizing that there is a definitive time span helps me remember to look past all the rush and hustle of this time of year, and cherish the smiles and expectations and excitement that new classes, new teachers & new friendships can bring.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

What do you get when you combine two toddle little girls and three adoring cousins?

give up? .......a day of fun for all 5!

We had my nieces today while their mom (my sis in law) did some work/school stuff - - its seems like just yesterday, but also a million years, since my boys were this small. We had fun...they built pillow & blanket forts, counted through numerous rounds of hide & seek, watched The Land Before Time (still one of my favorites), and ran around in the back yard.

Thanks, J - - for letting us share the day with your babies!

More Fun in the Sun

Kowabunga, Surfer Dude!

Inside Fort Morgan

Arm-wrestling at the Hangout

Future heartbreakers, huh?

At Homeport Marina -a little wishing & window-shopping for the boys or at least the biggest boy

Fun in the Sun

Well, its Monday morning...we got back from Gulf Shores last night and the oppression of reality has set it. The car needs to be unpacked & de-sanded & de-french-fried, the laundry needs to be taken care of, groceries need to be bought and meals prepared, bills in the mail, and messages on the phone. ...as with most vacations, we had a blast, relaxed, enjoyed watching our boys be brothers (both in and out of sibling rivalry), ran into some old friends, and just enjoyed our time suspended from our daily hectic rush. But all good things must come to an end...so here I am.

here are some pics -

first stop - the battleship!

After riding the Woody!

W - shadowy in sunset

That's Ballgame!

Well, M's all-star season ended almost as quickly as it started. After winning one Saturday morning, he lost his second game Saturday night...15-3...yikes. Those other boys were big - -they must have been eating all their vegetables, and then some. Yesterday, M played his final game - against the same team he lost to on Saturday...we held stronger in this game, but still came up short..13-8 was the final.

He had a great time, and wished that his team could have played more than just 3 games...but he can't decide if he will play baseball next year or not...maybe, he said, he just wants to watch. We''ll just ahve to wait and see what that little guy wants to do, ....with him, theres no telling.

Until then, we will just enjoy an OFFSEASON - everyone needs time to relax, enjoy and just have fun playing...no matter what the game or sport!

ps - during the game, we asked some professional assistance from P & W - we needed photos of M in action and couldn't get into the right spot - but these brothers were more than happy to comply. So - photography credit goes to Two Brothers Photography, Inc.

Take me out to the ball game

In the front yard - before the big game

National Anthem - check out M's shades!!

Still in those shades...

That is M in the catching gear...acting like a pro.

M's all star tournament began today - -his game was at 11:00...heat index over 125 degrees (or at least it felt that way)! But, M didn't care - he was too excited. His team won -they came from behind 7-1 at the end of the 1st inning to beat the other guys 9-15 after 6 innings. M got a triple and an RBI. G, P & W are on their way home from basketball camp, so I had to give running play -by-play via text messages and short phone class. They'll be home in time to watch him play the 2nd game.

He plays again this evening at 7:30....hopefully, it won't be as hot then as it was this morning. ..maybe just 100 instead of 125.

Enjoy the pics..pre and post game.

Cinco Amigos

C'est Tout Bon...Not only was that the name of the boat, it pretty much sums up G's time in Costa Rica with his friends.Here are some pics - enjoy.

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Old Men and the Sea

Well - I always knew that girlfriends remained close no matter the time or distance - some of you can vouch for that, too, right? But, apparently, guys do, too. G is off on the ultimate guy trip. He and four childhood/high school buddies are in Costa Rica for a fishing extravaganza. He left this morning via private jet - flew out of the the MillionAir club here in town. They will be spending their days on a Viking sport fishing yacht. Somewhere in there will be a helicopter ride over the mountains.

Seeing all 5 of them together this morning was pretty cool - 5 ordinary men, but all linked by a multitude of memories of little league, swimming in the Teche, bike riding on skeleton hill, high school football and so much more.


I know he is having a great time - probably all will be sore from all the laughing they will be doing. Probably all 5 will return home a little more like the 15 year olds they used to be. Definitely, though, all will return home with another set of memories to add to their stash, so that the next time these guys get together, there will be plenty more to laugh about and reminisce.

And maybe next time, the guys will decide to take the wives, too :)

8th Place - WORLD FINALS

on top of the world :)

looking down from their dorm window

Last week P and his team of 6 other 6th graders traveled to Ames, Iowa to the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition. They had been practicing all year - came in 1st at regional, and 2nd at state, which meant they had qualified for the world competition. I went along for the ride :)

Little did we know how big a deal this was - there were over 870 Odyssey of the Mind teams there, from just about every state and many foreign countries, too. It was a great experience - the kids stayed in dorms on campus, ate in the campus dining halls, and performed on campus.

here they are waiting to fly out last Tuesday - for P and at least 2 or 3 others, this would be their first time in an airplane - -what a great first for them!

and now they are in the lobby of the dorm - on their way to first day of rehearsal.

For those of you unfamiliar with OM it is a competition of creativity and the ability to think on your feet. Each team must find a solution to a long term problem - ie, a skit...they had to write their own skit explaining a "lost" 13th labor of Hercules. Everything in the skit needed to be original, and they were judged on their "style" of creativity and individuality. Our team coach was sooo proud to learn the fact that of the other 64 middle school teams we were competing against, we had the highest score for style! In addition to this long term problem (skit) they also have to solve a spontaneous problem...this time it was building a vessel that would float in water, and hold multiple items...each one worth a certain number of points. Again, creativity is important, plus the actual points earned from the objects in the vessel. Building this was right up P's alley...in fact he came out of that very secretive competition saying it was his speciality!

after their performance - all their costumes were hand made by the team...they even used corn husks for many costumes & props as a way of paying recognition to the host state of Iowa.

It was a week full of rehearsals, prop adjustments and scoping out the competition. But, last Saturday night we sat in a college basketball arena with thousands of other teams, coaches and parents and waited for the announcing of the winners.Unfortunately, we didn't place in the top 3 and receive a big trophy to bing home, but this team of seven 12 year olds, competing for the first time agianst other teams of 6th, 7th & 8th graders won EIGHTH PLACE! We were so excited and proud of our kiddos! We, as parents know they are pretty bright, but this confirmed it for all to realize, as well. So - here I am, bragging about P and his team of friends, and two very devoted coaches, who have given him an experience that will be one he remembers forever. Thanks, Ms H and Mrs D!

opening ceremonies - Texas is near the bottom right corner...look for aqua shirts and cowboy hats :)

Running just as fast as I can...

This always happens...February ends, March begins, the sun shines, and before I know it, mid-May is here and I don't even know what happened to April. Between school - the one I where I am the teacher, the other school - the one where I am the student, live-arm baseball, coach pitch baseball, 12 and under soccer, throw in a birthday party, G's track season, laundry, and life, I seem to miss the idyllic days of spring - not to mention completely ignoring and neglecting this blog.

Well, at least May does bring some guarantees - -less than a month of school (high school, that is), my last graduate class (whew! why didn't I stay in school at State back in the 90s when I had the chance?), and only a few more weeks of ballgames and practice.

Its a good thing I have summers free - well, relatively free. I need the time to recoup, rest up, and rejeuvenate, so that I can get a running start for next August, and keep that pace going all the way through until NEXT May!

And, hopefully, I will be much more regular with my updates and comments here on the blog.

In Character

I am discovering, in a wierd, self-inflicted torture kind of way, that after 37 years of life, I am now allergic to strawberries. How does that happen? What little switch flipped in my body to suddenly revolt whenever I come into contact with this fruit?

It all started back in December -a wierd outbreak of pimples (more than I ever had when I was 16) and then the dryest skin ever. Over the past few months I have experiemented with changing everything that touches my face - make-up, cleanser, moisturizer, laundry detergent, etc - and now I think I have narrowed it down to strawberries. Monday night I sliced some for the boys to eat with the hamburgers we had for dinner. Tuesday afternoon, I ate 1/2 of one as I was cutting some for M's snack.

Yesterday, I woke up to see a stranger in the mirror! Red splotches, little bumps - not a pretty sight. I packed on the moisturizer, and laid off the make-up, hopeing it would all clear up quickly...nope. So, last night, I loaded up on Benydril lotion and pills...anything to help the new additions to the landscape of my face. Needless to say, all the Benydril knocked me out - -I think I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow, and didn't move all night long.

This moning, I overslept - thanks to the benydryl, I'm sure - and raced into the bathroom to get ready in a flash to make it to school before 7:00am. My new blowdryer packs quite the punch, and I haven't yet mastered the art of wielding all this power at such an early hour. So, I am trying to camoflague the remians of the strawberry rash, style my bed-head, and get to school on time. Guess what? I end up singeing part of my hair because I am holding the dryer too close! A nice-size chunk sort of falls off as I ran my hands thru that part of my hair! Now, I have the burned, broken hair to go along with the red face and look just like the Bride of Frankenstein. How appropriate that I have adopted this new look, just in time to introduce the novel Frankenstein to my seniors as their final novel assignment of high school. Boy - the things we teachers do just to engage our students and capture their attention!

...maybe next spring Ishould consider reading something a little less frigtening - and definitely stay away from the strawberries!

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

...often go awry.

OK, so much for bragging about my leisurely Spring Break plans, or lack there of. As I was complacently contemplating a week of bliss and relaxation, I didn't realize what actually lay in store for us this week. ...a new deck.

G and I have been talking about, drawing plans, making lists, etc for a while now for a deck for our back yard. Ever since Ike came through, our once serene shady backyard has become a barren desert of grass and weeds, desperately missing the shade and personality of the 80 yr old pecan tree that became a casualty of the storm. So, some time after we got home from church on Sunday, G and I were talking about the week ahead of us, and somehow we decided that it would be a good idea to begin our deck. It was Sunday, after all, and we had the whole week ahead of us. So, we started by ripping out the old brick patio under our lone oak tree, whose roots have buckled the bricks worse that poorly laid carpet in southern humidity. That chore took all of day 1. On the bright side, G got to enact some of the boys' favorite folk legends....he was John Henry as he swung the sledge hammer to break up the concrete under parts of the patio, and Paul Bunyan as he carried countless 1x6s into the backyard.

After this first day of hard, but productive work, we thought the rest would be downhill. Then, reality set it. The delivery on day 2 came at 5:30pm...almost too late to do much good. Day 3 was interrupted by dr's appts - - total of 6 shots, and most took it like a man :) - - and then day 4 was my day out with friends. Throw in a dentist appointment, two baseball practices, and G's track practice everyday, and time soon became a precious commodity.

So, here we are on Thursday, the deck is about 85% completed, and the week is 90% over. What happened to my rest and leisure?..maybe my sore muscles, broken fingernails, and scrapped shins give away the answer.

I guess I'll just have to spend some time relaxing on the new deck ( when it reaches 100% ) and find that leisure and bliss that I missed this past week. In the meantime, though, I think I have some shopping to do, to make this deck a new source of serentity for our backyard.

Spring Break '09

S -sleeping as late as I want to
P - probably going to the zoo one day
R -realxing at home
I - ice cream eating
N - new clothes shopping
G - going for a pedi and sushi with the girls

B - breakfast at 10:00am
R - reading just for fun
E - eating dinner on the back porch
A - allowing everyone to stay up too late
K -knowing it is only a sample of what is to come in June

ahhhh, I love being a teacher.....for so many reasons :)

Take it Like a Man

I am blessed with healthy kids...we don't catch the flu, rarely have colds, and have, thankfully, outgrown ear infections. So, we rarely go to the doctor. In fact, we have even gotten out of the habit of annual check ups, or well visits. So, being a mom, I figured it must be something we should take care of and made appointments for all three boys...probably mostly to allieve my conscience.

Well, I was telling the boys about their pending medical rendevous, and someone asked if there would be shots involved. Trying to be positive ( because noone here has outgrown their adamant dislike of injections and the pain they cause) I said I wasn't sure, but if we have to get them, we would grin and bear it and "take it like a man." That was last week sometime.

Yesterday in the car, we were discussing our plans for next week, and I reminded them that we had Dr. appts next Wednesday. M, in a kind of small voice from somewhere in the back seat asked "Could you tell them to keep it turned to child, instead of man, until I get just a little older?" I was confused...turn what where? What was he talking about? Then I realized...when I told him he was going to take the shot like a man, his 7 year old brain conjured up a man-sized needle! So, I explained to him what I meant, and that he wouldn't have to take a super-sized shot. Needless to say, he was much relieved.

Now, let's just hope that between the three of them, noone needs a booster shot......but chances are, some one will be taking it (somewhat) like a man when the nurse comes in with the needles and bandaids next Wednesday.

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

5 1st graders + 2 big brothers + cookies & ice cream + 1 scavenger hunt + 2 toilet paper mummies + 1 bottom-busting ballon race + 5 hours of sleep = a happy birthday sleepover for M.

Boy sleepovers are sooo much different than the girlie affairs I remember from long ago. No make up or beauty pagents ( weren't Stephanie S.'s parties always the best, though??), no one gets their feelings hurt, no one locks himself in the bathroom. Boys can entertain themselves for hours with a few cars, a deck of cards and some video games ( no matter what age, right guys??). Hide and seek is always the favorite at our house - but the blue glow sticks kind of gave away everyone's hiding place.

Rites of passage are synonomous the world over. Every culture has those events that are anxiously anticipated, and which bring about a greater respect for the certain individual by his peers. The big birthday sleepover must be at the top of the list for 1st grade boys. However, I am happy to report that this rite of passage has been successful and no lions were killed, no wolves skinned, no vision quest completed...just a bunch of 7 year olds having fun and keeping me on my toes.

Happy Birthday, M! - we love you

Too Soon

"Come away, come away, death

And in sad cypress let me be laid"

Twelth Night (II, iv)

William Shakespeare

He will always be a smile on our face, a story in our mind, a love in our heart and a wisdom in our soul. We love him always and miss him already.

1935-2009

Historical

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1865.

Today is a very significant day in the history of our country. Despite obvious situational differences, Lincoln's words from his 2nd Inaugural Address seem very fitting for today and the promise it holds. Our nation is poised on the threshold of opportunity and optimism. Let's walk through that doorway together as citizens and neighbors.

Good Luck, America, as we do what our new President has asked of us:

"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. ..We understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom...Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America...All this we can do. And all this we will do." President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009.

Now, let's go and be the doers, the risk-takers and the makers of things. We all have a stake in this chapter of our nation.

pennies on the sidewalk

4 days in a row....4 miles :)

We all need to appreciate the small things in life...like small steps being taken to reach larger goals, or a penny on the sidewalk. I know my four days of exercise are not really impressive to many, but I am pleased with them. I have begun my shift, and haven't stumbled...yet. In the meantime, I will continue to smile at small accomplishments...like my daily mile.

In her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard speaks about simplicity in life, and finding pleasure and wonder in the small, unexpected corners of life. She tells of hiding pennies when she was a child, just to see if anyone would stop to pick them up. Her childhood imagination presumed that all who picked up the "lost" pennies would be stumbling upon a windfall treasure, a golden fortune. She then comments on those who did not take the opportunity to pick up the pennies, "It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnurished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get."

My penny today? - - a continuation of my quest for a healthier me.

What is your metaphorical penny?

Resolutions

Day 1 - 1 mile

OK - - I need help sticking to my routine. The last time I was diligent about exercise, it took the force of hurricane winds to knock me from my habit ( literally, IKE came and went, and the workout went with him and I have been idle since then). So, new year, new resolutions...I've been back in the school routine for a week now, so I think I have been generous enough in giving myself time to ease into the new year. I am going to start slow, but slow and steady wins the race, right?

So, here I am turtling into my resolution - a habit of exercise. But, if I do happen to stop and put my head in the shell, hopefully it isn't because another storm is brewing in the gulf!!

Yep, Its Official

I guess when you live in the south, it is only inevitable. It is bound to happen sooner or later. It is part of our worldly personna, our identity to the rest of the human race. I'm sorta impressed I have lived,umm, 37 years in the deep south and never experienced it before. Intrigued yet?

Well, Saturday night we went to the Monster Truck Rally - one of the most redneck occasions I can think of attending. Today is P's 12th birthday, so to celebrate we took him, his brothers, and 3 friends to the Truck show to see GraveDigger, Maximum Destruction, El Toro Loco and the rest of the monster truck superstars. (Aren't you impressed that I can rattle off their names like I am talking about Hollywood who's who?). I was pretty skeptical, and the only reason I decided to go (silly me, thinking big trucks were only for boys) was that it was kind of P's birthday party.

Anyway - was I surprised. I wasn't engulfed in ta'bacy spittin', no teeth smilin', mullet combin', dropped out of the third grade, low-rider '83 Camaro drivin' crowd. In fact, we sat next to several families...most of whom looked a whole lot like us. The boys - all 6 of them - had a great time. They loved when the trucks smashed into old cars or jumped over ramps. And, I have to admit, I thought it was pretty cool, too. Most impotrantly, P had a great birthday celebration, the last one before he hits teenager-dom....that's a whole new post topic, I'm sure.

So, I guess it is now official - I have embraced my inner red-neck...do you think I can surpress it again for the next 37 years?
Before the big event...eating pizza.
GraveDigger - the star of the show (that's 3 cars underneath there).
Texas' own, El Toro Loco -check out the long horns!
Maximum Destruction flying through the air (no pun intended).