Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated on time, it's just taken me a few days to write. We had all our family together for Thanksgiving, the Langstons, the Barnetts, and the Coles.

Since there were 12 of us, we had our very first official "Kid's table." Mostly my kids plus my niece Sierra, who is almost as tall as I am these days:



They actually enjoyed having a table to themselves. KC kept coming back to the big table to get food, salt, butter, etc., but they seemed to have a good time away from the big people.

We had a big people table, also. My sister Jill, Tom, my mom and dad, Bill's mom and dad.



We really are lucky that our families all get along and we can share the holiday with both sides.

I am thankful for so many things, I couldn't possibly list them all, but mainly for the continued health and presence of our entire family.

Blessings to everyone, and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Bill's Birthday

Last weekend was Bill's forty-something birthday! We ended up visiting Sea World, just like we did for my fortieth, but it was really just a coincidence. Or he's a copycat - you decide. LOL

Rain threatened, but the weather ended up clear and warm. It was the Monday of Thanksgiving, so there was a very small crowd (for Sea World).

We rode the Texas Splashdown. Bill and I rode it once, Brady and KC rode twice. Abby didn't care to ride at all.



Then Bill, Brady, and KC rode the Great White. Bill rode once, Brady and KC twice. The first ride, they were the only three on the coaster at all!




Later, we fed and petted the dolphins. This was definitely my favorite activity!



Abby opted for a smaller coaster. KC went along for the ride. They decided to do this one twice also.



We caught the Viva show, which is one of our favorites!


Bill and the kids fed the Lorikeets. One decided to perch on KC's head.


We caught the sea lion show and finished off the day with the kids running around the playground area.

Busy Fall Weekends

Hopefully I can get caught up a bit this week as we are off for Thanksgiving!


We have finally recovered from last weekend. Not the most recent weekend (although that was busy as well). It's taken us almost a week to recover from the weekend before that.


Here's a walk in my world . . .


November 9th - District Inservice Day (7:15 am - 4:30 pm)


AHS hosted the Social Studies department on our District Inservice day. No photos of me turning projectors on and off at work, but the hardest part of being the hostess is that you have to arrive first and be the last to leave. A long day, but better than many as I didn't have to actually teach any classes.


Of course, poor Bill had to dash home and back at lunch to drop off KC at a birthday party and deliver Brady to Fun Tiki to hang out with some friends on their off day. These stay-at-home parents really do set the bar far too high for the rest of us - LOL


Evening of November 9th - All-Region Band Clinic (5:45 pm - 8:45 pm)


Brady made All-Region band! Concert band, not symphonic, but still a great achievement for a 7th grader!! He attended the all-region band clinic Friday night to begin preparations for the concert Saturday Night.


Saturday, November 10th - Nutcracker Market for Jeannie (10am - 3pm) All-region Band Clinic for Brady (8:00 am - 3:30 pm)


Normally I would take a day off from school to spend wandering around the Nutcracker Market with my mother, our annual Christmas kick-off tradition. With the district in-service day on Friday, though, I had to work Thursday just to make sure everything was ready. So it was off to the Market on Saturday, but it was well worth it to see everything. Found a few treasures, too . . .


Brady spent the day rehearsing for the band concert to be held at Clements High School that evening. They were released about 3:30 pm to go home at change for the concert. And to rest and eat for a few moments. Brady also had to get ready for the rest of his weekend - a baseball tournament in Round Rock that he was missing on Saturday!


All-Region Band Concert (6:30 - 8:30)

Having absolutely no musical talent of my own, this was the first time I had attended an all-region band concert. This was, without a doubt, the best concert I have ever attended. The students in both concert band and symphonic band were simply outstanding! The music was wonderful! It absolutely took my breath away. And, really, what makes a mom prouder than to see her son in a bow tie?

Driving to New Braunfels (9:00 pm - 12:00 pm)

After the concert, we ran by Barnes and Noble to purchase a book on baseball physics for the science fair research due Monday, then drove to New Braunfels so we would be within driving distance of Round Rock in the morning. Arrived a bit after midnight to collapse in bed.

Off to Round Rock (and Georgetown, as it turned out) (6:00 am - 7:55 am)

We had spoken to Brady's baseball coach the night before and he told us the Warriors were scheduled to play in Round Rock at 8:00 am. We left New Braufels at 6:00 am to make sure we were there by 7:00 am.

There were two fields, one in Round Rock and one in Georgetown, both north of Austin, which is about 45 minutes north of New Braunfels. The coach assured us we were playing in Round Rock. We drove to the fields and arrived at about 7:10 am to find . . . no one. At all. No other team, no Warriors - not a soul. Called the coach. Yep, it's Round Rock, everyone else is just running late. Round Rock - off East Main street. Yep.

We drove to McDonalds to get some food for the kiddos (they'd slept on the drive). Still no teams. It's now 7:40 am. Coach calls us. Which exit did you take? 251? Well . . . gosh . . . it's exit 261. Close, but no cigar.

Off to Georgetown. We arrive at the field at 7:55 am for the 8:00 am game. Brady has no time to warm up in the cages and hasn't swung a bat in a week. Oh, well, how hard could it be? He could warm up and sit out the first inning, maybe?

Nope. Starting second baseman runs out there. Time to get started! One of the other moms comes over to tell me how happy they are to see us, as the dads had to try to keep a scorebook on notebook paper the day before. I explain we were late because we went to Round Rock. She looks puzzled - aren't we in Georgetown? Next time, I'm calling her for directions . . .


Here are the girls (plus Katie) enjoying Georgetown.

Game 1 in Georgetown (8am - 10am) and Game 2 in Georgetown (10:15 - 12:15 am)

The Warriors come in as the number 7 seed (of 10 teams). First round draw is a low-seed playoff so it should be easy. Never works out that way, does it? Still, we squeak out a win, 8-7, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th as time expires.

Next game is against the number 2 seed in the tournament. Yikes. CC pitches an outstanding game and the offense goes crazy. We win 10-3. Great defense, including this nice catch of a pop-up in the 2nd inning:



Our next game isn't until 4pm, so we head to Rudy's for barbeque. Fabulous brisket! We still have some time to kill, so we head over to a park near the baseball fields to relax. Sort of. It's part relaxation and part keeping-the-boys-out-of-the-water. A mixed bag, but a nice break and beautiful weather.



Game 3 - Los Diablos! (4pm - 5:45 pm)

At 4pm we play Los Diablos from Lorado. These boys look old enough to not only shave, but to drive themselves to the game. Two of their players have numbers in duct-tape on the back of their jerseys so we are thinking they are late additions to their roster. One is the starting pitcher, so we start to worry . . .

At some point here we learn that if we win, the championship game will start at 8pm. Lasting until 10 pm. Then a 4-hour drive home. Brady already wants to know if he has to go to school the next day. It's Veteran's day on Monday and Brady has to play with the band in a Veteran's Day Program . . . so yes. Some sulking ensues, but life's tough.

The Warriors play great. By the bottom of the 4th we are up 9-3. The other team's runs include a homer by the other kid with a duct-tape number. Or his dad - it's hard to tell at this point. The opponents' coaches wear the same uniforms as the players. I wouldn't wear white pants at 40 if it was for an appearance in the actual world series. But that's just me . . .

Anyway, we are doing well and I have resigned myself to the fact that we won't be home until close to 2am on Monday. Maybe I can call in sick and sleep all day . . .



Brady scores on a passed ball . . .

Have you ever head that expression, Men make plans and God laughs? Well, God laughed, but kindly. More of a, "Don't worry, you'll be home in plenty of time. Well, not plenty of time, but still early enough that you'll feel guilty if you call in sick. Besides, Brady has to play in that program anyway, and Abby has to sing in a Veteran's day program at her school . . . yes, you do have two daughters also, you may recall (even if they don't play baseball or in band, but still have to get dragged all over central Texas . . . )"

Ahem . . . anyway, God had other plans for us.

Los Diablos came back and scored 7 runs, and we lost and got to go home. Dark was quickly approaching, and we had a long drive ahead of us. Still, the boys played great and we had a good tournament.

Home again (6:00 pm - 10:30 pm)

Brady finished the Science Fair report in time, and he played well on Monday and Abby sang her little patriotic heart out. But you can see why it took a week to recover! More later on this weekend (back to New Braunfels). Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween 2007! Hope everyone had fun and that the monsters weren't too scary this year!

First, a couple of decoration updates. I finished the Wizard of Oz witch so she could keep an eye on those other 3 guys:

And the skeleton is just dressed for a night on the town. Sort of. He's also guarding the candy so the kiddos don't steal it while I'm not looking.

Bill finished the outside decorations. He got an inflatable ghost snow globe that looks really cute. Abby didn't like any ghosts in her upstairs window, so she got a kitty cat this year.

The girls carved real pumpkins at school this year. KC did a bat and Abby did a very scary skull:

Here is the skull when it is lit (the camera is a bit blurry, but you can get the idea)

And here's the bat with a bit of a light:

On to actual Halloween. Of course we had to start with a Halloween feast!






The girls found a group from school and hit the trick-or-treat trail! Abby is an adorable witch and KC is a cutie pie soldier:

After trick-or-treating, the girls came back and joined Brady and I handing out candy. We'd sit on the porch as still as statues. When little ones came up, we'd just tell them Happy Halloween and give out the candy. When those teenagers wandered by, we'd sit still and wait. They'd kind of sneak up to the house and argue whether we were real or fake (it was very dark on the porch, with just a jack-o-lantern and some orange lights glowing, and we had spooky music playing in the background.

When they finally convinced themselves that we were fake, they'd finally walk up and Brady would jump out of the bushes!! Who knew the girls could sit still?

We'd only scare the big kids - never the little ones. It was fun, though. Here's what we looked like with the flash:

I took a video of the front of the house in the dark, I'll try to capture and upload it tomorrow. It's 10pm and there are still trick-or-treaters ringing our bell. Time to turn out the lights and hit the hay!

Happy Halloween to all, and happy All Saints Day on November 1st. Thank your guardian angel today!

Warriors win!!

The Warriors played in the 14U division this past weekend because there were not enough teams in the 13U division (these other teams need to get their priorities straight - what's more important than baseball?? - LOL).

Anyway, it was a bit intimidating seeing so many players who were much larger than most of our boys, but it was a good challenge for them. They've finished 2nd in so many tournaments this fall (granted, 2nd is far better than last, but it's still 2nd) that I thought a bit higher level of competition might spur them on to work harder.

It did. They won first place! Brady had a very good tournament. He had a bunt hit, a solid single to left field, and 5 walks (plus a sac bunt and a strikeout). His defense was really outstanding - he was focused, made good decisions, and executed them well. We were very proud of him!

Here he is squaring around to bunt, right-handed. He's really back to being comfortable from both sides of the plate again which is such a relief! Once switch-hitters begin struggling from one side the coaches tend to want them to commit to batting from the other side. He really likes hitting both left and right, so it's nice to see him having some success both ways.


This bunt ended up being a triple - a throwing error helped him reach all the way to 3rd! We always tell him that it's because he hustles up the first base line that the defense feels pressure to make a quick play and once in a while that will cause an error that helps him reach base. It's all about doing your best and working hard!



This was an attempt at a steal. What I am so happy to see is that he's not nervous about the runner these days. In the past, he'd flinch a bit when the runner slid in hard, but here he's right in there, protecting the base, and keeping that tag on the runner. When the dust settles, he's got his man!


I don't know that it matters whether or not Brady ever becomes a major league ballplayer (although if he keeps working hard, no dream is ever out of reach). I do know that the skills he is learning about hard work, persistence, and teamwork will make him a better person and that is worth it. :-)

Fall has arrived!

I love fall. I suppose being a small child in Boston, you can't help but look forward to the leaves changing colors, the chill in the air, the pumpkins and scarecrows dotting the landscapes . . .

So, despite the fact that I have spent most of my life in Texas, where (as they say) the 4 seasons are early summer, summer, late summer, and rain . . . I still love to decorate the house and yard as if the leaves were about to turn any day. A small tribute to my younger days.

The kids, Bill, and I try to combine some fall/harvest decorations with some scary Halloween sorts of things.

I like to start with the mantle. I've had the Halloween beanie babies for years, so they get a chance to shake off the cobwebs for a few weeks. Hmmm, maybe I should leave the cobwebs next year . . .




Of course I have to have a tree!

The door is kind of spooky/harvest with the wreath and the mums watched over by some spooky guys there in the window.

The porch itself is mostly fall with the scarecrows and the hay. There's a crow sitting on the bale of hay, too, but he kind of hides from that scarecrow:

The yard itself is pretty spooky with the tombstones in the garden. These spirits are all friendly, fortunately.

These last three guys are in the dining room, but they may move closer to the front door. I bought them last year, but didn't actually get them done until this year. They are kind of cute, though, although that lion reminded me why the glue gun and I will never be fast friends. Martha Stewart I am not.



Since I took these pictures, I finished the witch to keep an eye on the three wise guys, and we bought a few new things this weekend. I'll post some updates once I get them all in place. Tonight, however, it is raining, so the decorating will have to wait for another day.

Happy Fall!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I read this essay by Erma Bombeck when I was in high school and it always made me think of my mother.

"You don't love me!"

How many times have your kids laid that one on you?

And how many times have you, as a parent, resisted the urge to tell them how much?

Someday, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I'll tell them...

I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going, with whom and what time you would get home.

I loved you enough to insist you buy a bike with your own money, which we could afford, and you couldn't.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your hand picked friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your bedroom, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to say, "Yes, you can go to Disney World on Mother's Day."

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, disgust, and tears in my eyes.

I loved you enough not to make excuses for your lack of respect or your bad manners.

I loved you enough to admit that I was wrong and ask for your forgiveness.

I loved you enough to ignore "what every other mother" did or said.

I loved you enough to let you stumble, fall, hurt, and fail.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your own actions, at 6, 10, or 16.

I loved you enough to figure you would lie about the party being chaperoned, but forgave you for it...after discovering I was right.

I loved you enough to shove you off my lap, let go of your hand, be mute to your pleas and insensitive to your demands...so that you had to stand alone.

I loved you enough to accept you for what you are, and not what I wanted you to be.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say no when you hated me for it.

That was the hardest part of all.

Erma Bombeck

Today, October 10th, is my mother's birthday. I celebrate this day, because without her there is no me. I don't just mean that I wouldn't have been born, although that is certainly true. It is because my mother is who she is, that I am who I am.

When I look at my children, I see so much of her in each of them. Brady's loyalty and character, K.C.'s curiosity and creativity, Abby's strength and nurturing, have all grown from her. Whatever skill I have as a mother, I learned from my Mom.

Thank you for everything, and happy birthday! I love you. :-)