Miracle Workers v. Transformers

Thursday was a beautiful day for Jack's soccer game. Kim is here for a visit so Jack was thrilled that there was another cheerleader just for him. I had this idea to make the kids a treat for their last game. Needless to say, i probably over did it a little and ended up spending most of the day painting water bottles. I think i might have had a high from the paint pen. Anyway, i got them finished and they were cute so i guess it was worth it. We packed all the bottles and everything else we take to the games and headed to the YMCA. Our coach was out of town this week so another dad filled in but Jack was still excited and ready to play. Eric arrived just as the game started. It started off well. Okay, by well i mean we were up by 4 in the first few minutes but all the players for both teams were staying on the field so that was good. Anyway, true to their name the Transformers.....well......transformed. One little boy decided he needed to rest so he sat down for the last 3/4ths of the game. I guess being a spectator was better than getting run over by "the tank" (had to Mom since this is my last soccer blog). Anyway, another little boy was running wild just not on the field. He did a little kung fu fighting on the side. It was a fun to watch since the game was the usual, we scored every other minute. Finally, the last little boy on the other team got really tired of our team scoring and would throw a temper tantrum every time we scored (well, mostly the tank did the scoring). I figured i had enough pictures of Jack so i started taking pictures of the cry baby. Finally, the other team had whittled away to two little girls. Sad but true. The score ended up around 15ish to 2 (if you count the goal we scored in their net). 5 out of 6 isn't bad for the first season of soccer. Jack has shown progress. He still follows the other kids instead of the ball on the ground. He tries. He also runs until his "head sweats". That is how he knows he is doing a good job. Enjoy the last set of soccer pictures.

Home Alone

AGHHHHHHHHHH! Eric left last night for Birmingham for a CPR and concrete class. He arrived safely. He won't be back until late Wednesday night. That means i am home alone with the fantastic four. A little scary since each posses their own super powers. Ella has the ability to render her brother defenseless when it come to playing dress up. They can't resist when she commands them to dress as princesses and ballerinas. Jack does not require any sleep. He can get up at 6 or 6:30 and go well past 9 even if he is just in the dark in his room. This means no nap for me. John can climb like Spiderman. I am not sure how he does it but i do know that he can get things that i know were well out of his reach. Maybe he has elastic arms and just stretches to get things. Either way i have to keep my eyes on him. Ben is a super pooper. I don't know how he can poop out the side of a diaper or straight up but it must be a super power. All are capable of becoming tornadoes and completely destroying the house in a moment. This is a dangerous combination. I have to keep a very tight reign on them so they don't use their super powers. If they do my world just might spiral out of control while i am here alone. No breaks, no relief when Eric walks in from work but i got this. Jack cried as Eric drove off and then snuck into Ella's bed for a sleep over. I found him as i made might nightly rounds. I have already made this time without Eric our special time. They got to have a little Dr. Pepper for lunch and we might have a sleepover in Mommy's room tonight. I am not sure if our bed will hold us all. Gymnastics this afternoon and Kim flys in at lunch tomorrow. A short time alone but still a lot to do. Going to look for more fun things for the kids and i to do tonight. Pray for me. :)

Summer Vacation
I know everyone is ready for summer vacations. I am. Too bad we don't get to take one. HA! We will be in town June 4th-7th. Eric has another class in Birmingham. It will be brief but nice. Are any of you coming to visit us? If you are planning to come between now and September let me know now so we can get everyone on the calendar. We do have a guest room with a bathroom but i cannot promise that the kids will not invade this space when visitors are here. You may wake up to a kid staring at you. Ask Wes. :) At this point we are not planning on returning for a visit until after the completion of this job. So come see us.

Happy Mother's Day

My special day is drawing to a close so i thought i would end it with a blog about my thoughts on being a mother. I am privileged to be able to celebrate this day as a mom. I have been blessed with four beautiful children to mother and a beautiful mother to look up to. It is true that you never know how hard it is to be a mother until you become one. No book or person could ever prepare you for the task of raising children. For instance, on any given day i am a:
Doctor/ Nurse (for dolls, people and stuffed animals)
Chef
Banker
Teacher
Hair Dresser
Seamstress
Architect/ Engineer (forts are my specialty)
Maid
Secretary
Schedule Maker
Chauffeur
Dry Cleaner/ Laundress
Babysitter
Psychologist/ Psychiatrist
Judge
Law Enforcement
Party Planner ( i can plan a cool tea party)
Personal Shopper
Waitress
Story Teller/ Librarian
Coach
Referee
Gardener
Garbage Woman
Artist (i am pretty good at finger painting)
Photographer
Mechanic ( i specialize in toy repair)
Landscaper/ Lawn care provider
All Around Handy Woman

Good thing Mom taught me how to multi-task. It is amazing all the things that a Mom is. Notice i didn't put friend. I didn't put friend because i don't feel like God gave me children so i could be their friend. I am to be a parent. That is why we are called parents and not friends. So many people say that their mom is their best friend but I am so proud to say that my Mom has never been my friend. She will never be my friend. My mom holds such a special place in my heart that calling her a friend would be doing our relationship a disservice. We don't always get along and we often don't even agree but i have never doubted her love and support for me. We often leave our emotions unsaid but it is always understood. I should really tell her more often than Mother's Day that i am really blessed to have her as a Mother and role model. Mom, I love you very much and i thank you for never being a friend but always being a mother. I would also like to point out that i have two very special Grandmothers that have always lent me an ear when i needed to talk and have tried to guide me in the best directions. Grandma was always there to argue with. She always yelled at me in such a loving manner but i knew she really cared and was just trying to get through my hard head. Mawmaw always said "Sweet, it will all be okay as long as you trust in the Lord" and i knew she was right. I am sure my Grandmothers know EVERYTHING! Now that i am married i was blessed with two more beautiful Grandmothers and a caring and Godly Mother-in-law. I happen to think that my mother-in-law did an outstanding job. Eric is the best man i have ever met and i can only thank her for that. It is a blessing to have so many mothers to talk to. All offer wonderful advice and support and i love them all dearly.

My day was fabulous. Eric and the kids made me breakfast in bed and then brought in all my cards. The got me a gift certificate to a tanning and spa place. I think i may be using more of the spa services. We went out for lunch and then home to relax. My favorite thing. We were all together. The kids brought me flowers all day. They like to pick the white ball looking flower out of the patches of clover in the yard. That and dandelions. Apparently, Ella has been picking the things out of the clover patches all week and hiding them in Eric's drawer to give to me today. To bad they all died. :( HA! Since they came from the yard there was plenty more and they were free. I asked Eric at what age i should tell them that they are technically picking weeds for me. I think i will wait because i love that they are thoughtful enough to get me flowers almost daily. Jack came in as i was fixing my hair and told me i was pretty. The weeds and compliments were gift enough for me. Heading to bed. My "work" will be up bright and early waiting on me. I hope all of you that are mother's had a wonderful day full of love, family and relaxation.

Miracle Workers V. Master Minds (again)

Tuesday we played the Master Minds, again. This time we played at the YMCA in Barium Springs instead of the elementary school. It was nice that it was close to our house but the weather was cold and rainy. We got to the fields and only see our goals set up. They apparently didn't have time to line the field because of the rain. It was interesting trying to eyeball the lines. Anyway, the kids played just the same. Jack's friend, Hayden, was back this week. Jack really seems to like him. He was SUPER excited the whole game. You can tell from his face in all the pictures. He had to stand next to Hayden all the time. It was a particularly physical game. Kensley and a boy on the other team gave each other a hard time. Kensley fell on him a few times (i am sure he regrets messing with her, i would have). We were ahead most of the game and the Master Minds were making a comeback but then Kensley returned from the bathroom and we came out on top. We just had a practice on Thursday and our last game is next Thursday. Jack has made a lot of progress and even kicked the ball a few times (yes, really kicked. like on purpose). I was very proud, as i always am.

Wednesday was also a rainy day. Eric came home early since everyone had left the job site due to the bad weather. He happened to look out the back door and saw this funnel cloud across the street. It never touched down but was really neat to see. Yes, we were the crazy people out side taking pictures.

This is when we first saw it.

As it moved away.

Milk... does a body good

Obviously milk is doing Ben's body very good. He weighted in at 12 lbs 1 oz. putting him the 50th percentile for weight and he measured 24 inches long putting him in about the 75th percentile for height for his age. He is looking very healthy. It is looking like he will be more like Jack size wise. I have to say i thought he was going to be larger than that. We are officially moving out of the newborn onesies for the last time. :) Yea! We will be in 3 to 6 month clothing soon. He still loves his sleep. When he is awake he smiles and is starting to coo. He does turn when he hears Eric or I talking. He gets very upset very quickly if he decides he is hungry. He gets hungry a lot but after he eats he is back to a happy baby. He got three shots and an oral vaccine today and seems to be doing fine. He goes back for his four month check-up in July.

In other news, Jack and Ella found one of the missing Easter eggs that was still hidden in the yard. It was the real one. We quickly disposed of it before someone tried to eat it. Glad it is no longer in the yard. Still wondering where the other one is. Oh well. Eric and the kids picked me up from the doctor's yesterday and as i got in the car the first thing Jack wanted to know was, did the doctor put a baby back in my tummy? HA! I quickly explained that there would be no more babies in my tummy. Apparently when mommy goes to the doctor it is because there is a baby in my tummy. I guess that is all he has ever known. :) The hospital is coming along. They are finishing the parking lot. They are supposed to open it tomorrow but Eric says it is still lacking the landscaping. Keep your fingers crossed. The steel is up and they are moving along. Hoping they can stay on schedule. Will keep you posted on the progress. Jack, Ella and John had a sleep over Saturday night. We were able to pull out the trundle and an hour later the three were still on the trundle together reading books. I went back a little after 10 and this what i saw.

John needed his own space so he got in his bed. I am so blessed to have 4 children that love each other and love to be together. Even when they fight they can't be separated.

I am on the D L

That means disabled list not down low (for those of you who are fluent in hood). After last weeks brutal workout with Wes I started having some trouble with my knee. I thought I should probably have it checked since it such an important part of my body. After waiting for what seemed like forever, in a room with hacking children and crippled adults that looked half drugged, I was on my way back to a room. After my brief questionnaire with a nurse (and an eternity waiting) in comes my doctor who looked a lot like Al Roker (the younger and skinnier years). He talked faster than I could process and by the end of the exam he was ordering an x-ray and was out the door. After another forever of waiting, I finally have the x-ray. These forever and eternities are okay because I am quarantined in my own little room where I only hear the hacking of the fellow patients. I am almost positive a "hacker" was in this room before me. I want a shower with lots of anti bacterial soap. Doctor Roker comes in with the final verdict. I have a contusion on my meniscus. Basically inflammation in my knee. Treatment: anti-inflammatory meds and banned from the treadmill until my knee heals. Elliptical here I come.

Miracle Workers v. Shakers and Bakers

Last night's game was quite eventful. The other team only had three players but they were on the older side and had experience. We had five of our players there so i was feeling confident. The game started and....SCORE! What? It wasn't the tank. It was the other team. WOW. We are in for a doozie tonight. They are off again. they go up and down the field a few times and it looks more like a one on one game with Kensley and the other teams lead player. All the other kids were just running around behind them. Jack must not have been in the mood to really get in the game because most of the time he was on the other end of the field walking around. We still aren't sure what was going on but he was an airplane for a bit and then in a sumo stance. He also made tons of facial expressions at the ground, picked a few blades of grass, and walked on all fours, briefly. All the while Kensley and Josh are running up and down the field with the ball. Josh is the only one doing any scoring. Our team started to diminish. After halftime only two of our players were on the field. How had we fallen from glory so quickly??? My faith was renewed when two more of our players joined in. Turns out they were in the bathroom. On an up note, Jack did actually kick the ball twice, i use the word "kick" loosely. He was being an airplane and they kicked the ball right at him. I was so excited. I thought here is his chance. I start yelling "GO JACK, KICK THE BALL, GO JACK!!". The other kids are all kicking at the ball resting at Jack's feet. They get it and off they go. Jack is still an airplane and i believe he never knew the ball was there. Aghhhhhh! He would later get another shot. Same thing. Except this time he was in his sumo stance. Will he ever learn?? Turns out this is the third season for Kensley and Josh. Apparently in their first seasons they picked grass too. There is hope. We ended up losing 6 to 7. The Shakers and Bakers definitely shaked and baked. I tried to get pictures of most of Jack's activities on the field. Enjoy.