Merry Christmas and Randomness

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  We made it home to Ohio on the 22nd.  I spent most of the 23rd and 24th wrapping presents.  That is just a tiring activity, and although the gifts look pretty under the tree, it is a little disheartening that all of that pretty wrapping gets tore off.  So, essentially, all of your hard work has gone to waste.  Of course, it is fun to watch the joy on the kids' faces as the unwrap each one to find the coolest things they have ever seen.....at least for that moment.

Christmas Eve was great.  My mom, sister and her family were all out here at my aunt's to spend the night.  Of course we got our Christmas Eve jammies.  I always love getting those.  My jammies rocked this year.  Thanks Momma! 

Christmas morning was a tad bit of chaos.  I went around waking everyone up around 7:30 so we could get the presents opened.  There were tons more presents than we originally thought.  It was a tad bit hard to keep Landen and Jonny's (my nephew) attention to keep opening presents.  It was fun though.  We all left the house just before 9:00 to get to my other aunt's for Christmas breakfast.   Might I just add, I absolutely love big breakfasts full of bacon, eggs, gravy, biscuits, baked apples, fried potatoes and chocolate milk.  I know when I want a meal like that, I have to come home.  LOL! 

We had to leave my aunts around 11:30 to go pick Tori up, and then get Mike.  We got back to my aunt's and watched some tv, and then had some wonderful food for dinner.  I was a pretty happy camper.  Nothing like a turkey, a ham, some mashed potatoes, potato salad, corn, a couple of pies and banana pudding for dinner.  Man, I really do eat good when I come home. 

We headed back to my home away from home so that Mike and Tori could open their presents.  Mike was a rather happy camper to see all the Saints stuff he got.  He had asked for a Brees jersey, and that's what he got.  Andy also bought him a fleece blanket with the Saints logo on it.  Tori wanted stuff to go in her dollhouse, so she got quite a few rooms, and then the family to go in it.  She also got that ladybug pillow pet she was wanting.  Landen got a "blackberry" and a "laptop".  No, not real ones, but a V-Tech texting toy, and a Leapfrog Leaptop.  He has been very thrilled with those things as well.  When he's not playing with that stuff, he's sitting down reading one of his several books he got.  Andy got his Black Ops game he's been wanting, and I've had to keep him out of Best Buy so he wouldn't buy it.  He got some movies, books and clothes.  He seemed pretty happy.  I was over the moon over my gifts.  My mother-in-law bought me 3 pairs of maternity pants, since I didn't have any pants to wear.  I could have only received those for Christmas and just been the happiest person alive.  However, Andy bought me a gift card for Victoria's Secret, the crap of that is though, I didn't get it until yesterday when I found it under the seat in the van when I was cleaning it out.  He's always doing stuff like that to me.

Yesterday, my little brother came here and him and I headed up to Findlay to see our oldest brother.  We had such a great time just sitting around, shootin the shit.  I hadn't seen the big brother for nearly 2 years, and then my little brother I haven't seen since 2002.  It was such a great time with them.  I also got to meet my sister-in-law who was very sweet.  Overall, it was a super awesome day!

Friday is Tori's 7th birthday.  She asked me if she could have a Justin Bieber birthday party.  Wow, ummm okay.  I don't know how I'm going to pull that off, but I'm gonna try.  I did get her 2 shirts with him on it.  Not sure what else we are getting, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.  I just have to keep reminding myself that when I was her age, I had New Kids on the Block.  Yes......I am that old.  ACK!!!

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

2nd Appointment and Christmas

Had my 2nd appointment today.  She talked to me about my blood tests, and everything looked good.  She was a little worried about the glucose test because my result was 65.  Even I know that is rather low.  We also did my pap/pelvic exam.  I absolutely hate those. 

I asked her what the difference was between a midwife and an OB in their practice, and she explained it all out to me.  They actually work together in this practice.  So, I decided to stay with the midwives.  The one I had today was just an absolute joy.  She was so sweet, and caring and just exactly what I would like to have for this pregnancy.  I will get to meet the OBs though, mostly because I'm having the tubal done after I have the baby.  I'm not far enough along to hear the heartbeat on doppler just yet, so she told me we would at the next appointment.  I go back on January 18th for my next appointment.  Overall though, I thought the appointment went wonderfully.



Been getting some Christmas shopping done.  We have almost everything of Landen's, simply because his are all books.  I have my sister's done.  (No sissy, I will not tell you!)  I at least have a list for Mike, Tori and Andy.  It does seem though that books are the theme of this Christmas.  I got the presents for the doggies, well, just a few of the doggies.  The commissary didn't have enough of what I bought for them, so have to wait, or find something different. 

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

First Appointment and Ultrasound

Friday I had my first appointment.  Basically it was just explaining the practice, and then getting bloodwork.  Of course because there is wa history of diabetes in my family, they made me go ahead and do that nasty ass syrupy orange drink for the glucose test.  Andy thought it was hilarious that I had to do that test already.  I for sure thought I was going to throw up all over the place.  It was so nasty.

Today I had my first ultrasound.  Everything looked good.  I was measuring 6w6d, just a couple of days off from my due date based on my last cycle.  We got to hear the heartbeat and it was a strong 140 bpm.  I'm just very happy that everything looked well so far. 

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Good and Bad News

If you hadn't noticed already here on my blog, Andy and I are expecting our 4th little one.  According to my calculations, I am due July 24, 2011.  We are absolutely over the moon excited.  We're hoping for a girl this time, but would be equally happy if it were a boy.  We already have names picked out too.  We've actually had names picked out while we were TTC.  If it's a girl, her name will be Kaydence Elise and if it's a boy, his name will be Jackson Chase. 

The family was thrilled as well.  I told my mom and sister the day that I found out, but didn't tell the rest of the family until today.  I made a shirt that said, "IN PROGRESS....Kaydence Elise or Jackson Chase."  My one aunt was told yesterday, but had to keep quiet until I got to my other aunts today to show off my shirt to let them know.

In other news, I got an e-mail from the coach, and our boys didn't win the Championship.  That makes me very sad, but it's all good.  I guess the way I look at it is that at least Mike didn't miss out on the team winning a Championship.  I am still irate with his father and how selfish he is, but it's okay, cause he'll get his when Mike turns 18.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and don't beat anyone up on black Friday.  I have no intention of doing any of that kind of shopping.  I figure if it is something that I want that bad, I can wait for another time.  I have no desire to beat people up or get beat up while trying to retrieve some hot item.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Championship Bound

Last weeks game was the 1st round of playoffs, and the Ft. Meade 12U Cougars walked away with a 43-6 victory over the Cape St. Clair Cougars.  It was a wonderful game.  That game was the highest scoring game that we have had all season. 

Today, the Cougars just edged the Chesapeake Bay Piranahs with a 14-12 victory.  This win ensured our boys a spot in the Championship game.  WAY TO GO COUGARS!!!

On a sad note, Mike's last game was today.  His father won't allow him to come to his house late for visitation because of football.  He made it very clear to Mike that he didn't care that he was upset with them and that football is important to Mike.  So, I had to break my son's heart and tell him that he can't play in the Championship game.  He is very upset, but there is nothing that any of us can do.  The court order did not specify that he would be able to complete a season of a sport, but I would think that the judge would rule in favor of Mike.  Of course, it's too late to fight it in court. 

What I don't understand is I have to wait to get Tori for visitation until her gymnastics and ballet is over, so why should it be any different for Mike?  Same judge took care of both cases.  I have no problem waiting for her visit a few days because I know her recital is important to her.  It would be selfish, rude, and uncaring if I took that stuff away from her.

I thought parents were supposed to look out for the best interest of their child?  If that is true, then why is what Mike wants not being taken into account?  He doesn't have a good relationship with his dad, and he absolutely HATES his step-mother.  So, what I see happening is him missing this very important game is only going to make their relationships worse.  They think that their visitation with Mike matters to him.  Well, they really need to get to know Mike, because obviously they don't.

My heart just breaks for Mike, because I know how much this hurts him.  The boys eats, sleeps and dreams football.  He has busted his butt all season, only to be told by his dad, "I don't care."  I guess I just don't understand how someone could be so selfish, especially when it comes to their children. He would never take sports away from his other children.  That just shows me, that Mike is only a pawn to him.  A pawn to continually keep tabs on my life, and to try and "win" whatever he can cause he always has to be on top.  Well, sir, you have won, but not against me, against your son.

You can hurt me all you want, but don't you dare hurt my children!  I can guarantee, that 7 years from now when Mike is 18, he won't dare look back at his dad.  I will relish in it when he refuses to send graduation invitations to them, wedding invitations and birth announcements, because in the end, it is a direct result of what they have done to him his whole life.   

Anyhow, I think I have said all that I am feeling right now.  Maybe my next post will not be as negative, but as long as my son is getting hurt, then my emotions are going to be raw.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Stuff

Life has been very hectic lately.  I've been doing so much school work it is crazy.  Some days I feel like I am falling behind, even though I'm really not, and then other days I really feel like I am on the ball.  In the last week I completed my midterm for my business class and got a 22/25 on it.  Not too bad, but could have been better.  Yes, I know, I'm an overachiever.  In the same business class, I was given the task of creating a marketing plan for a new and unique product, or an improvement to an existing product.  The product that I chose to market has proven to be very popular with my classmates.  Whether or not it is a feesible to make product is beyond me.  I did contact one vendor that the product would do great with to ask them if they would be interested in hearing about my product proposal.  We'll see how that pans out though.

Andy and I decided about 6 months ago to start trying to have another baby.  So far that is not going well.  I've never had a problem getting pregnant before, but now that I have put a time limit on myself, things are just not going my way.  I told myself that I would not have another baby after I turned 30, simply because my oldest will be 18 when I'm 36.  I'm starting to think God is playing a trick on me and saying that I can't just put a time limit on that, and it will happen all in his time.  My luck, I'll end up pregnant after I turn 30.  *Sigh*  We also thought that it would be better doing it while he is still in the Army.  That way we at least have good insurance.  I guess all I can do at this point is hope that it happens soon.

In other news, I have found that Landen loves the Sprout channel.  I have never seen him sit for hours on end and just watch the t.v.  This channel is absolutely awesome because he is learning so much from it.  He is talking more than before and gets so excited when it is on.  We also spend each evening reading books to him.  Oh how he loves his books.  We always have to give him a book while we read one to him.  While we tell him our story, he tells us his story.  It's quite interesting.  If only I could understand Landenese.  It is obvious that he is mimicing what people are saying, cause the other night we were heading over to pick Andy up and Landen was just yammering away about being busy with school.  Hmm, wonder where he hears that one at?  LOL!  At least I know he somewhat understands what I'm saying to him. 

The Mighty Ft. Meade 12U Cougars have made it into the playoffs.  Their first game is on the 7th.  If they win that game, then they'll go onto another game the week after, and after that is another playoff game.  The Championship game, from what I understand is Thanksgiving weekend.  Now, I don't have a problem with that because although I will have to leave early from visiting my family back in Ohio, it would be awesome to see my son play in the Championship game.  So what is the problem?  Mike has to be back in Ohio with his dad on the 19th thru the 28th.  Since his dad is the way that he is, more than likely Mike will miss the last 2 games of the season, especially the most important one.  I've already told Mike that it is a possibility of him missing those games cause of his dad, and he is not a very happy camper.  The only problem is, because of his history with his dad and the wicked witch of the west, he won't speak up to them and tell them how he feels because of the repercussions he has had from them in the past.  I try to speak for Mike, but they won't listen to me.  Of course, I shouldn't expect him to put Mike first, since he never has.  It just pains me that my son is going to miss out on things and can't speak up for himself.  If only I could do the freaky Friday thing and change places with him during one of his visits.  Ahh, here's to wishful thinking.

As for Tori, I still talk to her once a week.  She seems to be doing well.  She told me that she has been learning back hand springs and does them well.  I think that is wonderful.  When I see her for Thanksgiving, I will have to get her to do some for me so I can see how well she is doing.  She is also in ballet, but she never talks about it.  I don't think it is something that she wants to do if you want me to be honest. 

Remember that TDY that Andy got out of cause he failed his PT test?  Yeah, well they of course are rescheduling it for him.  More than likely it won't be the January-March class, but probably the class after that.  I am just not really happy about TDY's.  They suck.  I know, I shouldn't complain, cause at least he isn't deployed, but still.  He has no intention of moving up to 7, and that is mostly because he's not got enough time left in the service to make 7.  This course is required to make 7, but of course you are supposed to have it as a 6.  Seeing how Andy is with his job, there is nothing in that course that is going to teach him what he doesn't already know.  Most of the time he is doing the job of his NCOIC, and his own job.  If he can do that, then what is the need for the course?  He thinks the same way that I do about this.  Of course, we can't tell the Army no.  When they say jump, he has to ask how high and would you like fries with that.  Sometimes I hate the Army, but then I realize it has given me a better life than I could have ever dreamed of. 

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Last Week’s Homecoming and the Final Game

So, I’ve been slacking again, and most of that is because I have been busy working on projects for school.  I’ve still got about 8 weeks to go til the end of the semester.  So far, I have all A’s, which is great.  Anyhow, onto the good stuff.

October 17th was Homecoming for the mighty Ft Meade Cougars.  That Saturday was filled with activities, the crowing of the princes, princesses, king and queen.  Wait for it…..wait for it…..YES, Mike was crowned 11 year old Homecoming prince.  TA DA!  I was such a proud momma.  Then of course they had a dance.  Yes, Mike had his very first dance.  He pretty much just hung around there.  He did say he danced a little bit.

The game on the other hand didn’t go so well.  They played the Rebels again.  If you don’t remember who they are, they are the team with 2 boys that weigh 275 pounds at 12 years old.  I’m not going to get into what I think of that again, but I will say that I stood behind one of the boys at our concession, and I kid you not, he was about 6 foot tall.  How there is a child that tall is beyond me.  It was a 44-0 loss for our boys.

The good thing though, Mike was playing safety and tackled the ball carrier.  Of course it took 4 others helping him to take the guy down, but Mike started the tackle.  Then he went to tackle a guy again, and Mike was wrapped around his legs, but with Mike being as small as he is, the guy just shook him off and ran in for a touchdown.  BOO HISS!

So, the regular season came to an end on Saturday.  The 12U Cougars goose egged the Bucs, with a score of 26-0.  That win ensured our boys a run at the playoffs.  Mike played on offense and kicking team for that game.  He has been on the kicking team before, but hasn’t played on the offense during a game.  He did very well with trying to block.  Of course, it doesn’t help that he is so small, so his blocks really aren’t effective.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

A Visit and 2 More Games Left

Saturday was a great day!  Tori flew in to spend the weekend with us.  It was so good to see her.  She was in such a great mood and was very happy to be home with me.  We went to UNO Pizzaria for dinner.  Man do I love that pizza.  All of us except Mike got pizza.  I was so suprised to see how much food Tori could consume.  It's just crazy!  She ate all but 1 piece of this pizza and then had a brownie sundae.  Even Landen ate all but 1 piece of his pizza.  The way my kids eat, you would think that they are starving.  There's no way since they eat all the time.  Luckily they all have high metabolisms and don't gain weight for every little thing they eat.  Me on the other hand, if I look at a whole pizza, I'm bound to gain a few pounds.

Sunday was an even better day.  Our Ft Meade 12U Cougars took on the Crofton Cardinals.  The game was back and forth.  The ball didn't move very much on either side.  It was very interesting to see our boys go out there and give 110% and keep this team from walking all over them like they have in the past.  Mike got to play 5 plays as safety, and then once on the kickoff team.  He did very well, and I was proud of his efforts.  The 12U Cougars walked away with a 13-12 win.  WAY TO GO COUGARS!!!!

Monday was a sad day though.  We had to take Tori back to the airport.  I was very sad to see her go.  I just have to remind myself that I'll see her next month.  After going to the airport, we decided to drive around some of the cities and get an idea where to house hunt at.  We won't seriously be looking for a house until next year, but we're trying to get an idea of what the other areas look like and if they are somewhere we would like to buy a home.  We took a drive to Ellicott City, and even though it is a nice area, it just didn't fit with us.  We also drove through Crofton and Gambrillis, and those places are very nice.  The place that we both agree on though is Columbia.  Ideally, we would buy a home over there, but the homes are a bit more expensive than the other areas we have looked at.  Our ultimate goal though is to buy a home there, but if we have to buy somewhere else for a few years, then that's what we'll do.  I'm very excited to be able to house hunt, but right now we are just looking at areas and prices on homes to see what we are looking for in a home.

Also on Monday, Landen got into a fight with a table at the dentist's office.  Needless to say the first couple of days it was very swollen.  It's not swollen anymore, but it sure is black and blue.  He wouldn't let us near him with any ice.  When we got home I gave him some Tylenol and then put him down for a nap.  When he woke up he was pretty cranky and I could tell he wasn't feeling well since he was happy just curling up in my lap. 

School has been going fine.  I do have this one professor that is a pain in the ass.  She is very rude and expects way too much from people.  As an example, we have weekly conferences to do on certain subjects.  Well, if someone quotes most of their response from the book, there isn't much more for you to add that hasn't already been said.  When you give your opinion on something, and a little bit of repeated information, she gets really nasty and tells you that you need to add more terms and information from the book.  Really?!?!  Why am I going to repeat what has already been said?  That is just stupid.  Every week I get docked points on my conferences because I don't like to repeat what has already been said. 

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Football and General Stuff

So, I've been slacking on keeping up with this.  Mostly because of school dominating my daytimes.  Bear with me as this entry is going to be pretty long.

Two weeks ago mom and aunt Sandy flew in for the weekend to watch Mike play on Sunday.  We played the Panthers.  The game wasn't as bad as the previous ones, but we still didn't win.  It was a 31-13 loss for our Ft. Meade 12U Cougars.  Mike ended up playing in 8 plays.  At one point, the Panthers were going to score, and Mike was playing safety, and he ran the guy out of bounds.  I was so proud of him and how he was doing in that game.  Even though we lost, our boys didn't seem too upset because they were able to score a couple of times.  We did have a penalty on us that I had never heard of, it was a roughing the ball snapper.  All of us were like huh??  So, at halftime, I called my uncle.  He did tell me that it is a real penalty, but it is not very well known of and hardly ever used.

Last Saturday we played Andover.  Mike did not get to play in that game, nor did he practice the day before that game.  I got an e-mail from one of his teachers saying that he didn't turn in a project that day.  So, as a punishment, he was not allowed to go to practice.  As for the Saturday game, Mike was warned 3 weeks prior that if he had any funny looking letters on his interim, he would not play in the game the weekend interims came out.  Funny looking letters are C's or lower.  I know that he is capable of A's and B's, and that he is very smart, and most people would think that I am being hard on him, but I expect him to use his full potential.  Not just that, but if he wants to play sports in high school, he's going to have to maintain good grades.  Needless to say, Mike was very upset with me.  All I could tell him was that he did it to himself.  We did find out from other players that they walked away with a 13-12 win.  WAY TO GO COUGARS!!!

In other stuff, I have been very busy doing school stuff.  My classes don't seem to be too hard, they are just very intensive.  I guess that's what it is like when you're working on a Bachelor's and dealing with a large university.  My BMGT class isn't bad at all.  I'm actually learning some stuff that I never knew.  The LIBS class is such a snore bore.  All it really teaches is how to use a library and how to research stuff.  The IFSM class, it's easy, but the prof isn't one of the nicest people I met.  She's actually very rude.  I know from now on not to take a class with this woman again.  When I haven't been doing school, I've been working on fundraising stuff for football.  We had a car wash a couple of weeks ago that brought in quite a few cars, and alot of money.  Then last week, we had a bake sale in front of the commissary.  That was a very fruitful fundraiser as well.

Andy ended up being sick the other day when he did his PT test, and he failed the run by 30 seconds.  Since he had a failing PT test, he is not able to go on that TDY.  I'm happy that he's not going right now, but on the other hand I wish that he could go just to get it done.  At least he'll be home for Thanksgiving.  I was dreading having to make that drive back to Ohio.  Now, Andy can do a majority of the driving, and that makes me happy.

Landen's birthday is today.  He's a big 2 years old.  It doesn't seem like he should be that old yet.  His most favorite thing in the world right now is his books.  Every night he expects a book to be read to him.  He's even got to where he recognizes some of the words in the books cause we have read them so much.  We took him to Books a Million last week and he was just so excited in there.  He must get his love of reading from Andy, cause he sure didn't get it from me.

Tori is supposed to be flying in this weekend.  I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch though.  I'll be very happy to have her home for a few days.  I usually call her once a week to see how things are going.  She seems to be doing well.  She's still in ballet and gymnastics, and says that she's been learning some new things.  Maybe I'll get her to show me what she's learned while she is here.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!
 

Friday Night Football

The Ft. Meade 12U Cougars travelled out to Cape St. Clair to take on their Cougars.  Our boys were pretty evenly matched to them, other than they were a bit taller than ours.  CSC was the first to receive the ball.  As we kicked off, they received it, and ran it back for a touchdown.  OMG!  Then they went out there, and like the Seahawks a few games back, they were a kicking team.  They kicked the extra point.  8-0  So, we got the ball back, and of course we get out there and try to move the ball.  Try being the operative word.  With no such luck, we have to give the ball back to CSC.  They do a pass play and score on us again.  Kicker comes out, and kicks it right through the uprights.  16-0  /sigh  At this point our teams parents are starting to get upset and telling the boys that they need to pick it up and do something to stop this team.  Well, when CSC got possession again, did the same exact play as the last touchdown and scored again. 

During the 2nd quarter, our Cougars were able to keep CSC from scoring, but the way that they were playing, there was no way that we could come back.  Our defense stepped up and was able to stop CSC's offense, but when we had the ball, our offense couldn't get anywhere.  We weren't holding tackles, they weren't blocking, they just weren't doing anything to help our running backs get through with the ball.

Most of the game was a blur to me after halftime.  I sat watching and waiting for Mike to go in and play, but nothing happened.  I was very upset.  At some point during the game, the other team scored 2 more times, making it 32-0.  In the last minute of the game, Coach Fred asked who had not been in the game yet, Mike, the other boy who is Mike's size, and 2 others raised their hand.  Coach Fred sent them in with a few of the starting defense.  So I thought, "Great, Mike is going to get to play."  WRONG!!!  The other team took a knee twice.  Game over.

Mike walked off of the field.  The expression on his face didn't match what came out of his mouth.  At that point, I blew up.  Loud enough for the players, coaches and other parents to hear.  I pretty much called it bullsh*t that Mike was sent on the field to watch the other team take a knee, how he is always at practice early, how he gets his butt kicked all week just to stand on the sidelines, and how it's absolutely messed up.  I was furious.  I asked Andy for the keys and took off to the van, cause otherwise, I was going to jump all over the coach for sitting my son out 2 games in a row with no explanation. 

On the way home from the game, I sent an e-mail to the coach asking him why Mike didn't get to play.  I did point out how other boys show up late to practice, disrespect the coaches, act like they don't give a crap, and they dominate the time on the field.  I asked him if I should have Mike doing those things to get play time.  Of course he couldn't give me an answer to that, but he did say that he and the other coaches enjoy having Mike on the team.  Really?  If that is true, then why don't you play him? 

What I didn't know was that there were some other parents stirring the pot too.  An e-mail arrived the next morning that had been sent out to the director of CYSS, the coaches and all the parents.  It was from one of the other parents who child is a starter, but she was pointing out how it is unfair that there are boys who are getting little to absolutely NO play time.  Needless to say, it started a war with some of the parents.  Most of the parents whose boys that start were defending the coaches, while those of us who have boys that don't play during games were saying that it's not about the coaches, it's about the boys, and it is a YOUTH LEAGUE.  All the boys should get a chance to play regardless of skill.  Frankly, as bad as we have been getting beat lately, the non-starters couldn't do any worse than the starters. 

In other news, I had quite a bit of my hair cut off on Friday.  I've been asking Andy for awhile if I could do it.  He prefers my long hair, but it just got to be a pain.  It just wouldn't do anything for me.  I do like it, but part of me misses my long hair.  It's not like I really did anything with my hair anyway.  I usually just pulled it up, but even when I did that, it just hung there.  I need to get it colored soon, but that'll just have to wait. 

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Big Loss

Saturday was a bad day for the Ft Meade 12U Cougars.  They were playing out in the boonies against the Southern Bulldogs.  Our boys played with a little more heart this game than last week, but it still was not enough to pull off a win.  It was a 33-0 loss.

These boys from Southern were probably some of the worst behaved kids I have ever seen.  The coaches and parents weren't much better, and honestly, they were cheering their boys on with their bad behavior.  Those boys were out there cussing our boys out, throwing them all over the field, cheering when our boys would get hurt, which was quite often, and just overall were exhibiting unsportsman like conduct. 

We had 3 of our boys pulled out of the game completely because of pretty bad injuries.  They were being tossed around like ragdolls.  When they got hurt, the other team was not taking a knee like they are supposed to, instead, the coaches and parents and other players were cheering and telling the players on the field how they did a great job taking our boys out.  Really?!?!?!  You people are sick!!!  At one point when I was standing near the sidelines, there was a flag thrown, and one of the boys from Southern started yelling, "F this, F that, GD this and GD that."  Coach Fred told that boy that he needed to go to school and get an education and learn how to talk.  It was just rediculous. 

The refs for that game were obviously biased toward the Southern boys too.  They were horsecollaring our boys, which is a big no no.  They were showboating, which is a big no no.  They were doing false starts, which is a big no no.  They were roughing the quarterback, which is a big no no.  Did the refs throw a flag on any of those things?  You guessed it right.  Not at all!  I don't know what the deal was with the way they were calling that game, but they sure weren't calling it fair.

So, needless to say, the Ft Meade parents and coaches were not happy campers on Saturday.  There were just so many things wrong with that game it was just disgusting.  We can only hope that our game on Friday turns out better than the last couple of games that we have played.

In other news, Landen has been a pistol.  He has been running all over the house talking up a storm.  Sometimes it's words, other times it's full sentences.  On Monday, before practice, we stopped at Wendy's to get something to eat.  Mike had a hold of the bags, and out of nowhere we hear Landen yell, "Give me my fries!"  Just a bit demanding he is.  I started laughing and Mike was like,"I just got told.  My brother just burned me."  Yeah, pretty much son.

So then we get to football practice and Landen runs all over the place and goes to mooch off of one of the other moms who always brings candy to practice.  LOL!  When we had to go get Andy from work, Landen spent most of the ride talking to me about his "nice book".  The only things I could really make out was nice and book.  He just really cracks me up.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

9/11 Never Forget

Never Forget! 9/11/01 I remember where I was. I had just dropped Mike off at Ellen's and stood watching Tower 1. When Tower 2 was struck, I knew that it was no coincidence. My heart sank. I drove onto work not really knowing what was going on and surfing through the radio stations looking for anything to tell me what was happening in New York. Nothing. I got to work, and when my co-worker came in, she told me that a plane had hit the Pentagon. All I could think was OMG, what is happening. I spent the next few hours trying to get the tv in the salon to work, or to pick up anything on the radio that could tell us what was going on. Again, nothing.  We had a few people coming in updating us, and that was when we were told about the plane crashing in Pennsylvania.  Where was that plane headed?  It was rumored the White House, but no one really knew.  Finally, at 1pm, they decided to shut the mall down and send us home to our families. I went and picked Mike up, and got home to watch the tv for the rest of the day to try and understand everything that unfolded that morning.

I watched the news and how they grounded everything in the sky.  How weird it was to walk outside to hear and see nothing in the skies.  This was not normal.  This was not the way that things are in America.  What was going on?  Would someone please explain who did this, and why?  What did we do to deserve this?  These were things that were running through my head.  I'm sure there were other American's thinking the same thing.  My heart just broke for everything going on.  It didn't help watching the news cause all they did was show the destruction over and over again, with no explanation as to why.

So, 9 years later, I sit here watching the ceremonies at Ground Zero, Pentagon, and Shanksville on CNN, still wondering what could we have done so horrible, to have so many Americans killed?  Although Mike was too young to understand what was going on back then, I make a point of explaining this day to him as best as I understand.  So, I ask you to remember that fateful day in America, and remember the lives of those that were lost.   

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Cougar Football and Such

So, Saturday's game didn't go so well.  The Ft. Meade 12U Cougars walked away with a 23-0 loss.  Needless to say, they needed to go home and lick their wounds.  They played against the Edgewater Seahawks.  I do have to say that the Seahawks were a very good team.  They kicked better than some high school and professional teams I have watched.  When they kicked for the extra point, which at this age group, they get 2 points for it, they were clearing the uprights with no problem.  If they had wanted to kick a field goal, they could have with ease.  The Cougars, just really didn't show up for the game.  Some of the boys were just standing around on the field.  They weren't holding the line either.  I don't really know what got into them.  It was very obvious that the coaches were very frustrated with the boys too.  All I can hope is that next week, our Cougars show up to the game and play their hearts out and show that they want to be there and want the big win.  Obviously you win some and lose some.

In other news, I had to cut Andy's hair on Saturday, and I decided that I should cut Landen's too.  Well, Landen was having no part of that.  I even tried to bribe him with a lolli.  Well, bribery didn't work either.  So, I was standing in the kitchen and at one point I told Landen that he couldn't have a lolli, and he asked me, "Why?"  Really?  My little one knows the word why!  I told him because he didn't get a haircut that he couldn't have a lolli.  He then points to Mike and says, "Bubba, lolli."  I told him, "Yes, I know Bubba has a lolli and he didn't get a haircut and he's bad for having a lolli, but that's just how it is."  I guess the way Landen sees it is that you shouldn't have a lolli unless you get a haircut.  Pretty smart logic if you ask me. 

Yesterday, we did some grocery shopping, which we really needed to do since we were practically out of everything.  I hate grocery shopping.  I wait until we are practically out of everything before I make that trip.  It's always a very large bill, and then it's alot of bags to drag into the house and lots of stuff to put away.  So, before we came home, Andy wanted to stop at the PXtra.  He comes out with another football.  Like Mike doesn't already have 2.  What does he need another one for?  So we get home, put the groceries away, and Mike calls his bio to tell him about Saturday's game.  Well, Andy decided there was going to be no rest so we headed out the door to go up to the practice field.  We spent an hour and a half up there working on some stuff with Mike, that he needed to work on.  He had Mike working on kicking, which our team really doesn't do except for kick offs and such.  So, Andy had Mike kicking through the uprights.  One of them went through the uprights, others went under, most went to the left.  Really, he just needs to be able to get some lift on the ball and get it straight.

While I was working on dinner last night, Andy had Mike doing sit ups and push ups and all kinds of other stuff.  It was interesting to see how he was working him out.  Really, just trying to build him up.  He tends to do this with him a few times a week.  Most would probably say that he is working him too hard, but I honestly believe that it is just showing an interest in what Mike does and trying to help him out.  It makes me very happy and proud that I have a wonderful man that is willing to do these things with Mike.  This just shows me that he really is a wonderful dad.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!! 

Go Cougars

The Ft Meade 12U Cougars walked away with their first victory on Saturday with a score of 26-14.  They played the Chesapeake Bay Piranahs.  In the first quarter both teams scored, but the Cougars were unable to get the extra point.  In the second quarter, both teams scored again.  The Cougars were unable to get the extra point again.  So at halftime, it was 14-12.  I'm not sure what the coach told the boys, but they were fired up when they got back on the field.  No one scored in the third, but by the fourth, it was on.  The Piranahs were doing a pass play and the Cougars intercepted and ran it back for a touchdown.  WOOT WOOT!!  Then on the next Cougar possession, they scored again.  Before we knew it, the game was over and the boys were on cloud 9. 

Mike played 6 plays in the game.  He only played safety once, but the rest of the times he was on the kicking team.  He did pretty good.  A couple of times he got creamed, but he got right back up and kept on going.  I was very proud of him for that considering he has been scared of hitting and being hit.  Maybe as practices and games go along, he'll get better with that.

Nothing else has really been going on.  I did order my book for my Business Management class that way I can get a jump on my reading.  I'm anxious to get started on my school work to get back in the groove of school, and get my degree started.  I figured it out and if I take 3 classes each semester, it should only take me 3 1/2 years to get my Bachelor's done.  The real estate license will only take a few weeks, so by the time Landen is ready for school, I'll be ready to go back into the work force.  We'll see how that goes though.

Well, I think that is all for now. Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms. HOOAH!!

Football, School and Such

Well, Saturday was Mike's first game.  They played against the Glen Burnie Rebels, and needless to say, it didn't go so well.  The Ft. Meade Cougars didn't even get a chance to score.  Mostly because the defense of the Rebels contained 3 boys that were at least 5'6" and over 200 lbs.  Actually, one of the boys weighed 270 lbs.  Mind you, this is a 12U Division II league.  The U stands for unlimited weight.  Really though, should a 12 year old weigh 270 lbs?  If you ask me, his parents should be slapped for allowing him to weigh that much.  Really, any child that is 12 years old shouldn't weigh over 150 lbs.  Just think about the health risks associated with a child weighing that much.  It's all over the news and in medical journals.  You would think that with the news media talking about obesity in America, that the parents would be concerned when their child steps on a scale and weighs more than some NFL players.

Anyhow, back to what I was originally talking about.  Mike didn't get to play at all on Saturday.  He was crushed to say the least.  I'm not really sure why the coaches didn't let him play, but I was very upset that he didn't get any play time either.  I always make sure that Mike is one of the first at practice, I trust that he is out there giving at least 100% effort, and paying attention to the coaches when they are teaching him something or telling him to do something.  I have sat at practices and watched some of the boys not show up until 45 minutes after practice starts, ho hum around during practice, give the coaches attitude, and they were on the field playing during Saturday's game.  That really doesn't make sense to me.  So, does that mean I should have Mike doing the things these other boys do so that he'll get play time?  At first I thought, maybe they kept him out because of his size, but there is another boy on the team that is almost the exact same size and build as Mike, and he got to play.  So, size was not the case.  I've decided that I will wait until after this Saturday's game to see if Mike gets to play or not before I say anything to the coach.  If Mike doesn't get any play time again, I will definitely be talking to the coach.

School started yesterday for Mike.  It was his first day of middle school.  It was a little bittersweet for me.  On one hand I'm glad that he is growing up to be such a great kid, on the other hand, I'm sad too.  It just seems like yesterday he was a baby.  He's growing up too fast on me.  Middle school is a big step.  The next step.  He's going to be learning and doing so much in the next few years.  This year alone is like the introduction to what the rest of his education as a "child" is going to be like.  Changing classes, several teachers, sports, cliques, and I sure don't hope I don't have to be breaking out the baseball bat with little girls yet.  My hope is that he stays focused on school and football for now and I don't have to worry about anything else. 

Landen has been talking up a storm the last few days.  There has been a bit of attitude in it as well.  Of course I have no one to blame but myself for that.  I asked him where his shoes were yesterday, and he brought me his sandals.  I told him I didn't want his sandals, that I wanted his tennis shoes.  I showed him one of the shoes, and told him that I needed to find the other.  He proceeded to tell me that his shoes were in the van.  (Which there are a pair in the van.)  I told him no, and showed him the shoe that I had and told him this one.  He didn't really help me look, but I was able to find it.  So then last night, I asked him what he wanted to drink with dinner, and he told me juice.  I asked him apple juice or orange juice.  He reached into the fridge and opened the drawer with the apples. /bonk  Not apples or oranges!  Apple juice or orange juice.  So I assumed because he picked up the apple, that he wanted apple juice, so apple juice is what he got.

Well, I think that is all for now.  Remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting for our freedoms.  HOOAH!!

   

Going ons

So, I'm going to try blogging again and see how it goes. 

I have been spending alot of time out on the football field with my oldest son Mike.  When we moved up here to Maryland in January, he told me that he wanted to play football.  I had no problems with it so when the time came, I signed him up for it.  For as long as I can remember the boy has ate, slept and played football.  He truly enjoys it.  The coaches work the boys hard and expect no less than 110% from them.  Of course they are on a military installation, and the coaches are all affiliated with the military, and you know that the DOD expects the highest of the armed forces, so why would the coaches expect any less from the players?  Mike is still struggling a little bit with the hitting and tackling, but he is the smallest on the team.  He really doesn't trust his pads yet, and that's okay.  He'll get there.  He just needs time to get used to them.  Even with that, each day he does show improvement, and I am very proud of that. 

When I'm not out on the football field, I spend my time with Landen.  He's the baby of my 3.  He is one of the sweetest kids you would ever meet.  He has got this killer smile that he will flash at you when he wants something or when he has gotten into something that he knows he shouldn't be into.  Of course when we take him out to eat, when we have a female server, he likes to flash that smile at her like he is some kind of Cassanova or something.  I somehow think he gets that from his daddy.  Most recently with Landen, we have broke him from drinking from sippy cups.  I thought that would be a hard task, but really it wasn't.  The dog kept chewing up the sippies, so one day I decided to just give him a little cup with no lid and he did exceptional with it.  He held it with 2 hands and drank from it just perfectly.  He didn't spill any of the drink or anything.  I was so very proud of him. 

What's new with the hubby?  Not really too much.  He's been super stressed at work lately with having to take on extra duties with a couple of people on leave and such.  Suprisingly he hasn't been too crabby though.  I'm thankful for that.  He is however preparing to go on a TDY that will take him away from home for 8 weeks.  I really don't like when he has to go away because of work but it's part of his job.  If I'm not mistaken, it's also a training that is needed for him to move up to become an E-7.  Whether or not he can get the E-7 before his enlistment is up in '12 is a whole nother story.

Now what have I been up to?  I enrolled in college at University of Maryland University College to go after my Bachelor's of Business Administration.  My hope is to complete that degree and then get my real estate license for all of the US.  I figure that the BS in Bus Admin would make the real estate license look really good.  I registered for my classes the other night and am taking on 3 classes for my first semester.  Hubby said that they are fairly easy courses, so I figure that I will start out with a 4.0.  Yes, I am that confident.  I know how I am with my schooling, and I am very serious about it.  You are talking about a woman that went to school full time, worked 2 jobs, did an internship and raised a family.  If I could come out with great grades doing it with all that on my plate back then, I know I can have it even better now.

Well, I think that is all for now.  Be safe and remember to say a prayer for those in the military fighting our freedoms.  HOOAH!!