McCallum Memoirs

FLOWERS & CANDLELIGHT DINNER

2012-02-16T21:41:00.002-06:00

Ooooh so beautiful and romantic, huh?

Yes, indeed, they are...But they weren't from my husband.

What can I say, I'm a likable kind of girl and people just give me things.

Ha ha...Just Kidding!

They were from the lady that Nathan was sent to California for 3 weeks to rescue...Again. These beauties were sitting on my doorstep the same day Nathan flew out there. So sweet of her to do that since she knew Nathan would be gone over Valentine's Day!

Marbel, it may be hard to do but, I will also accept money and jewelry. :-)

The kids and I ate dinner by candlelight. I just wanted it to smell good and keep us warm by the window but, Cole wanted to really turn all the lights off...Except for the TV. Brooke was a little freaked out and, it was hard to see our food but, it was sweet at the same time.

It lasted all of maybe 10 minutes. We had a serious dance game challenge to get to on the Wii. Cole was winning for a while but, I shook my hips and threw my hands all around like no one was watching and brought home the win. Booyah! :-)

While Daddy's away...Mommy and the kids will play...

And put off the laundry for another day!

Most everyone says that Cole looks JUST like Nathan. I've never really seen an overwhelming resemblance. Certain features, yes, but look at this boy...He does at least have the same sprinkled freckles and face shape as I do. I mean, come on, I deserve some kind of facial recognition for that large headed 8 lb 14 oz child that left me with ridiculous, lifelong stretch marks.

If I had blue eyes, maybe he would look a little more like me. But I don't. I have green or hazel or whatever color they are now.

Oh my goodness, I'm so glad the week is coming to an end. It has been such a busy week at work and dealing with the kids and attitudes and dinner and homework and laundry and practice and games and cleaning and all that jazz all by myself...I'm kinda worn out. Oh, and my fridge decided to flip out and quit cooling in the middle of all that. Lovely. One week down and two more to go.

LOVE THEM

2012-02-14T18:12:00.000-06:00

Since Nathan left for California bright and early last Thursday morning, we gave the kids their Valentine goodies the night before.

I was in a time crunch and just went the easy way out with money. Lame, and thoughtless, I know. But they do like going to the store and picking out stuff so I don't think they mind much.

Love, love, love them!

A package from Grandma and Grandpa arrived Friday and the kids were pumped!

Cole got a shirt representing our high school. SGP...Holla! My niece that came with me to many of my volleyball games and Nathan's basketball games is a sophomore there now. Unbelievable. Oh, and yes, Cole fixed his own hair. He's quite impressed with himself.

Brooke got this cute doggie thing. These seriously were her reactions. The first picture was just because it was a dog and, the second picture was when she pushed the button and heard the song.

Not sure why, but kids love to pick each other up. Apparently it's super cool.

This is what we see a lot of around here. Crazy socks and, yep, Brooke's crack. This is actually not that bad compared to most days. She doesn't even care either. Cole will tell her to pull her pants up like his eyes are on fire from the sight of it. And sometimes he'll shout, "Ahhh, the McCracken!"

They're nutballs and the source to my white hairs that keep popping up but,

I love them to pieces!

The doggie sings...

"When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change...

You're amazing just the way you are."

Happy Valentine's Day to all...Especially to those we love near and far!

BASKETBALL (one)

2012-02-11T09:19:00.001-06:00

First game. A little chaotic but the team actually did pretty good. Cole was on fire and made 6 three pointers! It was awesome! I heard the people next to me yell "get on that white boy" when Cole got the ball. I just giggled.

We lost the game even with all of Cole's points but, it's only because the other team had this giant that didn't even have to jump to shoot the ball. You can see this guy in the video. Great first game though!

After I clipped this video together, I realized that I say "WOO!" a lot. I'm holding the camera and can't clap at first so I guess woo is my go to cheer...Lol. Sorry, Cole...I promise I'm not trying to embarrass you...Just a proud momma!

NO PURPOSE PICS

2012-02-10T07:02:00.002-06:00

Since the holidays we haven't done much other than work, school and sports.

I don't exactly remember why we took these pictures one night but, I like 'em.

Sooo...No purpose to this post really...Just pictures.

SMILE...IT'S FRIDAY!!!

COWBOYS FOOTBALL (three)

2012-02-06T22:28:00.005-06:00

This football season was so great. If you'd seen the first couple weeks of practice, you never would've believed how well they did all season long.

We ended the season with a 5-1 record...Tied for 1st place going into the Championship game. The Championship game is called the Super Bowl. Nathan and the kids were so pumped!

Another football mom and I made pre-game and half-time signs for the game.

Nathan and I spent 3 hrs on this. Why? How? No clue really. Especially when the boys ripped through it in seconds and it went straight to the trash.

I guess while hunched over in the cold garage, I forgot to charge my camera. I think me not having enough battery to video the game jinxed them. Well, that and the fact that our team just didn't show up to play and the other team had a fire lit under them. That was obvious from the very first play of the game. We lost 0-14. It was frustrating but the kids still played hard and toughed it out.

Despite the loss of the Super Bowl, it was such an amazing season! All of the parents were all so proud of our kids for playing their little hearts out and for overcoming the loss of Coach Steven.

There were a few kids on the team that were quite impressive. Of course, Cole was one of them. No bragging intended at all...But he was. His ability to throw a spiral comes so naturally. He really does have a lot of potential if he continues to toughen up.

This kid, Jaylan Anderson, was also one of the impressive ones. He stands out like a man amongst boys out there. He's unbelievable at basketball, too. One day, when he's a famous professional athlete, we'll be able to say we knew him way back when.

Trophy presentations and speeches.

The coaches forced Sabrina to be in the picture to represent Steven.

She didn't really want to but, I know it still meant a lot to her, as well as, the coaches.

At the last practice, Nathan had the players and parents sign the big banner that we hung up for Steven at every game.

He presented it to Sabrina to keep after the last game. She was so touched and the words Nathan said had everyone in tears...Especially when he got so choked up and couldn't even get out the words. It was so special.

Brooke put up with a lot this season. Practices started at 5:15 and I don't even get off of work until then so, she always had to go. Most times I would come get her as soon as I could but, there were times that I left work late, needed to run to the store or went ahead and got dinner started.

And before every game, she and I had to stop to get ice for the cooler full of Gatorade for the team. I'm pretty sure I was always running late and was a bit stressed. She's a trooper for sure!

A great season...

A great team...

And a great coach!

As Jimmy Johnson would say...
HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

BIRTHDAY CATCH UP

2012-02-03T23:31:00.000-06:00

Just some birthday pictures I haven't posted yet because I'm still trying to catch up on football season even though basketball season is already half over. However, I may finally catch up on this whole blog thing here pretty soon since Nathan will be in California for 3 weeks straight. Lovely. Gonna have to whip out my SuperMom cape again and run this roost like a rock star.

Nathan's 32nd Birthday - November 14th

Brooke wanted to make her daddy a chocolate pudding cake like we did a few years ago. I don't know what went wrong but it was so foul. Nathan was like...Uhhh this is ummm good. His face said it all. I tried it and immediately realized that it was a big, fat waste of time. My bad.

Grandpa's 60th Birthday - December 28th

It was great that my Dad was visiting us on his actual 60th birthday. It would've been even better if it wasn't a work day and we could've done a lot more that day.

Silly Grandpa. I have no idea who took this picture...I'm thinking one of the kids...Lol

My 32nd Birthday - January 8th

Sweet Hubby made me a cake. Awwww.

I still feel in my 20s and don't really care about age but, 32 just doesn't sound so young anymore. Sigh.

Whew. Now I'm caught up on birthdays in our house until Cole's at the end of April. My child will be 10 years old. Double digits. Oh my geez.

COWBOYS FOOTBALL (two)

2012-02-01T21:56:00.000-06:00

One minute he's so tough...

And the next minute he's so cool.

Cole actually wanted to quit football the second week of practice...GASP! Whaaaa??? Being his first time playing Quarterback, he wasn't used to being blind sided with tackles while trying to get rid of the football. He got hit so hard that it knocked the breath out of him and felt like his daddy didn't care because he pretty much kept going with practice and didn't run to him and comfort him like he did all the other players. It's hard being the coach where you have to worry so much about what the parents are thinking.

And it's hard being the coach's kid. It was kind of sad but, we talked about it, said we don't quit just like that, and got him some better gear to protect him. The rib pads worked out great and helped lessen the blow on the hits.

Looks like a nice father and son moment on the sidelines, right? Nope. Nathan is actually griping at Cole for making careless mistakes or something and Cole is crying because he got sent out of the game for the first time all season long. Oh yea, it was because he got a personal foul and a 15 yard penalty for flattening some kid after the whistle. In Cole's defense, that kid was a punk and that team was playing so dirty.

He said, "Dad keeps yellllling at me." Poor thing...Lol

Look at this sweet girl. She often complains at first about going to practices and games but, she usually does have a good time. Before I know it, she'll actually be paying close attention to the games because she'll have her eye on some cute boy playing.

I can hear Nathan now...Must. Lift. Weights.

SOME RANDOM PICS

2012-01-26T22:22:00.000-06:00

Just some random pictures I came across from the holidays...That don't involve Cole's sports.

I couldn't resist getting Brooke a volleyball for Christmas. I really hope she loves volleyball as much as I did as a teenager. Of course, it's perfectly fine if she doesn't but still...I hope she does! :-)

Wilson!!!

A few more presents that Grandma and Grandpa brought.

Thank you, Aunt Leslie!

Forced family pics on the floor.

Oh my, Brooke loves Ginger's visits and never wants her to go back home.

The kids had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa (and Ginger) the whole week long.

We are so thankful they came to stay with the kids during their break!

COWBOYS FOOTBALL (one)

2012-01-22T14:37:00.003-06:00

This was Cole's 2nd season to play football. He only played defense last year and not a whole lot. He was very timid out there and usually tried to avoid the play until he was sure he wasn't going to get flattened.

This year a new age group was created and Cole could either move up or stay down. We chose to keep him down and have him be one of the older and bigger ones on the team and build his confidence instead of getting demolished another year. Keeping him down also allowed for Nathan to coach his own team and play Cole where ever he wanted.

So that made Cole playing Quarterback and Defensive End. And sometimes the Punter, too. And playing the whole game. He worked really hard this year to toughen up and find that aggression that football requires. He did pretty well for his first time dealing with the pressure of Quarterback AND his dad yelling at him as head coach.

We were sponsored by a local bank and given the color navy so, Nathan felt it was fitting to be named the Cowboys. Suhweet!

Brooke wanted a shirt to wear to the games that said Cowboys on it so, her Nana sent her one all the way from Texas. I found a smaller one of Cole's that she liked to wear, too. It was so cute that she wanted to support her big brother.

She didn't really ever watch him though.
She always found other kids to play with pretty quickly.

I didn't really get any action shots because I was always trying to video the plays...As usual.

Nathan did such a good job giving his little pep talk speeches to the kids. He would often mention that Coach Steven was looking down on them and was very proud of them. I know all of the parents were very impressed with him.

Cole finally asked to cut his hair all off that he grew out all summer. He said it was because it was getting in his eyes under his helmet. I'm sure that it was but, I think he was also tired of fixing it before school, too. He said he looked cooler with it gone though. :-)

STEVEN WALLACE

2012-01-14T14:28:00.000-06:00

During Cole's All-Star Baseball drama this summer (that still makes my blood boil), Nathan became pretty close with the other assistant coach, Steven Wallace. I never really talked to him or his wife because we always sat far away from each other but, I really wish I had because Nathan talked so highly of Steven.

During those weeks, Nathan and Steven decided to coach a football team together. They were beyond pumped and talked or texted nearly every day. Football practices started in late August and they worked together like a well oiled machine. It was amazing to see how well they ran the practices and talked to the kids...Especially since it was both of their first times running the whole football show and not just assisting.

This picture above was taken by one of the dad's of the players on September 21st. The very next night Steven suffered a massive heart attack in the middle of the night and passed away. The word spread like wildfire. The whole city was in absolute shock of his sudden passing and just couldn't believe it. He was loved by so many people and greatly impacted the lives of everyone who knew him.

Steven was 34 years old and had 5 children with his wife Sabrina.

Garret 10, Gavin 8, Nathan 4 and 7 month old twins Kyle and Kiera

Steven passed away on their 11th Wedding Anniversary. It was also 1 week after Garrett's 10th birthday and 1 week before Gavin's 8th birthday. What was once a wonderful month of celebrations for this family has been changed forever.

These precious babies will never know their amazing daddy. I know his family will make sure their lives are filled with stories on end about their daddy but, it will never be enough. Absolutely breaks my heart.

Nathan and Cole took it very hard. Cole asked to go to the funeral (he'd never been to one) and Steven's wife requested that the kids who played sports wear their jerseys at the service. Such a beautiful thing for a man that spent the majority of his life at the ball fields. Cole had two baseball games the day of the viewing so we didn't go to that but we heard that it took hours to get through the line because of the huge turnout. We still stood in line about 30 minutes the day of the funeral. Even though it was extremely difficult for her, I know Sabrina was in awe of all the people who came.

Sabrina was in her last semester of college and was featured as a spotlight student at her school for pursuing a college education later on in life while raising a family. Click the link above and take a minute to read her story...She's definitely an inspiration for her 5 children and those of us who didn't finish college.

****************

Steven was such a huge part of our football team and so Nathan wanted a huge sign to hang under the scoreboard to represent him at every game. Nathan's boss actually arranged for their company to pay for it and had it made and delivered to us in 1 day from the corporate office in St. Louis...And just in time for the first game. Steven passed away a week before our games started and never got to see the team in action.

Nathan had the boys yell as loud as they could "Cowboys" and then "Coach Steven" at every game and practice. I would tear up every single time I heard it.

I didn't realize it at the time I took the picture but, this is Steven's dad taking a picture of the sign. I later found out that he put it up on Facebook. I noticed several of Steven's visiting family members go over there at some point during and after the game. It was so nice to see that they liked it.

Nathan also had a sticker made up to put on the helmets of all of our players. It was awesome to see all of the kids with it on there. It meant so much to Sabrina, too.

Brooke and Steven's 4 yr old, Nathan, played a lot during the games. That boy is so sweet and wants to hug everyone. When Nathan started picking up Gavin from their house for the practices and games, little Nathan would always run out and give him the biggest hug. And he would find Nathan first thing and run under the ropes to give him a hug. It was beyond adorable.

Garret, who is close with Cole asked Nathan to come watch one of his games. We stayed for 3 football games that day but it meant so much to Garrett since Steven helped coach his team, too. This boy used to be such a punk but, he has really matured and will probably go very far in life. He has lots of athletic ability and is very smart. He and Cole are always neck and neck in all competition of sports and grades. I can picture him being one of those ESPN special reports of an all star athlete that has overcome tragedy in his life and made himself a success.

Check out Garrett's black and white striped underwear...Hilarious.
Steven would've had his hands on hips and shaking his head if he'd seen that.

****************

Sabrina invited us to come celebrate Steven's birthday in October. They were releasing blue balloons with notes to Steven tied to the bottom.

Needless to say, it was very emotional. Steven's kids didn't really acknowledge what was going on. The oldest, Garrett, just ran around with his friends to keep himself distracted. I think that's just the best he can do right now.

Gavin showed everyone his caterpillar he found.

Little Nathan went around giving his great hugs.

Look at these babies...So sweet.

Kiera's shirt saying "Daddy's Little Girl"...Takes your breath away.

Sabrina's shirt says...Super Mom, Super Wife, Super Tired. Yes, indeed. Now she needs one that says Super Strong because she has been unbelievably amazing through all of this for the children.

Nathan will always be grateful for the friendship he had with Steven. He says Steven taught him a lot about how to talk to the kids as a coach and how to treat them. He will always carry their conversations with him and remember his infectious laugh. Nathan wants to be there for his boys and watch them grow up. The Wallace family will forever have a special place in our lives.

You are missed so much Steven...

But we know that you are always with us.

FALL BASEBALL

2012-01-12T22:19:00.004-06:00

Fall baseball this year was a bit of a cluster but yet a ton better than last fall. We didn't have enough kids to make our own team so we were put together with two other teams that didn't have enough either. Yea we pretty much brought the best kids. Fall ball is meant to basically be a practice session to help the kids transition to the next level but, it would still be nice to have a really strong team.

Nathan told Cole he could grow his hair out all summer as long as he put a hat on wherever we went until it was decent enough to fix. Oh man, his hair is soooo not the Justin Bieber type. Cole just wanted to be able to flip it but, hair that is thick like hay doesn't quite fall the right way. It did finally look cute with some strong hair putty to hold most of it down and yet leave a little flippin' room in the front.

However, a trim was a must after seeing that peacock on the back of his head.

Brooke loved playing with these girls and listening to music. They would awkwardly sing out loud sometimes. Too funny. They would all bring stuff and have a good 'ole time.

It was frustrating for Cole not having decent pitchers to work with because he spends so much time chasing balls and trying to do more than he should by himself. And batters are walked way too many times. Nathan ended up letting Cole pitch a few times. It's funny that Cole can easily whiz a ball from home plate to any base but gently throws it to home when he's pitching. Not quite his thing but he loves the center stage of being on the mound.

We did make some good friends during the season and Cole got some great one on one training in catching from one of the other coaches that helped him tremendously.

Two games were played on either Saturday or Sunday each weekend. We got lucky with only having 2 times that a football game was right before. You can imagine how tired Cole was after playing a whole football game as quarterback and defensive end and then two baseball games as catcher. It was tiring just watching him!

Awww...Brooke looks so sweet and innocent. Don't let her fool you though...She packs an attitude that will punch you right in the gut and knock the breath out of you. Maybe she'll use that attitude for good and keep the boys away from her when she's a teenager.

Look at those angel kisses all across his face. Love.

Can't wait for the Spring season to start!

HOOLA HOW...

2012-01-11T12:57:00.000-06:00

In the world did this girl learn how to do this???

And this was just her first few tries. She got even better in the next couple of hours. This hoola hoop has water in it for some reason and Nathan and I couldn't figure out how to do it. So, of course, we were shocked to see her whip it out with no problem. Apparently, she has some hidden talents...Lol. No wonder a hoola hoop was one of the things she really wanted for Christmas.

I'm so glad to know that Brooke has learned how to shake her money maker while she's at school. No wonder she says PE is her favorite subject. Oh, and art and music. :-)

CHRISTMAS

2012-01-06T23:06:00.001-06:00

I'm trying not to post about Christmas in February this year so, I'm keeping it short and sweet and mostly pictures. I still have all my Christmas decorations up in the house, on the front door and in the yard. Yep, I'm that neighbor. At least I don't turn the lights on and one of the reindeer is still standing up.

Brooke's teacher gave the class reindeer food (glitter and oatmeal flakes) to leave outside in the yard on Christmas Eve. It was so cute watching her throw it all out in the freezing cold and loving every second of it.

Not sure what happened to my all you have to do is take them straight out of the tube cookies. They look like pancakes. I can ruin the simplest things when it comes to cooking. We decorated them anyway because Santa likes anything you leave him, right?

Brooke wanted to leave a couple of gifts, too. No clue why she picked what she did but, it was so sweet. A high school plastic football for Santa and a magazine for Mrs. Santa Claus...Cause granny apparently loves to keep up on the latest fashion tips from Kim Kardashian.

Stockings filled up by Santa.

A few surprises left in front of the tree.

Yay! Christmas morning!

We gave the kids $10 each to pick something out for each other. They actually both got really excited wondering what they got and hoping the other would like it. Cole picked out some pretty earrings and Brooke picked a game from Game Stop.

A pretty great Christmas Day for sure!

A FEW DECEMBER HAPPENINGS

2012-01-01T22:56:00.001-06:00

The first snow of the season came around the first week of December. It snowed twice that week and boy was I pumped! It wasn't much and didn't stick around long but, it sure was pretty. I was hoping that it snowing so early was a sign of a winter full of snow and maybe even a White Christmas, but no such luck.

Our friends invited us to the Medina Parade, a little country town about 10 minutes up the road from us. It's actually probably where we'll end up by the time Cole goes to middle school because the middle schools in Jackson are beyond awful. There are several great private schools but paying $1,500 A MONTH for two kids makes my stomach turn. I'd rather put that money towards a bigger house with more room for family and friends to visit.

The parade was short. Only 3 floats, a few fire trucks, the little band, some old timey cars, and some other cheesy stuff. But everyone knew everyone and all seemed to love it. People kept looking at us like they knew we were outsiders. Kinda funny.

A birthday party for a sweet boy that I didn't seem to get a picture of at the party. Drane was on our football and fall baseball team and our families have become good friends.

Nathan and I took turns entertaining his little sister, Saylor, so her momma could have a little less to worry about during the party.

Brooke won the bonus ticket prize. I was shocked! I don't know how she did it because I tried watching that little light go around and around about 10 times. I was so proud of Brooke for picking out a couple things for Saylor to have with the tickets, too.

School Christmas programs. Brooke's was at 12:45 and Cole's was at 1:45. Talk about taking a long lunch that day. Nathan was in California so the kids had to stay at school and wait for me to come get them at 5:30. They were a little disappointed but understood. All they were doing was fun stuff in class with the kids that had to stay anyway.

Oh, and basketball practices started. We didn't sign Cole up early enough to where Nathan could coach his own team again this year but, he ended up getting asked to be a coach anyway a few weeks later. Not enough coaches or sign ups...Go figure since they doubled the entry fee. Nathan was kind of looking forward to a break from coaching but, that's ok because Cole was very excited when he found out about it.

Ahhhh, the things we do for our kids.

CHRISTMASY STUFF

2011-12-24T19:39:00.002-06:00

It's Christmas Eve...

This Christmas came way too quickly and I was not prepared for the chaos. Of course, I had my tree up the first week of November but have been playing catch up ever since. Nathan was out in California working for 3 weeks off and on right after Thanksgiving. That was very stressful but he's good at his job and so, no surprise that everyone wants his help.

He got home on the 20th and just in time to go straight to Cole's basketball practice. Last minute Christmas shopping AND grocery shopping is NUTS. I really do need to try the online thing a little bit next year.

Here's our little photo session that I forced the fam to do for Christmas cards the night before Nathan left for California. My thighs were sore for 2 days from running back and forth to do the self timer on the camera and squatting up and down.

This is the family photo that made the card.

I did one of those multiple picture cards that had 5 pictures on there. It was pretty cute but, it's so hard to choose which photo to use...Especially when you're exhausted. Once I put these pictures on here, I'm wishing I would have chosen a few different pictures for the card. Oh, well.

Nathan seriously wanted me to use this one. I think my mom would have flipped out. LOL

These 2 of the Cole and Brooke made the card. My beautiful babies are getting so big.

I spruced up last year's wreath, which looked like poo, and made it into something much more fabulous looking. Thanks to a little tutorial on Pinterest it came together quite nicely and very quickly. Not a single drop of hot glue or anything. Just wrapping and stuff with the branches from the wreath. It really looks sooo much better in person.

I ended up adding all the trinkets on it outside while it was hanging on the door. That worked much better with those glitter sticks because that stuff went everrrrywherrrre.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

HALLOWEEN & THANSKGIVING

2011-12-18T12:29:00.071-06:00

Brooke was Taylor Swift for Halloween...Cutie Patootie.

Cole got sick at school and had to go home. We thought he was possibly faking it since no one actually so him throw up but, he ended up throwing up horribly several times the rest of the evening. He was not happy at all that he didn't get to go trick or treating but, Brooke said she'd share with him.

Nathan stayed home with him while I took Brooke out in the cold. We didn't get started until about 7:15 pm so, it was kind of lonely just us being just the two of us. We saw several parents riding their 4 wheelers door to door instead of walking...Great idea! I'll take two for Christmas, Santa!

Look at this child with her make up all done and without the wig on. She sat through dinner like this and Nathan kept looking at her in shock and shaking his head. Of course, he thought she looked beautiful, but he said she needed to take that make up off because she looked way too old and he wasn't ready for that AT ALL.

Thanksgiving was just the four of us this year. Cole requested ribs but waiting to go find them already made the night before Thanksgiving and the morning of didn't quite work out. Oops. Luckily, he gave a thumbs up on chicken.

The kids enjoyed being lazy while Nathan and I made dinner.

Chicken Kabobs, Risoto, Red Potatoes, French Bread and Dr. Pepper. Oooh the kids had Dr. Pepper 10. They actually like it. Yep, we went BIG for Thanksgiving. Oh, and I think we had left over pizza for lunch. And all on paper plates. Lol...Awesome, I know.

Who doesn't like licking the bowl of cake mix? Yum!

Brooke and I worked on these little beauties. The cancer ribbon has a special meaning for our family for many reasons. I tried to make some with Nathan's thyroid cancer colors but the icing gel was a little old and runny. They didn't look so cute but he was sweet enough to eat them.

We finished off the night with the Cowboy game and some silly pictures.

Cole will not cut out the goof ball faces. Just look at him in the background...Little punk.

The goofy faces are annoying but yet they do make me giggle.

I skipped over a few posts so I could try and put up a Christmas-y post before the actual holiday comes. So many posts to do about football, fall baseball and such. One day I'll catch up...One day.

BROOKE'S 8th BIRTHDAY

2011-12-18T12:23:00.000-06:00

I won the mother of the year award and accidentally deleted all of the pictures from Brooke opening all of her presents and the first half of her horse fun. I...was...so...upset. I had one phone picture that I took to send to the grandparents.

Brooke had a present waiting at the door the next day after school

and I sent these phone pics.

One of our friends took us over to a little ranch by her neighborhood so Brooke could enjoy some horses on her birthday. The guy that runs this place owns the land that their subdivision was built on and puts on a weekend rodeo camp. They had mostly adults that came in from all over with their horses and fancy trailers learning to calf rope and compete. I took a few videos of the cowboys but those got deleted, too. :-(

The ranch owner was so busy and we didn't want to wait hours until the competition was over but, Brooke was able to love on a few horses from the riders who were there just hanging out. Such nice people.

This poor brown horse had no eye...EEEK!!!

Saylor is a sassy mess but she sure is cute and has the most adorable hick accent ever.

Brooke had so much fun picking out and trying on clothes with her Justice gift card. Going shopping was the only way we got her to leave the ranch and the "free" puppies that were begging to be brought home by both kids. I almost got sucked in but finally put my foot down and said no. Whew!

It's really sweet that the kids want me to make them a cake and request what they want on it but, it's so much trouble for just us. Of course, I do it, and try my best...Even if it means the cake isn't ready until after showers and minutes before bedtime.

OH MY GOSH...I'M SO PROUD!!! Really, I am. :-)

Brooke, your birthday actually turned out to be pretty great and you were so happy with something so simple.

We love you Pretty Girl!

LISTEN TO THIS

2011-12-03T11:44:00.003-06:00

One of the guys at work and I talk a lot about music and are always trying to stump each other on songs and playing our new favorites. He showed me some videos of his friends that are from Jackson that are now living in Nashville trying to make it in the music business.

Josh Miller and Brandon Lay

This was the first song I heard and I was hooked! They have completely different styles but wrote this song together one night real quick. Brandon singing the country part is really good but, wait for Josh to start singing his part. Your jaw will drop. He is simply unbelievable.

I can't stand the way Adele sounds on the radio in this song. Her voice just sounds weird to me. Josh smashes her version and sings this song sooooo beautifully.

I put up a few more videos of songs that Josh has covered just because I like them. They really are worth taking the time to listen to.

One of his older recordings. The guy playing the piano is actually related to the family that sponsored our football team and came a couple of times to watch. So random. You have to turn the volume WAY up on this one.

Brandon doesn't have many videos out but he covers songs so very well. I normally change the station on most of the songs he covers but, he makes them sound really good. So much better than Kenny Chesney for sure! If you ever see The Brandon Lay Band playing somewhere, go check them out!

I've seen both of these guys perform live here locally and they are FANTABULOUS!!! Just thought I'd share with you something pretty cool that came out of this little city.

You...Are...Welcome. :-)

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL

2011-12-02T11:23:00.003-06:00

We were invited to go over to a friend's house to watch the Tennessee game to kick off the start of college football season. Ummm...Tennessee??? Like the other UT that rarely ever wins a game and has the most hideous color of orange? Oh man, never really thought we'd be asked to do that. We, of course, agreed to go because we love this family and the kids could swim and run around but, cheering for Tennessee just wasn't happening.

These people were serious! They had this giant blow up screen in the yard with a projector. A few other TVs were set up outside with other college games on...But not the Texas game. Awesome. There were about 30 people there with the majority of them sporting their Tennessee attire.

Nathan wore a Texas Rangers shirt and I busted out my Texas Longhorns shirt. As if not knowing anyone there other than the busy host family wasn't awkward enough, we were those people that stuck out like a sore thumb in our Texas gear. Ahhh well, there was a lot of good food and the kids had a good time. And they hired a life guard to watch all the kids in the pool the whole night long so the parents could relax and have fun. Good idea!

Sometimes I tend to hang Nathan a teeny bit and make sure I post the pictures that I like best of me even if there are a few that look better of him. Can you blame me? I put the time into editing all the pictures and doing this whole blog so, I should at least have the ultimate say on the pictures, right? Right!

So, even though my side-ways-eyes-too-far-in-the-corner look is slightly disturbing, I decided to be nice and put this picture up simply because Nathan looks so good.

And to redeem myself for my awkward look, I have to put up this one despite Nathan's flash induced crazy eyes he's got going on. I think I'm near cracking up here from all the stares we were getting at being so dorky as to take a picture in the dark... In front of strangers... In our Texas get up. Cool points for us!

Bahahahaha...Sometimes I really make myself laugh!
Smile today! :-)

GETTING CLOSER...

2011-11-24T23:00:00.000-06:00

To fall posts. Just a few tid bits to finish up July and August. I'm fabulous at this blog thing, I know. It's an art form really.

Cole's All-Star tournament happen to fall over our 13th Anniversary on July 18th and while my parents were still here so, we snuck out to have an early dinner at our favorite hibachi restaurant before the game. It was soooo good, as usual, but it took a little longer than expected and we ended up having to make a major mad dash to make it to the game on time. Oops.

The boys ended up losing their 2nd game the very next night. And that ended our time playing All-Stars...Thank goodness. The next week after baseball was finally over, the team met up at a frozen yogurt place to hand out pictures and trophies. Good idea, Coach Chad, because yogurt is what all 9 year old boys want. Geez. In case you missed it from my earlier posts, that man is a VERY sore subject in our family.

A week later school started. Yep, and just like that the summer break was over. Unbelievable. First Day of School...August 2nd!

Nathan's company picnic was at the Family Fun Center again this year. It's normally very stressful for Nathan since he has to mingle with all the employees and families for a while and not be with us but, the kids really enjoy it...Especially since that's pretty much the only time we go.

Oh my gosh, this is random but had to be documented. Cole was actually willing to help with some manual labor instead of being lazy watching TV or playing his video games. He didn't help us with the first truck load full of these durn teeny pebbles earlier in the week but, he was in the blazing sun so that makes up for it a little.

I doubt Cole will be doing anything like that anytime soon. He was beat. September posts full of football and fall baseball are soon to come. Yay!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day! The Dallas Cowboys won and the Texas Longhorns just kicked the winning field goal. Whew...That was close! It's probably safe to assume that you'll be seeing my Thanksgiving post around Valentine's Day. :-)

ALL-STAR BASEBALL (three)

2011-11-20T16:32:00.000-06:00

A short video of the little bit that Cole got to play.

The last of some of my favorite pictures from the All-Star Tournament. We may not have had a great experience but at least I got some great pictures. I think I'm going to start making those photo book things to have for keepsakes.

I don't know if it's the sweaty hair, the frog tog around his neck, the Longhorn sticker or just the way he's standing there with his hands gripping the fence but, my goodness, I absolutely love this picture.

Love this picture, too! A smile from my dad would've made it that much better but that's ok because that's his normal picture smile. In fact, I think he has the same look in my wedding pictures. :-)

Cole...

Mom and Dad are so very proud of you and how strong you were during this whole time! We couldn't have asked for anything more from you!

ALL-STAR BASEBALL (two)

2011-11-16T21:47:00.006-06:00

Cole was super lucky to have some fabulous fans come to watch him. My parents and one of my nieces drove all the way from Texas straight to the fields for the Friday night game and stayed the weekend.

Sweet Girls

It was very hot and muggy but we made do. Giant snow cones helped.

Yes, I really did bring a beach umbrella. It was soooo much easier to set up than our bulky canopy and actually created a lot of shade for quite a few people.

The girls had fun painting while I made the big team sign.

I was so excited for my parents to come and see Cole play...Especially since they hadn't seen him play any sport in well over 2 years...And that was also part of why I was so frustrated with Cole not getting to play much. I just felt so bad that they drove all that way.

I made this shirt for Brooke to make her feel special during the All-Star tournament. She really liked it but was totally not feeling my pleas for pictures. Stinker.

Mom, Dad and Carley...

Thank you so much for coming to visit us! I wish it hadn't been for such a short visit but, it still meant more than you know to the kids.

ALL-STAR BASEBALL (one)

2011-11-13T15:21:00.000-06:00

Cole had a goal of making the All-Star team all season long after being jipped out of being on the team last year. Last year his team won the Championship but the All-Star team had already been decided because of a side deal 2 of the coaches made to guarantee their own kids were selected. All politics really.

Nathan formed his own team this Spring to ensure Cole got a fair shot to improve and be seen. Well it worked. Cole worked his skronny little tail off and had an awesome season. We didn't win a ton of games but he really started showing his abilities.

Telling Cole the news that he made the All-Star team (turn the volume WAY up)...

I was less than pleased with the head coach but I still couldn't help making a little sign for the team. After all, it's not the kids' fault that the head coach had no clue about how to coach a team or really even understand the game of baseball. Complete moron.

Cole picked #17 for Nelson Cruz from the Texas Rangers. Love!

Oh man, the facilities where the All-Star tournament was held was in this podunk, hick county that apparently had no resources or know how of what the grounds should look like. The grass on the field had little weed flowers that were showing, the pit at the batters box was a twisted ankle waiting to happen, not to mention all the bumps on the rest of the field...Thus the reason for the squiggly base line.

See the flowers in the grass??? Ridiculous.

Yes surrr...Representing TEXAS in Tennessee, folks!

The guy standing here in front of Nathan is Steven Wallace...And he was the absolute best part about the whole All-Star experience for Nathan. They talked a lot and became pretty close...So much so that they decided to coach a football team together in the fall. Remember his name for a future post.

COACH NATE!!!

I couldn't get over the fact that this umpire's face mask thing looked like a jockstrap on his head. Huh-larry-us! I tried so hard to hold my smirk in every time he came right in front of me to drink his water. :-)

This All-Star team was actually a terrible experience for us. Cole got to play very little and never as catcher. He was pretty much just a filler for the team, as were a few other kids. It just wasn't right...Especially since Nathan was one of the coaches and put so much of his time into the team. Several of the parents even mentioned to me that they couldn't believe Cole wasn't playing after all Nathan was doing.

It's been months and I'm still kind of bitter about it all. Just thinking about the head coach's name makes my eyes squint and my face get all tight and scrunched up. Grrrr!!! Chad, if I could just squeeze your neck a little I might feel a little bit better. Nah...That wouldn't be right. A nice, short elbow to the jaw would be much more satisfying!

Whoever wins the season gets to be the head coach...So that's Nathan's goal for next year. And Cole's too because he was so badly hurt by that coach's selfish decisions. I could go on and on venting my frustrations about it all but I won't.

However, I cannot tell you how PROUD Nathan and I were of Cole for taking the high road the entire time and never crying during the games and continuing to do his part and support his team. I often had tears in my eyes just watching him in the dugout. He would get very upset after the games and try to understand but, it's hard to explain to a 9 year old that sometimes life just isn't fair no matter how many things you do right.

Nathan and I saw a glimpse of the amazing man that Cole is going to turn out to be...And that in itself made it all worth it.

TEXAS VACATION (five)

2011-10-28T22:48:00.000-05:00

Just some pictures from a great night out with a few long time
friends and my brother and sister in law.

SO...MUCH...FUN!!!

Love all of y'all!

TEXAS VACATION (four)

2011-10-22T20:28:00.000-05:00

Nana insisted on doing an unbirthday party for Cole and Brooke while we were in town since they don't get to be with them for their actual parties anymore.

The kids always love swimming, presents and cake soooo why not, right? So sweet!

TEXAS VACATION (three)

2011-10-19T22:56:00.002-05:00

Brooke's love of horses seems to be never ending...And apparently someone is going to have to buy her one. Soooo if anyone wants to become an instant hero and do that for my beautiful baby girl, it would be GREATLY appreciated. :)

My brother and his family just so happen to now live right down the road from some horse hoarders that give lessons/rides. My sister-in-law and I took the girls out there to ride them and they were so happy.

Brooke could just sit perfectly still on a horse and be in hog heaven.

It's really kinda sweet.

Thank you so much, Gena and Breanna, for doing that for Brooke!

TEXAS VACATION (two)

2011-10-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

We were in Texas just a couple weeks shy of the year anniversary of Nathan's Grandpa's passing. We took the kids to see his headstone at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery. Such a beautiful place. The kids were great in waiting patiently while their daddy took it all in and shared a few moments with his own dad. It's breathtaking looking at the love and care that goes into the upkeep of the grounds.

My brothers and I have all managed to make some really cute kids.

And I must say...Pretty impressive! :)

Emiley, Caleb, Dayley

Brooke, Breanna, Carley & Cole

How on earth are my nieces

almost taller than me?

And I'm 5'10" for crying out loud!
Unbelievable.

A visit to a humongous room full of bounce houses and such with Grandma and Grandpa.
Germs, sweaty pits, static attack and vinyl road rash...Now that's a rockin' good time!

Dave & Busters

Brooke was annoyed with my picture obsession because she was too busy playing this horse game over and over again that she couldn't even read or understand what to do. In the meantime, Cole won 1,000 tickets on a spinning wheel game and then got so unbelievably lucky on this throw-your-money-away grab machine. The claw miraculously got hooked on the tag of the ball.

Fun times with the cousins and grandparents...

We love and miss them all so very much!

TEXAS VACATION (one)

2011-10-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

Way past the point of anyone caring especially when I'm only 2 weeks away from putting up my Christmas tree but, I still just have to put up these pictures to look back on. Our trip back home to Texas at the end of June included lots of things. Here's the first couple of days...

We got in around 3 am and walked into our friends' Brett and Natalie's quiet house. They left the door unlocked for us, as well as, a sweet little welcome note and mints on the bed. Too cute! That absolutely made me smile after such a long and uncomfortable drive.

We spent the whole next day relaxing

in the pool and burning in the sun. A trip to

Texas wouldn't be complete without a

sunburn...So I just "had" to do it.

Brett and Natalie introduced us to the Melting Pot.
A rarity for us to indulge in something that fancy but, hey, we were on vacation.

This place is like a meal of magical merriment.

A Love Martini...Definitely LOVE...So yummy!

You cook your own food at your table. You drop your vegetables and stick your skewer of meat in the the flavored broth of choice for a certain amount of time and tah-dah! Way too much food and entertainment while eating for one's own good.

Thank you so much Brett and Natalie for letting us take over your upstairs and come and go as we pleased! You two are simply uhhh-mazing!

SWEET BROOKE

2011-09-23T16:43:00.004-05:00

Brooke has officially gotten used to being drug around to her brother's practices and games. She's following in her momma's footsteps. I don't remember not liking going to my brothers' (2 of them) sporting events but, I'm sure I did my fair share of complaining here and there.

I do remember being very proud of them and wanting to watch everything they did. I hope Brooke eventually feels that way about her brother, too.

For now...She loves getting candy at the concession stand and running around with other kids at the fields. I don't let her go too far and she knows what to do when she hears "heads up" shouted from any direction.

This child can be all girlied up and yet still loves to play in the dirt/sand. She doesn't especially like to sit in it and get all dirty, she just like to make piles, move it all around and pour it into things. And she's mesmerized by seeing it fall through her hands. She absolutely loved the beach for that very reason.

As if these eyes weren't beautiful enough...

They also change colors depending on what she's wearing.

She looks so sweet and innocent, huh?

COLE THE CATCHER

2011-09-16T22:47:00.001-05:00

Even though many of Cole's pictures are very similar, they're very different to me. I sit right behind home plate and try to capture as much as I can on video and snap a few pictures in between. Each picture reminds me of how hard he works out there. The catcher seriously is the hardest position to play because it's so physically demanding and draining on your body.

Watching Cole out there is so special to me. I don't like to miss anything he does out there or be distracted by someone talking to me...But of course, it happens because some people are mostly there to socialize.

And there's the interruptions by my sweet daughter that wants candy from the concession stand. That's ok though because she has become so comfortable with running around and playing with other kids without being shy...And that makes it much easier for me to enjoy the game.

I put together some clips of Cole catching. There were so many more moments that weren't captured but, this is still pretty impressive...Especially since it's only his FIRST year of being a catcher and yet only his SECOND year of playing baseball...And at ONLY 8 years old! It really blows my mind. Check out my boy...

BLUE JAYS BASEBALL (1)

2011-09-04T21:45:00.002-05:00

Cole was a whole different baseball player from last Spring to this Spring. He made us so proud. It's really unbelievable that it was only his 2nd year playing.

Check out Cole batting, catching, and pitching. Love Cole's throw out of the the runner at home plate.

I still have tons more videos to compile together but this was one of his more outstanding weeks...And his 1st time as pitcher in a game. I about lost it when I saw him out there. I was shocked that Nathan even let him pitch. I was so nervous the whole time but it was a great feeling seeing him out there, too. He did great and looked soooo big. Evidently Nathan told Cole that if he hit well that game he could take a break from catcher and try pitching. Cole earned it and was beyond stoked!

ANOTHER CATCH ALL

2011-08-23T23:12:00.000-05:00

Summer is over, the kids have already been in school for three weeks, fall baseball practice started tonight, the city football draft is tomorrow, and yet I'm still posting about our Springtime happenings on this stinkin' blog. It's so ridiculous really.

Anyway, here's a bunch of pictures with short and sweet descriptions because that's just the best I can do for a while until I can catch up on this crazy thing.

Easter

Egg Hunt at Nathan's work...the week before Easter. It was cold and the kids really weren't all that into it...But they looked cute. And the kids couldn't quite figure out why a wanna be Tigger was there. Uhhh...Good question.Cole's birthday actually fell on the same day as Easter this year. I already posted about his birthday. That day was a whip switching between Easter and birthday stuff.

Field Day

I felt awful that I couldn't be at Field Day or Awards Day for the kids. I just couldn't pull it off on my lunch hour with working nearly 30 minutes away from the school and still being a couple of weeks shy of earning my sick days. Nathan did the best he could with videoing and taking pictures but, it's just not the same as physically being there.

Awards Day

Cole and Brooke both got All A's and Made the Principal's list all year long. And Brooke actually got perfect attendance, too. My babies did so good!

Fun with Friends

The boys and girls were "texting" each other messages and doodles on their DS contraptions. It was cute to watch them taking it so seriously like they were all grown up little teenagers.
Just a few more years and those will be cell phones. Oh my.

GIRLS WEEKEND

2011-08-18T22:02:00.001-05:00

After months and months and months of wishing, wanting, and saying we were going to do a girls weekend, we finally made it happen.

Our original plan was to drive down to Austin straight from the airport but we ended up deciding to stay in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Mostly because the area is much more familiar to us and we wouldn't be wondering the jam packed and often insane streets of Austin like lost little pups.
Jenna and I have been friends since kindergarten and have always been able to pick up right where we left off...No matter how long it's been since we've seen or heard from each other. We just enjoy the moments that we get to share together.
We are in different places in our lives, actually even different states, but yet we are still able to give each other advice on what's going on at any given time.

Love this girl and our friendship!

And look at Jenna's sweet baby girl. I was so glad that Avery let me hold her and love on her. She's such a good baby and it was awesome to see Jenna in the mommy zone.Girls just wanna to fun...And we did. Can't wait to do it again!

This trip to Texas wouldn't have been possible without my father-in-law being oh so generous enough to let me use some of his frequent flier miles. Suhweeeet! I was so grateful that he did that for me but that meant I had to actually go on an airplane. It had been 11 years since I'd flown and that was on a horrible AirMexico plane to Cancun. Cancun was so much fun but that plane had duct tape holding stuff together and was so rocky. Not cool.

Needless to say, I was nervous on the flight out. I could feel the stares from the people around me wondering why I was holding my hands so tight and sitting up stiff as a board. I was much more relaxed on the flight back...Except for that 3 year old little brat that threw a fit the majority of it. Grrrr!!! Nooo, her ears didn't hurt or anything. She just wanted to go switch seats constantly and no toy was good enough for her. And her parents thought it was cool to just "ignore her" until she stopped yelling. Helloooo!!! That's not the best tactic when it's in a public place and affecting others around you. I'm just sayin'.

Uhhhh anyway...

My first GIRLS WEEKEND was a blast!
Thanks again, Jenna!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-07-27T07:44:00.001-05:00

COLE'S 9th BIRTHDAY

2011-07-08T23:21:00.001-05:00

My child can't possibly be 9...Can he? Crazy. Next year when he gets into the double digits will REALLY be unbelievable.

We took Cole to the Jackson Generals game (double A team for the Seattle Mariners) the night before his actual birthday. We had great seats right behind the Generals' dugout.

Their pitchers were completely dominated and they lost by A LOT but, the tickets are always pretty cheap AND they do fireworks after every Friday and Saturday night game. The fireworks alone were worth it.

And so were the winks I got from a couple of the players when Nathan went to get snacks! Bahahahaha...Just kidding, Nathan!

Check out Cole's half smile. He can be a little punk but yet he's still a cutie pie.

Actual Birthday Day

Cole was excited about the cards from family because he already figured they had money or gift cards in them. But he couldn't quite figure out what was wrapped in his daddy's jammy pants.Durr...It's a skateboard video game thing. LOL. That's all I could find to wrap it in.

Good grief, they're only 17 months apart but, Cole looks kinda tall!Awww...Now this is cute!

Getting all the birthday calls from Texas.

Once again, Cole is the most pumped about the $3 wristbands just like he was on Valentine's Day. Nice.

I was going to do something simple like cookies or cupcakes since it's just the 4 of us but, then I hear, "Mawwwumm, you're gonna make me a cake riiiight???" Cole so sweetly requested that I make him a baseball cake with the Texas Rangers T on it. Awww man...Of course I couldn't refuse him then.It turned out pretty cute but, I think Cole ate all of one piece of that giant thing. Grrrr!

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND THAT

2011-06-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

Now that summer is in full swing and I'm still posting about stuff in January, which is beyond lame, this is my attempt to catch up and be only one season behind by throwing together a bunch of randomness. This post may not make any sense but I can't stand not putting up some of these pictures and being so far behind on the blog is really annoying me to the point where the thought crossed my mind of stopping it all together. Don't worry, Mom, I won't really do that because having these memories to look back on means way too much to quit.

Ready...GO!

Valentine's Day

(or the night before actually because Nathan couldn't wait any longer...Yes, seriously)

Of all the things Cole got, he was the most pumped about these $3 wristbands.

And Brooke loved that cheapie little dog I grabbed at the last second the most.

Random dress up day at school. The kids love those free days from their uniforms and will beg to participate even if it requires Mommy to stay up late preparing for it. They had to bring a book and dress up as a fictional character in that book. Cole as a baseball player...Easy. Brooke as a ballerina and insisting on a tutu...Not so much.She already had a little outfit but we felt it the skirt was a little inappropriate for school. So, at the last minute, I stapled together a tutu with stuff I just happen to have lying around and found a way to make it all work.

Nathan was the super cool parent and did lots of fun things with the kids while on they were on Spring Break. He used one of his vacation weeks and they went to the movies, the park, Sonic for shakes, Blockbuster, Chuck E Cheese, and even came all the way out to my work to eat lunch with me one day.
This is proof that filling out those surveys on your receipts to possibly win something REALLY does work! Nathan filled out a survey from a Best Buy receipt and months later got a call that he'd won something. All he had to do was tell the code the lady gave him to our local store manager to claim his prize but she couldn't tell him what it was.

He texted me immediately getting way too excited about what it could be. I told him he'd better calm down so he wouldn't be disappointed when they told him he won a printer or a microwave. He got there and his choice was a computer or a 55' flat screen TV. Say whaaa???

Uhhhh of course, he chose the TV! He was out of his flippin' mind with excitement! They delivered the TV and after about a week he called to see if they would exchange it because the sound and picture quality was horrible for how much it costs. Surprisingly, they gave him no problems about it and he even got a free Blue Ray DVD player thrown in with it since it was a special with a TV purchase.

So now we have this giant $1,500 Toshiba TV and a Blue Ray DVD player in our small living room that we got all for FREE! We didn't even have to pay our ridiculous 9.75% tax either! Unbelievable! Oh, and the receipt he did the survey off of was from a digital camera that he bought for work so, it wasn't even something we paid for. LOL...Score!

CHILL OUT

2011-06-05T13:05:00.002-05:00

Yep, it's June. It's hot and only gonna get hotter. Kind of makes you appreciate those cold days where you warmed your buns up by the fire.

We had a few bouts of snowball fun this past winter and the kids got some extra days off from school. And those snow days didn't even have to be made up (or the after the bad storm days). Awesome school system, I know.

Enjoy reminiscing the chilly days in pictures while your shirt is stuck to your sweaty back from just going to check the mail real quick. :)

MAY 24th - NATHAN'S 1 YEAR

2011-06-01T15:13:00.007-05:00

It's amazing how life can change so much in a year's time, isn't it? Not too long ago, Nathan told me that he couldn't wait until I could put on the blog that he was a yearly survivor of cancer like I have for my mom. It was at the very bottom of the blog but I just recently moved it to the sidebar. He couldn't quite decide when he would mark his 1 year anniversary of surviving thyroid cancer since he had 2 surgeries within 3 weeks and found out that it actually was cancer in the middle of that. He thought about it for a while and chose for it to be May 24th since that was the day when the cancer was removed completely. Just a little FYI...The 3 colors were selected 12 years ago by thyroid cancer survivor who is a volunteer for the nonprofit ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association. The deep blue/purple represents the throat energy center, pink represents spiritual influences in healing, and teal is a healing color. The 3-color combination also emphasizes the variety of situations with thyroid cancer, because there are different types of thyroid cancer, and it affects people in all age groups from young children through seniors.Nathan's incision has definitely improved since his surgeries. This is what his scar looks like 1 year later. It's not that noticeable since he's gotten some sun but it's still looks a bit like a zipper. That's cool though because I know how to work zippers. :) I know I'm proud of him, the kids are proud of him, our parents, friends and family are proud of him but, I hope that Nathan himself is proud to say...

Life doesn't always make sense but, we have to try and do the best we can with what we're given. And whether we like it or not...Life goes on. And when life is hard it doesn't hurt to flash a smile and just go with the flow.

BASKETBALL 2011

2011-05-22T18:49:00.000-05:00

Basketball this year was quite an experience since Cole had to play in the 8-10 year old age group. We got beat nearly every game since we were rather small in comparison to the rest of the teams that were predominately 10 year olds.

Uhhh...Yikes!

We only had 6 kids since Nathan and a guy from fall baseball formed their own team. The poor things wore out so quickly.

The kids tried their best though and actually toughened up towards the end of the season. Next year should be a little more exciting and not such a beating.

CANCER FREE

2011-05-13T11:54:00.002-05:00

I'm so behind on blogging and will probably end up skipping posting about lots of our random family happenings but, I can't skip mentioning a couple of things related to Nathan's thyroid cancer.

Nathan got me lots of great presents for Christmas this year but one was by far the best. It was this beautiful bracelet that he secretly ordered for me that is made with the Swarovski crystals in the colors for thyroid cancer (teal, blue and pink). I wore the yellow livestrong rubber bracelet for a while but once I started working at a law firm and having to look professional, I didn't think it matched so well. This bracelet is just perfect and oh so pretty! This cell phone picture doesn't do it justice. The last week of 2010 came with a bit of stress. Nathan had three different days of testing done to find out if he would require more radiation or not. He had to be off of his thyroid medication for three weeks prior to the testing in order to get clear results. He was really low on energy that entire time and worrying every day that he would have to go through radiation again. I kept reminding him to think positively and try to stay up beat instead of dreading it. I truly BELIEVED that the first round of radiation got all of the cancer because the doctor mentioned that the first round was almost more of a precaution since there weren't a large amount of cancer cells floating around his neck...Just enough to make it necessary though.

The day of his testing he insisted that I stay at work since the hospital was nearly 45 minutes from my office. I thought about it a lot and finally decided to go but, I didn't tell Nathan. I couldn't remember where to park at the hospital and ended up having to call Nathan and ask where he was. He said he'd just gotten out of his car. I asked him to wait there and tell me where to go. He just about flipped out on the phone and when I got out of the car he broke down a little bit and hugged me so tightly. It was such a sweet, heartfelt moment. Even though all I did was sit in a tiny waiting room by myself, it meant so much to him that I came. It took me a week of short lunches to make up the time I was gone but, seeing Nathan's face when I pulled up was more than worth it!The waiting room for his full body scan was very small and private but yet still had a tv playing soap operas that I couldn't help getting sucked into and wanting to know what was gonna happen next. You can miss months of epidsodes and still pretty much figure out what's going on. Stupid soap operas.

It's hard to see but that sign says NUCLEAR MED ROOM. Uhhhh those really aren't the most comforting words to see. But the machines that are in there are meant to save lives regardless of how scary they may seem.

I stared at this cart of drawers a lot (during commercials, of course) and was really annoyed by the fact that they had the name of the colored drawers on each drawer. I mean, why do they need to have purple written on the purple drawer? Oh wait...I've had this picture for months and didn't realize it until just now as I'm writing this that it's probably for people like my dad who are color blind. My bad. Nathan wasn't supposed to get the results until the following Monday but, they were so clear and obvious that it didn't take long to read them and, the doctor ended up called him within 30 minutes. So luckily, we didn't have to start the new year without knowing. The doctor said there were no more signs of cancer and that he was well on his way to being cancer free. CANCER FREE!!!

Only 3 month check ups to test his cell count that determines the dosage of his daily thyroid medication. He will also have to do the 3 day testing including the full body scan once a year for the next few years to make sure the cancer hasn't returned.

I'm so proud of how strong Nathan has been through it all. I know that there have been many times that he's tried to hide how tired or ill he's felt because he didn't want it come across as being weak but, really, he's been so strong and such an amazing example...And the kids and I are so very proud of him for it! Love this guy!

CLOSET STORY AND SUCH

2011-05-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

While Nathan was in Florida for work (back in February), the kids and I got to go in the closet during a heavy rain storm accompanied by a tornado warning. I realized once we were sitting in my tiny "master" closet that there is no door on the closet, it's right next to the glass shower door, and not too far from the window in the bathroom. Hmmm...Maybe that really wasn't the safest place to be. I guess we could have gone in the kids' bathroom in the hallway but I really wasn't up for throwing pillows and blankets on the floor in there since my son apparently still hasn't learned to control his willy. I'm so glad that he's well trained on flushing and putting the seat back down but, good grief...POINT AND SHOOT! Simple as that.

Cole was surprisingly really sweet to Brooke and read her a book while we were in there. They didn't even notice I was recording them.

Brooke slept in my bed that night but only because for some reason she had her mind set that the next time Nathan was out of town, she would get to sleep in there. I agreed to it for one night and one night only. We have a king size bed and I stuck her far away from me and still got kicked and bumped and laid on all night long. And that makes for a grumpy mommy in the morning. Not good. She does look cute though.

Cole knows better than to ask to sleep in our bed since he was in there until he was 3 years old. And he long overstayed his welcome. Brooke had no choice but to sleep in her bed when she was born because there was no room but, she did come in there every once in a while when I was too tired to wait for her to fall back asleep during the night. Often times Nathan wouldn't even realize she was in the bed until he woke up. Neat how men can sleep so well, huh?Brooke was 2 in the picture above. Notice the same purple bear in both pictures. All together now...Awwww.

STRAIGHT LINE WINDS SAY WHAT???

2011-05-08T22:21:00.004-05:00

If you haven't already heard, West Tennessee was recently hit with some very bad storms. Tornado warnings and heavy rains night after night after night. It was really ridiculous. All the towns around here look pretty beat up but it was only straight line winds of 100 mph or so. Granted, our damage is nothing compared to the people in Alabama...Thank goodness.

I snagged all of these pictures from our local newspaper's website. I wanted to take photos driving around but it was too dangerous with all the trees, power lines, and other debris lying around. Plus there always seemed to be some sort of on lookers tailing me. The storm clouds were nasty. I didn't see most of them because there are no windows in my office. My office is on the 2nd floor of an older bank building in the center of town so, when the bank president came upstairs and told us all to get downstairs into the bank vault, I figured something hairy had to be brewing outside.Trees this size and much bigger are down all over the counties. It rained so much that the ground was so saturated and just loose enough for the high winds to bring so many of these huge, old trees down. This is one of the big bankruptcy attorney's house in Jackson. One of lawyer's at my work actually goes against him all the time. Our firm represents the banks trying to collect their money and this guy represents the people trying not to pay their debts. These trees that fell and ripped down the power lines are right by the kids' school. The kids and I got to see them because I didn't know that school was closed. We didn't get a phone call or anything. Grrr!Nathan left for St. Louis that morning so I had to take them and go into work a little late. I pulled into an empty parking lot at their school and was instantly ticked. We don't have the local news, we have Memphis news, which is an hour away, and they didn't have any school closings listed on there. I had no other choice but to take them to work with me. Grrreat. I went back home and grabbed a bunch of stuff to occupy them, and hoped the lawyers wouldn't be too upset that I brought my kids and that I was an hour late. The kids really were very good and everyone highly complimented them. And my lawyer sent me home early because he said it was too boring for the kids to be up there any longer. Suhweeeet!

Super cool office chairs, eh???

SPINNING

2011-04-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

We happen to get another beautiful snow in early January, and I had to post some of the pretty pictures. I only got a few in our neighborhood because I was quickly distracted. This is what you see as you turn out of our neighborhood. This is just a small section of this huge, beautiful farm.There's railing and a ditch in front of the farm but, there's only a short distance of railing in front of that ditch.So...If you pull out with your camera and cell phone in your lap because you just have to take pictures of the pretty scenery and don't realize that it could be slick...This happens. Yep, you spin around and slam right smack dab into a telephone pole while your coffee splatters all over your car. This was my choice on the other side of the road. You can see why I opted for the pole.

The damage is very minimal but I really thought it was going to be terrible. Just a small crack that probably isn't worth fixing. Oh, and my license plate holder was knocked off but, Tennessee doesn't require a front plate anyway so no biggie. I'm just thankful I stopped at the pole and didnt't go right through the fence. Whew!

After a few frantic attempts and flinging of mud, I finally shimmied outta there. Nathan was staying home with the kids since school was closed and begged me not to go to work after he inspected everything. Are you crazy?! I get paid by the hour, boy! I promised to go slow on my long journey and let him know as soon as I was safe in my office. Everyone at work knew about my little accident by the time I walked in and were smiling and giggling. All three lawyers had some wise crack to make and, one of them found it funny to start calling me Crash. Hardee har har, people!

MY 31ST BDAY

2011-04-01T09:29:00.001-05:00

Ok, how sweet is this??? So, I go out with a friend the night before my birthday and have lots of fun and wake up on my birthday morning to find that my wonderful husband made me my favorite muffins AND a cake while I was gone. A CAKE, PEOPLE!

And in the shape of a heart! Can you believe that??? He even iced the sides and everything. I rarely ice the sides of a cake anymore because it frustrates me to no end. This was the first time he's ever made one...I think he did a pretty darn good job!Nathan also arranged for the kids to stay the night with friends while we went out to eat at our favorite hibachi place. I've mentioned before how good it is. It's really good. Soooo very good but yet soooo bad for my sensitive tummy. I don't care though.

Does this guy love me or what?!

I didn't really stress about turning 30 but, saying that I'm 31...Kinda hurts a little. That's alright though because age is just a number and in my mind I'm gonna be FOREVER YOUNG!

LAST WEEK OF 2010

2011-03-28T22:02:00.002-05:00

I was so glad that it worked out for my parents to come because I had no clue what we would have done with the kids that second week they were out of school (Nathan took vacation the first week). Oh my, it's only the beginning of our predicaments of child arrangements now that I work full time.

We were able to celebrate my dad's birthday with him while they were in town.Brooke wanted Grandpa to have a smiley face and polka dots on his cake...So there you go.Yep, it's fairly obvious that I slapped that sucker together in no time. Sorry but I had to work all day and was a tired girl.

I know I've mentioned this before, but there's really not that much to do here. I mean, you can only go to the movies, our rinky dink Chuck E Cheese, and the park so many times. Good thing grandparents are creative and flexible with their time.

I did manage to get my friend's dad to open up his secret shop and show my parents his amazing stash of fabulous old cars.

Tennessee did actually squeeze out a tiny bit of snow while my parents were here but nothing spectacular.

My parents stayed just long enough to allow Nathan and I to go to a New Year's Eve party...No clue when the last time we did that was. We had a great time but I didn't take any pictures with my camera at the party. Shocker, I know. There were too many people there that we didn't really know and, I wasn't in the mood to be that weird person flashing the annoying light in everyone's most likely foggy eyed faces. Got a cheesy picture for Sara to post on Facebook though!

Thanks mom and dad for coming to our rescue the last week of 2010!

CHRISTMAS

2011-03-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

This was our first Christmas to be just the four of us (family wise) throughout the entire holiday season. Choosing not to go back to Texas was a hard decision to make but it was necessary.
Look at all the presents! Both sides of our family sent all kinds of goodies ahead of time...The kids were soooo excited.
I'll admit that I did try to deter the kids from wishing they were with their cousins with lots of presents. I pretty much put one thing in each bag to make it look like more. Plus we had all of our relatives presents under our tree instead of going to the grandparents' houses to open them. Ridiculously expensive footwear. Thanks Peyton Manning for making my child think that Reezigs are the greatest shoes in the world.
Grandma and Grandpa sent Cole a super cool Texas Rangers hat...LOVE!Brooke was already telling stories to a couple of her new friends. And Cole was in chill mode for a minute while SportsCenter was on.About 4:00 pm the doorbell rang, and the kids got another surprise for Christmas. My parents left Texas early that morning and drove all the way to Tennessee without the kids ever knowing they were coming for a visit. Back in October Brooke asked my mom to come bring Ginger (their little dog) to visit her. My mom decided right then and there that they would come for Christmas.

Brooke was soooo excited to see that little dog. They just love each other.

Yes, the kids were thrilled that Ginger brought Grandma and Grandpa along, too. :-)

Nathan's parents sent along some goodies with my parents for he and I that including some fabulous cowgirl boots that are beyond AWESOME! Unfortunately, one boot had a defect and they were a little too big so, they had to travel back to Texas with my parents to be exchanged.

All in all, I think it turned out to be a fantastic Christmas Day and a great end to an unexpected year of changes for us.

PIZZA PARTY

2011-03-08T22:12:00.001-06:00

When our friends Mac and Sara found out that we weren't going home to Texas for the Christmas holidays, they immediately invited us to join them in their Christmas Eve festivities.

For the last 20 years or so they've made home made pizzas and have a judging contest on the taste and presentation of them. Something completely different than what we could have ever imagined doing on Christmas Eve but, it turned out to be a really good time with some great company. Brooke was so proud of her pizza. Cole did the scarce half.Cole could have really cared less. He took off as soon as possible to goof off with the boys.Is it a secret? What's Daddy saying, Brooke???My pizza wasn't allowed to be judged...Because I was talked into being a judge...But I couldn't resist making one anyway. Oh my goodness, I ate way too much and tasted some weird concoctions that can only be a good recipe for a belly ache.Nathan tried to bribe one of the judges (ok, it was me) by making a pizza that said I "heart" U. The other two judges said that was cheating. I thought it was sweet though. :)Thank you, Sara, for inviting us to join in your family tradition and make some wonderful memories on our first year away from our families on Christmas Eve. Loved it!

FAMILY PHOTOS

2011-03-07T22:21:00.001-06:00

It came as a shock to Nathan but, I actually decided to do a picture with all four of us in it for our Christmas cards. I normally refuse to be in pictures but, I'm getting better about it. We tried two different days to get it all right until the kids couldn't take it anymore. I don't know what they were complaining about because I was one the getting leg cramps from running back and forth to do the timer on the camera.

So here are some of the shots that were worthy of avoiding the delete button.
Nathan wanted this one for the card but I didn't like how my hair was all limp since it was after work and the curl was long gone.

I love this one...Too cute!

Brooke had lost another top tooth by the time we did the second session, and she refused to show her teeth because the gap was soooo large in the front.
And this was the choice below for our Christmas card. The coloring was a little orangey once it was printed but, it's not too shabby for a 10 cent photo in our living room with poor lighting and our little camera.

A SPLITTING HEAD ACHE

2011-03-02T22:00:00.002-06:00

So, I haven't even been at my new job for 2 weeks yet and I see the kids' school calling on my cell phone. I quietly answer thinking it was just going to be a recording or that one of the kids forgot their lunch or something. I was beyond wrong.

ME: Hello???

LADY: Hi, is this Brooke's mom?

ME: Yes it is.

LADY: This is the school nurse and I'm going to need you to come pick up Brooke.

ME: Is she ok???

LADY: Well, she was in the gym and a basketball goal fell on her head.

ME: WHAT?!?!

LADY: She's not crying right now but she's going to need stitches (as said in the sweetest most calm voice).

ME: (Jumping into panic mode) WHAAAAAATTT?!?!?!?!?! Are you kidding ME???

LADY: Yes, and the goal also hit her leg and she couldn't walk so you probably need to get it x-rayed to make sure it isn't broken. Oh, and someone will need to keep pressure on her head.

ME: Say whaaaattttt?!?!?!?!

I called Nathan on his cell phone from mine, which I rarely ever do while he's at work because he's really not supposed to have his phone on him due to safety protocal. He said he knew something was up just by me calling instead of texting. I barely finished telling him what happened when he cut me off and said he was on his way to the school. Thank goodness his work is only about 5 minutes away. Mine, on the other hand, is more like 25 minutes away.

It was the P.E. teacher's second day at the school. Poor guy. He's maybe 23 and Nathan said he was white as a ghost. He picked up Brooke and just ran with her to the nurse with blood pouring out of her head...Which is why the nurse thought she couldn't walk. Nathan said he saw her teacher before he saw Brooke and she told him to brace himself. They had just gotten it all cleaned up but he still saw all the bloody towels sitting there. Yikes!

I tell the girls in the office what happened and that I didn't want to look bad for leaving but, they demanded I leave right then and they would tell the lawyers. I tore out of there and drove like 90 the whole way. I'm about half way to the emergency care clinic when I get this picture on my phone from Nathan.

OMG!!!!!! That is what happens when a portable basketball goal with no water/sand/bricks or anything weighing it down is pushed over by some little terds that won't friggin' sit still. Grrrr!!!

Brooke started crying the second she saw me walk in the room. Awww my baby girl...She stayed in my lap the whole time. I grabbed a few toys from the car to distract her...Which was good...Thank you, mommy intuition. I held this numbing medicine on her boo boo for quite a while before they came to put in the staples. Yep, staples. The doctor said that way she wouldn't have to get painful shots in her head and, they would be easier to put in and take out because of her hair.We had her put ear phones in and listen to Justin Bieber songs in hopes that she wouldn't hear the clacking of the stapler. It was so quick that she didn't even have time to cry. She just said, "Ow, ow, ow...It hurts."Aside from seeing my daughter's head split open, the worst part was that we couldn't get the wound wet for about 5 days. Yea, that was not fun. Brooke did not enjoy this AT ALL. Brooke wanted to go back to school the very next morning because she said she didn't get to finish a Christmas project that they were working on. So she did. So many of the school's staff checked on her that whole next day. Most everyone already knows who she is and says how cute she is because of her bows but, now she's even more of a familiar face. The P.E. teacher called me at work and apologized repeatedly for the whole incident. I know it wasn't his fault but, it still sucks that it happened. It would be nice if the principal would at least inform the parents of the kids who did it...And they see the pictures of what their brat kid did to mine.

Oh, well. She was flopping around and jumping on the trampoline within a couple of days. We just had to constantly remind Cole to be careful when throwing a ball. Ohhh, boys and their balls...How they drive me insane!

One week later...

Brooke asked if she could take her bear and hold it while she was getting her staples out. Well, of course! She loves that stanky, old thing. She was excited to get to pick where we ate for dinner, too.

We were all smiles waiting for those staples to come out because it was really freaky seeing something that generally holds paper together shining from my child's head all week long.
Pop, pop, pop! And just like that those staples were out...Quick and easy. She said she didn't even feel it.

Look at how nicely it has healed up. Her hair has a weird hump going on now since the hair isn't growing in there. It's to the left of her natural part but hopefully it won't be that noticeable the older she gets.

BACK TO WORK

2011-02-23T22:39:00.008-06:00

I'm still blogging about Thanksgiving at the end of February but whatever. Speaking of being thankful...

Thank goodness I put our Christmas tree up on November 1st and had the house all decorated early on because out of the blue I ended up starting a full time job the Friday before Thanksgiving.

That was complete chaos to do a very awkward 10 minute interview with 3 lawyers at 5:00 pm on Thursday, get a call at 6:00 pm that night asking if I could start the very next day, and suddenly have to put the kids in after school care just like that.

Oh, and then have the kids go from being one of the very last to arrive at school in the mornings to one of the very first. Not to mention, me having to figure out how to get my rear end out of bed super early and actually have make up on before noon. Like I said...Chaos.

This is right after I got home from my interview. Nathan forced me to take this picture. Grrr.

I'd been at home since Brooke was born...7 years. That's a long time that actually flew by very quickly. Except for Brooke's first year of life because that little beauty cried sooooo much and only wanted her mommy.

The last 3 1/2 of those 7 years I did real estate research but I officed from home, made my own schedule, and could do my work in my underwear if I felt like it. Of course, I didn't...because that would be weird but still. And even when I did meet with clients it was showing mostly dirty foreclosures so I just wore jeans.

Now, I work at law firm as a legal assistant and have to look slightly more professional on a daily basis. I have to admit that it's actually kind of fun dressing up after all these years though...Especially since I get to buy pretty clothes in smaller sizes. Yay!

I have to say, as crazy and stressful as it has been with me working so much and Nathan having to pick up the mommy slack, I'm still very thankful for this job. Obviously, for the financial burden it relieves but, also for the fact that I get to really use my brain again and feel like a productive part of society. Who'd a thunk it???

By the way...Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I have no clue what's up with the font changing sizes. And I can't seem to fix it no matter how many times I slap this laptop up side its grill.

THANKSGIVING

2011-02-21T21:35:00.002-06:00

It's still hard to believe it, but we actually had family come to visit us for Thanksgiving. My oldest brother and his wife and kids made the long trip out from Texas. There's not much to offer in this little city so, I was very surprised when they mentioned coming. It was a houseful since we can't quite accommodate people like we use to but, it was still very special to have them here.

We don't need no stinking turkey! Our family really isn't a big fan of turkey so, besides the fact that I don't know how to cook one, I just flat out don't want to. So we opted to do chicken kabobs and a few other things. Luckily, my brother and his family didn't care to have all the traditional stuff either so we kept things fairly simple. I will say that it was a huge step up from the tacos we had for dinner at last year's Thanksgiving.

It was raining so Nathan had to chill with the grill in the garage.Breanna and Brooke made cookies to serve as our only dessert. That's right...No pies.

And here's all of our Thanksgiving dinner. Pretty impressive, I must say, since we rarely have more than 3 things with a meal.
We also let the kids exchange Christmas presents the day after Thanksgiving.
Breanna made Brooke this beautiful necklace out of a domino...I'm thinking I may have to borrow this idea for some teacher gifts or something. Too cute!Nobody really wanted to participate in my infatuation of pictures so I didn't end up with very many good ones. And just like that the weekend was over and the Monday after Thanksgiving kicked off my first full week at a full time job...In an office...In 7 years. Say whaaaaa?????