So this is how liberty dies ... with thunderous applause.
Little Bit scored her first first two soccer goals on Saturday. :) This is her second one. Right before the video rolled, she decided to reach down with her hand and touch the ball. *rolling my eyes* But, the ref didn't blow the whistle, so she kept on going. You can hear me telling her not to do that. But, then she kept on going and shot it in. It is pretty cute to see her response. Then, of course, the ref bends over to tell her not to handle the ball. But, hey. She still scored.
Nothing like being in the middle of a phone interview with a big wig about a $300 million real estate develompent when Milkshake starts emanating from my cell phone to tell me I have a voicemail.
*shaking my head*
The lovely Kristine at Random and Odd gave us the task this week to illustrate how "Children are our Future” by showing her that quote in a picture.
Ok, so it isn't a picture, but this is friggin' hilarious. The gorgeous little girl up front is Little Bit doing her best to make up for having been sick on Tuesday and Wednesday. She went to Vacation Bible School on Monday and by 6 p.m. that night was complaining of a headache with a 101 fever. The fever never went down despite Ibuprofen and Tylenol. Tuesday morning, it was 104. I was a basket case. Took her to the doctor because we feared strep. Nope, just a nasty virus. So, she stayed home and puked and burned up for two days. Today, she went back to VBS. She also managed to make into the VBS video they showed, too. Yep, she was ready for her close up. She kept telling me this afternon that she was "going to be on stage" tonight. *rolling my eyes* That is definitely in her future.
But, I digress. If you watch the video, be prepared to be dazzled by my daughter's charm and talent. :) And, to giggle hysterically at the little goober in front of her who is making faces and doing other gestures instead of the sign language stuff for the Jesus song. Later in the performance, I realized I could get both Hot Rod and Little Bit into the same frame. So, that was pretty special.
Of course, these two are part of my future and I'm proud of that. Pickle managed to just sit in the sanctuary and laugh at his brother. Hot Rod looked pained much of his singing time. Just not his thing.
So, did you play?
I know it is stupid, but I laugh out loud every time I see this commercial. I love the coffee cup of pencils getting shot at the dude's car. But, I think my favorite part is the little girl just sitting and watching this kid. :)
My friends, TS and LabKat, are always good about sending me funny little cards to brighten my day. I got this one several years ago, but it still makes me laugh.
Today is my mom and dad's 51st anniversary. I called to wish them well and they didn't even realize it was their anniversary. I guess when you feel like you're living in hell on earth, it is best not to think about it. :)
Mom and dad last month at Little Bit's pre-k graduation. Here's to you folks and wishing for many more years.
Last week, Hot Rod had the privilege of attending UNT's Coach Johnny Jones basketball camp. He was able to go courtesy of birthday money from family and friends. It was pricey and we were lucky to have our loved ones help us out with the expense. He got enough money to attend the basketball camp and baseball camp, so that was awesome. I was proud to see him actually looking up while dribbling in this picture. That is always a good sign.
Showing off his new basketball that he got at camp. It is pretty cool. He got a T-shirt, water bottle and this nice basketball.
With some of our favorite players who acted as coaches at camp. This one is Collin Mangrum *heart thumping* who is really cute and really nice. Little Bit had to jump in this picture, too. I mean, come on, tall, blond, handsome. Why not?
Of course, when Hot Rod went to get his picture with Justin Howerton, another of our faves (ok, most of the players are our faves) ... she was a little intimidated by just how tall he is. Look at the size of his hands on Hot Rod's shoulders! I bet this dude can put the food away!
And, lastly, with Coach Johnny Jones. This was pretty cool and pretty special. He was really nice and gracious. Definitely a great experience for Hot Rod. He was a little intimidated on the first day of camp because there were so many kids there. The camp actually filled up before the first day. But, he warmed up to it. This coming week, Vacation Bible School. The boy can use a little Jesus. :)
On Thursday, Little Bit had a chance to show off a bit at our Catholic church's Vacation Bible School end-of-the-week performance. She got to hold the class sign and speak a quick line about the class name as part of the performance. The video is the up-and-coming kindergarten class singing, dancing and signing one of the songs they learned at camp. Next week, she and Hot Rod will be going to the Baptist church VBS across the street from the Catholic church. I figured Jesus in a variety of ways isn't a bad thing. Always good to learn different view points on religion. I don't think any way is wrong, necessarily, just different. I grew up Southern Baptist and became Catholic after marrying AoD.At her preschool, many of the teachers and administrators are very involved in the theater. Her teacher told me on Friday, "you really should get her involved in theater. She belongs on stage." She thinks so, too.
I never thought I'd spend Saturdays at track meets for my 9-year-old. But, that's what we've been doing. It is hard work, but it is good conditioning for him and he seems to enjoy most of it. Not all of it. He doesn't look like he's having fun here. He ran the 800-meter, the 400-meter and the 100-meter dash last week. He was hating life in that 800. Unfortunately, his coach volunteered to put him in one of the faster heats for the 400, so he got smoked. He is 9 going against 9- and 10-year-olds. The week before, he finished sixth out of seven or eight in his 400.
I'm proud of Hot Rod, but I'm truly proud of other two kids, too. They don't complain or fuss about having to go and sit at the track meet. They were good natured and helpful. I was really proud of them. Pickle found out earlier this week that he won an anime art contest at the public library. The contest was to create a poster to promote the animanga club at the library. He is really proud of himself and he should be.
Sweet Little Bit.
And, a proud boy with his ribbons from the meet. He worked hard for those.
Well, now that I have Internet access at the house again, I can actually post some photos. These are from AoD's trip to Minnesota week or so ago. This one is our adorable nephew with AoD.
And, our gorgeous adorable bright sweet little niece with Grandpa (my FIL). She is something else. So adorable and so verbal. AoD said she pulled up a chair by her mom and said "How was your week?" She just turned 3!!!
AoD and his sister and her husband and the kids. These folks are Little Bit's godparents, too. Don't they all look happy? It was as great chance for AoD to see them. They live in Atlanta, but travelled to Minnesota for a day that overlapped AoD's and my FIL's trip.
Army of Dad caught a big one. LOL. Actually, for his birthday, his dad took him on a guided fishing trip on Lake Mille Lacs.
Having a beer with his dad.
Dinner with his other grandma, his uncle, aunt, cousin and her boyfriend. Too much fun to be had with all that family around. I am glad he's home, though. He probably needed that break from life here. Plus, he was able to help his paternal grandparents some as they prepare to move from their home to a retirement community.Not sure why, but I've had this song just going through my mind for the past week. The children were a bit disturbed to hear this emanating from the computer. I think it is the whole missing my man thing and feeling like I'm drowning, a bit, into my pit of despair. *hopefully there are no ROUS down there* Really, though, I'm better than I was on Monday and Tuesday. Those were bad days for me. I get to look forward to Army of Dad arriving home tonight.
Well, my honey has my camera in Minnesota this week, so I had to go rummage through the archives. Oddly enough, I have lots of pictures of a child's toy - which was the assignment of the lovely Kristine from Random and Odd for this week's Stuff Portrait Friday. This one features the marshmallow shooters the kids got from an aunt (who clearly hates me.)
This one was taken at my mom's house a few years ago. She got Hot Rod these Roman looking guys. He loves any kind of military action figure thingees to play with. Still does.
And, Pickle's girlfriend with Little Bit at Pickle's birthday party last September. They weren't officially boyfriend-girlfriend then. "Just friends" he kept insisting until a month later. :)
I think I need to scrub the willies off my skin right now. I love this picture that Uzz shot of Pickle a few weeks ago. Gees, the child is growing up right under my nose. Last night, I was talking to my best friend from childhood and she was remarking at how grown up and handsome the boy has gotten. (I emailed her this pic.) Apparently, her 14-year-old walked by and saw the picture and said "Is that Pickle? He's really cute now."Hooray. I love Ken Griffey Jr. Pickle was almost named "Griffey" because we love him so much. :) What a great thing for him.
Today, Hot Rod wrapped up baseball camp this week. He came home on Monday regaling me with tales of a boy at camp also wearing Twins gear. In Texas, that is fairly unusual. Little boy's last name was Blackburn. Yeah, as in the little brother of the Twins' pitcher Nick Blackburn. I didn't believe it, so I did a little research about Nick. He is from Ada, Okla., which isn't that far up the highway. This little fella is from Oklahoma, too. Well, today, he brought Hot Rod a 5x7 autographed photo of Nick. For real. the kid really is his little brother.
So, now Hot Rod has another Twin to replace Torii Hunter. He is already a Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau fan. Now, he is a big Blackburn fan, too.One of my favorite Weird Al songs. I got my cast off today. *and the heavens opened up and the angels sang* I called my doctor and told his nurse what was happening, so they let me go in, cut off the cast and checked the site. All looked good, so they took out the stitches and now I have my Halo Master Sergeant-looking walking boot. But, man, life is much better now. Easier to walk and the best part - removable!!!!
My Twins fan is in Minnesota this week - on his 32nd birthday. The first in 11 years that we haven't celebrated together. Unfortunately, the Twins are out of town this entire week while he's there. I miss my honey, but he'll be treated well for his birthday. His dad is there and I believe his aunt and uncle plan a feast and special festivities, too. He got a new Three Days Grace CD from me for his birthday before his road trip. I had bought him the CD for our anniversary, but it got stuck in the burned up Neon last month. I love you, sweetheart. Be careful and enjoy your time with your family. I'm counting the days till you come home. Happy Birthday, Kiddo.
If you do a Google photo search for 'redneck birthday cake' and pictures of two of your three kids pop up on the first page. *sigh* LaLa was doing a search because she's having a white trash celebration for her son's 18th birthday. I guess she wants to make him a redneck cake (personally, I think she just needs to find a Big Mouth Billy Bass singing fish and stick it on a cake, but that is neither here nor there at this point.)This commercial makes me crack up every time I see it. That dad doing the Hammer Dance is hilarious. I wanna see Army of Dad wear those pants and do it. *ROFLMAO* Just the idea of that makes me laugh even more.
Army of Dad left Saturday night driving up to Minnesota to help his dad (shown here) with AoD's paternal grandparents. Grandpa was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and begins his chemo on Tuesday. AoD wanted to go visit to help his dad try to get things sorted and packed up. Grandma broke her neck two years ago and despite a remarkable recovery in which she only has to use a walker to get around, Grandpa was taking care of her and looking out for her. He won't be able to do that any more and she can't look out for both of them. So, my FIL has been up there for the past two or three weeks helping them with medical stuff and trying to talk to them about getting ready to move to an assisted living facility. Problem is, there is no family in Minnesota to really help them do these things and make sure they aren't hosed by people who will take advantage of them. Soon, my FIL leaves for Malaysia for work, so he won't even be in the country. Everyone is worried about them. Last year, Grandma visited and we even took her shooting. She and I bonded pretty well during that visit. We spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other. She calls me every couple of weeks to chit chat. She's a neat old gal and I'm blessed for getting to know her. In the dictionary, next to the definition for curmudgeon is a picture of Grandpa. :)
Saturday was one of those days when you are just glad for it to be over. Hot Rod had his first track meet and Little Bit had her first soccer game of the season. I missed Little Bit's game because we were told to be at the track meet really early. Here is Hot Rod pre-race. Still smiling and everything. It wasn't bad early on because of the breeze and overcast skies, but the clouds gave way and the sun burst forth at full force and heat.
First race for Hot Rod was the 800 meter. He had never run it for time before Saturday, so it was really harsh to toss him out there and race 9- and 10-year-olds. He just turned 9 in May. But, he stuck it out. He finished dead last out of the group. But, he ran it the whole time. Pickle (in his orange Beatles shirt here) really encouraged him during the race, which was nice to see. He didn't give up. We saw several kids throughout the track meet give up and not finish races, so I was proud of him. 4:20 was his time.
Then, here is is taking off in the 400-meter dash. They did heats with seven boys. He finished sixth and was very proud of himself. Again, he hadn't ran the lap for a time or to compete at practice, just as a warm-up run at a leisurely pace.
Little Bit and Army of Dad wound up getting to the track in time to see Hot Rod run the 800. She looked so darn cute in her soccer get up. She was very proud that her team won 1-0. She played keeper and made several stops, too, her dad said. Army of Dad is her coach this year. I coached her last year. He is better suited at that stuff than me.
Full-length look at the cutie soccer player.
Showing off his sixth-place ribbon. He was very proud of himself. But, all those hours in the sun took a toll. He got sunburned on his shoulders and upper arms. I made the mistake of letting him put on his own sunscreen on his arms. That was truly a mistake. Poor Pickle. I forgot to put sunscreen on his ears and they're burned now, too. I feel like a toad. But, the aloe vera plants in my container garden are coming in handy. Called the doctor's office today and the on-call nurse said to keep doing the aloe vera and we should be fine. I hope so.
Here are my swollen toes and my groovy cast. I had planned on getting pink, but the only one I saw was this ugly hot pink. So, I opted for the groovy colorful camo. I told the nurse my choice and she said they had pale pink, but I was thinking - at that point - that it might get way too dirty in the next 10 days. So, I opted for this one. I think it is pretty cool looking. My toes are less swollen now, but still hurts because it is very awkward to walk on. I still have my stitches, too. Looked pretty nasty, I must say. I got to look at it a bit after they took off the splint and before they put on the cast. The stitches come out when the cast comes off on June 17. I think I may get some kind of "boot" device to wear for another few weeks after that. I'm really hoping not, but I'm thinking so. We'll see how that goes. Already, even with the discomfort of all this, the pain is less than it was with the bone spurs.
Random and Odd made the Stuff Portrait Friday assignment focused on children. Her mission: give your kid the camera and see what he/she photographs. Ok, I didn't do this fresh, but picked out old photos. Back in March of 2007, I gave Pickle - who was 12 at the time - the camera and asked him to take pictures of his brother's baseball game because I was one of the coaches and pitching, so I couldn't shoot any photos. This is what he started out with: his PET toy and a drawing of the characters from the graphic novel that the toy is based on.
Then, there is some random dude walking his dog at the apartment complex across the street from the baseball field.
Next we have the photo of Hot Rod using his bat as a machine gun or some other sort of weapon, I'm not sure. Not exactly the kind of photo I would have taken, but it is cute, I have to admit.
This is one of my favorites that he took - again- something I wouldn't have shot, but I love the team feeling of the boys.
In July, I asked him to take some photos at the beach when he was tired of swimming with me and Hot Rod. I should have known. Just about six weeks away from turning 13, and this is what he took pictures of.
And, then, he gets a group shot. Yep, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree - even if it wasn't the tree from which his apple was grown ... just goes to show that environment plays as large a role as the gene pool from which he was spawned.
Monday of this week Hot Rod's team was playing in the championship game for their division. A big treat for Pickle and Little Bit is to get a Ring Pop. On this occasion, Pickle had a green one. His teeth looked a bit funky after he finished one off. Ick.
Following the game, the boys did not look so happy with just second place. They really wanted first.
However, something about getting a trophy with a cool little ball that spins around and a 3-D effect star feature ... well, that makes it a little better. Not a lot, but a little. Coach said Hot Rod is going to be president one day because he always has something to say. :)
Second place team picture - definitely in a better mood.
Well, looks like either Blogger got the picture thing fixed or the new pictures just don't want to get posted. :( In the meantime, I don't think I ever posted this cute picture of the little ones with Hooper, the mascot for FC Dallas - known affectionately locally as The Hoops.Ok, I was looking for a Rosanne Rosannadanna skit to post, but couldn't find one on YouTube, so this is the next best thing. I got this card today from my best childhood friend, TS. Thankfully, mine wasn't for a 50th birthday - I'm 10 years away from that - but hers reads: I guess things could be worse! I can use that these days. :) Makes me laugh out loud. I joke about having Rosanne Rosannadanna hair when it is humid outside, so that makes it double funny. I keep laughing every time I open it up. Anyway. Enjoy the card.
