Veterans Day

On this Veteran's Day I am feeling a bit more patriotic and emotional than usual. Maybe it's because my heart has been with the 13 soldiers who were killed last week by someone they should have been able to trust. Maybe it's because I honked and waved to an older vet today who was waving a flag on the highway overpass. Maybe because our country is at such a time of turmoil and uncertainty....where many have really forgotten what has made this country great.
To all the military members...past and present...and their family who sacrifice along side of them. God bless and Thank you.

Saying goodbye for a long time....







Sending dad our hugs....


Two Marine Corps Birthday Balls.....





It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag....

God Bless America!

Sunday Snapshot

You may remember that last week I started something called Sunday Snapshot. Well, this week, I'm gonna brag about Tyler. Hey, if a mom can't brag about her kiddo, who can.



Tyler is my oldest, my first born, the one who made me a mama. He was our only one not born in Minnesota. We were stationed in North Carolina, so New Bern is his birthplace. Jason was deployed to Italy when he was 2 mos. and was gone until he was 9 mos. old, missing his very first Christmas.



Tyler turned 12 this year and has started 7th grade. As always, he is doing so well. He's the sort of kid who has to study very minimally to get A's and B's in school. His teachers always comment on what a nice kid he is......this year, his new Language teacher told me that she's the sort of kid she could take home. What a nice compliment that was.



He's played the trumpet for 3 yrs now and absolutely loves it. His band directer says he has a natural gift.

He just finished his 2nd year of football and really enjoys playing. He had a bit of a rough time this year, but is not going to quit....just switch teams next year. He loves it.



He opted out of wrestling this year. His season doesn't start until January so I'm really hoping he reconsiders.

Tyler loves to fish and really wants to learn the ins and outs of golfing. We went camping a lot this year and he would be happy just standing on a dock fishing all day. That is so his nature.





He's such a kind heart. He's not too old...yet....to come up and give me a hug and ask how I'm doing today. Sometimes he'll even come up behind me on the couch and play with my hair and ask if there's anything I need. Gosh, I love that boy.

He's anxious to get his own room, something we've promised him is coming when I'm done doing daycare, and having some privacy from his little brother.

He's a great big brother to his 4 younger ones and he is so completely excited to have a little sister.
This summer he was having a really hard time with me doing daycare. He was frustrated and tired of it....I know how he feels.....so we went to the park, let the kids play, and sat down to talk.
I told him we were going to make a pros and cons list. We started with the cons to having me do daycare. He came up with things like....They get into my stuff, I have to share mom, mom gets tired easier, we are stuck at the house all summer, mom can't chaperone field trips.....fifteen things in all that I have always done, but can't for the last year because of doing daycare. Then the pros list. It had only one thing on it. Three words, to be exact. Getting a sister. We then looked at the list.....heavily weighed in favor of me quitting daycare....and I asked him. If I told you I could quit doing daycare, but then we would not be able to adopt....would you be happy about that? He said no. I want you to finish. I want a little sister.

She'll be lucky to have you, sweetie.

Christmas ideas

I'm doing pretty good this year so far. I've already started shopping for the boys and am likin' what I got so far. I am not one who shops early to avoid the hustle and bustle and lines of the mall at Christmas time.....I actually really like the season and the feeling in the air with the music and decorations. I do it more for the cost to be spread out. We don't go too crazy on gifts for the kids....Lord knows with grandparents and Godparents, they get enough. But even 3 to 4 things per boy can be 20 items and that adds up. Here are the things we've already gotten....maybe one of them will be something you'll like for your kiddos.

I was reading the reviews on this toy (something I always recommend) and one parent that said she wrote "I love you's" on this when she tucked the kids in so it glowed when they turned off the light.....that got me, I'm sold.
Look at Amazon.com under Crayola Glow Station


And this....gotta love Crayola...



Then I saw this at the Toys R' Us and couldn't resist. My boys love when we go to the science Museum. They have this device in the Human Body section that you put on your skin and a magnified picture appears on the screen in front of you. Hair on your arms looks huge and the subtle wrinkles on your skin (well, on THEIR skin it's subtle anyway) looks liked a cracked mess. They love the find little open sores and and are always tempted to put the thing up their noses to see what may be inside....they're boys, what can I say.
This is an at-home version. I can't wait until they find a spider or ant to look at close up. Blah!
Look on Amazon under Eye Clops = Bionic Eye


Had to edit my post to add one more thing. It is actually a gift my hubby gave me a few years back and it's one of my faves. I think he got it at Kohls at the time....but here is a link to one just like it.

http://www.weddingaccents.com/accessories/mm-photo-bracelets-m0122.htm

and a pic....



Head over to http://www.nihoayall.com for a whole host of ideas from other mama's. They're even organized in age groups. Happy shopping!

Football woes...

I really love my boys being in sports and enjoying it, but this season of football for Tyler has been less than a perfect experience, to say the least. I felt so bad for that kid last night. He just hung his head and held back the tears. It's not right the way his coach has handled that team. I sat down and wrote an email to him this morning. I'm not sure if it will do any good, but I sure felt better getting it off my chest. Here it is....

M***,

This is a long time coming and I feel it's important to let you know how upset my husband and I are about the events of this football season. Our son, Tyler, started his second year of football with high hopes of being challenged, learning more about the sport, and being a part of a team. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case. Tyler felt very frustrated at many points during the season when he was not given the opportunity to play in the games. He played a very minimal part, usually consisting of only a couple plays per game on kick returns...never stepping foot on the field for any sort of defensive play. My husband and I felt his frustrations, but kept quiet and encouraged him to continue to do his best at practices to allow you to see that, although he may never be the most athletically inclined kid, he was trying and working as hard as the other boys. We have been a part of organized sports with our 5 boys for several years and are not the type of parents to get in the middle of things. We teach our boys to be respectful of the coach and to always try their best and never quit.

But it came to a head for us when you played a game in which you were winning by a score of 26-0 most of the second half and he STILL did not get in...at all. My husband told him to go up and ask you if he could get in for a play. My husband watched you look up at him and then walk away....having never even acknowledged his request, much less give him a chance to play. The following game, when he played two kick returns only, my husband did go up to your asst. coach and have a conversation about this. He was very non-confrontational about it, but just felt it was time to talk to someone about our concerns. You asst. apologized and said he agreed and would try harder to get him some play time. That last one game...he went in for 6 plays which he was thrilled about. After that, right back to the same as before.

I realize that this is a competitive sport and the team wants to win, but it's also a team of 12 yr. olds. This is the age when they should be getting the opportunity to play and learn to prepare them for the possibility of playing in high school. If this were high school football, we would not have an issue....we understand it is possible to ride the bench if you aren't a good player....but even in high school they play the 2nd and 3rd string guys when the score is seperated by 26 points.

Last night was the icing on the cake. We were there....in the rain and cold....his grandparents there to see him.....and do you even know how many plays he was in?? None. Zero. Not even a kick return. There is just no excuse for that. He left there feeling frustrated and defeated and very uncertain whether or not he would be playing ever again. This is what this type of coaching does to these young kids. It discourages them to the point of not wanting to play anymore.

He deserved a bigger effort on your part to get him some play time and to feel a part of a team effort. We paid the $150 for him to play and learn...he was at every practice....he was at all but one game....he did his part....we did ours.

I really hope that you consider some of this when you coach again next year. I can tell you that we are not the only parents that felt this way. Tyler's a good kid. He will never be a star athlete, it's just not in him....but he should have been given more of a chance to improve. Who knows, he may have surprised you.

Sincerely,

Jenny and Jason *******

Clothes...

.....as far as the eye can see. My gosh, where do they all come from. It's like the loaves and fishes....you fold, you put away...there are still just as many.
This is the result of my twice a year change out of the boys' clothes from summer to winter. Over the years, I've gotten it down to a science (though my pictures of the madness may show otherwise).
Here are the steps to this dreaded task.
1. Get all laundry done so that the summer clothes are all clean.
2. Have the boys empty their drawers and bring the clothes into the family room. See picture below.
3. Take a deep breath upon seeing all the clothes from all 5 dressers.
4. Start folding and organizing them by child and season. Each boys 'keep in my drawer' pile and each one's 'pack away for winter' pile....that's 10 piles for those keeping track.
5. Bring in the bins from garage with all the winter clothes....scratch that...have HUBBY bring in all the bins from garage.
6. Go through them one by one to see if they will fit one of the boys for winter...then place it in the "keep" pile.
7. Put the summer clothes IN the bin to be stored til spring.
8. Have boys bring up all their respective clothes piles and fill their drawers once again for the season.
9. Have hubby put bins back INTO the garage until it's warm enough for shorts once again.
10. Thank God that I only have to do this twice a year.

Sunday snapshot

I'm starting something called "Sunday Snapshot" thanks to a great fellow blogger who is starting the same idea for her kiddos....thanks Stefanie....
Every Sunday I'll brag....er, talk....about one of the boys. That should be easy to do.

Today I'm starting with Tony. No particular reason...just why not.



My Tony Baloney, our Tony Spumoni, my favorite 6 year old....he's such a warm heart. He's my toughest little guy, and he would wrestle 'til the sun came up if we let him...but he's also got the warmest spirit.



He has started his second year of wrestling for a team. I figured since he does it at home all the time, why not get a mat under him and an apponent to face.





More than any of his brothers, he absolutely loves babies or any child younger than he is. He dotes on his little cousins and gets excited when he sees a baby at the store.






He has struggled a bit in school, but his teacher just told us at conferences that he is doing great and is in the high reading group and is helpful to his classmates when they don't understand. What a difference from last year, thank you God.



He is one of my most affectionate boys. He came up to me the other day, grabbed my face and said "you're cute....let's smooch" I love that kid.





I lost a baby before getting pregnant with Tony and I've often thought about that moment and what bad news it was....but God had another plan for us and for our family. He had this sweet soul in heaven waiting to come down and be a blessing to our family. God always knows best, doesn't He?! Thank you for trusting me with this wonderful gift.

Halloween through the years.

Year one, Tyler debuted the football costume. He was a devil for his second Halloween. I don't have pictures scanned in for those, so I'm starting in 99' with Timmy's first year.

I resurrected the football costume for Timmy's first Halloween.


In 2000 it was the angel and devil.....appropriate for their personalities at the time.


In 2001, Trae joined the bunch and was a bumblebee in between his "hippy" brothers.


One more year with just the 3 of them and I made these cowboy costumes for them. One of my favorite years....2002.


By 2003, Tony was wearing the pigskin and the other boys were rounding out our theme for the year.


I'm drawing a total blank as to what they were in 2004. I have no picture handy and just cannot remember. hmmmm.......

Still letting me dress them alike, in 2005 I made these pirate get-ups. We even put vaseline with coffee grounds on their faces for whiskers.


I knew at some point, they'd want to do their own thing for Halloween. Here they are in 2006 with their first hodge-podge of costumes.


For the second year in a row, they all had their own ideas. I suppose it was bound to happen. Ha!


I still can't believe it that in 2008 they agreed to all dress the same again. This time as the girls we never had. This is by far my favorite year.....was there any question as to why.


So, here we are this year. It's 2009 and Tyler is saying it's his last year trick or treating. He's actually at a friends house with some other boys having pizza, going door to door, and watching a movie. The others are out with dad as I write. Of course, I had an idea for all of them this year, but it was hopeless. The older ones are at this age where they just want to be creepy and scary. I guess that's to be expected. :)



Off they go.....


Happy Halloween!!!