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My daughter is very talented.

 

These are two of the pictures she did this year during art.

Original photo followed by her art.

She amazes me. 

 

 

late-ish

When you get to the ball field at 4:45 for a double header, it feels like it's 11:30 when you leave to head home.  Even though it's only 8:30.  Which is still late.

We beat the number one team in the league.

Yay!

And then lost to the last team in the league.

Lost to the team we beat 11-1 last week.

That's the way the old ball bounces.

Well, in baseball, there really aren't many bounces.

So then we got home.

Dirty, tired, hungry.

And ate sloppy joes at 9:30pm.

That about sums it up.

And I thought today was Thursday.

So there's that...

Licensed

The Captain is taking Jordan to get her drivers license today.
Drivers license.
That is what will allow her to get in the car
And drive.
Alone.
Alone as in without me or the Captain.
Oh dear.
I'm having an odd mix of emotions --excited for her and scared to death.
She will probably drive my car until we find some little vehicle for her.
Which means I drive the Captain's big ol' SUV.
It's big.
I already bounced over two curbs this weekend in a parking lot.
Whooops.
So, here we go opening a new chapter for Jordan.
And for me.
She's hitting the road.
I'm hitting my knees.

It's Sweet

On Sunday, Jordan turns 16.

16.

Sixteen.

Six. Teen.

How did that happen?!

 

How did this....

 

 

 

Turn into this...

 

She is amazing.
One of a kind.
She marches to the beat of her own drum.
Transparent.
What you see is what you get.
Hilarious.
Beautiful.
Intelligent.
Athletic.
Determined.
Talented.
She's a difference maker.
She says why make an A when you can make an A+.
She's a gifted artist.
She has a heart for God.

She's all that.
And a bag of chips.
I'm just so proud to be her mom.

Look out world! Here she comes!

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Jordan!

Close. But no.

Last night, I was helping Cooper study for a social studies test.

Me:  "What's the Great Awakening?"

Coop:  "It's a religious movement in the 1700's that was led by the prostitutes."

Me:  "Ummmm..."

Me: "........."

Me:  "That's PROTESTANTS"

Toner and cards and going away parties and stuff

Yes, that was me in WalMart last night at 9:50 buying toner for the printer so Jordan could finish a project and paper due today.

And I was doing this fast walk scuttle combo to move quickly to the back of the store to the Printer Toner Department because I thought the store closed at 10:00.

Only to find out later they are open 24 hours a day.

So I really just looked stupid.

Which is the way it is most of the time anyway.

So there's that.

In other news, Coop's interest in magic has resurfaced.  Specifically card tricks.  Now, I'll admit there are a few of them that have me quite intrigued.  But some others require a little work.  Like when he says "OK, close your eyes for a second." Probably not too much magic involved in that.  But, anyway, we've had lots and Lots and LOTS of "This is an ordinary deck, right?  OK, pick a card.  Any card."   He's hilarious.

His main concern is learning how to shuffle, because, "Mom, how can I be a magician if I can't shuffle."

I also taught him how to play Solitaire.  He loves it.  But he also wants me and the Captain to play with him.  Which is fine - I love playing with him.  I just find it slightly amusing when he says, "Come play Solitaire with me!"

Work is still filled with high levels of crazy right now.  And this week has worn me slick.  Plus, my back hurts and I've been using a heating pad like a Mamaw. 

But, tomorrow is Friday and the week is almost over, so we have that going for us.

Just saw that today is the Pope's last day.  Wonder if they'll have a going away party for him with a big cake and "We'll miss you" balloons.  Then he leaves his key and ID badge with HR and heads on out.  "Bye y'all!"

OK, I'm done.

Bye.

C'mon weekend

It's been a nutty two days.
I feel like this week has already gotten its money's worth.
Let's just skip straight to Saturday, shall we?

I've been working super duper hard on a marketing campaign with a very tight deadline, only to find out some things have changed and the whole thing is temporarily kaput.

Sounds ridiculous, I know.

Easy peasy. Just cancel the media schedule.  Revise the ads.  No big deal.

It's not.  But it is.

And it has caused some extraordinary levels of exhaustion and frustration in my internal systems.

Oh well, it's all good.

In other news, Coop was Big Chief Little Panther in the 5th & 6th grade production of Peter Pan yesterday.  To add to the existing stress, yesterday morning we had a feather fail on the big Indian headdress and had to make some emergency fixes utilizing the hot glue gun.   Guess 6:30 am is never too early to use the hot glue gun.

Here's hoping we can get over the hump today.

Tooth-hurty

The Captain gave me some chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's Day and I already had one for breakfast... since it's fruit and all...

In other news, Coop had to have a tooth pulled suddenly on Monday.  He had some serious pain over the weekend.  And by serious pain, I mean sleeping only about an hour or two a night and crying.  It.  Was.  Rough.  He woke up all swollen on Monday.  I called the dentist and they said bring him in right then.  And, before we knew it, boy was having a tooth jerked out.  He had some serious infection up in the root of a baby tooth.  So, we spent Monday afternoon nursing a gaping hole in his mouth and trying to keep the swelling down and manage the pain.  Later found out that infection like that can get all up in his brain.  Ummmm, that doesn't sound too good.  So, we are on a major round of antibiotic.  But, the tooth fairy brought him $5 so it wasn't all in vain.

Coop hasn't lost many baby teeth.  Guess he'll be married and the father of three and the tooth fairy will still come see him...

Brett. Crock. Crazy.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.

First of all, I was recovering from spending fifteen of my waking hours at the volleyball tournament.

And, hanging out with Brett Favre.

And by hanging out, I mean sitting in the same 150,000 square foot convention center as him and being very interested in the match he was watching.  He was there watching his daughter.   He's tall.  I don't think he had on Wranglers.  And, I will reassure you that he is aging very nicely. 

Yesteray, I was also busy turning another year older.

Can't believe I'm finally 40.

BAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm super excited about my gift from the Captain and the kids.

It's... A NEW CROCKPOT.

Most women would smack their husbands in the face and walk out if they got a crock pot for their birthday, but I clapped my hands with glee and wiped tears of joy from my eyes.

It's a super duper crock pot.  The Cadillac of all crock pots.

I'm really excited about it. 

We spent the evening last night at Coop's basketball game. It was a loss for the Lions.  Coop had a good game with four steals. I was proud of him.  I was also proud of myself for not smacking any of the opposing team's parents who were beyond obnoxious.  But, I figured it would ruin my birthday if I started slugging these rude folks.   Especially the dad who was losing his ever loving mind over a missed double dribble call - when his son's team was up by 20 points with :15 second left.  Simmer down, Mister. 

That sums it up.

Good times.

Giddy up

Tomorrow brings a marathon of a crazy long day filled with a little bit of basketball and a whole lot of volleyball.

We will be leaving the house at 8am and should be home around 10pm.

I'll need to pack rations.

Can somebody bring me a pizza around 6pm or so?  Thanks.

But at least we are in town.

And the kids' games don't coincide.

So there's that.

See ya on the flip side.

They did it!

 

Saturday.

Team Nick.

80 plus members strong.

Representing 7 states.

Raised over $26,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

St. Jude Half Marathon.

13.1 miles.

What. A. Day.

 

 

Here's the team pre-race.

 

Connie, The Boyfriend, and I were at Mile Four and cheered everybody as they ran past.
There they go!
Jordan is on the far left.
At that point she was red-faced, but smiling and still running!

My girl did it!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for other team members at the finish line!

 

 

 

Taking a load off.  And shoes.

 

 

 

Such a good day!!

There were some slow movers at church yesterday.  Sore, but proud.

Yay!

Go Jordan Go!

Big day tomorrow.

There's a big group of folks from church who are running the St. Jude Half Marathon tomorrow in memory of Nick .... Team Nick.  Annnnnd, Jordan is one of them!!

I'm so excited for her!

My niece and nephew are running too!

I'm having an unknown number of teenagers over tonight for a pasta party.  A few are spending the night. So, we'll get everybody carbo loaded, hydrated, tucked in and hope for a good night's sleep.

Then we will be out the door at dark-thirty in the morning to get downtown.

The Boyfriend and Connie are going too, and we'll find a spot along the route where we can cheer them on.

Jordan had lower body conditioning at volleyball this week and yesterday she could hardly walk down the stairs without ouching.  I'm hoping her legs will decide to rejoin her body so she can push it 13.1 miles tomorrow.

So, send some good vibes tomorrow for Jordan and the other members of Team Nick!

Run Jordan Run!

The List

Coop has submitted his Christmas wish list.

Legos
iTunes money - $50 or more
Kindle Fire
Trampoline
Doggie
New iPod Touch
Computer
New bike
More stuff
The end


Just a few things about the list...

No trampoline.  Ever. 
Santa doesn't bring live animals.  Ever.
He just got an iPod Touch last Christmas.
We have a computer.
Kid also has a bike.

Looks like Legos...

And more stuff...

The one about the cat

Jordan decided to give her friend a kitten for her birthday.
OK.
But we had to keep it.
For 24 hours.
And I didn't know about said kitten.
Until she walked in the front door with it
Saying "Don't be mad."
Or maybe it was something like "Don't hate me."
I can't remember exactly because I blacked out.
And the friend's mom hasn't agreed to the cat.
Lovely.
Let me refresh your memories on a few things...
I don't like cats.
Jordan is allergic to cats.
I don't like cats.
I have a dog.
I don't like cats.
Oh, and I don't like cats.
Even if it is for 24 hours.
I hope.
Meow.

Goodness

My three hunters had a good weekend.

The Captain and Jordan went on Saturday. 

Coop and the Captain went on Sunday.  And, Coop got his first deer!

Me? I had the laziest, most productive weekend ever.

I did some major online holiday shopping from the comfort of my cozy chair on Saturday.  Because nothing says holiday hustle and bustle like jammies, free shipping and no crowds.

Two day week ahead.  I got this.

Home sweet home

That's where Jordan and six other gals slept during their youth summit. 

Well, except for Sunday night when they slept in the church bus dodging the tornados.

It was a challenging weekend - body, mind and soul.

I'm real proud of her.

yes, i'm serious

An actual discourse by Jordan:



Can we get a hamster?

I'm going to google hamster

Oh wait - it's hamster? I thought it was hampster

This hamster only measures 5 centimeters -

It doesn't like to be handled

Gotta go

This hamster likes solitary -

Oh - you're cut too

New google search -

Hamster breeds that enjoy socializing

Really?!

It's hamster?

Still can't believe it's hamster.

I pronounce it hampster

Remember in third grade when Sarah killed our class hamster?

Her parents owned that Chinese restaurant.

Her mom was like I sorry we killed your hamster - we bring you free food from restaurant

I think i want a weiner dog instead

Google -

How much does a weiner dog cost?

Only $50 to $150 from a rahpewtahble breeder

Rah-pew-tah-ble? 

What's rahpewtahble?

Oh, that's reputable? 

Hmmmm.

OK, back to the weiner dogs...

List

Saw Jordan's to-do list on her desk.

It has the normal things like...

> summer reading

> clean out desk

> pick out paint for room


Then it has the not so normal things like ...

> new piercing

> get a wiener dog

> get a four-door, hard top black jeep


I went ahead and helped her out and marked those three things off her list.

I'm a good mom.

Love. And a train. Kind of.

A little texty convo with Cooper.

Not real sure how he "derailed" with the railroad song.

Get it?  DERAILED? TRAIN?  hahaha.

Plus the "doo da day" part cracks me up.

That's all.

Bye.

wanna' play?

My den is very ... lived in ... during the summer.

Cooper kind of takes over with his toys and things. He plays all day. He's ten.  That's his summer job. 

I try not to get too twitchy with all the stuff that's taken over the whole den floor.   It's a little tricky walking through there.  And the poor dog.  Occasionally plows right through. 

But anyway, it is what it is.

And this is what's currently in my den:

Marble run track running from one side of the room to the other.

Wrestling arena complete with back stage area, medical area, stage, ring, announcers table and 599,127 wrestling figures.   Oh a a "money in the bank" suitcase suspended over the ring via huge lego tower

Four golf putters and three golf balls and a little practice putting hole thing

Pair of binoculars

Stackers cup game

Summer reading book that's not seeing much action

Xbox controllers and games

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Guess that's what we'll all be doing this weekend since it's going to be 275 degrees every day.

Peace out.