70 Days

 Yes I am counting down the days till this...

The three of you that are still here who know me know I love this time of year and I can barely contain myself. And yes, I really do have count down calendar going. It's at work and every morning when I login there is a baseball that pops up with the the number of days left till April 6th. 

I'm ready to hear the words...Play ball! Let's go 'Stros!

Happy Birthday R2

He's 10. A decade old! 

This little boy has brought more love and laughter to our lives than we ever thought possible. 

Mama loves you R2, forever and ever and ever!

The Beat Goes On

When the holidays rolled around back in November the boys started planning their Christmas lists. One of the things they both asked for were a pair of headphones, Dr. Dre Beats to be more precise.

I have been on the fence about this request for some time. They have asked for them before and I have staunchly refused. And with good reason. Over the years Hubs and I have purchased many a pair of earbuds for the boys. We've spent anywhere from $5.00 to $20.00 for a pair of earbuds. And I always had high hopes that they would take care of them and not lose or break them. But that is never the case. Each child has misplaced, broken, or left at school each and every pair of earbuds they were given. 

Dr. Dre Beats are not just your usual pair of headphones. First off is the price tag for a pair of these headphones. Lets just say they are not cheap! Second they have, according to their website, software technology and introduced the possibilities of premium sound entertainment to a new generation. Ummm, OK. 

Anyway, I refused to buy each one of my children a pair of Beats because they couldn't even show me they could take care of a cheap $5.00 pair of earbuds, so there was no way I was going to spend $160.00 on any pair of headphones. 

But for Christmas the boys received money from various family members. Plus they each had money left over from Disney. So R1 and R2 decided they wanted to purchase a pair of Beats with their own money. 

Hubs and I talked about it and ultimately it was their money and they could purchase what ever they wanted. I will say that we did talk to them and basically laid down the law about purchasing a pair of $160.00 Beats headphones. 

So New Years Eve we headed out and my children each purchased their own set of Beats. I will say the quality is 100% better than a pair of $5.00 earbuds. And I'm happy to report each child has taken great care of their Beats. 

 

 R2 has been enjoying his Beats.

Gin, The Non Alcoholic Kind

Hubs and I have been together for 19 years and one of the things we did when we first got married and didn't have much money was play cards, Gin to be exact. Even after all these years we still play and some where along the way we taught the boys to play too. 

Tonight after dinner I found a deck of cards and asked Hubs to play a game of Gin. We ended up playing seven rounds and I think for the first time ever, I lost each and every game.

R2 came to watch us at some point and I had lost the seventh and final hand, he asked if we could play two rounds of Go Fish. Hubs and I said sure and I proceeded to shuffle and deal the cards. 

R2 won the first hand and Hubs won the second. 

Clearly the cards were not in my favor.

Dribblin'

R2 had a couple of basketball games on Saturday morning/afternoon so we ended up spending the early part of Saturday at the basketball gym. 

This is only R2's second year to play little dribblers and he's really good at it. It's shoots and makes it, most of the time. He hustles up and down and he's pretty aggressive whether he playing offense for defense. 

His team won both games but the second game of the day was pretty close. We were up, then the other team was up and then we came back, and they tied it up and then we came back to win. R2 ended up with two or three fouls. See what I mean, aggressive. 

I love to watch him. And since football season ended a few months ago, basketball has been my focus. 

Another reason I love to watch R2 play is because Hubs is one of his coaches. So it's really a double win for me. 

Here are my boys doing their thing during the games on Saturday. They have my heart!

 

My baby boys

My baby boys are 14 and almost 10. Hardly babies any more. And just when did this happen? How has time gone by so fast? I would like to say I haven’t noticed how time has slipped by, but the truth of the matter is I have. And like so many other moms out there, I understand it has to happen but it doesn't mean I have to like. In fact, I really don’t.

Over the past few weeks I have looked over photo after photo of my boys and I swear it feels just like yesterday I was snapping my camera at their adorable little faces.

I remember when they were babies and I would hold them and listen to their sweet sighs and feel their breath as they nestled into the crook of my neck.

I remember watching them toddle down the hallway to their bedrooms to drag out every single toy they owned only to bring them to the living room and ask me to play with them. And how we would set up the train track and snake it throughout the entire room.

I remember when they both would climb in my bed after their baths wearing fresh pj’s and ask to be snuggled. I remember how their clean hair smelled of baby shampoo and how they’d scoot right up next to me and the ends of their feet only reached my knees. Now their feet reach my feet and beyond.

I remember the first time they put on a baseball uniform and walked up to the plate with a bat that was as big as them and swung so hard trying to make that ball go over the fence only to make it just to the infield dirt. I also remember the first time they slid into home plate to score a run. They didn’t even notice that I was screaming like we had just won the World Series. They were just excited to score a run and get a little dirt on them.

I remember holding their hand as we walked into the kindergarten hallway at school and how when we walked into the classroom they turned and gave me a quick hug and off they went. I also remember managing to hold myself together until I got back to the car and cried huge tears for ten minutes.

I remember a few short years later when we walked down the fifth grade hallway and all I got was a fist bump and a see you later mom. Personally I would have preferred a hug but at that age, it’s not cool to hug your mom in public especially at school. I also remember hearing their friends say how cool their mom was because I gave them a fist bump and didn’t even try to hug them like their moms had tried to do.

I remember the first time to see them walk out on the football field all padded up and thinking I hope they stay safe and play hard. And I remember their faces when they came running off the field to grab a sip of water, the pride showing as the coach smacked them on the shoulder and told them great tackle!

I remember going shopping for dress clothes for the homecoming dance for my oldest. Trying to find a shirt and a tie that would match her dress. I remember watching him give her the rose corsage we picked out, how he opened the door for her at the restaurant, and how he paid for their meal all on his own without having to ask me for help.  

So many other precious memories of sweet little moments of time captured in my heart and in my mind that move me to tears and make my heart ache for the past if only for a second. To listen to those sweet little voices call my name and ask me for help only to hear them say they can do it all by themselves. To feel their tiny arms encircle my neck and give me the biggest hug any three year old could as they whisper, I love you mama.

I still get the hugs and the “I love you mamas”, only now they sound more like a grown man’s voice instead of little boys and the hugs are so strong they almost feel as if they are trying to break my bones. (Which by the way I wouldn’t trade for anything.)

To my sweet sweet boys, Mama loves you, forever and ever and ever!

When The Words Came Easily

I started this blog back in April 2008. Wow, that was almost seven years ago. Hubs didn't even think it would last seven seconds let alone seven years. 

Back then there were new stories to write about everyday. The words just flowed out of my mind and onto my blog. At some point the everyday goings on seemed to turn mundane for me and the stories never made it from my mind to the pages here and overtime I know I have forgotten some precious memories or a hilarious story that I meant to put out there in bloggy word. 

Over the Christmas break I spent some time looking back at this blog and all of the stories and pictures I posted. I smiled, cried, and even laughed out loud at some of the posts. The pictures made me smile the most. I cannot believe how little my babies were, 8 and 3 to be exact. 

And I realized I missed putting down my memories. I enjoy having a place to write out my thoughts and remember things that have happened. So to continue with putting my memories out there, here is a picture of my boys getting ready to light'em up on New Year's Eve. 

We've Gotta Back, Back, Back To School Again

Whoa, Whoa we've gotta go...back to school again. Sorry I got carried away. 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year break. Tomorrow we all go back to school/work. And while I know we must, I admit, I had the best time being with my family.

We stayed up entirely to late each night and then spent the days either lounging around the house and watching way to many movies or hanging out with family and friends. 

On Christmas Eve we went candle light service at our church and then over to Beth's house to make home made pizzas and then off to look at Christmas lights. This has been our tradition over the years and it's one of my favorites. 

Then it was home to wait for Santa to come. I have no idea how much longer till R2 begins to question Santa so I'm going to soak up every ounce of this magical time. Santa and family were good to both boys. There was the delivery of a Keurig, R2 has been asking for one for the past three years, money, two pairs of Dr. Dre Beats headphones, a remote control car and airplane, a Florida State Fathead, an electric guitar, and a few other toys. 

New Year's Day R1 and I kicked off our annual Harry Potter marathon. We broke out all the movies and watch them in order. However we did skip The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets as they both were on TV the day before we watched them. I love watching these movies with him each year. 

We also ate way to much over the holidays. Hubs grilled several times while we are out on break. So you could say we cooked way to much each day but there were other days where all we did was snack on chips and dips and whatever else we could find to eat. I even managed to cook omelets most mornings for breakfast. There were a few days in there when I said the kitchen is still closed and so cereal it was. 

So when I say it was good to hang out with my people and just be, it was good to hang out with my people. 

Well since I have to get up at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow, which by the way by the time you are reading this it will be tomorrow and I will already be awake, I need to go get my beauty rest. 5:30AM comes early, very early.