Next Professional Baseball Player

Is this the next professional baseball player or what?

A Family Visit

Phil's brother Jeff and his family stopped by for a visit yesterday on their way back from Florida. I can't believe how big the kids have gotten and that Danielle will be 16 (yikes!) in May! Here's some of the photos we took. We tried to get a good group photo but Alex wasn't too cooperative because he was tired. :)

Puppies!

Logan must have been having a wonderful dream today at preschool. In the middle of his nap he yelled out PUPPIES! (I wonder if he wants another puppy?)

What A Parent Won't Do

Last night was a long night at our house. At about 1:40 a.m. Alex comes trotting into our room and gets in our bed. I smell his breathe and in my mind I think oh, he really needs to brush his teeth because his breath stinks. Then about 10 minutes later in come Logan complaining of leg pains (which I attribute to growing pains). But wait 5 more minutes and I hear this awful noise coming from Alex. He has thrown up in our bed.

Phil swoops him up and takes him into the bathroom to clean him up. We have to toss him in the shower to get everything off of him. Then Logan needs to get in the shower because his leg hurts so badly. Well I say to Alex let's go sleep in your bed (thinking I'd rather have him get sick there instead of in my bed) and I find that he has already been sick in his bed (that's why his breathe smelled so awful). So I strip his bed and lay a flat sheet on the mattress (figuring as soon as I really make it he'll get sick and I'll have to remake the bed). Within 30 minutes he gets sick again - this time on my arm. Well after doing that at least another 2 times I finally say let's go snuggle in the chair downstairs (meanwhile it's now 4 a.m.).

We finally fall asleep in the red leather chair/ottoman. It seems like it's been only 20 minutes and Phil comes to wake me up at 5:50. It's decided that Alex will stay home today. But instead of resting he's giving Phil a run for his money. He's eating like there is no tomorrow or like he's never been fed before and then asks for more. You'd think that he'd be super tired but according to Phil he's like the Energizer Bunny and keeps going and going.

Is it Spring Break yet?

I have to say I'm ready for Spring Break to arrive. I'm actually looking forward to having a week without any evening activities. It sounds selfish I know but we have activities every day of the week (and that includes going to church on Sunday). Let's see Monday nights - Phil has his Masters class and Kayla has gymnastics (translated long night for the boys and me). Tuesday night -I teach religious ed (exhausting in and of itself) and Kayla has her religious ed class (translated long night for the boys and Phil). Wednesday night - Kayla has children's choir at church and Phil has adult choir at church (another LOOOOOOOOOOONG night). Thursday night - Logan (and Phil) have Tigers Rookie tball practice. Every other Friday night Kayla has Girl Scouts. Every Saturday Logan (and Phil) have tball games. Then Sunday it's church and the week starts over again. I think I'm ready to have a home cooked meal that we just sit and eat at the dining room table. I wonder if all these activities are just too much?

Mother of Almost a Tween

It's starting already and it doesn't seem possible. Friday night after doing a scrap booking activity with Kayla's Girl Scout troop I was driving Kayla and two of her friends home. It was then that I truly realized I was the mother of almost a tween. You know a kid who isn't a kid but isn't quite a teenager yet. I heard them talking about things I never realized they talked about. I won't be specific (so as not to embarrass Kayla) but things about their change bodies and the ever dreaded BOYS. It does make me feel good that they felt comfortable enough to talk about it in front of me. I hope that continues but if it stops it's a convent for Kayla. :) Just kidding.

An Easter Prayer

Here's a prayer that was sent to me that I'd like to share:

Lord,

Thank You for the gift of HOPE
You gave us on Easter morning.
Because of You we know
that no problem is too difficult
and even death does not have power over us.

Thank You for the gift of JOY
You gave us when You were resurrected.
Because of You we know
that no matter how challenging life may be,
in the end we will rejoice again.

Thank You for the gift of LOVE
You gave us when You laid down Your life.
Because of You we know
that there is no sin too great to separate us
and we are incredibly valuable to You.

Thank You for the gift of LIFE
You gave us when You left the tomb
Because of Easter we know
this world is just the beginning
and we will spend forever in heaven with You.

We celebrate You, JESUS,
with hearts full of praise and gratitude
for who You are and all You've done for us.

Amen.

- Holly Gerth - Writer, DaySpring

Painful Lesson Learned

Okay - just thought I'd share the not so smart thing I decided to do today. It's the first week I've felt well in a while and so I decided to start back up on my walking regime today. Well I had my tennis shoes at work (I wore sandals) but had no socks. That's okay I said to myself if I tie my shoes tight enough it will be fine. WRONG! Fifteen minutes into my walk (which I had hoped would last 45 minutes but lasted only 30 minutes) I had a bleeding blister on my left foot. I had to walk out the pain the last 15 minutes since I had no other way to get back given the fact that I left my magic fairy dust at home. So to all you walkers out there if you don't have socks then just skip the walk that day.

Alex Discovers Worms

Today Phil was rearranging the bricks in our yard so that there isn't any more wood landscaping around the house (this promotes termites). While doing this Alex discovered worms. He had a fun time holding it up in the air and watching it dangling before gently placing it back the dirt. It wasn't long enough to get the camera but it was fun to watch him discover the worms.

Summer? Feels Like it Here.

It's 80 something out today. The kids are outside playing in the Tikki Volcano again. It's been unseasonably warm here. But with that also comes pollen galore. Our cars are yellow from all of the pollen. It's causing havoc on those in the house that have asthma (Phil and Logan). They just can't get uncongested. Yet it hasn't stopped anyone from enjoying the summer like weather here.

Tigers vs. Cubs

This week's game against the Cubs was a close one. We had several players under the weather and many in need of a nap due to the 1:00 p.m. game start time. But they hung there with several, including the future famous ballplayer - Logan, hitting the balls off the coach pitch. This was the closest game of the season but the Tigers won in the end.

Musical Beds

It seems like we're always playing musical beds in our house. Don't you play that too? Oh, wait that's usually supposed to be musical chairs. We were just starting to get the boys to stop coming in our room at night to sleep and then this virus hit. So last night, at first, it was Phil, myself, Logan and Mandy in our bed. (Mandy is the dog - she think she rules the house.) Then around 2 a.m. in tromps Alex. Well there wasn't enough room so Alex and I tromped back to his bed. I thought I'd wake back up and return to my bed but no such luck. Phil woke up thinking all the kids were in his bed. Maybe I ought to stick the aliens in the bed instead?

Soon to Be Famous Baseball Player and Coach

As promised here is the photos of Logan and Phil in their Tigers uniforms. I think someday Logan is going to be a famous Baseball Player and Phil will be a famous Little League Baseball Coach. Logan loves playing baseball and can't wait to go watch a major league game this Spring. In fact, in May the Baseball Association has a day at the Braves game and all the baseball players will get to go out on the field in their uniforms before the game. I know Logan is going to be really excited about doing that!

The Aliens Have Landed

Aliens have landed at our house. Did you know that aliens like jumping on trampolines. Yep it's true those green and purple aliens like jumping on trampolines and I've included the picture to prove it. Grandma visited Roswell, New Mexico and mailed some aliens to the boys. They decided that they wanted to jump with them on the trampoline.

The Illness Never Ends

It seems that whatever virus is going around now doesn't want to leave our house. About a month ago it started with Logan and Alex throwing up. Then Kayla got it not once but twice! Then it was my turn to get it. Let me tell you I wouldn't wish this stomach bug even on my worst enemy. Then Alex gets a temp that lasts almost 5 days (one day in the middle without it) and now poor Logan has a temp. When will the madness end? Will our dog Mandy be next? I think our family is tired of all this illness.

Compliments for Kayla

Last night I received a wonderful compliment about Kayla. We were leaving the religious ed classes and one of her teachers gave her a wonderful compliment. She said she is a 6th grade teacher and she's always telling her team mate about Kayla. She said that Kayla is smarter than most of her 6th graders. (Of course she is. :)) Maybe that means she's growing up too quickly.

Laser Hair Removal?

Within the last couple of months we've allowed Kayla to shave her legs. While you might say she's too young it seemed the right thing to do especially since she's been teased by lots of other kids about the hair on her legs. Well, last night we're sitting in the car and Kayla tells me she needs to shave her legs. I remind her that I told her once she started to do that it needs to become a regular habit. She says yes unless you have laser hair removal. I told her that that wouldn't be happening. She says yes mom you'd have to get it first. I laughed. She said, "Mom wouldn't it be cool if Santa brought us both coupons to get laser hair removal done then you could enjoy the shower longer." To which I replied, "Yes it would be nice but I think your Dad would be mad when he always has to take a cold shower."

Humor to Get You Through the Work Day

Some days you don't feel very motivated so it's great when someone sends you some humor to get you through the day. My friend Kim sent me this Monk Email. Go here and have some fun http://www.careerbuilder.com/monk-e-mail/?mid=20161999.

Fixing Leaks

In the midst of all the repairs being done on the house - we discovered two leaks. The first was a leaking toilet (discovered last Thursday) that seems to be fixed. We also discovered a leak in the garage coming from pipes that run from the outside in. So now we have a big hole in our garage ceilng. And it only took Phil 2 attempts to stop the leak. I think we're just going to install a trap door in the ceiling so that in the future we can easily access the pipes.

The Roof and Gutters - Finally Installed!

The new roof and the gutters are finally installed! It's been a pain in the neck but I'm happy. And due to all the hassles we've had we even saved an extra $300! So we say let it rain and let it pour because our roof won't leak no more!

Don't Jump Even If It's Just a Head Cold!

Since Alex was feeling better and I thought that the fresh air would do him some good I decided to let him and Logan jump on the trampoline. Of course that also meant that I would have to jump on the trampoline too. We had been jumping for about 15 minutes and all of a sudden Alex starts to cough and throws up on the trampoline. Note to other parents: Don't let your kids jump on the trampoline until they've felt better for AT LEAST 24 hours.

Not Modest

Well you can definitely tell that the boys have some of Phil's traits in them. Today I was home with Alex because he hadn't been feeling well. By the end of the day he was feeling better and he and I went outside to wait for Phil and Logan to come home. Alex promptly walks up to almost the edge of the yard that faces the road, drops his pants and underwear and begins to pee. However, just as he starts to do that Phil drives right in front of him!

Yes Means Yes And No Means Yes

At least that's what Logan says. Phil, Kayla, and Logan were driving to the Wilber's house. Logan had some Pez candy in his pocket that he was going to share with Vivienne. On the way there Logan asks his Dad, "Can I have this candy?" Phil says that he's supposed to share it with Vivienne. Logan says to him, "Dad, yes means yes and no means yes." Phil replies, "How am I supposed to say no?" Logan says, "That's part of my plan Dad, yes means yes and no means yes." I guess that he really wanted that candy.

A New Do for Me

I got my hair trimmed on Saturday and walked out with a new way to do my hair. I kept my length because I like it a bit longer but this time my hairdresser used a flat iron. Of course I really liked how it turned out and promptly went out and purchased a flat iron for myself. I used the flat iron this morning to do my hair and for my first attempt I don't think it turned out too poorly. I did get compliments at church. However, this means I'll have to get up earlier to style my hair every morning.

Can Uncle Larry Come Over?

Last night we visited with Phil's Aunt Donna and Uncle Larry (his cousin Carrie's parents are in town visiting Carrie and Jason). Logan had the most fun with his Uncle Larry. Last night they built a fire in Carrie and Jason's backyard. Kayla and Larry were sharing stories around the campfire. Larry's were scarey and Kayla's were long. Logan told me this morning he wants Uncle Larry to come over to our house today and he wants Uncle Larry to help him make a fire.

Tigers Beat the Red Sox

The Tigers Rookie T-ball team (of course I'm biased) are undefeated (okay the don't keep score but I still say they won). I'm sure they won because Logan on his first at bat hit the ball off the coach's pitch. :) There was some humorous plays but this time it was from the opposing team. We watched the Red Sox team (at least 5 or 6 of them) do a pile up while trying to catch a ball. So far the Tigers are off to a good first season. Way to go Tigers!

A Photo From The Past

Perhaps they'll be upset I just won't know (unless they post a comment). Do you know who these two scantly clad boys are in this picture from 1979? Rumor has it that when this photo was mailed to us the lad on the left was dressed exactly like that when he mailed the photo. Any guesses who they are?

A Shout Out for Shot On Site

Most of you know (but I have some friends who read the blog and might not now) my mom and her boyfriend travel all around the country taking photos at dog racing events (perhaps not the right title but mom feel free to comment and I'll change it). Okay my mom's boyfriend Dan takes the photos at those events. But they do have spare time and in their spare time see some interesting sites and take some beautiful pictures (I should know I have quite a collection in my house). They are now selling those photos and if you're looking to add some new photos to your home or office you need to check this out. I'm always telling my mom that Dan needs to do a book of all the photos (and perhaps insert some of the interesting commentary that he posts on their blogspot at www.shotonsite.blogspot.com) he's done. Until they publish that book with commentary check out their site at http://www.shotonsite2.photoreflect.com.

Kayla Reaches Her Goal

On Wednesday, Kayla reached her goal of selling 400 boxes of Girl Scout cookies! This does not include the credits she'll receive for selling cookies at the booth sales. This comes from selling 359 boxes of cookies when the initial order forms were due and then selling an additional 41 boxes in post sales to friends. Way to go Kayla!

Logan Meets a Solidier

Earlier this week Logan came home from school very excited because he met a soldier. He was so excited to see the soldiers vehicle and that the soldier had weapons. He told me that soldiers protect us from bad guys. I told him he had grandpas that all served in the military (different branches) and he thought that was cool.

Tigers vs. Yankees

Last nights game of the Tigers vs. Yankess baseball was close. But in my mind, even with the slight errors, (perhaps I'm biased since I'm married to the coach and am the mom of one of the players) that the Tigers were clearly the winners of the first game of the Tigers Rookie T-ball season. We watched one runner (at both his at bats) run towards third base instead of first. Everyone that caught the ball running towards first to tag runners out instead of throwing the ball to the first baseman. All in all it was a night of entertainment for all and most importantly the game ended before the rain started. Good game Coach Phil and Logan (and the rest of the Tigers team)!

Mommy, I'm a Big Boy

Yesterday I was home (anticipating the installation of our new roof but that is another story) and I was cleaning my bathroom while Alex (who was not feeling well) was watching Dora the Explorer on the TV. Alex comes up and says, "Mommy, I'm a big boy I want to help." So he proceeds to pull out a disinfectant wipe and proceeds to wipe down the top of the toilet lid. He tells me "Mommy I'm a big boy Daddy told me to do this." It was fun to watch him clean.

Antics at Burger King

Monday night is gymnastics night in our house. Normally Phil and I trade off each week as to who gets to watch Kayla practice. Now that Phil is in his Masters Program we haven't been able to do that. Last night started the first week of Phil's Monday night classes. So it was me, Kayla, and the boys going to gymnastics class. Well, if you know my boys you know that sitting still for an hour and a half of gymnastics class is not in their genes. So after we dropped Kayla off the three of us ventured to the Burger King outside playland (yesterday was in the high 70s) for some dinner and entertainment. You'd think sitting outside at the playland the boys wouldn't eat. Ahh, but this Mom had a plan. Each time the boys came down the twisty slide they had to have 3 or 4 bites of food. I tell you what they sure ate more last night then when you just bring the food home and eat at the dining room table. Then when we got back to gymnastics with 20 minutes left they were the best behaved movie watchers (on my laptop) I've ever seen.

What Not To Do on the Couch

Last night Phil and I discovered what not to do on our new couch. It's not what you may think. Phil had just gotten home from his Masters class (it was around 10:30 p.m.) and we were chatting about our days. Well he leaned over closer to me to talk (the couch is very big) and put too much weight on the foot stool part and the couch toppled over with both of us on it!

OMS Mourns

This has been a sad year at Osborne Middle School. Two young, (41 and 42)wonderful and talented 8th grade teachers died this year. Both of which have touched us in some way.

First was Mr. Murphy on Halloween. Kayla was his daughter's bus buddy last year when she started Kindergarten and Logan was in his son Patrick's preschool class. The day of the funeral mass for Mr. Murphy all the kids were asking Patrick what he was going to do without a Dad. Logan said, "Patrick can share my Dad."

Last Wednesday, Diane Overton, passed away suddenly from a pulmonary embolism. When Phil asked her if she knew Mrs. Overton when she arrived at school that afternoon, Kayla replied "Yes we're best buds." She was heart broken when she found out she had passed away.

I am just amazed at the tributes that students have written or things they have done to show how much Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Overton meant to them. I know right now they're looking down from heaven on all their "extra children" and smiling. I hope that when it's my turn to go I've made that much of a difference in other people's lives. So I ask that you thank your childrens' teachers for all they do for your kids and remind your loved ones how much you love them because you never know when you will go to meet God.

A New Couch

I must say I'm glad I'm not in the furniture moving business. I now know why they often wear gloves on their hands. Phil and I moved in a new reclining sofa on Sunday. We only moved it to our living room but to do that we had to remove the stair railing and stop (because of me) what probably seemed like a bazillion times. Since it's reclining it's heavy to move b/c of all the metal underneath. Too think I wanted to buy a sleeper couch. But next time I'm paying the next teenager I see walking down the street to help Phil move it if we ever move the thing again because my arms, legs and hands still hurt from lifting that thing.

Spring/Summer in the South Begins

So begins the spring/summer season here in the south. Sunday was a beautiful sunny day. First the kids starting out jumping on the trampoline in their shorts and t-shirts. Then they decided it would be better to change into their swimsuits. Well that of course meant that the hose had to come out. Then the Tiki Volcano (a device that when his eyes go from closed to open shoots a large spray of water out) had to come out. It wasn't enough just to run and jump in the spray of the Tiki Volcano for my children. Nope, they rigged it so that they could get sprayed with water while jumping on the trampoline! Next thing you know they'll set it up so it's directly underneath the trampoline.

Sans Underwear

Note: This entry may be sensitive.

Don't say I didn't warn you. Saturday afternoon we left to go get Kayla from her friend Madison's house and for the boys to play with Madison's sister Vivienne. Well one child left sans sock but the other one left sans underwear. Not a big deal you say? Well, it is when your child has a slight bathroom accident and then ends up wearing girls panties with leggings (that look like the 80s version of parachute pants) which is what everyone who has girls as kids keeps in their homes. At least he wasn't forced to wear the princess panties.

Play Ball

Tomorrow starts the Rookie League T-ball Spring season. This time it's the start of the season for both Phil and Logan. For Phil that means coaching Logan's team. They're both excited about the first game. This time they are the Tigers so maybe having them play for the Tigers will push the Detroit Tigers to make the World Series and win this year. (One can hope and believe can't they?) I'm looking forward to seeing the game because 3 and 4 year olds are so much fun to watch when they're just starting to learn about the game. So route for Tigers tomorrow as we play against the Yankees.

Catching a "Brake"

I know this might not be exciting news for others but I'm excited about it so I thought I would share. We took our Taurus in to get the brakes fixed so it was driveable and to my suprise we caught a brake. The costs are going to be 1/2 of what we anticipated. That's a first for us in car repairs.

Trampolines - You're Never too Old to Jump

I never thought I'd be a trampoline jumper but I have to admit (shh! don't tell the kids!) that it's kind of fun. The boys (and Kayla when she's home) are always asking me to jump with them. Last night I broke down and I jumped. We'd take turns and tell each other what to do. I think the boys love having me jump because if they're sitting down and I do a seat drop they bounce up in the air. It's fun to watch their faces when I do that. The other thing the kids like to play is "Dead Mummy". I don't know who made it up but it is funny. One person lies in the middle of the trampoline with his or her eyes closed while they others run around saying, "Dead mummy, dead mummy come alive, when we count to number 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - COME ALIVE." The person laying down sits up (eyes still closed) and trys to catch one of those running around who then becomes the next Dead Mummy.

Determined Woman

Last night as the boys and I sat watching Cars on our new TV and home theater system I decided I don't think I want the expensive equipment sitting on the toy drawer shelf. So I decided I'd rearrange all on my own. Here I was thinking that there would be enough wire to pick up the system in tack set it on the replacement shelf and pull out the toy shelf. No I was wrong - I think it took 10 times the manuevering to do it had I waited for Phil to come home. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken as much time. But I just stuck to it and finished it up. Although I do know if Phil were there watching he would have freaked out.

First Confessions

Tuesday nights I teach 5th grade religious ed at church while Kayla attends her 4th grade religious ed class. This week was reconcilation (confession) for any of the kids that wanted to do it. As I'm sitting with my class waiting for them to finish, a little boy comes out after giving his first confession and happily exclaims "I passed!" I wonder if we all can say I passed?

Girl Scout Cookies?

It's that time of year again, Girl Scout Cookie delivery time. It's one of the craziest times of the year. Our garage stacked with approximately 30 cases of yummy Girl Scout cookies. Kayla had a record year this year. A total of 359 boxes in the pre ordering stage. She's sold an additional 19 more just since the cookies arrived! Thanks to her wonderful Great Grandpa for buying lots of cookies (80 this year!) we're able to sell the extra boxes right away and wait till the end of the week to replenish our stack from the cookie mom. We've helped the cookie mom this year and last year bring the cookies to her house and sort them. This year resulted in a funny story. The cookie mom ended up having to help all day at the distribution center. Well Phil brought the first load of cookies back and I sorted them as much as I could for each troup member (minus the ones we were missing). An hour or so later Phil and the cookie mom's husband return with the cookies. However, they are missing all 22 cases of Do-Si-Dos. Everyone thought they were in the truck but they were never loaded on the troops pallet.

Father Daughter Girl Scout Dance

This years Father/Daughter Girl Scout Dance theme was Mardi Gras. Kayla always loves going to the dance just her and her Dad. Phil secretly likes to embarrass her by doing his own version of the mashed potato dance. Phil and Kayla were the only ones that took their Father/Daughter photo with their masks on. Funny thing is Grandma sent Kayla the mask from New Orleans (didn't know the Mardi Gras dance theme) and Kayla received it in the mail the day fo the dance. Talk about perfect timing!

Alex Likes to Count

On Sunday, Alex and I got some alone time because I had volunteered in the Church Nursery. So he and I went to the Dollar Tree and then to Walmart. While in Walmart we picked up some Gatorade for Kayla's field trip on Tuesday. We're in the back of the store when Alex announces to me "I'm going to count in Spanish." He begins counting the Gatorade - Uno, Dos, Tres, etc all the way to the number ten!

How many remotes? How many manuals?

Well we got our tax refunds this past week. We decided that one thing (besides fixing our roof - which is yet another story) we would do is buy one big ticket item for us. Us means Phil and I. So we decide to purchase a big flat screen LCD HDTV and HTIB(home theater in a box). The trips to purchase those items are in and of themselves funny. However I think what was funniest was us trying to set them up. We set up the TV last Thursday night. It wasn't too difficult but the set is heavy. Friday night we purchase the home theater in a box. We decided that we needed a degree in user manual deciphering. It took probably 2 hours to figure out all the cable and speaker wire connections. Then Saturday we decide to watch a movie but we can't figure out how to get the dvd (which is also a dvr) to play a movie. We set it up through the tv nothing. So here I am sitting on the couch with three user guides open trying to figure out how to watch the movie and screaming, "I didn't pay $&%&&@#! to not be able to watch a movie!" Approximately 3 hours later we figure out that the remote for the dvd player has a button that you need to push that says dvd and then the movie will play. Maybe it's the fact that we now need 4 remotes to work our entertainment system that is driving us nuts.

Inspired to post

I thought I'd be better at posting blogs but I haven't. However, my carpool buddy has inspired me to start writing again. I think it's from reading all the humorous things that are going on her life. And our fun chats on the rides to and from work.