Super Bowl Prep

Today, we Zach's team had a bye so we only had Jacob's game.  I stayed home and cleaned so Brian took him.  So, no pictures of the game.  However, I have some others.  

We are Steelers fans in this house.  So, the boys decorated the coffee table with Steelers "stuff" in anticipation of the big game tomorrow.  You can't see them, but I bought some big mylar Steelers balloons.  They were so excited when I got home with them.  

Here they are chilling out and having a special treat of eating in the living room.  Zach looks completely bummed because he was.  He was supposed to go to a friend's house, but his friend ended up getting sick!

Ok, so we are going through clothes and getting rid of stuff.  This is what our living room looked like this morning as I sat in the middle of the floor "organizing" stuff while watching a movie with Lizzie.  As you can tell by the above picture, I DID get done!

The kids played outside in the snow for a while today.  Then they came in and played with moon sand.  Lizzie loves how it turns her hands red!

They all three got in on the action.  They built a tunnel and had water running through it. 

Here she is before her brothers started "helping" her!

All in all, a laid back, but VERY busy day.  I am ready sit down, watch a mindless movie, and chill.  Tomorrow brings church, lunch at O'Charley's, and then the SUPER BOWL!  Brian has his terrible towel ready to go!

Neighborhood House

I have always said I would love for our house to be the house where the kids like to hang out.  It sounds good in practice.  However, I must confess, that there are days when I get home from school, and I just don't feel like having three extra boys running, karate kicking, and playing in my house.  And as embarrassed as I am to admit this, more days than not, I would rather we not have extra bodies invading our home while I am trying to make dinner.

With that said, right at this moment, there are 5 boys playing basketball in our house.  They are playing so well together and having so much fun, that I feel very guilty that I sometimes say no to the extra company.  Hmm. . . now that I think about it - five boys + one nerf basketball + one hoop,  = chaos!  I think I had better go nominate myself referee!

I am really going to work on putting myself aside more often and letting this become what I always wanted - the neighborhood house.

Sleeping or Hibernating?

Jacob loves to be covered up when he goes to bed.  Now, I am not talking, snug as a bug in a rug kind of covered up.  I mean COMPLETELY covered up.  Every night, he piles all the blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and bean bags (he even borrows Lizzie's) on top of him.  Funny thing?  He sleeps a lot better when he is covered like this.  Add the heated mattress pad, and he is quite comfy.  I believe I would have some sort of claustrophobic attack if it were me!

All ready for bed.  Can you see him in there?  I can't!

Laundry

What can I say about laundry?  I jokingly call it my job security!  But seriously, it is driving me nuts!  A colleague gave me these suggestions:  

1.  Buy a different colored clothes basket for each child.  When you dry and fold the clothes, put them in the appropriate basket.  It is the child's responsibility to put away the clothes.  The basket has to be emptied in time for the next round of clean clothes to go in!

2.  Only wash what makes it to the hamper!  If they run out of clothes, they will figure it out.  Do not pick up the clothes off the floor no matter how crazy it drives you!

3.  Each time you find clean clothes in the dirty laundry because that is easier than putting them away, charge the offender a quarter.  By the way, this is one of my biggest pet peeves!!!!  Zach is a major offender in our house!

Any of you have any suggestions or wise advice about laundry?

On another note, I have had a rough few days.  My husband is a good guy and  made my day by giving me a card just because he knew I needed a pick me up.   What a guy!!

Crazy Hair and Messy Faces

Lizzie has been begging for popsicles or ice cream almost daily recently.  Today, as an after school snack, she ate some Turtle Tracks ice cream  She certainly enjoyed it.  Check out her chocolate ice cream mustache!

Today was "Crazy Hair Day" in Jacob's first grade class.  So, we got the hair wet, got out the gel and hair spray and went crazy!  Check him out hanging out in my classroom before school -  He was one crazy looking guy!

Typical Saturday

Today was a typical Saturday as of late - basketball followed by basketball.  Zach's team played quite the game against a very good squad and pulled out the 3 point win.  It was back and forth for a while during the 4th quarter, but the Magic ended up with the win.  I have to say that I think Zach hustled more during this game than any other this season.  Which is crazy since he hasn't been feeling well and had a strep and mono test this week.  Both were negative.  Oh well, they all played hard and were pretty happy at the end of the game.

Bringing the ball up the court.

Zach, #3, saying "I can not believe I fouled this guy with 1:30 left in the game!"

Playing defense.

Zach got fouled at the end of the half.  So, here he is taking his shots alone.  He missed both.  He was pretty frustrated with himself.  He also said it was weird to be out there all alone with everyone watching!

Jacob had a game today as well.  He is really enjoying playing.  As I said before, they don't keep official score in Jacob's league, but he informed me that they did in fact win today!  

Playing "Red light Green light" while practicing dribbling.

Taking in the instruction.

Practicing passing.

Concentrating hard on dribbling the ball.

After a day of two basketball games, a trip to church to meet a prospective new youth minister, and a massive trip to the grocery, we are ready for bed!

Lizzie's Prayers

Tonight, as we were saying our goodnight prayers, Lizzie had this one:

"Dear God, thank you for today.  Help us sleep good tonight.  Help Jacob give me the balls that he won't give me.  I wish he can give them to me tomorrow after school.  Amen."

Then when it was someone else's turn to pray, she chimed in with a prayer request, "Pray for me that Jacob will be nice to me and give me those balls I want."

I think that we should change her middle name to "persistant."

Biddy Basketball

Zach did this "camp-like" thing put on by the MS Athletic Department where he went for six weeks on Monday nights.  Then, during a MSHS game, they get to play a game at half time of the JV and run out with the varsity players as they are announced.  Last night was Zach's night to do this.  We had a good time.  Jacob played with friends and cheered on the Bulldogs while Lizzie sat and watched the cheerleaders while putting on lipstick.  It would have been better if my head hadn't been pounding due to caffeine withdrawals!  

Zach on the court as they announced the varsity players.  He is checking out the crazy student section in this picture.

Cheering for his favorite varsity player!

Getting ready for the inbounds pass.

Taking  a shot and no, it did not fall.

All Good Things. . .

What is that saying?  All good things must come to an end?  That is how I feel about this weekend.  We have had a great time.  With a "wind chill" day on Thursday and Friday and Monday already scheduled off, the kids have had 5 days off of school.  I think they are ready to go back because even Zach admitted today that he was getting "bored."  Boy, do I dislike that word! 

 Anyway, we had a great time during our time off, but now it is time to get back to work and school.  Brian is working crazy long hours this week, so we won't see him much at all.  We will miss him, but with basketball games, practices and scheduled play dates, we will stay busy!

Playing In The Snow

After church, Brian had to head to work, so the kids and I got bundled up and met some friends for sledding.  They had a great time.  I went a little picture crazy as usual.  

Zach trying out his friend's snow board. He made it down 4 times without crashing!

Jacob (minus his front tooth) before heading down again!

Go Zach go!  One of the fun things was to see who could get the furtherest out.

Even climbing back, Jacob was happy!

Lizzie, Riley, Jake, Zach and Ryan pose by the "Warning: Sled at your own risk" sign!

Lizzie would not go down the hill on a sled.  Instead, she just went down on her bottom and belly.

Lizzie learns how to make a snow angel.

Posing and ready to go.

Zach's snow angel.

We are home now, all bones intact, and warming up with hot cocoa, popcorn and M&M's!  A great way to end a great afternoon of cold fun!

A Car Conversation

This is one of the conversations that took place in our car today: 

Lizzie:  "When Zach was little and said gaa gaa goo goo, did he walk down our long driveway?"

Me:  "Yes, Lizzie."

Lizzie:  "Did I walk with him?"

Jacob:  "No, you weren't born yet.  We were both in mommy's tummy still."

Lizzie:  "Oooohhhhh, I was in mommy's tummy!  You were in daddy's."

Jacob:  "Daddy's don't have babies in their tummys.  We were both in mommy's."

**Please note that at this point, Zach and I have made eye contact and are about one more word from exploding into laughter!**

Lizzie:  "Oh. (Long drawn out pause)  So, what do daddy's have in their tummies?  Oh, I know...CATS!!!"

**At this point laughter erupts and Lizzie, knowing she has said something funny, continues to sing 'Daddies have cats in their tummies!"**

Jacob:  "No Lizzie!  (with utter disdain dripping from the words) Daddy's do NOT have anything in their tummies."

Lizzie:  "Why not?  Mommy, mommy , mommy, why not?"

Me:  "Honey, that is just the way God made us."

Lizzie:  "Oh yea, I get it.  Mommy's have babies in their tummies and daddy's don't have anything.  Not even kitty cats."

I promise this conversation really took place.  How could I even make up this stuff?  And lucky Brian was at work and missed the entire conversation.  

Saturday = Basketball

Saturday equals basketball at our house.  Zach is still playing with the Mahomet Magic, and now Jacob has started rec league here in Mahomet.  Today, Jacob had a bye, so we enjoyed only one game.  Zach's team played an undefeated team in the league.  It was a hard fought battle, but the Magic ending up losing by 2.  Here are a few shots from the game.

Zach (on the right in the blue jersey) tosses the ball down low for 2.

Zach, #3, playing point guard.

After the game we headed to Target so the kids could use their gift cards from Christmas.  And then to top it off, we headed to a local bookstore that has everything 40% off this weekend.  Let's just say, we did well!  Now, home for dinner and all those chores we didn't do today!

Butterfly Kisses

Lizzie has discovered all "kinds" of kisses lately.  Her favorites are eskimo and butterfly kisses.  Well, my mom bought me an awesome CD for my birthday that has the Bob Carlisle song, Butterfly Kisses, on it.  Tonight, Lizzie and I were listening to the song in the kitchen and holding hands and dancing around.  She said, "Mommy, this is such a pretty song."  I couldn't help it, the tears started flowing.  You see, that song was also on a CD that we played to Zach over and over while he lay healing from his open heart surgery.  I can't believe how hearing that song took me back to that time.  I can picture that room perfectly in my mind.  But, the tears were not sad tears.  They were tears of joy.  Tears that said - Here I am dancing like a silly woman with my beautiful baby girl while my boys look at me like I have lost my mind!  How blessed I am!!  

So, tonight give those you love some butterfly kisses and thank God for your blessings!

It's Gone!

We have been calling Jacob "snaggletooth" for a few weeks.  One of his upper front teeth has been barely hanging in there.  Today, at lunch, he finally lost it!  He said it came out when he bit into a grape.  The lunch ladies put it in a glove and tied it for him.  Now, we are just hoping that the Tooth Fairy can get here in such bitterly cold weather!

Arctic Blast

We woke up to a beautiful snow fall this morning.  We got between three and four inches.  We did have, however, have school.  So, after everyone was dressed, fed and ready to go, they went out for a few minutes to play.  

This tree is in our front yard.  I think it is a pretty tree, but when it snows, it is absolutely beautiful.

After school, the temperature had dropped dramatically and the winds were picking up.  I let the kids play for just a few minutes before bringing them in to warm up with hot chocolate.  Jacob liked riding his bike in the snow. 

Oops. . . he found the ice that is still under the snow!

Lizzie likes to "mow" the snow!

Stopping for a quick smile!

To whomever plowed our driveway out - a huge THANK YOU!!  It was nice to come home to a plowed driveway and easy access to the garage.  

Tonight, the winds are supposed to continue to blow and we are expecting extremely cold windchill readings.  They are -10 right now and that is just a small dose of what is to come.  So, they already closed school for tomorrow.   I am looking forward to a lazy day with the kids.

An 0-3 Kind of Day!

Today was a day full of basketball for us.  Zach had a game against a team that had beat Zach's team earlier in the season.  They knew they had to go into it being aggressive and blocking out - butt to gut, as they say.  Zach's team. the Magic, got off to a 11 to 0 start.  But, the other team came back strong and ended up winning by 2.  

As you can imagine, I had one surly 10 year old after that game.  He came in, walked straight to the office, threw himself onto the couch, gave me the bare bones details, and proceeded to turn on college basketball and play PSP.  Now that his wounds have had time to heal, he is in a little better of a mood.

Jacob had his first basketball game today.  They do not keep score at his age.  It is funny, because even there is no official score, the kids know who is winning or losing.  As a matter of fact, when Zach got home, Jake told him, "We got skunked!"

His biggest fear for this year?  Dribbling and walking at the same time.  Here he is practicing before the game.

Practicing passing:

Brining the ball up the court during the game.

If they give an award for enthusiasm, Jake will probably win it.  He had the best time running up and down the court and cheering on his teammates.  He even made a basket - during warm ups, but hey he was happy with that!

Today was an emotional day for me.  Brian was at an Elder's retreat for church, so he couldn't attend the games.  Unfortunately, they were at the same time 40 minutes apart!  So, Zach went with his coach and I had to miss his game.  I felt very bad about that.  

But, I had to go to Jacob's FIRST game!  It was so much fun watching Jacob be excited and running like he did.  Two years ago we tried soccer and he just cried and cried and said it hurt to run.  We encouraged him to keep on.  Little did we know that he had arthritis!  Now, with the meds, stretching and exercise, he is doing great!  I almost cried watching Jacob run and laugh!  So between the guilt and the excitement, I was a train wreck!

To top off our losing streak - we watched our beloved Indiana Hoosiers get killed by the evil Illini!  Now, all you Illinois fans can just reserve your comments, this is MY story!!!

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my 29th birthday!  Ok, well, it is not my 29th, but I am not going to tell you what birthday it really is, so 29 will have to do!  Today was also the 5th Grade Band and Chorus concert.  It was originally planned for a December evening, but thanks to one of our icy evenings, it had to be postponed.  So, happy birthday me!  I was surrounded by half the town  listening to Christmas songs in early January!

Actually it was an enjoyable evening.  I just like to complain!  Surprise, surprise!  Zach chose not to be in band, but did have to sing with the Chorus.  He looked painfully uncomfortable, but did a nice job.  He told us that he didn't sing, but just moved his lips. 

The 5th grade Chorus (please forgive the orange rail - it was right in our way!):

Here is Zach lip syncing.  Sorry for the fuzzy picture.  I am still trying to figure out this new camera and the zoom.

And a picture of Lizzie in her new coat.  

The Good Ol' Days

Since Jacob has a summer birthday, they celebrate his 1/2 birthday at school.  That momentous occasion occurred yesterday.  As he was telling me about getting a "1/2 Birthday" card from his PE teacher, and the principal announcing his 1/2 birthday with morning announcements, he got very quiet.  I asked what he was thinking about.  He said, "I'm just thinking about book we made for our friends in kindergarten.  You know, the birthday book thing?  Now, THOSE were the good ol' days!"  I smiled, tried to stifle my laugh, and told him, "They sure were!"  Even if it was just last year!  

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Jacob!  Six more months to the big bad SEVEN!! 

Invasion of the Dolls

Our house has been invaded by dolls - baby dolls, Barbie dolls, Strawberry Shortcake and friends.  You name it, we probably have it!  This is a new stage in our lives.  We are used to being overrun by Legos, Star Wars "dudes," Power Rangers, baseball cards, balls of all sorts and all kinds of boy toys.  But, tiny brushes and itty bitty shoes?  That is new territory.  Tonight Lizzie, Brian, Jacob and I played with her new dollhouse.  It is fun to play with her and see her imagination working and her thought processes.

Here she is brushing Strawberry's hair.  

Jacob and Lizzie with Strawberry and her friend.

Even the cat likes the new dollhouse!  Lizzie ran her out of there very quickly!

Lizzie posing with her new dollhouse!

I wonder. . . does stepping on Barbie brushes and shoes with your bare feet hurt as much as a Lego?  I am sure we will have plenty of opportunities to find out!

Back to Reality

Well, this morning, we are back to our regular routine.  We are all ready to tackle what the day brings us.  It should be quite the interesting one - we have work, school, a staff meeting, basketball practice, and this is Brian's night to work late.  Nothing like hitting the ground running, huh?

A Paragi Christmas and New Years

We traveled back to Illinois and Brian's mom, dad, sister, brother in law, and nephew came to visit.  We have our Christmas with them over New Years.  

Can't you just see the excitement oozing from Brian's pores?  I think "whatever" actually came out of his mouth!  He and his sister love to tease each other.  This picture was taken during a discussion concerning who was going to get to eat the most of Molly's birthday dessert - mint pie!

Aunt Molly and Grandpa helped Zach build one of the KNex sets he got for Christmas - the double rollercoaster.

Molly and Chad

We let Zach stay up until midnight with the adults.  He enjoyed playing Cranium and Password with us.

Jacob stayed up too.  He spent his time playing with his new knight set and watching Wall-E with his Dodo.

Dodo, Lizzie, Ben and Jacob watched Wall-E.

Trying to get decent pictures of this crew was interesting.  This is as good as it got!

Ok, so I love this picture!  But, I can almost read Zach's mind - "he's touching me!!!!"

And of course, Lizzie had to get in on the action as well.

Check out this crew!  They were having fun weren't they?

We had a great time playing cards, playing Wii fit, and making fun of each other!