My Little Life

We are DOWN to the wire, folks. Like "running into home and your pants begin to foam" down to the wire. Party. In two day. DOS days. 1. 2. Days. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH STUFF I NEED TO GET DONE???????? Also of note: Do not plan a remodel to begin promptly after your last party guest leaves because: WHICH EVENT DO I FOCUS ON?! Holy moly. I've got taco meat to make, photo boards to finish, condiments to buy, bars to bake, nooks and crannies to clean, playoff games to make, Little League practices to forget (which I have done...too many times than I want to admit) and there are only so many hours in the day. Several of those hours which require me to be fast asleep lest I turn into an angry monster that bites people's heads off because I didn't get enough sleep. Forget "beauty" sleep...I need "nice" sleep. Although...beauty sleep could be seen as a "need" as well. And if we're speaking of "needs"...I also need an...

Eeeeek!! Guys? Today's the day. The day my kiddo's team plays for section champs and a place in the state tournament! Good gracious. I'm so nervous or them ...I can't imagine how THEY feel! Our team was the #2 seed in our section and our rivals were the #1 seed. We had each beaten each other and then we met up in the section playoffs...both of us undefeated. Clearly, someone had to lose... And it was us. :( BUT...we won last night, so we're still in it!  Today's game will be tough...we can definitely beat this team (we have) but they're good. I think it'll come down to the "mind game"...whoever gets the first run and gets some momentum going is gonna take it. Here's the catch: Because the other team hasn't lost yet, if we win the first game (I mean...WHEN we win the first game) we will have to play an extra game (and win it) to get to state! Nerves abound. My nails are picked down to nothing. Wish us luck!!! ...

How am I old enough to have a child going to prom? Insane. This last weekend was our school's prom and Pal took his girlfriend (remember, "Prom Traditions"?) with a bunch of his buddies. Gotta admit, it was really fun to see my boy all dressed up with his girl (who is the most adorable tomboy you've ever seen...seeing her all dolled up was awesome!). Speaking of getting dolled up...isn't it unfair that this is what it takes for a guy to get ready? Shower, get dressed, leave. Sheesh. So anyway, as per tradition, oodles of prom go'ers meet at a local "park" in town for photo ops after they're making the rounds to each other's families. I met "the kids" down by the mighty Mississippi and took TONS of pictures. Holy smokes, guys, when did the girls become so... developed ?! Gah. I don't remember all the cleavage at my prom!! And, the dresses????? Geepers, I feel like a prude, but DANG! Some of those g...

Yesterday, my oldest boy celebrated his Golden Birthday. 17. SEVENTEEN!!!   DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?!?!?!? Well, for one, he can now go see rated R movies, or buy them or rent them. But, you guys, in one year he is officially going to be an adult! Legally, anyway...those of us who have made it beyond 18 know that at 18 we were, really, no where close to being an adult. Anyway, this kid? He blows me away. He was thrown into a less than ideal situation with unwed, teenage parents and has thrived. Totally and completely grown into an amazing young man. He is responsible, dependable (except when it comes to putting his clothes away), reliable and kind. Not to mention wicked smart, incredibly handsome and an amazing athlete. All of which, of course, he gets from me. (Inside joke...I like to tell him he got all of his athletic skills from me, the most uncoordinated person on the planet.) This kid is gonna go places in life. He's going to make a name fo...

Plans are like rules...they're made to break. Or change, or, well, okay nevermind . Bad analogy. Anyway, yesterday I was full of plans. Plans to clean, to launder, to pack, to watch baseball, to have had a blog post written... nada . Nunya . Different plans evolved...a friend stopped by for coffee (much more fun than cleaning), I photographed our Godchild for her 1 year photos ( waaaaaay more fun that laundering), I didn't pack until 11:45 pm, the blog post never happened, and baseball? Well...yeah. I did watch some...and then it got so cold I thought my butt was gonna freeze off (wait...maybe I shoulda waited just a bit longer...I could stand to lose a bit of butt...) so we decided to watch from the van. We were *this close* to leaving, but decided we'd wait just a bit longer because the Pal was going to be up next to bat. Figured we'd watch him, then take off. Well, due to children being scolded (something about kids being cooped up in vans that doesn't bode we...

In case you didn't know...he passed. And...newest news...he has his own car! It's a joint effort...his dad paid for the car, but we are carrying insurance. Pretty sure we're gettin' the shaft with that deal. Photos of new car to come at a later date...but, here he is (look close) driving all alone for the very first time. (I was so paparazzi-ish with these! He totally ducked into the car to try to escape my camera...) Yes, I will totally admit that I pooped my pants when I saw his number pop up on caller ID about 10 minutes after he left. Turns out he was just telling me the flower shop was closed. Silly mom.

16 years ago, this very night, I was marveling (and, okay, incredibly a bit overwhelmed) at the adorable little, 2 day old creature in my arms, that I had just taken home from the hospital. He was so cute. So tiny. So needy. So wonderful. (And overwhelming...) 16 years later, that little dude is still so cute, he's much less tiny, much less needy and even more wonderful than I could ever imagine he'd be. (And, still a bit overwhelming...) He is kind, he is smart, he is awesome with kids, he is an incredible athlete, he's a hard worker (when he wants to be), and he's got a soft heart. I love him so much and am so proud of the young man he is becoming. I thank God everyday for bringing that little creature into my life. Sure, the circumstances weren't ideal, but his arrival in my world changed my life for the better...a million times over. Pal, I am so amazingly proud of you. Of your accomplishments. The responsibility to you show. Your sense of humor. How enjoyable ...

Or 2004. Somewhere in there. My biggest boy. All...small and stuff. Where does the time go? (PS...any advice for me on the iPhone debacle ?)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, The kid in the foreground is a nice young man! How's that for a rhyme? Don't steal it, m'kay ? ' Cuz I know you want to. Football season is in full swing. Early morning weight lifting, after school practices, team meals, Friday night games. Whoa nelly . This kid is busy! He made the Varsity team...kind of. Turns out 4 of the starters on his team got "minors" (you know, those violations that occur when you consume alcohol prior to the legal age?) which gets them suspended, which gave The Pal the opportunity to play on Varsity! I told him now's his time to shine! Kinda like when a really good pro-athlete gets hurt and a rookie comes up to fill in and he totally nails the job and suddenly the pro-athlete is worried about his position? Yeah, like that. Anyway, I have a bit of a hard time with football. For one, it's cold. For two, there's a slew of armored kids running after mine trying their hardest...

Gotta love 'em. Otherwise, you'd kill 'em. Or something. They are, seriously, the most frustratingly hilarious creatures on this planet. Trying to pave their way in the world. Carve out a niche for themselves. Figure out just who they are. In all of that, they will certainly drive their parents to the edge of sanity...and then back to normal again. And then right back out to the edge. And just as suddenly, right back into normalcy. It's a vicious cycle. But, those moments of normalcy? That's when the fun happens. When you see the glimpse of the adult they are becoming. And that's the good stuff. It's the stuff that makes all the crazies worth it. Last night was "Pal and Mom" day. The two of us went shopping, mano a mano , had supper and caught a movie...just like we've done every year for the last *sob* 11 years. (PS..."Captain America"? Fabulous!) I love hearing his quips, his thoughts on the world...on his life. We la...

*SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!* It starts today...the State Tournament for my son's baseball team! I. am. excited!!! Our boys worked hard and played well to get to where they are! Imma let you in on a little secret. Don't tell the other teams, m'kay? Here it is: Boy can bunt. And the boy's got speed. I like to think he got that from me. :) (Dad, stop laughing.) Okay, well...maybe not. His mama's got nothing to show for in the athletic department. Now, if we were talkin' brains? Okay, well...scratch that too... Good looks? Mmmm, well...how 'bout we just stop talking about what it is that he got from me. Prolly better that way. We were undefeated going into the championship game. I begged and pleaded and bartered and sweet talked my way into finding someone to work for me the night of the champioship game, and guess what? It worked! But, guess what else? I forgot my camera. BOO!! Anyway, they lost. (Boo!! Hiss!!) HOWEVER, it is a double elimina...