UTEP, Take 2

Kylee danced again at the UTEP ladies' basketball game Sunday. Again, the girls did so good!

Blaine also wanted in on the action. He got to be in the Pizza Run. If they score a basket, they get a year's worth of pizza.

He didn't dribble the ball because they are on a time limit. As you'll notice, the buzzer goes off pretty fast!

Kylee's Hopeful Journey to NJHS

National Junior Honor Society. What an honor! It all started with a text.

I'm so proud of her! She came home with all the paperwork she had to fill out.

She asked Mr. Garcia and Miss Eva to write recommendation letters for her. When she came home with Mr. Garcia's letter, she could not wait for me to read it. She called me at work to read it to me. After reading it, she said, "Mom, it even looks all official!!"

It brought tears to my eyes! I mean, it's one thing for us to think she's great, but for a teacher that put up with her and 30 other 5th graders day in and day out to think she's great, too! A proud moment, for sure!

Miss Eva's was just as amazing! She, too puts up with a lot of prepubescent young ladies on a daily basis, and she, too, thinks ours is amazing. *tear*

Kylee also had to write a letter for herself, telling why she thought she was qualified and deserved this opportunity. I so wanted to help her and change things she wrote to make it "better". But the more I read it, the more I realized, it doesn't get better than that she can do this on her own without my twist on it.

After all, I didn't get her an opportunity to be selected for NJHS. She did. I didn't get the amazing recommendations. She did. I didn't fill out the paperwork. She did. And I didn't write her letter. She did. And I couldn't be more proud of the girl she's become. And I didn't do that either. She did.

We made copies of the recommendation letters because she wanted to keep the originals to frame for her room. Can't say I blame her!

BFF Dance Camp

Socorro High School held a dance camp Saturday morning. Norma, Lindsey's mom called earlier in the week to ask if Kylee could go with Lindsey, since it had been a while since they had seen each other. Of course I said yes, and of course Kylee did, too. So Norma picked them up Saturday morning to take them.

They had a little performance that afternoon to show off what they had learned. We got there a little early and saw some of the rehearsal, and these twobeauties probably spent more time looking at each other and giggling than anything else.

Their performance is here

Never wanting to be apart, Lindsey went home with us. If you read Joey's birthday post, you'll know the rest of the story.

Blaine's First Basketball Game

Blaine had his first basketball game Saturday morning. After his first practice Tuesday night, he was not at all thrilled about two things. 1) They don't keep score. (You know my competitive little thing. This was bad news!) 2) There are three girls on the team. (For now, girls are not his thing! And I'm okay with that!)

Saturday morning, though, he was ready and excited. Before the game, they had a little warm-up time.
My favorite part of the whole experience may have been the way he kicked his little leg up when he shot the ball.

Then after a prayer (yay, Y!) and handshakes,
it was game on!

This basketball team has such a different feel to it. Even though four of our baseball team decided to play in this off season, it's a whole different atmosphere. As I mentioned before, they don't keep score. The referee is more like a third coach. They don't call for double dribbling or traveling. If they carry the ball too long, the ref would say, "You've got to dribble the ball!" Or if they were just standing in front of another kid, he would say, "Remember to put your hands up!" They had two sets of players. One group would play a few minutes, and then the ref would blow the whistle to switch to the second group. Everybody plays.

Blaine and Elijah were in the first group, while David Angel and Joaquin were in the second. Even though they weren't keeping score, and it was a very laid back atmosphere, you just can't take the intensity out of these two.
Notice the other Warriors (our team) behind them? They aren't nearly as intense as these two. One of them would even suck his thumb when he was benched. It was great. Everybody in the building was smiling. So different from baseball, and so fun! I was actually relaxed instead of about to puke. Ha!
I can't wait until next week! I think Kylee will really enjoy watching this, too. She and Lindsey were at a dance camp this Saturday morning. Stay tuned for that post.

Click right here to watch Blaine the basketball player in action.

My Honor, My Kids

Report cards came out this week. Both of my kids are on the honor roll, and I couldn't be prouder of either of them.






























Blaine, my second grader, is reading at 3rd grade, seven month level. He reads almost as much as I do!

Every time I go to their school for anything, I hear nothing but praises about my kids. Sometimes it even surprises me what is being said, because it's not always the kid I know.
I'm so, so proud of them and honored to be their mother!

Joey's 42nd Birthday

Wednesday was Joey's 42nd birthday. With his birthday so close to Christmas, sometimes it's really hard to decide what the get him. The last couple of years we've gone to Ruidoso with friends so he can play poker at the casino, but with basketball and dance, it was going to be a while before we could get away for a weekend. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said he got all he could think of for Christmas. So I was on my own.

I went for the nomination for wife of the year. I planned a surprise poker night for he and his buddies. I knew there was no way I could keep it a secret until Saturday night, which is when we were throwing the party, so the kids and I wrapped his poker night in a box.

The morning of his birthday, the kids told him he could only have his cards. The present was to come at dinner at Pelican's, his choice for his birthday. Kylee didn't get out of bed early enough to give him her card, so he even had to wait for that. We met Papa and Nana at Pelican's. While we waited for our food, the kids started in with the gift. Kylee gave him his card, while Blaine gave him Dad Dad and Mom Mom's card.

Then the gift.

In the box was also an invitation to the poker night HE was hosting. Even though Carlo somebody accidentally spilled the beans, and Joey knew about the party, he didn't have a clue how we were going to tell him about it or what was in the box, and it certainly didn't dim his excitement about his poker night.
He was grinning (note the picture) from ear to ear and wanted to know who I had invited.

Saturday was the big day. Between a basketball game and a dance camp (both to be blogged about soon), I spent most of the day getting ready for the poker night. I made all of Joey's favorites: bologna and cheese sandwiches, pigs in the blanket, mini cheesecakes, and some other stuff that others might enjoy as well. Kylee and Lindsey used Kylee Christmas presents to bake and decorate cookies.

Then we set everything up and the kids and I left.

Then plan was for us to go to Dad Dad and Mom Mom's and spend the night, but we had to take Lindsey home first. When we got to Lindsey's house, they played a little while. Lindsey wanted Kylee to spend the night, and Nick wanted Blaine to spend the night. After lots of talk with their parents, making sure it was okay, I left. Alone. I decided since I was alone, I would just go home, close my bedroom door, and stay there. That's how I got this picture.

I understand a great time was had by all. They played until the middle of the night, just as I expected.
BTW...I'm not mad at Carlo. It was a total accident, and he sent me a sweet text during the party saying I'd done a great job for Joey. All is forgiven. Well, with me anyway. He took home the poker pot, so it may be a different story with the guys.
Happy birthday, Joey!

Look Who's Two!

Happy Birthday, Brodie!

42 Years Young

Future Gold Digger?

Today I sit and wonder if my Kylee is a future gold digger, UTEP Gold Digger, that is. The Gold Diggers are the dance team at UTEP. Kylee's dance team was invited to dance at the girls' basketball game at Don Haskins for two Sundays. Today was the first and only that was nationally televised on Fox Sports Network.

It's been a long time since I've seen my girl nervous before a dance performance. She told me last night she was a little nervous. She's such a natural, and the stage is about the only place she isn't shy. When we walked through the tunnel this morning, I sensed her nervousness. When I asked her if she was still nervous, she jumped on my case about why I posted that she was dancing at the game on Facebook. Nope, she didn't answer my question. Yup, I knew she was nervous. She told me if she had wanted it on Facebook, she would have put it on Facebook. Ooops. hehe

The girls got to go out on the court to practice a little before the game started,
and then went back in the tunnel to...to do what dancers do when their coach takes them backstage.

The Lady Miners had a tough first half. The only real enjoyment in the first half of the game was Pete.
At halftime, the Miners were losing by 17 points.

Kylee's halftime show was specutacular! She sucked up her nerves, smiled the whole time, and shook her tail feather. She really may be a future Gold Digger. Her familyEverybody agreed they were actually as good, if not better than those girls!

The second half, the Miners came back to play, and play they did! They came back from their deficit and won the game. It was exciting for most of us. Kylee went to dance, though, and that's all she was really interested in.

We took pictures with her supporters
and went to eat.

While the girls were in the tunnel, Kylee knowing her mother would want pictures used her iPad for a picture with her company.


We DVR'd the televised game while we were there. Despite Kylee looking at the big screen while dancing and seeing herself on it, when we watched the game at home, the halftime show was not televised. Good thing her mama videoed it! We will do it again the 29th.

**DISCLAIMER** It's stage makeup, people, only stage makeup!

Welcoming Abigail and Bullzeye

The kids had Christmas money burning a hole in their purse/wallet, so before I had to go back to work, we went on a trip to the mall. No surprise they both spent their money at Build a Bear Workshop. Because we need more stuffed animals like we need more real dogs


And so we welcome to the family, joining Sparkle and Cowboy, we introduce Abigail and Bullzeye. (That's not a typo. It is the way Blaine spelled it when he typed it into his birth certificate.)

Tweenage Daughter

Kylee cleaned out her 'nursery' (more because she THINKS she is too old for them, rather than FEELS like she's told old for them. amen.) to have more room in her bedroom for 'older' stuff. Then she found a futon online that she decided she wanted. She didn't get it for Christmas. I think Santa decided she'd rather have an iPad than a futon, so she didn't get the futon.

She was using her iPad to look at futons again while we were in Ruidoso. She couldn't find the exact one she had found before, but she found one she liked better. As she was showing it to me, Pops asked her what we were looking at. When she explained it to him, he handed her the money and said, "GET IT!"

So she did. (Excuse the iPhone pictures. They were to text to Pops when it came in!)

She is so excited to have this in her room. Every time I walk by, she is on it...on the iPad. She spent so much time in her room right after she got the futon (or whatever it is), cleaning it up, organizing it, getting it just right. Then she posted this picture on Facebook with the caption, My room, homies. It did my heart good to know she was proud enough of her room for it to go on Facebook. But when I realized how teenage her room looked, it knocked me back a few steps! Then when I saw her profile picture on Facebook it knocked the breath out of me!

I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE AN ALMOST TEENAGE DAUGHTER!!

Kell Bell

Our time with Kellie was so much fun. As much as I worried about them growing up, as the girls grow into young ladies, I enjoy them as much when they were this size.
I let them have the master bedroom for the clubhouse (mentioned in the Ruidoso post), the big bathroom with the bigger bathtub (pictures inappropriate), and the big cozy bed.
In case y'all didn't know, I'm the coolest Aunt/Mom.

There were times when Blaine felt a little left out with these two, but for the most part, they did well. They were loud and wild and played a lot of grab ass, but they had fun, and I loved having her.


The girls were obsessed with Blaine's boxer briefs, and we ended up having to go buy them some of their own. It was mainly Kellie, you know, but she is not a girlie girl (her words). Personally, I thought they looked just as girlie in beautiful in boys' underwear as they ever had.


Joey took them all ice skating the night before we took her back to her parents.
We had a great time with Kell Bell and can't wait for her to come back!