March 29, 2012

Before school

Hockey helmet from Didi

When he got home from school, I asked, 'So, how was your birthday?' He said, 'Awwweesoomme!!' I said, 'What was the best part?' He said, 'ALL of it!'
At 5:13, his birth time

Letter to My 8 Year Old

Dear Blaine,

Eight years ago today, I went to the hospital to welcome my favorite boy in the world. Today I sent my 8-year old second grader off to school where he is a favorite of many there, too. Oh, how my heart swells to watch you jump out of the car into a crowd of other 8-year olds calling your name, a name your Daddy and I chose just for you. I think it's perfect for you.

Blaine isn't a commonly used name, and you, son, are anything but common. I'm pretty sure it's not common to have an 8-year to play every baseball game like he is in the world series, spend hours with his Daddy arranging and rearranging baseball cards, making sure the 'Red Sucks' are in the back, all the while begging for ice skates, hockey stuff, and a bowling ball for his birthday...since you couldn't have a birthday party AND an iPad.

Blaine is, though, a classic name, and you are a classic boy. Outside is where you want to be. Just last night, when I told you there was still about 30 minutes before baseball practice, you were singing, 'I love my backyard time, more backyard time, oh yea.' I'm pretty sure most boys have moments of potty mouth, like when just two days ago at Starbucks the lady behind us honked and you said, 'Screw you, lady.' (Yes, your Daddy had a talk with you about that because, you know, we are your parents, and you need to watch your mouth. When you got in bed that night, though, we laughed and laughed.)

There are different meanings in different languages for Blaine, but in English, Blaine means yellow. I did not know that when you named you, but that, too, is true to my Blaine. Your personality is so yellow! It's bright and vibrant and outgoing. Just as the sunshine is yellow and lights the world, you are my sunshine! You light my world and make things in my life so much brighter.

On your 8th birthday, just remember that know matter how old you get and how the number of your age climbs, you will always be my baby boy.

I love you, son!
Mommy

Blaine's 8th Birthday Zoo Party

This year Blaine wanted his party at the zoo. Well, he really wanted it at Cattlemans, but they don't do kiddie parties, so he went with the zoo. We'll be taking him to Cattleman's for his actual birthday dinner.

I'm always worried for the kids' parties about the weather. The spring is such an awful time to predict what it's going to do, so when their parties are outdoors, it makes me nervous. Mother Nature welcomed Blaine's zoo party. It was beautiful!!

While we waited for the guests to arrive, I got a picture of my kiddos, and then Kylee got pictures of her brother monkeying around.
After the guests arrived, everybody ate,
and we headedover for our 'surprise guests' at the animal encounter.
When I paid the $75 for the animal encounter, I was under the impression (because I was told) the kids would get to pet the animals...not the case. They did get to feel skins of animals, their food, and even their poop. And they got the see a trantula, some kind of lizard, and a hedgehog. It didn't seem to bother them one bit not to touch them. In fact, I'm not sure some of them would have if they had been allowed. (Notice Matty's face in the bottom left hand picture with that lizard!)

When the zookeeper brought out the hedgehog, they were discussing about how it's similar to a porcupine. The birthday boy pipes up and says, "Oh yea. I shoot porcupines at the ranch." Zookeepers are not impressed with such talk. She did a good job of ignoring him and moving on.

After our animal encounter, we went to 'camp' for cake and presents. When Blaine opened his ice skates from Dad Dad and Mom Mom, he jumped up and down and immedietely went over to thank them. He's really been wanting them!
And then the "official party was over. Meaning, the part that the zoo hosts and we have a hostess. I got a picture of all the kiddos,thanked everybody for coming, and handed out goodie bags.
The boys, of course, weren't ready for the party to be over, and they were hot. They found water, and the party continued. As warm as it was, though, it is still only spring, so Blaine was freezing.

The solution? Pull off that shirt holding all that cold water, and head right back in!
As we were leaving the zoo that day, Blaine said, "Mom, this was my best birthday party ever! But I say that every year!"
And that, my friends, is why I do what I do!

Blaine's 8th Birthday Party

4th Annual Interview

1. What is something your mom always says to you?
Blaine - I love you
Kylee - You're a chicken

2. What makes mom happy?
Blaine - Me smiling
Kylee - Doing chores

3. What makes mom sad?
Blaine - When I don't wash good in the shower
Kylee - When I backtalk her

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Blaine - When I said in the car that Didi was a phoney
Kylee - By her laughing

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Blaine - Annoying to Kyle
Kylee - Not ANYTHING like me

6. How old is your mom?
Blaine - 36
Kylee - 36

7. How tall is your mom?
Blaine - Let's see (counting on my body) 23 inches, I would say
Kylee - 5 foot 1

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Blaine - Spend time with family
Kylee - Read

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Blaine - I don't know 'cause I'm not around...Cook
Kylee - Watch her shows

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Blaine - Cooking
Kylee - Writing a book

11. What is your mom really good at?
Blaine - Cooking, that's easy
Kylee - Cooking

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Blaine - Baseball
Kylee - Dancing

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Blaine - Court reporter
Kylee - Court reporter

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Blaine - Goulash
Kylee - Anything I make

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Blaine - When she doesn't yell at me
Kylee - That she never spanks me anymore

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Blaine - Tweety Bird
Kylee - The mom from Good Luck Charlie

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Blaine - Go bowling sometimes
Kylee - Watch movies and go shopping

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Blaine - We both love baseball
Kylee - We're both weird

19. How are you and your mom different?
Blaine - She's bigger than me
Kylee - I'm a better dancer, more flexible and have more rythm

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Blaine - She says it ALL THE TIME
Kylee - She always says it

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Blaine - Somewhere with D'Anne
Kylee - Kirklands

For 2009 answers, click 2009

For 2010 answers, click 2010

For 2011 answers, click 2011

Lucky Bird

Sunday morning Blaine headed out for his weekend morning ritual, softball with Daddy. About an hour and a half later, Joey calls me. "Blaine just found a cockatiel. Can you come get it?" Umm....no! Yup, that's exactly what I said!

We have four dogs, a skinny pig, and a hamster. We are not running a zoo, and we do not need a bird. This, however, does not phase my two boys and their very dominant Savior of All Animals Syndrome. Evidentally, the boys (you know, the boys of the softball playing dads) saw this cockatiel in a tree. As much as Blaine would not like me telling you this, they threw rocks at him to get him out of the tree. The other boys wanted to continue throwing rocks at him once he was down, but MY boy stepped in and saved him, loved him, and wanted him. From what I understand, he carried that bird around on his finger for the next two hours while walking around the ballpark and keeping the other boys from hurting him.

So when he got home and walked in my bedroom where I was folding laundry, this is what I saw. "Look, Mom, it's Lucky, my cockatiel!!"



Y'all, he was SSOO excited. It was love at first sight! Not only had he saved him from the wrath of 8-year old boys, he saved him from something else, too. Something had really torn up his poor little head and neck. His feathers were completely torn off. I literally took 57 pictures trying to get a view, but he is never still enough for me to get one of his wounds. This is the best I could do.



Blaine wanted to call Dawn because, you know, "she loves her birds the best, and she'll know what to do." He and his Daddy talked to her. The next thing I know, they had Neosporin on a Q-tip and were doctoring him up, which, by the way, they've done day and night since then. Then they were researching on the internet what he needed, if he would live, etc. He was shivering alot, so Kylee said we should put a blanket over his cage. The boys put Gatorade in his water bowl so he could be hydrated. He actually drank it right away. It took him a day or so before we saw him eating. Blaine told me that night that he loved Lucky as much as Dawn loves her birds, and that's A LOT! I told Joey if this bird dies, it's gonna be a disaster, AND it's gonna be HIS fault for letting him bring him home!!

We made Blaine leave him alone those first couple of days, just to let him rest and recover. He couldn't stand it! Monday after school, he made Mom Mom take him by our house before they went to hers to make sure he was okay. He called me at work and said, "Mom, Lucky lived!!"

Since then, Lucky has just continued to improve. He chirps, swings on his swing in his cage, and eats regularly. It's like he knows Blaine saved him. He LOVES Blaine. The minute Blaine gets home, he gets Lucky, and they hang out, read books, and play on the computer.

Last night Kylee wanted to hold him, but she just can't quite make herself do it. She's so afraid Blaine's going to throw him at her or make her hold it, so Blaine put him on the floor and walked away to do his homework so Kylee could pick him up on her own. Kylee went to stick her finger out, but Lucky knew she wasn't the one who saved him. He took wings and flew...straight to Blaine's head.



His feathers are beginning to grow back, and he's awake and active. I think Lucky is going to be okay. Blaine said this morning, "Maybe he'll live 'til Christmas. I said, "Son, if he makes it until Christmas, he's gonna live longer than that." He said, "Yeah, maybe as long as Dawn's!"

Live long, Lucky bird!

So Happy Together

Kyle and Myra came this last weekend to visit us for their spring break. I adore all of these kiddos, and I love even more how much they love each other!

We went bowling twice.
We went To The Clayground to make pottery.

We played school at Dad Dad and Mom Mom's, with a principal, a school secretary, an assistant principal, a teacher, and students with names like Derek Jeter.

All the littles spent the night at my house Saturday night. It felt good. I love it! Saturday morning when Kellie and the boys went to baseball practice, the girly girls and I ran to Target to get McKenzie a green shirt because it was St. Patrick's day, her mama forgot to pack her a green shirt, and "I am NOT getting pinched!" We also picked up the makings of a green lunch for St. Patrick's day.

(Green quesadillas, green grapes, and green cornflake cookies.) Afterwards, my favorite (minus one) girls and I stopped by my personal favorite green place.

More than the go-go-go fun, we were just happy to be together!! Especially these guys.


~~A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.--Marion C. Garretty~~

Basketball

Just some snapshots of Blaine's basketball season. Since there is no scorekeeping, I'm just going to tell you we got first place. Okay, probably not, but we are definitely the champions!

Offense


Defense


Blaine and Elijah (Just because I love this!)


Until next season...unless he plays hockey...

Home Improvement

I love doing stuff to our home. I suck at fashion and design, but I know what I like. I don't have any problem picking things up here and there for the house, but putting it all together just isn't my forte.

We I usually do a lot to our home right at the first of the year, you know, after Christmas and Christmas money. But this year I started even before Christmas. Something had to be done with the kids bathroom. It was dark, uninviting, and just plain ugly.

Since it is the kids' bathroom, I decided to let them help me with the design. Immediately Blaine, of course, wanted New York Yankees. At first Kylee said that was fine, but soon changed her mind. As usual, though, she had no better idea. I started asking around on Facebook (before I discovered Pinterest). I had friends who had amazing ideas to stick with the NYC theme, just not the Yankees. Since we had just been to NYC in June, I thought it was a great idea and an amazing way to showcase our pictures from NYC. I decided to go with black and white photos and found a great NYC skyline shower curtain. Then I decided to let the kids pick the color to paint the walls. This may have been my greatest mistake, but it is just paint and it is their bathroom.


I love the pictures and shower curtain, and the color has actually grown on me.

New Year's Eve, Christmas bonus and money in hand, we went shopping. Our living room the kids hang out in had no seating, just a couch, a recliner, and Blaine's baseball chair. There was also a play kitchen in this room that I convinced the kids they didn't need or play with anymore so we could take it to Terry.

(This is an iPhone picture I'm not even really sure why I took. I didn't think to take before pictures.)

While we were shopping, I found the couch, but it wouldn't be available for six weeks. My microwave and garbage disposal had both gone out, so we had to replace those, too. And while we were shopping, I just happened to find a chandelier I loved and decided my entry way chandelier was ugly. Joey and Derek put them in for me.




Finally, my couch is in!!!

I really think it needs a rug with some color to add to the room. I show Kylee a picture of a rug I finally found that I love. She hates it. We even have a big fight about it. The girl was mad!! I think she was really more mad because I didn't care that she didn't like it. She told me that she spends more time in that living room than I do. I told her it was MY house, and I loved it, and I didn't care. She was so mad at me. The rug finally comes in, and I love it even more in the room.

She was at dance when it came in and I put the room together, so I text her a picture. Her response was simply, GAG! I still didn't care.
When the boys got home and saw it, they hated it, too!! Blaine said, "Really, Mom? It's so ugly, like an Indian lives here." Joey said, "When y'all had the fight, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but it is awful!"
I don't care. I love it. I decided I wash their chonies, cook their meals, and clean up after them, and they can give me my rug and keep their mouths shut. The rug stays. Part of that statement is true, the part that about the rug staying. The part about them keeping their mouths shut, not so much. They complain about it pretty regularly.

The wall where the play kitchen was, I redid also. I always buy picture frames from the places we visit, and I'm running out of places to put them, not to mention the blocks Joey got me for Christmas.

I love it, and they agree. I figure out of all the home improvement projects of done this year (and one last), if they only hate one, I'm doing pretty good.