Honor Roll and Basketball

Yesterday was report card day, and Matthew made the Honor Roll (YAY!) while Nathan was given the Patriot Award for his outstanding behavior and citizenship. So, to celebrate, I went to Ingles and bought the fixings for ice cream sundaes.

Then, today was the start of basketball! Both Matthew and Nathan are playing Impact basketball through one of the churches here. They're in an instructional league that focuses on teaching skills. Today, they divided the kids up into groups of 8 or so, and each group played a 4 on 4 game. I don't think they even kept score.

Matthew and Nathan were in two different groups, so I had to keep going back and forth between their baskets.

They play with eight foot rims, but I think poor Nathan needed rims that were about half that height. He had a hard time getting the ball up high enough. He also did NOT like it when the buzzer went off for the end of the quarter. (They played four ten minute games.)

Matthew was having trouble at first, because he didn't think anyone was going to pass him the ball. Of course, when he did finally get it, he took off away from the basket. I think he wanted to make sure no one could steal it from him! After a little bit, he did start to get the idea and was passing it to his teammates.

All in all, they had a good time. The group really focuses on teamwork and positive character traits. They even have a program called "Fan Mail". When you sign in before the game, you fill out a card for your child. Then, the cards are passed out, and you are looking for the positive things the person on your card is doing. (Thankfully, the cards have their jersey number on them!) At the end of the morning, they bring all the kids together in the center circle, and read and pass out the cards. That way, each child hears something positive that they did while playing. It's a really good program. This will run through February, then it's baseball time!

Back to School Today

Today was our first day back after winter break. Actually, I had to go back on Friday for a teacher day, but we'll just pretend that didn't happen. I have thoughts about having to work on that day, but they're better left unsaid. :-) While I wasn't sure that I would be ready for the kids, when they arrived I actually was. Having the two weeks off was something I definitely needed. December was hard. This group is hard, the work was hard, and dealing with Jeremy losing his job was hard. I needed the time to refresh. There were times as December dragged on that I asked myself if I was really going to be able to finish the year out. In my heart, I knew I would, but every day was a challenge. I read somewhere once a quote that said "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." As a teacher, I have to disagree with that. I love what I do, I really do, but I work hard every single day. I drive home exhausted, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If I wasn't working hard, I wouldn't be doing my best for my kids. But the breaks are nice. We have one coming up on Martin Luther King Day and then nothing until Spring Break. I'm sure I'll need the rest and relaxation by then. Last year during Spring Break we were in the hospital with Andrew's surgery. This year, hopefully, I'll be able to rest and hang out at home!

By the way, Jeremy has an interview next week for a job with the Georgia Department of Labor. Whenever you think about it, please pray that it all goes well. I'm hoping that if I can get enough people banging on God's door, he'll get tired of hearing about it and go "All right! I'll make sure he gets the job!" Hey, it's wacky theology, but it's my theology. :-)

Things You've Always Wanted to Know About Me!

Or not, as the case may be. :-) This is from Anissa at http://www.hope4peyton.org whose blog I love. I highly recommend it. (It's in the sidebar!)

1. What TV show would you like to live in? and why?
This one was the hardest because my favorite TV shows are crime shows, and let's be honest. Would you want to hang out with the characters from Criminal Minds? That shows about crazy serial killers! I watch it only after I've made sure every door in the house is locked. But after serious thought (seriously!), I decided I want to live on Jon and Kate Plus 8. That way, those kids could actually have someone around who would really care about them rather' than thinking about how they are the next meal ticket. I would play with them, and not worry about them getting dirty. I'd actually sit down and have a conversation with the two older girls instead of just waving off their behavior as "That's just Mady." There are lots of things I would do if I lived with the Gosselin family. I could actually rant about that show for hours, but I won't bore you. ;-)

2. What's the worst date you've ever been on?
This one was a lot easier. I was asked out on a date by someone in my church youth group when I was a junior in high school. He wanted to take me to see the spring musical at his high school and then go to dinner. The only problem? He was in the orchestra for the musical, so I got to sit in the audience with his best friend (who I actually got along with really well). Then the three of us went out for Mexican. I don't think the two of us talked at all during dinner. His best friend and I spent the whole time talking! As you can imagine, there wasn't a second date. I don't even remember his name.

3. What appliance would you absolutely lose it if it disappeared?
My blowdryer. My hair has such a funny wave to it that if I let it dry naturally, it looks completely weird. I have to wash my hair or at least wet it down every morning or else I look like a complete freak. I'd probably also lose it if my curling iron disappeared since I need that to get rid of that funny wave after I blow dry it. I've had mornings where there was no power at my house. That's not pretty.

4. Is there a piece of clothing that you've never forgotten from your childhood?
My grandma would always sew me my Easter dresses when I was little. The one I remember the most was my "Western" outfit. It had a full skirt that would fly up when you spun around and quilted vest. Plus, it was made out of navy blue flowered fabric. (Hey! It was 1982!) I wore it with a white blouse with a frilly collar. I felt like a cowgirl in that outfit! My school pictures from that year were the best.

5. What food do you crave that you'd NEVER serve at a dinner party?
OK, first I'd actually have to have a dinner party. :-) If I did, however, I wish I could serve Jeno's Pizza Rolls. I don't know if there's a more unhealthy food in the world, but they are the absolute best!

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Happy New Year!

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy New Year. We stayed in tonight, and the boys had popcorn and hot chocolate. (Or, as Nathan calls it, warm chocolate.)

Yes, they are sitting a little too close to the TV, but I figured it would be easier to wipe hot chocolate off of the floor rather than the rug. They got to watch a movie and stay up late. (9:00 is late at our house!) Jeremy and I are watching Georgia Tech get smacked around here by LSU, and then we'll probably watch the ball drop and go to bed. I live such an exciting life. We are going to have my cousin and his wife over tomorrow to watch football. I'm looking forward to that especially since I have to go back to work on Friday. Don't even get me started on the wacky schedule the county came up with for us!

Prayer Request

We're back with the job search again. Jeremy was let go from his job on Monday. He does have some vacation time he'll get paid for, and we've looked into a couple of options for jobs including a work at home opportunity, so we're hopeful. Just pray that something works out for him.

I am the suburban mom

I have become something I never thought I would be. A suburban mom. Yes, it's true. I drive a mini-van, belong to a mommies group (online, no less), and sit in drafty gyms on a Tuesday night watching my kids play basketball. I even signed up for a day to bring the snack when I was there. I signed Matthew and Nathan up for Impact Basketball for the winter. It's their 5/6 instructional league which means they aren't really on a team. Right now at practice, they are rotating through stations working on their dribbling, shooting, and defense. Once the games start in January, they'll have a short practice, then play a pick-up game. They seem really excited about it right now. This runs through the middle of February, and then it's time for baseball to start up. Then, I really do look like the little mom from the suburbs with their bat bags sticking out of my stroller. Oh boy, I can't wait.

Ear Infection!

Make that a double, in fact. Andrew finally convinced me to take him to the doctor. How, you ask? Simply by staying awake most of Sunday night crying. So, about 4 or so in the morning, I made the decision to stay home from school today and call the doctor. It turns out I probably should have taken him in about a week ago as both ears are pretty badly infected. Hopefully he'll be feeling better by tomorrow. The Nurse Practitioner warned me we may have a repeat of last night tonight, but so far he's been pretty quiet. I dosed him up with Motrin, so I'm hoping that continues. I can't do two nights of waking up every few hours. (Reason number 534 why I'm glad I'm a Babywise mom!)

However, we were able to create harmony long enough to get pictures taken on Saturday! They should be in this Saturday. I finally have updated pictures of all three boys.