Happy Birthday Kevin and Kirk!

Today we went to my mom's to celebrate Kevin and Kirk3's birthdays. Shirley made lasgna, which was delicious as usual. She actually uses ricotta cheese instead of cottage. I think that is what makes it sooooo good! Mom, of course, had all the extras that made the meal very tasty. I wish I had the time to make great meals. It was really nice to see everyone....I don't think we have been up since school started. It seemed like the trees had even grown since the last time we were up there. Kevin and Kirk got many nice gifts, and it was nice to just sit and chat. Usually we are in such a hurry, we are just talking about what activity is happening at the moment. Well, I'd better get some lesson plans done....have a good start to the week. Happy Birthday Kevin (NOV. 1) and Kirk 3 (NOV. 5)!!

PS...Fondest little brother birthday story....we had to go back home early during trick or treating because my mom went into labor. I didn't get much candy that year, but I sure did get a "sweetie" of a baby brother. I was so excited when my dad called me from the hospital I accidently dumped orange pop in the shoes next to the table. Ooooppppssss!!!!

Hornets are one step closer to the finals!

Well, last night was probably the sloppiest, muddiest, messiest game I've ever watched. The field looked like a swamp at the beginning of the game and a mud bog by the end of the first quarter. I finally stopped taking pictures at half-time. I thought the camera probably wasn't too safe in the downpour. It wasn't until the last quarter of the game that hillsdale took over the lead. There was no way to get to the outside to run and the passing game was impossible. K3 (#58) did his part for the hornets on 2 extra point attempts. He said he was excited to play but he didn't think he would ever thaw out. We went to buy him thicker underarmour today. THe Hornets will be taking on Onstead at the College Saturday 7:30.

On a much sadder note.....Donna and I took a luncheon to the funeral home for the Clendening/Flowers family. They were having a private showing today at 4. Sunday visitation is from 2-7 and Monday is the funeral @2. I honestly hadn't cried until I looked a Val....I didn't know what to say or do that could possibly help. She said that God puts a protective shield on mothers when they loose a child. She said she was numb and the idea that Tyler wouldn't be coming back from staying with his dad on Sunday, really hadn't sunk in yet. I can't even imagine. She said if there was one piece of advice she could share was "to never give up on your kids and keep believing in them (even if other people give up). She also said to give them more hugs and kisses because it will never be enough. As you can tell, the general feeling of my day was rather glum....I just wish Val and her family all the best as they face these next few months.

Rainy Thursday Recap!

First of all I have to start this post by saying....so many "different" things went on today that I don't want to come of whinny or unapprecitive, but here it goes.

A big thanks to mom AKA Grandma Mary who said "I spent my whole day driving around Hillsdale!" Yes, mom, it does feel like that most days. Kirk and I had Professional Development and Parent-teacher conferences today from 8AM-8PM, so mom came to stay with the boys. She had to drop-off and pick-up from football practice, take Konnor to the dentist (he ended up getting a tooth pulled OOOPPPSSS- Sorry mom; kind of dramatic!), dropping Kraig off at a friends, picking up Bryan to play with Konnor for the day, taking Kirk to an orthodontist appointment, etc. So, yeah, she did drive all day. Good thing we don't have to pay her mileage.

We got word today that one of my former students/girl friend's son was killed in a car accident while driving home from school today. It is really a shame because he had transferred to Pittsford in order to "start new" for his senior year and then this happened. I can't even begin to put into words what I was feeling (shock, disbelief, saddness, confusion). I want to be supportive for Val but I don't even know where to begin?! Tyler was only 2 years older than Kirk....need I say more.
I really tried to be productive after that phone call, but I really couldn't focus very well.

I know that P-T conferences are very important, but noone comes to see the gym teacher. I used to love talking with my students parents....now I sit in my office and WORK! Blick 'em!! I did get a lot done, but I am comotose from the day.
The good NEWS....no school Friday and the 1st big playoff game tomorrow night. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Can't win 'em all!

Even though the score showed a complete dominance from Columbia Central, the hornets did play well overall. The defensive line was able to stop them when they came up the gut, but when the went to the outside....it was all wide open space. We definitely need to work on that "speed" thing. Kraig had a good game. The pictures are of him running in the 2 pt conversion. I can't believe that having 5 guys piled around you doesn't sting a little. He also made a solo tackle on the quarterback that was also pretty exciting. This next week will be his last week of football. Can't say that I'm not excited.

The buz around the house is getting louder and louder as Friday quickly approaches. I still am having a hard time believing that little Kirk will be taking the field with those BIG boys. Hopefully he will do fine and have fun. I know that he has been doing a great job at practice this week. It should be fun to watch!

Busy isn't always better!

It seems like I've heard that saying before, "busy is better". I think I would have to vote for NOT being busy for just once. Tonight we have Fall Festival Choir Concert at 7. That means I probably have about 30 minutes to get people home from football practice, feed, and back for rehearsal. Chloe has her yearly shots at 4:20. That should add some excitment into the evening. She is a pen dog right now because she keeps running through the invisible fence zap. You would think that if we turned up the strength, made the field width wider, and put the long prongs on her collar that would help?! NOT even close. I think she is running across the road to chase squirrels. I can't even begin to think about her squashed in the road, so she will have to stay a kennel dog unless she starts staying home.

Wednesday Kraig has a football game at Columbia Central- 4:30. I will have to do some fast driving to get there on time. My last class leaves at 3:35. Watch out MIS!

Friday night is quickly approaching. There is an extra enthusiasm right now. I guess K3 did a great job practicing last night. He was holding his own and doing some great things. His dad is definitely beaming at his accomplishments as a Freshman.

Soccer is DONE!!

I've never been so happy to see a season end! This Fall they decided to play 8 games instead of 6. Way tooooooo long! The weather has pretty much stunk for the last 3 weeks. Last weekend our game was cancelled because there was too much standing water on the field. Konnor had a great season and is already looking forward to Spring soccer. It will be interesting to see if he does soccer or football as a 3rd grader. Our recreation department starts the football program at 3rd grade. I think I will be voting for soccer, even though it is more work for me.

Kirk and I did "Spring" cleaning yesterday around the house. It is much easier when it is a team effort. I even cleaned the bathroom rugs and he did the showers (very yucky jobs). It does feel nice to have it done. Now I just have to finish the laundry and get things around for the week. K3 starts Varsity football this week, Kraig still has football practice and games for the next 2 weeks, both boys have a choir concert on Tuesday evening, parent-teacher conferences and professional development on Thursday, and NO SCHOOL on FRIDAY for teachers!!!! YEAH!! K2 and K3 will still have practice and meetings on Friday, but the rest of us will probably try to get costumes around. No reason to rush into those things.

Varsity player in our midst!

Well, the JV season ended last night with another win over Quincy. (52-13)The boys were excited to have another win under thier belts. Kirk was asked to move up to Varsity for the playoff games. He was doing the Happy Dance all the way to bed last night. It will be interesting to see how he does playing with the BIG Boys. I think his papa is pretty proud too?! Only 2 freshman were asked to move. Pretty big honor if you ask me.

Have a great weekend!

Hornets vs. Yellowjackets

The mascots may have looked similiar, but the football plays did not. Kraig's 7th grade team dominated the game with a winning score of 48-0. Kraig ran for 3 touchdowns, unfortunately 2 were called back for penalties in the backfield. Kind of a bummer when you run so well, and then someone else mistakes affects your great play.

Tomorrow is the JV teams last game. It is at home and we are hoping for another victory. We will have to wait and see. I have to make sloppy joes for 50 football players tonight, so I'd better get a moving before Lost comes on.

Konnor is doing great with his before school tutoring and will be going up another level in Reading tomorrow. It is a little difficult for me to sit there for 30 minutes and then jump right into teaching, but it is well worth my trouble.

A trip to the barn....

Just a quick post about our trip to the barn on Sunday morning. It was fun for Madison to go back and see how "big" (relatively speaking) her friend Tiny Tim was now. The last time she was at our house, he had just been born. Now he's a furry little fat boy.

Kaila liked the Mini's, but preferred Oriele. She thought being in with the Mini's were fun until one of them decided her coat looked mighty tasty. She soon exited that pen to go see her "larger" friend.

Pumpkin Party 2006

The Pumpkin Party was a lot of fun this year, especially since I could share it with two very special girls (oh yeah, Corey too!) After about 5 minutes into the party, I really didn't see much of Kraig and Corey because they were too busy playing football and helping with some of the younger kids on the hay rides. I think they had fun though too?!

I am not too proud to admit, taking on another 3 kids is definitely more time consuming. I don't know how Beth and Kyle do this everyday. WOW!! Hats off to you 2. The girls were great and enjoyed all the "girly" things we got to do. Konnor was suprisingly helpful with the girls and volunteered to watch a movie with them at bedtime. He even slept in the same room on the floor because Kraiwgy and Corey slept downstairs in the "Man" room.

The pictures of the kids in the pumpkin patch are my favorites. Madison thought she had to give each pumpkin a little kick. I think she had watched her dad shop for too many cars or something. Konnor scoped out this huge pumpkin and then never stopped playing long enough to get a pumpkin at all.... he was a little bummed this morning. Kaila had fun looking at all of the different sizes. She too had a "big" one picked out, but settled for a more manageable size when the time came to carry them.

Thanks for letting me borrow the kids! We had a FANTASTIC time!!!!!

Importing ESTROGEN!!

Other than trying to explain how I was able to have two lovely girls accompany to the party.....we had a BLAST! A little frigid at times, but if you kept moving you were ok. As you can tell we spent a lot of time on the hayrides and visiting with the mule and horse teams....searching for the perfect pumpkin....and climbing to the top of the tree fort. The girls were great and had a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we will be indulging in a little more "girly" activities of shopping, braiding hair, and painting toe nails. It sure is nice to get all of the cuddling and hugging that these girls have to offer!!

Home again, home again, jiggy, jig!

Yes, Konnor and I are home AGAIN today! I was all ready for work....actually running ahead of schedule....and I went to get him out of bed and he was WARM!! Crap...hurry...run...call for a sub...and get some plans around. Totally didn't see this one coming. I thought for sure he was good to go today. WRONGO! I guess I probably could have done like other parents and stuff him full of ibuprofren and sent him on his way....but would that really be fair. Now here is the real issue....do I get to go watch the Varsity play tonight at the college field?! I wasn't at work, but he is doing much better and is just laying around resting. Do you think I will get busted? I can't just pull up to the field like at HHS....we will actually have to get outside. And I do know college people that may let me be in a booth. HMMMM????

Last night's game at Montrose....heard it was cold and definitely not a game you would want to actually watch. They got beat pretty bad. They did get to ride a charter bus to the game though. That was pretty cool!

What's on tap for tomorrow? Soccer game at 11:20....Pumpkin party at the Neiderhauser's by 3:00. I have done all my cooking today...and even made some extra things in case Joyce wants me to bring something to the coaches party tonight after the game. I had to cook because I finished the laundry and cleaned the house yesterday....not much else to do. I've even changed the rabbit and hamster cages today. WOW!!

You might want to sit down, this may take awhile!

You might as well find a comfy chair or head to the bench because there are a few things that need updating since the last post.

Firstly, Kraig had a good game last night, but the team fell short to Leslie's 7th grade team. Ok, so the Hornets got trampled, but I was trying to soften the blow.

Secondly, Konnor is home today with Strep Throat. It seems that the only thing that he and Kraig have shared in the last month are germs. In case, I didn't tell you, Kraig had strep throat last Thursday....are you seeing a pattern here?! Konnor was appauled that Dr. Herbener suggested he had KISSED Kraig! How dare him?! Now I can't say that I am too upset to be home today. The clean laundry is starting to topple over the stacks are sooooo high (my first thing on the list today). Also my students have been NUTS this week!! They are taking the MEAP and have had inside recess, which is not a good combination at all!

Thirdly, K3 travels to Montrose (somewhere near Flint I hear) to play football. How effective will they be after spending over 3 hours on the bus?! I guess we will have to wait and see. K2 had practice this morning for 6-8 AM, so they can leave after school for the game. Actually, the morning went smoother than anticipated, getting everyone around and sub plans to school by 7:30.

Lastly, well what can I say. The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse. I am NOT a winter person. My bones need lots of sunshine and WARM weather. I guess I will have to pull the warm stuff out of the basement. YUCK!!

OH SNAP!

Yes, it is the beginning of one of the popular songs today....OH SNAP! But it is also what K3 was saying after having a little difficulty getting his snapping down last night. I guess it was some mechanical problem...something about stepping and snapping at the same time instead of snapping then stepping....who really knows?!
It was an exciting 1st half, as the Hornets and the Western Panthers went head to head. The Hornets were able to pull away by 4 points to win the game. I heard this second hand because Kraig called me at 1/2 time to tell me he had spiked a fever and wanted to go home. Beth, I think I found your "monkey wrench". Needless to say, Kraig is home today with what I'm guessing is strep. I'm guessing this Hornet ball boy will be staying home tonight and not traveling to Western. OH SNAP!!

CMU Club Soccer

Just a couple of quick pics of Kayla's game on Sunday. What a great soccer player! I wish I could have played when I was in college.

In football news, Kraig's 7th grade team tied Homer 12-12. Kraig had a great game and took alot of HITS!!

Tag, you're IT!

Now finally a game that I can relate to.....tag, you're it can be played with various criteria....Beth's was tell 8 things about ME...
1. I was a country bumpkin growing up....showed horses....baled hay....cleaned barns....and loved doing anything that was outside.

2. To this day, I can't stand even the smell of seafood after being sick in 8th grade from eating fish in Florida.

3. I wanted to be a vet until I saw my cow being casturated. That was one thing I could have done without seeing.

4. I love to read books, especially the steamy ones!

5. I eat the exact same thing for breakfast everyday, unless it's french toast or pancake mornings.

6. I have been accused by my friends of being anal....they say my OCD kicks in all the time. I guess they are right, since I have my shoes organized by size on the rug where you come into the kitchen.

7. I showed horses for 12 years.....and wish that I still had an opportunity to ride. I haven't been on a horse since the riding accident with Konnor 5 years ago.

8. Somedays I wish I could get stranded on a deserted island by myself.....ok, MOST days I wish for this!

As the World Turns......

No you haven't just hit the website for the ever so popular Soap Opra. I couldn't think of a better title for my life....because the world keeps turning and life keeps happening whether or not we need a break from it. I can't even remember my last post, oh yeah, the hornet come in all sizes thingy. Saturday Kirk and I put the sink and toilet back in the bathroom....cleaned the house....and did way too much laundry. Sunday Kraig and I went to State to watch Kayla play Club Soccer. Those girls are brutal. It was great game, but CMU lost. It was fun to watch her play again. Then we went to visit my dad in the hospital. He was admitted for further testing Saturday night. So far all the test have come back great and he was released Monday afternoon. Thank God!! Monday we got the refrigerator fixed and back in the kitchen. It was sooooo nice to make breakfast and pack lunches with a refrigerator in reach. Kirk figures we got extra exercise walking back and forth to the front room. I still maintain it was a pain in the axx!! Tonight is soccer and a vet appointment for Chloe who has something funky going on under her invisible fence collar and an ear infection, Wednesday is Kraig's game at home, Thursday is Kirk's game at home, and Friday night we go to Western. Saturday we have soccer at 9:00 and than I'm hoping to go scrapping with some of the girls. Well, see.....at this point I don't think I have it in me to scrap. Thanks for listening to me whine!