Soccer has started

It's Upward Soccer time at our house!  Every Saturday for the next two months will be spent out on a soccer field.  Cooper LOVES soccer - and he's actually pretty good at it too.  He's got crazy speed.  O, on the other hand, enjoys it but only when she's playing certain positions.  Ha ha - she's a trooper though, and I'm proud that she keeps at it.

Al and I are coaching O's team this year - which is funny since neither us know what we're doing.  But, I can tell you, (and I'm sure Al would agree) we are having a GREAT time coaching these girls.  I honestly wasn't sure what I was getting us into (yes, I volunteered Al - ha ha!) but I'm glad I did it.  We are by far not the best team out there, but that's ok.  The girls get along and seem to be having a good time.  I had offered to help coach Cooper's team but with their practices at the same time on the same day and games at the same time some this season, I won't really get to help.  I promised him that I would make it up to him and volunteer to coach his team next season.  He'll be moving up out of the kindergarten/co-ed teams and into an all boys team.  Talk about interesting!  Ha ha!

We had our first game on Saturday - my team got stomped.  No, STOMPED.  Those girls on the other team showed no mercy whatsoever to my girls.  I guess that's a good lesson to my team, but it would have been nice if the other team had eased up a little before the last 6 minutes of the game.  We had no substitutions so the girls had to play the entire game and they got wore out.  I think the game this weekend will be better though since they now know what to expect.  At least that's what I'm hoping/praying/doing a dance for - I hope the first game isn't going to be a hint on how all our games will be going.  That might make for a long season!  Ha ha!  Seriously though, the girls are doing great and I'm super proud of them. 

Super Cooper before Sissy's game.  He's too cool ya'll.

My O - ready to play!

Wish us luck on Saturday!  :)  

Tooth Fairy is Playing Favorites

Cooper probably thinks the Tooth Fairy is playing favorites or just doesn't like him at all.  He's 6 1/2 years old and doesn't have ONE single loose tooth yet.  His baby teeth are perfect.  I kid you not - he's got the prettiest little baby teeth I've ever seen.  He wants a loose tooth so bad I'm surprised Al and I haven't found him knocking his head against the wall or something.

Olivia, on the other hand, has lost more teeth than I can keep count.  I don't know how many teeth you're supposed to have, but I swear to all things mighty this girl has lost about 100.  When she had her first loose tooth, the Tooth Fairy was ELATED.  But then she kept losing them and the Tooth Fairy had to take out a small loan to keep up. 

Luckily, we had a dry spell after that.  The Tooth Fairy was able to pay off her loan AND save up for future lost teeth.  All was right in the world.  Olivia didn't lose one single tooth last year.  Not ONE. 

Then a few days ago she mentions a tooth was hurting and was loose.  I joked that it was probably a permanent tooth and it was falling out because she doesn't brush her teeth well enough.  But no, it's ANOTHER FRIGGING BABY TOOTH (which is good I know, but seriously, aren't they all out already?)  The Tooth Fairy started to get nervous because O's record is not to lose just one, but several.  Finally the tooth came out last night and the Tooth Fairy was able to scrounge up a few dollars to put under her pillow.  (Tooth Fairy has an online shopping problem and always short on cash.) 

Cooper was mad this morning.  I mean, I had to force the boy to brush his teeth because he's now on  a mission to just let his baby teeth rot out.  *sigh*  I locked the garage door because I fear he may sneak in some pliers and try to pull a few out.   I even explained to him that the Tooth Fairy liked him and his sister equally, it just wasn't time for him to lose any teeth.

He's still not a happy camper.  And honestly, pulled teeth kind of grosses this Tooth Fairy out. 

Happy Easter!!!

Getting our eggs DID.

I had totally forgotten how fun dyeing eggs could be. We had a blast. And I didn't even care about the mess. That says a lot.

We did some at home and some at Nana's. So tomorrow should be very fun and interesting when the egg hunt commences. :)

Happy Birthday Olivia

Happy nine years Olivia!!! I am so blessed to have you as my daughter. I hope I celebrate 100 more birthdays with you.

Last day at eight

Can you believe my girl will be NINE years old tomorrow? Neither can I.

She's a great kid. Her heart is big and she's smarter than her Daddy and I combined. She loves her little "bother" but still argues with him about *everything*. She asks a million questions watching movies or tv. She will drive you insane with her stubbornness.

At nine years old Olivia loves:
CSI:Miami
Skirts
Basketball
Painting her toenails
Blue NOT pink
Harry Potter
Peace signs
Clemson
Lala loopsy
Calling me "mom" instead of mommy

Can it really be nine years?

Sums it up

If there ever were a picture that sums up my kids relationship - it's this one.

Cooper being the dare devil, taking a chance, wanting to be wild and free.  His smile proves it.

And then there's his Big Sister - my Olivia Grace.....wanting to help, protect, make sure her little "bother" doesn't get hurt....being a little mommy.  Her heart is good and her heart is big. 

There's no doubt they are two different human beings - they fight, they bicker, they annoy each other.  CONSTANTLY.  Yet, I always seem to find moments like these where they are actually *enjoying* each other's company. 

One week until.....

One week until my baby girl.....my first born turns......

NINE years old.

When did this happen?  If she goes to college at 18 years old, I'm already half way?  NO, NO, NO!!!! Olivia is awesome - she may be stubborn, loving on her own terms, and the biggest "little mommy" ever - she also has a heart of gold and is loyal to anyone she loves.  Yes, she takes after her Mommy in a lot of ways.  :) 

She's growing up.  And her brother is right behind her.  *sigh*

I know, I know

I know, I know......I said I was going to get better at blogging.  I really do apologize!

I signed Al and I (yes, you read that - I signed Al up) to coach Upward Soccer this year.  I thought it would be fun and really get us connected as a family.  I swear sometimes we are all plugged into some sort of iPod, iPad, iPhone and I'm just tired of it.  I know NOTHING.  And I mean NOTHING about soccer.  I do know you're supposed to kick the ball into the goal.  That's about it.  I was really hoping I'd get smaller kids, but we ended up with O's age group.  Which means, they keep score and I've got to try to teach these girls something about soccer and maybe, just maybe win a game or two.  I already hate the pressure.  Ha ha!  We are looking forward to it though and I hope this is an experience that Al and I will both enjoy.  If not, I'll never hear the end of it from him.  :)

On a more serious note - one of my oldest and dearest friends lost her brother over the weekend. Please say an extra prayer for the Lloyd family.  Casey was a son, brother, father and loved by many.  I remember him best as a young kid - he loved coming over to our house to see my dad.  Tommi Lynn and Becky were wonderful big sisters and always looked out for their little brother.  Prayers are needed to help the family through this difficult time and the days ahead when they must pick up the pieces and continue on.  

Washing clothes

Thank you Pinterest for another great recipe!

Homemade laundry detergent!!! Very simple, works great, and should last a LOT longer than the store bought stuff. And I'm hoping it'll help some with O's allergies. *crossing fingers*

Pinterest is making me all "Susie Homemaker" - have you noticed? :)

What a load of......

CRAP.

Sorry folks, there's no other way to say it.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-dept-criminal-justice/death-penalty/death-row-inmates-case-about-more-innocence/

My cousin Barry was shot and killed while on duty in Houston, Texas in December of 2000.  The man who shot and killed him is on death row.

He may now have a chance to get a new trial because he supposedly was not defended properly.  What a load of crap.  So, you're first two lawyers weren't good enough to get a guilty man off so you have a right to find a lawyer who is?  Are you kidding me?

I'm by no means "Pro Death Penalty" but I'm not completely against it either.  I understand that there are innocent people put in jail all the time - but this man is far from innocent.  He's basically trying to place blame on the other guy simply because the other guy's father was also a cop.  He's trying to say he was framed so that the police community could protect one of their own.  Yeah right.  I was never for the death penalty until my cousin was murdered.  Such a sad circumstance to happen for me to realize that sometimes the death penalty isn't the wrong answer.  I simply believe that there are some crimes that should be punishable by death. 

Where were my cousin's rights when he was arresting this guy and he shot him?  All because he had a record and would likely do jail time.  It completely and utterly infuriates me.  I can't imagine what my Aunt and Uncle and all my cousins go through while dealing with this.  The victim and the lives of their family always seem to be the least of importance.  That's just wrong.  We spend so much time focusing on the rights of the criminal that we forget why they are a criminal to begin with.  I pray that "Will" doesn't get his new trial and all his efforts are exhausted.  I know that sounds cruel, but I'm not sorry.  I'm just not.

No bashing me for my opinions - it's my blog after all. 

Brooms

What is the deal with all the broom pictures? They are really annoying the hell out of me.

And even more annoying is the fact Al and I can't get ours to stand. Ugh.

What a stupid waste of time. (I would feel differently if we weren't LOSERS.)

Sinful dessert

Thanks to Pinterest, I've found a few yummy recipes to try out.

And then I found the most glorious recipe of all........

The cookie dough/Oreo/brownie dessert. I've seen it a few times on the site and finally decided to give it a try.

OMG....,it is delicious! Even Al, who normally doesn't go crazy for sweets, loved it. He told me not to take it all to work bc he wanted seconds. Score for me!!!

Happy birthday.......

Dr. Seuss!!!! And Jon Bon Jovi. :)

Our trip to Biltmore

We spent last weekend in Asheville, NC.

It was a fun weekend - I got to hang out and catch up with one of my dearest friends Kelly and her gang and we took the kids to Biltmore.  Al had never been either so this was killing two birds with one stone (so to speak.) 

I was VERY surprised that the kids had such a good time.  I was expecting them to hate it - especially since it was raining and COLD - but they were in awe of Biltmore.  O even said that she wanted to build a house as big as it when she grew up.  Yeah, probably not going to happen O!

I was sort of disappointed in the gardens.  And yes, I know it's February but still.  There was nothing but DIRT.  The Greenhouse was fabulous though (and not because it was warm and dry but that certainly helped!) and was probably my favorite part of our tour.  The flowers and plants in there was so beautiful that a few didn't even look real.  I would have touched, but that would have led the kids to pulling leaves off of everything and us kicked out.  So I refrained.  Especially the boy - he would have knocked over some priceless tree or something and we'd be on Headline News.

O will tell you that we toured all 250 rooms of Biltmore, but I can assure you that we did not.  I do think we climbed every single stair at least twice though.  My legs were so sore the next day, they hurt when I blinked.  And I run so that just goes to show you how much walking up and down you do!  Cooper's favorite room was the pool (of course) but he kept referring to it as "the big bathtub."  He did great with his audio guide, which really surprised me.  O swears her audio guide said the Vanderbilt's daughter's name was Lila but I heard it 100 times and it was always Cornelia.   She hears what she wants too folks, that's all I can say.

I do want to go back in the spring when the gardens are in bloom and it's not freezing cold.  Or raining.  Of all the days to finally rain, it just had to be the day we went.  Oh well.  We still had a good time and the kids even passed out on the way home and didn't fight as much.

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Happy Birthday Martin!!!! 

You are quite possibly the world's best brother (it helps that you live far away) and the kids love you to pieces!  We all hope you have a fantastic birthday and hope to see you soon! 

Even Al.  And that says a lot. 

Road Trip

I'm so giddy about our road trip starting tomorrow, I can't stand myself! 

We're heading up to Asheville, NC to go to Biltmore on Sunday.  Al and the kids have never been, and I went so long ago I don't remember much, so I thought we'd make a trip out of it.  Tickets were on sale and the kids get in FREE....so why not?  :)

We're going up tomorrow and having dinner with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Kelly and her gang.  I haven't seen my friend in a few years so it'll be nice to catch up.  I miss her so much!  It's nice to have a few friends that have been around pretty much your entire life and STILL love you.  Kelly is one of those friends for me.  I don't know what I would without her. 

So, be on the lookout for some pictures!  Not sure if you're allowed to take them in the Biltmore, but if you are, you know I'll be shooting.  I just hope the kids aren't bored.  I plan on bribing them with a trip to the fancy "Biltmore themed" McDonald's if they do well!  Wish me luck!

Happy Heart Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to my loyal bloggers!!!

Al surprised me with flowers. He's the best people. For reals.

The kids had a dance at school and came home with lots of goodies. THA had gifts parents could buy to be given out at school and O was giddy that she got one. Cooper was a typical boy about it. Ha!

My little monsters are my best valentine's though!

Kids at the park

Just a few pictures of the kids at the park.

And no, I did not pick out O's outfit!

TNA Wrestling

Al and I took the kids to see wrestling at the Civic Center. Coop is a HUGE, huge fan of wrestling. It's seriously the only thing that boy thinks about.

We had floor seats so we were pretty close to the action! Which was pretty cool. We even got autographs from Jeff Hardy, Gail Kim, ODB, Eric Young, and AJ Styles. I don't think the kids will forget it for awhile. :)

Even Al was happy - his idol, Rick Flair (wwwhhhhoooooo!) was there.