The Sound of Victory

Game 7. A nail biter to the very end. The Lady Aggies found themselves tied at the beginning of the sixth quarter. Sydney took a break during the fifth quarter but as soon as that buzzer went off her butt shot off the chair like a bottle rocket.

Flying out the gait and dribbling the ball like a wild animal, she made several failed attempts at making a basket in her rush to advance her team's lead. But then her mother told her to take a deep breath in a not so quite voice from clear across the court.

And with one minute left in the game...

She listened to her mother...

and took the last shot.....

to help her team win their very first game this season.

You should always listen to your mother (even if she knows nothing about basketball).

What do you say when.....

A) While standing in the checkout line at Walmart, your son farts loud enough for everyone in the immediate vacinity to hear. And when you remind him of his manners, he points at the horrified looking elderly woman standing behind you and shouts "IT WASEN'T ME, IT WAS HER!".

B) While shopping on a different occasion you notice your son holding his...um...private parts through his pants and when you ask if he has to use the restroom he says no. Your brain can't quite grasp why he would be holding onto it (in a store of all places) if he didn't have to use the restroom so you ask him why he is doing that and he shouts "BECAUSE IT IS HARD!"

C) While driving through the parking lot of a grocery store, your son tells you and your girlfriend to "CHECK OUT THAT HOT CHICK!" as a 50+ year old woman in dress shorts and

these boots------------------------------>

strolls through the crosswalk in front of your car.

The Basketball Blues

The Lady Aggies. That's the name of Sydney's basketball team. Today was game 6. Today was also their 6th loss. A tough pill to swallow when you played the first 4 quarters and helped give your team a comfortable lead only to helplessly watch from the bench as it was being stripped away. In the end the deficit was insurmountable.

Sydney inherited her father's competitiveness. She does not lose well. She takes it pretty personal in fact. Today, like all the others, was no exception. Oh I've tried giving her the "it's all about having fun" speech. I've recited that one to her on numerous occasions. Recently she said "There is no F-U-N in losing mom!" in her best I'm only 9 going on 16 tone of voice.

That competitive spirit can be down right impossible to live with at times but gosh, it sure is fun to watch her.

Broken...with some small town love

One week ago today my husband had a Clavicle Excision. Bilaterally.

In laymans terms it means the surgeon removed a centimeter (more or less) of bone from the top of his shoulder. Both shoulders.

In wifespeak, he is broken. Broken because there is not much the man can do. Can't drive. Can't work. Can't carry in the groceries. Can barely shower and dress himself without help. Thankfully he found a way to care for his bathroom hygiene. There are just some things a wife should not have to do for her husband. At least not in your 30s. Wiping his bum is one of many I can think of.

Several days before the surgery my friend Sara informs me that she will be picking my children up from school on surgery day and will be keeping them overnight. She would take Sydney to Violin class on Friday and then on to her basketball game Saturday.

The day before surgery another friend tells me she will be delivering a post surgical dinner. True to her word she came bearing the best chicken salad I have ever had complete with bread and homemade Snicker doodles for dessert.

Over the past week three more of my friends have delivered dinners. Lasagna, salad, bread and cake on Monday from Ruth Ann. Homemade pizzas from Polly on Wednesday and beef stroganoff, peas and a scrumptious apple bar dessert from Jackie tonight.

Polly informs me that they planned this meals on wheels schedule and purposely did not tell me in advance knowing I would baulk and refuse their niceties. She was right. Accepting help from others does not come easy for me. It makes me uncomfortable but I must say that being forced to accept the generosity of such great friends has warmed my heart and makes me love this small town living even more than I did before.

Ohhhh the Evil Wind

The wind is back. Blowing amuck. Making it miserable to even go to the car. When will it ever stop?

Andrew and Emma

Emma came today and Andrew spent the first 30 minutes floating around the house on cloud nine. Emma has come over before and, given the gender difference, it always takes them a bit to get busy playing together. Emma LOVES baby dolls and everything that goes along with them. Andrew? Well, he's a sword wielding, monster slaying, bug/reptile collector. The two of them could not be more different with the exception of one common link. They are both avid animal lovers. The majority of the time they spend together is playing some sort of imaginary dog game and, as is customary in every man's life, Andrew is usually the dog. Crawling on hands and knees after Emma all over the house. It has truly given me a glimpse into his future with women.

As the afternoon wore on I thought it might be fun for the two of them to give the dog a bath.

Enter Butkus:

Butkus is a 12 year old Maltese that, up until the end of the summer, lived with my sister-in-law, Jennifer, and her mother in Champaign. Jennifer went off to college, her mother moved into an apartment, and so....Butkus came to live here. I have to be perfectly honest. I am not a small dog person. I am especially not a small dog who needs to be groomed regularly person. On the other hand, I have a heart and could not bear the thought of him going to a shelter for the last remaining years of his life. The kids love him. And so does our very strange cat.

Bath time was really very cute.

The kids were happy. Butkus....not so much.

And, of course, no dog bath would be complete without the help of the very strange cat.

In the end the dog was clean and fluffy and the kids resumed their imaginary dog play. Emma walking away, Andrew dropping to has hands and knees and running after her.

Getting Ready...

The kids are out of school again today. I say again through clenched teeth. Some kind of teacher's work day. I did the math this morning, since December 22nd they have had 18 days of no school. 18 DAYS!

Sydney has a friend coming over today and she will spend the night. "Sydney always has friends over!" says Andrew. "That's just how girls are." I tell him. No sooner did we finish that conversation then my cell phone rang. My friend Jackie asks if Emma can come over for a couple of hours this afternoon. It seems her two older girls have a swim meet in Champaign and Jackie is working. You see.... Emma...... is Andrew's friend. She is in his preschool class. Andrew has two, self proclaimed, girlfriends. Emma is one of them.

He willingly takes a shower, gets dressed. I clip his nails and tell him to brush his teeth.

When he is through with his teeth he breaks out the hair brush, a very rare occurrence. Being a boy and having a relatively short hair cut, it usually looks the same brushed or unbrushed. BUT NOT TODAY! Today he was careful to get every strand brushed down and forward.

When he finished he says, "There! Now I look nice and handsome for when Emma comes."

Oh my!