Gloating: Andrew made the coach selected team!!!

Andrew missed the first day of tryouts due to his last basketball game (see below), but made it to the second day of tryouts (out of four days) and he has already made the team! Anyone who knows Andrew, knows he is a pretty BIG kid for his age. His ability to move quickly at the size he is, really impressed the coaches last night. At the end of tryouts, I shook the coaches hand and thanked them for their time. I asked how they thought Andrew did and they smiled and said, 'he's already made the team. You don't even have to show up for any more of the tryouts. We will definetely be in touch with you.' I walked away with a smile from ear to ear. Andrew couldn't believe the good news.

After tryouts, we went to Chick-fil-a for their yearbook signing. Andrew was ecstatic that his teacher, Mr. L., was still there. He immediatly told him all about tryouts and how he made the team.

Andrew had his last flag football game on Saturday and though he lost, he had a really good season. Even the coach agreed. Andrew received MVP of his team! Great job Andrew!

Needless to say, I am very proud of Andrew. He has done a great job in school and has really shined on his basketball and football teams!

Undefeated!

Andrew had his final basketball game last night with the Jr. Nuggets and won, 42-24! He had a great game last night. His dad, whom also coached, was very proud of his team and led them to a perfect record of 8-0. Great job Coach!! Tonight, Andrew has tryouts for Broomfield Blitz. He is trying to get on the "coach selected" team, however, if he doesn't make it, he will be on the North Metro Blitz because they are recruiting him hard! The coach for North Metro saw Andrew playing on an I-9 flag football team and sought out Lee to get him on his Blitz team. He's offered to pay all of the fees! Also, he wants Andrew to play for his flag football team's championship game! My "little" Boo, Boo is already being recruited! We are so proud of him!

On it's last leg...

We have a '00 Nissan Xterra that we purchased brand new in November of 1999. We have taken this SUV to Clovis, NM numerous times, commuted daily from Thornton to Downtown Denver for several years, then commuted from Broomfield to Longmont for a few years and finally it is losing it's faithful title of being reliable. Mind you, this is 175K later!

My kids and I were invited to lunch with my ex-boss, Jenn, from Home Depot. She lives in Berthoud and is currently attending school at Front Range in Longmont where she is hoping to be EMT certified through their program. So, we decide to meet at TGIF's in Longmont after her class. We have a great lunch, great conversation and lots of laughs.

I decide while I'm up here why not make a pit stop at my best friend Jolene's house for a quick surprise visit? But to my surprise she is not home (which is unlike her) and when I leave, my car starts to run HOT!!! I open all the windows and blast the heater hoping that will help and pull into a nearby King Soopers. I pop the hood and immediately there is smoke. I immediatly check my coolant which is close to being empty. I round up the kids and call Lee to explain my delemna all while I'm circling the aisles desperately searching for coolant. As I'm pouring coolant in, with a Red Robin kid's cup, several people stop to ask if I need any help (I'm shocked that people still do that!). I look like a wreck! My face feels like it's melting off of me, I'm wearing a BLACK tiny tee shirt that I swear is absorbing 100 degree heat, my hair is a mangled mess from flicking it out of my way while I struggle with the coolant and from the wind flopping it around like a wind sock due to ALL the windows being down. BUT my eyelashes are still in tact so being the mascara b@t#h that I am, my spirits are still slightly up (Remember, my heater is still full blast on this beautiful 75 degree day!)

Lee convinces me I'll be fine if I take it slow and keep the heater running. So, I gather everyone back into the car and cautiously drive down 17th to County Rd 1 taking the back roads home because I-25 is undergoing construction, again, from Firestone to the end of Frederick and the shoulders are closed. About a mile and a half south of Hwy 119, my car starts clicking and sputtering like I'm running out of gas. I FREAK out and immediatly pull over. Luckily, about a block up (in the middle of farms and open nothingness), is a State Trooper that has someone pulled over. I get out of my car and walk towards him for help. He doesn't offer me much but directs me to a fire station which I passed about 5 minutes down the road. I get back into my car, flip a U-turn and pull into the fire station. I am immediatly greeted by 5 of the nicest men you will ever meet. They offer the kids soda, show them the fire truck and let them sit in it with a fire coat and hat on. Meanwhile, I am frantically calling roadside assistance and my friend Shannon, whom I am FOREVER indebted to, to make arrangements to have the car towed and for her to come pick me, my two kids, and my neice up from the station. I'm sitting there forcing a smile for the kids so they don't worry. The fire fighters are all outside looking under the hood. I see them come in and out with water and tools. Not even 15 minutes later, they come in and inform me I had a loose clamp and it was causing the coolant to leak and my radiator to overheat. They fix the clamp, flush my radiator, added more coolant and let it run for a few minutes. They call me out and showed me what was wrong, how they fixed it. The clicking stopped, the needle was in the middle instead of at H and I was in tears. I stood there in shock, with no words, only tears. I was so thankful for what they had done.

As I'm gathering my stuff and pulling my neice away from their fridge, the alarm rings and they leave in a hurry. I couldn't even properly thank them! I know this has been a very LONG blog, but I coulnd't go without letting my friends and family know how thankful I am for their kindness and generousity. I wanted to do a little something for their generousity so I called my general manger at Red Robin to see if he would agree to match my money for a gift certificate to send to them. What better way to say thank you then filling their bellies with bottomless steak fries and great burgers?! They wouldn't just match my money, they are footing the entire bill!

I'm still in awe over the extreme kindness shown to me and my kids today.

(Mountain View Fire Protection~9119 E. County Line Rd 1~Longmont, CO 80501)

Andrew the Athlete

Since Andrew's Broomfield basketball season is over, he just had to sign up for Jr. Nuggets with the Y.M.C.A. His team had a 31-18 victory! His dad is his coach and both of them are having so much fun! He has really good control and makes almost every shot, including his imfamous three pointers. He likes to have us drop him off at the rec center or down the street for some extra playing time.

Andrew is getting some pointers from his dad.
In addition to Jr. Nuggets, Andrew is also playing flag football with I-9 sports. His team, the Cougars, lost a close game on Saturday (30-32).
Andrew is the quarterback and threw 4 touchdown passes!

Andrew is such a great athlete. He is getting so much better at reading plays and following through. We are so proud of him and blessed to have such a wonderful son!

Keeping the Tooth Fairy Busy!

In the last few days Madison has lost two teeth! She lost her front-top right tooth on Thursday and lost her left bottom tooth last night. She is keeping the tooth fairy plenty busy that's for sure. At first, she thought all she could eat was soup because she couldn't bite down without her front teeth, but soon realized biting from the side was just as good. That was until she lost the bottom left side tooth. Now, she cautiously bites down from her right side (but that tooth is also loose)! I can't even look at her with a straight face because she looks so silly without her two front teeth.

Easter

One thing I absolutely LOVE about Colorado is the weather. It's spontaneous (to say the least). Although Saturday night brought rain and then snow, the morning following was filled with sunshine and cloudless skies. At first, I kept thinking, 'I'm going to end up hiding eggs indoors in places I can't remember and smell them a week from now!', but true to form, Easter afternoon was gorgeous!

Madison and Aaliyah were given a headstart for the egg hunt but that didn't discourage Andrew from getting tons of eggs. He looks like he's about to leapfrog over his cousin just to get an egg!Aaliyah found the last egg up in the tree. Madison was being a good cousin and got it down for her.
The face on Andrew is priceless!

Thank God all the snow was melted and we were able to have some fun outdoors.

Hmmm...

Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time. If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well. Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done-a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all… because soon he'll be wiping his own. If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.

My "baby" is no longer my baby! :(

Every mom's nightmare...When their kids grow up too fast and are no longer their baby. Madison turned seven this year and I have to admit, I'm a bit freaked out. I've raised both of my kids to be independent and now I feel a bit of regret in doing so. I know I've done well in raising them that way, but the selfish part of me wishes they were a bit more dependent on me. Luckily Madison has SO much hair (and quite honestly it's usually a crazy mess), so I am still in charge of combing and curling it. And though I am no longer needed to pick out what she wears, I am given responsibility of ironing it. :(

She was super excited for her birthday party. That morning, all I heard was: "How many more hours 'till we leave? Is my glitter still on? When do I get my skates? Is my hair still curled?"

Everything turned out great and went smoothly which is always a struggle when having a party. She got lots of Bratz dolls and a few Littlest Pet Shop pets which brings her collection to about 153! She also got a huge Pet Center from her Auntie Lynn. We saw this at the store and she took a picture of it with my camera phone and sent it to Auntie so she was sure to know exactly what she wanted! Auntie Lynn has a reputation of getting the 'best' presents so she wasn't about to risk her reputation by not getting it.

Madison, Kalyla, Amber, and Aloa.

My neice Aaliyah (left), Madison, Aloa and

Madison is still very shy. When we all sang 'Happy Birthday' to her she turned her head toward me and tucked in her bottom lip which is always an indication that she is uncomfortable with the attention fixated on her.

It was a nice having the party at Skate City because I didn't have to worry about cooking, cleaning or making sure things were in order. And, of course, Madison loved it because she got a brand new pair of white and pink skates for having the party there.

E is for Effort!

Andrew always puts forth his best effort in everything he does. He is such of a perfectionist to the point that he is too hard on himself. He has a book that is being published at school that started out as a free-write project and has taken on a new endeavor. It's called, 'Diary of a Fat Cat', which I would describe as a humorous day in the life of my (slightly obese) cat, Kitty. Other kids in his class have started similar projects such as: Diary of a Closterphobic Ferret and Diary of a Timid Turtle. I've promised him that if he writes more, then I would transfer it onto our computer and have it bound and made into an actual hardcover book. Of course, this has inspired him! Both of my kids are amazing, but I have to say they are quite amazing in completely different way, as are most kids. Andrew is my anal, neat freak, full of integrity. He can't stand being late and sticks to a schedule he has created. For instance, every schoolday he wakes up at exactly 7:10. That gives him enough time to eat a bowl of cereal, get ready for school, watch 20 minutes of cartoons, and leave by 8:10 and not a minute earlier or later. Mind you, he does this every day all by himself. If I tell him I'm going to Target in about an hour, I better not even think about changing my mind or it makes him a nervous wreck! I have learned not to tell Andrew ANYTHING about what is going on that day in case there is a change of plans.

Madison, on the other hand, is very free spirited and more like me. She is spontaneous and has to drag herself out of bed every morning. She isn't always organized but every so often gets an inclination to clean and organize EVERYTHING only to find that a week later it's in complete disarray. Like me, this drives her brother nuts! He will start pacing until he finally comes to me to tattle on her for making a complete mess of her room. They both try their hardest in everything they do, especially in school. Andrew is a math geek and loves to write. He picks up quickly on number theories and is eager to help anyone in his class that doesn't quite get the math assignment being taught. He recently got all A's on his report card, we are so proud of him! His teacher tells me often how much he enjoys having Andrew in his class. I hope this continues as he gets older and the challenges become greater.

Andrew and his teacher, Mr. Lardes.

Paw Pride Winner!

Madison was the Paw Pride winner in her 1st grade class! She has been trying so hard with her reading and spelling and it's paying off! She was having difficulty 1st quarter with reading and spelling and wasn't at grade level. However, with a little extra help at school and at home, she has made significant improvements and has even made it to the middle reading level in her class! She is hoping to be at the top level very soon. We are just so proud that she is doing her very best and is a good friend to the kids in her class. She was also Star of the Week so it's been an eventful week for her. In addition to the award and medal, Madison received free coupons to Mimi's Cafe, Dairy Queen, Skate City, and Brunswick Bowling. We were all invited to have breakfast with her Principal, teachers, and other Paw Pride winners. Madison loves her teacher, Ms. Sammaniego! We are thankful that she has such a great time at school and enjoys learning. We are proud of her for trying her best and not giving up.