Oh January!

Not sure my pictures in this post will exactly correlate to my words but such is my life at the moment. One big blur of busy, fun, love, work, sports, life. January, such a big month in our home. Not only is it a fresh start to a new year, it is our anniversary month, my birthday month and the start to a new semester. Hence, the crazy busy life. Each was marked and celebrated perfectly. And, as we tuck away Janury 2012 I will remember....

My "aggressive diet and exercise regimn" as ordered by my doctor for my high LDL is still on track. I have found a new love of low-cholesterol cooking and I feel better than I have ever felt despite my over booked life. I can bike/run over 10 miles a day and though weight loss was not my intended goal it is a nice "side effect" to this plan. What it is doing for my cholesterol levels who knows....don't go for re-testing until April but I will tell you that this daily plan of almonds, oatmeal, flax, plant sterols and salmon better be doing somethig regarding the ol' LDL.

The start to my semester has been....ummm....intersting. I am pretty sure all the "characters" sign up for my classes. It keeps it entertaining and certainly not boring. Actaully, it is going really well they are just keeping me on my toes. Because our campus is under renovations, I am all over the place which makes my days fly by. All is good on that front.

Our anniversary and my birthday was great. I need to post our weekend in Fredericksburg (girls....cds will be in the mail by Saturday....promise!)

The littles are doing great. Cade keeps me totally running all the time...two baseball teams, basketball and a choir performance are on the agenda as of late. Camy girl has decided to turn into an acrobat which keeps me and MSW constantly gasping as we catch the tail end of one of her new tricks. Her bruising has been at an all time high but so has her crazy stunts. She has mastered the crib escape. We find toys in her crib the next morning that were clearly not in there when she fell asleep. We finally caught her in the act. Sister gets out in the middle of the night, plays and then crawls back into her crib and goes to sleep. Silly girl! As much as I was not ready to move her into a big girl bed...it will be delievered on Saturday. We certainly don't need an obstacle course for her in the middle of the night. I can just see her busting open her chin as she hangs over the side of her crib. So, big girl bed it is that will not require an acrobatic trick to get out of.

Though it is just the close of January, we are already planning our summer. Lots of fun stuff on the way. And that is the going ons around here lately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on 1st week of 2012

The house is too quiet. Doodle is back to school and dada is back to work. Me and the girl linger in the warm covers and soak up the quiet morning. I never like the transition. As much as I long for a schedule and "regular" way of life in the midst of the holiday craze, I miss it just as much. Thankful for another week at home before I go back to reality....just would rather have this week with everyone else at home too. My list of things to do is ever growing but I am feeling really good about what I have accomplished. The house is sparkling from top to bottom and we've properly closed out all of our 2011 business. The wedding is edited, appointments are taken care of and our souls are refreshed.

We've begun 2012 in a low-key, family style. We spent New Year's day all together with a long walk, preparing a fancy meal together and setting our 2012 goals. Yesterday was our 13th wedding anniversary. MSW had to go into the office for a couple hours which gave me a chance to hit the gym. By noon, we met back up at the house and decided on a family lunch celebration versus a fancy dinner. We had a fabulous meal at Scenic Loop Cafe. The kids played and MSW and I actually had an enjoyable dining out experience with them. I am just being honest about how "not fun" it is to eat out with them (Camy) these days. But, I guess that was her anniversary gift to us! Nothing fancy but really perfect day to celebrate these 13 years.

Good-bye 2011

 

We did not have a huge New Year's Eve celebration this year. Back in the summer, I agreed to shoot a NYE wedding. What a beautiful day it was for the wedding and I had a great time. So, when I got home I celebrated with one glass of wine and my glitter Toms.

 

I did celebrate our quiet evening with my most favorite man.

 

And I did get my kiss at midnight!

 

Good-bye 2011....you were pretty good to us. Hello 2012...glad you are here and look forward to all that you have to offer!

2011 Take-Aways
* Always, always back up pictures to the external hard drive. Ouch, that was a hard one to learn when our hard drive crashed this summer.
* I am totally competent to handle disruptive students. Remember this and have faith in yourself.
* My suburban does not fit through the car wash at the gas station on West Ave. I will hit a pole and dent my car. Another ouch!
* Celebrate the big as well as the small. Make banners, cook special meals, write little letters of congrats and love....my kids, family and friends will remember this stuff more than anything extravagant I may do.
* I learned I have high LDL and triglycerides, resulting in aggressive diet and exercise regimens.
* I discovered Malcolm Gladwell!
* If you wait long enough, people will show you their good side.
* It's all gonna be ok with Camy's Von Willebrand's.
* I love and need my friends, crafts and 30 minutes of cardio a day...all for mental well-being.
* Drink less tea and more water.
* It is really no fun to dine out with a 2 year old. Take out or cook at home.
* A little goes a long way with MSW. Set out his bath towel, leave a little love note, pack him a lunch...I'm telling you it is all in the little things.
* 35 is not old, I'm still in my prime (36 is young too, ummmm)
* After wearing Clinique for almost 20 years, I switched to MAC and love it so much more.
* I made the switch from PC to MAC...hmmmm, just noticed the theme.
* The best Mrs. Myer's scent is Honeysuckle, with Basil being a close second.
* Don't follow the pack. Stand on my own convictions. Even when it is scary to do so.
* I can run a meeting full of pretentious PhD's. They will listen to me and not eat me alive as I was sure they would at my first running of Senate. But brush up on Robert's Rule of Order.
* I'm still going to almost faint (or really faint) when I have my blood drawn.
* Baseball is a way of life in my family.
* Paint my fingernails more often...makes me feel fancy.

Hello 2012...you are looking good!

~Little Loves~

 

 

 

 

 

Kiddie Land park

A day at Kiddie Land Park. I remember going their as a child too. What a great afternoon. Camy enjoyed each and every ride, some of them twice. Caden was such a good brother and rode with her on everything. With him by her side, she was fearless.

 

 

 

 

 

Santa...kinda

I talked it up for a couple of days....we are going to go meet Santa. She was excited. She woke up talking about "santa claus." I got her all dolled up and headed to the mall. She was good right up to the point of actually seeing santa and then she clamped on to me like a crab and wanted nothing to do with santa. So, the only picture I got of her with santa is with me in it too. Boo! Maybe next year. So, we came home and took a couple of pics in front of our tree.

Spartan Nation

Since June, we have been immersed in select ball. We are now in the "off season"....time off all the way until January. Ha! We just came off a huge win so of course I want to brag about that but more importantly I want to hold on to my memories and thoughts about these times. I received a comment from an old high school friend who have kids older than me. He was sharing with me about how much he missed watching his boys play at this age. It made me want to freeze this time, tuck it away nicely and have it forever. Thus, I blog it.

Select ball is a whole new world for us. MSW did not play select...it was Pearsall, folks and select ball has really just emerged the last few years. When Cade was invited to try-out we were a little skeptical but alot excited. Caden was born one day before the age cut-off so he plays with boys a year older than him. Good for his development but at 6 and 7, a year makes a big difference. We were worried about him making the team but thought it would be great experience, none the less. We were so proud of him to make the team of 12. And so the adventure began...

From the long, hot practices twice a week this summer to the first tournament where they could not even hit the ball into the outfield. We did not know any of the boys before he made the team. None of them go to his school and none had been on his previous MPLL tams. There was an awkwardness at the beginning. The boys getting to know each other and the parents figuring each other out. I remember one practice early on in which they picked two boys to pick their teams for a scrimmage. Caden was the last boy picked. I wanted to go get him and take him home. But, I sat there and watched my boy move on un-phased by it and play his heart out and show those boys just because he was one of the smallest he could still play.

We played a few local, summer tournaments and by the second tournament we were placing and then winning. The boys came together in an amazing way, the parents bonded and we became the San Antonio Spartans. By early fall, we took the show on the road. Winning San Marcos, then the State tournament and finally the World Series. What a ride for these boys!

We've had some bumps in the road. A coaching change, some cuts, some adds...through it all we've remained respectful, united and standing for the ethics we've had all along. Our boys are not flashy, the coaches don't yell or belittle, the boys are always, always expected to be respectful of everyone and most of all reminded it is a game and to have fun. Oh we have seen some teams. From the $200,000 custom painted team tour bus, to the teams decked out from head to toe in the most expensive, matching gear. We see the teams that make their kids run for an hour after a loss to the coaches and parents that yell so terribly that I would call it verbal abuse. The teams that travel with sound systems so that each players theme song is played as they take the plate. Oh it is a totally different world from Little League. The level of competition is unbelievable. These little guys can play.

So this past weekend it did not surprise me a bit that the SA Spartans played their little hearts out (going unbeaten, I must say), had a complete blast and showed everyone what playing with class looks like! After leaving SA at 5 am, playing 3 games on Saturday we all went back to the hotel and let the boys cut loose. We let them swim in the indoor pool for hours. The parents sat around laughing and telling stories while the boys acted like boys just as they should. I love that no one looses site of the fact that it is just a game and they are little boys that should just be having fun. Nobody mentioned that a World Series Championship was on the line the next day or put pressure on the boys to settle down, or focus or go to sleep. We all know what has been instilled in these kids. We all know that them having fun together is much more important than anything else and we all have complete confidence in our boys to take the field the next day and give it their all. And, that is exactly what they did. The friendships and life lessons they are learning from this experience is priceless. The memories they are gaining is far better than any championship ring or trophy they can put in their room. I really hope we can keep this train rolling for their childhood.



If I ever wonder if all the time and money we spend is worth it...look at that face! Pure joy after the State win. The boys in the background are not our team...just so happens that Austin has a Spartans team with the same uniforms.



Your 2011 Winter World Series Champions!!! These are some of the best kids around. They all have amazing personalities.


His first ring!


So proud of our boy! It was cold, cold, cold but so worth it! You can't take away the experience of watching your son play a game he loves so much and winning it all. Our hearts swell!