Grand Slam Birthday Bash

This year we had Brantley's party at the Sounds game. It turned out to be the best birthday party we've had. Brantley had a great time. We had 12 crazy boys hanging out at the game together. They got to eat hot dogs and birthday cake before the game. Brantley (and 5 other birthday people) got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game. He also got to stand on the dugout during the third inning and the whole crowd sang happy birthday. Since it was a Friday night game, there were fireworks after the game and then all the kids got to run the bases.
And, I even arranged for something special for the dads. (Just kidding!) While we were all sitting there watching the game, a bunch of girls showed up to sit in the row in front of us. I say it was something special for the dads because these girls were good looking and dressed up! They were all wearing very high heels and dresses or skirts. The funniest thing was one of them was actually painting her nails during the game!! Not sure what their deal was, but they definitely looked out of place.

Here are a few pictures of the crazy boys! Posts with videos below.

Brant looked a little annoyed at Ozzie...

Most of the present opening was just that, present opening. Paper flying everywhere, toys all over the place. But, this one was cracking me up. (It was midnight so we were all tired!)

Funny present opening, part 2

Happy Birthday Brantley!

We decided to go ahead and let Brantley open his birthday present this evening. Even though we've had about 4 slip ups, he was still oblivious and had no clue what he was getting. Either that, or he's a pretty good actor.

Happy Fourth of July!

We decided to spend the Fourth in Chicago this year. We had a great weekend, and great weather. We came home and we had had an inch and a half of rain here!

Friday, we took the train to downtown so we could experience the Taste of Chicago. I had spinach stuffed pizza, grilled corn on the cob, and Italian Ice. I also had a small bite of a meatball, a couple bites of Lawson's Italian Sausage, a couple bites of a hamburger, and some of Brantley's ice cream. You would think we would all have a stomach ache after all that! It was all yummy!

Friday night we went to see the Schaumburg Flyers play the Kansas City T-Bones. The T-Bones won. They had a guy that hit 3 out of the park home runs. It was a fun game to watch, even if it's not even considered minor league. They also had a nice fireworks display after the game.

Matt and Rosemarie took Brantley to see the parade on Saturday morning. It was a bit drizzly, but not enough to dampen the parade. We also went to see the fireworks display that night. We were so close to the fireworks and they were so loud. They were being shot practically right overhead and we had to look almost straight up to see them.

I didn't take very many pictures, but here's what I took. Enjoy!

Birthday Time!

It's birthday time. This will probably be the last year we do a big party for Brantley. (I think I probably said that last year!) I've finished sending out all the invitations and now it's time for the waiting. Brantley will ask me no less than 10 times tonight, "Have you heard from anyone else?" I gave him several choices for the party and he decided on a Sounds game. I also let him put together his guest list, so he's all about keeping track of who is coming. I never know what to expect since his birthday is around a holiday and a lot of people are travelling. It should be a great time so make sure you get back to me if you haven't already!

Hygiene

What is it with boys and hygiene? Is it a boy thing, or just a kid thing in general. I have a hard time thinking that there are little girls like this out there, but maybe there are. Brantley doesn't care if he's dirty. His fingernails can be absolutely nasty and it doesn't bother him. What should I expect from a boy who used to eat the mulch on the preschool playground? It's not really hard to get him in the shower, but getting him to actually clean himself is a chore. "Oh, you mean you wanted me to wash my hair?" Brushing teeth is absolutely the worst part of Brantley's day. Why does he hate it so much? For a long time he gagged really easily and would gag every time he brushed his teeth. That doesn't seem to happen as easily now, but he still hates brushing his teeth. I keep telling him he has to take care of his permanent teeth because those are the only one's he's going to get. Do you think it helps? NO! I used to brush his teeth for him every morning but that was torture for both of us. Now, I feel like I have to at least one a week or so or his teeth are going to rot out. I have a feeling this doesn't get better.

2009 Mariners Pics

I really didn't take any pictures this season, but the coach had an awesome camera that he brought a couple of times and had people take pictures. There were some really good shots. Here are the ones of Brantley.

Baseball Conclusion

Well, baseball is officially over for the summer. The Mariners just didn't have it in them to win the championship. Even though they put together another triple play, they lost the first game by 3 so they had to go to a second game which was ended early by the 10 run rule. The Cardinals were an excellent team. They hit well and they fielded well. They also had some kids that really knew where the play was. Brantley got hurt in the second game. He was running to second base and slid in only to be hit by the ball being thrown in. The ball hit him in the face. I don't think it was a direct hit. I think it deflected off of something, but it was a hard hit. We ran onto the field, along with all the coaches. His mouth was all bloody inside. We cleaned him up and had him rinse out his mouth. He seemed okay, and said he could stay out there. When he ran home, I had him put ice on his mouth while in the dug out and another mom had some Motrin that I gave him. We weren't sure if he could come out to finish the inning, but while we were sorting out the rules, he decided he could do it. He finished the game. I was really proud of him sticking with it. They were all so upset about the loss, but they handled it like good sportsmen should. And, it didn't hurt that they got to go to a pool party at the assistant coach's house and got 2 trophies. One trophy was for being the league season champs and the second was for being a finalist in the tournament. They are really cool trophies. You can kinda see the injury in this picture. It looks worse today(I took this picture yesterday), but he says it doesn't hurt. He just says it feels weird which is probably from the swelling. I'm still not sure if he chipped a tooth or not. If he did, it's not bad and not real noticeable.
I hope that Brantley will read these one day and have fond memories. These are the things that I will remember from this season:

All the boys loading up in the back of John's truck to ride together from the practice field to the game. They looked tough all showing up together and jumping out of the truck.

I will remember the looks on Troyce and Thomas' faces when they got their first hits.

I will remember the excitement of Adrian when he told the coach he really wanted to play catcher. And, I'll remember when that throw from third to first came out of nowhere.

I'll remember the bear hug that Jackson gave Brantley after his unassisted triple play and the whole team celebrating together.

I'll remember the look on Chapman's face when that pop fly was coming right to him, and the look on his face after he caught it.

I'll remember seeing all of Brantley's worried teammates on their knee at the dugout waiting to see if he was okay after being hit.

I'll remember those face first, arms out, chest slides from Eli. And, I'll remember Eli chasing down the runner for the out.

I'll remember how tiny little Jack would hit that ball so hard, and run so fast.

Thank you Mariners for a great season. Good luck to those moving up, and we'll see the rest next season!

Championship bound!

The Mariners logged another win tonight. They will be playing in the championship game on Saturday against one of the red teams (Cardinals or the Reds..they play tomorrow night). Since the Mariners have no losses in the tournament, they get 2 chances to win. If they lose, it will be a double header for the championship.

Tonight's game was against the Cardinals, and they barely pulled it out. They came out screaming in the first inning and scored 6 runs. The middle of the game got a little dicey with the Cardinals taking the lead by 2 after the 5th. The Mariners came out swinging in the sixth and scored 6 runs with no outs!! Brantley got that inning started by the way! Then, they held the other team to 2 runs to win the game. Brantley had 2 singles and he caught an awesome fly ball on the run. It was so cool!

On another note, our coach got ejected from the game. There were some horrible calls, that went mostly in favor of the other team. David tried to call them on it and got mad. Apparently, as he walked off the field he said that the officiating of the game was the worst he had seen. He walked off the field so he wouldn't say something stupid to the umps. Then, a dad from the other team who was backing up the catcher told the ump to eject him and the ump turned around and said hey coach, you're out. It really was some of the worst officiating I've seen. But, our coach could have handled it a bit better. He may not get to be there for the championship game because of the ejection. Brantley is pretty upset about that because it is the championship game, but I explained to him that part of the game is learning to be respectful. The umps will make bad calls and you can't do things like that. I told Brantley that if coach doesn't get to be there, they need to win it for him and show what good sportsmen they are!!


Almost forgot....Brantley actually slid into second base tonight. It was good thing because he probably would have gotten out if he hadn't slid. I believe that was his first time actually sliding.

Another correction...he got a double and 2 singles. The double was in the first inning.

Payback is a .....

Remember I told you that Brantley hit a pop fly that was caught for a triple play. Well, he didn't forget it. Today against the Astros (I guess it's not really payback since it's a different team), Brantley was playing short stop. He made a diving catch and ran to tag second and tagged the runner from first for the triple play. It was awesome. We all went crazy. Jackson gave Brantley a big bear hug and lifted him off the ground. I was so excited for him, especially since he had struck out on his first at bat. I was afraid he had lost his mojo. But, that play got him back in the game and he came back and smacked the ball after that. The Mariners ended the game in the bottom of the fourth, 16 to 6. Now, they get to play the fourth ranked Reds on Monday night. Thank goodness it's not a 7:30 game because they play awful at those late games. If the Mariners win and the White Sox win, they will meet up Thursday night with the winner going on the play the winner of the loser bracket. I know it sounds bad calling it that, but that is what it is. It's double elimination and they have lost a game in that part of the bracket.

Mariners are still #1!

It was a disappointing loss Saturday against the Athletics. The game got off to a bad start. Bottom of the first, runners on first and second, Brantley hit a pop fly to center field. It was a great hit and the base coaches thought there was no way it would be caught and sent the runners. The Athletics caught it, our runners didn't know what to do and the the inning ended with a triple play. The Athletics really wanted the win. They caught pretty much everything that the Mariners sent to outfield. Not only that, they had a couple of double plays. The Mariners lost 5 to 12. They finished the season 12 and 2. We were afraid they would be tied with the White Sox, but the White Sox also lost on Saturday so the Mariners are #1. The White Sox still have one game to make up. If they win, there will be a 3-way tie for 2nd place, but the White Sox should be in 2nd place based on the tie breaker.

School's Out for Summer!

This past Thursday was the last day of school. It was a half day, so I took the day off and took Brantley and one of his friends to the zoo. They had a great time. We ended up spending 3 hours there and could have stayed longer. The highlight of the trip was the baby tiger exhibit. They were so cute and playful.

Baseball

It amazes me how some coaches just don't know how to be good sportsmen. The past 2 teams the Mariners have played have been this way. Tonight, the other coach actually tried to accuse Adrian of using a non-regulation bat. GIVE ME A BREAK! Our coach handled it well though. He took the bat over and told him to check it. We even heard that coach yelling at his team. One of the umps was saying that coach is like that every game. I know that our coach can get a bit overzealous sometimes, but all in all, he's a decent coach. The Mariners won 17 to 10 to end the game early. Brantley hit 5 singles tonight. He also got hit by the ball in the neck while playing pitcher. He got hit but still made the throw to first base although the kid was safe. He came out for a couple of minutes and there was no respect at all from the other team. He was a trooper, though, and went back out to the outfield that inning. Way to stay with it Brantley! He came out in the next inning at first base and did a great job.

Future First Baseman?

Brantley played first base during one inning tonight and he did an awesome job. Jackson fired the ball to him a couple of times and Brantley didn't miss a beat. They were all on target tonight, but I think Jackson and Brantley both had a break out game. The Mariners won 16 to 5. Brantley had 2 doubles, a triple and 6 RBIs. He is #1 with his batting average and #3 with his slugging percentage, but he has almost caught up to Jackson!

They can co-exist!

I think Pudge is finally getting used to the family addition.

Too close for comfort!

Tonight's game was intense. I think that is the best team the Mariners have played this season. They somehow pulled it out in the end, though, and won 15 to 13. I lost count of how many times they over-threw first base. I don't know what was going on with them. They needed a close one though. It gave them a reality check. It was an exciting game. Jackson did hit an in the park grand slam. Well, it really should have been a triple, but he came home on an error. Brantley didn't disappoint. He hit 2 singles and a double. Even though they kept over-throwing first base, there were some awesome catches in the field.

Last night's game was against the Angels. The Mariners won 14 to 2. Brantley hit 3 doubles and a single in that game. The batting and slugging averages of the team are ridiculous! (but I'm not complaining!)

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms out there, Happy Mother's Day! Lawson and Brantley went out today and bought me gifts. Brantley picked out a necklace with a mom pendant, and Lawson actually kept a pottery barn page I gave him a long time ago and got the item. The fact that he went to pottery barn is impressive. He got me a charging station. It holds all the chargers for my phone, camera, life drive, and whatever else needs charging.

Tonight, Lawson actually grilled some salmon!

Coco supervised...

And the pretty table. Actually, I bought the flowers for tomorrow's Mother's Day/Birthday dinner for Grandma. Notice there is no place for Brantley. He had already had his gourmet Chef Boyardee meal. :)

And the food was more than edible, it was really good.

Pepper Honey Cedar Planked Salmon. MMMMmmmmm..sweet with a kick.

Literary Tea

Tonight was the second grade Literary Tea. Each child got to present their "original" fairy tale. They had a microphone, but the kids didn't get to practice with it so none of them really talked into it. We could barely hear most of them. Most of them were modeled after Cinderella or the Three Little Pigs. Brantley's story was The Big Bad Pig and the Three Little Wolves. He typed a post about it recently, but I didn't publish it so I will now. Not sure if it was completely finished. It was a very nice evening. (Edit - I posted Brantley's post and it kept the original day. It was on April 25th and it wasn't finished. Scroll down to read it.)

#1

Mariners are officially #1!!! WTG team!

Mariners win!

I'm starting to sound like a broken record. As of Sunday, the Mariners were tied for first place. In my mind they are actually in first place because they beat the team they are tied with.

Tonight's game was against the Pirates. It got a little ugly tonight, although Brantley did have some solid hits. The other team only had 9 players there. There is a rule that you have to have 10 players or you are penalized. The rule is in place so that coaches don't 'coerce' the worst players on the team to not show up. Pretty sad if you ask me that we have to have rules like this in place to keep people in line. So, if you only have 9 players, the 10th missing batter is an out. An out is recorded each time it's the 10th batter. If they only had 8, the 9th and 10th would be recorded as outs and if there are only 7 players the game is forfeited.

Since I've been recording the games I had printed out the rules. Was it bad of me to point out the rule? I pointed out to the ump that they only had 9 and he said to let him know when it was time for the 10th batter. I believe he did know the rule, but the umps are kids themselves and I don't think they like challenging the coaches. The coach for the other team acted like he didn't know the rule. Since I had the rules printed out, we flipped through them and found it to give to our coach. It was too late to record the out in the second inning (the second inning should have started with an out), but their coach agreed once he was shown the printed rules.

Did it make a difference in the game? I don't think so, but you never know. I'm guessing that the kids that were not there were actually their better players. At any rate, the game ended early and the Mariners won 15 to 8. Go Mariners!!

Another win for the Mariners!

Tonight's game was supposed to be easy, but it turned into a nail-biter. We had purchased a new bat for Brantley last fall and decided it was too big, so we bought one that was 2 inches shorter. He's been hitting with the shorter one until tonight. He wanted so bad to hit with the bigger bat so I told him he could take it and practice with it, but if coach said it was too big for him he'd have to use the smaller one. Coach thought he was swinging well with it in the cage, so he used it for the game. He then proceeded to prove me wrong about the bat. His first hit went just right of second base and landed out in the grass. I'm not sure how far from the fence it was when it landed, but it rolled out to the fence. He got a double out of it and a RBI since the first batter also hit a double and was waiting on second base. His second at bat sailed out between 2nd and 3rd to land in the grass and roll to the fence. Brantley got up to bat in the third inning with the bases loaded and he did not disappoint. I can't remember where that ball went, but he hit a triple for 3 RBIs. The 4th and 5th innings were not good at all. They started the 6th inning with the top of the batting order. I think his arms were getting tired at that point, but he still hit a base hit. There were so many good hits tonight. Jackson hit one that bounced out of the fence. Since it bounced out, he only got to go to second base. Still a great hit. Their fielding was not up to par tonight an they allowed 14 runs. But, the final score was 15 to 14. Way to go Mariners!

Brantley's Fairy Tale

Once opon a time there were three little wolves and the big bad pig.One day the mother said its time to seek your fortunes.The first little wolf met a guy with grass the little wolf said'' can I have these grass for my big fort"the man said" yes you can have the grass for your big fort and so the little wolf went on and made his big fort.The other little wolf met a guy with sticks and the little wolf said'' can I have these sticks for my big fort the man said'' yes you can have these sticks for your big fort and so the little wolf went on and made his big fort.The other pig met a guy with bricks and the little wolf said" can I have these bricks for my big fort''the man said" yes you can have the bricks for your bigfort and so the little wolf went on and made his big fort.Later the big bad pig came into town and the big bad pig knocked on the grass door and said" little wolf let me in not by the hair of my chinny chin chin then all hofe and pof and blow your fort down and he did blow the fort down then the little wolf ran to the stick fort and the big bad pig came to.The big bad pig knocked on the stick door

5 and 1!

And down go the undefeated Giants. Granted, there was a bad call but I don't really think it made a difference in the outcome since the Mariners didn't even have to play the bottom of the 6th. Brantley caught another fly ball at third base, and threw the ball to first base for the out that ended the game. They won 11 to 8. From left to right, front to back: Jack, Logan, Thomas, Chapman, Brantley, Samuel, Michael, Troyce, Jackson, Adrian, Eli, and John, Coach John, Coach David, and the other Coach John.

Go Mariners!

Tonight the 3 and 1 Mariners took on the 4 and 1 Dodgers and won! They really put together a whole game, defense and offense. There were some amazing plays in the field, including a pop fly caught by the 3rd baseman Brantley. Little Jack (I say little because he really is tiny!) made a catch that no one thought was catchable. Eli made a diving catch in the first baseline. It was just a really good game. They won 13 to 1. On to tomorrow's game against the undefeated Giants. Let's hope the Mariners put a kink the Giants' perfect season.

Easter (spoiler alert...pre read before small children read!)

I know. I'm very late with this posting. Pop pointed out that I've been slacking lately. I like to think I've just been choosier about what I post about. Okay, I guess you can call it laziness.

We decided to take a long weekend and go to Chicago for Easter weekend. Normally we drive over to Cookeville and Brantley gets to do an Easter Egg Hunt with his cousins. But, since it was the only weekend until June without a baseball game, we decided to go to Chicago. Lawson, Brantley, and Matt got to take in the Brewers home opener against the Cubs. It sounded like they had a good time. We spent the night up in Lake Geneva which was really nice. It's so pretty and tranquil up there. I'm jealous that Matt and Rosemarie have a place like that where they can just go whenever they want.

Rosemarie and I went to Popeye's while we waited for the boys to get back. They have absolutely, hands down, the best brocolli cheese soup I have ever had. Every time we go to Lake Geneva, we have to go there and get the soup. This time I got to go into the gift shop since the boys were not with us and I got a pretty necklace. I'm starting to make it a habit of getting necklaces when we go up North. Last time we were in Chicago, Lawson bought me a pretty one at the farmer's market in Wheaton. It is from a lady that makes jewerly, and I think I remember that everything was made out of copper. I could be wrong about that, but my necklace is copper.

On Saturday we decorated eggs. We had lots of decorations to choose from but I think the glitter eggs were the prettiest. Rosemarie posted some pictures on her blog.

After the official egg hunt, we decided to make egg salad from the hard boiled eggs. We all managed to survive, despite some of the dye somehow getting through the shells. Egg salad sandwiches were really all that was needed after a huge Easter brunch. Rosemarie's family inlcuded us in their Easter celebration. We all went to Venuti's for Easter Brunch. It was a HUGE buffet with pretty much everything you could think of for a brunch. Definitely not diet friendly. I have to say the highlight was the Easter Bunny, or how Brantley felt about the Easter Bunny. Brantley said the Easter Bunny was just a guy dressed in a suit. So, Lawson and Matt told him to go pull his tail and find out how real he was, to which Brantey replied that it was illegal to assault a mascot. The rest of the year should be interesting.



Click here if you have trouble with the slide show.

Joke Time

Brantley apparently read a joke book during library time, so he told us a couple last night.

What do you call a big lizard between 2 buildings?

An 'Alley'gator!

Game 1: Mariners Vs. Cardinals

Tonight was our first game of the season. The real first game was rained out. It was cold out there tonight! Next game is tomorrow at noon and it should be much warmer. Anyway, for some reason I volunteered to keep the score book this season. It's taking me some time to figure it out. I know a lot of the rules but I'm still learning. It didn't help that the girl running the scoreboard was apparently clueless. Either that, or she was with the other team and was trying to slip in some extra runs. She did it every inning, but only for the other team. Go figure. Don't worry though. I don't think any of the parents would let it go unnoticed. Brantley only had 2 at bats. His first at bat landed him at first base only. The next batter got out at first, but Brantley made it to second base. Then, with the next batter Brantley ran to third. He heard someone, he thought it was the ump, say he was out so he stepped off base to walk to the dug out and the kid tagged him. Apparently he was actually safe and the play hadn't ended. So, we told Brantley next time to not step off the base until the ump comes and tells him he is out. Oh well. Luck didn't turn around for his second at bat. Brantley popped a foul ball back which was caught by the catcher. When does that ever happen!!! Needless to say, Brantley was a little upset during the game. The coach noticed and really tried to concentrate on what he was doing right and I think that helped him. It was a good game, but the Mariners lost 13 to 6.

Brantley is #1

Of course, we all knew that, but the baseball league made it official. Brantley's spring jersey number is #1. Go Mariners! Tomorrow is supposed to be their first game, but I would not be surprised if it is cancelled due to the rain.....to be continued.

Mornings with Moms

Has it really been month since I have blogged? I meant to post this a couple weeks ago. Actually, I guess it was just a week and a half ago. The school had mornings with moms on Thursday and Friday. I was supposed to go on Thursday but it was a bad morning at the Freeman house, so I forgot. Friday morning I told Brantley I would go and he didn't want to go with me. I said he was going. He said they are just having dooghnuts. I said we were going anyway. He said who wants doughnuts for breakfast anyway. And then the kicker, "Aren't you on a diet?"

I almost forgot!!

I forgot that a couple practices ago I met Renee. Turns out her older brother is on Brantley's basketball team. She's a very cute little girl. Anyway, we were sitting up at the top of the bleachers tonight when they came in. They sat down lower because it was a little crowded. I looked down and saw her looking up waiting for Brantley to look at her. He finally looked and she did the cute little wave that girls do when you are trying to get attention but also trying to play shy. It was so cute. Brantley just looked away really quick. He is too funny! The other day he told me that someone at school says he's a math genius. When I asked who, he whispered in my ear - Anna. Isn't that sweet?

Basketball Concludes (thank goodness!)

Tonight was the first round of the county tournament. The team got there early to watch the first game. The first two teams didn't seem to be any better than any of the Oak View teams and I really thought the boys had a chance. Unfortunately, the team they had to play was totally stacked. I heard from a friend that most of the boys on that team have played together since they were 3. It wasn't that there defense or foot work was any better than our boys. It was the fact that EVERY shot they put up went in the basket. It was unbelievable. I am not exaggerating when I say I think they only missed 2 shots the whole game. The Huskers had it within 4 points with about 3 minutes left and one of their guys scored a three, nothing but net. They played a hard game, but lost 34 to 26. A very respectable score considering the competition. We just had way too many missed shots. I'm actually relieved it's over. I don't think I could take any more of this. Now, it's time for baseball!!

Introducing the Oak View 2/3 Basketball Champs!

Tennessee Falls!

It will be Nebraska vs. Florida in the championship game Saturday. I took Brantley to watch the game tonight. Zack scored 8 points in the first period for Tennessee. He sat out the second period and Florida was ahead at the half. Then, Zack came back in for the third period and Florida took him out. I say that because he hurt his knee and sat on the bench with an ice pack the remainder of the game. I learned afterwards, though, that he hurt himself fouling the player he was guarding and fouled out of the game. I had seen him earlier in the game showing some attitude to the ref. He even spiked the ball right in front of the ref. I guess he learned it from the coach because the coach was yelling and arguing with the ref in the fourth period. Florida won 26 to 14. I hate that Tennessee's perfect season had to end like that, but I hope the coach learned that he has to coach a team, not the star player. We could have had that exact situation on Brantley's team with Jeremiah, but our coach made a point of making Jeremiah pass the ball and play as a team. He has built a great team. Everyone has contributed to their winning season. Saturday should be a great game!

HUSKERS WIN!

After an INTENSE game versus the #3 seed North Carolina, the Huskers pulled out a win. Brantley scored a free throw to tie the game at 13 with a minute left in the game. Then, Jeremiah passed the ball to 'Big Country' for an easy 2 points. Jeremiah then scored a free throw to seal the game at 16 to 13. The crowd (and I do mean crowd - the bleachers were packed!) was loud and the game exciting! Now, on to the Championship versus Tennessee/Florida (TBD tomorrow). I was taking video clips the first part of the game but then gave up. I was afraid I would end up throwing my camera!

Basketball Tournament Introductions

They messed up with Brantley's number, but this is so cute.

Basketball Update

Today was the first round of the playoff. Brantley's team is the #2 seed. They played the win-less UCLA team today, and barely squeaked out a win. They all seemed tired or something. It just was not the team we have become accustomed to seeing; and the UCLA team looked like they had been practicing a lot. They are going to have a tough time against North Carolina tomorrow if they don't play better than they did today. I have left my camera at home the whole season until today. I took a few pics and video clips but didn't get anything real exciting.

Basketball Update

Brantley normally makes this shot, but he wasn't playing his best today. I just found out that he's friends with the boy who was guarding him. Maybe that was the problem?

Huskers WIN!

It was an exciting basketball game today! Brantley practiced at home this morning and was excited and ready for the game. But, as soon as we got to the gym his nerves kicked in. I was worried he wasn't going to have a good game, especially after the biggest kid on the other team stole the ball from him and knocked him down. They actually did call the foul on the kid since he wasn't even guarding Brantley. Brantley sat out for a little while but came back in for the fourth period on fire. He must have been mad or something because he stole the ball twice, once taking it all the way back down the court for the score. They won 21 to 11 so they will still be in second place.

Valentines Day

Brantley wanted to get his valentine cards ready today so we sat down today to do them. He was going through the class list and putting names on the cards and I taped a cherry lifesaver in each one. Then, he gets to one of the girls names and say 'Renee'. Now, since I can type this with the enunciation, picture the copy machine guy from SNL saying, 'Renee'. That's how he said it. So, I started teasing him and asked him if 'Renee' (saying it like he did) was new. She is new and I think Brantley might have a little crush. Isn't that cute!

Basketball Update

I'm ready for baseball. Basketball just has too much action for me. Brantley's team is in second place and they played the first place, undefeated team on Saturday. It was an exciting game with Brantley scoring the first basket of of the game. The Huskers stayed ahead for most of the game, but the Vols came back to tie it at the end of the fourth period to take it to OT. The Huskers couldn't hold on and lost 21 to 17. They were at a disadvantage though. They were short one player, so all of our guys had to play the entire game without a rest. They do switch Conner in for defense for 2 periods so one player gets to rest a little while we are on defense. (In case I didn't mention it, Conner has cerebral palsy.) But, it was a tough game and Brantley even collided with another player and hurt his knee. He went back in though and finished the game. It was disappointing, but as coach told them, he was not disappointed in their performance because they played hard and played as a team. One player for the other team scored 16 of their points. Everyone contributed on the Husker team and the coach was very happy with them. And, if they win the next 2 games, this may well have been a preview of the championship game. They had the game won up until the very end. Would being able to rest a period have made a difference? Maybe.

Coach talked to Brantley after the game and told him how he did a great job. He also told him that he didn't want any more of Brantley telling him he won't play point guard. He said from now on, he's just going to tell Brantley to play point guard. I think the loss was good for him. It took off some of the pressure. He was in very good spirits after the game so we will see how practice goes this week.

Quotable Quotes

I guess I haven't been paying enough attention lately because I haven't thought of anything to post lately. I guess it's part of the Winter blahs. At any rate, I do have a couple of quotes from the day.

On the way home from school, Brantley says to me, "Mom, you know what I found out today. Icing makes me sick." He told me that he ate a cookie that had icing on it and it made his tummy hurt. I said that it was just as well, because icing isn't good for you anyway.

Brantley crawled into bed before I finished my workout on the treadmill, so I went in his room to say good night and he said, "Are you all sweaty? 'Cause if you are, don't come hug me." Well, I love you too.

Happy hump day!

The History Channel

My child watches the history channel. There, I said it. I think it's great. History was never one of my interests or strong points. This morning he started watching the history channel and it was the "Heartland Explosion" episode about a high decibel boom rocked houses in Kokomo Indiana. I started watching and heard someone say April 16, 2008. Hmmm.....wasn't that when the earthquake was? Since I wrote a blog entry about it, it was easy to look up. The earthquake was April 18th. Coincidence? I think not.

Basketball Update

Getting up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday is not my idea of fun. Brantley had the 8:00 game this morning, and since they haven't had practice or a game in 3 weeks, coach wanted them there at 7:15 to warm up. It was a good idea because it didn't look like any of them had picked up a basketball since the last game, but it was tough getting out of bed this morning. They started out the game on fire and I thought it was going to be a blow out, but the other team came back and tied it up after our best player hit his scoring limit. They are limited to 16 points and then can't shoot any more. I'm not sure the other players knew that he couldn't shoot because they kept passing it to him. I was really hoping we wouldn't have to go to overtime. The team pulled it out with a 28-24 win. Brantley did score a basket in the first period and got to play point guard a couple times in the fourth quarter. I think he's the only other player that has gotten to play point guard besides the coach's son. Go Huskers!

On another sports note, I believe that Uncle Matt is running in the S"No"W Fun run right now. Wish him luck! If if hadn't been for Brantley's game, Lawson would probably be there with you. Maybe we should re-think this whole basketball thing.

Hermie

Well, it happened today. Brantley went into the living room and started looking in Hermie's aquarium and asked, 'Where's Hermie?" So I went over and asked him how long it had been since he looked at Hermie. He couldn't remember. So, I opened up the aquarium and showed Brantley that Hermie had died. I don't think at first he was really all that upset, but after he thought about it, he was. He didn't cry or anything, but he held Hermie's empty shell for a while. Maybe next time we go to Alabama, we'll go back to Calypso's and get Hermie II.

Early Christmas

When family lives spread out, you have to compromise on when you celebrate Christmas. Since Uncle Matt and Aunt Rosemarie are here this weekend, we celebrated tonight and opened gifts. I think everyone was happy with the presents, but the pass out award tonight goes to Grandma and Pop. Just look at that face....
Thank you Grandma and Pop and Matt and Rosemarie for the wonderful gifts. Merry Christmas!

New Favorite Restaurant (Pics)

Blogger seems to be letting me post pictures tonight, so here are a few of our dinner at Valentinos.

Cheekwood

Today, Lawson and Matt went off to enjoy the Titan/Pittsburgh game. While they were at the game, we decided to go to Cheekwood. Brantley decided he didn't want to go. He wanted to stay and watch the game with Pop. When we got back, we found out that Lawson and Matt had told him if he went with the girls to 'Chick'wood, that he would be a sissy. I think he really did want to watch the game though, and he probably enjoyed it more than he would have Cheekwood. I do think he would have liked the trees, but I'm guessing he would have been clamoring to go home the whole time. I had never been to Cheekwood and can't wait to go back when the gardens are in bloom. I bet it's gorgeous. The main house was so pretty and each room had a Christmas tree decorated with a different theme.
The Night Before Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Polar Express

The Nutcracker

Why all Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect
The Toy Story
A Christmas Carol

New Favorite Restaurant

Brantley has a new favorite restaurant. Pop and Grandma took us all to Valentino's for Christmas dinner. We sat in the wine cellar section of the restaurant. The ambiance was great, the service wonderful, and the head waiter was very entertaining. He did several card and coin tricks for Brantley. Amazingly, Brantley cleaned his plate. I'll have to add pictures later. It let me add a video but won't let me add pics for some reason.

RIP Hermie (2004 - 2008)

I can't remember if we got Hermie in 2003 or 2004, but we have had him for a long time. Brantley doesn't know yet. Maybe I can get a replacement this week sometime before he notices? I'm not sure what happened. I saw his shell laying empty in the sand in front of the big shell that he liked to hang out in. I was hoping he just finally changed shells, but picked up the big shell and found him laying there. Rest in peace Hermie.

SNOW!!

I can't remember the last time it snowed this early in the year. We weren't even supposed to have any accumulation. When the weathermen say that around here, you should always assume they are going to be wrong! I left a little early from work on Thursday because it had started snowing. I didn't want to get stuck and not be able to get to Brantley. By the time I got to his school, the snow was already sticking to the roads and the ground was nicely covered. When we got home, my car made tracks in the driveway. By the time Lawson got home, those tracks were gone.

Catchin' up...

I've been bad about posting lately. We had a very nice Thanksgiving. We spent Thursday with my family and Saturday with Lawson's family at our house. Lots of food and family. That's what it's all about, right? We did have some excitement Saturday night after most everyone had left. We noticed that there were fire trucks on the next street, so Lawson and Matt had to go check out what was going one. They reported back that there were 7 firetrucks, 3 police cars, and 2 ambulances. With all that commotion, I expected to see the house burned down the next day. We drove by the next day and couldn't tell that anything had happened. The only indication that something had happened was the ServPro truck parked outside the house. I'm guessing it was just a kitchen fire. Hope I get that kind of response if I ever have to call the fire department.

Basketball season has started. I'm letting Brantley play so he can get some exercise during the winter. He's not been wanting to go though. Once he gets there I think he has a good time. He even scored a basket to tie up the game today. They were tied with less than 2 minutes left but ended up losing bringing there record to 1 and 1.

You make a loop de loop and pull....

Having Brantley learn to tie his own shoes has not really been a top priority. Most of the shoes for his age don't have laces or even velcro. They just slip on so there hasn't been a push to tie shoes. I've tried a few times to teach him and got so frustrated that I quit every time. I finally decided that he was going to learn to tie his shoes this weekend and he did. It's one of those things that so simple yet so tough to teach. It finally clicked for him and he can tie a perfect shoelace bow now. The whole thing reminded me of the spongebob episode where he forgets how to tie his shoes. There's a cute song in that episode about tying shoes. Here are the lyrics.

Want to learn how to tie your shoe?
It's a very easy thing to do.
Sit on down and I'll give you the scoop.
What's that?
It's called the loop-dee-loop!
You take a lace in each hand.
You go over and under again.
You make a loop de loop and pull,
And your shoes are looking cool.
You go over and back,
Left to right,
Loop de loop
And you pull em tight.
Like bunny ears
Or a Christmas bow.
Lace em up
And you're ready to go!
You make a loop de loop and pull,
And your shoes are looking cool.
(Instrumental solo)
You make a loop de loop and pull,
And your shoes are looking cool.

School Lunch

Last week I missed the Thanksgiving lunch at school so I told Brantley I would come to have lunch with him on Monday. When I walked in that cafeteria, all the memories came back. I swear it smelled exactly the same as the cafeteria at my elementary school. I did find it interesting that they had plastic utensils and styrofoam trays. I guess they figure those are better that washing all of the real utensils and the hard plastic trays and plates. The lunch wasn't bad though. We had baked chicken nuggets and a wheat roll. I had a baked potato and Brantley had broccoli. I was surprised that Brantley ate everything on his plate. We also had chocolate milk. I love chocolate milk. :)

Movie Review: Madagascar 2

I took Brantley to see the new Madagascar movie last weekend. It looked cute from the previews, but I must say that the first one was better. Half-way through the movie Brantley asked if we could go home. He was tired, but I think even he was bored with the movie. When we got home he said he liked the movie, but I don't know if he really did. I didn't. Final verdict. Save your money and if you must see it, rent it on DVD.

We now return to our regularly schedule programming....

I went back to work today. Yippee. Just in time for all the holiday hustle and bustle. I had hoped that I would have all my Christmas shopping done online while I was on medical leave, but I didn't. I did do some browsing online, but I just couldn't seem to make any decisions. Brantley hasn't decided what he wants for Christmas so I'm not sure what we will be getting him.

Breakin' - courtesy of the Huskey Dawg

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The Queen And King (A story by Brantley)

There once was a king named king neptune. He lived in greece.He was a very mean king. He lived with a queen named queen nepeta.She was very nice way nicer then the king. But the king was very mean to queen nepeta. King neptune was born in 1418 and queen nepeta was born in 1420.There castle was very fancy.There casle had 150 rooms in it.It had a big dungeon.It had a very big army.It had a very big battlefield.It had 1000 big horses.It had 5000 army men.There first war was in 1438.they won the war.There second war was in 1450.They lost the war.There third war was in 1468.They won the war.There four war was in 1478.They won the war.There fifth war was in 1481.Tey won the war.There sixth war was in 1489.They won the war.There seventh war was in 1493.They lost the war.There eighth war was in 1497.They lost the war.There nineth war was in 1501.They won the war.There tenth war was in 1505.They wonthe war.There eleventh war was in 1509.They won the war.There twelveth war was in 1513.They won the war .There thirteenth war was in 1517.They won the war.There fourteenth war was in 1521.They lost the war.But sadly the king and queen died in 1525.The queen was 105 when she died.The king was 107 he died.

The Election

Yesterday was 2 weeks from my surgery so I'm allowed to drive now. Brantley didn't have school yesterday so we got up early to go vote. Lawson had early voted but I didn't get to. My voting location was Brantley's school so it was really close. I remember my mom taking me when I was little so I think it's important to introduce our children to the process. Brantley had already been talking a lot about the election. They had a mock election at his school so he got to vote. We both got 'I voted' stickers. The touchscreens are just not as fun as the old booths used to be. I remember going in and closing the curtain, making your selections and then pulling the lever. Brantley didn't get to experience that but he still thought it was cool. And, it only took about 30 minutes which was about all I could take standing in line.

Happy Halloween!

Well, I'm a couple days late. I didn't really get into the Halloween spirit this year. Brantley still had a good Halloween. He got to go Trick-Or-Treating with Carson and went to a Halloween themed birthday party. This year he went as an alien.

Game 13: Blue Sox Vs. Team 10

Quick post tonight as I must be getting ready for tomorrow. Blue Sox won 8 to 5. Brantley had a couple of really nice hits. He got on base for the first, but got out at first base on the second hit. He also struck out in the middle. But, he didn't cry when he struck out. He did, however, get upset when he got out on first. He said he wasn't out and he said the kid on first called him a name. Last game is Saturday.

Game 12: Blue Sox Vs. Team 11

This is the only team that we play twice this season, and it's the only team where we have had controversy. Tonight was no different from the first game, except that the game ended with a score of 7 to 5 with us winning. They called one of our players out when he wasn't and John Luke had his foot on first base, caught the ball and they called the kid safe. I'm not sure what is up with that team. We actually can't call it a win technically because the game was called due to an injury and the lights went out. One of our boys took a ball to the mouth. He has a busted lip and it chipped a baby tooth. We were worried that it was a permanent tooth but the word came around that it wasn't. Thank goodness. Brantley got 2 outs when he played first base. His batting wasn't up to par tonight though. He got a hit his first at bat but got out at first. He struck out his next two and was extremely upset. Only 2 more games to go.

Game 11: Blue Sox Vs. Team 12

Brantley's second grade musical program was yesterday. I was travelling for work so I will have to rely on a review from dad. He did take a video but I haven't had a chance yet to watch it. As a side note that you all will get a good laugh at, I haven't been feeling well and I actually had to utilize the barf bag on the plane coming back. That was a first for me and so embarrassing.

On to today's game. The game started out a bit shaky for Brant. I thought he was going to lose it with his third at bat after striking out on his second at bat. But, he persevered and hit the ball. He got 2 RBIs with that hit. The game ended up tied at 7 and they didn't play the 6th inning because of time. Had it been spring ball, the 6th inning would have to have been played. Then, after the game the kids had one thing on their mind--cupcakes. It was Carson's birthday and it was their day for snacks so they brought cupcakes. Yum Yum!

Game 10: Blue Sox Vs. Team 5

Thursday was game 9 versus team 8. It was another great win for the Blue Sox with a score of 16 to 7. Brantley hit a triple with the bases loaded for 3 RBIs.

Today's game was a disappointment. The guys are just not morning players. Brantley had his worst game ever. He played catcher first inning and got hit in the knee with the first pitch. Coach pulled him out of the game and Jay took his place at catcher for the first 2 innings. Then, the next 2 were the innings Brantley was actually supposed to sit the bench, so he only took the field for the 5th and 6th innings. He was third base and the ball never came his way. He struck out with each of his three at bats. He said he struck out on purpose the first one so he wouldn't have to run because his knee hurt. It was all down hill after that. The Blue Sox did win the game with a 7 to 3 final score. I blame the bad performance on the school fundraiser. Half the team was at the school carnival last night and I think they were just tired.

Game 8: Blue Sox Vs. Team 9

The Blue Sox move to 6 and 2 with another win today. They won 11 to 7. Brantley played well in the field and had some good hits. Everyone was hitting and fielding well. They even had a couple double plays in the field. I took a couple pictures today. Once I get them in the computer, I'll update this post with them.

Game 7: Blue Sox Vs. Team 2

Brantley had one of his best games fielding tonight, but the Blue Sox lost, 16-11. We were up 5-0 after the first inning. But, we quickly lost our momentum. Brantley struck out his first at bat and played catcher the first 2 innings. Then, he got to play pitcher and he caught his first pop fly! He got another out by throwing the ball to first base and connecting with John Luke. (well, he told me it was John Luke, I wasn't sure) He also played well at Right Center backing up second base. He was hustling out there. He got the MVP award tonight so his picture is on the coach's blog until Saturday. Click here to check it out. Brantley thought it was cool.

Fun with Reading

Brantley loves Dr. Seuss books. One of his favorites is Green Eggs and Ham. I've always tried to to read emphatically to him and he has picked up on this. I'm really proud of how he reads when he reads out loud. Tonight we read together Oh Say Can you Say Dinosaur - which is not an original Seuss work but it follows the same style. It's cool to see Brantley really get into a book. Then, we read Green Eggs and Ham together. I thought it would be fun if I read Sam I Am's part and Brantley read the unnamed character's part. I know you are probably thinking, "Whoopee." It was really a lot of fun and Brantley enjoyed reading it that way. I think it helps him understand the meaning behind what he's reading better. I think he just reads words at this point and doesn't always understand what he's reading. Of course, I could be underestimating him.

Gas

Time for a non-Brantley related post. Because of hurricane Ike, our area is suffering a gas shortage. I've never seen anything like it. I went Thursday evening to the Eagles concert with a friend. He needed gas in his car so we drove up through Green Hills. (As a side note, it's a G35 and I have to have one!) I guess he remembers when this happened in the 70s. Every station was empty and his fuel warning said 17 miles remaining. I just knew we would be walking. We must have gone by 15 stations, all empty but finally found one. We had to wait for a while, but finally got a full tank. Because every pump was going, the pumps were extremely slow. I called and told Lawson he needed to go up to the station I saw earlier and get gas, but he didn't listen. He passed up 3 chances on Friday to get gas and got home on fumes. Yesterday, Lawson's tank was empty and I only had half a tank, so we drove my car to baseball and had the gas can in the car in case we saw some gas available. After we got home, Carson's mom called and was in line at a gas station and said Lawson should get there quick before the line got worse. He actually listened this time and went. An hour later she called and said she finally got gas and Lawson was about 4 cars behind her. Sounds like they only had a couple pumps going and it was taking 20 minutes to fill up one vehicle. I'm glad I got gas last Sunday, but now I have a little under a half tank. It should get me to Wednesday or Thursday and hopefully the problem will be resolved by then. The biggest problem is people are hoarding gas. They are taking gas cans a filling them, or getting gas when they still have 3/4 tank. Come on people. You are the reason why this is happening. Everyone panicked last weekend and thought they had to get gas and the stations ran out. If they had just followed their normal need, this would not have been so bad. I got gas last Sunday, but I was almost on E.
All this crisis makes you think about the things you can do differently. Now, I kinda wish I had gotten the Prius instead of the Accord. But, as I have learned recently, a Prius might not be a good choice for me because I'm not in the car very long with my commute, usually only 10 or 15 minutes. It seems that if you don't drive very far, your battery never really gets a full charge and it shortens the life of your battery. Kinda like how you are supposed to let your cell phone battery go all the way down and charge it all the way at one time to extend the life. Hence, my 2 1/2 year old car had to be towed because the battery wouldn't even jump. I'm guessing I wouldn't get the full benefit of a Prius because it would be running on gas most of the time since it wouldn't have time to charge the batteries and it would also hurt the battery life. Oh well, I'm not giving up that short commute any time soon.

Game 6: Blue Sox Vs. Team 1

The team got off to a rocky start this morning. Apparently, we are not a morning team. We didn't even get through our batting order until the third inning. Brantley only had 2 at bats. He hit a nice grounder on the first but didn't get on base fast enough. But, his second hit was a double with 2 RBIs. That got him, and the rest of the team, pumping. It's funny to see how the team acts in the dugout when they get excited. I love seeing the high fives and helmet pats. The Blue Sox won 10 to 7.

Game 5: Blue Sox Vs. Team 6

WOW! That's about all I can say. The game tonight was amazing. All of our guys were on tonight. Brantley hit a triple with a grounder to the fence. It was awesome. He also threw 3 outs. One was from the outfield in. I didn't see it, but Lawson said it was an impressive throw. He had a couple of other really good throws but the connection with the other player didn't happen. The Blue Sox won 17 to 8. I don't think anyone has told the coach any of the scores, but he knows they are doing well. You can tell he's loving it. I really like these coaches because they are always stressing having fun and being good sportsmen. They give a run down after the game and recognize good plays from everyone. And, for encouragement, they announce an MVP instead of giving a game ball. Brantley didn't get the MVP tonight, but he says he's working hard so he can get it. He understands that a break out game for him is different from a break out game for a less experienced player. And, it doesn't hurt when the coach tells him he had the ESPN highlight. I think that's what Brantley said he told him during the before game practice.

Game 4: Blue Sox Vs. Team 7

Another stellar performance by the Blue Sox. I'm sure everyone thinks I'm exaggerating, but Grandma and Pop can back me up. They are there every Saturday to cheer the team on. No strike outs for Brantley in this game. It was kind of a downer though because on two of his hits, a base runner got out and it was the third out. I also felt bad for the other team because their coach was having a bad pitching day. When the assistant coach came out to pitch, they were hitting but our guys were on and got them out at first. It was some impressive baseball. The Blue Sox won 11 to 1. Our assistant coach summed it up in the after game time by saying, "Now, that was baseball!"

Game 3: Blue Sox Vs. Team 10

Brantley had 4 at bats, 2 strike outs and 2 really good hits. Unfortunately, the strike outs happened the first 2 at bats and had his confidence down. All it took was 1 contact with the ball to bring him back, even though it was foul. You can tell in his stance when he's confident and when he's not. He had a really good catch at first base, although the runner got there before the ball. I told him that was still a really good play. The runner was just faster than the ball. By my count, the score was 14 to 12, Blue Sox won.

Game 2: Blue Sox vs. Team 11

We tried again to keep track of the score. I think we decided that we were down by one at the end. However, there was some controversy on a couple of innings, one of which I'm 99% sure they got to have 4 outs instead of 3. So, unofficially, we are still unsure of the score. Oh well. Also, I forgot my camera so no game highlights today. For those that remember James from the Spring, he was on the opposing team. His mom came over and said James had struck out each time and was on the bench crying. He pulled it out in the end and got a hit, thank goodness. That would have been a long ride home if he hadn't got it. Brantley had his first strike out today. And, as I suspected, was on the bench crying. I went over to talk to him and John Luke even gave him a pep talk. John Luke played in the 7/8s this past spring so he's a seasoned player. His mom said he had plenty of strike outs before. Now, I think he should be playing up in the 9/10s. He a little taller than Brantley and weighs 90 pounds (Brantley weighs 52 for a comparison). He can get every bit of his weight behind the bat and can really hit. So, even though I guess we lost, great game Sox!

Game1: Blue Sox at Team 12

Tonight was the season opener. We don't get an official team name in the fall, so the team came up with their own name. This season, we are the Blue Sox. Tonight was an amazing game, full of excitement. I talked to Brantley before the game about striking out. I was worried that he would strike out his first at bat and have a meltdown. I was worried for nothing. He didn't strike out even once. He even hit a double with 3 RBIs. Since fall is for practice, the umps do not keep an official score, but some of the other moms and I had to keep up with it. We won 21 to 12. I think everyone got at least 1 hit during the game. There were also some nice plays out in the field. I took a couple of video clips but I haven't looked at them yet. If I got anything good, I'll post it later.

Update - I did get his double with 3 RBIs on video....

Coco Chanel Freeman

Please welcome the newest member of the family. We dropped her off at the vet yesterday so she could be spayed and also have a microchip implanted. (Hey, I'm not spending all this money on her and have her get lost!) She stayed the night and we picked her up this morning. The vet complimented her on being so well behaved. She even had a bath without any problems and looked so happy when the vet brought her out. They tied the cute bandanna on her. We are supposed to keep her from being too active for the next couple of days. It seemed really hot in the garage so I let her in the basement. We can close the door and keep her pretty confined. So far, I must say that I think she is house trained. She has to take an antibiotic and a pain med for a few days. It's much easier to give her medicine that it is our cat. With the cat, you can shove it half-way down her throat and she's still not going to take it. For the dog, we have these treats that you put the medicine in. She loves them! That was even easier than giving medicine to Brantley. Brantley is getting used to her but he's still not very confident with her. But that didn't stop him from napping with her this afternoon.

Dog Update

The dog is definitely not used to being on a cable. She keeps getting tangled up. Yesterday, she got wrapped around one of my rose bushes that I planted earlier this year and ripped it out of the ground. I went out to replant it - in the rain I might add - and she was all excited and was running around. She ran all around me and the cable caught me behind the ankles and down I went. Not a pretty sight. Today, she was wrapped around the rose bush again. I saw it when I got home and it was still in the ground. But, she was so excited to see me, out it came again. So, I replanted it, once again. I think it will be okay since the ground was so muddy from all the rain recently. I think the root cause of her getting tangled around it is that she likes to drink out of the bird bath. No matter that she has clean water specifically for her, she prefers the bird bath. So, I moved the bird bath in hopes of preserving my rose bush. We'll see what happens.

On another note, it looks like Brantley has decided on Coco Chanel for the dog's name. When we were thinking about Cocoa as a name, Grandma had asked me if were going to spell it like Cocoa or like Coco Chanel. Brantley had already been asking what the dog's middle name was going to be, so when I told him the name Coco Chanel, he liked it. He's been calling her Coco and sometimes Brown Dog. She really doesn't answer to either though. Once the weather gets better, I'll take some more pictures of her.

We have a dog.

Well, I guess it's official. We are keeping the dog. We took her to the vet this morning and she received a clean bill of health. This was a totally different experience from taking the cats to the vet. We quit taking them a long time ago because it was so traumatic for them, and us. They were always inside and healthy so we didn't feel like we had to put them through that. Scrappy had to be muzzled and would cower growling in the corner if she got down. Pudge wasn't as bad, but they would be mad at us for a week after visiting the vet. The dog was so well behaved. We put her on the leash and let her sit in the back of the CRV. I sat in the back seat and held on to her leash to make sure she stayed in the back. She was a little nervous a first. When we got to the vet, she didn't even let Lawson open the gate, she just jumped out of the window. Not exactly what we had in mind, but she was fine. We found a really nice vet. I went online to find a close one. We thought about going back to where we took Scrappy when she died, but I wasn't really impressed with that place. It wasn't bad I guess, just not the best time to have your first visit somewhere. I liked this new place as soon as I walked in. They had a cage inside the office that had a chinchilla in it. And, the vet had a parrot in her office that would say "Hello Joe." She and her assistant were really nice and the dog took right to them. Actually, I don't think this dog would not get along with anyone. She has such a nice temperment. They took blood and a sample with no problem. She sat up on the table and was just as still as should could by while the vet examined her. She got her shots, flea/tick/worm treatments, and even let the vet clean her ears. I told Brantley the dog was better at the doctor than he is. We guessed wrong on her weight. She weighs 46 pounds. The vet thinks she is a British Labrador and doesn't think she is a mix. She said 3 years old max, probably closer to 2. Because she is post-partum, her fur is thinner and coarser than normal. She's also a bit thinner, but her fur and weight should return to normal once she's on a good food for a while. Another thing I liked about this vet was she didn't push the special foods that you can only get from the vet. She suggested Iams Adult dog food and she said no cat food. They love cat food but it can cause renal failure. I didn't know that. So, we'll most likely be taking her next week to get her spayed. They will also implant a chip while she is under for the surgery. With all the money we are going to end up spending, I'm thinking a chip is a good idea. On a side note, the vet did scan her for a chip and didn't find one. She agreed with us that the dog has been well taken care of. I hope that we don't do all of this, get attached to the dog, and her owner show up. Guess I should take the posting down.

On to other matters, we have to decide on a name. She doesn't really answer to anything yet. I guess she will get used to whatever name we choose. Brantley and I both like Cocoa, but Lawson doesn't. Here's what we have so far:

Brown Dog
Brownie
Cocoa (suggested by Carroll and Rosemarie)
Nicey (Brantley's original)

Help us decide. Make some suggestions!

Dog?

Well, a stray dog has claimed us. I've put her picture out trying to find her home, but no one has claimed her, not that I really expected anyone to. She's a really sweet dog, and well behaved. She's not so big that I can't handle her, but she's not small. She loves to play fetch. We've been calling her brown dog - remember yellow dog from Funny Farm? Brantley really seems to like her and he's trying to learn how to handle her. If we keep her, we need a name. Any suggestions?

That ain't no hummingbird...

I figured out what it is. It's a female downy woodpecker.

School year off to a great start....

Today was the first full day of school. I opened the front part of Brantley's back pack and it was wet. Why would it be wet? Nothing else was in the front part. Then I opened the back part and pulled out his daily folder, his brand new planner to keep track of his assignments, and a water bottle that wasn't completely closed. His project folder was ruined, but that's okay because I can get a new one - it's just a manila folder. His planner was soaked on the bottom. The planner was given to him at school. I went online and it seems I can't order one or get one anywhere. I emailed his teacher hoping the school has an extra we can buy. Then, I spent 45 minutes with a hair dryer drying the pages. Now, the pages are are crinkled at the bottom and won't lay flat. That's what happens when books get wet I told Brantley. He's devastated. He took it to his room and piled as many things as he could think on top of it to try to flatten it. Hopefully, he has learned his lesson (and we can get a new one!).

Vacation

I can't believe I have not posted in a month! July was pretty busy for us. But, summer is now over...school starts back tomorrow. We spent last week in Florida. It was hot and crowded everywhere! We went to the beach a couple times, Busch Gardens twice, and we went to Lowery Park Zoo. We also spent a lot of time in the pool at my aunt's condo. Lawson and Brantley got to go to a Rays game which was pretty cool.

I think Brantley's favorite part was getting wet at Busch gardens. Unfortunately, Brantley is 47 and a half inches tall (with shoes ;)). Had he been 48 inches, he could have gotten on a lot more rides. He did get to ride his first roller coaster, which I recorded with the video camera. Lawson is in charge of the videos, so I'll have to get him to post it. It was the scorpion, which I believe was the first roller coaster I ever rode. And, there were a couple rides that you could stand out side and get wet.

The thing I like about Busch Gardens is that it's also a zoo. We took the train around the Serengeti and this Rhino was so close to us, I thought he was going to charge us. They stopped the train so the Rhinos could move; they have the right of way. There was also a baby rhino that was just a couple months old.

Brantley is a total fish and loves the water. We swam a lot in the pool, and we did get in the ocean some. Here is my little surfer boy. (Click here to see the rest of our vacation photos.)