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....