Lots of Fun inspite of TS Lee

It was Labor Day and Atlanta Motor Speedway weekend this past week.  Looking forwardto a long weekend and a race, we packed up our camper on Wednesday night and Tom and my BIL Alvin headed out on Thursday. My SIL Shellie, myself and 7 kids headed out Friday afternon.  Yes, I said SEVEN kids!  Sure was looking like a beautiful weekend ahead in the infield at AMS.  We arrived  about late afternoon looking forward to the truck race that night.  I can honestly say that is the loudest racing I have ever heard!  It is nothing compared to the cars and even dirt track racing.  The kids watched the race here and there when they weren't running back and forth from our camper to the Coody's camper. 

Saturday we woke to the sounds of Sprint Cup practice.  When they say they'll start at 8:30 a.m., that is what they mean.  Bright and early and hot and sunny!  The humidity didn't help either considering TS Lee was on a direct path in our direction.  The day was sunny though and we all had a great time.  I have to admit that I took some cold medicine and it knocked me out for a while!  Sure was some good sleep too!  Saturday night, after eating, we along with the Spivey's, headed over to the Coody's for a good ole' game of cornhole.  It was the adults turn first and you would have thought we had just told the kids to go to bed!!  They did cheer us on pretty good though when they weren't laughing at us all.  We eventually let them have a turn.

 

As the evening rocked on, we listened to the Wrangler bus on the corner put on a karaoke show ... hmm...it was really more of a sing along !  Eventually we all decided to get some sleep and headed on to our campers for the night.  We had  lot more racing to do Sunday!!  Much to our surprise, Tropical Storm Lee was showing its effects and sure put a damper on the Sprint Cup Race Sunday night.  It was cloudy, misty, rainy, most of the day.  The race was moved up 30 minutes to 7:30 but the track was still wet so out came the jet blowers.  The blowers, pace car, wreckers, fire trucks and all were out on the track trying to dry it.  I would say that around 9:30 or so, they were about 98 % finished drying.  TS Lee had other ideas though and layed down about a 2 minute shower that was hard enough to re-wet the track.  Well, NASCAR decided to call the race at that time.  There sure were some upset fans, especially considering they were moving it to TUESDAY!!  WHAT???  I have to go back to work on Tuesday !!!  Are they crazy???  I guess so because they kept it moved to Tuesday at 11 a.m.  I will say that the weather didn't prove to be any better on Monday so they would have had to reschedule anyway.  Tuesday, the Martins and Coodys traveled back to Atlanta and both said it was freezing cold!  Sure glad I missed out on the weather but I sure wanted to see that awesome finish in person!  WOW!  What a final 15 laps!  Way to go #24 !  Best of all though, #48, Jimmie J, finished 2nd and no longer shared the points leader position with #18, Kyle Busch (sorry DB#1)!  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend spent with fabulous friends and family!!  Until next year, that's all I have on AMS for now!   Looking at the picture below....who says NASCAR girls aren't BEAUTIFUL??





Monday Again! Really??

Is it really Monday already?  This weekend sure flew by in a flash.  It was rather busy though so I guess it is the same as work.  The busier you are, the faster the day goes by. 
I attended the funeral of a classmate and dear friend's daddy who passed.  It was an unexpected death and when I say that, I mean, he wasn't sick, had not been in the hospital, or in an accident.  He had a sudden heartattack.  I am sorry to say that I really didn't know my friend's daddy but as I heard someone say to him after the service, "I didn't know your daddy but I know you and if you are anything like him, I know he must have been a wonderful man."  What wonderful words to hear.  My thoughts and prayers are still with my friend and I hope that he is reassured his daddy is in a beautiful place beside our wonderful Father Almighty and he shall see him again one day!
I guess we are all reaching the age where we are realizing that our parents won't be around forever like we did when we were younger.  WE may not even be promised another day.  We should cherish the precious times we spend with our loved ones, family and friends.  Call up an old friend to just say "Hi, I was thinking of you today."  You never know when you will get the chance again, if you do.

The rest of the weekend was go here, go there.  There will be a new Sunday School class at FUMC for "Young Adults"  Yep, that's me!  So, being that my mom is head of the SS Education, she and I went to clean and decorate a room that seems to have been used for many years as a "catch-all" storage room.  I have to say that we arranged, decorated and knocked a good bit of the dust down.  The floors were swept but could definitely use a good mopping and waxing! The wall color has a lot to be desired but we weren't there to paint so that will have to wait until a later date.  It is SS participant ready though and will begin next Sunday, September 4.  We also have a fabulous teacher who seems really excited for the class to get started.  Now...to come up with a name for our class....hmmmm, any suggestions??

Sunday was attend church, chalkboard paint a bulletin board and clip board, spray paint a wicker chair (which I didn't get to), take DB #1 to youth group at the church, go back home and cook something for supper, go back to pick up DB#1, return home, eat, and get things ready for Monday...uggh already??  Really, Monday, do you have to show up so soon??

Yes, Monday showed up all too quickly, just to start the madness over again!!  As I dropped DB#2 off at school today, I asked her if she was going to walk in to Kindergarten by herself.  Trying to be upbeat and encouraging, I told her she was a big girl and she could do it with no problem!!  I really was excited for her!  She seemed to have such confidence that she could take the long walk by herself last week.  I was the one last week telling her to wait until today.  Just a mama not wanting to let go!   But today, I was boosting her 5 year old self-confidence all up and although she seemed a tiny bit apprehensive, she got out of the car and proceeded to walk in to school.  I was beaming from ear to ear I was so proud and then ... it happened.  All the other kids that exited their parents car to walk in were SO MUCH BIGGER than my tiny little 5 year old.  My heart broke.  I could NOT believe that she, being so small compared to the others, was walking in by herself.  I wanted to holler, "Wait!" but I didn't.  However, I DID, before I drove out of the school's drive, call one of my greatest friends, who endulged me my "psycho mom" moment, and went to check on DB#2 to make sure she made it to class!!  I just had to have that reassurance!  My friend sent me a text and said DB#2 was safely in her class and grinning from ear to ear!  What a relief!  THANK YOU!!  My day has moved along much smoother. 

Now, I must go.  I am going to meet DB #1 at the doctor for his physical so he can particpate in cross country!!  A mom's work is NEVER done :)

Until next time......



 

The First Day of School

Today is the first day of school and although I am a bit sad, I know it is going to be a great year.  Doodlebug #1 started 6th grade today at the Middle School.  Yes, I said 6th grade :(  It is so hard to believe that he is old enough to go to middle school because I can vividly remember his first day of Pre-K.  I could swear it was just yesterday, too!  He is growing up entirely too quickly and it is at times like these that this fact is all to real.  He was a bit nervous but excited all the same. 

I am not sure how well he slept considering he was up AND dressed by 5:45 a.m.  Geez...that is just entirely too early for me!!  He got up, got all of the things he needed to do, done and fixed breakfast for himself and his sister.  I just can't wait to see how long this lasts before I have to tell him at least 10 times he HAS to get out of bed. I did hear him say, as we drove to school, "I am tired."  Yep, the 5:30 wake up time will not last long!

Doodlebug #2 crawled in bed with me for a few more minutes only wishing she could go back to sleep.  When that failed her, she asked if it was all right for her to just get up and get ready because she did not want to be late for Kindergarten.  So, we got up and got going.

Lunches were made, teeth were brushed, outfits were assembled and put on and Doodlebug #2 had on her backpack at 6:45 ready to go.  She just couldn't understand why she had to wait and why the teachers wouldn't be there.  I WAS the first day of school.  Didn't they know that?  LoL!

Finally, when it was time to leave, the nerves set in a bit.  DB#1 wondered who of his friends would already be there and if he would be able to find them when he got out at the break area.  Luckily, he spotted a group of them before we even pulled in to the turn around.  DB#2 was raring to go until we hit the 2nd ramp heading down the hall.  She just stopped and looked at me like she might change her mind about this big, new school.  She was UNUSUALLY quiet as we continued the walk to her room.  Not a tear was shed as she quickly started coloring. 

Yep, they did great and so did I, after a few hard swallows, trying to keep my tears and nerves in check!  I am so excited for each of them and I just know they will have a wonderful school year! 

Believe
Be the best that you can be. . .
Pursue your goals persistently. . .
Make you fondest dreams come true;
And most of all,
Believe in You.
~Author Unknown~

Welcome Back

Summer's over ... it was fun
Now it's time to get things done
Catch the bus and be on time
Standing straight in all those lines

Getting homework every day
Do it quick and then go play
Early nights and days so full
Following those school time rules

Do your best and you will see
Life will go by so quickly
For one day when you are grown
Your lessons written all in stone

You will know that in the end
These the best days you will spend
Sharing knowledge doing well
Your future has a lot to tell.
~Author: Francine Pucillo~

Have fun my Doodlebugs!  I love you both to the moon and back!!
Mama

What a slacker but what a summer!

WoW ... Really? 6 months ago since my last blog? What a slacker! I vowed that I was going to do better with blogging, if not for anyone else in the world to read but for my kids so they, at a far distant point in the future, will be able to have some wonderful memories and pictures of their "growing up" years. But boy have I been a slacker on that! From this point forward, I promise to do better. Okay, maybe promise is a bit of a strong word for me to use considering. How about, I will promise to make a better effort. Now, that, I can do.

Since my last blog, which was the start of baseball season, we have played a season of baseball and t-ball, travelled to Daytona three times, and have tried to keep cool!!

Our first trip to Daytona was for my sister-in-law's 50th birthday! Yep, I sure think we surprised her at Outback. Thinking she and her husband were coming to eat dinner with her best friend and her husband, she walks in to find almost her entire family there!! Her mouth dropped open so I will count that as a definitely surprise!
Baseball season was great. Doodlebug #1's team played their hearts out!!! It was a fabulous season. DB#1 played second base and I must say, he does a fine job at second (so maybe that's a mother's view but I like it). His bat was a bit off this year since he is now playing live pitch. It is definitely a transition for those who just moved up into this age group. I have to say that for the majority of the boys that did move up, they did a great job. DB#1 didn't have trouble getting on the base though. There were plenty of walks, a few hits and even hit by the pitcher once, dead in his helmet. Yep, that one scared him off a little and that is a lesson all players have to learn...sometimes you have to take one for the team. All this mom can say is thank goodness for helmets!!

Doodlebug #2 played her first year of t-ball and I had the best time watching all those little ones play. She claims they won every game and I didn't have the heart to tell her that no score was kept. Sometimes it was by a few runs and at others it was by 20+ runs. The imaginations 5 year olds have is such fun!! She didn't wear her neon pink helmet because no one else had on a helmet. Lord help us all if she were to look different, especially with a nearly glow in the dark pink helmet.





Our 2nd trip to Daytona was for the Coca-Cola 400. We have attended this race for a number of years now and have always had a blast! This was DB#2's first year attending and she was about to bust wide open with excitement. I have to say I am not sure about the new draft racing they do at Daytona. There's not nearly as much excitement as far as wrecks, etc. I don't say that because I want anyone to get hurt, that is the last thing I want. But, you know, it is kind of like hockey, you go to a hockey game expecting to see some good fights and when you don't, well, it is a bit of a let down. Yes, there were wrecks but not nearly the usual amount. I will say this, the BEST part of it all was that the good ole boy from Unadilla, DAVID RAGAN, won his first Sprint Cup race and it was certainly a joy to see that! Way to go!!!!





After returning from a long weekend at Daytona, it was only a few weeks later that we returned for a full week. This trip was for DB#1 to attend baseball camp at Stetson University. He went every day from 9 until 3 and learned a lot in hitting and fielding. I will say, if you are looking for a good baseball camp, Pete Dunn sure runs a good one! While he was in camp, the rest of us did next to nothing. I will honestly say that it was the MOST relaxing vacation I have had in a really long time!!! Laying out by the pool, taking naps, watching the Anthony trial on TV (which the outcome was a total disappointment), and doing just what I wanted to was so refreshing! The Friday before we left we met up with some great friends at the beach, soaked up the sun, let the kids play and thoroughly had a wonderful time !!

After the last trip, I honestly can say we haven't been doing much except working. We have taken in a few movies over the summer with the kids, attended birthday parties and gone swimming a few times but it has been so terribly hot that you almost have to stay inside! Not to mention the gnats that I believe if you could stand still long enough they would literally tote you away. I wish I could invent a gnat spray like a mosquito spray ... I might could make millions. Yeah, okay, so that's a long shot...ha ha

As I write this, my doodlebugs have one more week before they start school. DB#2 will be in Kindergarten and DB#1 will be in 6th grade (tear tear). They sure are growing up WAY too fast. Someone the other day told me that once they hit middle school, don't blink, because they will be graduating before you know it. That seems so far away but it was just yesterday he was starting 3K at the FBC with Ms. Angela. Yep, just yesterday. It is true that time flies.

As I said earlier, I will promise to do better. More than one post every 6 months will be better and I will try my best. Until next time, live your life to the fullest and tell those that mean the most that you love them.

Until next time....

It's That Time Again!!

What time is it you ask? Why it is baseball season!! Whoop Whoop!! Now, for the most part, I get excited about everything that my children are involved in but ball season has to be on the top of that list!

This year is even more exciting because Doodlebug #2 is just beginning her ball career and Doodlebug #1 is moving up an age group into live pitch. Yep, you'd think he would have already been involved in live pitch before now but that's not the way it works for us but that is totally beside the point! Doodlebug#2 is SO excited. So much so that she wants pink cleats and a pink bat to match her pink helmet! Can you say t-ball diva?! Well, here's a picture of her "pink" helmet. Now, let me forwarn you...when I say pink, I mean pink, not just a pastel color pink or a muted shade of pink...I mean P-I-N-K, like neon!

So this picture may not actually depict exactly the shade of pink I'm talking about but if you are one of the many who are around the ball fields where we live, you will know her when you see her :) The bright sun sure brightens the pink!! She may not actually be the only little ball diva with that color helmet and that is a-okay with me, just please be forwarned that if I tap your ball diva on the head, it might actually be because I think she's mine ... LOL You know, I sure hope she doesn't have some outlandish color shirt that OMG clashes with that pink helmet! She will be devastated at the mere thought!! As a mother, I will just grin and say, "Sure baby girl, that matches. Haven't I let you watch What Not To Wear lately??? Clinton and Stacey would TOTALLY approve of your attire! "

As for Doodlebug #1. He got his helmet for his birthday a while back and it is red. Yep, a regular color. It does have some type of metallic finish on it to make it look sleek or whatever they want to call it. I must say though, it IS one sharp looking helmet. See...

It's the new "low profile" design. WHAT?? Give me a break. It's baseball for heaven's sake. We are not all out there to watch the helmets play ball!! Just let it protect my child's head properly, low profile or not! Yep, that's my view on the "low profile" but it is most definitely not the view from an eleven year old! Sleek, metallic, AND low profile...wow, how cool :) Awesome!!

Entering into every ball season as we have done for the past 7 years, we have come to realize that the rec department is our home away from home. Last year, a few of us parents thought about bringing out a camper or two and setting it up. The reason? Well we would have a place to cool down on hot days, relax during down time, eat a snack (cause we all agreed none of us were going to cook), and just chill out. Well this year, my friend R.C. had a dream of having condos at the fields...I'm REALLY liking that idea! Our only concern is that we might possibly wish we had a pool! Oh Well, that can come next year...hee hee!

It is definitely here!! Sign ups have started and hopefully soon our life at the ball field will begin! (Remind me that I said that at the season's end when I am starting to draw weary of it all, especially is 100 degree weather!!) If you have children of your own that play then I wish them the best ball season of their lives so far!! Blog with ya soon :)