So true.....

This is so true ~~

Confessions of a Baseball Parent........
I used to have a regular life. (Actually, many of my friends think that sentence should say, "I used to have a life", period.)

It doesn't really seem that long ago. Then I became a competitive baseball parent.I used to think anything over $40 was an exorbitant price to pay for a baseball bat. Now the contents of my son's equipment bag are worth more than everything else in the house.

I used to be one of the leaders in my field of work. I still am. (You have to keep a good paycheck coming in if you want to support a competitive baseball habit!)

I used to think a double-header was a long day at the ball field. Now after two games we're just getting warmed up.

I used to look for fancy restaurants that served seafood and prime-rib. Now I'm a connoisseur of nachos and hot dogs and my kids rate a city by the quality of a tournaments snack bar!Sunflower seeds used to be something I would see at a store and wonder who would eat those things? Now I don't feel comfortable leaving the house with out a bag in my pocket.

My lawn used to be like a carpet. It was green, mowed, trimmed, fertilized, and watered. Now I have two big bare spots fifty feet apart and dents in the garage door from fastballs that got away!

My car used to draw admiring looks and comments. It was clean and waxed and shined and Armor-All'd. Now it only draws attention when it wins the "dirtiest car in the parking lot" prize or it is covered in "go team" shoe-polish.

I used to have a garage. Now I have an indoor batting area.

My friends and I used to spend Monday mornings talking about a round of golf or a movie we had just seen. Now I bore them to death with play-by-play descriptions of five or six low-scoring ball games.We used to sit and talk for hours. We still do, however, now it's to keep the driver awake when we're headed home late Sunday evening after a tournament.

My summer casual wardrobe used to be made up of color-coordinated polo shirts, cool cottons in bright colors, and the occasional "aloha" shirt. Now I have a closet full of T-shirts that have Tournament Names on the front and competing teams on the back.

We used to spend our summer vacation relaxing on the beach or visiting family. Now we hit the road with 20 of our closest friends in a caravan that could rival some small town parades.

I used to be concerned that I would fall into the trap of living my life through my kid. Now I know that I'm privileged to live my life WITH my kid, and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

YES, I'm a Competitive Baseball Parent, what could be better!!

For those who know me, you know my car has NEVER been clean and waxed (lol) and that our yard, well it needs some attention and always has!!! But the rest of it is so true!!!

Annie

Madyson and I got to go see the play Annie at the Bass Performance Hall in Ft Worth last night. My dad gave us ticket for Christmas. It was a great time. We had an all day 'girls day'. We went and had our nails done, got all dressed up, had a nice dinner downtown Ft Worth, and went to the play at 8pm. She was so cute and silly. As we turned the corner outside the Bass Hall, she was giggly and goofy. She was in awe of the outside of the place and even more impressed by the inside. I think now she wants to take drama classes!! The play was not over until 11:00 - she fell asleep on the way home! When we got home she went straight to bed and slept until 11:30 this morning! She was wore out! We had a very nice time together - what a great memory!!

busy....busy...busy

My goodness I have been so busy..... Things have been a little crazy, but really good. My dad has been here for the last week and will be here through Christmas. We don't get to see him very often, so there is a lot to cram in while he is here.
He helped me get my bathroom faucets replaced... what a learning experience for me, but hey I can do it now!!! Thanks dad! Also a big thanks to my nephew Kyle who helped!! He also tore out some beams and the bathroom cabinet in the kids bathroom, so it is well on its way to looking better!!
Our Home Team group did a community service project last night, and wow was it eye opening. We had the kids collect blankets from around the neighborhood and took them to Downtown Dallas and passed them out to the homeless. We decided that most of our kids were old enough to help distribute the blanket, so they went also. It was a great opportunity for them to see, that not everyone lives like we do, and how blessed we truly are. I think it made an impact on them. I know it did on me. So I think we are going to do it again maybe after the first of the year!!!
I think I am almost finished shopping! Maybe have one more thing to buy!!
I am excited, this is the first year that I am off work on Christmas Eve (Daniell's birthday). The kids are out of school and probably have cabin fever right now because it is too cold to go outside and play!! It is crazy, stupid cold... On my way to work this morning it was 26 degrees!! Off to take my car to my dad so he can check the brakes and to the eye doctor. Have a great day!!!

Joshua ~ Sweet Joshua

There has been way too much stuff going on! Not even enough time to post. I have been meaning to tell this story about Joshua ~~ My sweet Joshua!!
One day last week I was looking over his planner from school and the comment that day from his teacher just said "Please talk to Joshua about his drawing" ~~~ I think to myself - Oh great what did he draw. So I did just that, asked him what he drew at school..... He starts to tell me about some guy he drew with a star head. He went into great detail about the eyes, the body, the legs, etc.... I stop him and tell him to get to the part where he got in trouble. Then he proceeds to tell me he drew the guy arms and a hand and fingers (can you guess where this is going?) - Then he says "On one of his hands I drew his pinkie finger sticking up" ~~~ I know now where the question 'Do you think I was born yesterday?' came from!!! So we had a great talk about what he did and why it was inappropriate and what it really means. Because I am pretty sure he did not know what it meant, only that it was something he was not suppose to do! Have a great day!

WOW it is over

Thanksgiving was great. We had about 17 people over for the day. It was great to have all the family together. Of course the girls went to Garden Ridge when the football game started. I finally found some rugs for the living room. That only took like 3 years! We put in tile that long ago, and I just had not found anything I liked. My mom and James were in town. It is always great to have Granny around.
Kris and I shopped ALL night Thursday night (or more like Friday morning) lol. It was great. Then about 9 am Kim, Kyle, Mom, Madyson and I went shopping. We had a fun time. I lost all my steam about 2:30. I just love the craziness of Black Friday!
We have the Christmas tree up(thanks Kim), that's it... No other decorations up. Because of course, life is back to school, work, practices, appointments, and places to be after school! Maybe we can get all the stuff out of the attic tonight some time! I came home from work yesterday and found one of my cats in the top of the tree.... Hopefully when we get it decorated he will stay out of it. But probably not!
Happy Birthday to Kera! Hope you are having a great time in Hawaii.