Homecoming Parade

Nothing says hometown spirit than a parade! The football players, homecoming court, cheerleaders, the band and a few other teams all rode in a parade in Mishawaka today celebrating homecoming tomorrow night! It all started with a pep rally in the school and off we went. I say "we" because Gabi and I actually rode on the "Touchdown Club's" float. How cool to see businesses with their windows painted cheering on their hometown high school. It was neat to see people sitting on their porches or the curb or standing outside their business to cheer on the Cavemen! There was even an older gentleman dressed as a caveman waving a club as we rode by! It definitely shows alot of pride for our kids. Lovin' it! Go Cavemen!!!!!

Homecoming Week-Bonfire!

This week is homecoming week for Mishawaka. Each day of the week is a theme and today's theme was famous duo or group day. Trenton went as this group today and Tyler went as this duo with Drew. This evening was the bonfire...I guess it was only the second year they have had it because it was rained out the other two. Tonight was a perfect night. It was at Merrifield Park and the fire was in the middle of the baseball diamond. The band, cheerleaders and football players walked from the school. When they arrived the student council president spoke, Coach Curtis spoke, the Senior leaders on the football team spoke and the Seniors were introduced. The band played and the cheerleaders did their thing to get the crowd all rowdy. Hot dogs were passed out and the fire was lit. Very cool to be part of a tradition in a small town...looking forward to this week's game...hopefully I will get over this cold I seem to be getting. Tomorrow is the Homecoming Parade through Mishawaka. 40 floats have been signed up. Should be fun. Go Cavemen!

Adams - JV

Tyler had an AWESOME AWESOME game tonight against Adams JV team. He played jack of all trades tonight...starting as cornerback he was in a bunch of tackles and also made a great solo tackle (seen below in the second pic)!He also recovered a fumble from Adams!As halfback Tyler took a quick snap during a fake punt and got the first down! He also made some key blockings!Tyler also played some free safety toward the end of the game. Cavemen won 24-8.....5-0 baby!
Special thanks to my parents, Ben's dad, David, Pam and Bren, Aunt Marge, Shannon and Briella, Abby, Aunt Annie and Aunt Becky for coming to cheer on our boy! We love you all!!!!

Grasshoppers

Last week we didn't have a soccer game to report on because we didn't play...well, Gabi didn't play. We had such a downpour and the coach was out of town so we hadn't heard whether the game was still on or not. We opted to not go stand out in the non stop pouring rain and have Gabi play in it. So, this week was lots better! In fact, we were actually sweating while watching the game! She played against the Grasshoppers and Gabi played defense and Goalie this week again. Ben had to fill in as Assistant Coach because our Coach was out of town again so Trenton took over the videography for me for a while, until he told me after the first period that the disk was full. I had to take the camera and turn the miniDV over and would you believe during the short amount of time, Gabi scored a goal!!! Yes, she was on defense and yes, she scored a goal! HAHA! Her eyes lit up, she looked right over to her cheering section, hands in the air, jumping up and down, yelling "yes!" It was an awesome moment and I missed it on tape. I was so mad at myself but I had tears in my eyes knowing she was so excited! A moment to remember! That one goal made up for the fact that our team lost 2-5 this week. Looking forward to next week's game and watching Gabi play some offense!

Adams - Varsity

Another win for the Cavemen last night against Adams with an ending score of 33-15! Tyler played on special teams the entire game...kick off team, kick off return team and punt team. The Cavemen didn't seem to be playing quite as well as I have seen in the past so hopefully they get it together and come out strong next week. Tyler will have the JV game on Monday against Adams...looking forward to that.

UPDATE ON TRENTON-Trenton stayed home last night to rest and is feeling okay with pain meds. Looks a bit swollen in his jaw but otherwise he is feeling pretty good. Thanks for the prayers!

Wisdom Teeth

Trenton had three (two on the bottom, one on the top) of his wisdom teeth removed today. All three were impacted...two were pretty easy while the last one was sideways (front facing his tongue if that makes sense) which made it somewhat more difficult and probably will be more painful in the recovery process. We made it home though and he has already had 5 scoops of ice cream, some leftover macaroni and cheese and a tub of cottage cheese. Needless to say, he was starving. Gave him his first Vicadin so he should be drifting off soon. Pray for a quick and easy recovery for him. TGIF!

Still At It

For those of you wondering....yes, I am STILL running three times a week for thirty minutes. It was hard for me this past Monday to get out of my nice warm cozy bed after three loooonnnngggg days of rainy weather and when I get in this mode it's nice to do a little research here and there for incentive. Found this on running vs. walking. Came to the conclusion it really doesn't matter if you run or walk but what matters is the distance. So, who has time to walk 2 1/2 miles?...not me. So I jog or run it. And 2 1/2 miles has been my average in 30 minutes. Some mornings are really tough...some aren't. Regardless, reading through the info I have to agree with alot of it. I have come this far for this long...I can't give it up now and regress. Just like I wouldn't want to stuff my face with all kinds of junk foods because I would basically be wasting my time and energy. So, I will continue to run ... not only for my health but for a good stress reliever. I have to say, I really enjoyed watching The Biggest Loser Families last night and watching Jillian yell at the contestants that they "will NOT get off the treadmill unless they pass out, puke, or die!" And they couldn't touch the sides either! WOW. Sick, I know...but I got a kick out of it, probably because I could feel their pain. Point is...you gotta start somewhere and it's rough...real rough starting out. But once you start and have made progress you can't go back. You just don't want to.

Tailgate Foods

Made these to go along with our other tailgate foods this past weekend...they were a big hit with the kids ; )

Riley - JV

The Cavemen come away with another victory 44-6. We knew the game was going to be good when we saw he was Captain for the team for this game! Tyler got to play many positions during the game...he started out as cornerback and of course, special teams - kickoff return, kickoff team and punt team. He also rotated in as halfback on offense. During the second half, Tyler got to play quarterback. He had an excellent game - getting in on a bunch of tackles, including some solo tackles. Tyler also scored a two point conversion and played quarterback when the team scored their last touchdown of the game. We love love love games like this one!!! The team is 4-0! Great job, Tyler! Pictures of the game here.

Tyler's Party

We had Tyler's family birthday party last night minus a few family members who were out of town or not feeling well. Had a good time talking and having some yummy cake and ice cream. It was a nice change of pace from watching the rain pour down! Still can't believe Tyler is 16 years old already.

Fightin' Irish!

Weather...not so good right now, unless you are a duck. BUT, it cleared up long enough to do a little tailgating before the Irish took on the Wolverines. Had a good time eatin' burgers and dogs, smack talking the Michigan fans, and playing some corn hole! Dave, Ben, Trenton and Tyler went in to watch the game while Gabi and I headed home to get ready for a birthday party she was invited to. Lucky for us, the rain held out till we got home to watch the Irish win!!!!

Riley - Varsity

Tyler played some Varsity last night against Riley. Basically kickoff team, kick return team and punt team. Tyler got to get in as halfback in the last few minutes of the game. It was a wet evening but the Cavemen secured another victory...28-6. Great job, Tyler!

Saturday

Can you tell where we'll be on Saturday?????!!?? Just hoping the weather cooperates : /

Go Irish!

Best Game Yet!

Against St. Joe's JV team. Tyler's best game thus far!!! He was in on a bunch of tackles, caught an interception, blocked a pass, ran the ball for a total of 16 or so yards, AND blocked for a bunch of runs!! All in the pouring down rain!!! And he loved it!!!! The Cavemen came away with a win 30-20 and lots of very muddy uniforms and bodies....LOL

Surprise!...or not.

We tried to surprise Tyler yesterday with a sweet 16 party. "Tried" is the key word though. He is quite the sneaky boy (Ben says he gets that from me-go figure) and decided to look through my cell phone's text messages a while back when it was in the planning stages. Regardless, the kids had a good time. We rented out Outpost because Tyler has taken a liking to sand volleyball lately. We got the whole place - I think a total of maybe 8-10 courts, Satellite radio and a cool deck complete with lots of tables and chairs to have food and drinks for breaks. We invited about 45 people and I would say just over half came. Some showed up for a little while and had to leave for work, while others came late from work so there were quite a few in and out. The others were either sick or had somewhere else to be, which was okay. We had burgers and hot dogs, chips, doritos, cupcakes, waters and soda. We tried out several different tournaments - twosomes and threesomes and everyone was chomping at the bit to have Ben (the biggest kid) on their team. I'll tell you...when it comes to volleyball, he fits right in with the kids (hahaha). Tyler had a great time - surprised or not. Happy 16th Tyler!!!! At this point...he just wants his license ; ) Pictures here from his party.

First Soccer Game

Gabi played the Shooting Stars this morning...first soccer game and she did awesome! She actually played against Ben's cousin's (Joe) team and played against her cousin, Allison. The score ended up being tied (not even sure if they actually keep score) 1-1. Good enough. Gabi had some awesome kicks playing defense and she played goalie once (but didn't even have to play the position for the quarter). Had lots of family come to cheer her on...in fact, she said to me afterwards at lunch, "it was so awesome having so many people cheer for ME." That girl is so used to watching everyone cheer on those brothers of hers that she just isn't used to the attention. We were proud of our baby girl today! Thanks to everyone who showed up to watch her and cheer her on...my parents, Ben's dad, Dave, Pam and Bren, A Annie, A Becky, Trenton, Tyler, Abby and Elizabeth. Thanks for making that cheering section!

St. Joe Varsity

The Cavemen lost their first game of the season to St. Joe 10-22 last night. Tyler made kickoff team and punt team so he got to get in the game quite often last night. Tyler played his position well during the entire game and had some good blocks. Very proud! St. Joe proved to be a very tough team and I have a feeling they will advance pretty far. We have their JV team on Monday so we are looking forward to that.

Tyler

My baby son turns 16 years old today! Tyler...16 interesting things about Tyler...

1. He loves Reeses peanut butter cups!

2. Tyler loves to play football and loves wrestling

3. He cheers for ND football and the Indianapolis Colts

4. Tyler is quiet until you get to know him

5. He is a softie...can be emotional and I love that about him

6. Tyler is very caring

7. He loves his cousins...Bren, Presley, Addy, Reese, Travis and Mackenzy

8. Gets along well with Trenton and Gabi (for the most part)

9. Has taken a liking to sand volleyball lately

10. Looks like his dad ; )

11. Can fold his tongue in half

12. Likes macaroni and cheese on his hot dog!

13. Tyler has the brains...he is ranked 14th in his sophomore class

14. Loves roller coasters

15. His friends call him "waldo" cuz he resembles him (from "Where's Waldo")

16. He isn't ashamed to hug his mom and dad and I love that!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY BOY! Have a good day! We love you lots!

Senior Pictures

Last month we did a photo shoot of my side of the family because it has been quite some time since we did one last. I decided to have Chad shoot some of Trenton for his Senior Pictures, knowing he has a great camera and probably could do just as good as the portrait studios. Well, he came through for us. Here are the three photos I chose to make copies of and will be handing out...

Still can't believe he is a senior!

Trouble

Having some trouble with shutterfly...not sure why, so I fixed the link to the pictures in my last post (to snapfish). Hopefully it will work now...

Labor Day Weekend

35...yikes...and yes, that's how old I am now. I remember thinking 35 was old back when I was 16! I told Ben I have almost lived to 18 years of age, twice! That's scary! Anyways, couldn't have asked for a better weekend - the weather was awesome! We had made plans to camp over the long holiday with my brother and his family at the beginning of the year. Little did we know, we would have two football games to attend so we just decided we would go up to the campground as soon as Tyler's JV game ended on Saturday (save on gas). We got to the campground just in time to attend the dance on Saturday night. The kids loved it. Sunday morning we had some visitors...Abby and Elizabeth drove to see us and spend the day. My parents also made the trip to the campground to help celebrate my birthday. My mom even got a cake from West End. I felt special!!! Sunday included golf cart rides, walks, sand volleyball, swimming, visit with Yogi, Cindy, Boo Boo and the Ranger, s'mores, cookout including hamburgers and t-bone (just for Tyler and me)! Sitting around the fire on Sunday night was special for me. Trenton had us cracking up with his Chris Farley impressions and talking about funny movies. Definitely a time to remember and etch in our memories. Monday was just as beautiful. Got many happy birthday wishes from lots of family/friends at home. Had to get Tyler home for practice by 5 pm so we hurried on our way, but got to enjoy some Coldstone ice cream! Lovin' the birthday club!! Got my favorite! All lovin' no oven! YUM!!! Definitely tired by last night but ready for another week. Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes and love my way!!! Pictures from the weekend here.

LaPorte

JV game on Saturday was against LaPorte. Tyler dressed for the Varsity game on Friday night but didn't get any play time in...just too close of a game. He got plenty of defense action on Saturday though as he played just cornerback. Tyler got in on lots of tackles. The team was a little slow starting out but pulled it together by the second half and won with a final score of 22-7. Ben's dad, Pam and her family, Shannon and some of her family, Aunt Marge, and my parents were all in attendance to cheer Tyler on. Uncle Dave was on his way to the Michigan game...didn't turn out as good as he would have hoped...sorry, Dave!

Dinner Date

Ben put in a plan of attack last week to take me on a dinner date for my birthday last night. Because of our schedules, well, the boys' schedules, it seems harder and harder to make "husband/wife" time. It worked out well for us last night though. Trenton and Tyler watched Gabi. I ordered a pizza for delivery for them and off we went. Ben wouldn't tell me where we were going...he wanted it to be a surprise. We usually always went to our favorite place to eat as a couple (1. because it's very expensive, 2. because it had a romantic setting, and 3. it took a while to eat there so it gave us plenty of alone time, and 4. it's a special place for us since we have gone there since we were a high school couple) - the Fondue Parlor. We eventually incorporated the dining into taking the whole family for Christmas. This past Christmas we found out it had closed. Very disappointed. So, Ben decided to take me elsewhere - somewhere I would be surprised, and I was. This place was very nice! Beautiful atmosphere, quiet and YUMMY YUMMY food. I am not lying when I say it was the best steak I have ever had. I started out my dinner with a spinach salad, shared a Porterhouse for two with mashed potatoes, and Ben ended his dinner with Bread Pudding (he shared a couple of bites with me) but I took my Birthday Chocolate Mousse home to be eaten later. Nice place. I have to say I liked this place better than LaSalle Grill...maybe not so much better than Fondue, but it was close. Thanks, honey, for taking me away from it all for a little while. I am enjoying these alone times more and more, ya know.

First Practice

Gabi's first soccer practice was this evening. Ben and I gladly took her and watched. Started out by introductions, some stretches, some drills and a practice game. Looks like alot of her team mates know how it's done. Gabi fit in very well!