Patriots!!!

Talk about a big thrill for the boys today. My friend Wendy's son's birthday was Monday and to celebrate they went for a day of fun....they got to go to the Patriots Place which the home of the Patriots Hall of Fame. WOW!! They LOVED it! You have to understand, here in New England, we take sports seriously..... even as a child ; ) And here's another great reason to love homeschooling----they were able to go on a week day during school hours. Can you say field trip : ) They had the place to themselves until the end...and then there was only 2 other people there. Fun for them! Enjoy the pics.

Trophy Case

Replica of the locker room

Makes you feel like you are on the sideline.

From L to R
Jimmy (my friend Wendy's husband)
CJ (my oldest)

Chris (the love of my life)

My boys with the THREE Super Bowl Trophies

How cool is that!!

CJ, Zachary and Alex

One of the actual Super Bowl Rings
(sorry it is blurry)

Chris--The Enforcer

The kids (little and big) got to dress up as a Patriot.
Here, they are in huddle. Those are not the men.
It was actually interactive mannequins.
Brady called a play and everything.

Another Trophy Case
AFC trophies

Alex

Zachary

Boys sitting on the sideline.

Chris with Zachary and Alex

We had fun!!!!

Look Who's Sick : (

Nicholas on his pacifier nebulizer

Nicholas with his "fishy face" mask doing his nebulizer.

It has been less than fun around here for the last week. On Sunday of last week (the 24th) Emily (3 y.o.) started with a cold. As much as we tried to keep her away from Nicholas (4 months) he still got sick. He was coughing, running nose and just plan old yucky so I brought him to the doctor's on Tuesday. Since we were going, I figured I would have Emily checked out too.

We were told on Tuesday to just keep an eye on Nicholas. His ear drum looked "dull" but not infected. Emily however, did have an ear infection in both ears. Glad I brought her since she never complained of pain. She just was just extra quiet and a little whiny.

Over the next 2 days Nicholas seemed to be getting worse instead of better. On Friday morning I had a feeling something just wasn't right. His breathing seemed labored and I thought I could hear wheezing and crackles. I called and made an appointment for him to see the NP again at the doctor's office.

Throughout the day Nicholas would have episodes of looking better and even playing and laughing. They were short lived but there. He seemed to sleep more than he usually did. Back and force, back and forth I went. Was I just being an over-paranoid mother again? I keep thinking. Something just told me to follow my "mommy instincts".

I had an appointment that afternoon so Chris said he had no problem bring Nicholas to his doctor's appointment. Even as he was getting ready to leave I was second guessing myself. I even told Chris "When everyone at the doctor's gives you the-you again-just let them know it was my fault. I am afraid on missing something and ending up in the ER over the weekend." With that, he left.

Now imagine my surprise when CJ called me from the dr.'s asking me if we still had a nebulizer machine!!! I was shocked! Come to find out Nicholas has an ear infection and bronchitis. They gave him a breathing treatment right there in the office. We have been continuing to do them every 4 hours.

He is sounding much better now that he has been doing breathing treatments since Friday. He can actually sleep peacefully. He is playing and smiling more too : )

I hated to be right on this one but I am glad I went with my gut. Oh, btw, I am now sick with a cold.

18 Years...and Counting!!

~~Happy Anniversary to the Love of My Life~~

18 years ago today I was a young bride in love. I saw the world through rose colored glasses. I was ready to face the world, just you and me.

Today, I am more in love with you. I understand what true love is. We have faced many of life's challenges head on---together. They have made us stronger not only as people but as a couple.

We were so young when we got married. Can you believe CJ is only 2 years younger than I was? It is true. Most couples that young don't make it. But we have always been a team.

They said we wouldn't make. I bet they would be shocked to see us now. We are quite the couple, you and me. Better together, more than one would ever believe.

You helped me to see it's alright to have dreams. We have had many together so many still to be. I can't wait to talk about how great they were when we are driving around someday in our RV : )

I love you!!!!

Random Family Pictures

Random Family Pictures

Nicholas

Emily and Nicholas

My Dad with Nicholas

Sisters

CJ giving Jessie Birthday hugs

Busy Season

Today officially begins our family's busy season. Between today and the 1st of the year we will celebrate 3 birthdays and 3 major holidays. And we don't get to rest too long in January before our anniversary comes. Here's the breakdown:

November 15---Jessica's birthday
November 26---Thanksgiving
December 16----Emily's birthday
December 24/25---Christmas Eve and Day
December 29---Zachary's Birthday
December 31/January 1---New Year's Eve and Day
January 18---Wedding Anniversary.

Phew......WE ARE GOING TO BE BUSY : )

It would be easy to get caught up in the materialistic aspect of the season along with the stress. So how do we get through without going crazy?

First and foremost......downsize birthdays. Up until a few years ago we use to go all out, go crazy and broke. I am talking 2 parties per kid (one for adults and one for the kids) on the same day!!! I would invite kids over, along with their parents during the day. We would have games, food and cake. Clean up, and then family would come over....which meant another buffet of food (usually Chinese for family), another cake (btw, these are store bought cakes) and another mess! I was always stressed out leading up to the day. The day of, I was usually unbearable (I can admit it). It sucked all the fun and life out of the day. On top of that, my pocketbook would be about $400+ lighter between food, supplies, cakes, party favors and presents---and this is probably a conservative estimate. Afterwards, I was exhausted, broke and STILL stressed because I had another mess to clean.

A few years ago we smart'n up. Now only "milestone" birthdays have a party that is more than just our family. This would include--1st birthday and 10th, and 18th (I think, CJ isn't there yet). This is not to say that we don't make each birthday special, we just do it in a different way.

An example of a typical birthday in our house:
*Birthday child picks the menu for the day.
*No chores---great chance for siblings to bless the birthday child.
*No school--birthday's are family holidays.
*Present---This is when the child gets their "big" present for the year(instead of Christmas). We decided this would be the time to give the big gift (like an American Girl Doll or Nintendo DS) because it would be almost impossible to afford these kinds of gifts x 6 at once. Also, I think it would take away from Christmas. I would rather spend the extra money on a present than on a party.
*Child picks out what kind of cake they would like, either ice cream cake or a cake made by me.
*A special countdown song leading up to the big day.
*This year we added---each person at dinner says something about the birthday person that makes them special.

We have, on occasions, gone out to dinner as a family and something fun like bowling or mini-golf.

My children are just as happy with the way we do birthday now as we use. And myself? I LOVE it!!! My stress level is way down since I don't have to worry about getting the house ready for company. Instead, I get to enjoy the birthday child.

Today I brought Jessie to Starbucks to get a Frapacinno---just like Mommy, buy nail polish and a pack of gum. When we got home, I painted her nails as Daddy made tacos. After, she played with her new American Girl Doll we splurged on. It was a great day!!! Including her gift, the day cost around $120 ($95 on doll, $7 hairbrush for doll, breakfast and dinner under $10, cake less than $2, ice cream $2, birthday plates and napkins $3. That is a far cry from the $400.

CJ's Dream Car

My Dad came to visit today. To our HUGE surprise he told Chris to bring CJ for a drive in his car. I had to stop to clarify when I saw him hand CJ the keys. I couldn't believe he wanted CJ to do the driving!!!!!

Talk about a giant smile on someone's face walking out the door.

First thing he did was put the top down.

Cool.

Chris and CJ

Ready to go.

Buh-bye!

I went to remind my father that CJ is the oldest grandson.....then I remembered the technically he isn't (my brother has 3 kids we haven't seen in 15 or so years). Man, I thought I could get him with that one ; )

My Cute Nephew

Nathan Anthony
September 1, 2009
5:34 pm
7lbs-1oz
20 inches

Proud Papa

3 Generations!
Me, Niece Laura, Great-Nephew Nathan
Boy, that makes me feel old!!!

The New Mama with her little bundle.

The love of my life--Chris taken it in.
He is a natural with babies.

What a cute baby!!!

The Happy Family

I forgot how small they come out!!
I can't believe I will have one of my own on the 17th!!

Wide Awake : )

I think he was wondering if anyone was going to pick him up ; )

I saw the midwife myself today that delivered Nathan yesterday. She told us what an AWESOME job Laura and Brandon did with labor and delivery. I am VERY proud of the two of them.

Our family is extremely excited. With the birth of Nathan there are 5 generations alive right now in our family.

Nathan---age 1 day
Laura---age 19 Nathan's mom
Glenda---age 45 (46 on Sunday) Laura's mom
Joe---age 70 Glenda's dad
Irene---age 92!! Joe's mom

Giving Credit---CJ

What a summer!! I always look forward to September. To me it brings routine back to our life. Once the summer hit, I knew my pregnancy was going to fly by-----and it did.

But this post isn't about school, routine or pregnancy. No, it's about CJ. I have to give that kid credit where credit is due. He has been no stop with sports since March and it will not end until after Thanksgiving.

He has an enormous amount of dedication----whether it be to God, his family, friends or sports. When he has decided to be dedicated to something, he gives it his all.

God
I stand in awe at times at the dedication CJ has to the Lord. It is a steadfast, unmovable dedication that is not afraid to stand up to a bus load of football players firing questions at him from everything from dating, differences in religion to how he feels about the death penalty. And it isn't just the players......he will take the time to have real conversations with the coaches too. He doesn't back down when he has a bunch of teenage boys "trying" to tease him because he doesn't date. Noticed I said "trying". That is because CJ (not us) has made the decision not to date. Because he came to this place on his own, he has a true conviction---not just mom and dad saying "no girls".

On his own he reads daily. For Christmas last year we got him a Chronological Bible. He is working his way through. He also enjoys reading books on worldview. Right now he is reading a book by John Piper.


Family
Football started last week. CJ was gone ALOT. Monday-Wednesday he left the house at 7 am and returned around 1. Thursday and Friday he was gone 7 am until 5ish and Saturday 7 am-1. LONG days. (Again, this is where his relationship with the Lord is truly tested. He is now out in the world, with no parents around.) CJ said something on Friday that I found very interesting and showed me where his heart really is in regards to our family. When he came home Friday I was upstairs resting in bed. He always comes and finds me to say hello. After jumping on my bed (yes, even at 16 he comes in and jumps on my bed) we got to talking. We started off with practice, the team ect....When we finished he got up and said "I feel pretty non-existent with the family this week. I don't like it." WOW! The world would have you think it is "normal" for a teenager to want to be away from their family. CJ didn't like being away from us so much. He is family oriented. He spends very little time in his room alone (usually only when he sleeping, cleaning it and practicing his guitar--with the amp). He likes being around us. I will take it!

CJ bringing Emily down the slide on a recent park outing.

CJ giving Emily a BIG hug after going down. He loves that girl!

Friends
I would say CJ is known by alot of different people----but true friends are but a handful. He knows the value of having like-minded friends. It is extremely important to have friends that love the Lord, respect each other and be able to share your heart with. He is faithful to his friends and would be there in a second if they needed anything.

CJ and his friends doing the Polar Plunge on January 1st, 2009.
There was snow on the ground, 30 degree air temp
But their friendship kept them warm : )

I have also seen CJ be a friend to those who others would find less desirable. He has such a heart of compassion. While others may be making fun of someone for being different, I have seen CJ lend a hand and encourage them. Baseball season comes to mind. There was a kid trying out that had one short arm (I am not sure why) and wasn't very good at baseball. I remember CJ coming home one day from tryouts upset because this kid thought whole-heartily that he was making the varsity team. CJ knew the ability wasn't there but didn't want to see this kid crushed. He encouraged him during try out and helped him out. CJ was thrilled when they ended up making this kid that team manager. CJ did everything he could to make him feel part of the team and have him join in.

Sports
I don't know how he does it. Sports are non-stop around here. From March until June CJ played on the varsity baseball team at the local high school. This meant practice/games 5-6 days a week. The day after baseball ended in June for highschool he started practice with the town team. He had practice once a week plus 2-3 games a week. He also helped Chris coach Zachary's team and went to all of Alex's games. Then on top of all that, he made the All-Star team, which meant another practice and more games during the week. There were times during July/August that he played 5 games total over a 3 day period. He did it----and did it without complaining.

CJ pitching during a game with the town team.
CJ plays many different positions including
catcher, pitcher, outfield, short-stop and first.
Each team utilizes him in a different way.

To our relief, he did get a break between baseball and football-----4 DAYS!!!! He made the most of those days. Now football season has begun and that will be 5-6 days a week (a total of over 25 hours a week). It takes dedication to work your body physically that much a week.

As you can see, I am pretty proud of my son and the choices he is making in his life. He is becoming a great young man. I am enjoying his "teenage" years. Our biggest problem----ALGEBRA!!!!! In the big scheme of things....if that is my biggest problem than I think we are doing alright.

On the surface, if you didn't know CJ personally you would think sports is his life. A few years ago I might have agreed with you. But with maturity he has put it in its proper place. CJ has this as his tag-line on his emails----I think it says alot......

"If I'm only remembered as a good athlete, I've done a bad job with the rest of my life."

CJ's Big Day!!!!!

CJ's Birthday was Wednesday and what great day it was!!!!
My day started off at 2 am. I woke up and went down stairs. At exactly 2:19 am---the time CJ was born at---I jumped onto CJ's bed and started singing Happy Birthday!

I went back to bed after that and we all woke up to VANDALISM!!! Look what happened to our Suv..........

Isn't it AWESOME!!! CJ's friends--Luke, Tasha, Brianna, JoHannah, Clara and Allison all snuck over to our house the night before around 10:30 and did this! I LOVED IT!!! I can't believe we didn't hear them and the dog didn't bark.

PEDS--Beware. Courteny Jones

CJ actually stands for Christopher Jr., however, when CJ started playing sports at the local high school he got sick of the kids asking a million and one questions. One that came up often (right after homeschooling) was what did CJ stand for. He decided to have fun with them and tell them silly names----Courteny Jones was one of the names.

Danger**New Driver**
Stay Off Sidewalk
Jo was here : )

We actually caught someone while in traffic taking a picture of this---LOVE IT!! We drove around for 2 days with the writing on the Suv (we did have to take off the balloons and tp to drive safely).

Keep back 100 Feet

Here a few of the kids wrote their names with CEE JAY in the middle

Peds Beware!!!
16!!!
More names

To the back of the Suv was an empty milk jug that said "Don't drink and Drive!!!"
You have to give them points for creativity.

There was also a package on our front porch.
They gave him a "Cars" (the cartoon) birthday card
Then they wrapped 4 presents up in the local car ad newspaper.

CJ's presents
Band-aids---"In case of Boo-Boos"
Toy Car---"Car of your Dreams"
Sunglasses---"Wear When Driving"
Keys--"Keys to your Future"

Does it get any better!!!!

After breakfast we went to my OB appointment. Right after we headed to the RMV. I am not sure who was more excited about CJ getting his permit---me or him!!

CJ and I waiting in the LLLOOONNNNGGGG Line.

Chris----Jr and Sr.

CJ took his test and passed. We headed over to Olive Garden to celebrate the day. It was great having lunch just the 3 of us.

After CJ took this picture I looked at it and said "I do NOT look old enough to have a 16 year old, you do Chris, but not me!!! : )

My handsome guy!
Must be good genes ; )

Of course we had to have them sing to him.

The time has come-----
"I feel the need--the need for speed" NOT!

Chris brought CJ for his first driving lesson. Overall he did good. He just needs to learn to press on the break and a corner at 5---not 25!!! >: O

CJ then made everyone a delicious dinner, Fettuccine Alfredo and salad. We enjoyed an ice cream cake with the kids.

"Another picture Mom"

CJ re-lit 3 candles for Emily. Leading up to CJ's birthday, Emily insisted it was "her" birthday. Of course, because it was Emily, CJ fed into it each day. He actually told her she could have her birthday instead.

Emily blowing out her 3 candles.

We put the kids to bed and watched 17 Again with CJ. I don't know about CJ, but I had a fantastic day celebrating his birthday.

16, Wow! Can I tell you a secret....I know that you hear terrible things about the teenage years. I am actually enjoying them----atleast 95% of the time. If only I could get him to do his Algebra!