Athletics

I decided it was time to get active again. Jamee has always been involved in sports whether it be golf, basketball, or just plain running. I, on the other hand, have tried my best to refrain from anything that will increase the chance of showcasing my innate clumsiness. It's really more safe for myself and those around me. This week however, I decided to throw the past ten years of avoidance out the window and get my feet moving again, and boy did I jump in with both feet!

It started with golf on Sunday. Our church organized a doubles scramble, best ball and I was paired with a gentleman that did quite well. Together, playing best ball, we recorded a 36. I was thrilled with it. I hit the ball great and felt completely at ease. No pain. The next morning I woke up and I felt a little tightness in my shoulders but just figured I slept funny. So, Monday night we started the co-ed volleyball league. I had a blast and surprised myself with my lack of falling, tripping, and getting hurt! I'm definitely not ready for the Olympics, but I don't think I embarrassed myself too much. The next morning, the "tightness" turned into just plain OWW! My shoulders hurt, my wrists hurt, my knees hurt and I had two bruised forearms. I guess I didn't learn my lesson because I talked Jamee into playing tennis that evening. I lost 6 sets to 3 sets. No big surprise since I haven't beat Jamee once in our 12 years of togetherness. The pain was just compounded the next morning and my body was screaming out loud for a break. I took a couple Motrin and didn't do anything for two days. I was so rested in fact that I jumped on board when we had the opportunity to kayak down the Chippewa on Saturday. After 4 and 1/2 hours of rowing, one minor tipping, and a rain storm we ended up on shore...

Today, my shoulders feel as though I'm 90 years old and my knees must have something ripped or pulled in them. My back is stuck in one position and I have a bruise/bump the size of a golf ball on my thigh. I have a minor poison ivy reaction going on that had something to do with using the "restroom" half way through our kayaking adventure, and I'm certain one of my two wrists are broken. I'm a mess. The silly, sad part is that I'm going to start doing it all over again tomorrow night. Volleyball here I come!

Prayers needed...

My little sister Lindsay is pregnant with what is believed to be identical twin boys. She has done an amazing job with all that has been put on her plate these past 3 years. After suffering a miscarriage, she was blessed to find out (nearly 7 months ago) that she was pregnant. Then a few months later we were even more surprised to find out that she was having two boys and they seem to be identical! Her and the hubby have picked out the perfect names...Hudson Leon and Koen Alexander and now we are anxiously awaiting the boys. She has researched every twin site out there and registered for the most efficient baby gear available for a mother of multiples. Our entire family is bursting with joy...

Tonight Lin is in the hospital at 27 weeks in labor. I can relate to the feelings of excitement, worry, and downright terror she is experiencing as I went into labor with my first baby at 27 weeks. Thankfully, they were able to stop my contractions. She is in the hospital fighting for the same thing right now. Each baby is just over 2 pounds and both need to "cook" just a little bit longer. The message I've received is that the contractions have slowed but her cervix is softened so there is some concern still. They are going to keep her for 2 days for certain and possibly longer if necessary. If there is anything I've learned in my short life, it is the power of prayer. Please keep Lindsay, Alex, Koen and Hudson in your prayers and ask God to watch over and protect them. Only He knows the master plan and we can only pray that he keeps the boys healthy and Lin safe. Thanks to everyone.

Is Life Running Me?

Lately I feel as though life is running me instead of me running my life. I have this great summer schedule since graduation. No school and I'm working 4 days a week at 10 hours each and I get a 4 day weekend every other week, but I feel more rushed and unrested now than I did last semester taking 22 credits and working 40 hrs a week.

Don't get me wrong, I love the things I'm doing to rush around, but it just seems like as soon as I accomplish one thing, I have two more on the back burner. Needless to say, blogging is not at the top of my priority list. So here is a quicky about the past few months:

1. Grandpa had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance due to breathing complications (all is well-no worries). Unfortunately, Laney was there at the time and I was not. Everyone was spectacular in explaining to her what was going on. Even the paramedics were concerned with making sure the five year old little wee-wad was comfortable and not frightened. As the ambulance began to pull away from the house, Laney looked at Grandma and in all seriousness asked "Well, aren't they going to throw us any candy?" I guess she wasn't too frightened.

2. Brev has been BUSY! He just finished up the regular baseball season and their team finished in 3rd. This was his first year in Pee-Wee and they keep score and strike out now so the first few weeks were very frustrating for him. He went from being one of the biggest kids to one of the youngest and baseball became a game he had to work at rather than enjoy. At the end he started to get the hang of it and finished the season with a boatload of walks, a couple of RBI's, a couple of runs, a double and a triple. Not too shabby for his first year. The down side was that there were a few games when striking out resulted in dug-out tears, and as the famous Tom Hanks line goes: "THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!!!" So we have to work on that...

3. The first week after school ended, Brev had basketball camp for the first time. That is HIS sport. He loves everything about it. He and Jamee were in the basement each night working on skill drills and shooting techniques. His ball handling skills definitely improved over the course of the week. The next week he had football camp for four days. He liked football but wasn't to excited about the pain that comes with it. By the end of the week he was complaining about both knees, his ankle and his shoulder. I'm not sure if it's pain from the game or from growing since he's nearly 4 inches taller since last summer.

4. Jamee has been helping with the boys varsity basketball team. It's something he really enjoys and I'm glad that he's getting the experience.

5. Laney has found her voice! She talks nearly non-stop. It doesn't even matter what the topic is, she jumps from one to the next and barely takes a breath. I can't keep up with her the majority of the time and often I have to ask her to let Brevin have a turn to talk. Nearly every sentence begins with, "mommy..." I love hearing it but I have to admit there are times I really enjoy my quiet ride home from work.

6. Last but not least, I'm working on planning Lin's baby shower. If you can call doing absolutely nothing to date, planning. I'm hoping to go shopping today for some stuff since I need this planned by next weekend when 30 some people will be showing up expecting a shower. Oh, and I'm trying to redecorate my bedroom but my husband refuses to move our 2 ton bed so I have to figure out a way to paint around it...real classy. AND, I want the family room to be downstairs drywalled this summer and Jamee doesn't want to mud it so I'll be doing that as well...UGH!

Graduation accomplished

Well, I finally made it. I knew it would eventually be over but the sense of accomplishment is finally settling in. I had one crazy graduation weekend. My dad flew in from Washington for the event so we were all excited to see him since it had been nearly a year and a half since the last time. On Saturday, April 18th, I accepted my diploma with my husband and families watching. It was such an emotional moment for me after working so hard for the past 5 years. We all went out for a bite to eat at the local Pub and then Dad drove us home to play with his grandkids. I was ready for a relaxing evening at home, boy was I wrong...

Jamee and my friend Kate planned an amazing surprise party for me. Up until the moment I walked up to the building, I really thought I was going to "stop in" for a quick drink for Angie's "going away party" (one of the best things of the night was when I was informed Angie wasn't even moving...Yay!) I walked into a room packed with all my close and extended family and friends. It was such an overwhelming experience and I still can't put it into words. My cousins from the U.P. were there, a few of my aunts from the Byron side came with my Grandma and Grandpa Byron and dad, all my siblings and most of my cousins. All the pregger women in my life (Kate, Kerri and Lin) even scrounged up enough energy to make it happen. I was so thrilled.

So, I owe a HUGE thank-you to each and every person that contributed or just showed up to show their support!

30 years, ear infections and basketball

It seems like so much has happened in the past few weeks and writing about it just wasn't in the cards until now! Life just gets busier and busier!

Let's start with my 30th birthday. UGH! This was a day I was dreading since my 29th birthday. I didn't really want to do anything but hunker down in my bedroom and forget it was happening. My hubby planned a fun weekend though so I had to put on my game face and I'm so glad I did because it turned out to be so much fun that I truly forgot I'd punched my 30 and over card. We celebrated with lots of friends and family all weekend long. We ventured out to MP and stayed at the Casino with the Stipcak's and Duflo's. I decided I'd rather eat BW3 wings more than anything so we carpooled there and filled up on beer and wings and laughs! The Uptons, Matt White and the Guerreros met us there. I guess it's a good thing that Kate and baby like spicy food right now! Then Sunday afternoon Jamee made a good 'ol Italian dinner for the fam and Lin and Alex came down. It was so fun to see her little babies growing! She looked so cute in her maternity clothes. Actually Kate, Kerri and Lin all looked cute in their maternity clothes!!! I felt really blessed to be surrounded by some of my favorite people over the weekend, so thanks to everyone that was able to make it out...

Saturday Jamee had invited some friends over to watch MSU play in the final four. At first I was a tad miffed since I had a huge paper to write and a test to study for, but I love State basketball so much that the excitement sort of took over. What a great game! We had so much fun. We were all so wired at the end that we hired a sitter and decided to go check out the new bar in MR...smoke free, YEA!!! Still, we are lame and were home long before midnight!!! I think the same crew is coming over tonight but I don't know if I'll make it all night this time around...GO STATE!

Lastly, I took the dreaded trip to the ER last night. Laney had been running temps off and on all weekend and complaining that her ears hurt. My plan was to try to make it through the weekend and take her to the doctor Monday morning but she came up to me around 7pm last night crying and asked me when she could go to the doctor. At that point, I really didn't want her to have to suffer any longer so we bundled up (BTW, what's up with this winter weather in April..YUCK!) and as we thought, she was battling a double ear infection. She was such a princes in the ER though. When the dr asked if she had any allergies I told her no and Miss D corrected me and told the doctor she was allergic to mosquito bites. Then she refused to take the medicine they brought because it tasted "terrible." After crying for 10 minutes and me desperately trying to coerce her into taking it, the doc switched the med. She took it in her hands, smelled it, immediately stopped crying, smiled, drank it in one gulp, and as sweet as can be said, "thank you" to the nurse. The nurse started giggling. I looked at her and said thanks as well, and followed it up with a "so much for positive reinforcement huh?" Bottom line..I'm glad Miss D is finally feeling better this morning!

Three weeks and counting..

It's been a long time coming but I can finally say that as of tomorrow, I graduate from college in THREE WEEKS. I can't even fathom the idea of having the summer to my family and myself. The scary part is that I'm almost done but I don't know what I want to do next. Big problem. The plan was always to go to grad school, PA school to be exact, but now that it's fast approaching, I just don't know if that is where I want to be for the next three years. I guess it's time to really grow up and decide what comes next. Maybe after this summer break applying to grad school in the fall won't seem so daunting. Jamee told me last night that he thinks I should write a book. I think he really feels my pain right now and he is just as confused about my future as I am! Oh well, I believe God is in control of my life no matter what so we'll see what he has in store for me next.

My predictions...

Most of you that read this probably already know but I'm bursting at the seams and just need to share! A few posts back you will recall my ranting about wanting a baby and getting over it just as quickly when my sister and two close friends all became preggers around the same time...well, I just found out last week that my sister is now having TWINS! I can't believe it. Twins have a tendency to run in our family. As a matter of fact we're an odd bunch because they run in EVERY generation now insted of just every other like most fams. My sister was a twin (mom lost the other during her pregnancy), my mom's cousin is a twin, my grandpa is a twin and my great grandpa had twin sisters. Looking back at this cycle, boy am I glad it was Lindsay and not me!!!! I think I got out of parent hood pretty easy watching what she's about to take on but I have no doubt that God made her for this job and she will be a wonderful mother. Her laid back personality and how caring and kind she is with Brevin and Laney will be doubled with her own children. I'm so excited for her. Now we're all holding our breath to see what the sex is...

To top off my baby fever excitement (for others) Kerri called last night and had found out that afternoon that she and her husband are going to be the proud parents of a baby boy.

Kate and Matt are still going the old-school route and waiting for the surprise of what they are having on baby's birthday. Gosh, that will be an exciting phone call!

So, here are my predictions...

Kerri: BOY (I have to get at least this one right!!!)
Kate: BOY (I'm not sure why I think this but both her brother and sister had little boys first so why not continue the tradition???)
Lin: BOY/GIRL...my great grandma Betz had two sets of fraternal twins (one being my Grandpa) and both were boy/girl...plus I don't know if Lin will have more after twins on the first try so I'm hoping she gets to experience both. If she gets two girls or two boys that would be so fun too!

In truth, I just pray they all have healthy pregnancies, healthy babies, and hearts full of joy when the day arrives. Okay girls, lets get going I REALLY want to start shopping!!!!!!

You Make Me So Proud

It all started with a phone call...

For those of you raising boys, or who have raised boys, or lived with boys...you know that life is always very interesting. Although I was blessed with two younger brothers, one lived on the other side of the country and the other was 10 years younger than me so it's pretty safe to say I "grew up with sisters." Two sisters to be exact, and with a single mother, women ran the house so there wasn't a whole lot of male input...EVER. So, as I've been blessed with a "man's man" for a husband and a son a lot like him it's been an interesting transition for me. I watch and actually LIKE sportscenter now, and I can tell you every starter for the MSU Spartans basketball program...our dog was named IZZO. So, now when I get phone calls from parents telling me Brev and his/her son were spelling swear words in the bathroom or a group of boys were playing the "slapping" game (which basically consists of slapping your best friends across the face as hard as you can when they aren't expecting it and then laughing hysterically) I don't hardly bat an eyelash anymore.

But then my phone rang. The mother of one of Brev's classmates started out whispering (which I found odd at first) that her daughter had just gotten new glasses and she was excited about going to school that day and then everyone in the class was making fun of her. Immediately my ears turned red and I could feel the embarrassment and disappointment welling up in my chest. So I waited to hear what part my "boy" played in the harrassment of this poor little girl. She continued..."I just wanted to let you know" (OH boy, here it comes) "that Brevin went up to her and said 'I think your glasses are pretty and you look cute.'" I could have cried. I thanked her so much for letting me know, and added that it's nice to hear positive things about your kids now and then. Then I gave Brevin the biggest hug and told him how proud I was of him. I've always tried to pass the words my mom gave me down to my own children, "Beauty is only skin deep and it's what's inside that counts." This one small incidence reaffirmed to me that something we say does get through, you just have to be patient and wait for the benefits.

I'll never forget that phone call.

Sharpay, Sharpay, Sharpay

Well, for those of you who aren't involved in the preschool to preteen eras, High School Musical 3 finally came out on DVD. We decided to rent it for the kids (and did a 5 day rental...I'll get to that later). Laney was jumping up and down and so excited but Brev acted like he could care less. So, I grabbed some comfy blankets and Laney and I headed downstairs to the theater room to cuddle up for 2 1/2 hours of cheesy songs and heartfelt confessions of love. Soon after (5minutes to be exact) Brev snuck down "because he was bored" but surprisingly he never left the room until the credits rolled (oh yeah, he was breakdancing in the middle of the floor during the credits also...pretty interesting for someone who didn't want to see it). So, Laney has watched HSM3 approximately 5 times in the 5 days we've had it! I have heard "I Just Wanna Be With You" so many times that I find myself singing it in the car on my way to work, humming it in class and trying desperately to get it out of my head. Last night was the cherry on top...I was doing homework in the livingroom and Laney wanted to watch it ONE MORE TIME before we had to take it back so I told her she could set it up in my bedroom and I would be in shortly (because she HAD to watch it WITH mom). Next thing I know, Brev is casually making his way back there too. I hear him say, "Oh my goodness!" This is possibly one of the most frightening things any parent can hear from another room. I waited for the tattling but nothing came so I decided to wait it out a few minutes longer. Then, Miss D walks out in my knee high, black stiletto boots (that go nearly to her hip), in FULL makeup, and some crazy hair (like 6 barrettes!) and asks me if I can "dress her up cute like Sharpay." I finally believe that yes, these young stars and starlets have a little more influence on children than I'm comfortable with!!!

I Think I Just Lost Mother of the Year...

This morning on my way to work I was listening to a popular (local) morning radio show. They were reading the news...bad economy, GM bailout, yada yada yada...then they read a story about a man trying to get a kid into a white minivan by bribing him with candy in a school district too close for comfort. Thankfully, the child knew all about "stranger danger" and screamed and ran away. They also reported this occuring in other areas of Mid-Michigan. Then they issued a warning to parents about making sure you talk to your children about strangers and I realized that I'd talked to Brevin in the past but it hasn't come up with Laney. I was determined that when I got home that afternoon I would be making sure to explain stranger danger to them. So, we arrived home and our outside temp showed nearly 50 degrees! The kids were so excited to be able to play outside and not freeze so they ran out on the back deck. At this exact moment I remembered I wanted to talk to them about strangers. So I peeked my head out the slider and (thinking I was being a very proactive parent) explained what I'd heard on the radio and asked them what they thought they should do. Their responses were as follows: Brevin: "I'll hit 'em with a stick" (which he proceeded to pick up and use during a pretty intense ninja routine). Delaney: "Call the police." The correct answer of course is to scream and run away which I told them both and had them repeat. This is where I messed up. I went inside to do some light housework and following me right back in were two frightened little children that refused to play outside because they thought someone was going to jump out of the bushes and steal them away. UGH!!! I didn't intend to frighten just inform. Parenting is definitely a practice makes perfect situation.

Refreshed

It went by too fast but I'm feeling rejuvenated none the less. Alma College just gave me an entire week to myself (aka Spring Break). While we didn't do anything too exciting it was great being able to play games with the kids, take a nap on a Saturday afternoon and get home early FIVE DAYS in a row, and never once feel like I should be doing something else. I was able to go with Jamee, Brevin and Delaney to watch the Pirates boys and girls varsity basketball teams a few times while on break too but with my screaming I'm not sure they were too excited about it!!! Now it's back to the grind but with graduation swiftly approaching in April, I feel I'm actually going to make it through this 4 and 1/2 year ordeal virtually unscathed. I can't wait to find a job that supplements our lives and doesn't encompass it and get back to being a full time Mom which is what God intended for me to be. I mean gosh, even when we are at our dorkiest, I find my two little ones absolutely lovely!

GREAT NEWS!!!

Lately I've really been bitten by the baby bug. If you would have asked me in high school how many children I wanted "when I grew up" it would have been a big, fat ZERO. Then I was blessed with Brevin. A few years later Laney came along. Well at that point Jamee and I both decided we were completely happy and satisfied with our little 2.5 kids (one boy, one girl) family. Then Brevin stopped crawling up on my lap on Saturday mornings and Laney started talking back. With my baby quickly approaching five and my oldest believing he's nearly 16 (when in fact he's only8) the baby blues have been tugging at my heart strings. Then the other day Laney put her hands on both of my cheeks and told me she wanted to be a big sister. She assured me she would be a much better big sister than her brother and it was only fair that she got a shot at it. Playing along with her little game I asked Brev what he thought about it. He basically let me know if he had another little sister he would be moving out. Laney didn't care if it was a boy or girl though she just wanted to be bigger than someone. When I brought it up to Jamee he pretty much laughed (I had to be joking right???) He explained to me that I was feeling like this because two of my dearest friends are literally due a week apart in August with their first babies and it's just so exciting. Well, it didn't satisfy my itch one bit. Then the great news came...My little sister Lindsay called an told me her and her husband Alex were expecting their first little one. Itch...scratched! It's going to be so much fun playing with and loving a new little boy or girl in our growing family, and the best part is no sleepless nights, no messy diapers and no fooling around with bottles. I get to give little baby Piotrowski back to his/her momma and daddy when he/she starts getting fussy. I'm so excited. Now I just have to convince Delaney that having a bunch of little sisters/brothers isn't all it's cracked up to be...maybe I should have her big brother explain this one!

Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins

Oh, Delaney! You never cease to amaze me. I'm afraid you have too much of your mother in you. Your stubborness is overwhelming at times...like last night. Since you refuse to eat anything but chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, Dad broke down and decided it would be a good idea to buy you some Flintstones chewable vitamins. Maybe we would have been better off with Dora or SpongeBob chewable vitamins since you could care less about the Flintstones, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So, while your brother eats two helpings of salad, we can rest assured you are still getting adequate nutrition with your Velveeta Shells and Cheese (silly me, sometimes I don't realize that you can't eat plain old inexpensive Kraft mac and cheese because it's "yucky" and please help me remember that if I buy chicken nuggets with "black" stuff on it (pepper) it is going to be thrown in the trash because it's "gross"). BUT WAIT, you don't like the vitamins either???? Ok, I understand it doesn't taste quite like candy, but it is better than green beans right? So just chew it up really quickly and you can chase it with juice, wouldn't that be easier (and less messy) than holding it in your mouth for 25 minutes???? By the time you finally spit it out (yes, Nanny 911 would be disappointed in my lack of resolve) it is nothing but colored saliva anyway. Oh, and next time will you warn me you are going to do that so I can prepare my already weak stomach for what is about to be more than I bargained for in this wonderful adventure of parenting? The worst part of all is after you picked up your room (which really was a lame punishment), you crawled up on my lap, put your head on my shoulder, and told me you loved me so much with BIG BLUE PUPPY DOG EYES. Vitamins, gone...you win this time, but tomorrow, it's cauliflower in your mashed potatoes! Oh yes, mommy may not have a stronger will, but I'm still smarter!!!!

So I've been trying to figure out a way to let go of the myspace account that I never use and still have a way to keep in touch with family and friends and my good friend Kate inspired me to give this a try. We'll see how well I keep up with it! Jamee, the kids, and I just got back from one of the most fun vacations ever. We took a pre-Christmas trip to Disney with my mom and step dad. It was so overwhelming! It was so amazing to see the things these people came up with. I'll never forget the way my kids' eyes lit up when we first walked into the Magic Kingdom. I realized why it was "Magic" after all. I'll also never forget the multiple meltdowns. We learned by the end of the trip that if either of the kids started crying or acting out, they were either tired or hungry. I just wish we would have known that when we started! After fighting the crazy Northern weather, we were able to get a flight back in time for Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with the Cassady's at our home, and then went over to mom's on Christmas day. I was also able to wish my dad in WA a Merry Christmas via the telephone. Every Christmas I realize how blessed we are to have such great friends and family. In other news...I just started my last semester at Alma College, and will be happy to finally graduate with my B.S. in April. For those of you who know, it's been a long time coming. Jamee has been recently looking into going back to school as well with the job market the way it is, so I'm hoping he decides to go for it! Brevin just received his progress report...4 A's and 3 A+'s...I'm so proud of him! He and his Dad play basketball in the basement every night. I don't know what they are going to do when we finally finish the livingroom downstairs! Laney is doing well in school too and just started her first dance class. I had so much fun buying the leotard, leggings, dance shoes and leg warmers...oh yes, leg warmers are BACK! She absolutely loves it and I'm glad we found something for her to enjoy outside of school since she's been dragged along to many of Brevin's soccer and baseball games.