St. Johns Redskins 2A Football State Champs

I just had to share this story. It is awesome. My nephews play for the St. Johns Redskins football team. My alma mater, I might add. This team from a small town took the 2A state football championship last week against a private school from Phoenix. That is amazing by itself, however, the story behind it, is unbelievable.

Early on in their season, they were losing. They lost their first three games. The quarterback, Randall Raban, is a member of my church. He did not like the way the team was behaving. He got all the team members and the coaches to sign a no cussing contract. He also requested that they pray before and after games. The team and coaches agreed, and they started winning. Even more than this, they decided they were going to be a team of high moral standard. That they did not just want to be better players, but better people. That they were going to treat every team member and every team that they played with respect. As a team, every Wednesday, they would find some sort of community service project. They cut and stacked wood for widows and elderly folks. This team only had five seniors on the team, so no one thought they would win.

The day of the game, they were tied and went into overtime. Each team would have a chance to run a series of plays. The other team went first, scored a touch down and kicked the ball in for the extra point. Everyone thought they had won. Then it was SJ's turn. They scored their touchdown, called time out, and decided they were either going to win or lose with their last play. They decided to run the ball in for the two points. They did it. There is really no reason for them to have won. If you look at the stats from the game alone, the other team should have won. I think because of this team's commitment to higher moral standards, they received a little Heavenly help that day.

I thought it was a really cool story.

Back to Life, Back to Reality....

It was so hard to get up this morning and return to our regular schedule. I tell you 5:30 is very early. The kids were pretty good to get going, and we had a successful morning.

It was so wonderful to spend a weekend with my family. James and the kids were outside a lot of the time, raking leaves. They filled forty bags of leaves in the back yard, and they are only half way done, and have not even started on the front yard. That is what happens when you have thirty trees in your yard. I was no help at all, as I have caught a nasty little cold, that has now spread to every member of my family except Nathan. James and Kerrie are missing work/school today because they are under the weather. The others have recovered enough to return to school today.

We spent a lot of time playing games and watching holiday movies. I love the Christmas season. I love the holiday movies on Hallmark channel. One of my favorites is White Christmas. James even sat and watched that one with me.

We did not get our tree up, as we have no tree, and need to buy one. It used to be our tradition to go to the tree farm the weekend of Thanksgiving, and cut down our own Christmas tree. One year, we did that, and for whatever crazy reason, I was all of a sudden allergic to fresh trees. I could not walk into the room with the tree without breaking out in hives. It was horrible, and we ended up taking the tree down a week before Christmas. I so miss cutting down our own tree. We gave away our fake tree because it was so heavy, and hard to store. So now I am in search of a new fake tree.

Turkey or no Turkey?

I thought we had Thanksgiving all planned out. I was not going to cook a turkey. We just don't love it, and it seemed a bit silly to go to all that work for something that we all kind of like. So I planned on making meatballs & rice, green bean casserole, salad, rolls, mashed potatoes, and pie. Well, a few days ago, I was feeling all sorts of bad about the turkey. It just does not seem right. So I compromised with myself, and I'm doing a turkey breast also. James has been laughing at me over this whole drama I have created. He just keeps saying, whatever you want honey.

Now, the turkey. A few years ago, I put our turkey in brine, and it is much better that way. I started researching recipes online, and found one I am going to try this year. It is a maple brine. It sounds fabulous, with brown sugar, maple, sea salt, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorn. I have also had to research the process for a turkey breast versus a whole turkey. I discovered that you cannot brine it as long, or it will be horrible. The rule is one hour per pound, so I only have to brine for about three hours. My mother in law gave me a cookbook many years ago, that has a no fail, turkey cooking recipe. After washing the brine off the turkey, and drying it, you coat the turkey with shortening, then put it in a brown paper grocery bag. Close the bag, and roll it then staple the bag shut, leaving no holes for air to get in. I found that if I spray the bag with pam, it does not stick at all. Then you cook it at 325. If the turkey is over 12 pounds, you cook it for 20 minutes per pound. If under 12 pounds for 30 minutes per pound. The coolest part of this recipe is you do not have to do anything else. You just let it cook, and it comes out beautifully brown and tasty. It has worked every time for me.

My mother is following this brine and turkey cooking recipe as well. I told her, if it turns out bad, don't blame me, but if it is wonderful, I get all the credit.

I guess, we are having a somewhat traditional Thanksgiving. Although for me, it still feels a little too much like dinner, because it is just my family. I grew up with huge gatherings of people, and amazing quantities and variety of food. Although things are changing with my family. There are just too many of us now to all get together. Seven of my siblings are either grandparents, or are soon to be grandparents, and they are starting traditions of their own with just their families. It is a little sad to me, but inevitable with the size.

James, on the other hand, is used to small family Thanksgivings. His parents are immigrants to this country, so he did not grow up with extended family around him.

We have some fun things planned. The one I am most excited about is, Hairspray. It is out on DVD, and I bought it yesterday. We are going to watch that tomorrow, and also play games. It should be a relaxing fun day.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope all of you have a wonderful family filled day. To my family, I hope you know you are in our thoughts, and we wish we could be with you tomorrow. We will talk on the phone though, and that helps. To those lucky enough to be going on a cruise (you know who you are) I hope you have a really fun time, and happy anniversary.

Bishop's Helper

Yesterday we had tithing settlement. This always makes me nervous. Every time we visit with the Bishop as a family, one of my kids is being obnoxious. They were pretty good this time, except for Nathan. He had all of us laughing. Poor Bishop. He was trying to talk to each of the kids about the importance and blessings of tithing, and we were all laughing at Nathan. Here's what happened.

When we walked into the room, there were only seven chairs in front of Bishop's desk. All the kids rushed in and took the chairs, and Nathan seeing that there were not enough decided to sit in the chair right next to Bishop's. I tried to get him to come sit on my lap, but he wanted nothing to do with that. Bishop, who is so patient, said it was okay for him to sit there. Every few seconds, Nathan would move his chair closer to the Bishop. Of course, while doing this, he is smiling his innocent, what did I do, smile. Pretty soon he was right next to Bishop Nuss. I have to hand it to Bishop, he just smiled and moved his chair over, and completely shared the desk with Nathan. I was just waiting for what Nathan was going to do next. He did not disappoint. He started trying to open the desk, and to peek in Bishop's planner. I said his name more than once in that, I mean business, mom voice. However, we could not help but laugh at him. James asked him after if he liked being in charge with Bishop. He just smiled and said yep. I am glad Bishop Nuss is a very understanding man.

Maryland Youth Symphony

Today, Ashley auditioned for the Maryland Youth Symphony. She made it! We are pretty excited for her. They are playing Hollywood songs for their concert in January. Songs like, Star Wars, The Sea Hawk, etc. She is thrilled to be playing for this group. It is challenging music, and she will have to practice a lot to get it, but I think it is going to be worth it. It was exciting to listen to them practice. This is going to add a lot to my life, but that is what you do when you have kids. She will be at rehearsals every Saturday from 1:00-4:30 pm. That is a long time. They want Kerrie to audition for the preparatory orchestra in December. If she makes that, then she will rehearse from 10:00-12 noon, every Saturday. Crazy, but very good.

Scent Quiz

Thanks Jenni, this was really fun.

Your Scent is Lemon

Vivacious, tangy, and lively You are one gigantic ball of energy!

What's Your Girl Smell?

Knitting

Kerrie has been taking knitting after school. I was pretty excited when they offered this class. Kerrie has a natural talent for things of this nature. She learned to tie quilts when she was five, and took sewing in elementary school. So, now she is the happy knitter. She taught Ashley how to do it as well. A couple of nights ago, she taught me. I must say, it is really fun. She only knows the basic knitting stitch, but has made a bookmark, and is now making a scarf. She and Ash have decided they want to make scarves for everyone in the family, for Christmas. I think it is a bit ambitious, but I'm not about to stop them from trying. I work on it a little for them as well. It is fun to have this in common with them.

Saturday

Saturday we went for a walk in the woods with our family. It was wonderful to see the beautiful fall colors, and feel the crisp fall air.

Tough Day

Sometimes I get feeling like things aren't so hard with a lot of kids, then WHAM days like today happen, and I feel like I have a crazy life. So here is my day:

I took Nicolaas, Amanda & Ashley to their yearly physical exams. It was not originally planned this way, but it worked out this way, so okay I will role with it. Nic's appointment was at 8:10 am, and Amanda and Ashley at 9:30. I was thinking they could get the girls in early, but no, the girls were the doc's first appointments of the day. They see a female doc, and Nic a male doc. So, after Nic was done, we waited for an hour. My girls were so naughty, as in two year old behavior. I tell you, it was embarrassing. Then we get in, and they put the girls in two different rooms, so I was the running crazy mom. Also, I didn't want to have Nic in the waiting room, so he was playing musical rooms as well. During Ashley's exam, the doctor checked for scoliosis, and guess what? She has it. The doctor ordered an x-ray to see the severity of the problem, and then we will see. This is not happy news, as I just had a niece have surgery for this, and it was horrible for her. I do not want Ashley to have to go through that. Then both girls got a vaccine, which is never fun, and we were done. I got Amanda and Nicolaas to school, then headed off to get the x-ray for Ashley.

We got to the radiologist's, and found out, they do not do those kind of x-ray's in their Columbia facility, and that I needed to go to Glen Burnie. (I don't think so) So, I called the doctor's office back, and got another order for a different facility. Back to the doc's office to pick it up, then to another radiology office. She got the x-ray, and we waited for the technician to bring out a copy (the doc told us to get one) We sat for half an hour, and no copy. Finally I went up and asked, and the technician came out and told me, I didn't request a copy. I told her it was on the order, which apparently they do not read, so it was my fault according to her, that I did not have them in hand. Finally we head out the door with the x-rays. The doctor called us after she got the x-ray report, and it was not good news. She has a 25 degree curve, and the doc wants her to see a specialist. This is very frightening for us.

In the midst of all my craziness, James was dealing with a little of his own. I am really glad he had the day off, as this would have been horrible without his help. He stayed home with Kelsie, and got her to the school. Then he picked up Nathan to take him to his dentist appointment. He has been having pain while eating, so I thought he had a cavity. James dropped Kelsie at home, to open the door for Amanda (who has lost her key to the house, so note to self, get another house key) Then headed to the dentist. He called me just as I was leaving the x-ray place, and asks, why Nathan is at the dentist. I am thinking, you have got to be kidding? I'm pretty sure I told him, but I could be mistaken. So I explain the problem, and he is good to handle it. Of course, this was after Nathan was in the chair, and they were asking that he realized he had no idea why Nathan was there. Funny. Turns out the pain in his tooth, I thought was a cavity, is actually his six year old molars, turned sideways in his gums, because there is no room for them to go down, hitting against his other tooth, and causing pain. He has to see an oral surgeon to have two of his molars removed so the six year old molars can come down. The molars they are removing, are baby teeth that would fall out when he is about 11 years old. So his adult replacements will not come in for many years.

While Ashley and I were coming home, Amanda called and said she broke a wire on her braces. Guess where I get to be tomorrow?

I tell you, this year has been challenging. I need to make another blessing list. Maybe the next post.

Croup, Home School & Orthodontia

I have never heard of a child having croup at the age of nine. Well, that is until now. Nicolaas has croup. He has been home from school for four days, and sounds terrible. He spends a lot of time in the bathroom with the shower running, trying to get some relief. Poor boy. Although, he does feel good most of the time, and is just hanging out at home watching t.v. and playing video games. Tough life. Hopefully he will be on the mend soon.

It is our first week of home school with Kelsie. She is fantastic. She is a really hard worker, and if I am not right on the ball, she comes to me to tell me, we are running behind. It cracks me up, as I keep trying to tell her we are on our own schedule. It is probably a good thing. I am really excited to see her progressing already. She is great.

I took Nathan in to the orthodontist today, for them to take his records. Which basically means, they took his picture a bunch of times, in different positions, then x-rays, then molds of his teeth. He did not like the molds. Let's face it, who does. He was so wiggly today, that I was trying to figure out what was going on with him. I think he must have eaten a bunch of candy this morning. Thanks Jake. Actually, my fault, I took the candy. He was out of control. I apologized to the assistant, that she had to deal with such a kid. Ashley had to go too. Her wire came out at the back, and her coil slipped of the wire. The good part about that is she had an appointment for next week, and they just did the work today, so I don't have to go back. With all six kids under their care, this was greatly appreciated. I spend a lot of time there. The poor receptionist there has to try and get my kids in together, and is doing a lot of rearranging to make that happen if possible. I appreciate it.

Look At Those Wild Animals!

They look remarkably like my children. We had a great time at the zoo. My favorite is always the Ape House. The kids loved the Reptile House (not my favorite). The panda bears were really cool too. We all like the elephants, but man, do they stink. Here are some pictures I took, before my camera died. I was trying to get a picture of Ashley with her friend, but they were being camera shy. So even though the pictures do not show it, I did take seven children to the zoo.

I Must Be Getting Old

I am usually really good at keeping schedules, and appointments straight in my head, but every once in a while, I just completely space something. Yesterday, we had a lot going on. In the morning we had two IEP meetings. As James and I were heading in for the meetings, I was going over in my head the schedule for the day. After the meeting, I was to work (my last day), then I would have time for lunch, then Nathan had an orthodontist appointment. I was working all this out in my head, included who needed to be where, in order for everything to go well. It was a little tricky, because we had to be to the appointment at 3:00, and my little ones get out of school at 3:15. So being the crazy overprotective mother that I am, I was trying to work out in my head how all of this would go. I was going to pick Ash and Kerrie up from school. Drop Ashley at Raquel's house (mother's helper), bring Kerrie home, so she could open the door for Nic and Kelsie, because I was not going to be home. Then I needed to pick Nate up from school and get him to the appointment. I had it all worked out, and it should have gone well.

Here's what really happened.
-I went to the meetings (more to come on this)
-went to work (sad on my last day to say goodbye to the kids)
-ate lunch
-picked up Ash and Kerrie
-dropped Ash & Kerrie off at Raquel's (this was my first mistake. I needed Kerrie at home)
-went home, and visited with my neighbor (what in the world?)
-forgot to pick up Nate
-forgot the appointment completely
-completey forget the entire conversation I had in my head earlier in the day.

So today I get to make a totally embarrassing phone call to reschedule the appointment. I hate it when I do stuff like this.

Here's the report on the meetings. The first one for Nathan went really well. They listened to my reasons for home schooling him, then did everything they could to resolve the problems, so he could stay. They added extra reading time each day, and some of that is going to be one on one. He will now get two hours a day of reading, which is fabulous. The second I changed my mind to not home school him, was when his special ed teacher said, "I think Nathan can do this." That is all it took. I just wanted someone to care enough, to go the extra mile, and I think this teacher will. We are going to give it a quarter, and see how he does. So then I had the next meeting for Kelsie. Totally different feel to the meeting from the beginning. It was pretty easy to stick to our decision to home school. They were not happy, especially the speech pathologist. She just kept saying how she services the children in 5th grade, at different times during the day. Finally, I'd had enough of that, and said, well, she is not going to be here during the day, so we have to figure out how she is going to get her services. She was a little miffed at having to rearrange her schedule to accommodate my child. Oh well. So, we walked out of the meeting feeling really good about both decisions. So on Monday, I start home schooling Kelsie. I am excited about this.

My kids and I have been doing some really fun things lately. On Halloween evening, I took them to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. That was super fun. I do not like the whole trick or treat thing, so I always try to find something fun to do instead.

Then last night, I took the kids to a new restaurant that Corinne introduced me to, called Cosi. It had fabulous food, but the best part is we ordered their s'mmm...oreo's. It is smores with large oreo cookies as the crust instead of graham crackers. My kids went nuts. They bring it out on a round wood block that has a grill in the center. They light up the grill, and then you use sticks to melt the marshmallows. We were laughing and having such a good time. Everyone of us had melted marshmallows on our faces.

Today we are going to the National Zoo, because the kids have no school. Then on Saturday we are going to have a watch videos, drink hot cocoa, play games kind of day.