Zoo Shenanigans

Last week I helped chaperone Brady's class fieldtrip.  We went to Zoo America in Hershey which is about an hour away from us.

I was in charge of seven 3rd graders....and this was the first sight my group saw/heard upon arriving at the zoo....



I'm not sure if they were panthers or leopards or whatever because we didn't stop long enough to read the little information sign.   The kids were like, "why is he on top of him?"  "Why are they fighting?  "Is he going to kill  him?"

It was one of the worst sounds I've ever heard!  The leopard (on the bottom of course) was screaming and yelling...it was awful.   I think I am scarred for life! 

I told the kids the leopards must be brothers and were in a big fight!  I assured them they were just playing around.  I was so so thankful not one of them actually knew what was going on.  I quickly distracted the kids with something else around the corner...and we moved on.





It poured down rain the entire time we were there.

I was kicking myself for not specifying when I signed up for this gig that I would help out...as long as it was a sunny day!



The kids were all great though....they didn't care one bit about the rain or being sopping wet.  I don't think I heard one complaint the entire time we were there.   

The day after the field trip, Brady brought home the sweetest thank you cards that each student in our group made for me.  The boys all drew snakes on their cards...they knew that would get me!  And one of the girls drew me this picture that had me rolling on the floor....

I love it!  A keeper for sure!



Happy Monday!

Hello blog friends!  Hope you're having a good Monday.  

We had a busy non-stop weekend.  I spent all morning trying to catch up on cleaning and laundry...something I didn't do much of last week.   I feel so much better when the house is put back together....it's a big sigh of relief for me.

Brady told me this morning that his class was going into the city to a symphony.  He seemed less than thrilled about it.  I asked him if he wanted to stay home and take it easy today....and he said NO right away.  He wants to get perfect attendance for this last grading period.  He has only missed 3 days of school all year which is record for him.  Usually he catches every flu bug that goes around and misses 3 or 4 days at a time...sometimes a week.  It was a goal of his this year to miss less days...and he did.  He's really proud of that.  By the way, he still has not had a drop of soda (pop) since December 15th.  Once he makes up his mind about doing something...he sure is determined to follow through with it.  I wish I could be more like that!

I made these cookies for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  They were really good.  The basket I gave her with these in it was only half full....because I ate the other half!  The recipe made a lot.  I found these on Pinterest (of course).  You can find the recipe HERE.

I made these cupcakes on Saturday for Eric's tennis banquet.

I forgot to take a picture of them at home...so I quick took one at the picnic, hoping no one would see me getting a picture of my own cupcakes.  They didn't turn out like I wanted them to or how I pictured them in my mind.  I thought if I colored the coconut yellow, they would look like fuzzy tennis balls.  Some of the coconut turned orange from the yellow food coloring...not sure why that happened.  If you look, you can see little orange specks.  Then, when I put the white trim on them, it didn't show up that well.  Oh well....that's the way it goes sometimes!

We had perfect weather for the picnic.  The parents of one of the boys on the tennis team offered to have to banquet in their backyard.  It was a beautiful evening...and so was their backyard!!

Everyone brought a covered dish...and everything was so good.  It made me anxious for summer and cookouts and eating outside!  The kids swam and played tennis.  They also had a basketball court in their barn...so they played a little of that too.  There was also a campfire and smores.  What more could a kid ask for?!

Of course, Brady wants to know why we can't have a tennis court in our backyard?!

I was so proud of my husband.  As he handed out the awards, he said such nice things about each player.  Not just about their tennis records and their wins, but about the character of each boy. I think the parents really appreciated those words.   

He talked about the team and how they represented the school and their sportsmanship.  I was teary throughout his entire talk.  (I would die if I had to get up and talk in front of a group of people!)  Eric thanked the guys for the way they have treated Brady and made him feel like part of the team.  He thanked Brady for being the best manager and for not missing one single practice all season.  He also thanked Brady for supporting his decision to be the high school coach...even though it meant less court time for Brady and putting his tournaments on hold for a couple of months.  Eric and his assistant coach then handed out "gag" gifts that Eric made for each of the guys on the team. They were so fun...I wish I would have taken pictures!  Lots of good laughs...a good way to finish up.

Afterwards, one of the seniors got up and said some really nice things about Eric and the assistant coach.  He said he was really worried going into his last year of tennis not knowing who the new coach would be.  And, that after meeting with Eric the first time, he knew he would be in good hands.  The parents were all so kind and said such nice things too.  So, congratulations hon on a successful first season coaching!  I'm so proud of the way you handle yourself, the way you know just the right thing to say to lift someone up, and the way you care about each guy on the team.  Brady's not the only one who thinks you're an awesome coach!

Hard At Work

My husband works in the office in the front of the building, and runs the shop in the back of the building. To get to the back of the building quickly, he rides this Amish scooter that is parked outside by the front door. I just couldn't imagine him doing this...but I finally caught him in the act one day last week when I stopped by...

Doesn't he look embarrassed happy to see me?!

My Mother's Day

I woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful sunny day and these sweet homemade cards.







After breakfast, we headed out to a bike trail that friends our ours told us about that is 25 minutes from our house.  Brady finally learned to ride a bike this fall...so now we all have bikes and are ready to go!  I feel like I have waited 9 years for this!



The trail went through the woods and along a creek.  Just beautiful.  And so was the weather.   As we were riding, I was overcome with such happiness.  You know how somedays are just better than others, days when you know you will look back and always remember that feeling you had at that very moment.  This day ranks right up there high on my list.



(Eric and I did not coordinate our outfits!)

We found this little gazebo and had a picnic lunch.



On our way home we stopped to get flowers for my pots.  We've done this the last few years...so it has become a tradition.  (Whenever I say "tradition" Brady starts singing that song from Fiddler on the Roof!)  He helped me pick our flowers and picked out a strawberry plant for himself.  He was really into helping me plant the flowers.



This is my FAVORITE picture from our day!

These two don't need Mother's Day to show me how much I am loved.  I feel it everyday from them. 

I am lucky and I know it.







 

Ten on Ten: May 2012

Ten pictures in ten hours on the tenth of the month.

Trying to capture the beauty in the everyday moments.











  Happy tenth everyone!

You can check out the other ten on tens over here on Rebecca's blog!

Keeping Busy and Dealing With Disappointment

So, we're nine days into May and this is my first post of the month....geez!
I subbed at the elmentary school last Thursday and Friday and then again on Monday and Tuesday.
It was for the same teacher...so it was nice to have the same schedule of classes and work with same groups of kids.  Today I am enjoying being at home in my sweat pants!  I have laundry to catch up on and we're in desperate need of some groceries.

It's been rainy the last two evenings and nothing on our schedule....can I tell you how much I love that?  The boys tennis season has ended...and I finally have my family back!  We have snuggled on the couch, enjoyed dinner together, and not rushed through homework.  After dinner last night Brady and I read together for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Then, the three of us played a couple games of Yahtzee.  I'm not a fan of being super busy and on the go all the time...but that seems to be where this stage of life has us.  It makes me appreciate the simple quiet times all the more....even if they are few and far between.


Last Sunday when we finally got home after a long weekend on the go...I was in the back room checking my emails when I heard Brady yelling for me to hurry up and come....I needed to see something quick!  So, I hurried into the kitchen to find him pointing to this.....

Can you believe it mom?!  Why are all of these dishes on the counter and in the sink?  Where did they come from?  Did you know about this?

I was cracking up!  He was so serious.  I guess we don't usually have dishes piled up like this...but we weren't around all weekend and we were out of dishwasher soap for a couple of days!  So you see, I'm not only slacking on the blog end...I'm also slacking on the homefront!

I wasn't planning to blog about Brady's tournament this past weekend.  I think it's something he definitely would like to forget about.  But, some of you have asked...and I would like Brady to remember that life doesn't always go perfectly...and there are disappointments along the way.

Brady had such high hopes going into this exciting tournament.  The Little Mo is a tournament that brings the best players in your state and in your age group together.  Brady was able to play against other boys who are also 9 years old.  The finalist move on to Illonois....and then the national tournament ends in Texas.   Brady really wanted to compete in Illonois this summer...his bags were all but packed.

But, that's not how it went down.  Brady lost in the semi-final.  3-6, 4-6.  The other boy played really well...and Brady did not play his best.  I think that's where the real disappointment comes in.  Knowing you could have won the tournament...but didn't.  We watched the other boys play....I'm almost positive Brady would have won the final.  Brady was devastated.  He held it together long enough to get from the tennis court to the van.  Eric was there to console him....I went to the bathroom and cried for my boy.  Seeing your child work so hard for something and then to be so disappointed is really heartbreaking.  It was a long ride home from Philadelphia...Brady turned mad, decided he was quitting tennis, then blamed Eric for the way he played.  It wasn't pretty.  However, by that evening, Brady came to the conclusion that he's not a quitter. 

The size of your succes is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dreams; and how you handle disappointment along the way.  ~Robert Kiyosaki