Can't think of a good title so this is it!

Well, we already have 1 elementary school within our district close down Monday afternoon due to Swine flu. 1 student tested positive and 2 other possible. Just so happens that a co-worker of mine has a child that attends that school, plus his little brother goes to Cameron's preschool! They have been quarantined to their house. UGH! Wash those hands!

We have had state testing this week and since I'm a certified 'teacher' I get to watch small groups of students. I can't do anything while I give the test. No computer, no phone, no book, no NOTHING! Some groups get accommodations that allow reading of questions and answers so at least I get to do that! Otherwise, it's like watching paint dry! I didn't realize how exhausting it is to sit there and do absolutely nothing!

Austin's soccer team came in 2nd place this past weekend during a tournament. He has another soccer tournament AND a baseball tournament this coming weekend.

Cameron decided he needed another hair cut so he cut his bangs again. I had to really try hard not to lose it or laugh at him! Needeless to say, the scissors in this house have been hidden! So, both boys got haircuts last night by me! Cameron had his first t-ball game last Sat and did pretty good, once he realized what the pitcher was supposed to do! I forgot how funny it is to watch beginning t-ball! He has 11 more games to go! His team is the Indians. I will post some of those pics when I get them loaded off my phone.

These latest pictures are from Easter that I didn't load yet. Only 5 more weeks of school!!!!

I might go broke this season!

I made Austin a deal at the beginning of this baseball season that if he could hit the ball over the fence, I'd pay him $20. Well, today I am $20 lighter! Austin had a GRAND SLAM over the fence home run today! Yes, bases loaded! WooHoo! His teammates came out onto the field and picked him up and carried him to the dugout! He was smiling from ear to ear! He even got to keep the ball that he hit over the fence. He also got his free nachos for hitting a home run, which I think he liked just as well. Then later when he was up to bat again, he hit another homerun - line drive down first base line to the fence, just not over the fence! He scored another runner in when he came in! He played catcher the whole game and they had a 21-0 shut-out! I think the on-field photographer got a shot of the players carrying him off the field. Go to http://allen42.smugmug.com/ then under NGLL and look for Tigers vs. Indians 4-11-09. It should be in there somewhere. When I figure out how to load pictures from my phone onto my computer, I'll post some pics I've taken.

Cameron has been sick the past 2 days. He has been running fever and has had no appetite - that's when I really know he doesn't feel well, he even refused donuts this morning! I hope it's just a 24 hour virus thing, but we'll see. Tonight we dyed some eggs and he began eating a little so I think he may be on the road to feeling better. He's ready for the Easter Bunny!

Play ball!

Austin had his first baseball game of the season tonight. His first time up to bat......a home run! An official home run too, not the kind where he 'stole' home. 2nd time up to bat......another home run! Third time up to bat - hit a line drive that hit the pitcher's hand (who I think tried to catch it bare handed - we thought he broke his hand or fingers or something, but he ended up being fine after a short time-out and a substituted pitcher). Austin made it to 1st base on that hit, then stole home on the next batter. Then 4th time up to bat.... bases loaded, Austin hits again to the outfield! All 3 runners made it home, Austin stayed at 2nd - so, 2 home runs, a single (that probably would have been at least a double) and a double - what a night! All that and only 1 strike the whole game! He played short stop and did well there the whole night. The game lasted FOREVER! 5th inning and we had been playing for 2 1/2 hrs! UGH! Did I mention the game didn't even start until 8pm???? And now I'm here typing on this blog - I just couldn't wait to tell about his game! The final score: 17-7. Game ball??? Yep, Austin. Except now they give out certificates for free Nachos instead of a game ball. And the concession stand had already turned off the cheese since the game was sooo long! So on Friday, his next game, he'll get a "snack".

I'm listening to the rain outside and the little hail hit the roof. The weather on TV is showing hail that has landed around here from quarter to baseball sized, glad I have a garage! And it's super clean! OK, I'm rambling now and need to get some shut-eye. Later.............

Spring Break is over - boo!

Well, it was back to work today, blah! Spring break was nice, but wish it was longer. It makes me long for the summer!! Over the break I took the boys bowling, to the movies, to Dave and Busters and we cleaned out the garage. We took everything out and painted the floor and it is so organized now I can't even believe it - looks like something out of a magazine, well, maybe not that great, but at least if I had 2 cars they could both fit in the garage! We spent a lot of time on it and I'm about ready to have another yard sale. We also took a trip to the Ft. Worth Stockyards. The boys rode horses and a mechanical bull. We all went through the cowpen maze, which made me feel like a mouse because it took a long time to find what we were looking for and then try and find the exit! I took pictures with my phone and I haven't figured out how to load them so that I can post them, but in my spare time, I'll try to figure that out. We also went in Billy Bob's. I had never been there before but knew that many concerts are held there. It was neat. Cameron had a good time dancing on the dance floor.

This past weekend was Lane's birthday party. I had misplaced the invitation, but had thought the party started at 1pm. During my cleaning on Sat am, I found the invitation at 11am. The party started at 10am. I felt horrible! So to make up for it, we took Lane to Arbor Hills nature preserve in Plano on Sunday. I didn't realize there was that much undeveloped land in north Texas! It was beautiful. Lots of trails for walking, bike riding, dog walking, etc. And it was very clean. It had a few creeks and hills and wooded areas to walk through. Lane was such a big girl and wanted to do everything by herself! That's pretty much our week. Now it's back to the same ole same ole!

And the winning story by Austin...

My Grandma taught me to never give up on what I'm doing. My grandma was a gifted and talented teacher in Arkansas. She was like my "second" mom. I saw her almost every day when I was about 7 years old.

She took me to her school almost every Friday. We had contests to see who could build something that helps every day life. I never won a contest with her class which were 8th graders, but she was proud of me for not giving up. She taught me how to play chess and to "think" when we played each other. It seemed like she said "think" after every other move. She also introduced me to legos. She would buy me little boxes of legos and then make me build them. Sometimes when I got tired, I would go play video games. If she caught me playing those games she would always say "Turn off those video games" and I would say "but I've built all the legos" (which I loved to do). Guess what she said after that.."Think!"

So I thought and thought. I remember there was a lot of snow on the ground one day so I went out there and started throwing snowballs at these two massive dogs that she had. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her smiling out of the window watching me. A few years past and it was pretty much the same, "turn off those video games...Think".

About a month before Christmas my grandpa told me that she was complaining about a horrible migraine and that she needed to go to the hospital. But since they lived in the country, it would take a good 45 minutes before they could get there. When they got there, the doctors couldn't tell what was wrong with her. She died after a few hours. After she died, they found out that she had an aneuryism in her brain.

I remember holding her hand at the visitation. I didn't know that I could cry that much but when I looked down at my shirt, it was soaking wet in tears. After that, all I remember from that day was me putting a rose on her closed casket and then my grandpa and I were the only ones left. We watched her go down into the dirt. I knew from that point on that my life would never be the same.

Well, I think I know why the previous owner of our dog Allie gave her up to the shelter. She has chewed everything she can get her paws/teeth on - clothes, shoes, pillows, rugs, even my raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that I had when I was little! I was most upset about that! See the picture of what's left :o(.. She has plenty of "chewie toys" to keep her busy, but apparently that's not enough for her!

On another note, I have to brag about Austin. He came home today and told me he had won a writing contest. He said he got the award for the best in the whole 6th grade class. His story will be featured on the school bulletin board. I asked him if he did this at school, because I was unaware of any writing contest. He said everyone was required to write something in 1 day (so I guess it really was an assignment instead of a contest??). He wrote it in 45 minutes. They gave a grade-wide topic of "A sad moment in your life" Austin told me he wrote about his Granny. I haven't had the pleasure of reading it yet, but when he brings it home, I'll post it. He gave me a synopsis of his story which was about telling what Granny taught him such as chess, building with legos, and to "think". He also mentioned remembering her to tell him to get off the video games (as he smiled). Then he told about how she was having headaches and then the tragedy that happened. He also told me he wrote about remembering standing next to his PawPaw watching a machine place her into the ground, seeing his grandpa cry and him not knowing what to do. It made my eyes tear up, that's for sure. I can't wait to read it. He also recently won 1 of only 4 awards for band. He had to play a song in front of a judge he didn't know and the judge critiques his playing, hand positions, mouth posture, etc. He received a 99.9%. The picture shows both certificates he received as a result of these accomplishments!

One more day of school for us then we're off for spring break! We'll be staying here and cleaning out my garage and painting the floor of it. Then maybe doing a few other home improvements, or maybe not. I plan to relax and try to catch up on my sleep. haha. That's all for now, more to come.....

Free hair cut!

Cameron took it upon himself to cut his hair this evening. I had told him earlier that I needed to cut his hair so I guess he couldn't wait for me! He now has a much shorter "do!" Check out the picture!