I'm Baaack!

So I feel really guilty for letting a whole year slip by without making one post. So in an effort to catch up, my new goal is to start fresh and try to catch up with the happenings in our lives. It's going to be a challenge trying to remember the fun and not so fun things that have happened this last year. Like all goals, we will see how long I last. But for right now, to quote Jack in the Shining, "I'm back!!!!"

Softball Season

So I never thought Mady would want to play softball, but after a season of soccer she made the decision that softball is much more fair than soccer. Here is her reasoning - EVERYONE (including Mady) gets a turn. I think during the entire soccer season Mady kicked the ball 2-3 times. She's just not aggressive enough to chase after the ball let alone "steal" it from someone else. So bring on the fair game of softball. We've already had so much fun watching her play. So far she has had one scrimmage and one game. Before I share this story, keep in mind that she has never played before:) At the scrimmage she was up next to bat and was in the circle trying to practice her swing, when all of a sudden she heard the coaches yelling, "Run to first!!! Run to first!!!" So what does my sweet pea do, she takes off to first base - bat and all. She got about halfway there when she realized she wasn't the only player headed to first base. So very calmly she turned back around and headed back to the circle. It was classic - my little girl who follows every direction and is so obedient. At her first real game she was in the short stop position and was as she puts it "daydreaming". The other team got three outs so her entire team headed to the dugout. Not my little Mady, she was too busy "watching butterflies" and after being the lone player in the outfield we had to yell to her to get her attention to come back in. Lets just say she's not too concerned about the whole competitive aspect of softball and needs a copy of cliff's notes for softball. After her lengthy stay in outfield while all of the parents were chuckling Brice turned around and said, "I know, I've been a bad dad!" It's okay though, at least I made her uniform "cuter" by tying ribbon around the sleeves of her over sized shirt, she might not be the MVP but she is definitely the cutest!!! Although she is incredible at hitting the ball. Every practice and game they have had she hits every ball that comes to her. It's machine pitch at this age and comes at her at a speedy 35 mph. Now we just need to work on getting a little muscle behind that eye/hand coordination talent and we'll have a MVP on our hands.

Texas and/or Bust

My husband went through an early mid-life crisis this month. Earlier this year he was invited to play in an Alumni High School Football game for his old high school (Jim Ned - home of the football great Colt McCoy). Sure this was a great idea, ten years ago and 7 concussions earlier. We loaded up Mady and Cade and left Sadie in the capable and loving hands of my good friend Traci (knowing that to keep both my own and my daughter's sanity this was the best choice all around). Well about 4 hours into the drive my dear husband with loose lips got angry at a fellow driver and called him a retard. To which Mady replied, "Dad, that's a bad word." Brice told her that it wasn't really a bad word. After which Mady asked him, "Would Jesus say that word?" My son who is always looking for a great argument replied, "Yes, he would." Let the argument begin. Well, after about 2 minutes of arguing back and forth as to whether or not Jesus would say retard, Cade finally won the battle at his own expense. He finally told her that, "Yes he does say that word, he told that word to me when I was in heaven." So Cade one point goes to you for winning the argument and ten points are taken away for wanting to be called a "retard" to win an argument. After a looooooong 12 hours in the car we got to spend some time with dear friends. We got to visit with so many of Brice's life long friends, go swimming with the great grandparents, have good old Texas food (if you ask me it's a little "meaty" and "woody" - everything is smoked down there), and watch my awesome thrity-something husband make an interception in the 1st quarter, and then watch him be loopey the rest of the night. Sometime after his incredible interception he got a concussion and doesn't remember the rest of the game which is hard to believe because he played a good portion of the game after the concussion. At half time the kids and I went up to talk to him. When we called to him he gave us a weird look and a little wave. Mady asked, "Why is Dad pretending he doesn't recognize us?" I was confused too. He told me after the game that he wasn't all the way back and that during the game he kept looking down at himself in uniform and wondering, "Why am I in my High School uniform and what am I doing in Tuscola?" Well the good news is that he realized that he isn't 18 anymore and promised me that he wouldn't do that again. I guess sometimes it takes getting the sense knocked out of you before you get the sense knocked into you! Ha Ha, I'm so funny:) Well, we had a blast even if 2/3 of the trip was spent in the car with lots of singing and whining!