Baseball & Tux

Last night we played Westerville North and last night Zach got out of his batting rut - Yippee!

Bradley Morning Announcements: May 3, 2013
The Varsity Baseball team had a great win over Westerville North last night 12 - 10.  The offense was lead by Zach Daylong and Jacob Miller with 4 hits and 2 RBI's each.  Brady Simpson got the win on the mound coming in relief giving up no earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

It was a great game because Zach's 2 RBI's were the last 2 runs for us to win the game!  That's my boy :)

After the game, I had to take Zach and Brady to the mall to pick up their tuxes for Prom this weekend...can't wait because they both looked handsome.  It's weird my son going to Prom - I don't feel like I'm old enough for my kids to be going...

Go Jags!
I leave for vacation in 9 days!  Go Mickey!

Baseball Every Night...

Just about every day after work we head to a baseball game...watching Zach play is the best thing ever! He plays second base and is very good, he can turn a double play so quickly.

He also pitches, this is not my favorite position...for as long as I can remember I have never liked it because he never worked at it like true pitchers do.  However, in high school the coaches pretty much said he was pitching...I'm guessing because of his strong arm.  This year he has exploded...and has been doing a phenomenal job and Don and I could not be prouder of him. Right now he is the #2 pitcher but I have a feeling next year he will be #1 which makes me even more nervous.

I don't think any parent can say they don't enjoy watching their kids succeed and the feeling you have inside as they become great at something they love is so rewarding and we couldn't be any more proud of him.

Mason...at 12

Oh Mason!  What a kid...he is like no other...he is extremely smart, witty and as a wonderful laugh that makes us laugh.  He has had a wonderful year, in the fall of 2012 he played 7th grade football - we weren't really sure how it was going to go because he hadn't played in about 3 years, but he did it and we were super proud of him giving his all!

Mason is a homebody for sure - he likes being alone and doing his own thing.  He spends a lot of time in his room playing video games and on the iPad.  Sometimes we have to remind him that the rest of the family is in the living room or kitchen and would be nice to see him every once in a while.

Mason's grades are unbelievable - he has been on the honor roll all year!  Boy has he come a long way since first grade when the school called me in to show me his writing skills compared to the rest of the kids...needless to say...I cried when I saw it because it was a bunch of letters that didn't make any sense.  His reading skills were way below his level and we spent many, many months going to the library to meet a tutor to help him.  Since then he has been in reading programs to help and this year (7th grade) he has tested out of the program and will be part of the regular English classes - this is a HUGE accomplishment.  He also made Student of the Month for February 2013 - all his teachers have to select him for this honor - we are so super proud of him!

Mason and I (along with my Dad) are getting ready to go to Disney in 12 days, so much to come!

Zach...at 16

I get so frustrated with myself for not keeping up with my blog...I want my kids to remember all the wonderful memories and feelings I have about them as they get older.  I'm sure there is an app to update blogs, right?

Anyways, Zach is amazing, funny and such a wonderful young man.  He turned 16 last July, but didn't get his license until October.  The thought of him driving was exciting and very scary for me - I looked forward to him finally driving himself back and forth to friends house, baseball practice, and weightlifting (OK I should give most of the credit to Don) but still I had to do it some too.  However, when it came time to him leaving and driving himself, I was scared...not because he wasn't a good driver, but because of all of us crazy impatient drivers out there!  Now that I have a 16 year old, I realized just how impatient we actually are to those young ones...

His grades this year haven't been great, but he's trying...I guess...probably more socializing, but overall I can't complain, he is a great kid.  He stays out of trouble and has amazing friends - I love Maggie Matthews (he will kill me for saying this, but someday I just know they will end up dating or at least I hope so).

Baseball this year has been good and bad.  He is doing a fantastic job on the mound - better than I ever thought he would - he's the #2 pitcher!  His batting isn't so hot...this is usually his strong suit, I guess he can't be great at everything, but he is definitely not giving up!

I love this kid!  He is so sweet and such a Mommy's boy...he gives me hugs when I'm sad and makes me laugh, what more can I ask for from a 16 year old boy!

Still catching up...

April - We are officially in full swing with baseball :)  Lots of games and Zach has been pitching, playing shortstop and second.  It's amazing to watch him grow from year to year and how much he has become a better player.  When he plays short/2nd he can make a double play like no other (I know, that's the Mom in me bragging, but I can't help it).  Mason has a girlfriend named Emily - not really sure how I feel about it and he won't talk about it so I'm not really sure what having a girlfriend means to him.  We also decided that this would be Mason's first year not playing baseball - which I'm a little bummed about because baseball seems to be our life, but he just doesn't have the passion like Zach does and he will tell you he doesn't like to wear long pants.  So next fall, he will play football for the school (should be interesting).  I told him he had to at least play something instead of siting around all day.

May - The season is wrapping up - let's just say this wasn't the best year ever - lots of drama!  Zach was accused of writing on a coaches car with a couple of other kids.  Don and I finally had to step in because this was pretty serious accusation...after a day or so of drama...the school video tape proved that Zach DID NOT do it :)  We finally had to talk to the Varsity coach and insist the freshman baseball coach apologize to Zach for accusing him before finding out all the facts.  I think the whole situation scared Zach enough to realize that making your own decisions regardless of peer pressure is the best way to to.  Good job Zach!

We had to celebrate Mother's Day early because Melissa wasn't going to be around.  We went to dinner at O'Charleys on Saturday with Jeanette...we had a good time.  On Mother's Day it was weird to have the entire day to do whatever...I wanted to stay busy so I didn't focus so much on not having my mom around so Don and I went antique shopping - I was looking for a printer's tray and found online a great antique store in Clintonville.  It was amazing seeing all the stuff they packed into a small store...we looked around for about a hour or so...after we left...we couldn't stop...so we continued the rest of the day shopping at antique stores around Columbus - lots of fun.  After shopping around, I couldn't find the right printers tray so I found something that would work.  It was an old lead and eraser box that had 3 separate trays.  When Don and I got home, I had him nail them together to create a printers tray and I also found this cute 2 tiered tray:

That's when my obsession began...we had a few weeks off from baseball, so we were antiquing almost every weekend.  I started finding old cheese boxes, etc to store scrapbook supplies in :) which made this girl super duper happy.

Mason and I celebrated our BIRTHDAY!  I can't believe he is 12...geesh where does the time go.  I want my baby back :(  We had a cook-out and invited family!  I was even proud of myself because I made a banner :) I wanted to fit in with all my other scrapbooking/birthday decoration gals!

Don and I also went to Waynesville - which we found by mistake but it was wonderful because the town is known for antiques - SCORE!  I bought more boxes :)  I also must say that spending this time with Don has been wonderful - I didn't think he would like this kind of thing, but he's been enjoying himself and he would even point stuff out that he thought I might like...love him!

A little catching up to do...

I get so frustrated with myself because I don't keep up with my blog...(I'm going to need some cheese with my wine for a moment)...I'm a super busy girl - I work full-time, Zach is so involved school, baseball, friends, girlfriends and Mason...well he just keeps us busy right now by talking and asking a lot of questions.  I do NOT want Zach to grow up, but I do want him to get his license like NOW - we are exhausted by driving him everywhere and I mean everywhere!  I don't have a laptop anymore, so when I get home (which is late), I don't want to spend more time on the computer downstairs.  Trying to keep all our schedules together is extremely hard, but some how I have it all in my head.  I'm done whining now...you don't need to read on because its simply just to catch up on this year before I forget.

January: My post in January was about Project Life - I'm pretty darn proud of myself...I have been taking pictures and keep notes - and most recently I've organized those photos in an album.  I decided not to do my Project Life digitally because again when I get home from work, I don't want to spend more time on a computer.

February: Zach officially started baseball tryouts and made the JV team at Hilliard Bradley.  He was a bit disappointed because the entire tryout he was working with the Varsity team and all the upper-class men were sure that Zach would be on varsity - but the Varsity Coach told Zach he was the ACE on JV.  A lot of parents told us that were shocked that Zach wasn't on the varsity team (It broke my heart for Zach because this kid eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball!)

My Mama (grandma - my Mom's mom) became very ill - last Thanksgiving we noticed she had a huge growth on her forehead and was very wobbly.  Over the course of a couple of months she had gone to the doctor and then they finally removed it at the end of January/early Feb (I can't remember exactly).  The results came back that it was bi nine - but because my grandma was not doing well, she had a MRI - which then indicated that my grandma had lung cancer (I think we found this out close to the end of the month).  She was hospitalized for a for about 2 weeks - during that time, we were told that obviously there wasn't anything they could do for her.

March: Zach was still practicing for baseball so I spent a lot of time visiting my grandma.  I spent a Saturday morning with her visiting and asking her lots of questions about her life and of course my Mom's.  My grandma never really admitted to us she had lung cancer because she didn't want to know she smoked (even know we have known it for years).  If you are still reading...you might want to stop...because this might make you cry...

My grandma was released from the hospital on Thursday, March 8.  On Friday, March 9, I went to visit her at my aunt's house.  I spent about a 1-1/2 with her and then I was getting ready to leave...I could tell my grandma wanted to tell me something but wasn't sure how to say it.  So I sat on the bed with her and told her how I loved her and I wasn't ready to let her go...she said she lived a great life and that she was at peace.  She went on to tell me that she really didn't want to be there and would much rather be in her own home.  Then...she said..."I want to tell you something...I saw Judy today (my mom)." I said, "You mean you were thinking about her today?"  She said, "No, I can see her as clear as I see your face right now."  I honestly had to look white as a ghost...this caught we way off guard...a million things were running through my head...the only thing I could think of saying was..."Is she happy?"  She said, "Yes, and she's really proud of you."  Words cannot describe the feeling of joy I felt hearing those words...those are words that I wanted to hear from my mother for 7 1/2 years since she has been gone.  You see I think things happen for a reason and I truly believe my Mom was with her and that's why my grandma was really at peace.  As hard as it is to lose someone, the rewards of that conversation were remarkable...MY MOM IS PROUD OF ME and now I can say that with 100% certainty.  Unfortunately, my grandma passed on March 12 and I also have to say her funeral didn't go the way it should have (family drama), but I know my grandma is in a happy place with my grandpa, her son and her daughter...how rewarding for her.

More to come...

Project Life 2012

2011 was not a good blogging year for me...I kept forgetting and then when I did remember I felt like it was too late to even start back up.  However, this year I hope to be improve.

The past couple of weeks I've been researching Project Life by Becky Higgins and have seriously wanted to do this for 2 years, but its a HUGE commitment. I hate publicly admitting that I don't always follow through with the commitment's I make...so I hope if anyone is reading this blog that you will hold me accountable - and if no one reads it...well then I have to hold myself accountable.  I obviously do NOT have the time to take a picture everyday for one year, so I'm going to try and do this on a weekly basis. I'm going to do this digitally using the Shutterfly pre-made scrapbook by Project Life, so hopefully at the end of year I'll have a year in review book to print for my kids :)

DISCLAIMER: I may fall behind (why am I even saying may...I will fall behind) but I really really really want to do this and I promise to try and keep up.