Ujamma

District 20 Champs Again!!!

2011-07-22T22:37:00.004-05:00

The boys did it again! They won the District 20 Championship beating Ottawa National 11's 8-7 with a walk off homer by our power hitter, Caleb Osborn!!!

It was a game to end all games! We were the home team so lucky enough to have last at bat. Ottawa scored 1 run in the first inning and 5 in the second inning to lead the game 6-0. Kota came in to pitch in the 3rd inning and didn't allow any runs until the 6th inning when he gave up a home run! Anyway, we scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 5th and with Ottawa's HR in the 6th the score was now 7-3 going into the bottom of the 6th. Ottawa thought they had the game in the bag but our boys are not quitters and they showed that with true Streator pride!!

We were at the top of our batting order and Kota bats in the #3 spot so he hit a single to drive in a run then we had another run score on a passed ball by the catcher. Score is now 7-5 and we had Kota on 3rd base and a runner on 1st with two outs. Caleb comes up to bat at when the pitch count was 3-1 the pitcher throws a fast ball down the middle and Caleb swings and sends the ball over right field fence, past Ottawa fans bleachers and into the second row of cars in the parking lot!!!! WALK OFF 3 RUN HOMER TO WIN THE GAME 8-7!!! UNBELIEVABLE TO SAY THE LEAST! We were going nuts, the boys were going nuts, our head coach, John, was in disbelief and Kota runs down the 3rd base line in celebration and does a round off and back flip! It was a game to treasure for a lifetime for these boys!!!

So now we are heading to Mendota Sat. night for our first game of Section 5 regionals! There are 3 other teams in this region so if we win we are State bound. I hope the boys play hard and bring home another Section win for Streator!

GO STREATOR 11 YR. OLD ALL STARS!!! YOU BOYS ROCK!!!

Our First District Loss

2011-07-20T00:37:00.003-05:00

It was not pretty to say the least! We lost 13-3 and the loss was not pretty! I just pray we got that bad game out of their system and we are able to bring home a district win for the boys tomrrow night!

We just didn't play well, that's all there is to it! Let's go Streator 11s and show then what we got!

District 20 Championship Game tonight

2011-07-19T12:02:00.005-05:00

Kota plays for the District 20 champ game tonight at 6pm in Spring Valley. He came in Sunday night as relief pitcher and did an awesome job of throwing strikes and helping us get the win!

It's gonna be a hot one tonight but thank goodness my mom bought us a canopy tent to use to provide some shade. That will be up in full force tonight! If the boys win tonight they move on to sectional play in Mendota, which means we will be one step closer to going to state again! I'm not wanting to "count my chickens before they hatch" so that's all I'm saying about that!

Hope everyone is enjoy their summer. With the heat advisory in effect until at least tomorrow please stay cool, out of the heat and find some air conditioning!

The Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-16T17:39:00.004-05:00

We are officially in the dog days of summer! The days are long, I'm feeling lazy and the kids are on the go, go, go!!! I am nearing the end of my summer vacation very soon and I can't say I'm too upset about it. There is something to be said for getting up for work every day and being productive and getting things done in a timely manner. Don't get me wrong....I enjoy my summer vacation but it ends at just the right time. I work 9 months out of the year and I'm off for 3 so the it all balances out in the end.

Kota has his third district all star game tomorrow night and we play Pekin. It will be an interesting game and I pray the boys bring all they have and win this game which will bring us one step closer to going to state!

We have had a great summer and I enjoy every day that I get to sleep in! Enjoy the rest of your summer and soak up that sun cause it will be over way too quickly!

Happy Days to you all!

Summertime in the Limberg House

2011-06-23T20:38:00.011-05:00

It's summertime alright and that means.....up late at night, baseball games and friends hanging out and spending the night during the weekdays. Kota and I are famous for sleeping until the early afternoon hours and staying up until the wee hours of the morning. Our bodies are on a totally different schedule in the summer.

Jordan has friends over quite a bit. Tonight for instance, about 5 friends over hanging out playing dance game on Xbox, eating at McDonald's and then taking 3 cars to go to Dairy Queen since none of them are old enough to have more than one person in the car with them legally! Oh how I love summertime!!!!!

Not only do I not have to work in the summer, but I can enjoy my boys and their friends which I love! I hope you enjoy your summers as well.

Men!

2011-06-13T21:37:00.006-05:00

I am in a house full of men and it is driving me crazy! Aside from Sunny, I am in this all by myself with no one to see my point of view. So frustrated right now!

Kota asks his dad for kids to spend the night and his dad says yes, but is Joel gonna be home tomorrow to take care of everything??? Of course not! He will be at work. Kota proceeds to ask 4 kids to spend the night and only one is coming cause I was keen on his scent of "friends spending the night" and told him no! Then Joel is asking why not???? OMG!!! If my head could explode and blow off it would have!

Done venting! Good night!

Summertime!

2011-06-08T18:24:00.004-05:00

Okay, I know it's been a very long time since I last blogged. I've not been too busy....just nothing interesting to say I guess! Anyway, Jordan got his license about 3 weeks ago and life has been so much simpler! I know when I would think about him driving I would get worried and think of all the things that could happen but once the time draws nearer it was a welcome relief! His life was so busy by that point I was catching myself coming and going between school, basketball practice for him, baseball practice for Kota and not to mention dropping off at this friends house, picking up at that friends house! UUGGHH! So glad he has his license!

As for Kota, he is in full baseball mode. His travel team got 2nd place at a tournament in Bourbonnais last weekend and Kota hit a 2 run homer. This week at Southside Diamond he hit 2 home runs back to back! Yeah Kota! He has been looking exceptionally good at shortstop and his pitching is almost spot on! What else can I say. He's doing awesome!

Sunny got her rabies shot today. She's such a diva that she can't get all her vaccines together since last year she had an allergic reaction and was itching up a storm. So before she goes to get said shots, it's a dose of benadryl and predisone plus a cortizone shot at vet's office. So next Wednesdays she will get her other shot and we will be done for the year.

That's all! Enjoy your summer....it goes by way too fast!

A Tribute to my Aunt Betty

2011-03-20T15:50:00.008-05:00

As some of you may or may not know, I lost my dad in July of '04 and then 10 months later I lost my Aunt Toni in May '05. Both were very influential people in my life. I then lost my Grandma Sanford in June of '07 and she died of uterine cancer but I am convinced she died of a broken heart from losing my dad and then my Aunt Toni. No matter how old our children are, it is never in the "natural" order of things for a parent to bury a child.

This brings me to the present day and now I am in the process of losing another aunt to cancer. My Aunt Betty is a wonderful woman. I can remember growing up and playing with my cousin, Carol, who was 8 months older than me. The summer that I was 12 I spent every day at Carol's house and we played barbies, pretended we were Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac and would put on shows that only my Aunt Toni and Aunt Betty could stand to sit thru. They would cheer for us like we were rock stars and always sing our praises! Every morning when I would arrive at my Aunt's house she would make me eggs and toast and wrap my toast in a paper towel to keep it warm before she left for work. The damage Carol and I would do to that toy room every day was amazing. We would be told to clean it up and we would try but it was never truely "clean"! At least not to my Aunt Betty's standards! Oh well, we were kids, what else can I say?!

Some wonderful memories I of Aunt Betty.......she made the best best fried chicken ever!!!! She wrapped my toast in a paper towel as I said before to keep it warm before I ate it. She took excellent care of my great aunt Tooty and Dee Dee when they would come visit her on the weekends they didn't have to work. She had an endless suppy of comet for Tooty to scrub our feet with as we would swing on the swing set and then jump off into the mulberries from the mulberry bush in her yard. Tooty would take us up stairs in the bathroom and cuss up a storm as she scrubbed our feet clean from the stains of the berries! We ate dog buscuits while hiding in the mulberry bush just to see what they tasted like! Can you say "stupid?"! LOL! And we would get in a car in the middle of the summer with the windows up and see how long we could stand to stay in there so we would feel "cool" when we got out since the days were so hot. I think we even sat in a baby pool and drank baby bottles just to be silly! All this took place at my Aunt Betty's house and I have nothing but wonderful memories growing up and how much she loved me!

As she is nearing the end of her life I hope this post brings wonderful memories to any family members that read it. Betty loved me and I love her! That's all I can say! I pray God has grace and mercy in her final days and she finds peace and eternal rest in His arms! I love you Aunt Betty and will never forget the love you have shown me my entire life.

Love,

Long time coming....

2011-03-18T21:32:00.005-05:00

I have to admit, blogging is not my thing. I always try to do my best and sometimes I realize my life really isn't that interesting and what should I write about. I read other blogs and these women always have something to blog about so what's my problem? I have yet to find an answer to that question!

Basketball is officially over and baseball is in full swing. That's what we do here at the Limberg house. We flow from one sport right into the next without a break in between. Jordan tried out for a travel basketball team in Rockford and we have yet to hear if he made it. He just informed me today there is a team in Seneca he wants to try out for so I'm secretly hoping Rockford doesn't pan out for him and he can play in Seneca since it's sooooo much closer. The price of gas would really hurt us if he had to drive to Rockford on a regular basis. Once again we will be hitting the road for Kota's baseball team.

Jordan gets his license at the beginning of May. I can not believe he is 16 yrs. old already! Time just goes and doesn't care if we are ready for it or not! Kota will be 12 on May 8th and again, my baby is growing up. Thank God Sunny never grows up. She will forever be my baby and always loves my hugs and kisses. Wish I could say the same thing about my boys. I'm lucky if I get a hug from Jordan these days. It's more like a passing "high five"! LOL! Kota will still hug me but not in front of his friends! That would be the ultimate faux pas!

We are on spring break next week. I can't believe this school year is almost over! Jordan's sophomore year is almost done and Kota will be in 7th grade next year! Oh where have my babies gone?! Oh, that's right....they are growing up whether I want them to or not.

Where to begin?......

2010-12-02T18:37:00.009-06:00

I have been a very, very bad blogger! I haven't posted a thing since August! You've got to be kidding me?! I'm busy but not THAT BUSY! We are in the last three weeks of the second quarter at school and if you're a teacher you know that means half the year is done! I have had such a wonderful school year thus far I can't imagine 2011 being better but I know it will be. My classroom is AWESOME! I MEAN AWESOME! I have 4th - 6th grade and have one other 2nd year teacher with me who is the BOMB plus 13 wonderful students. Life at Rhema Christian Academy is good and I mean GOOD!

Dakota is doing wonderful at our local junior high. His grades are very good and he is loving it. His basketball is in full swing and his is averaging 14.2 points per game. He and his best friend, Adam, are having a wonderful basketball season. My grandparents, who are both 85 by the way, have been to one game and are coming tomorrow to his game as well! I am blessed to have such vibrant, active and HEALTHY GRANDPARENTS! I hope this is a sign as to how long my own mother will live. I want her with me forever or until Jesus returns.....whichever comes first!

Jordan started a new medicine for sickle cell called, Hydroxyurea (sp), and he has been very healthy. That medicine helps his fetal hemaglobin raise which does not sickle and he hasn't had a sickle cell crisis since Sept! Yeah!!!!! He has a slight temp today but it has nothing to do with sickle cell so I am going to his basketball game in about 45 min. He didn't want to stay home and have me call him in sick. He's a serious ATHLETE!

We are in the full swing of winter sports at the Limberg household and I am loving it! Have a very blessed holiday season!

Baseball, Soccer & Sunburns

2010-08-29T16:12:00.003-05:00

The beginning of the 2010-11 school year is in full swing at the Limberg house. Kota is in 6th grade this year and this is his first time going to public school. He is officially in Junior High! I am now the mom of a sophomore in high school and a junior higher! It's hard to believe but it is definitely true.

Kota loves school and baseball continues to be in full swing but with school ball and not little league. He is doing great playing on the 6th-7th grade team. He plays shortstop and pitches. He hit a triple and a double the other night at the ball field. Yesterday at the soccer field his team won 5-0 and he scored 1 goal. My grandparents were able to come to the game which was so nice. Joel is one of his soccer coaches along with Coach Brown who coaches him in almost every sport.

Kota's little league team placed 3rd in the state of Illinois which means they were in the top 36 kids in the state playing little league in the 10 and under age group. Not too bad when you think about it!

Jordan isn't playing soccer this fall. He wants to concentrate on basketball and said soccer requires way too much running. I don't blame him! Plus with the heat he gets tired so quickly!

So that's the baseball and soccer part of my post.....now for the sunburn. The noon sun at Kota's game yesterday got me good! I sat in it for only a little over and hour and I am fried to a crisp! I am feeling sick with the burn even. I will never sit in that sun without 80 SPF sunscreen! I hate sunburns!

Have a great week all!

Section 5 Champs!

2010-07-30T10:27:00.005-05:00

Dakota's 10 yr old all star team did it again! They won sectionals and are going to play for the State title starting on Saturday. The team beat Manteno two times in championship games to advance for a run at state champs. State play starts Saturday afternoon. After the game the team is going to see a minor league baseball team and have dinner and then watch the fireworks. All of this is compliments of Little League Baseball! My mom is going with us and she has been to all of Kota's post season games minus one. We were talking on the way home from night 6 in Moline and I said Dad would have loved this! He would have bitched and complained about the long drive for 6 nights straight but he was such a baseball lover and watching Kota play would have been such a highlight to him. I still miss him everyday!

Kota has played some awesome post season ball coming into this tournament. His pitching has been better than great! His fielding has been superb (he fielded three ground balls hit to him at shortstop the other night to retire the inning) and his hitting has been wonderful. He can lay down a bunt like no other and he's super fast. I dare say he's the fastest one on the team. I could be wrong but he's one of the fastest!

We are looking forward to this weekend. The boys play Sat. afternoon, Sunday night, Monday night, off Tuesday, play Wed. night then if we end up with one of the two best records after playing Round Robin against the four other teams we play for championship State Title on Thursday night. At least with all the driving we will be doing it will be different scenery! This takes place in Evergreen Park, Il. I'm so sick of the drive to Moline! Staying home last night was such a treat. And Sunny loved having me home as well. She spent the whole night as close to me as possible! Which if you know her is very, very close! LOL!

This is the baseball season that never ends and I'm loving it!

Kota playing 3rd base.

Kota waiting for Section 5 pin.

Jordan and Kota with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Ellie.

Team huddle

Section 5 Banner

District 20 Champs!

2010-07-23T21:46:00.005-05:00

Dakota's all star baseball team won the District 20 Championship. We head to Silvis, IL for regionals this weekend and if we win 2 games there we go on to play for State Champs. Here are pics from the game last week. Go Streator 10's!

Kota getting his pin.

Kota playing centerfield

Team photo with banner.

Knee Surgery

2010-06-22T19:39:00.005-05:00

It seems like every summer I have surgery so it won't interfere with my school year. Last week I had knee surgery to fix torn cartilage that has been bothering me for over 4 yrs. now. It's something that started to hurt over time when I was at my heaviest. I was getting cortisone shots in it for the last 2 yrs. trying to hold off on getting surgery. I finally got the much needed surgery done and am on the road to recovery.

Jordan has been playing summer basketball thru the high school so that has been keeping me busy with running him back and forth to practices.

Kota's travel ball team is done. He has 2 more games with his city team and all stars starts on July 12th. He got picked for the All Star Team and we are so proud of him. He plays baseball so well and he loves it. I didn't go to his game tonight but Joel just called to tell me he hit a home run in the first inning! Yeah! Baseball is the sport that Kota loves most. His position is short stop and he plays that spot with determination and passion! I love watching him play!

My poor Sunny has been a nervous wreck this last month. She is deathly afraid of storms and going to the vet and getting groomed and she's had more than her share of fear to last her the rest of the year. When the tornado hit Streator we were not home and she was here by herself. My mom came to check on her and ended up staying for two hours until we got home. Mom said she was a shaking, nervous puppy. We have also had more than our share of thunderstorms. She shakes terrible and pants. I give her Benadryl but that doesn't even seem to help much anymore. I took her to the vet for her yearly shots and when I brought her home she was itching and scratching like crazy. She was a mess and couldn't relax. I called the vet and she said to bring her back cause she was having an allergic reaction to one of the vaccinations. She gave her a shot of cortisone and I gave her prednizone for a few days after. She is better now thank God! Then she had to go to the groomer and get all that fun stuff done so my poor baby has had a terrible summer this far!

That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of June cause it's almost over. The 4th of July will be here soon enough. And the fireworks will make Sunny scared as well!

Root Canal

2010-06-03T13:04:00.001-05:00

After 4 visits to the dentist I still have not been able to do the second part of my root canal! I have been so full of infection and I'm on round 3 of antibotics! I have to go back Monday and have it cleaned out again then hopefully in 2 wks I will be able to get it finished! This has been a nightmare that actually gave me nightmares about losing my teeth!!

Summertime and the living is Easy.....

2010-06-02T15:47:00.006-05:00

It's official! I'm on summer vacation. For the next 12 weeks it's sleeping in, sun, baseball and good times! I love being off with my boys in the summer. I am free to run them here, there and everywhere! This will be the last summer for only 2 drivers in the family. Jordan will get his permit in Aug. and then be able to get his license next May! Oh my.....a whole new set of worries to consider. I will be happy to not have to run him all over God's green earth though. I'm not gonna lie!

Kota is almost done with travel baseball. He played last weekend and they won first place in the Gold Glove Tournament in Champaign. He played awesome baseball and even had the other coaches talking about him. Joel and I were beaming with pride. So blessed to have him for my son!

Jordan is playing basketball thru the high school in a summer league. He will play two times a week. It was invite only by the coaches and he did get invited to be in it. Again, so proud of him as well! He says he's not gonna play soccer this fall. He wants to play basketball in a league an hour a way from here. We'll see how that pans out.

Took Sunny to the vet today. She was a nervous mess when she got home. Between the thunder storm last night and the vet today she's wiped out. She was running around, rubbing her her head on the couch and acting like a crazy dog when she got home from the vet. I gave her benadryl and she's finally calmed down and is sleeping! Thank God! Poor thing :(

My new favorite spot

2010-04-08T20:10:00.007-05:00

Well, it's been such a long time since I last blogged. Where to begin?! I'll start where I left off:

Jordan turned 15 at the end of Feb. He finished up his freshman year in basketball with a great season! We are so proud of him. He continues to grow at a super fast rate. He's had a few bouts with sickle cell pain which is uncommon for him to have so many so close together but sickle cell has it's own time table. Much to our dismay! He has brought his grades up in the two subjects he was struggling in! Much to our DELIGHT!!!

As for Kota....he made that awesome game winning shot and finished his travel basketball league with 3rd place out of 8 teams. The neat thing about that is his team consisted of all 5th graders and they played in a 5th-6th grade league so they played against teams that had mostly 6th graders. I am a believer that if you play kids older than you it only makes you a better player and that held true for Kota's team! And Kota!

We went away on Easter weekend and stayed two nights in Chicago. We shopped at Water Tower place and I went in the Coach store. We ate lunch at the ESPN Zone (Jordan's pick) and the boys played for about 3-4 hrs. When we left the rain had stopped and we walked the Magnificent Mile and I went into the Coach store there too. Actually, if the truth be told I browsed at every Coach store/dept in every store that carried Coach products. I am a Coach addict and see no reason for rehab! LOL!

For supper on Friday night we ate at The Melting Pot and we all hated the main course of cooking your mean in broth at your table! The fondue was not the best tasting stuff either. Needless to say, this was my pick of restaurants and Joel and the boys were not liking it at all. They teased me the entire meal and I kept telling them I was sorry. I felt somewhat redeemed when dessert came and it was melted chocolate that we dipped strawberries, sponge cake, rice crispy treats, ect....and it was AWESOME!!!! The meal was very expensive for having to "cook" it yourself.

For supper Saturday night we ate at Harry Carey's which was right across the street from our hotel. It was very good, but OMG on the prices!!!! There's something to be said for small town living and eating out. We don't have as many choices as city folks due but the prices are so much cheaper.

Yesterday (Wed.) Jordan had an ortho appt. and I made a dentist appt too cause I've been having a problem with a tooth hurting all the way up by my nose. The dentist took an xray, said it looked normal but with my symptoms he could tell I needed a root canal. He did part 1 of the canal yesterday right on the spot and I go back on Apr. 21st for him to finish. I was full of infection and the roots of the tooth were dead. He put me medicine and sent me on my way to try and each lunch with a numb face (right side) all the way to my bottom eyelid.

Sunny stayed with my boss/friend. He said she was very good and he enjoyed it a lot. I'm so happy she was good for him. She has been stuck to me like glue since I picked her up but she's afraid I'm gonna leave again.

Kota started travel baseball practice last week and his inner city team practice started this week. His coaches for the Streator Little League are both 19 yrs. old and just graduated for high school last spring. I think they will be good but hope they can handle any discipline problems that may occur.

Now onto telling you about my "favorite spot". If you've read my blog at all you might know I have an over sized green chair with matching ottoman that I sit in in the living room. In my family room we got rid of the love seat that was broken. It was a recliner that the boys broke my jumping over the back of it when coming into the family room and the back of the love seat was permanently in the reclining position. We bought a new tan recliner and end table and the room is so much better. I know love to sit in this room and watch TV and recline with my feet up. I just love my home and love being home! Now if only the kids were quiet I would be one relaxed, happy momma! I guess I have the rest of my life for peace and quiet cause all too soon the boys will be gone and I will long for the days full of chaos!

Hope you all enjoyed Resurrection Sunday! So glad it's spring!

Jordan is 15

2010-03-09T10:26:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's been 15 yrs. since we brought that precious baby home and named Jordan. Time slips away so fast and before you know it they are ready to move out. I do admit some days are quite long when the boys are fighting but that's normal....at least it's normal at my house.

One more year and he will have his driver's license and then a whole new set of worries begin. We had his birthday party a week late since Kota was in a basketball tournament. Family came over on Sat. night and we had food, cake, ice cream and fellowship with one another.

Jordan, I love you with all my heart and it's a privilege to be your mom!

One Proud Mama

2010-03-08T20:18:00.004-06:00

I have been so lax in posting lately. The basketball season is coming to a close and baseball is getting started. Jordan isn't playing baseball this spring/summer but Kota is making up for it. He's on a travel team AND the city league. He will play every weekend on the travel team plus play Streator Little League during the week. I am so glad I only have two children......I wouldn't be able to handle any more than that!!!!

Kota made the game winning shot this weekend on his travel basketball team. With 1.9 seconds left on the clock and down by two points the play the coach called for was to inbound the ball to Kota and him to bomb it down to our basket. He made the half court shot and banked it in and we won by 1 pt since that was a 3 point shot! The gym erupted into cheers and it was amazing! Needless to say, Joel and I were very proud. Kota was flying high the rest of the day. He's such a great kid and I can't imagine my life without him. God has blessed me beyond measure when He gave me my two boys.

SNOW DAY!

2010-01-07T13:14:00.005-06:00

It has been freezing cold in my neck of the woods! I mean freezing! I took Jordan to school yesterday and the thermometer in my van read -3. YIKES! And that was without the wind chill factor. Then we got dumped with a bunch of snow late last night into today. All area schools are closed so it's the first official SNOW DAY of the year!

I was up early to get the call that school was off then I had to text the other teachers and let them know. Then I laid back in my nice, cozy bed and checked facebook on my iphone and fell back asleep around 7:30. I should have stayed up when I got up at 6 but I didn't so therefore I slept in until.....I'm embarassed to say this but........um..........12:30PM! I know.....how could I sleep that late? I have no idea! It just happens! What can I say!

The nice surprise was when I did get up the boys had already shoveled the driveway, shoveled the perimeter of the front yard so Sunny has a path for the bathroom (that is Joel's idea...and believe it or not she actually sticks to the paths he shovels for her!) and were sipping hot chocolate at the kitchen table when I emerged from my master den. I told them Dad would be so happy with them, then they informed me they did it for ALLOWANCE! Guess they're both broke since they spent all their Christmas money so it's time to do work around the house and earn some dough $$$$. Joel will be happy non the less that they did do it and gladly give them their allowance. Now if only their rooms were clean!

Anyway, that's what's happening at my house right now. I hope if you had a snow day you enjoyed yours as well. I'm off to do some laundry! God Bless!

The Holidays

2009-12-29T19:15:00.003-06:00

We had a very Merry Christmas. We had Christmas Eve at my house with my sister and her family and my mom. I made roast beef and we had potatoes, gravy, ham, cheese tray, etc... Had tons of left overs! Either we need to cook less food or have a bigger family! Guess we should cook less food.

Dakota says he had the best Christmas ever. He's only 10 remember. He got a ipod touch which he wanted sooooo very badly! Jordan got money from us since he's at that hard to buy for age. He went shopping and got what he wanted which was mostly clothes.

Speaking of Jordan, I have to brag for a minute. Jordan is a freshman in high school and plays basketball. He was playing strictly on the B team which was a joke. He has worked hard and managed to move up to the A team and become the starting point guard! We have been so proud of him. With high school sports comes a lot of "political" crap. Joel and I kept quiet and said nothing to the coach or other parents and Jordan has worked his butt off in practice to show the coach he has what it takes to be a starter and it's payed off for him.

Kota played a tournament in Bloomington over the weekend and did well but they didn't advance to the championship round. His normal travel team's league starts after the first of the year. He is on a really good team and loves to play for the Streator Heat!

Not sure what's planned for New Year's Eve but no matter what I do as long as I'm with the love of my life, Joel, and with my boys it will be a great night. Happy New Year to all! Here are some pics from Christmas 09.

Stolen Shoes

2009-12-01T16:27:00.005-06:00

Once again Jordan got another thing stolen! He had his first high school basketball game last night and in the two hour time span someone stole his $115 shoes out of his locker! We bought them for him about a month ago as "practice" shoes so he didn't have to wear his "game" shoes to practice. The practice shoes where much more expensive than the game shoes and obviously another boy saw that and decided he would like to have them and not work for them or have his OWN PARENTS BUY THEM FOR HIM!!! I am so fed up with people stealing from us!!!

Joel went to the Dean of Students today to tell him about it cause his coach was useless in the matter. The Dean said he would let the police know and do some digging around of his own but I'm not holding my breath that they will be found or anything will get done.

Life

2009-11-05T18:55:00.003-06:00

Life is going full force in our house. I have been so busy I think I meet myself coming and going. Basketball season hasn't officially started yet but I do spend a lot of time running Jordan to open gym time. Kota's season wasn't to start until January but I got a call this week from his coach and they are playing in a tournament this Sunday in Bloomington. The team hasn't even had one practice yet but I guess they will do okay just to play and have fun.

Jordan will begin his freshman basketball season very soon and I hope and pray things go well. I am praying he plays well, gets good playing time and listens to the coach and does what he says. Last year Jordan didn't care for his basketball coach so he had a few disagreements with him and that in turn infringed on his playing time! He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes. You might say....the child never talks but believe me when I say he will and does open his mouth when he wants to!

Kota again will play with the same travel team for the third year in a row. He loves this team and can't wait for his practices to begin. He will have the same coach he has for almost every sport and that is just fine with him. I have to say I am looking forward to his basketball season as well since I get to sit with my friend, Missy, and visit. This would be my social life!

Joel has finally been released by his Dr. to go back to regular duty at work. He has been on light duty and working in the office since January following his rotator cuff surgery. He is happy to be back and is getting some overtime FINALLY!!!! YEAH! Just in time for the holidays.

Oh, What a Day.......

2009-10-20T20:44:00.002-05:00

The past two days have been........well........hard! Jordan has been sick since Saturday with the flu and he's had the worst bloody nose known to man I think! We have had him to the ER two times in the last 24 hrs. trying to get his nose to stop bleeding. He was running a low grade fever since Saturday and had a cough. His nose started bleeding (which we are used to) on Sunday afternoon and we could not get it to stop for nothing! I preceded to take him to the ER where they clamped his nose, took blood, hooked him up to an IV, ran medicine thru the IV and diagnosed him with type "A" flu which they consider the swine flu at this point. They got his nose to stop bleeding (thank the good Lord!) and released us with a prescription for Tamiflu and told us to "watch" him due to the sickle cell. I called his Dr. on Monday and they wanted me to report in with them everyday until he is well and let them know how he's doing. When the Dr's office called on Monday his nose was again in full fledged bleeding mode. We once again could not get it to stop so the Dr's office told me we could take him to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat specialist) or take him back to the ER. We once again headed to the ER to get his nose clamped and be sent home 2 hrs. later. This visit will be a very expensive (how to clamp your son's nose properly) visit! Anyway, he goes back to school tomorrow and now Joel is not feeling well. I'm off now to Walgreens to a script for Tamiflu filled! Hope everyone in your neck of the woods is well.

What's Been Goin On??????

2009-10-14T19:21:00.003-05:00

Boy have I been busy! I'm in full time school teacher, soccer mom, busy wife mode! School has been keeping me busy every day but soccer has overtaken my life! LOL! I have time to post now since Jordan's freshman high school soccer season is officially over. They finished the season with I think 16 wins, 3 losses and 2 ties. It was a great season and Jordan had 7 goals. Not too bad for his first year of high school.

Kota plays his last soccer game this Saturday. It has been a horrible season for his team! They have only won 1 game! Kota has had a very good season individually though. His whole team has only scored 9 goals all season and Kota scored 4 of those. We are proud of him! He says he's not playing soccer next year. By the way, he's not a very gracious looser!

Since soccer is almost over that must mean only one thing...............BASKETBALL IS ALMOST HERE! That's right people...the favorite sport in our house! Kota will once again play on the travel basketball team and Jordan will play his freshman year of basketball. Jordan just brought home tonight the order form for team shoes. Thank God the school gets a break on the cost of the shoes. I know Kota will get good playing time on his team and I'm hoping Jordan does is well. We will just have to wait and see and pray for the best.

I took my class on a fieldtrip to the zoo last week and we had a blast. The photos below are of said trip.

The Inspiration to Get a Schnauzer....

2009-09-30T20:10:00.002-05:00

Came from these two beautiful puppies! Their names are Buddy and Missy and they belong to our Pastors Chuck and Sharon. Pastors have always had mini schnauzers and when I saw them I loved how friendly and loving they are. I think the white ones are extra cute too. Buddy is the one on the left and is sleeping peacefully in own bed. Missy on the other hand is on the right and she would much rather snuggle with Buddy than sleep in her bed which you can see sits empty.

So to Pastors Chuck & Sharon, Buddy and Missy: Thank you for passing on the "Schnauzer Fever". If it weren't for you all we wouldn't have our Sunshine!

Happy 19th

2009-09-20T15:11:00.003-05:00

It's been 19 yrs. since I married the love of my life. Joel is the rock that holds this family together. He treats me like a queen every day of my life........even on the days when I don't deserve it! I wouldn't want to walk thru this life with anyone but him. I love him more today than I did the day I married him. He makes this family work! Happy 19th Anniversary Honey. I love you!

Sunny loves her Daddy!

2009-09-20T15:07:00.002-05:00

We took the Sunshine (our dog Sunny) to Jordan's last soccer game. We sat in the shade in our lawn chairs but as you can see Sunny prefers to sit on Joel's lap. She's loves her some Daddy!

They all Got the Message

2009-09-13T21:38:00.003-05:00

That's right..........all my girlfriends got the message to dress in the same colors a couple of Fridays ago! Not really, but it sure looks like we arranged it that way. Jane, second from left, said we needed a picture so we all obliged.

Begging????

2009-09-06T18:48:00.003-05:00

Who's begging??? I certainly don't seen any beggers here.....do you? She's sweet though! And cute!

What Not To Do At Your Son's Soccer Game

2009-08-29T15:10:00.003-05:00

Ok, so Kota had an early soccer game today. It started at 9:00 am and he's not a morning person.
What this has to do with the story I have no idea other than he didn't play like himself the first half of the game because he was TIRED!!!

Toward the end of the game Kota collides with another boy on the field and they both go down to the ground. The coaches come out from both teams to check on them. Joel is sitting beside me and is ready to get up and go out on the field to check on him but I assure him Kota wouldn't want him out there so we stay in our chairs. I have learned one thing about my boys...........if they get hurt the last thing you do is run on to the field to check on them. So here we are being good parents sitting on the sidelines watching with all the other parents as the other boy gets up but Kota is still on the ground. We sit and wait and wait and wait. He doesn't get up but the coaches don't call us over so we keep our cool. Finally I've had all I can take and get up, take the long dreaded walk over to the other end of the field to check on my youngest and always precious son. As I get close to him he gets up, everyone starts to clap for him, I look at him and say like any loving mother would...."Are you ok?" He looks at me and between gritted teeth he says to me "Go sit down". He's not happy I have made the long walk and embarassed him. So I hang my head, cover my eyes and try to hurry off the field in hopes I haven't made a fool of myself. As I am walking in front of all the parents I tell them I have been ordered off the field by a 10 yr. old. They all clap for me now as I find my rightful seat on the sidelines, cover up with my blanket and try to blend in with the crowd. I told the coach from now on he will have to call me onto the field if Kota gets hurt cause I have learned my lesson!

Cubs Game

2009-08-20T14:59:00.008-05:00

We went to the Cubs game last Saturday when they played the Pirates. The Cubs won 3-1 and it was my very first major league baseball game. It was my girlfriend, Lynette's, 40th birthday. She had no idea what she was doing that day or that 5 other couples were going with her. We met at the church at 8:15 in the morning and were on our way to Chicago. We sat in the bleachers half way down right under the scoreboard. It was sooooo hot!!!! I put on SPF 50 sunscreen 3 times in hopes of not getting burnt to a crisp and it worked! Not even a hint of sunburn at all! I guess if you reapply it every 80 min. like the directions say it really does work. I hate sunburns!!!! Here are some pics from the game.

Lucky's sandwich shop where Adam Richmond from Man vs.Food did a food challenge.

Centerfielder

Alfonso Soriano

Players warming up

View from bleachers

Ballpark Entrance

Look Mom!

2009-08-14T15:20:00.003-05:00

The other night the boys took the little trampoline that Gramma Gloria gave them (I'll bet gramma never used it like this!) and started dunking the ball. I had to catch a few shots of my future NBA superstars! Here they are:

One Year Since Gastric Bypass

2009-08-11T12:14:00.005-05:00

I went yesterday for my one year check up. I have lost 122 lbs. and feel so much better! I feel healthier than I have in years. I can climb stairs without struggling for breath. I can walk in the mall and not have sweat dripping down my lower back. I have the stamina to be gone all day and then come home and still do the chores and not feel like I need to sit down and die! I move so much easier! There is a spring in my step! Here are pictures to show you the progress:

Before:

Before:

AFTER!!!!!

It's So Quiet Here

2009-08-07T13:17:00.005-05:00

Both my boys are gone so right now as I blog it's sooooo very quiet here! Almost eerily quiet. Strange quiet. Especially when it's so dark outside due to a rainy, stormy day. It looks almost "tornado" dark right now. Now on to where are the boys?????

Jordan has been at his cousin, Joey's, house since yesterday morning. He's eating at a restaurant right now then on his way home. Kota went camping with my brother in law and his wife and kids. Joel took him to his brother's house last night and they left today to go camping at the Wisconsin Dells. Kota will be home Sunday night. He was so excited to go. They just got a new camper and a new boat so Kota was ready to hit the pool and the lake to do all kinds of fun stuff. I know my two nephews, Isaiah and Gabriel, were looking forward to Dakota going with them. They love to play with Kota!

So for the next three days I will not have to listen to fighting, bickering, teasing, whining or anything that resembles a quarrel! Jordan will be at his wits end on who to tease and Kota will be in his glory without a big brother to tease him. I do have to say I miss them both like crazy! They bring so much joy to my life. Can't wait for Jordan to get home and give me some company. When I have them one on one with me they are great. It's together that they mix like oil and water at times.

And You thought Baseball was Over!

2009-07-29T12:51:00.003-05:00

So did I but guess what???? We are still going strong. Kota is in his final tournament (I think and I hope) this week. He has played the last two nights an hour away and he plays again tonight. If we win tonight he plays either Thurs. night or Friday night. Then we're officially done!(I think and I hope).

Joel also has a concert Friday night. He plays in a band with his brother who is an Elvis impersonator. Joel plays guitar and sings.

Grandparents

2009-07-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago when Kota was playing in an all star tournament my grandparents (Kota's great grandparents) came to see him play in three games in two days. I was so happy to have them there. They braved the heat and sat in the sun to see Ko play his favorite sport: baseball! Grandpa Sonny and Grandma Bessie are the best! Kota asked me if they were gonna come and I said Grandma Gloria (my mom) told them about the games and I called them and they said they would be there. They came as they said they would and cheered Kota's team on to a 3rd place victory. Here is a picture of them with Kota after his last game. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Wolf for loving my boys as much as you do. You are important not only to me but to my children as well. They will be better men for having you as grandparents! Love you tons!

The Worst Feeling

2009-07-23T15:01:00.005-05:00

I had the worst feeling in the world this afternoon. I went outside and called for Dakota since he had a friend call to see if he wanted to come over and swim and when I yelled for him he didn't answer. I yelled and yelled and yelled at the top of my lungs and still no answer. I called his friend and said I would bring him over as soon as I found him (since they were on their way to pick him up) but Kota was no where to be found. Usually when he's outside he's right by our house or within earshot to hear me when I call for him. This time he was not! I went in the house and told Jordan I couldn't find him. Jordan said he was on his scooter when he went out to bring the garbage cans in. I went back out and yelled for him again, still no answer! I ran back in the house with my heart in my throat at this point and told Jordan I was getting in the van to go down the street to look for him and if Jordan heard from Kota to call me right away. I did the drive down the road and yelled out the window for him...."KOTA, KOTA" and he was still not answering me. At this time I really began to get upset. In my mine I'm thinking do I call the police? If I do I can't remember what he was wearing. Do I call my friend Missy and have her come help me look? Do I call Joel at work and have him come home and be mad at me that I don't know where our son is? Do I call my mom and work and upset her so she can't think and have her come over? Do I call Pastor Chuck and Pastor Sharon and have them pray?

I did tell my angles to go find him and bring him back right away. As I drove back home I was hoping Kota was in the house hiding from me thinking it was a game, and not a funny game at that! I walked in the door, hollering for him and Jordan said he wasn't in the house. I looked in his closet thinking he might still be hiding and checked all the rooms but still no Kota! I told Jordan I was really getting worried. Actually, I was yelling at Jordan and crying at the same time. Jordan got up, put on his shirt and went outside to start looking. I got back in the van and drove down the hill by our house and was yelling out the window for him. No answer! I turned the van around, went back up the hill, asked Jordan what I should do. He told me to drive over to another street and look in the sub-division. I told him Kota wasn't allowed to go that far and he said it didn't matter but to look in that area. He also said Kota was stupid for going too far and making me worry but that's beside the point! I did as Jordan suggested and got the the end of the street and who do I see riding their scooter without a care in the world????? KOTA!!!! I told him to get in the van right now. Then I broke down in a full fledged ugly cry. Kota was looking at me like I was crazy and said he didn't think his scooter would fit in the van. I told him to make it fit and get in the van right now! He did as he was told for once and then I turned around and headed for home. I asked him who gave him permission to go so far from home. He said no one did. I asked him since when has he been allowed to go this far by himself? He said no one did. I told him how worried I was, that I was ready to call the police, that he had me scared to death that someone had taken him, that I loved him too much to live my life without him and that he's lucky he's not lost! When we got home I went into his room and told him I was really, really upset at what he did and how worried he had me. He started to tear up and knew I was very upset. I told him to never say I didn't love him again ( he does this when he's mad at me) and he said he wouldn't (we'll see about that!). Anyway, that was my scare for the day. I think it aged me about 10 yrs. I did take him to his friend, Adam's house. When I got there I told Adam's mom, Missy, what had happened and I started to cry all over again. It actually took me about an hour to compose myself.

Thank you Jesus for watching out for my son. Thank you angles for bringing him back to me safely and thank you Missy for listening to me blubber about almost losing my son! She's a mom and she understands! If can live the rest of my life and never feel that way again I will be very thankful! To never see this face again would shatter my world! I love you Kota!

So Busy!

2009-07-21T18:41:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy lately! I feel like I'm meeting myself coming and going. Kota is still playing in all star tournaments. He is in the last tourney for the season this week. He played Monday night and they won 4-3. He plays again on Friday night at six, but we also have an old fashioned Weiner Roast at Joel's gramma's house. Guess we'll have to take Kota to his game early, go to Gramma's to eat then head back to the ball field to watch the game. He plays again on Sunday then we can officially say good bye to the 2009 Baseball Season! I have enjoyed each and every game but I think I'm ready for it to be over. Kota will have two weeks off then start soccer practice on Aug. 10th!

Jordan has kept me busy the past two days! Yesterday we had to go to Peoria to see his hematologist and surgeon. Jordan has to to see the hematologist once a year for sickle cell and he had a follow up appt. with his surgeon from his hernia surgery. He got the green light to play sports which means he can start soccer practice as soon as his cleats come in. I had to order them online. He has missed some conditioning days due to basketball camp, vacation and surgery. Thank God these days weren't mandatory. His mandatory practice starts some time in August. He also had to have a base line EKG and another test that I can't remember the name of. When I go for my yearly check up with my gastric bypass surgeon Jordan is scheduled that same day for two more tests to get done. Dr. Saving, he specialist, wants these tests done now and then repeat them in 3 yrs. to keep an eye on his heart, lungs and other organs due to having sickle cell. It's just routine I guess.

Today Jordan had an orthodontist appt. and Kota had to have sealant put on his back teeth to protect from cavities. After the dentist we went to get the boys haircuts. Then it was lunch at McDonald's then on to Aldi's to get groceries. We then came back home, put groceries away, went hunting for wiffle balls since I banned baseballs in our yard and the neighbors yard due to a crabby neighbor and was unsuccessful in finding them. Stopped to pick up a few things at Kroger's that I can't get at Aldi's. Stopped at the Dollar Tree to pick up odds and ends then came home and put groceries away again then made breakfast for supper. I cleaned up supper dishes, watered my plants and did some laundry. Now I am able to blog about my day. Joel just left to take Kota to the YMCA to swim. Jordan didn't want to go so he's in the family room on the computer. I am off to surf the internet, fold laundry and just relax with Sunny in my lap. I plan of going to bed at a decent time and sleeping in tomorrow morning. My dog days of summer relaxing are almost over. School starts for me Aug. 24th but I have to be there before then to get my classroom ready for my students. I enjoy summer but always enjoy heading back to school in the fall.

My Life has gone to the Dogs

2009-07-16T10:18:00.004-05:00

Hey all, I have been busy dog sitting this week for my sister's dog. I watch their dog when they go on vacation and she does the same for us when we're gone. It works out nice but the only drawback for us is that her dog sheds (a lot) and my dog does not (at all). My sister, Shannon, usually gets Charly groomed before she brings her to our house but this time she didn't and boy did I have tons of dog hair in my house! They picked Charly up yesterday afternoon and then I went to town cleaning up dog hair. I vacuumed and lent rolled the entire livingroom. Charly is such a great dog and she doesn't cause a problem at all. Sunny was sad to see her go but was worn out. She slept really good last night.

Charly

Charly and Sunny playing

Again playing!

More playing........

Sunny

More Pictures

2009-07-09T19:36:00.003-05:00

Evidence of Jordan's clean room!

Kota and Rina

Jordan on rock climbing wall

Kota on rock climbing wall

Vacation Pictures

2009-07-09T19:26:00.003-05:00

My Boys Plus nieces and nephews

Dakota, Rina, Isaiah, Gabriel

My hubby relaxing

Isaiah in wave pool

Rina loving the wave pool. Can't you tell by the big smile!

Back from Vacation and the Hospital

2009-07-09T18:58:00.006-05:00

I haven't been blogging for the past week due to both above mentioned things. We left to go the the Wisconsin Dells on July 1st and came home on July 4th. We stayed at the Kalahari for the second year in a row and the kids absoultely love it there. We went with my two brothers in law and their wives and kids. There was 13 of us all together and we stayed in a beautiful 3 bedroom, 3 bath condo with a full kitchen and livingroom. It was so beautiful! We had three balconies and they looked out over the outdoor pool. We had such a peaceful time. There were six adults and 7 children. We went to the indoor waterpark. It was actually cold when we were there. Too cold to use the outdoor park two of the days! Bummer, but the kids enjoyed the indoor one as well. They have an indoor theme park with rock climbing walls, go carts, rides and games. Some of us went to see the Tommy Bartlett Show. Kota went and he loved it!!!!

When we got back on the 4th we went to pick up Sunny at my sisters house. It was raining here at home and we weren't sure if there would be fireworks or not. Needless to say, there was much to the kids delight. We only live one street over from the high school football field where they do the firework show so we always have people come over and sit in lawn chairs in our front yard to watch them. Joel pulls the truck around to the front of the house and the kids sit in the back of it to watch. We had a great time.

On Monday Jordan and I headed to the hospital over an hour away for him to check in for hernia surgery on Tuesday. Since Jordan has sickle cell, he had to go in the day before and have a blood transfusion. The transfusion went well, he slept good thru the night ( I however did not!) and he had surgery at 10am Tuesday. His surgery was smooth sailing (Thank the Good Lord above) and he was back in his room by noon. He had to stay again thru the night so they could watch for any complications and make sure he stayed hydrated so he wouldn't go into a pain crisis. We started for home at 11 am Wednesday morning. I cleaned his room which I will show you pictures of in the next post. I had to take pictures of his clean room since it never looks like this when he's feeling fine!

I cooked pot roast in the crock pot today and we had that with corn, potatoes, carrots and green beans. It was super yummy. I am now finding the time to blog about all of it for the first time since I came home. Laundry has a way of tying me up for hours at a time. Anyway, I'm all caught up with my house work and plan to chill out the rest of the night.

Play Area for smaller children

Posts with African Pots on them

Wave Pool

Kota in Wave Pool

Wave Runner

Championship

2009-06-30T23:57:00.005-05:00

Dakota's team the Astro's won the Minor League Championship tonight against the Cubs by a score of 7-4. They finished the season with a record of 13-2. Kota played the positions: shortstop, 3rd base, and pitcher. His team had an awesome season and I am so proud of them all!

The Astros and Cubs

The Astros:First Place

WINNERS!!!!

2009-06-28T21:33:00.004-05:00

Kota's team won the Graff Tournament this weekend! They went 3-0 and pulled out the last game with a 6-4 win this afternoon to take first place. Kota played awesome at shortstop all weekend and hit the ball very well. He is such a great kid and Joel and I are so proud of him! He makes life so much fun. As does Jordan! I don't even like to think about life without my boys. I'm a proud mama that's for sure! Here are some pics from the game today.

Kota receiving his trophy

The Team Photo

Kota checking out his trophy

The boys acting goofy!

Kota playing shortstop

Graff Tournament

2009-06-27T14:13:00.003-05:00

Kota just got done with game one in the Bill Graff Tournament and they won 11-2. They play again at 4pm and then again tomorrow afternoon. Here's some pics of Kota from last nights All Star game.

Kota and his best friend Adam

Kota and Adam

Kota kissing his all star medal

Kota and team mates

Off to Camp

2009-06-25T15:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I took Jordan to basketball camp at a college two hours away. He went to this camp last year with the same two friends as this year and he had a blast. We left at 11:00 a.m. and picked up his friend, Tyler, and Tyler's mom, Beth. Beth and I visited all the way there and back and had such a great time! We ate at Olive Garden for lunch and I haven't ate there in a long time. Actually I haven't ate there since having surgery and the salad and soup tasted sooooo good!! It did agree with me too which was nice. When we got to the dorm they would be staying in we checked them in, got them to their room with Jordan's other friend, Nolan, and made their beds and got them settled in. Then we had to make a quick run to the nearest gas station to get gum for them. After dropping the gum off at the front desk of the dorm, we were off to come home.

Kota went with us as well. He had a morning practice for his regular season team that is going to the championship and then he had night practice for the all star team. He has two practices today as well. Kota says he's not playing baseball next year cause he's burned out on it. He will probably change his mind between now and then but I do understand how he's tired of doing two practices a day. His championship game is next Tuesday then we leave on vacation for the rest of the week so he will get a little break from it all.

I miss Jordan terribly! I'm used to the fighting, bickering and teasing that comes with him in the house. Now Kota doesn't have anyone to fight with and the house is so quiet. It's almost too quiet if that's possible. I will cherish it now cause come Sat. night things will be back to normal. I consider this a little vacation for myself from playing referee and I plan on savoring every minute. I know they grow up way too fast and I cherish my time with them, but listening to bickering all day can grate on even the most patience person's nerves! For now, I am in the quiet fortress that is my home with only one child.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T21:07:00.003-05:00

I wanted to give a big shout out to my wonderful husband for being such a wonderful father! Joel, you are a great father to our two boys. I couldn't imagine walking this journey of parenthood with anyone but you. Thank you for loving me and loving our children more than you love yourself! You are a wonderful provider and I thank God everyday for you. Enjoy your day!

All Star

2009-06-20T16:37:00.003-05:00

Kota made the 9 yr. old all star team! We are so proud of him! He is such a good athlete and any sport he plays he plays it well. He just turned 10 at the beginning of May but because the cut off date for Little League is Apr. 30th he missed it by 8 days. This means he's actually a year behind some of his friends that are in the same grade as him. His best friend, Adam, is in the same boat as Kota though cause his birthday is next week so he missed the cut off as well.

Kota, Dad and I are so proud of you! Having you for our son makes life so much more fun! We love you!

The Look

2009-06-15T19:10:00.004-05:00

Last night as Joel and I were sitting in the livingroom watching TV, Joel looked over and this is what he saw.............

In case you haven't figured it out yet........that's Sunny laying on her back right next to the love seat. She was very comfortable in case you didn't notice.

This next picture is of Sunny when she woke up and looked at me like I'm crazy!

Just had to share the pics!

Gracie Girl and The Deer

2009-06-10T22:24:00.003-05:00

First of all, in my title one has nothing to do with the other. I am just hitting both subjects in one post is all. Our friends, Chuck and Lynette, lost their Yorkie Sunday afternoon. She was in their fenced in back yard and got out from under the fence and took off. They did everything they could. They scoured the neighborhood, put up fliers, alerted the neighbors, looked during the day, looked in the middle of the night and above all else THEY PRAYED! The first night she was gone we had a terrible storm. Gracie is only six pounds and she must have been terrified being out in that storm. She's somewhat of a "neurotic" dog anyway so I'm sure that really pushed her over the edge. I went to sleep Monday night with a heavy heart praying God would bring her back and the angles would protect her. A lot of people were praying for her safe return but as the days worn on all hope seemed to be lost. Tonight at 5:45 Chuck got a call from a local kennel that Gracie was at the Post Office and the lady that found her was waiting for them to come get her. Gracie was cowering in the corner of the handicapped ramp that leads up to the post office when Chuck got there and she wouldn't come to the lady that found her. When she saw Chuck she couldn't get to him fast enough! Poor thing! They brought her home and she is safe and sound with her family right where she belongs! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! AMEN!

Now for the deer. We live on the outskirts of town and a wooded area is only two houses from us at the end of our street. We see lots of deer but today I saw just one in my neighbors front yard eating from the bird feeder. This picture was taken from my kitchen window. I was washing dishes when Kota spotted it across the driveway. I had to share the photo with you all.

God Bless!

Jordan's Party

2009-06-07T14:04:00.005-05:00

Well, we made it through Jordan's graduation party! I think it was a good day and we had a good turn out of people attend. He had a lot of friends come over which was nice. They hung out in the front yard and sat in lawn chairs, visited and boxed. Yes, boxed! Until I put a stop to it! Boys!!!! Jordan says I ruin all the fun all the time. I'm the mom, that's my job. He was not impressed with my answer.

Here is a pic of my high schooler with his graduation cake. He's so grown up now.

Garage

2009-06-05T16:15:00.004-05:00

I would typically never post a picture of my garage since it's Joel and the boys domain and it is less than neat and tidy but yesterday I cleaned it out in preparation for Jordan's party tomorrow afternoon. Okay, that was one long run on sentence there! Anyway, I worked hard for 2 1/2 hrs. and tossed stuff out. The nice garbage man informed me I was only allowed one big item per week but was super nice and took everything I tossed and trust me there was way more than one big item to go. I got away with throwing things out by doing the cleaning when Joel was at work. He's a huge pack rat and hates to throw anything away. I was so glad to get rid of some stuff he was hanging on to for so long.

I took some pics of the newly clean garage and just had to share with you. If you're looking at this thinking...."this doesn't look too clean, my garage is cleaner than this" then pat yourself on the back for your gloriously clean car's room and be on your way. To me, this is extremely clean when it comes to garages! I wonder how long this clean streak will last in here?!

More Graduation Pictures

2009-06-03T14:03:00.003-05:00

The first picture is of Jordan, Joel and myself.

The second picture is of Jordan with my mom, Grandma Gloria.

The last picture is of Jordan with my in-laws, Grandma Ellie and Grandpa Tom.

Jordan's Graduation

2009-06-03T13:51:00.004-05:00

I can't believe Jordan is done with grade school forever! He is officially in high school and I would like someone to tell me where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home and now today he stands almost taller than me, speaks his mind even when I don't want to hear it and drains me dry in the money department. Gone are the days of him smiling at me and telling me he loves me forever and a day. Gone are the days when I tell him to do something and he says in his little voice, "Ok mommy". I am now in the days where he tells me I ask too many questions. I have to tell him to do something 3 times before he does it or thinks about doing it. He's gone with his friends more than he's home. When he's home he's texting his friends. He wants to be with his friends all the time. I will embrace the teenage years cause I have no other choice! But really, I love him with all my heart and know God has him in the palm of His hand. I pray high school is a great time for him and he stays out of trouble. I know some trouble is to be expected but let's keep it on the small side! Here are some pics form his graduation last night. I don't have any from the ceremony because the gym has really bad lighting and the pictures turned out dark.

Kota and Adam

2009-06-03T13:45:00.005-05:00

Last night was Jordan's 8th grade Graduation and Kota's best friend, Adam, was there. Here is a picture of the two of them. Kota and Adam have been best friends for 4 yrs. now and Adam's dad coaches Kota in almost every sport he plays. We are very good friends with the Brown's and cherish their friendship. Adam has become part of our family and we love him!

Cassie's Graduation

2009-05-31T18:26:00.007-05:00

My cousin, Cassie, graduated from high school Friday night and she had her party yesterday (Saturday). We drove to the party which was a little over an hour away for us and it was well worth our drive. We had so much fun visiting with my family and eating some really good food!

People have always said Cassie looks like me and now since I've lost a bunch of weight I have been told I look like my Aunt Colleen, which is Cassie's mom. Guess we all are really related after all! Anyway, we look pics yesterday and you be the judge. Do we look alike or not?! I also posted pictures of my other family members as well.

Laura, Colleen, Cassie, Me and Mom

Laura, Colleen, Cassie & Me

Colleen, Cassie and Me

Cassie and Me

Colleen and Me

Flowers Cont.

2009-05-29T14:24:00.004-05:00

Here are the rest of the flower pics since blogger won't let me show them all in one post.

Flowers

2009-05-29T14:07:00.007-05:00

I have been on a flower kick lately. I bought bedding plants at the local Kroger on Wed. and paid $2 for a cell of six and the next day they went on sale for a buck! I should have waited a day longer! Anyway, I planted them when I got home in pots and a couple window boxes. I had extra potting soil left over and didn't want it to go to waste so I headed back to Krogers this afternoon and bought more plants...this time for a $1 each and used the rest of my soil. I took some pics to share, so here they are.

A Little of This and That

2009-05-27T10:04:00.007-05:00

I was blessed with a new camera since my other camera that's not even 1 yr. old died and I have some pictures to share. Its a Kodak Easyshare M380 10.2 megapixel and I love it. It has a large view screen which was a must for me.

My first subject to test out the new camera was Sunny since she was the only one willing to indulge me so I could play with my new camera. Of course, she was laying on the living room floor chewing on a chew stick and happy to be doing so. In case you don't know by now..........I love my DOG!!! She's my girl! She's spoiled rotten, barks in jealousy when anyone hugs or kisses me and is great with the boys. I should say she's great with Kota since Jordan has very little to do with her. He's a typical teenager...it's all about him. Kota adores her!

I was at the ball park last night and sat in the rain watching Kota play against the Cubs which were also an undefeated team until they played us! We won 8-3. Kota played awesome. He played shortstop then first base and made the game ending catch with a pop fly that he had to run for. We are so proud of him!

We are also very proud of Jordan who graduates from 8th grade next Tuesday. He informed me yesterday when I picked him up from school that he is going to play soccer in high school. I have asked him off and on for the last year if he thought he would play in high school and he said he didn't know. We left the decision totally up to him and he said he signed up to play when the high school soccer coach came to the junior high yesterday. I guess the coach is super nice and all the boys really like him.

More good news! The head high school basketball coach resigned! Yeah! The community was thrilled to hear the great news. This coach has met lots of opposition from parents and his coaching style and the way he interacts with the boys is.....how should I put it? Less than desirable and I'll leave it at that. I have been praying he would resign since Jordan is definitely gonna play basketball in high school. I really didn't want to deal with this coach for 4 yrs. and have Jordan not play or quit because he wasn't one of the "chosen" ones! Anyway, lots of good things happening! And summer is just beginning. Oh and in case I haven't given an update on weight loss I'm down 122 lbs! Woooo Hoooo!

Here are some pics I took with my new camera.

Ain't she pretty!

My Sunshine

Kota playing first base

Oh, and a pic of me from graduation last Thursday night.

Stolen Bicycle

2009-05-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

Very few things make me REALLY, REALLY MAD but having my 14 yr. old son's $300 bike he got 3 WEEKS AGO FOR A GRADUATION PRESENT IS ONE THING THAT MAKES MY BLOOD BOIL! So the story goes like this. Wednesday night Jordan was riding his new bike with a group of friends about 6:30 p.m. while Joel and I were at Dakota's baseball game. I called Jordan on my way home at 7pm and asked where he was (which was only a few blocks from our house) and told him to be home by 8:15. At 8:30 he wasn't home so I called and he told me some kid took his bike and wasn't back yet. At this point I didn't have the whole story so I told him to get his bike back and come right home. 15 min. went by and still Jordan wasn't home. I called again and he said the kid that took his bike was a bad kid and he just kinda took the bike from him and took off. Jordan was afraid to even tell me the kids name for fear of getting beat up. I asked if this kid was 14 yrs. old and he told me he was 19!!! That's right, 19 yrs. old! I flipped out on the phone and asked again who it was he finally told me and would you believe I know who the kid is because his younger brother goes to the school I teach at. Joel and I got in the truck and went to where Jordan and his friends were. Jordan's friend also had his bike taken by the 19 yr. old's girlfriend who I know very well! I walked up to the boy's house and talked to the mom. She said she had tried to call him and he wouldn't answer his phone. This kid that took Jordan's bike is trouble with a capital T! He's been in DT home, in jail and on probation. The only reason Jordan let him take the bike was because he's scared of him! By the time I got to Jordan the bike had been gone 3 hrs. which to me is stealing. I told the mother I was gonna call the cops and report the bike stolen and tell who took it and she agreed. We came home and did just that. The cop came to the house and took our statement and we are pressing charges. To make a very long story short, I called the girlfriend of the 19 yr. old's mother and talked with her, told her what was going on and I was mad as hell. She called her daughter, told her I was waiting for Jordan's bike to be returned along with the Jordan's friends bike. Jordan's friend got his bike back that night but Jordan did not.

The next day which was Friday, May 21st, I called the girl's mother again and wanted to know where the boyfriend was that took Jordan's bike. She called me back and told me he sold the bike for $50 to her ex-husbands nephew and he was gonna sell the bike cause it's an expensive bike and he new it was "hot"! I called the ex-husband and told him what was going on and he had 1 hour to get the bike back from his nephew. In the meantime I called the cops again and told them who had the bike. They couldn't track the guy down so I had to wait for the officer who came to our house the night before to come on duty at 6pm. At 4:45 pm I get a call and the bike is at the ex-husbands house and we are to come get it. Needless to say, we have the bike back, it's in great shape except for some loose spokes which can be tightened. We are still pressing charges against the kid who stole it and I hope he's still on probation so this will send him to jail for a while!

I was just sick about all of this. I had the worst headache for 24 hours and was in tears more than one time over Jordan's graduation present being stolen! I can't stand people who think it's okay to take from someone what they want while others like ourselves work for and earn an honest living to buy the things we need or want! Takers make me so angry I could spit nails! I had some very bad words come out of my mouth on more than one occasion during this ordeal. Thank God He's a forgiving God! I want to praise God for getting the bike back in good shape. I did send my angels out to guard and protect that bike and bring it back in one piece. My prayers were answered and God is faithful in all things! Amen!

Hamster Wranglers

2009-05-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

Add that title to the many other titles I have! Joel woke Kota and I up at 5 am the other morning to tell us one of the beloved hamsters had gotten out and was running wild in the kitchen. Kota got up first since I think this time of the morning is somewhat "evil" and was hoping he could wrangle the critter on all on his own. This was not to be the case, unfortunately! I heard the call come from the kitchen....MOM!!! and this is where I really did have to get out of bed at this evil time! So here we are, in the kitchen, hamster behind the stove, Kota with a drum stick to use for leverage to poke the said critter from his hiding place and so such luck! I then had to move the stove and kitchen table and chairs so I could use the drum stick as a cattle prod and get the hamster to move toward Kota on the other side of the stove. We did have success and he was captured! YEAH!!! Kota returned him to his cage to join his brother and then we promptly put masking tape on the door to the top of their cage. You may ask how he got out and I will tell you, when my neice was over she opened the door to the top of their cage that they use as their "bedroom" and broke the latch. I actually thought I should put tape on it then and there but didn't cause I thought.."they can't get out". I was wrong and my punishment was to get up at evil 5am and wrangle the darn thing! He is safe and sound and in permanent lock down from here on out.

My Neck of the Woods

2009-05-15T19:20:00.000-05:00

I don't know about your neck of the woods but my woods are muddy and my neck is wet from ALL THE RAIN!!!!!!!!! We have had so much rain this spring. Our basement is holding water and the basement is partially finished but thank goodness it's in the unfinished part that the water is coming in. My mom calls me this afternoon and she lives in a very nice garden apt. and they have never had water in the building since it was built but guess what??? She has water in her apt. and we had to move furniture and the landlord is there as I type this trying to wet vac it up. Our area has been hit with so much rain the ground can't handle anymore. I know God promised He would never flood the earth again and I'm believing in that promise!

Kota has had two baseball games canceled this week so he has a make up game tomorrow afternoon. I don't think the field will be dry enough for him to play but we'll have to wait and see. This was my last full week of school. Monday and Tuesday are working days for my students then Wed. we will go to City Park and have a picnic and play day. Thursday is graduation practice and we dismiss at 11:00 am. I can't believe Kota is almost done with fourth grade. Jordan graduates from eighth grade on June 2nd and then he's on to high school. How can my first born possibly be going in to high school?? Where has the time gone?? I ask these questions and in reality time just keeps marching on. I get a year older and so do the boys. I am trying to savor these days with them but with Jordan being in full blown teenage mode there are days when I would like to drop kick him as far as I can. I'll tell ya what.....when he turned 12 it was like I had a totally different kid on my hands. And it's only grown from there in the last two years. He always has so many plans............never answers his phone......never texts me back and it drives me CRAZY!!! But he's sure to call if he needs a RIDE OR MONEY!!! Teenagers!!!

I guess I should mention that I have a neurotic dog as well! Sunny is scared to death of storms. There isn't enough benadryl in the world to calm her down. The poor thing.....she shakes so bad and pants up a storm when it thunders. I can't have her on the bed when she's like that because the whole bed shakes and we can't sleep. So where did she go the other night during the storm you might ask?! To Jordan's room of course! She must have really been desperate to go to his room cause he gives her the least amount of attention. She was under his bed and in his bed shake, rattle and rollin all night! Guess she's pretty smart after to all to torture him with no sleep and let the rest of us have a peaceful night! At least I trained one of them right! Here's to hoping sunny days are just around the corner!

A Tribute to My Mother

2009-05-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

With this being Mother's Day and all I want to pay tribute to the most wonderful mother in the world....who might that be??? Why, MY MOTHER OF COURSE! Her name is Gloria and she is GLORIOUS!

There are so many things I can say about my mother, but my words will not do her justice. She is kind, compassionate, attentive, caring, loving, prayerful and full of all the special ingredients a mother comes with. My mom is my not only my mother but also my friend. For that I should probably refer to her as "frother". But I won't. God chose the womb for me to make my way into this world and the choice He made was perfect, but then again, God doesn't make mistakes! Growing up she was always there to comfort me, encourage me and teach me all I needed to know to make my way in this world. If it weren't for her love and support thru the years I don't know where I would be. Her love in my life is such a force that makes me want to be a better person. She is a rock for me to lean on, gives me Godly advice when I need a Godly word and the best gramma to my boys a daughter could ever ask for. My mom rocks!!!!!!

I have been blessed to have her for my mother for 40 yrs. now and there is no other mother in the world that I would want. If I can be half the mother to my boys that she is to me then I will consider my mothering skills a great success. I learned from the best teacher! Mom, I love you with all my heart. You have made me the person I am today and I will love you until the end of time and then some!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO YOU MOM!

My Baby is 10!

2009-05-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

My youngest son turns 10 at 7:28 pm tonight! I can't believe it's been 10 yrs. since we brought home this incredible gift from God. He has added so much joy to our lives and for him to be 10 is almost unbelievable. He's funny, witty, athletic and smart!!! He loves my fat arms and thinks my butt is skinny and for that I love him even more.

The day we brought him home from the hospital I knew my family was complete. I couldn't have asked for a better boy! Thank you God for allowing me to be his mother.

Home Run Hitter

2009-05-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

Dakota hit his first home run of the minor league season last night! It was the top of the first inning, he's the lead off batter and he hit the second pitch, it hit the top of the fence in straight away center field and went over! Everyone was on their feet cheering. He hit 14 home runs last season on the cub league field but this field is much bigger. It's even bigger than the field he plays on at Southside Diamond. He ran those bases and the team all came out to congratulate him. It was awesome!

Kota's birthday is this Friday. We have a party planned for him on Sat. He loves birthdays. He always has. One of his favorite things is birthday cake! That boy sure does love birthday cake. He has two games this week. One on Tuesday night and another on Friday night. This will be the start of the regular baseball season. We played six games in two weeks in a tournament before reg. season started.

Jordan has been riding his new bike with his friends all day. He wanted a new bike for 8th grade graduation and it cost almost $300! And it doesn't even have a kickstand! LOL! I guess the guy who sold him the bike told Joel it's a bike you use for jumps and "tricks" so they don't have kickstands. This was really hard for Joel to understand since now it has to lean against something. He said for $300 you should at least get a kickstand with it! I told Joel we must be getting old.

Kota has his best friend, Adam, over to play right now. Joel is cooking steaks on the grill. We are also having rice, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and pasta salad. Yum! Gotta go help get it ready. Hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Bulls Game

2009-04-27T18:33:00.000-05:00

On March 6th, Dakota's basketball coach took his team to see the Chicago Bulls play the Milwaukee Bucks. Coach Brown paid for all the boys tickets along with parents and we headed to Chicago to watch our beloved Bulls play live and in person! The boys and us parents had the best time. I know I enjoyed myself so much as did Joel. Oh, Jordan got to go too!

We arrived early enough for the boys to line up where the players come on the court to get autographs. Kota got his warm up shirt and ticket signed by Joakim Noah. See the pics below of him signing his shirt. We watched the players warm up on the court and the boys had a ball. Our seats weren't too bad. At half time they put the name of the boys basketball team up on the Jumbo Tron. One of the parents bought each of the boys a basketball which was above and beyond what we expected. The team Kota plays for is called The Heat and it's a travel basketball team with 8 boys on it. They play tournaments and regular season games at a local YMCA. He has been on this team for two years now and we couldn't ask for a better coach than Coach Brown! He's awesome with the boys and very generous with his time and teaching the boys the fundamentals of the game. He has coached Kota in basketball, baseball and soccer and he learns so much from him. Plus Coach Brown's son happens to be Kota's best friend. We are grateful for the Brown Family! Thanks to my friend, Jean, for the pictures she took since I forgot my camera!

Fast Blogger

2009-04-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

I have to be a very fast blogger today. I just got out of the shower, freshened up and ready to run out the door in a few minutes for Kota's baseball game! Baseball has arrived!!!! What that means is......quick meals, lots of practice, lots of money spent on snacks at the ballfield and lots and lots of baseball games. I really don't mind. I come from a sports minded family and we love sports at our house. Basketball is our favorite followed by baseball and soccer. Of course, Jordan wishes like crazy he could play football ( and he would be an awesome running back or quarterback since he can throw the ball really far) but due to having an enlarged spleen from sickle cell he is not medically allowed to play that sport. Believe me, he has tried more than one time to talk his hematologist into letting him play but she always says, "NO", much to his dismay! Poor kid! Secretly I'm kind of glad. There's a lot of serious injuries that happen in football.

Anyway, I'm off to the game. Just wanted to check in at the blog and let anyone that reads it know what the Limberg family is up to.

My Grandma

2009-04-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my Grandma Bessie and I on Easter Sunday. I love this picture of her. She's so beautiful and such a blessing to have in my life. I wish I was able to have spent more time with her when I was little but I hope I make up for it since I've become an adult. We always spent so much time with my dad's side of the family and I loved it but sometimes I feel like I missed out on a lot at my grandma and grandpa's farm when I was little. I do have very fond memories of my grandparents growing up. Things like being forbidden by my grandma to go near the big, red barn at butchering time. I had no idea why I wasn't allowed in there but now that I'm older I realize my grandma was saving my eyes from very nasty looking stuff. She seemed to have eyes in the back of her head as she worked in the kitchen and would yell out the window, "You girls stay away from that barn!" LOL! I also remember my aunts, Colleen and Sheri, always arguing over who's turn it was to get water from the water pump outside. They would have to take the bucket outside and use the pump to get water from the well so it could be brought in the house and everyone could drink from the bucket with a stainless steel ladle. I used to love to drink from that bucket and the water was so delicious! There's never been any water I've ever drank since that has tasted as good as that well water tasted! My aunts also taught my sister and I how to stir chocolate syrup into our vanilla ice cream to make it turn chocolate. Those are great memories!

My mom was young when she had us so my grandparents weren't very old and they still had fairly young children at home too. My mom is the oldest and her youngest sibling is only 7 yrs. older than I am. I loved spending time with Colleen and Sheri. I always thought they were so cool! They still are great aunts and I love to be around them. I'm grateful for my family! And Grandma Wolf, I love you so very, very much!

Friday

2009-04-17T18:50:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of Spring Break. I slept until 11:30 a.m. I love to stay up late and sleep late. Kota is just like me. Anyway, once I got up I jumped in the shower and got cleaned up then the running kids around began. I took Jordan to his friends house, went to the pet store to get Spencer his eye ointment, then off to my mom's to look at her computer. She texted me this morning that her computer wouldn't shut down and was frozen so I ran over there while she was gone and turned it off and turned it back on again and what do you know.........It was fixed! I love ya Mom!

Then I came home and Kota and I cleaned out the hamsters cage. Boy, that was a big job. I told Kota he needs to learn how to do this on his own really fast! Another job for me to do. I should have known buying hamsters meant I was taking on another responsibility.

Then I went to pick Jordan back up from his friends, came home to do a few things around the house then off to take Kota to baseball practice. Then back to get Kota from practice. Now I'm home for the night and play to stay in my chair and watch a movie with Joel. Enjoy the nice weather and the weekend. It will be Monday before we know it!

Sick Hamsters and Busy Boys

2009-04-16T15:27:00.000-05:00

Well, Spencer has a goopey (sp?) eye! When I say goopey eye I mean it was crusted shut and weaping. I cleaned it out the other night with a warm washcloth and opened it much to his disliking. Now remember, Spencer is one of Kota's new hamsters! That's right, I cleaned out the eye of a hamster folks! Oh the things I thought I would never have to do. Now mind you I don't mind cleaning out Sunny's eyes everyday but she's my dog which is different. Plus her eyes are bigger and she's not as little and squirmy to work with. Spencer is small, squirmy and quite a challenge to hold so imagine me holding him, with a washcloth and trying to clean his eye out all the while trying to fend off Sunny from trying to eat him for supper! I finally made Kota take Sunny to his room and lock her in so I could get the job done. I didn't need to have more injuries on my hands had she gotten a hold of him in her mouth.

After cleaning Spencer's eye out, I think he looked better. I called the pet store and talked to someone and they said to bring him in on Friday and they would put drops in his eye to help with the "cold" they thought he had due to stress from being moved. Today his eye looks 100% better! Yeah! Kota was really worried about him. I think Spencer will be just fine.

As for busy boys.......Jordan went with his friend, Ryan, to the Cub's game today. He spent the night at Ryan's house and they left early today to take the train into Chicago. He won't be home till later tonight which means I've had a "fight free zone" in my house for going on 24 hrs. now! You can only imagine how nice today was to enjoy the peace and quiet of one child in the house. It was marvelous!

Kota is practicing his pitching outside in the front yard. Jordan showed him how to throw a curve ball, fast ball, change up, etc.... He pitched a little last night in his practice game and did very well. He also was catcher and played second base. Baseball is getting into full swing at our house.

Only one more day left on spring break then we're back to school on Monday. I've been off for almost 3 weeks due to having pneumonia so I'm more than ready to got back to school. Unfortunately, Kota is not ready to go back. He loves not having school and is so looking forward to summer vacation. I wish one of my boys would actually love school but I guess that's a dream that I'll never have fulfulled!

Miracle of Motherhood

2009-04-13T16:56:00.000-05:00

As I sit here listening to my boys eat in the kitchen I realize how incredible it is to be their mother. You see, I prayed and prayed to my Heavenly Father to become a mother. My arms ached to hold a baby to call my own and raise with my husband and become a family. Only God knows why our life takes a certain path to begin with and along the way if we are paying attention He will reveal that plan to us.

I have been blessed to be the mother of my two boys. I do believe God closed my womb in order to mother these two children. Had I been able to conceive a child in my own womb where would my boys be today?! That to me is a concept I can't even wrap my brain around. I know God can do all things and for Him to open my womb and give birth to a child would have been an easy thing for Him to do but He didn't. Why you may ask.......because it wasn't God's plan for my life. I was put on this earth to mother Jordan and Dakota. If I had to go back and do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing. God has us walk a path not only to learn something along the way but to be a well for others to draw from. I am blessed beyond measure to have the children God gave me. I can't imagine my life any other way! I am having a love burst as I like to call them and want to give God all the glory for making me the mother I am today! Thank you Lord Jesus for giving me my children and having a perfect plan for their lives. I cherish the time I spend with them! Even when they drive me crazy!

God is good all the time! Amen!

New Family Members

2009-04-13T14:45:00.001-05:00

Kota is the proud owner of two hamsters! Yes, I said two, not one. You can't have just one because it will be lonely. We went to the pet store today and bought the hamsters, named Freddy and Spencer, and also bought the bedding, food, cage with a wheel, hamster ball for them to play in and of course treats! They are now in Kota's room sleeping since having a big afternoon in their new home.

Our dog, Sunny, has her nose out of joint about the new family members. While Jordan was putting the cage together we had them in the ball in the kitchen and she was so intrigued with them. She was sniffing, whining and wouldn't take her eyes off of them! She's been panting and really just put off by them. It's so funny!

This was Kota's early birthday present. He is so happy right now. They are friendly and have been handled a lot. That was one of my priorities....they had to be nice and not the mean and biting type. I think we have some good hamsters and it's one more thing for me to oversee care of! Oh well, if it makes Kota happy then it's worth it! Here are some pics of their cage and Kota with them. I couldn't get a good pic of them since they were sleeping.

Resurrection Sunday

2009-04-12T18:28:00.000-05:00

So we went to my grandma's today and had the best time! My grandparents are both around 83-84 yrs. old so every time I get to spend time with them is such a blessing. They still live in their own beautiful home. Their health is very good for their age and they both get around very well.

We spent the day with them, my aunts, uncles, and cousins. We had Italian beef, ham, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, etc... to eat and tons of deserts of which I ate nothing! My body can not really handle refined sugar too well any more since surgery.

My mom made homemade ice cream in three flavors: vanilla, strawberry and mint chocolate chip and that was a huge hit with my grandpa since he loves ice cream! After eating we sat around and talked with one another. We then made plans for my cousins upcoming wedding in Geneva, IL so we had to make hotel reservations. Joel's shoulder started to hurt so we got home around 5:30 pm.

Joel is now working out his shoulder. Jordan is on the computer and Kota is playing basketball in his bedroom. I am finishing up laundry and blogging. Hope everyone had a very blessed day!

What does Ujamma Mean?

2009-04-12T18:25:00.000-05:00

Funny you should ask! I thought it deserved an explanation since it's such an unusual word. Ujamma means "family" in Swahili. My husband and I adopted both our boys at birth and they are both of African American descent. I wanted to tap into that and come up with a name for the blog that would reach back to their ancestors and have some meaning. This is what I came up with! So that's what Ujamma means.

The Weekend

2009-04-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Passover and Easter to all. We are going to my Grandma Wolf's for easter dinner tomorrow afternoon. The boys enjoy going there because they love playing pool in the basement. We have a pool table in our basement as well but I guess it's not the same as Grandma's! Of course!

I have almost finished all my medicine for the pneumonia. I am feeling better every day and my cough is almost gone. I weighed myself before my shower and I am down 113 lbs.! I can't believe that less than 8 months ago I was as fat as I was! LOL! No nice way to say it I guess.

Joel is at band practice, Kota is with his friend Adam and Jordan is playing basketball in the driveway. I am sitting here enjoying the peace and quiet. Hope everyone has a very blessed weekend.

Spring Break

2009-04-09T17:31:00.000-05:00

Well, spring break started out with a bang. I missed the last three days of school before break due to pneumonia. I was admitted to the hospital last Wed. and was in for two nights. I had pneumonia in my left lung. I was running a very high fever of 103.9 when I went to the E.R. and feeling about as crappy as one can feel. They had me on three different I.V. antibotics and I'm now happy to say I'm on the mend. Thank the good Lord!

I had to have a cortizone injection in my right knee yesterday. I'm not sure what's wrong with my knee but this is the 4th shot I've had in it for pain. I have officially lost 111 lbs. since Aug. 13, 2008! I have another 45-50 lbs. to lose till I reach my goal weight. I feel so much better.

Gotta go take Kota to baseball practice. Basketball was over about a month ago and now baseball is in full swing! A summer at the ball field. I can't wait.