Overdue update

I haven't written a decent post in a long time. Things have been busy, but it's mostly been life as usual and I just haven't been in the mood to write. Our football season continues to be an experience in personal growth - we are still looking for our first win. Jamie and I had a really good talk about it recently. I told him that rarely do people grow during the good, easy times. It is the tough times that cause us to examine our lives, count our blessings, and learn things about ourselves that we may not have otherwise learned. I know this has been the case for me over the past few years as we've dealt with infertility. I truly believe Jamie is going to be a better person for having this experience...but it doesn't make it any easier as we are in the midst of things.

Elise had strep throat a few weeks ago and missed a few days of school. The good news is that no one else caught it. The bad news is that she will not get a perfect attendance award for this grading period. On the same day she got strep throat, I came down with pink eye. Weird coincidence.

My maternal grandmother fell and broke her hip a week and a half ago, so mom has been in Georgia since then. She had surgery the day following her fall and is thankfully recovering well. She is having a lot of pain, but seems to be healing on target with the doctor's expectations. Mom is going to bring her home to be with us as soon as she is cleared to travel. I suspect she will be at mom's through the rest of this year, and I am looking forward to helping as much as I can. At times like these I long to be a lottery winner, because I wish I could be available for my family on a more consistent basis. Alas, I will have to keep working until I pick the lucky numbers. I'm anxious for them to be here. I don't think I've gone this long without seeing my mom since college!

Halloween is less than 2 weeks away, and we all have costumes this year! Jamie and I were invited by Candace & Jeremy to a Halloween party. It's been years since I've dressed up, so I am looking forward to it. We will be able to take Elise trick-or-treating, then head out to our party a bit later. I hope the weather cooperates with us - I'm putting in my order for a cool, clear evening. :)

As the close of football season nears, I am beginning to think about baseball. This will be my first season as a head coach's wife, so it will be a new experience for me as well as Jamie. I wonder what adventures lie ahead...hopefully it will be a positive thing for us.

I know it's only October, but I've started the Christmas shopping. I have fallen victim to the Zhu Zhu Pet craze. It's quite silly, because I don't think Elise even knows what they are! But they are already sold out everywhere and going for two to three times retail price on eBay, and supposedly they are the "must have" toy for this Christmas. I fail to see the huge appeal, but nonetheless I stalked Wal Mart and Toys R Us until I had a full set with accessories. I've also been able to pick up some extras to help out friends who couldn't find them in their towns. I still can't figure out why I just HAD to have them. I also have the dress-up trunk underway (this will be Elise's Santa gift this year). I've got it about 1/3 - 1/2 way full, and will hopefully complete it when costumes go on sale after Halloween. I have an idea for Jamie's gift, which I am keeping under wraps for now...I know he reads this! ;)

So, in summary - sickness, adversity, holiday madness, surgery...did I say earlier that it was just life as usual?? Okay, maybe not! But really - isn't that what life is all about?

Pictures from the last 2 weeks

I have a lot of pictures to share, but not much news. It's just been life as usual around here. I think Jamie and I are both struggling a bit professionally and personally, so we're just taking it one day at a time and making it as best we can. We know better days are ahead. We're missing our crew in Friendswood (and we miss winning too!). We haven't gotten our first win in Danbury yet, and although we knew it would take a few years to have a winning season there, I don't think we anticipated it would be quite this rough. I think we will feel a lot better when baseball season rolls around.

I'm itching to get the fall decorations out of the attic. I think next weekend I will cave. Jamie teases me quite a bit about my holiday decorating, but I am sure he secretly enjoys it. ;)

Some pictures from the last 2 weeks:

A Week of Firsts

I'm behind on blogging lately, but it is for good reason. We've had a memorable week in our house, highlighted by the very much anticipated first day of Kindergarten! Elise has done well with the adjustment...probably better than the rest of us. I am still getting the hang of the new routine and perfecting exactly what time is best to leave the house to avoid the worst of the traffic. Our evenings are very full with dinner, shower, looking at Elise's folder together & talking about her day, planning for the next day's lunch, story time, and hopefully working in some free play time before her 8:00 bedtime. We got out of the habit of having a nighttime routine over the summer, and it's a lot to cram into just a few hours. But we're settling in and doing pretty well. I'm a very proud mommy and hopefully we will have a fantastic year. Elise is attending the same elementary school I attended as a child, so it's been neat to walk the halls again.

This one is blurry, but I am posting it anyway, because it's the only one I took of both my loves on their first day of school (darn humidity was fogging my camera lens!).







At school!



In the gym waiting to go to the classroom





Walking to class



In the classroom





Already hard at work (her little sister is helping) :)



I was so focused on Elise's first day that I nearly forgot it was also Jamie's first day teaching at a new school. His week seems to have gone well also. He has a pretty nice schedule, so that is a good thing.

Last but not least - we had our first Danbury football game last night. I wish we had won (would have been a great way to start), but we lost to Louise High School with a score of 0-13. We may have a tough season ahead, but I told Jamie last night that years like this build character and perseverance. We need years like this to remind us to be thankful when we have years like last year. And there is going to be much improvement. I'm proud of our team & coaches, because I know how many hours of hard work have already been devoted and will be devoted over the next few months.

Check out the sweet panther paw...the coaches painted it themselves. Not bad, eh?



Danbury's newest mini-fan :)



Elise & PaPa Wes



Check out the team spirit!



By now you may see a Gumby theme emerging...



We may not have won the game, but what other team can say Snow White, Ariel, Barbie, and Gumby are their fans???



Our coach





To sum up the week, I would say it was hectic, emotional, tiring, productive, exciting...and I'm glad it's over!!

Updated to add the link to an article about last night's game. Click here to read.

Here we go!

It's hard to believe, but it is that time of year again - the first week of football practice. It also seems like an appropriate time to mention that Jamie is officially a graduate of his master's program. It's a big adjustment from having Jamie home all the time to having him gone most of the time, but I find that each year the transition goes more and more smoothly. This year we've added in a bit of a commute, so he's out the door by 5am. It's so strange to wake up and be able to turn on all the lights, run the hairdryer, and listen to the radio - I spent the entire summer tiptoeing around the house, doing my hair and makeup in the tiny hallway bathroom, and attempting not to wake him in the mornings...and I have to say he's such a light sleeper that most of my attempts at showering and exiting our room undetected were total failures! It's kind of nice to eliminate that worry. AND it's nice to be the last one out of bed instead of the first! Love ya, honey - now it's your turn! :)

Most of the coaching staff is new this year, with about half of the families relocating for the new job - one from as far away as Indiana! Everyone is getting settled, and we are getting to know one another. So far it seems like a great group. I'm looking forward to hanging out with the ladies and kiddos in the stands very soon.

The beginning of football also means that my favorite time of year, the fall, is rapidly approaching. It seems silly to be discussing fall when the heat index is still over 100 degrees, but in all seriousness it will be here before we know it. Some of my mommy friends are already contemplating Halloween costumes for their little ones - this is a bit much even for me, but it feels like lately the weeks just fly by. Before I know it, I will blink and it will be time for hot chocolate, trick-or-treating, turkey, and a visit from Holly & Herman. Just typing that makes me panic a tiny bit inside. Another year is over halfway gone and I haven't really accomplished much. But such is life, I suppose. This has been Jamie's big year for accomplishment, and I am proud to be by his side. I think my year must be somewhere on the horizon.