Send your own ElfYourself eCards

We won a PS3!

To fully appreciate this blog you may want to review a blog I wrote last year about this time. Click here to see post. After last year's amazing experience at the Wentzville "Hill of Thrills" soap box derby, we again decided to enter both of the boys in the race. Alex won his race this year after his opponent crashed, but Brady lost by a hair. Since last year we won the grand door prize of a Nintendo Wii, we lingered around after the boys were done racing to see if luck would strike again. After awhile and several delays, we finally got sick of waiting and decided to go home. About an hour later the phone rang and race officials informed us that Alex's name had again been drawn for a door prize and this time he won a Playstaion 3! I screamed so loud as I hung up the phone, Brian thought someone was injured. We were all very excited and raced back down to the park to pick up the prize. Alex told me in the car that he had been "wishing really hard" for them to pick his name. I told him to start wishing really hard that we win the lottery and I can buy him all the video games he wants! I feel a little guilty that we won two years in a row, but I think I may have the luckiest kid on Earth. He is also the same kid that won the "guess how many candy canes are in the jar" contest at the library last year. To see that post click here. So in the past year, my son Alex has won a Nintendo Wii, a Playstation 3, and 183 candy canes! I wonder if he can make a living with this some day.

Fall Ball Update

Fall Ball has not be going as well as we may have hoped. Its a much harder league with much bigger boys, but the team has gotten better as the season progresses. Scores so far are as follows...

8/24/09: Lost 24-3

8/25/09: Lost 23-1

8/31/09: Lost 18-4

9/2/09: Lost 15-0

9/8/09: Lost 12-5

9/10/09: Lost 11-3

9/15/09: Lost 11-0

9/17/09: Tied 4-4

The team is very proud of that tie! Out of the 20 total runs our team has scored so far this season, Alex and Brady have either scored or drove home the majority of those runs. They are playing well and it has been good experience for them to hit against tougher, faster pitching. Wish the outcomes would have been better, but at least they are learning something. Next week maybe we will squeak out a win!

FYI: The picture in this post is an example of the size of these boys, they are all 12 and under, but some are bigger than the coaches. Also I know my boys are on the small side, but most of the kids on their team aren't much bigger than Alex and Brady. We are definitely out of our league.

Fall Ball Schedule

The boys decided to play Fall Ball afterall and we just got their schedule this week and there is already two games set for next week. There will be two games per week for six weeks and I think each game is only suppose to last 90 minutes. All their games will be played at Ozzie Smith Fields near TR Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon. Here's their schedule...

Monday, August 24 at 8:00 pm- Field C

Tuesday, August 25 at 6:00pm- Field C

Monday, August 31 at 6:00 pm- Field E

Wednesday, Sept 2 at 6:00 pm- Field C

Tuesday, Sept 8 at 6:00 pm- Field C

Thursday, Sept 10 at 6:00 pm-Field C

Tuesday, Sept 15 at 8:00 pm- Field C

Thursday, Sept 17 at 6:00 pm- Field C

Monday, Sept 21 at 8:00 pm- Field E

Thursday, Sept 24 at 6:00 pm- Field C

Monday, Sept 28 at 6:00 pm- Field E

Wednesday, Sept 30 at 8:00 pm- Field C

First Day of Middle School

Alex and Brady are officially Middle Schoolers and three days in, they seem to like it. They have their own lockers, have to switch classes hourly, and they can eat pizza for lunch everyday if they want (so far Alex has). I can believe how old they are getting (or I'm getting for that matter). I really hope they continue to like school and don't turn in to horrible creatures once their hormones start kicking in. To see other first day of school pics check out this blog from 2007.
FYI: This year's first day of school pic is so dark, because their bus picks them up at 6:38 am, plus it rained that morning.

Meet Alley Cat

Alena has been wanting a cat for awhile now. Unfortunately, some friends of ours are going through a divorce and somehow we ending up with one of their cats...Alley. Our friends found her in an alley in St Louis while they were working, hence the name. She is 8 years old (approx) and had no idea what she was getting into when she moved from their childless home into our chaos. She has been with us for almost two months now and is adjusting well. Alena loves her and drags her around everywhere, which you can tell the cat is not thrilled about, but tolerates. Alena puts her in her baby strollers and cribs, wraps her up in blankets, and stuffs her in cabinets and closets, but the alternate was for Alley to go to the pound, so she puts up with Alena and the dogs, but genuinely seems to like the rest of us. Welcome to the family, Alley!

Cleveland Rocks!

It's been well over a month since we went on our summer baseball trip to Cleveland, but as always I'm a procrastinator at getting me pictures downloaded. It was a great trip, everyone in Cleveland had great Midwestern hospitality and was very helpful and friendly. Unfortunately, we again traveled hundreds of miles to see the Cardinals lose, but at least there was a great fireworks show afterwards. We also toured the Indians stadium, went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ate and drank well all weekend. Here are some of the highlights....

The Comeback Kids

Baseball is officially over for this season and it is safe to say that the Wentzville Cardinals are "the comeback kids." It was the last game of the season and we were behind the entire game, but we were at least keeping it close. Going in to the bottom of the last inning, the team was down 9-6. True to form we came back from behind and scored 4 runs to win the game 10-9. Brady even scored the winning run from third when he advanced on a wild pitch. The Wentzville Cardinals finished the season with a record of 6 wins, 4 loses, and 2 ties. Not bad and at least they had a winning season. Thank you to Imo's Pizza (who else?) for supplying the end of season pizza party, the kids really deserved it and it was very much appreciated by all. Since we Tivo'ed the All Star Game we had to go home and watch the National League lose AGAIN. It was a good game though and the park looked great, just wish it would've been a better outcome.

Last game of the season....well almost.

The boys had two baseball games scheduled this week, one on Monday 7/6 and the other on Thursday 7/9. I took off early on Monday since it was a 6:00 game (they have to be there at 5:30) and the boys started summer school that day, so I wanted to make sure we had enough time to get home, have dinner, etc. At 5:00 we were all in our baseball gear and packing up the car when the phone rang. It was the coach stating the game had been cancelled, due to the rain the previous weekend. We couldn't believe it! It was a beautiful day and the season is almost over as it is, plus it was our game to bring snack and had arranged to get several Imo's pizzas delivered at the end of the game. Everyone was disappointed but the coach assured us it would be rescheduled and he would let us know when asap.

Fast forward to Thursday evening, the boys actually got to play but after the first inning they were already down 7-0 and at one point it was 9-0. The team did battle back and ended the game with a hard fought 13-13 tie!!!! They are officially the comeback kids!

Meanwhile, the coach informed us that Mondays game had been rescheduled for next Tuesday July 14th at 6:00pm. I knew that date sounded familiar but didn't have anything written on the calendar and just dismissed the feeling. Then it hit me as I was driving home, Tues July 14th is the ALL-STAR GAME in St Louis. Everyone in our house is very upset about the conflict, but its the last game of the season and we still owe them a pizza party, so I guess we will be TIVOing the game and staying up late to watch it when we get home. GO CARDINALS x 2 !!!!

You win some...you lose some.

After our great game on June 22, the boys were pumped to pay another game that very same week on June 24. Unfortunately, the outcome was not nearly as favorable. No one is quite sure of the final score but it was somewhere in the 17-5 range. Both the boys did fine and even scored a few runs, but the overall effort was difficult to watch at times.

This weeks game was a little closer, but still needed improvement. We lost 9-3, but Alex scored two out of the three runs. Our other run was scored when our catcher Jake hit the first official homerun of the season--way to go Jake! Only two more game to go (7/6 & 7/9) and then the boys have to decide whether or not to play Fall Ball in O'Fallon with some of their teammates. If they do decide to play, I will post that schedule once I get it.

We are planning on heading up to the Lake this weekend for the 4th of July holiday, hopefully it doesn't rain on us again. The last weekend we went up, we got stuck out on the lake in a torrential downpour. My Mom, Bill, and Uncle Richie are going up as well, and we plan on bumming around Hannibal for awhile while Richie races in a 10K race on Saturday morning. Saturday night we will be watching the fireworks that are shot off the dam, although we still haven't decided whether we will be watching them from the boat or from dry land, either way it should be a fun weekend!

Best Game So Far...

Despite it being 100 degrees outside, the boys probably had their best game of the season last night. It was a good game for both teams and the score went back and forth the whole game. We were the home team and were down 13-10 going in to our half of the last inning. Alex was due up 4th and Brady 6th, so I wasn't even sure they would get to bat again. Still down 13-12 and with two outs, Alex came up to bat and walked, the next batter and a wild throw advanced him to third. Brady came up and hit a double to score Alex who was the tie run and then Brady scored the winning run on a ground ball, making the final score 14-13 WOOHOO! We still have one more game this week on Wednesday June 24, but its not until 8:00 so hopefully it will be a little cooler by that time.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

So this week's baseball game was again rained out, and the make up game has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 24 at 8:00 pm at Dardenne-Field #1. Also the make up game from the rain out on June 3rd has been reset for Thursday, July 9 at 8:00 pm at Fireman's Park in Wentzville. Hopefully all the rain will stop and we can get some of these games in. The boys are having baseball withdrawls.

****Note: The July game has again changed since my original Post, it is now Thursday July 9 at 8 at Fireman's Ballpark in Wentzville*****

Baseball Catch Up

So I got a little behind with updates about the boys' baseball season, so I will try to catch up. The boys had a game on 5/18, which they won although I'm not exactly sure what the score was since its been awhile, but I think it was 15-10 ish. The game on 5/22 was a make up game from a rain out earlier in the season. Unfortunately, the other team did not get the message and did not show up so it ended up being a forfeit. We still may end up playing it at some point if the schedule permits, since its really no fun for all the boys not to play.

The game on Monday 6/1 was a baseball butt kicking, unfortunately we were the butt and not the foot. It was a really good team who score the max of 7 runs in each inning they played. We could not get them out, nor could we hit their pitching. Alex and Brady did walk both times they batted, but it was a lost cause. We lost 21-9 and we were lucky we ended up with nine, up until the last inning we had only scored 2, but then the other team changed pitchers and we ended up scoring the maximum 7 runs making it 21-9, which sounds a little better than 21-2. The game yesterday was rained out, even though by game time it wasn't raining at all and the sun had actually come out. I don't know when that game will be made up yet but I'll keep you posted.

But, Broccoli is Good for You!

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, my 4-year-old bounces up onto her bed and says "Momma, when I grow up I'm gonna be just like you! But I'm still not gonna like broccoli." It caught me off guard, especially since we hadn't had broccoli that night. I laughed, hugged her, teared up a bit, and told her that broccoli was good for her, to which she replied "it still tastes yucky." I'm humbled that me daughter wants to be like me and I also think even my picky-eating preschooler will in time come around to appreciate the finer points of green vegetables, but if she doesn't, I think I can live with that.

You can't win them all

With the threat of rain lingering all afternoon, no one was certain whether or not Game 4 would even be played. Come game time though, the rain had gone well south and there was not a cloud in the sky. The game started well enough, with each team only giving up one run in the first inning, and that run was scored by Brady. The rest of the game was higher scoring and went back and forth the whole game. In the end, the other team scored the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the last inning, giving us our first loss with a 13-12 score :( Oh well, we can't win them all and at least we kept it close. They scheduled our make-up game for Friday May 22, so there are two games next week, hopefully we can keep the losing streak at one.

A Game Three Nail Biter

The boys' third game was a nail biter. We were playing a tough Lake St Louis team who was also undefeated and it went back and forth all night long. The boys' team was up 15-10 going into the last inning and then our lefty pitcher had a bit of a meltdown and the Lake St Louis team ended up scoring the maximum of 7 runs in that inning, making the score 17-15. Our team had one more chance, it was already after 10pm so three runs or three outs would have ended the game. The Cardinals ended up scoring two before the inning ended, which forced the game to end in a 17-17 tie. A tie was appropriate since both teams fought so hard and now both teams are still undefeated. To add additional drama, one of the boys' good friends from Boy Scouts was the opposing teams starting pitcher! The game didn't end until about 10:20 since the last inning took forever, so we are all exhausted today. My throat hurts a little too from cheering so much, 17 runs requires a lot of cheering. Way to Go, Guys!

Game Two Results

Game two of the boys' baseball season had just as good of an outcome as the first. The team won 15-5 and all the boys played well. Although Alex has a baseball size bruise on his hip from getting hit by a pitch. I told him to get use to it, because it would be the first of many. In the first two games the boys' team has outscored their opponents 31-8, not a bad start-Go Cardinals! Also FYI, the game next Monday 4/27 was originally scheduled for 8:00pm has been changed to 6:00pm. Keep up the good work guys!

Game One Recap

The boys' first baseball game was last week and for those of you who weren't in attendance I thought I'd post an update. Alex and Brady were the lead-off batters and were ultimately responsible for scoring 5 runs between them and Alex had three RBIs in the 16-3 victory. Both boys had quite a few good fielding plays as well and the team as a whole looked very impressive in their first outing. The boys played some in the outfield but mainly played second base and short stop which seemed to be a good combo. Next game is Wednesday so hopefully it goes as well as last week. I'll keep updating!

The Boys 2009 Baseball Schedule

The boys have started baseball again, they have been practicing for about six weeks or so and I finally got their schedule for the season. They are playing for Wentzville Parks and Recreation and the are the Cardinals this year, which they are very excited about having been the Nationals and the Blue Jays in the past. I'm pretty excited about this too because it will make it a whole lot easier to have team spirit since we all already own plenty of Cardinal gear. They mainly play in Wentzville, Lake St Louis, or Dardenne which is good; however, all of the games are on weeknights and most don't even start until 8:00pm! Here's the schedule...

Thurs- 4/16/09-8:00pm @ Dardenne

Weds- 4/22/09- 7:45pm @ Legion Ballfield, Wentz

Mon- 4/27/09- 6:00pm @ LSL Founders Park, Field #1

Weds- 5/6/09- 8:00pm @ Progress Park, Wentz

Weds- 5/13/09- 6:00pm @ LSL Founders Park, Field #1

Mon- 5/18/09- 8:00pm @ Progress Park, Wentz

Fri- 5/22/09- 8:00pm @ LSL Founders Park, Field #3

Mon- 6/1/09- 7:45pm @ Legion Ballfield, Wentz

Weds- 6/3/09- 6:00pm @ Progress Park, Wentz

Mon- 6/15/09- 8:00pm @ Dardenne

Mon- 6/22/09- 6:00pm @ Fireman's Park, Wentz

Mon- 6/29/09- 6:00pm @ LSL Founders Park, Field #1

Mon- 7/6/09- 6:00pm @ Progress Park, Wentz

Hmmmm, doodlecakes?

So I was checking out my blogs site meter today (yes I'm working on Good Friday and I'm bored). I don't look at it very often, but when I do I always check out the location where the views are coming from which are usually from Missouri or at least the US. This time however, I noticed hits from Libya, Pakistan and Egypt. Curious about sudden on slot of foreign interest in my blog, I investigated further to discover that these page views, which were all on separate days, times, and countries, were all referred to my site after doing a google image search for "doodlecakes." Some of you may remember my post back June of 2007 about doodlecakes if not check it out here. I did the same search myself and sure enough there was the blog post link. I'm not quite sure why so many Middle Easterners are researching doodlecakes, but it's kind of fascinating to ponder.

Alena's Birthday Pictures

We got Alena's birthday pictures taken today, I can't believe she is almost 4!

Ethical Society Trivia Night 2009

It's that time of year again, the Ethical Society Mid Rivers is holding their annual trivia night and I'm looking for sponsors and participants. Its being held Saturday, March 7 at O'fallon Civic Hall, doors open at 6:30 and trivia starts at 7. Cost is $20 per person which includes beer, soda, snacks, etc. There will also be silent auctions and the usual stuff. We also need round sponsors, $25 will get your name on the power point and your cards on the tables. So if anyone knows anyone that needs a cheap way to advertise to some wonderfully ethical people, just let me know. Just let me know if you or anyone you know is interested in playing, donating items, or sponsoring a round. Thanks in advance!

Snow Day

Due to the six inches of snow that fell last week, the kids and I had two unexpected days off work and school. They had a great time playing in all the snow, even Dixie got in on the action. Here's some pics...

What a Great Two Days!

It all started on Monday which was MLK Day so the boys and I all had the day off work/school. I decided we would participate in the King Day of Service and volunteered to package food for Kids Against Hunger. The boys and I had a great time, helping put the food packages together, our load in particular was going to Uganda, but the organization also sends bags to hungry children in the US. After volunteering for the two hour morning shift we headed for lunch at Red Robin and then went to see the movie Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.

The next day I called in "sick" so I could watch the Inauguration which was fabulous! It was a long, and in my opinion disasterous, 8 years and our new President is inheriting too many challenges to count, but I am optimistic that we finally have a true leader we can be proud of.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I figured since I haven't blogged in 2009 yet, I needed to post something, so here are a few pics from X-Mas 2008. Alena got a little upset when I began taking the Christmas tree down, she said whimpering "Momma why are you taking the stuff off the tree?" I replied that Christmas was over and we had to put it away until next year. To which she said "I don't want Christmas to be over, I want Christmas to be on." I know she's not, but I'm very happy it's over and the house is back to normal again. Well at least as normal as it ever gets around here.