God and Me, Little League Opening Day 2006

What an exciting day! We started off with a very special award presentation at church for Adam this morning. Pastor Cousino awarded him the "God and Me" medallion to wear on his uniform, and the ceremony was extremely nice! Jason's mom and Jack were there, and my mom and Ray were there, to see him receive the award. Jason got to actually pin it on his uniform. See below...



Then, it was off to Little League opening day ceremonies. The weather couldn't have been more perfect!!! What a gorgeous day! Here are the team pictures as well as individual shots of each...


Nick's t-ball team, the Rough Riders!



Adam got to perform catcher duties today... doesn't he look cool?



Here is Adam's whole team... the Cincinatti Reds.




And here is a shot of Nick ready for action!

It was a great day! Tomorrow it is BACK TO SCHOOL! I need a break from vacation! Just kidding, I love being able to hang with my boys! Only 33 days of school left this year! Yee Ha! Then, it's on to a busy and exciting summer, filled with such things as Cub Scout camp, church camp, and 2 weeks of swimming lessons! Summer always goes by waaaaaaaaaay too fast! Before ya know it, Adam will be a 4th grader *gasp* and Nick will be a 2nd grader (can it be true?). It kills me how fast they grow up. I was watching Adam's baby videos this week, and I remember it all like it was yesterday. Wow.....

Well, gotta go! See ya soon!

The Shiner

Well, as promised, here are some pictures of the beautiful black eye Adam got at baseball practice on Wednesday evening. Isn't it purty? I asked his permission to post it here, and he thought it was a great idea... go figure! Anyway, he ought to look great on Sunday morning for his award in church, as well as for baseball team pictures Sunday afternoon! LOL! This is one for the memory books!



This was 2 days after the fact.


This was the day after being struck...

His coach feels awful... we just told him, "Hey, that's baseball!" Adam is keeping a pretty good attitude about it too, although his eye hurts when he closes it. Poor guy. At least he got right back into practice and didn't stay "down and out". Ya gotta get right back on the horse, so they say. And he did. Great job, Adam! Jeter would be proud of you!

Injured list

Well, tonight was a crazy night. We went to the baseball field as a family, even though only Adam had practice (or so we thought). In the first five minutes there, Adam got a baseball right in the face... right cheek just under the eye. He had a black and blue in minutes... gonna be a nice shiner by tomorrow. I'll see if I can snap a picture to post here. He may not want me to. That is up to him. As we are icing his cheek/eye, Nick's coach shows up... turns out he has practice too! Good thing Daddy remembered to put Nick's glove in the truck! And so begins the craziness of baseball season. Nick and I saw a cute little brown bunny rabbit this evening at the field... that was kind of cool!

Then off to Life Group! Jason worked with the adults, and I worked with the boys. We did a cool experiment using two identical paper houses the boys made... put them side by side, one on a big pile of dirt, and one on a rock the same height as the dirt pile. Then the "storm" came... in the form of a one gallon milk jug full of water! We dumped the whole gallon on the two houses. You can guess what happened. The one on the dirt washed away, the one on the rock stayed put... even when I poured the water directly on top of it! After seeing that, our discussion about which foundation to build on was very fruitful! It was a great meeting!

And now? I'm beat! Time for beddy bye! Night all!

New Christian friends

Well, I survived a pirate party here, and now Nick has an invitation to another pirate party this Saturday... argh! The fun continues. But this one is at a bowling alley, so it will be much different from ours.... hard to dig up buried treasure in a bowling alley!

Today we had no water for about 5 hours, as the water dept was replacing a fire hydrant on our street. So, we made the best of it, and took off to visit with new friends at the local Burger King play place! The kids had a blast playing with new friends, and the grown ups thoroughly enjoyed talking to other grown ups! One of the ladies I met attends a local church, and we were able to talk about God for a bit... it is so refreshing to be able to be open about your faith with someone! It encourages me to be more open ALL the time, even if the other party is not receptive. God is quite clear that if we are "ashamed" of Him, then He will be "ashamed" of us. I don't want that! I love my Jesus, and want EVERYONE I know to know Him and love Him as much as I do! It is hardest, I think, to talk to people who say they are Christians, but know little to nothing of what His Word has to say, and live their lives in opposition to what His Word commands and requires. The Bible is clear that in the last days (and we're definitely THERE) there will be those who have a form of godliness (claiming to be Christians) but denying the power thereof (the power of the Holy Ghost). It makes me more determined than ever to keep sharing my faith in Jesus with everyone I come into contact with. I know I am not perfect... far far from it, in fact. I sometimes wonder if the mistakes I make in my own life cause others to NOT desire a Christian lifestyle... God have mercy. Forgive me for my shortcomings, and take over in your strength where my weakness leaves off. It's all about You, Jesus! When all is said and done, nothing in life matters outside of a relationship with you. When we die, we can bring NOTHING with us but our relationship (or lack thereof) with You. I will NOT be found lacking! I choose to serve you with all my heart, Jesus!

God hears, and God cares

I have to tell you what happened to me at church last night. During the singing and worship, I didn't do too much singing, because I was too busy having a "chat" with God. I was asking him questions that I needed honest answers to. I was telling him about the struggles I was having. I told him it would be so much easier if I could get an answer from him audibly, you know, like when you have a conversation with another person... I ask, you answer... right away. Ya know? So, when Pastor got up to the pulpit to preach, he said, " I've never done this before, but the message I have prepared for you is NOT the message that God wants preached tonight." Then he looks at Matt (another minister in our church) and says, "God tells me YOU have the message." And he walked down. Matt was standing there shocked. So up to the pulpit he went with NOTHING prepared... all he had was 4 words from God... "the point of breaking". He just went with it.

He answered EVERY SINGLE THING I had asked of God... right there. To the T. And God spoke to my heart and said, "There, I answered you audibly." I just ran to the altar and burst into tears. It was so totally cool to know that God heard my prayers and cared enough to interrupt what Pastor had planned just to let me know he hears me and loves me! How excellent is that??? What an awesome God we serve!

Well that is it for now. This is spring vacation week, so we are HOME all week. Adam has a friend over... they are playing BattleBall... the football game of the future. Nick is having a "lunch date" on the stone wall with Taylor from upstairs. Our water is being shut off tomorrow so they can replace a fire hydrant on our street. So I need to tend to laundry and dishes in a big way today. Talk to y'all later!

ARGH! Shiver me timbers!

What a fun day! Today we had a pirate party for Nick's 7th birthday. They had a blast! We had a real live treasure hunt, a treasure chest piñata, "stick the pirate on the X", and a really cool cake! Here are some pictures of the day:

Aforementioned really cool cake


Argh! Nick the pirate

Argh! Adam the pirate



The treasure hunt... 30 paces to the left!


X marks the spot! DIG! DIG!


TREASURE! Pirate booty!!!! Well blow me down!


Pirate Nick drinking his ROOT beer!



Our next door neighbor, KEVIN, the one-eyed pirate baby!

And speaking of our adorable next door neighbor baby, here are a couple of VERY cute shots of him in recent days:


Spaghetti! Semolina! Yumm!!!


Bottom's up! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... I love this kid!

Well, that was the exciting pirate adventure of the day! Thanks for joining us, we now return to the regularly scheduled blog. Kirk out.

The Evolution of Math

Well, I don't normally do this, but it is too TRUE to pass up (from a teacher's perspective). I was surfing some blogs, and found this interesting post. I will not tell you the source, as the title of this blog is offensive. But this post is excellent. Read on....

Subject: Evolution of Math

Last week I purchased a burger and fries at McDonalds for $3.58. The counter girl took my $4.00 and I pulled 8 centsfrom my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies. While looking at the screen on her register, I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this?Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

Teaching Math In 1950
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for thehabitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering thequestion: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math In 2005
Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera por $100.El cuesto de la produccion es $80. Cuantas tortillas se puede comprar?

I’d say mucho tortillas but it depends where you go.

Another blurb I read back in the seventies that stuck with me out of a Fat Freddie and Free Wheelin’ Franklin comic. It was in a side panel to a Fat Freddie’s Cat adventure.

Man reading paper at lunch counter: Sez here that 75% of all Americans lack basic math skills.Man on next stool: No kidding? Is that a lot?
Keep 'em coming!

Thursday musings

Gee, I haven't had the opportunity to blog in a while... I've been more of a nurse to my two sons. But now they are off to school, and I am the one home sick with strep throat. This would be a repeat of last year....click here for memory refresher. I hate missing work for this.

Anyway, my youngest son is now officially 7 years old. How cool! They are getting so big... we are hopefully having a party for him on Saturday (if we can eradicate the strep virus from our house by then). It will be a pirate party, complete with eye patches, a treasure hunt, and a treasure chest piñata. Gonna be fun! I just hope we're all feeling up to it.

I made a discovery the other day while sitting in Hannafords waiting for my oldest son's prescription. The overhead music was playing softly. There was an Elvis song playing... "It's Now or Never" (which I don't care for, by the way). BUT... the tune caught my ear. The entire song is to the exact same tune as one of my VERY favorite hymns we sing in church... "Down From His Glory". I was very excited at this discovery, and began singing the church words right out loud in the middle of the pharmacy. It was fun! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since Elvis got his start singing gospel music. Maybe it was his favorite hymn too.

Well, sick or not, I have a house to clean... hoo - rah. Have a nice day!

Quick post from sick bay

Hello all... welcome to sick bay! Good thing you can't catch strep throat over the internet. hee hee. Anyway, both boys have strep... Nick was really sick with it over the weekend... running a fever of about 101 ° for two days. My husband is a real trooper! He was home with the boys for two days, taking care of them while they were sick, so I could be at school. Thanks honey! Now that we have antibiotics on board, all should be well by tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, it is my Nick's birthday! Happy birthday tomorrow buddy! We are having a cool pirate party on Saturday. Should be fun!

Well, that is all for now... time to play with Nick and help Adam with his three days worth of homework... poor guy. See ya!

A neat day!

How fun has this day been? Let me tell ya. It started off kind of rough. My oldest son is having trouble with an older boy on the bus. The bullying has been occurring for a few weeks now. He was reluctant to get on the bus, but the bus driver is a friend of mine, and I spoke with her, then sent an email to the asst. principal at Adam's school. He is TOUGH! He assurred me he would deal with it. Tonight, I had Adam read a book I brought home from the school guidance counselor called "The Bully Blockers Club". It is excellent, and I saw Adam relating to the character. He really liked it. Hopefully, things will go much better from here on out. I spoke with Adam about looking confident...head up, shoulders back... bullies don't pick on someone who looks like they have confidence in themselves.

The students in my 2nd grade classroom got a real treat this afternoon. My husband came in to teach the kids about safety and injury prevention. It was a surprise visit, so they were very excited to see MR. ZITER! And Mr. Ziter blessed Mrs. Howard with a batch of VT 9-1-1 pencils... we were on our LAST BOX for the year!

My mom and Ray are finally home from Florida! YAY! They got home yesterday (Wed.). I called to say hi and my mom told me that they had someone come look at the house already today, and she was coming back at 5:00 with her husband. My mom showed her the whole house, then the lady said, "Can I go back to see the rooms upstairs again?" My mom said, "Sure." When she came back down, she said to my mom... "There is a picture of a girl up on your wall that looks a lot like a person I know named Michelle." My mom said, "It IS Michelle." The person looking at my mom's house? MY FRIEND NATALIE FROM MY CHURCH!!!!!!! How cool is that? So even after they sell the house, I can still go visit my friend Natalie, and be in my mom's old house! It will be weird, but neat! They were back in town less than 24 hours, and the thing that had stressed my mom out for most of the winter was over before she was even unpacked! God is good.

My brother stopped by my place this afternoon to show me his new Harley. It's cool! It is also strange to see him on a motorcycle. Gonna take some getting used to. His girlfriend is getting a BMW motorcycle, so they can go biking together.

We were eating dinner this evening when Nick randomly announced (at 6:39) that tonight was the school art show (from 6:00-7:30) that I need to go to. Great. It gets OVER in 50 minutes. Abandoning dinner, out the door we run, and head up to school. It is important to value the things your children do. He was so proud to show me the kitty cat he drew in cray-pas... on display with hundreds of other drawings by kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders. I am so glad I chose to make the time to go. It does wonders for their self esteem when you take an interest in what they do. Parenting is a crazy thing, but I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING!!!! Children are an heritage of the Lord. A precious gift that we have for only such a short time. I treasure my boys. Thank you Lord, for trusting me to raise them!

And lest I forget the most important thing of all.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE ELLIOTT MITCHELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My sweet brother-in-law is 22 years old today! I love you George!

So.... that is my day in a nutshell. Boring? Maybe. Maybe not. I am just thankful for every blessing God poured out on me today!

Classic hymns, Harley Davidsons, and Powerisers

Hello everyone! Today has been an.... "interesting" day. It has had it's high points and low points. Of course, most of the high points occurred in church. Tonight was so much fun. We have been in the "contemporary mode" of worship for quite some time now, but this evening, our pastor hauled out the old hymnal, and we sang some of the old standards that are so near and dear to everyone's hearts. We sang "He is Able to Deliver Thee", "In the Garden", "Have a Little Talk with Jesus", "The Old Account was Settled Long Ago", and "Down From His Glory". Oh what a time! And those who are new converts and don't know any of these songs really enjoyed them... partly because they are just great to sing, with such powerful lyrics, and partly because they saw the passion with which the rest of us sang! That kind of passion for God is highly contagious! We alson had a mother/son baptized after the evening service.

Some of the lower points... one of my children opted to have an emotional meltdown this afternoon... that is no fun. My son's best friend opted to jump off the porch of my apartment (from the 2nd floor)... explain THAT one to his parents! They called him Evil Kenevil. Thank GOD he didn't get hurt! Both of my sons got into a fight with the neighbors upstairs... not a fist fight, but a fight of words and attitudes. I believe there was guilt on both sides, but the kids upstairs were definitely being very mean. HOWEVER... my pastor told us tonight that we are to GIVE THANKS IN ALL THINGS, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning..... ME! Yep! I need to give thanks for emotional meltdowns, children who are unkind to my children, and children who think they are indestructible and jump off the 2nd story porch! I know there is a lesson in here for me somewhere...... I believe it is probably MY attitude that needs some Holy Ghost adjustment right about now.

In other news, my brother got home from Las Vegas today, and will be the proud owner of a Harley Davidson Softail Deuce on Tuesday!
How cool is that?? And my parents are on their way home from Florida today! They should be home by late Thursday. Can't wait to see them!!!!

I mentioned in an earlier post that my son was becoming a pro on the pogo stick. Well, I found this very cool video of a product called Powerisers... the latest and greatest thing in pogo-ing. I thought it would be cool to see about getting a pair for Adam. Well, then I found this web site where you can buy them.... NOT!!!! They cost almost $500!!!! For probably about $30 max in materials. WHATEVER! I will wait for someone to come out with a cheap imitation. Adam thinks he would love to have a pair of these...

Anything else that needs mentioning? Can't think of anything right now. I am kinda bushed... was up late last night singing praise and worship songs with my friend Sandy, otherwise known as the Great Sandini... greatly loved by us and our two boys! Here is a pic of she and I on New Year's Eve...

Well... time to call it a night. Have a blessed week! I'm sure we'll be chatting again soon! Bye!

Random Friday thoughts

Today was a great day in our classroom! It was the final day of our student teacher's solo week, and the students all gave her a round of applause at the end of the day! She did an AWESOME job! She will be a fantastic teacher. She was just born to teach. The kids had so much fun and learned so much! We did biographies, healthy living, and fractions... and they all had FUN doing all these units... because she made learning FUN! That is the gift of a true teacher... to make learning fun. We will all miss her when she is gone! ;(

I came home this afternoon to a child with a mohawk.... yep. Dad was giving haircuts, and they decided to give mom a heart attack with an intentionally unfinished cut! It was scary. But now it is a bonafide buzz cut. Both boys are prepping for the warm weather. They look SOOOOO much better!

Adam is becoming somewhat of an expert on the pogostick... that kid can JUMP!!! And he goes, and goes, and goes... like the energizer bunny. It's good exercise, so I encourage him to jump literally to his heart's content!

Speaking of content, my pastor taught an excellent message Wednesday evening about the state of being content... how contentment starts on the inside, not the outside. People always try to find contentment in EXTERNAL things, like money, success, power, material possessions, even relationships with others. But true contentment and peace comes from an intimate relationship with God, that satifies every longing and need in your life. It was a very good message. Thanks, Pastor!

Well, time to start dinner. Ciao!

KMG 365

OK, here's the scoop. My husband, Mr. EMT of the year, is what he is because of the hit show of the 70's, EMERGENCY! Squad 51, KMG 365. Roy DeSoto and Johnny Gage were his heros growing up. Now, through the miracle of DVD, we own all of season 1 AND season 2. Our children are totally hooked, and love Gage and DeSoto as much as Jason did back in the day. In 2 weeks time, they have watched ALL of season 2!!!!!! That is called "TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME, my friends. But the neat thing I see happening, is that my oldest son, who despises writing, is beginning to write things taken from episodes of this show. Who knew?? Perhaps that could help my writer's block/creative slump... start writing about Emergency... Nah.

I spent the day with my boys today. Took the day off from work because they didn't have school. Tomorrow is Dad's turn to play with the boys. He is going to give haircuts tomorrow! Hallelujah! They are beginning to look like little rebels.

Well, time for bed. TTYL!

EMT-I OF THE YEAR!

OK, there is no way I could be more relieved! I have been keeping this secret from my husband for almost 2 weeks, and now it is finally revealed...Jason won the 2006 EMT-Intermediate of the Year for the state of Vermont! YAY!!! Here's a few pics from the awards banquet Saturday evening...







What a blast it was seeing the surprise on his face! I am sooooo proud of him! We all are! The man standing with him in the 3rd picture with a greenish shirt is his good friend and co-worker, Scott. He is the one that nominated Jason for this award. THANK YOU SCOTT! Jason is thrilled.

And in keeping with the theme of keeping it fun, here are a couple pics of our boys...

OK, so now that uploading these pictures took me about a bazillion hours, I am totally exhausted! Time for bed. One last note... congratulations to my sweet brother-in-law and his wonderful wife... they are expecting a 3rd child at the end of 2006! YAY! Love you guys! Until next time, signing off... KMG 365.