Go, Pack, Go!

Andrew has always been a Packer fan. He was born in Wisconsin, so I think green and gold run through his blood. Brendan and Evan just love sports. So, as a grand finale to our summer yesterday, we decided to take the ultimate Packer pilgrimage : We went to Lambeau Field.

I woke the sleepy boys up at 5:15 in the morning to begin our journey to Green Bay. We arrived just over two hours later at 7:30. Our first mission was the buy tour tickets then hit the gift shop while we waited. It was Evan's birthday so he picked some awesome socks and a little stuffed animal. The other boys got new Packer Hats.

Then, we toured Lambeau Field. I was enthralled with the history; the stadium and team both have a plethora of cool history. The boys liked the simpler things:

walking down the same tunnel the Packers do (Although in the tunnel, the tour simulates a game and plays this awesome loud noise. The boys were a little nervous about that!)

touching the hallowed Frozen Tundra (even Brendan, a professed Steeler and Viking fan, was somewhat awed by being by the field.)

sitting in the bleachers at the field.

Then, we went and watched the Packers practice. The Packers have a cool tradition of riding a kid's bike to the practice field from their cars. Here is Mason Crosby, the Packer kicker, riding a bike.

This is Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback, at practice. I think that is also Donald Drive number 80.

Our next stop was this final inflatable jumping land called the Packer Experience. They loved this!

In this video, watch Brendan leap at the very end. He is working on his own Lambeau Leap.

Finally, we ended with a dish of ice cream in the stadium. Then, we journeyed home.

Honestly, it was a wonderful day. I am not sure I bleed green and gold yet, but I do embrace the cheer: Go, Pack, Go!

Fore!

I remember growing up watching golf tournaments in TV with my dad and brothers and thinking that golf was so boring. The announcers whispered as they tried to build anticipation, and the crowd was forced to be quiet half of the time. As an adult, I find that more and more of my life is focused around this simple, quiet sport.

A few weeks ago, our family vacation also centered around golf. And there was lots of it!

First, there was little guy golf. We brought home a "big boy" set of golf clubs that my nephew Noah could use. Interestingly enough, Noah wanted to use the plastic putter to golf.

Then, the boys played a few holes of golf at the course my brother lives on. We snuck out on the holes and watched them play a few before sunset.

Finally, we watched the really big boys golf. The pros. We took the boys to the practice rounds for the Bridgestone Invitation at Firestone Country Club in Akron. For this first time this year, I went with them and was so impressed at the amazing athletic ability of these men. (I was also amused at the fans' quiet cheering as well.)

We saw Vijay Singh

Steve Stricker

Phil Mickelson

And of couse, Tiger!

The boys gathered autographs from many -- not Tiger and Phil-- of their favorite golfers.


It was an amazing day and a great vacation celebrating one of our favorite pasttimes: golf.

What is in your backyard?

I like to think we have a fun kid yard. We have enough space for a pick up baseball or football game. The boys can hit golf balls clear around the house. Our driveway is great for bike or scooter riding, but honestly, it doesn't compare to my aunt's house.

On a visit to mom's a few weeks ago, we decided to visit one of the greatest backyards I have even been to. My Aunt Cheryl lives on this quaint lake where, over the part few years, she has accumulated some awfully fun toys. On this day, there were almost 20 kids there playing including family and friends. The kids had a blast.

Some kids played in the sand; my boys aren't huge sandbox people, so they didn't partake in that.

The first activity my boys wanted was to ride in the paddle boat. Here is Andrew helping to navigate the "wild seas."
He felt brave enough to follow that ride with a guided tour for Grandma.
Poor Ev was waiting on the side for them to return. He looked so sad with his little life jacket on that I immediately snatched a picture.
Auntie Cheryl also has boats, and lots of them! She has a little sailboat, a speed boat -- where you can water ski or tube-- a jet ski, and a pontoon boat.
I think the boys favorite part of the day was this giant raft she had tethered near the shore. This raft was the source of much fun throughout the day as they made up games to play and frolic on the raft.
Truly, her backyard blows most of ours clean out of the water, but I am so glad that every once in awhile I can visit enjoy a priceless day with the kids.

Get It All Wet

If you have ever swam with Evan, you would know that these first few pictures of him are typical:

Smiley, Happy

Having a blast

Keeping his head out of the water

But last week, a big accomplishment occurred for Evan. He put his head in. The whole way. This was a gradual accomplishment. It took a whole week of swim lessons for him to put his face in, but only his face. Then, he would back in by backwards dunking his head leaving only his eyes and nose out of the water. But now, it is the Full Monty! (Well, not quite!) But, he is going underwater! And, he loves it.

He'll be swimming laps before I know it!

How Brendan Made me Smile Today

After having a busy day at the pool followed by buying me a new laptop (YEAH!), we decided to spend an evening out to eat at Red Robin, one of our personal favorites. One of the big draws for the boys here is that they offer All-you-can-eat fries! So, we enjoy our dinner and are ready to eat when Brendan is still eating fries from the last refill our waitress brought out. We tell him to grab a handful and head out.

On our way out, the boys all get distracted by the balloons in the foyer, so each guy grabs a balloon string and we head to the door. At this moment Brendan realizes it is difficult to balance a handful of hot fries with a balloon string, and he loses a fry to the floor- right in front of one of the employees.

Show his dexterity, he swiftly leans over and swoops the fry off the floor and puts it back in his pile.

Embarrassed, I tell B, "You can't eat that! It's dirty."

What does he do? Eat it? Nope! Throw it in the garbage? Nope! He simply plops it right back on the ground.

We laughed so hard!

As an extra bit of Brendan news, Brendan scored his first official birdie last evening playing golf with Chris and the boys. I had stopped back to check on them, so I was able to see it, too. He drove the ball onto the green and landed it within two feet. A quick putt later, Brendan scored his first birdie!

Need a good book?

As I updated my current list of "Books I am reading" this morning, I looked at my last few books and realized that my list posted right now is one of the best list of books I have had yet. I am on a roll this summer with reading diverse, interesting books. Here is the scoop:

My favorite is the bottom book-- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This is not your conventional book; it won the Pulitzer Prize. It is about a boy from the Dominican Republic who doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. Oscar is a well-defined character who you sympathize with. I also enjoyed the inserted history here and there about the Dominican Republic. My knowledge here was scant. The story is told through the eyes of many characters and jumps around in the times as well. Truly, an amazing book! Not an easy read, but a must- read!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was also incredible. This is the story of a young German girl during the time of the Holocaust. The narrator is Death, making the perspective of the story unique. The girl is not Jewish, so I enjoyed the different viewpoint of the Holocaust. Caution: This is a tear-jerker. I wept at the end of the book. Swollen, puffy eyes. Wept.

The new Janet Evanovich book was so much fun. If you have never read any of her Stephanie Plum adventures, pick up book one and just take a day to read it. (That is all it takes!) They are hilarious, lusty, and full of mystery. This book was a great day's break.

The "curious incident" book was a unique read. This book's narrator was a 16 year old severally autistic boy who has discovered that his dad had been covering up the true story of what happened to his mom for many years. The book was compelling because of the viewpoint. Great story.

I read two books, "What is the What" and "Memories of a Boy Soldier" about the life of boys in various parts of Africa. There is so much that I don't know about what happens on the other side of the world. These two books allowed me glimpses into the joys and sufferings of these boys. "What is the What" focuses on the Lost Boys of Sudan who wander the desert to Ethiopia. The other looks at how young boys become soldiers. So sad. . .

I just finished a great book this morning that was a young adult fiction book called "The Hunger Games." Very fun! It is kind of "The Most Dangerous Game" with people hunting people meets the Scott Westerfield books about societies after our world ends. It is a page turner and -- as I got to the end-- I found out it is also the first of a series. Lots of fun!

If you have any good books to read, I would love to hear about them. Happy Reading!

Get used to it: It's football!

Get used to it: It's football! is a phrase I have heard reiterated countless times the past two days. Who is uttering these words? Zealous dads and coaches excited about the adrenaline-pumping, testosterone-filled start to the football season.

In 4th grade boys start to play tackle football in our town, and Andrew-- with trepidation-- signed up. Yesterday, we showed to get him fitted for his uniform. First, the guy fitting him for the pads made numerous jokes about Andrew waiting to hit people until practice. (If you have ever seen Andrew, you know that he is not the intimidating type. The only thing that should be scared of him hitting it would be a golf ball.) After the pad guy, we met helmet guy. Helmet guy was explaining to us how tight the helmet needs to be for his protection (that is a good thing), but Andrew was a bit tentative about the tight fit. The guy said he may have headaches after practice for a few weeks, but "Get used to it: it's football."

Tonight was the first big practice for football. Andrew was hesitant, but the moment he got there, he greeted all his friends and was off and running. Not wanting to truly watch football practice, I left, but I did come back 30 minutes early to watch the end. By this time, Andrew was holding his head through his helmet; a friend of mine who stayed said she thought his head hurt. (I felt sad for him for a moment. . . ) But, he is out there tackling. I can almost hear the testosterone of the parents electrifying the air as the dads scream "Faster! You need to pick up the pace! Hit him harder!" My reaction? Seriously? This is 4th grade. ..

Then, the coach states: "Line up! This is what you have been waiting all summer for!" My thoughts? Ooh cool- They will get to scrimmage. Real event? Running.

The boys start running laps and running ladders (suicides) and running laps. Meanwhile the same testosterone dads are yelling:

This is football. No sitting.
Go faster. This is football.
Football is running. Get used to it.

When practice ended, Andrew shed his sweaty helmet and looked as if he would cry. He was tired. Dog tired. I hugged him and told him how proud I was of him. He now knows what to expect for the next few months. This is football: get used to it.

He also knows I will be proud and support him no matter what. I am his mom: get used to it.

My Date With Evan

Being a parent of three boys is difficult for many reasons, but I always struggle with the idea that I don't have enough alone time with any of them. They all ask for it, but sometimes fitting it in is not feasible. So, on Saturday when Chris took Andrew and Brendan golfing, I jumped on the opportunity to hang out with Evan a little.

One of our favorite Madison places, Vitense Golfland, was having a huge anniversary special, so Evan and I drove out to be a part of it.

First, Evan did the batting cages for a mere 50 cents a turn. He was addicted. We even had to come back and let him do it more, for a total of five turns. His cute swing and ability to knock the ball down elicited many Oohhs and Ahhs as he played.

Next, Evan's favorite activity there that I never let him do is called Hi-Ball. Essentially, it is a trampoline with an enclosure where you try to make baskets with this little ball. At only $1 a turn on Saturday, I was more willing to let him jump away!

We continued by doing one of my favorite activities: Putt Putt. Evan got many "triple pars" -- as he likes to call them-- and I am sure in his score book he beat me by a bunch.

Finally, we sat down and had a $1 hotdog together, talking and watching some golf on TV.

Spending a few hours alone with Evan and having fun was a great way to spend a day.

It's Official: School is coming!

To a school teacher, there are many indicators that school is coming: You turn the calendar to August, back to school flyers litter the mailbox, the cicadas begin humming outside, and school registration occurs. All of these events cause a quickening of my pulse, knowing that soon I will be back to work. However, the one event that officially indicates that summer is closing soon to me is. . .

The teacher nightmare.

Yes, I start having teacher nightmares.

A few nights ago, I awoke in the middle of the night to my first one; they tend to increase ten fold as school approaches. This dream had me teaching in a high school (it was actually Maplewood where I went to school) , and the portion of the dream that I remember is me having study hall supervision. I needed to gather my belongings and hurry through a crowded hallway to get to my study hall. I was painstakingly organizing my things over and over. For some reason, I just couldn't move at the speed I needed to. I was in super sonic slooowww speed.

When I finally arrived at studyhall, the students were dutifully sitting in their seats, but another teacher had stayed around to cover for my delinquency. This teacher berated me in front of the kids who proceeded to mock me during the study hall. I couldn't get them to stop and I was burning from shame of his tirade.

And so it begins. . . Dreams similar to this haunt me all of August. Kids will be screaming and not listening. I will be late for class over and over and over. I will have ungraded papers. I will unfairly yell at a kid. Relief: they are just dreams and I can wake up from them.

Yet this indicator is one that I know is leading me to my inevitable return to work soon. Thank goodness! Because the reality of my job is far from a nightmare.