Proud Football Mom

#2 W is playing football for the pee wee league at his school. He is on the 3rd and 4th grade team. He played football last year with the 1st and 2nd graders but this has been a whole new ball game. They practice 3 days a week in full pads and run, run, run. He has not complained once or even acted like he wanted to skip even one practice. He spent the first few weeks dancing around his team mates out on the field. He perfected the art of holding back just long enough to miss out on the initial tackle but would run in and jump on the pile. He has learned so much more about the game of football and how to really play as the weeks have progressed. He played a game last week against a rival school who had a player more than a head taller than he is and weighing at least 20 lbs more. The game had come down to the wire and we were winning by one point. The other team was going for the 2 point conversion and my #2W was on the line. As the ball was snapped and passed to that big player, #2W ran around the outside and grabbed him around the waist and held on to him until one of his team mates come along and knocked them out of bounds saving the points and winning the ball game. He is learning that he doesn't have to be the biggest or best player but he has to be a player. This week, there game was at home and he made the first tackle of the ballgame. These days, We are LOVING PeeWee football.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Yesterday, the boys and I were riding in the car when the #3W posed the strangest question to me. I am always amazed at the strange things he asks but sometimes it seems like the words should be coming out of an adult's mouth not a 5 year old. The question was, "Momma, what is it like when you ride in the car by yourself?" The randomness of the question was as curious as the question itself. I turned around and looked at him and said, "Well, it's lonely, I miss you all when I'm riding by myself" I was praying no lightning bolt would strike me for telling such a blatent lie. He wasn't impressed with the answer nor was he finished with me. "NO, I mean what is it like to be in the car by yourself. You know, like when you are driving to work." So I said, " Well, you know, I spend most of my time in the car by myself praying. I pray for you three, and daddy, and grammy. I pray for our business and our employees. I pray for the children who play on our equiptment," and just as I was preparing to add another prayer issue he said, "I bet you pray for God to help you get everything done that you have to do every day." I wanted to pull the car over and cry. My whole life is spent waiting on Mouse, and the 3W's and the only one who gets it is the 5 year old. I looked back at him and laughed and said, "You are so right buddy!!"

2 Months and Still Counting

September 18, 2008. Today marks 2 months since Poppa passed away. I tried to think about what is different today than 62 days ago. Maybe the pain is not quite as sharp. Perhaps the colors of my grief are just a little duller. However, there are may things that have happened in the 1502 hours since he passed that I so wish he could have seen or experienced with us. I can't even explain how he would have felt watching #1W start those races and cross those finish lines. There are no words for his feelings about watching #2W on that football field. And he would have been studying soccer hard so that he could understand all the rules when he watched the #3W run and kick on that field. The number of times I have needed to pick up the phone and talk about some issue with the business or taxes are too numerous to count. OMG, I wonder what he would be thinking about Sarah Palin? I would die for just a word of wisdom about our economy and what I need to do to protect my family and our business.

I have a picture of him from one of his many golfing trips to Scotland. He is standing in the rain with a funny hat on and he is laughing. I framed it and put it in my kitchen. I look at it every morning as I turn on the lamp that signifies the start of the day in our house. Some mornings, I actually pick up the frame and look at him. He is so happy. I can almost hear him laughing out loud. Other days, it is only a glance. Just a quick reminder of him is all I can handle. I still miss him so much.

Proud XC Mom

#1W is running Cross Country for Westfield's JV Team. She has been practicing for 3 weeks and run in 3 XC meets. Last week, they practiced every day but Friday!! Saturday she ran at the Georgia Children's home in a meet held by FPD. She ran the mile in 9 minutes and 52 seconds. GO GIRL!! It was so exciting. She crossed that finish line sprinting and passed 3 runners in the process. Being a runner myself, I am so overwhelmed with emotion at watching the start and finish of these races. It is awesome to watch these young girls and boys pushing themselves so hard. I am so proud of her. We have signed up to run in a 5K in October. Our team is called Poppa's Girls. A fitting name we thought. We are going to have some shirts made for us to wear in the race. We think he would have liked that.

Piglet

The other day I received the strangest phone call I have ever received in my entire life. Mouse was home and the phone had rang several times with this same telephone number. He was screening the calls so the next time the call came in, I took it and this is how the conversation went:

GiGi: Hello?
Caller: Piglet? (Yes, I swear to God that is what he said. The only thing funnier than the word was the strong southern accent he used when he said it.)

GiGi: Excuse Me?
Caller: Is this Barbour Farms?

GiGi: No sir it's not!
Caller: Is this 478-956-****?

GiGi: Yes it is.
Caller: I am so sorry. I am from the Tomato House. I must have the wrong number

GiGi: That's Ok.

I don't think he was from the Tomato House, I think he was from Christopher Robin's Hundred Acre Wood. I can hardly wait until my next trip to Barbour Farms. My sole mission will be to find Piglet.

River Rats

We spent Labor Day on the Flint River. Don't you love my River Rats?

A Day in the Life of GiGi

6:00am Wake up. Mouse snoring

6:05am Coffee's On. Turn on Fox and Friends. Good morning Steve, Brian and Gretchen. Fold load of laundry on sofa left from night before. Switch out load from washer to dryer and put load from dryer onto sofa. Turn on oven to pre-heat for breakfast. Put on running clothes wash face, brush teeth. Mouse snoring.

6:15am Coffee's done!! Put rolls into the oven. Fold load of laundry on the sofa. Put both loads into laundry basket to be put away. (Yeah right!)Check book bags. Work on to do list for today. Mouse snoring

6:35am #2W moves downstairs grabs blanket crawls on sofa. I hear #1W upstairs hopefully making her bed and washing her face. Mouse snoring.

6:40am Rolls out of the oven and onto plates for consumption. "Breakfast is ready." I have decided that #3W will stay at home this morning. He has a dentist appointment and I am going to let him sleep. (How 'bout that on semi-slacker?) I call his teacher and she encourages my slackerness. Mouse rolls over, I will go in late so he can stay in bed. "Thanks!"

6:50am The older W's are up at the bar eating with their eyes closed.

Finally about 7:05 we are upstairs getting dressed, brushing teeth and hair. Then it is back downstairs to put bookbags, P.E. bags and football equipment bags into the car.

7:40am Pulling out the driveway to Westfield. Drop the older W's off at 8:00 and head for home to run before I start my 3W Attractions, Inc day. As I walk in the door, Jan calls. She is running a fever and won't be coming in today. So much for the run. #3W is awake and wants food but unlike the other 2 he has already poured himself a bowl of cereal and milk. I praise him for his efforts and suggest that maybe next time he won't need 1/2 of the half gallon of milk in the bowl. I call my guys and give him the list for the morning and start returning phone calls.

10:30am Get dressed, #3W gets dressed and we head out the door to the dentist. It was a quick trip and he was so brave. He wants lunch at BK so we run a couple errands then proceed to BK for some lunch. Since our time is short, we go to the drive thru and head home.

12:30pm Get #3W settled with nuggets and Nickelodeon. Check the messages, return some calls and emails. Layout the weekend. Grab football pants, pack snacks, get soccer clothes and chair for practice.

1:30pm Load up and head to Westfield for trip #2. Check #2W out of school for doctor. appointment. Head to Macon.

2:35pm Arrive at doctor's office 5 minutes late(story of my life). Check up went great. Very healthy 9 year old. Great News!!!

3:15pm Load up and head to Westfield for trip #3. #2W dresses for football practice as we drive down I75. (How'd you like that one semi-slacker?) Drop him off to sprint over to practice 35minutes late. #3W and I wait for Mother to join us to watch practice. #1W is attending a practice of her own. She has ridden over Elko to run the track for her Cross Country Meet tomorrow. Hopefully, she will be back to Westfield by the time football practice is over. My mother and I enjoy watching an exercise in manness with this football practice. I really felt out of place. I thought any minute they might light a fire and start running around it chanting. MEN?

5:15pm Football practice is over. #1W no where in sight. Here she comes. Thank you Kimberly. A mother of 3 is ever so greatful to her friends who help transport her children. It truly does take a village.

5:30pm We jump in the car, Mother's in hers and head out to soccer practice. #1W and #3W are starving and thirsty. We pull into the gas station for some quick snacks (Yes, I did have a bag in my car but I am just now remembering that). Mother runs to the restroom. #3W is dressing for soccer practice while I am in the store. I did have him change while the car is stationary.

5:45pm Arrive at Rozier park on 2 wheels. We dash out onto the field and are loving the bleachers we have to sit on and the only practice field in the shade. Thanks Brad!!!

6:45pm Practice is over. Heading home.

7:15pm Arrive home, unload the car. The big W's start on homework and the little W gets in the shower. I start supper. A new recipe! Really scary at this time of the day. If they don't like it, PB&J's will have to do.

7:45pm Sit down to dinner. No complaints. Thank God!!

8:05pm Dinners over and it's off to the tub. House is on, I hope I can watch the season finale this time around.

8:30pm #3W is down for the count. Only 2 left to go. Work on dinner dishes while watching the last 30 minutes of House.

9:00pm #1W and #2W head upstairs for the first time. 9:15 back again, they need drinks.

9:30pm Finally, they are up and tucked in.

10:00pm Dishes finally finished. Move laundry from dryer to sofa and then switch out load in washer to dryer. Start another load. Sit down beside load on the sofa, lay down on top of load on the sofa. I will fold these in the morning.

10:45pm Mouse says let's go to bed. Another day finished!

PS: I started working on this post at 9:07 this morning and I am publishing it at 8:02 tonight. Apparently, today has turned out just like yesterday. Welcome to a day in the life of GiGi. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.