Surgery is over.

WHEW!  It's over!

Yesterday, Mom, Dad, Ryan, and I took Tyler to Denver for his surgery.  We left home at 5:15 a.m. and arrived at the surgical center at 8:00.  We checked in then they took him back to the pre-op area.  He and I waited there until almost 10:30 before they took him in.  He did so good!  We were both nervous - but boy was he a trooper.  I was (and am) so proud of him.  He was quite the comedian while we waited.  The voice over the intercom kept saying "so-and-so to admitting".  Tyler said, "I wonder what they are admitting to?"  I guess you kinda had to be there, but it was really funny to us.  Also, when the surgical nurse came in and asked him if he had any questions, he said "when can I eat again?"  Poor guy!  It was really hard watching her wheel him away.  I didn't like that one bit!  About an hour and a half later the doctor came out and told me (and Mom, Dad, Ryan, Nancy and Danny) that Tyler did great.  He said that Tyler was in recovery and that they would be out to get me in about 20-30 minutes.  About 5 minutes later the nurse came and got me and said that Tyler was fine, but that he had woken up scared and wanted me to be back there with him.  Needless to say, I was more than ready to see him.  He came out of recovery slowly but fine.  The nurses were wonderful!  One of them even taught me how to make popcicle slushees for Tyler.  (Smash a popcicle - put it in a cup - add enough Sprite to make it thick and mix it up.)  He really liked that!  By 2:15 they had dismissed him and we were headed to the nearest Walgreens to fill his prescriptions and then were on the way home.  He slept most of the way and didn't have any problems.  Last night was kinda rough.  The pain meds had worn off and he was getting pretty uncomfortable breathing through his mouth.  I gave him another dose of the pain meds at 2:00 a.m. and by about 2:45 he relaxed and went back to sleep.  Today I stayed home with him (and loved every minute of it!)  He had a pretty good day, alternating between popcicle smoothees, meds, and napping.  He wants me to stay home with him again tomorrow so I called my work and they said it was okay. (yay!)  One of these days he will be old enough (or married) and won't need me so much so for now I'll take care of him every chance I get.

Tomorrow is the day...

Well, it's finally already here.  Tomorrow we will get up at 4:00 A.M. and take Tyler to Denver to have his tonsils out, tubes put in his ears and have some procedure (not sure what it's called) done to his sinuses.  We have to be there by 8:15 and the surgery is scheduled for 9:45.  It should take about and hour to an hour and 15 minutes.  He will be in recovery for an hour to an hour and a half and then they will release him to go home.  So...24 hours from now...this will all be behind us...and hopefully all of the ear infections, mouth breathing, sinus infections, etc...will be a thing of the past. 

Happy Holidays!

Yay!  You found it!  This year I opted out of writing the traditional Christmas letter and instead directed everyone to my blog via the address on my Christmas card!  For those of you that haven't read our blog before, "welcome"!  For those of you who have...well...thanks for keeping up with us!  I try to update our blog weekly, or maybe bi-weekly...or sometimes even monthly...depending on what we have going on and how much time I have to actually sit down and write.  So...please add this address to your "favorites" and come back often to see what is happening in our busy lives.  You can even post comments!  ...I love comments.  :-)

So...sorry, no letter this year.  Hopefully this will be just as good.  In the meantime, we want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Love to you all~

Kelly, Tyler and Ryan

Some new pictures

Ryan (#23) playing defense in Limon.

Ryan with the ball in Limon.

Ryan's front filp!

Handsome Tyler with a basketball???

Brynna (my neice) showing me how she winks.

Ryan playing football in Goodland.

Tyler and Ryan after my uncle Norman's funeral.

Grandma with Tyler, Ryan, Brynna and Mckenna.

Tyler, Brant and Alex on their sophomore class float.

Dad's GTO.

My neice Kately after we played "beauty shop".

My nephew Kyron shootin hoops.

Random Stuff

Another Doctor Visit…

For pretty much the duration of Tyler’s 15 years he has suffered from on-again off-again ear infections. When he was 10 months old, he had tubes put in his ears. It seemed to help, but definitely didn’t cure the problem. Recently, probably within the last 3 or 4 years, he’s been suffering with a lot of sinus/ear problems. Our local doctor finally diagnosed him as chronic and sent us to see an ENT to discuss getting tubes put in his ears again and having his tonsils and adenoid taken out. Luckily they doctor he wants Tyler to see comes to Burlington. BUT…if we want to time this right with wrestling we will need to go to Denver for a consultation before he can do the surgery here on December 14th.

So…Tuesday, Tyler and I headed to Denver. We met with the doctor who pretty much told us that, at 15, Tyler is too old to get common ear-infections. He thinks something else is causing the infections – but he isn’t sure what. He has ordered at CT scan on Tyler’s sinuses and a full allergy test. The allergy test can be done here at our hospital, but we are going to have to make another trip to Denver for the CT scan.

I’m not exactly sure what he is looking for, but it sure would be nice if it was something that could be taken care of with medication rather than having to go through surgery.

Finger Update…

Tyler’s finger is still very swollen and very bruised. I have a feeling it will take awhile for it to heal. He still has it bandaged and has very limited mobility.

This is when being a single parent sucks:

I love both of my boys as equally the same as I can. I would never want to have to choose one over the other. But unfortunately, as a single parent, I’m starting to have to make choices like that more and more frequently it seems. I don’t mean that I am favoring one more than the other, I’m just getting pulled in two totally different directions and it’s really hard on me!

Take for instance Tuesday. Tyler needed to go to the doctor in Denver at 3:30 and Ryan had a basketball game in Burlington at 4:00. There is NO possible way for me to be with both of them at those times. I either need to go with Tyler or stay and watch Ryan. Well, this time, the choice wasn’t that difficult. I took Tyler to the Doctor.

Spending a whole day with Tyler – just the two of us – hasn’t happened for a long time. I enjoyed it. But it was hard missing Ryan’s game.

I can see that this is going to be an issue more and more the older they get. For example, on December 5th, Ryan has his “A” team basketball tournament in Yuma and Tyler has his first wrestling tournament in Goodland. WHAT TO DO??? How do I decide? What if I go watch one and the other one gets hurt? It makes me feel so sad that one way or another, I can’t be with both of them. I hope I’ve taught them to be prepared and responsible to do these things on their own. I hope I’ve raised them to be secure enough to know that they will be fine whether I’m in the stands or not. And I hope they know that just because I’m not there physically – I’m constantly thinking about them.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful support system in my family.  My mom and dad, and my brother and sister-in-law and all of their kids are VERY supportive of my boys.  I'm sure they will cover for me when I can't be in two places at once. 

As we were driving home from Denver on Tuesday (I was driving – Tyler was asleep) I had a ton of different thought going through my mind. I was thinking about how much I love the feeling of being needed by my boys. I love that they are becoming more and more independent, but there are times that they really do need me.

It's just hard. Especially when there is SO MUCH going on.  I don't want to miss a moment.

Tyler's Injury...

TEXT FROM TYLER: I think I just broke my finger.

TEXT FROM ME TO TYLER: What happened? Do I need to come to the school?

TEXT FROM TYLER: Just get me a doc apt.

THOUGHT GOING THROUGH MY HEAD: He's texting me...it can't be broken.

TEXT FROM ME TO TYLER: You need to call me.

Finally he called and told me he was in Advanced Fitness and somehow in the process of benching a 70lb dumbbell - lost control and somehow smashed the finger between the dumbbell and a weight on the floor.

I told him I would be right there.

I went to the school to look at his finger and upon seeing it decided we needed to go to the doctor.

We went directly to the doctor's office because one time we took my grandpa directly to the ER and the nurses chewed us out because apparently it costs more to go directly to the ER than through the doctor's office. (reminds me of Monopoly - Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.)

Anyway...the doctor took one look and sent him over to the hospital for x-rays. (eyeroll)

While in the waiting room:

CALL FROM RYAN: Mom...the 7th graders are playing the first of three games at Limon. We start at 4:00.

RESPONSE FROM ME: Ok...I'll see you there. Thanks for letting me know. (Thank you God for not letting this one be an emergency!)

Back to the doctor's office.

The doctor is pretty sure it isn't broken, but with all the swelling, can't be positive that there isn't a small hairline fracture in there. He went ahead and put him in a wrist splint and wrapped it up. He said no activity with that hand for at least a week. He will check him again in a week and decide then if he is ready for wrestling.

I'm glad it isn't broken. That would suck.

Although he didn't admit it - I think he thought the splint was pretty cool. He will get lots of attention.

Now I have to hurry up and get my work done so I can go to Limon for 7th grade basketball...at 4:00.

sheesh.

____________________________

OK...I'm back from Limon.  Ryan's team won 24-18.  He played two quarters and scored 8 points!  Way to go Ry!

I Should Have Followed My Gut

Last night while waiting in another endless check out line at Safeway, I got a call on my cell phone from Ryan's basketball coach.  Strange...but whatever.  He told me that Cheyenne Wells doesn't have enough kids for and "A" game and an "B" game, so there would only be one 7th grade game. He basically told me that if he plays Ryan and the other "A" team kids they will smoke Cheyenne Wells, so while Ryan would probably see some playing time it wouldn't be much.  I guess he was trying to tell me that if I drove down there - not to get upset if he didn't play much.  (Seriously, I'm not the type to get upset about things like that, am I???) Keep in mind - I keep the book so it's not like I'm yelling during the games. Anyway...against my better judgment I stayed home.  THEN I found out that Ryan played TWO quarters and, according to Tyler's girlfriend Mari (who went to the game) he scored about half of his team's points.  Grrrr...  So now I'm feeling a little insecure.  Why would he tell me not to go?  Did he tell the other parents of the "A" teamers not to go?  I don't get it.  Strange. 

Next time I will follow my gut and I will go to his game. 

Actually I am going to have to miss one more game.  On Tuesday I have to take Tyler to a doctor in Denver for a consultation about getting his tonsils, and adenoid taken out and tubes put in his ears.  If we time this right, they will be able to do the procedure here in Burlington - and it will be after football season and right before Christmas break so it shouldn't interfere too much with wrestling.  The doctor here said that once he heals from this surgery and isn't constantly fighting ear infections he will probably have a growth spurt.  Tyler is all for that! 

Keeping My Mouth Shut

I've been the "official scorer" at the last two home games.  That means I keep the book at the scorer's table.  When I signed up for this job I thought - easy job, will get paid to go to the game rather than having to pay to get in...piece of cake.  What I didn't realize is that I can't YELL (or cheer) from there.  I have to keep my mouth shut...and it's not easy!  I am one of those moms parents that really gets into the game.  I like to cheer for them and tell them rather loudly that it would be a good idea to "REBOUND!" but I can't do that when I keep the book.  So...I'm learning to keep score...very quietly. 

Tonight, Ryan's basketball team beat Colby 25-19. Ryan was the leading scorer for the Cougars with 7 points. They are really improving - playing much better as a team.  Lots of room to grow...but getting better with every game.  After all...that's what it's all about.

Football Playoffs - Round 1

Burlington 14 - Wray 10

OMG!!!  This was the closest game EVER!  ...ok, well, maybe not ever...but it was definitely a nail biter! 

I'm going to try to give you the breakdown of the game, but keep in mind - I'm not very good at this, and don't have the best memory for details...so - sorry, in advance.

We scored first.  Touchdown. 7-0 us . 

Then on a bad snap to our punter...Wray got a safety.  7-2. 

THEN...they scored a touchdown and went up 10-7.  It was 10-7 for a long time. 

Finally we scored again.  14-10 us. 

Wray gets the ball down on their 10 yard line or so...and they start driving down the field with about 2 minutes left.  One first down after another.  Finally with about 6 seconds left Wray is lined up somewhere between the 1 and the 4 yard line.  I couldn't really tell.  Anyway...I don't know what happened, but they fumbled and we recovered!!  Woo-hoo!!  Cougars WIN!!

We were THIS CLOSE to losing the game - our season being over, but somehow we pulled it off.  If there are such things as miracles in football...this was one of them.  I still can't believe it!!

Now we will have to travel to Rye (where in the heck is Rye???) for the second round game next Saturday. 

My Little "M.J."

Ok...Ryan has FOUND his sport!  He is a little Michael Jordan in the making.  I L-O-V-E watching him play basketball!!  He is so smooth and he reads the court like no other.  ...AND he's only in 7th grade.  Oh there are good things to come for him.  I can just feel it!

The 7th graders played their first game at Wray on Tuesday.  They won(!) 30-24.  Ryan scored 20 of the 30 points!  On Thursday they played Yuma and lost 37-18 (I think) - Ryan had 7 points.  He really is doing well. 

Unfortunately, basketball in Burlington isn't a real big deal.  I mean the high school team does okay...but no one teaches them the "fundamentals" of basketball.  I remember when we (my brother Jeff and I) were kids we went to a "Shot Doctor" camp.  We learned the correct way to hold a ball, handle a ball, and shoot a ball.  Well, I think that the Shot Doctor must have died, because the basic fundamentals seem to be a thing of the past for most kids.  What I wouldn't give to see ALL of the kids on the team know how to square up and shoot, follow through, follow their shot, and use the backboard.  Some of the teams we will face have worked on fundamentals - and those are the teams that will beat us.  In the meantime, while I'm not "coach" material, I will continue to encourage Ryan to work on his ball handling skills, shoot correctly, and LEARN the sport.  The potential - if he works on these things - is endless! 

Now...don't get the idea that I'm all "into" Ryan and have forgotten about Tyler...NO...that's not it at all.  (I just really love basketball...and always have.)  Tyler is doing AWESOME in football.  Tomorrow they will play Wray in a first-round playoff game.  We beat Wray earlier in the season - pretty easily.  Wray has gotten better - but so have we.  I expect it will be a really good game tomorrow. 

Tyler plays on the line.  Everyday in practice he has to line up against the biggest and the toughest guys on the team.  He gets drilled, and beat up, and run over, but he is becoming a great football player because of it.  I keep telling him that next year he will be one of the big tough guys on the varsity side of the ball.  Then he will be the one that the freshmen and sophomores get tired of defending.  It's so amazing to watch him - actually both of my boys - grow and change every day.  They are athletes, they are students, they are friends, they are brothers, but my favorite of all is that they are mine.  I'm SO proud of both of them!

Oh man...it's been awhile...

Ok...since my last post Ryan has finished his 7th grade football season.  They lost to Brush in the semi-finals(?) by a lot.  It wasn't a very fun game.  I'll leave it at that. 

BUT...he has now started basketball and is LOVING it...even though they have yet to play a game.  Their first two games were scheduled last week but because of a "scheduling problem" and the weather - both games were cancelled.  The outlook for this week's games is looking much better.  He goes to Wray on Tuesday and then Yuma comes here on Thursday.  He made the "A" team - and is pretty excited about that.  I can't wait to watch him play! 

Since I last posted, the BHS Cougars (Tyler's team) has played Calhan - beat them by a lot, traveled to Cripple Creek and beat them 45-0 (I think).  All I know is once you are ahead of a team - in the 2nd half - by 45 or more points they just let the clock run.  Whoever made that rule ROCKS!  I wonder if it was someone from Cripple Creek.  ...just kidding.  Peyton came to Burlington and came to play.  They weren't quite as easy as we thought they would be.  It was one of those games where I was really glad I wasn't in the locker room at half time.  I'm sure it was pretty heated in there.  Anyway - whatever the coaches and captains said - it must have worked because we won that game too.  Byers came to town next and we smoked them 56-0.  Another good thing about games like that is that the younger boys get to play a lot - well as much as the running clock will allow.  This bring us to the HUGE and I do mean H U G E game at Limon last Friday night.  Winner of this game would be crowned League Champions.  First half - 12-0 Limon!  What the heck???  Where were our Cougars?  Again - not a locker room conversation I'd want to be a part of...but it worked!  We came out and scored 20 points in the 3rd quarter.  Unfortunately Limon didn't give up either and they ended up winning 24-20.  With broken hearts we headed home to wait and hear where we would have to go for playoffs. 

Amid tons of speculation...we found out we are HOSTING Wray on Saturday!  WOO-HOO!!  This mama couldn't be happier!  Someone had said that they thought we would have to travel to Hotchkiss or Meeker - but NO...we are playing AT HOME!!!  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE home games??  And WRAY??  We've already beat them once this year...we should be able to do it again...on our HOME turf!  I'm so excited!! 

Tyler is #53 with white jersey and red sleeves.

Burlington 43 - Holyoke 0

I have an uncle that is a professional photographer.  He was here a couple of weeks ago and offered to take some pictures at Tyler's game against Holyoke.  Here are just a few of the pictures he sent to me:

Running on to the field.

Ryan is the one with the black drum.

Getting ready for the National Anthem.

It's so nice having these pictures! 

Kevin - THANK YOU!!!

Tyler's varsity team is now 4-1.  They lost a heart breaker to Akron (who has a 40-some game winning streak - that we would have really liked to break - but I guess we are waiting until playoffs to snap it.)  Then they shut out Holyoke 43-0, and then beat Calhan 39-7.  They are playing really well right now.  This weekend they are headed to Cripple Creek.

Ryan's team is now 3-2-1.  They won their first playoff game against Wray last Thursday.  Tuesday they go to Yuma and if they win there they will go back to Yuma again on Saturday for the championship game.  I can't believe how fast their season has gone! 

Cougars 30 - Wray 6

The JV boys beat Wray tonight 30-6.  Yay!  Tyler played a good game.  I like watching the JV games because he gets more playing time than he does on varsity.  I can't believe how much better he is this year!  It took three years - but he finally learned to hit!  Yay! 

I went by myself to Wray thinking that I would bring Tyler home with me so he could drive and we could chalk up some driving time for him, but they were going to watch film of Akron on the bus on the way home, so he chose to ride the bus.  That was okay with me because when else do I get to crank ABBA in the car and sing my heart out?  It was a great hour to myself.  :-)

Tyler told me when we got home that he didn't think their hearts were really in that game.  I think they have their sights set on Akron.  Why waste time on the Wray JV when they could be home helping the varsity prepare to beat the Rams?  It's going to be an intense week at practice for them.  My stomach hurts from anticipation already.

GO COUGARS!!

Football Recap

Ryan's team beat Wray on Tuesday 22-0!  He played a great game.  He's getting a little more aggressive each game.  The coaches presented him with the trophy for the Most Valuable Defensive Back/Receiver for the game!  He was so proud!  ...so was his mama!

The varsity boys beat Wray on Friday night 27-7.  I wasn't sure how we would do with Wray - they are one of those rival teams that always seems to be good.  They came out and scored first and then we took over.  Our boys did a great job!

Tomorrow the JV boys go to Wray.  ...I'll let you know how that one goes. 

Thursday Ryan's team will play Holyoke - Here!  (Have I mentioned that I LOVE home games?) 

Friday the varsity travels to Akron where they will attempt to break Akron's 41 game winning streak.  I really believe that if anyone can snap it - it's these boys.  They are amazing!  The O-Line is doing such a great job and the defense is awesome!  I'm nervous...but really excited.  I'm sure it will be a great game!

Akron is currently ranked #1 in the state and we are ranked #4.  I hope a lot of our fans will make the long trip up there.  That adds so much excitement. 

The boys are also going to participate in the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition on Thursday night.  Sheesh!

So...........another exciting week of football on the calendar!  I'm looking forward to every minute of it.

Helping out a Friend

It's always nice to help out a friend...even when that friend goes out of town on vacation and asks the boys to water her pigs while she is gone. I think the expression on Ryan's face pretty much says it all. :-)

3 Football Games in 44 hours!

Whew!

Thursday, Ryan's 7th grade team played football in Yuma. I thought he played really well. He ran down the field and had a solo tackle on a kid that was trying to return a punt. It was a great tackle. He landed on his knee wrong and I think it kinda spooked him. He sat out the next series, but then played the rest of the game. In 7th grade they don't pass the ball very much - but when they do it's a good idea to pass to Ryan! He caught a pass for what would have been about a 20 yard gain - had it not been called back on a holding penalty. Ryan has a lot of potential. He is a natural athlete. I think he is a little bit confused because all of his life I've been telling him to "be nice" and "don't hit"...and now I'm telling him to go out there and "HIT SOMEBODY!" Poor guy is getting mixed messages. :-/

Even though the score ended up 12-0 in Yuma's favor, I was very proud of Ryan and his teammates. They have a long way to go...but they are getting better every day. They will play Wray at home (yay!) on Tuesday.

My camera doesn't zoom very far - and I get really into the games - so most of the pictures I take are of the boys on the sidelines before the game starts. Tyler is the one in the first picture with his belt hanging down on his behind. In the second picture Ryan is #83.

The varsity Cougars traveled to Lamar for their season opener on Friday night. It was one of the best high school football games I've ever seen! Ok...the first half wasn't great. We scored first, then Lamar scored on a 70 pass then we got the ball, fumbled, and Lamar scored again. Yikes! And then they scored again! It was 20-7 at halftime. I don't know what Coach Higgs said to the boys at halftime, but I would like to have a copy of his speech. The boys that went into that locker room were not the same boys that came out to play the second half. Lamar did not score in the second half. In fact, our defense did not allow Lamar to get ANY first downs in the second half. We scored three times for a final score of 28-20! The determination in our Cougars was amazing! It was so fun! The fans, the boys on the sidelines, the coaches, everyone was so pumped up! It was a GREAT way to start the season! Tyler plays a lot of special teams on varsity - but on JV - he plays A LOT of everything! ...which leads me to today's game against the Lamar JV. It probably helped that we were still on a high from last night, and that we were the home team, but talk about a great game! Our JV stuck it to them 42-0!!! This was the first game that Tyler has played much (if any) on defense. He did AWESOME! He broke through the line and in the process of almost sacking the quarterback, caused him to throw an interception that resulted in a touchdown for us! I've never seen Tyler that aggressive in his life! He was in on almost every play, he did such a great job! On offense he really helped open some holes for the running backs. It's amazing what a difference a year has made to him. He really manned up and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for him! When he got in the car, I said, "That was your best game EVER!" and he said, "you mean YET!"

This week we have HOME games with Wray. Ryan on Tuesday and Tyler on Friday. (I love home games!) :-)

So Much Homework!

Remember a couple of weeks, or maybe days, ago when I was SO ready for school to start? I couldn't wait to get these boys into a routine again. Well, how in the world do you suppose I overlooked HOMEWORK!? I was thinking life was going to be so easy - get up, go to work/school, make dinner while they are at practice, come home and talk about what a great day we all had...well...it's day THREE of school and already I know more about Geometry and Biology than I ever cared to know! I mean seriously, didn't I already do this? Like 20 (some) years ago?

Tyler is the kind of kid that needs constant help with his homework. Somewhere in his past he missed the lesson on how to look things up in a textbook. Knowing him, he was probably at the drinking fountain while they were teaching this valuable lesson. But seriously. Helping Tyler with homework is a full time job. ...and boy am I learning a lot!

I do have to say that I'm proud of him for remembering to bring home his homework...and for getting it done without me having to ask him and remind him time and time again. He is a self starter...he just needs me to walk with him through the process.

Ryan on the other hand has not had a lick of homework yet! Well, other than reading which he is required to do 20 minutes a day. Well, on a list of things to do, Ryan would choose reading behind cleaning his room and probably even cleaning the toilets. I do not understand his thinking. I read every single day of my life! I can't go to bed at night without reading something. I can only hope that one day he will lose him self in a book and learn that reading can take you places that you've never imagined possible.

In the realm of things I really can't complain about Tyler having too much homework - or having to help him with it. I should be counting my blessings that he is such a good student and that he is at home safe and sound and asking me for help. It could be worse. And with Ryan - there are a lot of people I know that don't enjoy reading and they have all turned out just fine. I'm pretty sure he's going to be fine too.

Last night I went to Open House at the Middle School to meet Ryan's teachers. One of his teachers was telling us that her son was diagnosed with a learning disability. She said that he has since graduated from college and now is working his dream job. She said that sometimes schools and society expect all kids to jump on the Interstate of learning, but that for her son (and both of mine) sometimes the scenic route works better for them. In the end they will all get to their destination, sometimes they just need to go their own way. I love that analogy!

In six years my boys will be finished with high school. Six years! That's not very far away. So during these next six years, I'm going to help them with their homework every chance I get, and I'm going to read with them, and encourage them to learn as much as they can. I will never get a chance to do this again, so I need to enjoy every single moment (even if I don't find Biology particularly enjoyable.)

So now they are in bed and I need to go finish the laundry.

Tomorrow we will do this all again.

Good night.

Day ONE is in the books!

Football cleats: $79.98, practice jerseys $45.00, amount of money I will spend on game tickets this year...unimaginable, having both of my boys playing football this fall...PRICELESS!!

Not a great picture, but this is Ryan and some of his friends waiting for the coaches to show up for practice. Ryan is the one in the gray shirt and white shorts.

Both of the boys had great days at practice. Tyler went from 7-9 a.m. and then again from 4-6 p.m. He was a little cranky after the morning practice, but was in a great mood after the evening practice. Tyler has never been a big fan of getting up early and really isn't crazy about getting up early to condition. I've learned to just give him his space in the mornings. That usually works best for both of us.

Ryan had his first football practice EVER from 6:00 - 7:30 tonight. He's trying out for wide receiver. I'm sure the coaches will end up putting them where they need to be, but this will give them an idea of what they can do.

Tyler finished before Ryan did so he went with me to pick Ryan up. He went over and watched practice for a few minutes and said he did a good job!

It's been fun sitting here tonight listening to them "talk" football. (shhh...don't tell them this, but they are actually getting along tonight!)

Remember that roller coaster I mentioned a couple of posts ago...well put your hands up in the air...cuz HERE WE GO!!!

...TODAY WAS A VERY GOOD DAY...

Just some stuff...

The boys are spending the night with friends tonight - one last hurrah before the end of summer I guess. My house is TOO quiet tonight.

Today we registered Tyler for his sophomore classes. He's going to take:
1 - Construction Management/Technology
2 - Biology I
3 - Advanced Fitness
4 - English I
5 - Geometry
6 - US History II
7 - Band
Does that look like a great schedule or what??

Tomorrow we get to register Ryan for 7th grade.

This will be the first year that any of us - myself included - will be at the middle school without my mom being the school secretary! She started working there when I was in the 4th grade. I'm going to be so lost without her! But yay for her for retiring!

S'mores, Rodeos, and Roller Coaster Rides

Ryan and I just came in from making smores in the back yard. Granted we don't have a fire pit - but the bar-b-que grill worked great! They were yummy!

Tyler is at the fair with his friends tonight. He came home and got all "cowboy'd" up. Put on jeans, a belt, and a button-up shirt. That's about as close to "cowboy" as he can get. He didn't have the boots or the hat...but I seriously doubt he'll need them. He looked so darn cute! I should have taken his picture. (He would have loved that! not.)

I'm starting to get that feeling that I'm on life's roller coaster now. Here at the beginning of August, I'm beginning to make that long, slow climb up that first hill. I'll keep climbing this week and next...until the 17th when the boys start football practice, but that will just be a short drop on this ride. Once school starts on the 21st...thats when the ride will really begin. They both have football scrimmages on the 29th - one in town and one out of town (of course) - luckily one is at 10 am and the other one is at 4 pm...so if all goes right I should be able to make it to both of them. I don't know what I will do if/when I have to choose between their events that happen at the same time. I guess that is what family is for...but it will be so hard! I want to be with both of them all of the time. Oh yah, and I better not forget about work! I suppose I'll have to be there too! September 3rd Ryan has a game in Yuma, September 4th Tyler has a game in Lamar, September 5th Tyler has a HOME game! See what I mean about the roller coaster?! I have a feeling these next six years are going to be the best years of my life! I just need to tighten my belt, hang on tight and enjoy the ride. There's no place I'd rather be. I just wish it wouldn't go so fast.

17 days and counting until school starts!!! Not that I'm counting or anything...let's just say it's time to get back into a routine.

Paonia Trip

Mom and Dad, Tyler, Ryan, myself, Jeff, Tammy, McKenna, Kately, Kyron, Brynna and Ryan's teammate Kile all left on Thursday for Ryan's All-Star State Tournament in Paonia. The team check in was scheduled for Friday at 11:15 and we figured it would be an easier trip if we left a day early. It's probably a good thing we did - we stopped 6 times on the way there!

The first game was Friday night at 6:00. We played the team from Delta and we beat them. This was probably Ryan's best game of the tournament. He hit a triple and a double. The whole team seemed pretty pumped up for this game. The next morning at 9:00 we had to come back and play the Southern Plains team. It's kinda funny we had to travel 7 hours to play kids that live 30 minutes from Burlington - but oh well. We beat them 17-9. It was also a very good game. After that game we had to wait until 6:00 p.m. for our next game. It was a long time to wait - and it was very hot. I think it kinda wore the kids down. We played North Fork (Paonia) and lost to them 8-1. Our boys played like they were just drained. It wasn't a very fun game. The next day we had to come back for a game with Trinidad at 1:30. It was a great game...until the end. We went into extra innings and ended up losing 8-7. It was a heartbreaker. They played their hearts out, but it just wasn't enough. Here are some pictures from our trip:

The scenery between Hotchkiss and Gunnison was beautiful!The lake west of Gunnison. It was HUGE:Tyler and Ryan - the canyon behind them was SO DEEP - thus the fence:

Third place East Central East All-Stars:

Ryan Pitching:Waiting between games:Opening Ceremonies (Ryan being introduced):Ryan playing 1st base:Receiving their 3rd place medals:If you look closely, you can see the ball way above the shortstop:

Heading to Paonia!

Ryan and Martin working the crowd at the 4th of July Festival. Their All-Star team was trying to raise money for the trip. They also spent time in the dunk tank! They thought this was a lot more fun than the bake sale.

This is a picture of my brother Jeff, his son Kyron, and Tyler and Ryan.

I love this picture of my boys.

Ryan up to bat in the league championship game vs. Stratton.

Ryan made the all-star team so we are headed to Paonia next weekend! I think his team has a real good shot at winning the tournament, but that mean we would have to head to Minnesota two weeks later. Let me just say I have mixed emotions about that! What a great experience that would be for him...but I'm not sure anyone around here could afford that kind of trip. I guess we will just take it one day at a time.

Anyway...wish him luck! I'll post again when we get back.

What an exciting game!

Last night was Ryan's 1st round tournament game vs. Goodland. We had beaten them earlier this season in a come from behind win but beating Goodland twice in one year isn't an easy thing to do. Ryan pitched the entire game. He did an amazing job! He remained calm and composed and was very consistent. Goodland scored one run in the first - and then we tied the game 1-1. Goodland scored another run in the 2nd or 3rd...and we answered with a run of our own. Going into the bottom of the sixth inning we were down 3-2. We had one more chance to bat and we were at the top of the lineup. Jett got a base hit and then stole 2nd. Ryan hit the ball between center and right. The centerfielder almost caught it - but didn't so Ryan got a base hit. This brought up Bubba. On a pass ball Jett went to third and Ryan went to 2nd. (I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was at this point!) Bubba got a base hit - Jett and Ryan both scored and we won 4-3! Ryan slid in to home then slapped home plate. He was so excited! It was a great game! Tonight they will play Stratton for the Championship.

I also think I need to commend Tyler as he played a part in last night's victory. Tyler is the 1st base coach and did a great job sending those boys around the bases. I don't know if he realizes it yet, but he has the potential to be an awesome coach someday!

I think one of my favorite things about watching the boys participate in sports is watching them support each other! Tyler is so supportivie and positive with Ryan - and Ryan really responds to what Tyler tells him! It's not always like that at home! ;-)

Sorry I don't have any pictures - I was too nervous!

I'll update more later.

Spring Update

Happy Easter!

Here are a few things that have been going on since my last update:

*Tyler made the 3rd quarter A-B honor roll!

*Ryan is playing on a 5-on-5 basketball team. He is one of two sixth graders on the team. The rest are 5th and 4th graders. They played in a tournament in Limon a couple of weeks ago and lost the first one and won the second one. Ryan looked really good in the second game. They practice every weeknight and at least once during the weekend. Tomorrow they go to Cheyenne Wells for another tournament. He is LOVING this!

*Tyler is out for Track. He is running sprints again this year. He ran the 400 and 200 at the Yuma meet on Tuesday. He didn't place, but he improved him personal records in both races. Tomorrow he goes to Limon where he will run the 100.

...OK...this is where my life starts to get really complicated. I've got both boys competing in two different locations on the same day! I've decided that this time I will go with Ryan. First of all, I am his transportation to the tournament. Tyler is going on a bus with the team. Second of all, I have been going to ALL of Tyler's events for the past 2 1/2 years. And, third...Tyler probably doesn't want his mother hanging out at a track meet all day. I have a feeling I'm going to run into this dilema several times over the next three years!

Anyway, I really can't complain...I absolutely love watching them compete! I just wish there were two of me sometimes!

*Another exciting thing is that my dad and brother just remodeled Ryan's bedroom! I had asked them if they could paint it. Well they don't do anything halfway. They tore out the carpet, re-textured the walls, put up new trim and painted the walls. Ryan wanted black walls - but we finally agreed on a light gray. I got him a new black comforter for his bed. It looks so good! He is so proud of it. Now I guess I need to ask them to "paint" my kitchen! :-)

*The boys celebrated their 12th and 15th birthdays last weekend. We had to go to a wedding on Ryan's birthday so we had a family celebration on Tyler's birthday. It was fun. I can't believe how old they are getting! Tyler will be driving if/when he ever finished his driver's ed class. SCARY!!

Guess that is all for now. Have a happy Easter!

Another New Beginning...

For the last several years there have been days that I've had to wake Tyler up early to go to practice or meet the bus for one sport or another. I would always just leave Ryan in bed, run Tyler to the school, and then run back home. Today however, was Ryan's day. The jr. high basketball coach started working with the 6th grade boys on Thursday mornings to help them develop their fundamentals and get some experience on the court before they start the real thing next year. Ryan had to be there at 6:30 this morning. He was so excited! He packed his little bag of equipment...and a towel...so he could shower before school.

This is the phase of my life I've looked forward to the most for a long time. I love it that they are both so involved in so many different things. It seems like we are on the go constantly - but I love it! I'm not going to say it doesn't wear me out - because it does, and sometimes it can get to be a little bit difficult financially (especially when I figured that in the next year I will have to buy a pair of track spikes for Tyler, baseball shoes for Ryan, football shoes for both of them, basketball shoes for Ryan, wrestling shoes for Tyler...and shoes that they can just wear to school!) Their feet are growing so fast - so it's not like they can wear the same pair one year to the next. But all in all it is so worth it. I just need to remember to enjoy every moment because they are growing up way too fast.

Speaking of that...Tyler started his driver's ed class. Since they don't offer it in the schools here he has to take an on-line class. When he completes that he will be able to get his permit and then will have to drive with me for a year before he can get his license. This is the kid that I let drive up my brother's drive way one time which is about the length of a football field then there is a circle drive at the end. Tyler did pretty good but when he got to his parking place, he said "Wow! It sure is easier to drive straight than to turn isn't it?" I think my eyes were huge when he said that!! We have A LOT of work to do. Think of us - and pray for us - this is going to be a very trying time for both of us.

OK...so wrestling season is over and track has started for Tyler. We ended the wrestling season with a family trip to the state wrestling tournament in Denver. Tyler didn't qualify for state this year and I thought it would be a good thing for him to see what it is all about. He needed to see why they work as hard as they do and what the reward is. Eveyone around here LOVES wrestling and really talks up the state tournament. We went, we watched, and honestly, I wasn't that impressed. I probably won't go again unless by some stroke of fate Tyler qualifies sometime in the next three years. (Gosh I hope Ryan sticks to basketball!!!!!)

Well, I better get back to work...Hope everyone is doing well. Take care and keep in touch!

Wrestling Update

photos are courtesy of Carrie and Casey Gordon!

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. Our computer at home isn' t working so finding time to blog hasn't been easy. A lot has happened in wrestling since I last wrote. Tyler continues to wrestle the Junior Varsity 171 weight class. Last weekend we went to Kiowa for a tournament. He took third in his bracket. He lost to a kid from Kiowa, then he beat a kid from Grandview (pinned him) and then had a great match with a kid in a blue singlet. (I can't remember where he was from.) He wrestled really well. He improves with each match. Last night we had a double dual at home with Holyoke and Goodland. He didn't wrestle during the Holyoke dual, but had two matches with Goodland. His first match was with a Jr. (I don't remember his name) Tyler had to wrestle defensively most of the match. He ended up getting pinned. The last match of the night was Tyler vs. Riley O'Hara from Goodland. They have wrestled each other 4 times in the last two and a half years and Riley has won all of them by pinning Tyler. Tyler had a feeling he would have to wrestle Riley again but he wasn't afraid. It was one of Tyler's best matches ever! He went the distance with Riley - he kept up with him - and even was in control for part of the match. The improvement I saw in Tyler was amazing! He ended up losing 7-4, but I couldn't have been prouder of him. One of my favorite things about Tyler is that he has so much self confidence. I was watching him warm up before his match and every now and then we would make eye contact. I kept trying to send him the message that he could do it. It would have been so easy for him to go out on that mat knowing that he didn't have a chance to beat Riley, but he didn't. He walked out onto that mat with so much confidence - and it worked! He told me after his match that if he'd had one more minute, he believes he would have won.

I guess that the feeling I had after that match is what draws people to wrestling. He has worked so hard this season. The practices are brutal, keeping his weight consistent has been a challenge, and getting up to travel to tournaments before the sun comes up has been hard, but he's done it all and he's starting to see the rewards. He has a poster on his wall that says "Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy." He and I both believe that. Wrestling has been so good for him. I can't even begin to describe how proud of him I am!

P.S. I think they should make a poster like that for me: "Once you've raised a wrestler, everything else in life is easy!" ;-)

So far Ryan is still promising me that he is going to play basketball. ...we'll see how that goes!