Bones Got Braces

Yep!  You read that right.  I have a child old enough to have braces.  HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?  Well, being the son of Heather and Chad, there was absolutely never a doubt in my mind that this kid would not have braces.  I mean I wore braces for what seemed like my entire childhood and then was blessed with them again in high school after the car wreck of 1995.  

Being blessed with a mouth eerily similar to mine, it was only a matter of time before young Christian would wear a set of braces of his own. Following our consultation with the orthodontist, he had been eagerly counting down the days.  Leap Day could not get here fast enough for Bones.  He was so excited to join the exclusive club of "cool" third graders with braces.    

That morning, Chad and I picked Christian up from school and took him to get his braces on.  As we walked into the building I had to take a few before pics...

After we sat down with the orthodontist again to go over the do not eat list, discussed the proper way to care for his teeth and got his swag bag full of dental stuff, it was not hard to notice that his excitement was quickly fading.  Chad and I got to go back while Christian started the process of getting them on.  It started with impressions.....by far and away the absolute worst part!  Watching him suffer through that brought back terrible memories, especially when they had to do the top set of impressions three times!  Leave it to dad to keep everyone laughing!  After Dr. Roberts suffered through the watermelon smell and we coached Christian to lean forward as to not gag...he finally got to lay back in the chair.  

Sorry son, this picture was a must!

Minutes later the braces were on and we were out the door.  Christian decided on green and yellow (BU) for his first set of bands and he could not wait to show everyone.  Here he is with braces...

A week and a half later we went back for him to get this appliance!  

It probably was not the best idea to go the day before we left for vacation, but they wanted it on sooner rather than later.  He has been very good about his dental routine thus far and is very serious about keeping his teeth clean.  Let's hope it continues.... 

Bas-ket-ball

Well our basketball season has come and gone and unfortunately this was a tough one.  Carson played his first year of basketball in an Upward league and was coached by two high school boys.  I'll never forget the look on Carson's face the day we went to our first practice when he asked Chad if he was going to be his coach.  Chad said no baby, not this season and then he looked up and asked, "are you at least going to be my back-up coach?"  It was so sad and so sweet all at the same time as Chad tried to gently explain to him that he he would not be coaching this year.  I can't think of a season or sport where one of us has not been the coach for both kids so this was definitely new territory.  Unfortunately, the teams were not formed as we had hoped and none of the boys he usually plays with were on his team either.

Sitting in the stands of Carson's very first basketball game was a big adjustment for Chad and I could tell instantly he was not liking it.  He is so used to being on the bench or on the sideline for everything, I know it was eating at him, not to mention we were playing IN a church in a non-competitive league.  Let's just say I don't think we will be doing that again even if it was a good way to learn the basics.

Here are pics from throughout the season.  He loved the fact that each player was introduced before the game and got to run out to the middle of the court one at a time!  Each player gets a different color wristband to teach them how to find and guard their player on the other team.  Here are a few pics from the first game.

Isn't he adorable

Good defense

Imagine him making a basket here because he did!  He was so thrilled and immediately raised both his arms up!!

Carson got the defensive star after the first game and would go on to earn other stars after each game.  He loved watching his sleeve fill up with different color stars and made sure that they were ironed on immediately.

I love this next pic that I took mid-game.  He turned and gave us a big cheese grin!!

Here he is with his best buddies after the game we played each other!

He learned a lot, had fun playing, and appreciated his cheering section each week which is really what matters.  Great job Sugarbear!  You did good!

As far as the third grade team goes, it got off to a bit of a controversial start and then Tyler broke his arm right before the season started. We were down from the beginning but the boys played their hearts out week in and week out.  We got to a couple games where we would not even have a sub when our opposing team would have 15 kids there to sub in and out.  It was a long season, but the boys stayed in it.  Christian as always was a defensive animal and a leader on the team.  It became a bit of a joke in the beginning when parents from opposing teams would shout out how tough our team was playing.  They definitely gave it their all every game.

 Chad got his first technical called on him this season and at the end of the game decided he was very proud of himself for going this long without one.  We also heard it through the grapevine that some of the boys that they have been keeping count of how many times Coach Cunningham throws his hat down.  Evidently this started in football season and has become a joke for the boys.  

Sounds like he is getting a reputation :) 

Our games were so close and so nail biting that I don't think I ever got any pics.  Here is a video of Christian shooting free throws during one of the games. 

Until next year...

Where Did January and February Go?

Well it is hard to believe today is March 2nd and I have not made one blog entry regarding our life in the year 2012.  So I guess this will be a recap.

We brought the New Year in at the U's house with the kids in tow and in the company of great friends.  The boys had a blast all night playing with the laser guns they each got for Christmas.  All in all it was a nice, relaxing evening spent telling stories and laughing around the outdoor fireplace.

I will leave off the part about someone coming home and passing out sleeping on garage floor where they stayed until 6 am, unless...yep, better just leave that off.

Somehow we have been lucky enough to go on several date nights just the two of us, and spend a few fun evenings out on the town with all of our besties including an overnight stay in Fort Worth at The Stockyards Hotel to celebrate birthdays with Josh and Chad K! 

 Here I am with my hubby at Billy Bob's listening to The Josh Abbott Band.  We had a table front and center and the band was great!!

Lisa and I in the hotel lobby

Unfortunately, I don't have any group pics :(

This was Joey's birthday dinner at Randy's Steakhouse

18 years later and still in love

Carson dressed as a 100 year old man on the 100th day of school!

Chad took the boys to watch Wade rope one evening and just like a natural Christian hopped on this horse and rode him around all night long.  He loved it and couldn't wait to tell me all about it when they got home!  It is in his blood and ever since he has been doing a lot of sweet talking for a horse of his own.  As much as I would love a horse, that boy has a hard sell.  We had horses growing up and you actually have to take care of them. In the meantime, the boys have been going up to the farm working the cows and the land!  It's been good for them.

  The year has started off right!  In November of last year Chad got on the health and fitness bandwagon and has been going strong.  Just this week, he stepped on the scale to see he has lost over 35 pounds!  He looks great and I am so proud of him!  He has even got me back on the program....unfortunately no news to report yet!  

I guess that about sums it up for this post. The rest will take blog entries of their own so please stay tuned...oh, and Happy 2012!

Griner and the Lady Bears

A week or two before Christmas I got an email from the BU Athletic Department announcing Cub Club Night with the Lady Bears.  It mentioned floor seats, free food for the kids and autographs after the game.  Instantly a light bulb went off inside my head so I decided to propose a little road trip South down I-35.  The game was the day after the Alamo Bowl which we were not going to.  A few days before I kept getting texts from Julianne trying to get us to join them at the Alamo Bowl.  I tried and tried but after everything we did not need to spend the money. 

Anway, tickets for the basketball game were first come first serve and could not be purchased in advance.   The day of the game we loaded up the boys for a little surprise road trip.   The boys had absolutely no idea where we were going, we just told them we had a surprise and we would give them clues along the way.  Chad had his BU shirt on and so did I, although I had a zip up hoodie on too.  I packed up the boys BU shirts, Cub Club lanyards and activities for the ride.  I wish Chad were here right now to remind me of the clues but literally they did not guess it until we exited on to University Parks.  This was going to be fun!

Amazingly enough we got to the ticket office with time to spare but there was already a short line that had formed.  I did not see many kids in line so I thought surely we were good to go.  I got up to the ticket counter, showed the lady the boy's lanyards and announced we were here for Cub Club Night.  She did not have much info to give me which had me a little worried.  She handed me my tickets and that was it?  HUH?  Afterwards, I found the marketing manager who sent us in the right direction.  

Imagine the boys surprise when we were ushered down to these seats on the floor, behind the basket and directly beside the tunnel they use to come on to the court.  Christian could not believe it.  

Start of the game

Christian has mentioned several times that he wanted to go to a girls basketball game to see Britney Griner play so this was the perfect way to do that.  Ranked #1 since the beginning of the season, the Lady Bears were off to a great start!  

The boys cheered the girls on to another victory, stood up and cheered to get on the big screen over and over and Christian took loads of pictures and video on his itouch.  After the game was over, the Cub Club families were escorted to the front of the line for the autograph session following the game.  It was mass chaos at first as literally the entire crowd of the Ferrell Center rushed the floor for autographs.  Luckily they got it under control and we were the first in line.  We bought the boys t-shirts to get autographed although I wish I would have brought a basketball like another family did.  Note to self!

The boys were able to get their t-shirt as well as a team pic autographed by the entire team before they made the announcement over the loud speaker that they would only be signing the team picture and nothing else.  One of the players jokingly asked Christian why he wanted her to sign his Griner shirt.  Chad said to blame his mama and then she made a joke about not having her number in the spirit shop. When it came time for Britney to sign his shirt he was really excited that she signed in the number.  He thought that was really cool!

Here we are with our swag

To give you a better idea....

After the game we went to Buzzard Billys for dinner and drove around the campus in awe.  RGIII just won the Heisman so it was really cool to see the recognition around the campus.

It's a great year to be a Baylor Bear!

HO HO HO

On Christmas morning the boys woke up around 8 am.  The dogs had woken me up a little while earlier so I just layed in bed waiting for them to run in and get us up!  They were beyond excited to see what Santa had left them.  They each got a field goal post and 360 bike like they asked for and they were HAPPY!

Christian's favorite part of Christmas morning is digging in his stocking to see what fun things Santa left in there.  He has talked about it for days and it looks like Santa has been keeping with sports in what little spare time he must have had so close to Christmas.  

After Santa presents we waited a little while for the rest of the family to get there for our traditional Christmas morning feast!  After breakfast the boys once again pass out a slew of presents and tell everyone where they are going to sit. 

Again, I concentrate on the joy and excitement they get to experience as they open their presents.

Christian was beyond excited when he opened this RGIII jersey given to him by his brother Carson!  They obviously were thinking along the same lines because Christian got Carson a Dirk jersey that he loves too!

Now that is some love!

We spent the rest of the day with family and friends, watching football, playing with new toys and eating...ALOT!

Merry Christmas 2011

A SAD GOODBYE

Christmas Eve ended with us coming home, unloading presents from the car, Chad taking a few new toys out of the boxes to assemble, Christian and Carson sprinkling reindeer food on the front yard, the boys and I getting cookies, carrots and milk set out for Santa, and getting in our pj's.  Tonight, however, the boys quickly came to the realization that when Tree Hopper left for the North Pole tonight, he would not be coming right back.  Instantly I began to notice a sudden change in the boys moods.  They both grabbed a sheet of paper and poured their heart out in a letter they were hoping Hopper would take back with them on his trip home to the North Pole.  After Christian finished writing his letter, he came around and asked each of us to please sign it.  Below are the letters they each wrote to Tree Hopper:

From Carson:  Cool fort and you shot and killed the toys. 

(Earlier that day, the boys found Tree Hopper upstairs playing with Nerf guns.  He was propped up  inside a Batman fort and had shot out at all the toys/bad guys that tried to come in)

These smiles quickly turned to alligator tears come bed time.  Christian literally cried his eyes out because he did not want Tree Hopper to leave.  After I put him in bed, he came out two or three times to say his good-byes and how much he loves him.  It was so sweet yet so sad.  I will never forget the magic that Tree Hopper brought into our home this season.  I can only hope it continues next year!

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve tradition is to go to Sonia's house around 3pm in the afternoon.  We spend the morning baking, watching Christmas movies and putting the finishing touches on presents, etc.

When it came time to head to Frisco, Chad and I loaded up the car with presents, sweet potatoes and pies and made our way to begin the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  Since I am not the one slaving away at the stove tonight (Thank You Sonia), I use this time before dinner to snap some family pictures which once again reminds me of the lightning paced speed in which my kids are growing up.  All the while Nikki got our annual family holiday game started.  Luckily she has two eager volunteers to get the game going. This year it was Christmas Charades.

After we all stuff ourselves and the dishes are put away, the boys finally get permission to start passing out presents.  They place everyone in the same spot year after year.

Once they get the green light to OPEN OPEN OPEN, I sit back and watch the boys faces light up as they unwrap their presents.

These tennis shoes were hot on his list.  

Once again, we were all spoiled beyond belief and would leave their house later that evening with a suburban loaded down with new things.  After dessert and tracking Santa, we took this last pic of Queenie with her great-grandkids and came home to get ready for St. Nick.