To The Rescue

 

Last week Landon's rec basketball team had their first game of the end-of-the-season tournament. The coach wasn't able to be there, so my dad was kind enough to step in and coach (even though it was an 8:00 game!).

The team hasn't won many games this season, but have managed to keep the score fairly close.

But on my dad's watch they had a plan and some coaching from the sidelines (he was hoarse by the end of the game).

Landon had his highest scoring night of the season!

Woohoo, a full-court pass to Landon for a lay up.

Half-time coaching, he looked so official in his work clothes. They won the game!

Six for Saturday

1. We had a major health scare with Andrew this week. My mom sent a group text saying that the Group Home had called her because Andrew was sick and they were taking him to the ER. She didn't know what to expect but they thought it was the flu or pneumonia. I was in tears instantly as I thought about how hard it is to communicate with him and help him when he's sick. Lori ended up going to the hospital with them and texted that it took 4 people to hold him down so they could start an I.V. of antibiotics! They also took X-rays and did a CT and found that he had Cellulitis (a bacterial infection that causes a high fever, rash, swelling and achy body). My mom ended up staying in the hospital with him for 2 nights. Fortunately they were able to sedate him so he could sleep and receive the medications (too bad they didn't sedate my mom because Andrew snored like a bear and kept her from getting any sleep at all). He's doing much better now and is back "home" at the Group Home.

2. We had New Beginnings this week (it's hard to believe it's our 2nd one already) and Whitney wasn't one of the new girls this year (they looked so tiny). The program was really well done and we were out of there in an hour so that was a bonus.

They had all the girls bring a shoe that represents them. I thought it was fun to see all their personalities represented on the display. If I were to choose a shoe to represent me now it would definitely be a flip flop, but back then it would have been something different...possibly a white Reebok high top.

3. It was Parent/Teacher Conferences at the school this week and I always like to bring a treat or something to Whitney's teacher and to the secretaries, so this time I arranged with them in advance to bring them Cafe Rio and drinks for lunch. It was so fun for me to run around town (I left work for an hour) getting their orders. One of the secretaries said, "It has been so fun anticipating this good lunch!"

4. I got to anticipate a good lunch on Friday since Michelle had arranged to come to school for a car lunch. It's so nice to have something fun to look forward to. She brought very huge, tasty sandwiches from Kneaders, which surprisingly didn't end up dumping down my shirt (I wear a napkin bib and hold the container up to my face like a trough).

Several minutes after I'd gone back into work Michelle called to say her battery was dead. I printed instructions from the internet and went outside to help her (we both had jumper cables in our cars). A nice man helped us a bit, but we were all over it!

 5. Every Saturday Landon meets with the YM to play basketball, but I don't usually go to those games (some are at 7 & 8!), but today's game was at 10:00 so I braved it. It was so fun to see what an amazing group of Young Men we have in our ward and how talented and kind they are. They played a great, close game and ended up winning then they stayed afterward and divided up into two even teams to play another hour-long game! Meanwhile Randy and I were sitting on some very hard chairs (my tail bone can't take it!!) but it was fun to be the cheering section and to see them all in action.

I got these three to pose after the game...I'm so glad Landon has good friends.

6. We had a fun Super Bowl party at Lori's house last Sunday. She totally spoiled us with lots of good food.

We were cheering on the Ravens (since the Falcons didn't make it) because Wendy's (the other secretary at work) nephew is a starter on the Ravens. It's way more fun when you feel like you "know" somebody on the team. He had 2 sacks in the game!

Miscellaneous Monday

 Andrew and my parents came to watch Landon's basketball game last Friday night.

 We didn't know how Andrew would do in such a setting, but thanks to Netflix and my mom's new iPad he did just fine watching Dumbo.

This is Landon's version of mopping on his hands and knees. 

Another dinosaur still life by Whitney.

We've been trying harder to have family meals together (we have a tendency to forage and scatter) so we've been making a menu plan and committing one of us to being in charge of the meal that night. It is working out splendidly and has meant much better dinners and lots more time together. 

I've been wanting a little speaker set up for the kitchen and I found this one at Walmart today. It was originally priced at $19 but was marked down to $11 but then rang up as $5.50 woohoo and it works great!

I got a thank you note from the girl I gave things to as her Secret Pal at work. I found the note on my desk and immediately said, "Who's Gail?!" I thought someone had left it there by mistake, but it turns out the note was for me. The poor girl overheard me and was so embarrassed, she said "I know you're name's not Gail." (Apparently not.) Huh, Gail that was a first time for me.

A Different Kind of Traveling

Yesterday was such a glorious stay-home day that it was hard to make myself leave to go to Whitney's basketball game last night. That may also have something to do with the fact that the word "game" is used in a purely symbolic sense at the 2nd grade level. I also feared a reprise of the bleacher-butt pain I experience at last week's game, but this time we were on the other side of the gym and there were plastic chairs to sit on instead (they were only slightly more comfortable than the bleachers).


At this early level of basketball playing they spend 25 minutes learning and practicing, and then have 30 minutes to play against another team. They don't keep score, they don't call many of the infractions being committed (there's a whole lot of traveling and double dribbling going on), and the kids aren't very keen to share the ball. It makes for some funny moments for sure.

Miss Whitney is one of the taller kids and is able to make baskets during the practice time, but her performance during the game is different. She tends to guard the other team while her team is on offense and then forgets to guard her guy when she's on defense. She's good about keeping her arms up and hopping around like she's defending something, but thus far her efforts have proved fruitless. She's mainly concerned with being the one who gets to thrown the ball in after the other team scores. It sounds like she needs a basketball tutorial from my dad, aka Senor Basketball.


Even though it's uncomfortable to watch these "games" and it's not nearly as fun to watch as it is to coach, I still love being a part of it. I'm glad she gets to do this, I love it that she's the only girl on the team (go Whitney!), and know she will keep getting better and better.

**Have you seen basketball at this level?
Did you play as a kid?**

Five for Friday--Halloween Edition

{Ann, Me & Betsy}

1. I reconnected with a good friend from high school this week; Ann is still good friends with Betsy, and talked to her last weekend after I left. She's been reading my blog (I'm not sure for how long) and decided to email me. It has been fun catching up with her through emails back and forth all week, plus she started her own blog! Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging Ann!

2. My mom, Lori and I went to Whitney's basketball game the other night (she's the only girl on the team) and experienced a most uncomfortable hour of bleacher sitting. Seriously, I'm going to need a tush-cush or something because it was grim.


It was nice having Lori and my mom there though to chat with, otherwise that would have been an even longer hour. Randy is helping coach her team (basketball is NOT my sport).


3. I'm loving the fall weather, even though it's not nearly as beautiful as the fall I experienced in Michigan last week, and have been trying to soak it up. I love seeing all the pumpkins on porches, the leaves falling from the trees, and the Halloween decorations around town.


Our pumpkins are not aging well. They've been carved for 11 days and are looking all kinds of scary because of the rot going on inside them...ew!


4. Last night was our last flag-football game of the season. Landon made a touchdown and we ended up with a 19-19 tie! We're both sad that football is over because we love it so much. The season was only 8 games long and I missed 2 of them while I was in Michigan so it went way too fast for me.


5. Landon and Whitney are both dressed like pirates for Halloween. I don't know how they decided on being the same thing (they never coordinate costumes) but it sure made things easy for us. Randy worked his magic this morning with pirate make-up, bandanna tying and belt placement; the kids were psyched! (Notice the pictures Whitney drew with the mustard on her bread.)

{Whitney's lunch sack}

I am in charge of Whitney's Halloween party at school this afternoon, then we're off to my Grandma Dot's house, then to Adam and Amy's house for trick-or-treating. Tomorrow we've got a basketball game and Whitney's baptism...it's a big weekend.

**How are your pumpkins holding up?
Do you suffer from bleacher butt?
What costumes are happening at your house?**