Another School Year Has Begun!

We had such a wonderful summer full of lazy days, busy days, and fun days. I was sad for it to come to an end but excited to start the school year again. It's been almost a full month of school already, I can't believe it! My boys started school at the end of August and this year Matthew is in 3rd grade and Riley is in kindergarten. So many great things come with back to school time. It may be extremely nerdy but I absolutely love getting together the school supplies and making lists and checking things off when they are completed. My husband has given me many things in the 12 years I've known him and of course the two greatest of those things are my sons, followed closely by a love of organizing and lists haha. So, ok maybe I don't love organizing and lists quite that much, but you get the idea. When the new school year starts of course that also brings with it my most favorite time of year, Fall (pumpkin patch here I come!!!), as well as Cub Scouts, fundraisers, Thursday packets, open house, picture day...so many great things!

The first day of school was such a big day for both of my boys. Riley was so excited to finally be going to the same school as his big brother. He has spent years talking about riding the bus with Matthew and Matthew walking him to his class and the time had finally come! Our school district now does full day kindergarten so both of my kids were off to a full day at school. They were both so happy the first day of school. They were excited to see their old friends again and especially to ride the bus together. I gave them each a huge hug and kiss and they were off, my two school boys, the first time together on the bus...



So far they are both really enjoying school. Each day when they get off the bus I ask them "So, what was the best thing about kindergarten/3rd grade today?" and I'm always excited to hear what they have to say. I was really anticipating open house, one of my favorite days of the school year. I love seeing their classrooms and having them show us around. This year was no exception! It was the first time we had two classrooms to visit! Matthew's class was first. Sitting in his chair was a "future me" he had made. It was so sweet that he made his future self have facial hair just like daddy's.




Then it was time to visit Riley's classroom. He had such fun showing us around. He made a self portrait as well and was so proud to stand next to it.




So, all in all it has been a great start to the new school year. I'm so proud of my boys and I hope they always keep their love of learning and their joy at sharing these things with me. I love them so very much. It's going to be a great school year!

Beautiful

Amazing song, beautiful video. Brandon Flowers is lovely :-)

Baseball!

Well, this season of baseball has ended. Riley's t ball ended over a month ago but I have been waiting to write this entry until Matthew's baseball season ended. He just had his end of the season picnic so the season is officially over. Matthew's season was so much longer than Riley's because he had a tournament after the regular season and then was picked to be part of the All Star team and do another tournament. Both boys had a wonderful time playing and I really enjoyed watching them play! Matthew was so proud of himself for making the All Star team. It was such a nice thing for him because he worked so hard and to see his hard work pay off was very rewarding for him. He was also very excited because one of his good friends from school was also on the All Stars team and they finally got to play together after having been on different teams during the regular season.

It's crazy how much they have grown since they started playing with the BYA. This is Matthew in his first season of t ball:



Here he is this year during the All Star tournament:



He has grown so much!!!

Here is Riley during his first season of t ball:



This is Riley during this season:



Time is just flying by. I think that's part of the reason I love photography so much, to capture these moments that are gone in the blink of an eye.

The All Stars tournament was very exciting for Matthew. He got a snazzy new jersey with his name on it! His number has been the number 1 every year that he has played baseball and he got to keep that number for All Stars as well. I loved seeing both of the boys in their uniforms, they always look so cute. It was definitely neat to see Matthew wearing a jersey with his last name on the back.



I'm a proud mommy :-)




If enough kids in his age group sign up we will be starting baseball again in the fall for "fall ball" and if not then it will be Spring time again by the time we get around to more baseball. Until then, we have a lot of things to look forward to and I can't wait for everything we have coming up.

thoughts

I love black and white photography and I love my family, so I decided to write a poem about them both. Here it is

I see in a filter of black and white
Like some long forgotten movie or a dark starry night
The most ordinary things are beautiful here
And the light that shines through the dark makes even little things clear
It captures the things so often unseen
Like that indescribable moment just as you wake from a dream

Words alone could never show these treasures most might never see
Like the veins in an Autumn leaf
Or the majesty of a worn out key
Like the wrinkles I love at the corner of your eyes
Or the joy of our sons successes after so many tries

Looking through something so small has given me a bigger view
Though I could search all the world and I would still come back to you
My husband and sons, my favorite subjects indeed
For you three boys are all this heart is ever going to need

Father's Day!

This sunday, June 19th is Father's Day. It's time to celebrate Dad! I feel very fortunate that my sons have such a wonderful daddy. From the moment we knew I was pregnant with our first son, Matt had a connection with Matthew. He would talk to my belly and Matthew would kick like crazy when he heard daddy's voice. Now, here we are with 2 sons that just adore him.





Matt is a great dad for all the things he does from the little things to the big things. He is their biggest fan when it comes to sports, from helping out their teams to practicing with them in the yard. He is proud of their accomplishments at school and helps with their homework and projects. He attends and participates in every cub scout meeting. He dances to silly songs, plays funny games, and is the best water balloon match player you've ever seen.






I have so many wonderful memories and moments that I will never forget. I know the boys feel the same way. It makes me so happy for them to have such a loving, caring, and involved dad. I know that when they become dads themselves they will know exactly what a great dad should be, because they have the best one around.

I love my boys

The 3 most wonderful people in my world :-)

I'm 28 years old!

Today is my birthday! Yes, that's right world, I'm officially 28 years old. My sister asked me if I felt older and my answer to her was that I already feel atleast 10 years older than my actual age so while it does sound a lot older to me than 27, it doesn't feel much different.

I've often said that I have an "old soul" and I don't think that's a bad thing at all. I do think I have a good balance of acting like a Grandma and still being a fun woman in my twenties. Still, I'm definitely not like the average person of my age. With all of the activities that my sons are in I get to interact with quite a few other parents. I am always the youngest and usually I'm the youngest by a lot. Infact, one of the women at Matthew's bus stop says that every year on her birthday she turns "29" because she refuses to acknowledge anything higher than that. Let's just say she waved bye-bye to 29 long ago.

My husband is 2 1/2 years older than I am, so I get the benefit of seeing what awaits as the years start stacking up. I love watching stand up comedy and I can't even count how many times I've heard the joke that as soon as you turn 30 everything starts falling apart. Being a huge fan of stand up, when I kept hearing this joke multiple times from multiple people, it did send up a red flag that maybe there is some truth behind that joke. Well, I'm here to say that it's true! Within a month of turning 30 all bets were off between my husband and his body. It was as if his body had some warranty that expired the day he turned 30. I wonder what it is about that age that makes your body say "eh...I'm going to stop working now, enjoy!!"

Still, I look forward to the idea of getting older. I particularly look forward to how Matt and I will be as old people. I have a pretty good idea of what kind of "little old man" my husband is going to be and let me tell you, it's hilarious (just picture the most adorable old man you've ever seen with wild and crazy white ear hair that puts a carnival cotton candy to shame). I'm quite sure that I'll be the "crazy cat lady" and together we'll provide much amusement for our sons and their future spouses.

For now though, I'm sure even at 28 and 30 we provide much amusement for them already.

When nothing makes sense, there's always one thing that does:

LOVE

baseball, t ball, and swimming, oh my!

It's finally here, that time of year full of baseballs, dirt stains, and cheering for my boys!

Yep, that's right, it's baseball season! This is Matthew's second year of baseball and his fourth year with the BYA. This is Riley's second year of t ball. Things get pretty crazy around here once baseball season starts.

I often find myself wondering how two little boys can create so much dirty laundry. For the majority of the year one would really think that I have about 10 kids instead of 2. Then baseball season comes around. I thought the laundry was never ending before, ha! Grass stains, dirt stains, stinky socks, and sweaty hats galore! I must say though after a fresh wash and fluffy dry, my boys sure look splendidly handsome in their uniforms.



I love watching their games. In the times I watch them out there having fun and playing it makes all the stress that came before disappear. What stress you may ask? Well, as fun as having your kids in sports is there is a lot of work that goes into it! It gets especially interesting when you have more than one kid in a sport. Somehow I've managed to get myself, both kids, and my husband to different places at the same time. Yes, I'm magical. Last week I was able to get Matthew to cub scouts, attend his meeting with him where he made a presentation about the hockey game his Aunt Jenny took him to, while at the same time I got Matt and Riley to Riley's T ball game in time, and was also able to make it back to Riley's game to see him have a great hit without using the Tee!

It's still the beginning of the season but the boys have both been doing very well and having a ton of fun!



There are so many things that I love about watching the boys play sports and I've talked about about that here before. I love when they look to make sure I'm watching, I love cheering them on when they succeed and yelling "good try!!" when they strike out. One of the things I love the most though is that they have such a wonderful Dad that comes to every single game, supports them whether they win or lose. I tell them often how lucky they are to have a Daddy that cares so much. We are both very proud parents indeed!



Another fun thing we've started is swimming lessons! We take the boys swimming quite a bit but they have always needed assistance of a noodle or other floatation device. So, we thought it would be a good idea to sign them up for swimming lessons. They are only once a week and Matthew has class with kids his age and Riley's class follow immediately after with kids his age. They had their first class and absolutely loved it!! Matthew was so confident after that first class, it was just great to see. The teacher came over and told us that both boys did very well! Matthew is a lot like his dad in that he isn't overly expressive, so to see him smiling that big and laughing and being so confident, it was great!! Riley looked so cute, his little feet splashing all around. They had so much fun and it's a great thing for them to learn!

So, we have a lot going on but it's all fun! I don't ever want to over schedule my kids but I do think having certain activities to look forward to is a good thing. The first rule, however, is always: school comes first. Things get hectic around baseball but it's only for a short time in the spring and then the leisurely days of summer are quick to follow. I think it's important for them to have things to look forward to, exercise, learning, team work and most importantly FUN.

Spring is here!

It may be rainy and kind of chilly out there right now, but don't let that fool you..Spring is here!!

There are certain things that I love about every season. With Summer it's that I have the boys home from school, no schedules, just fun from sun up to sun down. Fishing is our staple summer activity, we go pretty much every night. Trips to Kennywood, walking to get ice cream, so much fun! Fall is my favorite season. I love the weather. I love that I can cover up in a cozy hoodie on some days and then walk out of the house with no jacket other days. I love the pumpkins and farms and don't even get me started on Halloween. Winter, well snow is beautiful to look at though I absolutely loathe driving in it. Still, building snowmen, having snow ball fights, and trying my best to push my husband into a pile of snow (though he always manages to get me first!), is so much fun! Finally, there is Spring. Beautiful weather, the beginning of fishing season, sports for the boys, lots of outside activities!

We've been lucky enough to have been able to go fishing a couple times already this Spring. Hopefully the weather gets nicer in May! The nicer the weather gets, the more fishing we can do! The boys love fishing so much! Spending the day at the lake is probably my favorite thing to do. It's peaceful and relaxing yet exciting at the same time. The boys always find something new to explore. Matthew is becoming quite the master fisherman, he has caught over 100 fish!! Each time we go fishing I bring along my notebook. It's not just any notebook mind you, it's THE notebook. It's a purple (of course) notebook in which I record each day we go fishing, where we are fishing, and all the fish we catch listed by who catches it, what kind of fish it is, and how many of those fish that person has caught. Yes, I'm a dork. It may sound silly but I know it will be something we will look back on years from now and it will be so great to flip through. The boys like it too because they can keep track of just how many fish we catch! Riley loves looking at the fish that we catch but for the last couple years he's been more interested in finding frogs and butterflies, though this year he wants to be the one catching all the fish! It's exciting that they are both so excited about it. I'm so glad that 3 years ago we decided to take a chance and see how the boys (and indoor girl, me!) would like fishing at the lake. I never could have guessed the great memories and wonderful times that would follow.

The other thing that comes along with Spring is the start of baseball and t ball season! This will be Matthew's 4th year playing with the BYA, he played 2 years of t ball and this will be his second year of baseball. For Riley, this will be his second year of t ball. I love watching their games and can't wait for them to start. So far they've each had a few practices and games are starting really soon. In fact, Matthew's first game is in less than a week! I can't wait! Matthew is doing very well at practice and having a great time! Riley is doing well and has surprised me with how well he is throwing. I'm glad that they enjoy it so much, I know I sure love watching them play. Even though I know they should be focusing on their game/practice, I have to admit that the thing I love the best is when I catch them looking to make sure that I was just watching. It just makes me want to yell out "Yes, I'm watching you, I love you!!!!" Do you think that would embarrass them?! haha!

Well, I may be just a little embarrassing but one thing is for sure, they know I love them and that's worth a little embarrassment I think.

How did I get so lucky?

I love him.



That is all.

:-)

Peace out, Cub Scout

At the beginning of the school year Matthew brought home a paper with his "Thursday packet" of papers. The paper said "Join two great teams" and it had four scouts standing with the Pittsburgh Pirates mascot. At the bottom of the paper it said there was to be a meeting to learn more on Wednesday September 8th. I asked Matthew if he would be interested in joining the cub scouts. He answered with an enthusiastic "YES!" So, I set about learning all I could about the cub scouts. I searched online at be a scout and found some really great information! I also went to words to live by and learned all about the great things that scouts do. I also asked my friends on facebook if they had any experience with scouting. I got some really awesome feedback. When Matt came home that evening we talked about it and decided we would go to the meeting. It didn't take long into that meeting that we knew we were going to go ahead and sign him up! Since then it's been so much fun!



We have done so many great things as a family, and that's what I love the most, it's about family. Riley is too young still to join cub scouts but Matthew's den (and the whole pack as well) make him feel right at home and include him as much as they can!



We have learned so much and had a lot of fun doing it. Matthew is proud of being a cub scout and it shows! I'm proud of him for doing his best and I'm so happy that he loves it so much. Our first big thing since joining cub scouts was the pinewood derby. Matthew came in 3rd place! He was so proud!!



We recently went to the scout store in Pittsburgh and had an absolute blast. It was a fun day! I do love looking at everything on the online store but going to one in person is so much fun!



The cub scout motto is: Do Your Best! What a great message! This is only our first year involved with scouting and I'm sure we're all going to learn from it and enjoy it for many years to come! So, if you've thought about maybe giving scouting a try, go for it, you won't regret it! It's a fun way to do things as a family while learning important life lessons about safety, fun, character, and so much more! Like everything in life, you get out of it what you put in. I know that when Matthew and Riley are adults they will look back at our time in cub scouts and treasure it, knowing that mom and dad took as much joy in seeing them learn and have fun as they did doing all the fun stuff scouting has to offer.

"The hardest part of ending is starting again"

I've written here before about the power of music. Everyone is different and the way music effects them differs as well. For some people music is background noise, a soundtrack playing in the background of their life. For others it's an integral part of their life. It can some times be the only understanding embrace someone receives. Music can be uplifting, motivating, understanding, and so many things all at once. That's what makes it so wonderful. While most of the music I have shared with you on here has been from The Smashing Pumpkins, believe it or not I do like all different kinds of music. Still, the Smashing Pumpkins is and always will be my favorite :-).

However, I felt that this song deserved it's own personal entry. It's a song by Linkin Park. The video is amazingly beautiful and I can't get enough of the song, the lyrics are amazing. It was months ago that I first heard this song. I am sure I had "heard" it before that but it didn't sink in until a few months ago when I really heard it. This song really helped me move on from something I had been holding in for over a decade. Like I said, music is powerful..and I hope you have found music in your own life that has touched you, helped you, comforted you, motivated you...moved you.

12 Years!

In just a little under 2 weeks it will be the 12 year anniversary of the day Matt and I met!

I am going to be very busy these next few weeks so I thought I would go ahead and post this now.

I don't think I could have ever guessed that 12 years could fly by so fast! There were so many times that our paths crossed before we ever met and I feel truly lucky that we finally did meet. The day we met I knew that Matt was something special, and was I ever right. It's a truly amazing thing to find that one person in the world who completes you. "I dunno, she's got gaps, I got gaps, together we fill gaps." That is a quote from one of our favorite movies, Rocky. That's how I feel about us. I feel like he makes me a better person and when there's times that I feel like I'm not enough..he fills the gaps and makes me whole again. Here we are 12 years later with two wonderful sons and I still find new things to love about him.

I love you with all my heart Matt. Thank you for supporting me in everything I do and giving me the strength to try new things. Thank you for making me laugh until I cry and thank you for letting me cry until I can smile again. Thank you for taking care of me no matter how much of a baby I am when I'm sick. Thank you for listening but more than that, thank you for hearing me in a way no one else does. Thank you for our wonderful sons and thank you for being a great dad. Finally, thank you for 12 years of YOU. I love you.

faster than the speed of sound, faster than we thought we'd go...

Epilepsy Awareness

Support the Global day for Epilepsy Awareness by wearing purple on March 26th.

http://www.purpleday.org/

Basketball

Better late than never right?

Every Thursday Matthew brings home a packet of papers from school. I don't know what the technical name of this packet of papers is, I just know that I look forward to my "Thursday packet" every week. I love going through all of the papers and seeing what new events are coming up at school. When Matthew was in Kindergarten he brought home one of these packets and inside was a paper about joining the basketball team. I looked at it briefly and noticed that you had to be in 2nd grade to sign up. In what feels like the blink of an eye, Matthew completed Kindergarten, then completed 1st grade, and before I knew it I was going through a Thursday packet when I came across a paper about basketball sign ups. Now he is in the 2nd grade and old enough to play. How did the time from Kindergarten to 2nd grade fly by so quickly?

Matthew was so excited to sign up! Before practices could get under way they wanted all of the new players to come and have a mini basketball clinic so the coaches could see what they already knew. Finally, it was time for practices to begin. I loved watching the practices. For this being Matthew's first year I thought he did so well! He just had fun and that's the most important thing. It was almost time for the season to start when the team got their uniforms. I was very impressed with Matthew's coach. He had a great attitude and gave a lot of positive reinforcement! Throughout the season I saw Matthew learn new things, have fun, and grow as a player. The thing that made me most proud of him was his attitude. He was happy for his teammates, kind, and even if they lost a game he would run over to us at the end with a smile on his face. He has the best attitude when it comes to sports and it makes me so proud. I love that he is happy for other people's accomplishments and also his own, but the main thing is that he just has fun and that is great to see.

At the end of the season there was a skills competition. All the teams came and competed in different events. At the end there was a ceremony to congratulate everyone on a great season in which each kid received a medal. Then, they gave awards for kids who placed 1st and 2nd in the skills competition. Matthew won a 2nd place trophy!!! I was so happy for him! He was happy too!

I'm so happy that Matthew found something that he really enjoys doing. I can't wait for next season! Go Little Bridgers!!!

When I grow up?

What do you want to be when you grow up? I love asking my sons this question. Every time you ask them you never really know what you are going to get. I actually had this conversation with Matthew and Riley this afternoon. Matthew initiated the conversation by asking Riley "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Riley responded, "a scientist!". I then asked Matthew the same question and he replied "a police officer, or a shark doctor!" However, when I went to relay this cute story to Matt this evening, Riley was very quick to tell us all that he had changed his mind. I love that every day they have new ideas of what they want to be or what they are interested in. However, it really got me thinking about this topic. Why does asking what someone wants to be automatically correspond with what profession, job, money making activity, they will pursue as an adult? Not that it's bad to think of those things, in fact it's good, it's great to have an idea of a career that will make you happy.

Still, I can't help but feel like while encouraging those things, wouldn't it also be a good idea to remind our kids (and ourselves) that what you do/your job isn't necessarily who you ARE. I guess I should say it isn't all of who you are, it's just a part of it. Who you are isn't just what job you have, it's who you are on the INSIDE. I think back to when I was my sons ages and when I was a kid my dad was my hero, not because he was in the Navy (which is very hero worthy) but because he's my dad. My mom was my hero, not for working at my school (which was pretty cool as well) but because she's my mom. I think my kids feel the same way.

I've found myself saying.."Well, I guess I just don't know what I want to be 'when I grow up'," when people (even strangers) have asked "well, so what are you going to be??" I guess I've discovered something, I already am what I want to "be" and I guess that doesn't fit in any type of box or label. I'm not an attorney, a nurse, a teacher, a real estate agent..etc. I don't currently have a job title but that's not what makes me who I am. What makes me who I am is what's always been inside of me. I live a lot of my life inside of my own head, in other words, I think A LOT. I'm constantly thinking of how can I do this, how can I accomplish that, oh this would be a great idea, what time does Matthew need to be here, oh Riley wanted that shirt washed, hmm..what would Matt want for dinner. I guess if I had to answer the question of "So, what did you end up being when you grew up?" I would have to answer, I'm a mother who loves my kids more than anything, a mother who finally found her purpose in life through her children. I'm a wife that loves her husband and would do absolutely anything for him. I love to create. Writing, painting, photography...give me something ordinary and I'll find the beauty in it. Finally, I'm me..I'm a worry wart, I'm overly sensitive, I don't let many people close to me, I love to laugh and make others laugh, I can be goofy and silly and intensely serious. Whatever job I end up having in my life when my kids are both a bit older, whether it's living my dream of doing what I love or working in the cafeteria at my kid's school so I can be home when they are home, I will bring all of those things to anything I do.

I used to be ashamed when people would talk about their jobs, careers, and "what they want to be when they grow up," I felt like I was lost and floating out there with no direction. It wasn't until today that I realized I'm not floating and lost, I'm found here in my family. Matt and the boys have given me something that I don't know how I can ever thank them, they gave me such support and love to know that I'll never be lost because I have them to anchor me and catch me if I ever fall.

So, I hope that my sons know that whatever they decide to do with their lives as far as jobs go I hope they find something that will make them happy and something that will help them be productive and satisfied, but also that what's inside is such an important part of what they are going to "be" when they grow up...and what they are inside is beautiful and to me they are incredible and my inspiration.

Matthew is 8 years old! (January 1st)

I was too sick to write this entry when I wanted to write it. This was actually the first year since Matthew was born that I was unable to stay up and watch the ball drop on his birthday (New Year's). I was just too sick.

8 years ago on New Year's Eve I went into labor with my first son. After a long and hard labor Matthew James Jr was finally born at 4:57pm on New Year's Day. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start a new year.

Our little family has come a long way in these last 8 years. It is truly amazing how fast time passes by when you have kids. It feels like yesterday that I was holding him for the first time in the hospital.

Matthew is growing into such a funny, caring, and smart kid. I always tell Matt (Sr) that both of our sons are the best of each us. I can definitely see that in Matthew. He has his dad's caring heart, my sense of humor, and he is just so smart.

I feel very lucky to have 2 wonderful sons that make me happy every single day. I am proud of them for everything they do. Being their mom is what I was put on this earth for and I feel so lucky for my family.

Happy Birthday Matthew!