More pictures

I think they are singing and dancing in this picture.

I will be glad when that new tooth is completely in so Parker can get rid of the "snaggletooth" look. Man he's cute though. Gotta have the eye-black or you're not a real ball player.

A rare picture of daddy and Jack smiling for the camera.

For some reason, Jack went around shaking all the potted ficus trees at the wedding. He also knocked over a pillar with a fern on it. No harm done though--nothing was broken.

Last Wednesday at WW I had lost 18.2 lbs. I'm hoping for the big 20 lb loss tonight, but I'm not sure it will happen. My scale says I've lost 21, but I never know how theirs will weigh. Regardless, I'm pretty darn proud. And you know what, I don't feel like I'm deprived at all. I still eat pretty much everything I want, just in much greater moderation. I definitely don't feel like I'm on a diet. I just feel like I'm making much better choices. I still have about 15 lbs. to go and I am STILL overweight by medical standards! I'm not kidding.

The past week......

Parker's baseball season has begun.

Jack had his preschool program and actually participated. I don't have any pictures from the program, but he sure looked pretty snazzy in his preppy little outfit.

The last day of school.

Fun Day at McGaughey. I loved all the bright colors.

Posing for pictures at a wedding we attended this weekend.

Another Jackism

Last night Jack had his End of the Year Program at school. He actually stood up there and even sang! It was a Foreman miracle--a child who willingly participated in a preschool program. Anyway, he had on some new dress shoes that don't have laces. They don't have Velcro either--just that type of pull on shoe. While we were in the car, he told Parker, "My shoes don't have tyers." Which sounds just like "my shoes don't have tires". Even Parker thought that was pretty darn cute.

Today is Parker's last day of kindergarten. I will post more about this emotional occasion later. Seriously, I'm a mess. Here's a pic from the first day of school 9 months ago. In appearance, he hasn't changed much. In maturity, he has grown leaps and bounds. As for what he learned this year--well, I think kindergarten is the new 3rd grade. It's crazy the things they studied! And best of all, he loved every minute of it!

Random thoughts

Some funny things Jack said and try to imagine it with his Boston accent:
- We were watching a Math DVD and they counted to ten. Jack said, "Hey! That's my two hand number!"
- We were driving by Big Creek Stables and there was a horse show. Jack said, "Hey! They're having a horse party!"
- We were driving by New Beginnings Church and Jack said, "They have horse parties there." (It does look rather like a barn--white walls with metal red roof.)

Tracy introduced Capri Sun Water to Stella and she held it out to her and said, "Here Stella. Try it." So now Stella calls juice pouches "try it." Example, "I want some try it."

I took some pictures of our crafty projects in Parker's classroom. I still love how that banner came out. So cute and so simple. Next time we will do it at the beginning of the year so it can be enjoyed all year.



This sign was another simple project but it turned out so colorful and cute.

Parker's class went to the zoo yesterday. It was cold and then rainy. They got to see all of the zoo but their picnic got canceled. I don't think they really cared at that point.




Today, Jack and I were sitting in the drive through at the barbeque place. I watched these two women walk into the restaurant and I had to laugh out loud. They were both tall and thin with very bleached out hair. Both were attractive but they were wearing the most ridiculous clothes. Like right off the runway type clothes. You know how runway shows are always way over the top? Designers don't intend for people to wear those clothes, they are just trying to be artistic. Anyway, maybe their attire would have been acceptable in New York or LA but definitely not in Mt. Zion. Especially not when going to dine at the barbeque place. It just struck me as very, very comical because you know they thought they were "all that" and really they just looked stupid. And no, I'm not jealous because even if I were taller and thinner and younger and blonder, I still wouldn't dress like Paris Hilton and go to eat barbeque. Also, barbeque is not a Weight Watcher food but it's worth working out twice today to enjoy it.
Since I didn't report about weigh-in Wednesday last week, I will now. I have lost 17 pounds. Whoo hoo. 19 more to go. This probably won't be a good week, but I'm not going to worry because next week will be better and it all evens out.

Jen and a dork

Here is my friend, Jen with a very dorky looking Matt Damon. She looks more like a movie star than he does, don't you think!?

They are filming a movie here in Decatur and several people have been able to meet Matt Damon. Too bad he isn't filming a movie where he actually looks good, huh? If you aren't from here, you are probably wondering why in the world they are filming here. The film is about a big price-fixing scandal that happened in the 80's at ADM. Matt Damon is playing the guy who exposed the whole thing and ultimately went to jail. I couldn't care less about Matt Damon, but I think it will be neat to see the movie (on video, of course) because we will recognize so many of the locations. Kinda neat.

Projects Galore

I made one of these little "teacher resource" boxes as a door prize for the luncheon we held for the teachers. These are for a teacher who admired the original one to give to her children's teachers. I actually got 3 order from that one door prize.


These bouquets are for a bridal shower. I brought my flower making factory (a bag with all my stuff)to a ball game last week and one of the mom's ordered these.

This is the scrapbook I made for Mrs. Fitzgerald. I had each of the kids write a note to her and some of the parents did too. She took the time to read each child's note aloud and made a kind comment about each one. Love that. They all felt very special--you could tell from their red cheeks!






Thanks to scrapbooks, boxes and paper flowers I have made enough $ to get my hair highlighted and go to weight watchers the rest of the summer. Now I need to earn enough more to get a great dress, a pedicure, fake nails and another hair highlight and then I will be set for the reunion! I have officially lost 15.6 pounds but it's actually more like 17 because I have busted my butt the past few days to reach my birthday goal--which I did. It is a wonderful, wonderful feeling BUT I still have 20pounds to go. I got out some clothes that had been in the back of my closet because they were too small for me to wear and guess what!? They are still too small to wear. This is a good thing because I don't want to get complacent. I still haven't really gone down a clothing size because I am just fitting comfortably into the clothes I was wearing which is very troubling because I don't know how in the world I was squishing myself into them! Why didn't someone tell me I looked like a stuffed sausage!?

A picture story

This handsome boy had his kindergarten program last night.

When they called for his group, he jumped right up and went without a word. Then he marched in with everyone--he was even first.

He wasn't exactly an enthusiastic performer. (No future Swingsation member here!)

But when it was his moment, he held that astronaut as high as he could!

And boogie-woogied when necessary.

All of which made us very proud which earned him a trip to Dairy Queen.

And even though he didn't perform, this adorable blondie got to get ice cream too.

It must be nice

I'm thinking that it must be nice to be the parent of a bully. That way your child would never come home crying because someone was mean to him. I never know how much to let your child handle on their own and when I should intervene. I hate this part of parenting!

Look really close at this picture. Parker has his tongue in the space of his missing tooth. So cute!
Some pictures from a nice, sunny day at the ball park. Parker completely neglected his batboy duties because the game was at McGaughey right next to the playground. When you are 6, a playground beats being batboy any day!
All of us are plagued with our annual spring eye allergies. I think it is this awful tree in our front yard that turns everything yellow with pollen this time of year. I would love to cut it down, but it's soooooo dang expensive!!!!! We spent $1800 to have a horrible tree in our backyard cut down and I don't plan on doing it again. This one could probably be a do-it-yourself job but it would take a lot of work.
Remember in the movie Pretty Woman when they first meet in the car and Richard Gere says something like, "People don't surprise me." and Julia Roberts responds with, "Really? People shock the hell out of me." I have found that to be very true lately.
Parker has a kindergarten concert tommorrow night. I'm just hoping it is without any drama from him. We never know what to expect in these situations. Jack's is in a few weeks but I don't hold out much hope for him. He still cries when I drop him off at school. He loves school, his friends and his teacher but there is something about the morning that makes him weepy. I have no tolerance for it so I just hand him off to someone and leave. And honestly, I don't give it another thought. I know he quits before I'm to the parking lot. I'm getting hard-hearted in my old age.

Today is weigh-in Wednesday. Last week I was at 12.2. I never know what to expect even though I weigh myself at home. I have a birthday goal which I am about a pound away from. I've got 3 days to get there and I think I can do it. My birthday falls on Mother's day this year which is a blessing and a curse. Luckily, I can take a WW break and eat whatever I please since it is a double holiday for me. Which probably means I will eat double my daily allowance of points! How about a Krispy Kreme doughnut cake!!!!!
This is teacher appreciation week and Angie and I have come up with all sorts of wonderful, crafty things to do for Mrs. Fitzgerald.
Monday--Illini Day She is a big Illini fan so we sent a note home asking all the kids to wear their orange and blue. I have her a note that said, "We have something special planned for you, On Monday, wear your orange and blue. Angie had a basketball garbage can and an Illinois mug personalized. She also got an orange and blue feather boa, a decorated paint can and pencil holder and I brought our Illini rug for her to borrow for the day. It was simple and so cute. It's fun when the kids can be a part of it too.
Tuesday--well, she was gone.
Wednesday--we made a banner (like a string of hanging triangle pennants) that had each child's handprint and name and said, "Mrs. Fitzgerald, You touch our hearts." It is so bright and colorful. I need a picture of it! They also wore badges that said, "Mrs. Fitzgerald touched my heart." We also painted an adorable sign that reads, "Mrs. Fitzgerald's Classroom" and had all the kids draw a picture of her which we compiled into a "Mrs. Fitzgerald Book." Oh, and we swiped her treat jar yesterday and I decorated it and we filled it with new candy. (The kids are so over tootsie rolls and smarties.)
We have a few more tricks up our sleeve. We are cracking ourselves up because we are in creative overdrive this week. Honestly, she is such a wonderful teacher that I am inspired to want to do special things for her. Corny. Maybe, but very true.
Lots to get done so I'd better go!

Great sports story!

You have to read this article about a softball game. THIS is what sportsmanship is all about. If this was my team who helped this girl, I couldn't be more proud if they were national champions. Wow. It's nice to read about something GOOD happening in sports for once. No steroids here, just really big hearts. Love it!

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.
But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.
She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.
Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count - an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.
Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.
The umpire said there was no rule against it.
So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg.
"The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt," Tucholsky said. "I told her it was my right leg and she said, 'OK, we're going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,' and I said 'OK, thank you very much."'
"She said, 'You deserve it, you hit it over the fence,' and we all kind of just laughed."
"We started laughing when we touched second base," Holtman said. "I said, 'I wonder what this must look like to other people."'
"We didn't know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run," Wallace said Wednesday. "That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her."
Holtman said she and Wallace weren't thinking about the playoff spot, and didn't consider the gesture something others wouldn't do.
As for Tucholsky, the 5-foot-2 right fielder was focused on her pain.
"I really didn't say too much. I was trying to breathe," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.
"I didn't realize what was going on until I had time to sit down and let the pain relax a little bit," she said. "Then I realized the extent of what I actually did."
"I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation," Tucholsky added.
As the trio reached home plate, Tucholsky said, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears.
Central Washington coach Gary Frederick, a 14-year coaching veteran, called the act of sportsmanship "unbelievable."
For Western Oregon coach Pam Knox, the gesture resolved the dilemma Tucholsky's injury presented.
"She was going to kill me if we sub and take (the home run) away. But at the same time I was concerned for her. I didn't know what to do," Knox said.
Tucholsky's injury is a possible torn ligament that will sideline her for the rest of the season, and she plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in business. Her home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington's chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."