Fall Football :: Fall Bucket List Check Off!

Here is the South we are very passionate about a lot of things, like sweet tea, southern hospitality, Bojangles (if you do not know what I am talking about immediately find the location closest to you or ask for someone to overnight you some chicken and pray that it is still warm once you get it!) and FOOTBALL!  Around here we start our kids off with a football in their hand as soon as they are born and once they are four it is off to flag football!  Growing up my sister and I never missed a high school game and I was even crazy enough to be a glorified water girl for my middle school team (hey what can I say my best friend and I liked the cute boys!)

This year was Jake’s third year playing tackle and let me tell you this boy LOVES football!  He moved up an age bracket this year so he was back to being the youngest guy on the team again but that has never stopped him!

I know he is supposed to be a tough football player but I can’t help but love that sweet face of his!

From August through October he practiced 2 hours a night, three nights a week and that was after he completed twenty hours of conditioning within two weeks!  Every Saturday my whole family would come out to support Jake.  The beaming smile on his face every time he would turn around and see us all was priceless!

This year he was able to play on both offense and defensive lines.  He loves offense but that boy LOVES to tackle!

No matter what it didn’t matter how many times he got caught up by the other team he would play tough through every play.

What really made this year great was of course the awesome line up of coaches!  Our team had eight coaches which was the maximum we were allowed to have and with only 24 boys they each got a lot of one on one time.

We even had the cutest dance team this year!  I hate to say it but most of the boys didn’t pay them much attention.  The girls were so sweet though!!

Jake of course had his own personal little cheerleader.  Emma Grace watched him the entire season and wanted nothing more than to go play on the field with her big brother.  She would scream to him from the sidelines.  She thinks the world of him!

This year we bought Jake a pair of awesome yellow cleats so that we could pick him out easily on the field!  Let me tell you that was the best money I have spent in a long time.  All you had to do was take a quick look on the field and scan across the ground until you found him.  I LOVE those cleats!

The referees always cracked me up.  They always seemed to keep their cool even when a coach or a team mom on occasion became confrontational!  Good job refs!

The best part of this year’s football season?  We now have TWO boys to cheer on!  My little nephew turned four this year and guess what that means?  It’s flag football time!  He has grown up surrounded by football since he was a baby.  Between all of his cousins football games and watching Jake he has been waiting for his time to shine!

He was one lucky boy because with his Daddy as a coach there was always someone to help him out when he would forget to tighten his belt and loose his flags!

This little man has got some serious moves!  He scored more touchdowns this season than I can even keep up with!  He was born to play football!

I’m so proud of both of my boys this year for how well they did.  More importantly they both had so much fun and learned a lot.  I can’t wait for next year!

Psst…you can still download your own copy of our Fall Bucket List here!

Weekend Fun With The Kids – Meet the Pack 2012

Okay it still sounds weird to say my “kids” rather than my kid.  Even though Emma Grace is already a year old it is still strange to me that I have two kids.  When Jake is in school it is just Emma Grace and I out running errands together.  For seven years it was just Jake and I running around town together.  So I love being able to actually find something we can do together that is fun.  As much fun as the grocery store and the hardware store are I would rather make memories somewhere else!  Every year my Alma Mater NC State hosts “Meet The Pack” at our football stadium.  All of the players from the football team are there along with the a couple other sports as well.  Well football is a big deal in our house.  Jake was born only a couple months before I started my freshman year so he went to a lot of games with us.  For old times sake lets take a peek back at baby Jake!

Awwww…baby Jake!  Okay back to reality!  Even though Emma Grace will not be able to go to as many games as her big brother we figured we would still start her young!  I kept it as a surprise for Jake and I didn’t tell him until we pulled into the parking lot.  I then grabbed my old jersey and his hat out of my bag and threw it to him in the back seat.  When I told him that he was going to meet the team he went crazy!!  He did have some sort of an idea because I was wearing my State shirt and Emma Grace had on her new outfit too!  Guess I’m not as sneaky as I thought!

The football team was split up into smaller groups throughout the stadium so we were able to see most of the team.  Except we skipped out on the quarterbacks…wow that line was long!

After our first group he was thrilled that he already had so many signatures!

Did I mention the lines were REALLY long?  Emma Grace really wasn’t happy about missing her morning nap for Jake’s football practice that morning or missing her afternoon nap to see a ton of big boys who were doing nothing but sitting there signing Jake’s shirt!

But its okay because she has a big brother who will always take care of her!

THIS ONE MELTS MY HEART!

While we waited Jake tried to figure out whether or not all the reserved seats spelled out something!

I couldn’t resist a couple photo ops in front of the score board

And why not another one on the back of the score board!

I love my little boy!  He kept saying “Mommy do you really think I can go here when I get bigger?”  All of the players we so nice and several of them had lots of great words of encouragement when they found out that he played football too.  The guy who even wears Jake’s number 43 told him that he would be more than happy to pass down his number to Jake when he got there.  After the longest line ever we even got to meet Coach O’Brian!  Oh and all Emma Grace wanted the whole time was Jake’s hat, but after coach signed it he refused to let her touch it!

We are ready for football season!  8 more days until State’s first game!  Then Jake’s first game is tomorrow and his pep rally is tonight!  Whooho!!  I am ready for football season!  Are you ready for some football!?!?!?

Emma Grace 45 Weeks

Emma Grace is 45 Weeks Old!

Follow Emma Grace’s Weekly Photo Project Here!

Wow I forgot how crazy it can get around here when Jake is out of school!  Not only that some crazy lady (ME!) decided to commit to 8 sets of cornhole boards for customers in the next two weeks and then I added another two last night.  Not only that but one of our cars is acting up and will be in the shop for awhile.  So, we are down to one car which means a lot of driving back and forth to get Jeremy to work while I run around with the kids.  Last night we met him at midnight while he finished up paperwork and then I came home and kept working until 2:30 to try to get ahead.  Back up again this morning first thing so I’m a little worn out.  I hope to get back to a regular posting schedule next week!  In the mean time we have been trying to take lots of breaks to go outside and play.  Last week we taught Emma Grace about soccer and football.  Too bad she refused to let go of the football for the longest time.  Well I’m back to work!

 

 

 

She has even been practicing her skills at center.  We can’t wait for football season! P.S. Yes I know I had my focus point on the football and not her face.  My bad!  But it was too cute to pass up!

Happy Birthday Jacob Dylan!

Happy 8th Birthday To Jake!

Today is my big boy’s birthday!  It is hard to believe it has already been 8 years.  I was looking back at photos from previous birthdays last night and he has changed so much over the last year.  When he blew at the candles last year he looked so little compared to now.  He looks like he has grown a foot since then.  This year has been crazy and filled with fun times.  I asked him what his most memorable moment last year was and he says “when Emma Grace was born of course!”  Gosh he melts my heart!  He is such a great big brother and the sweetest boy.  He will always be my baby boy.  I cherish the times when he wants to cuddle because I know they will not last forever.  I can’t wait for another year of fun with him!

This was Jake’s second year playing tackle football.  He is ROUGH out there!  His first year he was the youngest on the team and got knocked down but the coaches loved his heart because he never got upset he just kept going back for more.  This year he was the big man on the team and played AWESOME!  He even was awarded Offensive Player of the Week.  I know he can’t wait for August!

Like I said before Jake says that his favorite thing that happened this year was becoming a big brother.  After having such a hard pregnancy with Emma Grace like I talked about here I was so excited to be able to take care of Jake and spend more time with him again after she was born.  I can not describe the feeling when I saw my baby boy’s face light up when he saw his little sister for the first time.  I felt so proud.  It was an amazing moment to have the two of them together at last.

When Jake is around you usually are laughing like crazy because this kid is HILARIOUS!  He always has some sort of joke that he has “just made up” that he has to share.  His nickname as school is “Jokester Jake” which even lead him to perform a comedy routine for his talent show at school this spring.  He had everyone laughing and his almost too good at it!

Last week Jake finished up 2nd grade and will be starting 3rd grade the beginning of July.  He breezed right though it.  His math and reading skills are incredible which he must get from his Daddy because they sure are not my strengths!  My mom and sister still tease me that the only book I have ever read is “Haunted America” because it is the same book I read several years in a row when we went to the beach.  I’m pretty sure I finished it…maybe?  Jake on the other hand will finish off books that are way above his grade level in no time flat.  He also can speed through math problems without even blinking.  For about half the year he was having trouble focusing long enough to get his writing done in time.  We joke with him that “His focus need more focus” (you know the Karate Kid?).  But we worked on it like crazy and by the end of the year he was again way above where he is expected to be fore his grade.  I am so proud of my smart boy!

This boy loves his sleep!  I have quite a few pictures of him even catching some quick Zzzs in the back of the car from time to time.  He takes after his Dad and is a morning person.  He keeps waking up at 6:30 am every morning then gets board because there is too much time before school. So now he likes to turn on AFV (America’s Funniest Home Videos is what we used to call it back in the day!) on Hulu while he takes his time eating breakfast.  I think we are going to have to figure out something else because school is starting 45 minutes later next year!

My Jacob Dylan – Mommy loves you so much.  You are one of the biggest reasons I am who I am today.  You have taught me so many things along the way and I hope one day you will be able to understand how much you mean to me.  In the mean time I can’t wait to make more memories with you.  You will always be my baby boy!

Happy Birthday Big Man!