My Charger

Today was Joshua's first tackle football game! I was heartbroken to have to miss it, but John Thomas was sick! (Staying home with JT was the least I could do after dragging him to the Union/Jenks game with 102 fever, a cough and pink eye! He was MISERABLE!--Yes, go ahead and give me the "Worst Mother of the Year" award now! I would feel a tiny bit better about it if we'd just won the game!) Anyway, Grandaddy picked him up and met Kirk there to watch. They killed the bears and shut them out 24-0, I think! (I know it was a shut out, but don't even remember if we can go for PAT's or not!) Anyway, the journey begins for another Fridrich football player! GO CHARGERS!:)

"Jenks Week"

For as long as I can remember there has been a "Jenks Week". Being a graduate of Jenks High School and former Jenks teacher, it was always the week that Jenks played Union in football. Once I met my husband and "saw the light and came over to the other side" (as he describes my conversion experience), it became the week that Union plays Jenks! Anyway, it is a STRESSFUL, but exciting week of anticipation on my part and exhausting preparation on Kirk's part. All of this to preface my conversation at Sport Clips today after school with John Thomas while he was getting his hair cut.

Me: John Thomas, who is going to win the game tomorrow night?
JT: I took my alligator to school for show and tell today.
Me: Yes, I know. Who is going to win the football game tomorrow night?
JT: Brett Favre plays for the Vikings.
Me: Yes, Mrs. B told me that you told her all about Brett at preschool today. Do you think the Redskins will win the game?
JT: Ummmm...Daddy's boys are gonna win, but Tate (his preschool buddy) likes "The Jenks"!


Obviously, we have some serious A.D.D. issues to deal with, but 1) my 3 year old is having conversations about the upcoming football games with his little friends, and 2) he's educating his teachers about the NFL and its many icons! You should have seen his teacher's face when she was telling me.--She had no idea that his daddy was a football coach! "The Jenks"...I am still giggling about that one! GO SKINS!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Ok, people it is just the beginning of September and I've worn a sweatshirt three nights this week! Weird! Rain and storms, sun and humidity, cool breezes...???

From the above weirdness comes 2 funny statements from the boys:

This morning when Joshua woke up it was POURING down rain. After looking outside he said, "Is school going to be cancelled because of all the thunder?"

(You can tell he has grown up in Oklahoma!)

Wednesday morning the boys were chatting over breakfast about the storm in the night. (Yes, JT did come downstairs twice and wake me up. UGGGGG!) John Thomas told his brother, "Yeah, I had to put my blanket over my head so the "funder" wouldn't wake up my ears."

Love those those boys!:)

"My not want to go to school!"

Oh, my precious John Thomas...he does light up my life, but he so marches to his own beat! Unlike Joshua who has LOVED school from his very first day of MDO, JT seems to like it, but would rather stay home with me! He informed me this morning on the way to his first day of 3 year-old preschool, "My not want to go to school." To which I responded, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, we have to go to school; that's what boys and girls do. They all go to school to learn and play." Even though I said this in my cheesiest teacher voice, he still said again, "My not want to go to school!"

Oh, well, at least he didn't cry. Although...do you see the picture with his new VERY nice teachers? Yep, he borrowed those lips from his older brother who has them mastered! No, seriously, he really was ok and so was I surprisingly! He put his lunch in the bucket, his mat and backpack in his tub, turned in his "All About Me" star proudly (BTW, I did a very nice job on it, thank you very much!), and went straight to play on the floor with the trains. Aside from not wanting to smile for the camera, he acted almost like it was a normal day! He even blew me a kiss goodbye! I was so proud.

After his little "open house" last week at school, I came away so excited about all he is going to do and learn this year. Just last week, he started drawing me pictures of himself complete with hair and legs and eyebrows and everything! The past two nights, after reading our books, he has "read" them completely to me! You don't understand...this is my child who only knows the letter J and T (oh, and U--for Union Redskins!) and could care less!! I really feel like he is growing and ready to learn! It's sounds corny, but it's so exciting to see!

In just a little while I will drive to his school and walk down the hall to his classroom. I will peek in and my eyes will be drawn to this skinny, little, curly headed blond child.--My throat will tighten and my heart will swell because I am so proud of him and so glad that he is MINE! I love you, little man and am excited to watch you grow this year. It's going to be an awesome adventure!

Homeroom Mom

As a little girl, I had all these dreams of what my life would be like when I "grew up". My childhood was a GREAT one and I wouldn't change a thing, so a lot of what I envisioned came from my own personal experience watching my mom. Even though the getting married right out of college thing didn't quite go as I planned, I DID marry the man of my dreams--just about 7 years later! Since I married a football coach, I tacked on some new ideas to go along with my childhood visions...I would continue saving the world through molding the minds of our youth for a few more years, then have 2-3 children and stay home and raise them until they were all in school full time and then I would go back to work. My dream was to be the wife that worked registration at the little kids camps, sorted t-shirts and shorts for a bazillion players, painted logos on locker room floors, made snacks for the coaches' on work weekends and never missed a chance to cheer on my man and his boys. Meanwhile at home, I saw myself taking my kids to the park, doing crafts at home, making cookies together, snuggling while reading books, supporting them in all their activities and...being a homeroom mom while I could. (I may have failed at some things so far, but I have gotten the priviledge of being Joshua's class homeroom mom for last year and looks like again this year.

Mrs. C's birthday falls at the beginning of school, so we had to work fast! It was the same day as "Curriculum Night", so I wanted to do something to make her feel really special, but not stress her out on such a long and stressful day/night. We started the day by bringing in her favorite Sonic drink and homemade cards and presenting her with an autographed t-shirt that said "Your Class Rocks". That afternoon when she went to pick up the class from P.E., they were not there! All she found was a gift and a ransom note. She was given specific instructions which took her all about the school gathering gifts. The final place was the science lab, where we all waited to surprise her. The kids thought it was a blast and she seemed touched. Thank goodness it was the end of the day.--Between the double decker cookie cake with icing and the ice cream with toppings, they were hyped up! Happy Birthday, Mrs. C!

Where has all the time gone?

Last week I walked my 8 year-old into his second grade classroom for the first time (and the last, mind you; I'm required to drop him off at the curb after the first day!). Will someone please tell me when he got to be this big? Wasn't it just yesterday when I went to meet his Mothers Day Out teachers at SCC?

He was just two then, but I knew he was bright. He had learned all of his letters by sight the previous January, and when I went to his little Christmas program, he knew ALL of the words to Jingle Bells, even the "dashing through the snow" part! He had a small aversion to getting his hands dirty that year, but made it through making the painted handprint Thanksgiving turkey. I remember Nanny and Gramps driving all the way for the end-of the year little spring presentation and he pretty much picked his nose during all three songs!

When I took him to FUMC to tour his new preschool when he was three, he identified all the letters he saw around the room immediately for the director. (I wasn't proud or anything!) Even though his best buddy always had fifteen pieces of art work in her cubby at the end of the day and he only had 1 (that was required!), I knew he was going to be okay. Really, how important is it that he make a marshmallow snowman?! There was nothing cuter than him in his shepherd costume at the Christmas program that year. (Nana and I nearly burst into tears when he came walking out!)

The next year we increased his time from 2 half days to 2 full days and 1 half day. He now took his lunchbox and his nap mat. What a big boy he was walking in with all of his gear. Even though, Miss D said that he had trouble with scissors/cutting and still didn't like crafts all that much, she made him a reading buddy and he "read" to the 2 year-olds once a week! I will never forget he and Carly doing the "Turkey in the Straw" dance on stage at the FUMC auction that year.--They were the hit of the show!

When he was five, it was a whole new ballgame...we had moved to Owasso and he was in pre-k. He was already reading everything in sight, but we began to notice something else...his memory! He could tell us all of the birthdays of all his classmates. He knew exactly which sport/team pennant he had earned in the exact order that he had earned it (he has almost 200!). Not only was he continuing to grow cognitively, we saw his social and leadership skills begin to flourish. Oh, and he was obsessed with Brett Favre. Miss Patrick said that Joshua taught her all about the Owasso Rams and the Green Bay Packers that year!

Yep, we did it to him again!--He started a new school for first grade. We moved again! At age 6, his Union kindergarden teacher told us that she didn't think there was anything that they were going to cover that year academically that he hadn't already mastered. As his parents and as educators, we were not concerned with that aspect of Joshua at that point. We wanted him to grow in his relationships, self-confidence, and citizenship. What a tremendous year he had! He made lots of great friends, played flag football, basketball,and tee-ball and became such a secure little boy. He also got to go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with his daddy in Canton, Ohio that year. He missed a day of school, but memories that will last a lifetime!

For the first time in three years, he started school at the same place! He entered first grade knowing the building, the administrators and lots of the teachers already. He was delighted with his new teacher and even though he continued his pattern of going to the enrichment specialist once a week for reading, he was challenged in all areas. He loved learning about many areas in science and social studies, never missed a word on a single spelling test (even his special challenge words!), learned to tell time, count money and write with little hooks on all his letters. Even better, he still claimed to be the fastest kid in the first grade and had lots of friends to sit by at lunch and play with at recess. Flag football and basketball continued to make him happy, and he hit several homeruns in coach pitch ball too!

All three years previous he has looked forward to school starting and been excited to go, but a little anxious the day of its arrival. This year (partly due to looping), he was very calm. He LOVES his teacher and his classmates and is confident in his ability to do well in school. I am so thankful for the educational experience that he has had so far and the role it has had in making him into the young man that is now a second grader. Unlike at home, he seems not to melt down in frustration if he can't do something exactly right the first time. It is a place where he can shine in his strengths and better his weaknesses. He even has decided that he really likes having me up there volunteering a lot! Tackle football has started and it's a whole new uncertain journey, but he is taking it in stride, and we are excited to see how he likes it and does. (I think he's even deciding that his daddy actually knows a little bit about football!)

Even though physically he has changed drastically since that first day of MDO when he was two, and emotionally he is so much stronger now that he is 8, he still gives me great big hugs at night and tells me that he loves me "to the moon and back". I couldn't be more proud of that big boy. "I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

I've Always Been a List Maker

Life just happens. It seems just like yesterday that I was unpacking from the Bahamas, rushing around getting last minute Easter things ready and reeling from the fact that my baby had just turned three! Well, as this blog vividly points out, time just flies by!

I have and always will be a list maker. Shopping, packing, lesson planning, daily to-do's...I'm all about lists! (Don't tell anyone, but if I do something during the day that was not on my list, I'll add it later and cross it out just to feel like I've accomplished more!--I know, I'm sick!)

Anyway, sad to say, that these last 3 months of lack of postings will have to come down to this--A list! (I will even have to put off adding pictures until later, so get ready for some brief, non-exciting, chronological events without any cute pics of the boys to make you think it was even worth reading!)

Here goes:

Top Ten Things That Have Happened Since My Easter Post

1. John Thomas fell down the stairs and busted (I know, not a word, but what do you say?) his lip and hit his tooth. Over the next few weeks it consequently began to turn grey. My heart was crushed, but the dentist said that there was nothing we could do short of a root canal!

A few weeks afterwards, we all went to watch my nephew, Brett, play in the spring game for TU. We were so pumped to see him run out of the Golden Hurricane Helmet for the first time! (He graduated early and came on to TU in January.) He plays receiver and after a GREAT diving catch near the sidelines, he fell and broke his hip.:(

2. Joshua began his second season of baseball. This year it was modified coach pitch--3 pitches from the coach and if no hit, two chance off the tee. He had a great season and had improved SO much from last year! Several home runs!:)

3. I love to volunteer at Joshua's school. It has always been my prayer that I could stay home with my kiddos and be involved in their activites, etc. Well, it just so happens that all of the major responsibilites of mine at his school all fell at the end of the year! Teacher Appreciation Week is a MAJOR event at Cedar Ridge and the week went very well, but the coordinating and executing of it was not without stress, preparation, and lots of effort! Then came school wide student school supply kit orders for 2009-2010.--I thought that this would be an easy, behind the scenes job for me. Yes, but oh, my! LOTS of work and down to the wire deadlines, involving several thousand dollars! Got it done, just waiting until the beginning of August to get everything delivered and every kiddo's box to their classroom! And Field Day!--It was a great day for everyone, but an exhausting one!--Maybe next year someone else will help coordinate!

4. After field day, we left for the lake for Memorial weekend and had a marvelous time of recovery! Kirk and I both noticed about that time, that JT's tooth didn't look grey anymore! (Upon talking to the dentist, this is NOT the norm.--Once the trauma occurs and it turns grey, it will either stay that way or get worse. God is good! My smily little guy looks great!) We did have to go back to school for Tuesday thru Friday the next week, but it wrapped up a TERRIFIC 1st grade year for Joshua. He couldn't have had a better year of growth, fun and learning. He is "looping" next year, so no anxiety about 2nd grade! We are so glad to have Mrs. C again!:)

5. Summer began with a bang...

Week 1: Swimming Lessons

Week 2: Basketball Camp

Week 3: VBS (I worked crafts this year, so John Thomas got to go to VBS as well!)

The last day of VBS was Friday. We were to leave for the beach on Friday morning, so we were going to have to miss the last day, but even more devasting that that, was that JK's city championship game for baseball was that night!

So, being a coach's son, Joshua and Kirk stayed and played (they won the championship!) and flew out to meet us halfway the next morning.

6. That brings us to THE BEACH! A heavenly week was had by all in Fort Morgan, Alabama. The house was unbelievable, the white sand was as gorgeous as ever, the weather was great the whole week and the food and company even better! Beach in the morning, lunch and naps and deck time in the middle, pool time in the afternoon, yummy dinners, and evening strolls on the cool sand in the evenings. LIFE WAS GOOD. Kirk even caught 2 sharks! The cousins all got a long, all the adults all had king sized beds and we even had an ice maker! Kirk (AKA Pit Master) smoked unbelievable ribs, pork and chicken, we went to Lulu's (2 hour wait, but worth it--at least to the girls), Mom did a fantastic shrimp boil, the men and kids went to watch the Blue Angels practice at the Naval Base, the dolphins rolled out in the water all week, and the kids got air brushed t-shirts!--Add in our nice tans and it doesn't get much better than that!:)

7. The day we left was Joshua's 8th birthday. Hard to believe my baby is 8. In fact, let's just not talk about it! No seriously, we felt bad that his day was to be spent in the car driving all day, so we had made homemade ice cream complete with oreos and opened some presents earlier. We had reservations to stay in a hotel halfway, but took a short detour to Oxford Mississippi to see Ole' Miss, Grandaddy alma mater. The Lord smiled on us, because Nana found an open gate and we got to go in and run on the football field! I have a picture of Joshua running out of the Rebel tunnel! We finished the evening at Chili's with singing and a "Chocolate Volcano Cake". Unbeknownst to Joshua, when we got home, we had gone together with Nana & Grandaddy and Nanny& Gramps and gotten him a Wii with all of the extras! He was ecstatic!

8. We returned home from the beach on Sunday night and left to join the Fridrich clan at the lake on Wednesday! We stayed until Sunday and had a great 4th of July. Aunt Cindy provided us with all the fireworks we could ever use and the rain stopped enough that day for us to get sun, play, go to Pete's for dinner, have great homemade ice cream and see the display. The Lord blessed us, because it seemed to rain that day BETWEEN each of those events! Our neighbors at the lake kindly blew up their trampoline complete with slide and rolling log and anchored it out for the boys to use all weekend. They had a blast playing "Wipeout!"

9. Upon return, I went into full birthday party mode! Josh had his 8th birthday party at Tuttle Stadium. He invited 18 boys and 16 were able to come! We did drills and games on the turf, they got to wear the players real jerseys, eat in the locker room and do a slip-n-slide on the field afterwards. One of his friends told him that this was the best party of his whole life!

10. This long list is getting longer and I am getting more rambly than usual! I had a gum graft yesterday and am on pain medications, so please excuse any and all grammatical errors. (Without the medications, you know it would be perfect!--NOT!) The surgeon took a graft from the roof of my mouth and grafted it onto the top of two-three of my teeth on the top left. If you are still reading this at this point, listen up!---SAVE YOURSELF NOW! If you are an aggressive brusher, change to an electric toothbrush so as to prevent the constant erosion and receeding of your gums! It is not fun and the bad part is...I have to do another set of surgeries next year when my insurance will pay again! So with that warning and this endlessly boring update...I am going to go eat some yogurt and take a nap!