Whoohoo!! All hail the Champs!!

Wow! What another hard fought game we had tonight. And what an extreme nail-biter of an ending. Just like yesterday, when regulation ended in this game, we were tied. Unlike yesterday, we scored in the first overtime. Unfortunately, we were called for tripping in the box during the second overtime, and the other team scored on us. Kyle did his best, but he couldn't save this one... and he hurt his ankle in the process. He was able to shake it off and keep playing, which I was very thankful for. We went into a shoot-out again, and ended it tied (we each scored once). So, on to sudden-death. We pretty much went through all of our players, and kept the score tied, with each of us scoring several more times. Kyle thankfully scored one, which kept us alive. I don't know that if I have ever been more nervous in my life as I was when he got up to kick! Finally, they missed their shot, and our smallest player, Meg (not our Megan) got up to kick. By this time, it was getting pretty dark, and although it was hard to see, poor Meg looked scared to death. She kicked... and SCORED!! I don't know if I have ever seen a kid so happy!

So, we go into Area Tournaments next weekend as the Regional Champs! We knew that we would be going on regardless, but at least the kids now have gold medals.

 Here is a picture of the kids with their medals. They got two... the one with the red, white and blue ribbon is for participation, and the one with the blue ribbon is for first place.

Thanks to everyone who came and braved the chilly wind tonight to support them. We sure do appreciate it!

Red Ribbon Week, soccer update, and Halloween

The kids had Red Ribbon Week this week. It's a week that they get to do fun things at school and focus on staying drug free. Friday was "Wacky-Tacky" Day for Kyle and Megan (Drugs are wacky-tacky!) and "Slipper" Day for Josh (Give drugs the slip!). I thought I would post some pictures of the kids, all dressed up for the day.

Here's Kyle and Megan:

These are Josh's slippers:

Liberty's mascot is Lions, so he thought these were great!

Kyle and Megan won their game today. It was a pretty tense game. Kyle plays goalie, and he had a great save early in the game. We were called for a hand-ball in the goalie box (it was a really LAME call, by the way), so the other team got a direct kick on us. The kid kicked it, Kyle jumped to block it, and sent it straight up into the air. It bounced off of the top of the goal, and came straight back down. Kyle then fell on ball... and thankfully the ref then blew the whistle to end the half! Whew!!

We were tied at the end of regulation, so we played 2 5-minute quarters. At the end of that, we were still tied, so we went to a shoot-out. Each team chose 5 players to go one-on-one with the goalie from the other team. I was terrified that Kyle would be in the goal, but it turned out that he wasn't. We each went through our 5 kickers, and we came out of that tied (we each scored 2 times in the shoot-out). We then each picked 5 more kickers. The other teamed kicked first, and we blocked it. Then our player went up and kicked... and made it! We were so thrilled! This sweet kid played his best game of the season today, and we were so happy for him. Kyle was very happy, because he was next up to kick! So, we play tomorrow for the Regional Championship. We know that no matter the outcome of this game we will play in the Area Tournament next weekend. We will probably have 2 games next Saturday, but we don't have times/places yet.

The kids are getting excited for Halloween. Megan is the only one who has come up with a costume. She is going to be a vampire princess. Kayti and Josh are going to a Halloween party at a Ward-member's home this year instead of going trick-or-treating. I'm a little sad about that, but I think it is a bit more age-appropriate for them. I'm sure that they will have more fun there than hanging around mom. I'm just hoping it warms up a bit before Wednesday night!!

We have a full week this week... Tuesday night is our ward party, Wednesday night is Halloween, and we have a soccer team party on Thursday night, and Josh has his football banquet on Thursday night. It may be the end of the week before I can post again, but I'll post lots of pics of both Halloween and trophies when I do.

Soccer update

It looks like the kids will play at 9:45 Saturday morning on Dublin 4. The outcome of this game determines when the next game is played.

Being a soccer momma

Every fall Saturday for the past 7 or 8 years (I've honestly lost count!) our family can be found out on the soccer field. At one point we had 3 kids playing on 3 different teams, which meant 6 practices a week and 3 games on Saturday. Last year Josh decided that he wanted to take a year off, and we decided to put Kyle and Megan on the same team. That put us down to 2 practices a week, and one game on Saturday... it was heaven! Kyle and Megan both decided before summer this year that they did not want to play soccer this year, and with Josh playing football, I thought I was finally going to have my Saturdays free. But that was not to be; we had a coach call and ask if Kyle and Megan would both come and play for his team... they were short players and he was trying to build up his team. Of course they both jumped at the chance, and I have to be honest and say that part of me was excited for them. They were blessed to be part of a really good team this year, and have stayed undefeated (they did tie one game). Kyle has excelled in the goal, and Megan has enjoyed playing defense. She has not been afraid to challenge some really big boys this year.

We started Regional Tournaments this weekend. When this time of year rolls around, I always seem to face this internal struggle... I want them to win, and keep winning, but then again, I'm ready for it to be over and done with as well. I felt really nervous for the kids this year... their star player has not been available to play this weekend. That little part of me thought that maybe with that being the case we would lose all of our games this weekend, and end the season. Well, that was not to be the case. We won both of our games yesterday, and we tied today, so we will play again next weekend. I'm excited for them. Josh was on a team that went to state tournaments one year, and I'd like that for Kyle and Megan as well. I guess we will have to get through next weekend first. We don't have a schedule yet, but I'll post it once we do.

Here are some shots of the kids playing this year.

Some days you're the dog, some days you're the chew toy!

I love my job, and I really love the people that I work with, but there are some days that I just feel like I have been chewed up and spit out by the time that I leave. The past couple of days have really made me feel like the chew toy, and I probably haven't been very pleasant to be around. My family always seems to bear the brunt of my bad moods, and they are always so forgiving about it.

So, I just want to take this opportunity to publically apologize to them and let them know how much I love and appreciate them. Y'all are the best!

What a way to end fall break!

The kids and I headed out to my parents farm on Friday morning to spend the weekend. My nephew, Austin, was baptized on Saturday night, and we wanted to be there for that. I also wanted the kids to be able to get outside and just enjoy the great weather. We had a fun visit; we stopped by Kristi's shop for some yummy ice cream, Austin's baptism was great, and we even all went to Shoney's together afterwards for dinner. We were invited over to my nephew's house for dinner on Sunday evening. Before we left to go to Troy's, the kids had been riding in what Josh is calling a "cart" down the hill in front of the house. I had warned them to stay away from the sharp drop-off on one side of the yard. They listened pretty well, until I walked in the house! Soon Kyle was running in to tell me that Josh was hurt. I ran out the front door, and seeing Josh in the middle of the road, I have to admit that I did not have a very good "mommy moment". The first thought that went through my head was that he was joking. I even turned to Kyle and warned him that this had better not be a trick or else they would both be in big trouble. (Just a side note... both their father and their grandmother have, in their younger days, pulled similar stunts, so they definitely have the "mischief gene" in them!)

As it turned out, they were not kidding around. Josh had landed on his knee in the gravel road and cut his knee open. I knew as soon as I saw it that we were headed for the hospital. Josh was a trooper. This is his third go-around getting stitches, and he knew what was coming. He was not looking forward to the BIG needle that would inject the medicine to deaded the wound. He covered his eyes with one hand, and used his other hand to squeeze mine. I don't think the doctor waited long enough for it to work, though, because Josh said he felt both pain and pressure with every stitch. He got 5 stitches, and instructions that he was not to bend his knee at all until the stitches are out. That meant that any hopes he had of playing in the last football game of the season went flying out the window. He was a little disappointed with that news, and honestly, so was I. His coach told him that he could still be on the side-line during the game, so that was of some comfort to him.

The past couple of days of school have been pretty funny. He came down to see me in the office yesterday because his leg was hurting. I took him back to see the school nurse, and she checked him out for me. His knee looked fine, and she had some crutches that she is letting him borrow to help him get around. Several of the boys at school have told him that his crutches are "chick magnets" and he should take advantage of that. He is fast discovering, though, the drawback of crutches... they kill your armpits!

Here are some of the pictures for the weekend:

This is the kids outside eating their ice cream.

Kristi's family at Austin's baptism.

This is Josh's cart! He just couldn't tell his football coach that he was actually in a baby stroller!

Josh on his crutches... notice the faint green line below his shorts. That is his "cool" bandage.

Crossing those bridges as we came to them.

I have a great fear of bridges. I'm not sure when I developed this fear. When I was little my family made lots of trips between Idaho and Tennessee, and I can remember loving to lay down in the back end of the station wagon and look up at the top of the bridges as we would cross them. Maybe that was the key... I was looking up at the top of them, and not down at what was under them! My husband and kids know that I have this awful fear, yet one of their greatest delights in life is to make mom squirm!

This past weekend we took a trip up to the Smoky Mountains. On our way there we passed a bridge that we have passed many times. The kids have often made the comment that they wonder where that bridge goes to, and that someday they would like to cross that bridge, and this trip was no different. I just laughed and told them that it was out of our way. Well, my dear husband laughed right back this time, and said, "Well, we really aren't in a big hurry to get there. Let's turn around and see it a little closer!" WHAT??? Are you kidding me?? But of course, he wasn't. He turned the van around and headed straight for it. Now I shouldn't be surprised by this... he has done that to me several times before. So, I decided to be a good sport about all of it, and I grabbed my camera to capture the moment.

I have to be honest, as bridges go this one was not too scary! I was delighted with myself for staying calm and under control!

Well, fast forward to the return trip. We see another bridge that we have once again seen many times. The kids wanted a closer look at this one as well. I thought to myself, Barry couldn't possible do this to me a second time in one trip... but he did! This time the bridge was very narrow, very long, and it was a very LONG way down. I didn't have enough sense this time to grab the camera, I was freaking out a bit... holding my breath, shutting my eyes, clenching my hands to tightly my knuckles were white, and saying one of those small prayers over and over again in my mind. Meanwhile I hear my kids squealing with delight. I did open my eyes a couple of times... I probably shouldn't have! That just seemed to freak me out even more. Finally we were over the bridge, and I could breathe a little easier. Barry and the kids were all laughing and the kids were yelling to cross it again. I kept thinking to myself, "Where have I gone wrong? How could these kids that I have nurtured and raised and loved turn on me like this?" Thankfully we didn't have to cross it again to get back on the right road. We discovered a new way to get where we needed to go.

I love my husband and children, but I'm telling you, they had better be watching out. We all know what they say about paybacks!

Card #4

I really love this set, Wondrous Gift. To make this card, we embossed the tree in gold, then used sponge daubers to go over it in Always Artichoke and More Mustard. I was really pleased with the soft look. Here are all of the supplies:

Stamps:
Wondrous Gift

Ink:
Versamark
Always Artichoke
More Mustard
Bravo Burgundy

Paper:
Bravo Burgundy
Always Artichoke
Kraft
Confetti White

Accessories:
Gold Embossing Powder
Heat Gun
Sponge Daubers

Card #3

This card ended up much different than it started out in my mind. I wanted to make an acetate card, but couldn't find the right weight of acetate. So, instead I used the acetate that I did have as a background. I'm going to keep searching for acetate and hopefully will have a card to post soon. Here is what we used for this card:

Stamps:
Priceless
Glad Tidings

Ink:
Mellow Moss
Soft Sky
White Stazon

Paper:
Soft Sky (both plain and textured)
Mellow Moss
Winter White
Acetate

Accessories:
Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon

Card #2

 This is a fun card! It's called a suspension card, meaning that the circle in the bottom corner is suspended between layers of paper, and it spins. We stamped a star on the other side. I also am in love with the green that we used. It's called Wild Wasabi, and is one of the In Colors for this year. Here is the supply list:

Stamps:
Perfect Presentation

Ink:
Wild Wasabi
More Mustard

Paper:
Kraft
Naturals White
Wild Wasabi Textured
Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper

Accessories:
1 1/4 Circle Punch
1 3/8 Circle Punch
Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon
Dental Floss

World Card Making Day

This past Saturday was "World Card Making Day." I had a Christmas-card kick-off party to celebrate the event. We made 4 cards. I had fun doing them, and I hope that my guests did as well. For those that weren't able to attend, I thought that I would go ahead and post the cards and materials needed here for you. Here is the first one.

This is a pocket card, and the insert is a family picture. I thought that was a fun way to send a picture with your card. We used the following materials:

Stamps:
Perfect Presentation
Everyday Flexible Phrases
Pick a Petal

Ink:
Old Olive
Real Red

Paper:
Old Olive
Real Red
Very Vanilla
Dashing Designer Series Paper

Accessories:
Round Tab Punch
Staples

Here we go!

Well, I've finally decided to take the plunge and start my own blog. I hesitated for a long time because I honestly thought and felt that I didn't have that much to say. My days are pretty routine with work and running kids to various activities. But, it was brought to my attention that I shouldn't let that stop me.

I would like to use this blog for several different avenues. I will be sharing some of my stampin' creations, braggin' about the kids/family, sharing thoughts about my calling in YW, and just talking about life in general.

 I hope you'll enjoy "Kim's Komments".

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!