The day the super human growth spurt did not arrive

This entry is placed in blog archives because while I think I will remember it forever, I realize from conversations with my parents that sometimes as you age, your mind plays little tricks on you.  :)

For the past few days, Middle Child has complained of abdominal pain.  He's not normally a complainer, fortunately none of our kids are, but with stomach pains it's often hard to tell what's what. Kind of like when people talk about having headaches....you can tell they are in pain, even though you can't "see" their headache. 

Back last fall when I had an ovarian cyst to rupture, I complained about my back hurting prior to the event, which at the time I had no idea was a symptom.  Anyway, a couple of weeks later, Middle Child said his back was hurting and asked did I think he might have a cyst too.  :)  I told him no, I didn't think it was a cyst, and it certainly couldn't be what I had, as "you have no ovaries, son".   So, since Saturday, we've been going through all sorts of scenarios with him as to the cause behind this abdominal pain.  He has had no vomitting, no sudden rushes to the bathroom (although he has been regular), no nausea, has not lost his appetite, has been eating every day like usual, even spicy foods, drinking milk, no food seemed to help or hurt for that matter.  He described it as a cramping pain, like his stomach was twisted in knots.  The only way he could make it feel some better was to lay on his stomach with his arms underneath him applying pressure to his abdomen.  And even then, it still hurt. 

The true test of knowing he was not kidding about the pain came early this week.  On Monday he called before 9:30 a.m. needing to be checked out of school (I was unable to get him at the time, so he stuck it on out for the rest of the day) and then on Tuesday, he missed school completely.  This may not seem like much to the average person but those who know Middle Child will appreciate it.  You see, since beginning High School (our high school starts with 7th grade remember), Middle Child has loved every minute of his educational career.  He never wants to miss.  A far cry from his elementary days, where for years he tried to catch every cold, stomach bug, rotovirus, or pink eye that came his way to get a chance to stay home....he even went so far as to lay in the bed with his brother when he had the flu a couple of years ago begging him to breathe in his face, trying to get it.  And when Baby Girl had mono and was quarrantined at home for weeks, Middle Child was happy to be the delivery boy for her snacks and drinks.  Why?  Because he would drink after her hoping to catch it to give himself a month off from school!! 

Now, back to present day and the abdominal pain.  Jokingly, one night I suggested maybe he was having menstrual cramps.  Thinking he would know what I was referring to, and with his witty humor, I thought he would get a good laugh.  Instead he said, "maybe I do, what's menstrual cramps?".  Oy! So, after giving a brief explanation, we moved on to other suggestions for the pain.  Middle Child is still the shortest guy in his grade, although he is growing, he is still smallish. However his big heart and personality take over so no one notices as much.  But anyway, his father suggested maybe these were "growing pains"....stating that he might just be about to have a huge growth spurt and his abdomen was just stretching to get ready!!!!  We all giggled and thought no more about it. 

Which brings me to today.  Yesterday afternoon and evening, Middle Child and I spent almost three hours in the doctor's office trying to get to the bottom of this pain.  They were concerned as he had swollen lymph nodes in his neck even though he had no other symptoms at all except the abdominal pain.  They chose to do labwork, urine samples and a belly x-ray to check for things like Mono, Strep, H Pylori, Hernia, etc.etc.  I wish you all could have been in the small room with me when they came to take his blood, it was the ultimate viewing of complete shock if I've ever seen it.  He had no idea it was coming and when the sweet lab girl strolled in holding a needle and 3 vials for his blood, he was speechless.  I held his hand and he buried his face in my chest while she administered the needle and all was fine through the first two vials....then he loudly stated with some mild panic in his voice...."You're cutting off my CIRCULATION....I can't feel my arm, I tell you that thing is cutting off my CIRCULATION!".....never a dull moment while he's around. I explained the rubber tie at his upper arm was there to make the blood flow faster into the vials, if we untied it, the process would take longer and therefore the needle would have to stay in his arm longer.  The sweet lab girl did oblige him and loosened it a bit.....for fear we were cutting off his CIRCULATION.....for crying out loud, abdominal pain was enough, he didn't want to lose an arm!

I am happy to report that his arm survived and all of the urine and blood tests came back clear.  He had none of those infections they tested for and all they could see on the x-ray was some stool and gas in his stomach.  They suggested we monitor him for the next few days, if any fever, vomitting, nausea or anything else arises we are to take him back down where they will administer a Cat Scan for a more comprehensive look at his abdomen.  But for now, we are to increase his fiber intake and see if that helps.

Middle Child was happy he wouldn't be getting any shots.  Happy he was fine and nothing major was wrong.  If you've ever been around him for an ample amount of time, you know he can be just the funniest thing and has the quickest wit of anyone in any situation.  In the car heading to the pharmacy to pick up some fiber gummies, he said, "hey mom, what's it called when something is you know, not human?"  After failing to help him figure out what he was trying to convey on the first couple of tries, I finally came up with the word he was looking for "superhuman?". 

Smiling brightly with his mouth and eyes he replied:  "Yes, superhuman.  I was thinking that whole time in the doctor's office, all those blood tests and my urine sample and that x-ray....out of all of that I was just sure they were about to come in and tell us that this was a case of "superhuman growth" and I would probably be 6'1" by Friday.  And then all they did was come in and tell us it was a big ol' gas bubble......talk about a complete let down."

One day he may in fact grow to be 6'1", although it doesn't look like it will happen by Friday.

Rock N' Roll Forever (or just for a 5th grade show)

Baby Girl had her PTO program earlier this month....Rock and Roll Forever....which included their class singing some "oldies" but definitely "goodies".  It was such a cute program, and you could really tell the kids enjoyed performing it, they sang their hearts out with songs by Little Richard, Elvis, The Beach Boys and more!

Tutti Frutti...."got a girl named Sue, she knows just what to do":

and of course, "got a girl named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy":

Baby Girl had a "fainting spell" when the KING took the stage:

And she loves snuggling up to her teachers for hugs and photos! She has two very wonderful and beautiful, inside and out, ladies this year.

 While I know it may have seemed a bit confusing, that last pic was not one of the beautiful teachers.....that was PawPaw joining the after party! 

Bop bopa-a-lu-a whop bam boo! 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

Baby Girl decided this year she wanted to participate in the beauty pageant at her local school.  The last time she was a contestant was 5 years ago when she was in Kindergarten.  Anyway, the competition was stiff, 18 girls, 18 beautiful dresses, 18 smiling faces......

But none, like Baby Girl.  Or maybe I'm just biased. Or maybe I'm not. :) Maybe she is in fact one of the prettiest little girls in the world, or at the very least, in my world! 

She didn't win, but she was chosen into the top 10.  And there were no tears afterwards, so that's always a good thing. :)  However, had those judges been wearing black and white referee uniforms, I shutter to think what her grandmother might have yelled across the way as they departed by cover of darkness. :)

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say....so when the straps around the neck of Baby Girl's dress didn't fit just right, we borrowed a pin from her grandmother to fix her right up!

Yes, indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

but I don't need a panel of judges to tell me anything....

.... my eye sees beauty, inside and out.

Sweet 16 -- these girls are AWESOME!!

Some of my very favorite girls belong to this team.  They made history for our school last year by making it to the Elite 8....and lost a couple of key starters from last season, so I was unsure how this year would go....but make no doubt, they were on a mission....and they have arrived.  This team came out blazing their way to titles (Area Champions) and fought their way on the court to get the chance to play in the Sweet 16 tomorrow. And we couldn't be any prouder of this group of girls and their coach. 

I get so tickled when I see all that is in this next little pic....

• the coach still standing firm waiting for the last 1.2 seconds to tick from the clock to confirm victory
• his wife, the "keeper of the book", sitting at the score table with the biggest smile across her face looking out to him
• the fans, some already starting to rise, all the others soon to follow, offering this team a standing ovation for their big win
• and of course the excitement of baby girl, knowing these older girls she looks up to are going to play in the Sweet 16

Sweet girls with their little piece of the net!

   A) Friends 

        B) Teammates

 C) Sisters

               D) all of the above. 

          Makes me smile every time.

I certainly hope to have some great pics to share with you after their next phase of play....I'm just happy to get to follow them wherever they go!

Waiting at the airport for Daddy

Valentine's Day....time to bring on the BLING!

What? You thought I meant jewelry?  No, silly, I meant pipecleaners and hershey kisses. ;)

For years we have subscribed to Family Fun magazine....a great resource for all sorts of fun crafts, food ideas, science experiments, reading resources, games and tons of fun.  I've always just torn out the pages as I look through it and keep them in a binder for the "to do list".  That's where all of our Valentine ideas came from and they were so cute....so cute that Baby Girl couldn't decide on giving her friends just one, so we wound up making multiple Valentine's......but these days are fleeting, so I didn't mind one bit.

• First up, these nifty blingy ringy thingy's -- "you're a real gem".  FUN to make. FUN to wear. FUN to eat their chocolate diamond! :)

• Her teacher gifts:  little bags filled with all our goodies and a bottle of hand lotion with Baby Girl's hand prints attached and they are supposed to look like they are "clapping" because teachers totally -- "deserve a Hand".

• Baby Girl loved the mustache ideas...."READ MY LIPS:  Have a great Valentine's Day"

• And so did her friends!!! Too cute!  

Happy Valentine's Day!!

The mean old mom strikes again -- Episode 23

There are times in parenting where you just have to say, "because I said so" and leave it at that.  While I could come up with a million reasons to back myself up, I am the mother, I get the last say, and that's just the way the cards were dealt.  My boys are fully aware of this undisclosed rule, but they often like to challenge it, just to see if it still exists.  

It still exists.  It is. It was. It shall ever remain in existence. Amen.

Recently they tried to pull a fast one on me and thought, just maybe, they were going to get away with it this time.....no.such.luck.buck-o.   Their high school has a Campus King and Queen each spring.  It's nothing major, but does require contestants to fill out a resume of sorts and show up, dressed nicely, on a Sunday afternoon for an interview with real live judges.  Then, the results are tallied and a couple of weeks later on Saturday night they stroll across the high school stage, dressed nicely, and the winners are announced. 

My boys know they are required to participate in such school activities....it's not a question at our house.  I expect them to do it, and no, not just "because I said so", even though I can enforce that rule if needed.  But rather, because it's character building, it's a great start to learning communication skills and the interview process, properly speaking about yourself, your future, your ambitions in life, it's fun to dress up and look all spiffy for a change, it's an awesome opportunity to build up your resume from year to year so that when the time comes for college...presto! you have already done the hard research to make YOU look your best on paper!

This year, both of my boys elected to forego informing me of the upcoming Campus King and Queen.  They thought their silence would win in the end.  They were wrong.  Bless their immature hearts, their mama is always going to find out.  Fortunately, a good friend asked, "why didn't the boys sign up for Campus King this year, I thought for sure they'd be in it."  That was all the fuel I needed to light a fire under their unassuming tails. And so, I promptly got in touch with the sponsor and said, "add their names to the list, they are in.  In fact, just keep their names on the list from now until they graduate, there is no need to ask them or me, just always know they will be participating, I don't care what they try to tell you at school."

And so, we raced around for the next 36 hours acquiring their interview attire.  Amidst the moans and groans and repititious  "I can't believe you are making us do this", we managed to pull it together.  I said, "guys, this is easy, it's an interview all about you, all the questions are going to be about your life, you can't get any of the answers wrong, it's the best process ever".   However, on the drive to the school building for interviews, I did give only a couple of instructions: 

• Try to remember they are not asking for yes or no answers, expound on your answers. If they ask what your favorite subject is in school, please do not say P.E., and DO NOT, under any circumstances, say something mean about your brother during your interview.

Campus King can only be awarded to a guy in grades 10-12, Elder Son and Middle Child are in grades 9 and 7.  So, they can't win, but they can try to secure an alternate position.  Elder Son has placed the last two years he has entered.  This is Middle Child's first year, and while his first goal was to be crowned King, once he realized that was not a possibility, his primary goal changed to just beating his brother. Oh, the love.   Anyway, interview day arrives, met with much anticipation.  They waited in the classroom until their time slot opened for them to be escorted to the interview room and stand alone before the judges. 

Elder Son did fantastic.  He's calm, cool and collected.  He answers his questions with ease.  When asked to name a song that describes him, he said "Dirt Road Anthem"....we live on a dirt road, he's pretty laidback, so "chillin' on a dirt road" does speak to his life right now.  When asked what he would do with a million dollars,  he answered he'd like to get a lakehouse (he loves the water, loves floating a river and fishing with his Daddy, loves family time on the lake) bless his sweet heart, I'll buy one for him if I get a million dollars one day too.  When asked about his community volunteer work, he responded by telling of how he helped deliver meals to our tornado victims last April.  When asked, besides a family member, tell us someone you admire most, he answered that his principal had great leadership abilities, was also an excellent coach, cared about every kid at the school and showed that on a daily basis, in and out of the classroom, on and off campus.  He's my more reserved child, the oldest, the reponsible one. 

Now, I'm going to give you a dialogue of just part of Middle Child's interview:

~So, what's your favorite subject in school?

• "well, I really want to say P.E., but I guess I'll say History or Reading. Right now I'm reading a book that took place in 793 A.D. and it's about these Anglo-Saxon siblings who are kidnapped by vikings...."....and he rambles on for a minute or two giving his complete dissertation of the current book he's reading.   

~What song best describes you?

• "I'm sexy and I know it" ---  yes, he really said that. And he didn't pause a second before answering.  And afterwards, bursts of laughter erupted from the interview room and the judges informed him he was the first one that day who had an immediate answer , many said they couldn't think of one.  Oh, a fine, shining, proud moment as a mother.  He answered with "I'm sexy and I know it"....He's 12. 

~Who do you think is the coolest girl, it can be a celebrity, a family member, a fellow student, anyone...

• (pointing to the table of  female judges, he cleverly answers) "If I choose one of you do I get extra points?"  Laughter erupts again and he knows he's got them reeled in with his undeniable charm.  But he continues on to give a real answer, "I'd have to say Betty White." (what? you've got to be kidding me, he said Betty White?) 
• Well, that's a great answer, but why did you choose her?  "Well, is really funny even though she's old, she's like 90 or something, and she's still working, I mean she's just really cool like that"  (More laughter)

~Why do you think you should be chosen over your brother for Campus King?

• "Um, my mother said we were not allowed to talk about my brother during the interview"

~(amidst giggling again) Okay then, why don't you just tell us why YOU should win Campus King? 

• "Well, (combing his hand through his hair), because I'm "me" and I'm wearing this pin stripe vest...and we all know pin stripes are awesome"

Win, lose or draw....pin stripe vests are awesome indeed.  Now, I guess I need to sign him up for a self-esteem class to build his confidence a little, huh?  I'm sexy and I know it.....oh. my. lands.   He doesn't meet a stranger.  He doesn't stress out about much, if anything.  He is bright, witty, a clear thinker, an intelligent old soul inside a young little body.  As my brother-in-law always says, "he's never going to need blood pressure medication in his life."  He rolls with the punches and smiles the whole way.

We don't know the results yet, that's still many days away, but I do know that I am proud of both Elder Son and Middle Child.  They rocked their interviews in their Sunday attire and they didn't even complain one minute afterwards.  Secretly, I think they enjoyed it although you will never get them to admit it.  I did however, kiss Elder Son on the cheek back at home and quietly whispered..."thanks for doing Campus King", he smiled sweetly at me and replied "I didn't mind, it wasn't that bad"  which is cool guy speak for "mama, you are the best, I am so glad you make us do this stuff that we really don't want to do because no one else's mama is making them do it, but in the end I know it's going to help us and it's really fun when you get down to it and when I'm all grown up I will look back on this and be even more appreciative" -- or something along those lines.  :)

How True.

Think you can, think you can't;

either way, you'll be right.

~Henry Ford

A big man who had an even bigger heart.

Last Friday, I went to a funeral for my Daddy's oldest brother, my Uncle Pete.  A man that I, along with just about everyone else he encountered, looked up to.....literally, because he was well over 6 feet tall (maybe 6'5" or so) and figuratively, because he was a man worth looking up to in so many ways.  Sadly, as the years go by, it gets harder and harder to find such men you can look up to in life.

He was the oldest of 7 boys.  7 boys who lost their mother to tuberculosis at an early age and were raised by their father, grandmother and aunts.  Uncle Pete was around 16 when she died, and he was determined that all the brothers would stay together.  That was in the 1940's and it was still a very evident trait he held dear to his death.  The closeness of family.

Our family is extremely close.  There are many of us from my father's side, scattered across different states, even different countries.  But we all come together each and every year to celebrate FAMILY.  We gather for small things like cousins camp, beach time, birthdays or anniversaries, football weekends, etc. and we gather for the big things like holidays, weddings, births, and yes, funerals. Sadly, we have had to gather more often for funerals in the past 12 months than anything else. 

I was blessed to have taken my Mom and Dad to visit Uncle Pete just days before his death.  I was blessed to have stolen a small moment of coherent time with him in his hospital bed....where he may or may not have admitted I was his favorite niece. I was blessed to watch him raise his hand ever so slightly, maybe an inch or two, to offer it when his brothers entered the room.  Shaking their hand as firm as he could and making eye contact with each, affirming his love for them without a word needing to be spoken.  I was blessed to hear him chuckle with his eyes closed, one last time over our family favorites game.  I was blessed to watch his wife, my Aunt Jenny, take care of his every need. I was blessed to bend down to kiss him goodbye and have him pull my arm when I lifted away and gently hear him say to me, "I love you".   And all those blessings came within just a couple of hours. 

 At his funeral, I was blessed to hug family a little tighter for these fleeting moments.  I was blessed to have a husband who knows full well the importance of this family he married into, and he loves them like they are his blood not just mine. I was blessed to listen to my cousins, Uncle Pete's daughters, offer amazing eulogies, standing strong before us, telling stories of their father that defined his character.  I am indeed blessed to have been given the great golden ticket of being allowed to be born into this family.  I am blessed beyond measure to have had Uncle Pete in my life. 

This month's scripture verse to memorize was chosen because of him and the man he was to all who knew him. 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might." 

~Deuteronomy 6:5

Because if there has ever been a man who walked this earth that tried to live out that verse, it was my Uncle Pete.  He loved his parents, his wife, his brothers, his sister, his children, his grandchildren, his nieces and nephews....he loved his family and friends with the love we all crave.  And he was only able to offer that depth of love because he knew from whence it came, from the giver of all.

Yes, indeed, he was a wonderful example of a christian man, who loved his family to their very core, and loved the Lord even deeper.  He was a giant and I guess now it's clear the Lord made him that way in order to hold the big heart he gave him.  A heart that we will sorely miss here on earth, a presence that we will ache for at family gatherings.  But be certain, we would not want him back....he's having too much fun with his daddy, his mama, and his brothers in heaven. 

Instead, I'm going to try to live out that verse from Deuteronomy just as he showed us.

Our "Mr. Football" and his guest for the day.....

Last month, Baby Girl received a high honor....she was a VIP for the day.  That is very important person.  Of course according to her brothers, she maintains that status every day, so what's new? 

Anyway, one of our football players at the high school received a very prestigious honor.  He was nominated as one of the top running backs in the state.....and might I add, as a sophomore!  The schools in the Alabama High School Athletic Association are divided into classifications by size from 1A (smaller schools) to 6A (larger schools).  For each classification across the entire state, 3 players were nominated as finalists for running back of the year and 3 for lineman of the year.  Also the Alabama Independent School Association had a total of 3 finalists for running back and 3 for lineman.  My point (and there is one) to all this jibberish is this: 

 (with 384 teams from class 1A-6A equaling roughly over 25,000 players in the state (plus a few thousand more when you add in the independent schools) --  basically, in the room that day you were looking at the top 42 high school football players in the ENTIRE state of Alabama. 

And this sweet boy was one of them!

                                        

And he asked Baby Girl to be his guest for the day at the "Mr. Football awards banquet".  She is one of his biggest fans and adores him.  This past year during football season she was allowed to be on the "sideline crew".....and she always had a towel and water bottle ready for #4 during time outs! She missed his last game of the season due to her own gymnastics competition but sent him a short video to prepare him for the game, which included this phrase "play hard and be a BEAST like me".  Yeah, all 50 lbs. of her.   

A big shout out to our Head football coach who works hard all year long preparing those boys for football (and he works at home harder than anyone even realizes every night from August to November in complete preparation for each team we face). 

  

It was wonderful for our player to be recognized....a pretty big deal for our small town. We are very proud of him. 

Amazing talent (running) on the field and (coaching) from the sidelines....we can hardly wait to see what the future holds.  And Baby Girl can hardly wait to get the towels ready. :)

Season ending thoughts.....

Here at House of Bowling, we just transition from one sport to another.  Basketball ended on a Friday night, Elder Son had the next week off, and then just like that, Baseball try-outs.  It was a fun 7 days of freedom. 

At any rate, I certainly enjoyed watching him play round ball this year.  As I've said before, his coordination and ability to perform on the court this year was MOUNTAINS above last year. Granted, the NBA will probably not knock on our door, ever, but his mama sure is proud.

And by the way dudes in the photo below....that's clearly a FOUL....you can't slap a player's arm while they shoot!  Had you been in attendance, this was one of the moments you would have heard my mother yell LOUDLY to the official to notify him, the player/s involved and anyone else inside the gym of the crime just committed against her golden grandson. God love her.  

Above all else, it just makes me happy to see Elder Son play, good or bad, at anything he enjoys. 

And to enjoy it with his friends....well, that's just the icing on the cake.  As witnessed here, winning by a large margin in the 4th quarter, the starters were taken out and allowed to take a breather and watch from the bench....where something on the court certainly tickled them all!