Return to Football

 While Joe did have a couple of games of football last year, they seemed more conciliatory in nature. This year there is a real excitement about the season.

Last night Joe had a demonstration game. First, he took his senior football pictures.  Including some with Jon and I, and some with his friends.

 August 19, 2021

 

This school year seems…special.  After being out for so long, doing distance learning in their rooms, alone and separated from their friends, teachers, and peers, the kids are back in school.  My freshman and her bodyguard (Senior) are starting their school year with a fresh start, new sense of gratitude, and heightened possibilities.  They so need this.  I am happy for them, but a little sad for me.  I already miss them.  If I’m honest, I really enjoyed having them at home so much more.  I loved the extra hugs, the extra chats, the extra meals shared together.  As I look down the road to the coming year, with Joe finishing high school and moving on, and out, to college, I treasure every moment with them, stolen or otherwise.  I hope when they’re older and look back on their time during the pandemic, maybe they’ll remember the extra time we had together after I got back from Arizona. 

This year Joseph is playing varsity football, again, and wrestling on the varsity team, again.  He’s also an FMP (Freshman Mentor Program), again.  He’s started looking at colleges, gulp, and is working hard as ever towards his goal of being a history teacher when he’s older.  I think he’s still considering/hoping to do some coaching as well.

Jocelyn seems to be embracing her new school life.  She took a fencing class over the summer and is looking forward to fencing for the school, archery, and theatre design and stagecraft.  She’s been getting more and more into her SFX makeup and design, often scaring the shit out of me thinking she’s been injured.  She is certainly my artist, often found drawing or creating something.  I love it.

My hopes for this New Year are high.  

Joseph Leads in Wrestling

Joseph’s wrestling skills are off the hook!

He’s been wrestling now for 3+ years, this being his first year at High School.  The progression that he has made in just the last year is profound.  This year, he wrestled as a Freshman a couple of times for the Varsity team which is a huge accomplishment just to be invited.  He finished the year with 30+ wins and only 11 losses.  He is a formidable opponent and all we have heard about him from coaches, parents, and other wrestlers is that he is on his way to being a great wrestler. 

To this Mom, from the outside looking in, I’ve seen such a huge transformation from just the beginning of the year.  Physically, he lost quite a bit of weight (Yay, we haven’t had to buy a lot more clothes for growing spurts this year, aside from shoes) and really developed a lot of muscle and strength.  Sometimes, I catch myself just looking at him and the enormous change from my sweet little toddler to this young man who will begin driving soon, and who now shaves on occasion!  Mentally, he’s developed his leadership skills and work ethic, and has matured with his views and independence.

Their wrestling program has a large staff of coaches, and I haven’t yet met one that I didn’t really love, especially Coach Cook.  I have a soft spot in my heart for him and how much he has devoted to all these wrestlers.  I wish I had had a coach like him when I was younger.  Heck, I wish I had gone to Joe’s high school when I was his age, my life would have been very different.

For the wrestling awards evening we found out just how well Joseph was doing in wrestling when he won the Leadership and Motivational award.  I cried.  I was, and still am, so proud of him.  Next year will be another year of learning, I think, in wrestling, but I think his Junior and Senior year are going to be intense.  Look out for him in the future!

Joe with his Leadership and Motivator trophy, 3/2019

Joe with Joci

Joe with Coach Cook

Flashback to great beginnings...

WAY back when he first started wrestling...

 March 2019

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Joseph!

Only one year left until my oldest is thirteen.  How did twelve come so fast?  I don't know where the time went.  It's only been a year, of course, since the last birthday, but it seems like he's grown up three years in that one.

Joseph loves sports now.  He finished out his football season, at the Superbowl with an unfortunate loss.  But, it was a fantastic season and after a summer of training and getting him in shape for the season, the improvements he showed were well noticed by the coaches and his teammates.  He improved ten-fold.  After football comes wrestling.  He's started out not knowing much and has made huge advances, always the coachable teammate.  Go Joe, go!

He's still as sweet as can be and straight as an arrow.  He is my rule-follower, my kindhearted hero.He's quick to tell you if you're being mean to someone, or if what you're saying is not very nice.  I love it.  I hope he stays this way forever.  Joe has a fantastic memory and recalls his Grandpa very often.  Dad would be so proud.

Joe is doing very well in school.  He could try a bit harder in writing, but all in all, he's an awesome student.  His one fault is trying to stay organized and get all his assignments in on time.  But, other than that, each teacher is happy to have him.

Personally, I've seen such growth in him this year.  Physically, mentally, he's lept ahead to this preteen boy that I'm so proud of.  I can't wait to see what this next year brings him.

We did have a bit of a small birthday party.  He got to choose what he wanted for dinner, and after we had an ice cream cake from his request.  We were so lucky that Mom was here to help celebrate, not only his birthday, but all of December as well.  It was a lovely evening and he was so happy.

Happy Birthday my darling boy!

December 16, 2015

My Son is a Football Player!

My son is a football player.  That's not something I thought I'd say again.  I know he played flag football A LOT when he was little, but he got so burnt out on it, I thought it was done.  Little did I know.

When we moved to Illinois, we decided to let Joe play football.  We asked the neighbors that we met in the summer where we should go to enroll him and they all said the Buffalo Grove Bills were the best.  They were right.  The BGB program is serious business.

After we spent a small fortune and gave Joe the requisite lectures about being serious, practicing, and not being able to quit, we let him go.  The first week, Jon was out of town and I went to Joe's practices while Joci played at the local park.  Joe fell and hurt his ankle.  He sat out for awhile and so I approached to see what was going on.  He was in pain, he started to cry.  I held it together and said that he had to try and work through the pain as there was no swelling, etc, his ankle looked okay.  One of the coaches walked up and asked if he could help.  He was very kind and I spilled that we had just moved, lost my Dad to cancer, and that this is a big change for Joe and I couldn't let him quit.  The coach told me that he didn't want Joe to hate football and that I should take him home for today and see how he would feel the next day.  He said that they would take care of Joe and teach him football.  Later, we found out that coach was to be Joe's coach.  Coach Krames.  Apparently, he had traded for Joe to be on his team and promised the other coach that he would mentor him, and he soooo did!

BEST COACH EVER!  Never mind that my kid hadn't really played, ran a little funny, was a bit slow, quiet, and let's face it, not very athletic.  He chose Joe because he was willing to do anything the coaches asked him to do and he had heart.  He turned Joe into a football player and taught him what it was to be a part of the team.  He even stepped in and gave him pep talks about getting his homework done and making the sacrifice that it takes to achieve excellence.  Did I tell you that I love Joe's coach?

I'm so proud of my son!  When he first came home with major bruises and I would get upset, he would beg me to let him play.  He was excited and involved.  He made lots of new friends, and he stuck it out even when he really didn't want to at times.  He's not the last one in the field run anymore, and he's really, really good at his position, which is Right Guard.  He still wears his BGB football jersey every Friday to school even though the season is over.  Heck, he still wears that thing 2-3 times a week.

In the end, after all the bruises, tears, hours of practice, and straight up attitude, Joe's team won their Superbowl.  I have never yelled and screamed so much in my life.  Our team party is this Sunday, and I think Joe has literally asked me 10 times to make sure that his jersey was clean for it!  

He's so proud of those bruises!

Joe with the Superbowl trophy.

Jon was a great Assistant Coach for Joe's team and so proud of Joe!

I love this picture of the team right after they won the Superbowl.  The only thing missing is Jon.

Happy Birthday Joseph!

I want to wish my sweet, sweet Joe a very happy 10th Birthday!  I cannot believe it's been ten years since you entered our lives.  I feel like the luckiest Mommy ever to have you for my son.  You are a true English gentleman, with a heart of gold, a big 'ole brain, and a generous spirit that amazes me every single day.  I could not be more proud of you, and while I would love to take credit for how awesome you are, I know it's all you.  Keep on this path, my darling, and your life will be filled with wonder and love.

I love you my sweet, sweet Joe!

December 16, 2013

A Spring Walk

A couple of weeks ago we went on a nice long walk down to the allotment.  It was one of the last days of our half term break and the only day that was sunny and not raining.  I love the pictures I was able to get of the kids, they were stoked to be out in the sunshine and fresh air.

My gorgeous girl loves to blow wishes all over our town.  We have probably added significantly to the weed population, but we don't care, you can't ever make too many wishes!

Love this picture of Joe.  So totally random and so him.

I love the way they are when they are chatting and getting along without my intervention.  

June 2013

Spring is FINALLY Here!

Yay!  It's finally springtime in England!  We have had a long, cold winter here.  In fact a friend of ours estimated that it had been over seven months since we had a day in the 50s!  Brrrrrrr. 

The daffodils are coming out, one of my favorite things about Milton Keynes is the amount of daffodils planted EVERYWHERE here.  As soon as I saw them sprouting I knew I wanted to get some pictures of the kids with them.  So, I decided to take them down to the park this morning with serious ulterior motives of getting some photos, and then letting them play and blow off some energy a bit at the playground, too.

These are the results.  I'm totally in love with some of these photos. 

Some gorgeous flowers in our neighbor's front garden.

So happy together!

Joci made me save these flowers in my pocket for 'later'.

My favorite park to walk.  So love seeing spring coming on the landscape.

We were excited that we got to see the swans nesting.  The mama swan sitting on her nest was stretching out her neck picking up sticks to stack on her next.  Papa swan was NOT happy with people that would walk by him on the path.

Love this one of Joe.  He's such a cute little goofball sometimes.

Like this one of Joci.  She can be really 'honest' with the camera at times. 

Gorgeous girl.

Joseph checking to see if the creek had any tadpoles in it.

And, him showing Joci where they were.

Joci was a little scared to go over the top of this net.  She eventually did it, on her own.  I was so proud of her for wanting to do it even though she was terrified.

Walking back towards home.

Peek a Boo!

Joseph found a little 'den' that the gardeners made when they were staking up this hedge.  He and Joci thought it was 'soooooo cool' that it was a secret hideout.

Love this picture of my handsome boy!

Goofy girl peering out from their hideout.

April 21, 2013