I'm in love

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OK, it's not THAT exciting. I have a new external drive!!! It's a Seagate 1 TERABYTE drive (that would be, oh, 1000 Gb)!! Yes, I have more storage than I will hopefully ever need. I loaded all the pictures and movies I could find, I backed up my computer, loaded all the backup CDs I could find from the last few years, backed up my iTunes library - and still only used 35 Gb!! I'm in techno-love. Hopefully I will now be able to load more pictures to this darned blog...
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Here we go again...

...as usual, we've been busy, and I haven't been blogging. :( So, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for take-off!

Now that marching band season is over, Drew & Nick had to find something else to monopolize all our time. :) Nick is now on the wrestling team at MHS. They practice every afternoon for 2 hours, and have meets almost every weekend. He's on the JV team for now, but has his eye on the Varsity team. He's been debating on challenging the guy that's there now. Drew has been doing tryouts for the MHS soccer team - they practice every afternoon until 5:30. He doesn't know what team he's on yet (hopefully today!). He had to go to open tryouts because he didn't sign up for athletics, but band will change to "zero-hour" for next semester and he will have 7th period free for soccer.

Speaking of band (aren't we always?) this past Saturday the big boys went to High School All-Region band tryouts. They have to prepare 3 pieces of music and do scales too. Nick made it, and Drew made alternate!!! I'm SO proud of those boys! And, of course, Brad did middle school All-Region last month - he didn't make it, but he is one of only 3 people in his band (2nd band) that even tried out. Go Brad! We went to Faubion last night for the Winter Concert - Brad plays in Symphonic II band and Jazz Band. The kids did a great job and sounded really good! Sammi has been practicing diligently for her 5th grade choir concert tomorrow night. She's excited because they get to go to the middle school auditorium and she gets wear a pretty dress!!

Sammi has also discovered that she likes to read. She has had such trouble having to deal with her dyslexia, but she has gone through a couple of books recently that she really enjoys, and has even been known to disappear into her room for an hour or two - reading! Brad had the same thing happen last summer. He found some books that he wanted to read, and off he went. Sometimes it's hard for Drew and Nick (avid readers) to understand how hard their dyslexia brother and sister have worked to get this far, but they usually try to be nice.

During the Thanksgiving break we went to the King Tut exhibit! We rode the train downtown on a Sunday, and the museum was only a few blocks. The kids really enjoyed it (we actually kept the souvenirs to a minimum!) but what they really liked was the interactive art exhibits at the museum. There was one room that was at the end of a tunnel of prisms - the walls/floor/ceiling were white, and there were bright YELLOW lights. It made all of us look like we were in black & white. Very cool, but after a minute or two, our heads began to hurt! It was a great time - highly recommended.

Also during Thanksgiving break, we went camping. We went to Mineral Wells State Park - arrived Monday and left Wednesday afternoon. The kids had a wonderful time running through the woods, and climbing up and down the hills. Sammi made herself the official tour guide, and had each of her brothers taking walks with her to find secret special places with each and every one of them. We used our new Lodge cast iron dutch oven with great success! One night was potatoes to go with our grilled pork chops, and then we made a killer batch of chili. It was chilly, but we pretty much had the whole park to ourselves. It's nice to take my kids all camping now - all 3 boys are Scouts, so I can put them to work and they know what they're doing! Drew & Nick set up our tent, Brad was good at setting up the firewood to get our fires lit and going well, and all four of them did a wonderful job helping cook and then washing dishes!!
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Urban Countryside

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The end...

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...of MARCHING SEASON!! I really enjoyed watching the boys and the rest of the Royal Pride Band perform this year. They did a wonderful job, and I'm impressed that Drew & Nick learned to march and were able to do everything AND play their horns! But, while it's been fun, the boys have been really burning the candle at both ends. They've been up at 5:30am, football games until nearly midnight every Friday, and competitions most Saturdays. Then there's always homework to be done. It's fun for a while, but we're all ready for a break from the hours.

I was trying to upload a video of their performance (too long! curses, youtube!) during halftime of the Frisco game on Nov. 7th. The program is called "Urban Countryside." The first tune is "Niagara Falls," followed by "October" and then "Krump." I'll try another video (hopefully short enough for youtube...) because it's really cool!
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New family members

OK, calm down. We have a fish that has been having babies! It's a red platy that we've had since last spring. She had a, uh, litter (?) a few months ago, and there are 4 babies from that. Then about a month ago, she had some more, and 2 are left. This week, she did it again, and there are at least 5!!


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Uh oh

I'm having digital issues. It seems that my camera is now full (30 gb) and my computer is also almost full. Ya think I need some storage or backup to go with that? I need to get rid of something somewhere. Until then, no new pictures or videos. :(

whew!

OK, no more videos.

Nick is now on the wrestling team at school! They started workouts this week - 2 hours every afternoon. He is in pretty good shape, but he's been absolutely wiped out by the time he gets home. THEN there's homework. Tough schedule. He says that the other boys on the team are very nice to him - even accepting of the freshman! He has alot of experience with grappling at karate, but this is a bit different.

Brad is still enjoying 7th grade football. He moved to the B team a couple of weeks ago. There were some kids who were failing classes and can't play, so they had a few holes in the lineup. The coaches offered for a few of the boys to go down to the B team, and be first string and play alot more. Brad HAS been playing more too. He's been defensive linebacker, and tells me every afternoon about the various tackles that he made in practice. I don't know if it's directly related to Brad, but the B team hadn't won all season, and ever since Brad (and the other boys) moved down, they have won each game. Hmmm - coincidence?

Drew's soccer team is doing really well this season! They are currently in 6th place out of 15 teams. They have always played well, but for some reason could never "close the deal." Well, this season they did. They have 4 more games - 2 they should win, 2 - who knows! We have been trying to find out how he might be able to get onto the school soccer team too. I'm still trying to find the person in the counselor's office that has the answers!

Sammi is still playing soccer too. Her team, Ding-a-lings, is in 4th place (out of 10 teams) has been playing well. She is starting to figure things out and make some good plays. Mostly, she really enjoys the social aspects of being on a team with some nice girls!

The big boys are nearing the end of marching band season. They've done 3 competitions this month. The latest, last weekend, was UIL and they received straight 1's - the highest possible rating! They have a really great show this year, complete with a little dancing a la the Grambling band. Tonight we're going to hear Brad perform in the middle school Jazz Band concert. They're sharing the stage with the 6th grade band (THAT should be interesting!).

As far as I'm concerned, well, I just try to stay afloat. I'm shuffling 4 kids between 3 schools, 2 soccer teams, 2 school bands, 7th grade football, 5th grade choir, high school football games (band), wrestling, homework, and, oh yeah - sleep. We haven't been to karate since school started. There just isn't time, and even if there was, the boys are too tired from everything else! Soon, though.

History repeats itself...

OK, let me apologize in advance for yet ANOTHER political video. You see, I have been following this race quite closely, and I keep finding these little gems that I SO want to share. There are many that are quite controversial, and I try to steer clear of those. However, once in a while, I run across something that is actually funny. In my opinion, this is one of those.

Alive and well in America

It's been forever since I've been around here, but I've been busy trying to keep up. I ran across this video today of AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka's speech at the Steelworkers convention July 1, 2008. It's a very powerful message. Get past the guy's skills as a speaker, and listen to what he has to say.

On a lighter note...

This is too funny, no matter which side you're on. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler doing Palin and Clinton on SNL last night. Enjoy!

School!!

Yes, it's that time of year again. Everyone has started back to school (except me this time!) Sammi is in her final 5th grade year in elementary school, Brad is my only kid in middle school, and Drew & Nick are in high school!

Our mornings are just crazy. We get up at 5:30am to get the big boys to marching band practice, Brad leaves for the bus at 6:40am, and Sammi and I have been leaving about 7:45am and walking to her school. Its a little more than a mile, but we've been taking the dogs and that makes it more fun. Sometimes Miss Debbie goes with us and brings her dog, Tank. We'll see how long that lasts - Sammi is already asking when we can drive to school again.

I usually take a picture of the first day of school, but that particular morning was spread across 3 hours, and I couldn't get everyone awake and dressed at the same time! We'll think of something....

Religion and politics...

...are the things we shouldn't discuss in polite company, but I saw this video and had to put it out here in the blogosphere. May I respectfully suggest that you be conscious of who receives your vote in November.

March-a-thon!

This morning, we all got up early and chased the band! The McKinney High School Royal Pride Band (including Drew & Nick) did their annual March-a-thon to raise money for their spring trip. They started at MHS, then marched a convoluted route of nearly 5 miles. They stopped along the way and played a few stand-up mini-concerts - 1 at Tom Thumb, 1 at Capitol One (sponsor) and then a final one at Market Street, who then supplied lunch. Sammi and I and my mom (the ultimate band-mom!) played chase and followed along, catching them at various places around town. It was very impressive, and there were alot of people along the route that turned out just to see the band - sort of like a very small parade. They even had a police escort of 4 motorcycle cops!

(I'm trying to get some video posted onto youtube - stay tuned!)

Catch up (ketchup?)

I know, it's been forever since I've posted anything, but LOTS has been going on. Funny thing how that happens! I'll try to be brief...

Nick did a week in early July at NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) for scouts and had a great time. (It used to be called "Golden Acorn") The boys learned all sorts of leadership skills that can be useful in all aspects of life, and had fun too! Nick got yet another scout t-shirt, a NYLT hat, and a big, tricked-out nametag for all his trouble.

Then, it was a week back home, pack our stuff, and off to Tanglewood and Texoma for the week. We rented a boat one day and drove around the lake, then beached it and played in the sand for a while. One day, for some reason, the big boys decided that we needed to play tennis. None of us play, so we borrowed rackets and balls from the front desk and had 2 great late night tennis free-for-alls. (BTW, we stink at tennis!)


A couple of days after we got home from the lake, Drew's soccer team, Manchester SC, had a signing party at the FC Dallas game. As luck would have it, they were playing the LA Galaxy that night, so we got to see David Beckham! I don't know if it was an off night for him, but he didn't play any better than anyone else, and worse than some. Maybe that's why FC Dallas beat them 4-0.


The best thing about the game, though, was getting to hang out with the Millers. We knew them from Mexico (another Ericsson family) and they live close by now. Griffin was trying out for a spot on Manchester's U94 team, so Jan and I got to catch up on things, and Sammi and Sophie kept each other VERY busy.


This week, Drew & Nick started McKinney High School Royal Pride Band marching practice! There's SO much to learn as freshmen, but they say that they're having a great time. They go all day for this week, then the next 2 weeks they have evening rehearsals, then school starts and it's 7am every day. (memories!) I don't have any pictures of the band just yet - I'll get some in the next couple of weeks, and LOTS in the fall.

I'm a GRANDMA!!! (again)

Missy and Mike had #2 on Sunday!! Lily James Hancock was born on June 29th at 4:39 pm (PST). She weighed 7 lb. 13 oz., and was 20.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great - everyone's home and adjusting to life as a family of 4. If you would like to take a look at this beauty, click HERE

Colorado is nice this time of year

Finally, all of my boys are home! Brad got back on Saturday from Camp Alexander in Colorado (near Colorado Springs). The scout troop has gone there for the last few years, but this was the first time that Brad got to go on his own. He had a great time, and earned 4 merit badges (camping, archery, life saving, and wilderness survival). There were rumors that a black bear walked through their camp with a fawn in its mouth, and also that a bear had rummaged through one of the tents!

For the wilderness survival merit badge, the boys have to go (in groups of 3) into the forest, and spend the night. They have a tarp, water, knife, and a rope, and must build a shelter for overnight. Brad's group did well - he said that they only slept about 20 minutes. I don't think that was because they were scared, but more because there wasn't anyone telling them to go to bed!


This is a picture of the group that went this year. It took me a minute to find Brad (front row, left side) - it was a big group - but he looks like he's having fun!

They survived!

The boys are back in town, and they had a great trip. I've heard amazing stories of things such as brushing their teeth with charcoal, seeing bald eagles in the wild, how loons make awful noises, and peeing on Canada. They both had literally hundreds of mosquito bites on their legs (ouch!) but are starting to get better.

This is a picture of their crew - the guy in red was the "tour guide." Interestingly, the man on the top left, Tom Hulcy, worked for my dad YEARS ago at the Boy Scouts corporate headquarters. His grandson, JT (front, brown hair) is now in the same troop as Drew, Nick & Brad. What a small world!!

...and then there were two

I am down to just 2 children this week. :( Saturday morning, Drew & Nick got on a plane to Minnesota to participate in the Northern Tier trek with their fellow Boy Scouts. They will be out on the water for the week, canoeing. They'll carry their packs and food with them, going through the lakes in the boundary waters between the U.S. and Canada, portaging the canoes where necessary. From what we've heard, of the big 3 Scout treks, (Northern Tier, Philmont, and Sea Base) this one is, by far, the most remote. There are 3 crews, and each crew has 5 boys, 3 adults, and 1 guide. Drew & Nick are in the same crew, and Nick is the crew leader.

We've spent months, little by little gathering the gear that they needed. The big thing was having to take synthetic clothes; t-shirts, shorts, pants, socks, even underwear (eww.). That's so that everything will dry quickly. We got new hiking boots (yea!) then brought them home and drilled holes all through the soles (huh?) so that when the entire foot gets submerged, the water can eventually drain out. Sort of like do-it-yourself jungle boots! Packing was interesting - everything had to be in dry-sacks or in large ziploc bags. The boys were very good about it - they packed everything (more than once!), made sure they had everything on the list, and even knew what things they could actually do without.

I am so proud of them, but at the same time, I worry. I'm sure everyone has seen the story of the 4 young men that died last week at the scout camp in Iowa. This is a very different situation than my boys will be in, but nonetheless, it still comes to mind way too often. That said, I'm sure that they'll be having the time of their lives, and making wonderful memories.

Go Mr. Cruz!

One of our karate instructors, Mr. Cruz, had a cage fight in Lubbock last weekend. He won in the first round with an arm bar. woo hoo! As Brad says, "He ROCKS!" The week before the fight, we got to take turns working him over during class (to improve endurance, of course) and he went for ten 5-minute rounds! It obviously paid off, and he did great. In the video, he's the one in the Puerto Rico flag shorts.

Gas prices

I ran across this today, and couldn't resist sharing.

Memorial Day celebration

On Memorial Day, we had the opportunity to take part in a great celebration right here in McKinney. For over 20 years, the Pecan Grove Cemetery has hosted a Memorial Day event. The cemetery dates back to the 1800's, and there are veterans from every conflict (as far back as the Texas Revolution!) buried there. Boy Scout Troop 303, has been involved since the beginning. They get together on Saturday and put flags on each veteran's grave - some American flags, some Confederate, even Texas flags. The cemetery provides food for Monday as well. The boys volunteer to cook beans, cobblers, and briskets and bring it early on Monday morning. They also provide parking assistance, a color guard, and then clean up the place afterwards.



Nick, Drew, and Brad were all involved every step of the way. Nick provided beans and carried the American flag in the color guard, Drew cooked apple cobbler and played in the all-city middle school band, and Brad made blackberry cobbler and was part of the scout detail. I don't know how many people actually were there this year, but last year there were well over 700!!

This is such a wonderful opportunity for these young men to see that Memorial Day is so much more than a day off and a barbeque. They understand that it is a day to honor the soldiers who have lost their lives in the service of this country, defending our rights, and helping to make our country what it is today.
The local chapters of the Knights of Columbus, Knights Templar, Civil War re-enactors, Firemans' Bagpipers, McKinney mounted police, Congressmen Sam Johnson and Ralph Hall, Mayor Bill Whitfield, and countless other local dignitaries were in attendance.


A WWII Stearman open cockpit bi-plane did a great flyover as part of the ceremony!



This is a very moving video that I found, done by Terry Kelly, reminding us all to take a few minutes to remember our fallen soldiers.

Would you believe...

...that Drew & Nick have performed on the stage of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony center? Yes, the same stage that the Dallas Symphony, as well as countless world-famous performers, have been on? The acoustics are magnificent in this hall, and the Faubion Wind Ensemble sounded fabulous. The band was invited to participate in a High School level competition last Friday. I'm so fortunate to have been able to attend this event (thanks, mom!) and share it with the kids.

8th Grade Graduates!

My two oldest babies are going to high school! OK, they're not really babies anymore - they're 2 inches taller than me - and they're growing up. This is Nick (left) our friend Austin (middle) and Drew (right).

Faubion did a ceremony for all the 8th graders - they dressed up and then had a dance afterwards. Drew & Nick swore that they didn't actually dance with any girls, but they did participate in the line dances. Would you believe that they did "The Time Warp?" Momma's proud!

I'm FINISHED!!!

Yes, I finally finished! What? you ask... Well, I'm officially a college graduate! I took my last final last week, and I have earned my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. It's been a long road - sort of the 20 year plan! I've been at the University of North Texas for the last 3 years and I've had some very interesting classes, and met some equally interesting people. Some people were frighteningly intelligent, others not so much. But, all in all, it was a great experience, and highly recommended to anyone at any age.

At first, it was sort of scary going back to school with people who were born around the time I graduated high school. Kids are very accepting, though. I dress like a 12-year old boy most of the time, so I fit right in with everyone else in that respect. I even ended up with class-friends in every class I took. You know, the ones you can call for assignments, or who tell you about how drunk they got the night before. Somewhat different this time around was my interaction with my professors. I was in the same general age group as most of the profs that I had, so I found that I automatically had considerably more credibility than the typical 20-year old student.

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with my new degree - I assume that at some point I will be gainfully employed. I don't know what I'll be doing though. I've thought I might teach, then I think maybe I should pursue something corporate. At this point, though, I think that I might just sit back and enjoy being a mom again, and have a great summer with my kids. Drew & Nick are going to high school next year, all 3 boys have Boy Scout summer camps, and Sammi and I have girl time we need to take care of. I think I might even read a book for pleasure...

Look down my rain barrel, slide down my cellar door...

I got 2 rain barrels this week! I've been thinking about doing it for nearly a year, and finally decided to go for it. I can collect rain water from my gutters, and use it for gardening, washing cars, watering dogs, etc. In other words, we use this instead of the hose connected to the house. The water is free and I can still water outside when McKinney sets water restrictions again this summer (it always does!)

These barrels are only 60 gallons each, but did you realize that for every inch of rain that falls on an area of 1,000 square feet, you can collect around 600 gallons of rainwater? WOW!

I hooked this one up this morning, and with the 1/2 inch or so of rain we got today, it filled easily. The kids helped me set up the other one this afternoon, and with the rain coming tomorrow, it should fill up pretty quick. BTW, the kids think it's great, and it really helps them understand about the need to NOT waste water.

Valley Creek 4th Grade Honor Choir

We had the privilege of attending a Choir presentation Thursday night at Sammi's school. She does choir and REALLY enjoys it. Their group sang 5 songs and sounded great - well done, Sammi!

(Can anyone give me a hint about how best to post video? I've tried a couple of times with different ones, but they don't ever load.)

Are you going to Scarborough Faire?

We went there! We spent the day in Waxahachie with the Busser Family. We had a great time, and it was a people-watching bonanza! We did bungi-bouncing, ice cream, spinning barrels, turkey legs, swords, Crystal sticks, and spheres. There were lords, ladies, wenches, gnomes, knights, moors, pixies, fairies, barbarians, clansmen, leprechauns, jesters, and hordes of craftsmen. We have decided that we agree wholeheartedly with Lance-the-Crystal-stick-man's point of view that "Spandex is a privilege that should not be abused." :o


This is Noobler's neighbor - he was hysterically funny.



Lord Derek, Lady Sammi, and Master Colin!

GO DINGS!!

Sammi's soccer team played very well today. Sammi got to play alot, and all the girls had a great time, but weren't able to come away with the win.



Both teams had light blue jerseys, so Sammi's team had to wear yellow penny's. It became obvious after about 4 seconds that the girls were a little distracted by them. Haley and Sammi were no different. Sammi twisted the front of hers for most of the first half!

A musical evening!

We had a great opportunity Friday evening to go to McKinney North H.S. and see the University of Houston Wind Ensemble perform. That's the top band from a school with an amazing music program. They were great - there was a tuba soloist that played things that would never be recognized as a tuba (wow!) and a guy who played a tympani solo (yes) that almost brought the house down. The kids were all very impressed - now Brad wants to get a Music degree!

Another cool thing about this was that my band director from high school, Tom Bennett, was conducting! He has been directing this band for about 8 years - I hadn't seen him since, uh...1983? He is a very strong personality (still is, I'm sure - maybe too much for me?) but he has always put out a great product, and last night was no exception.

Anyone still there?

OK, I seem to have been out of touch for a while. Life sorta keeps getting in the way. :)

We went to Brad's 6th grade band Spring Concert last night, and the kids did great! Brad was very excited - they played Surfin' USA, and Mr. Wright told us about the Sandy Lake Competition that they went to last week. They got a 1 and were awarded the Best in Class trophy. Well done!

Drew's soccer team, Manchester, played their last game of the season last week, and WON! They've had a tough time this season - there has been some very tough competition in their division.

Sammi's team had a great time and played well, but weren't able to pull off the win. There's a game on Saturday - GO DINGS!!

Nick has been working hard at Scouts - he has run some of the meetings, and was lead guy on a recent merit badge. He has now moved into his role as Patrol Leader for the new Venture Patrol. This is a group of "older" scouts that do really cool things - backpacking, high adventure stuff - that the younger scouts don't get to do. Age has benefits!

How did I get so lucky to have such wonderful kids?!?!

Movie Review

We saw "Horton Hears a Who" yesterday, and it was a huge success. We went with friends, and even the grown-ups enjoyed it! Yes, it's a cartoon, but it is oddly intelligent. Highly recommended for all ages.

Cotillion

This is sort of old news, but I just HAD to embarrass the boys and post this picture of them all dressed up. They suffered through Cotillion over the past month! They say that they hated it, but I think alot of it was useful information, hopefully filed away for future use.

Welcome!

Well, it seems that the entire world has a blog, so, at Brad's urging, we do too.

Right now we're all on Spring Break! We're having a wonderful time doing nothing. Here goes nothing:
1) We planted our garden (tomatoes, peppers, basil, cilantro, chamomile), some berry vines (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, grape) and a new peach tree.
2) Nick and I found a baby wild rabbit in the yard! No, we didn't keep it, but we did catch it and admire it. We've also found multiple lizards, lots of worms, and a few slugs.
3) We have an amateur tree-trimming business. OK, we were really just having fun. Sunday, everyone joined in the fun of tearing down Ms. Laurie's tree, and cutting it up with Ms. Rene's Saws-all. Then Monday night we roasted weenies at Ms. Debbie's house, and did a little midnight trimming on her butterfly tree. What a great time! The boys are fascinated by tools - imagine that!
4) We hibernated all day Tuesday while nearly 7 inches of rain fell at our house!

I have no idea what the rest of the week will bring, but so far it's been great.