Yep, it is that time of year again. The time of year again when Brad loses all functioning possible until the football games are over. You could tell him the house was on fire and aliens are in our kitchen, but if its not on a commercial and the football games are on, then there is no hope. And quite frankly, it is not just him that does this in his family. Let me take you back a few years to a time when we were newlywed and I had my first encounter with Brad's family and a Chiefs game.
It was a Sunday(duh!) also known as laundry day at that time. We had packed our car full of laundry and headed to Brad's parents house. The game was just getting underway and all of the sudden, people start jumping up off the couch, hollering and what not. I on the other hand am sitting at the end of the couch folding socks and underwear. I may have been startled a bit, I assume, because I had no idea what was going on.(And to be honest, I wasn't really watching the game. I wasn't a big football fan, then). Apparently, it is a VERY big deal when the Chiefs score and the James' family sees it all. All the rest of that game day, I would watch Brad and laugh to myself. You see, he likes to not only tell you the penalty, but also show the hand signals for the penalty. He can't sit still,seriously. He had to get up and walk back and forth or jump off the couch and yell "holding" or "first down" while signaling. It was hilarious(and still is).
As the years went by, I have come to learn a few things from the James family:
1. Do not let Brad hold anything while watching a Chiefs game. Whether good or bad, it will undoubtedly get chucked somewhere and it will not be a good thing. (FYI: Just asked Brad to put down the penguin toy after he kicked his legs and yelled "OOOH." Apparently, it was a good "OOOH).
2. His mom is the loudest Chiefs fan I know. I mean that in the nicest way possible. She will definitely be louder and angrier than any of the guys I know that watch a Chiefs game. Which is odd, since she grew up in Oklahoma and they don't even have an NFL team. Guess it was all that rooting for the Sooners that did it.
3. No matter how angry the James family gets at their beloved Chiefs, they will come back next Sunday and torture themselves another 4 quarters the next week. I remember one of Brad's sisters yelling and carrying on because Dante Hall couldn't get a kick off return. She took off her number 82 jersey and asked anyone if they wanted it, because she definitely did not want it anymore. I'm pretty sure she still has it in her closet. Another time, someone got the NFL preview magazine that had Priest Holmes on the cover and asked if they could throw it away. (That magazine is still around--even if it is in a room that no one uses that often anymore).
So, if you want some cheap entertainment, just be a fly on the wall when the James family watches a Chiefs game. And yes, over the years I have become a Chiefs fan. I have a couple of jerseys to prove it. (Brad's coaching right now, by the way. I think that is my favorite about this time of year. He actually thinks the players can hear him when he talks to the giant electric box known as the TV. Does he know that they can't hear him??).
My boys are even Chiefs fans. When I was pregnant and watching Chiefs games, they would kick when the Chiefs scored. Okay, maybe they were startled by the excitement, but they still knew how to root for the red and gold.
And if you think Sunday is exciting at my house, you should try coming over on a Saturday. Did I mention Brad was an OU fan, too??
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
A Conversation into the Future
Mommy, today is Patriot's Day. At school, we colored flags and talked about why our country is important.(Pause) Mommy, why did my teacher cry today?
She's sad. She probably remembers why we have Patriot's Day.
Why?
About 10 years ago, some not very nice people from another country and a different religion thought it would be okay to crash a plane into the tallest building in the United States.
What was the tallest building?
The Twin Towers. I'll have to find a picture to show you, because they didn't build them again.
Why did the people think it was okay to do that?
They thought that their god wanted them to kill everyone so they could over run the country.
Does my god want me to kill everyone?
No, God wants you to love your neighbor and turn the other cheek, even though it's hard sometimes.
Mommy, I still don't understand why my teacher was crying.
When the plan crashed into the building, a lot of people died and a lot of people got hurt. The television showed footage of it all day long and into the night. The policeman and firefighters had to go into the buildings and try to find everybody.
Did they find everybody?
No, buddy, they didn't. Some people are still looking for their families.
Is my teacher still looking for someone?
I don't think so. I think she is just sad because she remembers what she saw that day and is happy to be living in the United States.
I gave her hug.
That's nice of you.
She gave me a sticker. Wanna see?
After we get home, bud, I'm driving.
9/11/01 Sitting in my child psychology class preparing to take my first test. Dr. Owens asks for prayer requests like he does at the start of every class period. One guy says "we need to pray for those people in New York." The class is early and I have no idea what is going on. After class, I walk over to the education building at William Jewell and see the hallways are lined with TVs. The footage of the first and second plane is playing and newscasters are making their speculations. Education classes are cancelled. I go back to my dorm and watch the TV until I can't watch anymore.
9/11/09 Helping high school students who think they never had a chance to graduate learn how to find the arc length and central angle of a circle. An everday occurance, but still as important as that moment when "the world stopped turning."
She's sad. She probably remembers why we have Patriot's Day.
Why?
About 10 years ago, some not very nice people from another country and a different religion thought it would be okay to crash a plane into the tallest building in the United States.
What was the tallest building?
The Twin Towers. I'll have to find a picture to show you, because they didn't build them again.
Why did the people think it was okay to do that?
They thought that their god wanted them to kill everyone so they could over run the country.
Does my god want me to kill everyone?
No, God wants you to love your neighbor and turn the other cheek, even though it's hard sometimes.
Mommy, I still don't understand why my teacher was crying.
When the plan crashed into the building, a lot of people died and a lot of people got hurt. The television showed footage of it all day long and into the night. The policeman and firefighters had to go into the buildings and try to find everybody.
Did they find everybody?
No, buddy, they didn't. Some people are still looking for their families.
Is my teacher still looking for someone?
I don't think so. I think she is just sad because she remembers what she saw that day and is happy to be living in the United States.
I gave her hug.
That's nice of you.
She gave me a sticker. Wanna see?
After we get home, bud, I'm driving.
9/11/01 Sitting in my child psychology class preparing to take my first test. Dr. Owens asks for prayer requests like he does at the start of every class period. One guy says "we need to pray for those people in New York." The class is early and I have no idea what is going on. After class, I walk over to the education building at William Jewell and see the hallways are lined with TVs. The footage of the first and second plane is playing and newscasters are making their speculations. Education classes are cancelled. I go back to my dorm and watch the TV until I can't watch anymore.
9/11/09 Helping high school students who think they never had a chance to graduate learn how to find the arc length and central angle of a circle. An everday occurance, but still as important as that moment when "the world stopped turning."
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor of love
Only a couple of weeks into the school year and I am relieved with a three day weekend. Isn't it funny how labor day isn't really a labor day at all? (Well, unless you are in labor, but we'll get to that later.) The weekend was jam packed with things to do in the form of fairs, fishing, and relaxing.
Saturday, the James Gang went to SantaCaliGon Days. We basically followed Taylor from ride to ride until we ran out of tickets. He checked out the tires and under the hood on the cars that went around in a circle. I think he didn't get his ticket's worth on the bumblebees. The ride went around maybe two times and then it was over. BOO! Josiah rode with him on the carousel(Baby Siah's first time on a carnival ride.) The big excitement was riding the dinosaur roller coaster. Taylor barely made the height cut off. The sign said to beware of rapid changes in direction. Yeah, right. How rapid can a kiddie coaster be?
After all the rides, we went on a search for some new OU shirts for the boys. We were unsuccessful and I was tired of shopping(which doesn't take much for me. You see, I'm okay if I shop and get what I am in search for, but if I have to shop and come up empty handed I feel like I've wasted my whole day. It's very irritating to me.)
The next day we went to celebrate Nana's birthday. HER birthday was actually on Labor Day. (Ha, had you readers guessing there for a few minutes didn't I? No news here, but it's always fun to keep the readers on their toes.) We packed up our boys and headed to Polo to a private lake to go fishing and have a picnic, but in reverse order. Taylor and I caught a fish with my very first fishing pole I ever had. Still works. Brad even caught a fish. And when I say Brad caught a fish, he was actually patient enough to sit in a lawn chair for about 1 hour and wait for a bite on his line. He did have a little bit of help, though. My dad had brought along a fishing pole stand. All Brad had to do was cast out the line, prop up the pole, and lounge in the chair with his Coke until a fish decided it was hungry enough to eat the worm. I think I had more fun watching Brad go outside of his comfort zone than I did fishing. I'm thinking up new ways to get him to go camping everyday. No hotels, no cell phones, no computers, just the great outdoors. He may not like it, but he's going to try it!
My dad had the big story of the day. He actually caught the big one. This fish jumped out of the water several times and fought my dad all the way to the bank. Everyone at the lake practically came out of the woodwork to see what was on the other end of Dad's line. It was a huge catfish. We don't know how much it weighed because it broke my Dad's scale. According to Mike, it weighed more than a gallon of paint. The final estimate was eight pounds. The fish was huge, folks!
So, after a day of fishing, my parents followed us up to our house and my dad and I cleaned fish. Yes, folks, you read it right : the girl that cannot stand the sight of blood, vomit, or needles cleaned 5 fish that day. This is nothing new, though. I've cleaned trout since I was about 4 years old. I did learn that cleaning perch is nothing like cleaning trout, though. Perch are bony and tough skinned. It wasn't as easy at it looked.
After the carnival and fishing, it was time to just relax at home on Labor Day. Well for me and the two little ones, anyway. Brad thought he needed to go see a guy movie with his dad. More power to ya. I'll stay home and let the kiddos nap and maybe do some laundry.
Finally, we ended our weekend with a dinner from Arby's on the rarely used deck. Our weekend is complete. The only question is, what's on the plans for next weekend? Who knows? When do we ever plan ahead?
Saturday, the James Gang went to SantaCaliGon Days. We basically followed Taylor from ride to ride until we ran out of tickets. He checked out the tires and under the hood on the cars that went around in a circle. I think he didn't get his ticket's worth on the bumblebees. The ride went around maybe two times and then it was over. BOO! Josiah rode with him on the carousel(Baby Siah's first time on a carnival ride.) The big excitement was riding the dinosaur roller coaster. Taylor barely made the height cut off. The sign said to beware of rapid changes in direction. Yeah, right. How rapid can a kiddie coaster be?
After all the rides, we went on a search for some new OU shirts for the boys. We were unsuccessful and I was tired of shopping(which doesn't take much for me. You see, I'm okay if I shop and get what I am in search for, but if I have to shop and come up empty handed I feel like I've wasted my whole day. It's very irritating to me.)
The next day we went to celebrate Nana's birthday. HER birthday was actually on Labor Day. (Ha, had you readers guessing there for a few minutes didn't I? No news here, but it's always fun to keep the readers on their toes.) We packed up our boys and headed to Polo to a private lake to go fishing and have a picnic, but in reverse order. Taylor and I caught a fish with my very first fishing pole I ever had. Still works. Brad even caught a fish. And when I say Brad caught a fish, he was actually patient enough to sit in a lawn chair for about 1 hour and wait for a bite on his line. He did have a little bit of help, though. My dad had brought along a fishing pole stand. All Brad had to do was cast out the line, prop up the pole, and lounge in the chair with his Coke until a fish decided it was hungry enough to eat the worm. I think I had more fun watching Brad go outside of his comfort zone than I did fishing. I'm thinking up new ways to get him to go camping everyday. No hotels, no cell phones, no computers, just the great outdoors. He may not like it, but he's going to try it!
My dad had the big story of the day. He actually caught the big one. This fish jumped out of the water several times and fought my dad all the way to the bank. Everyone at the lake practically came out of the woodwork to see what was on the other end of Dad's line. It was a huge catfish. We don't know how much it weighed because it broke my Dad's scale. According to Mike, it weighed more than a gallon of paint. The final estimate was eight pounds. The fish was huge, folks!
So, after a day of fishing, my parents followed us up to our house and my dad and I cleaned fish. Yes, folks, you read it right : the girl that cannot stand the sight of blood, vomit, or needles cleaned 5 fish that day. This is nothing new, though. I've cleaned trout since I was about 4 years old. I did learn that cleaning perch is nothing like cleaning trout, though. Perch are bony and tough skinned. It wasn't as easy at it looked.
After the carnival and fishing, it was time to just relax at home on Labor Day. Well for me and the two little ones, anyway. Brad thought he needed to go see a guy movie with his dad. More power to ya. I'll stay home and let the kiddos nap and maybe do some laundry.
Finally, we ended our weekend with a dinner from Arby's on the rarely used deck. Our weekend is complete. The only question is, what's on the plans for next weekend? Who knows? When do we ever plan ahead?
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