Bringing up Boys

2010-11-02T09:55:00.009-04:00

Trick or Treat!

Frank and Stein, the Mexican Man, Shaun White, and Zorro hope you had a super spooky night!

2010-10-16T22:34:00.012-04:00

Bruin Homecoming!

Working on the class float with Nathan
Freshman class float: Chronicles of Narnia
Walking in the Homecoming parade with the soccer team
Setting the table for a pre-dance dinner with friends
Francesca's corsage including detachable charms for a "charming" evening with Connor that go on a handmade bracelet as a permanent momento of their first high school dance
So cute... my fave photo of the night.
They were both nominated for
freshman Homecoming court attendees!

Group date!

Hoping they're having fun dancing the night away!

2010-10-10T14:09:00.027-04:00

Red, White and Blue:
Graeme's Dream Come True

After two years of hard work (do not even says the words "hot dog concessions" to me for at least another year), Graeme's baseball team made it to Cooperstown, NY, home of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, for a week-long tournament with 103 other teams from all over the country. This is DisneyWorld for youth baseball players and it almost doesn't matter if you win or lose, you just have to love it! BUT, they played really well and finished 32nd on the week, definitely something to be proud of. Graeme played second base and short stop and batted .429 against some of the best 12-year-old pitchers in the country. The whole family came for the week and enjoyed cheering on Graeme and the rest of the Astros; some of the extended family even caught Graeme's games on the webcam from as far away as Washington state! The baseball park's theme music plays all the time, reminding families constantly to "Enjoy these wonderful years, for the end of these days will draw near. Without you it's never the same, so come on out and see me play in a little majors game." Yep, he's growing up fast and we were so glad we got to be a part of one of Graeme's last and best childhood memories. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. It was awesome.

Week in Photos:
Packing the team trailer and getting ready to hit the road with Coach Rick

Graeme's spirit window in the team truck. He usually wears #15 and we call him the Great Graeme-bino. (One of Babe Ruth's nicknames was the Great Bambino.)
I rode in style with the mom mini-van carpool.
Checking into #9B The Ted Williams Bunkhouse: 12 boys, 2 coaches and all their stinky laundry and candy wrappers came spilling out the door every morning!
Let the pin trading begin! Graeme was able to trade his team pin with all 103 of the other teams there. The pin trading is one of the highlights of the week, giving the boys lots of chances to meet other kids from all over the country and do what else.... talk baseball! Thanks to Grandpa Joyce for the beautiful shadow box to display Graeme's collection when he got home. It is the ultimate Cooperstown Dreams Park souvenir.
Meanwhile... the rest of us were checking into this gorgeous lake house with 4 other team families. We wanted a place to get away from the ball fields for a while where all the siblings could relax and have fun. We definitely found it! This beautiful property was just 5 miles from the baseball complex and stocked with fishing gear, canoes, kayaks, a john boat, and a swimming dock all out the back door. The kids had a blast!

Finally, it was time to play ball!

While Graeme was living out his diamond dreams, Connor, Owen and Reilly scouted the other 15 fields in the complex helping Graeme complete his pin collection. Pierce helped, too.
In between games, we headed back to the lake palace for some fun.

I think the kids caught 100 fish that week using bread for bait. I am NOT kidding. It was so easy that whenever Pierce cast but failed to bring a up a fish he would say, "Cassidy, where all the gold-pishies go?"

One day Graeme got hit in the face by a smoking ground ball while playing shortstop. His lip was extremely swollen for a couple of days and all his teammates started calling him turtle.
Nothing serious. He was still able to fish (marshmallows for bait this time)...
... and was back on the field in no time.

Graeme had a free afternoon/evening in the middle of the week and we were very excited to visit to the MLB Hall of Fame as a family.
Graeme and Connor by the Orioles section of the Hall of Fame
Reilly and Owen paying homage to Brooks Robinson
Me introducing Pierce to my favorite: Eddie Murray
Nobody wants to Be Like Mike in our house. My guys "look up" to Sandy Koufax. (Get it? :) )
After touring the Hall, we checked out all the little baseball shops in the quaint town of Cooperstown. There was baseball-themed EVERYTHING. We passed on the Oriole-themed toaster and the house sign that said, "This family interrupted for baseball season", but got Ranger an O's leash and Connor and Graeme had to have this t-shirt:
Back at Dreams Park, the boys made a great run in the playoffs before bowing out with their pitching totally depleted. Here's a "photo illustration" I got toward the end of the week showing what Graeme loves: God, country, baseball...

...and Mom, of course (Apple pie implied :).At that point, people were getting pretty tired and it was time for the closing ceremony/induction into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame.
It was all over except for the official team photo at the photo spot.
AND, I just want to say, that I am NOT the only Mom who will go to some pretty great lengths to get the RIGHT photo :) Thank you Kirstin Elstner!

Astros Nation!

Ahhhh... the memories
We love you Graeme and hope you always remember the week when YOU were our #1!

2010-10-08T18:05:00.018-04:00

Random post to see if I still know how.....

"What I did this summer"

Connor played 2nd base and left field, pitched, and batted lead off for his travel team this year. He only had to go to the ER once. Everyone on the team calls him "CJ" or "9" because there is another Connor on the team... who goes by "Doobie" all the time. Go figure. Whatever you call him, he was awesome! He had one of his best games on the mound when Aunt Priscilla and Uncle Pat brought the cousins to watch- very cool to have fans other than the immediate fam!
Pierce eating breakfast: Lucky Charms with milk and snot

Connor and his best friend Nathan leading Team 6 on 8th grade field day. You gotta love the 21st century: no more dodge ball, actual running races or anything to make weird kids feel bad. Instead they played video games on a giant outdoor screen, experimented with tribal music on bongos and slurped down Italian ice after getting skin cancer screenings. Weird day. Awesome kids.
Graeme and his buds on the last day of 7th grade
Laxer OJO was on a very talented team this summer and was a big contributor. Our favorite day was when he full-on decked and flattened a kid from that soccer team he got kicked off last year. That's legal in lacrosse. Cool. (Not legal in the basement though, so don't get any ideas Owen.)
Reilly's SECOND last day of SECOND grade. After Reilly finished at NAPS, a week later I signed him up to go to the local public elementary school for their last week of school to get his bearings before switching schools this year. He conquered the cafeteria and the school bus for the first time heroically.
Pierce has crazy mad skills on the ball field. Gotta see it to believe it. The boy can hit a pitched hard ball and we've gunned his fast ball at around 10 mph. The spectators call him The Phenom.

Connor won the 8th grade Most School Spirit Award so we found a shark necktie for him to wear to graduation, I mean commencement, whatever.I was VERY proud of him; when he walked across the stage they announced he was one of only 8 of 268 total students to graduate middle school with a 4.0 GPA. I told him, "Good job" and sent him back to class for the rest of the afternoon. I did not realize how proud the other parents were of their kids; I didn't know they took them out of school and out to lunch at fancy restaurants to celebrate. So an hour later, after helping with Graeme's class party, I walked thru the cafeteria and this is what I saw:
These nerds were the only 8th graders left in the whole school: the ones whose parents were not cool enough to spring them loose to go to the fancy restaurants! What geeks! Connor's friend Gabriella kinda reminded me of Molly Ringwald in the Breakfast Club. It looked like detention or something. I did what I could and took them to Rita's for the rest of the day.
Here's Owen sleeping in the new bedroom I renovated this summer. We took the ten-year old playroom and turned it into a surf hut bedroom. I should have better pictures of the metamorphosis, but I don't. The best part is the cool tiki lights. Come see.

Pierce and Ellie at cousin beach day. They LOVE each other! I loved my special time with Bekah this summer, too.
Ask anyone and they will tell you my children are the loud, aggressive ones and Jennie's are the musical, humanitarian ones. Au contrair. They have weapons. All the time.
This had to be the saddest part of summer. Owen's longtime friend Sam (far left) lost his Dad in a freak boating accident. These are his best friends from NAPS giving him a football signed by the entire Navy football team that the coach inscribed: "To Sam, Courage and Honor". Way too sad. God bless the Cantellos and may your friends always be there when you need them.
Best science teacher at SRMS: Mr G.
Good news: Connor had him last year and Graeme got him this year!
Best history teacher at SRMS: Mr. B
Sad news: Connor had him last year but he was promoted and moved to a high school at the other end of the county so Graeme doesn't have him this year.
Teen pre-high school summer party at the beach with some of the boys...
and some of the GIRLS!!! Wow. I am SO glad I have 5 BOYS to shop for; stores sell boys' swim suits with fabric included.
Ah.....sweet baby days. Ice cream desserts with Dad! The boys also saw plenty of Oriole baseball, attended every sort of sport camp out there, read quite a few good books, trolled the Ocean City boardwalk with friends on sleepovers, and enjoyed several fishing and crabbing trips with Grandpa. And then it was time for them all to go back to school.....

3rd grade Reilly

5th grade Owen

8th grade Graeme

Freshman Connor at 5:30 am heading out the door to seminary; yes, it is hard to get a decent photo when it is still dark outside! And BTW, that's 4 kids in 4 different schools- YIKES! This is going to be a crazy year!

2010-07-16T09:11:00.009-04:00

Off to the Races
We like running in the spring before the weather heats up too much. It's also a good way for the boys to keep their cardiovascular stamina strong during baseball season. This year Connor, his friend Nathan and I ran in my favorite local 5K, the Quiet Waters Earth Day Race. I like that one because the entire race is run on a scenic, paved park trail. There is only one large hill :) To top it off, pretty much everyone who enters the race wins several coupons for free ice cream cones from the shop down on the city dock (oh yeah). Everyone but Connor, that is. Connor set a blazing pace at 20:09 and came in 2nd overall out of 100+ runners. It was his first time to win an overall award and not just an age group honor and he was pretty proud of himself. Everyone gasped and clapped for him when he was awarded his fancy plaque. Nathan and I, on the other hand, are happy with our ice cream cone coupons and told Connor we'd treat him one day this summer, as long as he didn't gloat too much on the way home. :)

But no ice cream yet! The Tuckahoe Triathlon was just a few weeks away and we were excited to tackle that one again with Connor's friends Jackson, Noah and little sister Isabelle.
Connor and Nathan entered as a team and so did my friend Lori and I.
Knowing what to expect made it a lot easier this year and we had a great time completing the 2 mile run, 10 mile bike ride and 1 mile canoe paddle. Connor loves the run leg while I much prefer the bike leg. Jackson's dad George is awesome at all of it, placing 3rd overall, and we were all proud of Isabelle for finishing her first tri with her mom. Can't wait for next year!

2010-07-14T15:00:00.026-04:00

Teaming Up!

After some major league negotiations with the local rec league (somebody explain to me again why moms don't get salaries?), Reilly was granted permission to "play up" with Owen's 10 year old age group for baseball season. He was the only player granted this request. And yes, he is awesome, but that's not the main reason we made the request. With Connor and Graeme both playing travel schedules with their teams, we knew we could only spread ourselves so thin... 10+ games a week plus practices felt like our limit! So proudly wearing #4 (obvious reasons), Reilly skipped the first kid pitch league and made his debut in minors as a Mudcat with #52 Owen (don't ask) and Assistant Coach Dad, who came as part of the package trade deal we brokered with the league. Owen was a veteran pitcher this year and put up a lot of solid innings. Here's a sequence of him at work on the mound:

Getting the sign

Coming set

Leg kick

Reaching back

Loading up

The delivery

Letting it fly

Follow through

Owen felt pretty confident on the hill, knowing he was backed up by one of the better shortstops in the league: Reilly...
...who was also ready take the mound whenever relief was needed.

Reilly had great composure as a rookie pitcher. It probably helped that he had a buddy behind the plate catching him... Owen!

Now it's time to heat up the bats boys!
Batting lead off for the Mudcats... Reilly!

Checking out the pitcher's stuff

Taking a practice swing

Last minute advice from the third base coach
(and a little love from Dad)

In the box and ready to rock

Reilly reached base often and was a great table setter for Owen, batting in the 3 hole, who routinely smashed the first pitch he saw into the outfield, leading the team in RBIs.

The team finished the season with a winning 10-4 record, making it to the league championships semi finals.

Of course, no season can ever be complete without Owen getting chewed out by his coach multiple times...
But mostly, it was smiles all around... planting fear in the hearts of the rest of the league because Owen and Reilly will be legal to play together again next year!

2010-06-22T16:45:00.011-04:00

Sharks Don't Dance!

After months of hype, Connor's first formal school dance was upon us. Connor had been saying all year that he did not want to go and I always said, "Fine. You don't have to go." Every time the topic came up, he assured me that he did NOT want to go. Whenever I caught wind of other kids talking about the big night, Connor made sure to drag me aside and spit through his teeth that he did NOT want to go. Kids started shopping for dresses and ties and he said, "Mom, I REALLY do NOT want to go!!" Tickets were sold in the cafeteria at lunch every day, and every day he said, "Mom, I do NOT want to go." By the end of May, I said "I GET IT! YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO! " Then.... the night before the dance he said, "Mom, I think a bunch of my friends are actually going to that dance..." I started to say, "Well, Connor, maybe you..." I did not finish the sentence before he loudly interjected. ".. BUT I STILL DO NOT WANT TO GO!" Reaching my wits' end, I said, well then maybe you want to do something else?.... He said, "Yeah. I think I do." And the alternative dance event was born: Sharks Don't Dance! (The school mascot is a shark.) A handful of his friends thought it was a great idea and also skipped the dance in favor of taking on the "Man vs. Food Challenge" at a local hot spot and had a great time trying to down the 6.5 pound milkshake made famous by some cable food show. At first, they thought it looked easy and enthusiastically ordered TWO of the bohemoth shakes: cookie dough and straight chocolate.
Team Navy (Graeme, Kyle, Connor and Nathan) got right to work, but... Baseball Buds (Evan, Brandon and Logan) took an early lead. After Evan remembered he was lactose intolerant (c'mon man!), Logan attempted to single-handedly bury the flagging Team Navy competition. Everyone decided to call a time out. Brandon thought it might help his appetite to eat a few pickles! (Seriously ??!!@#$!?) Never ones to be beaten by a challenge, Connor and Nathan decided to take Team Navy to the finish line and Kyle helped wipe out the last few cookie dough chunks.
After all that, Connor and Nathan were feeling a little... SICK! All in all, everyone, said it was a BLAST, much more fun than the dance. Besides, they DID NOT want to go! We'll see what they say when their first high school Homecoming rolls around next fall!

2010-06-15T16:15:00.009-04:00

Mousketeer Birthday!

We wished our own little Mickey and Minnie a happy birthday at the local bouncy zone. We told them they were going to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and they couldn't wait to

"Come inside, it's fun inside!"

Cousin Briella (3) and Pierce (2) both have May birthdays and also share a fondness for the Disney Channel show, so it was a perfect celebration. They invited all their favorite Mousketeers and had a grand time.

"Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggety Dog!"

Time for cake and ice cream back at the cousins' house.

"And now it's time to say goodbye to all our company...
M-I-C
See ya real soon
K-E-Y
Why? because we like you!
M-O-U-S-E!"

Up, up and away to another wonderful year of adventures with our Little P.

P.P.S. "Plagiarized Post, Sorry" Hey Jennie, I just had to repeat this special day! Loved it!

2010-06-03T15:44:00.027-04:00

Happy Birthday
Teen and Toddler!

(Rounds #3 & #4)!!

Graeme (13) and Pierce (2) were happy to spend their big day on the ball fields and playgrounds. First, a little warm up and soft toss...

Then game time...
and the 7th inning stretch...
then birthday wishes from the whole team...
and finally, home for everyon'es favorite dinner....
... and last but not least, cake and presents!

We love our birthday brothers! So, what was so hard about this post that made it three weeks late? Stay tuned...

2010-05-19T13:57:00.025-04:00

Happy Birthday (Round #2)...

or Bon Anniversaire, if you prefer

Ecouter bien:
Connor a quatorze ans aujourd'hui. Zut! Oh-la-la!
Translation: "Listen Up: Connor turned 14 today. Holy Cow!"

As most of you know, Connor leads a pretty charmed life and his birthday was no exception, as he got to be out of class all day for a French field trip! La mere (the mother, i.e. moi) was able to accompany his class to Tersiguel's, which is definitely not some dusty old museum, but a 4-star French restaurant nestled in a historic home in Ellicott City.
Upon arrival, students were seated in a lovely dining room surrounded by French artwork and served appetizers of pate, vegetables, cheese and crusty French bread on fine china.

A salad of microgreens grown in the chef's family garden followed and set the stage for the entree of beef bourguignon or coq au vin with pommes frites. Then, Chef Fernand surprised Connor by carrying out a gorgeous mousse au chocolat with a lit candle and led the class in singing Bon Anniversaire! The Chef spent another hour demonstrating how to make traditional crepe de suzette flambe (yep, that means fire!) and answering questions about his life in Brittany.
As field trips on your birthday go, this was definitely magnifique! But, then again, Connor is an all-American kid and it was time to head home and "Play Ball!"

So much for refinement and culture, let's get dirty, boys! After practice it was time for more fine dining at Chez Joyce. Not quite. It sort of gave me a complex going home and trying to cook after watching Chef Fernand, but teenage boys gotta eat, right? Connor requested his fave shrimp scampi pasta for his birthday dinner and, thankfully, I can handle that. He also asked for black forest cake, and after my recent success with fondant on Owen's cake, I got a little "heady" and tried to top the black forest cake with a baseball cap cake.

Kinda worked. What d'ya think? The good news for me is that my boys are soft critics and thought it was pretty awesome. Not nearly as AWESOME as Connor himself though.

Happy Birthday Big Brother!
Je T'aime

2010-05-19T13:09:00.010-04:00

Happy Birthday... You Big Nerd!

After the evening festivities were over, Owen still had some serious work left to do on his science fair project... like ALL the actual experimenting and the ENTIRE tri-fold poster. Yes, he had been given two months to do it, but Owen is not the kind of guy to stress out and work TOO much in advance, even if it was due the day after his birthday. Why not make the most of his big day by staying up late shooting water bottle rockets with Dad and Reilly, messing around on powerpoint with Connor and Graeme, and then glueing and pasting his display board with Mom... until 2 am! Yes, we were ALL beginning to, literally, regret the day he was born. :) All except Pierce who will take any excuse to stay up til midnight and run with it...
Here are photos of the birthday boy hard at work... some tests actually had to be conducted at 5:30 am the following morning...

Owen learned a lot, was proud of himself and did good work.

Two afternoons later, he came bounding up the driveway after school, with a medal flapping around his neck, yelling, "Look Mom! I did it Connor-style: 1st place in one night!"

That must have been what he wished for when the candles were glowing! Great job!

2010-05-19T12:42:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday! (Round #1)

Owen had a great day celebrating his 10th birthday. He had school (ho hum), a lacrosse game (all right!), special request dinner (steak on the grill, baked potatoes and strawberries), birthday cake (Boston Cream with Mom's first foray into the world of fondant to make it uniquely OJO) and presents (cash for the first time). Owen loved it all and says he does, in fact, feel older now. :) I guess it was a pretty big DECADE!

Owen scored a goal ...

...and saved a few on his birthday! Way to go!
Check out the glow!
Nothing tops Under Armor... again!

Happy Birthday
to the most generous,
cool,
laid back,
warm-blooded,
ready-to-play dude in the house!

2010-04-19T16:17:00.009-04:00

Pierce's Chocolate Chicken

Hmmmm... a book in my Easter basket. Let's read it.
"One morning somebody put a chocolate chicken in the birdbath.
"I love you!" said Max...."

Hmmm... I guess this must be a chocolate chicken.
Let's see how it tastes.
Well... it tastes pretty good.
I think I'll go ahead and have some more because, in fact...
it tastes great!
Yep, I agree with Max, "I love you!"Any more in here? I've just about finished this one off!

2010-04-08T14:31:00.007-04:00

Happy Easter Birthday, Dad!

Peter's birthday fell on Easter this year: The Big Four-O! He did not want to be surprised. He did not want to go out. He definitely did not want deviled eggs for breakfast. Instead, we woke up to Boston Cream donuts (because they are his favorite and because he was born in Boston) and we had fun using black wrapping paper. He got a James Bond movie (because he always does), 2 additions to his collection of Alice in Wonderland illustrated editions (bringing the total to 31), a baseball hat (what else do you think the boys would choose this time of year?!) and a balls and strikes counter (because he is still in the game!). I couldn't resist making an Easter birthday cake either! We love you, Peter!
Now... I think I'm supposed to be doing an Easter post.
Next. I promise.

2010-04-08T14:23:00.003-04:00

Graeme wants you to know....

This foot...

kicked this ball...

way up there....

... as in way, way up there.

Now... I think I'm supposed to be doing an Easter post.

2010-04-06T05:19:00.007-04:00

Good Friday

The boys are growing old enough now to really think about Easter and its significance. We had memorable and enjoyable scripture study this week about Palm Sunday, the Passover and the events leading to the Savior's atonement and crucifixion. Connor and Graeme enjoyed an overnight trip to the cousins' to participate in a Passover dinner on Thursday and then the cousins joined us in Annapolis for a non-denominational stations of the cross faith walk on Friday. The boys all remarked how moving it was to walk a crowded pathway with a growing throng of reverent believers and were impressed that someone carried a wooden cross to each station marking an event in Jesus' last mortal day. I was also gently touched by the Spirit when I noticed that the farther we went along the way, the farther ahead of me the boys were. At first, they literally held my hand and sang over my shoulder. Then they recited the scriptures on their own and walked just a few yards in front of me. By the end, I couldn't see them but knew they were ahead, finding their own way. It was a sweet reassurance that yes, they have been taught and they have learned. As they grow in testimony and stature, they will walk on in life ahead of me, but still I'll know, they know the path, and I'll have faith that they are on it. I love being their mom (and their aunt).

2010-04-02T10:34:00.007-04:00

Reilly's Baptism

Reilly's baptism was a long-awaited and wonderful event. We are all so happy that Reilly is part of our eternal family and now an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dad performed the sacred ordinances and all the rest of us were able to participate as well. Reilly asked Connor and Graeme to give the baptism talk, Auntie Jen to give the Holy Ghost talk, Uncle Brian to be a witness and Owen and Mom to say prayers. All the Joyce brothers and Washburn cousins joined in a family baptism tradition and sweetly sang:

"I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain
And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.
I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can, and live with God again.
I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away
And I can be forgiven and improve myself each day.
I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can, and live with God again."

With the rest of our families spread far apart, we wished more than once that you could have been there, but we truly felt the spirit of many loved ones, past, present, and future, who rejoiced with Reilly that day, so much so that I felt prompted to include this scripture on his baptismal program: "Then they that gladly received of his word were baptized... and all that believed were together." (Acts 2:41,44) What a wonderful moment for a wonderful son. We love you, Reilly!

2010-03-22T13:05:00.009-04:00

Do you know this kid?

If not, it's probably because you haven't read his journal:
It's Greg Heffley, the "author" of this New York Times best-selling graphic novel detailing the life of an undersized misfit's foray into middle school with "a bunch of morons". All 4 books in the series are extremely popular with elementary school boys, especially those with older brothers who are actually in middle school so they get the jokes (most of them anyway). It's sort of a modern cross between The Wonder Years and The Simpsons and it was just made into a movie...perfect party to celebrate Reilly's 8th birthday (a little late) and Owen's 10th birthday (a little early).
They had a blast with their friends, watching the movie premiere last Friday, visiting Maggie Moos for ice cream cake, pigging out on pizza and playing capture the flag until dark. As Greg's best friend Rowley Jefferson would say, "It was more fun than a loded diper!"
I am cooler than Greg Heffley's mother though and not only did I put up with all that, I also made awesome party favors: theater-sized candy boxes and Wimpy Kid key chains in reusable popcorn tubs! As Rowley would say, "Zoo-Wee-Mama!" (You gotta read these books!) Happy Birthday Reilly and Owen!

2010-03-22T12:25:00.012-04:00

Spring Break!

Hurray! Peter, Owen and Reilly were on spring break last week! Pierce, too, of course. Me, too, I guess. Although today, with everyone back in school for only the 10th day all year, sorta feels more like a break :) but I digress....
For the first time in 10 years, the weather in MD was PERFECT for spring break and we all loved soaking in the sun, although it was still quite muddy thanks to the ton of melting winter snow. Happily, that didn't stop the spring breakers from opening the garage and spilling its entire contents of bikes, bats, balls, hockey sticks, gloves, and scooters every single day. I said, "No." to the sprinklers and water guns though. But "Yes!" to a couple of friend sleepovers and a day trip to National Zoo. If you go there, you keep your fingers crossed that you will get to see the real rock stars of the zo0...
The Giant Pandas! We got there in time for breakfast....
and a nap!
We thought the sloth bear hauling its baby around was so cute... and oddly... familiar! Owen and Reilly also took photos of...
the meerkat and ...
the prairie dogs. Dad took pictures of...
the elephant. I took pictures of....
Reilly! Owen and Pierce were not in the mood, but they got a kick out of...
the billy goat with its own playground equipment and Dad's favorite was...
the Komodo Dragon, not really but it posed for him, so why not? Actually, we spent the most time laughing at the gorilla family swinging all over the place with their 14-month old baby, a lot of which also looked very familiar! Too bad they live behind glass and photos really don't work. But maybe you'd rather not see how they eat: they have poor digestive systems so they have to vomit and re-eat their food several times-YUCK! Oh well. At least when you have to sit down to dinner at our house, you can remember that and know we really are doing better than the monkeys! No matter. Pierce loved it all... especially getting to see all the "animals" (a great word to learn at the zoo) with DADDY!

2010-03-22T11:20:00.006-04:00

Won... and Done!

Connor finished his youth league wrestling career with his personal best season, notching his first winning record in the CAWL and falling just one match short of placing at the MD-VA states. He won his first match at states, but then let a second-round defeat by the eventual 2nd place finisher destroy his confidence, putting him at a 5-0 deficit after the first period of his quarter-final match. He outwrestled his opponent in the last two periods, picking up 3 critical back points in the closing seconds of the gut-wrenching match, but still fell just short, losing 5-4.
We walked away a bit disappointed, trying to remind ourselves that he really did learn a lot this season and succeeded in elevating his wrestling to the elite level. The high school varsity coach gave him a pat on the back and told him he can't wait to get him on the team next year. After a ceremonial trash-can toss of Connor's much-maligned stinky kneepads (the whole team cheered), we headed where every wrestler heads when it's over: to get some food! (You often hear eliminated wrestlers, going out the door saying, "At least now I get to eat!")
Connor had been craving Chick Fil A for 4 weeks so we went to the mall where he downed a spicy chicken sandwhich and large fries in record time, and then ran into his baseball buds and coach who treated him to a long-promised milkshake. So good bye to the stinky knee pads and long winter Saturdays in the 85 lb. weight class and hello spring, metal cleats and diamond dreams!
Great job, Connor!
103 lbs. or bust!

2010-03-11T11:08:00.018-05:00

Wrestlers on Top

Let me just begin by saying that wrestling is, BY FAR, the most difficult sport the boys participate in. I say "participate in" because wrestlers don't "play". They sweat their butts off every night in the gym wearing insulting t-shirts that say stuff like:
"Other guys PLAY with balls, wrestlers HAVE them" or
"If I wanted to do something easy, I would have played basketball" or Owen has one with the Incredible Hulk wearing headgear that says, "You won't like me when I get angry!" and I've even seen
"If your grandma were wearing a singlet, I'd take her down, too." Go ahead, laugh, it's okay. A wrestling gym is one of the few places left in America where a boy can still be a BOY.

However, my personal favorite t-shirts tend to be more motivational:
"Everyone has the desire to win, only champions have the desire to prepare" and
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog" and
"Train to near death. Rest. Repeat".
Connor has one that says "I wrestle. I wrestle with demons of doubt. With my past failures. With my injuries. With that unrelenting voice that tells me to stop. But I am a wrestler. And one thing is certain. I will be victorious." I even kinda like the pink ones that say "The only thing tougher than a wrestler is his MOM!"

So it would be safe to say I am proud of my wrestlers, no matter what. I am proud of them every time they step on the mat. They are tough and brave and smart and determined, traits that will take them lots of places far away from any wrestling mat.

Reilly had a great year in the B League, placing 5th in the county, a huge improvement for him over last year. He proved to us all that he can use his moves and stick with it through the tough times, even though I begged him to quit and stay home and color and read stories with me instead. :)
Owen stuck with it all year and never lost his cool (okay, only lost his cool once) even though he wrestled seriously underweight in the toughest league around. When he came up against someone his own size, he put them on their back almost every time.
Here is Owen, in deep on a double-leg takedown.
Here he is squeezing a half nelson.
And now, he stuck him! (Awesome photography by Connor; I am always running the video camera, trying not to pee my pants and/or throw up during their matches!) He did win bronze at the region qualifier, too. Most of the time though, Owen can be found bumming around the gym with the guys long after he's been eliminated and is the favorite, all-around team little brother.

More great news is this was FINALLY Connor's year! After winning the county B tournament his first year and then placing 5th in the county A the next year to qualify for states, Connor was promoted to the travel team for his third year and he has never had a fantastic record since, despite winning the team spirit, leadership and hard work award every season for the last three years. He has had to struggle, persevere, learn to manage his weight and find satisfaction in personal bests and baby steps toward the podium. Two weeks ago he took the gold medal in the region qualifier and with this being his last year in the youth leagues, set his sights on really doing something special at the beltway league championship tournament. Look at all these boys waiting to wrestle:

Connor in the skin and nail inspection. This is the first time the boys usually start looking around the gym and sizing up the competition. It makes me so nervous!
Here he is shaking off the nerves right before a big match. Sorry no action photos (Owen's not as good with the camera as Connor is but....)
...here's the sweet victory smile! He finally pulled it all together and wrestled really well against the best of the best, giving the eventual champion his only close match on his way to 3rd in the tournament, including 4 pins and an overtime victory against a former nemesis. He successfully qualified to wrestle in the Maryland/Virginia State Championships again this weekend! He was so happy he pumped his fist coming off the mat, a huge expression of elation from a kid who is always known for being SO SERIOUS. Dad got to be there and I got to see the video. Priceless.
Here he is with his trophy and the other state qualifiers from his team. Go Connor! We've always been proud. But it sure does feel good to be happy for you, too, this time! And, as those Dan Gable t-shirts say, "Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy."

2010-03-11T10:38:00.002-05:00

Happy 8th Birthday Reilly!

Reilly had a fun birthday and enjoyed being the man of the moment around here. He chose pizza for dinner (what a surprise....) and vanilla cake. That's it. I asked him repeatedly what kind of cake he would like and he knows that means ANYTHING AT ALL is possible but all he kept saying was "Vanilla".
"What kind of cake, Reilly?" I'd ask.
He'd say, "Vanilla."
"What kind of frosting , Reilly?" I'd ask.
He'd say, "Vanilla."
"What color frosting, Reilly?"
"Doesn't matter. As long as it's vanilla."
What kind of decorations would you like on the cake?"
"Don't know. Just vanilla."
"Any special theme or picture that would be cool?"
"Not really. Vanilla."
You get the idea. So I came up with my own idea... a green number 8 (Reilly's favorite color) with a baseball and a soccer ball (his two favorite sports). He liked it a lot.

Meanwhile, Pierce decided, that since it was out and I had my attention focused elsewhere, he could seize the chance to finger paint with the red Wilton cake dye. The table, the chairs, his clothes. He was caught red-handed (literally) and will be for the next 2 weeks, I think. It should fade in time for Reilly's baptism on March 28, which he is really looking forward to. A special thanks to Graeme for the thoughtful birthday gift of organizing all of Reilly's baseball cards into a binder, to Connor for UA batting gloves, and to Owen for a Zhu Zhu ball. We love you, Reilly.

2010-03-01T13:00:00.007-05:00

The only way
I'm going to get anything done....

Pierce likes chillaxing (Owen's new word: chilling + relaxing) in the dog crate we set up when Nana's dog Misha was visiting so we haven't put it away yet. Whatever works, right?

2010-01-22T14:07:00.017-05:00

The big guy says Merry Christmas from the Joyces!

It's MLK. Not Santa. Sorry. This post is very late. Actually, it's not late; we're just keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long, right?

Connor

Favorite gift to give: Orioles Santa cap to Graeme
Favorite gift to receive: Under Armour metal spike baseball cleats

Graeme

Favorite gift to give: Credit Card Monopoly

Favorite gift to receive: Nerd book from Mom.
Just kidding: definitely ipod touch.Owen

Favorite gift to receive: DSi
Favorite gift to give: "The Nutty Professor" movie and snack basket for Dad

Reilly

Favorite gift to receive: DSi to share with Owen,
first ipod from Aunt Meg
Favorite gift to give: ball books for Pierce

Pierce
loves his coloring book from Nana best of all.

I was laughing so hard I cried over the "Report Card" the boys made me. I got the highest scores in "Encouraging" and "Overall Awesomeness" but was scored lowest in the winter marking period for serving soup regularly.
Hopefully I made up for it by serving cookies for breakfast.
Dad gave each of the boys his OWN 2009 complete set of baseball cards. Go e-bay Dad! They were thrilled!

" I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

Martin Luther King

Now who's gonna clean up this mess?

P.S.
And Santa really did come. However, only half a gift: a large bucket of baseballs. The note he left explained that due to our huge snowstorm (a real white Christmas in MD) rooftop landings were tricky this year and the professional grade batting tee he'd planned to give the boys slipped out of his sleigh and plummeted to the ground somewhere over Delaware. Only a heroic dive by Blitzen had saved the balls. He promised to send elves out in search of the batting tee and mail it to us via the post office when it was located. We waited several weeks, started to doubt the elves, and then, one day while I was out running errands, our mailman Bob delivered the package to Connor, just like this:
That must have been some tumble from the sleigh! So, as I said, we're keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long and we hope you do, too.

2010-01-22T12:49:00.002-05:00

Why walk when you can run... everywhere!

Mommy made me stop for just a second to take these photos for Aunt Priscilla because I am wearing Timmy's hand-me-downs for the first time! Thanks, they're just my style! Now she's making me go take a nap so she can do the Christmas blog... finally!

2010-01-04T14:16:00.004-05:00

Christmas Eve

"Over the river and through the woods,
to Grandmother's house we go!"

We all love the annual family tradition of crossing two bridges and traveling down Jim and Sheila's unpaved, wooded country lane on our way to celebrate Christmas Eve with the Joyces. We arrived all aglow for mass, dinner and presents with the Joyce grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We celebrated mass at St. Peter's where Peter's sister Catherine is buried and it was special to feel the whole family was together remembering Christ's birth and the gift of life He gave to all. Dinner was perfect, as always at Grandma's, and Grandpa won the Best Cookie Award with his Austrian Chocolate Balls. Young and old enjoyed the generous and thoughtful gifts (Pandora for all the girls) and there really is nothing like kids' eyes glowing in the fireflame and treelights as they open their new toys, even though Timmy already had Hungry Hippos! Sawyer was adorable (read "sleeping") for the most of the night and it was fun to see him join in the family fun for the first time. All cousins were home in their own beds in time for Santa, although it was a close call at our house. And we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

2009-12-22T17:07:00.017-05:00

Snowdude says,
"There will be
S-NO-W School
all week!"
Yes, that is a carrot mohawk.

2009-12-19T16:00:00.010-05:00

Heaven and Nature Sing!

This week we enjoyed the heavenly music of children's voices at the boys' annual winter concerts and right on cue, mother nature chimed in with a blanket of Christmas snow! The little boys had tears streaming down our faces as they caroled away in the best NAPS Christmas pageant ever and the middle schoolers' Lullaby on the Wind brought peace and joy to our hearts.

... and it's still snowing, right outside my kitchen window!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-18T20:23:00.004-05:00

Rock-a-Bye Baby

So I found this picture on my camera this morning which means Daddy snuck in and took it sometime after midnight last night when he finished grading final exams for the night. He, I guess, is documenting Pierce actually sleeping in his crib since all week I have been putting him to bed, waiting for him to drift off, and then hauling him back out again fast asleep so I can rock and snuggle myself to sleep with him in my arms because he is just so sweet. What a gift, each and every little child of God. Night-night Little P.

2009-12-14T12:18:00.003-05:00

Peace in the Sorrow

As we walked through the last week, our tears fell all along the way. And yet, we lift up our hearts and are glad that at Christmas we remember the true and living birth of that one baby boy whose great work and glory it is to bring Mariah and even all of us into eternity together. Families are forever. Sweet Mariah, hugs and kisses to you and your angel friends.

2009-12-01T09:12:00.002-05:00

It's the most wonderful
time of the year.... officially!

This is the 2009 version of the giant, fresh Christmas wreath we make every year and donate to hang on the front of Owen and Reilly's school. When we go to and from school in December, it reminds us that the true spirit of of Christmas is in the gifts we give and not the ones we receive.

2009-11-29T20:31:00.011-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

It started out the way every cold, windy, wet Thanksgiving should... Pierce and I bundled up on the couch in our pjs watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while Peter took the hooligans to the ward Turkey Bowl. And then they came home....
We had to pause the parade recording, start some serious laundry and provide the traditional Cothran lunch of cheese, crackers and deviled eggs along with the traditional Graeme snickerdoodles before we could restart the parade, this time with everyone watching, including those who can come up with 1,001 ways to make fun of marching bands, marching band uniforms, marching band names, marching band music... you get the idea....
Some people just can't take the marching bands at all and the broadway musical cast performances of various stage "favorites" sends them in search of a good book.... but, I have to admit, it really is a good book... and it's nice to see Peter reading something he doesn't have to grade for a midshipman.
Left to their own devices, the hooligans went tribal and broke out Settlers of Catan. This made us miss the cousins for at least the 10th time out of 30 in one day.
I beat them all while cooking the turkey and ham and pulling the toddler off the table repeatedly. Pierce and I walked Ranger while we gloated. And then it was time for dinner.
After much cajoling, we managed to get the hooligans to come up with a reasonably long list of people and things they are thankful for that begin with the letter J (for Joyce, of course), most especially Jesus Christ and Johns Hopkins. We were also all very grateful.....
that Pierce slept through the entire dinner, giving us the requisite peace and quiet for candlelit cajoling and list making. He did wake up in time for dessert!
... which we all agreed was delicious. Way to go Reilly on making the pumpkin pie! You might think that was the perfect end of a Thanksgiving Day... but one more essential delight was yet to occur....
...watching the Horns whoop A&M, staying undefeated and right on track for a national championship bid in January. Maybe that's what Pierce is asking the big guy for this year...
Or maybe he's asking Santa why he didn't join us for the morning-after USNA 5K Turkey Trot?! Hmmmm. And... YES, we had to bribe the hooligans with milkshakes just to get them anywhere near the mall Santa. And... NO, there is not a photo. BUT, as we turn the calendar page, may we be among the first to wish you unseasonably warm weather for hanging your Christmas wreaths and say that it most certainly is okay if pizza already sounds better than a cold turkey sandwich!

Live, Love, Laugh... and then do the laundry.

2009-11-29T20:01:00.007-05:00

Lightning Soccer
Graeme's team finished their first season of travel soccer by winning 2nd place in the Mountain Road Tournament last weekend. Graeme played forward and wing this season and had several goals and assists. His team (together for the last four years) definitely experienced some growing pains leaving county soccer and entering the Baltimore metro league, but were proud to say they managed to win some, lose some and tie an astonishing 6 times against top competition. Graeme is already off to a great start in the winter indoor league, scoring two goals yesterday for the Lightning with the whole family cheering from the stands. Connor says, "Go G-rama!"

2009-11-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

We are the Champions
Reilly's soccer team had an undefeated season and won the club tournament in a shootout with Reilly scoring a goal and ending the game as star keeper to finish out their clinic careers. Peter and Reilly have been playing with the same group of kids since they were three years old and this was a great way to cap all the fun they've had together on the pitch. We took a moment to remember all the ups and downs of the last four years, including the two seasons Reilly spent more or less cheering from the sidelines with his broken leg and then learning to walk and finally run again and thinking back on some of the crazy team names and jersey colors they've had: Red Race Cars, Orange Tigers, Blue Whales, Turquoise Tie-Dye Surf, Lime Green Lizards, and finally the Red Raptors. It didn't matter what color they were, they pretty much dominated the other teams every season (think of Peter as Will Farrell in Kicking and Screaming and Reilly and teammate Henry as the ITALIANS) and are now ready to move on to competitive county soccer. You're one of the big boys now, Reilly. Way to go.

Soccer is a BIG Dad and Reilly thing and I didn't really do much, but I came up with a great cake for the team party, right?

2009-11-03T14:31:00.005-05:00

Even the orthodontist said the day before Halloween is
"Bad Timing"
for getting braces!

2009-11-01T08:59:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Now... aren't you scared?

2009-10-30T15:49:00.008-04:00

Spooky School

Dr. Toxic and Count Dracula gobbled down their breakfasts this morning and headed to school for the annual Halloween parade and classroom parties where they had a creepy time with all the other ghosts and goblins.

Scary second graders before Mom kicked off the party which included make your own green slime with borax, glue, water and food coloring and learning all about 'Dem Bones.

Fourth grade frieks warming up for a dance and karaoke contest headlined by Eye of the Tiger... don't ask me, I was downstairs with the little kids....
WARNING: The mad scientist and the vampire were scheduled for one-day-only appearances this year. They are now secluded in the eerie basement lab, preparing for a dramatic midnight transformation into their REAL Halloween personas... check back tomorrow... if you dare!

2009-10-28T10:30:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to My Blog!

It's been one year since Jennie set up Bringing Up Boys! Thanks again for the sweet present. I would have missed sharing so many great (and not-so-great) family events if I weren't blogging with y'all. Now I can not only name all the cousins in birth order, I even know what makes them each tick... and why all of us moms have a tick! Peter, the boys and I are also very grateful for the outpouring of love and support we received from our friends by being able to share news about Connor's accident through the blog. It's the gift that keeps on giving.... along with the gorgeous cake Peter ordered all on his own, and the yoga mat the kids tried out for me last night!

2009-10-27T15:16:00.004-04:00

This can't be happening to me!

It is a BAD day when the laundry equipment fails in a house with five boys, especially after a weekend of unending rain and muddy soccer games. HELP! Peter and the boys all sat down and watched a YouTube video on how to repair a broken dryer belt and now we're just waiting for the part they ordered to arrive.

In the meantime, Pierce and I packed the van full of filthy clothes and headed to the laundromat yesterday when everyone went to school. As I was lugging in basket after basket of laundry, I was very grateful the laundromat had an automatic sliding door. I was also grateful for the 55 lb. load washer. I was grateful there was a quarter machine on site, which I forgot to think about until after the sliding door thing and all the stuff was in.

But... by the time my five giant loads were done washing and drying, I felt wrung out myself after chasing Pierce all over the very DIRTY store, repeatedly dragging him out of the industrial dryers he would hide in, pulling him down off the folding counters he climbed onto, chasing him and back and forth through the automatic sliding door I was no longer very grateful for, and bending down 10,000 times to pick up quarter after quarter that he was having a blast throwing around the place. WHEW! Why can't that boy sit down and watch some "Price is Right" like everybody else? And WHEN is that replacement part coming....?

2009-10-27T15:08:00.004-04:00

Building Friendships

Everyone enjoyed working on a castle together one rainy evening... and a whole half hour went by without use of a BALL, although Pierce did try throwing the blocks. Thanks Grandpa Joyce for the wonderful homemade toys!

2009-10-16T17:02:00.006-04:00

Play
Like
a
Raven!

An amazing perk came our way as a result of Connor's hard work organizing the NJHS/Safeway 10% Back to School grocery rebate program! The regional Safeway marketing coordinator was so impressed with SRMS students' hard work and enthusiasm for the program that he offered us a unique school-wide incentive program to increase receipt donations. We were able to offer a random receipt drawing where Connor and 10 lucky winners from our school (Yeah Graeme!) received an awesome NFL Ravens prize package including (we still can't believe it).... a tour of the Ravens' locker room with your own name on a locker stocked with a t-shirt, football, yearbook and lots of Heinz products and pre-game snacks (an official sponsor), a trip through the game-day tunnel and on to the field to participate in a fun pass, punt, throw and kick competition, topped off with a buffet dinner (more Heinz products) on the club level of the stadium. It was incredible! Now Connor can say he kicked an extra point on the Ravens field and Graeme can say he nailed a 30 yard pass down the sideline. It was definitely a night to remember!

Meeting Poe in the locker room

Running through the tunnel
and imagining you are Ray Lewis doing his dance

Taking a photo because we were really in the RED ZONE!
OK... the PURPLE zone!

Taking a knee: Connor and Nathan

In the end zone: Graeme and SRMS 7th grade winners

...and it was ALL good!

2009-10-16T16:50:00.002-04:00

Feed the Sharks!

... so we've quickly learned that the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is not all about candlelit pats on the back in suit coats! As part of his membership obligation this year, Connor has to perform at least 24 hours of service to his school and community. His first project was spearheading a grocery store receipt collection program to earn rebate money for his school PTSO. He and I organized 20 other students who worked for more than 70 hours over a three-week period collecting 1,000+ grocery receipts and entering their promotional 20-digit codes into a special website. We offered a pizza party to the homeroom that collected the most coded receipts and Connor et al stood in the local Safeway store lobby night after night with the cool shark mascot collection box. In total, Connor and his NJHS recruits raised more than $2,700 for SRMS! Great project, Connor (and Mom)!

2009-10-16T16:32:00.003-04:00

Connor's
National Junior Honor Society Induction

In recognition of their contributions to Severn River Middle School and their community in the areas of scholarship, leadership, character, service and citizenship, Connor and 49 of of his 8th grade classmates were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at a special ceremony this month after a rigorous application process. I have to admit I pretty much take this type of thing for granted mothering a great kid like Connor, but even I was amazed and inspired by what all of these kids have already accomplished in life, inside and outside the classroom. Not only are they all honor roll students, they are all also great examples to others as very busy athletes, musicians, artists, scouts, church members, volunteers, and family members. It was a night to sit back, take a break and notice not only how fast it is going, but, for a change, to also see how much is being accomplished. Congratulations, Connor; we are so proud of you.
This photo is just for Jennie so she can see that he really did fit into the size 16 suit jacket (required attire)! Thanks for the hand-me-around!

2009-09-21T13:17:00.008-04:00

A Visit from Cousin B!

Wow, were the boys surprised to see Bryan! It's been about 4 years and they all agree, he has certainly GROWN! We really enjoyed catching up during the 12 short hours we had him last Friday night, between 10 pm and 10 am! The boys were excited to show him their bedrooms, the kitchen addition and the dog, but his show and tell was the best and Peter and I loved watching them all pass around his DRIVER'S LICENSE! I think they stayed up until 4 am goofing around in the basement (Connor and Graeme go live on B's facebook) before a quick pancake breakfast and he was out the door again.

BUT, six days later, he came back... for 30 more whirlwind hours of fun! It was a great excuse for the middle schoolers to stay up late on a school night (although this time they showed some restraint and went to bed at 2 am) and then I got him to myself for the day! (Boo! Hiss! What a mean mom to send the boys to school Friday, but they all had TESTS!) I fed Bryan and Pierce McDonald's breakfast (you know I love ya B) en route to the world's weirdest Walmart location where Bryan helped me load the rug I'd ordered and had delivered site to store. (Try it, girls; I saved $17.99 in shipping!) We then went nuts on local fast food you can't get in Texas like Popeye's chicken and Dunkin' Donuts (and we got some for him to take home and share, too!) Now Bryan owes me a Sonic cherry limeade slush.

With about 3 hours left until the boys came home, Bryan found the perfect opportunity to indoctrinate me into the world of Twilight, which I had never read. He sucked me right in and on the way home we decided we had to stop at Blockbuster and rent the movie. Pierce tucked himself in for a long nap and Bryan and I turned off all the lights, shut the front door and watched the whole movie uninterrupted (how did I get so lucky?!?) ... and when is New Moon coming out? I'm hooked.

Then the boys came home! Luck was on our side again and at Bryan's suggestion, we were able to catch the Orioles at home at Camden Yards, facing the Red Sox. We'd never seen the Red Sox before, it's usually a "prime" game and tickets are hard to come by since Boston is close enough and their fans crazy enough to sell out our stadium reguarly when they play here. BUT with the O's stinking like the AL East basement dwellers they are, the stadium was all but empty of O's fans so after our traditional Chick-Fil-A dinner, we were able to walk up to the gate and get tickets for $6 each and join the Sox Nation to watch the home team.... from the 16th row, just beyond 1st base!! Of course, they lost, but the weather was perfect, Luke Scott hit a home run and Reilly even got his photo with The Bird.
We got home around 11 pm and Owen, Reilly and I went to bed, but what else was there for B and the big boys to do since he was leaving at 4 AM (?!@*!)... other than just stay up all night again. More Facebook and fantasy football and baseball, I think? And then to the airport, so sad. Thanks for coming Cousin B! We love you!
.... I think I'll go take a nap now.

2009-09-21T13:05:00.003-04:00

Back in Action

With the addition of protective headgear, Connor is 100% back in action again, although you can hardly tell from these boring photos. He and his team play at such a highly competitive level now that my little camera just can't keep up anymore. It is amazing to see Connor able to play soccer again with all his old intensity, speed and strength. The Lord has been so good to us.
P.S. And not to be greedy or anything, but do you think the Lord could make Connor grow a little, too?*! See the top of his head behind the blonde boy bending over? Just remember, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!

2009-09-03T12:08:00.017-04:00

Back to School

Owen and Reilly took the plunge last Monday. Both boys were excited to put on their new shoes (if not their uniforms) and head back to NAPS and their school friends. Of course they would not be Joyces if they were not sad to leave behind the daily wiffle ball routine, but at least they still have the poison ivy, scratches and bug bites all over their faces, arms, and legs to prove it was a great summer.
Owen's entire 3rd grade class, including the teacher, all moved up to 4th grade together this year. I think the lack of "transition" has been nice, but Owen is most pleased to have his best friend Hank in his class again. He pretty much doesn't care about the rest of it. Except recess, where his aim for the year is to score 50 goals in soccer. For the first time ever, he was the first in the family to complete his summer reading program and I am expecting great things from him in the classroom this year... in between recesses, of course.Reilly is about to have the best year ever. He is in 2nd grade with Mrs. Regier, my favorite elementary school teacher in the universe. She is like Ms. Frizzle on The Magic School Bus. She is wacky, funny, musical and truly young at heart. She often dresses in costume, complete with enormous, colorful earrings based on the unit the kids are studying, uses the piano in her room all the time, and lets the kids do their spelling tests by tracing letters into shaving cream she squirts on their desks. She is from Minnesota and believes in outdoor recess, no matter what. Of all the boys, it was high time for REILLY to go back to school. He has a hard time keeping up with the bigger boys all summer and we are all glad he gets to go be 7 years old again.

Connor and Graeme had one additional day of summer to savor, so while Owen and Reilly were trying out their new pencils and crayons Monday, Connor and Graeme were hanging with friends at the beach and the pool, catching crabs, and definitely squeezing in a little more wiffle ball before packing lunchboxes for their first day on Tuesday. Since they are both middle school veterans already, it was the easiest first day of school for me in quite a while and, I admit, I'd gotten anxious to turn the page on our crazy summer and start a new chapter.
Everyone was grateful that Connor received medical clearance to start 8th grade on time, even though it required two trips to Hopkins the week before to jump through the proper hoops. His recovery is all but over now except for 2-3 more weeks of sports restrictions. He found that in every class, when one student was brave enough to ask what happened to his head, he quickly had a captive audience and pretty much won the "What I Did This Summer" contest. I hope his teachers were listening and don't think I let him have some weird punk hairdo. He gets lots of well wishes from former teachers and friends who learned about the accident through the grape vine during summer and continues to appreciate the nice things people do and say. His favorite class is Stock Market and he has the most homework in Geometry, which he is taking for high school credit. Peter and I are in absolute shock that this is his last year before high school.
Graeme can now say "Nihao" (Hello, pronounced Knee-How) in Chinese, but that's it. After just one week, he begged us to drop Chinese and take French instead because his class has only 4 students and the other 3 are girls, which makes him very uncomfortable. (Should I be insulted or relieved?) Also, I met his teacher and had to agree with him that her English was not very good. So, instead, we say Bonjour to the 7th grade. Graeme is otherwise very happy and well adjusted, seeing lots of familiar faces from last year sprinkled across all his classes and finding himself well liked enough to be sitting at a really rocking lunch table, with no effort at all. Starting 6th grade fresh out of NAPS was a whole different ballgame, you may remember. Also very unlike 6th grade when he had only 1 teacher who Connor had, this year he has ALL the same teachers Connor had last year, including the very cool Mr. Deen for social studies. He can't wait to play Trashketball for current events review.

Hey Guys! Where are you going? What about me?

I guess I'll just climb in my toy basket and watch some Sesame Street by myself for a while. Boy, it sure is quiet around here.

2009-08-26T11:14:00.003-04:00

Capturing Summer

I've been working all week on saving some of the season's best to enjoy this winter. So far I've canned 1/2 bushels of tomatoes, apples and peaches from our local farmers market. I love pretending to be in a chapter of Little House on the Prairie! Aren't they pretty? But if I'm capturing the end of summer, you know what come's next, right? Boo Hoo. It's the back to school posts. Stay tuned...

2009-08-26T11:03:00.002-04:00

We all have work;
let no one shirk.

OK, OK.
Let someone shirk!

We are working on putting in a pea gravel foundation for a paver patio outside our mudroom door. When it is finished, our worker boys have asked to be "paid" a trip to Old Country Buffet. I think we can manage that! But it's not done yet, guys..... and by the way, where's Reilly?

2009-08-11T15:31:00.003-04:00

No more high chair!

2009-08-08T15:30:00.009-04:00

The Long and the Short of It:

Part I

Connor's long hair and staples

Connor's short hair, 1 week after staple removal

We were really looking forward to Connor's trip back to Hopkins for staple removal. All 40 staples came out in less than 10 minutes with no problem. He brought along balloons and a basket of magazines, puzzle books and candy to share with the other teen patients at the hospital. It was an amazing blessing to be on "the other side" already and to be able to visit other kids, share his smile and story and wish them all a speedy recovery, just like his!

The scar is healing extremely well. You can see it on staple removal day above in green shirt, 2 weeks after accident, and then see how it has healed even more one week after that on haircut day in the blue shirt above, 3 weeks after accident. Now he's just waiting for medical clearance to start a little running and non-contact soccer practice this week. It is amazing how far he has come so quickly. We are so grateful.

2009-08-08T15:22:00.007-04:00

The Long and the Short of It:
Part II

The Long Old Car:
R.I.P. Blown Head Gasket 2002 Chevy Caprice

The Short New Car:
Welcome to the Family 2008 Ford Focus!
Here's to more MP3s (it has a cool sound system) and MPGs!

2009-08-08T15:04:00.004-04:00

Blast Off!
There were 100 "Cubs in Space" this week as Owen and Reilly attended Cub Scout Day Camp at the county fairgrounds. You can't really "attend" cub scout day camp, you kind of have to eat, sleep, breath and wear it, which is exactly what Owen and Reilly did! There is no end to the creativity, energy and resourcefulness of our scout leadership and the boys were busy every moment carving model rockets, fishing, shooting BB guns, firing arrows on the archery range, playing badminton, shaking bags of homemade ice cream, making recyclable crafts, learning about geodes, shopping at the trading post, praticing den cheers and skits.... and getting as dirty as possible in the process. I'd say it was the perfect week!

2009-07-26T22:12:00.017-04:00

Connor's Road to Recovery

Dear Friends and Family,
Connor has had an absolutely amazing week and we can't help but pause, one short week after his accident, to thank our Heavenly Father for his great mercy in healing our son and to thank all of you for your many prayers and thoughtful acts of kindness. Almost as soon as Connor came home, he was eating and sleeping normally, without any kind of medication. He even looks all but normal now (right??!!) He is still under doctor's orders to avoid all "activity", but has seen his days fly by happily as friends, coaches and cousins have sent cards and e-mails and have stopped by to visit, joke, play games, build puzzles and share lots of yummy food. (Can you believe his 7th grade friends made lasagna and blueberry pie?!) He was able to walk around the neighborhood for the first time yesterday and even made quick visits to the baseball Astros, the Bruins wrestlers, the Navy Junior Seals and his grandparents this week which really lifted his spirits. We couldn't believe how lucky we were to have him sitting beside us in church today, remembering that just last week we were still in the PICU at Hopkins. So moving forward from here... Connor is looking forward to having the staples removed from his incision this week, getting a new haircut, boning up on some more baseball trivia, continuing to whoop his brothers, neighbors and friends at wii Big Brain Academy and finishing the 1,000 piece puzzle he's working on. Thanks and thanks again from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done to fill our home with love and our hearts with gratitude throughout this experience.
Fondly,
Peter, Amber and Connor
P.S. Roll over photos in slideshow with mouse to see captions.

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments
when our hearts are conscious of their treasures."
Thornton Wilder

2009-07-21T09:19:00.012-04:00

Kiss today goodbye,
the sweetness and the sorrow.

Wish me luck,

the same to you.Look, my eyes are dry,

The gift was ours to borrow.It's as if we always knew,

Love's what we remember.

Kiss today goodbye,
and point me to tomorrow.

What we did, we had to do.

Won't forget, can't regret,

what I've been through now,
what I've been through now.Gone, love is never gone.

Love's what I'll remember.Kiss today goodbye,
and point me to tomorrow.
Lyrics adapted from the musical A Chorus Line

Connor came home late last night and is resting and healing, buoyed up by the prayers and encouragement of many, many friends. Thank you all so much for the outpouring of love that we have experienced throughout this trauma.

Connor wants to tell you all about it himself, but since so many people have asked WHAT HAPPENED!!!??!!!, the short version is: Connor and some scout buddies at camp were jumping off a picnic table under a pavillion and grabbing onto the rafters and swinging around. Connor jumped, grabbed the rafters and generated so much momentum that he swung around the rafters to an upside-down position, losing his grip on the rafter and crashing 10-feet down to the ground, directly on his head. That's the story.

2009-07-19T22:30:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,
As some of you already know, Connor sustained a life-threatening head injury in an accident at scout camp on Friday and was life-flighted to Hopkins hospital in Baltimore where he is recovering from an emergency surgery to evacuate blood in his brain. We are so lucky to have such an excellent medical facility in our back yard. We want to let all of you know that he is doing very well and was able to move out of the Pediatric ICU today and into a "normal room", having demonstrated that all of his neurologic systems are intact and that he has miraculously sustained no other physical injuries. He is now able to talk to us (mostly about how bummed he is about all the baseball, swimming and soccer he is missing) and was able to sit, stand and walk a few steps with assistance late this afternoon. He is still on a lot of medications and not eating yet, so that will be tomorrow's goal. We are hopeful that a full recovery is within reach before the start of school. We can not thank you enough for your thoughts and especially your prayers at this difficult time for our family. You have blessed us more than we can say. Connor has a huge incision covered in staples along the right side of his skull, and we tell him that there is a staple for every person who has expressed love, concern and prayer for him this weekend as he struggled. We thank all of Connor's sports friends and coaches; the neurosurgeons said that Connor is obviously an athletic kid in great condition and that throughout surgery and immediately after, his heart and respiration rates were astoundingly good and that this is helping his body to heal as quickly as possible. Connor can still use your continued prayer and thoughts and when he comes home, a few assurances that the huge scar on his head is actually kind of cool, right???
In gratitude and amazement at all the good Lord has done for us through all of you,
Peter and Amber

2009-07-07T20:47:00.024-04:00

The Ripken Experience!

CAL RIPKEN, front and center! Graeme's baseball team took a week-long trip to The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, SC to play in the Beach Blast tournament the last week of June. They were lucky enough to meet Cal himself, who only spends a couple of weeks a year at the complex. Cal was awesome and answered lots of questions and gave great advice in an informal Q&A session with six teams at a a time before posing for photos with all the teams.
And, of course, the boys played a lot of baseball and had so much fun at the premier facility with all turf fields, scoreboards, loudspeaker announcers for every game and professional photographers!!! Roll some of the great shots they took of Graeme making awesome plays at second base/shortstop....

The team played very well, going 2-3-2 on the week and qualifying to play in the championship bracket as 6th seed of 15 teams (very important because you got a medal to bring home if you made it that far!) Graeme really had an amazing experience. My favorite memories of him during the week were the giant smiles running on and off the field between innings with the music playing, and the day he asked me if he could bring one of the dugout paper Gatorade cups (like the real big leaguers use!) home for a souvenir.

Throughout the very HOT week, Connor and Pierce were all star fans for Graeme and the rest of the Astros. When they weren't playing games, the boys had unlimited passes to a water park, a go cart raceway, miniature golf, laser tag and of course, the beach.

We were lucky enough to share a condo with two great family friends and had an awesome time. Special thanks and thanks again to the Roz family and the Cunninghams!

... and to the Asian pedicure ladies! After a week of stomping through nonstop baseball in our flip flops, the girls decided we'd earned a pedicure (my first)!

What a week... twelve years old and in baseball heaven at the beach!

2009-07-07T20:25:00.004-04:00

All Star Weekend

Owen and Reilly were both selected to play on the Broadneck 8U all star team that competed in the machine pitch state championship tournament this weekend. Owen played shortstop, third base and first base. Reilly played pitcher's mound and left field. The proudest moments for Coach Dad were when Reilly fielded ground balls and made great throws to Owen at first for several brother-to-brother outs. The worst moments were when Reilly dropped an easy pop fly and Owen yelled at him on the field and then on the very next play Owen dropped an easy pop fly in foul territory and Reilly yelled at him, too. Ahhh, the joys of brotherhood. Mom's best moments were just watching them admire each other's uniforms and hearing Connor and Graeme tell the little boys how awesome they are. It all goes by too fast!

2009-06-15T16:48:00.003-04:00

Triathlon Triumph!

We did it! Connor and I competed in our first triathlon this weekend! "Before" photo is above! Connor's friend's Dad (in the truck by me above) challenged his son Jackson (red hair, second from left) and three of his 7th grade buddies and their parents to compete in the Tuckahoe Triathlon this year: 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 1 mile canoe paddle. This mini triathlon is run mostly in "teams" so I drafted my baseball mom friend Lori and signed up. We had a great time and finished even faster than we thought we would, especially Connor and his partner Henry who led all racers after the run!

When Lori and I emerged from the wooded run trail (Lori kicked my butt on the run), we were ecstatic to see how many bikes were still waiting for their riders when we hopped on ours and headed out onto the road course. We were NOT last! Woo-Hooo! Peddling through the miles and miles of corn was my favorite part and then we had a huge laugh at our jelly legs when we dismounted the bikes and tried to jog over to the beach for the canoe paddle. As we got into our canoe, we saw Connor and Henry crossing the finish line (1 hour, 10 minutes, 36 seconds) as we headed out.

The canoe course on the fishing pond was a ton easier than the creek we trained on in Annapolis so we were giggling with relief through the whole last leg. As luck would have it, we coasted to a finish right along side Connor's friends, Jackson and Ricky, in 1 hour, 23 minutes and 4 seconds. Check that one off the life list! And add it back on again. The whole group agreed, Tuckahoe 2010!

Stinky and wet at the end, but ready for another race!

2009-06-15T12:12:00.002-04:00

We are the Champions!

Owen's Rattlers baseball team won the 9U league championship game on Saturday by a score of 1-0, bringing their 2009 season to an impressive 9-1 finish. Owen started the game on the hill and pitched four scoreless innings before leaving the mound at his pitch count limit. With the game still knotted at zero in the bottom of the last inning, Owen hit a walk-off double to secure the first-place trophy for the team! Awesome, OJO!

Try locating that strike zone, buddy! Owen developed a reputation throughout the season not only for his skill and talent, but also for his passionate and vocal play in every game, all the time. He was king of 9-year-old mind games and just about drove everyone crazy with stuff like weird stances, crazy dugout chants, mean scowls from the mound, very loud glove thumping, constant chatter with every first base coach he met, psyching out the opposing pitcher from the on-deck circle, and marshalling the other infielders as though he were a general at war. He is still Owen, after all. BUT, he never argued a call all season and at the end of the championship game, the ump told Owen they were best friends! Now that's a storybook ending to a great season!

2009-06-04T13:40:00.014-04:00

The reason we blog... special days!

Graeme's ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood was a huge milestone in his life. We hope you enjoy being there in your own way and that you know you're a part of an eternal family that is filled with love and growth and promise.

Deacon Doubles!

2009-05-27T11:32:00.004-04:00

School's Out for Summer!

With a nod from President Obama and the traditional tossing of the caps, the Naval Academy graduation ended and the Blue Angels soared overhead as Owen and Reilly whooped it up on the last day of school at NAPS last Friday! Pizza, water balloons, flag football, snow cones and happy faces marked the occassion on this side of the river.

Owen earned the Presidential Fitness Award and his Math Marathon Gold Medal. Reilly earned the National Fitness Award and his Math Marathon Gold Medal. So now it's goodbye to 1st and 3rd grades... and hello to to summer reading, the pool, late nights with the O's, and goofing around with Baby P!

2009-05-17T19:47:00.024-04:00

You say it's your birthday?

It's my birthday, too!

We're gonna have a good time!

Happy Birthday to you!

Hey Graeme, remember where you were on this day last year? It was your birthday and you came to see me at the hospital right after I was born and then you rushed out here to PAL Park for a game. Thanks for bringing me along this year!

And now, let's party!

Baseball, friends, cousins, presents and cake. Now this was a good day! Can we do it again next year, Graeme?

2009-05-17T10:32:00.009-04:00

An Official Teenager!

Connor woke up on his birthday to 13 candles on a breakfast doughnut tower! We all sang and wished him a happy birthday right away because he was out the door early and then traveling to an away baseball game right after school.
All of the boys had baseball games that night, and they all won-- can't beat that for wishes coming true! Mom and Dad arranged four different carpools so Mom could go to Connor's game. It was fun to see him doing something he enjoys so much on his birthday. The whole team celebrated with pizza and a big cookie after the game. Go Bruins! To be continued....

... the next day! Since it was so late when Connor got home, we waited for the next night after soccer and baseball practice (and a shower!) for presents, Chinese takeout for dinner and a chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake. Do 13-year-old boys still like Webkinz? YES, they do. And clothes, music, Wii games and baseball cards. And brothers, most of all.

Happy Birthday, Big Brother!

2009-05-12T10:08:00.025-04:00

Happy 9th Birthday!

Owen's Top Nine
Ways to Celebrate:

9. Outdoor Recess
8. Watching SportsCenter and skipping morning chores
7. Baseball Practice
6. Papa John's Cheese Pizza
5. Birthday brownies at school and a big cookie at home
4. NHL Capitols playoff win
3. New shirts, music, baseball cards and snowcone syrup. Oh yeah, books, too.
2. Birthday spanks from Dad and the boys
1. Candles and lots of wishes for another unforgettable, uniquely OJO year!

2009-05-12T10:01:00.001-04:00

Hey, Connor!?

I understand this....

and I can even believe this...
... but I think I need you to explain THIS?!Love,
Mom

2009-05-10T21:07:00.009-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, Meg!
Welcome Sawyer James!

2009-05-05T10:09:00.005-04:00

Get Ready...

'cuz here I come!

Okay Graeme, I'm ready. Let go!

Steady, steady Pierce.

Now, if I just concentrate, I got it!

Whoa, I mean I don't got it!

Oh yeah, I got it again.

This is easy! Piece of cake.

2009-04-12T21:02:00.013-04:00

He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice!

He has burst His three days' prison.
Let the whole wide earth rejoice!

Death is conquered. Man is free.
Christ has won the victory!

He is risen! He is risen!
He hath opened heaven's gate.

We are free from sin's dark prison;
risen to a holier state.

And a brighter Easter beam
on our longing eyes shall stream!

Wishing all of our loved ones a
Happy Easter
from Bringing Up Boys

Celebrating with Grandma, Grandpa, Abbie and Tim

And by the way...
If you guys are done with these, can I have 'em?

2009-04-09T19:41:00.010-04:00

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

We had the perfect excuse (spring break for Connor and Graeme) and the perfect weather (sunny 60 degrees), so we took the afternoon off, grabbed Graeme's friend Aidan and headed to Camden Yards for the first day game of the season. The Orioles had opened the 2009 season with two big wins against the hated Yankees and we were hoping to cheer them on to a series sweep, but that was not to be. Lots of defensive miscues led to an 11-2 beating by the Bronx Bombers and we headed home with the first one in the loss column. Still smiling though because it was our first time to see the Yankees... and because there are 159 O's games left this year! We'll be back!

2009-04-05T18:40:00.009-04:00

Sunny Day

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2009-04-05T09:15:00.032-04:00

Orioles FanFest 2009

"Something magic happens, every time you go. You make the magic happen. The magic of Oriole Baseball. O-R-I-O-L-E-S! Magic, Magic, Magic, Magic ! Orioles Magic, Feel It Happen!"

I took Graeme, Owen, Reilly and Pierce to Orioles FanFest (Go MOM!), a fun event held at Camden Yards celebrating the home team and kicking off the new MLB season. All the boys are huge fans and autograph hounds and this is one of the best opportunities all year to rub elbows with the players. The boys brought official MLB baseballs they were lucky enough to snag during pre-game BP last year and had them signed by six Orioles.

They stood in line the longest to get veteran first baseman slugger, Aubrey Huff. When Graeme said, "Mr. Huff, I have you on my fantasy team." Aubrey responded, "Then you're going to win the whole thing, kid!" Graeme was tickled. Later in the afternoon, Huff hit a three-run homer in an exhibition game against the Nationals.

Connor couldn't go to FanFest because his baseball team was in a tournament, so he charged the brothers with scoring him a pitcher autograph. Starting pitchers are the hardest to get during the regular season because they are out secluded in the bullpen getting focused on starting the game and relievers are pretty much never in the dugout, so FanFest can be big in that department. And the little boys did not disappoint, getting Connor's ball signed by hurlers Jamie Walker, Chris Ray and, thanks to a little help from our friends who we bumped into at the Yard, all star closer George Sherrill.
So thanks Emory (in the red hat above) for letting the boys jump in line with you. The next photo of Graeme and outfielder Luke Scott was made possible by you!
And thanks also to Coach Ray for a fun time with Graeme's teammates, and for pushing Pierce's empty stroller around the entire Club Level of the stadium. Pierce, of course, wanted to see it all up close and personal being carried by Mom and saw no need to sit in that stroller thing once he got inside the stadium!

Go Astros! With some magic, you might make it to the bigs, too. Just remember the little people when you do.

2009-04-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Alphabet Soup

Owen and Reilly are A-OK! They both brought home straight A and O/S report cards this week! The academic subjects are graded A, B, C, or D. The behavior/social progress is rated O (outstanding), S (satisfactory), or N (needs improvement). We are, shall I say, familiar with all three ratings. But not this time! Reilly has been ripping through first grade on a straight A tear all year, and this is the first time EVER that third grader Owen has pulled off the feat. They earned a reward UA sweatshirt to share (more soup for you) and giant chocolate bars. Reilly got CRUNCH and Owen got Mr. Goodbar, which Dad immediately dubbed "Mr. GoodBOY"! We are proud of both boys, but the best part, especially after last week..., was seeing how proud Owen was of himself.

2009-04-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

No Photo to Prove It

Several of us at Bringing Up BOYS spent an evening at the theater on Friday night! It gets better. It was a musical. And it was ANNIE! Leaping Lizards! I have not been to a high school musical since.... gee, since I was in a high school musical 20 years ago! It is safe to say that Connor and Graeme had NEVER been to a high school musical. So, when Graeme's teammate's big sister invited us to see her play an orphan in her high school play, we jumped at the chance. But we had to call in some reinforcements. Come on down Auntie Jen, Kamberlynne and Rebekah! We all had so much fun. I was amazed to realize I still know every single line of that production thanks to a certain sister who had an OBSESSSION with all things curly, red-headed and optimistic from 1980 until at least 1982. Ah, the memories. We're gonna do it again... maybe. No, definitely!

2009-04-03T08:18:00.003-04:00

Hee Hee...

The boys' student assignment books for school have a motivational quote from a famous person on each page. At the dinner table we sometimes ask the boys what the quote for the day was and if they know why the person who said it was famous. The other day Graeme said, "I saw a good one, but who are the Dr. Joyce Brothers???? Are there 5 of them, too?" Peter and I had a good laugh!

2009-03-31T09:21:00.004-04:00

Training 'em Young

Every time I turn my back for even a moment lately, Pierce has found a new place to climb, pull himself up and stand. I have to say though, that this stunt has a lot more potential than some of the other places he's gotten into lately...

2009-03-30T02:59:00.005-04:00

Kicked Off the Team

Due to repeated sportsmanship issues with everyone from teammates to coaches to refs, Owen was kicked off his travel soccer team this weekend. For all of us who love Owen, our heart breaks for him as he and we struggle with his challenges in this area of his life. Owen is a gifted athlete and we know that he can learn to use his God-given talents in a way that will make him, us, and, most importantly, his Heavenly Father happy again someday soon. There's been a lot said and done about change and repentance in our home today, and what we need now is just your love and support. Lots of it. Some of the lessons we learn in life are oh, so hard, on little hearts. Man, these bad news blog posts are tough...