10.31.2011

a hallowen treat.

watching nathan on the field.

sitting on the bleachers under a perfect sunset.

sunglasses a must for this game.

hanging with my guys.

chatting with old friends & new friends.

cheering and standing as the ball moves to the end zone.

a good game & a tough loss.

still a great halloween treat for all!



10.31.2011

this is what psycho parents do when they have

to be at a football game during trick-or-treat time!

just leave this on the front step.

no candy needed.

halloween on a budget!

just kiddin'.

we actually just left the lights off till we arrived home.

and a good thing we did because we almost ran

out of candy in the 45 minutes we were home.

where did all these kids come from?

100 bagged treats gone.

another successful sugar high for all.

happy halloween!

10.30.2011

you can take the boys out of buffalo

but we are still their number one fan!

nothing better than watching them on a sunday afternoon

win a big game!

go. bills. go.

we are cheering from here!

10.30.2011

its been in our daily thoughts.

its been on our kitchen table.

its been a seven week assignment.

its been a researching/creative/budgetless task.

its been a time consuming project.

and its done!

colin created an acre dream backyard complete

with a pineapple forest, video game treehouse, a well stocked pond

with boat for fishing & a fruit producing garden.

he used hawaii for his environment &

carried that theme throughout the project.

he did a great job.

he stayed focused.

he completed each step before moving on to the next.

colin learned some important life lessons during this task:

read the entire assignment first before starting.

pace yourself.

don't procrastinate.

record your resources as you go.

good stuff!

10.29.2011

spectacular saturday morning under crayola sky blue skies.

the field was green, the air was still, the temperature was fall like.

the chain boy was not smiling despite his 8am haircut.

the quarterback was pumped after a late night sleepover

and an early morning video game session.

the mom-only cheerleading squad from the opposing team was slightly annoying.

we faced an undefeated team.

it was 6 - 6 at halftime.

we held strong but not strong enough to put another win on our record.

great game despite the final score 18 - 6.

-

the a/c is off for the first time since early this year.

not sure we'll be able to keep it off but we'll try.

the windows are open & the fresh air feels wonderful as it fills our home.

the smell of fresh grass, fall air and faraway bbq sneaks inside.

our day was filled with errands, gardening, college games & starbucks coffee.

weekend days are so much better that week days!

10.28.2011

576 pages that i could not put down.

i loved this book although i must admit it wasn't love at first page.

it took me a while to get into it but it was worth it.

heavy in art and history.

deep in characters and writing.

intense in theme.

beautifully bouncing from current to late 1800's.

another favorite book of 2011.

10.27.2011

{colin at practice tonight}

what a difference a day makes.

yesterday colin was stressing about his school project,

today he is glowing that its done & his oral presentation is complete.

yesterday it was 90 degrees and sunny,

today its 68 and cloudy.

yesterday i had a sore throat,

today i am living with a nasty head cold & losing my voice.

what a difference a day makes!

10.27.2011

dear justin,

congratulations on your accomplishment today! we are so proud of you - you, along with three of your classmates, received this honor today out of 300 8th graders! the super stinger award is based on grades, leadership, behavior & involvement. it is a teacher only voting system. you always have your homework done before we even ask. we never have to assist you with time management with your projects - you have the natural gift of self discipline. we never have to help you with your homework - honestly, i'm not sure we could help you with any of that algebra, geometry or spanish. you spend the majority of your weekends practicing the baritone while the rest of us are couch potatoes watching football.  you have never missed a football practice - you are faithful to coach and the team & often tutor a player or two to help them along. i still can't believe its you out on the field every week. you are already towering over me but when you add your pads you are larger than life. you definitely have your fathers height - thank goodness. your signature is a scribble like you fathers but your homework is a printed masterpiece like you mothers. you sent over 10,000 text messages last month in addition to daily football practices and/or games that often don't bring you home till after 9 at night. besides band and football, you are also a member of the honor society - you haven't been able to make a meeting yet but as soon as football is over you'll hit those after school tuesday sessions. you don't have much time to watch tv or play video games these days but that ipod is always hanging out in your ear! you enjoy every kind of food but refuse mcdonalds menu. you enjoy going to the movies with your buddies - sci-fi is still your favorite. you love your sweets like mom & enjoy a bowl of blue bell ice cream everyday, mint chocolate chip is number one on your list.  you read books like they are going out of style and often have to borrow from other middle schools to get your specific request. your room is organized chaos but you school binder is meticulously organized. your hair is long, you wear shorts to school everyday and your adais sneakers are sparkling white. you never miss sunday church or wednesday night youth group - unless is a football night. you are a wonderful christian witness, often inviting students to youth group with you.  you are the IT guy around the house - something i'm sure you wish you weren't. "justin can you fix this computer." "justin can you fix the picture in picture on the tv screen." "justin can you skype with so-and-so for us." "justin can you get this wireless printer working." "justin, can you set up this new router we bought." "justin, can you swap out the defective modem." you do not like getting your picture taken but you don't have a choice living around here. you cut the grass every week - this is your weekly chore. hard to give you more, you are kinda busy. you love the papermate refillable mechanical pencil with 0.07 and we buy them in bulk when we find them.

this is you today.

this is you now.

we just want to say we love you.

love,

mom and dad

10.26.2011

hello wednesday night.

you are filled with football cheers/beautiful sunset skies/dollar bag popcorn/

pom pom cheerleaders/warm summer breezes/bleacher seats/comedian announcer/

bubble gum treats....

hello wednesday night.

these are the best nights.

(regardless of the final score)

10.25.2011

just a quick post.
nfl week # 7 standings:
steve 8/13
carol 6/13
justin 9/13
nathan 10/13
colin 10/13

10.25.2011

same seat.

same dragon stadium.

same hornet 7th grade football team.

same popcorn.

same weather.

same blue skies.

different night!

10.24.2011

happy 6th delliversary steve!
i can't believe that is has been six years already in the lone star state.
we have filled it with breakfast tacos, queso, college football & winters in flip flops!
we have added burnt orange, longhorns & y'all to our daily life.
we have made this adventure together.
thank you for all your long commutes on the thirty-five, mastering the art of st. augustine grass growing, conference calls at 3am, filling your first passport and delivering blue skies 300 days a year.
we did it!

10.24.2011

wheres waldo, justin & nathan?

-

they are hanging with 2200 of their favorite musical friends

at the round rock festival of bands tonight.

take 10 middle schools,

add 5 high school,

mix in a beautiful 90 degree evening &

gently stir in one football field.

relax for 2 hours & enjoy!

10.23.2011

read this book in 2 days.

what a great read!

i loved how the author so easily jumped back and forth -

from present day to days of the past.

her descriptions are so detailed, you feel as though you are there.

the flower titled scared me at first.

i'm not a big flower type girl.

but it has such a powerful yet subtle thread woven into this story -

you can't imagine the story without it.

the perfect quick yet deep novel

that will be with you long after the last page.

10.20.2011

steve bought me this book for my birthday.

i finally had the chance to read it.

i really liked this book.

it was rich in words, haunting in theme & vivid in descriptions.

i felt as if i was walking right next to ora - the main character in the novel.

classic story of two boys liking one girl but with a twist or two.

but its more than just that.

so much more....

glad this is a part of my library collection -

i can reread this one again.

10.19.2011

life. now. here. today.

6am.

please notice the football pads NOT inside the football pants.

please notice the number of shoes/flip-flops/sneakers each child has here.

please notice the piles of homework going & returning.

please note that nathan has exactly 20 minutes from now to find the pants,

load the pads, pack his backpack, get up, get dressed, eat breakfast & get into the car so he can

be at school by 630am....

i'll let ya know how this one turned out!

10.18.2011

and for something new.....

football blogging!

hopewell hornets homecoming had the teachers cheerleading,

the principal joining & the hornets winning!

nice job dudes.

love hearing them announce "tackle made by number 60 - justin sippel"

love first true day of cool football temps - high was only in the 70's today.

love munching on popcorn while cheering our team to a win.

ok, no more football till tomorrow nights practice for colin!

10.18.2011

no words needed.

look what was in yesterdays mailbox.

the christmas list is being modified.

the catalog has yet to be put down.

(and yes, colin did sleep with it last night!)

its offically christmas in the eyes of a 9 year old!

10.18.2011

sunday game watching was spent at the park - a new sports bar at the domain.

sunday game watching was intense - watching 7 different games at  once.

sunday game cheering was memorable - especially when i was cheering for the bills (on a replay!)

-

nfl sippel standings after week six:

steve: 8/13

carol: 9/13

justin: 8/13

nathan: 8/13

colin: 9/13

-

the overall correct pick tally after this weeks games:

steve - 64

nathan - 60

colin - 57

carol - 55

justin - 52

game on!

10.17.2011

{tonight at the palace football stadium}

football tickets for family - $7.00

water - $2.50

popcorn - $1.00

cheering number 64 and the hopewell hornets to victory - priceless!

10.16.2011

{today. now. football card sharing}

weekend recap.

friday night sleepovers.

ymca volleyball games.

flag football game.

papa murphy pizza.

outdoor tennis hockey.

beautiful 90 degrees.

sunday morning church.

the park to watch the bills.

girls weekend airline tickets.

outlet mall shopping.

football watching.

modern family episodes.

reading.

ipadding.

just hanging.

good stuff.

happy weekend.