Update: Fall 2014 edition

Just a quick recap since I have been MIA almost six months.

*Kids are great. I officially have three (!) teenagers. My "baby" is full blown toddler. He is still really cute and we are quite certain he is a genius. ;)

*Football season is wrapping up. We are in week three of play-offs for my youth leaguers and we have about two weeks left for my high schooler. This was our first year with high school football and it has been a new and exciting experience.

*Photography is kind of on the back burner. I photographed my football players and really enjoy it. I just don't have the practice time I would like. At least two of my boys will be wrestling. I would love to photograph wrestling but I am limited by me gear at this time. If you are interesting in my sports work you can check it out HERE (youth football) and HERE** (HS football).

*The biggest change...WE MOVED. Ok, not as exciting as it sounds. We just moved to a new neighborhood about a block from our old home. BUT it is a big deal for me. We moved into a smaller home. This sounds insane because we have a larger-ish family. However, I really feel this is going t o help my stress level in so many ways. I was having such a hard time keeping up with housekeeping. My kids have chores and help out a lot. But the reality is that we are gone all the time. I leave at 7am and I am not really home again until 8-8:30pm. Saturdays are full of football games and cross country meets. I spend all day every Sunday cleaning, food prepping and doing laundry. I think a smaller home will help. So far, my theory has been right (but we are only 2 weeks in, stay tuned).

*I am still obsessed with nail polish. You can check out my nail art HERE. Please note, I use the word "art" lightly. Basically, I just have a lot of nail polish and know how to use stripping tape and a dotting tool.


**My albums are La Cueva vs. Atrisco Heritage, La Cueva vs. Cibola and La Cueva vs. Eldorado.

Radioactive

About 6 years ago my son begged us to play football. We were quite surprised as we are not really football fans. But he had some friends at school that played and he was interested. Evenutally we agreed and allowed him to play. In the end it was one of the best decisions ever. It was great for his self esteem, it keeps him in awesome shape (and away from the Xbox!), he is forced to have incredible time management skills and therefore has great grades. But one perk I did not expect was all the great friends I made along this journey. High school football will be a great experience but it was hard to say goodbye to this chapter.

The past two years were rough on our boys for various reasons. Last season ended 0-8 for them. And on a personal note, my son broke his arm during their 3 game. It was a rough season. But this season they came back fighting. The boys were in incredible shape and made it all the way to the semi-finals. It was a great experience for them and for us parents. I am so very proud of this incredible group of boys.

The girl who hated sports

I hate sports. There, I said it. I hate them.

I grew up in a family of super athletic people. My dad is an amazing athlete and so are his four siblings. My dad is the type who played varsity football as a freshman and opted out of a farm baseball team and joined the Air Force instead. I grew up spending evenings watching my dad play in his recreational baseball leagues, watching sports in TV and being drug to Angels and Dodgers games. I hated it. I know this is terribly un-American of me but I hate baseball. I do not understand fantasy football leagues and wasting Saturdays golfing. I am a terrible athlete despite my best efforts. I am clumsy and uncoordinated. I ran track...it requires less grace.

I made it my goal to find a man who did not waste time watching football and being a crybaby every time the Cowboys lost a game. I found that guy. He is super intelligent. He knows all things political and has that cute nerdy side too. Plus he loves unsweetened iced tea and The Beatles as much as me. I knew from the beginning he was a keeper. So we set off into the sunset and had babies. I pictured adorable little hipster children running around our home quoting Goethe. Our 13 year old CJ started off that way. He had a love for Weezer, Star Wars and super heros at a young age. We were so very proud. ;)

But one day in the third grade he came from school and asked to play football. What? Football? Where would he get such a crazy idea? Certainly not from us. Turns out his best friend at school played football. I asked around and found out it was a pretty intense committment. He had played soccer in the past but that was a 1 to 2 day a week committment. Football was a 5-6 day a week committment. Plus CJ is a very sweet, very reserved, VERY shy child. I just could not picture him playing football. I put him off for about a year (bad mom, I know). One day my husband came home and told me he signed CJ up for football. WHAT? WHY? He calmed me down and gently reminded me it was about CJ, not us. And if that is what he really wanted we needed to support him.

So we embarked on this crazy path of becoming football parents. And I have to admit...it had been the BEST adventure ever. First of all, it brought my sweet CJ our of his shell. It has been good for him. He is a different kid. He is a great little athlete (well not so little anymore, he is almost as tall as me). But anyway, it was one of the best decisions we (well, my husband) ever made.

I came across THIS article today and it made me think. I love watching him play. Love it. My 11 year old and 8 year old play now too (their decision). I am the proudest football mom. I am proud of their committment and dedication. Sometimes you will see me complain about football but I really do love it. Their football games are often the highlight of my week. But I am not sure I have ever told them that.

I am so proud of them and I tell them that all the time. But I have never told them how much I like love watching them play. That will change. I truly do LOVE watching them play.

Ch-ch-changes...

It was a big week. Monday was my daughter's 8th grade dance. Her first ever dance! She looked so beautiful. Tuesday night was her 8th grade promotion ceremony and now it is official...I am the mom of a high school. *gasp* How the heck did that happen? It kind of freaks me out to think she will be 18 in four years. That is CRAZY. I find myself feeling all panicky like, has her childhood been good enough? Have I been a good enough mom? How many happy memories can I cram in the next 4 years?! It is just so weird and surreal to have a high schooler.


I am so glad it is summer break. The school year stresses me out. I hate worrying about reading logs and permission slips and who has what due when. Ugh. I love the carefree summer days. I think the kids do too! ;) I am all about the carefree summer life.

The boys finished spring football last weekend. We are on a football break until July 22 when fall ball starts. My 11 year old and 8 year old both finished 3rd in their division so that was pretty exciting for them. I was ready for the break but I will be ready for the madness when it is time to start again.


Tomorrow marks the end of my formal training period at work. When I get to work tomorrow I have to take a big test. It is open book but I am still a bit freaked out. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. I CAN do this, right? Hopefully tomorrow I will be back posting a happy positive update for you all.

That is my life in nutshell these days.

Project 52-Week 16

A little late, my bad.

I call this "artsy shot gone wrong." I thought it would be a cute idea to take a picture of the boy's shoes during the football game. My idea seemed so perfect in my head. The execution, not so much. Live and learn, right?

Project 52-Week 16

Project 52- Week 14 and 15

I may be behind on blogging but I am still using my camera on a regular basis. I am really a shutterbug these days and I love every minute. I feel like I am improving and I have a better understanding of my camera but maybe I just want to believe that. ha ha

A shot if my 11 year old during his football game last week (April 6).


I really proud of my pictures from this past weekend. The conditions were not the best (bright sunlight around noon) and the baby was not content to sit in the stroller while I took pictures so I was holding him most of the time (while taking pictures). But I really think these are my best sports picture so far. There is minimum editing, cropping only because too dumb to figure out my editing software yet. During the football games I shoot in manual 90% of the time but I switch over to sports move or a couple plays because I do not trust myself. This week was the first time I kept it in manual the entire time. I am pretty damn proud of the outcome.

My 8 year old during his game this weekend (April 13).




I am getting a speedlite for my birthday (a mere month away) and I cannot WAIT!!

Project 52-Week 13

Week 13 is late. I know, I know. BUT in my defense, my son (12 year old) broke his arm during a football game. His FIRST football game of the spring season. He was crushed. Especially since he broke his other arm during Fall football season. Ugh. Poor kid. Appointments with Urgent Care clinics and Orthopedic surgeons have taken over our lives in my household. Good news is that it was a nice clean break (to both his radius and ulna) and should heal nicely. There is a good chance his cast will be removed in a 4 weeks. :D

Anyway, I am working on taking decent picture of the kids during football games and track meets. It is challenging but lots of fun!

Kid Casino

Tonight we attended an end of the season football banquet for my 7 year old. It was held at one of those establishments I like to refer to as a kid casino. A kid casino is one of those awful places with loud games, terrible food, and kids running around like animals (AKA Chuck.E.Cheese, Pistol Pete's Pizza, Itz, etc). Our kid casino is Itz. These places should be required to give each parent a mug of beer and an Xanax upon entry. Seriously.

My children of course love places like this. And really, why wouldn't they? They get unlimited refills of soda and dessert...mainly because I am too distracted from all the mayhem to keep track of how much they are eating and drinking. Then there all the games with those stupid tickets. And of course they can buy toys with all the tickets they earn. Never mind that they just blew a $20 game card to buy one bouncy ball. I am pretty sure we can get a whole bag of bouncy balls for 5 bucks at Target. Ugh.

The food is terrible but I choked it down because I was forced to spend $10 on a meal for myself therefore feel obligated to eat. My husband was too full to eat but you are forced to buy a buffet for everyone so I made him at least eat his weight in jello.

Tonight I was so excited to find out the kid casino serves coffee. I love coffee. Good coffee, bad coffee, I do not care. I would drink coffee all day instead of eat food. Let's be clear. I am ridiculously addicted to coffee. As I settled down to drink my coffee, I managed to knock it over...all over myself, my diaper bag, and the baby's blanket (the Aden and Anais blankets I splurged on). Awesome.

3 hours later we emerged $60 poorer. The kids hopped up on soda and dessert. Baby crying and over stimulated. Kids ecstatic with their $20 bouncy balls and fake vampire teeth. Mom and dad exhausted and looking for the nearest liquor store.

We get to do it again in 2 weeks at our 11 year old's end of the season football party.

*sigh*