Dallas Cowboys

Last night the boys had their end of season party for the Fall 2006 NFL Flag Football Season. They each received a certificate & a trophy!
Go Cowboys!!!

Honor Roll

Jhett made the "All E" Honor Roll for the 1st quarter of 2nd Grade! Mama & Meana are so proud of you!

A Bun or a Whole Loaf?

First things first! The boys had their last YMCA Galaxy Ramps soccer game this past Saturday. Jhett scored 2 goals! So we ended the season winning only 1 game. But they had fun anyway. Both boys are playing NFL Flag Football at the Y also. Of course, they are on the Dallas Cowboys! They are both 3 & 2. Sterling is a quarterback/wide receiver, & Jhett is a tight end/wide receiver. Next year Jhett will play tackle football! I can't wait! Sterling has his last Byrnes soccer game today against Thomas Hart. That was the only team that beat them earlier in the season. Then after soccer, Jhett has a football game.

Report cards went home last week. Excellent as always! Jhett had the following grades for the 1st quarter:

English : 97.5%
Math : 98.3%
Reading : 98.1%
Spelling : 99.1%

He made the All "A" Honor Roll! Good job Jhettman!

Sterling grades are as follows for his 1st quarter:

Reading : 98%
Language : 100%
Spelling/Phonics : 100%
Math : 100%
Social Studies : 100%

How awesome is that for a 5 year old in 1st grade!? You rock, Pud!

Yesterday there was no school. We met with Ms. Cox, Jhett's teacher for a parent/teacher conference. Ms. Cox said Jhett was a great student, a good citizen, & he absorbed information like a sponge. They had also taken a PACT test (yuck) & he scored the highest in the class in Math with a 99% tile. He was 2nd in English with a 98.5%tile.

On another front, we began fertility treatment on October 5th. I took Chlomid (fertility pills) for 5 days. Emily gave me 150 IU's of Bravelle shots in my hips for 10 days. Then 2 shots of Ovidrel 2 days before the insemination on October 18th. We have taken 2 pregnancy tests, & both have come back positive. We just have to wait & see how many their are. Dr. Teaffe doubled all of my dosages from when I had Jhett & Sterling. I feel pregnant. I have been very tired. The hardest thing has been trying to quit smoking. I am down to about 7 smokes a day from almost 2 packs a day. It is very hard! Emily & the boys are very excited about having a baby or babies in the house. We are telling ourselves that there are 4 of them, so when Dr. Teaffe tells us there are 2, we will be prepared!

We built a kitty pen outside & put all the cats out there. So at that is one less thing we have to worry about. The house doens't smell like the litter box anymore.

We have to go back to Dr. Teaffe's in Charlotte on November 2nd (Sterling's birthday) for blood work if I haven't begun my cycle by then. Keep us in your prayers!

Sports Update

Thursday & Friday the boys had TaeKwon Do. They really seem to enjoy it. They are supposed to get their uniforms next week. Friday the Galaxy Ramp Hornets YMCA Soccer team was defeated by a score of 1-0. But we are improving! Saturday we tied 1-1!!! We might actually win next week. I worked with the boys, showing them how to pass it to each other instead of running all bunched up in a group. Our next Galaxy Ramp Hornets game is next Saturday.

Yesterday, Missy had Charlie's 1st birthday party. We didn't go, because of the soccer games. Sterling has a birthday party today at Chuckie Cheese for Kayla, a friend in his class.

Harley & Tiger had 4 kittens in July (how could I have forgotton that?!). They are holy terrors. The oldest is Paws. He looks just like Harley. Dallas was born second. I had to help deliver him, because he was stuck. He is all grey & his nick name is Badness! Next came Tux, who looks a lot like Harley as well. Last was Bidnight (Sterlings version of Midnight). We also call him Sir Purr, because he looks like a black panther, so we named him after the Carolina Panthers mascot. I think he also looks like the mean boy on Pinocchio, but I can't think of his name.

We are also getting ready to try to have another baby! We go see Dr. Teaffe on the 26th of this month to make sure that I am still able to have babies. We only have 4 vials of donations left, so I hope it works the first time, because we want to have 2 more, & we want them to be all the same donor so they will be true brothers & sisters. It's kind of ironic that society frowns upon homosexuality in general, & they think that gay people should not raise or have children because they will make their children gay. Which is a crock of s---! How many people do you know, wait, let me rephrase that. How many heterosexual people do you know that have multiple children from several different men? How many heterosexual people do you know who have homosexual children? How many homosexual people do you know that have homosexual children? Hmmmm.....My parents are heterosexual, my brothers has a different father, & my 2 sisters have a different mother. Emily's parents are heterosexual. Her sister shares the same parents, but both she & Emily are lesbians....hmmmm. Our children share the same parents (biologically), & both are heterosexual (so far). Having said all of that, we have a very "normal" lifestyle. We raise our children to be responsible contributing members of society. We attend school functions, we give to charity, we support each other. We don't go bar hopping, we aren't promiscuous, & we don't fight. We are just a happy little family, living the American dream! Suprisingly enough, living in Florence, we have faced no adversity from anyone...not the YMCA, not the public school system, not private school. I guess they figure, our money is as green as everyone else's!! The funny part is that everyone calls Emily, Meana. "Sterling your Meana is here!" or "Jhett, your Meana is videotaping us!" Kids learn prejudice from adults. So be careful what you say & do, because you never know what little person is around watching your every move!

Thomas Hart Academy Defeats Byrnes

Thomas Hart Academy defeated Byrnes today in soccer 1 - 0. Sterling was on defense again today & made several good saves. We had a family meeting last night about hustling! He did much better today. I told him if he didn't hustle, I would come out onto the field & embarrass him. He didn't want mama on the field!

Then we rushed home to let Jhett change clothes so we could go to Parrot's field for NFL Flag Football evaluations. Sterling ran the 30 yard dash in 6.5 seconds, Jhett 6.9 seconds. Jhett threw the football 34 feet, & Sterling threw it 8 feet.

I am glad tomorrow we don't have any activities!!! I am tired! It's hard work yelling & cheering!!!

Big Brother finale is tonight, the Thursday Survivor starts! We are going to veg in front of the tv tonight after homework is done & showers are taken, & the boys are tucked safely in their bed. The rule is they can't come downstairs unless they are bleeding or can't breathe. I don't think we will hear a peep out of them tonight! They are 2 tired little fellows!

Byrnes Defeats Christian Assembly in Soccer Season Opener

Congrats to the Byrnes Lower School Soccer Team for defeating Christian Assembly in today's season opener by a score of 3-1! Although Christian Assembly looked the part with all matching uniforms, Byrnes managed to rally, despite msimatched socks (some wore red, some wore white, most wore black) & shorts (some wore blue, most wore black), only allowing 1 goal in the last few minutes of the game. Guess the old saying is true...you can't judge a book by its cover!

Interim reports went out today at Carver. Jhett's lowest grade was a 93.8% in English. The rest were 97% - 100%! Way to go Jhett!

Sterling got his weekly reports from Byrnes & received all 100's & a 98%! Good job, Pud!

A New School Year

It sure was a busy summer! The boys kept us busy with sports & summer camps. They played baseball at the YMCA -- Jhett's 3rd year, Sterling's 1st. They were on the Red Sox team. Jhett made a real homerun & a double play by catching a line drive at first base, then stepping on first. Sterling hit a homerun on errors. At the end of the season, Jhett was voted MVP!

Next, they went to Nana & PawPaw's for a week to attend Vacation Bible School at the First Baptist Church in Barnwell. They love going to Vacation Bible School!

Then Jhett went to Byrnes Football Camp even though he was only a rising 2nd grader. The camp was really for 3rd graders and up. He was awarded a Byrnes football jersey for being the "Camper of the Week". Coach said he had the best attitude, always gave 100% & never gave up. He also got a Byrnes Football Camp t-shirt.

Next they attended Byrnes day camp where they swam, did arts & crafts, honed up on their computer skills, & played alot! They even went on a field trip to the movies.

Then they attended Byrnes Soccer Camp. They both got Byrnes Soccer Camp T-shirts.

Then they went to British Soccer Camp. The coaches were from, you guessed it, Britian. Sterling wanted to know how they were going to teach using sign language since they were from England. I told him they weren't deaf British soccer coaches! The got an authentic British soccer uniform, & a regulation soccer ball & t-shirt. Like we need another soccer ball. I think that brought our total up to 6!

Next they attended Byrnes Basketball camp. They both got Byrnes basketball Camp t- shirts.

We have been so busy with getting our new business off of the ground, that we weren't able to take our traditional Florida vacation this summer. So we bought a pool instead. We have thoroughly enjoyed it.

The new business is going very well. Since June, when we went "live" full force, we have already reached revenues of 6 figures! It is awesome! We are working on a deal right now that will put us into the 8 or 9 figure mark depending on the details! How cool is that?

The boys are playing soccer now at the YMCA -- we are sponsoring their team. They are the Galaxy Ramp Hornets! They had they first game on Saturday & we got creamed...4 to nothing!

Sterling is also playing his second year of Byrnes soccer at school. Their first game is tomorrow.

Jhett is in 2nd grade at Carver & doing well as usual! Although it is still a fight to get him to do his homework. He's very smart, but he's lazy everywhere except athletics. That is his saving grace. Sterling is the youngest once again in his 1st grade class at Byrnes & still the smartest. It's good to know they are chips off of the old block!

They both started TaeKwanDo last week at Byrnes. Sterling asked Master James on the first day if they were going to get to kill anybody. Where does he get this stuff? They start out as a white belt, which means purity & no knowledge of TaeKwanDoe. They are working on their yellow belt.

Tomorrow we have to sign them up for NFL Flag football at the YMCA. We are going to sponsor the Dallas Cowboys, of course, if it is available. This will be Jhett's 2nd season, & Sterling's first. Basketball & hockey season isn't tpp far around the corner. They also want to play lacrosse, which no one offers, as well as tennis & golf. How will we ever fit all of the sports in? I am sure we will manage!

BHS Class of 1986...20 Years Later!

My 20 year high school reunion was last weekend. I was really psyched up to attend, but we all came down with terrible colds. I really wanted to see my old friends & reconnect, but fate had other plans. I can identify almost everyone. If you know ones that I don't, let me know. here goes:
Front row : Tonya Sargent (Carroll), Cam Halford, Katie Hutchings, Jill Tunnison, Daphne Pender, Michelle Butterfield, Jennifer Hatzog, Tricia Clary, Lee Christie, Shannon Weeks, Blond girl I don't know, Bonnie Cooper, Ellen Cely, Chris Lott.

2nd Row : Blond girl I don't know, Vaness Lee, Wendy Bragg, Wendy Bragg, Michelle Wright, Caroline Bedingfield, Micheal Odom, Connie Baukman, Grey bearded guy I don't know, Black guy (can't see his face), brunette girl I don't know, Doug Ridgeway.

3rd Row : Stephanie Christiansen, Brian Lemon, Amy Hooper, Dana Baxley, Terri Poston, Blond girl I can't see, white bearded guy I don't know, Doug Bragg, a guy I can't see, Lisa Pinson, Micheal Peters (I think).

4th Row : Sharon Brown, Beth Funderburk, Missy Jenkins.

Back Row : Byron Brown, Clark Cooper, Ski Hooper, Karen Carter, Mark Barker, Guy I don't know.

It's really wild seeing old faces...some look the same, some look totally different. I think since we are getting along in our years, we should have a get together every year. It's kind of sad to think that we spent 18 years or longer with each other, & everyone has lost touch. Although we may not talk as often, we never forget the memories, the football games, the romances, the band competitions, the laughter, or the tears.

Sara Visits

Sara came for a visit from Louisiana. We had lunch at our house -- Sara, Grandpa Ben, Grandma Betty, Emily, & myself. Grandma Betty baked a birthday cake for Sara (she turned 26 on May 18th) . She & Anna are splitting up, & she went to Hickory, NC to visit a new girl that she is interested in that she met online. Grandpa Ben is tore up about it. He said he didn't want to meet any more partners if they were going to be changed evey few years. Unfortunately, Grandpa Ben, that's how most relationships are, especially lesbian ones! Emily assured him that she & I were solid, & he didn't have to worry about us! Thank goodness the in-laws like me!!!

The End of the School Year Bustle

It's been such a long time since I wrote, I have to think what has been going on....let's see...I turned 38 on May 7th. The boys (with Meana's help) baked me a birthday cake. It looked pretty good & it actually tasted really good. I was impressed. They wanted to make a video like they were on the Martha Stewart show. They were at the kitchen counter, standing on chairs so they could reach, with no shirts on. You could only see them from the waste up, so it looked like they were doing the show in the nude. It was funny. They even made up a theme song, & provided dialogue. They each gave me a new book to read by Sue Grafton. She is the one who writes "A is for....B is for....C is for...." I have through "D" now. I think she has written up to "T". Emily fixed crab legs for supper & we ate till we couldn't eat any more! It was a good birthday!

We have our internet ramp business up & running. Check it out...

www.discountrampsplus.com

We attended the Sheriff's Poker Run on May 6th at Murphy's & handed out flyers & brochures. We all got sunburned & I ended up with a big fever blister on my lip. The boys earned their keep by passing out flyers, & we paid them $20 each. They thought they were big boys!

On May 13th, we went to the Myrtle Beach Bike Rally & handed out over 400 flyers & 1000 business cards. We let the boys go out on the beach for a few minutes when we were done, but Jhett didn't want to go to the water. It was very windy. We ate Mexican food & came home.

May 14th was Mother's Day! Sterling made me a card with a flower pasted on it. On each petal was what he was going to do for me for Mother's Day. Jhett made me a ceramic flower pot & painted it in rainbow colors. They are such sweet boys. I am so glad they are my sons. They brought me coffee & lemon donuts with a rose from our rose bushes. And of course, hugs & kisses! We called Nana & Grandma Betty & wished them Happy Mother's Day! We said a prayer for Mammie.

On the school front, Jhett had field day. He liked it alot because he got to play at school almost all day. He also won his class spelling bee & won a medal that looks like one of my Edisto Conference Band Medals, only his is twice the size. He went on to the finals the next day & placed 7th overall. He was so upset. He just knew he was going to win. He told Meana before she took him to school that morning, that it was his destiny! He's used to being the best at everything. Wonder where he gets that from? I had to take him outside to calm him down after he got eliminated. He was angry at himself. Ms.Munn came up to us after it was over, & said she thought Jhett was going to win too. The word he lost on was "Friday". He actually spelled it right, but forgot to say "capital f". It was the demise of several other children too. I told him he should be proud of himself because he was in the finals & there were over 200 kids that didn't even get that far & had to sit & watch.

Sterling had a Lower School Patriotic Program, where they sang about patriotic things. He did a good job. He was acting kind of strange during the program, & we thought that maybe he was nervous, but we found out later he was worried about me. It was very warm in the gym, & my face was red because I was hot. And when I get hot, my face sweats. But he couldn't see anything but my red face, so he thought I was crying & he was worried.

At Byrnes, each year they take the top student with the most Accelerated Reader points from each grade out to lunch. Normally, they don't include 5-K. I guess because most 5-K's don't really get into the AR program. But Sterling gets to go with Mr. Bugg, the Headmaster, & Mrs. Geddings, the Lower School Dean, & all of the other top students to Red Bone Alley on Monday, May 22nd. He is soooo excited! He told me he wanted to wear a tie, a white dress shirt, & nice pants. Isn't that cute? I am so proud of him!

Sterling's graduation is Wednesday night, May 24th. They are wearing caps & gowns. I know I will cry. I cried when I read the letter they sent home telling us about it. It's going to be bad!!!! My baby in a cap & gown!!! I've turned into an old sap where the boys are concerned!

They both got their yearbook last week. Sterling's is the best yearbook I have ever seen, including my college ones. It was awesome!

Jhett's last full day of school was Friday. He is so glad to be done. Sterling's last full day is Monday.

On a different note, we have been dealing with an unfortunate situation. On May 9, David fired Emily from her job because he found out we were starting the ramp business. He had a temper tantrum. We are looking into sueing him for wrongful discharge. Emily is trying to get unemployment, but he is fighting that. But we are holding our heads up high. She didn't do anything wrong. He was mad because we were doing on our own, something that was handed to him by his wealthy father. He is a spoiled, rich kid who never had to work for anything in his life. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He knows next to nothing about running a business. He's a moron. Everything happens for a reason. So we are at peace. We'll be ok, no matter what, cause we are the rowdy girls! We haven't told the boys yet, because Jhett is a little worrier. This gives us more time to work on our own businesses full time together. We just have to have faith that the Lord will provide, as He always does.

It's been 8 years this month since Mammie died. It is still so hard being without her. May is such a difficult month for me. Her birthday is the 29th. She would have been 78. I miss you Mammie...my love for you is a real & deep as though you had never left. I get through the hard days believing that you see us, & are watching over us, & helping guide our path. Till we meet again in heaven.....I am forever your "Shuga".