March Madness

This is one of my favorite times of the year when it comes to sports. Brings back so many great memories. The NCAA basketball tournament is the best sporting event of all time, in my opinion. This year Wylie and Kasey both showed interest in basketball and loved it and I loved it.  Wylie is watching college basketball with me, taking stats at high school games and cheering on the teams in the ACC tournament that I wanted to win. "Mom, why do you like UNC?" So I get to tell him more about Michael Jordan and how I admired him since I was a little kid and how he is the best basketball player ever.  Or he asks, "why do you cheer for Duke?" And I get to explain the importance of a good school academically and also the importance of a great coach, a coach for life, not just basketball.

* side note. I know those of you who are reading this and follow basketball are probably going nuts that I like both UNC and Duke. I know. I know. I get it, but I do. *


Tonight was the time to tell the kids, all three of them about March Madness. When in reality only Wylie is listening.  We sit down at the table and I show them the bracket and tell them all I can that three little minds their age will understand. I think of my Dad and how I did this every year with him since I was a little girl. I even won his office pool a few times. Our March Madness challenge this year is for our family, winner takes all . . . . ten bucks!! 

So I fill out my bracket, Jacques fills out his and then I read all the games and fill in the bracket for the kids.  Wylie took the longest, looking at the seed, thinking about which team he has heard about on ESPN, which team mom likes etc...and then finally picks his team and we move to the next game until there is one team left. His final four picks: Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and UNC.

Tori did her picks next.  Oh my gosh, Wylie and I had the giggles so hard listening to her pick her teams. Her final four teams: Lehigh(15), Long Beach State(12), Harvard(12) and Ohio(13).  She picked Lehigh because, "that is a pretty name," Murry State because she was convinced it was, " mermaid state and I like mermaids!" Long Beach state was a top runner because she "loves the beach." Still unsure how Ohio made the final four, I don't see the connection to anything there but she said it so there they be.

Kasey is now ready to make her picks.She goes a super fast barely letting me read both teams.  Her final four is Xavier, Virginia, Texas and Michigan! Not long after deciding her champion, she says, "what is this even for?"

Game on.


~It's My Life

My Girly Girl

When I was pregnant I remember thinking that I would probably be one of those mom's that had all boys. Why? Because, what the heck would I know about raising a girl. Sure, I am one but I am not the most girly of girls. Sure I like to dress up at weddings and wear cute jeans and shirts to concerts but that is about it.  I didn't even wear make up on my wedding day and  it is still questionable whether I know how to put it on . . .

I do have one very girly girl though and sometimes I worry about what might be in store for us.  Tori is ALL girl. Sure she goes through phases where she only wants to wear dresses and skirts, or only pink things but it is way deeper than that.  First off, a lot of examples I can't remember . . .shoot should have kept up with those baby books. But some that come to mind lately have reminded me that I better become more  open minded and also subscribe to Cover Girl and/or Cosmo.

At a high school basketball game this year; Wylie is so focused on the game and keeping statistics. Kasey, well she is our social butterfly saying hi to all her friends, teachers etc that come up the bleachers and is only worried about going to sit with her friends  at the top of the bleachers (of course). And Tori, well let's just say she is totally uninterested in the game and is only wondering about the cheerleaders, that is until the dance team does the halftime show. Then she is all about the "beautiful dancers" and is upset that they don't come back out again.

Tori constantly notices other girls (women's) shoes and accessories and compliments them whether she knows them or not. Hair accessories, scarves, shoes, and purses you name it.  This is a girl who matches her pony holders with her headband and stick on earrings. Worried that she will never play sports I am, of course, excited that she like gymnastics, you got to be athletic to be good at that, right? And it is NOT dance. So that is a plus for me. So the other day I dvr gymnastics on ESPN and we are watching it and I think she is really into it until she says, " momma will you go backwards I want to see that again, I think one of the girls headbands wasn't sparkly like the other girls and it didn't match." WHAT??? that is what you want to look at. Oh brother. Do I rewind it? Of course. And she was right, it didn't match.

We just had my niece's bday party at our house this past weekend so birthday parties were on the kids' brains. They love picking their theme. Wylie knows his alread and he has to wait til next January. Kasey, well she wants a surprise party. Haha. I told her you don't ask for one of those.  And Tori, what does she want . . . . a cheerleader party! Great. All I think, is 4 months to change her mind. Starting NOW.

Another example today, it was not a good day but a day none the less that at the end of the day I sat down and smiled. Tori has the stomach flu for the first time. I sat her on the counter to give her medicine for her high fever and she threw up all over me and herself. So I grabbed her quick and sat her in the bathroom while I grabbed "the bucket." She was still throwing up but she was so worried about my shirt and her "beautiful heart sweater got puke on it," she couldn't focus on getting "it" in the toilet. So just like the other stuff that goes in the toilet that has been a struggle for her to deal because it is "gross"  this was no exception.  "this is so disgusting, momma." When she went to bed tonight she wanted to wear the "pajamas I don't like in case I puke on them. I don't want to puke on my beautiful pajamas!"




~It's My Life