AVID or NO AVID

Well, James made his decision and has decided not to do the AVID program at Cyprus for the next 3 years. Mike and I have done a good job (?) not pressuring him about doing this program, even though 1. the benefits at the end of his senior year would be much greater than those students who are not in AVID, 2. he's already used to taking honors classes; he can handle the work and still have a 3.75 -or higher- GPA consistantly for the last 3 years; and 3. he's got a mom (and Dad) who will do whatever it takes to help and support him in school.
We talked about the huge pluses for this program. I got input and advise from teachers and friends, half said to tell him to go for it - he'd do great; the other half - said it's his decision. We've talked about it, we've told him to think about it carefully but no matter what we'd support his decision. When he said "no AVID", we said okay. (Though this being said, I did tell Cheryl that it was "killing me" (like how dramatic that was) that he has decided not to do it...) Anyway, what it all comes down to, is IT'S HIS DECISION. IT'S HIS LIFE, and I can only give him as much information as I can so that he can make his OWN decision. I am proud of him for making this decision even though I'm sure he knows what WE'D-okay maybe it's more I'd-rather him do-knowing the advantages to this, and even the peer pressure from the close friends that he has that are doing this program and that have been "bugging" him to do it with them. Even though I don't agree with his decision, I am proud of him for sticking to the decision that he has made and not letting anyone- me, his Dad, or his friends - influence him to change his mind. I'm glad we have raised, and continue to raise, a strong young man.

Look Out! New Driver in the House!

It's official - James took and passed his learner's permit test today. The guy behind the counter wouldn't let me take a picture of James taking his test (you just have to scrapbook these moments, you know) but he offered to take one for me. So I gave him my camera, and he snapped his picture. My baby's starting to drive and I am feeling OLD! Where does all the time go? We at least have 10 months to get used to him driving with us in the car. Not sure about how calm we'll be when he's 16 and driving on his own though.....Congrats, James!

Gettin' Ready For Some Football!

Not that I enjoy watching football, AT ALL, but, come on! It's the Cardinals! From Arizona. Gotta support them!!! Mark made sure I took pictures of the paint session and wanted to make sure I was going to post them to the blog. (Here you go Mark!) While I'm home sick, - yes, I'm actually watching the game - I'm also working on my Early Steps papers, cleaning, doing laundry, and blogging! Life does not slow down just because I'm sick..... Regardless of the outcome of the game, and I do hope the Cardinals win, my favorite part of the whole Superbowl is the National Anthem. That song, no matter why or where it's being sung, always brings tears to my eyes. Today was no exception.

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!

Such a simple three word statement....but one that is powerfully true. Especially in these tough economic times. Mike came home from work last night and said he needed to change his attitude about work. Men have been laid off, and everyone's hours have been cut. Even Mike's. It's always been a struggle to stay on top of the job even with a 40 hour week. Doesn't mean the work slows down or deadlines still don't have to be met. It means, putting in hours even if you don't get paid for it. It means having a good attitude in spite of less hours, and doing what you have to, to get the job done. It means, in my case, that no matter how impossible a deadline is for me with my testing, I've decided no matter what, I WILL make that deadline and I'm NOT going to make myself crazy about it! (at least not until I get down to the deadline wire! :). Attitude IS everything. Without a positive attitude and trusting in the Powers that Be to see us all through the difficult times, we won't make it. So here's another 3 minute movie - the attitude movie! www.anattitudemovie.com

Life is Like a Dash----

In July 2006, a short 3-minute movie was launched on the Internet called The Dash. Since then, over 40 million people from around the world have watched it; and over 20,000 a day continue to watch it as a result of people passing it along. The movie has been more successful than anyone could have imagined. More importantly, however, it has inspired many people to reflect on their lives and ask that all important question, "Are my priorities where they should be?" I hope you enjoy this movie, as I hope you've enjoyed the previous ones I've posted.
http://www.dashpoemmovie.com/

WAY TO GO USA!

What a day! Our boys won 1st place in the futsal finals this morning against the Mad Dawgs (which we heard is made up of the best players from Inter - can you say Premier players?) and what a great feeling that was! It started out on Thursday night when the team played in the semi-finals and beat a Blue Knights team in a game that was absolutely - in Mike's words - "the best game of athletic ability that he has ever seen!" It was a hard-earned win, with us parents totally stressed out on the sidelines for the whole game (we wanted the boys to beat that team as much as, if not more than the boys wanted to). I'm sure winning that game set the tone for today's game. Our boys wanted to win! The game started out at 9:40 am and at the end of the 1st half we were down 3 to 4. At the end of a very stressful 2nd half it was tied 5/5. It then went into a shootout with Brady in goal and James, Carson, Kade and Kenny shooting against the Mad Dawgs goalie. After our boys shot and the other team shot, it was tied again at 3/3. It then went into keeper vs keeper. Brady stopped the shot against the Mad Dawgs keeper and then Brady kicked the winning shot and we won the game! Talk about excitement! Brady did an awesome job under intense pressure as anyone who has ever been in a shootout can tell you. Way to go USA! The boys all played extremely hard and should be very proud of themselves!

Christmas 2008

I've decided instead of blogging all about Christmas, that I'm just going to post some of my favorite pictures. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!