Last soccer game EVER...

Well tonight was Michael's last high school soccer game! We had our last game tonight against Eureka Springs. We lost 3-1. It was a sad night for me. This will be the last time he will play high school soccer. Michael has played soccer since he was 4 years old. WE didn't know a thing about soccer when he first started playing. But started learning very quickly. Roger has coached soccer for alot of years now, started the soccer program here, and is a certified referee, so we've come a long way in 14 years. It is the first LOVE in our house. You better like soccer if you are gonna hang around us. Michael did play basketball (until 10th grade) and baseball (until 8th grade), but his heart has always been with soccer. We have traveled many many miles with this sport and with this boy. We are so going to miss seeing him play. This is a chapter this will close in our lives forever. We are so proud of him! He has given 110% on the field, been so dedicated, and has shown so much leadership and sportsmanship on the field. I hate that we lost this game...but I'm glad that the weather held out and we got to play our last game.
Son, congratulations on a job well done....... you've made this BOBCAT mama proud!!

Contacts

Well when you walk in your sons' room and find him laying in his bed watching TV wearing his mothers glasses, you know it's time to visit the eye doctor! We have suspected the last several months that Jacob couldn't see far away. When we would be driving, we would ask him to read signs, etc to us and he couldn't see them. He doesn't stand a chance, because all three of us wear contacts/glasses. Soooooo...today we went to the eye doctor. He DID need glasses/contacts. He is near sighted. We are trying the contact route. He has to go back in a week for a follow up to make sure the contacts will work for him. He can't put them in and he can't take them out! We worked on him trying to take them out on his own tonight...Michael and I both tried to show him how. It will just take some getting use to. We put Michael's contacts in for him for years. But he could always take them out. Jacob will get the hang of it. Kinda felt like a heel on the way home from the eye doctor...he was reading EVERYTHING to me on the side of the road and in front of us! It was like a whole new world for him!!!! He is all fixed up now....now he just has to learn to put them in and take them out!

Wearing his mom's glasses while he watches TV.

Reading the chart. (Yep, I pulled the camera out)

Michael trying to show him how to take the contacts out! He never got the hang of it tonight...I took them out.

Never too old!

Never too old to hunt Easter eggs! We had our Easter egg hunt on Saturday before Easter Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and it was going to be rainy and yucky on Sunday. My boys LOVE to hunt eggs. They are very competitive in the hunt. We hide some plastic eggs with some pretty nice "goods" in them (ie. subway cards, wal mart cards, itune cards, money) so that's why its a mad rush to see who can find what. I LOVE IT! They LOVE it! After all the eggs are found, they like to take a bat and throw the eggs up and hit them. Eggs splatter everywhere...they love that too.....Michael is 18 and Jacob is 12....love that my boys give me so much joy!

A WINNER!

Michael competed in the State FBLA competition in Little Rock. His competition was "Personal Finance". Drum roll please....he placed 1st! This qualifies him to go to Nationals! This is the 3rd year in a row that he has qualified to go to Nationals. This year nationals are in Anaheim, CA in June. He is very excited about going and of course...we are very proud of him.
He completed his last duties today as a District FBLA officer...it was very bittersweet. He had to give a farewell speech. Of course, me, Rog, and my mom were there. We are his biggest fans! He has been given so many opportunities with FBLA and has truly enjoyed every minute as a state and district officer. (Yep, Michael is wearing a tux--officers have to wear one at this ceremony)

Guess it's time to talk about it...

Michael's announcement's came in last Monday, and I JUST opened them today! The box has been sitting on the table staring at me! So I finally brought myself to look at them today. This May 15th day is NOT going to go away! It is fast approaching. Here is a look at the announcements....yes, just typical announcements....but extra special to me, since it has his name in it.

Been BUSY....

The Leonard family has been very active over the last week! We have played soccer, pee wee basketball and Michael and I have been to Dallas, Texas.

Michael had a soccer game on Monday, we won. Jacob had a basketball game Thursday night at Bruno Pyatt and won. A game Friday night at Bakersfield and lost. Michael had a soccer game Friday night at Eureka Springs and won. Roger and I went to the soccer game at Eureka. My mom came up and went with Jacob to his basketball game on Friday night. I don't know what we would do without her. It has been a very difficult year for Roger and I to divide ourselves to try and be at each child's activities. We both tend to follow Michael this year since this is his senior year. So mom comes and goes with Jacob to his activites, which has been a blessing...he really likes someone there to watch him! Then Saturday Jacob was back in Bakersfield with two more basketball games. We lost the first one in overtime, and won the second one. Michael was in Searcy at State Quiz bowl. They lost. It was a long day!

On Wednesday, Michael and I left for Dallas, TX along with 8 other students, 3 other mother's, and the G/T teacher and her husband. We came home Friday. Had to get Michael and another student home for soccer, and another home for baseball! We went to Dallas to attend a NBA Maverick's and Miami Heat basketball game. We went to the King Tut Museum exhibit, and to JFK Museum. Both were very intersting.

***WARNING TON OF PICTURES!***


Michael playing soccer against Batesville. We won 6-5.


Jacob shooting free throws at the basketball game. Look at it "swish" the net.


We ate at a restaurant called "GATORS" before the basketball game. They had a bus that took us to the basketball game. The driver was Jamaican. You got to sign your name on the bus. Writing was all over the seats, ceiling, etc..anywhere you could find to sign.




This is the colorful bus that took us to the game. Had some great music playing.



Michael signing his name.

A shot inside "American Airlines Center". We were in the NOSE BLEED section! Couldn't get any higher.

Tip off of the game. Mavericks won 98-96. Good game. All of us enjoyed it.

The cheerleaders barely dressed!

We saw Lou Gossett, JR at the mall. He was there doing a promo for his new movie coming out.

On Thursday night we ate at a place called "Dicks Last Resort". We had a blast there. Everyone got a bib. Michael modeling his. This place is a chain and is known for its snotty waiters, making fun of the customers. Live band. They make hats and write things on the hat. I won't post anyone's writing on the hats!! Some were pretty bad, but the kids ate it up. The food....well I've had better, but the atmosphere was awesome!

NO pictures posted of King Tut or JFK, because they would not allow any picture taking or video recording.

Kids also rode a tram and city bus. They had to learn to read the maps, to figure out if we had to get on the "red" line or "blue" line.

We had a wonderful time in Texas. The G/T teacher has made some wonderful memories for these kids. We had 8 seniors and 1 junior that went.

Senior Pics

So today was such a beautiful day, I decided that I wanted to go and try and take some pictures of Michael. He was such a good sport...he isn't always! I wanted some pictures down by the lake...since this is such a major part of his life. He works at the dock in the summer, plays on his seadoo and we spend just about every weekend on the lake in the summer. We didn't really pick the right time of the day, but here are a few of my favorites. I took about 50 pictures and only got about 5 that I like. As I've gone through the pictures, I didn't realize how much he looks like Roger, he has his eyes. We will go and shoot again on another pretty day. I love going to different places, playing with my camera, and taking pictures of my favorite subject...my boys!

MY FAVORITE!!!!

ONE point losses!

I missed my first pee wee basketball game of the season! Both boys had sport activities on Friday night. Roger and I went to Gentry to watch Michael play soccer. My mom came up and picked Jacob up from school and got him to his basketball game Friday night. She spent the night with us, we didn't get home from Gentry until about 11:00 pm. (Thank you mom!) Both boys suffered losses AGAIN! Michael had a good game, but we got beat
1-2. Gentry is a good team. Jacob's pee wee team got beat 18-17. I just hate missing a game.

Michael

Michael

Michael and Alex (isn't she pretty!)

On Saturday, we went to Branson to have Michael's birthday dinner that he has been waiting on since March 10. His girlfriend, Alex, went with us. He picked the restaurant. We went to Olive Garden. He LOVES Olive Garden, I HATE it! But I sucked it up today. Plenty of food, and I must say, it was good. NOT going to be my first pick of places to eat though. We came home and I started baking goodies for the G/T bake sale tomorrow. It's been another busy weekend.

NOT a good sports night...

Well, I have missed my first soccer game of the season. Michael played soccer tonight at Huntsville. I'm sure not one to miss a soccer game! I hate having to make a choice! I don't like to miss any activities. But I will have several of those choices to make as this season goes on...I believe I have six game conflicts with soccer and pee wee basketball!! :( Jacob had a pee wee basketball game tonight at Flippin. So Roger went to Michael's soccer game and I stayed with Jacob. Both boys lost their games. Roger said the soccer game was good. Jacob's game, did NOT turn out very pretty! I won't even post that score. We got beat by Harrison. I don't have any pictures to post of the losses tonight. I cam-corded Jacob's game so Roger could watch it. And Roger certainly didn't take any soccer pictures...he won't take pictures or camcord...he is their to watch! We are back in action again with both boys Friday night....pee wee basketball in Flippin; soccer at Gentry!

Educational Day in Little Rock

The 6th grade Gifted & Talented class went to Little Rock today. First stop of the day was a visit to the historic Little Rock Central High School. We weren't allowed inside the building. But the kids got to sit on the steps and listen to a park ranger talk, she was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. The building is beautiful.


After lunch (at Applebee's) we went to President Clinton's library. The kids really seemed to enjoy the library.

Outside the library.

Replica of exactly how the Oval Office looks.

Jacob sitting in President Clinton's chair. Next President?

We had a great day, with a great bunch of kids and parents! Very educational day.

The Weekend...

What another busy weekend! It's a Michael weekend! My mom came up Friday and spent the weekend with us to attend Michael's activities. She got here Friday morning and started doing my ironing! Thank you---I hate to iron. Then she spent the afternoon running errands for me. Friday night she said she was a little stressed...we laughed and told her it had been a "mild" day! When we got home from school Friday we left immediately for Green Forest to go watch Michael's soccer game. It was COLD!!!! We sat huddled in blankets. We got beat pretty bad!
7-0! Michael then headed to Fayetteville to spend the night, with my friend and her son. They had quiz bowl Saturday morning and the bus was leaving school at 6:00 in the morning. So my friend decided to take the boys onto Fayetteville Friday night.


I think this is the coolest shot of Michael. Michael and Roger are NOT impressed with the picture...

Quiz Bowl: We left about 6:30 am Saturday morning to head to Fayetteville (actually Elkins) for Senior High Quiz bowl. We placed 3rd. We get to go onto State competition in Searcy April 4. Michael made the all tournament team. I don't know how many questions you have to answer to get this honor. We are proud of him. We drew a "bye" for one game, so the kids just practiced answering questions...they divided up into teams and Jacob played with them. He thought that was great. I love watching Michael's friends with Jacob....they are so good to him and cheer him on like he is one of them. Jacob answered the sports questions!

Michael holding the team trophy. I took a team picture, but won't post that picture.

Michael and Marley. He sure does love his dog and she loves him!

Roger and I got to have "date night" Saturday night after we got home from quiz bowl. We went to the movie, while mom stayed with Jacob. We went to see"He's just not that into you"...it was pretty good. Always like going to the movie with my "honey". We usually don't get to go to the movie alone.

We tried something new tonight and it didn't work out for us. My suburban has been out of the garage ever since we have had Marley. She has been sleeping in the garage. Well today, I decided that was it....my vehicle was coming back in the garage and she was going to live in the back yard. Yeah, how is that working for us!? She was crying when we got home from our life group tonight, so I let her back into the garage. She is just a big old baby....so we will try this again later....

Have a great week everyone...we have a busy one in store for us...something going on every night this week!

Happy 18th Birthday Michael

Michael turned 18 today!! I can NOT believe it! Truly, a blink of an eye!! His girlfriend, Alex, came to the house before school this morning and surprised him with homemade brownies. What a way to start the day!
Then it was school as normal. Michael had quiz bowl practice after school. Jacob had a basketball game at Bergman. Can we get anything else going on on this special day!? You usually get to pick your favorite restaurant to go to on your birthday, but that obviously wasn't going to happen today. So he got to choose his birthday dinner. We had steak, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole and corn. It was good. Then Roger and I were off to Bergman to watch Jacob play basketball. Michael had to be at soccer practice at 6:00. We let Michael open all of his cards before we left, but told him he would have to wait on cake and presents when we got home. We did NOT get home until 10:00.
(Jacob's basketball game went into overtime and we lost by 4 points). Michael had a GREAT birthday. He got money! He LOVES the money! Clothes, sandals and his big thing from us was getting his windows tinted in his truck (he has been wanting that for awhile). Hate it when it's busy days like this and we don't truly get to enjoy the day. But ... there are days like this.....

Alex and Michael with the brownies

Reading birthday card from Aunt Mel

(thanks for the money)

Birthday card from Grandma & Grandpa Leonard

(thank you for the money)

I didn't get a picture of Granny/Papa Fulbright's birthday card. (Thank you for the money)

Cake--which Michael doesn't eat

Presents---who doesn't like presents?

Abercrombie sandals from Jacob

Certificate for window tinting

US with our birthday boy! We looked ALOT younger 18 years ago!!! Happy birthday Michael--we love you!

Michael and Jacob -- 6 years apart