Sorry...I had to

'Twas the month before Christmas and all through the town,
Not a Tigerfan was stirring, not one could be found.

Christmas was coming, but no one could care,
The stench of defeat stillhung in the air.

Coach Bowden was tossing, sleepless in bed,
While visions of Gamecocks still danced in his head.

He was wearing his cap, which read, "Go Crimson Tide!"
And trying to forget how his season had died.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
He sprang from the bedto see what was the matter.

He stood at the window, his lower lip quivered,
The lesson was hard theOl' Ball Coach delivered.

The moon on the breast of the Death Valley grass,
Showed Gamecockfootprints from the game that had passed.

When, what did he see while adjusting his hat,
But a great Cock-a-boose,pulled by ragged, orange cats.

With a cool-handed driver, not a sweat did he break,
Bowden knew in amoment, it must be St. Blake.

The cats were so tired, they pulled with a strain,
So Blake beat themand shouted, and called them by name.

Now, Proctor! Now, CJ! Now, Reggie and James!
On, Stuckey! On, Adams!On, Gaddis and Duane!

We'll ride through the Valley again 'fore I'm done,
And rub that oldrock one more time, just for fun.

As the footballs within the wild "Cock and Fire" fly,
Dumbfounding the DB's, as they watch them go by,

Around and around, the poor Tigers flew,
With a Cock-a-boose full of Gamecocks, and Blake Mitchell too!

Then the Gamecocks stood guard o'er the Tigers out back,
As they paintedpoor Tommy's house garnet and black.

As Bowden drew in his hand, and was turning around,
The Ghost of SteveSpurrier was seen floating down.

He was dressed all in fur from his toes to his chin,
He had made a newcoat from some old Tiger skins.

Several more Tigers, he had flung on his back,
Jacoby, Jad Dean andDavis, in fact.

His eyes - how they twinkled! His countenance - how merry!
He was thinking of the team his young Gamecocks had buried.

Then suddenly above the Great Spectre appeared,
The names of all thecoaches he had whipped through the years.

The victory torches still smoldered beneath,
And the smoke it encircledhis head like a wreath.

But Tommy stood blank-faced, his stomach still queasy,
He knew that nextyear was not going to be easy.

He was sad and disgruntled, a mere shell of a man,
And Steve laughedwhen he saw him, and thought of HIS FANS.

They stood face to face, Bowden wanted to run.
He could hear the themesong from 2001.

The Ghost spoke not a word, but went straight to his plan,
LeavingTanneyhill bobbleheads for all those at hand.

And raising his visor in salute as on cue,
He said, "See ya next year!",and he faded from view.

Blake sprang to the Cock-a-boose, to the cats said, "Let's go!",
TheTigers all cried saying, "No, Blake, please no!"

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove through the gate,
"Happy Christmasto all, 31 - 28!"

GO COCKS!!!!

Map Test

My little neighbor is in 2nd grade and totally killed me on this. I got an unbelievable 19/48 she got ALL of them!!!!!!!!!!!! Shannon bombed it too. Post a comment below and let me know how you did. It's fun!
This should keep you busy for a minute or two ...... OK Class, It's time for your U.S. Geography Test! You must drag and drop all 48 states in the time allotted to be promoted to the 4th grade. Click the web page below.. Ready.. Begin!
click here

Christmas music

I have added my favorite Christmas song to my blog-amp. The artist is Joy Williams the song is Here with Us. I love the lyrics. She is one of my favorite Christian singers. This is from her Christmas CD released a couple of years ago. I will be adding more songs as the holidays roll on. Let me know if you have any requests!!!!
Happy Holidays!

Bragging Rights

How 'bout them COCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gamecocks 31
Tigers 28

Making Spirits bright...

Sorry, the picture doesn't do it justice. You'll have to ride by and see it.

Sunday evening we paked up and headed to the State House for our traditional Holiday Pep-Rally, the Governor's Carol-lighting. This year, Fulton truly enjoyed the choirs and music. He was especially intrigued by the huge Christmas tree and all the beautiful lights. There were more people this year it seems like than any other year. Maybe it's beacause the weather was so mild. It was a very nice night. It really gets us in the spirit of the Holidays.

Saturday Afternoon

After the game on Saturday, Shannon and I got out in the front yard to do a little raking. Our neighbor, Michaela and her friend Miranda took advantage of the lovely weather and set up a kool-aid stand with proceeds benefiting a little boy a Satchel Ford with cancer. Their set up was priceless. They flagged down cars and waved their sign. They shouted at passers-by. Their sale was quite successful. Sam earned the title of "most frequent customer".

His face says it all! I think he enjoyed the kool-aid.

Thanksgiving continued

Sam and Fulton watch as mommy lives vicariously through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

We started Thanksgiving morning our traditional way, with bakery-style blueberry muffins, coffee, and THE PARADE. All of you who know me well, know that this a very important annual event in my life. It is when I pretend I'm a Rockette, an All-Star cheerleader, and most of all a Broadway Singer and Actress!!!! It is an event I'm sure my husband and poor children could live without. I'd like to thank my mother and father for this little make-believe dream world that I step into once a year. Dad the musician/entertainer and mom the almost Rockette gave it to me honestly.

After preparing my own personal pan of gravy (I am not a fan of gravy with "things" floating around in it) my corn casserole, and another batch of pumpkin cupcakes, we were on our way to the first stop of Thanksgiving Day, The Lake. We visited with the Baker side of the family and enjoyed a very yummy lunch and watched the kids run around. Some of us reviewed the sale papers and plotted our course of action for Black Friday

Cousin Madeline and Fu

(Getting a shot of two is much easier and less chaotic than getting one of four.)

Cousins Madeline and Kirstin with Sambo and Fu at the lake on Nay Nay and Papa's porch

(Not the greatest pic...but you have to love a forced photo op.)

Papa gets down on the floor to play with Fulton, but will he get up, folks???

After our visit at the lake, we hopped in the car and drove back into town for the tail-end of the Tronco/Player family dinner. We were able to catch most of the aunts, uncles, and cousins and Sam and Fulton had a blast playing with everyone. We thoroughly enjoyed dining on the leftovers for supper too.

Cousin Marylin stopped by for some dessert and to play a while

Boppa had no clue that his afternoon would consist of physical labor to entertain Sam, Jameson, Isabella, and Fulton. It came to a screeching halt when Jameson and Isabella had to go back to Summerville. There was literally screeching, kicking, whining and flailing around when Boppa put the wheelbarrow away. The family also enjoyed a couple of rounds of Corn Hole. (I wish I had some pics of that. It was a riot!)

Isabella is giving thanks for Muzzy's toy cabinet

All in all, it was a very nice Thanksgiving day! I hope you all can say the same.

Thanksgiving week

As with any holiday in my family, Thanksgiving is a week-long event. While my thankfulness is year-round and on-going, the actual celebration started this past Tuesday. Sam had his Thanksgiving celebration at school. I had the wheels turning a few days in advance for how I would contribute. I decided to go with a cornucopia theme. So I made his class personalized cornucopias out of sugar cones and filled them with yummy dried fruits. I packaged and sealed them with a little note from "Sam" that I made on the computer. I thought they turned out very cute and they were very simple (in the event that you need a Thanksgiving treat idea). Mrs. Frannie said the kids loved them and thought they were precious "take-home treats". I sent them with Sam's favorite Thanksgiving book, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie for Mrs. Frannie to read to the class. It's a spin-off on the Old lady Who Swallowed a Fly, obviously.
Sam got out of school and we were ready celebrate the rest of Thanksgiving week.

Tagged

Tagged

I am: in love with my husband and my children
I have: too many blessings to count
I wish: I had more hours in the day
I hate: the word "hate" however, I dislike pumping gas
I miss: my brother, Michael and my best friend, Christine, constantly!!!
I hear: Fulton jabbering and singing
I wonder: what Sam and Fulton will be when they grow up
I regret: nothing
I am not: punctual
I dance: All the time with my boys
I sing: (Do I really need to answer this one?) Hmmmmm...Anywhere, All the time
I cry: not so much anymore
I am not always: RIGHT (okay, I admitted it!)
I make with my hands: anything I can...currently, cupcakes
I write: to do lists, emails, and posts on my blog
I confuse: myself, mostly
I need: my mom and my friends
I should: be more like Mary and less like Martha
I start: talking and I can't stop
I finish: 90% of what I start...sometimes it takes me a while but I do finish eventually

I was tagged by Amanda; I tag Darby and Helen (you have to cut and paste it!)

Dear Santa

Hilarious!!!!!! If I didn't email it to you, here it is!
Dear Santa
Fill in the blanks

Weekend Update

We had a very nice low-key weekend with the boys. Friday, we went out for supper and then to Barnes & Noble to have some coffee and let the boys play with the train. We all know you can't leave without a book in hand. So Sam was the lucky fella this weekend...he brought home the CARS story book. Everyone was tucked in early and Shannon and I had a chance to get caught up on our Ti-Voed episodes of Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy.

Saturday, Sam and Shannon attended an early birthday party for my niece at the movie theater. Shannon said it was a great party idea. They saw Flushed Away, which I hear is very cute. The afternoon was nice and quiet as we just hung out at the house. Saturday night, my mom came over to eat supper...which, by the way, was awesome!!!! I made another one of my Let's Dish meals. If you haven't been, it's a must!!! And our cute neighbors, Kevin & Lorri celebrated their anniversary. We offered to keep Michaela because she is such a great help with the boys and I didn't want them to rush back to pay a babysitter. Sam and Michaela had a ball! They played games, drew pictures, and watched High School Musical together (It's one of my new faves!!!). It's totally nouveau Grease...I love it! Any who... I have featured a photo of the fabulous picture that Michaela drew for me. It pretty much sums up the life of the Baker family all in one drawing. I am guessing that the mouth with all the teeth shouting "crazy" would be that of yours truly. But I'll have to verify that with the artist.

Sam and Michaela watching their movie

Sam and Michaela playing Hulla-baloo

Sunday, we were heathens. We slept in and missed church. It always feels so nice to sleep in but later the Catholic childhood guilt (as Darby calls it) kicks in and I start asking for forgiveness.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, we cooked breakfast and lounged around extra long today. It was pretty nice! Sunday night, after supper, Sam and I made some to-die-for pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. Then it was time for bath and bed. And now I sit in the peace and quiet recapping our nice, quiet, and not-so-eventful weekend.

Chef Jean Claud and Chef Samu-el making cupcakes

Fulton's First Post

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I'm not really sure what all he was trying to say but he was very determined to make his way into the chair so he could type!

more later...

xxxooo

ctb

Bounce House or Crack House?

Caution: Some photos on this post could be disturbing

Saturday night we enjoyed spending some time with Darby and Patrick Kelley and their three children, Anna, Jack, and Alec. We had a great time watching Anna and Sam nearly kill themselves in the Bounce House. They bounced for EVER. They even flipped the bounce house over a few times.

Well, delirium sets in at some point and children begin to do disturbing things. Anna and Sam either became possessed or there was crack in the juice boxes. They found it quite entertaining to smash their faces against the mesh and growl like rabid dogs. Sadly, we found it even more entertaining and egged them on for about 20 minutes until we couldn't laugh any more. My cheeks were sore and trembling from laughing for so long.

They really are cute kids! I promise!!!

Alec and Fulton appeared quite normal compared to the rest of the bunch

Sam twisting through the tunnel

Jack follows behind Sam

Fulton becomes a koozie for Shannon

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Just FYI: If you're bored on any given day...the Kelleys have turned their spare room into a miniature Leapin' Lizards. There is play-doh, grocery shopping, tons of toys, a long tunnel, and much more! It is so much fun and a great idea if you have the extra room!

Darby and I grew up together. As a matter of fact, our moms shared their pregnancies together. Darby and I are about a month apart. We have many years of memories together and hope for the same with our children. Darby even remarked that it seems like only yesterday that we were hanging out at the beach for Memorial day weekend in 2002 with NO children. Now between the two of us, we have 5 children. My how things have changed!!! But it's so much fun to be watching or babies grow up together too.

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We always love hanging out with the Kelley Clan!

Lights, Camera, Action!!!!

Grant, Conner, Harris, Jones, Andrew, Cannon, Sam with Shannon

Sam and Daddy get cozy for the movie

Spoiled Rotten!!! That's right... 100% rotten!

One thing is for sure...they can't say we never went out of our way to do something fun for them!

Friday night we went to the Dorsey's house for an outdoor private movie theatre showing of CARS. It was quite possibly the most laid back night of entertaining 7 little boys. They were entertained for a solid hour and a half. Chris and April's neighbor, Devon, set up his amazing projector on an outdoor movie screen. The boys lined up their tailgate chairs and watched the movie which started at sundown. They enjoyed pizza and cold drinks while the moms waited on them hand and foot. "I need another piece of pizza", "I'm thirsty", "I want a cupcake", so on and so forth. The dads enjoyed chatting and handling the technical end of the production. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it (even if you don't have kids). It's really cute. Fulton was not into the movie but he was very much into all of Grant and Cannon's toys. He even acted out his own version of CARS.

We truly appreciate the Dorseys' hospitality (once again) and Devon's amazing contribution to the night. They all had a great time. I think ALL of us will be investing in projectors and outdoor screens.

Busy Week!!!

Today was such a beautiful day!!!! I truly enjoyed spending the afternoon outside with my boys. I feel like the past two weeks I've been living in a whirl-wind. Things are slowing down now (only to pick right back up in two weeks for the Holidays!!!).

Any who, the boys enjoyed the weather, as did I. Sam ran around the yard scaling the swing set, pretending to be Spiderman and we played baseball for a little while. Fulton is STILL NOT WALKING (and all 25 pounds of him is about to break my back) so he usually stands in one or two places just cruising around the same object. He doesn't like to crawl in the playground mulch (neither would I). So his little lawn mower was his object of choice today.

Sam wanted me to include his "action shot"

I promise I'm not falling down on the blog-job. After a VERY busy week, I have just now gotten the chance to sit down and blog about...Well, nothing, really.

I have been going non-stop; Bunco, A Concert, Football Game, Birthdays. You name it!

Last week was CRAZY.

• I had a well deserved Girls Night Out that turned into Moms Gone Wild.



• Some where in the mix there was a date night (Thank Goodness!) and a USC Football game


• We also celebrated my Mom's and my Uncle Phil's Birthdays at my house on Sunday and then went out for my Mom's on Monday

(Happy Birthday, Momma!)

• Several of us went to Let's Dish to make supper


• I ran around town doing my shift work by hanging Junior League Holiday Market posters...I hope all of you will get to go at some point.
  
• ... and all kinds stuff

I am now looking forward to a weekend filled with absolutely NOTHING!!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend! More next time...