A little spring time

Man oh MAN, the weather is cRaZy here today.  Severe storms and tornados.  I woke up to a tornado warning this morning and it got so loud outside we actually woke up the kids and headed to the closet...a definite first for us!  We don't usually get too many tornado warnings in these parts and we have already had two.  At least one of them touched down near us.  I decided I don't really get paid near enough to make it worth my while to drive in this weather  so I called into work and I kept both kiddos home from school.  Alyson has set up a little camp in my husand's closet ;)

Since I have a little free time I thought I would share one of my recent projects. 

I was inspired by Madigan Made's Painted Milk Glass Apothecary Jars  as well as her Milk Glass Christmas Trees.  She has a love of painting things white and I think she ROCKS it!

Are these not gorgeous or what?

I decided to start out small and found a vase that I wanted to use with some cute ceramic white birds I found on clearance at Michael's.  


cute, right?



My vase was just one of those clear glass vases that at one time had some very pretty flowers in them from my hubby.  I had some white spray paint already (although just as I started spray painting I realized it was actually primer...but it worked out just fine - not really sure it made a difference.) 

I taped up my vase and got ready to paint...

Not sure if you saw my Pottery Barn Inspired post but I had the first project I shared in mind as I was painting this vase and when I saw those ceramic birds on clearance at M's.


Adorable, right?

 Since I don't have any cute bunnies and such, I opted to just work with what I have on hand {which really isn't much} and kept my little display more spring themed rather than for Easter.  It is not as fancy as my inspiration but this is what I came up with...

Really happy with how my "milk glass" vase turned out and I just love it with my little birds...I just think they are so sweet.

SO sweet in fact that I ended snagging FOUR...but they WERE on clearance ;)

Like I said, not as fancy...but I am happy with it for now. I am not much of a floral arranger either so please don't judge me too harshly.   Maybe I will get lucky and find some cheap white plates at the thrift store or Ross next time I get a chance to go.

A big thank you to Madigan Made and Roeschel from The DIY Show Off for all the inspiration.  And speaking of Madigan Made inspiration...will be sharing my mirror turned chalkboard inspired by her as well very soon :)

Time for a pedicure?

Just a couple more days and I start my little photo project... BEST FOOT FORWARD

 
Thrilled to know that I have a few friends who plan to put THEIR Best Foot Forward with me :)  Thinking a pedicure is in order just in case ;)  Just in case I am not wearing cute shoes, I want my toes to at least look their best!

You can read about my original inspiration for this in my first post.  I love having fun little photo projects to do and since I will have an excuse for taking pictures of my shoes...well, how can it NOT be fun?!  LOL!  Seriously, though, it isn't about the shoes but more about just documenting where my feet take me over the month of April.  April is my birthday month as well as my anniversary month so maybe my feet will take me to some fun places ;)

Like browsing around Ross on my lunch hour...


CHEERS to my FlaminGals!

 If you are playing along I would love it if you would share your pics with me...maybe I could spotlight them over the week :)

Self Portraits in My Kitchen

So, do you remember the post I shared from Family Ever After?  Things have been so busy and crazy lately that I kept putting off taking my self portraits.  I really wanted my kitchen to be all cleaned up, wanted to have a cute little outfit on, makeup done, hair did....but alas, the stars just were not going to align in order for that to happen. 

So, the other day I was scrapbooking on the bar in my kitchen (because despite the fact that I have a great little corner of our home office to scrap in, it is currently in CHAOS and so I moved my creativity elsewhere for now) I was remembering that I still had not taken the self portraits.  My hair was twisted up in a clip, I have no makeup on, and *gasp* my kitchen was slightly messy BUT, I just decided to go for it.  I did grab my favorite kitchen apron though. 

Here ya go...for your viewing pleasure...please be kind ;)


I am only as strong as the coffee I drink and the hairspray I use :)

Thinking about what I should make for dinner?



See...I really was scrapbooking :)



Just don't tell anyone about the dirty dishes on the counter ;)



WHEW!  I am exhausted now!  LOL!

 

Feeling Lucky?

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I confess, I am not irish so I don't celebrate and it really is not a big deal in my house, BUT,  with that being said, the kids and I are all wearing our green to show our support to all our irish friends and I have no problems having a beer (or two) and saying CHEERS to all those who do celebrate! :)

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, LUCK was the theme of the week at the House of Paper.  I wanted to do a couple of layouts that were a little less "traditional" when it came to thoughts of luck -- here's what I came up with...



click to enlarge image

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these pics of my Sports Star playing goal keeper and I thought the quote was PERFECT!  Have to give props to My Hunk for that one.  I was telling him about the layouts I was working on and that I wanted to use some of Stevie's soccer pics and he quoted me "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity".  Couldn't have said it better myself!

(I used the new Teresa Collins Sports Edition as well as a little Echo Park)




click to enlarge image

 

Love the Jason Mraz song Lucky -- especially the Glee version ;) and so I thought it was another fun twist to doing a Lucky Layout ;)  (I used Lily Bee Lovely on this one)

What do you think?

Are you celebrating today?

P.S.

SEEEEEEEE, I am wearing my green at the office today! :)




Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Pottery Barn Inspiration

I just love all the fantastic ideas out there in Blogland (is that an actual word or just something we all made up?  LOL!)  I also love Pottery Barn -- BUT, like most, am NOT really a fan of their high price tags. 

I came across a couple of ideas that have really inspired though for doing some Pottery Barn inspired decorating at home for a LOT less and I wanted to share them.  Both of these ideas seem TOTALLY doable for the thrify crafter -- even for someone like me who works full time and still has to be a full time mommy and wife, which of course means my creative time tends to be very limited.

Roeshel from The DIY Show Off  really blew me away with her PB inspired Easter Decor

THIS was her inspiration from Pottery Barn

Go check out her blog to see exactly how she put hers together...all for under $20!  And I don't know about you, but I actually like HER version better than the original!



The other one that caught my eye is from A Soft Place to Land.  The fact that she calls it a Pottery Barn Hack absolutely cracks me up!  LOL!

Her inspiration from Pottery Barn:

HER Pottery Barn Hack:

Super cute with a LOT better price tag!  You can go to her blog for the full & super easy tutorial on how she made hers as well.



SO?  What do you think?

Blog Crushing and Guest Posting!

I am so super excited today...

I was asked to do a GUEST POST by Andrea at Project Envy!

I am SO thrilled  and just GIDDY that she would ask me!

So PLEASE head over to her blog and check it out. 

You can see the Top Ten Blogs I am crushing on right now!

Self Portraits in My Kitchen

Stumbled across a new blog today: Family Ever After

And on her blog she is hosting a fun little party...so fun in fact, that I think I am going to play along.  It is called Self Portraits in My Kitchen -- HA!  How fun does that sound?  Besides which, anything I can do that will make my kids look at me in absolute wonderment as to the actual validity of my sanity is always a plus! ;)

And is she not just the cutest?

Since it is not quite time for my April Best Foot Forward project this will something fun to do in the mean time :)  Be sure and check out her blog and see some of the other super cute and creative pics she took of herself.

Put your best foot forward...

Remember my post where I showed you the cutest shoes ever...and confessed that I have a thing for shoes?  Well, I also have this friend, Amanda and she has a thing for taking pictures of her feet.  So for the last couple of weeks, we have been exchanging pictures of our feet!  LOL!  Yes, I suppose some would say we have issues...but at least we are having fun! 

I actually sent her this one today...

I love my little bag there too...picked that up some time ago from Michaels...couldn't resist the apron that matched  -- so that's in my kitchen ;)

A couple of other recent feet pics...

So WHY am I sharing my feet with you? 

Well, in my blog hopping, I came across this post from Lisa at My Life - Perfectly Imperfect and knowing Amanda like I do, I knew I had to share it with her.

Amanda and I are both scrapbookers...she is one of my FlaminGals (that's a story for another day...) and we met through The House of Paper.  Anyway, it was after I shared the mini album with her that we began exchanging pics...then we both thought doing a mini album like Lisa's would be fun...AND having someone else playing along at the same time would make it even more fun...SO for the whole month of April, we are both planning to take daily pictures of our feet...yep, I warned you we have issues.

Anyone else have similar issues? We would love to have you join us and play along!

Let's get this week started off with a BANG!

Better late than never!

This week was Dr. Seuss's birthday.  March 2nd to be exact.
Now that my kids are getting older, it's not really that "cool" to celebrate it but they have always been fans of his work.  I still love Dr. Seuss -- how can you not?!

SO in honor of his birthday this week I thought I would share a few Seuss inspired layouts I have done over the years.  Man how these pictures take me back...miss my babes being so little.  (feel free to click on the images to get a closer look)
 
I used one of my favorite Seuss quotes for this layout of The Boy.  He was just about 5 years old in that picture -- hard to believe he was that little.  Still gets that same look on his face these days though ;)

We moved back to Florida in the summer of 2004 and so my kids loved spending time at Seuss Landing at  Islands of Adventure - Universal Studios.  It was like stepping into one of his books and they were just in awe. 

They had so much fun playing and exploring in the gift shops...



My son The Grinch!



My sweet little Cat in the Hat

Then when the characters came out....they were in heaven!

Sam I am!  Yes we like green eggs & ham!

My little Diva was a little afraid of getting too close to The Grinch at the time ;)

Nothing like meeting The Cat in the Hat in PERSON!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS <3



Somedays it really is all about the shoes

I have a thing for shoes.  I can admit it freely.

Don't worry, I don't go overboard or anything but I could seriously shoe shop for hours and never get tired of just trying them on...and some days I do just that.  When I have no errands to run on my lunch hour I will head over to DSW not too far from my office.  (Really helps that Target, Ross and The Dollar Store are right there too!)  I love to just walk through and look at all the shoes and sometimes I will even try them on.  Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of buying anything I want whenever I feel like it, so more times than not I leave empty handed.

But then I saw these beauties...

OMG.  I was utterly and completely in love!  And do you know what...they were on clearance!  AND I remembered I had a $10 gift certificate in my purse!!  OH the JOY!  They were the only ones left in the store and I couldn't believe it when they fit!  I mean seriously, was this meant to be or what?!

Now I realize not everyone would be as enthralled as I am with these lovelies but I have a passion for roses...I actually wanted to name our daughter Rose, but Hunky Hubby shot down every middle name I came up with so I eventually gave up.  SO I guess I will just have to appease myself with these shoes...

Yes, I took these photos at work...with my cell phone...just couldn't help myself...had to share -- because some days it really is all about the shoes!

Saturday Scrapbooking

This is first Saturday in a long time where I didn't have to be anywhere or do anything in particular.  It is a gorgeous day around these parts and so we have the windows opened.  I am enjoying an easy day of just being home...*sigh*

I am still working on cleaning and organizing...but at my own leisurely pace and in between bouts of said cleaning and organizing I am also spending time catching up on blog reading and scrapbooking.  It has been so long since I have actually felt relaxed.  I refuse to let anyone or anything get to me this weekend.

So in honor of the scrapbooking I am doing I thought I would share a layout...and since Disney is my Happy Place...I am going to share one of my favorite Disney layouts I did not too long ago.

The picture was taken back in May of 2003.  We were living in Seattle at the time and flew back to Florida for my brother's high school graduation.  Sorry to say it...but I don't like to fly -- in fact, it down right terrifies me!  So, as much as l love my brother and sisters, it was the thought of finally getting to take my kids to Walt Disney World in Orlando that actually got me on the plane.  In fact, we were on the inaugural  flight for Alaska Airlines non-stop from Seattle to Orlando (changing planes doesn't work for me either -- just sayin')

My kids were in love with Stitch at the time...my daughter more so than my son.  Do you know as we stood in line to meet him the first time (because yes, anyone who has or ever had a 2 year old in their lives KNOWS you will have to see/read/hear their favorite movies, books, songs etc over and over so please be assured that Disney was no exception to this!)  so anyway, that first time we waited and waited and she even stomped her precious little foot and yelled out to everyone around us "I WANNA SEE STITCH!"...and then when we got there...she freaked out and cried!  LMAO!  Just classic!

THIS picture was taken a couple of days later and Alyson was obviously a little more comfortable with the characters by this time...especially her beloved Stitch.

I can't take credit for the adorable paper piecing of Stitch...an online friend made that for me years ago but I knew it would be perfect for this layout.  Looking at the picture makes me MISS my kids being babies...MISS being that skinny...and CRINGE because I can't believe I ever cut my hair THAT short!  WHAT was I thinking?!  LOL!


Hope you are having a great Saturday :)

7/52 - UP

Valentine's Day is celebrated all month long in our house...I started this a couple of years ago.  We have "mailboxes" -- simple white photo boxes that I keep saying I am going to get around to decorating soon...

This year I decided we at least needed a flag like a real mailbox, that way we would know when there was mail.  I just used some cardboard scraps, patterned paper scraps, a few brads and some mod podge to make some...they are really not all that great looking BUT they have been serving there purposen -- the fact that my daughter told me they looked gorgeous makes them all good in my book, so please don't judge me too harshly.



So...when the flag is UP...youve got mail! ;)

A Thankful Thursday

So, I am pretty sure it is safe to say I have become addicted to blog hopping…some days it is what gets through my work day – just don’t tell my boss! ;)


You know, I was a stay-at-home mom for 9 years…why oh WHY were there not blogs then?! Thank goodness for scrapbooking and message boards – some days that was my only adult conversation…especially when my husband was traveling.

Anyhoo---I digress.

I was blog hopping this morning, in between working – don’t worry, I get my job done. I noticed someone had a post titled “Thankful Thursday”. Given my Wishful Thinking yesterday and overall BAD MOOD I have had for the last couple of weeks, I thought MAYBE I should give it a try today…despite what I said yesterday about it sometimes being TOO HARD to focus on the positive. It IS a woman’s prerogative to change her mind…am I right?

During my “Morning Coffee Drive” with my BFF yesterday, she quoted something her mom quotes to her…”As You Think, So Shall You Become” Turns out that quote is actually from Bruce Lee. (I think my Hunk would be so proud of me right now;) )

Life just sucks sometimes…and there really isn’t much you can do about it. Things don’t always turn out the way you plan, no matter how hard you work or try. You can’t change the past. Things could always be worse.

So…today, I am doing my best to pull myself up and out of the dumps…no sense bringing everyone around me down as well. I WILL focus on the positive and I WILL be thankful.

I am thankful for my BFF, Gina. Seriously don’t know what I would do without her. I love that she is honest with me and keeps it real. Most of the time she is on my side but she will tell me when she thinks I am wrong. We don’t agree on everything but we do agree on mutual respect. She has been in my life for over 30 years now…I think that is pretty amazing!

I am thankful for my Hunky Husband. Together almost 17 years and this April we will celebrate 13 years of marriage. He loves me despite my mood swings, nagging and that I sometimes let the negative things in life get to me. He’s not always the most compassionate of men but he is generous and at the end of the day he is there for me. Lately, I don’t really think I have been there for him though…will have to work on that one.

I am thankful for my job. It is nothing fancy, kind of sucks sometimes – even sucks the life right out of me sometimes. BUT despite the fact that it does not pay a lot, it does help pay some of the bills and puts food on the table. Given the state of things these days, that is pretty good.

I am thankful for scrapbooking. Scrapbooking helps me keep my sanity some days. It has also helped me to focus on the simple and important things in life and it has also blessed me with some amazing friendships.

I am thankful for my friends. I have a wonderful core group of friends, all of whom I know I can count on anytime I needed them. I hope they know they could count on me as well. Maybe I should do a better job of making SURE they know that.

I am thankful for my 2 beautiful, HEALTHY and amazing kids. (You know, just typing that out brings tears to my eyes.) Sometimes I look at them and still find it hard to believe they are mine. I actually carried them for 9 months. It is truly amazing the things our bodies can do, don’t you think? My children truly are my greatest accomplishment and every day I am so proud to be their mother…even on the day they make me cRaZy, test my patience, stomp their feet, pout because I asked them to do something – well, you know what I mean! LOL! Every night though, I check on them before I go to sleep and no matter WHAT might have happened during that day, I fall in love with them all over again…even at 11 and 9 years old…they take my breath away.

I am thankful for my faith in God. I don’t always turn to Him when I should but knowing He is there makes things just a little more bearable at times.

Wow, this post is getting longer than I expected and I still have more on my Thankful List...guess I will save them for next Thursday.

Hmmmm…I think I have just become a great big sappy mess sitting at my desk now! LOL! But there are worse things, right? Thanks for letting me share…feeling a little bit better already.

What is one thing you are thankful for this Thursday?

( – if you actually read it all, I am thankful to you for THAT! LOL!)

A Wishful Wednesday

I wish... I could have another baby...unfortunately, finances say "NO!".

I wish... I was as organized as I have always imagined myself to be.

I wish... I could snap out of this negative funk I am in these days.

I wish... I lived with Courtney Cox and her Cul-de-sac Crew in Cougar Town -- they are SO my kind of peeps!

I wish... my house could get clean and STAY clean for more than a couple of hours at a time.

I wish... my job would allow me to work from home.

I wish... I could stop losing my patience so easily lately.

I wish... we could go back to the way things were BEFORE.

I wish... I had more energy at the end of the day to do the things I actually WANT to do rather than just barely getting done the things I NEED to do.

I wish... Glee had a new episode on every night of the week!

I wish... Starbucks delivered!

I wish... I could lose at least 10 pounds -- but that would of course require the energy to get back on the treadmill.

I wish... I did a better job of focusing on the positive -- but you know what, some days, it is just TOO HARD to even bother! -- so...maybe tomorrow.

6/52 - Morning

Okay, I am totally excited because posting this picture means I am actually caught up with the 52 photos project right now.  Yes, I realize it is only the 6th week but it feels good to be up to date nonetheless.

This pictures just makes me so happy!

The theme was "morning" and I was actually planning a totally different picture.  You see, every morning, I make my coffee (Starbucks of course because I am indeed a Starbucks snob.) and head out the door.  I grab my hands free set for my cell phone and then chat away with my BFF while on my way to the office.  My original plan was a picture of my coffee mug (Disney, of course!) and my cell phone.  I was actually sitting in traffic, talking to Gina (aka - BFF) and taking said picture when we realized she was just down the road and headed my way.  I told her I was going to snap a picture as she went by...and wouldn't you know it, she waved for the camera!  LOL!  LOOOOOOOOOVE IT!  We had a good laugh about it too...definitely the high point of my day!

5/52 - Letters

The theme for week 5 of 52 Photos was Letters.  How perfect that my kids got their report cards that same week.  So proud of them both....Stevie made the Principal's Honor Role with straight A's and Alyson received all A's and a B.  Alyson was a little disappointed about receiving the B.  I wish she didn't feel that way though, Daddy and I are so proud of her.  She has been working hard this year and I know she really wants to make that B and A.  Hopefully she will be able to make that happen next 9 weeks but even if she doesn't, we are still proud of her and I pray that she will be proud of herself as well.  Daddy took her out for Molten Lava Cake to make her feel better...and  because he will use any excuse to go out for Molten Lava Cake ;)

52 Photos

This year I am taking part in something called 52 Photos.  I am taking one photo a week for 2011.  I stumbled across this on the i love it all blog -- seriously one of my favorite places in Blogland these days.  After doing the Project 365 in 2009, I was a little burned out on the picture taking -- hard to believe, I know, given that I am a scrapbooker but alas, tis true.  I love the idea of the 52 photos though and she shares a prompt or theme each week for your photo which should keep things interesting.

I have been taking my photos but have been late to the party when it comes to posting...story of my life *sigh*  Oh well, better late than never, right?

1/52...Happy New Year 2011

2/52...Independent

My first thought when I saw the theme was 'Independent' was my son.

He is turning 12 this June...I can hardly believe it.  He never ceases to amaze me.  He is so smart and has such a kind and tender heart.  He is a true threat on the soccer field and is just growing more and more independent with each passing day.  I am so proud of the young man he is becoming but I miss my little mama's boy too.

3/52...Evening

An evening out with my sweet girl.  She had been having such a tough time lately, so while Daddy and Big Brother were at soccer practice we treated ourselves to Starbucks goodies, shopping at the mall and dinner.  It was so nice to see her smiling and happy when she went to bed that night rather than the tears of late.

4/52...Shadow

As soon as I read the theme was 'Shadow' I knew right away that I wanted to snap a simple picture of me and my little family.  This was taken at the soccer field.  That's my handsome guy on the left end, then my hunky husband, followed by my diva darling of a daughter and then of course ME, holding the camera.

Superbowl is over, unfortunately the Steelers got beat :(  I am a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan first and formost but since I was born in Pennsylvania I have always cheered on the Steeler as well.  Congrats to all the Packers fans out there...they played a great game.  And now, I can get ready to get my GLEE on before bed and before I start the work week :)

Friday Frustration

Last night was Stevie’s first middle school soccer game. All week his coach has been praising him as goalie and even told him that he was going to be playing for the most of the game. Needless to say, Stevie was excited. Nervous, yes…but oh so excited.


The entire game goes by and the coach doesn’t put Stevie in until the last play of the game. My son is absolutely crushed and his dad and I are left wondering why. I asked if perhaps Stevie had misheard his coach at practice but my husband said no, that he had even heard the coach telling him he was going to play him for most of the game.

To see my son so crushed after his first middle school soccer game was heartbreaking to say the least. Once we got home and dad and Stevie talked, it would seem coach told Stevie at some point last night that he was not going to play him after all because he was afraid of him getting hurt….um…WHAT?!

Yes, Stevie is smaller than most of the kids on that field but Stevie made the decision to go out for the team knowing this AND the coach made the decision to put him on the team. Steve told him from the start that he was going to really have to prove himself and get the coach to see past Stevie’s size and really see his ability. Coach put him on the team and told him he is one of the top goalies on the team.

Now, I realize that he is in 6th grade playing ON a team and AGAINST teams with 6th, 7th and 8th graders on them and I also realize that a lot of time the 6th graders don’t get a lot of playing time…they learn about being a part of a team and the like. I totally get that and I don’t have a problem with it. I don’t have unrealistic expectations.

HOWEVER, I DO have a problem with a coach who tells my kid all week that he will be playing and then come game time tells him he’s not going to play after all…because he doesn’t want him to get hurt. If that was such a concern then why would he have put him on the team in the first place?! I feel like that coach hurt Stevie more last night than any broken bone ever could. Stevie is doubting himself when he never has before, wanted to back out of the team. This guy is the first one to ever make my son actually feel bad because of his size and I can’t even begin to express how angry that makes me. Stevie is a tremendous soccer player, despite being smaller than most of the kids his age and yes, I know I am his mother so I suppose I am a bit biased but I stand by what I say.

I confess, while Steve was talking with Stevie last night in his room, I was eavesdropping… and I have to say, I was so proud of my husband in that moment. He is such a good father and was really there for Stevie last night -- really saying all the right things. What really stood out to me though was when he told Stevie it was okay to be mad and upset for tonight but when he woke up in the morning, he needed to let it go and move forward. He told him not to let this one game define him or doubt himself. He needed to use the anger and frustration to just get even better and when he does get a chance to step out on the field and play he can show the coach what he was missing out on…AND to use it this weekend when his Spartan Soccer team plays their semi-final game.

I probably should have told my husband last night how great I thought he did in talking to Stevie…but I think part of me was a little jealous. Stevie needs me less and less as he gets older and quite honestly…it sucks. I know in my heart though that Steve was the better one to talk to Stevie last night rather than me because I am just so angry at that coach for crushing my son’s spirit last night…I do not take kindly to things like that…but then, I don’t guess any mother would.

Thanks for letting me vent.

I really am a soccer mom...

I tried to deny it for a long time...but I really am a Soccer Mom.  It seems to have such a negative connotation  but these days I am embracing the term with pride!  This past weekend my son and his soccer team played an impressive game and have ended their season undefeated!  They played against one of the best teams in their division and despite the fact that this other team plays a bit on the dirty side, our boys came out on top and won 4-1...it was A W E S O M E !  Stevie plays goalie and I am so proud to say that his half in the goal was a shut out for the other team.  He had some incredible stops...

See him...yep, the one in the orange and blue goalie jersey...he's mine!  He has come such a long way in playing soccer. He has been playing now for about 4 years.  Being the goalie and playing defense is what he loves to do and he has really gotten good at it. He actually just made the team for his middle school as a goalie and sweeper -- he is very excited about that.  He has gained great confidence and developed a NO FEAR attitude...although there are times when I wish he had just a little bit of fear in him...see THIS shot...

You KNOW my heart was in my chest watching my little guy (okay, so he's not necessarily a little guy any more at 11 years old and in 6th grade...) dive for that ball in amongst those players...especially with the opponent's foot coming right at his face! (thankfully he did not get hit in the face!) He made the stop and quite a few more like it throughout the game.  It was definitely his best game ever.  I am SO proud of him...please feel free to call me a Soccer Mom any time ;)

OH...and you see this guy...

the one there in the center...with the glasses and the black jacket...he's their coach...and my hunk <3

(Now if I could just find a way to instill some of that same confidence and No Fear attitude in my daughter we would be good to go...any suggestions?!)