A milestone Saturday as Sammy had his first soccer practice. All the boys were grouped together and then split up into teams of 6 or 8. Sammy was teamed with his good pal Connor and a new friend, Wyatt. Wyatt has older brothers who are all about soccer and so he knew just what to do with the ball, whereas Sammy and Connor were a little lost for the most part. Sammy just watched and sort of followed the crowd around the field, and Connor kept playing football by tackling the soccer ball.

It was an intimidating event for most of the newbies out there and there were complaints flying all over. Sammy was complaining that the other kids were running faster than he was and he didn’t want to do it anymore. My response was, “Suck it up, get out there and run!” You cannot teach them it’s okay to quit on the first try and he will learn to give things a try before taking the easy way out. Wyatt was complaining it was too hard, and his mother said (more or less) the same thing I did. Plus, I work with the high school soccer team and Wyatt’s brother is our star Keeper – Wyatt’s mother and I know it needs a little push to get them out there, but once they are there they love every moment of it! After practice we asked Sam what he thought, and he really enjoyed it – all that matters in the end.

It was a moment I’ll never forget and Sammy was so cute in his over-sized shirt and socks. I cannot wait until our next practice in a couple of weeks! Sam needs a lot of practice at home before then – we need to work on physical skill and mental abilities. Believing you can go out there and kick it, no matter your level, is the difference between winners and losers.

I am offically a soccer mom now…

Silly itty bitty hops onto his toy train and wants to go for a ride!

Super uber duber cute!

My cousin sent my brother and ME this silly thing she did online. The faces are those of ME, my cousin, her husband, Scott and my brother! Have fun watching it over and over again…

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It was a nice day out and a friend of mine called to see if we wanted to hang at the park for a bit so our kids could play. Sounded like a super idea! We all met up at the park and we chatted in the cool shade while the children played on the playground. We watched people come and go with their children – we even helped one lady leave because she felt like she was going to pass out and needed help getting back to her car. Don’t worry – we made sure she was fine to drive! She lived close and just needed to go and rest, but her two-year-old was being a typical kid who did not want to leave – and that’s when she asked for our help. Poor lady – I hope she’s feeling better! Then there was a mother who was standing next to the swings sucking on her cancer stick – thanks lady! It wasn’t until Sam had asked her to push him on the swing that I saw the cancer burning in her left hand. I’ll give her credit for asking me if it was OK to push Sam on the swing and I had said it was, but I hadn’t yet seen the smoke of doom. Then she got into a swing with her daughter and swung with the stupid white trash cigarette hanging out of her mouth! Not to mention Sam was on the swing next to her!

Anyhow – my friend and I chatted and enjoyed the weather when these two characters walked up to the playground in full metal detecting gear looking like two mega nerds who need a life! Coming to a playground in the middle of the day while children were playing to do what? To find what? At one point the male metal detector had heard something in his extra large headphones and the lady metal detector ran over to see – oh, very exciting! The lady reached into her satchel and pulled out a rod of some kind to examine the ground even further. We watched on and waited to see what the heck they were going to pull out of the densely-packed wood chip floor of the playground. They were so into this one spot at one point that they had put down their big fancy looking metal detectors to focus more attention to the dirt. I wondered aloud how one of the mega nerds would have acted if one of the children would have come up and touched their equipment. I mean, the facts are they’re at a playground where small children play, and small children love to touch large flashy things. It was so beyond inappropriate for them to be there while children were playing! At one point I was sitting on the edge of the playground with Jack when the lady waving her metal detector passed by. I was in her path to the fortune she was about to find there on the playground, and I wondered if she was going to walk right over me or go around. She went around and flashed a friendly smile. They didn’t seem mean or anything of that nature, but people become freaky when they have expensive things around children that want to touch… Sam is that kid! I was totally surprised that he didn’t attack them with his thousand “Why?” questions and investigate their equipment with his idle hands.

My friend had said that once before a different man had come to explore the playground with metal detecting gear and it was during the time small children were running around and having fun… Creepy. Strange people need to know their boundaries and going to a park during playtime is not a place to be! I didn’t bring my camera to the park, *bad parenting – wink* so I used my cameraphone to snap a shot of the lady metal detector in action. The picture isn’t great, but like I said it was a camera phone. And, yes – that’s the lady.

To put the cherry on top – while we were walking to our cars, the children running ahead of us almost ran into a couple of teens macking all over one another! We yelled at the children to stop just before they walked in on mommy and daddy there having a good time. We noticed Jack’s shoe had fallen off when we got back to our cars and my friend had gone back to retrieve it. When she got back to the cars she reported that it was worse! She said they were pretty much having s-e-x. In the park, in the middle of the day?! Give me a break – what is wrong with people? So, we can’t take our children to the playground because we have smoking mothers swinging with their children – the cancer stick just hanging out of her mouth! *class* We have strange folks with high tech equipment scanning the playground for the one thing that’s going to make them rich! We have teens having s-e-x for the whole world to see… Then the lazy asses cannot even bother to clean up after themselves! Smoking mom threw her butt on the ground for a toddler to pick up, high tech nerds digging holes and leaving them and teens just think it’s fine to leave the used condoms in the playground! Nice…

On a lighter note – “cute” is what happens when these two kids get together…

I went to a local Arby’s the other day to grab a bite to eat real quick and encountered the poster woman for my “Good Enough ” post. I walked in with both Boyz, my niece and my in-laws. We stopped before the line to look at the menu and decide what everyone wanted before stepping up for the order. The ugly lady behind the counter yells at us, “For here or to go?” in a hasty voice making it sound like she was in a big hurry when there was no one else there. I then watched Ugly get all huffy over Sam running around a dividing wall and realized that she was in a hurry to get us out of there. I ignored Ugly because Sam was not being loud or annoying – plus, there was no one in the place for him to annoy and he only ran around like three times and stopped. I was looking at the menu above Ugly’s head when Sam and Keirra started playing with the line divider things. Again, no big deal – they weren’t hanging on them or throwing the poles to the ground. They were simply touching and stretching them a bit – respecting the rope thing. So, Ugly behind the counter tells my mother-in-law to stop them and my mother-in-law tells them to stop – which they did. The kids were being really good this day – and I was really happy with them. I stepped up to the counter to give my order, I open my mouth and Ugly interrupts me because my niece is touching the damn line rope thing, “Could you ask her not to do that?” The annoyance bursting out of her. I rolled my eyes, turned to Keirra and said, “Keirra, please don’t touch that. Thanks.” I then turned back to Ugly and tried to order quickly because my patience was quickly running out. I was giving my order and Sam was telling me that he wanted a juice box with his kids meal – there was a cardboard sign right next to the cash register with kid meal information and so Sam grabbed it to show me. Ugly’s reaction was that of a Grandmother when the toddler has just picked up a priceless heirloom. Her face contorted and she sucked her breath in as if to tell me she’d had enough with my unruly children and then she grabbed the cardboard sign out of Sam’s hand… That was it! I had enough of this ugly bitch and her issue with my kids! My child was simply trying to show me the sign and her reaction to it was totally uncalled for. I grabbed Sam and Keirra and left! My in-laws were all confused and had no idea why I was running out in such a huff so I called back, “If she’s going to have a heart attack over the cardboard sign, then we need to leave!” I was so mad I was shaking! I put the kids in the car and made sure they understood that they did nothing wrong and that the lady was crazy and it was all her fault!”

I should have called the manager to complain, but I was so mad I didn’t want to sound like a crazy woman. I then got busy with Jack’s birthday party that day and lost focus on Ugly. I do hope that others complain and her ugly ass is fired – but I doubt it. It just goes to show a person who needs to never deal with the public is there dealing with the public. My mother-in-law blamed it on my passionate dislike for fast food joints, but after I told her everything this woman was doing she understood. Although, this didn’t help my dislike for fast food – because they are always rude and unprofessional. I don’t know exactly what it is, but more than anything rude stupid people are found working the counter at the fast food joints… hummm… Respect for the paying customer has no meaning because they are too narrow-minded to realize the importance of a paying customer.

So, if you live locally and have children my advice is that you stay away from the Arby’s in Minden. I know they have always been nice in the past – but if Ugly is working the counter…watch out!

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Time flies when you’re having fun – this statement has never been truer than with my children. My itty bitty baby just turned one and I cannot believe how fast these past two years have gone! One second I’m pregnant and the next he’s turning one! Whiplash! Jack has brought us so much more joy than I could ever try to explain. He is awesome and the combination of both boys makes life so much more exciting!

August 6, 2008 -  we hit the beach in Tahoe for some fun in the sun! It was an awesomely sunny day and the water was refreshing from the summer heat. It was Jack’s first trip to a Tahoe beach (I don’t know why we put it off so long) and he loved it!

We were able to meet up with Sam’s little friend and her mother – they had been up there camping and it was their last day there. So, while dad and uncle packed up, mom and daughter came and hung out with us for a few hours! Everything is so much more fun with friends.

August 7, 2008 – Jack’s pool party! A gathering of friends made an evening at the pool a ton of fun! Poor Jack was so tired and did not want to partake in the photo shoot. I tried to get a picture with Jack and each one of his gusts, but the turnout wasn’t too great as Jack was screaming in almost every picture. The party was a lot of fun and I believe everyone had a great time. Even though I forgot the gift bags at home… oops!

August 8, 2008 – Jack’s birth date. I woke up that morning and thought, “Wow, here we are – one year later.” My tiny little infant is a big guy now! His first year was great but I know that every year to follow will be more awesome then the last. I am so proud of my little fella – he is sure a special guy! We had a family BBQ to celebrate his birthday… Lots of fun!

Jack’s first year collage was the party gift for all the grandparents at the BBQ we had… I didn’t forget these gift bags – yay!

I love my job and I love what I do, but at the same time I don’t feel good enough to be doing what I am doing. A recent conversation with my mother inspired me to write this blog – someone doing something I do not agree with because I doubt they are good enough. I won’t name any names or make it clear to who I am talking about, but there are jobs in life where being the best is highly important. Let’s use my job, Sign Language Interpreter, as an example. I am good at what I do – not to toot my own horn, but I am. I am better at talking to the Deaf than Interpreting for them – and I know it. I go to work everyday to hang with my buddies – two boys I have been with through middle and now high school. I interpret for them, but I have a lot more skill and fun when I get to chat with them. They graduate this year and this year will also be my last year as an educational Interpreter. Why? Because, I do not feel good enough for my job. Like I said, I am great at talking with the Deaf, but I am not the best at interpreting. A job I truly feel like you need to be the best. Sure, there are so many other reasons involved to why I am making this my last year, but an Interpreter is not who I am. People ask me all the time if I’ll continue with Sign Language – and I think I will because I love it! Then, they ask if I am not Interpreting for schools would I go work at the hospitals or with the police. My big fat answer to this is “NO” and it’s not because I dislike Interpreting – it’s because that job means that I must be perfect! Perfect because that’s another person’s life that I am dealing with – one wrong word and the person could go to jail or die! I mean, we have a hard enough time communicating with the doctors when we can speak the same language. I would hate to make a vital mistake in where the pain was or what kind of medication the person is allergic to… Makes me ill just thinking about it. If I had a Deaf friend – or one of my students – needed me at the hospital or if they were arrested I would be there in a heartbeat! Why? Because I know them and because I know their signs well enough to feel comfortable interpreting for them. A stranger is so different – Sign Language is not that simple! There are some Interpreters, and I know some, that can walk in and kick ass! And still, only one of them is certified! I just feel like you need to be perfect and you would need to be able to kick some ass…otherwise, stay out! Leave the important jobs to the people who know what they are doing inside and out. I don’t want to sound like I don’t trust myself – if someone called and asked me to help at the hospital or jail, I could totally do it. I don’t doubt that I wouldn’t be able to go in there myself, but, what I am saying is that I could never forgive myself if something were to happen. There are days I come home from work and my student was trying to tell me something but I wasn’t getting it and finally hours later it will sink in and I’ll get it! Then the next day I’ll go in and we’ll talk about it. I cannot go to an arrest and come home only to figure out hours later that he really didn’t mean what I had interpreted! I cannot go back and be all, “Oops, my bad.”

There are people a lot more talented than I am for interpreting. I know I am a lot more talented, than even the ones who could kick my butt in interpreting, at conversing with the Deaf. If there is an ounce of doubt – do not do a job you know in your heart is meant for a perfectly skilled individual. I just feel so strongly about this and it bothers me knowing there are thousands of people out there doing jobs they really have no skill for.

I am going to quit and go find myself. I want to sign, I just don’t want to be invisible going it. Maybe a counselor for the Deaf would be an awesome job for me… But, right now I want to be a mommy and I really feel like I am skilled for this job! *smile*