The Procida Family

Hello y'all

2012-02-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me...well yesterday. Yesterday was like any other day except I got 2 cute cards that Phil made on the computer from he and the boys. I worked, we went out to Chepes, then I worked some more. Got a few cards from family members and a lot of calls/text messages. I'm loved LOL jk...then Phil had to remind me that in four years I'll be 40...seriously? Why did you remind me of that?

This week the HS Varsity team had their first scrimmage that they WON 8-7 agains North Gwinnett. Phil was asked to play in the game and he got about 5 minutes in. He was in heaven...totally excited after the game and wishing he had truly made that team for the whole season. We'll see!

This weekend Jeff has a game at noon tomorrow and Phil's back to guitar lessons at 2pm so we're going to divide and conquer. No other plans yet for the weekend but I'm sure it will get filled up.

The boys have off of school until next Wednesday. I'm sure they're enjoying their nice break.

Have a great weekend!
Me

Happy Friday!

2012-02-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

Holy Moly I've been busy lately. So, to update everyone from last weekend....the clinic was a HUGE success...we made over $2,500 and ended up with 75 participants! I'm SO happy! Then, Jeff's team beat Milton (that's big if you didn't know) 12-7! The times are a changin' here at West so these big Lax programs better watch out! Later that night Phil and joined 9 other couples for dinner at a popular Mexican restaurant here in town. So much fun getting together with everyone but I was exhausted.

Sunday I vegged until about noon and then Phil and I headed off to Lowes and Home Depot (such a married thing to do) to look at new floors, etc for our master closet. We're finally redo'ing it! We picked out a beautiful wood laminate (Armstrong Woodland Walnut if you want to look it up). Phil then spent the remainder of the day researching installation, etc. and then we watched the Super Bowl. BTW, all the Madonna haters - I thought it was a fantastic show!

Earlier in the week we pulled up the carpet and padding. It was disgusting. I can't imagine with the carpet in the rest of the house is like. I can't wait to get it all out of here.

So, other happenings this week:

Monday - Phil practice, Heather - lax parent's meeting
Tuesday - Phil and Jeff practice, Heather thought she had an HOA meeting that she later found out had occurred LAST Thursday (ugh)
Wednesday - Jeff and Heather freshman orientation at the HS, Phil practice
Thursday - Phil and Jeff practice, Heather - died doing biggest loser work out at park during Jeff's practice
Friday (today) - Phil practice, Heather - putting on helmet decals for the HS players and hopefully watching a movie with hubby when I get home.
Saturday - D1 Lax game - UNC vs. Penn State
Sunday - Jeff game

Never a dull moment!

Happy Friday everybody!

2012-02-03T08:45:00.000-05:00

Oh what a week! I feel like I've been going 100 mph with no break! Phil's been out of town this week so I've been even more busy than usual. Tomorrow is the lacrosse clinic I've been helping to organize and it's turned out to be a pretty good response. We'll probably be close to 60 players and nearly $2,000 in fundraising when it's all said and done. Not too shabby. Tomorow will be a long day though. I have to be at the field at 8am to help get everything unlocked, then the camp is from 10am-2pm, Jeff's game is at 2pm (thankfully at the same location), and then we're going out to dinner with some of the parents from his team that night. Sunday is FOOTBALL so I'm not sure if he's having practice or not.

I have some great news to share about Phil. He tried out for the HS lax team this week and found out this AM that he made the JV team. Congrats Phil! He's very excited. Last night I really thought he had a chance to make the Varsity squad since he was asked to work with them on some drills but I guess the coaches thought it was in his best interest to get acclimated at JV first. Probably a good idea, he needs more meat on his bones first. :-)

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend and I'll continue to update as I can!

Mid-week update

2012-01-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

I'm officially changing Atlanta's nickname from Hotlanta to WETlanta. Seriously, when is it going to stop raining!? It will be almost 70 degrees today (yes, in January!) and we can't even enjoy it b/c it's raining AGAIN! This totally, completely, and utterly sucks. Morgan's peeing in the house again b/c he's a primadona and won't go out in the rain, Sarah tracks dog paws all over the hardwood floors b/c she doesn't gift a rats a** about the rain, and I just stare out at the gloomy sky. I do see an end in sight, maybe by this weekend which will be good for Jeff's lax team who is playing in a tournament. I've decided instead of going there, I'm going to take Phil to get his driver's permit. Lord help us all! :-) It will also give me a chance to clean this nasty house and get some exercise in and Phil won't have to reschedule his guitar lesson either. So much going on this time of year.

Earlier in the week Phil was invited to play on LB3's U-17 team this summer. He still hasn't made up his mind if he's going to do it or not. Unfortunately 2 of the 4 tournaments conflict with our Myrtle Beach trip this summer and you know what takes priority. :-)

Oh oh oh, I'm so excited about this news - yesterday we (mom) booked us for a week in the Pocono's this December! Finally, Phil will have his white Christmas (well sort of). We're going the week before, I think the dates are the 14th-21st.

Well, back to work. Originally just wanted to complain about the weather.

Signed,
Grumpy in the WTL (get it? ATL/WTL? WETlanta)...ok nevermind :-}

Boat For Sale!

2012-01-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

PLEASE! If you know anyone - even if minimally interested or even just thinking of purchasing a boat - please send them this link!

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2006-Four-Winns-278-Vista-100531622

Thanks!
Heather

This weekend

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Holy rain...I'm so sick of the rain ! Another blah day today and the chance for 1 day of sunshine this entire week ahead. Enough already! Anyway.....

Speaking of rain, Jeff had a scrimmage on Saturday that was delayed for nearly an hour - because of the stupid rain - (they won...and he scored), which made Phil miss his guitar lesson. Luckily I called the store during the delay and we were able to reschedule the lesson. The team played great - much better than in the December tournament. The final was 9-5. I think they'll have a pretty good season this Spring.

Sunday, Phil's lesson (which we rescheduled from Saturday) got cancelled b/c the instructor was feeling ill. That gave the three of them all day to mess around with this new Mindcraft server they have created. Jeff had practice from 3pm-5pm but other than that, he was right there with "the Phil's". I did my weekly coupon shopping. Filled up the entire back of the car, used all my reusable bags plus some plastic, and stayed below $200. NICE :-)

I watched the Ravens game last night and like I said to Kate, Robby, and Dad....OUCH! I can't say much more than that though, Eagles were out before it even began.

Right on time this week :-)

2012-01-20T11:15:00.000-05:00

See, that Friday calendar reminder actually does work (when you don't cancel/delete it)! :-)

Since Tuesday there really hasn't been much going on. It's been blah outside, and again today. Jeff had a dentist appointment on Wednesday and then I made an awesome cajun chicken dish for dinner with dirty rice on the side. YUMM...who says healthy can't be tasty? :-)

Jeff has his first scrimmage of the season tomorrow and then directly after that Phil has his guitar lesson. I think Jeff's going to have practice on Sunday as well since they have a tournament next weekend.

We've decided that tonight is going to be "electronics free" so we're going to play Jeff's USMC Monopoly game. We tried that last night but daddy Phil got caught up in work until almost 8pm so I threw a tantrum (who, me?) and put everything away in a huff. LOL Anyone who knows me can totally picturing me doing that LOL

I've been working with the HS Lax Booster Club to coordinate a camp on February 4th as well as selling tickets to the UNC vs. Penn State College Game on 2/11 here in GA. Both have had luke warm responses. It's just weird to me that there's so much involvement at the youth level and then you can't get a single response from the parents at the HS level. Hopefully things will change once more players move up from the youth program. We'll see. I'm trying to stay in the background as much as possible. Just offering help when I have an interested. I don't think I want to be so involved again. Too much drama and politics.

Anywho - gotta get back to work to pay all these damn bills! Have a great weekend! MUAH

Slacker

2012-01-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

Seriously, I can't even keep up for 1 week before I get behind and I even put a weekly reminder on my calendar to update this blog every Friday! I totally suck at this but I'm determined! So on Wednesday our washer died. For those who have been to the house over the past few months you know it was only a matter of time. Every time it went to the spin/rinse cycle I thought there was a cat locked inside the damn thing. So, to go along with my saving/couponing scheme, I researched the best washer deal and, I have to say, found a great one! We got a front loading Samsung washer for $450! YEA BABY! I love it love it love it!

OK, so really, it doesn't take much to make me happy...just being able to wear clean clothes is enough for me :-)

The rest of the weekend was pretty non-eventful. Jeff had practice Sat & Sun, Phil had guitar lessons both days too. Big Phil is still trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with the computer he's building/built. The boys and I had off yesterday for MLK day so we went out to lunch. I spent the majority of the day reading my Kindle and of course they were on their computers or the XBox. Just plain lazy day for us. It was nice.

Absolutely no excuse!

2012-01-11T09:21:00.002-05:00

OK, so I am completely awful at the whole "blogging" thing but like weight loss, I'm determined to get to it this year! :-) So, since it looks like I haven't updated this site since October of last year, I guess there is a lot to fill everyone (what, 2 people?) in on. Side note - not sure I even posted about this in June but I started a new job supporting an old boss. Still working from home, nice pay raise, and now just 1 boss as opposed to 4! It's working out great...so on to the rest of the year:

October:
* The boys continued their fall lacrosse season which kept us busy every day of the week with the exception of Wednesdays.
* Young Phil (at 6'2" we can't really call him little anymore) got the rest of his components for his state of the art gaming computer for his birthday. He's in heaven now!
* Daddy Phil got the beginnings of his own computer for his birthday since he can't be shown up by his son :)

* Mom came into town (well state) to do some retirement home shopping in Augusta, GA so I took a couple days off to go check them out with her. We found a great home and she actually put an offer on it but when dad went to see it a couple weeks later he found some pretty significant issues so they recinded the offer. Instead, they chose a homesite in the same neighborhood and are building their dream home. I'm so happy for them and so excited that they'll be close in a couple months!

* Halloween was absolutely awesome. We built an actual Dot Room in our garage, framed it out and everything. I think we ended up using 100 yards of black fabric (just for the ceiling), probably 3x that much of black pastic for the walls, etc. and 16 cans of neon colored spray paint but it came out amazing. I also bought a full black costume and painted dots on it, hid in a corner of the room so I blended in with the wall and scared everyone who came in. It also helped that there was heavy metal music blarring when they walked in so the kids were completely disoriented (which made them even more scared when I jumped out). It's too bad the concept doesn't show well when you try to take pictures of it.

November:

* Jeff tried out and made the Sr. Select team for his lacrosse program. He's very excited to have Coach Mark as his coach this season. Mark was Phil's coach until this year when Phil moved up to the HS.

* Phil played in a HS tournament with upper classman from several different schools on his team. The uniforms were really funky but Phil liked them and the team came in 2nd overall in their division. Not too shabby for never even meeting his teammates before the tournament, much less having a single practice with them! (Seriously, some of these kids drove themselves to the tournament and most had full beards for No Shave November). It was so bizarre!

HS tournament team - we called the guy with his arms outstretched "Jesus"...say no more

* Thanksgiving was wonderful. Theresa and Kinsley were here to visit and it was so nice having them around. We ate great food (including 2 rum cakes) and did some Black Friday shopping. We had talked about going out like all those crazy fools at midnight for the shopping spree but that's as far as we got - talking. Honestly, I prefer sleep and there wasn't anything this year that I just HAD to have, ya know?

December:

* Both boys played in another weekend lacrosse tournament in early December. It was SOOO cold that weekend and I ended up getting pretty sick afterwards. The boys did great though and it's always fun to watch them play.

* Kate came to visit the weekend of 12/16. It was the first time she's actually been to the house and we've lived here almost 5 years! It was so nice having her here and Phil seemed to enjoy her company too. I hope she comes back soon!
* I had a lot of time off throughout the holidays (12 days not counting weekends) so I was able to make 6 baskets of baked goods for friends and family members. I love doing that and everyone seemed to like them.
* Heather and Liam became the proud parents of Benjamin Bryan Nisenfeld on December 22nd. He was born at 3:34pm, 6 lbs/15 oz, and 19.5 inches long. CONGRATS!
* Mom and Dad came in for Christmas on the 23rd. It was really nice to hear that mom feels at home when she visits (she actually said that as soon as they got settled that night). They spoiled us with all their sweet treats, the crab cakes, and the filet minon. OMG was it good though! After Christmas mom and dad flew down to New Orleans for a few days and came back on Friday, 12/30. They stayed one more night then started the treck back home.
* New Years Eve was spent with friends that were hosting a party. I actually stayed up past midnight! I'm so proud :-)

Here are some great pics of Christmas as well as a Fundraiser we just did with one of our Lacrosse Sponsors! Phil is in the blue jacket.

So on to 2012...

* So far this month I have started becoming a Couponing Freak (with Phil's help) :-). We watch that show Extreme Couponing and while I can't quite figure out how they get their totals down to 0, we are saving quite a bit. Example: Yesterday I went to the store and spent $22.96 but saved $23.67! We are buying 3 Sunday papers on Saturday (they usually come out a day early) and we check the current week's ad again as well as the upcoming sales. We only buy sale items - a lot of stores have buy 1/get 1 or 10/$10. Those are the coupons you should use when you see sales like that! Also, don't buy what your family does not use. Just b/c Metamucil is on sales doesn't mean you should buy it!
* Phil and I have started the New Year right. We're really focusing on getting back to taking care of our bodies, inside and out. We're eating more healthy, exercising more, and becoming more active. We had become such couch potatoes and it was disgusting. I received an Amazon gift card for Christmas and ordered an exercise ball for me and a pair of tennis shoes for each of us. No excuses now!

OK so I think that pretty much covers the big ticket items. If there is more I'll be sure to add it in...for now, Happy Birthday Jammi!

Seriously?

2011-10-06T15:23:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Phil is 15 today! He can get his DRIVER'S permit this weekend! I remember when dad took me for mine (which I failed 3 times before I passed). I'm so proud of the young man he has become but so sad that the time is going by so fast. Everyone raise a glass to Phil tonight!

Happy 15th Birthday, Phil! We love you!

Back to school, Back to school...

2011-08-11T08:58:00.000-04:00

Well Phil is officially a Freshman in high school now and Jeff is the big man on campus in 8th grade. Where oh where did the time go!?

Quick vacation

2011-08-01T10:41:00.003-04:00

Well, Phil decided spur of the moment last Wednesday that we were going to take a quick trip to Orlando this past weekend since we both had Friday off. He used his Delta miles and Marriott points so a lot of the costs were wiped out (thankfully). We stayed at a gorgeous resort which ended up being a timeshare property. Luckily we weren't harassed to join in any of their "meetings".

On Friday our flight arrived a little after 10am and we headed straight to Universal's Island of Adventure. It was HOT to say the least. We got back to the hotel around 6pm and crashed (which is why you see the pizza hut box in one of the pics below).

Saturday we went to Gatorland where we saw Gators of all sizes (and colors - did you know there are albino gators!?). There were parrots, emu's, etc. We paid a bit extra and all got to FEED the alligators (you'll see another picture of those gators below). We actually got to go inside the fence, right by the water! That was very cool. When we got back to the hotel, Jeff and I went to one of the 3 resort pools (picture below) while the Phil's hung out in the room. I swam for a little bit then sat pool side with none other than a frozen margarita (but of course!). Then we all got cleaned up and went to High Tide Harry's Seafood restaurant for dinner..YUM!

Sunday we spent the day at SeaWorld. I have to say that this was my favorite day. It was still hot as hell but the lines were manageable (when there were lines) and the Shamu show was fantastic. It was a little nostalgic for me thinking of my parents bringing Robby and I there and now it's come full circle for me bringing my kids there. Honestly got a little choked up during the show.

Well, we could have spent MUCH more time at SeaWorld but our plane was scheduled out at 7:30 so we had to eat, drop off the rental car, and get to the airport. Unfortunately, when we got there we had massive thunderstorms so our flight was delayed...hence the "fun times" pic.

Phil says that during the next trip we'll definitely swim with the dolphins and do the behind the scenes stuff...oh, and go to the water parks!

Well, here are the pics!

This last pic was taken from our screened porched at sunrise..beautiful huh?

Jeff at the Duke Camp

2011-07-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures Jeff's coach took of him during the Duke camp last month.

Jeff's the one taking the shot here

and here

FYI, Jeff's on the right side here (the short one)

Time is flying!

2011-07-01T08:31:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's July 1st already! UGH, where has this year gone!? Well, an update on our festivities:

1) Jeff has been at the Duke University Lacrosse Camp since Tuesday and returns this evening. He's had a blast and calls me with updates at least once a day. I think we may make this a yearly thing, they really do get great positive encouragement and learn so much.

2) I started my new job 3 weeks ago. It's going better now since I know some of the processes. We are supposed to close at 2pm today and are closed Monday and Tuesday next week for the holiday.

3) Robby and the family arrive this afternoon. We plan to take the little ones to the pool this evening and then we'll all head to the lake tomorrow. I can't wait for their visit!

4) Since Grandma moved out, we've made the spare room the boy's (and dad's!) "Male Cave"...can't be a "Man Cave" since, thankfully, the boys aren't MEN....yet. We have their computer, 2 XBox360's, and now a couch in there. We painted the walls and put up reproduction vintage signs. It's coming together and looking pretty cool. Next is the closet. We're going to remove the doors and convert it into the beverage center with a mini frig, etc. Should be done soon and I'll take some pictures.

5) Papa Phil is coming to visit July 17th-21st. It will be his first visit to GA so we're excited about that. Hopefully Phil and I will be able to take off at least one day to take him to the lake.

Think that's pretty much it for now! I hope everyone has a safe a happy 4th of July!

Love to all!
H

What a fantastic mini-vacation!

2011-06-06T11:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Mom and Dad for allowing us the use of their timeshare for a very special trip to Myrtle Beach! We're already planning our week-long trip there next year! WOOHOO

Some great pics!

2011-04-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

Happy 13th birthday Jeff!

2011-04-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

What a weekend!

2011-04-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

The boys and I had so much fun this weekend! We left home around noon on Friday and headed up to Lake Hartwell with Christine and James for the weekend. Her parents have a house on the lake and the view was just beautiful. We hung out, took a short walk, and had just a few :-) glasses of wine Friday night along with a delicious lasagna dinner. Saturday we headed to Greenville around 10:30am to watch Greensboro College vs. Birmingham Southern - D3 lacrosse (but of course). Greensboro won 15-6. Before the game, Kyle Hughes, F middie #30, came and chatted with us for a bit. Christine works with his dad. He gave the boys some great suggestions and Christine and I some insight into college ball and what to do if your son wants to be recruited.

After the game, Coach Cetrone chatted with us as well. Gave the boys the best recommendation ever...I asked, if there is ONE THING the boys should be doing right now, what would it be? His response - USE BOTH HANDS! It was very nice of coach to take time out to talk to us and then we were invited to the tailgating party. Nice group of players/parents for sure.

After the game we went to Henry's Smokehouse for some real BBQ...wasn't what we hoped but it filled our hungry bellies for sure!

Oh yea, forgot about the trip to Greenville...we stopped just over the border in SC and got some fireworks :-)....needless to say, when we got back from our trip that evening the boys were more than ready to test them out. The wind didn't cooperate much so we weren't able to do all of them but G-Pa (Christine's father) helped them test out a few.

The next day Barbara (Christine's mom) made quiche, etc. for breakfast and awesome sloppy joe's for lunch. Between meals the boys went kayaking with G-Pa. Here are some pics of the weekend. SO FUN!

Congratulations Jeff!

2011-03-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

Most of you received my email a few weeks ago about Jeff being recognized as a leader within his class and his outstanding grades throughout 6th-7th grade (3.8 GPA). He recently received an invitation to join the Jr. Beta Club at his middle school. Throughout the past few weeks he has gone back and forth on whether or not to join and, while at first I was pushing hard for it, I backed off. Lo and behold, he came to me this morning asking me to sign the permission slip and write him a check for $16 to join.

YAY!!!!!!! Needless to say we're all thrilled! It's such an honor!

To find out more about the Beta Club, visit: http://www.betaclub.org/

Wow

2011-02-07T13:20:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe it's already the 2nd week in FEBRUARY! Where in the world did January go!? Man oh man, the older I get, the faster time flies. Well, to keep those of you who still read this thing updated, here ya go:

1) Boys lax practice started in late January
2) First games are this weekend: Saturday versus Johns Creek and Sunday versus Northview.
3) Jeff takes the ACT test this Saturday (this is part of the Duke TIP program that he was nominated for)....don't forget to call to wish him luck!
4) Phil is actually home this week but alas will be in Orlando next week and California again the week after that. Then I think he's done traveling for a bit.

Think that about covers it all for now.....oh yea, we're now back in full workout/diet mode...I HATE IT!!!

A Christmas to remember

2011-01-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

We spent a lovely Christmas at home with my parents. They arrived Christmas Eve and left the Tuesday following, heading back to Robby's house as they had for Thanksgiving. We loved their visit and wish they had stayed a bit longer but we know they had to make the rounds. Look forward to seeing mom again at the end of the month! Here are some pics of Christmas morning...oh yea, forgot to mention it was a WHITE Christmas in GA and unfortunately, b/c of the snow, dad and Phil weren't able to even enjoy their present which was a guided, 7-hour fishing trip on Carters Lake! Sorry guys, maybe next time!

A new pic of the boys

2010-12-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas from Crash!

2010-12-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

Congrats to the boys!

2010-11-08T09:58:00.000-05:00

Phil and Jeff both ended their lacrosse seasons with winning records this weekend. Both also had select team tryouts and each made the team! Jeff is now playing "Jr." Select (6th-7th graders) and Phil is on the "Sr." Select team this season (7th-8th graders). Phil's team is basically the same team from last spring, with the addition of 1 new player.

All the kids that tried out yesterday looked great and I'm sure it was very difficult for the coaches to make their decisions. Glad I wasn't in their shoes!

Great job boys! Needless to say, Phil starts "spring" practice tonight and Jeff starts on Friday. Yup, you got it...no break this year!

some great pics of Jeff's recent games

2010-10-20T13:39:00.000-04:00

Look at him with the Long Pole!

Happy birthday daddy!

2010-10-20T13:19:00.002-04:00

We celebrated Phil's 34th birthday yesterday. We got him a set of pushup bars and new tennis shoes (badly needed). We went to the Kani House (Japanese) for dinner and then came home for some ice cream cake. I have to say, it was all a surprise and I think he was happy. (he even thanked me again today!)

What an awesome birthday celebration!

2010-10-11T11:53:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Phil's 14th birthday on Saturday night. It was the best birthday party EVER! You're not going to believe this but I only took 1...yes 1....picture the entire night (at the bottom). We have it all on video but obviously that does us no good here, huh?

We had it at an indoor soccer/lacrosse venue and invited both U-15 teams (ended up with 26 boys). Since the party was from 8pm-10pm we only served platters - veggie/meat & cheese/fruit. Of course we ordered a fantastic cake (lacrosse themed, go figure-but no picture!). They even built the goals!

Anyway...we had arranged a special surprise guest as Phil's gift from us. His name is Liam Banks and some of his bio is listed below:

He attended Ward Melville High School where Banks was an All-American Attackman. During Banks' senior year he tallied an unbelievable mark of 172 points in a single season. Banks continued his pursuit of lacrosse excellence at Syracuse University where he was named a 2X All-American and a member of the 2000 National Championship Team. In addition, Banks was named MVP of the 2000 National Championship Tournament where he scored six goals against Princeton and ensured Syracuse's victory. The attackman opens his sixth MLL season in 2009 with the Chicago Machine. He began his career with the New Jersey Pride in 2005 and totaled 34 points in each of his first two seasons. He split the 2007 season between the Pride and the San Francisco Dragons, setting career highs with 26 goals and 37 points, and played a second season with the Dragons in 2008.

He was awesome with the boys. Played 7v7 for almost 40 minutes then one on one with Phil while the boys watched. He showed Phil how to do crazy shots (between the legs, behind the back, behind the goal, etc). We also did fastest shot and he gave out prizes. Liam gave Phil a new lax head, USA Team shorts (which he put on as soon as he received), and 2 autographed pictures. He also gave Jeff a new pair of Warrior shorts (he's the Warrior/Brine rep in our area).

It was such a special night. Mom said I'll never be able to top that party and you know what, I don't want to. It was perfect.

Update to last post

2010-09-29T15:43:00.000-04:00

I guess the team that Jeff was supposed to play got scared b/c they were a no-show after the coach rescheduled them. Unfortunately that means that Jeff has only played 1 game so far this season. Oh well.

Phil played Alpharetta this weekend and lost 5-4. He scored 1. He got a great email from the select coach earlier this week saying he's seen him out practicing and he's looking really good. It made Phil very happy.

OH, big news! Phil cut his hair! I mean, it's SHORT! It looks great! I'll have to take a picture when he's not looking and post it here. He says he's keeping it short now. I knew if I let him do his thing, the long hair would get old after awhile. It was a phase and there's more to come.

I can't believe he's going to be 14 next week! UGH! We've invited both U-15 teams (his age group) to an indoor lacrosse field for his party. So far we've got 22 kids. Should be a fun time! I'll take lots of pictures.

This weekend's games should be a lot of fun. The HS has allowed the youth program to use the stadium field so the boys are going to be playing on turf. I plan to video the game so the boys can see how they actually play as opposed to just being told what they did right/wrong.

OK, I'm going on and on. Ciao for now!

Last weekend's update

2010-09-24T14:13:00.001-04:00

Jeff had a bye weekend for lax last weekend. Phil's team played Stars and won 15-1 (YEA MAN)...Phil scored 4 and even tried a behind the back shot which he missed by about 2". Maybe next time!

The kitties had their first adoption day at PetCo last Saturday. Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending how you look at it), none of them were adopted so we have them again this week. They'll participate in the next adoption day tomorrow. Lucky's been a little under the weather this week. He's been vomiting and really lathargic. We took him to the vet and they gave him some fluids so he's on the mend now.

They go to the Humane Society today for their 3rd set of shots.

Most of you know what a difficult time we've had with the boat this season. HOPEFULLY the AC will be fixed by the end of this weekend so we can get back on the lake before it starts to cool down too much.

Schedule for Saturday:
11:15am - Phil's team vs. Alpharetta
11:30am - Jeff's team vs. Cherokee

Guess that means we're split up again tomorrow.

More baby pictures!

2010-09-14T15:03:00.000-04:00

I totally forgot to add our most recent baby pictures! We've decided to keep Crash and Spike. All got spayed/neutered and microchipped yesterday but seem to be doing well. They go for their first adoption day this Saturday.
It's been really great seeing them grow and their personalities develop but it's time to get my bed back! Even Sarah has begun sleeping on the floor b/c there's not enough room anymore!

1st Lax Weekend

2010-09-14T14:41:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately the scores didn't show it but the boys played great this weekend. Congrats to Jeff for 1 goal and Phil for 2! Keep up the great work! BTW, that last picture...yea, he scored :-)

GREAT Labor Day weekend

2010-09-14T14:30:00.000-04:00

I know that this is a few weeks late but we had a fantastic time on the lake Labor Day weekend. Here are some pics! We ended up staying overnight unexpectedly but had enough to keep us going. The boys seemed to have a good time as well. Nothing like 7 lax players stranded on a beach to keep you entertained!

Tough few months

2010-08-24T11:43:00.000-04:00

As some of you have heard, Mamaw died on August 12th. She was buried 4 months to the day (August 16th) of Papaw. Mom has had a very tough year and I hope you will keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she finally gets to mourn the loss of her parents. Mom, I love you.

First Day of School

2010-08-09T12:27:00.000-04:00

YEA! School's back in session! Here is our yearly 1st day of school picture! Can't believe they're in 7th and 8th grade!

We've got babies!

2010-08-09T11:56:00.000-04:00

So I know you're not supposed to, but after Captain died we started to feed a pure white wild female cat that hangs around our neighborhood. We noticed that although she kept quite skinny, her belly began to sag more and more. Well guess what...she had babies. Not only that, she was keeping them behind our fence in the storm drain (which floods whenever there's a good rain).

Well of course we couldn't leave them there so we now have 5 kittens in our garage - probably 4-5 weeks old. We're using Sarah's crate (since daddy thinks she's a big girl now and doesn't need one anymore). They seem to be very happy. We've given them baths, used the flea comb on them (will have to do that again), and feed them every four hours. We're going to spend quite a bit on kitten formula I can tell, and that stuff ain't cheap!

Anyone want a kitten!?

SUCH an awesome time!

2010-06-30T15:18:00.000-04:00

We did SO much while we were away!

Thursday - got to National Harbor a little after 8pm and took the boys to the pool.
Friday - Washington Monument, White House, Spy Museum, lunch at the Folk Festival, and the Natural History Museum (oh, and the ride to and from on the Metro!), then burgers and hot dog back at the hotel
Saturday - Holocaust Museum, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial (and again the Metro), ending the day with dinner at a fantastic restaurant at National Harbor and a countdown to sunset.
Sunday - Pentagon Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery and then a delicious chicken and rib bbq dinner at mom/dad's house. Not to mention our special guests - Kate and Cailin!
Monday - Baltimore National Aquarium
Tuesday - for lunch on the drive home we stopped by Dain's in Durham which was featured on Man VS. Food. Very cool to say we've been.

PHEW! I get tired just THINKING of all the walking we did! Mom, Dad, thanks for an amazing vacation!

6 more days!

2010-06-18T09:14:00.000-04:00

Well yesterday the boys and I headed to Wally World to get all of lil Phil's necessities for his camp: fan (can you believe the dorms are NOT air conditioned?!), gatorade, swim suit, flip flops, etc. You can tell he's getting excited even if he's not showing it too much....really, what 13 year old boy shows any emotion!?

This weekend Jeff is going to get his "mopped chopped" for our visit with Nana and PopPop. He asked for it a few weeks ago, but every time I said let's go he decided not to. Yesterday when I told him he was getting it cut this weekend he said, "good, it's getting annoying". LOL...guess it's time.

Not sure what daddy's going to do with a whole house all to himself for nearly a week. Ahhhhhh, the bachelor life.

Countdown to June 24th!

2010-06-17T16:30:00.001-04:00

We're just one week away from our big trip! Around 6:30am on Thursday, June 24th, I will load up 5 boys, ages 12-13, for a trip to Durham, North Carolina then on to Washington, DC. We will drop three boys off at Duke University for lacrosse camp, including our one and only "lil" Phil. He'll spend 3 hot and glorious days on the campus learning from the new NCAA Division I Lax Champions! Little did we know when we registered him for this overnight camp back in March that Duke would go on to win the title this year! How awesome is that!?

Anyway, so we drop three of the boys off at Duke, then Jeff, his friend, and I proceed up 85 then on to 95 towards our final destination at the National Harbor in Washington, DC. Mom and dad reserved a timeshare there and we can't wait! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will then be spent touring the capital, enjoying the game room and pool at night, and eating fantastic food!

We'll come home either the following Monday or Tuesday, we haven't decided yet and we're NOT in any hurry. We need a break and the countdown begins...............

The BIG reveal!

2010-05-30T08:20:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows that we have been going through a major backyard renovation and you've seen a few pics here and there.....well, wait no further! Below are our before and after pics. WE LOVE IT! Hope you can come visit and enjoy it with us soon!

Oh yea, and I've also added new pics of our 4 legged friends and a pic of Phil's new toy! :-)

In my last blog I mentioned that my grandfather was ill. He passed away on April 13th. Since that time my grandmother has become ill and sustained five broken bones from different falls. Please keep her in your prayers (along with my mom and aunts who are dealing with her and the docs).

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Trip to Louisiana

2010-04-08T19:55:00.000-04:00

The boys and I, along with mom, drove down to Louisiana to visit my grandparents this past weekend. The trip was not scheduled until the boys got out of school but Papaw called Thursday asking us to please consider coming this weekend, so we did. We had a wonderful visit but left a bit, I don't know how to even describe it...ummm, sad maybe? Monday morning when we were supposed to leave, Papaw said he needed to go to the hospital and Mamaw to the doctor. Papaw was having a difficult time breathing (as we saw the entire weekend) and Mamaw had an infected sore on her arm and an obviously hurt leg from a fall earlier in the week. Long story short, Papaw was admitted to the ICU with pneumonia and Mamaw is an antibiotics now. We left Sulfur around 2:30pm on Monday and got home around 12:30 on Tuesday. Papaw is still in the hospital and not making any progress. Please pray for him, and our family, as we get through this time.
Here are some pics of our visit (along with all the lizzards we had join us).

I didn't get to finish adding to the blog last week

2010-04-07T15:26:00.000-04:00

I was able to add the pictures from a few of Jeff's games but then had to work (go figure) again. We had a great visit with Grandma 2 weekends ago. She was able to watch 2 of Jeff's games and one of Phil's (Grandpa was there for Phil's game on Sunday). I think it was the best game Phil had ever played and he scored 6 (yes, you read that right) goals in one game! She's so excited to see them play that she's going to come back again next weekend! We can't wait! She'll also be here for all the fun to celebrate Jeff's bday. He decided to postpone it a week so his friend, Sam, could come.

Hopefully our backyard transformation will be complete when she comes back. All I hear right now are sledgehammers and concrete saws...they're trying to get through the 6" concrete patio we have in order to lay down the new paver patio and install the kitchen and pergola. I CAN'T WAIT! Before pictures were taken this morning!

As usual, I'm lagging behind

2010-04-01T15:58:00.000-04:00

Here are some Pics of Jeff's recent games

Scores and updates

2010-03-06T07:01:00.000-05:00

So, it looks like I'm going to be a week late with all my posting...Last weekend's scores:
Saturday, 2/27:

3:15pm - Jeff - lost 5-4 (Jeff scored 2)

Sunday, 2/28:
2pm - Phil - won 11-3 (Phil scored 1)
3:30pm - Jeff - won 9-2 (Jeff scored 4)

And this weekend's schedule is:
Saturday, 3/6:
2pm - Jeff
3:30pm - Phil

Sunday, 3/7:
2pm - Phil
3pm - Jeff

Other things that happened this week: we (Phil) finished screening in the deck upstairs and putting the trim up. Now it's my turn to paint the ceiling and the 2 accent walls, hang curtains, and then Phil will hang a new fan. It's going to be gorgeous up there!
We also had another round of SNOW on Tuesday/Wednesday which caused an early release on Tuesday and NO SCHOOL on Wednesday. I've got snow pics of Jeff on my other computer so I'll download them later.
For now, have a great weekend!
H

Congrats Phil!

2010-02-26T15:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm almost a week late but I need to give an update on Phil's games last weekend. They played a double header on Saturday and beat the team twice - 1st game was 9-4 and 2nd game was 8-1. Phil scored once in each of those games. On Sunday they beat another team 15-2 (ouch!) and Phil scored 2 in that game! Way to start off the season bud!

This weekend we've got the following:
Saturday, 2/27:
3:15pm - Jeff
Sunday, 2/28:
2pm - Phil
3:30pm - Jeff

Wish them luck!

Seriously? Snow in GA?

2010-02-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

Really - when I thought of moving to ATL (i.e. HOTlanta), SNOW was the last thing I thought I'd see, much less now be stuck in my house because of! It's been coming down steady for about 3 hours now and here are the first pics. More to come!

Mom and Dad's visit

2010-02-05T14:53:00.003-05:00

Mom and dad came to visit last weekend. It was a short visit (literally) but I won't go into the detais of why (MOM). They arrived on Friday evening (after we gave up looking for dad's bag which the airline had lost) and headed back to the airport on Sunday around 11:45am. We had a chance to hang out, introduce them to Whole Foods (love that store), and take them out to dinner for Mom's bday. Maybe they'll stay longer next time (hint hint).
Now we're on to planning the family reunion in April and the boy's trip to DC during the summer. Gotta love it!

Captain

2010-02-04T09:34:00.007-05:00

It's been 2 weeks today since Captain's heart attack and passing. I'm missing him terribly (I know, how pitiful since it was only a cat). But really, Captain was one of the coolest cats I ever knew/had. Here are a few pictures Theresa took while she was here in November as well as some pics of him as a kitten. I toasted Captain with a Captain and coke, I hope you will too!

As of today I think I'm officially caught up!

2009-12-27T16:16:00.013-05:00

What a fantastic Christmas we had this year. It was so nice to have Grandma and Grandpa here, although they left us a day early (they also arrived a day early so I'll give them that). Unfortunately I was sick the entire time. Turns out I had sinusitis and larangitis. Phil was loving the latter, go figure! I think the boy made out pretty well and I always seem to get spoiled, no matter what limit we put on spending for each other. This year I spent a grand total of $75 I think and in return received a Tiffany & Co. ring. Somehow that doesn't add up but I'm not complaining since I was on the winning end of that deal! :-)

I hope everyone had a safe and Merry Christmas. Happy New Year!

Mom's House for Christmas

2009-12-27T15:33:00.012-05:00

OK, no one warned us until the morning the boy's and I were driving our 2nd part of the trip that there was SNOW in the forcast! Yes, only the boys and I drove both legs. Phil had the pleasure of flying from San Francisco to BWI then only having the drive back. Lucky duck! I actually had to go to Walmart when we got into town to buy winter jackets, snow shoes, gloves, hats, the works! Doesn't anyone remember that the REAL reason we moved to GA (forget about Phil's job) was to get away from that white stuff!? UGH And it wasn't even a light dusting! NOOOOOOOOO, it had to be the blizzard of the century! 23" of snow we shoveled in 2, yes 2 days! What the heck is that all about!? PFFT, see if I'm going to MD for Christmas again! LOL...seriously though, had anyone warned me, you know I would have made alternate plans or come up with some sort of excuse :-) sorry mom! However, we did get some great pics and a lot of wonderful memories, of course. And guess what...Christmas is in Orlando next year! HA, at least I got something out of it!

Thanksgiving!

2009-12-27T15:24:00.004-05:00

We had a great visit with Theresa, Blair, and Kaleb at Thanksgiving. Thanks (no pun intended) to the three of you for making the LONG drive! We love when you come to visit and can't wait till next summer for big C's graduation party!

Rest of October

2009-12-27T15:10:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to update this blog as best I can seeing as it's been over 2 months since I've done so! SORRY!

For Daddy's bday we went out to dinner to The Ridge with Marianne and Daryl. I reserved a car and driver so we didn't have to worry about drinking and driving. There was a great singer at the restaurant singing Senatra and Elvis.

As a lot of you know, Halloween is Daddy Phil's favorite holiday. Below are pictures of this year's "Haunted Garage"....

Congrats Matt and Kate

2009-10-15T12:18:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Matt and Kate on their new arrival, Cailin Nicole Piechocki. Cailin graced us with her presence the evening of Saturday, October 10th. She is 7 lbs, 6 oz. and 21" long. Everyone's back home now and doing great. Pics to come! Aunt Heather can't wait to meet her!

Games this weekend

2009-10-09T10:09:00.002-04:00

We have 3 games scheduled this weekend with a 60% chance of rain on Saturday (beginning late tonight) and a 20% chance on Sunday...cross your fingers they don't get cancelled AGAIN. This rain thing is totally starting to suck. I'd rather them play in the rain to get the game in! Anywho, here's the schedule:

Saturday, October 10th:
10:15am - Jeff's team VS. Walton at Walton
11:15am - Phil's team VS. Jr. Greyhounds at Jr. Greyhounds

Sunday, October 11th:
3:30pm - Jeff's team VS. Roswell at HOME (this is a makeup game from a rainout)

Good luck boys!

(I've been taking pics but most are coming out really blurry. If I get any good ones I'll post them).

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY PHIL!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-06T09:56:00.005-04:00

OMG I can't believe he is 13 years old today! Time definitely flies! This weekend we took the family, grandma, and three of Phil's friends to Outback to celebrate. We had such a great time with Grandma here. She arrived on Friday and was able to watch Phil play on Saturday and was a champ sitting through 4 lax games on Sunday. They both played their hearts out for her and I think she had a good time as well. :-) We are so glad she made the trip and we hope they come back before the end of the season to watch them again!

Morgan and Sarah

2009-10-04T12:09:00.004-04:00

Wet Wet Wet Lacrosse

2009-09-27T07:48:00.003-04:00

PHEW...Can you say floating? I don't think I've seen the sun but 1 day in the past week and yet they both got their games in yesterday! We had to split the game since both played at 11:15 yesterday morning. It took Jeff and I 50 minutes to get to his while it took "the Phils" close to an hour and 15 minutes to get to theirs! Needless to say, Phil's game ended in a tie (8-8) and since it was heavy downpours they didn't play OT. Jeff's team lost by 1 (5-4) but the coach actually admitted that the last goal was his fault. He was subbing his defense after a call and the whistle blew before the D was on the field. Jeff played goalie the entire game and had 21 saves but no one could have stopped a 5 on 1 to the goal. He played an AMAZING game and every one of our parents on the sideline congratulated him and the opposing coach actually mentioned to our coach that he did a fantastic job. I'm so proud of all the boys! Here are some pics of Jeff's game. If I find any of Phil's I'll post them too.

Lax Fall Schedule

2009-09-15T12:27:00.002-04:00

Well, games start this weekend! Here's our schedule for the fall! Hope Uncle Robby and the clan and Grandma/Grandpa can make it to one of each! hint hint!

Sunday, September 20th:
Jeff - 2pm - against Roswell at home
Phil - 5pm - against Cherokee at home

Saturday, September 26th:
Jeff - 11:15am - against West Cobb at Pine Mtn. Middle School
Phil - 11:15am - against Allatoona at Allatoona HS

Saturday, October 3rd:
Phil - 1:15pm - against Roswell at Roswell North ES

Sunday, October 4th:
Jeff - 4pm - against Alpharetta at home

Saturday, October 10th:
Jeff - 10:15am - against Walton at Dodgen MS
Phil - 11:15am - against Jr. Greyhounds at Hightower MS

Saturday, October 17th:
Jeff - 11:15am - against Trojans at McCleskey MS
Phil - 2pm - against Cherokee at JJ Biello Park

Saturday, October 24th:
Jeff - 11:15am - against Cherokee at JJ Biello Park
Phil - 1:45pm - against Hillgrove at Allatoona HS

Back to School...Back to School

2009-08-10T10:36:00.004-04:00

Today is the first day of school..WOOOOHOOOOOOOO...here are 1st day pics of Jeff (6th grade) and Phil (7th grade). Good luck today guys!

a whole month flew by

2009-08-03T15:24:00.005-04:00

WOW, I cannot believe it has been an entire month since I have blogged. So much has happened! Let's see:

1) July 2nd-5th - Charlotte Lacrosse Tournament

2) July 5th-7th - Arapahoe, NC. During our trip to Charlotte we received word that my 94 year old grandmother (Mama Lee) had passed away.

3) Daddy got a promotion and has spent July 20th-today (so far) traveling back and forth to San Francisco. He leaves on Mondays and comes home Friday nights. Needless to say, it's been a lot quieter around the house! hahahaha, JUST KIDDING

4) July 11th, July 22nd, and July 31st we had in person lax registrations. We're near 100 boys so far and I believe 38 girls. We are having mail in registrations until this Friday and then I'm DONE!

5) Procida family reunion - what a fun time but SUCH a looooooooooong drive. If we go next year we're FLYING! Thanks to Nancy and Tim for hosting the four of us during our stay in NJ. Below are pictures of the event.

6) July 29th-31st - Lacrosse camp sponsored by WFY Lacrosse. Our first annual Stix 4 Schools! 100% of the proceeds are going to purchase lacrosse sticks for area elementary schools. We are looking at around 125 sticks. SO AWESOME!

and

7) and today is August 3rd, our 13th wedding anniversary. He was joking last night that technically it's only our 9th or 10th but hey, no one ever signed the papers, right!?

So today, on the anniversary of our 13th year he will be in CA and I will be taking the boys to the mall to get ready for school (NEXT MONDAY). This after they make dinner...yes, THEY are making dinner. Lil Phil has decided on cheese stuffed cheeseburgers with homemade french fries. Wish us luck!

2009-07-03T06:24:00.002-04:00

We had the best visit with Grandma, Grandpa, and Chloe last weekend. They arrived on Thursday, Grandpa headed home on Sunday, and Grandma stayed until Tuesday to help with the boys. Thursday night they joined us at Phil's practice and afterwards we introduced them to Bobby's Burgers YUMMY...Friday while I was working they hung out with the boys, took them to the mall, and then we all went to Chepes..again...YUMMY! Phil got home late that night from a business trip to California with some great news. He got a promotion! Not only that, he will be joining me working from home beginning in late July!
On Saturday we went to Phil's practice again then to Williamson BBQ for lunch...tasty! We came back to the house and the boys and I headed up to the pool for about an hour. Grandma then suggested that Phil and I should go have a nice dinner and they would stay home with the boys, which we gladly accepted :-). Sunday we spent a couple hours on the boat. We anchored on a shore and had a great time hanging out and playing in the water. Chloe and Sarah joined us and I think they have become the best of friends.
Monday and Tuesday it was my turn to travel, headed up to Philly, which is why Grandma was so kind to stay with the boys. Now I'm back, have done most of my running around, and have to drive the dogs to the "Paw Spa" at 8am so we can head to Charlotte for Phil's tournament. Wish him luck!
Side note: on Tuesday we received word that MamaLee (my dad's mom in NC) has taken a turn for the worse. She has stopped eating and can no longer swallow. They have her on an IV and morphine but have decided against a feeding tube. As many of you know, she has been battling Alzheimer's for years and is now 95 years old. Please keep her in your prayers.

Charlotte Schedule Posted

2009-06-23T21:19:00.002-04:00

Saturday, July 4th
9:50am - Atlanta Crush VS. South Charlotte Typhoons
11:30am - Atlanta Crush VS. Old North State Lacrosse
2pm - Atlanta Crush VS. South Charlotte Hurricanes

Sunday, July 5th
9:40am - Atlanta Crush VS. South Charlotte Tornadoes
11:20am - Atlanta Crush VS. Top Tier
1pm - Championship game

MALLARD CREEK PARK
(3001 Johnston Oehler Road, Charlotte, NC 28269)
For directions click here.
For a field map click here.
or
MALLARD CREEK HIGH SCHOOL
(3825 Johnston Oehler Road, Charlotte, NC 28269)

Holy Week Batman!

2009-06-23T14:36:00.002-04:00

OK, so isn't the summer supposed to be the slow time of the year? Chillin out, relaxing, etc? Pfft, yea right! This week Jeff's at a free (yes, you read that right) lacrosse camp Mon-Thur, Wednesday Phil's flying to California, Thursday Amy and Ken get into town (finally!), Thursday lil Phil has lax practice, Phil gets back into town Friday night, lil Phil has some sort of lacrosse thing on Saturday, Sunday "should" be open (better be a boat day!), and Monday and Tuesday I'm in Philly! PHEW...I'll tell you if I survive!

More new pictures from Baltimore

2009-06-21T08:15:00.004-04:00

I had to enlarge this first one...it's awesome!

Crush pictures

2009-06-13T07:22:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to view the pictures I took last weekend. Mom and Theresa are also sending me theirs as well and I know they have some great ones. Theresa has one action shot of Phil that I will be making into a poster!

http://picasaweb.google.com/hpprocida/CrushLacrosse#

PHEW, what a weekend!

2009-06-11T07:30:00.002-04:00

Phil's lacrosse weekend in Towson, MD - We set out last Wednesday around 2pm (I can't believe it's been over a week already) to Maryland. We drove as far as Roanoke and stayed at a rediculously overpriced Courtyard that even charged us for the continental breakfast they had laid out the next morning! We got to mom/dad's house around 3 after stopping by mom's work to say hey. That night we hung out, ate taco salad, and watched a movie. Friday, after mom and Phil went to the gym, the four of us headed to LaxWorld in Towson to get Phil's stick fixed then we joined the team to visit the USLacrosse Hall of Fame. Pretty small but still a cool place to say you went. The kids hung out by the Hopkins field for a little while after that then we headed to the hotel where Phil would spend his weekend with the rest of the team. Since it was rainy and nasty out they decided to change practice venues to one indoors and asked that the parents NOT go...don't have to tell us twice. The three of us headed back to mom/dad's house and then out for what we thought were going to be crabs...HA! The crabs with any size were considered "jumbo" and cost $66 a DOZEN..yes, you read that right. Umm, next! Needless to say we did not have crabs that evening.
The next morning we headed out for the 1st of what would end up being a six game weekend. They played Damascus (won 7-2), Joppatown (won 4-0), and the MLC (won 5-3) on Saturday. After a full day of games Phil, me, Jeff, mom, dad, Theresa, Kinsley, and Kate (later on) made our way back to the house for steak! Delicious!
On to Sunday for the playoffs...they beat Salisbury in OT (4-3), then Havre De Grace (2-0), and lost to Beach-Ocean City (5-0) in the finals. Everyone was so proud of the way these boys played. For one, they only practice once a week, if that, AND they played northern teams where lax has been around for ages! Phil came back to the house with us on Sunday for a celebratory dinner...GUMBO!
We were so glad that Theresa, Kinsley, Kate, and PapaPhil could also join in the excitement. Thanks to all of you for making the treck!
Pics are forthcoming...there are some awesome ones!
And mom...the gumbo is GONE!

Our weekend visit to Savannah

2009-05-28T16:48:00.005-04:00

Jeff and I had a great visit with Robby, Lyla, Cody, and Alexis. They've got a beautiful house and very nice neighbors. Great job guys!

Great U-11 Banquet

2009-05-27T16:19:00.007-04:00

Some pics of Jeff's lacrosse banquet last week:

Jeff's graduation

2009-05-27T16:13:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics from Jeff's graduation last Friday.

2009-05-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

Big week for Jeff!

2009-05-20T10:45:00.004-04:00

This week is the last week of school and marks Jeff's last week of elementary school! I asked someone yesterday where the time time had gone and she remarked "space" - witty. On Monday they had their 5th grade bombardment - teachers vs. students - which is actually a dodgeball game. It was hilarious! Today is the 5th grade bowling party at Stars and Strikes beginning at 3pm. On Friday is his walk across the stage and for those of you who spoke to me last year after Phil's graduation...yes, there will be tears. I can't believe after Friday I will have NO kids in elementary school! It's only a matter of time before their walking across that bigger stage for their HS diploma and then their college degrees. ok, NOT thinking about that anymore...it's freaking me out!

Just so you guys get a taste of how I'm feeling, here's Jeff in 1st and 5th grades:

Schedule THIS weekend

2009-05-12T12:21:00.002-04:00

So we've got another tournament this weekend and Phil had to make a choice as to which team to play for. It was very difficult for him to do but he chose to play for the Crush instead of WFY Lacrosse. His reasoning - the West season is over, the Crush season is just beginning and they need the practice before heading to Towson and Charlotte. Man is he growing up.

We've decided to board the dogs this weekend. Some of you didn't hear but on Saturday night we arrived home to find one of our back cushions from the tan couch eaten up. Ms. Sarah had busted the zipper and she and Mr. Morgan were having an evening snack of the inside stuffing. Serves us right for leaving them for 10+ hours alone. What could we do!?

We've also decided to reserve a hotel room for Saturday night. You'll see why when you review the schedule below:

Friday, 5/15:
Jeff's team VS. Walton at 7:30pm

Saturday, 5/16:
Jeff's team VS. Trojans at 9:30am
Phil's team VS. Walton at 2pm
Phil's team VS. Top Tier at 4pm

Sunday, 5/17:
Jeff's team VS. WCWAA Cobra at 7am (THIS is why there's a hotel room)
Jeff's team VS. Forsyth 1 at 9am
Phil's team VS. WCWAA Cobra at 9am
Phil's team VS. WFY Lacrosse at 11am

As you can see, Phil is now playing on the travel team versus his old team mates. I told you it was going to be a tough decision.

Wish them the best this weekend!

Jeff's team is looking awesome right now! They're playing as a team and as a team that wants to WIN! I know, I know, "winning's not everything"...guess what, they have a lot more fun when they're winning!

This weekend's events

2009-05-08T07:26:00.004-04:00

1st of all, please see that I've added a link on the right for those coming to watch Phil's lax tournament in Towson the 1st weekend in June. The majority of the festivities will take place at the Timonium Fairgrounds (and we all know where that is!). As for this weekend, here's our schedule:

GYLA (Georgia Youth Lacrosse Association) Tournament:

Friday, 5/8
8pm - Jeff's team VS. West Cobb
Saturday, 5/9
10am - Phil's team VS. Kell Jr. Longhorns
3pm - Jeff's team VS. PTC Warriors
5:30pm - Phil's team VS. Allatoona Jr. Buchs
9:30pm - Jeff's team VS. Mountain Brook Green
Sunday, 5/10
9am - Phil's team VS. Mountain Brook #2
1pm - Phil's team VS. Vestavia Lightning
4:30pm - Jeff's team VS. Cherokee

So, as you can see I won't have much time for Happy Mother's Day calls so...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! :-)

Oh, and by the way...I already got my mother's day presents (yes, plural!) from Phil and the boys. A huge bouquet of startgazer lilies, all still in bud form. I can't WAIT for them to bloom. It's sitting at my desk right beside me. AND I got a gift basket of CHOCOLATES, all kinds! Mint chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate covered cherries, pretzels, and oranges. I'm in HEAVEN!

Yet again....a new car!

2009-05-05T09:03:00.005-04:00

I know I know, I had the best car EVER! I still love it, however it just way too small for my growing boys and my activities so lately I've been test driving SUVs (although I said I'd never go back to something like that b/c of gas prices). My justification - gas prices are down (more than $2 since last summer), I don't actually drive anywhere with any distance during the week, and I don't have to buy premium gas anymore like I did for the Mercedes...see, it all makes sense (in my little world anyway) :-) Here are pictures of our new addition...I LOVE IT! This is going to be awesome for all our trips this summer!

Phil's Jersey night

2009-05-04T08:31:00.004-04:00

Friday night was Phil's Jersey night for Team Crush. We got there around 6, the boys played with the other players for about an hour then we ate and the ceremony began. It was such a "team" atmosphere and it's so good to see how much Phil enjoys being a part of it.

Jeff's 5th grade field trip

2009-05-04T08:15:00.007-04:00

We had so much fun last Thursday (7am-7:30pm) although I came home with a splitting headache. We started off at the Georgia Aquarium then ate lunch in Centennial Park. After that we went to the Bremen Museum (Holocaust), then on to the Cyclorauma. We ended the day at the Varsity. So much fun and my boys were so well behaved...it was the bus ride that got me! Here are some great pics of our adventure...

Jeff's birthday sleepover

2009-04-19T10:37:00.006-04:00

Well Jeff had his "official" birthday sleepover last night and invited Ben, Stephen, and Tucker from his lax team. They arrived around 5pm on Saturday and as of Sunday at 10:45am (right now) I just have Stephen left. They spent the evening playing Xbox360 games and as you can see below, played a lot of lacrosse. We also took time out from the games to watch the latest Indiana Jones movie but then it was back to the videogames right after. I let them stay up till 12 and had to "remind" them at 1am that their bedtime had passed an hour before. They all got up around 8:30am and ate cinnamon buns and again played videogames and lacrosse. I think Jeff had a good time and I hope his friends did too.

Today we have Phil's makeup lacrosse game at 1:30 (have to be there by 12:30) and it's supposed to rain...Fun times. Tonight is definitely an early bedtime!

Sarah's new pics

2009-04-19T10:33:00.008-04:00

As vicious as she looks in pic #3, she's actually only yawning!

SOOOOOOO funny

2009-04-16T07:09:00.002-04:00

So, many of you know that Phil raves about my chili for some reason (I think he likes all the veggies I put in it). Well he has had a few potlucks at work over the past year and each time has brought the chili. Recently his coworkers decided they would have a "Chili Cookoff" which occurred this past Monday (or Tuesday, can't remember, the days are all a blur!). Anyway, 1/2 way through the day I got an email:

and the winner is.........

A with 12 votes

B with 2 votes

C with 2 votes and

D with 0 votes

It's a landslide!

So jokingly I asked what we got as a prize and he told me a trophy...well guess what, he was serious - check it out. I also found out this morning that he received a comp day so he's taking off next Monday! All for chili, go figure.

Boy's lax pictures

2009-04-14T14:57:00.003-04:00

Easter pics

2009-04-14T10:09:00.004-04:00

What a weekend! Friday we had crazy storms one right after the other. Apparently a tornado hit down about 10 miles up the road from us. Thankfully (and daddy's not too happy about this) they skirted around us yet again. We did get a couple cool pictures though!

Saturday we had a yard sale and made close to $200 then Phil had Atlanta Crush practice from 4-6pm. After that we came home and watched Yes Man (with Jim Cary) and vegged the rest of the night.

Sunday the boys and I dyed Easter eggs then we all took turns with an egg hunt inside...there are more hiding places inside than out. We used the plastic eggs just in case one went missing during the searches! We ate our Easter dinner around 3pm (ham, asparagus, mashed 'taters, rolls, etc) then watched Bolt. It was absolutely gorgeous on Sunday, probably high 70's. Here are some pics:

Jeff's bday

2009-04-10T11:29:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was Jeff's 11th birthday....can you believe it!? I took off a 1/2 day and we went to The Varsity for lunch then he met up with 6 of his friends to play airsoft. We ordered Jim & Nicks BBQ for dinner and he had a redneck bday cake celebration (can you tell what's missing on the cake?) Next weekend we're having a birthday sleepover with three of his friends and will get him a "real" cake then. Happy Birthday Jeff!

Our Redneck Family vacation....

2009-04-07T11:13:00.009-04:00

We arrived back in one piece...well 4 to be exact (sorry, bad joke). The boys started their spring break last Friday so we headed out of town with the Hendren's to Gatlinburg and stayed at mom and dad's timeshare (where we stayed during Christmas). Nothing like FREE boarding! WOOHOO..So we got there Friday night around 7 (I think) and the Hendren's weren't far behind. We hung out and got reacquainted with the Captain while the boys played games. Saturday morning we were up bright and early, ate breakfast, then headed to Dollywood where we stayed from ~10am-6pm (LONG day). We got back to the room, ate dinner in, and crashed early (around 10pm). Sunday I was up around 8am, made pancakes and bacon for the crew, and then the boys and dads headed out to play lazertag while Michelle and I went to the outlets. Unfortunately lazertag didn't pan out so we all met back up, ate lunch in the room then headed to the game room, arcade, and pools. Afterwards the adults played Spades (a card game) while the boys played poker. We ate dinner (lasagna and garlic bread) then everyone (except Ben and Michelle) went to the Nascar races where the boys drove go carts and rode carnival rides. They had such a blast and I can't believe I forgot the d**m camera! Well, with that said, here are pics from this weekend that I DID take:

New family member

2009-04-07T10:08:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Lyla, Robby, and Cody and welcome Alexis Billie Lee. She arrived on April 3rd, weighed 8 lbs, 5.6 oz, and was 19 inches long. She's a beauty!

Update to scheduled weekend

2009-03-29T07:13:00.005-04:00

Well, I found out Friday morning around 7am that the tournament I worked for three weeks to coordinate was cancelled (it was supposed to be Friday and Saturday). Needless to say, I was/am NOT a happy camper. The varsity coach told me they would play in the rain, not the lightning, which is understandable...however there was NEVER any lightning the ENTIRE weekend - just rain! Now it's Sunday, Jeff's got a game and he's playing. So basically, 9 and 10 year olds can play but high schoolers can't, go figure. So, below is the amended schedule as it actually happened this week:

Monday - taxes at 6:30 (I had dropped off our paperwork during lunch so we were only there for 10 minutes!)
Tuesday - practices at 5:30 and 7 (so we're actually at the field from 5:15-8:30)
Wednesday - practices at 5:30 (cancelled)
Thursday - Sarah getting spayed (she also had glaxoplexy surgery and has a HUGE incision now)
Friday - High School tournament (cancelled) - what I actually did: dropped Phil's car off at the dealership for some work/tires; took some "friends" to Red Robin for lunch; ran some errands while the "friends" stayed home; watched the new James Bond movie that night; lil Phil ended up joining his lax coach and a few friends for the Harvard vs. Presbyterian lax game at a local HS (I guess college kids play in the rain too!) then he slept over at the friend's house
Saturday - High School tournament (cancelled); Jeff-10am game in Marrietta (cancelled); Phil-10am game at home (cancelled); Phil-4pm practice in Cherokee County (for Crush) (cancelled); Jeff has a sleepover that night (it's 7:21am Sunday and he's still there) - what we actually did: picked up Phil's car, dropped mine off for new tires; picked lil Phil up; went to Party City for raffle tickets; I got new tennis shoes (it's only been 2 years, at least); went to Super Target for a bday card while we were out (for the sleepover); picked my car back up; watched the James Bond movie again since lil Phil hadn't seen it on Friday night; did laundry, cleaned the floors, blah blah blah
Sunday - Jeff-2pm make up game from 2/28 at home; Phil-2pm select scrimmage in Cherokee County - well it's now 7:29am on Sunday morning so I guess I can't give an actually play-by-play yet but as far as I know Jeff still has his game but Phil's scrimmage has been cancelled.
Sunday night - crash

Weekend and this week

2009-03-23T11:23:00.004-04:00

Well, we had a fun filled and packed weekend. Friday night we went to the High School lacrosse game and then the boys and I ran out to Dick's Sporting Goods to get Phil new cleats...yes ladies and gentlemen, "lil" Phil now wears an 11 1/2 mens shoe...and yes, he's only 12. Saturday Jeff had a game at 10am in Marietta (lost 10-3) so we scooted out the door at 7:45am..lil Phil and I had to leave in the 4th quarter to get to his game which was back home by 12pm (won 13-2), then Phil had another game in Cherokee County at 3pm (won 11-2). We got home around 5:30 that afternoon at which time Jeffrey and I went back out, returned and picked up new movies, went grocery shopping, and picked up dinner. Sunday after Jeff and I went out to breakfast (that's our Sunday "date") the boys and dad went to the field for strength, agility, and speed training (daddy's working on that with them) while I cleaned the house. The other U-13 team had a game at 2 so we went to watch that and I worked the concession stand so the team mom could actually WATCH her son play. They ended up winning 8-2 I think.

On tap for this week:
Monday - taxes at 6:30
Tuesday - practices at 5:30 and 7
Wednesday - practices at 5:30
Thursday - Sarah getting spayed
Friday - High School tournament
Saturday - High School tournament; Jeff-10am game in Marrietta; Phil-10am game at home; Phil-4pm practice in Cherokee County (for Crush) ; Jeff has a sleepover that night
Sunday - Jeff-2pm make up game from 2/28 at home; Phil-2pm select scrimmage in Cherokee County
Sunday night - crash

Think that about covers it! Can you keep up? :-)

AWESOME NEWS!

2009-03-11T13:58:00.003-04:00

Our boy, Phil, made the travel select team for the U-13 Atlanta Crush! He's beyond excited and we're so proud of him! Their practices will probably begin next week which means he may end up playing lacrosse every single day of the week b/c he's already on a local team here in Forsyth County, West Forsyth Youth Lacrosse (website link to the right). The actual season for the Crush begins at the Bagataway tournament (think that's May 18th & 19th) which just happens to be another tournament that West Forsyth will play in so I'm not sure how we're going to swing that...hopefully they won't play against each other! Otherwise he'll just be one tired puppy playing one game after another! They have 10-12 local games throughout the summer as well as two more local tournaments but his schedule also includes a tournament in early June in TOWSON, MARYLAND and another 4th of July weekend in Charlotte, NC! ROAD TRIPS! Any grandparent sponsorships (aka donations!) would be greatly appreciated! hahahaha

So you know how big this is..here's a link to the site:

http://www.eteamz.com/AtlantaCrush/

And this link shows what Phil had to prove last Sunday:

http://www.eteamz.com/AtlantaCrush/news/index.cfm?id=4486105&cat=0

This is the best of the best in his age group.

What an exciting weekend of games!

2009-03-08T08:01:00.007-04:00

We had such an adrenaline pumping Saturday! PHEW! Jeff's first lax game was at 10am so I left around 8:15 to get the concession stand set up, etc. As many of you know, the south is really into their football and, because of that, all of our football fields in the county are changing to turf! Well guess what, WE, the lacrosse teams, were the first to use them yesterday! They are NICE! I never imagined my 10 year old would be playing on a turf field, go figure. Anyway, the team ended up losing the game but boy did Jeff have a fantastic one himself. He's decided recently that he likes defense (as opposed to attack which is what he has played every other season). He was directing the boys, running the ball up the field (even took a shot on goal once), and being aggressive. He was just awesome!

Phil's game began at 1:45 closer to home and on a really, pardon my french, crappy field. It was at a local middle school and it was all sand/dirt. Needless to say, our Phil scored the first of 12 goals! Man was it incredible. His back was facing the goal, he got the ball, turned, and shot, all in one motion! SWEET! He scored another goal later in the game - he plays right attack - where he was practically side by side with the goal, probably had about 4 inches of space to actually make a goal, and he got it in there! His team ended up winning 12-4, with 6 players scoring so you know it's a TEAM effort, not just one hot shot scoring all the goals.

I hope some of you will be able to come watch a weekend of games! The boys would love it and I'm sure you'd have a great time too!

Today Phil is trying out for a travel/select team. He's been very nervous and really wants this so keep your fingers crossed!

Spring has sprung!

2009-03-02T14:39:00.004-05:00

So besides the snow yesterday and the freezing wind today, here are some signs that Spring is around the corner!

Catching up

2009-02-19T12:11:00.004-05:00

Well again it's been awhile since I've added to our blog. I'm getting so bad at this! At least the last post was just about the dog! OK, so here's what's been going on at Casa de Procida (yes Rach, I stole your name) :-)...
1) I still have not purchased any accessories for the bedroom.
2) Lacrosse is consuming our lives - games start next Saturday so watch for the schedule to be added soon. We went to the Notre Dame vs Loyola game last Saturday and had a blast. I think the boys and dad will be going to the Harvard vs. Presbyterian game next Thursday but it starts at 8pm so I think I'll skip that one.
3) I couldn't have asked for a better birthday - I had breakfast with lil Phil, lunch w/good friends and the boys, and dinner with my men. Like I've told a few people, it's so nice that my bday is a national holiday! :-) Thanks to everyone for all the cards, gifts, and well wishes. For my bday Phil got us 2 tickets to Kooza (Cirque de Soleil - sp?)..front row tickets and back stage passes! I'm SO excited!
4) Phil's back at the gym 6 days a week and has lost probably 20 lbs in a month (jerk) while I'm around 10 now.
5) the Gold Party for the Lax Moms is this weekend. Very poor response rate but I'll have a good time anyway chatting it up with the team moms and drinking some cold beverages of the adult nature :-)
6) BIG NEWS as of last weekend.....is everyone ready for this!? Seriously, it's a biggy! The boys got their hair cut! Honestly, I promise! Now it's not high and tight like I think dad would want but you can tell they're boys again! I'll attach a picture when they've gotten used to their new looks...they're not too happy w/me right now.

So I think that catches everyone up right now. Ciao!

Sarah's a big girl!

2009-02-02T13:20:00.003-05:00

Home Improvements #2

2009-01-22T14:43:00.003-05:00

OK ok, so I haven't updated the blog! SORRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! Here are the latest and greatest pics...do you notice something missing? I DO! It's called ACCESSORIES! Guess what I'm doing next!? woohoo!

Home improvements

2009-01-15T11:59:00.002-05:00

We are full into finishing our bedroom/bathroom this week. I'm SO excited! It's the only section of the house that hadn't been touched. Some of you have seen the 20 (literally) color paint samples on the walls. I finally made the decisions and painted the bathroom on Sunday. It's beautiful...brown, but beautiful. On Tuesday Petr (the one who did our bookshelves) was here with his carpenters to install wainscoting around the entire bedroom. It looks like the moldings in our dining room. Yesterday Juan (Petr's painter) was here to paint the ceiling and the sitting area and last night Phil and I (mostly Phil) hung our new ceiling fan. Juan will be back tomorrow to finish up painting the walls, wainscoting, and crown molding in the bathroom. Pictures to come when finished!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-01T09:06:00.007-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! We had Chad, Michelle, and the boys over last night to ring in the New Year and had a great 5+ hours together. The boys spent the time playing video games, airsoft, and setting off all the noise makers we bought (crackers, pop its, etc). Of course you know what the adults did (gulp gulp gulp) :-)...Here are some great pics of the evening...and you know we can't leave out Morgan and Sarah! Have a happy and prosperous New Year and don't forget to eat your corned beef and cabbage! We'll be having ruebens for lunch today!

Christmas morning.......

2008-12-27T16:50:00.008-05:00

Here are pictures from Christmas morning. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for the gift cards and ornaments and thanks to NanaLin and Papa Phil for the gift cards and money. They are already going to great use! Merry Christmas!

The Great Smokey Mountains

2008-12-27T16:42:00.005-05:00

During our trips to and from Gatlinburg last weekend we were lucky enough to go through part of the Smokey Mountains. Below are pictures from our trip home on Monday morning. Yes everyone, that does say 9 degrees...needless to say, the boys and Phil got out of the car while the sane person (ME) stayed IN the car!

Our "Lee" Christmas in Gatlinburg

2008-12-27T16:22:00.009-05:00

We celebrated our traditional Lee Christmas in Gatlinburg, TN this year instead of Williamsburg as in years past. Robby and his crew drove to our house last Thursday and the 7 of us headed to TN around 10:30 the next morning. We met up with mom and dad around 2:30 to check into the timeshare a little north or Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It was a spectacular view on top of a hill (would have been even better if it wasn't raining most of the weekend!) We still managed to have a fun, albeit sober, dinner Friday night, take a trip into the town of Gatlinburg Saturday, exchanged presents on Saturday night, and went to a fantastic show on Sunday evening (similar to the Cirque shows). Oh and I can't forget our annual pilgrimage to the outlets but this year mom, Lyla, and I added a stop at the local winery too! Here are some great pics of the weekend. Merry Christmas everyone!

New doggy pics

2008-12-27T12:22:00.007-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T11:12:00.002-05:00

Well all, you'll never believe this but as I was accepting a comment from "anonymous" - AKA Dad - I noticed an entry from Thanksgiving that wasn't complete. Sorry this is so delayed:

We are all set for our Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow. Amy and Ken are coming into town today. They should actually be here in an hour or so and will be staying until Saturday morning. We will be having ham, mashed potatoes, green bean almandine, rolls, and of course lil Phil's favorite - candied yams (I know, too much starch). That's ok, he'll run it off at lax practice on Sunday!

So that was what I had written before my doorbell rang...here's the rest:

I was able to log off of work when Amy and Ken arrived. It was nice to be able to visit with them and relax a bit. That night we had fajitas (YUMMY) and the next morning we had a breakfast fit for a king! I watched the Thanksgiving parades (yea, I'm one of those who actually like them) and then started the lunch/dinner. Can you believe it mom, I actually messed up the potatoes - They were runny! I think that's the first time ever! Anyway....Phil and Ken watched the game and we all just vegged and let the ham digest.

The next day Amy, the boys, and I ran some errands while Phil and Ken went to the shooting range. Phil was like a kid in a candy store! He was so excited!

I'm happy to report that although Ken took a very strong liking to Ms. Sarah while he was here (and threatened to take her home w/him), she is still here and growing like a weed.

I'm sorry that this wasn't posted sooner...totally forgot it wasn't published. Enjoy!

Cute new pics

2008-11-19T08:42:00.005-05:00

She's getting big...FAST! Take a look at this pics! I added one extra to the end just b/c I loved it.

Blog's new look

2008-11-19T08:25:00.001-05:00

Well you should have notice that 1) I have been horrible with updating this thing (again) and 2) we have a whole new look to the blog! I can NOT take credit for this, although I really do love it. Jammi did it. Thank you, thank you Jammi! It's awesome!