Stairway to Heaven!

I celebrate my husband today! Just when I think I know him I don't. He built and finished this staircase last week for a client! This staircase goes from her bedroom to her ballroom. Yes, she has a ballroom!

I was so amazed that I had to post it. I know some of you are like da, isn't he in construction doesn't he do carpentry? Well he does but mostly rehabs and remodels. He never really gets a chance to hand craft anything; mostly everything today is fabricated, modular and or pre-sifted:) Who needs a carpenter, right? When he told me he was going to build a staircase all I was thinking about was the check! He kept telling me how much he loved the Staircase job. I was thinking to myself God I hope he hurry's up and finishes this thing so we can get paid (notice I called it a thing). He was going on and on about crafting this thing and how much he loved this and that about carpentry. All I was focused on was the money and thankfully all he was focused on was the Staircase, he did a wonderful job! I celebrate him today because he is an awesome Dad, an awesome Husband, and awesome Friend to many and an awesome Carpenter!!!

The Shadows of Siblings!

Growing up in the shadow of your sister or brother is difficult. I watched my baby Cameron cry when he did not make All-Stars during our baseball closing ceremonies. My other son Jordeyn makes it every year. Even though their age is only separated by 2 1/2 years they are so different.
Now, for the first time ever Cameron was finally nominated for All-Stars and he was so thrilled!!! Now when the All-Star boys names were being called out onto the field, there was Cameron happily looking at the Coach and praying he would call his name, he didn't, I had to endure my babies eyes fill with tears as he bowed his head so low. I wanted to run over to that coach and punch him in the head, scream at him for not picking my child but, you know I couldn't do that. I wanted to run over and hug my babies tears away but, dad looking as stoic as ever said, "No, he will be alright." (Silently I wanted to punch dad in the head too!) Suddenly, I realized that as my children grow this will be a constantly common thread, just as it was in my own life growing up 30 years ago in the Shadows of my sister!

My sisters name is Audrey and she is the most radiant being I have ever known. I am 5 years younger than her and I've spent my whole life in her shadow. Long hair, olive skin, size 4, pageant Queen, Captain of the Color Guard, most popular, most everything and then there is me.... Dusty, beige, nappy and disheveled, sort of popular, mostly misunderstood (that's us on right I have on stripes and that's her and I on the left growing up in East Orange, NJ). I have wanted to be her forever!
She was the good girl and I was the bad seed. She had dreams, I had to party, she had goals, I had to party some more. When she got married and they bought the house with the picket fence, I was like D___! What am I going to do now, I decided to get an apartment and become a dancer (and not the daytime ballet kind)!
Then all of sudden I grew up, got married and she got divorced. I had kids and tearfully she did not. Our mother died and I became the glue that kept us all together. My husband and I moved 1000 miles away and she has been right by our side. My children fill her life and she fills ours. We've come along way together and I love and miss her terribly!


How about you? Have you grown up in the Shadow of your sibling?

Tests Past/Little League Parent Fight!

First of all my little Apple Pies past all their tests!!!! They are going on to the 4th and 6th grades, yes I'm happy! Now the Monday night Little League Baseball Brawl was bananas!!! The past few weeks have been Um crazy!!!

Let me start first with the Little League Parent fight that almost ensued the other night! So, we're at the champion tournament game Monday night (started at 6:15) Jordeyn's team had to win the first game in order to win the championship if not they had to play another game right after, it's double elimination and they had not lost a game so far. We are playing against a neighboring rival that we've beaten before. Well of course 2 hours later we lost and had to play again! So it's like 8:15 and the park lights are scheduled to go out at 11pm! The Umpires and the coaches (my hubby's an assistant) decided to make an Agreement, the game would end when the lights went out and who ever was in the lead would be the champs! Well, the lights went off at 11pm on the dot, we were in the lead and won the game!!! Then there came this wailing of complaints!!! The other teams parents lost there Little League Minds (see lady on right)!!! Basically they said the agreement wasn't fair and they wanted to wait another half an hour for the lights to come back on so the boys could finish the inning(it's now 11:15). One of their coaches said No we made an agreement with them they won! They started fighting amongst themselves then the daggers were headed at us!! Now it's like pitch black and there we are trying to get out of this park madness. My husband grabs is ginormous flashlight so we could see. He's got Jordeyn and I've got the twins, camper chairs and food bag. Then the unthinkable happens these two ladies stop me, crazed and out of control they say, "THE GAMES NOT OVER!!! I'm thinking OK clearly they were upset, I tried to say some pleasantries so I could ease on by but, I think they wanted to kick my a_ _ and suck out my blood!!! I felt like Sukie in HBO's "True Blood!"
Now, since I'm a Dance Mom (see Dance Factory) I graciously smiled and fabulously walked away waving, I said, "OK, Bye-Bye!" As, we drove away from this madness there was still a mob of people standing around waiting for God knows what!!!