Zack and Football

"Nobody knows what a boy is worth and the world must wait and see, for every man in an honored place, is a boy that used to be."

Well, I had hopes and dreams that Zack would be the next Brett Favre, a quarterback for the NFL, but that dream came and went in a matter of 7 days.

He started HELL week (as they call it) with two hours of conditioning in the hot summer heat. Zack did pretty well, considering he had spent two months playing video games, with not much cardiovascular activity. He only had trouble with the running, but it proved to be his downfall. He would run out of breath, they wouldn't let him walk, and he would panic, thinking he was going to die. His coach was unsympathetic despite me and Sammy's attempts to get him to understand and work to help him over this little hurdle.

He survived that week, but when he wore the full pads the following Monday, it happened again and he couldn't catch his breath. The coach came and screamed at him. I was furious with Zack as well out of total frustration. He was a mess and we had to go home. Tuesday we went and talked to the Director of the Rec office to see about possibly moving him down one level, but he felt the coach on that team was equally as tough and it would be best to try and work it out. He assured us the coach was a "good guy" and would work with Zack and promised to talk with him. I all but forced Zack to go to practice, even through his tears, but I asked him to give the coach a chance to change. Well, it didn't work. The assistant coach was screaming at him and walking towards him like a bull in a bullfight, Zack was scared to death I think. The head coach came over after practice and gave Zack the same lecture he had given the past two times. Saying he need to work hard and give his all, well, Zack was giving his all and working very hard. When I mentioned he gets scared about not being able to catch his breath, he said "there was nothing he could do about that." It was clear he had no intent on helping Zack get over this breathing hurdle which would only have taken a day or two, so I allowed him to quit. I hated to see him go through that, and what is so sad is that he HATES the game of football now. And what is worse is that he didn't even get to play the "game" of football. So it was ruined for him before it even got started but the jerk of a coach who couldn't have some compassion and care for a kid who just needed a little help. Very sad.

Here is a picture of Zack on the first day he had to wear pads, he looks a little like Frankenstein!

Summer is Over

Well, I can't believe summer is over already! It sure flew by this time, I guess I was having fun this time around. I didn't have to go in to Weber State at all over the summer and I think that made a huge difference. We spent lots of time at Classic Water Slides and at Granny's pool. The kids also bolwed in a bowling league again, this was their second year. They both had friends on their teams, so that made it even better. Well, except for the girls team, Jordyn and Belle faught every day, so we may rethink the friend team next year.

The weather is still hot, but it could be worse. We had a few days over the past couple weeks where I could feel the crispness (is that even a word?) in the air giving us just a taste of fall. I am definitely ready for some cool temps, coffee and fall colors!

I finally bit the bullet and quit my job at Weber State when I returned from summer break. I gave two weeks notice, but only ended up having to stay one week which was fantastic since I didn't have to work the first day the kids were back in school. I will miss WSU, I met a lot of amazing women (and men) but it was time to move onward and upward to Graduate School. Plus, now I can be home with the kids if they are sick with no guilt or worry. So far, I am loving it and Zack has already been out sick two days with the croup, so I think I made the right choice.

Here are some pictures we took during the summer! Enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I thought it would be fun (and memorable) to take Zack to the midnight showing of the latest Harry Potter film "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." The first mistake was letting Zack have a sleepover the night before, because they were up until around 3am. So, he already started the day off exhausted. Then he started guitar lessons that same day and we did a lot of running around. We went and bought some candy and then headed to the theatre around 10:30 p.m. He ate some candy and then it was just too long of a wait and he started getting sleepy and complaining he wanted to go home and go to bed. I was not happy, especially since I had such high hopes of this being such a great experience for him and a great memory. Fortunately, once the movie started, he perked up and made it through the nearly 3 hour long film. It had some amazing effects and was pretty funny, which was a surprise. I think I expected more action similar to the previous film, but this one seemed to leave a lot of loose ends. We got home around 3am and Wednesday will be a very LONG day for me, but it was worth it. We are looking forward to the next film due to come out in 2010.

I'm Selling Discovery Toys

Hi all, I am now an "Educational Consultant" for Discovery Toys! My kids loved these toys when they were little and I am excited to bring it to Utah. Check out my website at: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/home/laraujo

Megan is Graduating Today

My cousin, Megan, is graduating from high school today! She is at the top of her class of over 400 students in Brentwood and has been accepted to UC Davis where she will be studying something on the lines of Biopsychology. She is really into the brain! CONGRATULATIONS MEGAN, WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!

Scooter UPDATE

Scooter managed to get his cast off himself on Memorial Day, so I had to take him to the darn ER Vet to have it put back on. His vet said to bring him back to them 10 days after that to have it checked, so we took him in Thursday. He was in a SUPER grumpy mood that morning, he was growling at me and clawed me when I was petting him, I think he had had it with that cast thing! After they checked him and brought him out, the vet tech said the Doctor took off the split and that the leg looked really good. She said he was "going at it" licking the leg the minute they took it off. He has some sores on his paw and on the back of his arm I think from the lack of air and pressure from being in the split for 5 weeks. He is still acting like he has a cast on, doesn't use the leg much unless he is sitting or stretching it out. They said it will take a while for him to realize he can use it again. They will recheck it in a week and we will go from there. He still can't go outside for two weeks, so I hope that goes by fast, he just sits by the sliding glass door and looks at the other cats outside, it is so sad!

Sicker than a DOG

Monday started off just fine, the kids and I were hanging around the house, not doing much. Me and Zack were playing Monopoly in the afternoon before I needed to head to work. I was going to start getting ready to go around 2:20 p.m. when I started having pains in my stomach. It just wouldn't stop, so I called the hospital to tell them I was staying home sick. Within 1/2 hour I was violently ill, throwing up non stop. I had the kids call Sammy and I told him he needed to come home because something was wrong with me. I threw up so much there was nothing left and was dry heaving over and over again. I couldn't even keep a sip of water down. I was so weak, I could barely walk to the room and was white as a ghost. I don't think I have ever been so sick in my entire life! Sammy talked to the advice nurse and she told him to give me ice chips so I wouldn't get dehydrated, and if it wasn't better in 2 hours to take me to the ER. We had just bought a snow cone machine and so Jordyn was feeding me shaved ice, it was so good! I think it saved my life. I stopped throwing up around 6:30 p.m. and was starting to get my color back around 8:30 p.m. I was still not feeling completely better, but was on my way. All night my body ached, I think from the strain on my muscles for such a long period of time.

Wednesday I went back to work at the hospital and Thursday I got my appetite back, finally! I pray my kids and Sammy don't get it, it was seriously the most horrible thing I have experienced I think in my entire life!

My sister Laura and my nephew Chase and cousin Isis had the same thing, so it is definitely going around. I've talked to a few other people to have had or know someone who has had the same thing.

Jordyn was so sweet the entire time, she kept checking on me, brought me ice and water whenever I needed it without complaining. If I made a noise she was checking to make sure I wasn't dead. She will be a great mom someday!