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Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts

January 16, 2018

ROLL TIDE, Babies!

My BEST WEEK EVER post omitted a rather huge piece of goodness...but I decided to save this for a post unto itself.

The University of Alabama won its 17th NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP last week!!!
Historic!!!

The program has quite a history, but prior to 2009, our last championship was in 1992, when I was in 10th grade!  The girls don't have any sense for such a drought, though, as Bama has won FIVE championships in their short lifetime!

You may know it wasn't difficult to find pictures of the girls in their crimson best from each championship year.  What a fun look back at our pride and joy!

2009!

2011!

2012!

2015!

And this last year...in comparison to the BABIES in those pictures...it gets me, y'all...
2017!

(I'll go ahead and admit that the girls wouldn't necessarily have included Bama's win in their Best Week Ever list.  When B got up on Tuesday morning after the big game, I told her I had great news.  "It SNOWED??!!!" she asked.  Oh, well...they can sing the fight song and they excitedly wear that glorious crimson with the best of them.  I guess I'll take it.)

ROLL TIDE!!!

April 29, 2016

Our Mini-Vacay Adventures!

For Spring Break this year, I took off a couple of days and we headed south to Sweet Home Alabama.  Our first stop was Rocket City...Huntsville!  After an incredibly yummy, down-home Cajun lunch (including an up-close encounter with the biggest crawfish I've ever seen), we headed to the Space and Rocket Center.


Some cool interactive exhibits!

On the surface of the moon, with Rocket Park in the background!

The girls loved the "moon surface"...although I'm thinking the moss is an Earth-add.
And I love this picture of A, so engaged.  She stopped off here while we were looking at something else.  I loved the view from behind her, seeing her anticipation at the liftoff video!

Waiting with baited breath!
After a delicious (and much more expensive than we'd planned) dinner [I was looking at the LUNCH menu...not the dinner menu!], we rested up and met my cousin and her sweet baby girl for breakfast the next morning.

Then we headed to Hubby's alma mater, UAH, for a walk down Memory Lane.


Cool sculpture!

And then we headed to my alma mater...our first "home" together...Tuscaloosa.  We immediately headed for campus.  We just so happened to park beside the stadium.  Hee hee!

Family photo opp!

The girls always zero in when they see "2009"...here, in Champions Plaza.

I love this view!!!

One of my favorites...such a happy place!!!

The girls practiced their "Nick Saban clap"...HA!

Baby A climbed up quite a way for this photo op!  B was not keen on joining her...
And then we headed to supper downtown, at one of our old favorites.  DePalma's...YUM!!!

My loves!
The girls requested Alabama ballcaps, which we procured on Friday.  They could hardly wait to put them on Saturday morning and head to campus for the A-Day festivities!  Our first stop was Daddy's monument!

These girls are two proud peacocks!
And then we attended an alumni event at the business school.

So official!
And just before game time, we headed to the Quad to see the sights.  I LOVE this picture of the girls with their backpacks!!!
They look SO grown up!
At last it was Game Time!
Excited for their pom-poms!

Our view!
After the game, we took a break for some ice cream (and Mommy had some coffee), and then we headed to Aunt A's house for some catch-up time.  Here are all the kiddos together!

Posers!
Sunday morning we enjoyed a yummy breakfast at a German bakery, and then we spent a little more time on campus.  I am thrilled to have captured this impromptu hug in the shadow of Denny Chimes!

Be still my heart!
And our A couldn't help but DANCE to the chimes...hee hee!

What a happy soul!
On our way home we made one last stop at GG's house.  Baby B wasn't much for pictures, but A was all smiles alongside GG.


We packed A LOT into four days...and it sure was fun!!!

May 9, 2015

Super Stuff on a Saturday!

So thankful to have recorded some of the Super Stuff from around our house the past couple of weeks!

The girls aren’t always in lock-step with each other, but it’s so sweet when they are.  A few nights ago, after supper, Baby A planted a big, spontaneous hug on Baby B as we were heading into the den to play a game.  Made this mama’s heart smile!

On the way to school, Baby A was talking about how old she would be when she can drive.  “I’ll be able to drive when I’m in college…but you’ll still pick me up, right, Mommy?”  Absolutely.

Our kitty Miki is famous for wanting to sit in my lap, specifically during mealtimes.  (He’s really good and doesn’t reach for food…he just likes being there!)  He was all comfy after supper one night, and A asked if I would put him in her lap.  I did, and he sat there for the longest time.  She was in furry baby heaven!

I took the girls for ice cream cones at the Dairy Queen last weekend to celebrate A losing a tooth.  Once upon a time, this would have been major anxiety for me.  I realized most of the way through, though, that the girls were eating their cones WITHOUT MAKING ANY MESS.  Wowza.

On the way to school one morning:
B: "Mommy, what if the earth is just a tiny little spec, like in Horton Hears a Who?"
Me: "Well, it really kind of is, in the scheme of the universe."
A: "Yeah, and it would take a thousand years to reach another galaxy."
...Little minds. Big thoughts. 

Last Saturday the girls wanted to play outside for a few minutes after we got home from some errands.  We messed around with a few different toys, and then B got out a small football she got as a prize at school.  I did my best to show her how to throw it…and she did a really good job!!!  There were even a couple of nice, tight spirals!!!

Serious about football!
We watched a few minutes of the Kentucky Derby last Saturday.  Right before the race, I was caught really off guard that the girls were singing along, word for word, to "My Old Kentucky Home".  At least they can also sing Sweet Home Alabama!

Different-height Twin Problem #17. I laid out the girls' clothes for the day, which happened to include matching sweaters.  Although their jeans were different, the girls happened to put on the wrong pair.  We were running out the door when I noticed A's jeans were high waters, and B's were dragging the floor. Hee hee!  Thank goodness they were conciliatory and agreed to switch.

Outta the mouths of babes, at bedtime last Sunday night: "Mommy, why is the weekend so short? It seems like it just started! I wish it could be 10 days long."  Credit to Baby A for this unadulterated insight.

Playing on Saturday...JOY!!!
The girls were playing with magnets last weekend. They came barreling downstairs to breathlessly tell me what they'd just learned. Then, "C'mon, Sissy!  Let's go see what else we can discover!!!"

October 10, 2014

Football = Soccer ???

...well, not in this country…but I can see my sweet kiddos trying to figure it all out.

This mama is a huge football fan (of the American sort), Alabama Crimson Tide football, to be more exact.  While it was only over the last year that we actually let the girls watch any football (the TV is rarely on while the girls are awake), they’ve been decked in Crimson and White since they were tiny.



Soccer also runs deep at our house.  I didn’t grow up with the sport, buy my hubby lives and breathes it.  It’s his true passion.

The girls have logged much more English Premier League soccer time in front of the telly than they have football, for sure.  And we play a lot of it, too…in our basement, in the front yard, and every chance we get to go to the park.



I see the sports as being so completely different, but I recognize now they can cause a little confusion to the wee ones.

We were at the park a few weeks ago, kicking the soccer ball around.  Baby A did something really nice, and I congratulated her, “That was AWESOME!”  She threw her little hands in the air and yelled, “TOUCHDOWN!

Daddy just shook his head.

I got my turn at head shaking during the Alabama game this past weekend.  During the first quarter, the opposing team scored first on a field goal.  After a few minutes (still during the first quarter), B said somberly, “Mommy, I don’t think Alabama is going to win.”  WHY would you say that, Sweetie???  “Well, they have three goals, and we don’t have any.”


I had to laugh (perhaps to keep from crying)!

...hmmm...maybe they can play soccer at The University of Alabama...yes, that's it!!!

January 8, 2013

Ladies Luck

I remember well January 2, 2009.  The University of Alabama Crimson Tide was playing in a big bowl game...and not playing well.  I tried not to invest myself too heavily in the game...34 weeks pregnant with twins...but I can only surmise it was the stress of the ballgame that drove me to the hospital for the first time.

Fast-forward a few months, and I dressed the girls -- by then, healthy 7-month olds -- in their inaugural Bama gear.  Would you believe this is the FIRST picture I have of them BOTH smiling?  I am certain it's not a coincidence...how could you contain yourself in those gorgeous crimson hues???


And a few months later, The University of Alabama Crimson Tide was again playing in a big bowl game...this time, the biggest...and they won all the marbles.  No doubt fueled by this smiling duo, Alabama welcomed home National Championship #13.

The girls continued to support their team.  One of the first baby signs they learned was that for "TOUCHDOWN!"

And here are my girlies the following season, in their cheerleading finest, sandwiching their mama.  


And a couple of months later, our cheerleaders made the trick-or-treat rounds in the neighborhood.


While that adorable ensemble won the girls a lot of ooh's and ahh's, Alabama didn't win the National Championship that year.

The following season, though, the team was no doubt inspired by seeing the ever formidable Baby A and Baby B in their very first jerseys.


Welcome home National Championship #14!

In the fall of 2012, the girls added some frill to their frocks...


...but they still adored their jerseys, made even cuter when hugged up to a regulation football amid some gorgeous fall foliage.


We are so thankful once again to have supported our Tide -- as of last night! -- to National Championship #15!!!

There's been much use of the word "dynasty" in the last 12 hours.  Call it what you want...I'm just focused on these little ladies...what an awesome introduction to the Alabama Tradition they've had over the past four years!

And while Baby A and Baby B may think that the "B-A-M-A" cheer is somehow tied to them (using the first letters of their names, and "M" for Mommy), there's no confusion over their voracious ROOOOOOOLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!

November 5, 2012

Super Stuff on a Monday



What made our week super-fabulous?  So much stuff!  I’m bullet-pointing as best I can to get it all in!

1)      We had such a fun Halloween, all the way around.  The girls loved their pumpkin party at school, and they were ecstatic to get a little treat bag from their teachers.  We had a great time with M&C on Wednesday morning, and they really got into the festivities on Wednesday afternoon.  And perhaps best of all, they were content to come inside and snuggle by the fireplace for a few minutes before going to bed (on time!) Wednesday night.  Bliss!

2)      Baby A’s recap of handing out candy: “Mommy, some kids couldn’t talk, so I talked for them.”  If a kid didn’t say “Thank you!” she very innocently volunteered it for them.

3)      My sweet Baby B’s tender heart…she started tearing up when her daddy said (very nonchalantly) that he would get rid of our jack-o-lanterns the day after Halloween.

4)      Baby A’s prowess at using scissors and tape.  She’s occupied herself for up to an hour on several days, cutting out shapes or pictures from magazines, and then taping them onto a blank page.  She’s such a hard worker!

5)      Baby A was such a great helper during nap time one day this week.  She stuck by me through folding two loads of laundry, and then she made countless trips upstairs to put away socks, washcloths, towels, tshirts…anything she could reach.  Daddy was upstairs, and he said she had such a “business” look on her face.  HA!

6)      Finding Baby B napping one afternoon with her pillow on top of her.  She was so cute…and then she was so proud of being a “turtle” after I woke her up!

7)      B organized the alphabet magnets (from two full sets = 52 tiles) in order one morning.  I think I heard her sing the ABC Song 26 times…but she persisted and did an amazing job!

8)      Hearing the girls jump up and down, chanting over and over, Hip-hop dancers!  Hip-hop dancers!  They were giggling hysterically…and so was I!  [I can only surmise they got that from our “ABC’s of NYC” book, where “H” is hip-hop dancer.]

9)      We had our family pictures on Saturday.  The girls did so well…and they even had fun!  I cannot wait to see the smiles on their faces.

10)   Happening upon a marathon during our Sunday morning walk through our neighborhood.  We had such fun stopping to cheer on the runners, and B even got to yell into a megaphone.

11)   We let the girls watch the last couple of minutes of the Alabama game on Sunday morning.  Baby B clapped at all the right times, and she even told Aunt GG on the phone about Alabama’s touchdown!  Mama was so proud!!!

12)   The girls have been golden not to get up until their clock turned green, but they’ve been awake a good 30 minutes “early” since the time change.  This morning B was laughing like mad and talking complete nonsense.  Baby A, who probably wanted to enjoy her “extra” hour, kept insisting, “Sissy, that’s not a word!

13)   The very first thing the girls said when I went into their room this morning: “Muffins!  Muffins!  I smell muffins!  And correct they were!  They were so excited with their home-baked treat.

So thankful for another great week with my sweet baby girls!!!

October 28, 2012

Super Stuff on Sunday




Very thankful for the little things that add up to make one super-fabulous week!

1)      The girls have been ALL ABOUT coloring this week!  A couple of nights they asked to color while I made supper.  They sat contentedly at the table, working together, for close to an hour one time!  I bought them new boxes of crayons, and they probably colored for about three hours (not consecutively) yesterday.  Wow!!!   And it’s amazing the improvement I’ve seen in them coloring within the lines (at least at times).

2)      Most of the girls’ coloring books have some activity pages.  I’ve coached them through some dot-to-dot exercises before, but it’s been a while.  While I had my attention turned towards B one morning, Baby A did a dot-to-dot completely by herself…counting up to 22!  Baby B did the same – with a tiny bit of help from her sister – a few days later.

3)      I wanted to take the girls to the orchard to buy pumpkins.  We originally hoped to go with M&C, but I finally decided it was Wednesday afternoon – by myself – or bust.  We had such a great time!  I can’t say I got “the perfect picture”, but we still had lots o’ fun.  The highlight of the girls’ day (and maybe their week) was playing with a wagon.   I pulled them quite a bit, and then A was all about pulling B.  B pulled A a little bit, but I think she preferred to let her sissy do the heavy lifting.  They each picked out pie pumpkins for themselves…and then they wanted a tiny one for their furry sister Sasha.

4)      We’ve had a very sweet week, full of friends.  On Wednesday morning we met “Grandma” June for our weekly bagel and milk / coffee treat.  On Thursday afternoon we met Ms. Mary at the park.  The girls were so excited to see her, and to meet her dachshund Max.  They were so proud to walk around the park with him.

5)      And on Friday we had some fun time with our friends M&C.  We’d originally planned a picnic at the park, but the weather had other ideas.  We decided instead to meet at the mall, ride the carousel, and have lunch.  The girls were so thrilled to ride the carousel – a very rare treat – and a trip up and down the escalator sealed the deal.  It was a fantastic morning all the way around, seeing my girlies with M&C…everyone behaving so well and having fun.  I think their mama and I actually had a tiny bit of adult conversation, to boot!

6)      The girls and I spread out early in the week to make Halloween cards for a few friends.  We made all the cards in one sitting, and then set about signing them the next day.  Baby A’s name is half as long as B’s…and she’s been writing her letters (and her name) very proficiently for months now.  She finished in no time, flat.  Poor little B, though, worked and worked and worked and worked.  I give her so much credit for persevering!!!  She eventually signed all the cards.  Baby A signs her name – usually – in a pretty “normal” fashion, the letters roughly the same size, in a line.  B’s letters are still different sizes, and she usually has to go onto a second line to get them all in.  Hopefully the return address will clue in anyone who can’t quite connect all the dots.  :)

7)      I turned on a football game for about 15 minutes on Saturday afternoon.  The girls watched intently with me, but I couldn’t help but laugh at A.  I was narrating every play, and after every play, she’d ask, “Did something just happen, Mommy?  HA!

8)      The girls weren’t feeling well this morning.  They usually wait quietly until their clock turns green, but a few minutes shy, I heard, “I miss you, Mommy!” from sweet Baby B.  She knows how to tug those heartstrings!

9)      I’ve been able to tell my girls voices / cries / hiccups / sneezes apart since a very early age, with near 100% accuracy.  With them being a little sniffly, though, it’s harder for me to discern who’s who over the monitor.  I had to go into their room a couple of times in response to a, “Mommy!  Wipe my nose, please!  I’d go in, and I’m sure – even in the dark – I looked uncertain.  B would always point me in the right direction, “Mommy, it’s sissy, not me.  Bless her soul!

10)   And the quotes of the week…

B, to me early one morning: “Mommy, I can see the veins in your eyes!

B, talking to herself from the timeout chair: “Being tired is not an excuse for poor behavior! 

A, playing with her geometric shapes: I put a trapezoid where a rhombus would go, so now I don't need a triangle.”