Huxley !!!

Some latest pics of my nephew Huxley!! He is sooooooo cute!!! My sister SueAnn and Huxley are coming out to visit us for a week in August! Jackson and I are so super excited to have them with us. And he's really excited that they can join me in taking Jackson to his first day of 4th grade!!!!!

The first tackle...

Okay, so I have just realized that one of the hardest things to watch your son do, is get tackled for the first time. I also realized that in all the years I watched football, I never really put much thought into how much a tackle would actually hurt. I know that sounds funny, but as a girl, it's really the last thing on my mind ! Now I realize that I didn't prepare Jax for it the best that I could. I mean, we talked about football being tough and that he would get hurt. But how do you prepare your child to get the shit knocked out of him? Especially when I've never been tackled! How do you prepare him and let him know how much it's gonna hurt and what to expect?

Well, Jackson took a beating last night. Most of the 2 hour practice was tackling and getting knocked around. I was a nervous wreck........mom's should not have to watch this!!! The first tackle knocked him to the ground and he just laid there. I think he was in shock. I know I was, as I leaned on the fence biting my nails! His coach picked him up and smacked his butt and said some encouraging words to him. Which was nice to see. I have to add, my son's coaches are awesome. They are tough, but at the same time they really build the kids up and really teach them alot, and most importantly, they really do care about the kids.

Anyway, after his tackle, Jax came over to me on his way back across the field, I could see 2 tears falling down his cheeks. He just looked at me and said,"mom, it really hurts". Holy shit!! What do you say to your kid at this point? How do you not baby him in front of his team? Why does he have to be so damn grown up already at only 9 yrs old? All I could say was," it's always gonna hurt buddy, it's football. You're doing a good job out there, just stay tough, and go kick some ass" He smiled and ran back out on the field.

The good news is, I finally have all the pads figured out and what pockets they go in. And last night I realized I had his belt all jacked up too. Other than me not knowing what I'm doing, I think we're getting the hang of it.

We made it!!!

I'm happy to report that we made it through the first week of football. It was one of the toughest weeks we've had to get through. But Jackson has been amazing. And he hasn't quit. This week will be more of the same. But I think if we made it through the first week we'll make it through this one. By Friday night, Jax and I seemed to have gotten into the swing of things. This weekend, he woke me up and wanted to do his football workout right away in the morning. (i was more focused on gettin my morning coffee, but i was glad that he was excited) And Sunday night he was studying his "play book". He is definitely focused!!! I will keep you posted on how things go!!!

not tough enough...

I don't think I'm tough enough to be a football mom. There I've said it. How does any mom get through this without crying at every practice. Last night the two hour practice seemed to take forever. They ran the kids into the ground. I watched Jackson get to the point of utter exhaustion. During a water break he would just lean against the fence and try to pour water into his mouth. He could tell by the look on his face that he was struggling and it was tearing my heart out. After an hour and 15 minutes of practice I didn't think he was gonna make it through. But my little guy pressed on. I was so proud of him, but at the same time I wanted to run out on the field and pick him up and take him home. Then there was about 10 minutes left of practice, as Jackson was running, barely able to lift his feet off the ground he looked over at me from the field with tears running down his face. I just yelled,"don't quit buddy, it's almost over". He made it through. He could barely walk to the car afterwards. He got in, put the seat back and cried the whole way home. I told him I was very proud of him for sticking with it. And pushing himself. And I was. My little guy is the toughest little guy I know. He's stronger and more driven than his mother every could be. This is going to be a very long season.

FOOTBALL!!!

Football season started last night. Whooo Hooooo!!!! Practice is 5 nights a week, 2 hours a night for the first 3 weeks. Not sure how we are gonna handle all that....but we'll do our best. This is Jackson's first year playing and he was sooooo nervous. They actually draft the players here, so the first night was a big deal. Jackson tried his hardest and I was sooo proud of him. He got drafted to the blue team which happened to be a winning team last year. Hopefully this year will be the same!!! Here is a pic of him in his football gear. He couldn't wait to put his helmet on!!

Jax and his step-bro

So Jackson finally met his new step brother and his new step mom down in Texas. His dad got married last year before he went to Iraq and this was the first opportunity for them to meet. Jackson had a great time. They were swimming and doing fun stuff everyday. Thanks to Eileen who made Jackson feel comfortable and welcome! Here is a pic of Jax and his step bro (that's what he calls him) Dylan.

I'm back!!!

Hello everyone! So I've been away for a few weeks....but I'm back! Let me explain......My laptop died so my blogging has had to be put on hold for a while. And Jackson has been away with his dad for the last 3 weeks in Texas. So I have been dealing with no laptop and just being depressed. Seems like my life literally stops when my son is gone. I go to work and go home, walk the dog and then park my butt on the couch. I even eat dinner on the couch! How freakin pathetic. Anyway, Now Jax is back, and we are back on schedule! I did manage to complete a few projects the last week Jax was gone. Mostly painting projects. I think I was gearing up for him to come back. Once I get my laptop working again I will post those pics too. For now....I'm blogging from work! Ha Ha Ha