Manny... I will follow you anywhere

Thursday was starting off to be a good day. I had taken Joey to school and Gabby and I were home. I got all the bills paid and then had errands to run in an attempt to get ready for Joey’s birthday parties this weekend. As we were out running errands we ran into my dad. It was around 2:00p.m. He says to me “are you going to be a Marlins fan now”? “NO” I reply. “Why”? My dad knows that I am the biggest fan Manny Ramirez has. My dad knows all about the love affair that began with Manny in 1995. He knows that no matter what people say to me about Manny and his boneheaded plays, jogging to first base, or even when Manny admires hits that come off of his bat I will stick up for him and defend him to no end. So the conversation continues and my dad is trying to convince me that Manny is going to be traded to the Marlins. First of all the Marlins are not a team that this girl would EVER root for. One word or year is all I will say. 1997. Period end of story. 1997. The year that the Indians (another Cleveland team) blew it and lost the biggest game of their lives and another title for the city. I told my dad it isn’t happening and I know this because I was checking my computer about a possible Manny trade before leaving my home. Nothing thus far had happened. I said to him today is the last day that a trade could occur. He says I know they have until midnight. Midnight… Hmm I believed him on the hour that they had to do a trade. I get Gabby back in the car and we leave to go see my mom. I get on her computer and it says “Manny deal to the Marlins, dead for now”. Relief. I took a big sigh of relief. I went home and put on sports center. I saw the clock counter on the television and learned that a possible deal could only happen until 4:00 p.m. I call my dad and tell him this. It is now almost 3:20. 40 minutes. We can do this, 40 minutes. I waited until 4:45 p.m. to leave my home to get Joey from summer camp. I was so happy. Nothing happened. Manny was staying in Boston. Again relief.
I got Joey from school and had on the local Cleveland station on the a.m. radio for sports talk. Soon I realized that no one but me in Cleveland cares about the possible Manny trade. They were talking Browns football. I was rolling my eyes. I can already predict the Browns year for you. They will lose against the Steelers, they will win maybe 3 games, and the season will come to an end. They broke for a news report and then I heard it. “Manny was traded to the Dodgers today”. WHAT? It can’t be true. They had until 4:00 pm. I left my house at 4:45 there was nothing about that being said.
I got home and went straight to the television rewinding (thanks TiVo) everything I missed about the trade. It was true. I was sick. I had tears in my eyes.
My love affair with Manny started in the late 90’s. I was watching Manny before he was making the big bucks, before he was a household name, and before everyone in the country knew about this amazing hitter. I was at the World Series in 95 and 97. I was at many games before Manny went to the Red Sox. I was on the Jumbotron (scoreboard) in Cleveland holding a sign once that read “Always believe in Super Manny”. (Silly, I know). I was in love. I proudly wore my Ramirez jersey and I always stuck up for him even if I was defending a bonehead play or something silly Manny had done. To me it was watching this amazing player go up to the plate and hit a ball out of the park or a hard solid hit to get on base. Watching him swing and knowing that when the bat hit the ball that the ball would soon be landing over the heads of many fans. I watched him hit many homeruns and was always proud of how talented he is. I admired him. When Manny went to the Red Sox I was happy for him. I was happy that he would be making more money. In my eyes he deserved it. He is in my opinion the best hitter in the game. He knows how to look at each pitch and find one that he likes. I have seen him at the ball park look for the pitch he wants and foul the others off. He has such patience as he waits for the one that he wants to hit out of the park. I was devastated that he left Cleveland, but I also have always had a soft spot in my heart for Boston. This began when I was into the New Kids on the Block as a young teenager. (Different post for a different day)
When Manny went to Boston whenever the team traveled to Cleveland we went to at least one game in the series. I say this because it is true… every time I go to a Red Sox vs. Cleveland game Manny hits a home run. This has happened every game but maybe one. I felt like his good luck charm. Two years ago Jeff and I went to Fenway for the first time and saw a game against the Tribe. To be in Fenway and see the green monster, experience fans that are so different than in Cleveland and be at a ball park that the best of the best players have played at was truly something I will never forget.
Jeff got me one year the MLB ticket which allowed me to watch all the Red Sox game in the comfort of my home. It was great to be able to watch the team and root for them and feel a part of the city although I was miles away cheering them on. When Manny was in Boston he was given a saying “Manny being Manny”. We have a saying in our home that is “Gabby being Gabby”. This was after her colic and her temper.
I have had a great time following my favorite baseball player. I wish him the best of luck as a Dodger and after reading everything it looks like this was not only a good move for Manny but one that was good for Boston.
Soon I will be getting me one of these:

I know this is dreaming, but I would love to see Manny back playing here on a daily basis. The Tribe generals have other plans for our farm.... So unitl you come back to play here Manny, I will try to watch you on the tube.

Manny Ramirez

I have 40 minutes left... will my FAVORITE baseball player be traded??


Hey CLEVELAND INDIANS... I WANT HIM BACK!!!!!!


Forget about the farm. Get us a hitter. Take Manny off the Red Sox backs, bring him back to Cleveland. PLEASE? PLEASE??

I will no longer have to be a Red Sox fan. PLEASE bring him back. I am begging here.

He looks better in this uniform!!

Life with Gabby

Gabrielle sure is getting a lot of air time on the blog lately and to lighten things up I could not pass up posting her latest antics.

School will be starting on the 27th of August. I am starting now to get both kids in bed by 8:45-9:00 pm. This includes being done with bath, books, and good night kisses. Last night was my first attempt at getting the kids in bed earlier. We did okay with one. Joey was in bed and asleep by 9:00. Gabrielle was in bed, (or we thought) just not asleep. I was downstairs starting to clean my floors. I wanted to vacuum and mop the kitchen floor. I heard her get up so I walked half way upstairs and saw her sitting in my bed reading books. I was okay with that. I knew she was tired. I began my vacuuming and had it running for probably 10 minutes. I then heard a yell and crying. I went upstairs and Gabs was in my bathroom playing in my makeup. She had taken some perfume and sprayed it in her eye. Her eye started swelling and was all red. I then started flushing her eye with water. She took a shower also and it helped that she was crying. Finally we got her taken care of and asleep!

Anyone think that handcuffing her to her bed is okay? J/K

Today I was making her something to eat. She looked up at me and out of the blue says “mommy, does Kayla have a who who”? (Who who a.k.a. vagina) “Yes” I say wondering where this is coming from. She then says “mommy, Joey has a dinky”? (Dinky a.k.a penis) “Yes, Gabby”. Then she says “mommy, Joey has a small dinky and daddy has a big one”. I had to try my hardest not to start laughing. I said okay and started to walk away when she says “can we make S’mores”? The mind of these little people is amazing.

I am so looking forward to August 27th and this little girl gets to go to preschool!

Thank you Arizona!

I want to thank Arizona for pointing out a website that one can go to and check out if forwarded e-mails like the one I received are based on fact. I apologize if anyone read the letter that this soldier wrote and was as upset about Senator Obama’s treatment to the troops as I was. I am going to leave the post up and do some research on his trip to the Middle East. I am hoping that I find that Senator Obama did not treat the troops in the manner that was described.
Again I was in no way trying to put Obama down. This is a big year for Americans as we vote for our next President. I will remind everyone that what we see in the media often has a spin on it and is not always the way it is.
I still am undecided on who I will vote for. I hope to watch the tube as we get closer and find out more about both candidates. I will also be having a talk with my brother in law.
Again I am sorry that it seems like this was an e-mail that was sent out not based on fact.

I still hope that all of you will read the lone survivor.

A DOUBLE post... ON MY SOAPBOX

For a moment I need to step on the soapbox and give a piece of my mind. (I know you are all thinking “oh watch out”)
When Jeff and I were in Hawaii we went to a bookstore to find some good reads while we basked in the sun by the pool. We went in looking for the book The last lecture written by Randy Pausch. (We did find this and buy it. Jeff has read it already and I have still yet to read it). We also found a book called The Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. Jeff read this book while we were in Hawaii and kept commenting on how good it was. I picked it up while he was not reading it and began browsing it and was excited to get my turn to pour into it. It was one of the best books I have ever read. It is in no way a romance novel or good in that what happened to this brave American was something to be happy about, but good in that it was a big eye opener for me.
This is going to be a big year for all of Americans. We will soon be watching television that has nonstop campaign ads for the future President of the United States. I am in NO way a big political person. I know that they say there are two things never to talk to people about one being religion and the other being politics. I can talk about anything. So I want to bring up a few points and then get off my soap box. I am not telling anyone here who to vote for. I want every person who reads that to understand that!
The past few weeks when I have been on my computer I look at my MSN homepage. This is how I keep up with what is going on in the world. We no longer watch the news in our home. Jeff and I find it to depressing. Either someone new just got shot or another child has been killed for unimaginable reasons. We do watch FOX at times when something big is going on and want more information for example, hurricane Katrina. I watched and I cried as these people were waving on bridges and roof tops waiting to be rescued. I also cheered when the smart boy who was maybe 16 stole the bus and loaded it with people and drove them to a place where they were out of harm’s way. I also sneak a peek at the sports section looking for any headlines on my favorite baseball players or teams. My point to all this is that in the news section last week was many stories about Obama visiting the Middle East. Wow I thought good for him. I was so happy that he did this. I was hoping that he saw firsthand what was going on over there. Later in the week I got a People magazine. People had a nice story about the Obama family. I thought about how real they all seemed and that how he is raising young children also. I think it said that if he became the next President that his kids would be the youngest in the White House ever.
Back to the book about the Lone Survivor. I ask all Americans to read this book. I think people need to know what is going on over in the Middle East. I think people need to remember that there is still a war going on as I type this. Americans are fighting for all of us and our freedom. My brother in law is in the Marines. I am to the point now that when I watch the news and see how every story is about how we should no longer be in the Middle East and how the war needs to end we should ask our military how they feel. We are not getting the whole story. War scares me. I am not happy that we are still at war. I would LOVE for all our military men and women to be home with their family and friends, but at the same time I do not think that we are at the point where we can just return from Iraq and feel like another 9-11 may not occur soon.
Marcus does a great job in his book describing all the misconceptions for you. The biggest being the media and how they spin things. This book is now being passed around to members of my family.
I receive a lot of forwarded messages. I came across one that my mother in law sent to me just yesterday. I want to share it all with you. Maybe we have all been fooled by Senator Obama and his trip to the Middle East. I know that I feel like a fool. I will be watching as we get closer to picking the next President. I have personally come to the conclusion that I will vote for who our military wants to be President. Why? Because they are the ones fighting and dying for me. They are the ones that need the backing of the President when they are on these missions. They are the ones that I worry about and they are the ones that I want to repay. Some of the issues that are discussed in detail so much that make my ears want to fall off bore me. The issue that is MOST important to me as a mom is my family’s safety. That includes your family too. I worry about another 9-11. I worry about my kid’s future and I don’t want to be scared anymore every time my husband goes on a business trip. I want to feel like our borders are safe and that the people who made 9-11 happen and the ones that want to copy their acts don’t enter our country.
Feel free to agree or disagree. Feel free to add comments that may give another point of view. No comments will be deleted unless they are completely inappropriate. I am all for freedom of speech so comment away and tell me what you think. Is there an issue that is really important to you? Please read the following from my mother in law and please check a copy out of the library, buy, or borrow the book THE LONE SURVIVOR by Marcus Luttrell.
May God bless America!


Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to 'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened.
He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service. So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-in-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country. If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

Looking for a thrill? Try Cedar Point!

On Friday the 25th the kids and I went to Cedar Point. Every year we get a chance to go to Cedar Point through the company that Jeff works for. Unfortunately, Jeff was out of town. Jeff works with my family so although he was not there I did have other members of my family with me.
Cedar Point is in Sandusky, Ohio. It is an amusement park that is known for its roller coasters. If you are in to roller coasters this is the place to go. They have 17 different coaters, which includes 3 of the top 10 steel roller coasters in the world. Some go upside down, you stand on some, and others the floor drops out and your feet dangle about as you go upside down.

This year I spent my time in kiddie kingdom or in Camp Snoopy.

The kids love to go and Joey is anxiously waiting to get taller so he can go on some of the more thrilling rides. I will be excited to ride my favorite roller coaster the Magnum with him.

The Magnum was voted the "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World," this towering steel superstructure has one of the tallest hills (205 feet) and fastest rides (72 mph) anywhere on the planet!


For more info go to http://www.cedarpoint.com/
Enjoy the photos! (People in the photos... Boy in Boston hat Joey, girl with really short hair Gabby, my mom a.k.a. "nana", nephew Blake in the Indians hat, and niece Kayla)

Now for the rest of the story...

Sometimes being a parent is stressful. I love to blog and in doing so I hope that others relate to this so I do not feel so alone. I do feel like though that maybe my husband and my parenting style is lacking. I say this because I feel like I repeat myself constantly to two little kids that just DO. NOT. LISTEN. To a word I say.
This was my Monday. (Currently we have Joey in “summer camp”) Really though this is the same place that he goes to preschool. We have him going to get out of the house and be around his friends, socialize and be around kids his own age. And I should add I love Tuesdays and Thursdays when he is out of the house because the fighting is nonexistent and Gabrielle can play with whatever she wants and do what she wants without being yelled at by her brother and vice versa.
Monday we got up and started our morning with cooking muffins and cupcakes. Soon a lady from Home Depot showed up to measure the floors on the main level of our home. Jeff was also coming home early because our garage door was broken and he wanted to talk with the repair man. When Jeff got home after lunch time I decided to use the opportunity to go to run some errands finding knick knacks and towels for the bathroom. When I returned from my outing, I found Jeff exhausted the house a disaster, and two kids that looked like they were in big trouble. Toys were all over the floor and the couch cushions and pillows were strewn about. I found that Gabrielle had gone potty twice on the couch and Joey decided that he wanted to use the couch as a trampoline and that the two of them were just being bad. Since Friday of last week Gabrielle has just been going pee wherever her little heart desires. If we are outside she will disrobe and pee on the deck, the grass, and the sidewalk. We do not know what the problem has been. Imagine being in the kitchen and knowing your daughter is in the room next to you where you can see her and she is playing or watching a movie and then says “I just pee”. What? Where? Oh all over the couch! All I can say is yuck. Who wants to sit on that? Also we are not happy she is doing this, but we are not like in LOVE with this couch it is old and we knew that soon we would be deep sixing it.
So I come in and am in the mood to start cleaning. I mean organizing, getting things ready for Goodwill, tossing things, rearranging things. So I went to town. We moved the couch outside. Jeff called and found out that the trash man would take it. We carried it to the curb. Two little kids followed us out and started jumping on the couch outside. All the while Joey is really upset that I am giving the couch to the trash man. He wants to know where he is going to sit. I think he was really wondering what he would use to jump on, do headstands on, and what he would throw on the floor so he could jump off the couch and have a soft landing when he falls. I explained to him that we will not have a couch until he and his sister decide that this is our home and we want our home to look nice and that he and Gabby need to understand that this costs money and they are ruining everything we try to do to make our home look nicer and not like a college dorm room. What a sight we must be! We did not get pictures of this but wanted to. We looked like some rednecks. We were going to sit out on the couch on the curb and watch cars pass, but we figured we had better things to do inside. Jeff and I were laughing hysterically at the sight of all of us. I continued cleaning and by dinner time had a whole van full of bags and boxes to take to Goodwill. Jeff got us dinner and we ate and then went to Goodwill and to Home Depot. While at Home Depot, Gabby went potty there. No problems. We were home in like 30 minutes after this and she walks into the family room and goes again all over the floor. Jeff and I were in the kitchen talking and putting things away when she announces that she just peed all over the floor. Jeff hands her a towels and says “your turn”. She knows better and she is a smart girl. By this point we are both beside ourselves as to what is going on with her.
We get the kids in the bath and into bed. We then kiss them goodnight and walk downstairs. A few minutes later we hear footsteps and running upstairs. Jeff goes upstairs to find Gabrielle naked and in Joey’s room talking to him. She sat on her bed and peed all over it. He gets her back into bed, changes sheets, and clothes and comes back downstairs. Now Joey is asleep and once again footsteps. He goes back upstairs and this time she gets spanked. He returns downstairs. Same thing happens again. This time he waits before going up because she may have went into our room to lie on our bed. At this point we don’t care where she sleeps as long as the next time we see her she is sleeping. About 10 minutes later he goes up and I heard him say something and I knew she was not asleep. She was in our room just not in our bed. She was really in our bathroom cutting her hair!!

Gabby showing her hair cut to us and her real personality for the camera. All that hair was the same length as the hair behind it. Enjoy the next few photos of my little trouble maker. She is lucky she is so cute.

I got on the computer and started looking up urinary tract infections in children. I decide that maybe I should have her urine looked at. I asked her earlier in the day if anything hurt. She said no. I called my mom and she agreed that just having her urine looked at would not hurt and plus if she did have a UTI then we would have some sort of explanation to her behavior.
We called it a night. Tuesday the man from Lowe’s showed up to measure. I got in the shower and then went to my doctor’s appointment. We then took some urine to the doctor. He checked it and she did NOT have a UTI. So he had a little talk with her. “Gabrielle, you are three you are a big girl you need to stop peeing on the floor and having accidents.” She looks at him picks up her hand and puts it to his face and says “do you like my fingernails”? That went over really well!!
I ran home went to the vet tried to get there before they closed and then we had dinner and went to Lowe’s and to pick up my prescriptions. Afterwards while Jeff and Joey were in the pet store I walked next door with Gabby to the Great Clips. I showed the girl her hair and asked what can we do?
This is what we got. She did such a job on herself that this was all they could do to fix it and even out her hair and make it look like a normal person cut it and not a three year old.

So my days of pony tails, ribbons, and bows will have to wait. I was so upset when I watched her hair fall to the floor. This is my life with a three year old and I am really hoping that this does not just happen to me!