Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas (blog version of a Christmas card)

One of my favorite Christmas pictures is when Coleman played Santa in the school play

I love getting the Christmas cards with the family or kid's photo. It is one of the things I look forward to each year. So thanks to all of you who sent us one this year. It is sad that I can't plan ahead to get them out myself. I was pretty good until about two years ago and then I am not sure what happened. We currently have one foot on the Christmas merry-go-round. We went last weekend to share Christmas with my dad's parents in Alto, Texas. I could tell is was really special to my grandmother to have all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren together. Chad finally has a few days off but unfortunately I have to work (when will we ever be off at the same time?). At least I get off early on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve service at our church is really special and that is something we definitely make time for. After the service we will head over to my parents to share Christmas with them and then get up early on Christmas day and go to Georgetown to spend the day with Chad's parents. So yes, we will be busy but it is a blessing to have family to share this season. If I don't talk to you before the 25th have a wonderful and blessed holiday.

Jingle Bells

Tonight was the Sablatura 6th Grade Band Christmas concert. Coleman plays trumpet and is currently sitting in 4th chair position. He has practiced hours (I am not exaggerating) for this 15 minute concert. We are still amazed at how much he enjoys playing music. He has even asked about taking guitar lessons. According to the band director the concert was a success because "you can actually recognized the Christmas carols they are playing". The only down side of the evening for Coleman was that he had to dress nicely for the event. By nicely I mean khakis instead of jeans. Of course, I thought he looked handsome.

A clip of just the trumpet section playing Jingle Bells:

Fort Worth Here We Come

The decision has been made. The Cougars will be playing in the Armed Forces Bowl on December 31st in Fort Worth. It is a re-match against Air Force. Hopefully we will win this time around. One great thing about this bowl is that we will be able to celebrate Christmas with both my family and Chad's family at the regularly scheduled time.

On a side note, Coleman has his first band concert next week. I believe it will be a compilation of Christmas tunes. I'll try to record and bit and put it on the blog for all to see.

I narrowly escaped jury duty this week. Well, I didn't really escape at all. I was summoned to jury duty yesterday and was actually put on a juror panel and instructed to return today at 9:00 am. Since I had the rest of Monday off I did some Christmas shopping. Man, it is much more pleasurable shopping experience on a Monday in the middle of the day compared to the frenzy of a weekend. Let's just say there is no evidence of a recession at Baybrook Mall or Pearland Town Center. Anyway, when I returned today we were all set to hear about a crime that someone committed while they were already in prison. I'm thinking "why not just add time to his sentence and be done with it". No such luck for being done with it but they decided to postpone the trial for some reason which let me off the hook. Not that I would totally mind seeing the inner workings of the legal system but the jury duty pay is not going to cut it right before Christmas.

The cold front is blowing in as I am typing this. Yeah!! It's starting to feel alot like Christmas!!

Where will we bowl?

Another Christmas season approaches with my family in limbo. Once again, we can't make Christmas plans until we know which bowl the Cougars will be playing in. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that they are going to a bowl. It means they had a winning season and a bonus will follow but for the love of football can't we just get a schedule. One day it is Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, the next day it is Hawaii Bowl in (well surely you can figure out where this one is) and then the GMAC bowl that doesn't even happen until January 6th. I know I could just say that Coleman and I will do what we want to do and leave Chad to the bowling but that's not our style. We want to be a part of it all even if it means last minute Christmas plans.

It was better than he thought it would be

Thanks to Alex Saphos (another team dad) for this great photo.

Coleman was supposed to have his first basketball game today but it was rescheduled. Unfortunately, we did not know this before game time. So when we got out of the car to head into the gym he was still planning on playing. Here is a conversation he and I had on our way into the gym:

Me: Are you nervous?

Coleman: Not really.

Me: Whoa - I'm surprised because you were really nervous before your football games.

Coleman: That is because I depend on football.

Me: What does that mean?

Coleman: I want to be a football player when I grow up. I even did my career day presentation on being an NFL player. It is way more important to me. Basketball is just for fun.

Me: I didn't know this. It is good to have a goal. I guess you really like football.

Coleman: It was better than I thought it would be.

So any thoughts about him leaning toward the non-violent, high paying career of professional golfer are probably out the window. Although, he does like golf in a football player sort of way and enjoys going to the driving range with his Pa. I love the picture of him at the top of the post. It certainly looks like someone doing something he considers "way more important".

A Change of Seasons

Football rolled right into basketball for Coleman. They lost in the first round of the play-offs and he started basketball practice 2 days later. Overall I think it ended up being a good first season. He has been asking (actually begging) us to play "tackle" football for at least 3 years. You never know if something you've wanted so badly is going to turn out as good as you had imagined. I am sure he never felt quite good enough (in Dad's eyes) but also like a superstar (in Mom's eyes) at the same time.

I learned a few things myself:

1. It is not easy putting on the football uniform (I wonder if they let mom into junior high dressing room to help?)




2. I will never make any money as a videographer.

3. Grown men really do fight at junior league sporting events (we actually saw this happen at one of his games).

4. It is much easier to watch your son tackle someone than be tackled.




5. Chad and I will probably have many "spirited discussions" throughout Coleman's sports career.

6. It is a good thing I enjoy watching football because I will be spending many hours over the next 6 to 10 years watching at least one of their teams play. I still haven't figured out if it will be a good thing or a bad thing if they are on the same sideline.

7. I love watching my son play!!

Get ready to hear about the Pearland Magic!!

Play-Off Bound

The Patriots have ended their regular season with a 5 - 4 record which is apparently good enough to make it to the play-offs. Yes, I know it seems like one of the longest youth league football seasons on record. At least it does for mom's taxi service going to practice 3 nights a week. Although I posted a couple of weeks ago that they were in a do or die situation and unfortunately died they are still playing. I don't know how it all worked out but Coleman is super excited. They beat a pretty good team this week to advance. From what I understand they must win to keep going and their goal is the Super Bowl!! The clip is a catch and run that Coleman made in their last regular season game. Don't worry, I am not quitting my day job to pursue a career on the film crew. It is hard for me to video especially when Coleman does something good - my excitement gets the best of me.

Man Can't Live by Sports Alone

Coleman chose band as his elective this year and is learning to play the trumpet. When he told Chad and I that he wanted to do this we both thought it might end up being a bad idea. I guess our biggest concern was that he would not want to spend the time practicing. The band directors have high standards and require the students to practice 210 minutes each week to receive an A in the class. We weren't sure how this would stack up against homework, football practice, and video games. We have happily been proved wrong. Coleman readily keeps up with his own practice times and never complains about having to play his horn. To say he has advanced drastically since school started is an understatement. In the beginning, the practices were painful for the audience (i.e. mom and dad). Then one day he belted out a tune I could actually recognize. We are really impressed! Fortunately, we have an expert tutor in Chad's Uncle Walter who is a former first chair trumpet player for the Longhorn Band. In the video clip you will hear Little Boy Blue (Chad's nickname for him) playing Mary Had a Little Lamb. And I have to tell you folks, he is pretty darn good. This performance catapulted him from 8th to 1st chair, and he would not have been more excited if he would have scored a touchdown!!



Little Boy Blue

Sad day in Dennisville

They say things come and threes and it seems as if that was true for us this week. This was not a good football week for the Dennis household. It started with an embarrassing defeat for the Cougars on national television against a very average Marshall team. That plane ride from Huntington, West Virginia back to Houston must have been a fun one. Then on Saturday morning Coleman's Patriots got beat which we thought would keep them out of play off contention. However, there is still a chance for them if they win their final game this coming Saturday. The team they are playing is supposed to be pretty good so they'll have to be hitting on all cylinders to make it happen. The third and final blow came when Coleman's favorite team of all time, the Texas Longhorns, failed to win after making a great comeback against Texas Tech. Last night it seemed as if the world was going to end (at least if you listened to Coleman) but this morning all is well and we are ready for a new week. I'm glad he doesn't brew too long over this stuff. Not enough time to spend looking back...

Friday Night Lights (or umm coaching session)

Well, it is Friday night and another pre-game coaching session is in full swing downstairs. It has become a ritual for Chad and Coleman to review the previous game video again (this is at least the 2nd viewing) the night before his next game. Thank goodness we have another tv upstairs so I can watch Lifetime or TLC! Not that I don't enjoy watching Coleman's games but I've seen this particular game in person and two other times on video. This session is full of the word "aggressive". Be more aggressive! You don't look aggressive! Which gets me thinking about what aggressive means. As Coleman says "yes sir" and "I understand" when Chad encourages him to be more aggressive, I wonder if Coleman knows what it is to be aggressive? Webster's defines aggressive as wanting to dominate by attacking. From my observations Coleman's general nature is not one of aggression but of more peacekeeper and people pleaser. In fact, I have spent much time teaching him to be a kind and compassionate person. Those of you that know him well have witnessed what a good hearted kid he is. I wonder if a person who is not generally aggressive can turn that type of emotion on when they play a game? If studying the game and knowing the position will help then Coleman's definetely there but if it is a mindset then I'm not sure how this will develop. I can honestly say that Chad has patience with him (this is a skill that has been developed after many CONVERSATIONS Chad and I have had). Maybe some of you football wives and moms can empathize with me as I go through another Friday night of coaching!! I'm off to get aggressive with the TV remote (there's a great lifetime movie and What Not to Wear on at the same time)!!

I know, I know, I know... it has been a while since the last post

I am envious of you bloggers that manage to keep up with this stuff. Anyway, football has been pretty good around the Dennis' home post Ike. Both the Cougars and the Patriots have managed to win their last three games. That makes the Cougars now unbeaten in conference and the Patriots five and two on the season. Unfortunately, the Cougars have had only 2 home games all season (one of the games I had to miss because Coleman had his own practice that night). It is not easy listening to a football game on the radio. Especially when you are pulling for the Cougars as they seem to enjoy digging themselves out of a hole each week. A win is a win, however! Coleman is definitely improving and having fun playing. Our weekly film review has given me new phrases (although "be more aggressive" is probably one I will be hearing for the next 6 years or so) to remind Coleman when he comes over for mid-practice water break. At any given practice you may hear me telling him to "contain!", "stay at home", and "explode off the line". It has been interesting to learn football terminology but I just hope I am saying the right thing at the right time. This weekend is a huge game for his team as they play the Friendswood Mustangs - it is a must win for the Patriots if they want a shot at the playoffs. I'll let you know how it turns out! Coleman is # 47 and is playing defensive end and tight end in the video clips.

Coleman Makes the Catch

Getting the Tackle

Hurricane Headache

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing fine in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Wednesday evening we found out that Chad was leaving Thursday morning with the Cougar football team heading to Dallas. Saturday's game was moved from Houston to Dallas in an attempt to escape the storm; however, in a weird twist of events it went right over them still at tropical storm force. I did not want to face Ike alone with just myself and Coleman so we left Thursday afternoon to come to Georgetown to stay with Chad's parents. It took about 7 hours but we made it without too much difficulty. From neighbors' reports and my dad's survey, our house looks fine - just a couple of fence slats that need to be replaced and our satellite dish needs to be repositioned. As of tonight, we still do not have electricity and water is low so we are hanging tight in Georgetown where we have all the comforts you could possibly want. My clinics are closed for the week as is Coleman's school. Really, all of our family (my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) is fine. Unfortunately, my Nanny and Papa's (my mom's parents) house got about 4 feet of water inside. Thankfully they had evacuated to San Antonio so were not harmed. Chad is still in Dallas with the team and not sure when he will return. They may end up flying to Colorado from Dallas to play Colorado State this Saturday. For now, we are in a holding pattern and hopefully can get home soon.

The GRANDness of Grandparents

Coleman's Fan Club (aka MeMe, Nana, Granddaddy, & Pa)

I have been sorting through some memorabilia my parents brought over from their storage shed (now that we have a house it is ours to store). It is a slow go as I have many pictures and scrapbooks and journals. I am saving some for Coleman to read - at least I think it will be a kick for him to get a glimpse at what I was like in junior high and high school. It is also great for me as I remember very little of my childhood and teen years. I am not sure why other than I had to learn so much in PA school that I let some old stuff slip away. One thing I did not forget (but am certainly reminded as I look at the photos) is how much a part of my life my grandparents have been. One of my biggest and loudest fans was my Nanny and she didn't miss too many of my games or events. As Chad and I find our grandparents dealing with health issues and facing the fact that they won't be with us forever, we are aware more than ever what a blessing it has been to have their love and support. It is such a special relationship that is difficult to put into words. When Coleman was born it was a priority for me that he have that kind of closeness with his grandparents. And indeed, we are twice blessed for he has 2 sets that love him dearly. I jokingly refer to him as the "Fresh Prince of Pearland" because he has been able to see and do more than most his age and many of the times this is thanks to his grandparents. For a twelve year old, I believe he does have a grasp on how lucky he is and really appreciates the time he gets to spend with them. There is no doubt he loves them dearly. As we headed to practice tonight Coleman asked "Is anyone coming to my game tomorrow?" I replied "Of course, I'll be there." He said "anyone besides you" (I do not take this personally because it is a given that mom will always be there and I knew he meant his grandparents so I had to give him a hard time). It is just that extra special something to have your grandparents be a part of what you do. It is just the grandness of grandparents.

A GRAND adventure - Coleman kayaking in the Tetons

Still A PA (at least for six more years)

Yesterday I finally got the email telling me my scores for the recertification exam were available. This was 4 days earlier than expected so I didn't know if that meant good or bad news. I had not been that nervous in quite a while as I logged into the website to find out how I did. As you can tell by the title of this post, I PASSED!! So this means I can work as a physician assistant for six more years. I have joked with Chad since the last test I took in 2002 that he has six years to make it big so I can retire. Well, now he has six more and I mean it this time! (Yeah, right.) So once again I score well but still don't feel like I know enough to do what I do. It is incredible that I have the responsibility of making decisions about people's health. I still get overwhelmed and humbled that they trust me. Many doctors and PAs I have worked with tell me that is exactly what makes me good at what I do. Six more years to shine!

A glimpse into what's in store

"Son, stay LOW and BE AGGRESSIVE!"
(Chad uses his volunteer position as chain guy
to give a little sideline advice)



Coleman makes the tackle

The first Saturday with both my guys having a football game finally arrived. Now I have a glimpse into what the fall will be like. We started off the day at 8:00 am with a warm up for Coleman's game which lasted until about 11:00. Although he and Chad felt like his performance improved, the team did not win. He was moved to the tight end position on offense and stayed at defensive end on the other side of the ball. He has been working on becoming more "aggresive" and "staying low" (those are the key phrases we hear every day in our house). It seems like he really enjoys playing.

I ended the day with the UH Cougar season opener. It was an expected win over the Southern Jaguars. The team did look sharp and definitely better defensively than last year. We'll see how much better they are next week when they face Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Needless to say, the shower felt great after an entire day of being outside at football games. Can't wait for the cooler weather.

(Yes, I know the fonts are different for the two paragraphs but after 1 hour of trying to fix it I've had enough!!)

Finally... a second post

I am finally back to trying this blogging thing. Some of you already know that I have to take my Physician Assistant board exam every six years to maintain my national certification. I've been spending every spare moment for the past month studying and finally took the exam yesterday. I'll know in 2 weeks if I am still a PA or not!!

It has been a hectic couple of weeks for us. Chad is winding up tw0-a-day practicing and Coleman has had his own practice every night for the last three weeks. (Thanks so much MeMe and Granddaddy for being our taxi) After school starts he will drop down to 3 nights a week. Those of you with more than one child-I don't know how you do it.

The Pearland Patriots had their first game today against last year's superbowl champs but unfortunately it was not a win. Coleman got to see lots of action on both offense and defense. He plays fullback, tight end, and defensive end. I'm sure he and Chad will critique the video later tonight.

I am going to try to put a video clip of Coleman's scrimmage last weekend. He is the one in the navy practice jersey going out for the catch. Don't worry --- he was fine!! And yes, that's me you hear hollering in the background.

Boldly blogging...

I am finally entering the world of blogging in an attempt to keep our family and friends updated with the latest news about our family - mostly about Coleman, of course! Those that know me well are aware of my technological limitations (I can finally send a text in less than 10 minutes) so bear with me as I try to get the blogging thing down. My goal is to be a pro by the time football season starts so you can follow along with our fall frenzy.

This summer has flown by so far. Chad is on the countdown from his 4:30 am wake up calls and ready to startfootball practice on August 4th. Hopefully the Cougars will have a good season. We expect great things from the new coaching staff. Go Coogs!

Coleman has been home about 7 days of the entire summer. He went to the Longhorn football camp right after school was out. Thanks Nana and Pa for taking him. He left on a 3 week vacation of a lifetime with MeMe and Granddaddy the day after he got back from camp. The trip in a nutshell was Colorado-South Dakota (Mount Rushmore)-Montana-Wyoming (Yellowstone)-Utah (The Arches) and then back home. Someday you'll have to ask Coleman about the bear encounter!! I think his favorite things were seeing so much wildlife and rafting the snake river. Needless to say, Chad was envious. After hanging out with us for a few days he made his way back up to Georgetown for another couple of weeks with Chad's parents. Right now he is in New Braunfels for floating the river. Coleman is truly blessed to have such great grandparents - and we are so grateful to our parents.

I'm planning Coleman's 12th birthday bash so expect to hear more soon...