• Home
  • Blog !!
  • The Family
    • JR
    • Lisa
    • Lydia
    • Jake
    • Isabella
    • Sophia
    • Gabriella
    • Luke
    • Eli
  • True Stories !!
  • Misc Photos
    • Latest Photos
  • Our Home
  • Baby Page
The JR & Lisa Wilson Family

I Wish I Could Have Someone Better!

5/23/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Boys - Luke, Jake and Eli
News From the North

Recently Jake received a text from his AAU coach.  A coach from University of Hartford had heard about Jake and wanted to watch him play.  He is coming to the Milwaukee tournament where Jake’s team will be playing in July.  Hartford is a small D-1 school.  I have no idea how a coach on the east coast could hear about a kid playing in Minnesota.  Today he received a “recruiting questionnaire” from the University of North Colorado – another small D-1 school.  It’s really cool that Jake is getting some attention from colleges already.

This past weekend we ran into a logistical problem.  We had three kids each needing to be somewhere - all at the same time.  Luke’s baseball game was closest to home, so we recruited Lydia to take him to his game.  When I told Luke that his mom and I wouldn’t be at his game and Lydia would be taking him he says, “Ahhh, I wish I could have someone better!”

Youth sports would be so much better without the parents!  Bella’s basketball team has been one big drama after another.  The team started out with 15 players (which was too many).  After a tournament a few weeks ago a parent got mad and removed his daughter from the team.  Then the next tournament - two more dads get mad – three more girls gone (a set of twins).  A fifth girl doesn’t like it that all her friends left, so she leaves too.  Then another follows.  Now we’re at 9 players.  Three of these girls were starters and another was probably the 6th girl.

One thing this did was open up an opportunity for Bella.  She had already begun to start, but now the leading scorers on the team were gone.  Bella played in a tournament this weekend and as Lisa said, “She played out of her head.”  She had a “double, double” in each game.  In the second game, Bella almost single handedly brought the team back from a 14 point deficit by scoring 10 straight, unanswered points.  They only lost by 2 points and Bella scored 16 (two 3-point shots).  When asked why she had never played like that before, she said that she felt like she should leave the scoring up to the better players.

This coming weekend will be fun.  Jake will be playing basketball in Fort Wayne, Indiana which is about 2-1/2 hours from our family in Ohio (11 hours from us).  Several family members will be making the journey to watch Jake play basketball.  Even my best friend, John, will be traveling up from Kentucky.  I haven’t seen him for a couple years.  It’ll be great to see everybody that comes! 

Earlier this week I found Eli had stripped off his pants and underwear and was in the process of shaving his leg with a razor he found in the shower.  As Isabella says, he is growing up with too many sisters.  He only cut himself twice.

Lisa picked up Isabella from school.  She got in the car and stated, “I think I could be in a bad mood today.”

We used to say that Eli was the smartest baby that couldn’t talk.  Now we say he is the smartest toddler who doesn’t know his colors.  He just isn’t good at those things everyone tries to teach their kids - like colors, animals, counting, and animal sounds.  It’s not like we haven’t tried.  We have!  Even the children have taken it upon themselves to get this kid to know these first facts that all toddlers are supposed to know.  The other day Isabella was drilling him on colors.  She was using M&M’s as the lesson and the reward.  “This M&M is orange.  Orange!  Eli, this M&M is orange!  What color is it?”  Eli replies, “Orange.”  Bella repeats, “What color is it?”  Eli answers confidently, “Orange!”  Again, “What color is it?”  Eli responds, “Orange.”  Then Bella proceeds, “Ok Eli this M&M is yellow.  What color is it?”  Eli repeats, “Yellow.”  Isabella then brings back the orange M&M.  “What color is this?”  Eli looks at it, puts his fingers up to his mouth as he thinks, and then says, “Ummmm.  Uhhhh.  Ummmm.  I fink it’s (hesitation), ummm (hesitation).  I fink it’s, uhhhh – Nim & Nim’s!”

Eli is having a rough night.  He sprayed himself with Jake’s cologne.  Unfortunately he sprayed it into his own eyes.  Then he ran into the bathroom where the floor was slightly wet from Luke’s shower.  Eli’s feet slipped out from under him and he fell pretty hard by the sound it made.  He started screaming.  I went to check on him after he had been comforted by his mommy and sister.  He was still fussing.  I asked him where he hurt himself.  He pointed to his side.  I asked him if he hit his head.  In a pathetic voice he tells me that he did.  I asked him, “Where did you hit your head?”  Eli whines, “On the floor.” 

Sophia was asking Eli what sounds different animals make.  During the process Eli asks, “What does a tree say?”  Sophia responds, “Trees don’t talk.”  Eli says, “They do on Dora.”  Sophia asks, “What do trees say then?”  Eli mimics the tree’s voice and points, “The path is that way.”

Love,
JR
Picture
The Girls - Gabi, Bella, Lydia and Sophia
0 Comments

“Can I help you?”

5/13/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
2011 Easter egg hunt. I hid 161 eggs. Luke predicted in his cocky manner that he would find 160. He actually found 8 ... and was not very happy. Being the sweet family we are - we of course made fun of him. Gabi is examining the candy she scored in the eggs she found.
News From the North

Friday – 05/13/11

Random and Unorganized Thoughts:

I was awakened today by Lisa.  She wanted me to remove a tick from her leg.  So the very first thing I did today was de-tick Lisa.

There is a boy on Jake's basketball team that is 6' 11".  He was unable to play in the last tournament.  His excuse was one that I've never heard before.  He was bit by a piranha.  Yep ... A piranha! 

I saw a first of the season today … a tractor in the fields.  More rain is in the forecast for the weekend, which isn't good news for the farmers.  Last year at this time 96% of the spring wheat was planted in MN.  This year it is at 3%.  Corn is at 1% compared to 84% last year.  Although it is bad in Minnesota, sounds like it is nothing compared to Ohio.

Jake hasn’t played baseball for a couple years.  The varsity baseball coach (who is also a football coach) and a few other “baseball guys” have been trying to get Jake to play baseball.  Well somehow they succeeded.  They have convinced Jake to play Legion baseball – this summer.  This should be interesting.  He hasn’t picked up a bat in over a year and a half.  Now he is going to play Legion ball along with AAU basketball.

The evolution of my hair color:  Born with black hair, then it fell out and came back toe-head blonde, then it gradually turned blonde, then sandy blonde, then almost brown, then temporarily and artificially blonde, then brown, and then dark brown.  The next stage has slowly started to manifest itself.  I believe this next color is what they call - distinguished.

One thing I really like about my job is the commute.  If you must have a commute, this is the one I'd choose.  It takes 22 minutes to travel 18 miles.  There is not one traffic light between my driveway and the parking lot at work.  I travel on country roads through the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge, where I get to see deer, wild turkey and bald eagles.  There's very little traffic, and the only thing that slows me down is a slow driver here and there.  My cell phone gets poor coverage most of the way, so I don't have the temptation of spending the drive on the phone.  Virtually every trip (both ways) I pass a Sheriff or State Patrol going the other way.  Therefore I resist the urge to hurry.  Snow can be a problem, but not much worse than some of the major roads.  So today was different.  On my way to work I caught up with a line of cars traveling quite slowly, and the line of cars went on a far as I could see.  Weird!  A traffic jam in the Refuge.

Why do toddlers like to write on walls?  Yesterday Eli wrote on the walls of his bedroom.  Lisa asked him, “What should I do?  Should I spank you?”  Eli gave his sweet smile and said, “I think you should hug me.”

I was in Office Depot buying a micro SD card for my new Android.  I heard someone choking and turned around to see what was going on.  It was the cashier who had come from behind the counter carrying the trashcan and throwing up in it.  She then started to run towards me (I was unfortunately between her and the hall to the restrooms).  I stood there not sure what to do.  She then stopped and threw up some more.  Then she ran past me.  I looked up at another employee who was standing close by and obviously saw just what I saw.  I must have had a very grossed out look on my face – because that is exactly how I felt.  The employee didn’t miss a beat and says to me, “Can I help you?”

Love,
JR
Picture
2011 Easter egg hunting
1 Comment

It’s ok, I have a pair on!

5/6/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
Eli 2008 - the girls were messing with him
News From The North

It’s going to be a basketball weekend.  The entire family (plus Amanda, Jake’s girlfriend, less Lydia) is staying in a hotel in Bloomington, MN (Home of the Mall of America) this weekend.  I went to Priceline.com and got a 3-1/2 star hotel for $45 a night.  I’m sitting in the room right now waiting on the family to arrive.  The rooms are pretty nice.  For $45 they are exceptional!  I had a meeting in the Twin Cities today, so I came straight to the hotel after work.  Lisa and the kids will get here in about an hour.

Now … they would have arrived sooner, except I had to call them and ask them to head back home.  I forgot underwear!  If you read Luke’s recent quote on the “True Stories” page of the website, you’ll see why this is pretty funny.

Jake is playing in what will probably be the most difficult tournament of the AAU season.  His first game is at 9:45pm tonight.  Now you know why we are staying in a hotel.  He’ll play 3 games tomorrow, and then depending upon wins and losses, maybe on Sunday (although, not likely).  The first game is against the 5th ranked 16U team in the nation.  They are from St Louis.

Isabella starts her games at 8:00pm on Saturday.  What a crazy schedule.  She is also playing in a very difficult tournament.  They have selected the top four AAU girls team at the 8th grade level to play each other.  I do not know how Isabella’s team was chosen to be included in this group.  Bella’s team is a newly formed team and their win/loss record isn’t fantastic.   The other 3 teams belong there, but I’m not sure our team does.  It could be a rough weekend for our girls.  Maybe they’ll surprise me.  I hope so!

The two tournaments are about 20 minutes apart, and we are staying in a hotel in between the two locations.  It will be a fun-filled, family time.  I am looking forward to a good weekend.  I’m a little worried what kind of mess Lydia will make of our house when we are gone.  If you know Lydia, it’s scary!  She says that messes make her feel comfortable.  She must be really comfortable in her room!

Jake has received invitations from two colleges to attend their basketball camps this summer.  It doesn’t mean much, except that he has received some attention from colleges.  Jake’s varsity coach received a letter, addressed to Jake from St John University, a Division 2 school in Minnesota asking him to attend their camp.  The other school was a Division 3 school in Wisconsin.  The schools use this type of camp as a recruiting and evaluation tool.  It is flattering to have a school send you something like this. 

I wish my Mom a Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday.  I really wish I could be with Mom on this day.  I miss her very much.  Mom just had surgery this week on her eye.  She had a hole in her macula.  She had surgery for the same thing on her other eye last year.  She is home recovering now.  Pray for my Mom (Margit Cook).  She is having significant problems with her neck and spine, which causes a great deal of pain.  I hate all the health issues and pain she has had to tolerate the last several years.  She keeps up an amazing spirit through it all.

Our hot water heater went into shut-down mode last night.  It is some kind-of safety feature on our tank.  That meant a cold shower for everybody this morning.  It is amazing how cold tap water can be.  I’m here to tell you - REALLY COLD!  I was shrieking (best word I could come up with) uncontrollably, trying to catch my breath just rinsing off.  That was one quick shower!!  Lisa used the neighbor’s shower.  What a wimp.  Jerry the plumber came and saved us.  Jerry has become a regular in our house.  Eli loves him.  The last time he was here and was on his hands and knees repairing something, Eli crawled up on his back to go for a ride.  Not something a plumber usually has to deal with.

It’s ok, I have a pair on!

Love
JR
Picture
Bella and Gabi - 2004
1 Comment

When I was your age ...

5/1/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Jake and Luke in Kansas
News From the North

Jake, Luke and I just returned home from a long weekend in Kansas City, Kansas where Jake participated in an AAU basketball tournament.  We drove halfway Thursday evening, then the rest of the way Friday morning.  Jake and his team played in 4 games.  The tournament was successful, in that they played some strong teams and were able to participate in an elite tournament.  Not so successful from a win/loss perspective.  The three of us had a nice time together, and Luke seemed to enjoy cheering for the Comets.  After a 9:15 AM game this morning, we headed back to Minnesota and the cold weather. 

On the trip back it was quite windy and gusts of wind were blowing our Suburban all over the road.  I commented about the strong wind a few times.  As we reached the flat, open farmland of Iowa, we came upon a large wind farm with maybe 100 wind turbines.  I told the boys to look at all the “windmills.”  Luke exclaimed, “Holy Smokes!  No wonder it’s so windy!”  After a good laugh Jake and I had to explain that the turbines were spinning because of the wind … not causing the wind.

Lisa took all the rest of the kids to the matinee showing of “Soul Surfer,” a true story about a female surfer who loses her arm in a shark attack.  The shark attack left an impression on Eli!  He was asking Lisa a lot of questions.  Why did that shark bite off her arm?  Why didn’t he bite off the other arm?

Lisa and I had a quick getaway last week.  We arranged everything in advance, the older children took charge, and Isabella stayed home the next day with Eli.  We went into Minneapolis, ate amazing steaks at the Capitol Grille, saw the play/musical Jersey Boys, and spent the night at Graves 601, a great hotel in downtown Minneapolis.  We slept in the next day, and then had lunch at Di Amico & Sons.  We then came home.  It was a much needed getaway, and we had the best time.  I just love spending time with my wife.  I am so blessed that I not only love Lisa, but I really like her too.

As we pulled onto our street after our trip home from KC, we noticed that the neighbor’s yard had been mowed (due to our cold weather most people haven’t mowed yet).  Jake moaned in agony as he started to complain about mowing and saying how much he hated to mow.  I then launched into my, “when I was your age I had to …”   Jake interrupted me and said, “I know Dad, when you were my age you had to hand clip every blade of grass individually - one at a time.”  He’s a funny boy!

Usama Bin Laden – got him!  Yea!!

Love,
JR
Picture
Luke and Jake at KU
0 Comments

    News from the North

    Picture

    Author:  JR Wilson

     

    Archives

    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    August 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010

    Categories

    All
    2010
    2011
    2012
    2013

    RSS Feed