The Birth of a Football Mommy

Once upon a time, there was a woman who wanted to have a baby boy. Why? All for the love of football. When she was 5 months pregnant, she had an ultrasound and discovered that her dream was coming true - she was having a boy!

On September 8th, 2004, she went into labor, which was perfect because she really wanted to have her baby on September 9th - during the NFL season opener with two of the greatest quarterbacks playing while he was coming into the world. The Colts were playing the Patriots, Manning vs. Brady. Mommy made sure my birthing room had a tv that would play the game. As she was transitioning into stage 3 of labor in the middle of the game, and after 24 hours of very minimal progress, the game was motivating this little man to come into the world! Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it during the game, he came into the world just like he does everything else... He had to do it his way and when he wanted. If he could talk at birth, he would've told the doctors how to deliver him.

6 years after awaiting his delivery, Shane Allen has finally been enrolled in pee-wee football, with mom shedding tears of joy all along the way.

When we picked up the equipment, Shane insisted on trying everything on before we even left the football office. I tried to act like it wasn't necessary, but inside, I was beaming with Pride. My boy couldn't WAIT to put that gear on.



Shane had the privilege of running with the football during the last run of practice. Yes, it is a privilege that the coach trusts the boys to run with the ball. It helps them learn not to drop it. I had to wipe a tear as he ran all the way without bobbling the ball once!

That first moment that Shane hit that big black bag, I wanted to jump up and cheer. But I restrained because Shane asked me not to cheer for him all the time (I was cheering for him a lot, apparantly it isn't "cool"). The first day that the boys had to wear their full pads, Shane got his gear right on, ran out onto the practice field, and before practice even started, he started playing with the other boys. His shyness has completely disappeared as he has found himself in this game. I couldn't even sit during this time, because he was out there throwing, tackling, and just having fun before practice. I was so thrilled that he found this sport to be fun!


Then came time for his first hit... I was so nervous. He has always loved tackling and tumbling around with his friend, Jack, and Bailey. He is really tough, although he is so skinny, he is surpisingly strong!

The goal was to push his opponent across the orange cone line. And in a matter of seconds, he won his match! He strutted away like a little tough guy that had just taken down King Kong. I have never had more fun at a practice!

Shane is counting down to get to watch live, professional football with me and it is finally that time that I have dreamed of since I knew that was having a boy. No matter how good he is at playing, there is nothing more thrilling to me than the fact that he is beginning to love the game just as much as his mommy does.

Isn't that the most beautiful sight you have ever seen???

Gotta Love Summer!

One of my favorite things about Reno is that we are so close to the Lakes. Less than an hour in every direction, we can easily get to the "great" outdoors. Father's Day weekend was our first weekend to take the Jet Skiis out and we had so much fun! It was very cold and windy, but it was still so nice to sit by the lake and relax for the day.
Troy enjoyed his new Father's Day present - a lounge chair. While Shane dreamed that he was driving himself through the waves of the lake.

The kids all enjoyed rides around the lake, despite the cold snowmelt in the lake. Mom and Dad couldn't disappoint!




The kids even had a blast in the Lake without the Jet Skii. It was fun to watch their boldness in pushing their own limits to get past their own fears.

We had some very comical moments...

And Shane never lets me leave without giving him a kiss goodbye, even to go out on the jet skiis.

Summertime sure is fun!

The Guilt of a traveling mother

A couple weeks ago, I had a business trip in Washington D.C. A few days after I returned, I found this picture in my purse:

I immediately looked at this, saw the airplane, and the child with the giant arms appears to be crying. The guilt started to roll in. I thought that Shane had put this picture in my purse to tell me that he was so sad when I went on my trip and just wanted me to come home and give him a big hug.

When I had a chance to ask him what it was a picture of, he told me that it was a picture of him and his friend, Darby. They are on the playground at school, which is why he drew the clouds to show that they were outside. While they were on the playground, an airplane flew over and they both saw it.

Needless to say, I felt pretty silly and started to laugh. I had completely over analyzed a simple picture. Turns out, my son is doing just fine when I go on my business trips. I just need to figure out a way to deal with my guilt apparantly.