State Wrestling 2011

Michael lost his first match to the number one ranked guy in the state. He was still in it for Saturday though and he knew he would have to wrestle with everything he has. Unfortunately, he was a little off Saturday and lost, which put him out of the running for a spot on the podium. Although he lost both matches he wasn't upset as much as previous losses. He had accomplished his goal of getting to State and he worked really hard to get there. He was able to enjoy the experience and learn from it. His goal next year is to get on the podium. With 10-15 pounds of pure muscle added to his frame he shouldn't have any trouble placing next year. He was excited to have a few minutes with some of our States great wrestlers such as Jesse Thielke of Germantown. He was going for his 4th state win, and to give you an idea of what a big deal that is, there are only 10 people who have accomplished it. Jesse is going to wrestle for the University of Wisconsin but not for two more years because he is going to the Olympics first. He was kind enough to give Michael his autograph...on his butt. Anyway, Michaels coaches were happy with the season and for the most part the only let down was that the team didn't make the trip to team state. I am proud of him and can't wait to see what next year brings. It will be his senior year so I want to get to every match, every tournament, every event and be there for him for every loss and every victory. It will be going from "Good to Great!" thanks for reading xoxo

The Send Off to State

What a great send off Sauk Prairie has for their athletes when they go to state. Two firetrucks and a police car escort them out of town and they take the long way through the neighborhood. The "fantastic five" climbed aboard the truck and got to stand on the ladder, get a quick pic, and off they went. The sirens were blazing, the horns were honking, the lights were flashing, and they were pumped up for an exciting day of wrestling. People lined the streets to wish them luck one last time. It was a great way to start what is going to be one of the most memorable experiences so far in their lives. Thomas, Austin, Dante, Brandon, and Michael on to State at the Kohl center. thanks for reading xoxo

Sectionals Feb 19 2011

the VICTORY

Hugging his dad at Sectionals after winning the match of the season! Good thing he didn't throw his back out cause holding up 195 pounds isn't easy!

2nd Place at Sectionals Feburary 19th 2011.

the first photo we have of him smiling while on the podium

Don't Crack Nuts just wrestle

It has been super busy lately and I haven't really had time to post anything. I am excited to report that Michael has made it to State!! He got 2nd place at sectionals up in Tomah on Saturday, after a very difficult match against a guy from Middleton, who just so happened to get first place at regionals (see photo from previous posting). Speaking of which I just want to say to all you wrestlers out there...squeezing another guys sack on purpose to the point it makes someone buckle over is down right (sorry grandma for the bad words that are about to flow off my fingers) FU**ED UP!!!! If you feel the need to do this to another person just to get a win you need to take a long look at yourself and your skills and find another way to get better. You are lucky you didn't permanently injure my son cause had you done that I would have made sure your wrestling days are over!!! I understand if its a true accident and sometimes it does happen but when video proof shows you doing this on purpose cause you can't win fair and square then that is unsportman like conduct and you should automatically be disqualified. So suck it and better luck next year. Anyway, I will post more when I can and when I get the photos. Other then that, I now need to go cool off cause it was really difficult for me to write this without using every single bad word I know cause it really bothered me this happened. Good Luck at State Michael you deserve it!!!! thanks for reading and more to follow xoxo

From Regionals to Sectionals

Saturday we went to Middleton to watch Michael take 2nd place at regionals. His team took 1st and they are super excited to be going to team sectionals. It was the first time in a long time that I actually saw Michael smile up on the podium. The sad part was I didn't get a good photo of it because my prehistoric digital camera that was the best xmas gift ever is working slower then it ever has before. Time for an upgrade. Now that Michael is moving on to sectionals he has expressed his concerns about how it could be the end of his wrestling season. He doesn't want to let the team down and he doesn't want to let himself down. Going to state isn't easy, its very hard and you have to be at the top of your game to even stand a chance. As much as I want to have the words he needs, I feel I don't know enough about wrestling to get the point across. I have said to focus on the win, have confidence in your skills, use your time wisely while on the mat, eat right, sleep well, and I love you. I wish real life was more like the movies, you have the perfect pep talk ready at the very moment its needed, the odds looked stacked against you, a flashback happens, and all of a sudden that pep talk runs through your head in just the nick of time to win it all and take the glory!! Maybe somehow someone will come up with whatever he needs to help him make it happen cause I know how much I want it for him and I can only imagine he wants it ten times more. Good Luck Gator, you can do it!!! thanks for reading xoxo

Crawl Zorg Crawl and the 8 eyes

Well its official...Ella is a crawler! She figured it out and got it down and now she goes everywhere!! I hope now that she can go 0 to 3 feet in less then two minutes it will help her sleep better. So far it hasn't but its still early in the game. All I know is if I don't get a solid 4 hours soon, I am going to go insane!! Have you ever seen the movie The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis? There is a character named Zorg, he is the bad guy. Anyway, Ella and him are currently sporting the same hair style.

Alex and I went to the eye doctor yesterday for our check up. We found out that Alex will indeed have to wear glasses forever. We were told that astigmatism could correct itself with glasses if caught early but he has a little trouble seeing too. So we need to get a stronger prescription for him and myself too. I guess my right eye is blinder then the left. It explains why I go in circles sometimes. So with wrestling on Saturday we will have to go pick out some new glasses in between matches. I am glad we got his eyes checked cause with him starting school, it would have sucked to find out too late. The great thing is, he doesn't seem to mind his glasses and realizes he does see better with them on and actually puts them on without us reminding him. It was nice spending alone time with Alex even if we had to get crummy eye drops to dilate our eyes. After the appointment he would ask me if I still had eye drops in my eyes, it was his way of making sure I was still in as much pain and agony as he was, even if it didn't bother me that much. I just felt weird wearing sunglasses inside the house. thanks for reading xoxo

Super Wrestling Superbowl Super weekend!!!

It was a busy weekend at our house. Michael had Badger Conference in Stoughton on Saturday. Now I know I had said in the past that I would NEVER bring the little kids to another wrestling tournament but as we all know...never say never! Since Kato wanted to go too the little kids had to come. Luckily for us Auntie Jennie and Uncle Runkle along with Grandma Jayne and Grandpa Keith were there! With all of us we managed to keep the kids busy, mostly happy, and well behaved. Jade managed to strip down to a diaper (guess she didn't care but probably will when she gets older), Alex helped her with a puzzle, and they both enjoyed ice cream with Auntie Jennie and Grandma Jayne. We couldn't have done it without them so a big thank you goes out to both!!! Michael did wonderful, he took 3rd place and his team took 1st! Their team motto this year is From Good to Great and it doesn't get any greater then 1st place!! We didn't get home until late and we still had the Superbowl to look forward to. Sunday I was up at 5am getting things ready. We had guests and I wanted everything to be perfect. We decorated, had a Superbowl bar, a Superbowl menu, and a Superbowl time cause the Green Bay Packers WON!! So for us sports fans the weekend couldn't have gone any better! My wonderful husband stayed up a little late, enjoyed a couple more then he should, cleaned up everything, and as I drifted off to sleep I could still hear him cheering and celebrating the victory. The next day Michael said he heard the same thing. Sometimes its just really hard to sleep after all that adrenaline and beer. thanks for reading xoxo

Dress Up Fun

When I was younger my mom would get so mad at me for changing my clothes multiple times a day or for trying on my clothes and leaving them on the floor or bed. My grandma would get a little sassy when I would play dress up in her clothes, especially when I would put on her shoes that she kept in boxes. I can hear her now "Oh Oh, now Kara, those are my best shoes, go put them back where you found them." I would try, but then would stumble across something that I just had to try on and forget about putting them back. Sometimes I would dress up in my grandpas clothes too. When my brother, Nick, and my cousin Kip, would spend the night at my grandma and grandpas we would dress up as knights and princess, with white sheets as our mighty robes and grandpa would make the boys swords from wood. We would walk around the block pretending to slay dragons, evil villains, and scary monsters. It was so much fun playing dress up. Our imagination was endless and we always had new things to do. Alex and Jade are into dress up too. Alex has bins full of imagination and Jade has started collecting some costumes too. When I go upstairs and have my closet open they dig in and find my shoes to put on. I think they just really like the clopping sound they make on the hardwood floors. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors, Jade received a bag full of dress up last night. She immediately started trying it all on. Her favorites are the swishy purple dress, the apron with gloves and ballet slippers, and of course the pirate hat. She is very much her mothers daughter. thanks for reading xoxo

Time Keeps on Ticking

Michael came home from school yesterday and I was working in the kitchen. He asked me to turn around and not face him. I did. He said close your eyes. I did. He said ok turn around. I did. And I just about burst into tears. He had made a beautiful clock in shop class at school. The first second I saw it I instantly thought of my grandpa. He was a shop teacher and loved working with wood. He made clocks too, among other things. I couldn't have been more proud and wished with all my heart that my grandpa could have seen it. I know he would have been impressed. Even though its been almost two years since his passing it still really hurts. As the tears begun to well up I fought it back and just as quickly as he entered the house Michael had to leave again for a doctors appointment. My heart was over the moon and I rushed to the clock to wipe off the snow and get a closer look. I put in a battery and decided to display it on the buffet where everyone will see what my son had created. I thought for a few minutes how fast time is going and I wanted to rip out the battery so I could stop time and delay the inevitable, Michael will be graduating soon and taking the next step into adulthood. He will leave us and move on to a new adventure just like kids are supposed to do. Sometimes Michael does things that are so incredible and there are times where he still has some learning to do but overall he is really a great kid. When he got back from the doctors office he plowed the driveway. I don't want to play favorites but yesterday Michael earned the Top Kid Award. He will probably forget to take out the trash tomorrow. Love him anyway. thanks for reading xoxo