Dunk the Dolphins!

Every Thursday night when we tailgate for the next game, a family volunteers to make up a special little treat for the boys with a special slogan to get them fired up!!! Well, this is my week to do the Spirit Treat.  So, this is what I've been working on today...


Aren't my bags cute?!? I actually found some tiger striped bags. Only problem was they only had 12 and I needed 24.  So my sweet husband ran to the Party City next to his work and bought 12 orange bags.



This coming Saturday we are playing the Dolphins so our slogan this week is "Dunk the Dolphins"!! So, the only things I could find were these two treats that resembled dunking or dipping...oreo stick dunk'ems and fun dips.  I hope they like them!!!

And the finished product...James made up some special and very cute labels for me to stick on the bags and I sealed the bags with these cute black paw prints.  I think they came out pretty sweet!!!

Tonight, the boys will be spoiled.  Not only will they get these and some delicious grilled hot dogs, but they are also getting some cupcakes from another family for beating the Rams last Saturday!! How sweet it is!!!  GO BENGALS!!!!!

Jango's Prayer

A friend of ours sent this to us...had to share.  This is so stinkin' cute!!

No More Braces...for the boy!!

I am happy to report that Kiddo #2 had his braces removed this afternoon right after school. We weren't sure if it was going to happen or not until we were there so that's why I haven't said anything.  Thomas was so excited and he looks great!! He looks different to me too...I have to get used to no braces all over again. The doc said he looks great too but since Thomas still has 12 more baby teeth to lose he wants to see him again next year. So next August, when Shelby gets her retainer checked, he will check Thomas also.  For now, we will enjoy NO BRACES!!

This is Thomas smiling nicely for Moma!!

And this is Thomas...well, just being Thomas!! =)

 

Bengals vs. Rams - Game 4

This morning, we played Game 4 of our regular season against the Klein Rams!

Introduction of our team on a very bright, early and hot morning!!!
Quick video below just as Thomas and the last few Bengals are introduced by James!!

Thomas waiting with one of the coaches to be put in the game...

My Linebacker...the Rams offense did not score even one time against our defense!!

Thomas lined up with his outside linebackers...he's in the middle of course.

My "Hitman"



We had another great game this morning and beat the Rams 20-0!! Our record now stands at 3-1.  Next week we play away at the Dolphins field. Hope to see our record go to 4-1 by this time next week.

Below our two of Thomas' great tackles from today...just keep an eye on #80!! 

He loves helping lead his defense!!

GO BENGALS!!

Thursday Tailgating

Every Thursday night after practice, we tailgate, in preparation of the game on Saturday morning!! The boys love it and it's a lot of fun!  Here's a couple of shots though from last night's practice...

Thomas is standing right in the middle with the 9 on his helmet!

Thomas is making a tackle here on Kameron who is running with the ball...

Look at that face!!! I wouldn't want to mess with him!! Fierce!!

Now for the tailgating...we usually grill hot dogs, which we did, but if the boys win the previous week's game then they get something extra special too...this week they got to build their own sundaes!!

At this point, Thomas already had eaten his first hot dog and was waiting patiently for his ice cream bowl...

Happy face!!

Ms. Lisa working hard...last week she treated the boys to pizza instead of hot dogs!!

His sundae masterpiece!!

Say a little prayer for Thomas...last night he had a rough practice, which has never really happened before.  His arm was crushed by a helmet in a tackle and he has a pretty good size swollen bruise on his forearm.  Not good, when he has a game in the morning!  We iced it down and although he wasn't complaining about it this morning, James went ahead and wrapped it up for school today. We will wrap it tomorrow for the game too.  I just hope it doesn't get worse!! And of course he says he's playing tomorrow NO MATTER WHAT!!  =)

Chocolate Lorna Doone Cheesecake Bars

Haven't posted a recipe in a while so here goes nothing...these are cheesecake bars with a twist...instead of the normal graham cracker crust I decided to try one of James' favorite cookies, Lorna Doones.  It worked great!  The topping is a chocolate ganache recipe. Ganache is really easy to make and oh so yummy!!  Recipe is below:

Chocolate Lorna Doone Cheesecake Bars
by Karen

Crust
1 box crushed Lorna Doone Cookies (about 27 cookies)*
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter

• Mix cookies and sugar together.
• Add butter and stir until combined.
• Press mixture into a 13 X 9 pan.

Cheesecake
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
3 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Cream the sugar, cream cheese, and flour with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
• On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.
• Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined.
• Pour on prepared crust and bake for about 45 minutes.
• Remove and cool.
• Prepare ganache.

Chocolate Ganache
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
2 oz. butter
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

• Heat cream and butter on stove until just before boiling.
• Remove from stove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely combined.
• Add confectioners’ sugar and beat with a wire whisk until combined and smooth.
• Pour over cooled cheesecake.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Cut into bars and serve.

Makes about 30 bars.
ENJOY!!



Houston Texans Home Game Intro

This is played before the start of every Texans home game at Reliant Stadium!! James and Thomas think this is very cool. Thomas especially likes their painted faces!! Song is of course "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. When we've been at the games, this really gets the fans going...

Love my Saints and want them to do well again this year but we are really rooting for the Texans this year, our other favorite team!! They've never won a Superbowl and so far, we are 2-0!! GO TEXANS!!!!

Scentsy

Have you heard or seen the latest craze?? It's called Scentsy!! I have a friend here in town that just happens to sell Scentsy products and a couple of days ago I was so excited to finally get mine in!!!


I bought the one called Charlemagne...because I loved the colors of it and the fleur-de-lis emblem on front. (Go Saints!) Scentsy has a ton of different designs, you can even design your own and they have different sizes too all the way down to nightlight size. My Charlemagne is the biggest size, it's a large warmer.


Scentsy pots take the place of candles...a safe alternative because these are plug-ins instead of using wicks with real fire. And when you have kids in the house, well, I feel safer with one of these. My house still smells great but I don't have to worry about Thomas burning himself or the house down for that matter. HA!

Scentsy also has a TON, and I do mean a ton of different scent bricks to pick from. Since it's almost Fall, I decided to go with these three flavors...Central Park Pralines, Autumn Sunset, and Hazelnut Latte. Mmmm....mmmm!!!!

The bricks look like this...these three packages will last me a while because you can reuse them for a time. When I get tired of these three, then I can try some others. You just break off two or three of the little bricks and put them in the top dish...inside the pot is just a 25watt light bulb that heats up the bricks slowly and melts it.

This is what it looked like after my three little bricks completely melted and I have to say, my house smells SO delicious. It smells like a big ole praline right now!!

It's very cool looking in the dark too because of the holes and so it still gives off a warm ambiance like candles do.

I LOVE my Scentsy!!!!

Bengals vs. Oilers - Game 3

What a great game today!!! Here's some highlights:
Our brand new Klein Freshman Bengals banner...

Close up of Thomas' name, nickname and number!

Bengals during introductions...getting ready to run through the banner...

During the pledge of allegiance & prayer (James did a great job)...

My boy was one of the Team Captains for today's game...Wooh!! I have to say he looks pretty big and tall out there...

Doing the coin toss...

T.J. played Middle Linebacker...his favorite position!! And he is SO GOOD at it!! He is a method man about this position, even counts off his steps from the ball placement. HA!

This was the score at the start of the 3rd quarter...we were the home team today! =)

The Bengal Wildkat cheerleaders performing during halftime, they did a great job!

Thomas taking a breather on the sideline with his buds...

Anxiously waiting to get back in the game...

At the end...a super 3rd game! Thomas played great, the rest of the boys did great, James did great at announcing (so proud of him!), and we beat the Oilers 33-0...kind of felt sorry for them...a little bit. =)

Our Bengals get better every week and we are marching on towards game 4 next Saturday. It's another home game for us which is good but we are also playing another one of the toughest teams in the league, the Rams!! Our record is now 2-1 - Wooh Hoo!! GO BENGALS!!! I love being a football mom, can you tell?!? =)

Here's another fabulous tackle by our boy from today's game!! One of many.

Bengals Yard Sign & Decal

More Bengal goodies...last night we finally got in our yard signs and window decals. Wanted to share with y'all what they look like. They turned out really cute!!

Here's the window decal which James has already put on my truck for me...

And here's our yard sign...it was a lot bigger than I thought and looks sharp!!

A closer look...

Thomas loves it and thinks they are really cool!! =)

Bengals Football Portraits - 2010

Last night we received Thomas' football portraits, his first year as a Klein Bengal!! Just wanted to share a peek with everyone - they turned out really good!!

I remember how bright, humid and hot it was on this day...the boys were all miserable!!! Still good pics though.

My #80...he LOVES this game!!! And it suits him pretty well. =) If you would like one of these pics just let me know.

Football Video Highlights - Game 2

Here are the video highlights from Thomas' game on Saturday. In this one, he makes a really good block, not once, but twice and then still helps tackle the kid with the ball. Way to go T!!

This is one of my favorites from the day...always keep your eye on #80!!

On this play, the kid tried to go right up the middle, and Thomas stopped him! =)

A great effort by Thomas coming all the way across the field to try and stop the Texan. He was so mad at the end. Our defense did not let them have their extra point though so this was the only 6 points they made the whole game. Good try Thomas!!

I loved this one too...this was on a kick-off. Thomas is on our receiving team. The ball was kicked in his direction and he pounced on it, giving the Bengals the ball on the 44 yard line. Woo Hoo!

The last tackle and literally last play of the game...and yes, Thomas was in on it! =)

The boys were so hyped up on beating the Texans!! They deserved it so much!! I love watching my boy play ball.

Game Two vs. Texans

Yesterday morning, our Bengals took on the Texans in Game 2 of the season! Here's our team as they were waiting to be announced! Thomas is in the middle.

Now they are waiting for the coin toss...

Time to get things rolling...he was so pumped up for this game. The Texans are considered to be one of the toughest in our league. And in fact, our Freshman were the only Bengal team to win yesterday. The sophomores, juniors and seniors all lost and two of those games were very tight.

Thomas played the entire game...not once was he taken out...he played both offense and defense yesterday but mostly in his favorite position...middle linebacker on defense!

Thomas blocking a Texan player...

Thomas facing us right in the middle...this was when he was on offensive lineman.

Thomas getting some water from my friend, Victoria!!

Defense taking a timeout!

Kickoff receiving team..Thomas on the left-end. Right after I took this pic, the Texans kicked the ball right towards him and he pounced on it. We ended up scoring a TD because of it. I have it on film too and hope to upload the video highlights soon.

See that #12 on the Texans going right at Thomas?!? This kid was huge - it was hard to believe that he was only a Freshman. They had moved this kid to go up against Thomas...hmmm...I wonder why?? But it didn't work, Thomas held his own against this kid and didn't let it phase him.

It was a great game and we won 14-6 and our record is now 1-1. Thomas made some awesome tackles!! He is such a great defensive player!! His defensive coach told me yesterday regarding Thomas that, "he's a beast!" HA!! Next Saturday is our first home game and we play the Klein Oilers, another team considered to be pretty tough. But, our team is starting to get that same kind of reputation as well. =)