Great Season 'Cane!

I guess all good things do come to an end. Mike's team lost to Thurgood Marshall in the regional semifinal game last night. They were down by nine at one point in the fourth quarter, but came back to tie it with four minutes left. It came right down to the end and while they never led in the second half, they were only down one with 30 seconds left. So close! I am so proud of what Mike, his assistants and the players have done this season - 21 wins, conference, county and districts championships and huge wins over big-time teams like Centerville, Elder and Dayton Dunbar. We'll miss the three seniors and have great aspirations for next year's team. (Yes, coaches and even coaches' wives are already thinking about next season.)

The support from the community, family and friends throughout the season has been incredible. I bet Wilmington had 4,000 fans at the game last night. Mike's mom, dad and step-dad were there, as well as my dad. (My mom would have totally been there, but she had hip surgery on Monday. She's doing well!) I also spotted some old friends from the Post, Mike's friend Barry and a former player from Wabash, Chris Keefer. It's been a long time since Mike coached Chris, but he still uses the Chris Keefer standard. If he says someone is a "Keefer", I know he means that the kid is smart, never complains and pretty much does everything right. He had a "Keefer" on his team this year and we'll miss him next year!

Hopefully the weather stays nice and Mike is able to rest and keep his mind off basketball as much as possible. Basketball season is hectic and time-consuming for our entire family, but we all hate to see it come to an end. Taylor got me all choked up after the game last night. She started crying when she realized that we lost and "Kirby would never play for Wilmington again".

The good news is that vacation is now only two weeks and two days away! Basketball helped time fly by these last few months.

Have a good weekend!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

I'll See Your Sectional Championship & Raise You a District Championship

That's right, for the first time in 80 years, the Hurricane are district champions! Congrats to Mike, his assistants and the boys on a big win over Shawnee in the district championship game Wednesday night. Thank God for modern technology because I had to listen to the game on the computer. We had planned on going, but Taylor got sick as soon as we got home from Susan's. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say it wasn't pretty. She's doing okay now and sleeping soundly, but she had a rough go at it for a few hours. I'm just waiting for Mike to get home now so I can share a celebratory beer with him.


I hate posting without adding pictures, so I'll throw on a couple of shots from our beautiful day yesterday. It was sunny and 70 degrees so we spent the whole day outside. Yay for spring!


Taylor loves coloring with sidewalk chalk.

Michael wanted to try his hand at it, too. Heck, I was just happy he didn't try to eat it.

Yikes, he looks like a 2-year-old here!

My lefty at work...

...and my righty at work. Pear is going to need a haircut soon!

After chalking, we headed to the park to feed the ducks. Taylor is fine with the ducks, but she's still a little aprehensive about the geese. I can't say I blame her! They get a little too close for comfort when they want bread! Michael was completely unfazed. He just kept throwing bread AT them.

"Here goosie, goosie." Look at Taylor jumping back, haha.

Michael had a blast on the playsets. He did take a little spill on this bridge, but popped right back up. Check out that goose-egg on his noggin!

I thought this was a cool picture of Taylor. It was soooo windy!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Sectional Champs!

Woo-hoo and congrats to Mike and the Hurricane on their sectional championship win over Dunbar today! It was a great game and Mike's boys showed they are more than a score-on-transition, uptempo type team. Dunbar also plays that style so we dominated in the half court. That hubby of mine is a mastermind, I tell ya'. In all seriousness, I'm very proud of him. Next up is Shawnee Wednesday night at 9 p.m. at Dayton Arena. Who schedules a game at 9 p.m. on a school night?? Oh well, looks like it will be a late one for the Worm, Pear and I.

Lots of our old friends and family made it in for the game, including Grandma and Grandpa T, Grandma N and Zaeti, Nuckols, Lee, the Carvers, Tonsoni and Fritz. All of these folks had to drive at least an hour and Fritz came all of the way from Chicago. Seeing everyone made the day that much more fun.

Fritz and Mike.

Brian T.

Matt and Laura.

Marilyn and Rich.

Dinosaur Taylor, on the way home from the game/lunch. She looks real mean with her poofy pink hair things and numerous accessories.

Happy Michael. The kids and I had so much fun coming home from the game. I thought that they'd be grumpy after being dragged around all day, but not at all!

The Pear is feeling MUCH better by the way! So much, in fact, that we were able to make it to Taylor's much anticipated play date at Chuck E Cheese's Thursday. Some of the other moms and I ended up taking the kids there after school (five kids total). She and Michael both had a blast!

Taylor with some of her little friends. Look how short she looks! She's actually pretty tall for her age, but is one of the youngest in her class.

Michael, all rosy-cheeked and having fun.

Taylor and the big rat.

Alright, I'm going to enjoy a little down time now. Mike is back at it again, already scouting his next opponent tonight...

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

The Crud

The title and Michael's snarl tell the story - The Crud has invaded our home. Both kids were coughing Friday when I picked them up from Susan's. Mike had to scout (as Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!") so after a picked-over dinner, I set up blankies, pillows and animals in the living room and we relaxed by watching movies and eating popcorn. I thought the low-key night would work it's healing wonder and we'd all wake up revived Saturday morning. Wrong.

Watching movies!

While Taylor's cold seemed to be a little better, Michael's was worse. By Monday morning, he sounded horrible so I made an appointment. It took 35 minutes to get through to the office! One of the nurses told me that they have three lines, so a busy signal means that all three lines are full. Yikes! I'd say something is going around.

Taylor, trying to keep a happy face on.

Michael, getting some TLC from Mommy. I had to console him after the trauma of snot sucking.

Turns out the Pear has an ear infection and bronchitis. The doctor said it was so bad in one lung that it is "almost" pneumonia. Poor guy! He really has been a trooper. That's one of the reasons I thought he was fine at first. He's still been playing and seems generally cheery. He got a breathing treatment at the office and I'm pretty sure everyone in a 2-mile radius knew he didn't care for it much. One of the nurses commented on how loud he was (not in a witchy way, in a "whoa" way). I told her she should hear him with two good lungs. I'm hoping the antibiotic works its wonders the next few days. If not, we go back in on Thursday. Say a little prayer for my guy!

Mike's team FINALLY starts sectional action tomorrow night. I feel like it's been forever since they've played! I'm guessing that the Noszka clan will have to skip, unless Michael is doing much better. We'll be with them in spirit. Go Cane!

Hope your week is going well!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Same Old Song and Dance

Basketball. Cold. Work.

Well, like the last zillion weeks (it seems anyway) that sums up our life right now. It's not a bad thing (well, except for the cold weather. Boo. Hiss.), just getting a tad bit monotonous. I'm just ready for warmer weather, as I'm sure most people are!

Hurricane update - Mike's team closed out their regular season with a 50-something to 18 win over the conference champion from a couple seasons ago. Considering that there are 32 minutes in a basketball game, 18 points isn't very much. Their opponent also only made seven field goals and shot 17% from the field. I know that some of you aren't sports-minded, but I'm sure you all get the awfulness of that stat. Yeah, Mike kinda stresses defense, haha.

Conference champs celebrating after cutting down the net.

The beloved seniors after their last game in Wilmington's gym.

Mike looking so jolly before the game. Can we say intense?

Taylor cheesing and Michael checking out the cheerleaders. Little booger!

We had a little post-game party at our house Friday night with coaches and some of the parents. It was nice to relax with friends. It seems I've developed a real fondness for wine. :)

Yesterday, Mike had two basketball meetings, one for the conference and one for the entire Southwest District. It's there that they vote and find out the coaches and players that make the all-conference and district teams. Sorry, details can't be revealed until after the season is over! Just a reminder, Mike's team has a first-round bye and plays the winner of Bellbrook/Little Miami in the second round of the sectional on March 4th at Lebanon High School. If they win, they play in the sectional final at noon on March 7th at the University of Dayton. Go Cane!

Because we haven't watched enough basketball lately, the kids and I went down to Cincy to watch my nephew Noah (he's 7) play. His team lost 5-4. Now there's some stellar defense, haha! My other cutie nephew turns 12 today. Happy Birthday, Jacob! The kid is already 5' 6" tall and quite the sports nuts. His basketball team is also doing really well this year! Before you know it, I'll be watching his high school games.

Now, on to my kids. Taylor is as fun as ever, but I think the cold weather is starting to drain on her as well. She's constantly talking about summer, swimming and vacation. I recently bought both kids a few things from the Gap (my favorite store) for our trip to Myrtle Beach in April and she couldn't wait to try on the warm-weather duds.

Doesn't see look all "big girlish" in her jean skirt and tank?

Michael is doing great, too. He runs all over the house now and has recently started trying to jump. He squats down and pops back up, but his feet don't leave the ground. It's hysterical! He's not a big fan of the camera, so I haven't caught it on film yet. Here are a few other shots from the week:

I love my puppy! He was the butt of a few fat jokes Friday night. :(

Michael Man after swiping Taylor's jammies.

Taylor after defeating me in Pretty, Pretty Princess. Yes, the bear beat me, too.

I've gotta run. Have a good week!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

A Whole Slew of Things

I've got to get better at keeping up with my blog! I always wait too long and then end up with a dozen things to write about. It's the picture thing that gets me. I could write until the cows come home, but adding pictures is kind of a pain.

We've been good. The weather has cooperated some so we've been able to escape. At this point in the year, I have such cabin fever that sunny and 45 degrees is suitable "go outside and play" weather. I love seeing Michael walk around outside. It's so cute.

"Yeah Mommy, I'm big."

Taylor in mid flight.

Mike and I don't really do the Valentine's Day thing, but I do play it up for the kids (well, Taylor). I volunteered to help out at Taylor's school for the V-Day party. Those little kids are just too sweet. One little boy ran up, threw his arms around me and said, "Taywor's Mommy, I wove you." I'll miss her classmates and teachers when the year is over!

Taylor playing Musical Chairs at her party.

The Bean Bag game.

The Hurricane suffered their second loss of the season last Friday, falling to Walnut Hills in overtime. You haven't lived until you've taken two kids under 5 to a school in the middle of the ghetto and sat on jam-packed, OPEN bleachers for three and a half hours. Nothing like holding your squirmy 14-month-old boy the entire game because you're afraid he will slip through the craptastic stands. Fun times, I tell ya. It ranks right up with with the worst high gyms I've ever been in, and I've probably been in over 100 gyms. Okay, I'm done whining now.

Anywho, the 'Cane are now 17-2 and undefeated at home. Not too shabby! They are currently tied for the conference lead and play a really bad team Friday to wrap up the regular season. It's been a great year and I wish them the best of luck in the postseason.

Last night was Senior Night and I made the kids shirts with the three seniors' names. I've been doing this every year since Taylor was seven months old! Mike didn't have any seniors last year, so it was Michael's first year of getting a shirt.

Cane kids.

Michael, Daddy says you need to get lower in your defensive stance.

Taylor - Senior Night 2009

Taylor - Senior Night 2007

Taylor - Senior Night 2006

Taylor - Senior Night 2005

Here are a couple random pictures. Enjoy and have a great rest of the week!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Life's a Beach

The warmer weather and our recently booked Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach have inspired me to change the blog colors to something a little more beachy. Hope you enjoy.



We had a good weekend. Mike was crazy busy with basketball (game Friday, scout Saturday and tournament draw on Sunday) so the kids and I were a team. We played outside some and visited Grandma yesterday. It was nice to get out of the house (I think we all felt that way!). Mike's team won Friday (15-1) and earned the No. 1 seed in their sectional. They took the bye and play on Wednesday, March 4th. Go Cane!



I haven't taken any pictures lately, so I'll share some from this time last year. Can you believe how much the kids have grown?




Have a good week!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Yep, you win some and you lose some. But I've got to tell you, there was a whole heck of a lot of winning going on around here this weekend.

Congrats to the Steelers on their record sixth Super Bowl victory!

The whole fam, decked out in our black and gold (or pink and white in Taylor's case).

Wow, what a great game! Can I get a "woot" for Super Bowl MVP and former Buckeye Santonio Holmes? That was an incredible catch. Gotta give the guy props for stepping up his game when it mattered most.

Those are some strong toes.

Mike was so nervous at the end of the game. It's funny to see, because he never appears nervous when he's coaching or pretty much any other time. I'm happy for him. He's a real fan to the core. I'd also like to point out that the Steelers won the Super Bowl when Taylor was 1 and when Michael was 1. No, we're not having more kids. :)

Mike, pre-game.

There was another big win this weekend. Mike earned his 100th career coaching victory Friday night at Amelia. I'm so proud of him, not because of the numbers, but how he handles himself as a coach. He teaches his players about so much more than basketball. His goal as a coach is to see his players succeed in life. It sounds cliche, but with him, it's right on. He's been blessed to coach some great kids and I've thoroughly enjoyed coming along for the ride. I love it when his former players come to visit. Hats off to Mike and the current and former players from Wabash and Wilmington.

In between all of this winning business, we had some time for shenanigans. The weather finally improved, so we got to play outside! Champ got two long walks this weekend and Taylor and I built a really cute snowman on Sunday. The snow was almost like clay yesterday.

Our masterpiece.

She's so proud. Side note: Did you know that Super Glue works on carrots? Taylor insisted on a carrot nose, but all we have are mini carrot sticks. I glued a few together for the nose.

Champ was beat after his long walks. This picture totally describes Taylor, by the way. She's in a football jersey and pink Princess dress, relaxing with her beloved dog.

I've resigned to changing Michael on our bed now. He almost flips himself off the changing table and just takes off when I attempt to change him on the floor. The kid is so strong! He gets distracted by the fan in our room so I get about 3 seconds to change him. What an adorable smile.

He's in the "attack the camera" stage. It's so hard to get a picture of him without being charged.

I have to admit, we skipped Mike's game Friday. It was over an hour away and the weather was still pretty bad. Instead, we got him a cookie cake and congrats card. To pass the time, I took the kids to McDonald's PlayLand (and brought the Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer).

Taylor loves playing at McDonald's.

Michael is getting big enough to enjoy the smaller playsets!

We do have a playset at home, but it didn't look too appealing this weekend...

Back to work now. Hope you have a great start to your week!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel