My Baby's 18!! How'd This Happen?!

On April 3, 2013...my baby officially turned into an adult! 18! NO...not my baby!! That's what was going off in my head, outwardly however I shouted, "HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY LIJEY!" So as I celebrate my official "man"...I'll take you on a little trip down memory lane with me (tears falling.)

When Elijah was little he was the most stubborn little guy ever. He would stand in the corner for hours rather than apologize and be done with his punishment. As he got older, he rarely needed to be disciplined and was always such an incredibly good little boy, doing his homework without being told, making lunch for himself along with all of his brothers & being their little gofer (go for this and go for that.) He always had a huge beaming smile on his face...happy to help however he could.  He was such a little angel, but still had that stubborn streak that was impossible to break.

Elijah's stubbornness begin to display itself most often in the area of sports. When he played basketball, if he got the ball taken away from him by an opposing player he would use his incredible speed to chase him down and take the ball back, whether he fouled him or not...he refused to let someone get the better of him. In baseball, he seemed to take note of anyone who on the rare occasion had thrown him out while stealing a base and as a catcher, he'd return the favor.

THAT LOOK SAYS IT ALL! LOL!

 

 In his younger years during track, there was a boy named, Eric who seemed to beat him in the Southern California Championship 400m race every year. This didn't sit well with Elijah he didn't like coming in 2nd place in anything. He became so determined to beat him that he had me take him to the local track and train for 2 months in advance so he could take 1st place. Of course he finally beat him during his last track season before heading into high school. CHECK...another goal off the list.

STILL WINNING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!

As a 5 year old boy playing flag football he had set one very important goal that he wanted to achieve in high school; he had one final chance to accomplish it...this year, his Senior year. This goal was by most standards almost impossible. But his sheer will, stubbornness & determination kept his dream burning deep inside. He had an incredible drive to see it fulfilled...despite the odds & the school's history of losing the "BIG ONE." Elijah wanted to win a CIF Football Championship. He wanted to set a school record. He wanted to graduate with a CIF ring on his finger & see his childhood dream fulfilled.

As the team won game after game, his dream seemed closer to a reality, until a semi-final playoff game against Foothill. Edison (Elijah's team) was behind 16-14 with less than 2 minutes left in the game. I began to feel literally sick and nauseous as I could only sit and watch my son's childhood dream slip away. But Elijah wasn't ready to give up, his stubbornness, perseverance and sheer will to realize his dream kicked in. Elijah was in at running back and they gave him the ball...the game looked hopeless as he appeared to be caught in the backfield...BUT SOMEHOW, HE REFUSED TO GO DOWN!

He ran on two consecutive plays 14 & 23 yards with the determination of someone who had a goal to reach. It took only 40 seconds to run 37 yards, and set up the game winning touchdown to seal the win. They pulled it off ! They advanced to the big game...the CIF Championship...one step closer!

When Elijah stepped onto the Anaheim Angels Stadium field to play in the biggest game of his life, I knew that my son and his teammates would not let this long awaited goal slip away.

ELIJAH-TEAM CAPTAIN #9

They played the game of their lives and my stubborn son, who refused to let anyone or anything get in the way of his dream, achieved all that he had hoped for in front of a crowd of 9,807. On that special night of his Senior year, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the scoreboard flashed the 28-10 final victory score! An incredible fulfillment of a 5 year old's dream set into motion so many years ago!

When the noise died down and the stadium began to clear, Elijah seized the moment, lying victorious on his field of dreams!

 ANGEL'S STADIUM AFTER THE CIF CHAMPIONSHIP WIN!

 

ELIJAH HANGING THEIR CIF CHAMPIONSHIP FLAG AT THE ASSEMBLY

THE DREAM RING!

I know that as my son continues to seek new dreams, he will accomplish everything he sets his mind to. He has an incredible stubbornness that has grown over the years into a perseverance that breaks through roadblocks, pushes past set backs & difficulties, always keeping his eye on the prize, and achieving the seemingly impossible without shrinking back or giving up.

I love you Elijah and am so proud to be your mom! I can't wait to see what you accomplish in this next chapter of your life.

WHAT A SEASON!

WOW...CHECK OUT THE CIF DREAM TEAM RING!

HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY LIJEY!!!

AND IT WAS A SUCCESS!!

I have to tell ya all how proud I am of my son Elijah's senior CIBACS project. He put on a non-profit football camp for kids ages (4-13 years old) in my dad's honor with all proceeds going to the "DAVID BOLDA SCHOLARSHIP," fund and benefiting a needy Pop Warner youth. It was a huge success with over 55 kids in attendance and raised enough money to offer 4 full scholarships and 1 partial scholarship. Stop by his "GET SKILLZ CAMP" blog and check out the pictures and video...you'll love the faces on some of these little ones...so adorable!

Powering Through It

First of all...thank you all for your comments and suggestions regarding my back issue! I decided my first course of action is going to be powering through it. I'm beginning a SLOW stretching routine every morning and night, followed by walking the dog with my husband again nightly. I've got to tell ya, some days are better than others and our walks may be a little slower than my hubby or dog would like...but I'm not going to let this back thing keep me down!

I also decided if it doesn't get better soon with the things I'm doing, I'm going to try the acupuncturist that cured my sons 3rd degree ankle sprain (a complete tear of the ligaments) in two days! Seriously...TWO DAYS of treatment! It was crazy, he was even able to play in the State Semi-Final football game without re-injuring it. He obviously wasn't able to run as fast and play both ways, but he played and made some key tackles. It was truly my first experience with going to one after a suggestion from a friend who's son plays linebacker for UCLA. This was after the Orthopedic Doctor told him it will take months of healing and rehabilitation and he absolutely wouldn't be able to play in that HUGE game...he wasn't even able to put weight on it!!

Pic on left taken at Orthopedic Dr's visit~Pic on right after Acupuncture & cupping (notice the marks)

Pic on left- Dec 5th leaving the Dr's office~Pic on right was game day~Dec 8th, 2012 (my Birthday;D)

So I figure, if it can work for a torn ligament, it should do wonders for scar tissue right?! Well it definitely can't make it worse...so if I go that route I'll let you know how it goes.

Hanging Out at the Inauguration

Elijah took this picture right when they arrived

My son Elijah has been in an International Business & Communications class (CIBACS) at his high school for the past four years. It's been an amazing class that's really helped prepare him for college and his future in the business world. Every year the CIBACS Senior class takes a trip...this year they went to Washington DC and attended the Inauguration. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and even though he was hoping to watch Romney get sworn in, he was excited to be there and of course see Beyonce perform live! They had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to be there by 5:00. He said it was freezing...which of course 50 degrees to Californians is unbearable!lol!

Along with the Inauguration attendance he's been enjoying the whole DC experience. They've had a pretty packed schedule: (1/19-Arrived in DC , Visit Smithsonian Museum;   

Elijah, Steven & Derek-They had to wear their business attire on the overnight flight

1/20-Martin's Tavern Proposal booth (JFK proposed there) & Georgetown University tour;

Georgetown University

 1/21-Inauguration-Beyonce & Kelly Clarkson performances; 1/22-They have to take their finals (it's finals week back home so they're taking them on the trip) & then Arlington Changing of the Guards; 1/23-Tour of the White House (visit 8 different rooms), lunch at White House & then more final exams; 1/24-Tour of John Hopkins University; 1/25-Holocaust Museum, Vietnam War Museum and live performance of, "Our Town" at the Ford Theatre; 1/26-Fly home.) Luckily they always end up with extra time each day to explore.

The Three Musketeers...let loose to roam Washington DC!

Of course I looked up some cool things for him and his friends to go do and sent the list & links. I don't want him to miss anything! But so far he's still trying to adjust to DC time and said after the Inauguration, they went back to the hotel, fell asleep and woke up too late to do anything. I'm hoping that they'll be able to check out some cool places today.

So happy he gets to experience this! I told him to take tons of pics for me but so far the only pictures I've received are the ones I posted...which I stole from his Instagram and Facebook!;)

Elijah & Nicole

Elijah and his classmates at the White House

THE PARTY BEFORE THE BELL GAME ~EDISON vs FOUNTAIN VALLEY~

Elijah got postered the night before the BIG game & his cheerleader Sarah made him a blanket...SO AWESOME!!!!

This past week marked our BIG Edison vs. Fountain Valley Bell game. The week leading up to the game is almost as exciting as the game itself. It starts on Sunday with all the parents meeting at the school to make posters, goody bags, signs and the dreaded locker cleaning. Yes the parents take on the task of cleaning out the boys lockers & the entire locker room. Each year they pick a winner for the messiest boy. One year we found a thick covering of mold on pancakes & sausage that had obviously been in there for several months. I wasn't on locker duty this year (thank goodness!) I didn't hear who won the "award" this year but I figure I would've heard if it was my son. We put up posters & goody bags in each locker.

Throughout the week they get root beer floats, more goody bags and then a fancy dinner the night before the game which always is a steak dinner called "Baron of the Beef" symbolizing how they're going to eat em' up! Earlier in the day they dressed up as Fountain Valley Nerds...

My lil nerd!

Elijah's tie & glasses look so cute...lol!

 The morning of the game, at 2:00 a.m. all the parents meet to decorate/poster the entire outside of the school. This is a long standing tradition. The first time I heard of it when my oldest son was a freshman I thought, "2:00 a.m., are you kidding me?" But after so many years of doing it, you realize it's such a cool thing to be a part of.

5:30 a.m.- Okay we're EXHAUSTED!!!

View pulling into the school for the Pep Rally

Every inch of the school gets postered!!

WALL ART!!

We didn't finish till close to 6:00 a.m. A lot of parents go to breakfast at someone's house and then head to the pep rally. I knew that since I'd just gotten over a long 2 week sickness I needed to try and get a little sleep. So my hubby and I headed home to catch a couple of hours sleep. It was actually my first time attending the pep rally in all the years with our 4 other boys. I'd always wanted to go but when the alarm would go off I'd hit snooze and never get up. This year was our last year and I made sure to set two alarms...I wasn't going to miss it. It was fun and took me back a couple of years to my high school days!lol! We took tons of pics with Elijah, friends & the bell...which is what the winning team gets to keep at the school for the entire year. The game is HUGE and sells out every year. This year was particularly bad because several of the senior parents didn't get tickets before they sold out and had to sit on Fountain Valley's side.

THE BOYS WITH THE BELL

Elijah (on the left) & Trenton (on the right) have been playing football together since the age of 5! Vargy (in the middle) joined them a few years later...they've grown up on that Edison Football Field!

This should take some of you back a few years to the good ol days of high school Pep Rally's!! 

The boys getting pumped up!

This is called the SONIC BOOM


After the pep rally, my hubby and I went downtown to get some breakfast then home to sleep a couple more hours before we had to get to the college to help set up the tailgate party (another tradition that includes recent alumni & alumni from years back.) Edison is a top Orange County football program and has a huge and faithful following.

The Team Captains

The game was a close one for a while, 7-3 heading into the half. Edison's defense which has been very stingy this year was hoping to hold the Barons to 0 and beat the all time school record which they'd tied last week for the most shut outs in a single season (4). Unfortunately FV scored a field goal...but Edison stuck to their plan working together to bring the Bell home for another year. Elijah played amazing defense. He had several key tackles, a great kick off return and a few carries on offense (he's been dealing with a sprained ankle) but has been wrapping it up and playing, determined not miss a single game of his senior year...especially this one! I'm so proud of his hard work, determination and leadership. As a team captain, he continues to lead by example, and is always one of the first to lift up and encourage his teammates.

Elijah running a kickoff return

OFFENSE! #9 Running Back/Slot Receiver

DEFENSE!! #9 Outside Linebacker

Edison came out after half time and took charge. They pounded the Baron's on defense and showed up big on offense. The final score was 21-3. The defense was SO close to a shutout!!

This week is our final league game against a tough Huntington Beach team. Winning this final game will give us the sole title of Sunset League Champions and a 1st seed heading into our new playoff division the Southwest. I'm expecting big things for this team. Most of the boys have been playing together since the age of 5 and have such a tight bond...a brotherhood. They work for each other, never letting their brother down. Let's go CHARGERS...make this the BEST YEAR EVER!!

WE KEEP THE BELL!! 8 YEARS IN A ROW!! WOO HOO!!

Elijah getting interviewed after the game

Let the celebration begin!

WE HAVE THE BELL...AGAIN!! 21-3!!!!