Seventeen

Yesterday was Camerons 17th birthday - WOW where did all the time go?

He has worked really hard lately to get back on track with school and we are so proud of him! He is a great kid! He is so funny, loyal, and caring.

He is so sweet with his nieces - and they love him so much!

He is also excited to start playing indoor football this spring - and I'm excited to watch him lol. I think of how much time has already gone by, and then I stop to think about the fact that in one short year, he will be a high school graduate! I can't get over that!

Well, anyway - chris' birthday is on the 19th, and that weekend also happens to be the last home game of the Raiders this season. Sooooooooooo - I surprised them both with tickets to the game - they are both so excited!

I'm so grateful for having such a wonderful family to be surrounded by daily. : )

Rodriguez Holiday Photos

Ok - so I hate getting my picture taken, so we are just getting the granddaughters done - there are many more to come because I couldn't even wait for the disc - but here are two and they are too cute to wait (if I do say so myself!)

FYI - KRISTEN SPENCER IS GENIUS! ;)

PRIVACY PLEASE!

Ok - I have post-poned this long enough - I need to put my blog to private and I need everyones email addresses por favor. I would rather you send them to my email so sneaky eyes don't see it -

I'm going to set it on Monday - so be dear, sweet little lambs and work with me on this one, ok? ;)

Love you and such!

Sunshines Football Party

Soooooo - the season is over, but there is usualy the end-of-season "banquet" - most of the time held at a pizza place, the coaches get up and talk to the kids, you know standard stuff.

This year, the Coaches had all the kids meet at Winner Motor Sports to do some go-cart racing and just have fun. No speeches, no presenting of the pictures, blah blah blah - just pure fun for these boys who worked so hard this year.

It was cool to see them all bond on a different level and just have a blast trying to beat each others times. The coaches had an awesome idea and the boys just loved it!

Andrew (sorry these are a little blurry!)


Andrew, Zach & Sinks




THE TEAM & THEIR COACHES

LEXIE LOO WHO

I FINALLY have some new pictures of Lexie - she is getting so big! She is over 9 lbs already and barely a month old.

She is smiling and cooing and all the fun stuff - oh yea, and POOPING! SHEESH! ;)

Anywho - Love you all!

For The Love Of The Game

Andrews team got to play at Rio Tinto Stadium last night (Real Salt Lake professional Soccor Stadium) - we sat in the stands - they announced his entire team as they entered the field from the players entrance by full name and jersey number - its was AWESOME! The boys got to sit in the locker room before the game started and it was just a really cool experience. The lights were on, the scrolling ads were on, they even had their concession stands open for business.


They played Skyline - it was a 100% good, clean game!!!!!! The refs were GREAT - Andrew had a BLAST and that is what matters! Oh, and they just HAPPENED to win 14-0 lol

Well....this is sadly, but finally it.....the very last game of the 2008 season is Thursday, 8:00 pm at the stadium.


What a season this has been! The highlights, the low-lights, but wow - the entire team had AWESOME sportsmanship - the coaches were wonderful and this season was up there with one of the best.


All of my boys played football from 8 to 16. While I believe whole-heartedly that every sport is important and teaches kids great lessons - I LOVE THIS GAME! The commeradery of the team, the sportsmanship lessons that can only be learned on a field, the life-long friends they have made along the way, and all of the coaches who have come into their life have each made permanent impacts on my boys life.


Cameron is trying out for high school ball next year - this was a hard year for him because he decided he didn't want to play - He had a rough time with that decision. He has a passion for this game that I have never seen before. I can't wait to see what he does with it.
He would be an amazing coach -

Andrew is debating on staying with little league one more year, or going into the High School program next season.


I can't believe this might be the last time I drive one of my little league football players to practice 3 - 5 times a week or to the early morning games after looking for the one long lost sock that inevitably is where I told them it was in the first place, and being late because of it.
Or even getting all the way to the field, only to learn that one of them left a helmet or their cleats behind!

Learning early on that you MUST keep a stock of mouth-pieces on hand at all times because you never know what excuse they will use about where it possibly could be - cups, cleats, water bottles - all missing at one time or another - haveing to switch out pads from the practice pants to their game pants at 7:00 in the morning because, even though you told them to do it the night before - they "forgot" - almost DYING from the stench that comes from football pads when they remain zipped up in their bags overnight in the middle of August - fighting with them to try to get them to understand that yes, practicing for 3 hours a day, 6 days a week is NORMAL and it should be FUN - even when they are sweating from head to toe, and come home so exhausted it's all they can do to shower and eat without passing out! But man - once those game jerseys were on, the under armour adjusted, the socks just right, the cleats tied and double tied, it was worth every minute of it!

I couldn't and wouldn't replace this experience for the world. It has brought our family closer - and its just a great, great game.

The Strength of a Woman

Ok, so I come in this morning to an e-mail my mom forwarded to me. It is from my beautiful Aunt Laurie.

As you all probably know, she is battling breast cancer, and last night she lost her hair.

Without going into every little detail - I just felt I needed to brag about her for just a minute.

My Aunt Laurie is amazing. She is one of those women that you would meet and NEVER forget - no matter how short of a time she might have touched your life. She is STUNNING - how one woman can be so beautiful is just pretty much not fair. She has an absolute and undeniable love for our Heavenly Father, His Son, and our Gospel. She is a constant example of faith for anyone who might be questioning their own. She is HYSTERICAL! She can make you laugh within the first 5 minutes of a conversation. She has the Andersen sense of humor, and as we all know - that right there should make you piddle your pants! She is a Mother in every sense of the word. She would be there at 2 am for you if you needed her to be. She would drop anything and everything if any one of her 8 (yes, 8 - 4 kids & 4 in-laws FYI) children needed even just a hug. She is a perfect wife and eternal partner to my RAD Uncle Paul. Together they kind of make you a little nauseated! They always have some kind of touchy feely thing going on - ewww! They are just about as wonderful together as any couple should or could be.

I say this all because I think she needs to realize how strong she is and what an incredible example she is to me daily. I couldn't imagine going through what she is going through right now. But if I ever had to - I know that she would be my #1 supporter - and our entire family would be united as we are today. We have Gammy and Baka's eternal example of how families should be together and love each other no matter what silly mistakes we all make. The love of a family - well the love of OUR family - is unconditional, eternal and unbreakable.

If I could be there with her, I would in a heartbeat - but I just hope she knows as much as any member of my family knows - I am there for you through prayer and thoughts and I love you all so much. There is not a single person in our entire family, extended or in-law or otherwise, that I don't love with every part of my soul.

Anyway - now that I'm actually letting some sort of fluid trickle down my face - and its not a booger - I guess I had better close this post.

Thank you, Aunt Laurie, for being such a strong woman. You amaze me daily, and I love you.

I'M JUST SAYIN.....

I HAVE SOME GALL DERN GOOD TASTE IN MUSIC!

LISTEN TO MY PLAYER

LOVE MY PLAYER

COPY ME BECAUSE I AM RAD!

LOL - WOOT WOOT!

AHHHH MY SUNSHINE!

Well - unfortunately, Andrew's team lost the Championship game this year - it was a VERY hard loss.

They fought a good fight, it just wasn't meant to be!

We had such a great turnout for our little "cheering section" it was AWESOME! Thank you to all of my family and close friends who made the trek to come see the game. It meant more than words can say!

Greatfully, we have 2 more games - they are in a tournament called "BORDER WARZ" and get to play against teams from other leagues around the State.

We had a tough last game - but wow what a GREAT season! I'm so proud of him and his entire team.

High School ball next year... I'm getting old!

ANDREW "A-ROD" "SUNSHINE" (those of you who have seen Remember the Titans know why this nickname is appropriate) RODRIGUEZ IS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!

Saturday, November 1 their team played in the playoffs against Alta - We scored a touchdown early in the 2nd quarter - and they blocked our extra point - the score was 6-0. In the 3rd quarter, we scored again - and again they blocked our extra point! (Dang it all to heck!) the score was 12-0 - AND THERE IT REMAINED! WE WON WITH A SHUT OUT ONCE AGAIN!

Andrew played so well (duh lol) - his team was great - one of our receivers got hurt, sadly, so he won't be able to play in the Big Game tomorrow. But through all the injuries, (2 knees, 1 broken arm, 1 broken foot, 1 ankle) this team has come together even stronger and played even harder.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RIVERTON PURPLE JUNIOR TEAM, COACHES AND EVERYONE WHO VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO GET THESE KIDS TO THIS POINT!

As usual - I'm just a proud, boastful mother who is so excited about this season!

GO RIVERTON!!

COPY CAT!

Ok - so first of all the answer is yes, if you all jumped off a cliff, I would probably do the same thing - so here's to all of you leaders who called me over to the private side of blog-dom (hahaha for made up words!) - I must admit, though, my life is very mundane and if someone wants to copy it, well have at it! However, I do have the children to think about I guess - so please send me emails to my email with your email so I can email you an email invitation that you just might deny, but I can accept that -

WOOOOOT HOLY TOLEDO ITS PLAYOFF TIME BABY!

I AM IN LOVE WITH FOOTBALL! (Ok, my husband comes in a strong first, but you get the jist)

Andrews team is now headed to the playoffs - he plays Alta this Saturday at 1:30 at Midvale Middle School.

Andrew's team ended their regular season 8-1 with the last 5 games being complete shut-outs. This season has been completely awesome and it has been so fun to watch! Good luck, Saturday, son! Dad and I are SOOOOOOO proud of you and love you very much!



GO RIVERTON PURPLE JUNIORS!!!!!!!!

REMINISCING

I was eating lunch with the office gals and we were reminiscing about the "old" days - lol - I remember exactly which parking stall Chris was in when I first met him - I remember exactly what words were exchanged, which song was on, where we went, what he was wearing, everything about him - funny thing is I don't remember anything about anyone else! LOL

Anywho - just for S&*%$ and giggles - this is THE EXACT In-N-Out where I met my soul mate -

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO POST THIS!

The RAIDERS WON!

Denver lost - KC lost AND the Chargers LOST (sorry Craven fam. I still love you) - oh and just as memorable (although not AFC worthy) and just because I CAN'T STAND THEM - the great Dallas Cowboys GOT BEAT DOWN!!! HAHAHAHAHA so wooo hooo we actually have 2 - COUNT THEM T-W-O wins this season LOL - I guess its part of being a true fan - you take the good with the bad and for the past few years its been REALLY bad! But I love my Raiders and thats all that there is thats about it! (lol inside joke placed right there - hahahaha)

But as for the more important football information -

ANDREWS TEAM BEAT THE EVER LIVING CRAP OUT OF BINGHAM SATURDAY 34 - 0!!! Now a little background is called for here - when the boys played for Jordan and now for Riverton, the Bingham team was ALWAYS stacked - they have been known to use cooking spray on their uniforms, lie about addresses, etc just to get bigger and better players on their teams. They were considered the un-beatable - even when they WERE, the intimidation factor always came into play for sure - well this season, we beat BOTH Bingham teams, Alta AND Jordan - all of our most heated rivals - Andrew has had such an awesome year! No matter what happens with the play-offs - he should be extremely proud of himself and his team for what they have accomplished - WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND WE ARE SO PROUD! He has maintained such an awesome sportsmanship and the team has played great TOGETHER...

We love you, Andrew!!!!!

I really tried to resist!

Tagged

So I just got tagged by Aunt Sheli
5's
There needs to be five answers for each. I'll give it a try.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
1. Barely started working out of the home full time
2. Lived in Sandy
3. Kurt turned 10, Desiree turned 8, Cameron turned 7 and Andrew turned 5
4. Just moved back to Utah
5. Celebrated my 6 yr wedding anniversary

What are 5 things on my to do list today
1. Work
2. Go Home and cuddle my new granddaughter
3. Pay some bills
4. Call my neice and wish her a happy 16th birthday!
5. Welcome my in-laws

What are my 5 favorite snacks
1. Popcorn
2. Hot Tamales
3. cheese its
4. cheese & crackers
5. pita chips

What 5 things would I do if I were a millionaire
1. Pay off all my bills
2. Buy my kids & myself houses
3. Buy a condo in Hawaii
4. Buy season tickets to the Raiders
5. Hire a housekeeper

5 places I have lived
1. Salt Lake City, UT
2. Claremont, CA
3. La Verne, CA
4. Sandy, UT
5. Herriman, UT

5 Jobs I have had
1. NEC (consumer show production company)
2. Wet Seal (lame clothing store)
3. Bard Access Systems (medical device Company)
4. GES (trade show decorating company)
5. Diamond Rental (trade show decorating company)

5 people I tag are
1. Carlye
2. Brittany
3. Tiffany
4. Kacie
5. Mindie

BIRD!!!!

yOU ARE ONE FILLED WITH AMAZING TALENTS AND A PROVEN DEEP LOVE FOR CHRIST, OUR SAVIOUR. WE ALL STARTED SADLY GOING DOWN A PATH THAT BROUGHT US SORROW - BUT YOU PICKED YOUR SELF UPP AND CAME HOME AND HELPED YOUR SIBLINGS SEE THE LIGHT AS WE SHOULD.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR ALL OF MY KIDS,GRANDKIDS, AND HUSBAND IS INCREDIBLE AND MAKES ME GREATFUL EVERYDAY THAT YOU ARE MY SISTER AND MY FRIEND.

YOU COULND'T HAVE PICKED A BETTER PARTNER TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH AND I LOVE HIM LIKE HE WAS MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD.

I LOVE YOU, AUNT BIRDY! HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY FILLED WITH JOY AND SONG

LOVE THE RODRIGUI CLAN

No more waiting!

The new princess is here! At 1 am Desiree came downstairs "my water broke" - almost instantly her contractions were 2 min apart - we got her to the hospital at about 1:30 am - she almost didn't have a chance to get the epidural!

At 3:55am Alexus Pino-Rodriguez (dads & moms last name) arrived weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs 1 oz - 21" long with lots of curly, black hair.

Mom did great and it is such a beautiful miracle to watch the birth of such a sweet baby.

VS BRIGHTON - SHUT OUT ONCE AGAIN!

#20 IS AT IT AGAIN - GREAT GAME, ANDREW!



Have I mentioned that I LOVE football? Well, I LOVE football - and I LOVE to watch my boys play more than anything! So here you go - some pictures of Andrew's game Saturday - 15-0 shut out - WOOOO HOOOOOOOO



FOOTBALL IN THE SNOW - WIND - FREEZING - FABULOUS!







NEXT WEEK.... BINGHAM AGAIN -

PUSH IT OUT PUSH IT OUT - WAYYYYYYY OUT!

The title is from the obnoxiously hysterical BILL COSBY:HIMSELF show - he is talking about his wife delivering a baby -

I am impatiently waiting for my daughter to go into labor after a weekend of false alarms -

sooooo - if you are all looking for something to do right now, sit indian style, palms up, and meditate with me sending the "GO INTO LABOR ALREADY SHEESH" vibes our way

Thanks!

Where the H#$L have I been??????

One of the most AMAZING things I have ever seen! Did I see them on Ellen? NOOOOO Did I see them on Jay Leno? NOOOOOOOOOOO - Did I see them on America's got Talent? NOOOOOOO

I was frozen mid-sentence while watching Brooke take in an episode of "Jacks Big Music Show"

I will be buying the CD and hope with all hopes that they can come out here - what an AMAZING talent - the music is amazing and these kids are amazing - and I am amazing for showing you this amazing stuff....

Be Amazed....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ78f1gUa5Q

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Tomorrow is a big day - I am filled with a great calm right now. I hope everyone who has the opportunity to go support my Aunt drives carefully and will arrive without incident. However, my main concern is my Aunt. I will keep her in my prayers and ask that anyone else please do the same. She is a beautiful, loving, kind, strong Sister, Aunt, Mother, Wife, Grandmother, Daughter and friend to everyone she comes across. And did I mention HYSTERICAL! I know the waiting room will be filled with love and humor because that is how our family ROLLS hahaha -

I love you, Aunt Laurie!

My Beautiful Aunt

I just wanted to say that I love her dearly - I know that everything will be fine. She has the strength that most people never have and she will pull through this - she has such a huge, loving family and a wonderful, sweet, loving husband - buppa Paul - who is just amazing. My family is incredible and I know with our faith and support, this too shall pass.

My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Curtis & Andersen family right now - I love you all very much!

Raider Football!!!

Wooooooo Hooooooo!!! They beat up KC - oh yea -

just an FYI

The Exciting Utah State Fair

Ok so you know its a fabulous fair when you only take 2 pictures the entire time - both of which are Brooke eating the only thing she wanted - ice cream -

There weren't any good exhibits to speak of, about 157 hot-dog-sausage-pork chop-on-a-stick stands - a 4" $7.75 meatball sandwich stand - a deep fried pb&j uncrustable that was bargain priced at a mere $5.25 - needless to say we did not partake of the fair fare like we wanted to - I expected the over-priced food - but I also expected a better variety IE the LA County Fair (oh man yummy yummy yummy)

So we will not waste our time and money to do this again any time soon - but these 2 pictures are cute, huh?

Saturday Sports Spectacular

So early Saturday, Brackon had his soccor game - he was so good! He discussed stragedies with his team-mates, waited patiently for his turn, and pretty much played his little buns off! It was a lot of fun to watch that age group again - even though I'm just counting down the months until we get to put him in football - But Carlye is not allowed at his games for the first year - she would have panic attacks for sure....

After Brackons game - we headed east to watch A-Rod beat the crap out of Alta (YES!!!!) He is #20 - with the flowing locks of hair. He played wonderfully (not to "brag" or anything but...) His brother was there to make sure that he was kicking proper butt - Aunt Carlye, Grandma & Grandpa were all there - dad had to work and missed an entirely bad-a$$ game :)

Birthday Braggings and such

Kurt's birthday is 2 weeks away - he will be 20! That is just not right!

He sure makes me proud. He has a great head on his shoulders - He is going to school to be an English teacher and I can't wait to see him realize that goal. I'm not quite sure where he got this incredible intelligence from, but...

What a wonderful man he has become and continues to become. We love you son ~ mom & dad