The end?

The end of Christmas Eve brought new jammies...the first of many matching sets for the boys. Christmas this year brought, quite possibly, the end of Mykah's true belief of Santa Claus and December 23rd brought the beginning of the inevitable end of Cornell University for the Boriches. Dr. Seuss once said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Yes, some of you may recognize that as my "Happy New Year" text, but I've adopted it as my 2010 motto, so get used to it and say it with me! Enjoy these pix and then I'll attempt to fill you in on the new adventures in store for us.

Starting with the jammies, I found all of these at Old Navy at 3am, Black Friday. No, that isn't a type-o, 3 AM! I fell in love with the boys' sets because they read, "Joe's Garage Open 24 hrs". Mykah, sorry babe, you'll have to get used to things that say "Princess", not "Mykah"!!

As cute as this picture is, I didn't take it because Josh was crawling around with his bottle hanging out of his mouth, but for the ribbon around his neck. My mom, not wanting to send presents without ALL the trimmings, put ribbons, bows and tags on all of them. Joshie Bear frequented the Christmas tree loot and the ribbons inevitably ended up around his neck, the tags in his mouth, and he wasn't happy with the bows until he had unraveled them completely. He even managed to unwrap a few of the presents in the front. I went through a LOT of tape this year.

Maxie renewed his obsession with Daddy's hats. I long for the day when I capture a picture of Max WITHOUT a dirty face...

The best big sister in the world!

I naively believed that boys didn't start wrestling until they were older...that's all these little yahoos do when they're together!

Bodie is never thrilled at Christmas time...I usually come up with some way to reduce his manhood. This year it was with a elf collar with jingle bells. We thought it was adorable, he was NOT amused. Anyone that thinks dogs can't show emotion has never seen Bodie glare!

Okay, Max has stashes of candy-not to eat, but to sort into piles of colors or some other obsessive-compulsive method. Josh can find these stashes 10 times as fast as we can, but he DOES like to eat them. This is proof that he likes blue M&Ms... someday I hope to be able to catch on video the tantrum that ensues when Max discovers that "Baby Josh" had the audacity to eat one of his treasures!

Mykah amazes me everyday... My next blog entry will be my 2nd annual "My favorite things about my kids", so I don't want to get too sappy now, but this girl has the most beautiful soul and we are proud of her every day. I love the delight on her face in this picture!

Joe has a favorite expression when it comes to my parents. (*Warning! explicit lyrics to follow, Read with Caution!*) It's "GODDAMN THEM!" Now, this can be said with many meanings. Said with a smile, it means, "how did they know this would make me laugh?!" Said with tears in his eyes or the slightest catch in his voice, it means, "how did they know we really needed this?" The first one of this holiday season was when he came home from recuriting to presents galore under our tree. In these pictures, you can see the difference in his facial expressions. The "Goddamn them" in the first picture means, "Quit sending things to dress up my dog! A Snuggie for dogs, really?!" The second time, it means, "Wow, they actually listen when I talk! I mentioned that I would love to have big floor pillows to hang out on, and here they are as my Christmas present!"

Bodie also got candy cane shaped chew toys from Nana. Too bad Josh took them away every time he tried to chew on one!! In Josh's defense, he IS teething...

Here's the beginning of our future TLC special on obsessive-compulsive disorder, Max. He got a huge pack of Mega-blocks from Nana & Papa. He dumped them all out and immediately started sorting them by color. He took a break long enough to move his pile of IceBreaker candy (not to eat, just to carry around) so Josh couldn't get to it. When he finished sorting the blocks by color, he started to build towers, but he won't mix and match the sizes. All of one size makes one tower, the other sizes make their own...UGH!! He does make us laugh, that one!

So, here's where we are with Joe's job...Our head coach is leaving Cornell to be Co-Defensive Coordinator at Duke. This means that Joe's job is in serious jeopardy. He'll continue to work for Cornell until they hire a new head coach. We don't know or even guess how long that process will take. It's going to be a nationwide search, so we are hopeful that it will take a while. When the new coach is hired, Joe will have the opportunity to interview with him. If they like each other, and the new coach has a spot, we could stay here. For those of you not familiar with the coaching profession, this isn't likely. A head coach typically has an entire staff already in mind before he's even hired. If that's the case, he will dismiss the coaches that are left here. The National Coach's Convention is coming up, so Joe will head there, not to socialize, but to try to find another job before time runs out here. We still dream of that big job, where Joe gets to work for someone who has the same core values as he, and we trust God to guide Joe's career. We are slightly weary, though, and pray every day for the strength and wisdom to accept the blessings AND the trials that accompany this profession. It's easy to get discouraged and to wonder what we're doing. It's really easy to get scared and we are now...we know God's plan is in the making, but it's hard to understand why it has to happen in this particular way. Before you think to yourself, "has he applied anywhere? or does he have any leads?", I'll answer it for you...NO! This profession is all about timing and who you know. Joe has made lots of friends in his coaching career, but we have to wait for their great timing to match our timing and, so far, that hasn't happened. We live on faith and we live on strength borrowed from you, our family and friends. We couldn't do this without you, so thanks for hanging in! We know it isn't easy to be on this ride with us...We choose to believe that we are not at the end, but at the beginning. We believe that the darkness in front of us now will soon be illuminated to reveal something wonderful and we pray we have the wisdom to recognize it. So, we aren't going to cry because it's over, we are going to smile because it happened.

It's that time...again.

"It's that time again" means different things to different people. When you belong to a football family, it means different things dependent upon what time of the year it is. Said in late July, it represents camp and the excitement that comes with the beginning of football after a much needed and well deserved break. It's said before the first game of the season, still with much enthusiasm, dripping with the hope of a successful season. When it's approaching the end of the season, those around us start to hear the reluctance in our voices, the underlying tone of "it's that time again" is disappointment, and even fear. "It's that time again" is full of press releases when you belong to a coaching family...some crushing the hopeful dreams of those who long for home, some end the dreams of the coaches who get fired before the season even ends. "It's that time again" is the loneliness of the coaching wife who knows she will lose her husband shortly to recruiting. But underneath all the fear is hopefulness...for a step up, a dream fulfilled with the next big job. "It's that time again" is messing with me. It's making me realize that I have no control. No control over the jobs, the losses, the friends who will move on-both literally and figuratively. So I blog. I blog so I don't have to remember, just for a minute, that the last move was scary and wonderful, that friends who begged me not to forget them have forgotten me. So I can't remember, just for a minute, that loved ones pass away and I'm not there to say good-bye. I blog because I'm bursting with excitement over what's to come and I blog because I love my life, my soul mate, my children, my family and my past and future. And I want to share it all.

Here's a summary of our fall. As far as football goes, it's been disappointing, so I'll skip over the details! Fall in NY, while still beautiful, was a bummer, too. We totally got jipped on the leaves, but here's a couple of pix




Don't get me wrong, though, it's still more beautiful here than you can even imagine if you've never been in the northeast during the fall. With fall comes Halloween-here's pumpkin carving and the 3rd annual Borich family post pumpkin carving picture (say that quickly 5x!)









Halloween itself was again a beautiful evening, complete with a rainbow following the rain (that we weren't sure was going to let up). The last 2 years we were blessed with beautiful weather, as well, and I must say that it is WAY funner to dress up without down-filled winter coats over the top of costumes!!











We weren't as lucky as the last 2 years, however, to get Joe on Halloween. When Halloween falls on the Saturday of an away game, there's not much a coach can do to be at home in time to trick-or-treat. I can tell you, though, he would've moved heaven and earth if possible!! (Insert "it's that time again" here) What we got, though, was friends who were missing their hubby and daddy, too! Not only did we get to hang out with the Barnums, as we have the past 2 years, we got to hang out with the Coon family. We all have kiddos of the same age, and we made the best out of trick-or-treating without daddies. Thanks to you, and ALL my coach's wife friends, for your friendship! It's women like you, who live the football coach life, that get me through the season and the recruiting, who share my laughter and my tears and will always have a special place in my heart.


To my husband and the love of my life, I've missed you. I'm looking forward to when "it's that time again" means that it's the time of year when you are with us in the evenings and on the weekends and football can take it's rightful place in your life...THIRD after God, then family!!!! I love our life, football included. Thank you for this roller coaster ride full of adventure! I've never thrown up on a roller coaster yet...

Changing Seasons

As I drive around the area to various practices & games, I see the leaves beginning to change. The beauty of our lush summer is giving way to the glorious fall in New York and makes me think of my children.
While I see some characteristics that are true to their ages, I get glimpses of the stages right around the corner.
Mykah, at 9, still shows that princess side that we all know and love, but is showing signs of being an athlete. Both are beautiful, as summer & fall, but distinctly different and equally awesome to watch. She seems to be the tree down the street that is half green and half red, stunning in it's indecisiveness. Mykah shows an equal balance of the child that she remains, but the young woman she is destined to become.
Max, at 3, is slowly showing signs of the little boy he is becoming and losing the traits that belong to toddlers. He reminds us of the pride that comes with accomplishing small goals and the frustration of not being able to successfully communicate all of our wants and needs. He makes us laugh every day-he is stubborn and loving and silly and dramatic and fills our hearts with joy.
Josh is 7 months already. He reminds us to stop and look around every chance we get. Beautiful things come in many forms through a baby's eyes and he inspires me to look again at things that I have taken for granted. He is a mover, that one! He shows signs of independence already. If he sees something he wants, he gets it and when he masters one task, he moves on to the next. He started scooting a couple of weeks ago (moving his arms forward, then dragging his body), but 2 days ago found out how much more effective crawling is, so he's already moved on. I know that in the blink of an eye, Josh will be Max's age and Max will be Mykah's age and so on. I wish I could inscribe these memories on the inside of my eyelids so when I blink I can remember. Since I can't, I blog. I share the memories so we can all remember together, so we can share smiles and tears and the bonds that remain between family and true friends forever.
Mykah is cheering for jr. tackle football this year and is also playing soccer for the first time. She will have to choose between the two next year, so she's pouring her heart & soul into both for now. She's even letting me play "dress up" with her when it comes to cheering, just in case this is the only chance I get to share a piece of my past! If it is, I'll cherish it, while eagerly looking forward to her finding her true self along the way.
The pictures of Max are from the game that Mykah cheered at. My friend, Diane, took them and they were such a wonderful surprise when I opened my email and they were there.
The pictures of Josh are from different days, but look at the light in his eyes as he discovers this world. How can you not smile?! His favorite things are the pantry and anything associated with Bodie. He's gonna get that dog one of these days. Until then he loves Bodie's bed, water & food dish, toys, etc. He'll pass by all of his cute, colorful toys to chew on a tennis ball that he saw Bodie playing with!



























This is actual video of the first time Josh crawled. I was showing Joe pix from Mykah's soccer game (soccer games are the same days as Cornell games) and he crawled a couple of "steps". Joe said to me "Hello, you're holding the camera...do something!" So I got a few "steps" then he went back to old reliable-scooting.


As Max says- "Ge what? I lu you!" Thanks for checking in. We love you all.

Vacay pix #4

These pix are from our last dinner with my family altogether (except Kay-we missed you!) before we came back home. Texas Roadhouse barely knew what to do with our clan!!

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see even close to as many friends as we wanted to, but here's the ones we were able to squeeze in! Darn families-they take up so much time!!!

Believe it or not, I only have 2 more slide shows from vacation...Next time I'll throw in some recent goings-on here in New York!

Vacay pix #3

Oh the Ross Park Zoo...you gotta love that cute little Pocatello zoo. Hey, when it's the closest one around, you take what you can get, right?! Here are some pix from that day. We had a great time with cousins Braxton & Heather, Uncle Rich and Nana & Papa. Here's proof:

Sorry about the nursing pic, but Joe thought he was SO funny when he "captured the wild feeding their young" that I had to put it on. And sorry about the cut-off captions. If you've ever done one of these slide shows, it's not worth going in to fix (you have to redo practically the entire thing!) And I know that all my blog readers are smart enough to finish the captions, right?! The only one you may not be able to finish is the one of Mykah & Braxton and she's holding up the peace sign-it's supposed to say "Peace, I thought it was How?!" Because they're in a teepee, get it?! Ha-Ha! Hey-if you can come up with better, be my guest!!!!

The next pix are from the 4th of July in Soda Springs. We did it all this year, from the 5K run/walk in the morning to the parade to the park! I haven't been to Soda for the 4th in 5 or so years, so it was fun to be there and see lots of people that I haven't seen in so many years. I also got to introduce Joe to a couple of high school friends- It's always fun for me to show off my trophy husband :)
Congrats to Joe & sis-in-law Kay for running the 5K in awesome times, but Mykah WON in her age category for the walking portion of the race. I was super proud of her, because the air is MUCH different at Soda's elevation than she's used to here in New York, so she got really winded right after the first mile. She kept her head up & kept on walking and I love her for that strength! Great job, Angelpie!!!
Now, the fireworks...any of you with toddlers know that the fireworks can go 1 of 2 ways. They either LOVE them and are adorable with their ooohhhs & aaahhhs or they HATE them with every fiber of their being. Well, my little Max fell into the latter category! He absolutely refused to come out from underneath the blanket. I guess he's not a fan of loud noises (he also hated the fire trucks during the parade) unless they are coming out of him :) And did you notice I said "blanket"? It was SO cold in Soda that night, but at least it stopped raining prior to the show...we were starting to worry that there wouldn't be one! All in all, it was a good day.

Thanks for stopping in...more in 2 weeks!!!!