Baby Check Up

I have decided my absolute new favorite sound in the entire world is the beating heart of our baby. We got to hear it this morning and it was simply magical. That might have been amplified because it took the doc a good minute to find it. She even actually said "Ok baby, where are you hiding?" which scared the bejeezes out of me, but she soon found it and it read in at 165 which she said was perfect. I will be 14 weeks tomorrow.

I finally feel back to normal. No more nausea and I can stay awake past 8 p.m. now. I even actually made a menu of what I am going to cook this week which hasn't been done in probably 2 months. Ryan is very excited about that.

Over the break I started scrapbooking again. I am making a scrapbook for the baby entitled "Before You Were Born" which will basically document the journey of the 10 months of the pregnancy. I use to do a scrapbook for each year of high school and college so it was fun to get back into it.

I will leave you with the picture below. It was P-nut's very first picture at 8 weeks. Now he/she actually looks like a baby with arms and legs. I can't wait to see what the baby will look like at the next ultrasound!

Our Family is Growing!

Ryan and I are so excited that we can finally announce: WE ARE HAVING A BABY! We both knew we wanted to have a family and sooner rather than later so when it happened for us, we felt so incredibly blessed.

I will be 13 weeks on Christmas Day and we are due on July 2 - our anniversary :) And for those that are keeping up with the Adams family, you will notice that there is another big family event in July - my brother's wedding on July 27. Definitely going to be a very busy month. And it will be interesting to see if I fit into that bridesmaids dress!

I am starting to feel more like a normal human being. I have been exhausted for the past 6-7 weeks - I am talking exhausted as in going to bed at 7:30 and 8 p.m. every night. I have also felt nauseous 24 hours a day. But I am lucky because I have never actually gotten sick. As long as I was eating something constantly, I felt fine but the minute I stopped eating, I felt pretty yucky.

Now that the nausea is stating to pass, I have been having a few cravings. The biggest of which, and admittedly  most cliche, is pickles. Seriously, I can't get enough pickles! And they can't just be any pickles, it has to be the Clausen kind that are cold when you buy them. I prefer the pickle halves. One day I ate a whole jar. Crazy I know! Another thing is sweets. I usually never crave sweets but these days I want chocolate  cupcakes, cookies and sweet drinks.

This will be the first grand baby on both sides and both sets of grandparents are over the moon! We told them by giving them an early Christmas gift which was the onesie. The Uncles and Aunt are also very excited.

Our first ultrasound pictures we got were at 8 weeks and the little bean looked like a peanut with little stubs coming out which have since developed into the arms and legs. Because of those pictures I have started calling him/her Baby P-Nut. Get it-- Baby P(ettigrew)! Haha. The name has stuck and will be useful in the future because we have decided NOT to find out the sex :) I have always wanted it to be a surprise and can't imagine the feeling of finding out the moment the baby is born. This is very unusual for me becuase with my type-A personality of planning and organizing, this goes way outside my comfort zone.

We have appreciated all the sweet notes, texts, call and messages. Ryan and I could not be happier and can't wait to meet our little P-Nut.

Working with Candice Olson

Last night I returned home from a 2 day trip to NYC. We had a media day with HGTV's Design Star Candice Olson for P&G's Febreze Holiday Collection. It was a very busy trip but very successful. Candice is as sweet as she can be and a fellow tall chick - she is 6ft tall. It was fun to be in NYC around Christmas time but I am also glad that that project is over because now I can concentrate on Christmas.

Kay - my boss, me, Candice and Tim from P&G - my client

(please excuse my horrid look - i had been up since 4:30 a.m.)

 Candice getting mic'd up for the blogger media tour

Finally after our very long day, I walked the 4 blocks from our hotel to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. It was amazing!

 And quite possibly the best part of the whole trip - NY style pizza. My Fav! 

Article #3 - JD

Below is the third article in the Washington County Enterprise Leader about our family. This one focuses on JD. They also included a graphic of our family tree. Pretty neat. 

No Child Left Behind

ROAD TO PLAYOFF GAME IS TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

By Mark Humphrey, ENTERPRISE-LEADER

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Print item

FARMINGTON — When the bus carrying the Cardinal football team rolled past Searcy on Nov. 9 en route to their first-round state playoff game at Newport, it was like a trip down memory lane for head coach Mike Adams and his wife, Robin.

Loss of father at tender age

Oldest son, Jon David Adams, was born at Searcy and the lad was six months old when his father, David Baker, Robin’s first husband, died from a heart attack on August 4, 1988, in what was later determined by autopsy to be caused by Marfan Syndrome.

According to Stanford University Center website, Marfan syndrome is a connective tissue disorder, in which the protein necessary for strengthening the connective tissue, fibrillin 1, does not work properly, aff ecting the growth and development of the body.

According to Stanford, approximately one in every 5,000 people worldwide is diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and often develop enlarged aortic vessels or thoracic aortic aneurysms. Modern treatment can help them avoid risk of death from dissection or tearing of the aorta.

Football sustains broken family

Fifteen months later on Oct. 13, 1989, an automobile accident at Charleston claimed the life of Diane Adams, leaving her husband, Mike, then head coach of the Charleston football team, to raise the couple’s two children, Meredith, then threeand-a-half years old, and Spencer, 18 months.

After the tragedy, football sustained the Adamsfamily, not only providing income from Mike Adams’ job but also giving Mike a sense of structure, something he could focus on when his world had been shattered.

“The accident occurred on a Friday. I was out of school for a week,” Mike Adams said. “I went back to practice on a Wednesday after her funeral. I had to have something to hold onto, that’s what I held onto.”

Union of families

In 1992, Mike and Robin married uniting their families. Jon David and Spencer grew up as brothers and each wound up attending Harding University at Searcy with Spencer getting a football scholarship.

Robin Adams drove to the Nov. 9 playoff game with Jana Harper, wife of Farmington defensive coordinator, Jay Harper;

and Spencer’s fi ancé’, Lyndsey Kepesky. They drove into Searcy and Robin took them by the house where she had lived with her fi rst husband, David, and Jon David.

They also drove around the campus of Harding University.

Parenting is embracing children

Today, Robin Adams holds countless fond memories of her husband, Mike, interacting with the couple’s three children, including daughter, Meredith.

“We’ve always been their parents, both of us, we’ve never used that step-term, that’s not, you know, our method or our manner,” Robin Adams said.

“Obviously, it was always great to see my boys on the fi eld,” Robin Adams said. “Meredith was always down on the track or right beside the field dancing for the team and that’s always been awesome.”

There was one moment in particular, which sherecalls occurred the third or fourth year after they got married.

“Mike has a tendency, as you might have noticed, that he squats in a very uncomfortable-looking position on the side of the field,” Robin Adams said.

“It hurts my knees to look at him and Jon David was right next to him doing that same position and a photographer for the paper caught it.”

The photo was in the paper the next day with a caption, “Like father, like son,” which was huge in Robin’s eyes because Mike is not Jon David’s biological parent.

“That was pretty special to see that ‘Like father, like son,’ when everybody knows Mike and Meredith look just alike and now that Spencer’s on the sideline sometimes I have to look for gray hairs to tell them apart from behind, but for somebody to make that connection with Jon David, that was really cool.”

“Our parents did a great job of making the transition to a blended family as easy as possible,” SpencerAdams said. “We would always do things together as a whole family to try to strengthen the bond.” One of the best

games of career

“Friday night’s game at Newport was one of the best games I have ever been involved in during my 30-plus years on the sideline,” Mike Adams said.

Newport’s Carl Turner rushed for 319 yards on 39 carries and had a 42-yard touch down reception, only to be matched by Farmington’s Spencer Boudrey who rushed 25 times for 317 yards and had four receptions for another 151 yards and scored all fi ve Cardinal touchdowns.

“Our kids showed great resilience coming frombehind on several occasions,” Mike Adams said, noting Newport scored to go up 14 with 8:40 to go in the game.

“But we fought back and when freshman Justice Hobbs threw to Mike Ingram for our fi fth successful 2-point try we retook the lead with 3 minutes left in the game,” Mike Adams said. ”Unfortunately, we left them a little too much time and they scored on a 5-yard pass with 31 seconds left to win the game. It was a tough way to end our season, but it also was a tribute to the way our team played that night and throughout the year.”

Reflections of an adult child

Jon David thinks that since Baker, his biologicalfather, was a basketball player in college, he would have solely concentrated on basketball and maybe soccer instead of football and track, the two sports his father, Mike Adams, coached at Fayetteville and Farmington.

“I am pretty sure I would have turned out the same,” Jon David said.

“People tell me I look and act a lot like my biological father, so I don’t think anything would change.”

“I would want my future children to know the whole story of our family,” Jon David said.

“To tell you the truth, I cherish the story, but never once have I called my parents ‘step-parents’ or siblings ‘step-brother and sister.’ We’re a normal family with normal family qualities. It’s just that we’ve been blessed beyond measure.”

He's Going to Walmart!

Ryan and I, well mostly Ryan, will be making a life change on Monday. He will begin his new job at Walmart  Home Office in the Realty division! While Ryan loved his job as a private attorney, he felt he needed something a little more stable, mainly a consistent salary. He applied in several departments and got 2 offers in the same week. He decided on the Realty position where he will be in charge of all the new and existing Walmart store leases and contracts in three different states on the east coast.

I am excited for Ryan and this new chapter in his life. The good thing about Walmart is that they will pay for him to keep his law license up to date (since he needs it for his job anyway) which will give him the freedom to go back to private practice in the future if he so chooses to do so.

Selfishly I am sad he won't be working across the street from me anymore. I won't be able to walk over to his office in the middle of the day for a quick brain break and we won't be able to ride to and from work together anymore. I have really grown to cherish the extra 40 minutes in the car we have together. It will be a period of adjustment for both of us but he is excited about the new challenges and opportunities this job will bring.

Ryan - I am so proud of you and can't wait to see how you grow at Walmart. I have no doubt you will be leading the charge very soon. I Love you!

Papa

The past few months have been crazy for the Pettigrews. Some great things have happened and some heartbreaking things have happened, one of which is the passing of my Papa. 

Papa was 89 years old (he would have turned 90 in February) and he was battling cancer for a while. He was doing good and then they put him back on his chemo and he had some adverse reactions to it, went into the hospital the day before Thanksgiving and then passed in his sleep on the following Sunday. 

We were all devastated. I am thankful for that my family got to go to Memphis for Thanksgiving this year and  see him one last time. I however missed that opportunity. Ryan and I found out that his dad also has cancer (bone marrow) and he has been in Little Rock at UAMS getting treatment for the past month. So we decided to go down here for Thanksgiving and be with his parents. I will always have that twinge of regret not getting to see my Papa for the last time but I also know, my husband needed me at that same time and I believe Papa would have told me to be with Ryan and his father. 

The funeral and visitation were this past Tuesday and Wednesday and I really enjoyed hearing all the amazing stories about him and how he impacted so many people's lives. Papa was a preacher and missionary his entire life and it would be impossible to quantify the enormous impact he had on this world. I am so grateful that he had the opportunity to officiate our wedding and I am sad for my brothers that they won't get that honor. 

Papa had a sense of humor that was out of this world and you always knew how much he loved his family - especially my Nana who he had been married to for more than 64 years! When I was younger, every time he would see me, he would sing: "There she is, Miss America..." It always made me giggle. 

Papa was such an example for us all and I will miss him terribly but I know he is in no more pain and watching over all of us now. 

Love you Papa! 

April Babies are the BEST!

If I do say so myself, April birthdays are the best. It is the beginning of Spring when everything really comes to life, its never too hot or too cold and the most important, April birthstone is a diamond!

I am so excited to announce I have two "family" members expecting in April 2013!

The first are my dear friends the Hencys. I call them family because I have known both of them since we were all in third grade. I was in their wedding and Kelsey was in mine. We grew up together and Kelsey and I are Tri Delta sisters. Within 2 weeks of finding out they were pregnant, they also found out Mat's company is relocating them to London, England (yes across the pond) for a year to year and a half. They will be moving after Thanksgiving sometime. I am so sad Kels won't be in the US during her pregnancy but so excited for them for this opportunity. What an adventure! Kelsey will be blogging about both of her life adventures here.

The next couple truly are family - my cousin Jerry and his wife Amy. This will be #3 (or LB3 meaning Little Bit #3) for them and we have all been waiting for a while :) I found out in a fun way. At the Kentucky game tailgate, Amy pulled me aside and said "can I talk to you for a minute?" She then said "So, I'm pregnant and we are about to tell the grandparents. Will you take pictures for us?" I was in utter shock and so excited but I couldn't say anything because Aunt Jules was being nosy and kept asking what Amy told me. They told the kids for the first time then (because they aren't great at keeping secrets at this age) and then they gave the grandparents gifts which were the sonogram pictures. I was the official photographer and you can see some of the pics on Amy's blog here.

And the very best thing about this pregnancy in my humble opinion - LB3 is due on April 25. What a great day to be born :) Anniston was a few days early and Treyson was one day late so #3 should be right on time. Anniston even told me at the tailgate that day that she would bring a birthday cake to the hospital for me and the baby to share.

I can't wait until next April. It is going to be such a fun time!

Dad and Daughter Article

After the article about Spencer and Dad, that same reporter, Mark, was inspired to do an entire series on our family  he is calling "Blended Heritage." Below is the full-page article he wrote about me and dad which included 6 or 7 pictures. 

Football Dreams

CELEBRATING FOOTBALL BOND BETWEEN DAD AND DAUGHTER

By Mark Humphrey

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Print item

FARMINGTON — In the midst of difficult circumstances, Mike Adams managed to keep his daughter’s football dreams alive.

Meredith Adams-Pettigrew, now 27, daughter of Farmington head football coach, Mike Adams, has not let those things define who she is.

Homecoming Day Tragedy

Pettigrew has known the sting of a child’s disappointment and the perplexity of trying to comprehend the death of her birth mother, Diane Adams.

Pettigrew was riding in a car with her mother when they were involved in an accident that killed Diane on Oct. 13, 1989. They had been on their way to get Pettigrew dolled up as part of the Homecoming court where her dad coached at Charleston.

What she does have is memories of family and those associated with her father’s connection to football helping shape the woman she has become. According to Mike Adams, a seat belt saved his daughter but also was the cause of her broken arm.

“After the accident and when my arm was in a sling, I remember one of my dad’s football players bringing me a gigantic gray teddy bear that was bigger than I was,” Pettigrew said. “I loved it but eventually my dad had to give it away because we found out I was allergic to it.”

Family Football Structure

Mike Adams found football was something he could fall back on. The structure he had learned to operate in as a coach now helped him as a single parent with Meredith and her younger brother, Spencer, who was 18-months-old at the time of the accident.

“It came to being really well-organized,” Mike Adams said, noting Charleston had just one little grocery store at the time and big grocery shopping trips required traveling to Fort Smith.

“I had to keep a list, know what was available, know what wasn’t available and watch the newspaper for sales,” Mike Adams said.

Having lived alone with his dad, who was an electrician and on call at all hours, for a short while during his eighth grade year, Mike Adams learned to cook to feed himself and that ability came in handy when feeding Meredith and Spencer.

“I had been cooking for a long time so that part wasn’t a big deal,” Mike Adams said. “It’s reality, you’re there. You’ve got two kids depending on you. It’s not something you can hand off to somebody else. You just do it.”

Fascinated With Football

Though her moment as crown bearer at Charleston didn’t happen in 1989 because of the tragic accident that took her birth mother, Pettigrew eventually got to compete in the sport she grew up with. Pettigrew started going to practice with her dad when she was in kindergarten.

“A lot of times, she’d just walk up to the school and stay with me,” Mike Adams said.

In 1992, Adams married Robin Brewer, who had also been widowed and raised a son, Jon David, in a singleparent household. As the two families merged, the three children became best friends and involved in football.

Mike Adams helped his daughter learn football by letting her watch film with him at home.

“I always enjoyed watching it and watching him analyze plays,” Pettigrew said.

Girl Getting To Play Football

Pettigrew stands nearly 5-foot-11 and used height to her advantage in powder puff and intramural girls college football.

“My height absolutely helped in playing linebacker, not only being able to read the quarterback’s eyes, but also for interceptions,” Pettigrew said. “I could jump higher to get the ball.”

While Pettigrew admits she is not the fastest person in the world, although she ran track for her dad in high school, but could sniff out a play better than any other girl.

“When I played, he taught me to read the quarterback’s eyes,” Pettigrew said. “It was more fundamental because girls tend to look to where they want to throw prior to the play.”

Pettigrew enjoyed blitzing and could read a play so well that she would anticipate the snap count and try to get a jump. The intensity she played with led to a conflict with her dad, who was refereeing the powder puff game during her junior year at Fayetteville.

“I beat it every time but my dad didn’t think so and threw several flags on me for off sides,” Pettigrew said. “I started arguing with him and he threatened to eject me. That was my junior year and he refused to be a ref my senior year for that reason. He just taught me too well.” 

Excitement Of A Wedding

Pettigrew and her mother, Robin, shared the excitement of planning her 2011 wedding to Ryan Pettigrew. Together they went through the process.

“If it wasn’t for my dad getting remarried I wouldn’t have had that opportunity and she has been my mom since I was 7,” Pettigrew said. “Dad doesn’t know anything about weddings, come on he was coaching, he wouldn’t like help me. It was very, very special. It was instrumental in all of my wedding plans and she was there with me step by step so I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Dad Is A Hero

Pettigrew said her dad has always been her hero.

“I have always said that I wanted to marry somebody like my Dad. Growing up, I knew that he always put our family first,” Pettigrew said. “My Dad set a very high bar for any guy I dated. I wanted to marry somebody that was kind, generous, a leader and a true family man.”

Pettigrew said her husband, Ryan, has fit those characteristics to a ‘T’ and she is so lucky to have found him.

“It is really funny how similar my dad and my husband are,” Pettigrew said. “For our future children, I want them to know about all the family they come from. They are lucky because they will have more family members than most. A blended family is a blessing and God knew exactly how to fit our families together.”

Sports, Pages 13 on 10/24/2012

First Halloween Party of the Season

Ryan and I attended the Farmington coaches' crowd Halloween Party. We love hanging out with these people because we are with them every Friday night during football season. We go to the game and then go to somebody's house after for a party. They are all super fun.

Paige and Beau Thompson throw the Halloween Party every year. This year, Ryan and I went as Coach Adams and a Ref. We thought it would be funny obviously because of the party attendees. The costumes were both very simply - I got Spencer's coaching shirt and visor that Dad wears and we used a xBox headset to imitate a real headset. Then we tied Dad's plays to a belt like he wears for games.

Ryan's costume was even easier. I just called up my Uncle Jerry, who has been a high school ref for more than 20 years, and  he got us all the official gear Ryan needed.

My Ref Loves this Coach

Bobby and Jessica

Coach, Gomez Adams and Bobby

Coach Adams and the Real Coach Adams - Love my Daddy

Jana, Lyndsey and me

 And here is a picture of the desert I took - Witch's fingers (pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate with almond slices). Another Pinterest find. 

We have another Halloween party this weekend. I have not even begun to think what I will wear for that one (the cleverness of my costume for this party would not be appreciated with our friends). I'm afraid it will be something I can throw together with what I have at my house. Surely, after all the functions I went to in college, I can come up with something. Right?

Painting with a Twist

This past Sunday I did a little painting at Painting with a Twist.  My mom and a bunch of her work friends decided to do a private party and they had some extra space so she invited me and I invited Collin.

Painting with a Twist is an art class for amateurs plus they serve alcohol, hence the Twist part. The instructor draws the outline on your canvas and goes through a step-by-step process of how to paint the picture. The whole class does the same painting. It is nothing real serious so you can chat with your friends and drink while you do it. It was actually pretty relaxing.

It turned out to be a lot of fun and I have to say I am pretty proud of my first attempt of painting. Next, Collin and I are going to try to convince our boys to go to the Couples Night. I'm not counting on getting them there anytime soon though :)

Painting halfway done.

Finished master piece

Me and one of my besties

Me and my momma

Proud Big Sister!

I am a proud big sister today. We found out that JD was given the 2012 CSACSM (Central States of American College of Sports Medicine) Masters Research Award! Only a few of these are given out across the central US states. Yep, he is awesome.

He is on his way to present one of his projects to the CSACSM regional conference today. He will also be presenting at the national convention! His project this year was "Effects of obesity on thermoregulation when controlling metabolic heat production during exercise in the heat." Below is a picture of part of his research he put together.

JD - I am so, so proud of you and so happy you found something you love to do. You will go far in the field of sports and exercise science. I love you forever! 

Remembering

Remembering this woman today. She touched so many lives and was taken from this earth 23 years ago on Friday, Oct. 13, 1989. I know she is watching over me and Spencer, today and forever. We love you! 

Tailgating

Well, as everybody is witnessing, my Hogs are virtually imploding and an amazing rate. But...I will always cheer for my team. So to celebrate, below are some pictures from tailgating last week (when we all still had a tiny bit of hope)

 Ryan, me, Heather and Charlie

Heather went to school with Heather and Charlie. Charlie is the basketball coach at Pea Ridge and now my cousin Trent is his assistant. Small World.

 Me, Lyndsey and Anniston.I took Anniston over to Spencer's tailgate and she was a hit - the Bag-O Champion.

Cousins - Emily and Matt, Shelby, me, Ryan, Lyndsey and Spencer 

 This is the moment Spencer is asking Ryan to be a groomsmen. Spencer asked me if I "told Ryan he was a groomsman" I obviously told him no and that was his job so he walked right over and asked. And.....last week Lyndsey sent me a sweet note and asked me to be a bridesmaid! We are honored to be a part of their big day! 

More Recognition for That's My Bag!

Remember this post about "That's My Bag"? Well our little project is getting more publicity which will hopefully, increase its reach. The article below was in the NWA Times today. So excited to be a part of this committee and the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas.

THAT’S MY BAG

PROJECT GIVES CHILDREN SOMETHING TO HOLD ON TO 

By Ashley Batchelor

A little boy recently placed in a foster home in Madison County received a stuffed animal as he was leaving a law enforcement office.

“He held on to the stuff ed animal until we reached his foster home. He was very attached already and named it,” said Tessa Bunch, family service worker at the Arkansas Department of Human Services County Oftce in Madison County.

It was “a big comfort to him during a time where he really did need to be a very brave little boy.”

The stuffed animal was one of the items in care bags given to the DHS Madison County Oftce by the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas. The bags are part of the That’s My Bag project, which branched out to include Madison County in August, said Gracie Ziegler, chairwoman of the That’s My Bag committee. The project previously served only Benton and Washington counties. Each bag is fi lled with a blanket, clothes, toiletries and a comfort item like the little boy’s stuff ed animal.

Ten bags were delivered to Madison County, and one has been given out to a child so far, Bunch said. The identity of and circumstances surrounding the child could not be released.

Ziegler said for the project, the committee has bags in storage throughout the year that are for kids who are removed from domestic violence or a drug-related situation. When DHS workers take children out of their homes, “a lot of times they’re pulled out with absolutely nothing,” Ziegler said. Kids leave with only what is on their backs and may not even get to bring a special toy or blanket, she added.

The bags are age and gender appropriate, so when a child arrives at his next destination, he can be given a bag that is his own, Ziegler said. The program started in 2004, and 40 bags have been delivered this year since July.

The committee works with DHS and also Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, EOA Children’s House and Peace At Home Family Shelter. Junior League members deliver bags to these outlets, but they never get to see the kids, who are often in protective custody,she said.

Ziegler said last year’s committee delivered about 250 bags, so this year’s committee is fi lling the needs of the diff erent outlets, keeping them stocked with an array of bags for diff erent ages.

Meredith Pettigrew, vice chairwoman of the That’s My Bag Committee, said they realized this year that they wanted to grow the program and thought it would be a good idea to look into a different county. She found her contact in Bunch, and the DHS Madison County Oftce was “more than willing to let us help them out.”

Bunch said she was very excited the Junior League reached out to Madison County.

“Resources are far and few between over here in a rural county, so it’s been a great benefit to have the extra support,” Bunch said.

Ziegler said Pettigrew orchestrated what Madison County’s needs were and set up a schedule to deliver the bags.

The DHS Madison County Oftce asked for bags for infants, toddlers, children and teens, Pettigrew said.

They delivered half of the bags for boys and half forgirls, and she said they sent more children’s bags because the oft ce sees younger kids come through more often.

Madison County is the first county to request infant and baby bags, Pettigrew said. Bunch told the Junior League that they have babies come in who don’t have a set of clean clothes or even a bottle or blanket, Pettigrew added. The baby bags are now available for all three counties served.

A baby bag will have items such as baby powder, diapers and baby wipes, and all the other bags will have toiletry items like shampoo,body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant, Ziegler and Pettigrew noted.

A toddler bag may include a coloring book, and a teen bag may have a young adult book. Pettigrew said the committee members are also trying to put journals in all of the bags. They have heard it might be therapeutic forchildren “to write down their feelings and their thoughts about what’s happening and what’s going on in their world at the moment,” she said. She added that the Junior League members hope these bags “help ease transition into the next phase of where they might be going.”

In His Father's Footsteps

Mark Humphrey of the Enterprise Leader (Farmington Weekly) wrote a nice article about my brother and his coaching career. I have a feeling he is going to be a great coach, just like his father!

In His Father’s Footsteps

SPENCER ADAMS ENJOYS COACHING CARDINALS

By Mark Humphrey

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

FARMINGTON — Spencer Adams has benefited from having a father, who championed his children’s cause, when their mother, Diane Adams, was killed in a car accident when Adams was a mere 18 months old.

Current Charleston head football coach Doug Loughridge was a 16-yearold sophomore on the Charleston football team and remembers the incident which occurred when Mike Adams was head coach at Charleston.

“It happened on Homecoming day,” Loughridge said. “That game that night was for the conference championship against Hackett.”

The team was called in and school off icials explained they could either play the game as usual or by noon the next day by Arkansas Activity Association rules, or forfeit.

“We decided to play that night. Jeff Stubblefi eld, our superintendent now, was head coach that night,” Loughridge said.

The game was a blowout in favor of Charleston because as Loughridge put it, “That’s what we knew Mike Adams would have wanted.”

Adams had just been dropped off with a babysitter and wasn’t in the car. His mom and older sister, Meredith, were en route to get Meredith fixed up as part of the Homecoming royalty but his mom never came back.

“He was just a little bitty ol’ dude,” Loughridge said. “He could just barely walk.”

Mike Adams did whatloving fathers do and took care of his children and football became a way of life for the family.

“I don’t know if I had a great lesson then as I do now, just being a dad. With kids that young I cannot imagine,” Loughridge said. “I have the utmost respect admiration for him how he handled that. He had to be a strong, strong man. He won ball game after ball game still. That was just the midst of keeping the program together.”

Adams has fond memories of growing up in Charleston and said the community rallied around the family.

“It was nice to have a big support system down there,” Adams said. “I’d go to work with him every day. I grew up crawling around his fieldhouse. Charleston, it was a good place to be.”

“He [Mike Adams] won’t tell you that, but he built a football powerhouse down in Charleston,” said Jana Harper, wife of Farmington defensive coordinator, Jay Harper.

After Charleston won the state championship in 3A football in the 2008 season, Mike Adams was invited back to speak at a banquet to commemorate the development of the program.

“He started the Charleston legacy,” Adams said. “I got to go with him and that was a lot of fun to see kind of how much they love him, still.”

Adams grew up going to every one of his dad’s games and practices as the Adams family compiled football memories during a career in coaching

“All I ever wanted to do was to go hang around him and his team,” Adams said. “I knew from a very youngage that I wanted to be a football coach, and I’m sure that comes from growing up around the game and having such a great role model like my father to try to model myself after.”

Within a few years, Mike Adams remarried and, along with bringing a mother into the household, came a new brother, Robin Adams’ son, Jon David, whose father had passed away when he was six months old.

Adams refers to the expansion of the household as on the plus side of the adversity. The brothers are three months apart and have been frequently mistaken for twins.

“We’ve grown close,” Adams said.

Adams, 25, is beginning his second year as head coach of the Farmington seventh grade football team along with serving as an assistant with the Cardinal varsity. Adams earned a degree in Kinesiology, which, according to the University of Arkansas website, is designed to prepare for a variety of career options in the vast field of Movement Science, including teaching Physical Education, coaching, analyzing and prescribing fitness programs and athletic training.

“He spent a lot of time in college learning how the body works, how to protect kids and how to get kids in shape,” Mike Adams said.

Mike Adams said experience garnered from Spencer’s college career playing football at Harding University has helped the Cardinal football program.

“He’s a great teacher of technique. He got to play two years of college and learned a lot there,” Mike Adams said. “He brings great understanding of pass protection. I’ve learned several things from his experience passprotecton-wise.”

Adams said while he doesn’t know much about upcoming opponents, neither do they have a good knowledge of the Cardinals.

“That’s the beauty of seventh grade,” Adams said.

“It is very rewarding to see these guys grow up and mature over the years they are in our program,” Adams said. “A lot of them impress me. It’s a great blessing to have kids who work hard and want to get better.”

"That's My Bag" and the Junior League

I am a part of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas and this year I am vice chair of a committee called "That's My Bag". As part of this committee, we assemble back packs for children that were abruptly taken out of their homes and put into foster care for various reasons. When this happens, they are allowed to take nothing with them. These bags are filled with comfort items for the kids to make the transition a little easier.

This is my second year on this committee and I really enjoy it. Since I have been so abundantly blessed in my life, I feel it is only appropriate and necessary to help those in my community. I know our League and this committee are directly affecting children in our area. In previous years, we were only reaching Washington and Benton Counties, but this year, through my wonderful husband and his contacts in Madison County, we were able get hooked up with Madison County and now their children will be given bags. When I made contact with them they were so excited because they say so many times the smaller, outlying counties get overlooked.

Recently a NWA philanthropic publication, 3W Magazine, wrote a story on our committee and it is posted below. If you would like to make donations to be provided in the bags or get involved, please let me know.

The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas is making additional strides in improving the local community in 2012, including expanding its services into Madison County with “That’s My Bag.” The League’s “That’s My Bag” project is a partnership with the local Department of Human Services (DHS) that provides backpacks and care bags of necessities to children who are taken into foster care or are taken out of their homes abruptly.

“That’s My Bag” has aided hundreds of children in Washington and Benton Counties since 2004. With the League’s additional resources, this year Madison County received its first set of bags in August. The care bags are filled with clothing, underwear, socks, toiletries, a toy or stuffed animal, and additional age-appropriate items as needed. Contents of the bags are either purchased by the League or donated by community members, and the League fundraises throughout the year to support the campaign.

“As stewards of our community and citizens of Northwest Arkansas, it is important to remember that this area consists of more than just Benton and Washington Counties,” says Gracie Ziegler, “That’s My Bag” committee chair.

“The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas wants to reach all the surrounding areas including those that, in some ways, are in even more need of our services. Madison County is a perfect example, and we are so thrilled that we can help children by providing necessities and a small sense of comfort,” adds “That’s My Bag” committee vice chair, Meredith Pettigrew.

This year, the “That’s My Bag” committee will assemble and deliver an estimated 250 bags to the three county DHS offices and additional agencies. The committee will also work towards providing more customized bags to help accommodate as many children as possible. Customization will be done by age and gender.

For more information about the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas, the ‘That’s My Bag’ project, or to become an agency beneficiary, visit www.juniorleaguenwa.org, call 479.751.7054 or email info@juniorleaguenwa.org.

This is What Happens....

When you ask your die-hard Razorback Fan husband to take a picture with you when he realizes his team is going to lose....

1. "No smile because I am mad"

2. "Ryan I know you aren't smiling so SMILE!" = Smartass face

3. "Seriously?!?"

4. "No, Seriously, SMILE damnit, I am starting to get pissed!"

5. And this is the best I got. His fake smile. 

Results = a miserable, terrible, embarrassing lose to a directional school. Sad day for these Razorback fans.