Back in business ....and The most HYSTERICAL thing in the world

Well, I have tried (many times, too) to think of a way to write what an incredible summer we had. I kept thinking I had to do that in order to start blogging again. You know, since there is an undeniable (huge) empty spot between getting a puppy and now. Rest assured, that hole is only on my blog, not in my life, there is no empty spot here.

Since I cannot possibly find the words to say how much I loved this amazing summer of camping and playing and,well, just life, I guess I will save it for another day. I am sure the words will come to me once I get more practice at using them again.


We are back in school after taking the summer off and are loving it. The summer off has worked the opposite of usual. It seems to have refreshed everyone enough that the subjects have embedded themselves further into their minds and they actually REMEMBER EVERYTHING from the end of the year! It is wonderful. We were able to dive right in and have not spent much time re-hashing old info at all.

The three younger kiddos are in soccer. There is a homeschool soccer league here where we live that is fabulous... which leads me to the most hysterical thing of all...I am an assistant coach.

I will now take a moment for you to laugh....

Better now? Okay.

The lady that started the league said she was short a few coaches and the words " I will help" popped out before I could even help myself. They were luckily followed quickly by " I don’t know a thing about soccer, except you kick a ball around , but I could set up cones or something..."
She nicely replied, “you could be an ASSISTANT coach then" and smiled politely.

She was very smart and put me with the four and five year olds.

They don’t need much help from me other than a good job cheer every once in awhile. I catch the ball ( usually...)when the coach tosses it back from the goal and then place it in front of the next kid to kick into the goal when we are practicing. I run after the ball when they kick it clear into the nether regions of our practice area. I listen while they all tell me how fast they can run, what their favorite color is, how their little brother can't play soccer because he isn't fast enough yet since he is still a baby, and pretty much everything else they might want to say at any moment.

I tried to help pick a name for our team, they were suggesting things like blue snakes, blue dragons, blue transformers, and yellow snakes (which is funny cause we are a blue team...that would have been a little confusing). I suggested blue butterflies which didn't even warrant a response other then hysterical laughter from everyone.

I also help them listen for when the coach calls them into the game. If it weren’t for me they would get so caught up in tossing the dried clumps of freshly mowed grass that they would miss the entire game.


So there you have it, you have had your chuckle for the day,at my expense, yes, but with my permission. That makes all the difference.

Me, a soccer coach, assistant or otherwise…. Now THAT’S a good one.

Oh, by the way, we are the Blue Dragons.

Our New Arrival

We finally decided we needed to take the plunge and add to our family. The only additions possible in these parts are found at the pet store. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that we are now a dog family and could not be more tickled with our new little one.

We are all in love with him ( yes, I said him, Rich is no longer the sole male in this estrogen packed household.) He is brilliant and funny and soft and fluffy and well, I will stop there. I am dangerously close to becoming one of those puppy owners that carry their pet around in a cute purse and dresses them up each day...someone help me....

Here are the vitals-

Name: Dudley Darin
Weight: 1.3 pounds
Height: Approximately 4 inches
Breed: Maltzu












Click on photos for full cuteness effect...

Skills

She struck again, by she I mean Paige. She is always good at giving complements.

Today she said, “Mom, remember when we first moved in here and you said it would take you forever to learn how to work this microwave and oven?”

“Yes” I replied, leery of what was coming next. I am sure the concern was obvious in my voice.

“That’s funny huh, because now it is what you are best at!”

I have skills folks. Crazy good skills.

Uh, Babe....

I am glad to read that everyone has not given up on blogging. When Rich read my post about Facebook he said "Uh, Babe, facebook is not new..."

I am sure to the rest of the computer literate world it is not new, but to me it is. Bear with me folks.

Move Over Blog...There's a New Distraction in Town

And this town is not big enough for the two of ya. Is it me or has everyone (including me) not been blogging lately? It feels like a blog ghost town out here lately. I check almost every day to see if anyone has updated and days and days go by with nothing. The minute I realize that there is one I love to read it. I wonder if everyone is just too busy??

Or maybe it is because there is a new thing in town.

(Cue old western music and crickets chirping in the background)

It is called FACEBOOK. I have had several people tell me how incredibly fun it is and that I have to get on. I did for a minute and a half and then deactivated my account because honestly, it stressed me out. I know. I'm weird.

Then after a few weeks curiosity got the better of me and I re-activated it again. I sort of like it, I am trying to anyway. It has its intrigue for sure, but I still love blogging so much better.

What do you guys think? Are you making the switch? Are you going to still do both? Has blogging lost its appeal? Or are we all just so busy we haven’t posted in forever because there is simply not enough time?

Curious minds want to know.

A Series of Un-Unfortunate Events...

Which in this case means fortunate, very fortunate. We have been busy, busy, busy with wonderful things. This time of year always makes for a series interesting events. We are flooded with birthdays and holidays and fun get-togethers, and honestly, it is my favorite time of year!

We start the year off with New Years and then two weeks later is my birthday. I am getting old that is a sad,harsh reality. I was okay with it last year, this year… not so much. I decided that to lighten the mood I would celebrate for the entire rest of the month. It was wonderful. On my actual b-day I received an interesting gift that I will have to write about later, it was not a gift I could unwrap but more a sweet gesture of friendship and an answer to my prayers.

A couple days before the actual day I came out of my bedroom and said in true Gilmore girl style, “It’s almost my birthday, are you soooo excited?” We love a birthday in this family!

Paige answered (of course) “Yes! What do you want for your birthday?”

I replied “I want to be spoiled rotten and not do dishes for the entire day!”

Paigie quickly quipped “Okay, we’ll try not to use any then….oh wait, did you mean you want us to do the dishes?” Then she giggled herself silly. Yes, folks, this is my life(and I adore every single moment of it)!

The night before my birthday Rich and I had a date night and went out to eat and then to see Twilight, what’s more is he took me again for our anniversary! Twice! This guy’s amazing I tell ya.

Tori made me a bunch of darling coupon sort of things that entitled me to a manicure, pedicure, massage , hair style, kisses and hugs and disallowed me to lift a single finger the entire day. Good stuff, folks. I soaked it all up like a trooper. All the day was full of birthday wishes and friends stopping by with goodies and birthday hugs. Phone calls, family visits, and e-mails sprinkled like confetti during the rest of the week helped in making my two week celebration special.

I went to breakfast with the “January Girls”, a group of ladies from our ward that I am proud to be a part of. There is something about celebrating with a bunch of friends, most of them over eighty, that helps put things in perspective. I have never had a more wonderful birthday. Thanks to everyone for making it so fantastic. The gift of family and friends is the best gift of all!

I do have photos, but you know where they are. I will post when I get them off the ever-loving camera.

The next, and most wonderful, was our anniversary. I am married to the most incredible person in the entire world. He is my very best friend, confidant, and soul mate. We are two peas in a pod he and I. I don’t think I can say anything more that will do it justice. I have never loved anything more and every day it just gets better and better. Thanks babe for making my life what it is. I love you… like crazy.

Next was Rich’s b-day. This guy is adored by all of us girls in this house. He was spoiled and loved and cuddled and kissed the entire day. We had a great couple days with fun outings and his favorite yummy foods,presents, and lots of laughing and teasing. He is starting to feel old and has to ask me how old he is, I am not sure he really is forgetting as much as denying. Funny guy. Someday I am sure we will look back and say "remember when we were only 38?" Bring it on.

Last, but not least, was Valentine’s Day. We had a fabulous day! For my b-day I was gifted a long wished for item… a Fondue Pot. A person cannot have just one fondue pot,you see, so Rich received one for his b-day as well. So, we had one for oil, one for cheese. What about chocolate you ask, well Valentine's Day provided the last fondue pot. Thank heavens, because you cannot have a Valentine’s party without chocolate.

With all the supplies we needed present and accounted for we were able to have a wonderful “FOND-A-YOU” party! We fondued ‘till our hearts content and had a blast. Yes, pictures are on the camera.

So there it is, a series of un-unfortunate events. We loved a lot, laughed even more and made memories to last a lifetime. I can't wait for next year.

Excuse me ma'am, I'd like to return this, please.

When you have children you sometimes pass things on to them. Sometimes they are good things. Sometimes they are not.

I have one child that did inherit a slightly disproportionate amount of my traits. She thinks it is great. I love that about her.

When I tell her she is cute she says ‘that’s because I look like you’.

When I tell her she is cheerful she says ‘that’s because I am like you’.

When I tell her she has beautiful eyes she says ‘that’s because they are like yours’.

When I tell her she is funny she used to say ‘that’s because I get it from you’. Now we have decided it is actually from Grandpa. That’s okay.

When she does certain things she asks me if I was the same when I was little. She grins when I say yes.

There is one thing she gets from me that if it were a gift, the kind all wrapped in pretty paper and lovely curly ribbons and not just an unfortunate genetic mix-up, she would be willing to stand in a line for three days to return it. It is something that she will probably dislike more than anything in her life.

It has a name, one that brings a shudder to those familiar with its menacing ways, the name is MIGRAINE HEADACHES.

Yes, I did it. I have passed on the thing that I most detest -the very thing that makes me most frustrated about my life. The thing that makes me feel the most out of control of myself.

There is nothing more agonizing as a mother than seeing your child in pain. Watching them cry and look at you with those eyes that plead for relief is its own kind of torture. There is nothing that makes my heart hurt more. Except, that is, for when she manages to squeak out the words ‘why do I get these headaches?’.

I don’t know. I really don’t know.

The thing about this kid is that she is amazing. She is the kind of person that will get through it. I know that. She is resilient and brave and even witty about this trial. When her head stops hurting she jumps up and goes about her day, none the worse for the wear.

She even forgives me I think. Amazing I tell you.

I do wish that there really was a line we could stand in, together. I would not care how long it was. I would gladly take the migraines back from her. It is one thing I am okay with being greedy about and keeping only for myself.

Ya, that sounds like a reasonable plan. After all, I am quite certain there is something else she would rather have.