Social dance & a kid loving high school...

We are all shocked that Shay has taken to dancing like he has,

in his words, "Best class, ever!"

on a side note,

Saturday as we were coming home from Soccer

Keaton exclaimed, "I'm unstoppable!"

My first thought, "Wow, he needs to be humbled."

I am blaming this on Dale because the next thing Keaton said was,

"Mom, what does unstoppable mean?"

The IV drip I like to call family...

I have an idea that will make me rich.

Self-confidence in liquid form (& no, I am not talking about Diet Coke).

Just a little IV drip each night to put back a little "I don't care what others think of me" into my daughter's bloodstream. Rich, i'm telling you.....millions.

My mom said it will get worse before it gets better. We are going to need it STAT.

Until then, I have to say a big thanks to cousin Ali (who happens to adore Baylee and was just as good as an IV) and to a thoughtful Grandma (picnics and carnivals work too).

what FALL looks like at the FORBES (through FOTOS)

Of course, there is college football...

and flag football...

Shay trying to explain the line of scrimmage to 5 year olds

cut back for a TOUCHDOWN!

and then there is soccer...

* it should be noted that Dale is coaching both

then there is the blooming social life...

Tanner's birthday party

Shay at Homecoming

and a few design jobs for me...

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

but...

Fall is my favorite time of year, I love the crisp mornings, the mellow days, putting on sweaters, wrapping up in blankets, eating soup and finally, finally...the end of 100 degree weather.

Stretching...

I figured that since I was employed by a Technology College, I should become more 'technical'.

This is my latest purchase, isn't it pretty?

(Yeah, I might be able to work it.)

Tuesday I had class on how to use a smartboard, yugma and a gadget named Elmo.
I have learned to use (& barely understand) terms like Kaizen blitz, Six Sigma and

Lean Manufacturing.

And tonight, I am going to read about fire and rescue accreditation.

My comfort zone has officially become a thing of the past.

Quick change artist...

On average, Keaton changes his clothes 3 times a day.
The outfit must match the activity after all.
I was mortified though, to see his pile of shorts as I did the laundry this week...22.
No wonder I can't catch up on laundry.
Clearly, the boy needs a talking too.
And then it hit me...

How, how (?) does he have so many to begin with?

Working...

I have entered the work force again and I am now employed by Dixie Applied Technology College.

There are a few things that I have learned by working...

1. Since I am not around to do everything, the kids miraculously figure things out on their own, who knew?

2. I manage my time so much better when I am busy, and I have been BUSY!!!

3. I kind of like it.

However, sometimes the best laid plans...

It is back to school time and I have been stressed a bit about Keaton and working out babysitting for him before Kindergarten, I had it all arranged for the first week. Things looked as if they were ready to go...

Yesterday, Dale called me and said Keaton came home with a headache...

Ten minutes later, he called and told me Keaton had thrown up all over the floor.

And this morning, I had to call in to work, because he continued to throw up all night.

Have I ever said how much I love the stomach flu?

In any case, here are the kiddos on their first day....(this pose was painful for Shay and Tanner, can you tell?)

Summer fun...

Cousin Natalee came & stayed for a few weeks...

a great time was had by all

swimming...

sewing...

trip to Price...

baptisms...

pasta factory...

soda sale...

and if you have ever met her, you would know that there was alot of other things as well,

kitchen kids, plays, pottery, all night parties, movies...to name a few.

So much fun, the kids are already having withdrawals.

Who knows how we will ever get used to a schedule and school again.

Love you Natalee!!

Boredom...

Remember how I made the mistake of saying that I might actually be bored?...

Yeah, well, never mind.

Talent...

It really is unfair that I came to earth not being able to sing. Yeah, I know, I have other talents, blah, blah, but singing is one that I really wished I had and no amount of practice time in the shower is going to make it better.

I hope that there is a place in the next life where I can live out my dream,
where I could play the part of Galinda "with a ga" or even more appropriately, the part of Elphaba.

It would be an awesome part of heaven don't you think? My mom could be a ballerina, Shay could play on an NBA team, Dale would be working at Rivals.com, and my Dad would be sitting in a cow pasture as Sarah Brightman serenades him. Ahhh....

I guess I will just have to settle for being a spectator. Which I was. The other night. And can I just say, that it lives up to all the hype. If you get the chance, I highly recommend it...

Amazing amounts of talent on that stage...

Camping, surgery-ing, sleepover-ing, designing, reading & summer-ing, OH MY!!

Signs of summer:

Doors opening and closing, opening and then closing again, bringing all types of children in and out. Black hand prints on the walls (a sure sign that I need to power spray the driveway, again), popsicle remnants on the concrete, late nights, later mornings and the endless question....Who can I play with now?

I recently returned from girls camp, Shay is at basketball camp, Tanner is leaving for scout camp next week and Keaton is going to flag football camp, he was a little nervous about it and said "Who will I sleep with?" (Apparently he thought it was like Shay's where he slept over. )

On returning from girls camp, I found out that Shay needed surgery on his nose, so we spent the day with the same nurses, in the same hospital, going over the same things as a few weeks ago. I must say, it is much nicer to be on this side of the deductible.

We haven't seen much of Baylee this summer, she is our social butterfly, the older she gets, the bigger and stronger the wingspan. The girl has made an art out of play...and sleepovers, she is rarely seen without a friend.

The past few days I have been working for some friends, helping them set up and decorate a home that will be used as a company retreat. Furniture, bedding, decor, and a full working kitchen!! Last night, we purchased seven full carts at Target. It is rather fun to spend other people's money and I am finding that I do love using my degree, so much so that I am going to get a business license and dabble in it a bit more.

Sounds like a crazy summer, eh? I am amazed at how much time sending my kids to school takes and how much time I save having a son that drives, sometimes I even find myself positively bored. I have even ventured out to the library and I am currently making my way through a stack full of books.

And can I just say, Where did this weather come from? I am a bit nervous that because we are enjoying such wonderful temperatures now, summer might extend into November. Who knows, maybe it's global warming... In any case, I am loving it.

Come on now Shay...

I keep telling him that he needs to be less confrontational.

You would think that he would listen to his mom.

I don't know what to do, he's always picking fights.

No really,

he had a run in with a teammate while going for a loose ball,

can you say OUCH?

& yes, the nose is broken.

Peer pressure...

The other day Tanner went to work with Dale. For 12 hours.

There was alot of time for conversation.

Tanner came home & was sharing with Baylee some of it, here is what I heard...

T: "Did you know that when Dad was a teenager he wanted to be in this club
where they had initiations, and he had to climb a tree naked?"

B: "Really, why would he want to be in that club?"

And I thought,

please, please, please let her always feel this way, & act accordingly.

(Dale is going to be so happy that I shared his life story with ya'll)

Milestones...

I remember turning 16. Vividly. I remember 14, 15..........16!!! It seemed to take forever, but it meant one thing to me....
Independence.
I had a thing for independence.

Here is my picture of the day...

I took Shay to get his drivers license at 7:00 am.
On the way home, I looked over and saw him smiling. He was giddy.
He was planning out his day, driving to and from school, how he was going to pull back the sunroof, what music he would be playing, where he was going to park.
Independence.
I don't know how I feel about independence.

In the back yard of my parents home, a nest was built and a robin laid some eggs. That robin protected those eggs so much so that my Mom was afraid to go out back. We watched the eggs turn into baby birds and then one day the Mom showed up with a worm & perched herself on the opposite wall of the baby birds. They knew she was there with a worm and opened their beaks, waiting for her to come and drop it in. She didn't. She sat on that wall, forcing her babies out of the nest. Waiting for them to fly. And sure enough, that's just what they did.

Faith.

This letting go, this forcing him out of the nest thing is hard, knowing that he is on the cusp of so many decisions, mistakes, challenges and dangers. Knowing that the best thing for him is to gently force him to fly.

Thank goodness we are not exactly like the birds and have to do it in a two week period of time.

So, Happy Birthday, and Independence Day Shay!!! We love you!!!

Ah...surgery...

I am 6 days post op. One of which I really do not remember, thanks to some wonderful medication.
Things went as well as I could have expected.
I only have an eight inch horizontal scar, rather than a possible vertical one.
My uterus was eight times the normal size, weighing in at just over 2 pounds.
(a difficult way to lose weight, but i'll take it)
I was able to keep my ovaries, so if all goes well, my family will not have to bunker down.
And...
even though I was as close as possible, I did not have to get a transfusion.
Let the Iron building begin!!
I have learned some things over this week...
while it has been nice to lie around, reading books and watching movies, I am grateful that I don't have to do it on a regular basis.
Being able to do housework, drive, and quite frankly, go to the bathroom, are all HUGE blessings.
And...
I am blessed with a network of family, friends and neighbors that are awesome.
I have no choice but to sit back and watch you serve...Thank You!!

Cinco de mayo....

or Ocho de mayo, however you want to look at it.

Last night was our 3rd annual party, I am always amazed at who shows up...

Somehow, Nacho Libre got an invite...

Teenagers...

Last night was Shay's first official date. He went to a school dance, called 'Cheapskate'.

Two nights before the dance I asked these questions:

"Do you have a plan?", "What are you doing for dinner?", "What do you need me to do?"

His response:

"Mom, we've got it under control...don't come in and take over."

Ugh. Okay. I get it. Letting go...now.

Fast forward to Friday night, it's 4:15 pm. His ride is coming at 5:00. He pulls out some t-shirts and said,
"I need to paint our names on these, do you have some paint?" ??????
Fast forward, again, to 4:25 and we are blow drying the painted t-shirts when he gets a text and then says to me,
"So, can we do dinner... here?"

Are you kidding me????????

This, my friends, is why it's hard for me to stay out of things.

Shay: "But we have all of the food, we just need a place to eat"

Me: "Okay, what do you have?"

Shay: "We bought four boxes of Macaroni & Cheese"
(keep in mind, the dance is called 'cheapskate')

Seriously. Are. You. Kidding. Me?

I am a rescuer by nature. I am good at the swooping in. This was no time to watch him fall on his behind. After a frantic trip to the store and to a neighbors, I produced a swanky meal of mac and cheese (this part about killed me), hot dogs, jello and watermelon....complete with sparkling cider in flute glasses, centerpieces & chargers.

At 1 am, when Shay was helping me clean up, he must have said "thank you" 20 times.
I asked him, "on a scale of 1 to 10, how was your first date?"
He said, "probably a 9 or a 10."

And that, my friends, is why I am a rescuer.

Some of the group enjoying the chocolate fountain,

my original responsibility

Hey batter batter...

Keaton has worn some version of his baseball uniform for 20 days now.

Monday night, he begged and begged for a pair of batting gloves, he just had to have them, "for the big game!!"

Today, we took his money & went to Target to buy wristbands.

Tonight, we play the "Red Boston Socks", who "are the best" and could "bury us" because they have a kid named August on their team who can hit the ball "a mile".

Man, I love this kid!!!

Ah....parenthood...

Did I say sometimes I fall short and sometimes I get it right?

When my kids were young, I always felt that others were judging me by the milestones....

"He still has a binky?",

"When do you think that you'll start potty training?"

Since then, my mediocre parenting hasn't been as obvious to the outside world.
Or so I thought...

Shay & I went to the dentist the other day and do you know how many cavities he has????

TEN!!

It's painful, but true.....TEN.....TEN!! And he's not even my sugar eater!!

I could have sworn he was brushing...

Here is reason to retreat...

At quilt retreat I made these...

and this yummy quilt...

and got to see my VERY fun round robin...

all of which made me incredibly happy, but here is the real reason I retreat...

Yesterday I had an echo-cardiogram, the technician asked how many kids I had, I said 4...
then he said "So, do you know what you're having this time?"
I didn't even cry...I just laughed and thought to myself, poor man, I bet he'd like to find a big rock to hide under.

Today I went to the gynecologist & the dentist. Yes. On the same day. I didn't even cry...I just laughed and thought to myself, how did that happen?

I don't know how long it will be till the effects of the weekend wear off...but I'll tell you this, retreating is good for the soul...

My cousin describes it best on her blog, you should check it out...

Those quilters, they have it figured out...

A package came today...
it is the third one that I have ordered in the last month, all from different online stores.
They all looked like this, packaged cute & sent with a handwritten thank you note.
I don't know if they are just inherently detail oriented or just content to be surrounded by fabric, but they sure act like they're happy!!!

(*Hey happy ladies!!! Quilt Retreat is in 6 days.....Yoo HOOOOOOO!!!)

It's all starting to make sense...

It seems like I have discovered the REAL reason I love Diet Coke so much.
I had my blood drawn on Monday.
Tuesday, the Dr.'s office called and politely insisted that I RUN, not walk to the store to get some iron supplements.
I am officially anemic, they rarely see it so low.
Must be why I'm dead tired and always craving a good steak...

Summary...

I am stealing a minute of time to post, and stealing an idea from a cousin to use in my post....

Current house guests: 15

Days they are staying: 7

Pairs of shoes by the door: 25

Gallons of milk consumed so far: 6

Plastic cups sitting on the counter: 22

Average bed time: 1 (am)

Meltdowns because of the average bedtime (not including my own): 4

Years since they have visited: 4

Amount of fun my kids are having: LOADS

Therapy...

I am sitting, eavesdropping, on a conversation that Tanner is having with his cousin, she is on speaker phone. Amazing.

She thinks her butt is big and says that she is fat. He told her that she was being silly & that it doesn't matter what she looks like, it's all about how she feels about herself from the inside.

Wow!! That is exactly the conversation that I have had with him many times.

Maybe he is actually listening.

She said,"you should be a psychologist."

He said, "is it working?"

She said, "no."

I guess now he knows how I feel.

I must be addicted...

How do I know? Let me count the ways...

1. I have a headache and have had one for 8 days.

2. I'm an emotional drinker. I know this because today I threw my back out and I was pretty sure that a Diet Coke would somehow fix it. Tonight I am fighting the urge to run to the convenience store because it would be easier than figuring out how to instill self confidence & moxie into a daughter who's had it all along and lost it somewhere in the last few months.

3. About once every 28 days or so, I get severely anemic. So much so that the Red Cross will not accept my O negative. Anemia=tired. I need caffeine.

4. I just like the fizz.

Now here are the reasons that I will keep up the good fight:

1. Somewhere I heard that caffeine makes your pores bigger. I believe it!! Mine seem to be shrinking. (However, I have had a headache for eight days & I may not be seeing straight.)

2. The static in my hair has not been as bad. (I am hoping that it is from all the water that I am drinking and not from that new hair gel.)

3. Plus, and this one is hard to admit, I just feel better.

4. And, I think I can still be fun without it.

So, with that said, I will stop blogging about Diet Coke. The next time, America, when you read my blog I will be one emotionally sound, smaller pored, headache free, energetic Mom who writes about much more important things.

P.S. I forgot all about my own challenge to create happiness for one day...tomorrow is the day, all day long, I am going to create happiness...wish me luck.

So long, soda....

One week. Seven days. 168 hours. A lot of minutes. Tons of seconds since my last Diet Coke.

I had to call my sponsor today.
It was rough going there for a minute.

Ode to a great Mom...

While Dale & I were off cheering our basketballer on, my Mom took over car pool, tutored my daughter & helped the kids make stuffed pigs for a humanitarian project (their goal is 100!!). I feel very lucky. Enough said.

Call me the Fireman (or woman)....that's my name...

I have been putting out fires for weeks and blogging seems to be only a smoldering one...

Here is what has kept me away...

I have been working on the school yearbook. How did I get myself roped into such a project, you say? I still don't know myself, but if I remember correctly, some lady called me when I was multi-tasking and thus caught me at a weak moment...the answer is always yes when I am weak. Of course, these projects often take far more time than I imagine & this particular one has turned into a wildfire!!

Quilt retreat is coming up, which is a good fire, but my abilities to procrastinate...fan the flames. I have two round robin quilts to catch up on and invitations to make & send. Just a note for family members, the invitations will be coming soon and we are going to have all sorts of FUN!!!

Since I was the one to send out the happiness challenge, I figured that I ought to at least try it out. I have been unsuccessful at spreading happiness for a full day, but have improved in a few areas.
Like now, when Keaton came in & said that he was cold & wanted to sit on my lap (I've been on the computer all day), I said, "absolutely!".



He is now asleep, & making it difficult for me to type...but I'm still smiling.

Or when Baylee wanted to make valentines at the same time I needed to make dinner & pick up Shay.
I showed her where to craft, she made a big mess, the big mess is still there...I'm still smiling. This is a milestone for me.

So, I'm blogging, no sense in getting to that 'clean the house' fire...because no matter how hard I try with that one...it will not extinguish!!!

Time travel...

It really is silly what makes me happy.

This is post for all of you closeted 80's rockers, the other day I was listening to an 80's station on satellite radio & happened upon a little ditty that I had forgotten about...

Autograph's "Turn up the radio"

It made me so happy while I was driving that I actually did turn up the radio & roll down the windows. My kids were mortified!! Which just fanned the flame...

Seriously, too much fun.

2009 Challenge #4...

Ok, I read the last post in the light of day & want everyone to know that I wrote it more from anger, & the need to vent rather than from self pity. However, it is wonderful to have such kind people in my life.
That being said, and in an effort to pull myself up by my bootstraps (I've located the B12), here is the next challenge...

This one is inspired by the General Relief Society conference address "Happiness, Your Heritage" by President Uchtdorf, (you should read it) & by Enrichment night last week...

Pick a day, any day, & for the WHOLE day...

CREATE happiness.

This will be easy for some but really hard for me, as it is not one of my natural talents.

Deadline: February 22nd.
(I am giving you a whole month, therefore a whole cycle, this will come in handy when choosing the day!!)

A call for honesty...

This is one of those posts that I will write tonight, & probably delete tomorrow. Sleep might help me see the delirium. The funny thing is that even as I write....I, myself, can see the delirium. I was reading a blog the other day & the writer called for more honesty....

Here is my honesty....

Tonight, I feel like a failure.

Baylee tried to run away (only for a second), but I am sure that she has cried herself to sleep by now. Her math & spelling scores still remain low, and I can't seem to find an extra minute to work on them with her, let alone get her violin practiced & her book report finished.

We went to Shay's basketball games tonight, & he didn't dress for JV or Varsity, which has never happened before & he was near tears sitting in the stands. It has put my in a dark mood all night.

Yesterday, when I announced that it was a 'fend for yourself kind of night' at dinner....Tanner replied, "every night is a fend for yourself kind of night at dinner."

My weight is at an all time high, I don't know this for sure because I am scared to death to step on the scale, but I feel it and it doesn't feel good.

I am sick of feeling inadequate because I don't have a large educational fund in savings for my kids, my boys don't have their eagle scout awards, my food storage is not complete, my baseboards are dirty, we don't read scriptures every night, FHE is just getting in the car to get ice cream....again?, our savings account is dwindling, and I can't seem to be the happy, have cookies ready when the kids come home from school, let my kids roll down the stairs with the bean bags, kind of mom. I'm hating the competition right now, & I wish I could make myself not care.

My mom would say this is hormones, & I wouldn't totally disagree but while were on that subject....progesterone is for the birds & makes me feel like I, myself could power a good year blimp. arghhh....

So....how's that for honesty?

It made me feel a little bit better.

Maybe tomorrow, after I sleep & have a good run, I will be motivated to delete this post...
or maybe, just maybe something magical will happen in the night & I will not care if you all learn that I am not perfect and that honestly, I am sick of trying to be.

Excercise epiphany...

Because of injury, cold weather, & no motivation, my running friends & I have decided to walk, instead of run during this winter season.

We timed ourselves today... we walk nearly as fast as we run.
My friend said we should aim to be like the speed walkers that compete in the Senior Games.

I don't know which was harder to swallow...
the fact that all these years of running, we were really barely past walking
or
realizing that we are not that far away from qualifying to compete in the Senior Games.

2009 Challenge #3...

Make that Doctors appointment that you have been putting off.

Deadline: Jan. 21st

Oh, & the challenge isn't complete until you actually GO to the doctor.

And the baby turns five...

5 reasons to celebrate Keaton:

1. He is a joy to have around & makes us all laugh at the things he says.
2. His enthusiasm for life is endless, roughly translated...he is incapable of holding still.
3. He is good at pretty much everything he does, even break dancing and tumbling.
4. He is a friend to many.
5. He is a charmer & has every one of us under his spell.


Life got the best of me last week.
I knew I had to plan a friend party & the best day was last Saturday.
It was Thursday & I still had no ideas.
Then like magic, I found this great idea via the internet.
I highly recommend this party, it was a hit!!
We pulled it off in two days,
it really was simple, easy & inexpensive.

Keaton's Carnival
Ping pong toss (the prize was a real live goldfish-which half of them, I'm sure are dead....Sorry)
Football throw, Fishing pond, Ring Toss, Bean bag toss, Face painting, duck, duck, goose and
my friend even brought her horses for horse rides...a great time was had by all.

2009 Challenge #2...

Because the last challenge will take a year to complete, here is another one to keep you busy this week,

Clean and organize a closet.

Hint: You can even take a before and after photo to include in your daily photo challenge.

Deadline, Jan 10th.

My closet and husband will be so happy....