Sunday Adventures

Today the kids and I drove up to Lake County to check out our cousins' new house and to visit Grandpa Jim and Sinda. We drove up after church (and I prayed the entire time that there would be no throwing up), spent an hour at the Ely's housewarming party and then headed up the mountain to Grandpa Jim and Sinda's.

The kids played with Kristi's two wiener dogs, Rex and Lucy, played in the hot tub, and had a yummy dinner followed by ice cream sundaes. Spoiled much? OF COURSE!

After dinner the kids got jammies on and we headed home, but not before Little A (and Big A after the fact) checked to see it there was anything under the rug. Okay.... So that's not really what they're doing...

"Little A, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see my shirt glow in the dark!"

It was a beautiful day with family and friends. Now it's off to catch up on Big Brother!

Productive Saturday!

Today the kids and I ran errands while B was at the orientation for his credential program. We got donuts, went to the dance studio to pay Little A's tuition, went to Lowe's to buy a little grill and some propane, and then headed to Costco. We also planned our camping trip with Grandma and Grandpa and took LONG naps! Productive, I'd say!

In the car Little A was singing "I'm A Little Tea Pot" but she gets it mixed up with "I'm A Little Snowflake" which her class sang for the Christmas show at school last year. The song came out something like this... "I'm a little tea cup short and long, I fall from the sky and I don't make a sound."

I gently tried to correct her, explaining that it is a tea pot, not a tea cup and that it didn't fall from the sky, and also trying to explain that she was confusing the two songs but she wasn't having it. Big A, being the wiseacre that he is, asked, "Where did the tea cup fall from then? The window?"

While we were in Costco, Big A and I were talking about school and the fact that he's in elementary school to which he replied that he'd HEARD of elementary school, but didn't realize he was IN elementary school. (That must somehow be more prestigious than kindergarten???) We talked about which grades are considered elementary, which grades are middle school, and which are high school and I told him that after high school he goes to college. He said, "Then I get a job. WOW! That's SOOO fast! It seems like just an hour until I'm a grown up!"

DAMN! He's right! Stop the train, I want off! I'm having a hard enough time accepting the fact that he's starting kindergarten next week, but being a working adult?!?!? SLOW DOWN!!

Later in the day Little A was telling B about our errands. "DAD! We saw Christmas and Happyween stuff at Costco! There were lots of ghostas!"

Oh man... Those two sure keep me on my toes! I love them SO much!

Girls' Night

GIRLS' NIGHT! YEAH! Our friend, Sherry, needed a night on the town so being the good friends that we are, Tracie and I gave up our Friday night to help a friend in need (Big sacrifice! HA!).

I wasn't feeling well Thursday so I decided I'd let Tracie and Sherry be the DDs and I'd drive. What's that? DD is designated driver? OH! I thought it was designated drinkers! Well... Anyhow, they were sure good at what they did!

We ended up at The Cheesecake Factory and were all STARVING by the time we arrived. We ordered six 'small plates' and by the time we finished them, we had no room left for dessert but we all took cheesecake to go.

We had an awesome time talking and laughing and relaxing. We covered so many topics it was crazy! And how a conversation jumps from one thing to another so far removed is beyond me! I suppose it could be the Sangria talking???

Where should we go next, and who's driving??

Until next time, Cheers, Girls!! I love you!

It's The Last Day Of Swim Lessons....

....and I'm SOOO proud! Both kids have come SO far!

Big A can swim across the pool (long way and short way) on his front AND on his back, is able to get rings from the bottom of the pool in 11 1/2 feet, is beginning to dive and jumps off the diving board and goes down the slide with NO fear. Little A can float on her front and back, is beginning to do arm strokes and will jump in anywhere in the pool. She even goes down the slide if you start her at the vary last turn.

Operation Beautiful

Yesterday morning I was listening to K-Love on the way to work and I heard a story about something called Operation Beautiful. Operation Beautiful "is a viral community effort to increase self-confidence and stop negative self-talk. Operation Beautiful has nothing to do with how much you weigh; it’s about who you are intrinsically as a person – and that is BEAUTIFUL!" Operation Beautiful encourages women to encourage other women with post-it notes placed on mirrors; Notes that simply say things like, "You are beautiful just the way you are," or "You are gorgeous."



Take it from 'the fat kid', this is an AWESOME idea. Now I KNOW I'm a beautiful person. I may not be eye candy to the average Joe on the street, but that makes NO difference. I'm surrounded by family and friends, I have a good job and am active in my church and my kids' activities. I LOVE MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

However... I also know that there are people out there who don't have it as good as I do. The world is filled with people of all shapes, sizes and colors who are unable to SEE that they are truly beautiful people. Society and our peers put so much pressure on people to 'look right' that we forget what is really important... INNER beauty.


That being said, why not join Operation Beautiful? How hard could it be to throw a stack of post-its and a pen in your purse/diaper bag/car/pocket and plaster the world with messages of beauty? You never know when one of YOUR notes might change a person's life forever.


GO FORTH AND POST-IT!

Back To School Time!

Oh yes, it's that time again... BACK TO SCHOOL time! And let me tell you, the kids are SOOO excited! Big A has a mental countdown to kindergarten going and tells me every day how many days he has left. For the record, there are SIX days before he starts kindergarten (OH MY GOODNESS! My baby boy is SO grown up! Boo hoo....) Little A has 11 days before she starts back to preschool. She'll be going three days a week this year. And B? Well... B has been assigned to a local school for his first semester of observation in the teaching credential program. He'll be teaching reading to first graders every Monday.


In preparation for back to school...

The practice books are being worked on feverishly....

The school supplies have been purchased...

The school clothes are ready...

The lunchboxes have been chosen...

And the lunch-packing shopping has begun...

Bring it on, school! We're ready for you!

Bundle Of Energy

I love this girl more than anything in the world but sometimes I just can't figure out where she gets all of her energy. This is just a two minute snap-shot of my day. She talks, sings, dances, moves, etc.... NON-STOP!

How in the WORLD can she keep up like this??? She wears me out just watching the video!