this, that, the other, and Karma kicking my backside...

Field Trip!!! Went with the Kindergarten classes to the Farm... M HAD to wear her pink and black cowboy boots and her "cowgirl pants"... I don't know why she has dubbed them Cowgirl pants, except maybe that she's seen a cow that same color???

Of course brilliant me went without taking my allergy medication - you should have seen the wheeling and dealing that was happening at those tables while the girls were making their mini-gardens in a glove... I eventually got a Zyrtec off a friend for a stick of gum - I definitely got the better end of the deal, because without being able to see, smell, or breathe - fresh breath is nothing.

I get to spend the morning on Saturday at the IronMan... this is no wimpy Triathlon folks - this is some SERIOUS proof that a participant is certifiably insane. Needless to say I am not actually doing any of the running/biking/swimming on Saturday morning... I think I'm actually in charge of removing the little silver foil lids from the Gatorade squirt bottles so that the athletes do not experience the same frustration that I so often see my kids go through when they can't get the stupid straw into the Capri Sun. This, my friends, is why water is healthier for you... it's got nothing to do with the sugars and electrolytes... it's all about that silly foil cap!!!

I don't actually personally KNOW anyone who is participating in this race... so I'm going to be pulling for #27... simply because he was biking in front of me on our local roads yesterday (Thursday) with his number already written in indelible ink on his toned calf. (and yes, a happily married woman CAN say that about another man's calf) He was courteous in traffic, so he gets my vote. Oh right... voting doesn't make a lick of difference in a test of physical endurance... hmmm... well, if I see him, I'll be sure to hand him a Gatorade with a smile :) (oh wait... hmmm... just realized I won't recognize him except from the rear view with the number visible on his leg...) oh well, Gatorade for EVERYONE!

The T-boy got his hair cut. No joke. sometimes you just gotta relax as a parent and let it go... but now I'm a little bit worried that there are going to be MORE girls breaking down the door... especially since he ALSO turned 15 this week... check out this "cake to go"... he's off camping with his scout troop as I write this instead of home watching hours of Monk (which is what he wanted to do for his birthday) so we decided a cake in a box was appropriate... and since Panda Express is his favorite "to go" meal... Ta-dah!!! I can't take all the credit since I saw the idea in a book titled "What's New Cupcake" that I saw at Wally World while shopping for birthday treats. (and YES, I actually purchased the book instead of just stealing the one idea... it's a great book actually... second in the series and the first is just as good!)

oh, and that Karma thing??? I want to point out (for the record) that I never said ONE thing about last months talks... the ones given at my daughter's baptism. I might have thought a thing or two (mostly along the line of "whoa, that was... brief") but I kept it to myself. The ONLY thing I said out loud was during one of my early morning walk/therapy/somnambulation sessions and that was that I wasn't GOING to say anything for fear that I would be saying the talk next month.

Karma sucks. Out loud or in your heart, Karma is listening... so guess who is speaking tomorrow? Okay, well, don't guess - it's pretty obvious. I even tried to use the IronMan as my excuse for NOT doing it... but the bishopric member asking me happens to be a runner and thus knew full well that my volunteering at bike aid station #1 would not take until 4 in the afternoon. To be fair - he did offer to let me lead the music... how wrong is it that I'd rather speak than wave my hand wildly around and pretend I know how to lead music? Did you know I "lead" the music every week for the primary? (the young kids at church) Yep, pretty wrong... I like to hold up pictures just so my hands have something to do besides waving in 3/4 time...

and the school year is coming to a close... still about 4 weeks left, but only 2 weeks left of my after school program... I have mixed feelings about that... I've learned a lot (photoshop, movie making, that I never want to be a full time teacher) and I will miss it... maybe I'll keep making weird videos and you'll have to put up with them here??? Watch out... it may happen!

Pride is of the devil...

and yet... how could I not be proud of my little girl... for so many reasons really - but this photo was taken on the occasion of her baptism (just over two weeks ago now... I know, I'm slow to post)

you see, in our church a child is given the opportunity at age eight to be baptized into the religion. I have met people who think that this is far too old... and others who think it is far too young. Me? I think it's just right - because my eight year old little wonder knows so much about the tenets of our religion and she certainly knows how to choose between good and evil (and only occasionally does she opt for the later... evil grins mostly).

See the pride in my eyes? See my little H just reveling in all of the attention. See ManOfTheHouse (who just celebrated a birthday this week!) trying to give a "natural" smile? I'm proud of us all. Proud of me because I didn't fall apart too much. Proud of H because she's an amazing little person. and Proud of M.O.T.H. because he is a great Dad who was able to baptize his princess...

all* the missing photos

Note to Self: When you get a new camera and are SO excited to start using it... take note of where you put the camera cord... and when you realize it is missing, instead of searching multiple stores for a usable card reader and every room of the house for said cord... open up the box again... just in case.

That being said, I've been posting for awhile now without actually having any visuals to go along with my humorous (or not so humorous) tales... today is the opposite... a picture is worth a thousand words right?
That's my eldest son T showing off his ability to lift heavy amounts of snow above his head to create the uber tall snowman... the nearsighted snowman apparently. So THAT'S where my glasses went!
Shelle, April and I at Cafe Rio... back awhile ago... where did the "other" photo go?
M finally lost a tooth! I think she is only the second of my children to be able to join the kindergarten "lost tooth club"... trust me, what a relief!
W and his Sock Monkey PJs inspired a one of a kind birthday cake... he didn't look too sure at first, but obviously ended up liking it just fine!
Birthdays crammed close together can be stressful - but take advantage of the good things! The girls had a joint "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs party" and I had fun decorating the cake...
of course, apparently our smoke detector doubles as a stress and noise detector because it went off no less than 8 times during the party... good thing it was time for the Outdoors portion of the party.
and the ice cream toppings raining straight down from the sky... ermmm... porch - awesome!
8 is a big age - and since the BIG #8 photo has mysteriously disappeared from this post you will have to just enjoy the small excitement photo... yep - pierced ears. We figure if her Heavenly Father trusts her with all that responsibility that we, as her earthly parents, could trust her to clean her ears.
M has been begging to go bike riding. The problem? She doesn't actually know how to ride a bike. Oh well, practice makes perfect right? It also makes bumps and bruises... but I'm sure she'll be willing to give it another go once she heals completely.
M turned 6 (officially) and wanted a Strawberry Cake - Strawberry Flavored and Shaped... I was in a BIG hurry - so this is what she ended up with... I think she felt a little cheated, but she got over it!
Egg hunting in our yard - that's Po... isn't he handsome in his snowflake jammies? wouldn't he be annoyed if he knew they were on here?
aren't we just egg artistes? (shhh... humor me)

a very dear friend of mine brought her kids to town - they were sorely in need of a vacation and we were able to meet up one night at what my kids have termed "the twirly whirly death wish park" - here are our two little 7/8 year olds risking life and limb on some crazy nausea-inducing Euro contraption. Since H is my little clone and E is a clone of HER mother I like to think that this is exactly what we would have looked like as children had we had the opportunity to go to a death wish park...
We got some Iris bulbs last year from a neighbor/friend/fellow blogger - and H has been tending them tenderly since their planting. She feels a special connection to these flowers since her middle name IS Iris... she checked on them daily and told me with great excitement last week that one was about to bloom. Just one of the many plants had produced a stalk with buds - and then the boys were playing ball in the backyard... a broken stalk and lots of tears later we brought it inside and placed the stalk in a vase. Ta-dah... no more tears, and this morning we woke to a beautiful flower!
okay, so by "all" I meant more than you wanted, and not even 5% of what was actually taken... but that's plenty :)

I'll post the one that disappeared later... it's worth its own post, really!

in the company of amazing people...

my week was ummm... INSANE

really - truly insane. but wonderful.

I think I met some of the most amazing people on earth. There were also some amazing people that I'd already met thrown in the mix...

Monday I woke up - packed my bags for the week - tried to clean up the house - had the tires re-balanced - and crammed in lunch with Shelle, April and her husband, and Crash and her husband. Now... these ladies are hilarious on their blogs - and do not disappoint in person! So happy that we could fit in this little lunch before I had to fly out of town at 3:00! (and here's hoping that Crash's husband has not filed a restraining order because since I finished hugging his wife I just felt in the huggy mood - handshake shmandshake, that's what I always say!)

Tuesday/Wednesday - I spent the whole day(s) in a FREEZING cold conference room at the Hilton for the commission on volunteerism. Seriously - this nice hotel put a newspaper outside each room in the morning but didn't have refrigerators in the rooms... apparently they wanted you to leave your leftovers/water bottles in the conference room because they kept it cold enough in there to keep a dead body fresh for days. As a matter of fact, I wondered about a conference attendee for most of Wednesday until I finally saw her flinch. I came very close to sending a message to Kristina and asking her to sponsor an emergency "Snuggies for Conference Attendees" drive.

Thursday - after a fun service project that involved trees, dirt, trash bags, and lots and lots and LOTS of mulch... I was ready to go home. Eager to get on the road for the 5 hour drive I was a little peeved when I noticed my friend/carpool member striking up a conversation with a fellow volunteer. I want to formally apologize for that moment of peevishness. This man (Michael) is originally from Sudan - he lived there until 1985* at which point he left - and spent some time in Kenya, a bunch of other smaller African nations, and Egypt... he showed us photos of him with an Ambassador that he used to drive for and drew us a nice map of Africa to illustrate the journey. He left behind 4 brothers - 2 of whom joined the military - who have all since died due to the political unrest in their country. As the last remaining brother, Michael is making plans to return to Sudan to take care of his 9 nieces and nephews who are currently under the care of his 14 year old niece. Asked whether or not they could come here he explained that although it was possible it would take a long time, and he needed to get there quickly so that the 14 year old could go back and finish school. When I came home and told my family this story MY 14 year old son just wanted to help... and I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know anything more than Michael's first name. You know what though - I am keeping this story in mind... hoping to stay more appreciative and thankful for what I do have.

Friday - home again I worked a crazy day - but was able to fit in lunch with Shelle and April once again - this time joined by Tauna... who is from a MUCH colder place and spent the lunch amazed by us locals who were wearing hoodies to keep from the chill in the air... yep, we're wimps :)

Saturday - I spent the day with lots of people I've met many many times - but who constantly amaze me. Family. Lots and lots of family travelled a goodly distance to come and see my daughter as she chose to be baptized into our church. It was just wonderful to look around and see friends and family who came to support us. One sister-in-law spent a goodly part of the morning cooking with me - as a part of her spring break no less. Each person was appreciated and the day was beautiful. Being able to take my daughter's hand as she came out of the water I was just ready for a special mother/daughter moment where I told her how proud I was of her for making such a responsible decision. She spoke first... her wise words? "Holy CRAP that is cold water!"

ahh... gotta love her!!! Maybe we'll try for a sweet spiritual moment when she's a little older :)

Got Dragged to Kansas

twice actually...

Once was about 13 years ago when the ManOfTheHouse decided to go to school in Wichita. Did I want to live in Kansas? I didn't think it would make a difference since it was right next to us anyway - but I KID YOU NOT - I was amazed every time I showed my I.D. when we arrived. At least 50% of the people I showed the I.D. to (grocery clerks etc...) asked me why on earth we would purposely leave Colorado to move to Wichita, KS. Not a good sign - it was kind of like the Welcome Wagon in reverse. As a matter of fact - the first time we made a trip to Wichita when considering the move - a windstorm sucked the rear window out of our car... talk about bad omens. Watching it fly into the air (intact) and then shatter into a million little pieces was amazing... and I would have just chalked it up to monumentally bad luck - but then it started raining... which was Kansas' way of spitting in our eye and saying "and don't come back!" We did go back... and had some rough years - but made some incredible friends... so Nyah Nyah to the windstorms - you didn't get me down!!!

THIS Kansas would be the band... what, you say you don't know them? Yeah well... I didn't really either - but by the end of the concert I had recognized a total of two songs (and you know them too...) "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry On my Wayward Son"... see, know you know as much as I do about the band. Walking into the concert I decided I was going to make the best of it and began counting Mullets. Turns out there weren't too many to count after all though (once I finished with the actual band) because those that had kept to the "party in the back" had pretty much given up on the "business in front"...

Question: Is it considered a Mullet still if "business in front" translates to "balding in front"? Just wondering - because that might change the Mullet count...

later all... I'm trying to get my bloggy momentum back - hopefully my days at the volunteerism conference will give me lots to write about :)