Thursday, October 18, 2012

A Moment of Silence Please...

I am embarrassed, ashamed, mortified, distraught
 and all other words like unto it.
 It has been 7 months since I have blogged...7 whole months.
 Pitiful...
 There is someone to blame. 
Her name is instagram, and OBVIOUSLY she is a temptress.
 As if I couldn't see her coming from a mile away, 
one of my very last blog posts was about her. 
I feel sorry for my little bliggity-blog,
 but am comforted by the fact that
 every single solitary day of my life 
is still being documented.
(often more than once each day, I gots it bad...)
Ms. Instagram is not only a temptress but also
 habit forming, addicting, familiar, recurrent
and all other words like unto it.
So...
 as to not leave out all those many months
 and BIG occasions that happened in our little world, 
i'm going to do a quick recap.
It's probably not going to be quick, 
grab a soda and get comfy.

We were using the pods as storage units 
while they were still sitting in the driveway


Once they got picked up,
I felt like we were moving all over again.
Stacks and stacks of boxes 
in every nook and cranny of the house
Oy Vey...

APRIL

After weeks of pushing said stacks of boxes 
from corner of room to corner of room,
I finally got some things workin in the littles' rooms



Then came Peter Cottontail, 
Hoppin down the bunny trial
Hippity hoppity Easter's on it's way...


MAY

Track season is here,
and I can faintly make out
 the sublime musical score of 
 "Chariots of Fire" 
in the distance.


Our oldest baby Dre qualified for the HS State meet. 
Forget about raining cats and dogs, 
every animal on old Macdonalds farm 
was dropping from the ominous skies.
Despite frigid temps, intermittent hail storms, and all those angry falling varmints,
he ran like the wind.

"Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move,
 my thoughts begin to flow."
-Henry David Thoreau

Then there was
The Beehive Bazaar.
It is such a fantastically hip show,
 I feel privileged to be a part of it.


Then I chopped my hair.
What was I thinking???


And then,
 as if someone suddenly pushed the fast forward button,
our oldest baby was graduating.


Surreal...

JUNE

This month brought balmy days and birthdays.
A ten year old Blythe and a Sibley who turned 12.


JULY

The celebratory month of Independence 
started with a bang 
unlike any other... 
A mountainside all ablaze, 
that was far too close for comfort.


The fire was soon contained and
 we were reminded to be forever grateful 
to those who
 fight for our safety, our independence and our country. 





Our summer was filled with shave ice...


and skating, swimming, and strategies...


and ended with Sundance.




AUGUST

That pesky fast forward button got pressed again
 and we were dropping our biggest brother off at college.


The littles were nearly swept away 
in a flash flood of family tears.
Daddy almost had to break out the scalpel 
in an attempt to surgically remove my death grip.
And i suddenly felt as if this boy 
couldn't possibly be my "little man"
who just yesterday 
was littering the floor under his highchair with Cheerios
 and perfecting his name in  purple sharpie 
on the living room wall.
But it IS him,
and we will miss him 
every minute of everyday.


Our boys started football 
and our Blythe went to soccer camp.


And then,
just before the CRAZY fully set in,
the countdown was on.
 6 DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL STARTS!
Only 6 more days yo... 


AND THEN THAT GLORIOUS THING CALLED SCHOOL WAS HERE.

Sibley was the first to go,
 as all new 7th graders do.


Today she didn't die
Today she didn't forget her locker combination
Today she didn't get lost
Today her teachers weren't mean
Today no one said her hair was "puffy"

The manic early morning tears were in vain.
Today was a good day.
A day of firsts for our little big girl.

The next day
 the rest of the school joined the seventh graders.
Christian had a good talking to 
about the responsibilities of being
 a kind and helpful 
big brother.
I think he will step up to the job
(or else)

an hour later 
the littles were off...


(new shoes make you run faster you know)

Only having 2 in elementary school is crazy.
My babies are getting old.
Which in turn means 
so am I...

 a perfect segway into 

SEPTEMBER

and my birthday.

And was it ever a birthday!!!


9 scavenger hunt filled hours.
I went from destination to destination, 
each time receiving an envelope filled with 
witty words and crazy clues
leading me to the next 
landing place.
A different friend awaited my arrival at each spot. 
It was beyond delightful.

Got my toes did
Saw "The Words"
Ate lunch at Zupas
Got my nails did
Indulged in some soy chai, 
while I indulged in the likes of
 Austen, Dickens, and Burnett
(quite possibly my favorite gifts)
Then on to 
"an establishment where it takes a keen eye to hit your mark"
TARGET of course!
Met up with my lover 
(the mastermind behind this adventure)
for dinner at our favorite place to eat when we were courting.
And finally
home to our anxious babies 
for cake, ice cream, and kisses.
This man of mine knows me well.
Just another reason why he is
my favorite and my best...

Then I started crafting
and crafting
and crafting some more,
so that on the first day of 

OCTOBER

i could fill my neglected little etsy shop
with Halloween goodness.



and thanks to so many of you,
it's nearly sold out.
My heart is full 
(and needs a vacation)

You likewise,
 are probably in need of a respite
(or at least a quick nap) 
for making it to the end of this post.

A post that brought my little blog back to life.
A post that quite possibly only a mother could love.
 A post after 7 loong months 
and that is cause for celebration.

 If you've made it this far,
you've seen a glimpse into our crazy happenings.
And maybe,
just maybe,
want to stick around awhile.
So here's to this blog,
ramblings, grammatical errors, run-on sentences and all.
Welcome back...






Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Unwelcome Houseguest...


We have been in our new house for one week.
While I would like to gush and go on about 
how wonderful it has been,
I can not.
For the day our pods arrived in the driveway,
Mr. Malady
decided he would like to move in also.

Mr. Malady is a boorish and crass fellow.
He is unpleasant and pushy and rude.
Mr. Malady is your crazy Uncle (once removed)
who ruins Thanksgiving dinner.
Mr. Malady is "that guy"
who kindly gets escorted from the restaurant 
for being far too boisterous.
Mr. Malady is a ne'er do well
who likes to do the lame finger guns thing.

I do not like Mr. Malady's personality.

Mr. Malady arrived with lots of luggage in tow.
Not those pretty bags with LV's embossed about the leather,
or those savvy samsonite vintage types 
in mustard and red.
No, 
Mr. Malady came with
 tattered and torn satchels.
Totes that looked as if they had been long forgotten
 in the dank depths of baggage claim. 
Mr. Malady's bags were filled with 
fever, and aches, and pains.
Horrible things that TSA officials  
would never let through security.

I do not like Mr. Malady's parcels.

 Mr. Malady likes to be in charge.
He didn't take kindly to Mr. Nyquil, or Mrs. Tylenol.
He scoffed in their faces.
He triumphed in their inabilities. 

I do not like Mr. Malady's arrogance.

Mr. Malady pretended he didn't hear me 
when I asked him politely to leave.  
He turned a deaf ear when
I told him it was time to pack his bags.


 Mr. Malady is now trying to influence my kids, 
oh no he di'int...

 I am a lover, not a fighter
but Mr. Malady has left me no choice.
I'm taking my earrings out
pulling my hair back
and greasing up my face
cuz it's on...


Pssssst...
My door is no longer open to you 
Mr. Malady.
So guess what?
 get to steppin...






Monday, March 12, 2012

The Week in Review...

If you have an iPhone
 and you don't instagram
U KZ!
While it is indeed yet another social media time suck,
it's a fun one.
And since it's on your phone 
it's readily accessible every second of the day.
No need to go get on your computer,
just reach in your pocket or purse 
when a notification comes through 
and it's there,
in the palm of your hand.
Now,
there is where also lies the time suck aspect.
It's on your phone, in your hand, every second of the day.
(Not EVERY second, come on, I'm not that addicted...um...)

Just in case you haven't heard about it, 
The creative Chantelle from fatmumslim
came up with an instagrom challenge
for each month.
Each day there is a prompt.
You just use your creative genius to come up with a photo 
that takes the prompt literally or completely not literally. 
Here is the photoaday challenge for March.



I've been playing along since the middle of january.
I wasn't sure if I was going to start March's challenge
but I hate to be left out of a party
so here I am.

I wish I had started this "week in review" when I first started.
but alas...
Better late than never.

Here is my week in review (one day late, geesh...) 

Day 5...a smile


Day 6...5 pm.


Day 7...something you wore.


Day 8...window.

My eyes are the windows to my soul. A teary soul it was after a bout with
Marley and Me. 

Day 9...red.


Day 10...LOUD!


Day 11...someone you talked to.


It's quite entertaining and a fun way to get a little creative.
So if ya didn't know, now ya do.
I challenge you...

Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Few Visits...

I cant believe that we're already looking at colleges for
 my BABY.
While you're in the daily grind,
some days, weeks and even months seem to draaag!
But looking back 
time has flown,
and it's sad for dis momma.

On Monday we took Dre up to visit Weber State.
I have never been up there 
and 
was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the campus.
We met with the defensive coordinator, 
then slowly one by one 
the entire football coaching staff came out to talk to us,
 so that was a bonus and a good sign.
They have a really good football program
 that I guess is on the rise.
Weber State is a smaller school (division 1 AA0.
Dre is a mellow, not "show-boaty" type of kid
(in stark contrast to some of our other children, whose names will be withheld)
so he felt really comfortable there.
Hmmm, 
perhaps we'll be the proud parents of a Wildcat?


While we were driving back from Ogden,
the craziest thing happened.
Will got a call from Utah State 
saying that they had just watched Dre's film
and wondered how soon we could come up there 
to meet with the coaching staff.
CRAZY!
So the very next day 
we made the hike up to Utah State in Logan.
It is in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!
Once you get there, 
Logan is a regular town,
but the process of getting there,
Oh My.
Utah State is a division 1 school with division 1 facilities.
It was sooo nice!
We met the coaching staff and talked for awhile with the team academic counselor.
He stays ON TOP of these student athletes
 and has the entire team at or above a 3.0!
now that's Impressive with a capital I! 
That in itself made the
 "scared to death to send my baby off to college"
fear subside a bit (a bit).
The team was about to start practice 
so they invited us to come down and watch.
We especially paid close attention to the corner backs, 
and with a little weight and muscle packed on,
Dre matched up perfect.
It's a much bigger school than Weber State, 
which Dre noticed and commented on immediately.
But we'll see...

Hmmm,
maybe we'll be the proud parents of an Aggie?


Decisions, decisions...
(and isn't my baby still like 4? oh where has the time gone?)