Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Sunburn

A sure sign that I am getting older...

We went to a Round Rock Express game on Sunday and I got sunburned after only being in the sun a couple of hours. It is on my upper chest area and it is really bothering me. Jeff and I have been know to be in the sun for days with only SPF8 and not get burned. I don't know what is up with this. And to top it off, it looks like old lady skin. ARGH!!! I wish I had a working digital camera to give you all a visual image.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Memorial Day

Well, it has been quite a while since I last made an entry. I have still been a blog reader, but just taking some time from the documenting. Have had a whirlwind last few days. I am sure I'll share about it at some point.

This morning I got up and went to work. I wondered if all of the people that were missing from my morning drive were at home thanking someone that lost their life for our country. Do people still do that? Our family does acknowledge memorial day and we have talked about it with the kids, but what about everyone else?...I wonder.

After work we drove to Pedernales Falls State Park. It is one of our favorite state parks and is only about an hour drive from our house. Some of you might remember that our family picture on this year's Christmas card was taken at Pedernales Falls. We had two reason for going...one is that I needed some time away from the phone and the house and the stuff and the second is because the Blanco river is ROARING!!! We have seen it rise a few times, but I am pretty certain that I have never seen it this angry. I know that sounds goofy, but it is raging. Dangerously out of control. I am including a link to the photos that the Austin American Statesman took on Saturday. The water has gone down some, but it is still scary to me.



So you'll see in the first photo, it is all of us at the falls. I hope you can tell how hard and fast the water was coming down. It was pretty loud and felt so nice and oddly serene down there. One thing learned while down at the falls...#2 said that she liked it down there cause no one could hear you toot and the wind was blowing so you couldn't smell it.



The second photo is MY LIFE!!! JC couldn't hear me screaming to get #4 out of the water. Look how close he is to being swept away by the water. JC says that I am overreacting, but I say that a picture is worth a thousand words.



About the third photo - We planned to have a picnic at the park, but I was certain that the kids wouldn't get in the water because of how fast it is moving. Well, naturally, Jeff is like 'sure, they can put their feet in the water'. So we hike down to a swimming area away from the falls and as you can see behind the kids, the water is still moving fast. And...there was really no bank to sit or hang out on because the water is so high. JC decided he didn't want to get in with the kids, so that left me (fully clothed) in the water with them and freaking out the whole time. Most of you can prolly hear me yelling now..."you are too far", "don't push your sister", "don't get close to that tree". The good news is that I don't think my freakishness ruined the water play too much for them.



And about this last picture. Have you ever seen the commercial(for Carnival Cruise Lines, I think) where they parents are on vacation looking for the 'endangered species' or something like that? And at the end of the commercial they find it and it is the teenage daughter smiling. But as soon as she sees them taking the picture she stops smiling. Well, our kids do smile and are very happy, but this moment reminded me of that commercial. For years #1 and #2 were BFF and did everything together. Then each of them started changing and they started bonding more with their same sex sibling. Well, today, they were laughing and talking and goofing off and it made me so so so happy. This is my very favorite picture from the whole day. I didn't do a jig to make them laugh or bribe them to smile. They didn't even know I was snapping pictures. They were having fun and I LOVE IT!!!! This is just another reminder of how I am so lucky and exactly where I am suppose to be in life.

Okay - gonna go get on the couch and watch Cars with the kids. Great movie and great way to end the day.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

'Mommy, do you suck the head?'




Mother's Day Crawdads



Sunday wasn't just a big day for soccer, it was also Mother's Day. Fortunately for me, AJ and Uncle Jimmy invited us to come to Round Rock for a crawfish boil with some of their neighbors and friends. What a great great time! Our kids had never eaten a crawdad before, so it was a great day of firsts. Uncle Jimmy taught them how to crack the shells and even suck the head. (Which I told them they couldn't do!) You can probably tell by the picture that #3 wanted no part of it. #2 LOVED them and #1 and #4 thought they were a bit too spicy. The biggest part of the day was playing in the three buckets that had live crawdads! #4 got pretty smart about pulling out the ones with straight tails!

Thank you AJ and Uncle Jimmy for making my mother's day so nice.

The Dream

I am running late to get the big kids from school, but I was thinking about LL (HLB) earlier and this old old song popped into my head. I haven't listened to it in ages, but is a song that takes me back to old times and safe places. I can close my eyes and feel the music - even without listening to it.

David Sanborn - The Dream
#8 on the playlist. Just click to get a snippet.

Some of you will understand and have a little feeling of home too!

What About Brian?

OMG!!! I just found out that my favorite Monday night show 'What About Brian?' has been axed. I read on the web that ABC announced the cancellation on May 15th. What are they thinking? I probably know 25 people that watch the show. What will I do without my Monday night commerical break phone calls to AJ and VJ and after the show commentary from TC and KR? I love this show! I love the characters! I love the music! I LOVE BRIAN!!!

Oh, I am so so so bummed out!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Go CRUSH Go



As most of you know, our family is BIG into soccer these days. The kids just love it. There are times that I think it is kind of pointless to just be running back and forth, back and forth chasing the ball, but they ALL LOVE it! So #1 has been playing with basically the same group of kids since 2nd grade. The team is called the Orange Crush. We have an INCREDIBLE group of boys. There is not a bad seed in the bunch. They are all friends and have a great time together. So after many many season of playing together they finished the Spring 2007 season as undefeated in their division. Wow - what an accomplishment! As a result of their successful season, they were invited to the regional soccer tournament that picked the best teams from all over Central Texas to play against each other. So, here we go, off to more soccer games on Mother's Day weekend.

Well...you would not believe how exciting the whole weekend was (seriously). We were at the soccer field on Saturday from 9:00am until a little bit after 6pm and back at the fields at 7:15am Sunday morning. Those boys played beautiful soccer - and for two days straight - all day long (and in the heat to top it off)! We won every game in the tournament and made it to the finals. We won the final game 2-1 with a double overtime. Oh my heavens, I was a nervous wreck. I knew in my heart they would win, but I was just so so nervous about them losing because they had worked so hard all season long.

Not only is #1 becoming a talented soccer player, but he is also gaining much more from this team. Their coach is a volunteer with no kids. She has been with this group of boys for many seasons. She does this because she loves it. She has played soccer her whole life and is actually on a champion soccer team that played in the Deaf Olympics in Australia and they WON!!! She has taught the kids good sportsmanship, some signing and to be kind to all of the people that you come in contact with. I know that she is the reason that this team has accomplished so much and is so well respected. I feel so so so lucky to have someone like her in #1's life. And I am so dang proud of all of these kids that I could bust!!!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Mother's Day Bonanza

All of my gifts were homemade by my kids. I love that. They were all very nice, and here are some of the ones that I think you will think are funny!

Three Shrinky Dink pins that #4 made and I can wear on my shirt. Wearing all three today and proudly.

A book of poems from #3, here is one...
Mother
clever, nice
playing, loveing, reading
worker, mothr, friend, wief
snuggling, baking, listening
sweet, helpful
mom

A handmade card from #2 that says...
I love you more
Than the swan
loves its wight
snowy fethers

I love you more
Than a kitten loves
its milk!

I love you more
than a baboon
love its butt

I love you mommy
more than enything

Thursday, May 3, 2007

A Kaffy Kind of Day

Been having lots of computer problems at work. UGH!!!! Spoke with a help desk rep. this morning who was obviously in another country. He was very kind and kept saying "I'm sorry for your trouble Kaffy." "Thank you for your patience Kaffy."

I could tell that he really was trying hard to have the correct pronunciation of words and to talk in an American tone. Nice to actually speak with some who wants to help and doesn't put me on hold. Too bad he isn't in American though.

Kaffy

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

A Gift from #3



This afternoon we were very busy working on school project with #1 and #2. #4 was crazy busy working on his new 100 piece Simpsons puzzle. #3 was also very busy 'doing her work'. After a while she said, "mom, I have a gift for you and dad." So I closed my eyes and followed her to the front door. Much to my surprise, she had made an art project on the inside of our front door. She wrote on papers and taped them to the door with lots of hearts and love. What a beautiful beautiful gift. Each paper had one of the messages below...

You shod love faimley

Familey is inprtint

Care abat them

Famley comes firs

Allwas love evrey one in your famley

I love Sam Ella Jena Miles mom and dad

Nevr be mena to your family

Famiy shood be the moost inpotint thing in life.

The Titans Curse



Well, last night was a late late night for our clan and a huge day for #1. You see, #1 is probably the biggest fan that author Rick Riordan has ever met. Riordan is a children's author and May 1st was the BIG HUGE release of the much anticipated 3rd book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series. We've had it marked on our calendar for months. Having read and re-read the first two books, our #1 has been chomping at the bit to get his hands (and eyes) on the third installation. So...we had Bookpeople hold a copy and picked it up right after school. He started reading immediately. Then after soccer practice we went back to Bookpeople to attend the release party and the book signing. Well, what a great experience for our #1. He was very excited to hear the author read an excerpt from the book. He also came to realize that he doesn't ever really need to be one of the people that are so excited about the book that they dress like the story characters - I guess he is like his dad that way, a stand back and observe kind of guy!

So we got to Bookpeople around 6:00pm and we were walking out a little after 10:00pm. It was a pull a number sort of system. My dH expects there were over 500 kids there last night. It was CRAZZZZZYYYYY!!!! We couldn't possibly leave though because our #1 was so so so excited to meet Riordan and have his book signed. So we waited...and waited...and waited...until finally, sometime after 9:00pm they called our group of numbers. Woo hoo! At that point, we got in a line on the first floor (which ran through the store) and patiently made our way all through the store and up three flights of stairs until...PRESTO...Mr. Riordan was sitting at a nice table kindly signing every child's book and very enthusiastically answering every child's question. What a great author! Our #1 came home last night with a smile from ear to ear and an even greater appreciation for the written word. It was a wonderful opportunity to see how a book can touch people both near and far and from all walks of life.

Thank you Mr. Riordan.

P.S. You might also want to know that we were not even the end of the line. Many people were waiting after us! And, I'm happy to report that #1 is on page 63 and chugging along. I think he hopes to be done with the book by the weekend!

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Welcome to My World

Here is a typical conversation at our house...

(Background information: running late for soccer practice, trying to get all 4 with shoes and water and balls out the door)

me: go ahead and head to the car please
#3: do we hafta actually get in?

A Funny From SG

SG sent this one to me today...I had to share it considering how funny it is (or maybe sad, I dunno)...

Do you take this drunk guy’s brother ...
With groom reportedly too inebriated, sibling steps in, takes bride


Updated: 1:58 a.m. CT April 30, 2007
PATNA, India - Villagers at a wedding in eastern India decided the groom had arrived too drunk to get married, and so the bride married the groom's more sober brother instead, police said Monday.

"The groom was drunk and had reportedly misbehaved with guests when the bride's family and local villagers chased him away," Madho Singh, a senior police officer told Reuters after Sunday's marriage in a village in Bihar state's Arwal district.

The younger brother readily agreed to take the groom's place beside the teenage bride at her family's invitation, witnesses said.

"The groom apologized for his behavior, but has been crying that word will spread and he will never get a bride again," Singh said by phone.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18389704/?GT1=9246

Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Six Degrees of Green

I will be honest, I have been planning this post since the weekend when I came home and was pleasantly surprised by a comment I received from an old friend. I'll admit, I've have been lurking around this person's blog for a while and have even become addicted to the blogs of his better half! So it got me to thinking about this person and wondering how far we go back and in my head, it kind of turn into the six degrees of Green. While I am truly amazed by all of these different connections, I also found myself a little frustrated because it made me realized how much I am forgetting (names, places, etc.). So Greens, feel free to correct me, but I think this is a perfect example of how the Alvin web has been spun!!

Anyhow...here we go...

1. I went to church for many years with Minnie Lea and Doyle (right names?) and even had dinner at their house (grandparents to Green).
2. I was a teacher assistant with the Green mom (Jan?) at the Alvin school by the junior high. (Can't remember the name of that school for the life of me - could be because I was a Manvel Warrior!)
3. Green was a long time roommate with our dear friend Swank on 4th Street. (I think that was the name of the street)
4. My dH employed Green's old friend Meade (sp?) for a short period at the Monkey in San Marcos.
5. My SSM friend (see cast of characters to the side) has a link to the Green blogs and thinks fondly of them both - which is what led me to read their blogs. (**Side Note - SSM friend is also from the BIG A and we also went to church together from the time we were wee little girls! SSM friend is also a BFF w/HRLLLB.)
6. In HS, I 'went with' JMac who was good friends with a guy named Chad (also can't remember his last name) and I think he was in the ROCK band with Green.
7. My HRLLLB has maintained a friendship with Green and is often speaking fondly of them and of Alvin days.
8. I think I worked at K-Mart w/Green (but also can't remember that for sure.)

Well anyhow, this might not be very fun for you all to read, but it has sure been fun for me to try and remember. How great it was to grow up in a small town in the 70's.

Oh No!!! Blog Brain Overload

Well, it has been 5 days since my last post (as most of you have noticed) and I have blog brain overload. I have a really long list of things that I want to post and just can't seem to get it done. Don't worry though, today is the day. Many many things to say.

Let's start with the weather...I am so so so thankful for the much needed rain. Maybe my beeehind won't be scrape-in' rocks this summer during the annual tube trip on the Guadalupe. Most years I get out of the river feeling beat down by the beer and the sun. Last year we all got out of the river (after walking a good portion hauling toobs and coolers) feeling beat down by the lack of water and hours of butt scrape-in'!!!

So come on rain - we need you!!!