Monday, April 28, 2008

Our day at Razorfest...

This past weekend we took the kids to Fayetteville for the annual Red/White football game and Razorfest. They had a BLAST! From games, slides, football and more, the kids loved every minute of it! We game home with seven mini footballs, four T-shirts, and lots of candy! Just what every kid wants. Ethan was a little disappointed that he missed Matt Jones. He was in a very long line and due to time constraints they had to cut the line off and they just missed the cut off. He was disappointed. He loves Matt Jones! We took pictures of our future Heisman winner posing on his Wheaties box cover! : )
He also won a pair of Brandon Burlsworth glasses, which he loved!
Scarlett had a great time as well. She always loves anything outdoors! She loved the big bouncy slide houses! That is just her style! and all the free stuff! She was in heaven! She won several T-Shirts that are about ten sizes too big but she has worn them around the house for the past two days.

After a full day and night of games and fun we drove home on Sunday afternoon and did some scenic touring. We stopped in Russellville and ate lunch with one of my friends and her kids. We ate at a little burger joint called CJ"s diner and it had some great burgers! After all this you would think my kids were tired... but you would be wrong! We got home and the first thing they wanted to do was go outside and play. So, dear hubby took them outside for a couple more hours! I on the other hand was exhausted and I took a nap! :) We had so much fun! I think we will make this an a yearly event. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Just an update...

This week has been busy just like the previous few weeks but we have had a lot of fun. To start off Ethan and I went to see the High School Musical on Ice Tour with a friend of his and his mommy (who is a friend of mine) and we LOVED IT! I felt guilty that I did not take Scarlett because she would have loved it, too. Scarlett went out on a "date" with her daddy and they had a great time. She was so cute when I told her she had a "date" with her daddy and asked if she could wear a dress! She is growing up too fast! SO, the night worked out for all of us and quality time was spent with each child. Here is a picture of Ethan and his friend Davis after the High School Musical.

Monday night we had our third baseball game of the season and all the kids are learning so much! I think I am learning a lot as team mom and staying the dug out during the game with 13 six year olds! Gotta LOVE that! :)
Ethan played pitcher and a line drive came at him and he stopped it and threw the ball home to get the runner out.. it didn't work.. but I was so proud that he knew what to do and eventually the rest will fall into place.

Two of my nephews have spent the last couple of nights with me and we have had a lot of fun! We have been to Target for popcorn and coke, the park, a nature hike, played on the trampoline, the slip and slide and in the sprinkler, and today we went to gymnastics with Scarlett. At this moment I have two kids running through the house and one in the bathtub yelling at the other two! I have discovered what it is like to be a mother of four the last couple of days and I think I know why I stopped at two! ha! :) but don't get me wrong.. it has been a lot of fun just tiring.

Almost the weekend! Yeah! I only have a couple of more weekends on the "weekend option" rotation at work and then I will be back in my comfort zone of PRN! As needed! I LOVE the sound of that! In the meantime we will keep juggling baseball, soccer, gymnastics, softball, ballet, friends, work, family.. all of the above! We are off to Fayetteville this weekend to take the kids to Razorfest (I say "kids" but I really think this is more of daddy & Ethan kind of thing) Scarlett and I just go along for the ride and for fear that we may miss out on something.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

BUSY! BUSY!

We are so busy these days with activities for the kids! I love it but occasionally it would be nice to just sit at home...but then again.. we would probably complain about that, too! Our schedule is very full. We have something everynight of the week and occasionally a couple of things.

Monday: Ethan's Baseball games
Tuesday: Soccer Practice/ Pokeno for me
Wednesday: Scarlett Gymnastics/"Movin' Up" Play with friends, Church
Thursday: Baseball Practice
Friday: Every gets to relax...and I go back to work! UGH!!!
Saturday morning: Soccer game, birthday party, and High School Musical Ice Tour that night.. and then I go to work at 11pm
Sunday: Church, SLEEP!!! and get ready to start all over

Where does everyone find time to do so much??? Scarlett is ready to start ballet, so I have promised her I would call today to find out exactly when the summer session starts. We have bought her ballet slippers, and her tap shoes so she thinks she is ready! Not sure when we will fit that in but I am sure we can. I appreciate now so much everything my mother did growing up. My brothers and I were involved in everything and looking back I think my mom spent a lot of time in the car running us around and yet she never complained and I personally think she missed all that.. because guess who has been at Ethan's games the past two weeks and shows up at his soccer games and is even willing to take Scarlett to gymnastics when we are busy.. YEP you guess it.. good ol'MOM! :) I appreciate her SO MUCH! Definitely makes my job a lot more fun and a little easier.

We did find time to go fly kites! The Easter Bunny had brought the kids some kites in their Easter Basket so with the windy days we have had we decided to go try them out. It was so much fun! I think hubby and I enjoyed it more than the kids. Ethan did really well and Scarlett tried really well! She would get scared it was going to "float away" when it got too high.


With all these things going on I have decided that I HAD to get back into the gym and start working out extra hard since I have slacked lately! I need to add some new songs to my Ipod workout playlist. One of my faves that always gets me moving really good is Kelly Clarkson's "Never Again", when that song comes on I always seem to step it up just a little bit more!
So tell me.. what songs are on your Ipod workout list that get you up and moving? I need some HELP!

Have a great Tuesday! American Idol is on tonight! Yeah!

Friday, April 11, 2008

My funny child...

I just got off the phone with my mother who asked me if "granny" aka her mother told me what Scarlett had said to her. I always cringe when people ask me that question because my sweet little four year just says whatever is on her mind! I of course said "No, granny didn't mention anything". So she preceded to tell and this is apparently how the conversation went...

Scarlett: "Granny, you have ugly toes! You need to fix those, they are nasty!"
Granny: "I know, Scarlett..I am old and I have ugly feet."
Scarlett: "You need to cut your toenails."
Granny: "I know, but I am too old to bend over anymore so I can't cut them."
Scarlett: "Well, my momma cuts my toenails and she can cut yours, too.. and she will paint them so we hide the yucky!"

After the conversation with my mom I asked Scarlett is she told Granny she had ugly feet.. and she quickly informed that she did not tell her she had ugly feet.. just ugly toes! :)

It might be a while before my granny wants to watch my kids again! ha!

Have a good weekend.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Okay, so I was not prepared..

I said I was prepared for someone to go home on American Idol..and I apparently lied. I was totally shocked when they told Carly and Syesha to sit down and Michael Johns was going home! Not quite as shocked as I was the night Chris Daughtry went home.. that was a very dark day in my household.... but shocked none the less. So.. I guess dialidol.com is not always near right! They were definitely wrong here. I hate to see Michael Johns go home, especially after hearing him sing on Dolly week.. he was AWESOME!!! But THE SHOW MUST GO ONE and someone has to go home every week.. I just wish this week someone else would have been told it was "the end of the road."

Ethan First "At Bat" as a Texas Ranger

As promised here is the video from Ethan's first at bat. It is a two minute video but the last 10 seconds is the "HOORAY"! That is when he HIT the ball! We were so proud of him! This is his first year playing ball and although we knew he understood the mechanics of baseball, getting on the field and watching the ball in order to hit the ball is two totally different things. He has a great stance i.e., his elbow is up, knees apart, and watch the foot turn! WHEW! When he does get a hold of the ball it is going to soar! I know I am a total nerd when it comes to my kids playing sports. I just LOVE it and baseball is my favorite! Too bad Ethan is not a BRAVE, but Texas Rangers are OK. How cute does he look in that uniform???! He is getting so big! Of course the red cleats were his idea, I tried to explain the he was a blue team, with blue pieces, but no go he wanted red cleats and they actually look kinda cute. I am team mom and had to stay in the dug out and keep the boys under control! What a job that is!!! Ever try to keep 13 five and six year old boys in a 10x5 hole???? That is not easy! Hubby and my mom were operating the camera and the video. That is a proud Nana you hear at the end of the video exclaming "First RBI of the year!".. and RBI means a "run batted in".. so his hit scored the first run of the season. Which is something to be proud of. I can't wait until next Monday when we have our second game. It should be FUN!

I, in my old age, am going to go after playing yet another year! I figure if my mom could still be playing, why shouldn't I? I enjoy playing so much and was afraid that with the kids involved in so much I wouldn't be able to play but I think we as a family can make it work out. My mom is the pitcher and I play second base on our church softball team.. so nothing wild and crazy just a bunch of Christians trying to display a Godly attitude even in losing. I figure since I am still learning that lesson.. maybe I should play another year!

Have a great evening! Hopefully AI will not kick anybody off tonight since it is the week of giving but if they do I am prepared! :) All of you AI nuts? Ever go to http://www.dialidol.com/? It gives you an idea of who might be kicked off.. according to them it is Carly. We shall see! :)

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

"How Come..."

Last night while trying to go to bed and go to sleep my sweet little four year old.. soon to be five (OUCH!) wanted to know "how come?". She did not ask "WHY?" like most kids her questions were "How come?". I answered about fifty "how comes" before I finally insisted that we MUST go to sleep! You see hubby and I have given up the fight of getting the kids into their own bed. Mind you , we tried, we have tried for years! We had Scarlett in her bed and then at two years old it is like she woke up and realized Ethan was in bed with us, why shouldn't she bed and the madness began! A lot of nights, I sleep with Scarlett and hubby will sleep with Ethan.. not quite the best idea but it beats a lot of bedtime drama.

But last night, I was tired and ready to go to sleep, I had heard for two hours how tired Scarlett was.. but once we were in bed.. she talked! and talked! and talked!

Here just a few of the questions:

"How come Spongebog is yellow and Patrick is pink?"
"How come when it rains there is thunder?"
"How come you like to listen to music?"

and there were several more! Finally she decided it was enough and then she sang! She sang everything from Hannah Montana and Alicia Keys and at this point I figured why fight it I sang along! We sang for a while and then she wanted to hear "her song". I made up silly little songs that I used to sing to both of them when they were babies. Ethan has "his song" and she has hers! Both of them are quite silly, and just something that came to mind while I was holding them and USED to make me cry everytime I tried to sing it to them.. guess what?? Nothing has changed. It's almost eleven, I am singing in the bed with my four year old and CRYING. Quietly crying, but so sad that so much time has gone by and it is going by SO QUICKLY!
I guess she could tell and she took my hand and told me that "she would always be there to hold my hand" and with that she rolled over and went to sleep.

Thank you, GOD! For my beautiful children. I am so blessed!

PS: Ethan had his first baseball game! As soon as I figure out how to post video.. I am going to post the video of his first hit. He scored the first RBI of the season! YEAH! I am a total sports momma! I was so proud of him!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Nothing much to say..

Do you ever feel like you just do not have anything exciting going on to blog about? My week has been pretty normal, except of the couple of minor meltdowns on my part over trying to clean the house! ha! I feel like I have such a mundane schedule most days and then I start to read other blogs and trial and tribulations other are going through and realize I should find comfort and peace in my "normalcy". I have a blessed life! I have two great kids and a wonderful husband and family. What more could I really ask for? Sure there are things.. but they would all be superficial. I am going to try to find joy in my "boring, day to day life" and blog about that! It may be boring but it will be my life!

I did this week decide that no more working full time! After six years I took a full time weekend option job in September and we as a family have been miserable with me working Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I even tried working just 11p-7a on Saturday nights, but it was still such a huge burden on me. I have been asked several times in the past about picking up a Thursday, which would put me working four days in a row! I laughed and told them, "I already cry on Sunday, if that was my fourth day I would be suicidal!".. They thought it was funny... but they did not realize how truthful I was being! It became critically evident to us that while I was working for our family and sure the money was great and I was working weekends because that was what was best for our family.. but in saying I wanted what was best for my family I was failing them in two of the most important areas. The kids were not as involved in church as they needed to be (nor us for that matter) and my homeschooling was getting down to the basics, all these great ideas and fun activities were just not happening... we were doing just the basics of reading, writing, and math. So, I was failing my family in trying to take this on and more and more I was becoming convicted that the money was not important. My family being in church was what mattered.

So, I handed in my notice that I would no longer be able to work on Saturday nights and work the weekend schedule and there was such a true weight lifted off of me the minute I let it be said. I know I made the right decision, I just pray that we all adjust well, yet again! I thank God for the conviction and not giving up!

I hope you all have a blessed weekend coming up!