Soccer!

Here is an obnoxious amount of pictures from our first summer tournament this year. Maria's team went up and was tied for first place going into the finals and lost 0-1. It was a tough battle. There was pushing, scratching, pinching, jersey pulling, ankle kicking and yelling. And that was just the parents. Maria was especially pleased with the neon yellow shirt we got her to commemorate the event. Morrie and I were able to watch lots of games with kids we knew from all over the place. It was a great weekend (even though it felt like October outside!).

Pushing!

A beautiful cross.

This is how she is most of the time, a blur!

Can you hear the cleats hitting the ball?

Think. Focus. Fancy move. Then drive up the line!

Smashing into one another.

Kicking with all the mojo you can muster.

Scare the opponent with your skills.

If you are smaller than them, just jump into them! At one point Maria rushed the goalie and in an attempt to not kick the goalie in the face, she pulled her foot back (the goalie had the ball at this point) and Maria crashed right into her and they both were in a heap in the ground. Both were okay. I might have nervously laughed. Or gasped.

My Birthday!

My birthday was a culmination of events- the first being that work gave me the day off AND paid me. I am still trying to figure that one out! It was also the last day of school for the girls. Isabelle's school is grades k-8, so her class, as 7th graders were asked to stand in front of the congregation at the last school mass. They lit candles and were asked to take on the leadership of the school as the new 8th grade class and were given a blessing. Me, cry? Nooooo.....never! (I cry every year when they aren't even my own kids, and now it was one of my own!!!!!!!!!)

Here is a picture of Maria and her teacher. Not just ANY teacher- this woman loooves teaching early American history and all about the pioneers. We love her. Mrs. Maria Elizabeth (the teacher) and Ms. Maria Elizabeth (the daughter). Two peas in a pod, wouldn't you say? Seriously, that is really her name!

These two cuties are just the best ever. We were so happy for Maria's fellow lover of animals friend. Her friend just made a select basketball team the day before- they were SUPER elated. Plus, they are going to go to college together- which is just down the street from her mom's house and they will go to her mom's house for lunch. That was really their plan. Seriously. Could it be any more awesome? Well, it was their plan, now they want to go to school in California. What a difference a year makes, now they want to go have lives of their own? Whatever!

After school got out and I freaked out because I have a 5th grader and an 8th grader now, we had to soothe ourselves with books. Look what I got!

A book called "The Birth of a New Tradition, Season One, Seattle Sounders FC". Someone is verrry excited about this! I feel much better. Let's pretend it's not my birthday, I am still in my early thirties. I am going to go read my book now. Curled up under blanket. In a dark room. Drinking. Pepsi. Not crying about how old my kids are.

Uh...duh!

Something I know for sure....Facebook is a wonderful thing on your birthday!!!

Things I know for Sure

You know it. Time for a little me and Oprah. It has been hard to blog recently, and I wanted to share some of my new found wisdom that I have been soaking up in the Great Metropolis (that's "The Big City" folks).

-I know that I will throw up if someone says "bandwidth" to me again this week

-I know it really means "I have time", so why can't you all just say THAT???

-My bus driver drives waaaay too fast

- We can go 60 to 0 in only 4 seconds.

-I know FOR SURE that I still don't know exactly what to wear to work every day. What is the freakin policy??? I think they just like to laugh at me behind closed doors.

- I know this because they were literally all laughing behind a closed door

-I know that if your resume is 9 pages long, you will not get the job based on anything past page 2.

-I know for darn sure that I miss my girls when I am at work.

-I know this makes me a total sap- it's not like they are babies or anything.

-Excuse, me I have to crawl under the desk and cry for a moment.

-I know I should keep my hobbies separate from my work life.

-But it turns out I can persuade the office that they NEED bright, colorful posters hanging around

-I know for SURE that I'm still in love with the Sounders, despite the fact that they are breaking my heart.

-I know that if I crawl under the covers and hold my babies that everything will be okay even though Alonso and Hurtado are out and Keller is off his game and Bradley can't play as well as my 10 year old.

-I know for sure they need me down at Starfire

-I have to go.

Isabelle: Historian

Seventh grade at our school means one thing: Cultural Fair. It is a project that takes months to complete.The kids research a family member and write an 8 page essay, create a presentation and visual aid, get interviewed by their teacher at the presentation and give their "talk" to everyone who comes by during a 6 hour period! Isabelle researched my dad's mom who began her teaching career as the Great Depression began. Isabelle talked about the struggles of Grandma's life and the struggles of America during that time.

Here she is talking to some first graders and making sure she doesn't say anything too confusing for their little brains. See the quilt on the table? My Grandma sewed that for me when I was three. She made most of her clothing at that time and used the scraps to make the quilt. I love looking at the crazy polyester patterns and imagining them as her pants!

Morrie and I both stopped by, as did my parents and my sister. We also had a very good friend stop by who knew my Grandma. Bernice is the local librarian so many of the 7th graders knew her as well, but she is really a part of our family- so we have dibs! Isabelle gives her presentation to Bernice and then Bernice pulls something out of her bag. She tells Isabelle that Grandma gave Bernice this candlestick holder years ago and Bernice wants Isabelle to have it. Grandma bought it on one of her travels to Isreal. I was a big boo-hooing mess that day.

First of all- when did Isabelle get old enough to be a part of Cultural Fair? Secondly- I miss my Grandma- she passed away at 90 years old in 2001. I was a big boo-hooing mess then too. She was a fantastic lady. Just ask Isabelle.

Lovin my Pioneer

I love Pioneer Farms near Eatonville- and families can go on the weekends through the summer! So much fun is had there. Sadly, for Maria, much work was had there as well. I wanted her to know how HARD those kids worked back then! Welcome to your new kitchen...

She is busy grinding wheat into flour.

Catching her own dinner.

Making a table leg (what? Someone has to do it!)

Guess what this makes me?

Happy Mama!

Ancestry.com

A few weeks ago- when I had hours upon hours of internet "playtime" I got slightly hooked on Ancestry.com- verrrry addictive. I found loads of cool stuff. For instance- my dad's dad had 15 siblings- from the same mother!! Why did she stop at 15? Well, for one, her husband passed away. She never remarried. Can you imagine? The babies came one right after the other. She must have been one tired-ass woman.That's why she never remarried- it was 1919 and she was like "I am soooo done with MEN!". Her family has been traced back to the 1700's- neat stuff.

I also looked up my mom's mom. Jackpot! Her family has been traced (thank you family member somwhere!) back to 1520 when a boy was born in the Netherlands, and his son immigrated to the U.S.

The U.S. Census reports that you can look up are from 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. You can actually review the actual report. I found out that my grandma Alleda went by "Leta" when she was little, because that is the name her parents gave the Census taker (who had great hand writing by the way). I also found out that one relative had 2 small children really close together, and had her 12 year old sister move in with her - presumably to help- because the 12 year old is written down as living with her sister in 1920 instead of living with her mom- who lived in the same town. The 1940 census won't be publicized until 2012. I know you were dying for that little tidbit of info.

One last bit of fascinating factoid for you- I looked up my Grandpa Dexter- who was in WWII as some kind of hospital worker- paramedic driver- the stories aren't totally clear. Pictured below is the paperwork showing he boarded USS Enetrprise on 4-21-1941 and was headed from San Diego to Pearl Harbor. He survived Pearl Harbor- but I can't imagine what that day must have been like for him working to save people.

After I had spent 2 days on this website- I told Morrie and my parents what I had found out. The next morning I asked Morrie how late he was watching tv because I never remembered him coming upstairs. He said he was "On that darn Ancestry.com" until the wee hours of the morning. I am telling you- super cool stuff out there. I even found pictures of family members from the early 1900's. Stuff my dad didn't even know existed, he was pretty excited.