Where does the time go?

Okay, okay, it's been 5 days since my last post...but I really wanted to put a picture on and SOMEONE hasn't hooked up a camera to the computer to download any pictures...it's depressing for me...

I've been very swamped with parenting duties while Morrie was out of town, and then I was pooped when he finally came home! I am very excited to say that my front garden bed has finally gotten some attention and looks ready for spring! The past few years we have added more and more perenials, so this year I don't have to do much (very exciting for me). I weeded it and dug up the rock border (which I have to do all over the yard every year...sigh...). It looks very happy now. If only I could get to the 7 other major beds in the yard! I always focus on the front bed since it is next to the front door, it makes me feel like I'm on top of the spring gardening thing (it's like an illusion) . This year because of the weather, I had a late start! I could come up with more excuses for not having all the beds weeded by now, but I'm sure you have heard them all. A little weed killer and some bark and I will be a happy camper. Why do those first few gardening experiences give me such delight? I have no idea, especially since I grew up in a family that did not like to garden! I'm going to buy a few bushes this week for the back yard, and I'm very excited about that, and I'm open to suggestions (partial sun, will be next to hydrangeas, and nobody can suggest roses!). We moved several hydrangeas last year so we're working on creating new pretty areas in the back. We even moved one on the hottest day of the year last July and it actually survived!! I am not sure this is even an interesting post, maybe for Julie and Melissa who also like to garden....for everyone else, I apologize and promise to be funnier in my prose tomorrow!

Field Trips ROCK!

I had so much fun yesterday with Maria on her class field trip! We saw a 3D IMAX movie on the Grand Canyon, a laser show, visited the Planetarium and a butterfly house. The kids were totally exhausted though by the end of the day. I even had a hard time waking Maria up this morning!

Time for the funnies. An un-named child of mine took some snow from the last freak storm and thought it would be a good idea to add chocolate syrup and store it in the freezer. As she was putting it in the freezer, it of course, fell and splashed all over each and every shelf. Did she think to clean it up? No. Did she think to tell anyone? No. So I found out as I took out some bread covered in frozen goo and as my eyes traveled, I saw it on everything. Now, she admitted it right when I asked. However, her attitude was one of a science experiment having had a minor snafu and was hoping for better results next time.

One of my other children decided it would be a good idea to put lip gloss on one un-named cat. Morrie stopped it from actually occurring. I can’t decide which part was funnier though. That she thought of putting it on the cat in the first place, or that the cat would have probably sat there while she did it.

One of THOSE Mondays

I thought my Monday was going okay. However, somewhere along the line, things started to fall apart. Does anyone know where my cell phone charger is? I looked for it all day, and I can't find it anywhere. My day took a slight turn for the worse when I was reading a story Maria wrote and it was about her and her Dad. They were driving along, spending some good quality time together when the car gets hit by a huge boulder and she screams. Then her Dad gets taken away by an ambulance. Now my day really is bad.

But wait, it gets better! The girls come screaming to me that the dog is throwing up (again). GREAT. Spontaneous trip to the vet. Vet recommends x-rays and a mild diet of canned food (gross!). Then the kids freak out because one of the cats is bleeding. Geez, it's only a flesh wound, probably from the other cat. Maybe I should trim their nails while I'm thinking about it. Oh wait...can't FIND the cat nail clippers. Who took all my stuff???

Did I mention that the dog pooped in the exam room? Then she had to pee on the carpet as I was paying the bill. What is this world coming to?? The week has GOT to get better than this.

Final Score...

Morrie and I had to split up during "soccer weekend" (for future reference, that is every weekend). He took Maria to her indoor game, where the other team only had 2 girls show up. So our coach ended up creating two teams out of our team plus the two other girls and he then managed the subs for both teams! Maria scored a goal (she's getting good at that) and said "We won!". Hmm...well of course you did. She played on both teams...and both teams were mostly her Cougar teammates...

Way over in another faraway town, I had Isabelle for her first outdoor game with her new select team. May I remind you that it was hailing, sleeting and snowing for most of this 1.5 hour game. Now, I wasn't sure how well they would play together for their first game, and with the weather situation...it was anybody's guess. Isabelle didn't even come out of the game until sometime in the 2nd half, and that was only for a few minutes. Her team made wonderul passes, great shooting, awesome offense and won 11-0! Isabelle played her defense from midfield, that's how far they had to come up because the other team hardly made it past the midfield the entire time! Isabelle had some great defensive plays, took a nasty push (that was called on the other girl), and didn't freeze to death despite all that. We capped off the night at the school family auction, and I think Isabelle was really tired by that point! Here's to hoping for sunnier weather next week!!

Snow? Here in Seattle? In April?

Where do I begin? With the record lows? With the arctic like white outs all weekend? We experienced crazy amounts of hail and snow all weekend, and even woke up to several inches on the ground Saturday morning (that would be April 19th). I even woke up this morning to snow. When will it end? Should we all start driving hybrids now? This greenhouse effect is having a depressing effect on the sun deprived family. Morrie has had enough and leaves soon for sunnier skies. We are not happy with him.

Shout out!

I just wanted to give a shout out to those people who are actually reading the blog!! Thank you for making me feel like we are entertaining someone, because it doesn't always FEEL entertaining when we are in the middle of it (whatever "it" is at the moment). I also like that other peeps are as excited as I am about the amazing antics of my children! As much as I would like to name you all personally here, I'm not sure that is appropriate. I do have to say that I have extra love in my heart for the ones that make comments too :) I know some of you read but don't comment, maybe I should have a contest for the funniest, or most clever comment. Perhaps a raffle for everyone who comments in the next 2 weeks...I will have to get some prizes together right away!!

Dog Saga: Part One

We have a dog. An 8 month old puppy to be exact. She is a longhair miniature dachshund. She is really Isabelle's, although we all take a big part in caring for her (some of us a bigger part than others!). Here is one of the reasons I don't totally enjoy having a dog. This is our saga from yesterday, and if you could have handled this, then I guess you too can enjoy the full time care of a dog, although I wouldn't recommend it!

Annie and I set out to purchase her some sort of jacket. She needs to go on more walks now, and in this rain her back gets wet. AND because she is so low to the ground, her belly gets all wet as well. I don't totally enjoy the smell of wet dog every day, so we were off. We went to a store that seemed to have the largest selection of doggie outerwear. Annie rides in the Blue Dragon (our people vehicle) in the very back, and in her kennel. When we arrived I noticed she made a little mess. Seems that she got a little carsick on the way there. Hmmm...okay, so I get her out and notice that she also scraped the top of her nose because it's bleeding a little. Poor dog! So I take her out of the car thinking we will clean up later. She needs some fresh air!

I start to walk her on the sidewalk before taking her into the store. She decides to poop right in the middle of the sidewalk (not in the bushes that I had suggested to her). Great. The plastic bags are in the car, not my purse. So I scrounge around for a few kleenex's in my purse and proceed to pick it up while she barks at people walking by. Meanwhile, stuff is falling out of my purse that I forgot to zip up. This is fabulous.

We find a garbage can and walk into the store. I really wanted some sanitizer for my hands at this point. She continues to bark at people while I try to distract her with training and treats. Some yayhoo is sqeaking toys nearby and that is very exciting for Annie. Not for me. I try on a jacket (on her, not me) that is not nearly long enough for her back. There's soo many choices I am willing a sales person to come help me. They do not. After some aimless walking around someone finally comes over and points me to a line of jackets that is longer for dachshunds.

Now, I am expecting this will be $35ish because I have looked at prices before. As long as I can get one that fits well, and is exactly what we need, we'll have to suck it up. It's not that much fabric!!! I can buy a jacket for the kids for the same price, SHEESH! Anyway, Annie growls at the lady while we fit one on her and more treats...great, it fits. Yellow or red. Well, the red I think is better. Wait, the yellow says $47 and the red (same jacket) says $57. This is getting ridiculous. Sales lady walks away to see if we can have the lower price for the red one.

While we wait for her, Annie spends a lot of time smelling the bags of dog food and knocks over a basket full of dog accessories. I don't'care how much she wants one, we are not getting one! Sales lady returns, yes we CAN have the red one for the lower price. We leave as quickly as possible and return to the car.

Oh yeah, I still have a mess to clean in here. Okay, handi wipes, Check. Clean towel, Check. Get the kennel cleaned up and a new towel put in and we are off again. I tell her it's only a short ride home in hopes that will make her take slow deep breaths. I can hear suspicious noises as I drive, and it doesn't sound good.

Sure enough, we arrive home and she's made even a bigger mess (didn't know it was possible, but she has). Take the dog out, walk her in yard and place her in gated kitchen. I get back to the Blue Dragon and begin operation "clean up" (again). Hmmm...seems she has also peed in her crate on the way home. Fun. Kennel cleaned, car cleaned, load of laundry now started...Now I really do need some bleaching agent for my hands.

I happened to share the story with some people yesterday, because they were wondering why I was in a bar doing shots of whiskey (kidding!). I did in fact tell people and they DID laugh. Great. I am so happy to be able to provide entertainment for others through my pain. I hope this has made your day as well and you might at some point share a similar story with me and I can, in turn, have a good chuckle. I hope "Dog Saga: Part Two" doesn't occur anytime soon!

Negligent Mom

Here's the deal: the kids' school gets out early on Mondays. Why? I don't know, but it's always been a hassle trying to remember what day it is and what time I need to be there. So, today, for the 2nd time in 4 years, I didn't remember to leave at the right time. I was late, as in 30 minutes late, and they had to go to the after school kids care place. Why does the school do this? Is it to mess with the Mommy mind? Can you imagine the mother's who have just had recent babies trying to make schedules and remember stuff??? I certainly hope I am not the only mother to has had this happen to them. I tried to tell the kids that if you think about it, I have been on time for an awful lot of Mondays (trying to divert attention from the gross error in judgement on my part). Their comment? "Mom, you were late, again!". Mind you, "again" is referring to last year, as in 2006! That was the other time I was late. Sheesh!

Pioneer Days are alive AGAIN

Okay, so we like Pioneerish stuff. We've been to a living pioneer farm in Eatonville, a living pioneer museum in Bozeman and now another in Oregon! We went to the High Desert Museum, not knowing what to expect, and got to see fantastic pioneer exhibits, plus an old cabin and sawmill. My girls eat this stuff up (okay... so do I!). It was so much fun! later that night we went back for a special event called "Mission Wolf". Two wolves from Colorado were there to teach us about brining wolves back into the western states. They rolled around on the ground, gave kisses to tons of people and became very jealous if the other wolf was getting more audience attention! The girls even got to sit on the floor as the wolves made their rounds. Can you believe that even in front of 200 people, Maria has no fear of speaking! She raised her hand and asked how big wolves are when they are born (only about a pound!). The two we saw (Magpie and Abraham) were around 85 pounds, but they looked MUCH bigger! It was a really cool experience, and I hope some of the pictures we took will turn out. I'm sure I will post them right away if they do. Isabelle already said she wants them blown up for the walls in her room!

Day 4 on vacashooon

Well, you’ll have to wait for more pictures until a later date. The camera we are using isn’t compatable with this laptop (sigh). Vacation with our girls consists of swimming every day, no matter what. So each morning they bound out of their bedroom wearing their swimsuits “When can we go swimming?” Uh…after breakfast! Yesterday was girls day as Pat and I took the girls into Bend for some lunch and shopping. Morrie and his Dad played golf, and let me take a moment to brag about my husband. He hasn’t played golf in over a year, and they played a course where actual competitions take place. He had 3 pars and a birdie (and one broken club!). Back to the shopping, we drove all over Bend reading this ridiculous tourist map that we picked up at the resort. I feel like I could now find anything in that town we criss-crossed it so many times. Isabelle picked up a new book (surprise, surprise) and Maria picked up a new Webkinz (when will that stop?). On the agenda for today, swimming (of course), playing on the internet a bit, and going to the High Desert Museum. I’m not sure what is there, but I’ll let you know tomorrow!

Favorite Quote from Maria: “No autographs please!” after winning a card game with Grandma and Mom

Favorite conversation with Morrie from vacation:
Me: “ Morrie, what have you had to drink today?”
Him: “A lot”
Me: “Specifically?”
Him: “Orange juice…water…coffee…pepsi…a shot of espresso…and a beer.”Me: “It’s only 3:00!!”

At Least the Pool is HOT!

Well, if it's going to be cold outside, it's nice to know we can swim indoors. This pool is as hot as a hot tub, so you know I'm happy about it. You can only swim about 2 laps before you're overheated, it's FANTASTIC! This is Izzy and Dad doing their little synchronized swimming act. They perfected it last summer while on vacation, but if she keeps getting taller, I'm not sure Dad will last too much longer. They'll have to come up with a side by side routine of some kind.

Some of you may not be familiar with Gloria. Here she is testing the pool water at our resort. She does LOTS of things, and goes LOTS of places. She has been to Yellowstone and Montana, she has been to school, she has even watched a movie in the gym at school with Maria. On Maria's first day of school one year she asked if Daddy would be home to see her off. I said of couse he would. She said "Good, I need someone to hold Gloria up behind me when you take a picture of me to make it look like Glo is sitting in my backpack." Glo has been known to change her clothes and be reading a book, or play with the other stuffed animals when Maria is out of the room. the best part is when Maria returns, she giggles like crazy! She loves it when we pose Gloria doing stuff and take pictures, from doing the balance beam at the gym, to eating a bowl of ice cream at the table, this bunny is LOVED like no other.

The High Desert has...Snow?

So we woke up this morning at our vacation spot in the high desert and it snowed last night!! I thought I was on SPRING break people!! Maria snapped this photo on Grandma's camera, I think it's quite good.

Our drive here yesterday was pretty uneventful. There was a ton of snow coming over Mt. Hood. It was piled maybe 10 feet high on either side of the road. The girls thought this was awesome. When we were about 5 minutes from arriving here, we told the kids we had about 130 miles more to go. They were ecstatic when they saw us pull in to the resort. Morrie and I have made a vow that if we ever go on a spring break vacation again, we will FLY to somewhere hot and sunny! The girls are out on a bike ride with their grandparetns at the moment while my computer guy and I are sitting in the resort lobby getting our wi-fi fix. We are having some camera problems (Maybe B and K can help us out on that one) so all these photos are from Morrie's mom's camera. My old fashioned film camera decided to officially break yesterday.

Good ol' Vermont!

This is my brother, Aaron and I at his home in Vermont. I have been fortunate enough to see him twice in the past year. Both times were unusual circumstances and the rest of the family could not come with me. They were less than thrilled to see me off. This picture is from last April, and I just got back a week ago from my trip this year (and both of us look the same). Aaron is an amazing, compassionate, generous individual and I definitely count myself lucky to be his sister. FYI, April is not a good time to see New England. I would, perhaps, recommend early summer or maybe the fall when the leaves change (not that I have been there during those times), but not mud season. Last year I arrived mere hours after a wind storm and power was not restored until 4 days later. I almost cried as Seattle had just gone through the same thing 4 months prior. I can only handle so many "state of emergencies" in one year!

This is how happy my husband was when I stepped out of the car as I came home from a week in Vermont (this year). He worked from home, walked the dog, took the kids to school, ran around to gymnastics, soccer and Isabelle's youth group all week, and of course was thrown a few curve balls along the way. "Oh, Isabelle needs to bring snacks for 40 to youth group this week." What a guy! I will not be going anywhere without them for quite some time!

Sock Hop Madness!

Every fall the school holds a Sock Hop for the girls and their Dads. All the Dads wear their t-shirts with the sleeves rolled up, the rolled up jeans and white socks. Most girls wear poodle skirts. My 2nd grader, who is a fashionista, would never do what everyone else is doing. She had to be a "Pink Lady" with the cropped black pants and the silky pink jacket. She even has the black scarf in her ponytail.

My 5th grader, just wouldn't do what everyone else is doing, period. She didn't want to go at all. The only reason she went was to help her friend's Mom with the photography. She sat outside the gym with a few friends the whole time. Notice she isn't dressed up at all, but because of Maria's shirt, they look very corrdinated! Is this when they get too "cool" to be kissed in public or seen dancing with their father? Must be.

Meanwhile, Maria ripped up the dance floor with Dad doing all the classics: Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey, Bunny Hop, and every group dance that was performed between the 40's and 80's! Isabelle did have her time with Dad in previous Sock Hops, I don't want you to think that she was above hanging with Dad before she hit the big 10.

My Girls: 2001, 2005 and 2007

This is awesome! Maria is 2 and Isabelle is 4. Maria snuck into her sister's bed and obviously thinks it is hysterical! I love these years, they are so adorable. The home videos just kill me. I now know why people have busloads of kids, I would have more everytime they grew out of these stages. Maria couldn't yet say "Izzy", but she would try to get that "zzzz" sound and it came out as "Dee". Isabelle was "Dee" to her younger sister fo quite some time.

The girls in 2005 in Oregon on sping break. Isabelle is 7 and Maria is 5. We were playing a miniature golf course (that was more of a small golf course than a fun mini golf game). We had been up early that morning and must have started playing at 8:30, it was chilly, but we had the course to ourselves!! This was the turning point from having younger kids at home to having school age kids. I miss having them at home, and being so cute I could just die!

Isabelle's 2007-2008 school picture. She has since started wearing contacts, which makes her look even older!! What happened to the past 10 years??

Maria's school picture for the 2007-2008 school year. Sometimes my baby's birthday just blows me away, she's HOW OLD NOW????

Ladies of Soccer

Isabelle plays soccer with her new team, Northwest Nationals, and is loving every minute of it. Today she helped out friend by subbing in on an indoor team that was short a few players. I couldn't make it as I had to take Maria to her indoor game. I called Morrie to see how Isabelle was doing and he says "Is this the mother of the keeper?". WHAT? My baby is playing goalie??? Isabelle is a defender at heart and rarely steps into the goal (thus averting motherly heart problems), but they had no subs so it was like a break for her (all the girls played the whole game, and if you know indoor, that is some extensive cardio!). She was wiped out, but her team won (as they do everytime she has played with them) and she had fun.

Meanwhile, Maria was playing across town and I noticed one of the other team's girls looked familiar. Would you believe, it was Kylie, Maria's most BEST friend from pre-school! They were attached at the hip, well...Maria was probably dragging Kylie around by the hip...isn't that a leadership quality or something?...So when the girls finally realized it, they shyly giggled at one another and said hello. What a day!

Isabelle and Maria both played really well, and ran their little hearts out. Isabelle didn't let any goals by and Maria made 2 goals. Soccer is a big part of our lives, from indoor, to outdoor, from Maria all the way up to Morrie. From skills classes to summer camps, from coaching to cheering, we do it all. For a girl who hated going to her brother's games because it was too cold, I LOVE watching my family play. Who would have guessed it? Not I, Lady of Soccer.

Disaster Narrowly Avoided

Yesterday as I drove the girls home from school, the freeway was a little messy. We would drive along at a good pace, and then stop...then the rain would start...then stop...not a recipe for good things to happen. Sure enough, after stopping (again) in the carpool lane, the 3rd car behind me wasn't paying attention and slammed into the car in front of him. Well, as I watched his hood crumple in my rear view mirror, that middle car hit the car behind me and I took a 1/2 second to drive forward and onto the shoulder as the car behind me narrowly missed hitting the Blue Dragon (the girls name for our beloved Highlander). Talk about some guardian angels, magic bubble, fantastic timing...! As my adrenalin pumped into my wobbly legs, we finished our drive home and thanked every possible God, Buddha, High Being, Mother Earth, and all the stars that we were safe! Two days before driving to Oregon for vacation, we surly didn't need the Blue Dragon to be hospitalized.