Guess What Elizabeth Lost?

Her tooth! YUCKY! I am glad that Ronie is able to do the worst part of parenting....pulling a tooth! That whole process just gives me the creeps! There is nothing worse in the world than seeing that tooth move around and dangle from threads that used to hold it into place! So, way to go Daddy! Elizabeth was just put to bed with our special little "tooth fairy" cup as she eagerly awaits for the morning! Congratulations little girl! You were very brave! I am so glad all I had to do was hold your hand! (With my head turned the other way and Jonathan holding my ears!)

TrAdItIoNs!

My mom decided to make some popcorn balls like we used to do when we were kids. Of course the main reason was to send some off to Bob, Stacy and Greyson but we like to think it was for us as well! (Ha ha Mom, I love you!) We have been a little concerned with Teila too! All of the things she has been saying lately have us a little worried about her childhood! A few examples could be, "I had my first chili dog last night." "I haven't ever roasted a marshmallow." "I don't believe I have ever sat around a campfire before." "Is there really this many stars in the sky?" It is starting to get us a little alarmed that she will be turning 14 soon and her lack of exposure she has with certain traditions! So, off to Grandma's we go after church today to make popcorn balls. The true experience was having 4 kids involved in the process and trying to keep them all focused, out of the treats, and still end up with popcorn balls worth eating!!!

Oh yea, while we were there Teila tried on her new dress for the upcoming Living Christmas Tree program she is singing in at our church! She is all grown up now! Oh my! It seems like yesterday......

Carving Out Some Memories!

Grandma Terry and the girls came over to carve pumpkins and have some dinner! It was a lot of fun and the mess wasn't even that bad to pick up! Every year, when we carve pumpkins it reminds me of a story when I was growing up. I was well, around 15 and my friend Shelley came over to carve pumpkins with me. We were carving (really, doing everything just perfectly!) and somehow, instantly, the pumpkin insides were all over the kitchen! (teehee!) I still remember pumpkin in my hair, down my pants and worse yet, hanging from the light, down the kitchen cabinets and on the walls. I will never forget my dad walking through the kitchen and saying quietly, "You better hope your mom doesn't see this." He didn't seem mad and had a little smile as he left as quickly as he came. Of course my mom did come in and she didn't have the same look. In fact, I think she was genuinely angry! So angry in fact, that when Shelley's mom came to pick her up, they both agreed she would have to come back later to give us some more time. We laughed just as hard picking it up as we did making the mess!!! However, I know to this day, both Shelley and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! It was well worth the punishment! I would venture to guess though, if you asked my mom about the story, she will still be just as angry as she was that night!

ThAtS AlL fOlKs!!

Football season ended today for our Bulldog team. The boys sure tried hard and they played with a lot of heart! Jonathan's first season is over and he did awesome as he met new friends (Some kids have been playing for 3 years together!) new positions and basically just how to play the game. We are so very proud of him. The coaches gave little speeches at our dinner tonight about a just a select few of the kids. One speech was about our Jon and it made us beam with pride. The coaches talked about how Jonathan never complained, always did what he was told, supported everyone on the team, and never gave up no matter what. One of the coaches explained how at every game, he was up against someone bigger and sometimes half his size and he still only missed the tackle a handful of times. No, he wasn't the fastest one on the team and definitely didn't make the big plays but he was consistent and steady and showed character and that in my book makes him the best player out on the field!!! Way to go Jonny! You did great!!! We can't wait until next season to watch you play again!

"Read um and weep!!"

Okay I have to add this only because I am so far behind in my blogging and some of you are completely to blame! Let me explain! I guess I can say that I have to take some of the blame as well because I couldn't make it to dance one night and some of the dance mommies (I won't mention names here because it is a safe place.... Brandi and Jolyn!) decided to tell my niece about a new (or old depending on how you look at it!) book series. Well, I have heard of the books and knew enough about them to know they were not a genre that I normally like and to be honest didn't have any desire to read them! I also knew that they were a big hit with the Jr. High and High School kids and that sometimes can be a turn off in itself. However, Teila began reading these books and could not put them down. WOW! This is a child that I have spent countless hours, spring breaks, Christmas breaks, etc. reading with her because she was always behind on a book report and hated to sit down and read. Even on our trip to WA, she did nothing but have her "nose in these books". Now I am not complaining. Anytime I see someone get hooked on reading, I get excited, I am a teacher for goodness sakes but now I am stuck with a dilemma. I feel that someone needs to know what she is reading and the subject matter(My sister being more like Teila and doesn't really ever "get into" a book so it could be years before she reads them.)or just go online and get a general idea about them. Even though I was pretty sure that I would not enjoy them, I decided to take one for the team and read at least the first one. All I have to say, is holy cow!!!! These books suck you in and they will not let you out! That is why my laundry isn't done, my house looks like a bomb went off in it, my kids have had toasted cheese for three nights in a row and I have dark circles under my eyes! Are you are dying to know what books I am writing about? Or maybe you have guessed!?!?! It is the Twilight series and they are good, bad, amazing, scary and thought provoking all in one.
To keep you informed, in case you were like me, there are 4 books in the series thus far. (There is a movie coming out soon as well. Hum, I will have to see about that!!)I have just finished the 3rd book and have asked Teila to keep (actually hide!) the last one from me for a couple of days so that I can get caught up on being a Mommy/teacher and my other duties that have been neglected! So if you have 7-10 days with nothing on your agenda, check them out. You might be pleasantly surprised. I should warn you though, the story line is about vampires (YES! I SAID VAMPIRES!!!) but surprisingly it seems that once you start you read and read and read until you just can't hold your eyes open to read anymore. Then you spend every other waking minute thinking about when you will find a chance to read again. Oh my!!! Talk about time suckage!!

Take Time For A Little Roll!!!!

October 16, 2008
As we headed out of the fabulous volleyball game, the girls (Aly and Elizabeth) were eyeing a perfect "rolling hill". You know the ones that you loved as a kid because you would start at the top and roll all crazy and wild until you get to the bottom. The girls were watching all of the other kids roll and you could tell by the look in their eyes that they really wanted to do it as well. How could you say no to that? I knew we were late to get to football practice, I knew we hadn't had dinner yet, I knew there was homework waiting at home and I knew we were in a hurry (as usual) but it did look like fun. Yes, even I had a strong urge to take the plunge with them but after my mom's careful warnings about how I might not be able to walk the next day, I decided to settle for taking some pictures instead! Isn't it great to be a kid? There is nothing better than a hill and a little time to take a roll!!!

Does anyone understand the game of volleyball anymore?

October 16, 2008
I went to watch another game where I was completely lost! It seems to be happening a lot to us lately! A couple of weekends ago, we went to a Flag Football game and were were confused by the rules, procedures and calls. Well, that is nothing compared to Thursday's volleyball game!! Apparently, it is not in the rules anymore that the server actually has to try to get the ball over the net. If they should happen to not make it, no worries, the coach on the sidelines will throw the ball over for them. Does this cause some confusion for you, like it did for me? How in the world do you know who scored if you can have outside help? And that is not all my little friend, it is common practice now for both teams to rotate after each and every play. HUH!?!??! There were girls moving, hitting, coaches volleying the ball back into play and before I knew it, two games were over and we were the champion team!!! Unbelievable! I realize I have not done the game justice and with my lack of words given you the full description of what we saw but I do know that it was not a game of volleyball that we played when I was in school. Have I been out of school so long now that the games have completely changed? Don't games stay consistent? I don't remember ever hearing my parents say, "Well, when we were kids, the ball was twice the size and you didn't need to worry about points." Clothes and hair do's change continually but games are the rule breaker. That is how we all know how to play them. Games are one thing our parents parents taught them, they taught us and now we are here to teach our kids. Games are games and should remain untouched. Does yet another thing in life have to change? Especially something like a good game of volleyball?

Captain-Oh Captain!!

October 18,2008
Our day started out more like winter than fall. It was extremely cold, many places around us awoke to snow and the wind was howling! Burr!!! Not a great day to run to your kid's football game! I even waited in the car listening to the Texas-Oklahoma game (Sorry Kristin!) until the very last second before the game started! It was miserable cold! We have been so fortunate to have great weather this whole season! (In fact, Aunt Tammy has been burned more times than not attending the games!) As we got our 50 yard line seats (FYI, as you can tell we aren't those silly parents that has to be right in the middle of everything!) out struts our boy on the field as captain! Oh man!! Ron and I looked at each other in complete amazement! It also appeared our son standing about 5 feet taller full of pride! He was going to need it too, because yet again the other team towered over us!! The whole season has been more or less the "David and the Goliath" type of games! Our kids have heart though and Jonathan never complains! It doesn't matter who he is assigned to guard, he gets right in there. I am not saying that I am okay with that but the boys in our house are just down right proud of "the bigger they are, the bigger they fall" approach! Even despite desperate pleas for friends and family to stay home my mom and Tammy came! Our pleas were obvious, it was cold, please don't feel like you need to be here! Yet the troopers came in the worst weather all season!! Thanks family! Your support is amazing and so greatly appreciated! Grandma Great and the rest of the girls stayed in the car! As well as Uncle Bob texting throughout the whole game keeping track! But check out our football star! We are just so proud of him! Way to go Captain Jon!

Guess who can tie her shoes?!?! FiNaLlY!!!

October 8, 2008
See the concentration in her face!?!?! My darling daughter with whom I love with all of my heart has struggled with tying her shoes FOREVER!!! I am not one to brag but I spent a good portion of the school year teaching other kids how to tie their shoes and have done a fairly good job at it! So it has been a very sore subject in our house because no matter what I have tried, the girl just couldn't get it. We have tried cute little stories about a bunny running around the trunk and slips into his hole (You know the one I am sure!) or make the two bunny ears and wrap them around, etc. We have even resorted to bribes like the dentist used to get her to quit sucking her thumb! (I humbly have to write that we tried then too but for some reason the dentist had some magical power in his voice as he promised a credit card to Toys R Us if she quit! And so she did that very day! However, let's not get into that right now!!!) We have been patient, we have been angry, we have threatened, we have tried being positive, but nothing!! Then as if some type of shoe tying fairy came down and impressed upon my sweet little girl that it was time to start tying her shoes, she decides to do it for Grandma Terry!!!!!! Can you imagine my feelings? My mom called to tell me that she taught Elizabeth to tie her shoes!?!??!?!!? WHAT!??!?!?! That is all I have to say about that! It couldn't have been the THREE years of prep work that Ronie and I have been doing, it was just one day with Grandma and she has it just like that! UGH!?!?!?! This parenting thing doesn't have any type of credits for the true heroes in the trenches, does it? Regardless, she knows how now and would love to tie any of your shoes if you would so desire and for that we are extremely happy! We are pretty sure that it might look a tad bad to be walking away from her college dorm at Notre Dame and stopping to tie her shoe!

Nothin' But A Ferry Ride To Make It A Little Easier To Go Home!

October 5, 2008
Many of you may not know this about my mom but she is crazy about the ferry! She is not only crazy about the ferry but she absolutely LOVES the ferry. She loves the boat, the memories of when she used to ride the ferry way back when and enjoys the water. In fact, our kids know that she LOVES it so much they would love to buy her one and they talk about doing so on a frequent basis! Knowing that we were going to have to leave Greyson (Bob-don't forget that angelic voices should be singing as you read his name, and Stacy) we were all a little bummed and dreading the trip back home. However, my mom was not going to let that stand in the way of not using the ferry as a means of transportation home!! No siree!! We all got to get on the ferry with my nutty mom and rode it across. The best part was seeing my mom, grandma and aunt climb into a taxi to head to the airport after we made it across! I think Ronie still giggles about that vision! It did help to get our attention on something else and made for some fun mental movies and laughs on the way back home! So thanks Mom, what would we do without you and your love for the ferry!?!??!

Oh People! There is more than that!!!!

You thought one slide show was enough for Greyson's first birthday?!?!? Oh sillies! You gotta be kidding me!!! You gotta watch more!! You NEED to watch more!! As you can see, our trip was all about Greyson! No tourist trips, no crazy outings, just playing and more playing with our new little man! WE LOVED IT!!!!!! Did I mention that we got to hold him, hear him laugh and talk to us, as well as watch his special tricks? We also got to see him roll over from his back to his tummy, FOR THE FIRST TIME! Oh yes!! We were quite entertained and happy! We have prayed and thought about this little guy for over a year now and to be able to love on him, there are no words to describe!!! He is a special little blessing and to watch my baby brother be a Daddy was a special memory to me as well! Oh how we wish they lived closer or as Jonathan put it, "I wish we were airline pilots so we could stop in all of time for a few more moments!!!" We love you baby Greyson!!! (You too, Bob and Stacy!!!)

Family Times are the Best of Times......

as well as some controlled chaos! Our family is well, the best way to say it is special. I am not sure you can put it any other way. We think we are normal, we think there is nothing special about us, we actually believe there is no other way. However, as we get older and others join into our family, we are learning that some might think differently! That being said, I believe the utmost important fact about our family is that we love each other deeply and that when we get together, we like to have fun and we actually enjoy each others company! Maybe it is strange that we like to be around each other, maybe it is strange that we like to tell good story that makes your belly hurt from laughing, maybe it is because joking and goofing off is always prevalent when we get together. I am not sure. It is all I know. It is how I was raised and it is most definitely how my Dad would want us to behave and I believe he smiles when we carry on the behaviors he taught us! So, when we took a van full of kids, flew a Grandma Great, (Yup, Grandma Great on a plane!) Mom and Aunt to Washington to throw a first birthday for our little Greyson, one can only imagine what could happen.
However, I believe we were very well behaved! We toned it down quite a bit! Maybe that was because we couldn't take our eyes off of our new little nephew/cousin! Maybe it was because Mom told us too! Maybe it was because we are getting old! I am not sure but the trip was perfect and we soo enjoyed our time with Greyson. (Well, Bob and Stacy too but really-shh-don't tell--Greyson was the big hit! This is going to be hard for my little brother to take! He has always been the star of the show!!)
We rented a house that ended up being so close to Bob and Stacy's and spent the whole time introducing ourselves to the new little man in this strange family of ours. I have only gotten to see Greyson when he was in the hospital and was very sick. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed those visits and will treasure them always in my heart but this trip was "the bomb"! We loved playing with him, holding him and spoiling him. The kids got to play with him and the hardest part was leaving and knowing we will not see him again for awhile. So even though we can be a little crazy, I think we pulled off a very good 1st birthday party. And all I have left to say about that is, what a perfect weekend with a perfect family!

Say Cheese!

Picture day at school was last week! This year, I had no idea what the kids should wear and just couldn't make up my mind so Mom got to do the honors of choosing! Have I ever mentioned how wonderful she is? I gave my suggestions (Of course, that is what you do when you are a control freak!) and walked out the door to work. Of course, the outfit that Elizabeth HAD to wear, the sweater was left in my car! Daddy saved the day and came all the way out to my school, picked it up and brought it home for our little one! (What a good daddy!!) I can't wait to see the actual school pictures but my mom surprised me by taking a few pictures before they went to school. (She is simply the best!! Thanks Mom!!!) So here is a preview....our little ones are not so little anymore! They are growing up so very fast!!! I do miss that baby stage but are completely enjoying this stage. Aren't they the cutest kids?!?!?! We just love them to pieces!!!

CaBiN fEvEr!!!

On the spur of the moment, we ended up needing to go to the cabin but had a great time! Tammy and Teila got to join us!! (Aly was at a birthday party for the night and Derek was out of town.) We had a campfire, learned that Teila needs to get out in the wilderness more often, roasted hotdogs and marshmallows, played with the dog, and enjoyed the great outdoors. We even got to go on a 2 hour ride on the 4-wheelers, which is something that we haven't done for a VERY long time! It is amazing that the cabin seems so far away when we are down here but once you are on the road to go, it isn't that bad and is so relaxing! In the morning, after breakfast, the kids studied for church quizzing around the campfire and then played on the big rocks. Baylee loved climbing with them and was so tuckered when we got home! We need to remember to get back up there more often. It is good for the soul to get away and enjoy God's creation!! So much better than the hussle and bustle of our every day lives! Plus, poor Teila almost burned down the forest with her flaming marshmallow so she is going to need more practice!! And if Teila needs some work with her roasting skills, we can't even imagine how much help Aly is going to need! We gotta get back up in those hills!!!

Get Ready, I am ready to take you down!!!!

The Bulldogs did great and for the first time, one of our players wasn't hurt after every play! Now, I am not saying that we didn't have players rolling out on the field from time to time but it wasn't so bad that everyone had to take a knee after each play! That is progress!!! We didn't win but there was a grade A effort by most players. Jonathan had a great tackle and saved a touchdown run from an interception. That was awesome to watch and impressive that my little man has that kind of strength. However, he did get a penalty for holding later on in the game. He was cute because in Judo, they teach them to get a good grip one on the shoulder and one at the chest, well in football, that is a BIG no-no. The kid that Jon was guarding was a lot bigger than him (BIG surprise!) and you could tell he was getting frustrated. It was funny to see him resort back to something that he has been taught in another sport. Of course, it wasn't funny to my "play by the rules" child and he couldn't believe he did something wrong. It was a good learning moment for him. He really is enjoying playing and has come out of his shell a little bit too!
We also had some friends join us again for the game. The Holm's came last week but our opponent was too scared (that is what we have told the boys) and didn't show. It was fun to visit with them and have them watch our little man! We continue to be blessed by friends taking time out of their busy schedules to come! Jonathan feels like a NFL player because he always has an audience! Thanks friends! We are so lucky to have you in our lives! We hope you know how much you are appreciated!!!
Elizabeth was surprised by having a friend from dance be at the football field (her brother was playing at the same time at a different field) and then of course, Mr. Zack (see previous posts!) was there as well. She even did a little moan of sadness when the game was over. (Yes, my daughter!!! She was really cute showing off for Zack with her good friend Courtney! They were two little giggly girls and Zack was enjoying that as well!)
Oh yea,I almost forgot (see what happens when you don't keep up on these posts!) Ronie volunteered to help run the chains. Pretty impressive for him to be so accommodating! He did a great job! I on the other hand, had to entertain our guests and cheer the boy on. And keep a watchful eye on that little Zachary (teehee)!! Fun times at the Optimist Football Field!!!!

Special Friends and a Little Bit of Football!

We were able to go and watch two of my former students and now good family friends of ours, play tag football in Kuna. Elizabeth went to 1st grade with these boys so it was like a reunion for her and Jonathan just absolutely LOVES anything about football so it was a perfect morning. To be honest, we thought when we told Liz about our plans, she would panic and try every excuse in the book to not go. However, the first words out of her mouth were, "What time do we go?" As Saturday approached, we figured we would really hear it as the game was at 8:30 in Kuna so it meant an early morning. When we woke her up, dreading what was to come, she jumped up and exclaimed, "What do you think looks best mom for me to wear to the game?" Now, the plan has always been for her to marry Nathan (I am always scouting families for the perfect match for my kids! There is a lot to consider when choosing just the right one!! Just so you know both of my kids are already taken!) because remember I taught both of these boys and Zack broke many hearts in Kindergarten. So we were pushing for the best buddy thing with him and more of a commitment from Nathan. Well, we are pretty sure and it was made even clearer there are some special feelings that our daughter has for Zack and it might turn out a little differently than we had originally planned. Either way we are fine, we love both sets of parents so the extended family will be perfect whichever way it goes. (Even if that is what, at LEAST 14 years away!!) We had a great time and it opened up a new world for us with the whole tag football thing. We were confused a lot of the game and can't wait to go back to watch again. Zack and Nathan were all stars and we enjoyed watching them play! Thanks for inviting us and letting us come!!!