Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We were able to eat at my parents house with everyone that made it home for the Holidays. 

This is my kids with my dad's cousin Desiree and Fancy Anne. 

Uncle Travis and Jace.  It's always lots of fun when the uncles are around!

My grandma Lu and Grandpa Sim.  I was giving my Grandpa grief for not smiling and this is what I got.  Hmmmm.  The good news is my Grandma gave in to a nice smile.

The boys revisiting their childhood plus Jace.  Like I said, Jace loves it whent the boys all come to town.  Who wouldn't love building castles and shooting marbles at towers?  These guys can't say no!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another year..

Happy Birthday to me!!!  Well, it looks as though another year has come and gone.  Amazingly enough, I am still looking fantastic!!!(There's a reason I'm posting the candle- lit picture first:)

The kids and Darren bought me all my favorites - strawberry milk, tapioca, and (sniff, sniff) Hostess mini powdered donuts.  Also thrown in for good measure - Cabela's Big Game Hunter for the Wii.  Yes, go ahead and re-read that.  Yep, still the same.  Well, I already have ideas for Darren's birthday:)

And to make a good birthday even better Colby decided he'd just get up and walk.  Enough of this crawling.  So he did. And there you have it we have a walker!

Ok, his first steps were actually a week or two earlier, but this was the first chance I got to document it.  All in all I had a great birthday and am blessed to have such a great family!

Tetherball

Yesterday morning we got a call from the school secretary.  She wanted to tell us what happened that day before school started.

She had heard a ruckus out on the playground and peeked around the corner to see what the commotion was all about. That's when she saw a big group of kids standing together.  So she decided she better head out and see exactly what was going on.  When she got outside she heard the kids chanting "Abby.  Abby. Abby."

This is where I perk up.  Hmmm?  A school-yard chant?  For Abby.  And not just any old Abby but my Abby?

Abby. Abby. Abby.

Could it get any better?  This is what dreams are made of.  I smiled to myself. Then I closed my eyes and listened again. 

Abby. Abby. Abby.

 Abby was playing tether ball and she was queen of the court.  That's right.  Queen. Girls stood no chance.  Neither did the boys. She was taking down bigger, taller boys one by one by one.


At this point I'm grinning broadly.  I've never been prouder. In fact, I'm so proud that I'm reminiscing.  And I remember myself at the tether ball courts beating the boys.  Take that Rhett Lucero, the school yard bully who got his thrills from tormenting the twins.  While we're at it, take that Mrs. Lucero, Rhett's overprotective playground teacher-mother who at one time forbade myself, my twin sister and our best friend from playing together.  Ever again. That's right.  I haven't forgotten.  She was also the one who sent me to the "corner table", aka, the naughty table, for accidently tripping a boy in my class.  I was humiliated.  And righteously indignant.

 I was recently telling Abby stories of my elementary school years and Mrs. Lucero came up.  I had no idea that Mrs. Lucero was still around and that Abby had in fact had her just last year as a computer lab teacher.  She did  not get good reviews from Abby.  I wonder why, Mrs. You-can-never-play-with-your-best-friends-ever-again- Lucero.  Anyway, I'm off subject.

Let's get back to where we were going.

Abby. Abby. Abby.

Abby was doing me proud.  And when she came home that day from school I asked her all about it.  She beat "20 boys".  Or something like that.  Half the school was surrounding her watching and cheering.  But they weren't always chanting for her.  Later on in the recess they started rooting for the opponent when it became clear that Abby was dominating. 

Ahem.  Well, this is not exactly what dreams are made of. More like you against the whole wide world.  But, everyone does love an underdog.  Understandable.  (Unless you happen to be the champions mother, that is.)

That's when I picked up on a little nugget of humility.  "Well mom, I can beat most of the boys. Except Dominic.  He's in kindergarten and he's GOOD. He comes up to about right here on me (Abby points to her belly button) but like I said, he's gooooood. "

Wait. What?  Kindergarten?  As in 2 years younger than you? Like Brooklyn's age? And the size of a peanut?!!

At that moment my dreams were shattered.  Thoughts of elevators, ropies, and holdies left.  Ideas of a tether ball court in my backyard crumbled away.

"Anyways Mom, I can't spend too much time playing tetherball or the horseclub will kick me out.  I'm only allowed to play the first recess. Come on Lily!!  Yeehaw!"

And away she rode.

Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween!

My little pirate who insists that he would rather have been Spiderman (I didn't even know he knew who Spiderman was.  And then he starts throwing his hands out in weird finger patterns and asking me why  "it's not working". Huh?  Oh, right, the webs.  Why aren't they coming out of your fingers.  Got it. ) Don't worry, I just hit up Walmart for the 50% off sale and Spiderman is now hanging in our closet for next year:)

Abby really had no choice about Spidergirl.  It was the only one we had in her size (thank you last year's clearance pick up.  I know, I rock:)

Brooklyn took a little more convincing for WonderWoman.  She really wanted to be an angel.  Again.  Remember last year?  I said no.

My little lion.  No, he did not wear this all night.  In fact, we were lucky to get a few pictures with him even wearing it.

Ok, so here's the real story.  This was one of the only "good" pictures I got on Halloween with all my kids.  I was so disappointed that I couldn't get it off my mind.  I just knew we could do better.

So, we dressed back up today (day after Halloween) and did another photo shoot.  What a drag!  Don't tell my kids I said that :) I was much happier with the end results.  Really,  I am so glad we went to the effort. 

 But then I noticed Jaces pirate bandana. And how it looks more like a sloppy do-rag.  Or something.  And I'm a little ticked.  Not sure why I only notice these things after the fact.  I don't even want to talk about it.  And stop thinking I'm obsessive compulsive.  I'm not.  Not really anyway.  Whatever.  Happy Halloween!