Slightly outnumbered

I'M BACK.....

2010-09-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

SHOCKING! I am actually blogging. It's been years...really, years....since I blogged, but I thought recording my thoughts and sharing my kids with others (well hopefully those who care) will be good therapy for me.

Much has happened since Nick's birthday. I think he is almost 14 now! Wow. All the boys are growing. Jeffrey is in high school, Nick is in Junior High, Zack is in middle school and Andrew is in 5th grade. I have one at every school in Stillwater. Needless to say, the mornings are crazy, but somehow we have managed to make it all work and no one has been late (yet).

Divorce rocked our little family.....The boy's dad is now living in Dallas and I am still here in Stillwater. Divorce is something no one ever plans on when they get married, but life happens, people change and sometimes that is something that one feels is the only option. It has been difficult being a single mother but I have learned so much about myself and slowly I am becoming more self sufficient and experiencing moments of self satisfaction. I have gone back to school to pursue my master's degree in Special Education and only have this semester and one more left! YAY! I am currently working at the Stillwater Middle School as the academic center teacher and I also am starting a job at Sylvan Learning (tutoring).

Life is good. I have been greatly blessed to have wonderful friends and family around me. I miss my family in Idaho desperately. I promise to be a better blogger. I don't know who I am promising, but if anyone reads this -- I promise YOU!

Happy Birthday Nick!

2008-11-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

I'm one day late, but I am wishing Nick a HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY! Yesterday Nick turned 12. It's hard to imagine (most days) that he has been around for 12 years already. Nick was born on a warm day in Logan, Utah --- he was 4 weeks early. I had had some minor back pain. Nothing severe but I thought I'd check it out with the doctor anyway. I went in and he had me lie down for 30 minutes. When he came in the room I sat up and my water broke. He "checked" me and I was dilated to a five so he sent me straight to the hospital. I was very excited about being dilated to a five because at that particular hospital you had to be dialted to a five before you got an epidural so once I got checked into my room the first thing I asked for was an epidural. Joel scrambled home, got some clothes and the movie Mary Poppins. Don't ask. I just really, really wanted to watch that movie. So I checked in at 11 a.m. and Nick was born just before 3 p.m. Because he was born early he was wisked away but returned soon and was fairly healthy -- (when he was born). He only weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and stayed two extra nights in the hopital.....Here are 12 things I LOVE about Nick.

1. His laugh. Nick has the most sincere, silliest laugh. I love it.

2. His desire to help. Nick is a very hard worker.

3. His compassion. I remember I was tired one day and I was laying down and he took my shoes off. Very simple thing but it meant a lot to me.

4. His freckles. He gets them from me.

5. His ability to make friends easily.

6. He's interested in EVERYTHING. I know I complain about this a lot but it's good to know someone wants to know EVERYTHING I am doing EVERY minute of the day.

7. He's cute. Now that he's entering the "girl" stage this may come in handy....or not.

8. He's smart. Good grades. Great grades.

9. He loves sports. He gets this from me.

10. He loves to go-go-go. This also can be a bit of a frustration, but I have found that the go-go-goers get things done and this will definitely benefit him later in life.

11. He falls asleep quickly. I just wish I had this ability!

12. He loves his mom -- the best quality of all!

By the way, Nick was due around Christmas so that's where his name comes from - Jolly Old St. Nicholas.....He was born a few days before Thanksgiving but the only thanksgiving name I could think of was "Tom Turkey" and he had been "Nicholas" for so long that I had to stick with the plan....

SYFA Banquet

2008-11-18T05:37:00.001-08:00

Well football season is almost over.....the games are done....now the parties have begun. Last night was the huge SYFA banquet. I was the parent volunteer for Nick's team which means I was in charge of the picture board (seen) and decorating the table the team would sit at. It took several hours for an hour worth of banquet, but the kids had a good time and that's what it is all about. Each participant received a medal and those who have played in the SYFA since 1st grade to 7th grade received a "special" football. I think it was signed by OSU head coach Mike Gundy or something like that. Anyway, here are some pictures of the night.....and by the way....it's not completely over. Nick has a team party on Saturday. Unfortunately Zack's "team parent"'s son got kicked off the team so she's pretty much left the building and Zack doesn't have a party planned as far as I know....

Another picture

2008-11-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

So out of curiosity I thought I'd open the fourth picture on my other computer. Here it is: I have NO idea why I have this picture saved on my computer. My guess it is has something to do with the Asian son I inherited this summer who is actually not from Asia (his parents are) but is from Minnesota and apparently did something on MY computer!

Picture Tag

2008-11-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

My friend Melodee tagged me -- what you do is open your picture folder and click on the fourth folder and open the fourth picture. I don't have folders so I am just opening the fourth picture. Could be interesting....I tag.....Shanon, Margo and Christina.....looks like it is Nick at his fifth grade celebration last year....

Oklahoma Rain storm

2008-11-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

This video really doesn't do a good Oklahoma rainstorm justice. Growing up in Idaho I thought a rainstorm was a drizzle and the local weathermen would get excited if it rained 1/100th of an inch. Now they don't mention anything over 2 inches (not really but seems that way). Anyway, the rainstorms here are incredible. It just pours and pours and pours. Like someone took a pitcher of water and turned it upside down. It's great. I love it and the kids love it. The only problem is in November the rains a bit chilly so the boys can't play in it -- darn, but it's still fun to watch....

Ramblings from my mind....

2008-11-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

So I just wanted to post something. I voted today. I voted for McCain. I don't know if he will win and I am not into politics but I felt I should vote and I think he's the better choice of the two. I got a CHI in the mail today! It's pink of course. I am so excited. A CHI is a hair straightener and it's the best there is. I also got some new perfume. My MaryKay perfume that I LOVE isn't available anymore so I'm trying out some new scents. Does anyone have any suggestions? I want something not too overpowering -- Gas is officially under $2 a gallon in Stillwater. It's $1.95! Nick is suppose to be at football practice right now but has decided to quit (I won't let him) but he does have a PILE of homework after missing four days of school last week and he has to get it done. He has practice again on Thursday and will be there if it kills me and arguing with him sometimes kills me but I must instill in my kids that when we start something we FINISH it. QUITTING is not a word in our vocabulary.....

Faith not Fear

2008-11-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

"The greatest glory in life lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Nelson Mandela
"We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and pattern to unfold in our lives, on His timetable." Robert C. Oaks

"I believe that God will always make a way where there is no way. I believe that if we walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we follow the counsel of the priesthood, He will open a way, even if there appears to be no way." President Gordon B. Hinckley

"We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and pattern to unfold in our lives, on his timetable." Robert C. Oaks

"Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him." - Dennis E. Simmons

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." Doctrine and Covenants 6:36

A few weeks ago my friend Darcee had a contest on her blog -- the catch was you had to do an act of service and comment about it and then you were entered into a contest and had a choice of the prize you received. I WON! I was so excited. Darcee is an amazing scrapbooker. And when I say amazing, I mean AMAZING. I've been struggling with some personal issues and just needed something to cheer me up so I told her I'd like a book with some of my favorite quotes. She delivered. She scrapbooked my quotes and then a few more that are now some of my favorites. One that I didn't include a picture of is a great quote. It reads: Joy comes not from having a painfree life, but from conquering the obstacles, even when they are painful."

Thanks Darcee! I LOVE it!

2008-11-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the rest of the pictures. For some reason I can't figure out how to add more than five pictures at a time. I'm blogily challenged. :)

Busy Saturday

2008-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

I am so enjoying this time in my boy's lives. It's busy. All the time. No breaks. Ever. Even when they are in school I have a lot to keep me busy but that's okay. I love it. It was another busy day with activities, starting at 10 this morning with a tournament game for Zack in Sand Springs (just outside Tulsa). Zack was a team captain and had a great game. He's so quick and his enthusiasm for the game is huge! They won their game but they lost their second game later in the day so the football season is now over. It's sad but next year won't be far away (and neither is basketball season). Then we headed back to Stillwater for an OSU game. My brother Patrick is here visiting (he's on his way to Ft. Sill for six weeks of training). His friend Josh drove out with him just to attend an OSU game and it was a blast. Of course OSU won but it's always fun to be at the stadium watching the game live. Fun day, but I am SO tired. I've included pictures of all the boys today. Jeffrey was home but took some self-poses. Enjoy. I'm going to go to bed. Not really, but that's what I want to do.....

Eight things about me.....

2008-10-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I was hoping I would be tagged by my sister-in-law for this post but I wasn't so I'm just doing it anyway. It's one of those get-to-know you things, which most people find annoying but I find fun. Here it is -- It's called 8 things (I added some things to make it a list of 8 things -- way creative, aren't I?) Just remember as I wrote this I am tired and watching a Will Smith movie on TV.

1. EIGHT favorite movies: Sweet Home Alabama, The family man, Hope Floats, Return to Snowy River, Remember the Titans, ALL Will Smith movies, Juno, Napoleon Dynamite

2. EIGHT favorite TV shows: (when I have time) The Amazing Race, Monday Night football, Biggest Loser, Grey's Anatomy, Prison Break, Ugly Betty, Seinfeld, the Brady Bunch

3. EIGHT things that happened today: Ran at the gym, put stickers up at the beadery, went to post office, dusted, cleaned a bathroom, dropped off Zack for ride to football game, took nick to football practice, went to ward Trunk-or-treat

4. EIGHT things to look forward to: the future, Patrick coming tomorrow, the boy's football games, OSU winning a national championship, the future, Nick going back to school (has been home for four days), breakfast in the morning, running another 5K

5. EIGHT favorite foods: Mashed pototoes and gravy, sweet potatoes from Texas Roadhouse, all bread, cheese enchiladas, brownies, Rice Krispie treats, grilled steak and corn on the cob

6. EIGHT places you'd like to visit: Paris, Hawaii, Washington D.C., New York City, Bahamas, Disneyworld, Idaho and Utah

7. EIGHT people you'd like to meet someday: Joseph Smith (not the kid on Nick's football team), George Washington, Will Smith, Robert Horry, Michael Jordan, Chuck Norris, Reese Witherspoon (I think we could be BFFs) and Will Smith

8. EIGHT people to tag - hmmm....do I know 8 people....Margo, Stephanie, Whitney, Susan, Andrea, Cousin Jon, Tyler and Tiffany

2008-10-21T19:08:00.001-07:00

Something the boys decided to do for my birthday was inflate some helium balloons and "suck" out the helium. Pretty humorous. Here's Nick demonstrating the affects of helium....

How I spent my 36th birthday

2008-10-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well it's been over a week since I turned 36 and so far it is an incredibly busy age to be! I haven't even had a chance to post and I have wanted to but just have ran out of time. But finally, a moment and I can write about my birthday. It was a typical day. So let's run through a typical day -- vacuumed out the car -- washed the car -- got gas* for the car -- drove to Tulsa for Nick's football game (he erased the video because the guy he was defending scored a touchdown -- I don't blame him), sat by my friend Susanne at Nick's game -- came home and watched OSU beat Missouri! YAY! Anyway, that was my day. Busy, busy, busy!

*on my bday gas was 2.62 a gallon. Now it's 2.39 -- can we say we love that oklahoma is below the national average.....

Just for Jon

2008-10-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

This post is entirely for my cousin Jon who knows I love him but knows that I love when I can do something better than BYU and he may have noticed that OSU is now ranked #8 and BYU is following close at #9! Way to go COWBOYS. Jon - I was sad OU lost because....well....because they are in the state of Oklahoma but the cowboys win was huge. I can't think of a better birthday present for me.....Can't wait to read your comments.

Opening at Sangre Ridge

2008-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Opening at Sangre Ridge. Let me just explain (and some readers probably already know this). The students gather together, in the library, by class and attend a time called "opening" together. During opening, announcements are read, the pledge is conducted, songs are sung, sign language is taught, kids sing, kids dance and sometimes (I feel) time is wasted. BUT the good thing about opening is it gives us parents that aren't always on time a few minutes to be late. The kids aren't counted as tardy unless they arrive after opening is finished and sometimes opening can take a rather long time. The fifth graders participate a lot in opening. They read poems (today was Zack's poem day) they share thoughts, they get introduced, they carry in the flags and every Friday they sing some sort of song that I've forgotten. See, I'm not such an attentive parent. Zack carried the flag the other day so I thought I'd share his enthusiasm.

J-O-B

2008-10-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Well I am officially entering the workforce again. I landed a part-time job writing for a local magazine -- I knew that I needed to get something and I put out a few job applications last week and one of the places I applied to was the News Press, Stillwater's daily newspaper. Anyway, I got called back by one of their employees who is starting a new magazine this fall and asked me to come in and talk with her. I went in this morning and didn't even really have an interview, just got some assignments. I'm very excited to be back at writing and actually using my degree, but I must say I am a bit apprehensive because it has been a long time since I have written anything. Fortunately my first assignment is on exercising -- hmmmm....think I can handle that one. So I have a story due for the next three Fridays. I am hoping this opportunity will present with other opportunities. I'm sure to keep everyone posted.....

Big Day for football

2008-10-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

So it was another Saturday full of football at our house and this is to brag that my boys did great in their games. Zack recovered a fumble and Nick scored a touchdown! Way to go boys. I am WAY proud of you....Zack's team won 13-6 and Nick's 33-0.

The Alchemist

2008-10-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Finished another book. This one was for my church bookclub (which was last Friday) -- This book is proclaimed as a international bestseller. All I have to say about it is: I didn't get it. Not one little bit.

putting myself first....for a few minutes anyway...

2008-09-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided to finally pamper myself and get a pedicure. It was wonderful. I've been wanting to "treat" myself since I got back from Idaho. After spending two weeks on a dusty farm my toes needed some attention. But also needing my attention were four boys who were taking all my "fun" money and using it on them. But finally I treated myself and it was great. The little Asian guy (they are all Asian) even put a flower on my toe. I've never had a flower on my toe. I took a close up picture and noticed how wrinkly my toes are -- it's just the angle though. I'm certain of that. Anyway, just thought I'd share my before and after pedicure pictures. You'll never guess which is which!

Run Like Heck....

2008-09-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

So everyone knows that I love to run. I sometimes say that I "run like hell." I know it's probably not a very nice thing to say but honestly I feel like some days (especially when I have a lot of frustration within me) that's how I run. One of my closest friends, who knows I'm going through a hard time, was nice enough to have this shirt made for me. I love it. I love pink and I love to run like hell. Just thought I'd show off my new shirt! (after seeing this picture I know I need more blonde in my hair)....

Running back home -- to Idaho

2008-09-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

I decided to do something fun with my running. Well, I don't know if it's really fun but I thought I would see how many days (weeks or month) to get from my front door to my parent's front door. The total mileage between the two is 1185 miles. I'll record my daily, then weekly mileage and we'll see just how long it would take to run from point A to point B. My guess is that I'll be that much more thankful for an invention called the automobile by the time I get done.

One of the best books....

2008-09-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

So I finished ANOTHER great book. I know, every book I read is a great book (well most of them) but this one especially good. This book was chosen by a woman in my book club and she picked a winner. The name of the book is " same kind of different as me." It's hard to tell what the book is about by the title but it's essentially the true story of the relationship of two men from entirely different worlds -- a millionaire art dealer and a homeless black man who was grew up as a slave (yes, slavery in modern-day America). I won't go into details about the book but would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book. I cried (a part hit very close to home) and laughed. I will share the last few lines of the book with you -- (don't worry, it doesn't give anything away) -- "The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain't no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless - just workin our way toward home."

Chores I hate

2008-09-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am generally a good housekeeper. I said good, not great. However there are a few things I despise when it comes to cleaning the house -- one is mopping, which can't really be avoided because everyone can see your floor and the other is cleaning the fridge, which can be avoided because all you have to do is shut the fridge door. However, I love, love, love the look of a clean fridge. Something refreshing about it. I cleaned my fridge yesterday and so for about two days I can enjoy that oh so nice feeling of a clean fridge. I can't believe I will post before pictures but as you can see, my fridge was in serious need of a cleaning....

My new brown wall

2008-09-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I got a new king size mattress. I was way excited but at the same time I knew that meant new bedding was in order. I loved the bedding I had for my queen-size bed. Absolutely loved it. I had painted a wall in my bedroom army green to match my bedding and loved the color so I tried for two months to find something that would match the paint (okay the truth is I didn't want to paint). Well, after searching and searching and searching I came up with nothing. But I did find this brown and blue comforter set that I fell in love with but I knew buying it would mean the wall would have to be painted. BUT, when I visited my mom's house this summer she had painted a wall chocolate brown and I loved it. It's such a warm, inviting color and also CHOCOLATE. Do I need to say more? So I was excited about the color scheme. Also, I have a baby blue bathroom. All of the tile, including half-way tiled walls, is baby blue. So this was the perfect opportunity to incorporate the bedroom into the bathroom. I am still working on a few things regarding the bathroom decorations but it is all coming together. I will post bathroom pictures when it is complete. You will all be jealous of my blue bathroom. Here is a picture of my chocolate wall. Doesn't it make you hungry?

Silly Nick

2008-09-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago my family went to the Oregon Coast and Stephanie's husband Michael took silly pictures of him in the sand based on a Carol Burnett character. My kids have no idea who Carol Burnett is but they think their Uncle Michael is hilarious so Nick copied him a few weeks ago with this pictures. He is truly a silly kid!

Remembering 9/11

2008-09-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

This song gets me so pumped to be an American. Especially on a day like today 9/11 -- check it out. I'm not sure how to post youtube videos but it's a great song. Makes me run really, really fast too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSWuA-RttGU

Sorry Barack....I mean Barry....I tried

2008-09-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

So when it was clear who would be running for Prez in 2008 I decided to become educated on both opponents and read their memoirs. I started with Barack Obama's book -- the first 100 pages were interesting -- a history of his early life. White mother. African father. Lived in Indonesia while his mom was married to an Indonesian. Raised during his high school years by his grandparents in Hawaii (who called him Barry). Went to college. Graduated. Joined groups to make changes. That's where I stopped. I was sooo bored and uninterested. I feel for him because it would be hard to have such a diverse background and really not know where to fit in. However, it became clear that he considers himself and black man even though his mother was white and he was raised in a white household. I agree with him that there needs to be more programs and involvement in black populated areas but I hate that he has taken that route and totally ignored his other "half." However, I only got to page 200 so I can't say that he never went there. It completely lost my interest. I will start John McCain's book in a few weeks. I need a break from those type of books and read something enjoyable. I don't know who I will vote for. Probably write in Mickey Mouse.

Be careful with public places

2008-09-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

So I can't prove that this is where I contracted it from but Thursday I did a little 12-minute tanning session at a local tanning salon and by Friday I had a nasty rash covering my entire torso and back. The only area that wasn't affected was the area that was covered up. (thus my assumption that it was from the tanning bed). Today at the gym I noticed the rash spreading to my legs. Luckily Joel can call in prescriptions so I am on something to help the rash go away, but my days at the tanning salon are over. I am moving onto fake-tanning lotions. Any suggestions on which are the best ones?

Football Power

2008-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Football season is officially underway. OSU had their first home game, which is of course a huge deal if you live in the city of Stillwater and my boy s had their second official game. The games were suppose to be held in Stillwater this week but because the field isn't ready (apparently there is only one football field in the entire city) all games were moved to Tulsa where we were the "home team" but when you're 90 minutes from home it doesn't really make sense. Ever since Nick was in first grade he's wanted to play tackle football but every year I tell him he has to wait until fifth grade. He still asked every year and when he got to fifth grade he said he didn't want to play. But this year Zack is in the fifth grade and wanted to play so when I signed him up, Nick quickly followed. You must understand. Football is huge in Oklahoma. I mean HUGE! I think little NFL logos are on the blood platelets of people here. I've never seen anything like it. So signing your kids up to play tackle football is a big committment. It means practices four times a week, 2 hours a practice. It means every Saturday until the middle of November being sent at games (most of which are in Tulsa) and it means money -- lots of money -- well to sign up, to buy equipment, to pay for gas (the biggest of all), to pay admission to all the games and of course to buy food when you are at the games....But you know what? I LOVE it. I LOVE football and I LOVE watching my kids play. I love seeing them in their uniforms. I love when they hit someone. I love cheering them on. It's so much fun. Today I finally took some pictures of the boys at their games. Enjoy! Zack won his game 6-6 (to determine the tiebreaker each team is given four plays and whoever gains the most yards wins) and Nick lost his game -- but looked much improved from their 0-35 opening loss. Enjoy the pics. Look for more in the future....

She Bangs

2008-09-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

So wednesday I got my hair done and I took off a little length -- about an inch -- slowly I want to get my hair back to shoulder length. Then I thought to myself -- maybe I want bangs. Unfortunately I thought this thought outloud and before I knew it, well actually I gave full permission, Micah had given me bangs. I'm not sure about this. I haven't had bangs in about six years and suddenly I feel like I'm back in 8th grade -- all I need now is a perm and I'd fit right into 1984! (or whenever I was in 8th grade). By the way, I'm with my friends Mckenzie, Mckenzie's daughter Kylee and Megan in this lovely picture.

My Tyler Perry obsession

2008-09-04T13:19:00.001-07:00

(tyler perry himself)

This post is inspired by Christina who recently posted about her love of English films. I have a problem with English films. The problem is I don't understand the accent. They talk much too fast and have too many fancy words for me. Remember I am a simple Oklahoma girl. Anyway, I thought I would blog about my favorite movie producer Tyler Perry. Yes, he is black and yes his movies are made up of an almost 100 percent black cast -- that doesn't matter. Black people watch movies with white people in them and vice versa. Boy, I am digging myself a VERY big hole. His movies are funny, genuine and so true to life and true to heart. Sometimes I get tired of romantic comedies where everything is funny and then there's some sort of conflict but in the end everything works out. Tyler Perry movies have all those components but in each of his movies he portrays a topic that is real and he doesn't sugar-coat it or make it seem easy for the person dealing with the problem. They are real and I love to see how these people resolve the issues. I feel like I am answering an essay question and just going on and on and on. So if anyone cares (I know my family makes fun of me for this obsession) rent a Tyler Perry movie tonight and tell me what you think. Here are my top five Tyler Perry movies in order of my favorites: 1: Diary of a Mad black woman 2: Why did I get married? 3: Daddy's little Girls 4: Madea's family reunion and 5: Meet the browns

Dinner

2008-09-04T06:17:00.001-07:00

Nick's video of us having dinner. It's pretty exciting. Tomorrow I will video us having breakfast. Even better.....

Dentist Duties

2008-08-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well I'm off to get my wisdom teeth out. An hour from now I'll be home, hopefully sleeping for the next 24 hours. Last week part of a tooth fell out -- it didn't hurt or anything but it left this gaping hole in my mouth and I knew that would be a problem. I went to my regular dentist on Monday and she told me that my wisdom teeth and my night clenching and grinding are causing my teeth to crack -- so she won't fix my tooth until my wisdom teeth came out....unbeknownst to me -- they got me in right away. I've had no time to mentally prepare, but you know what, that might be for the best. So, I'm off. Milkshakes and pudding await.....

Why I miss Mobile

2008-08-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

In a few months my brother, his wife and their twin daughters will be packing up their house in Utah and transporting everything to the great state of Alabama where my brother will be training to be a blackhawk helicopter pilot at Ft. Rucker. Christina is a bit apprehensive. I know her feelings. It's hard to uproot your family and move halfway across the country to an unknown land where you don't know anybody and everything is SO different from where you moved from. Nine years ago I was facing a similar dilemma. Uprooting my small family in Utah, loading a Uhaul and moving to Alabama. We moved there in May and I remember getting there, feeling the sweat roll down my back (the humidity is something else) and wondering what in the world had I done? Then to top it off, a week after arriving I found out I was pregnant. I remember not understanding a word people said. I remember being frustrated by the way people drove (very, very slow compared to the Wasatch Front) and I remember the heat! BUT, it all turned around when I got out and met my neighbors and people from church. I fell in love with Alabama. I loved, loved, loved being within an hour of the beach. I loved the people. I loved the green. I loved that you drove down the street and didn't know there was a city on the other side of the road because there were so many trees. I loved that trees would grow over the streets. I loved the colonial houses. I loved the history. I loved (and still love) the friends I made. I loved that I lived in a complex that had four pools. I loved that the YMCA was across the street and I had two hours of babysitting while I worked out. I want my brother and sister-in-law to know that Alabama is a great place to be. I cried and cried when we drove away, knowing the chances were very slim that we'd ever live there again. It was a wonderful experience for me. I grew so much when I lived there. I discovered so many things about myself that I would have never known had I stayed by my family or in Utah. I am jealous that they will be there but rest assured we will be visiting. So Christina, get your beach bags ready!

My mosiac me.....

2008-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Susan tagged me on her blog - I thought this would be complicated but it was a lot of fun. Some of the questions were tricky to find pictures for but I did my best to make it work! I am going to go ahead and tag Christina, Margo and Shanon....Enjoy my mosaic me.... (also I put the mosaic on there twice and could not for the life of me figure out how to delete one of them. Then I thought, oh well. That just means there are officially two pictures of Will Smith on my blog and I will not complain about that!)

Here's what you do:
Go to Flickr search and pick out a photo for each one of your answers to the questions below. Click on the picture you want and copy the URL
Open another browser, Mosaic Maker, and paste the URL for each picture into the desired space. (You'll see directions)
Once you have selected, copied and pasted all of your pictures, click Create to make your Mosaic
Click Share ( at this point you can copy the html and paste it into your post but when I tried, my mosaic turned out very small. So, I saved the mosaic to my computer by clicking the little disk under the mosaic. Then, I uploaded it to the post just like a regular photo. Does that make sense? You may find a better way...)

Now, for the questions:
1. Name? Brooke
2. Favorite Color? yellow
3. High School? Preston High Indians
4. Favorite Food? Mexican
5. Celebrity Crush? Will Smith

6. Favorite Drink? water
7. Dream Vacation? the beach
8. Favorite Dessert? brownies
9. What you want to be when you grow up? broadcast journalist
10. Your favorite thing in this world? chocolate (this picture would not show up - I tried and tried but it wouldn't work)
11. One word to describe you? Bubbly
12. Your Nickname? I really don't have one but people have called me Babbling Brook -- huh, wonder why?

The quest to become favorite aunt

2008-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about visiting my family in Idaho/Utah is seeing my neices and nephews. I am determined to be the favorite and best aunt they will ever know. I think I've got that one won with Stephanie's son Hunter or why else would he call me "Genius."? I'm working on getting them all to like me. Sometimes I will even mail packages for no reason -- and I'm always buying Kindra's girls clothes -- if I see something cute and it's on sale it's like Christmas for me. There were three babies when I was out in Idaho this summer and I took pictures with all of them -- Patrick's twin girls Amelia and Rachel and Kindra's youngest Connor. I call him Giant Baby -- which Kindra is okay with because -- well, he's a giant baby. He's adorable though as are Patrick's girls. I love, love these babies but in NO WAY does it mean I want more. Nope. Been there. Done that. My time is my time now and I love it!

Alpine Slide

2008-08-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Part of my trip to Idaho this summer was spent in Jackson Hole (yes, I am still blogging about the summer and will probably be blogging about it until next summer). I LOVE Jackson Hole. I never realized how close it was to my parent's house. We started driving and then we were there. Literally. I thought we needed to pack snacks, make sure we had enough movies, take bathroom breaks -- but no, it was a quick, beautiful, three hour drive. I drove with Stephanie which was a lot of fun and my parents had ALL four boys with them. Did I mention it was a great drive? The first thing we did when we got there was eat our sandwiches (see previous salad entry) and then hit the Alpine Slide. I first went on the Alpine Slide when I was 10 or 11 and was at 4-H camp....I will say it might not be as fun as an adult but my kids loved it. We don't have mountains in Oklahoma so just going up the ski lift and looking back at the Tetons was a great thrill for me and the kids -- then coming down the slide was fun as well. I just needed on slide down to get my thrills though and let the kids go down 4 times or so. It was a great time and I can't wait to get back there. Enjoy the pictures -- I think there are one of each of my boys (except Jeffrey who is scared of heights) and Hunter (see previous post) and Stephanie with her other son Carter.

more cave pictures

2008-08-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

Minnetonka caves

2008-08-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

While we were in Idaho I was able to spend individual time with my sisters which was really nice. One of the places Kindra's family and my family visted was the Minnetonka cave, whichiis right by Bear Lake. I've been there before and it's a great time. This time we remembered to bring jackets -- the cave is around 60 degrees inside. There are also 888 total steps. Talk about a great workout! Here are some pictures of us at the caves -- Kindra has twin girls and then ther's a picture of her baby and her two boys. I've even included a picture of me with my eyes closed, but I love the background. The cave is high up in the mountains and it is a beautiful view. So peaceful and serene.....(I've also included some pictures Nick took inside the cave -- I'm not into pictures unless they include people but I'll include these for him.)

Happy Birthday H-Man

2008-08-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Today is my nephew Hunter's birthday -- I usually wouldn't post about a nephew's birthday because I have so many of them (7 to be exact) but Hunter is special -- well, since he could talk he calls me "Genius." Stephanie and I have no idea why he does this -- it's always been hey genius....genius this....genius that.....I don't think he knows what a genius is but I'll take it and I haven't corrected him. One of my favorite stories is a few years ago when everyone was at my mom's and Hunter and Ethan (another nephew his same age) were eating lunch and Ethan said, "Hey Brooke will you get me some milk?" Hunter put his food down, looked at Ethan and asked, "What did you just call her? Her name is genius." Well Ethan didn't fall for it and neither have any of my other nieces and nephews, so I'll just have to rely on Hunter to boost my ego --- Happy 7th birthday -- (here is a picture of Hunter with my mom and dad and his brother Carter)

Where have I been?

2008-08-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been so long since I wrote anything on my blog. I've had blog freeze, if that's a term -- I also feel like everytime I post something I need to include a picture or it's not blog worthy. I can't find my camera/computer cord so I have no pictures. Wait. I do have pictures. Last time I went to walmart I requested the CD, but of course I am on the computer where the CD drive door is broken and will have to wait my turn for the computer with the working CD drive. The story of my life. This last week I got all my kids registered for school. Jeffrey will be starting the 8th grade. It baffles me. I remember 8th grade. I had Mr. Nelson first hour and I was the pepclub secratary -- it's just strange to think I'm that old -- but his enthusiasm for school is nothing like mine was (or is). His school is on the other side of Stillwater. Nick will be in 6th grade and his school is right next to where Zack (5th) and Andrew (3rd) will be -- it's on the same side of town that we live and within biking distance. Of course now that Nick is a cool middle-schooler biking to school might be above him. I'm still trying to figure out how I will juggle it all. I am a part-time single mom -- well 3/4 time single mom so I rely a lot on friends and I think now more than ever I'll have to do that. Also, thank goodness for carpooling. We are also in to the second week of football practice. Nick and Zack practice four days a week from 5:30 to 7:30 -- is there a worse time? Obviously the coaches are all male and have no knowledge of the bad timing of it -- they don't have to cook dinner, they don't have to do homework and they most likely don't have to pick their kids up from school and hear how tired they are. Enough about the complaining though -- my boys are loving football and I am loving watching them. Yesterday we went to Tulsa for their first scrimmage -- which was really running a few plays against teams they will play this season. They are adorable (they'd like to use the word tough) in their pads and helmets. I am really going to enjoy these next few months of their lives....

Lettuce, er salad....

2008-07-30T17:18:00.001-07:00

Bagged salad. Is it lettuce or bagged salad? When I was in Idaho I was reminded of the strange way my mom buys lettuce. She buys it in the bag. Well really she doesn't. She buys bagged salad and uses it as lettuce. Mind you, there is bagged lettuce, already cut. She doesn't buy that. She buys bagged salad. A head of lettuce. No. Bagged salad.

We went to Jackson Hole for a few days and while I would have loved eating out every meal (remember I'm on vacation) the parents insisted on packing sandwiches. I think it's okay for one meal but we did it every day for lunch. We get out the bread, the cheese, the mayo, and then the bagged salad. WHY? I don't know! My brother says he remembers his sandwiches always having carrot slices in them.

At Christmas we had taco salad on christmas eve. Where is the lettuce? It's in the fridge? Where? In the fridge? Where? Right here. Oh, you mean the bagged salad. Yes, the bagged salad. It was wilty. And it was gross. But it was Christmas Eve and all the stores were closed so we had lovely taco salad with wilted lettuce. I mean wilted bagged salad.

There are some quirks I'm sure I will have when I get older and my kids will laugh at me and call me old fashioned and out of touch. BUT, I can guarantee I will never serve my kids bagged salad on their sandwiches.

Love you mom!

Attack of the Under Armour brand

2008-07-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Growing up I was never concerned about fashion. I didn't like to shop at all. In fact, my mom would school shop for me and I would pretty much wear whatever she picked out for me. However, when I started having kids I found that shopping gave me time alone and I just enjoyed buying things to make myself feel good. Up until this year I have been able to buy all my kids school clothes and they have been fine with whatever I have picked out. They've always been grateful and happy and I've been the same way because I was able to have alone time (something I cherish) and I was able to make my kids happy (something else I cherish). However, this year they have discovered name brands -- one in particular -- under armour. I must say Jeffrey isn't into it. He still lets me shop for him and he's usually happy with what I get him. But the three younger boys now want to be involved in the shopping (something I don't cherish) and they want under armour (something I definitely don't cherish). I must admit I have some under armour clothing and I love it. But I'm the mom and it's okay. Let me just say -- the shirts average $25 a piece and the shorts are around $20 a pair. When we were in Utah we visited Dick's sporting goods and I told the boys they could pick out one under armour piece of clothing. There are plenty of knock-offs with the same style and material, but they want the real thing. You would have thought I told them they needed to jump off a cliff. It's hard for them to have such a mean mother! After an hour (seriously it took them one hour to pick out ONE piece of under armour) we were able to leave Dick's with spending less than $150. Sounds like a lot but I was pretty proud. Today Zack wanted to buy and under armour backpack. He has a perfectly good backpack that I bought at Ross -- seriously. When did I become such and uncool parent?

My quirky nature

2008-07-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

So I was TAGGED on my friend Andrea's blog to list 6 quirks I have. Those of you that know me well, know that I am perfect and therefore have no quirks so this will be hard to do. JUST KIDDING! Quirky is my middle name. However, I don't want to get quirky and bad habits mixed up so I looked up quirky in the dictionary and here is the definition:

A peculiarity of behavior

Well that really narrows it down. Ha, Ha!

The RULES
1. Link the person who tagged you...Andrea
2. Post these rules.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

Okay, you asked for them...

1. I talk way too much. Is this really a peculiarity of behavior? I don't know since I really don't understand that definition. I just think talking too much can drive others crazy and I know I drive most people crazy with my constant jabbering.

2. I pick my teeth with my fingers sometimes. Very, very bad habit and quite unattractive as well.

3. My thumb on my left hand is double jointed. I do think that is a peculiar behavior. I can also curl my tongue. So a lot of people can do this but not everyone can!

4. I shave my legs every day. Even when they don't need it. I love that smooth feeling!

5. I don't know if this is a quirky behavior or a bad habit. Probably the latter but I like to snack at night -- like at 3 a.m. I usually like to find something sweet but if I can't find something sweet I'll eat a piece of bread and sometimes I eat in bed. Crumbs. Crumbs. Crumbs.

6. I have to have my kitchen clean before I go to bed. This started when I lived in a trailer in Logan, Utah and did not have a dishwasher. It drove me crazy. I used to always have dirty dishes and when I was pregnant with Zachary I decided for my sanity reasons I'd have to go to bed knowing I could wake up to a clean kitchen. That was something that was completely in my control. So ever since Zachary was born 10 years ago I've only let the kitchen go when I've been completely sick and could not physically clean. I LOVE waking up to a clean kitchen.

7. OK -- So I thought of another one. I am a control freak. If I could have complete control of my house I would love it. I wish I could still do the financial end of everything. It drives me crazy not to pay the bills and see where the money goes. I have a bit of a problem with that and it's been hard to let Joel take over that end of the household. Drives me Crazy!

Now I must tag....I don't know who has been tagged and who hasn't but here they are: Christina, Shanon, Margo, Coty, Whitney and Stephanie

Airport Woes

2008-07-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

UGH! We are home....barely....but we are home. When I made my airline reservations a month ago I told my six-year-old nephew Hunter that we had to change planes in Denver. With a sigh he told me "Genius, why are you flying through Denver. There are so many delays there." (He calls me genius for unknown reasons and I'm not planning on insisting he call me Brooke). Well, Hunter was right. Delays. We got to the Denver airport and headed for our connecting flight to see that it was delayed one hour, meaning we would get to Oklahoma City at 1 a.m. then home around 2 a.m. Then our flight wasn't delayed....then the pilots weren't there....then the flight crew wasn't there....finally we made it to Oklahoma City and it was only 12:45 a.m. We got on the bus to take us to our car and I had lost the slip telling us where we parked. After driving through the parking lot for 10 minutes we found the suburban and unloaded our bags, BUT the car wouldn't start. Completely dead. Of course the parking lot bus was gone so there we were -- five of us wondering what to do. We started walking back to the airport and we came across the exit gate with a PERSON inside! Yay! She called someone, we got a jump and arrived home at 3 a.m. Thank goodness I bought a red bull in Salt Lake or I would have been so tired, but I didn't even get tired until my head hit the pillow and I was out! Great to be home. Just wish it wasn't so hard to get here.....

American Idol mania

2008-07-25T09:14:00.001-07:00

So I am leaving for Oklahoma today. I've been in Idaho for almost two weeks and have had a great time. I have mixed feelings about leaving. I'm excited to get back to my routine and the boys are fighting so I know they are starting to get bored. I am planning on slowly blogging about my trip and ever exciting adventures I've had while here. First blog entry....American Idol...

I got here on Sunday night, spent the night at Stephanie's (she lives north of Salt Lake City) and on Monday morning drove up to Idaho only to return to Salt Lake City three hours later with my sister-in-law and BFF Christina. We had bought tickets to go to the American Idol concert and were so excited to see all our favorites. Especially Jason Castro. Ha, Ha. We ended up having great seats and having a great time. The concert consisted of the top ten constestants on American Idol so while we got to see some great performers (Brooke White, Chekeezie, David Cook and that Australian guy) we had to endure some not so great performers (Ramielle and the girl with tatoos.) We didn't hear a thing that David Archuletta sang - remember we are in his hometown with all his "we hope we marry you" wives -- but we think he did well. My favorites were Brooke White (who didn't wear shoes) and of course David Cook. He was great and I can't wait until his album comes out. He's just got such a unique style. More than anything I was just happy to spend time with Christina. We get a long so great and it seems like we don't have enough time together ever. It was a great time. Thanks Christina for taking me!

Let's get to know Brooke --- :)

2008-07-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

I was looking at blogs, thinking of how creative every one is and came across this "get to know you" post on Whitney's page. She encouraged us all to use it and I thought it was fun. I know some people think these are corny, but I really enjoy them. Here goes:

Name: Brooke Ormsby - maiden name: Barrington
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde, though I hate to admit that it is dirty blond before highlights
Height: 5'9"
How would you describe yourself? I talk to everyone about everything. I think I am fun to be around. I also think I am compassionate.
Either/OrShy or Outgoing? No doubt, outgoing.
Spender or Saver? Definitely a spender. Even when I don't have the money
Truth or Dare? Truth, maybe some dares when I was a teenager.
Books or Movies? Books.
Romantic Comedy or Action/Adventure? Romantic Comedy
Cats or Dogs? Cats
Mountain or Beach? the beach -- my favorite place
Sweet or Salty? Sweet, I'm a candy-holic.
Do you...Get Annoyed Easily? I'm always annoyed. Rarely a time that I'm not
Like to Travel? LOVE to travel
Like to drive fast? Yes, and I stop too fast.
Sing Well? I'm the next Carrie Underwood. Just ask my kids. :)
Have a Talent? I play the piano
Watch Scary Movies? Not at all.
Shave your legs everyday? Everyday and my armpits too!
Floss regularly? No, that's why I have so many cavitites
Get Motion Sickness? Yes, in Mexico I was puking off the side of the boat while everyone else was snorkeling
Have you ever...Performed on Stage? Do piano recitals when I was younger count?
Been out of the country? Where? Yes, to Mexico
Had any body hair waxed? Love the wax
Lied about your age? No .
Used a fake ID? No again
Gotten a Speeding ticket? Yes, when I first got my license and a few years ago in Cushing.
What is...The last CD you bought? Chris Daughtry's album
The last movie you saw in the Theater? Hancock. Saw it for the second time. Loved it!
The last Movie you rented? Juno. Again. Loved it.
Your Greatest Fear? My kids being kidnapped
Your Greatest Strength? The ability to take care of four boys pretty much on my own
Your Greatest Weakness? I think I lack on the spiritual side and that makes me a weaker person.
Your Happiest Memory? When my kids were born and I brought them home from the hospital.
Your Favorite...Movie: So many. I love, love, love movies. I love Tyler Perry movies.
TV Show: Again, so many. Amazing Race, LOST, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty and sports - NFL and NBA.
Actor: Those who know me know this answer: Will Smith
Actress: Reese Witherspoon
Food: Chocolate
Drink: Water
Color: Pink and Yellow
Scent: Fresh cut grass/hay and after a rainstorm
Season and WHY: Autumn -- the kids go back to school!
Day of the Week and WHY: Monday - the kids go back to school
Favorite Stores: Wherever I can buy workout clothes and I know this sounds bad, but I really enjoy wandering around WalMart.
Quote: Again, so many. I like the Dr. Seuss and running ones I have on my blog.
What do you Think About....What to cook for dinner.
Miracles: Yes, the fact that my mom is alive is a miracle
Astrology: I'm a libra but it means nothing to me.
War: They've been around since the beginning of time, unfortunately
Ghosts: Yes, my uncle's house is haunted, or so the people that have seen the ghosts say.
Reincarnation: No, but if it's true I want to come back with bigger boobs and not as a cow!
Karma: What goes around comes around.
Luck: Not really
Aliens: I think there's other life forms somewhere in the universe but I don't think they've visited us.
Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments: I have so many I can't narrow it down to just one.
WooHoo for making it this far! Whitney didn't make this a tag but I'm going to. I tag Shanon, Margo and Christina.....

I'm still here....

2008-07-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I can't really say it's been a crazy week because it hasn't. I'm just trying to keep four boys entertained (five with my Asian son), keep the house cleaned, cook and do everything else a typical single mom does. But there hasn't really been anything going on worth blogging about -- I am going to Idaho/Utah on Sunday night. We have one of those lovely late flights because that's what you get on if you don't want to fork over the big bucks. We will be there for 11 days and I am very looking forward to spending time on the farm, seeing my sisters, brother and nephews and neices. Christina's girls turn one a few days after I get there. I CANNOT wait to see them and teach them to say my name. Also Kindra's girls, who are almost four will be there and we have so much fun together. We'll do makeup, play girl games and play with dolls. Things I don't get to do very often around here. Also, Christina and I are going to an American Idol concert. How excited am I? VERY. The only thing I worry about is the concert is in SLC which is where David Archuletta is from so there will be a million screaming 12-year-0lds and Christina and me. Should be fun. My parents, boys and I are planning and overnight trip to Jackson Hole. On the way home we'll stop in Rexburg to show the boys where I went to school. I'm also planning on spending a few days in Salt Lake City with my sister Stephanie and her boys. Sound busy? It will be. But I am so ready for this vacation and a break from my day-t0-day life. (but don't you LOVE the picture of the Grand Tetons -- just outside of Jackson hole.)

The Boleyn Inheritance

2008-07-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I finished another book? I really am not ignoring my children and reading all the time. Summer gives me great opportunities to read -- I take the kids to the pool every day (sometimes twice a day) and pretty much the entire time I am reading. It's great to have kids that know how to swim and since I get no breaks with my kids (Joel is gone day and night all week) when they swim I get a break. Anyway, the book I just finished reading is called "The Boelyn Inheritance" by Philippia Gregory. I had read one of her books several months ago called "The Other Boleyn Sister" (have yet to see the movie) and absolutly loved it. I've never been interested in the English/Tudor era but I just found the story of Henry VIII and his wives fascinating. It's interesting to think while times have changed, things have been discovered, inventions have been made that love and romance really have stayed the same - and the human spirit and the human heart are exactly the same as they were over 400 years ago. My mom told me a few months ago that she traced Joel's ancestry through Katherine Parr who was Henry VIII's last wife and scheduled to be tried for treason (the reason two of his wives were beheaded) but he died before the trial could take place. That's all the more reason to be interested in this era. Anyway, if you want a good read, check it out or borrow it from me....

Nothing compares to friends

2008-07-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being." -Goethe

I just want all my friends to know how much I appreciate them. Sometimes I feel like I'm constantly "unloading" on everyone and doing all the talking and hardly any of the listening. Throughout my life I have been blessed with wonderful friends who truly care about me. Sometimes I wonder why I deserve to have such good friends. Right now I'm having a "rough time" with a few things and my friends mean SO MUCH to me. They listen, they encourage, the make me feel needed and wanted - I love you guys!

If I could be an animal....

2008-07-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I'm driving around (which seems to happen all the time when you have four children) I wonder what I should be blogging about -- then I thought about my cats and how they are always sleeping and how nice that would be....to just sleep all day....but is that the animal I would really want to be? Then I thought -- that's a great blog topic -- okay, so maybe I'm stretching it, but what animal would I be if I was indeed an animal?

I'm tall. I could be a giraffe -- but I think I'd get bothered by that long, black tongue. I could be a lion -- they are powerful, the king (queen) of the jungle, but I'm the oldest and sometimes I get tired of being "in charge" or the one that has to make all the decisions. I definitely would not want to be a cow. I've been a nursing mother before and the idea of being "pumped" twice a day is NOT appealing to me. And I grew up on a farm and I know that cows are not the most loved animal. There's always a bunny. People love bunnies. But they also eat their first-born batch of babies. Gross. My mom loves bears. Bears are good animals. They are powerful, fierce, strong, but they are also loners and the idea of wandering alone all the time is not appealing to me. I'd definitely have to be an animal that is around other animals or people. I guess that leaves either a cat or a dog and a dog -- well, there's so many different kinds of dogs. I love pugs. Love them. Once I read that when someone gets depressed they should google "pugs in costumes" and that will cheer them up. I've done that and it does cheer one up. But pugs snore and their tongues are always hanging out. I guess I'm just going to have to be a fat, lazy, loved, overfed cat. But hopefully I'll stay a kitty....

(enjoy the pugs in costume picture -- see it made you smile)

YAY! YAY! YAY!

2008-07-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

So tonight I was settling down to watch the night-time edition of "The Price is Right" and it never came on because of breaking news -- the owner of the Seattle Supersonics officially announcing that it has happened -- the Sonics are moving to Oklahoma City and there WILL be an NBA team in Oklahoma City this season! It's all so exciting to me. I love the NBA and I love basketball and as my boys get older I've wanted to take them to some games but they are too far away. We did have the New Orleans Hornets in town for two seasons and even though it was fun to attend a game everyone always knew that they would return to New Orleans so it they were never really "our" team. The team will not be named the "Sonics." They will have a new name. The boys claim it will be the Oklahoma Thunder -- they say that Kevin Durrant's nephew is always at the swimming pool and he gave them this "secret" information. We'll see. Anyway, that's the big news around these parts.....

Me and my signs....

2008-07-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

For about three years now I have been making decorative wooden signs and I love it! I mostly am at work on these signs during the fall months (I do two craft shows in the fall) but do get orders year round. A few years ago I was visiting my family in Idaho/Utah and noticed these signs everywhere! The trend hadn't hit Oklahoma yet, so I found a friend to do the vinyl for me and I do all the wood work and put the finished product together. I love, love making them, but the trend has hit Oklahoma (they are now available everywhere) and a lot of people actually own their own vinyl machines so my competition has increased, but I still have loyal customers who love my signs and I love creating them for them. Anyway, the exciting news is a customer of mine is being featured on the website etsy.com and in her feature she lists some of her favorite products and sellers and I am one of them! So tomorrow all day my sign "Remember who you are and what you stand for" will be featured on etsy. Hopefully I'll get a lot of attention and sell some more signs. I can't complain. Since joining etsy six months ago (etsy is a craft website) I've sold over 20 signs. Signs that would have been sitting in my closet collecting dust. Anyway, check it out -- here's my sign website: (I've attached one of my favorites)...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5537134

Yet another book

2008-06-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

I finished another book -- have I mentioned I LOVE to read? I loved this book. The title was "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. She was in her early 30s when she went through an ugly divorce -- she decided she needed to "get away" and re-discover herself. She spent four months in Italy, four months in India and four months in Bali, Indonesia. The book is written as a memoir and I felt like I was traveling through these countries with her. When she was in Bali, she turned 35. My age. I thought about all she had gone through by the time she was my age. Of course I have gone through different things that she hasn't gone through, but I admired so much her courage, bravery and her spirit. I highly, highly recommend this book -- especially if you are struggling with who you are or you feel like your life is at a standstill. Love it. I'll share one part with you that I felt related to me. When she was in India she stayed at an Ashram (which I pictured as sort of a compound). During her stay there she learned meditaion and Yoga rituals (the "pray" part of her journey). After a few months she knew she needed to stop talking so much so people could concentrate (something I struggle with). This is what she wrote:

"This (talking) has been the story of my life. It's how I am. But I've been thinking lately that this is maybe a spiritual liability. Silence and solitude are universally recognized spiritual practices, and there are good reasons for this. Learning how to discipline your speech is a way of preventing your energies from spilling out of you through the rupture of your mouth, exhausting you and fillng the world with words, words, words instead of serenity, peace and bliss."

This doesn't mean I'll stop talking. After all, I'm not at an Ashram in India. Thank goodness.

I heart my boys

2008-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

I have the best boys -- I really do. Sometimes having four boys seems overwhelming and it especially was overwhelming when they were younger, but lately, especially this summer, they have become such good boys and so much fun to be around. That doesn't mean we don't have our moments, but the good moments far outweigh the bad. They've also become hard workers. Every day they get up and do their chores, sometimes without being asked and oftentimes they ask to do other things. OK, so their main motivation is money, but I'll pay them if it is helping me (with not having to do something) and helping them (with those lifelong skills). Last night Nick was up until 11:30 waiting for a load of laundry to dry just so he could get the load folded. I woke up to a living room full of piles of folded clothes ready to put away! What a hard worker. I wanted to post a couple of pictures of them hard at work!

Just for Margo....

2008-06-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I know Margo will LOVE this tree that our tour guide pointed out in Mexico. It sort of gives a new meaning to the "tree huggers." :)

Please feel sorry for me....

2008-06-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have an entire family of coldsores making their home on my bottom lip! The extended family may be moving in as well, though it's early to tell. Just wanted everyone to know this and feel sorry for me....I hear that a cold sore is something that never goes away. Once you get one, they stay in your system and appear a couple times a year. I've been dealing with them since high school. They really are lovely.... :) BTW -- that's not a picture of MY lip. I tried to take a picture and had my boys try to take a picture but none turned out as good as this one I found on the internet. What a great resource!

More Mexico Pictures....

2008-06-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share more Mexico pictures. Some were taken at/while climbing Coba -- which is part of the Mayan ruins on the Yucatan peninsula....the others are pictures of Joel and me at the resort pool.....enjoy.....

A taste of the foreign life....

2008-06-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to be in Mexico, because everyone from around the world visits Mexico....not just Americans and not just Canadians -- everyone. People from Europe visit Mexico. People from England visit Mexico. People from South America visit Mexico. And all of these places have their own unique styles, many of which we came across during our trip to Mexico. On our second day there we were sitting by a family from Dallas and their daughters kept coming up to the pool talking about the topless woman on the beach. The kids were so worked up and of course their dad had them go and take a picture (such a man thing to do). I must admit I got a bit curious myself and took a walk on the beach as well and sure enough, there they were hanging out there -- and they were big. Then there are the issues of speedos. Something I will never, ever understand, even if they are accepted in other parts of the world. There was one guy in particular who seemed especially proud of his speedo as he would walk around the pool a lot -- well turns out, we spent an entire day with him, his wife and son when we did the "Mayan Adventure." It was a small group (six couples) and he turned out to be a really nice guy -- and I'm glad that we had a chance to get to know him because I had assumed he was nasty considering the speedo he was wearing. (the group picture is posted -- the speedo guy, obnoxious England man, you can guess which one he was, our German tour guide in the front, and our driver aka Speedy Gonzales and he really was).

Anyway, another interesting thing you learn when you are in another country is what people really think about Americans. Talking with the English man on the drive, I asked him this question -- his response...."The bloody problem with Americans is that they love guns too much." I dismissed this thinking -- whatever, he doesn't know anything -- besides, he told Joel and I that we were the first Americans he had ever met. So, when I got home the first person I called was my brother Patrick -- he told me to hang on, hadn't even said hello yet -- and (I'm not making this up) asked someone at a book store where their books on cleaning and loading guns were -- OK -- so we love our guns too much. At least we have love!

Side note -- I just looked at the picture again and I see I have a bit of cleavage. That's big news for me. This picture was taken after we had kayaked through the jungle. Notice how wet we all are. We haven't even been swimming yet!

Finding inspiration on page 217

2008-06-23T20:20:00.001-07:00

While on vacation I finished reading "The Chosen," by Chaim Potok -- it was a book for our church book club group, which I must admit I've never been to, but every once in a while will read the book selection. I loved this book. In a nutshell it's the story of the friendship of two Jewish boys who though both Jewish are raised differently. I won't go into details (I am so not good at writing book reports) but I highly, highly recommend this book to everyone. It's an easy read, but a great read. There are places when you want a highlighter so you can remember that line -- My favorite page was page 217 -- Here's a snippet of it...(a father is talking to his son about how he has grown up during the past year) -- "Human beings do not live forever...We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye?....a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest...." Isn't that worthy of a highlighter?

Home....At last

2008-06-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Good News! I'm home from Mexico. Well, I still wish I was sitting by the pool and drinking some of those virgin pina coladas (they have them in a machine, like a coke machine) but I made it home after my first official trip out of the country. Joel booked a trip to Cancun about two months ago and made arrangements for his mom to come up from Dallas to watch the boys. We left on Monday and spent an entire week at an all-inclusive resort -- It was great. We spent several days just lounging by the pool and eating and eating and eating....we spent a half-day snorkeling (and I got so sick) and then a full day on a Mayan adventure....we rappelled, went on a zip line, kayaked, hiked through the jungle, swam in an underground cave (which is the drinking water for the Mayan people) rode bikes through the jungle and hiked to the top of Coba, which is an ancient Mayan city full of ruins -- It was a great trip, but I am happy to be home. I missed my boys, I missed my routine and I desperately missed my friends. Enjoy some of the pictures (the resort and Coba). Of course these are professional pictures. I will post some of my pictures as soon as I get a chance to download them....

The Host

2008-06-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

So today at the pool I finished reading Stephenie Meyer's book "The Host." (I LOVE reading at the pool). I have read her previous three novels, the "vampire" books as I call them and liked them okay. I wasn't head over heels in love with them like a lot of people were but I also understand that I am 35 and those books were written for young adults, or junior high kids. I did enjoy them in the sense that they were clean, yet still contained a lot of adventure and romance. Christina, who used to teach that age group, always struggled with reading suggestions for her girls and thank goodness there are authors out there willing to go against the norm and write books that don't contain everything teenagers DON'T need to be reading about. So anyway, I picked "The Host" up at Hastings and I had heard it was Meyer's first book aimed toward an adult audience. I won't write about the plot, but I can say it was enjoyable and it was an interesting subject. It took me about 50 pages to get into it (I thought the beginning was a bit confusing -- you have to know the premise -- that aliens, in the form of worms, are being injected into humans and taking over earth) -- Anyway, I finished it, and like most books I finish I am sad until I am fully involved in my next book. I have a list of about 10 books I want to read but they are all in hardback and I don't want to pay those prices. I started reading, "The Chosen" -- a friend suggested it, so we'll see how it goes. It's another one of those books that has a set of cliffnotes and I always get nervous reading those. I read enough of those books in AP English in high school.....

S.W.I.M.

2008-06-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

S.W.I.M. = summer with irritable mom --- well, it really doesn't mean that, but there are those days! Swimming is our summer! We bought a pass at the city pool and sometimes we are lucky enough to get an invite to a friend's pool but either way it's about the boys having fun. Jeffrey, who is an excellent swimmer just stopped liking it last year, which is unfortunate because he's missing out on a lot of fun. I love relaxing by the pool with a good book. It sure makes the summer days go by quickly. I took my camera to the pool last night and got a few shots of the boys. Notice my Asian children are with me. But why would they NOT be with me? So I don't make her out to be the bad guy, Abe and Angela's mom has taken my kids to the pool many times. Who knows. She may have a blog and write about her American children....

Phantom

2008-06-04T11:39:00.001-07:00

Just seeing if any of my "blog" reading friends would like to go and see Phantom of the Opera with me. It's playing in Tulsa through July 18. Let me know if any of you are interested and we can get together and see which day would work for us.

Running....

2008-06-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I became a runner. Actually I do. For about two years I've been trying to lose 20 pounds. I hit 30 and - boom - the pounds gradually began to creep onto my body. So I got a membership to the gym (I've always loved working out) but I would go sporadically. Then I hired a personal trainer for about a year. That was a great experience -- I learned a lot and was very proud after I had completed a session, but again, I wasn't losing the weight. Last fall, my friend Shanon and I did one of Jillian the trainer's programs. It is found in her book "Winning by Losing." It was a great workout and we loved that she had a plan for us each day, but again, once the program was done (it was 12 weeks) the weight was still there. So something Jillian and my trainer had said was that if you want to lose the weight you have to do cardio, cardio, cardio. So in January I decided to give it a try -- I started running. Very slowly at first and in short periods of time. Now it's been 6 months and I hate going a day without running. I really, really do. I love running. I love the adrenaline it gives me. I love to sweat. There's just something about it that feels great. I don't do the same "run" every day. Sometimes Shanon and I will run outside. Sometimes we'll walk the incline, which is every bit as good as running, sometimes we run sprints, which are amazing -- Anyway, since I stepped up my cardio and running I have lost 16 pounds. That doesn't sound like a lot when you hear about people on the biggest loser or Oprah losing hundreds of pounds but for me it is great! I only have four more pounds to go to reach my goal weight and I'm sure once I hit that I'll want to keep going. What can I say? Running is OFFICIALLY in my blood!

The Ballas!

2008-06-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

At pioneer basketball camp, Zack received trophies for his 5-on-5 team and 3-on-3 team winning the championship. Nick received a trophy for getting first place in the free throw contest. Don't they look excited. They were exhausted! Nine to four, every day, four days straight wore them out. Andrew didn't get any awards this year, but last year he got three trophies. And he was sure to tell me that Sean Sutton's son (former OSU basketball coach) was on his team and he smoked him -- it's a good feeling to be better than the coaches son. :) They had a great time though and are already talking about next year's camp.

Nick's baseball picture

2008-06-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

So I guess my camera is in video mode (I wasn't even aware that was a mode), so this is actually a one second video I got of Nick last night. Doesn't he look great in his uniform? Had I known I would have recorded more. I will have to record some of the boys swimming tonight!

Nick's last game

2008-06-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well tonight was a bitter sweet night. It was Nick's final baseball game. This year he joined the SYBA (stillwater youth baseball association) on a newly formed team. The SYBA is a more competitive league than the Stillwater Parks and Rec system -- Nick was excited to be part of a team that competed at a higher level and went into the season with a lot of enthusiasm. However, what we found was that the higher level, was very high -- in the end, his team, the Stillwater Outlaws didn't win one single game. We found that we played teams that were made up of players several years older than Nick's team which were entirely fifth graders and most, if not all, of the teams had been together for many years. However, in the end, I think Nick learned a lot about the game of baseball and learned some skills that he would not have acquired had he not joined the team. It was hard for the boys to keep their chins up because they kept getting beat, but I really think during the games they had a good time and a lot of friendships were made that will hopefully continue. I of course had a good time with the parents on the bench and I will miss those four hour double header games when we talked and talked and talked and then talked some more. I will post some pictures of Nick tomorrow when I get my turn on the big computer (gotta love when you have to take turns with your kids). I'm proud of Nick for keeping with it and learning some new skills and making some new friends. He looked great in his "official" uniform too. On a sad note, our headcoach was not there today because his mom was killed in a car accident this afternoon. It's hard to be reminded how precious life is and you never know when tragedy is going to strike. I know the coach will never read my blog but I hope his family knows that they are in our thoughts and prayers....

Gym Suicide

2008-05-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

That's right. Gym Suicide. That's what I committed today. I got to the gym knowing that I wanted to work legs, but I also knew Shanon wouldn't be there so there goes my motivation and someone to push me. I saw Glenn the trainer and mentioned if he didn't have a client he could do some legs with me....well, he didn't have a client and he did legs with me (well I did legs) and it was awful! I was dripping sweat and he wouldn't let me rest and the weight kept getting higher and higher....I felt like I was going to throw up! I trained with Glenn for a year and it's been over a year since I worked with him. I never remember him pushing me this hard, but he probably pushed me because he knows I can do it. He sees Shanon and I in the gym every day so he knows what I'm capable of - I just don't like to work so hard. Anyway, I was very proud of myself because I did everything required, but when I was done I got on the treadmill to run and I couldn't run. My legs were shaking so hard -- I walked at an incline and I did the bike for 15 minutes but I couldn't believe how sore my legs were. Now it's time for a nap.....(sorry this is a repeat from my gym blog. But isn't it great to read it twice!)

basketball camp

2008-05-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

Even though it's summer vacation I have had a bit of a "break" with the boys in basketball camp this week. This particular camp is put on by the high school and my three youngest boys LOVE it. (Jeffrey chooses to sleep and play computer instead, go figure). Anyway, they've done this camp for three years and on Tuesday, when it started, they were up at 6 a.m. ready to go - the camp goes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- It's just like Christmas for them. Tomorrow is the awards ceremony, so I'll keep everyone posted on how they did and hopefully I'll have some pictures. Now it's time to check the lakers/spurs game to see if I have to change my background. What will I do without my Spurs background? Go crazy? Nah...I'm already crazy....Ok, time to check it out...

My $512 Cats!

2008-05-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, Joel brought home two very sick kitties from Alva. A nurse's cat had had kittens and then something happened to the mother cat so the little kitties were without a mom. We thought we would take them in, help them get healthy and then find them some homes. Well, that didn't happen (the home part anyway). They were so sick -- one day both of them were very lethargic and little Caesar couldn't even move his back legs. We took them to the vet who gave them a vitamin shot and a dim chance of recovering. In fact, the vet thought Caesar would die for sure and gave Cleo about a 50 percent chance either way. Well, miraculously they recovered and are as healthy as ever and soon it was time to get them fixed. Joel suggested taking them to the same vet that brought them back to health and I thought that would be fine -- I knew it would be a bit pricier (they specialize in cats) and it's hard to beat the $75 we paid to get our other cat Socks fixed, but I thought it would be in the same ballpark. Well, it's like we were in the little league with Socks and in the major leagues with these two cats -- When I went to pick them up I couldn't believe it cost $512!! I guess the Cat Clinic requires they have their shots, have a feline leukemia screening, get de-wormed, get a flea bath, have some IV drugs (I needed some too), then have their claws clipped all before they go in for surgery. Well, I hestitantly paid the bill (what was I suppose to do?) and told myself that those cats aren't ever going outside because they are worth way too much! I think next I'll take them in for some diamond necklaces. I'm surprised that didn't come with the package!

Last day of school pictures

2008-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Even though the last day of school was nearly one week ago, I wanted to post these pictures of the boys with their teachers. I don't have one of Jeffrey with any of his teachers because I don't know any of them. Luckily, I haven't ever had a "conference" with any of them because Jeffrey behaves in class and is a very good student. Nick's teacher was Ms. Broeffle (crossing my fingers to have her again next year), Zack's teacher was Mrs. Russell (a first year teacher and excellent) and Andrew had Mrs. Royer, whom I just adore. Zack also had Mrs. Royer. (I need to find the picture of Andrew and Mrs. Royer. In the meantime, enjoy the picture of Zack with his BFF Crazy Ian! He really is crazy and doesn't mind being called that!

ABC Tag

2008-05-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Tag! I'm It...An ABC Tag This Time
Well, after posting my previous blog, I went and checked out everyone else's blog and noticed that Andrea tagged me. Here it goes.....

A. Attached or Single- Attached--

B. Best Friend(s)- I have so many people I call friends. My blood sisters, Christina, Shanon, Margo.....

Cake or Pie- Cake with lots of frosting - I love getting the corner piece!

D. Day of Choice- Monday - during the school year. During the summer there really isn't a favorite day

E. Essential Item- Toothbrush and toothpaste.

F.Flavor of Ice Cream- Chocolate

G. Gummy Bears or Worms- The bears.

H. Hometown- Preston, Idaho

I. Indulgences- The computer and chocolate, watching a chickflic all by myself

. January or July- July -- Love the Sun!

K. Kids- 4 boys

L. Last movie I saw in a theater- What Happens in Vegas

M: Musician: Bon Jovi

N. Number of siblings- 2 sisters, one brother and 2 russians

O. Orange or Apples- Apples, with peanut butter

P. Phobias or Fears- Birds

Q. Quote- So many -- Find Joy in Your Journey, Remember who you are and what you stand for. Quotes from the current prophet and past prophets

R. Reasons to smile- That I'm alive and have four healthy kids --

S. Season- Spring -- when the snow is not falling and it is warming up

T. Tag 4- Christina, Margo (that's all I know read my blog that haven't been tagged)

U. Unknown fact about me- I'm a swimsuit model - did you really believe that?.

V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals- I like meat but I try not to think about the animals when I am eating them.

W. Worst Habit- Gossipping -- but I try not to.

X. X-rays or Ultrasounds- Neither. Both involve hospitals

Y. Your favorite Food- Right now probably Mexican because I'm craving it!

My Asian Children

2008-05-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

I am the proud parent of five boys, four white, one Asian (Laotian to be exact) and a sometimes Laotian daughter. My children, Abe and Angela seem to be everywhere I am. Abe and Zack are the same age and we happen to live in the same neighborhood. Abe is at our house ALL the time. It doesn't bother me yet, but it may get to that point. Anyway, every time Nick has a game Abe is there and his mom (Sue) asks me to drive him home. At least that's what I think she is asking me. See, I have a really, really hard time understanding her so I just say yes to everything she asks. So the other night at Nick's game Abe and Angela were both there and she said something and pointed to Angela and I guess I agreed to take Angela home as well. Yesterday at around 10, Abe showed up at our house dressed in church clothes and told me his mom told him to go to church with us. Well me, not being one to deny anyone a chance to go to our missionary based church, told him that was fine. I called Sue and I guess she told me it was okay. I had them both at the pool today and I am hoping Sue will take them to night swim. At least I think that's what she said!

5th grade graduation/celebration

2008-05-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Brooke and Linda - we pulled it off! Nick and his friend Chandler Nick cooling off at the celebration

So last Wednesday was the last day of school and with it came the beloved/dreadful (depending how you look at it) fifth grade graduation/celebration. Every year at Sangre Ridge, the fifth graders are treated to a day of fun -- pizza, DJ, blow ups, caricature, games -- etc. The day starts off with a graduation ceremony and then an afternoon of fun. The kids look forward to this day since they were in kindergarten, because when they are younger and at recess they can see the fifth graders having their fun. Nick received two awards in graduation. The gold presidential academic award (requires a 3.5 GPA for at least three semesters) and was also selected as one of two students from his class to receive the SHS alumni award which was awarded to a student who demonstrates leadership and academic skills in and out of the classroom. Ask me if I was a proud mom? Back to the celebration....so last year for some insane reason I decided to sign up to co-chair the event. It turns out, my good friend Linda Bryson signed up also so we planned it together. Linda did so much work and even though it took a lot of time and it felt very overwhelming we pulled it off. It turned out great. The kids had a good time and the weather was perfect. Having said that, I am very happy the position is spoken for next year when Zack will have his celebration. I'll just sit back and watch.

Second day of summer....

2008-05-23T12:28:00.001-07:00

Well so far summer vacation hasn't been too bad, aside from the fact that I am exhausted! The kids have had friends spend the night and they've played outside, even though they've complained about the heat. It still hasn't hit 90 degrees so we'll see how "hot" they feel then. Joel is leaving for eight straight days so I am trying to rack my mind with what to do to keep the boys entertained. Tomorrow the pool opens so I'm sure we'll go there and there are a few good movies playing. Hopefully they'll stick around for awhile. That's one complaint I have about Stillwater is their movie selection -- I really, really want to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I think my boys would enjoy it. We'll see. For now I'm going to do what moms do best. Laundry! Thank goodness for laundry or I wouldn't have anything to do. Ha, Ha!

Cook does it!

2008-05-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

So last night at the ballgame I thought outloud who won American Idol and our friend Jennifer whipped out her iphone, which is oh, so cool, and did a search and I found out Cook won and I got excited so Margo also figured out who won. Then I went home and watched his winning moment on youtube and it was so great. I loved his appreciation for the "moment" and loved that someone I have enjoyed the entire season made it. It seems like every person I root for gets voted off as soon as I make my opinion known. One of my favorite Idols ever was Chris Daughtry and the week I really, really started to like him he got the boot. Just the "brooke luck" I guess. Anyway, can't wait to get David Cook's album and since he's "from" Oklahoma maybe he'll do a local show (if you watch his audition tape his town is listed as Tulsa, Ok). Go David. You rock!

American Idol

2008-05-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

So I watched American Idol tonight knowing I want David Cook to win. His voice is just more my style, but then David Archuletta was amazing. I wouldn't mind seeing him win. What I'm left with is a lot of confusion. Either way, both will make an album - I'll buy David Cook's album and most likely will not buy David Archuletta's album. One thing that is good though is how Archuletta has been a great "Mormon" spotlight person. With all the crap going on with the polygamists it's nice to see someone who represents Mormons well. We all know the polygamists are not Mormons but the media doesn't always point that out. Archuletta has made us proud!

Love This Game

2008-05-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am a basketball nut! My boys all love basketball so it's perfect for me to have all these boys. I honestly don't know what I would do with girls! Anyway, it's the playoffs and we love the playoffs. I am going to keep this template in hopes that the Spurs can go all the way. My favorite team, the Jazz, are out (moment of silence) but my second favorite team, the Spurs, are still in and HAVE GOT TO beat the Lakers. Can't stand the Lakers. I love that every night I can fall asleep watching basketball. It's so much fun. The Spurs also have Robert Horry who is so much my favorite player. I won't go into all the details of WHY he's my favorite - just that he is gorgeous -- GO SPURS!

The Love of the Game

2008-05-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nick is playing baseball on a competitive level this year and it's been quite the experience. It's a bit more expensive (that's the side I always look at) and it's been a hard switch for him. Many of the teams they play have older kids (Nick's team is entirely fifth graders) and most of the teams they play have been together for years (first time Nick's team has been together). I love going to the games and seeing them accomplish what they have been practicing so hard to do. When someone gets a great catch, hit, or play it is so exciting. They haven't won a game yet and I so badly want them to, just so they can feel that victory. It's hard to explain to kids to look for the little victories -- like a great play -- they think winning is the only way they have really accomplished their goals. On a funny note, there are three Nick's on Nick's team. Two years ago all three Nick's were in the same class at school so they are Nick A., Nick B. and Nick O. -- The coaches will have all three of them in the lineup back-to-back-to-back and if all three of them are on base it's hilarious because the coach will be talking (yelling) to Nick and none of the Nick's know which one is being spoken to. They should have named them the "Nicks" -- Not a bad idea. New York has a team with that name. OK, different spelling but it would be fun....I'll post some pictures of Nick when I get them.....

Not keeping up

2008-05-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through some blogs -- okay, I was blog stalking and I came across Coty Hurst's blog. I feel this "special" connection to Coty somehow. I hope she doesn't mind me talking about her (I doubt no one looks at my blog so she'll never know). Anyway, she just had her third boy and her husband just graduated with his MBA and I was looking at her pictures and it's so like my life was 10 years ago. It's almost eerie. Ten years ago Joel was finishing up his Master's Degree at Utah State University, we had just had our third son and we were loading up all our belongings and heading to Mobile, Alabama. It was crazy. Of course we were heading for more schooling....it would have been nice to have had school "all done" with only three boys but we weren't completely done with school until we had four. Anyway, looking at all of Coty's pictures just reminded me so much of when my boys were young -- I was exhausted, but I was so happy to be able to be with my boys and just watch them grow and enjoy every moment of their lives. I saw the picture of Coty's shower and immediately felt guilty because I didn't make it. I don't even have an excuse. Is forgetting everything you are suppose to do a good enough reason? Probably not. I remember when Cynthia Lewis lived here I would call her and ask if I had anything to do that day and she would often remind me of a dentist appointment or a school program I had that day. And she had a lot more going on than I did! Anyway, Coty, thanks for sharing those pictures. I do love you and I love your little family so much. You will be so missed in Stillwater!

I'm back!

2008-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start back on my blog. Not that I ever really started. I have so much fun reading my sister-in-law's blog and working on a joint-blog I have with friends that I just want to do my own. The joint-blog has to do with running and working out and I find that I want to share and write about my day-to-day life but it really doesn't have anything to do with running/working out, so here I am. I also got a digital camera (finally) so I can post some pictures. Should be fun.

School is out in three days. Can anyone say DEPRESSING? It's not that I don't like to be around my kids, I really do enjoy them, it's that the days seem to drag by and I cannot physically keep up with them. I feel like it's a constant go-go-go, but I will try to keep on top of things so I don't feel that physical exhaustion like I do every summer. I am going to get a summer pass to the local pool and I've got a few vacations planned so hopefully that will make the summer zoom by. My kids love to swim and if I take along a few friends they can swim for hours.

Speaking of kids. Time to get them ready for bed. And time to keep folding clothes. What an exciting life...

2007-10-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was very nervous to read Roots. Maybe nervous isn't the right word. Intimidated is a better word for the feelings I had. I knew what it was about, but the book was so huge I thought I would never finish it. But once I started I couldn't stop. I love history (I have a minor in history) and I've always loved learning about the Civil war era. I have a fascination with slavery....not like I'm amazed by it, but I've always wondered how one human being could treat another human being the way slave owners treated their help. Everyone in my eyes is created equally. True in life we all haven't been dealt the same hand, but that isn't always in our control. I cried when Kunta Kinta was captured in Africa. I cried when Alex Haley was able to trace him as his own. I was so proud of Kunta for keeping his heritage alive and never letting his "masters" take away his identity. I wish I could say something that would make everyone want to read that book. I think back to some of the books I read in high school English or even college English for that matter -- the so called classics. I'm not discounting any of them, but none of them had an impact on me like Roots. In fact I never really understood a lot of the classics and why they were considered classics. To me Roots is my classic. It should be a required read instead of some of the others....

Flag Football

2007-10-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

So three of my boys are playing flag football. Luckily the season is only four weeks long, but there are two games a week (except when OSU has a home game). It's fun to watch them play, but as usual there are those "issues" that arise. Like Nick and Zack's team -- we've had their coach before and he's a nice guy and his son is on the team and the truth is...his son isn't very good, but he doesn't think that way. Two years ago when he was the coach his son played QB every single game and was horrible. Now it seems he's taken over the position of wide receiver and hasn't caught a single pass in the past two games. I guess I can't complain since I haven't volunteered to coach -- that would be funny -- Brooke the flag football coach. I haven't seen one of Andrew's games. The YMCA here is limited in their resources so all the games are played on "borrowed" fields. So Andrew will have a game starting at 6:30 and Nick and Zack will have a game starting at 7. It wouldn't be too bad but their games are at opposite ends of Stillwater. Luckily I know a few people on the teams so we "kid swap." Saturday I should be able to see all of Andrew's game.

2007-09-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog so forgive me for all the mistakes I'm going to make. I feel like Akon -- saying I'm sorry before something even happens. This will give me something productive to do while my four boys are at school (like I need to take on another project). I have not advanced to the digital photography stage so I won't have many pictures up unless I decide to finally take that digital step.

Today is Sunday. My least favorite day of the week. I guess I'm not a stereotypical Mormon mother. I love my children. I really do, but sometimes I just like to be alone too and it seems like Sundays go on and on and on....I watched about four hours of football, but my favorite team just took the field (Go Eagles). I made some Better Than Sex cake and felt incredibly guilty after eating a huge piece. It's just been one of those days. I really don't know what else to write. I am going to try and figure this out....