Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Asylum is Almost Open
This year's Halloween theme at our house is the 'Red Oak Asylum'. The whole family is taking part in this theme, with all of us dressing as doctors, nurses, and patients. This is what our front yard is shaping up to look like, with a day left to go before we open for business.
We are looking forward to admitting new patients tomorrow...
Monday, September 5, 2011
I'm Back
It's been a long time since I've posted and that's because we have been so very, very, very busy. Did I mention we've been very busy? K started his new job two weeks ago and, so far, is enjoying being back in the corporate world. It's even better because it's the corporate agriculture world. However, he's not home during the week, so I am the one and only taxi to soccer practices and games and what-have-you. I leave for school at 6:35 in the morning with the three youngest, drop MAD off at daycare and then head up to school with the other two. I leave school no later than 3:00 (except on Wednesdays - meeting day) to begin the long process of picking kids up, getting them home to change for practice, and heading back out again. We get home, on an early day, at 7:45 and on a late day at 8:30. Then, it's dinner, baths, and getting little people to bed. Then I talk to the oldest as they get homework done and I attempt to get some schoolwork done. We go to bed and it all begins again. Needless to say, I've been running on fumes much of the time and blogging is the last thing I have energy to do. That and working out. That's gone out the window as well. Hopefully I can figure out how to work that back into my schedule - I think it will make me a little more bearable.
So, we are fully into soccer season. The three oldest have all been going for a while (practices, that is), but this week both MAD and MED have gotten started with their practices as well. Fortunately, everyone practices in the same vicinity, which makes for easy travel, but we are at the practice field five days a week. Also add to this that JAD is playing high school soccer (on top of club) and he plays in games for that, as well. This weekend, the three oldest all have games - and JAD has two. Another Saturday in the car. :)
JAD has the great opportunity to get some experience playing on the varsity team along with his usual JV playing. At the first game of the season on Friday, he was put in the varsity game for about 10 minutes. This may not seem like much, but it was enough for him to play in a game that gave him some idea of what the competition would be like. Directly after the varsity game, JAD also played a full game in the JV game. He is one of the captains on the JV team and he was quite verbal with the team giving directions while on the field. He's disappointed in the fact that there are some boys on the team that have never played soccer before. K and I are trying to point out that he has to look at his current high school experience as more 'fun' than competition. But how do you explain that one to a kid that is determined to win in all he does - especially if it's related to soccer? Needless to say, he's out there to win and, dammit, so should everybody else.
To add to the excitement around the house, CED has changed schools two weeks into the school year. She has been on the waiting list at CMCA (a charter school - same as where JAD attends - and one of the top high schools in the state... year after year) and her 'number' finally came up. Last weekend was spent getting all new school supplies and new school uniforms (colors are completely different from the middle school she was attending - of course) and convincing her that this was going to be a good thing. She wasn't buying my song and pony dance and the first couple days of school were rather rough. She was angry about having to leave her friends and change to another school, so things became much harder on her (at her own doing, mind you) than it really should have been. She finished out the week doing much better and having made a couple of friends. Fortunately, she likes her homeroom teacher, which made the transition a mite bit easier. To her delight, one of her good friends from her former middle school has also had her 'number' come up and will be starting on Tuesday. I'm hoping this will 'seal the deal' and she'll really start to settle in.
This Thursday, MED has the opportunity to sing at the Colorado Springs United Way season kick off. It's exciting that she's going to have this experience singing in public. There are about 30 novice kids in her program at the conservatory and she was one of six chosen for this performance. How cool is that? And (while I'm bragging about this child) at school this week, MEDs teacher pulled her aside to give her a chapter book to read for reading class. Everyone else has the typical first grade reader (2 - 3 sentences per page), but MEDs reading skills have progressed so much that she was reading 3rd grade chapter books all summer long. Fortunately, her teacher has recognized this and is continuing to push her forward. Yes, I am a proud mama.
On a great note, I absolutely love my new job. I feel like I can teach again (not be an automaton like in my last school) and the kids are just great. The worst problem I'm having to deal with is social kids. Gee, I think I can handle that! I'm able to read aloud to the students, they're allowed to have silent reading time, we have an afternoon recess every day, and individual styles are welcomed. My team is absolutely wonderful and they have answered all of my questions without problems or frustration. I really like each and every one of them and they make me laugh on a daily basis. It really feels like a dream job. I can see why I was told that once people get into my school, they never want to leave.
So, life is moving along. We're staying extremely busy, but it's all for very good reasons and with really great activities. I am grateful that my kids are so active with all their sports and music - even if the schedules can make me crazy. My husband and I have jobs that we're happy with. Life. Is. Good.
So, we are fully into soccer season. The three oldest have all been going for a while (practices, that is), but this week both MAD and MED have gotten started with their practices as well. Fortunately, everyone practices in the same vicinity, which makes for easy travel, but we are at the practice field five days a week. Also add to this that JAD is playing high school soccer (on top of club) and he plays in games for that, as well. This weekend, the three oldest all have games - and JAD has two. Another Saturday in the car. :)
JAD has the great opportunity to get some experience playing on the varsity team along with his usual JV playing. At the first game of the season on Friday, he was put in the varsity game for about 10 minutes. This may not seem like much, but it was enough for him to play in a game that gave him some idea of what the competition would be like. Directly after the varsity game, JAD also played a full game in the JV game. He is one of the captains on the JV team and he was quite verbal with the team giving directions while on the field. He's disappointed in the fact that there are some boys on the team that have never played soccer before. K and I are trying to point out that he has to look at his current high school experience as more 'fun' than competition. But how do you explain that one to a kid that is determined to win in all he does - especially if it's related to soccer? Needless to say, he's out there to win and, dammit, so should everybody else.
To add to the excitement around the house, CED has changed schools two weeks into the school year. She has been on the waiting list at CMCA (a charter school - same as where JAD attends - and one of the top high schools in the state... year after year) and her 'number' finally came up. Last weekend was spent getting all new school supplies and new school uniforms (colors are completely different from the middle school she was attending - of course) and convincing her that this was going to be a good thing. She wasn't buying my song and pony dance and the first couple days of school were rather rough. She was angry about having to leave her friends and change to another school, so things became much harder on her (at her own doing, mind you) than it really should have been. She finished out the week doing much better and having made a couple of friends. Fortunately, she likes her homeroom teacher, which made the transition a mite bit easier. To her delight, one of her good friends from her former middle school has also had her 'number' come up and will be starting on Tuesday. I'm hoping this will 'seal the deal' and she'll really start to settle in.
This Thursday, MED has the opportunity to sing at the Colorado Springs United Way season kick off. It's exciting that she's going to have this experience singing in public. There are about 30 novice kids in her program at the conservatory and she was one of six chosen for this performance. How cool is that? And (while I'm bragging about this child) at school this week, MEDs teacher pulled her aside to give her a chapter book to read for reading class. Everyone else has the typical first grade reader (2 - 3 sentences per page), but MEDs reading skills have progressed so much that she was reading 3rd grade chapter books all summer long. Fortunately, her teacher has recognized this and is continuing to push her forward. Yes, I am a proud mama.
On a great note, I absolutely love my new job. I feel like I can teach again (not be an automaton like in my last school) and the kids are just great. The worst problem I'm having to deal with is social kids. Gee, I think I can handle that! I'm able to read aloud to the students, they're allowed to have silent reading time, we have an afternoon recess every day, and individual styles are welcomed. My team is absolutely wonderful and they have answered all of my questions without problems or frustration. I really like each and every one of them and they make me laugh on a daily basis. It really feels like a dream job. I can see why I was told that once people get into my school, they never want to leave.
So, life is moving along. We're staying extremely busy, but it's all for very good reasons and with really great activities. I am grateful that my kids are so active with all their sports and music - even if the schedules can make me crazy. My husband and I have jobs that we're happy with. Life. Is. Good.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Visitor Goes Up the Incline
K's dad visited us Wednesday through Saturday this last week. We always look forward to family visiting and the kids were, once again, counting down the days until Papa came to stay. His one request while here was to do the Incline. Papa has worked really hard since last October to lose weight and hit his goal this Spring - about 80 pounds lost. Whoot whoot! To celebrate this loss and his new physical health (he walks for an hour at least once a day every day) he wanted to test his mettle on the Incline. Yesterday afternoon, we set out and headed over to Manitou Springs for our adventure. Unfortunately, we had to park about a 1/3 of a mile away from our usual starting point due to the parking lot being full. Papa did a fabulous job and powered through the difficult task known as 'The Incline'.
Here we are on the 'easy' part in the beginning. If you don't pace yourself here, you'll pay for it later. Do you see the top of the Incline way up there amongst the trees? That's NOT the summit, but the false summit. Papa re-labeled it 'the first summit'. Beyond that point, you still have another third of a mile to reach the actual summit.
Awww... father and son.
Here's where it starts to get a little more difficult. See how uneven some of the railroad ties are? Some ties are as high as your knee. Climb anyone?
This picture gives you an idea of how steep it starts to get. I'm just a few steps below and K is a few steps above. And this isn't the steepest part!
At the top! Papa made it and officially has bragging rights.
K and his dad at the top
All three of us just before heading down Barr Trail
Here we are on the 'easy' part in the beginning. If you don't pace yourself here, you'll pay for it later. Do you see the top of the Incline way up there amongst the trees? That's NOT the summit, but the false summit. Papa re-labeled it 'the first summit'. Beyond that point, you still have another third of a mile to reach the actual summit.
Awww... father and son.
Here's where it starts to get a little more difficult. See how uneven some of the railroad ties are? Some ties are as high as your knee. Climb anyone?
This picture gives you an idea of how steep it starts to get. I'm just a few steps below and K is a few steps above. And this isn't the steepest part!
At the top! Papa made it and officially has bragging rights.
K and his dad at the top
All three of us just before heading down Barr Trail
I didn't take any pictures on the way down, but you have a 2 1/2 mile walk down Barr Trail that weaves back and forth. You certainly have to watch your footing with the many rocks that are along the path and there are times when you're scrambling down a bit or jumping off rocks. It's a workout! We are certainly proud of K's dad for accomplishing this.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Meddling Weather
Yesterday my parents were supposed to take off from the Colorado Springs airport towards home around 4:30 pm. At about 4:00, major thunderstorms popped up and pounded the southern portion of the Springs. At the airport, there were a couple of ground delays (sheeting rain, thunder, and lightning) that interfered with any planes taking off. My parents were connecting in Denver to catch a flight home to Milwaukee and Denver also had a ground delay. However, by the time the rain stopped here (three waves of very heavy rain), my parents had missed their connecting flight in Denver. So, K and I went and picked them up from the airport to bring them back home with us for the night. The kids were so happy to see their grandparents again and there were lots of comments like, "You missed us that much, huh?" and "Let's try not to have so much time in between visits again, okay?" My mom, understandably, was frustrated with the turn of events, but we were delighted to have them stay for one more night. We had great conversation and took a late night walk before heading off to bed.
This morning, my parents and I were up bright and early (3 am) for a drive up to Denver so they could catch their 6:45 flight home. Fortunately for them, there was no rain (it's 'monsoon' season here and we get rain every afternoon in the month of July) and their flight was able to take off on time. I dropped them off, headed home, and went straight back to bed. I think they did the same once they got home, too.
This morning, my parents and I were up bright and early (3 am) for a drive up to Denver so they could catch their 6:45 flight home. Fortunately for them, there was no rain (it's 'monsoon' season here and we get rain every afternoon in the month of July) and their flight was able to take off on time. I dropped them off, headed home, and went straight back to bed. I think they did the same once they got home, too.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
There's a Countdown Going On
MED and MAD, in particular, have a countdown going on in our house. It really kind of tickles me to see MED do this as she's been practicing subtraction skills without even realizing it (she's four!). What are they counting down to? Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt L, Uncle M, and cousins M and C are all coming to visit. The kids are all very excited and we have spent the last few days working on getting the house ready. Surprisingly, everyone is staying with us and I think the sleeping arrangements should work. Only two of my kids get displaced and they're happy about sleeping on the couches in our rec room. What troopers they are.
We have a few plans in place - nothing too involved and things that everyone should enjoy. I know that everyone will like Garden of the Gods as it's an easy walk and very pretty to look at. That same evening, 'the guys' and CED are going up to Denver to watch the Colorado Rapids play. JAD is very excited and can hardly stand himself knowing that the game is coming very soon. We're going to spend the 4th just hanging around the house, do some barbecuing, and let the kids run through the sprinklers. On a side note, we've had a rather warm summer so far, with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. My air conditioningless house has gotten rather warm, so I think the kids (and maybe even adults???) will enjoy running through some water. Hopefully we will be able to partake in fireworks, though I'm doubting that will happen as there is a burn ban in effect (about a quarter inch of precipitation in the last month and a half). Next Tuesday, Manitou Springs is where it's at. If you've never been there, it's a quaint little town with a main street full of little shops. It's really fun to just walk through and poke your head into all the different establishments there. In the middle of one side is a penny arcade (the games really cost a quarter) and a little kid's delight - lots of motorized riding toys. I know this will be the highlight of the younger kids' day and a great bribing point for us parents (no, I'm not above bribery).
Sadly, L, M, M, and C have to leave on the 6th. Grandma and Grandpa will be staying with us a few days beyond that and we are looking forward to a little hiking with them in the mountains. All in all, it should be an enjoyable week with family. After all, the cousins haven't seen one another in 2 1/2 years. It's going to be a crazy, loud, fun week spending time with family.
And now I'm off to continue cleaning my house...
We have a few plans in place - nothing too involved and things that everyone should enjoy. I know that everyone will like Garden of the Gods as it's an easy walk and very pretty to look at. That same evening, 'the guys' and CED are going up to Denver to watch the Colorado Rapids play. JAD is very excited and can hardly stand himself knowing that the game is coming very soon. We're going to spend the 4th just hanging around the house, do some barbecuing, and let the kids run through the sprinklers. On a side note, we've had a rather warm summer so far, with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. My air conditioningless house has gotten rather warm, so I think the kids (and maybe even adults???) will enjoy running through some water. Hopefully we will be able to partake in fireworks, though I'm doubting that will happen as there is a burn ban in effect (about a quarter inch of precipitation in the last month and a half). Next Tuesday, Manitou Springs is where it's at. If you've never been there, it's a quaint little town with a main street full of little shops. It's really fun to just walk through and poke your head into all the different establishments there. In the middle of one side is a penny arcade (the games really cost a quarter) and a little kid's delight - lots of motorized riding toys. I know this will be the highlight of the younger kids' day and a great bribing point for us parents (no, I'm not above bribery).
Sadly, L, M, M, and C have to leave on the 6th. Grandma and Grandpa will be staying with us a few days beyond that and we are looking forward to a little hiking with them in the mountains. All in all, it should be an enjoyable week with family. After all, the cousins haven't seen one another in 2 1/2 years. It's going to be a crazy, loud, fun week spending time with family.
And now I'm off to continue cleaning my house...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
41 Years
My parents celebrated their 41st anniversary today. I can't imagine being married for that long (but I'm looking forward to it, K!), but they sure are role models to me in this day and age where most people don't make it to this milestone. Congratulations, Mom and Dad! I hope you did do something fun and exciting to celebrate your special day. And mowing the lawn and weeding the flowerbeds doesn't count! I love you both very, very much.
Friday, June 10, 2011
A-Hiking We Will Go
Today we decided to take the kids on a hike. We love Cheyenne Canon Park which is only 10 minutes (at most) from our house. Cheyenne Canon Park is home to Seven Falls (a very popular tourist attraction that charges you big bucks to go see it) as well as many wonderful hiking trails. Mt. Cutler trail is a very beautiful, fairly easy trail that takes you a mile into the mountains and gives you a nice view of (duh, duh, duh...) Seven Falls. This is a trail that we take friends and family on when they come visit us. Today, however, we decided to go on the Mid-Columbine trail. We have hiked this trail before (and were hailed on - BIG hail - the last time we traversed it) and it's a very nice trail. However, we forgot how the first mile of the trail goes - UP. Let me remind you that K and I just went on the Incline yesterday and we have parts of our bodies sore in places we didn't realize we had muscles (well, at least I do). We powered through it, though, and we hiked out two miles before turning around (we had soccer practice and a game to get to!). The little girls did a fantastic job keeping up with the family and, in fact, MED led us the whole way out and back. I'm amazed at how well my 4 and 5 year olds do hiking up hills and coming back down them. The Mid-Columbine trail climbs a little over 1,000 feet and most of that is in the first mile. You get gorgeous views of nature and the mountains, though, which makes it so worth the work.
I don't want to live anywhere else, when I have views like this just a few miles from home.
I don't want to live anywhere else, when I have views like this just a few miles from home.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
A Week in Words
Life has been busy busy lately, but yet I've felt like there's nothing to write about. Last week CED and JAD both had soccer tryouts and we are still waiting to hear what the results are. I'm not worried about CED - except we don't know at this point if she'll even have a team this coming year. Her team had to play a girl down quite a lot this last season and we don't want to repeat that. Unfortunately, we only had one new player show up for tryouts which only replaces the one girl who is leaving due to a move out of state. JADs situation is a bit different, however. There were two teams last year at the U13 level - a Classic 1 and Challenge. This year only 19 boys showed up for tryouts which means that the two teams are going to be combined into one and this team will stay up at the Classic 1 division. Tryouts finished this past Thursday and we are still waiting for the coach to call the boys to tell them if they made the team or not. Parents are starting to get frustrated.
On another note, JAD graduated from 8th grade on Thursday. Most of our day was taken up with his pre-graduation activities: graduation practice in the morning (for 2 1/2 hours!), class picture downtown with students all dressed up (1 hour), and then to graduation itself by 6:30. It really was a nice ceremony and it was wonderful watching how the whole class gets along. What was even more amazing was watching how they have all gelled together and how they accept each and every person - newcomer or there forever - so completely. JAD has made so many friends and he knows everybody, which is quite something considering he started there in March. After the graduation, there was a reception for all the families and then the eighth graders stayed for a dance until 11. My son actually danced with several girls! I love seeing his confidence and comfort in who he is. He has made the final decision to continue on at Vanguard next year (the high school where he's at) despite the soccer team's disappointing record. K and I certainly won't argue with our child that chooses the top academic school in the state! We are so very proud of our son - he is developing into a remarkable young man... even despite the teenage moodiness.
CED took her entrance exams for CMCA on Thursday while JAD was doing graduation practice. She is currently number five on the waiting list, so they wanted to get testing done. When she got home, I asked her how the tests were. She just laughed and said 'easy'. I believe her when she says that. I knew the testing would be easy for her. I had warned her about the math, because they make it progressively harder so they can properly place the student in the right math class. She finished all of the problems and realized, after the fact, that she had done one wrong. I don't think the testing will keep her from getting into the school. We have been told that the school does not have a place for her yet, but I anticipate that she'll be in by the end of the first quarter. Meanwhile, she is continuing with summer homework for the middle school she is technically slotted for. She has been accepted into the Pre-AP program there, along with about 25 other students. In fact, this coming week she'll be attending UCCS for an enrichment program with her classmates (and other students around the city). CED will be taking classes dealing with math and science - some of them are classes I would like to take!
On Friday, I had two interviews - one at a daycare for a PreKindergarten teacher and the other at an elementary school for fifth grade. I, unfortunately, did not get 'good feelings' as I left either interview. The PreKindergarten teacher is potentially good, but horrible pay. Understandably, they are concerned that I will leave them in a couple of months if I get a job in an actual school (better pay and benefits), but they were also very happy that I am very qualified. The elementary school job is one I highly want, for obvious reasons. The principal was very personable and the school is beautiful. The student demographics are very different from where I've worked the last two years, but I think I can handle that! I already know the math and reading curriculum that they use (it's what I've taught previously), so that's helpful. Of course, I keep thinking of all the things I should've said during the interview that I didn't. I hate interviewing. I will know about both jobs around the end of the week, but I'm not holding my breath.
We are currently debating about getting MAD tested for early entry into kindergarten. The principal at the kids' elementary school said she would help us get her in, even if her scores are close to what the district is looking for. I have to go to her daycare tomorrow to get a letter of recommendation from her teacher. Ms. Heidi kept telling me she was more ready for kindergarten than anyone of her classmates. We'll see what happens. It would be nice to not pay for daycare anymore. I know she can handle kindergarten and all that it entails. It just means that my baby is in school and my kids are growing up too fast. Oh, parenting and the heartache that it entails sometimes.
I will work on getting graduation pictures - for all three of my kids - up on the blog this week. My camera does not work well inside (the pictures all come out dark), so everything is on Ks camera. He hasn't been home all weekend as he is attending a class to get his Type E soccer coaching license. Yesterday he came home and had to take a 4 hour test for the class and today he gets to teach a lesson to his classmates about defense. He is having great fun, though, and has learned a lot about coaching. I think he'll be putting some of this to work this fall - he may be helping coach either CEDs team or JADs team this year. So, with that said, once K can get pics off his camera, I will get them posted so you can see my beautiful graduates!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. It's been absolutely gorgeous here with temps in the upper 80s - my favorite weather!
On another note, JAD graduated from 8th grade on Thursday. Most of our day was taken up with his pre-graduation activities: graduation practice in the morning (for 2 1/2 hours!), class picture downtown with students all dressed up (1 hour), and then to graduation itself by 6:30. It really was a nice ceremony and it was wonderful watching how the whole class gets along. What was even more amazing was watching how they have all gelled together and how they accept each and every person - newcomer or there forever - so completely. JAD has made so many friends and he knows everybody, which is quite something considering he started there in March. After the graduation, there was a reception for all the families and then the eighth graders stayed for a dance until 11. My son actually danced with several girls! I love seeing his confidence and comfort in who he is. He has made the final decision to continue on at Vanguard next year (the high school where he's at) despite the soccer team's disappointing record. K and I certainly won't argue with our child that chooses the top academic school in the state! We are so very proud of our son - he is developing into a remarkable young man... even despite the teenage moodiness.
CED took her entrance exams for CMCA on Thursday while JAD was doing graduation practice. She is currently number five on the waiting list, so they wanted to get testing done. When she got home, I asked her how the tests were. She just laughed and said 'easy'. I believe her when she says that. I knew the testing would be easy for her. I had warned her about the math, because they make it progressively harder so they can properly place the student in the right math class. She finished all of the problems and realized, after the fact, that she had done one wrong. I don't think the testing will keep her from getting into the school. We have been told that the school does not have a place for her yet, but I anticipate that she'll be in by the end of the first quarter. Meanwhile, she is continuing with summer homework for the middle school she is technically slotted for. She has been accepted into the Pre-AP program there, along with about 25 other students. In fact, this coming week she'll be attending UCCS for an enrichment program with her classmates (and other students around the city). CED will be taking classes dealing with math and science - some of them are classes I would like to take!
On Friday, I had two interviews - one at a daycare for a PreKindergarten teacher and the other at an elementary school for fifth grade. I, unfortunately, did not get 'good feelings' as I left either interview. The PreKindergarten teacher is potentially good, but horrible pay. Understandably, they are concerned that I will leave them in a couple of months if I get a job in an actual school (better pay and benefits), but they were also very happy that I am very qualified. The elementary school job is one I highly want, for obvious reasons. The principal was very personable and the school is beautiful. The student demographics are very different from where I've worked the last two years, but I think I can handle that! I already know the math and reading curriculum that they use (it's what I've taught previously), so that's helpful. Of course, I keep thinking of all the things I should've said during the interview that I didn't. I hate interviewing. I will know about both jobs around the end of the week, but I'm not holding my breath.
We are currently debating about getting MAD tested for early entry into kindergarten. The principal at the kids' elementary school said she would help us get her in, even if her scores are close to what the district is looking for. I have to go to her daycare tomorrow to get a letter of recommendation from her teacher. Ms. Heidi kept telling me she was more ready for kindergarten than anyone of her classmates. We'll see what happens. It would be nice to not pay for daycare anymore. I know she can handle kindergarten and all that it entails. It just means that my baby is in school and my kids are growing up too fast. Oh, parenting and the heartache that it entails sometimes.
I will work on getting graduation pictures - for all three of my kids - up on the blog this week. My camera does not work well inside (the pictures all come out dark), so everything is on Ks camera. He hasn't been home all weekend as he is attending a class to get his Type E soccer coaching license. Yesterday he came home and had to take a 4 hour test for the class and today he gets to teach a lesson to his classmates about defense. He is having great fun, though, and has learned a lot about coaching. I think he'll be putting some of this to work this fall - he may be helping coach either CEDs team or JADs team this year. So, with that said, once K can get pics off his camera, I will get them posted so you can see my beautiful graduates!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. It's been absolutely gorgeous here with temps in the upper 80s - my favorite weather!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Memorial Day Weekend
Yesterday, we headed to Old Colorado City for Territory Days. It's a huge street fair with vendors - both food and 'store' - musical acts, and some cowboy-type displays. We watched a quick-draw shootout (the fastest time was .414 seconds!) and reenactments of cowboy corral shootouts. The boys loved watching everything and the quick-draw contest was fascinating. How can you pull out your gun, aim, fire, and shoot a balloon in less than half a second? That's a lot of practice, I tell you. The day was beautiful with temperatures up in the 80s and even the wind wasn't too bad there. The crowds were unbelievable, though, and at times we were at a standstill just waiting to move forward. By the time we got home, K said he was exhausted just from constantly swiveling his head to make sure we had all five kids. I even saw JAD turn around to count kids. That made my heart smile!
Last night, one neighbor invited MED and MAD over to spend the night and CED went to spend the night at B's house. That left us with just the two boys. So, K and I went to Applebee's for dinner. We were given a gift card back at Christmas for the restaurant and we just haven't had the time (or energy!) to go, so we took advantage last night and headed out. It was very nice to go out just the two of us and not have to deal with food on the floor, kids on the floor going after the food on the floor, and the fighting and bickering. When we got home, K and I walked to King Soopers to see what Redbox had to offer for our viewing pleasure. We ended up renting Faster with Dwayne Johnson - something we were sure JAD would like to watch. The night was beautiful and it was really nice to just take that 1/2 hour walk back and forth. I really enjoyed my day with my family and night with my husband - it was a good day.
Today we are talking about going for a hike, but the wind is just raging again with speeds over 30 mph. I love Colorado, but hate the wind. It's really a beautiful day - the sun is shining, temperatures are in the upper 60s - but the wind just really puts a damper on everything when it is this strong. The trees are bending at 45+ degree angles right now and my windows have been rattling all morning long. Regardless, it should be a relaxing day no matter what we do and I hope we can find something we can do as a family without a child or two being tossed into the wind.
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I just want to say thank you to all of the men and women who have served or are serving in the military. Both of my grandfathers were soldiers - one served in WWII (Navy) and the other served in the Korean War (Army). K's grandpas were also soldiers that fought in WWII (Army and Navy). We currently have several friends that are soldiers and have been on one or more tours 'Down Range' - Nate, Scot, Sheldon, Dominic, Jacob - and we are grateful for their safe returns. I also appreciate each of the wives and families that support them and bravely say goodbye to them as they go serve our country for a year or more at a time. For all of the fallen soldiers - your sacrifices will never be forgotten. We especially remember Marine Rick Nelson. He will always be remembered and loved by my family for the sacrifice he made with his own life on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Last night, one neighbor invited MED and MAD over to spend the night and CED went to spend the night at B's house. That left us with just the two boys. So, K and I went to Applebee's for dinner. We were given a gift card back at Christmas for the restaurant and we just haven't had the time (or energy!) to go, so we took advantage last night and headed out. It was very nice to go out just the two of us and not have to deal with food on the floor, kids on the floor going after the food on the floor, and the fighting and bickering. When we got home, K and I walked to King Soopers to see what Redbox had to offer for our viewing pleasure. We ended up renting Faster with Dwayne Johnson - something we were sure JAD would like to watch. The night was beautiful and it was really nice to just take that 1/2 hour walk back and forth. I really enjoyed my day with my family and night with my husband - it was a good day.
Today we are talking about going for a hike, but the wind is just raging again with speeds over 30 mph. I love Colorado, but hate the wind. It's really a beautiful day - the sun is shining, temperatures are in the upper 60s - but the wind just really puts a damper on everything when it is this strong. The trees are bending at 45+ degree angles right now and my windows have been rattling all morning long. Regardless, it should be a relaxing day no matter what we do and I hope we can find something we can do as a family without a child or two being tossed into the wind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just want to say thank you to all of the men and women who have served or are serving in the military. Both of my grandfathers were soldiers - one served in WWII (Navy) and the other served in the Korean War (Army). K's grandpas were also soldiers that fought in WWII (Army and Navy). We currently have several friends that are soldiers and have been on one or more tours 'Down Range' - Nate, Scot, Sheldon, Dominic, Jacob - and we are grateful for their safe returns. I also appreciate each of the wives and families that support them and bravely say goodbye to them as they go serve our country for a year or more at a time. For all of the fallen soldiers - your sacrifices will never be forgotten. We especially remember Marine Rick Nelson. He will always be remembered and loved by my family for the sacrifice he made with his own life on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
We Are Surviving/Randomness
K and I are still trying to recuperate from the busy-ness of the past few days. This doesn't mean that life has come to a standstill, because it hasn't. We still have to pick JAD up from school today, take him to buy a suit for graduation, go to Sam's Club (my children perpetually DON'T tell me when we're out of milk. Or dog food. Or garbage bags. Or, or, or...), and then take JAD to soccer practice. And that's just today. But at least it's not the craziness of the weekend. I'm also trying to get my house clean (it's a very slow process) and catch up on laundry (which just seems to keep multiplying - what in the world do we wear all these clothes for???).
Yesterday we headed to the library where I checked out five books. I get to read! I love reading, but the school year keeps me ultra busy and finding the time to read anything other than papers I need to grade or seeing if reading material is appropriate for my students just escapes me on a daily basis. So, I plan on reading to my heart's content over the next couple of months. After the library, we drove past a book warehouse on the south end of downtown. K has wanted to go in this place for quite a while and, since we had the time, we headed in. They have a pretty good selection of books and the prices were pretty decent - $2 for a paperback and $4 for hardback. The store even has an exchange program where you can bring in books and they'll give you store credit to get other books. I like that, except I live with a book hoarder and I don't think he'll be giving up any books any time soon. On the second level of this place they have several huge tables with books marked down to $1. As we checked out, the lady (an owner, I'm sure) said the kids could all have a free book. How nice is that? MAD found an Elmo book, MED a Junie B. Jones (3rd grade reading level and she's almost done with it already!), JED a Shel Silverstein poetry book, and CED a book she heard from kids at school that's really good. I think that we'll be going there every now and again! And just in case you're wondering what I'm going to be filling my brain with over the next few weeks - junk. I'm reading mysteries - no love stories - just good ol' mysteries, crime books, and the like. I'm detoxing and this is one of the best ways I can do it.
This morning I joined a friend from school on a walk. She doesn't live too far from me and we walked about 3 miles together. 'A' taught a 4/5 split class at my (former) school, but quit for personal reasons back in March. It was nice talking/walking with her and we plan on meeting again soon. As K put it when I got back - I got to get some exercise, talk with a friend, and escape for a while. All true.
I've also been working on finding kids to play in a 3v3 tournament that another club in town is hosting in June. Sending out emails to CEDs team and coordinating that is pretty normal as I manage her team, but I'm also handling JADs team as well. The current manager's son is not going to play soccer anymore and the club owner has asked if I would be willing to manage this team as well. My response? Not a problem. I'm sure the old manager is not happy that I'm already 'taking over' because she doesn't like me very much, but many of us want our boys to play in tournaments this summer, so I'm getting it done. June 11th you'll find us out on the soccer fields watching 8 games. Yes, 8 - 4 per kid. I'll be investing in a LOT of sunscreen!
Hopefully I will get pictures of MED and CEDs graduations posted in the next day. Most of the 'good' pictures are on Ks camera and I keep forgetting to ask him for those. At the very least, I'll get all of the graduations up next week!
Yesterday we headed to the library where I checked out five books. I get to read! I love reading, but the school year keeps me ultra busy and finding the time to read anything other than papers I need to grade or seeing if reading material is appropriate for my students just escapes me on a daily basis. So, I plan on reading to my heart's content over the next couple of months. After the library, we drove past a book warehouse on the south end of downtown. K has wanted to go in this place for quite a while and, since we had the time, we headed in. They have a pretty good selection of books and the prices were pretty decent - $2 for a paperback and $4 for hardback. The store even has an exchange program where you can bring in books and they'll give you store credit to get other books. I like that, except I live with a book hoarder and I don't think he'll be giving up any books any time soon. On the second level of this place they have several huge tables with books marked down to $1. As we checked out, the lady (an owner, I'm sure) said the kids could all have a free book. How nice is that? MAD found an Elmo book, MED a Junie B. Jones (3rd grade reading level and she's almost done with it already!), JED a Shel Silverstein poetry book, and CED a book she heard from kids at school that's really good. I think that we'll be going there every now and again! And just in case you're wondering what I'm going to be filling my brain with over the next few weeks - junk. I'm reading mysteries - no love stories - just good ol' mysteries, crime books, and the like. I'm detoxing and this is one of the best ways I can do it.
This morning I joined a friend from school on a walk. She doesn't live too far from me and we walked about 3 miles together. 'A' taught a 4/5 split class at my (former) school, but quit for personal reasons back in March. It was nice talking/walking with her and we plan on meeting again soon. As K put it when I got back - I got to get some exercise, talk with a friend, and escape for a while. All true.
I've also been working on finding kids to play in a 3v3 tournament that another club in town is hosting in June. Sending out emails to CEDs team and coordinating that is pretty normal as I manage her team, but I'm also handling JADs team as well. The current manager's son is not going to play soccer anymore and the club owner has asked if I would be willing to manage this team as well. My response? Not a problem. I'm sure the old manager is not happy that I'm already 'taking over' because she doesn't like me very much, but many of us want our boys to play in tournaments this summer, so I'm getting it done. June 11th you'll find us out on the soccer fields watching 8 games. Yes, 8 - 4 per kid. I'll be investing in a LOT of sunscreen!
Hopefully I will get pictures of MED and CEDs graduations posted in the next day. Most of the 'good' pictures are on Ks camera and I keep forgetting to ask him for those. At the very least, I'll get all of the graduations up next week!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Weekend Run-Down
Here's a re-cap of what happened in our house this weekend... If you actually have a life, you'll be bored quickly by this rousing rendition of what we did.
Friday brought us two extra kids for the night - a brother and sister that play on JADs team and CEDs team - so we could take them to games on Saturday. They were up late. K and I went to bed before they did. In fact, I fell asleep on the couch around 9. I'm assuming they went to bed when we said they should. Then again, what I don't know won't hurt me now.
Saturday was full of three games - one in Littleton and two in the Springs. CEDs game was in Littleton and they unfortunately lost. It was certainly a one-sided game as far as calls go and our team was not on the winning end of those calls, except when it came to off-sides. I won't rehash all the bad calls because I'm crabby right now and I'll begin to rage.
JEDs game was a slaughter for the other team. JED scored multiple goals, not only for his team, but for the other team when he went in to help them because they didn't have enough players. He's becoming quite the player on offense and his coach wants him to concentrate on passing the ball - once they're winning, of course.
JADs game was also in the Springs. Also a loss. And a very horribly called game. I didn't get to see either of the boys play their games as the girls and I were up in the Denver area and it was a 2 1/2 hour round trip, but I got to hear very detailed re-caps of the game and these refs also seemed to be absurdedly one sided. JAD was red carded - something we knew would happen one day - but apparently for a very bogus call. Actually, he was blatantly tripped when he was nowhere near the play and the ref didn't call it because he 'didn't see anything'. JAD got mad and yelled (I'm sure very politely) at the ref that it should be a foul. So, he red carded JAD. Another player on JADs team was also red carded for going after the kid that tripped JAD. Mayhem then broke out and the ref had the audacity to lay his hands - and even restrain the other player he carded by completely wrapping his arms around the boy - on both kids. Let's just say our coach let it be known that he didn't like that at all. JAD then told the ref that he needed to 'grow some b*l*s'. He has no fear on the soccer field (or pitch, as I'm sure he'd correct me).
CED spent the rest of the afternoon and night at the house of her teammate that spent the night at our house Friday night. This family is moving to Texas in July and it was M's birthday party/going away party. Another late night for CED.
K and I took advantage of no extra kids at our house and left JAD to babysit so we could go listen to Corrupting Celest at a local bar. I worked with the lead singer's dad for the past two years and we got to listen to him play with the band, as well. We had a delightful time listening to music and talking to people and we got home very late - something like 2 am - and went to bed even later - like 3 am. Thus the reason I'm crabby today. But I'm glad I went.
I had to pick CED up from the sleepover this morning and drop JAD off at the same time as he was attending his teammate's birthday party/going away party. They went paintballing and ate pizza. I had to rush CED home so she could help set up for the graduation party she and our neighbor B had this afternoon in our cul-de-sac from 1 - 3. I dropped her off and ran to the grocery store because - yikes! - it was our day for drinks and snacks at JEDs soccer game. JED and I left for his game at 12:30, leaving behind K and the girls to finish setting up for the party and K to cook all the burgers and hot dogs.
JED had a great game - 4 goals - and his team won 8-2. JED even scored on a throw in. He threw the ball in, intending for a teammate to get it, and no one touched it so the ball just rolled right into the goal. Score for us!
JED and I rushed back home to the party, where it promptly started to rain 10 minutes later. All the adults huddled under the party tent. Awesome.
I was able to chat for a while with a former neighbor who moved to New Mexico last year. She and her husband are back in town for a few days, so it's been nice catching up. Our other neighbors that moved to Kansas about the same time last year should be in town tomorrow, so we're looking forward to spending some time with them as well this week.
At 6, I had to head back down to Fountain to pick JAD up from the party he was at. K, once again, was stuck with party duties and very graciously and kindly finished cleaning up. In case you're thinking I've done nothing for this party, I did do all the dishes and I did clean up all the food. Ahhh, the crabbiness is showing, isn't it?
While I was doing dishes, another adult suggested to the little girls (there are 5 in this cul-de-sac that are 8 and under) that they should make 'cheeseball soup' in the pool part of the slip-n-slide. Guess what? They did. Mud, water, and cheeseballs. It was delish!
We are now all finally inside, the little kids are clean, and the Bulls are on. I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself as I have no schoolwork to do. I suppose I could help JAD study for finals, but that doesn't sound fun, either. I think a trip to the library early this week is in order - I need some reading material!
CED wanted another sleepover tonight, but that idea was nixed - especially since the girls wanted it here. Why does everyone just assume that we want their kids to sleep here? Why can't my kids ever leave to sleep elsewhere? I couldn't handle the thought of three nights of sleepovers (we had one Thursday night, as well) and my kids are tired and crabby. Kind of like me. I'm looking forward to peace after 8 tonight.
Hope you had a great weekend. Our weekend really was very good, just positively exhausting. I'm looking forward to a slow beginning of the week!
Friday brought us two extra kids for the night - a brother and sister that play on JADs team and CEDs team - so we could take them to games on Saturday. They were up late. K and I went to bed before they did. In fact, I fell asleep on the couch around 9. I'm assuming they went to bed when we said they should. Then again, what I don't know won't hurt me now.
Saturday was full of three games - one in Littleton and two in the Springs. CEDs game was in Littleton and they unfortunately lost. It was certainly a one-sided game as far as calls go and our team was not on the winning end of those calls, except when it came to off-sides. I won't rehash all the bad calls because I'm crabby right now and I'll begin to rage.
JEDs game was a slaughter for the other team. JED scored multiple goals, not only for his team, but for the other team when he went in to help them because they didn't have enough players. He's becoming quite the player on offense and his coach wants him to concentrate on passing the ball - once they're winning, of course.
JADs game was also in the Springs. Also a loss. And a very horribly called game. I didn't get to see either of the boys play their games as the girls and I were up in the Denver area and it was a 2 1/2 hour round trip, but I got to hear very detailed re-caps of the game and these refs also seemed to be absurdedly one sided. JAD was red carded - something we knew would happen one day - but apparently for a very bogus call. Actually, he was blatantly tripped when he was nowhere near the play and the ref didn't call it because he 'didn't see anything'. JAD got mad and yelled (I'm sure very politely) at the ref that it should be a foul. So, he red carded JAD. Another player on JADs team was also red carded for going after the kid that tripped JAD. Mayhem then broke out and the ref had the audacity to lay his hands - and even restrain the other player he carded by completely wrapping his arms around the boy - on both kids. Let's just say our coach let it be known that he didn't like that at all. JAD then told the ref that he needed to 'grow some b*l*s'. He has no fear on the soccer field (or pitch, as I'm sure he'd correct me).
CED spent the rest of the afternoon and night at the house of her teammate that spent the night at our house Friday night. This family is moving to Texas in July and it was M's birthday party/going away party. Another late night for CED.
K and I took advantage of no extra kids at our house and left JAD to babysit so we could go listen to Corrupting Celest at a local bar. I worked with the lead singer's dad for the past two years and we got to listen to him play with the band, as well. We had a delightful time listening to music and talking to people and we got home very late - something like 2 am - and went to bed even later - like 3 am. Thus the reason I'm crabby today. But I'm glad I went.
I had to pick CED up from the sleepover this morning and drop JAD off at the same time as he was attending his teammate's birthday party/going away party. They went paintballing and ate pizza. I had to rush CED home so she could help set up for the graduation party she and our neighbor B had this afternoon in our cul-de-sac from 1 - 3. I dropped her off and ran to the grocery store because - yikes! - it was our day for drinks and snacks at JEDs soccer game. JED and I left for his game at 12:30, leaving behind K and the girls to finish setting up for the party and K to cook all the burgers and hot dogs.
JED had a great game - 4 goals - and his team won 8-2. JED even scored on a throw in. He threw the ball in, intending for a teammate to get it, and no one touched it so the ball just rolled right into the goal. Score for us!
JED and I rushed back home to the party, where it promptly started to rain 10 minutes later. All the adults huddled under the party tent. Awesome.
I was able to chat for a while with a former neighbor who moved to New Mexico last year. She and her husband are back in town for a few days, so it's been nice catching up. Our other neighbors that moved to Kansas about the same time last year should be in town tomorrow, so we're looking forward to spending some time with them as well this week.
At 6, I had to head back down to Fountain to pick JAD up from the party he was at. K, once again, was stuck with party duties and very graciously and kindly finished cleaning up. In case you're thinking I've done nothing for this party, I did do all the dishes and I did clean up all the food. Ahhh, the crabbiness is showing, isn't it?
While I was doing dishes, another adult suggested to the little girls (there are 5 in this cul-de-sac that are 8 and under) that they should make 'cheeseball soup' in the pool part of the slip-n-slide. Guess what? They did. Mud, water, and cheeseballs. It was delish!
We are now all finally inside, the little kids are clean, and the Bulls are on. I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself as I have no schoolwork to do. I suppose I could help JAD study for finals, but that doesn't sound fun, either. I think a trip to the library early this week is in order - I need some reading material!
CED wanted another sleepover tonight, but that idea was nixed - especially since the girls wanted it here. Why does everyone just assume that we want their kids to sleep here? Why can't my kids ever leave to sleep elsewhere? I couldn't handle the thought of three nights of sleepovers (we had one Thursday night, as well) and my kids are tired and crabby. Kind of like me. I'm looking forward to peace after 8 tonight.
Hope you had a great weekend. Our weekend really was very good, just positively exhausting. I'm looking forward to a slow beginning of the week!
Friday, May 20, 2011
School Is Over
Yesterday was the last day of school for three of our kids. Unfortunately for JAD, he has two more weeks of school although the last week is really just a 'fun' week. He gets to study for finals this weekend, however, and he is oh-so-happy about it. Especially since he gets to study with me. We spent Wednesday night at CEDs fifth grade graduation and Thursday morning was MEDs kindergarten promotion. It's hard to believe that CED will be in middle school next year and MED is big enough to be in first grade. Time goes by way too quickly.
Today was my last day of school. I am no longer a fifth grade teacher at Monterey Elementary and I'm currently on the job hunt. As much as that frightens me at times (finding a new job), I'm relieved to be moving on. I am going to miss some of the people I worked with, but that's what Facebook is for, right? Regardless, most of us don't have to rush around Monday morning frantically trying to get ready for school. Ahhhhh.... summer!
PS - I'll post pictures of the graduations later this weekend. Tomorrow is Soccerday, so look for a wrap-up post of our last games of the season!
Today was my last day of school. I am no longer a fifth grade teacher at Monterey Elementary and I'm currently on the job hunt. As much as that frightens me at times (finding a new job), I'm relieved to be moving on. I am going to miss some of the people I worked with, but that's what Facebook is for, right? Regardless, most of us don't have to rush around Monday morning frantically trying to get ready for school. Ahhhhh.... summer!
PS - I'll post pictures of the graduations later this weekend. Tomorrow is Soccerday, so look for a wrap-up post of our last games of the season!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mother's Day
I hope that all the mothers out there had a great day yesterday. The weather here was ideal - sunny, warm with temps in the low 80s - and I spent the day inside. If you remember, on Soccerday I got fried. Yes, fried. Today my students were amazed at how red my legs are (it's Skirt Monday - something my teammate and I instituted about a month ago, so I was in a skirt where all could see the lobster-like legs I'm currently sporting). So, K wouldn't let me go outside even though it was a beautiful day. As I walked out of my bedroom yesterday morning, these are the signs that greeted me as I walked around:
K made breakfast - homemade waffles with blueberries and a potato/onion/pepper/sausage skillet creation - and then the kids gave me their gifts. I received beautiful hand-drawn pictures, a letter written by MED, and a paragraph written by JED. It was all very beautiful and thoughtful. We pretty much just relaxed around the house, except for a short stint out to Kohl's where I spent some gift cards I had. All in all, it was a very relaxing laid-back day. A huge thank you to my husband who walks side by side with me in this whole parenting deal!
K made breakfast - homemade waffles with blueberries and a potato/onion/pepper/sausage skillet creation - and then the kids gave me their gifts. I received beautiful hand-drawn pictures, a letter written by MED, and a paragraph written by JED. It was all very beautiful and thoughtful. We pretty much just relaxed around the house, except for a short stint out to Kohl's where I spent some gift cards I had. All in all, it was a very relaxing laid-back day. A huge thank you to my husband who walks side by side with me in this whole parenting deal!
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