Say What?

I was at the gym early this morning and had very limited TV choices on the elliptical. I stumbled across the national spelling bee championship. I have never watched this and never would think to. It's like going to watch someone else's kid in a school play or something. But I have to say it was surprisingly compelling. Wes agreed and steered me to this moment from last year's competition. After all, where else can you get this kind of priceless gem....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjzrNWPul9E&NR=1

And speaking of priceless gems, this is the getup that Jake selected to wear today.. I suggested that maybe he change the socks, you know since it's so hot and all, but to no avail. I always say choose your battles and this is one I'm not fighting today. Have at it Jake.

Not So Extreme Room Makeover

I didn't intend to start a redecorating project last week. It all started when I had a panic attack thinking about what having the boys home 24/7 for the next three months was going to mean to my house and my sanity. Their room has remained essentially unchanged since we moved in five years ago when they were two and one. It was cluttered with all kinds of baby books, clothes, and toys that they have long since outgrown. I knew that if they saw me hauling things out that they would argue about every item being their favorite toy even though they haven't touched it in two years. It started out innocently enough with getting rid of a few things. You wouldn't always guess it by the looks of my house, but I love an uncluttered clean room. I became obsessed and next thing I knew I had cleared out the whole room and was at Home Depot buying paint. We let the boys choose the paint color. I was a little leery of the ASU maroon and gold they requested, but it is their room so we went with it.. well kind of. I couldn't bring myself to do true ASU gold, so we had to subdue that a bit but we are all pleased with the result. They boys now have a big kid room that they aren't embarrassed to show their friends. We are going to move the Wii into there as well to try and give the rest of the house a respite from the noise pollution. I wish I had thought to take a before picture, but you'll have just trust me that it was ugly... Here's the result.

Sophie and DB tempt fate on the top bunk.
DB's cute booty.

The no girls allowed sign remains intact, although Sophie is in direct violation of it constantly.
Eventually we will get some comforters to match.

It's My Lucky Day.

My good fortunes started today when my morning run was in a balmy unheard of 70 degrees. Not bad for the first day of summer vacation. Then DB crashed his bike the one time the whole day that he actually was following my helmet rule. Rather than a trip to the ER with a concussion, we have a scuff on his helmet and small chin scratch. Then Wes and I went to dinner at CPK only to discover that the game card we got from our last visit was for a free dinner for two up to $40. Our bill was only $27, so suddenly we were craving dessert and beverages after all. I should buy a lottery ticket before I go to bed...

Math Blaster, Special Somebody, and Sophie's Fashion Debut

T minus 3 days before summer vacation. I am a little scared. Wes works at home about half the day and without an office to shut all the chaos out, noise control is a huge issue. At one point this afternoon DB was blasting his favorite song "Drift Away" on a CD player, Sophie was watching Dora (who for some inexplicable reason always shouts), and Jake was playing Club Penguin on the computer with it's theme song blaring-all in the same room. And Wes wonders why he can't get anything done. But I digress, I've got some bragging to do so I'm going to get right on with it.

Jake received the Good Friend Award, the 100 Book Club Certificate, and the Math Whiz Award last week. That was awesome enough, but when he came home wearing his Math Blasters T-shirt today, I was extra proud. Only four of about 75 first graders at his school have accomplished the feat of solving 100 math problems in less than five minutes without any mistakes. Nice work, Jake! (For the record, I can take absolutely zero credit for contributing any genetic material responsible for math skills.)

Jake's moment to shine on awards day. (Thanks to the delay on my camera, a shot that was fantastic three seconds prior turned into a shot of the back of his head while walking away. )

Dylan was the special somebody at school last week. I learned things about him that even as the woman who gave birth to him was not aware of, such as the fact that he wants to be a vet, he is a huge fan of Darth Vader, and his favorite color is gold. Who knew? I am so proud of how far he has come this year and credit his amazing Kindergarten teacher. Life after Mrs. Dyer is going to be tough for DB and me. I really don't think there is another person on this planet that I would have rather entrusted my bashful, undersized, still four-year-old with for seven hours a day last fall. It is hard to see this year end for him. Dylan's wall of honor in the waning days of his Kindergarten Class.

Sophie took her first trip down the red carpet at last week's Mother/Daughter Enrichment night. We had a fashion show and she chose her polka dot Easter dress for the occasion. She was surprisingly poised and loved the attention so much that I could not keep her from running back up there for an encore performance.

Sophie truly believes that the world revolves around her. Her friend Lindsey had her 3rd birthday party last Friday, so Sophie became absolutely convinced that it was her third birthday today. Her actual birthday is still weeks away, but she would hear none of that nonsense talk. So I finally just went with it. We went to Cheryl's for a swim party/Home Evening. I had everyone wish her a happy birthday to which she politely thanked them, then we put the three candles that she had demanded I get down for her earlier in the day in a half eaten cake with no frosting, and we celebrated like it was 1999. Does this mean I am off the hook come July 8?

Sophie's blows out her "birthday" candles.

Sophie walks down the red carpet. (She did not take kindly to the girl behind her that tried to steal her 10 seconds of fame.)

Ten Years, Ten Long Years.

A Trip Down Memory Lane...What does this say about these boys personalities? Everything, really...

I've always said that the one you marry is the single most important life decision a person can make.. which is why I am glad I said "yes" to Wes ten years ago today. And I am totally kidding about it seeming long. (Well kind of. The two and a half years of pregnancy- those years alone felt like ten, but otherwise it has gone fast and furious.)

Ten years, five states, four countries, two houses, one (yep only one) new car, six job changes, three kids, four new in-laws, a whole lotta adventures in between.

Today was slightly less stressful than May 14, 1999. Sophie had a day long play date with Lani while I bought a new outfit, had lunch at the food court, then thoroughly enjoyed my first "couples massage". It was a fantastic day with a fantastic guy. Thanks, Wes for a great decade!

Father and Sons Fun

Jake and DB made the most of this year's Father and Son's Outing. First they got to miss a day of school, then they got to go with one of their favorite people and soon to be official Uncle Ken. My boys have a little of their mama in them and have had a luke warm attitude about camping in past years. They were pretty excited to have access to a real bed in a climate controlled trailer with a bathroom, kitchen, and shower this year. They also enjoyed hours of quad riding fun. I hope Ken plans on being a regular on this outing since he has set the bar so high for the boys. Thanks for sharing your toys and making it so much fun for Wes and the boys. We appreciate you!

Sophie and I also managed to have some fun this weekend with the boys gone. She really wanted to go camping and I considered putting a baseball cap on her and sending her, but instead we had our own camp out. Letting her sleep in my bed seemed like a good idea until she kicked me every 20 minutes all night long. It was totally worth it though waking up to her nuzzled next to me saying, "I love you, Mom" in her crackling morning voice. (Don't judge her too harshly because of this photo. In her defense, it was a freaking hot day. She couldn't help it!)

I Won The Lottery

I'm all about personal responsibility and making the most of your circumstances, but you can't argue that there are some things in life that we really have no control over; our parents, for example. I just wanted to take the opportunity on Mother's Day to point out that I absolutely won the Mom Lottery. It's not a secret to anyone who has met Ruth Hatch. She is an amazing women whom I can only hope to be like someday. She is and always has been there for me in the good times and bad. She has always allowed me to be me and always seems to know when to step back and when to step in. I know that she prays for me because I see and feel it in a very tangible way. She taught me everything I know about empathy and selfless charity. I once sat in a Psychology class in college and listened to a professor explain that there is no such thing as altruism. I remember thinking, obviously you haven't met my mom. She truly has no hidden agendas and genuinely gives because that's who she is and what she does. I know this post will embarrass her, but it needed to be said.

And as if I wasn't blessed enough, somehow I managed to acquire a mother-in-law who is equally fabulous and amazing. My relationship with Karla and Ruth is completely devoid of all jealousy, pettiness, and mind games. It has come to my attention recently that this is a rare gift that I too often take for granted. I appreciate and benefit from this on a daily basis.

Thank you to my Moms and all the other incredible fellow moms who bless my life daily with their example and encouragement. Love to you all and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Eraser Stockpile and Dr. Sophie

Today was the last day of the school book fair and I caved to the requests for money from the boys. They have money saved up from birthdays,the tooth fairy, and doing chores. Their money is mostly ones, so they truly believe they are rich and their supply of funds is endless. I have not done a very good job of educating my kids about money. I am not sure if it is good for kids to know too much about the financial status of their family, rich or poor. Arrogance and entitlement on one end and worry on the other don't seem to be very good traits for kids. So I realized today that by just saying nothing, my kids don't really understand money and how it all works. Jake pushed me and successfully negotiated $14 from his wallet for the fair. My parting words to him were, "Don't buy a bunch of little junk, just books, OK?"

This is what he came home with:

Erasers, in fact a plethora of erasers. When asked why he bought so many erasers, he explained that first of all he HAD to buy one for this one kid because he fell and skinned his knee and face REALLY bad. (Acceptable. I am digging the empathy.) Then he was under the impression that he was obligated to spend ALL of his money and he didn't realize that getting change was an option. On the bright side, there are some hundreds in there and I could always try to pass them off for currency if times get tough.

I have a choice with Sophie. I can A: let her sleep the afternoon away creating a blissfully quiet afternoon of relaxation for me, or B: let her stay awake and have hell to pay from 5 pm until she falls asleep at around 7. Lately I have chosen Option A, which means when I put the boys to bed at 8, she is just getting her evening started. She usually is pretty content to entertain herself with books and dolls and calling me in 25 times for various urgent requests. I was getting impatient with the repeated screams of "MMMMMMOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!" tonight, so in a desperate attempt at keeping her quiet, I gave her the "ear checker" and told her to check her baby's ears. I asked her how the baby's ears looked. She paused, then said, "Well he has a lot of wax in there."

My Body Fat Is What!?

I don't remember how old I was when I got my first gym membership. I'm pretty sure I was still a teenager though. I like the gym. I don't have any idea what I am doing there, but I do get frequent use out of it. I've never been one to buy something, then not use it. Before being too impressed I must fess up that it has more to do than my cheapness than my dedication. So my routine goes something like this. Pretend like I am stretching while reading the paper, then pay a token visit to a few of the resistance machines that I actually have figured out how to operate without drawing attention to myself. (Although one time, I actually got a personal trainer to interrupt his paying client's session in order to stop me from injuring myself on a machine.)Then I wander over to any low impact cardio machine that won't aggravate my 70 year old knees (the ER doctor's assessment, not mine) and Quick Start whatever program comes up. I stay there until I lose interest in the TV show that is on, or a Barry Manilow song comes on my fake I-Pod, sabotaging all my motivation.

My uninterrupted streak of this gym membership and vigorous routine that accompanies it came to an end about a year ago as a casualty of this economy. I have tried to keep up some kind of fitness routine by running around the block a few times a week. So the 100 degree weather coupled with a tax refund served as a good catalyst to reinstate the gym membership. So with the membership came a "free" personal training session. Really this is just an excuse to pitch their $280 month training services. But I took the free session anyway. I was shocked to discover that my body fat was not in the good or even average range. This news along with my "elevated" cholesterol, and shorts that have been mysteriously shrinking recently confirms my fears.. that I am a fat skinny girl. I was blessed with good metabolism and the ability to eat more than a human should be allowed and not pay the consequences..until now. I can't fool my blood turns out or my waist line anymore. So I am working on ridding my house of all my food weaknesses. I have a vicious sweet tooth and I am beginning to realize that it may be an all or nothing proposition. As a nutrition lecturer once told me, "Sugar makes you fat, tired, hungry, and addicted." So we will see how long that lasts. I suppose by blogging about it, I create a little bit of accountability.

Speaking of fitness, Wes is on Week # 3 of his 5:30 AM basketball boot camp. He keeps falling asleep at 8:30 and is a tired boy by the end of the week, but he is noticeably shedding weight. Good job, Wes!

Jake is in the middle of his First Grade assessment testing. He was so stressed out about staying in the bubble and all the people who were going to see his test results that he hardly slept the night before the test began. I don't have the heart to tell him how many hundreds of multiple choice bubble tests he has in his future. And as far as people seeing the results..if the poor kid had any idea all the things I posted about him weekly on this totally public blog, well then maybe he wouldn't be so worried about the silly test.