Going Crazy and Having Fun

Madeline has lost not one, but two teeth in the last week, and while she looks more like she needs dentures than dollars, she sure is proud of herself for pulling them out all on her own. For one of the teeth she didn't want to sleep with it under her pillow so I recommended that she write a note to the tooth fairy letting her know that the tooth would be on the vanity. Funny enough, the tooth fairy found the edited version of the note when she came to visit!

My cute Andrew has played soccer since he was four years old. It has always been his thing. And he has always loved it. This year it was still his thing, but he didn't love it....as much.

Hard because he didn't know anyone on his team.
Hard because there was just such a big learning curve.
Hard because it challenged him more than he's used to being challenged.
Hard because his mom and dad couldn't really help him out on this one.
He went to every game and played his best.
He tried to make a goal...and he didn't.
He tried to learn the rules...and he did.
He made a goal to not spend as much time out of the game...and the last game he was only out for one substution.

For the past 5 years fall and spring have been ruled by soccer at our house. It's always a crazy, hectic, and somewhat exhausting six weeks when soccer rolls around. But as long as the kids love it...we wouldn't want to be anywhere else!
Andrew played what were most likely his last 2 soccer games of the season this week.
Here are some of my favorite pictures-he's number 5 and forgive the photography I'm not that great with action shots-or any shots for that matter-with a 2 year old on my lap!
Let's just say this season has been quite the ride! In the fall his team was GREAT! They beat almost everyone they played and all the boys were having fun The finished the season near the top of their bracket. The spring was a different story. Our team got moved up to a different...and much harder bracket. We lost e.v.e.r.y. single game. And they weren't those close losses that make you groan and just keep wishing you could fix that one mistake. They were blowouts. The kind where you almost feel sorry watching it. It was frustrating, but it opened my eyes to a lot of things. Like how important practicing is. And what a difference teamwork makes. And how some kids can be mean when things get hard while other can shake it off and just realize that's life. But most of all, it opened my eyes (again) to what a great kid Andrew is. He never complained. He never got mad at his teammates. He just kept trying his best. Sometimes his best fell short of expectations, but he still kept trying.
And I'm proud of him!

This year has definitely been a learning experience for us in so many way's and I'm glad that we've had the opportunity to be part of it!

We're on our way out the door to Andrew's soccer game and we might actually have good weather?
Keep your fingers crossed for me!

That was not my shower.
Just a secret shout out to a new fabulous friend!

Remember this post?
If you don't, scroll to the end and read the poem.

I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I spent waaaaaay to much time hunting for the perfect picture to go with the poem. In the end, I had to settle.
However, hiking with Craig-and a stroller- finally gave me the perfect picture that I had been looking for:
And that my friends is
STROLLER BUTT!

Whenever there is a day or two off school we run away to St. George. I love it there. It's close enough to get there easily but far enough to feel like we got away! Plus we have a great place to stay--and it doesn't hurt that it's free. So of course when Spring Break rolled around we had to take off--that plus the idea of being here when it snowed again just didn't sit well with me. I went down with my mom and kids on Tuesday night and Craig joined us on Thurs night. My brother and his family were also there and we had so much fun. It would have been better if Greg wasn't sick, but at least we had fun laughing at his man cold.
Basically every time we go there, it is the exact same trip. It's comforting to just be there doing the things we love with the people I love! Due to bad weather we spent the first day there swimming and at the art museum. The second day we had planned on going up to to hike around just above Snow Canyon, however, the closer we got to our destination, the worse the weather got. By the time we pulled in to the parking lot, it was snowing...so we turned around and hit the red rocks. It was a quick trip due to the rain, but we still had fun and of course we had to have a photo shoot.






Then it was off to home for a much warmer picnic. The kids loved it. The dreary weather also brought out our creative side. We also built a castle, made swords, shields and crowns, watched the Wizard of Oz (just to get the kids prepped for Wicked) and hung out.
Then it was more swimming and a trip to "100 different ways to throw up" park.




Once Craig got there, it was more hiking and swimming and finally our last day a trip to Zions!! I'll do a whole post about that one next.

Thanks for making me smile!

I've kind of been in a funk lately--hence the lack of posts. But I think I'm back and I'm now attempting to catch up, so if you don't want updates on my silly life, just click mark as read and have a good day!

OK so after spending the better part of an hour trying to make this photo look like a wedding announcement, I am throwing in the towel! It seems that I am just too dumb tonight to figure out how to put text on top of a photo.My post will now be just the plain old boring words that I wanted to be on the picture. Here goes:

We went to Craig's parents house the Saturday before Easter. We were there mostly to visit but also to help with a bit of yard work. My favorite moment while we were there was when we came across a wedding announcement that his parents had been sent. I laughed so hard when I read it. I'm sure there are many parents feel the same way as these ones did, but to actually put it in writing??!!!?? For a minute I felt bad for the girl, until I realized that she has to have a great sense of humor to be OK with sending these bad boys out:

We had a great Easter Sunday. I twas all about family, food and fun and just being together. (We missed you Wendy). For the most part it was laid back and relaxed and I loved it. (Except for the part that had anything to do with 9:00 a.m. church)

Here are my kids with their Easter baskets (And I use the word basket really loosely).

And here they are showing off their new Easter duds! (Can I just say that the girls are far more fun to dress than the boys)
And here is our egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house:
And here is our first surprise during the egg hunt. (We found not one, but TWO dead birds in the backyard!)
And here is me telling you about our second surprise. (I wish I could post the pictures, but I can't.) Just imagine Sarah posing in nothing but her cute new silver shoes and a strategically placed Easter basket!

And here is the end of this post.

It's been a long day. Sarah has been sick and has really needed me...all of me, today and it was exhausting. Thankfully, I know just the remedy for that kind of exhaustion. Girls night out. It's crazy how a few hours away from normal life, with the girls can totally change my outlook on a crappy day! Thanks girls for the fun. And since I'm home now and can't toast you in person, here's to...

Getting away from a sick 2 year old!

Patient friends who deal with me being 45 minutes late.

A Mrs. Robinson moment at Outback, that might have made be blush!
(Anyone want to go back next week?)

Target!

A new rice crispy treat recipe!

St. Ralph!

And knowing I get to see you all again in 6 1/2 hours!

I got to have the fun experience of going to see Pirates, the Musical on Monday and Tuesday this week--starring Madeline! She was so cute and I loved seeing her up there. I loved watching her go from terrified on Monday night, to totally comfortable and having so much fun on Tuesday! She was so great and I can't believe how brave she was. In the play, her character didn't have a name, she was just the stowaway. So, during one of her rehearsals, they let her pick any name she wanted for her character. She picked Susan. (She might have found her inspiration here) Needless to say, we had a lot of fun cheering for Suuuuusan during her two nights on stage. She worked so hard to learn her lines and her songs and all her hard work totally payed off. She was so nervous to get up on the stage and to perform in front of a real live audience. But she did it! And she was fantastic! I have so much I could say about her right now, but I'll save that for something a little more private. Here I will just say, she is proof that hard work can make anything happen!
Way to go babe! I'm proud of you!

So my current favorite album is this:
I love it.....

all of it......

even the songs I probably shouldn't.....

and so do my kids.

In fact, we love dancing around to it together.

But there are a few songs, where I have to turn down the volume to shield their innocent ears. Today we had a friends kids over here and as we turned on "So What" one of them ran over to me and said, "Make sure you turn it down when it says the "s" word."

I'm still laughing.

And I'm glad to know I have friends who won't judge me for turning it down instead of turning it off!

I'm sitting in a quiet house!

The kids are asleep.

Craig is gone.

I'm all alone and I love it!

It's the perfect remedy for a long day!

Crap.

My phone just rang, whoever you are, I better love you!

It was my mom, and I do--but we didn't talk long.

Now, I'm returning to silence and I'm plan on savoring every last second...

It's bliss!

Growing up, April Fool's was always a fun day at our house. My dad always had something up his sleeve and there are quite a few fantastic family stories from his antics. I haven't really worked to carry on the tradition. But today Andrew gave it a go. When I went to wake him up, this is what I found on a nicely made bed:
Forgetting what day it was, I kind of chuckled and then turned the paper over to reveal my next note:
The kid was so excited to pull this prank on me that he actually woke up at 6:00 to get it ready. Thankfully he laid in bed until quarter to 7. And I have to give him props. He really planned ahead on this one. Last night he hid his bike over at the neighbor's house just in case I actually believed him and went to check. Sadly for him that wasn't really an option due to mother nature's cruel April Fool's joke. (Enough already!)

So a while ago I met this wonderful inspiring superwoman who is the most service oriented person I have ever met. She is SO passionate about Mothers Without Borders and she puts so much of her spare time into helping others. The only problem is that sometimes even superwomen get sick. And she's really, really sick. She needs help. So I'm helping, and asking you to do the same.
Please go to her blog and read her impassioned plea.
She says it so much better than I ever could.
Please post this picture on your blog to help get the word around.
And most of all, if there is any way you can
Please go to this Girls Night Out and help a more than worthy cause.