Halfway There

Today was the beginning of the second half of the school year. This is more good than it is bad. For one, the kids will be out of school soon (Yay! No more waking up early. Well, for three months anyway.) Second, summer is right around the corner. My body can't take anymore of this bone chilling, freeze you to your core weather. Lastly, it's a fresh start. This mostly applies to Trent. Kaela does well in school and I don't have to worry much about her yet. Trent, as you know I'm sure, has always been my difficult one when it comes to school. I've done everything I can to set him up to succeed. He does well with it for about a week and then he's over it. Hmm. That sounds very familiar. Anywho, he now has a tracker for school where he needs to write down all assignments and the teacher has to initial it. It was going well for a week and then he started to slack. I pretty much pleaded with him and told him I am trying to help him. I'm trying to give him the tools to succeed. I want him to graduate to high school. I asked him if he just didn't care? I asked him if the work is too hard? Why isn't he turning it in? He told me he did care. Great! He also said the work isn't hard and that maybe he is just lazy. Figures. He pulled up all his F's from 2nd quarter to C's. I'm happy with that. That's improvement. We are into a new quarter now and he has promised.....again....that he will do better and get his work in. We will see. I told him he has said that time and time again and he needs to show me he can do better. I'm staying positive and I'm thinking a fresh start will be good. I'm implementing some suggestions a friend has given me and it seems like they are working. I'm hoping he can keep his grades up. It is really hard to fail yet he manages to do it. I told him if he handed in all his work and then bombed his tests, he'd still walk away with probably a B, C at the worst. So, we are focusing on him getting all his work in and maybe not so much on the grade since getting his work in seems to be the issue. I figure as long as I'm able to check his work and help him with it he should get a decent grade anyway. I'm hoping this 2nd half is much better than the 1st half. I'm hoping he will end this year with a BANG!

Happy New Year 2012!

I don't even know where to begin. It has been so long since I have even messed with this blog. I decided to go ahead and give it another go. I look at my kids and see how fast they are growing up and think, "I wish I had kept with this to document things." Anyone who knows me knows I don't stick with things for long. I blame it on my short attention span or that I may possibly have a small case of ADD but who doesn't? Dalan can always get a laugh at me doing one thing and then all of a sudden I drop what I'm doing right in the middle and move onto to something else. This is no exaggeration. I do it a lot. It usually leads to me being overwhelmed as I look at all the things that are only halfway complete.

So, anyway, I guess I can start with Christmas 2011. That's as good of a place as any. Our Christmas started at 12:45 AM with Trent asking if we could open gifts. I asked him if Kaela sent him in to ask. He said yes. I think, "Of course she did." So, we call Kaela in and now both kids are standing at the foot of our bed bright eyed and bushy tailed. We begged for them to go to bed and we would wake up at 6:00 AM to open gifts but they just weren't giving in. Their eyes were wide open. Their smiles were from ear to ear. Dalan insisted we get up. I was (stupidly) convinced they would go back to bed. We finally gave in but not before telling Trent he would have to practice his saxophone for 10 minutes first. I have never seen that kid get downstairs so fast and put together his saxophone so quickly. After 15 minutes of practicing we gave the go ahead. They each had a whopping three things on their lists. Trent wanted an electric guitar, a ripstick and iTunes gift cards. Kaela wanted a trampoline, a ripstick and iTunes gift cards. They each got what they wanted plus a few extra little things; candy, book, DS game, Subway gift card. Dalan had a pretty unimpressive Christmas in comparison to last year when he got his Swarovski binoculars. He got a giant bag of peanut M&Ms, a body pillow (which I admit I also got as a decorative pillow for our bed) and some cologne. I got a necklace and earrings and a KitchenAid mixer which I have yet to use. After looking at all the gifts we finally went to bed at around 2:00 AM. I woke up at 6:00 AM to get ready to make the rounds.

Gifts from other family members:

Dalan & Sandy

For Dalan~ RC Helicopter which he broke not long after receiving it (his parents)

For Sandy~ Kindle Fire (Dalan's parents); Cute little pouches that you put in the microwave to heat up and you can use them on aching body parts (From my awesome niece Kinsey)

For Both~ $$ which went toward our new computer (my parents); a See's gift certificate which is basically mine :o) & and a talking fly swatter (Bill & Chrissy)

Trent

Gift cards for iTunes from both grandparents

Subway gift card and a nice Steelers blanket (my parents)

Kaela

Gift Cards for iTunes from both grandparents

DS game from my parents

My parents also got each kid those metal puzzle things you have to untangle. That drove me insane part of Christmas day. I have yet to figure it out but I also give up after about two minutes.

So, now here we are into the New Year. I am actually starting it out pretty well. I have picked up a few new good habits. Maybe not habits. Maybe more like hobbies. I actually don't even know who I am anymore. Ha, ha! Since I got the Kindle Fire from my in laws I figured I may as well use it for something other than games. I'm kind of over the games anyway. Got bored. Go figure. So I downloaded the first book that caught my attention....Hunger Games. I knew my niece had read it and my son read it in school but other than that I had not heard much about it. Oh my gosh! Such a good book! I finished it pretty quickly and I'm now on the 2nd book, Catching Fire. I am more than halfway through that one and will soon move onto Mockingjay. A few days after I began reading Hunger Games my friend Kristy posted on FB the movie is coming out in March. Awesome! I've never been able to compare a book and a movie.

The other thing I loaded onto my Kindle is this reading plan for the Bible. I really would not consider myself to be a religious person at all. I have opened the Bible and tried to read through it before and never got past the creation part. I'm serious. When my friend Shari posted something from YouVersion I think it is I clicked on it and checked it out. Turns out you can sign up for this plan and in a year you will have read the whole Bible. I figure there are probably some words of wisdom in there, being the Bible and all so I'm giving this reading plan a shot. I'm on Day 3. So far, so good.

My other newest "hobby" is working out. No, I'm not one of those who makes a resolution to get in shape and then by February have lost all interest. I've actually been going to the gym for about a month now. I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with it. My major hurdle was pulling myself out of bed while the kids were on winter break. I managed to do it and got my butt in there. I've stayed committed and I don't plan on stopping. Right now I'm going in three times a week. I do the C25K program on the treadmill and then try to fit in 20 minutes or so of weights. Hoping to have a nice toned little body by summer. Plus, I'm sure my heart loves me for it too.

Anyway, that's about all there is to post for now. Kids go back to school tomorrow. I'm trying to get my Christmas decor down without getting completely overwhelmed. I'm making progress. Just a little at a time.

Below are a couple more pictures from Christmas. Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2012!!!

It Wasn't Me

On New Years Eve we attended the annual NYE celebration at the Palladium. In the gym of the high school they have a blow up slide and a bunch of kids games. Ya know, like fish the duck out of a bucket of water. Or throw a hoop over a bowling pin. Those types of games. The kids run around to each station and get their card marked off. They then take it to the prize table where they get a bunch of NYE crap like hats, 2011 glasses, necklaces....the stuff that ends up in the garbage the next day. Anyway, it was a pretty nice night. We saw a couple high school friends and Dalan chatted away. At 7:45 PM we went to the Palladium to watch the comedian/magician. I had high hopes for this guy. I thought for sure this would be something fun. Chrissy and I were right when we said earlier, "It's Delta. How great can it be?" If I had tomatoes with me, I may have thrown one. The guy was older and not so funny. I couldn't hardly pay attention because my 3 year old nephew was more entertaining than this guy. Maybe he was more for the younger audience. Like elementary school kids. And honestly, I could hardly hear him. It took me forever to "get" his jokes. I'm slow. It's gotta be obvious for me to get it immediately and even then I sometimes won't get the joke til the next day. Dalan loves to brag to people about this. After he finished up I realized I hadn't seen Kaela in awhile and thought she must still be over in the gym at the high school so off I went to check on her. I spot her on the huge blow up slide hanging out at the top. When she comes down I approach her to ask her if she's having fun. But wait. Um...what's that smell?....EW! So, I ask Kaela, "Did you fart?" To which she replies no! Oh..k...it stinks...bad! So, I tell her that I will be in the Palladium if she needs anything and to come over when she's done. I turn around and as I'm walking off, someone else walks up to the same spot I was standing in...and it still kind of smelled. She kind of looked at me as I walked off which left me wondering did she think it was me who cut the cheese? I swear it wasn't. It very well could have been one of the kids on the slide or in line. They drop 'em anywhere, anytime. They don't care. I know this from subbing. After I knew Kaela was fine we headed back over to watch Charlie Jenkins perform. Once he was finished we headed out to my sisters for snacks and to watch the ball drop in New York. That was my NYE. The incident by the blow up slide just may have been the highlight of it. Oh joy.

Happy New Year

Everyone is posting their resolutions and looking back on 2010 so I thought maybe I would do the same thing. Who am I to not follow the crowd? I'm not one to really make a New Years Resolution. Usually for most it's just something they resolve to do for a couple weeks and then stop or start (depending on your resolution) doing it again. For me its really just the closing of the year and the opening of a New Year. New plans. New adventures. Getting older. New things to look forward to.

So, 2010 was mostly a great year. The good definitely outweighs the bad. So many memories were made. New friends were made. A few were lost...my grandma, my aunt Terri and our dear friend Ren. They are all missed by many. I really don't know what my hopes are for 2011. I already have a few plans made for the first half of the year. I'm sure 2011 will go by just as quickly as 2010 did. I guess my only hope is to enjoy each and every year as much as I have enjoyed the previous. And I guess I hope my adventures never end. Life is short and I'm trying to live it to the fullest. At least as full as my bank account will allow. I hope life stays busy. I know that makes it go by faster but at least it makes it enjoyable. I hope you all have a fantastic New Year. If 2010 wasn't your year, then make 2011 your year. Your life is what you make it. You are in the drivers seat.

The Hidden Gift

Christmas morning Kaela seemed a little bummed out. Like maybe she didn't get something that maybe she may have wanted. I asked her numerous times if something was missing and she said, "I don't know." She wouldn't give in. We went over her list later that night to see what she may have wanted but didn't get. Her birthday is in February so once Christmas passes I'm looking for ideas for her birthday. The only things on her list that she didn't get were a DS game or two, waterproof gloves and she also asked that Trent would get coal. So, nothing on there too major that was a have to have for her. Discussion ended, problem solved? and we didn't talk about it again.

Yesterday while putting a few of the gifts away that were sitting under the tree Kaela found something. I was in the kitchen asking her to bring me a couple things I had found a place for when I heard from the living room, "Mom. Uh...I found a present we didn't open." Me and Dalan, surprised, asked where she found it and then questioned how in the world she missed it. She said it was sitting behind a couple Scentsy boxes I had under the tree and it said it was to her from Santa. She was giggly and seemed pretty excited about it. She brought it into the kitchen where we looked it over and were kind of puzzled. We gave her the go ahead to open it and she was pretty excited to see it was an iPod Touch. Later that night Dalan asked her, "So did you get everything you wanted for Christmas." She said, "No." He asked her what she wanted that she didn't get. She referred him to the list that her and I went over Christmas night.

Was this really absorbed?

Through the years I have always tried to teach the kids that Christmas is also about giving and not just receiving. One of the little things I would do to try and teach them this is to pick out toys for Toys 4 Tots. They would ask why we have to buy other kids toys and explaining that to a kid is kind of hard if you know what I mean. I'd always tell them it's for families whose parents can't afford to get their kids a gift from them so we are just helping the parents out. I try to make it known to them that they are very lucky to have the things that they have because some kids just aren't that lucky. I never knew if they were really absorbing what I was telling them or if they were just doing that "yeah, yeah" that kids do and just went with the whole buy the toy and drop it in the box thing. That is until about a week ago when I found this little gem and I thought well maybe they are listening or at least getting it. Well, at least one of them.



"Dear Santa,



All I want for Christmas the most is you to bring us joy. The things that I learned for the last nine years that Christmas is not only about presents it's about family getting together and having fun. I hope you give everyone hope peace and love. Let's hope I don't get to much Christmas dinner in one night. I hope that when I wake up tomorrow I see tons and tons of hope peace and love. This is from my whole family "Merry Christmas". Good night Santa Claus.

Love your friend,
Kaela Dutson"

A test? YES!

The first two or three weeks of school for Trent was going so well. He had all A's! But I knew it wouldn't last long. I logged onto the school website to just look at what classes he would be missing if Dalan pulled him out of school early. While looking at that I saw his grades had fallen. He had two C's..maybe three..and a D+. WHAT!?! We ended up pulling him out of football until his grades came up. I check his grades weekly so I was completely puzzled as to why such a big drop. One of his C's was in Band. I asked how in the world do you get anything but an A in Band. I asked him, "Are you talking in class?" Apparently there was a test he didn't do so well on. There aren't going to be many assignments in Band so that's gonna be a hard one to pull up. He's gonna have to be on his best behavior. The D+ was in Spanish. They had one assignment so far and he bombed it. Big time. I guess they rarely get assignments or tested in that class, for now anyway, so every assignment is gonna count. I made sure to tell him that. One assignment can make a HUGE difference. So, yesterday (and this is Trent's story so who knows if it's exaggerated or true) the kids were acting up and the teacher asked the class, "Do you want a test?" While most of the class shouted "no" Trent quickly shouted out "YES!" knowing he needed a good score so he could go to his football game last night. I guess the teacher said, "Trent wants a test so we'll take one." Oh how that class must have hated him. He ended up getting a 10/11 I think. He came home and begged me to check his grades. I told him I didn't think it would be entered plus I had just checked them an hour or two before. So, back to the website I go and there it is....a B+ in Spanish. I had told him that and he still looked bummed. I couldn't figure out why. He then said, "I can't believe it's still a D+." I told him, "No. A B+. As in boy." His head whipped around so quick I thought it was gonna fall off. Dalan didn't even think it would be updated yet. Pretty funny. So, he was able to go to his game and play. As of last night he has A's and B's and just that one pesky C in Band. Hopefully he can keep his grades up and we don't have to deal with this anymore. He is so smart and is capable of all A's. I know he is. He just needs to apply himself more. I just don't think he understands that he's at an age now where when the teacher tells you there is going to be a test, you better bring home your book and study.

The teachers are doing an awesome job keeping everything updated on the website. It is so nice. Last year and throughout elementary they only updated it at the end of the quarter. Elementary still does that. This year, for Trent anyway, they will post assignments and what score they got on the assignment. They are so good at keeping up with it that I will find myself checking his grades twice a week sometimes. The school e-mails me his grades once a week too. It's so nice. They will even e-mail me if he is late to class or absent. Poor kid. He won't get away with nearly as much as I did in school. I'm just hoping that this year will be better than last and we won't be hustling the last two weeks of the last two quarters to catch him up and get his grades where they should be. I have already told him I absolutely will not under no circumstance go in and talk to his teachers about his grade this year. I did once last year and then the next time he was responsible for it. This year it's all on him. I figure he is the one who got the bad grade and now he is old enough to ask and figure out what he can do about it. Besides, there is no way I am gonna hunt down seven teachers.

Fingers crossed we aren't down this road again.

She is growing up way too fast.

Kaela is only nine years old and will be 10 in February but sometimes it feels like nine years old going on teenager. This year is her first year she has decided she is going to do her own hair....for school. Oy! She did her own hair all throughout the summer and it killed me. It killed me because it wasn't perfect and her go to hair do was simply a ponytail. She has gotten a little more creative with it since then. I'm excited that she will wear the flower clips in her hair now. I always ask if I can help her a little or tell her that if she tells me how she wants it I will do it exactly that way. Nope. Nothing. She wants to do it on her own. Sometimes she will let me smooth it out for her or tame the flyaways. She's not too good with the hairspray bottle. I guess her doing her own hair is not totally a bad thing because there is no boredom for her as she sits there and waits for me to do it for her. It relieves some stress for me because it's one less thing I need to do in the morning. It's just hard because as a mom you want your daughter to have the perfect hair. All girly and cute. But I can't sit here and hold her hand forever. Especially when she is the one who is stepping up and wanting to do it and I'm not standing here having to push her. I need to let her grow up. I need to let her be her own person. I need to let her have her own style. So, in a way, I'm kind of over the whole thing and just leave it alone. But, I still have my days where my heart breaks and I still offer to help her out. All because I'm not ready for her to grow up....yet.

Easily Entertained

My brand spankin new iPod Touch finally got here yesterday. I opened up the package, updated my Facebook status to let the world know and plugged it in to fully charge. I didn't really mess with it much when I first opened it up other than to see how the camera works. Stephanie won't be surprised at this. About an hour later Dalan comes waltzing in and asks, "Where's your iPod?" And I didn't get to mess with it at all except for a few mintues here and there. He is addicted to Hells Kitchen Vs and has already loaded my leader board up with all his scores. I haven't played it once...yet. Stephanie, my cousin, was nice enough to send me some app suggestions. I was really looking for apps geared towards fitness since I'm trying to get back into my workout routine. She didn't send me any of those. She sent me Talking Tom Cat. That app is hours...and I mean hours of entertainment for someone like me. Most people who know me know I am very easily entertained. For those who don't know, which is probably few since I'm late getting into this cool and fun technology, the cat repeats what you say. I know right!?!? FUN! Stephanie made the mistake of telling me it's funny when you make it cuss. Well, Dalan took it to a whole other level last night as I was in bed trying to go to sleep. He kept telling me, "Say something bad to it." Me, "Umm...no. That's just not right." The cat is too cute to say such things. The fact that it's a kitty made some things even funnier. We laid in bed cracking up! The app, for me anyway, is just as fun now as it was the first time I said something to it and it repeated it. In fact, at Trent's football game last night I went to show it to my sister. Most mature people would just say "Hi" and leave it at that. Not me. I make it say, "Chrissy smells." HA! Seriously. HOURS of entertainment....for me. Kaela now wants me to put all the other talking animals on it. The talking hedgehog, hippo, etc. There may not be much talking me into it. I love my new toy! I did put some fitness apps on it...no thanks to Steph. I found them myself. I'm gonna try one out today. Probably the yoga one. Dalan said he wants me to take that up. Not sure why *scratches head* But I'm gonna give it a shot. Hopefully I don't get all tangled up.

I gotta just let it go....

Months ago I allowed the kids to buy DSi XL's. They had birthday money that they have been given by grandparents that I have saved up over the years and we just never really spent it on anything for them so I decided to let them buy their own DSi's with it. I figured this way if they misplace them I won't stress about it because it was bought with their own money. Yup. I was wrong. Kaela has misplaced her DSi and we are unable to find it. I sit here and tell myself, "Not my problem. It's hers. She bought it. Let it go." Then I find myself tearing apart the house trying to find the damn thing and am completely pissed when it's not in the spot I just finised making a disaster out of. Ugh. As I sit here and type this I'm still telling myself to let it go but I just can't. I am completely annoyed about the whole thing. When she bought it I knew it was a mistake letting her but again, it was her money. I tried to talk her out of it but she wasn't backing down. She told me over and over she would take care of it. And here we sit....trying to find a lost DSi...ugh...

Moving on because really there are just more important things in life than a lost DSi (move on Sandy). Today is September 11th. On this day 9 years ago I think Alan Jackson may have put it best, the world stopped turning. For one moment everyone was watching the same thing happen. Whether we were on the couch in front of the tv or on the streets of NYC. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. In fact, I can remember every night weeks after trying to go to sleep and just not being able to do so without thinking of all those poor families. The children who were on the planes. That killed me the most. It took...and still takes me to a place where I'm thinking, "What if I were on that plane with my kids?" What do you say to them. Or do you say anything at all and just sit there and hold them knowing that this is it. The thought of going through something like that is a complete nightmare. It's amazing how the country pulled through such a tragedy. People were friendlier and willing to help one another. That scene has slowly disappeared and everyone is back to the way things were before 9/11. Sad really. I always think back to that day and will never forget it. Ever.

I really want to say that I am so very appreciative to those who have chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice. To those who are away from their families. To those who don't always have a soft place to rest, if they get even get to rest at all. Thank you to the men and women who serve in our military. What you do to protect those here in the USA is greatly appreciated. We, as a country, could probably never show you just how much. You are the real heroes of our time.

September 11, 2001

NEVER FORGET

No regrets...

When you are a child you are in your learning and discovering stage. You are pushing limits and trying to see what you can and can't get away with. As you approach your teen years you think you know it all. Somewhere in your 20's you find out you actually know nothing. And now...at least for me...I think I'm slowly figuring it out.

I used to want. I thought I had good friends. I still want but feel more fulfilled. Somewhere along the line I found better friends. Great friends! I'm always laughing when I'm with them. And sometimes even when I'm not. I found someone who is an inspiration to me. The last two or three years have come to be some of the best years of my life. I've gotten out. I've done things I never thought I would ever do. I have had new experiences. I smile more. I laugh more. I dance more. I let go more. I see an opportunity and I try my hardest to grasp it. Nothing is ever too far out of reach. If you want it, make it happen. One of my worries a couple years ago was that I did not want to be dying and lying there wondering, "What did I do with my life!?!" I can say without a doubt that I will not be wondering that when the time comes. Things have changed. Even though there are things that haven't gone exactly how I wanted them to, the things that have gone right definitely outweigh the things that didn't. Everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that. And good things definitely come to those who wait.

Are you ready for some football....the little league kind

Trent found out on Sunday that he was put onto the red team. When the coach called and asked for Trent I handed the phone to him and said, "Listen to what he says!" So, he gets off the phone and says, "I have practice tomorrow from 6:00 to 6:45." I think and say out loud, "That's a really short practice." It didn't sound right to me and Trent insisted it was. There is no arguing with that kid. So, Dalan takes him into practice at 6:00 and drops him off. Dalan calls me and says, "I think he was late. They were all out there practicing. I think it started at 5:00." Go figure. I knew that wasn't right. So, of course, Trent heard wrong or didn't listen or whatever so he was late.

As far as his number goes he had it down to three choices; 7 (Ben Roethlisbergers number), 34 (yeah...I have no clue) or 10 (for our friend Ren). He then narrowed it down to 34 and 10. I of course was leaning towards 10 :o) I'm about this (-) close to burning my Ben jersey. I'm currently looking for a replacement. But that's a whole other story. He ended up choosing 34 and I am just beating my head trying to remember why! AARRGH!! Guess it will have to wait til he gets home. He got white pants this year and I was pretty saddened by it. Last two years he had black. It was so easy to spot him on a field full of kids in white pants. Now I'm going to be sitting on the bleachers thinking I'm watching the right kid when I am really watching the wrong kid. I know, I'm a bad mom if I can't even recognize my own kid but under the helmet and the pads it's hard to tell so cut me some slack.

Anyway, should be great fun. He better be out there running hard and hitting hard otherwise it's just no fun to watch....ha, ha...I kid...but not really.

GO RED TEAM!!!!

Happy Birthday Gram!!!

August 28th is a special day for a couple reasons. Both this year and last we have attended weddings on this day. But, it's just a little more special than that...for me. It's my Gram's birthday.

When I was 15 I lost my Gram. I can't believe that much time has gone by already. It seems like just yesterday she passed. I can remember my cousins Jodi and Mike and my aunts, uncles and parents playing horseshoes the day of her funeral. I remember the beer ball my cousin Kelly and Uncle Butchy ;o) hauled out to the lawn by the pool. The day was more of a party than it was a day of sadness. It's just how my family rolls. We all have a great time when we are together, which isn't too often. My Gram was a tell it like it is kind of lady. She never held back anything. Fiesty...damn straight. She was someone us grandkids never messed with but we loved her like crazy. I can remember sitting at the foot of her bed chatting with her. Her making Puppy Kush. I LOVED that soup and sadly don't have the recipe. Jodi and I came dang close to it but it wasn't quite right. I remember how she ALWAYS had flavored soda. I can still smell the aroma of her cooking corn. I know weird but it's just something that has stayed with me. I got many bee stings up at her place and she was always right there with an onion and telling me that wouldn't happen if I wore shoes. I very rarely ever wore shoes in the summer. Sledding down the hill and making the trek back up to do it again. The lightning bugs up at her place were one of my favorite things and picking blackberries...or raspberries so she could make pie. I still don't know which one it was. Some say blackberries others say they were raspberries. We were always told to not eat any when we were out picking but we always came back with less than what we probably should have :o) She would always just smile and tell us that will do. Those are just a few memories. I have so many from when we would go back and visit and maybe a few from when we lived there. I don't think a day goes by where I don't think of her. I always wish she could've been here to see my kids and maybe in a way she is. She was such a special person in my life that her name is a part of Kaela's middle name....Roseann. It's actually my mom's middle name which is a combination of my grams name, Rose, and my aunts name, Ann. I really can't say enough about her and she is always brought up when we are all together with my aunts and uncles. She was a strong and independent woman who didn't take anyones crap. I can only hope to be a fraction of what she was.....or is.

We love and we miss you Gram! Happy (one day late) Birthday!

First Day Of School 2010

Yesterday was Trent and Kaela's first day of school. Trent is going into 7th grade and Kaela into 4th. This is Kaela's last year in elementary school and then she goes into the middle school with Trent. I'm not looking forward to this because 5th grade just seems too young to go into the middle school plus she's my baby but I'll make it through I'm sure.

This is Trent's first year switching classes and I was pretty worried about it. I wanted to take him to Back To School Night to do a practice run with him so he would have an idea. However, Back To School Night was Back To School Afternoon. I thought for sure it would be the same time as the elementary but nope, I was wrong. I probably should've read the paper they gave out telling you when exactly it was but who has time for pesky little things like that anyway. At least I got the date right. When Trent got home I immediately ran upstairs to ask how it all went. I thought for sure he would get lost and have a mini freak out in the hallway. Apparently, not so. He was excited about the fact that his homeroom is the only homeroom that gets the big lockers. I guess they took the kids on a tour so he was able to locate his other classes that way. He also really likes ALL of his teachers...for now. I'm guess when the homework starts piling up his feelings might change. He only has one class with one of his best friends. That could be a good thing. I can just see the two of them goofing off. BUT the class he has with him is the class I want Trent to really pay attention in because I want him to come home and teach me....SPANISH! So far, so good for him. I hope this year is much better than last year as far as him staying on top of things.

Kaela didn't want to go to Back To School Night...even though I knew exactly when hers was. She said she didn't care to see her teacher til the first day. Well, okay then. She came home and pretty much gloated about the fact that she was the only one to finish her math worksheets IN class. Go figure. She has always been kind of a teachers pet. I would love to be a fly on a wall in her classroom. Her teachers always talk about what a great student she is and how she always helps others. I cannot picture this girl not being a total goof. She is just a crack up. Last year her issue was getting her homework in. She would either forget to bring it home or forget to hand it in. Hoping this year she stays on top of that.

So, two days of school down and I have no idea how many left til next summer. All I know is Christmas is only 4 months away. Didn't we just celebrate it 4 months ago? No? Hmm...time really needs to not go by so quickly.

Summer 2010

It has been awhile since I posted and thought now would be a great time to start up again. We had a busy summer this year so this might be a long one. We didn't do our road trip like we have the last two years but it was still busy even without the trip. This summer was a hot one. It was a summer where I felt like we were never home. Good times were had, new friends were made and a few loved ones were lost but all in all a great summer with many great memories.

The kids got out of school end of May this year. Things were pretty calm those first two weeks out of school and they complained they were bored there for awhile but things picked up quick and they rarely had a chance to complain about boredom. They spent some time at the pool....and not very much time at the rez. We took them to Lagoon...TWICE...both times for at least 2 days. They have been on every ride except for the kiddie rides. I went on the Skycoaster with my two little daredevils and that is a memory I will never forget. Hearing Trent yelling, "Woah, woah" almost like Joey Lawrence on Blossom and over my screaming on the way down is something that is burned into my brain. Kaela didn't make a sound...I think...until we swung back and out came, "THIS IS AWESOME!!!" That girl! I have always said that one day I'm gonna get a phone call from her saying, "Mom. I'm in a plane and I'm gonna jump. I love you." Sigh. Just call me after the fact when you are on the ground and safe...PLEASE! They both also went on the Catapult together. We bought the video...PRICELESS! Their expressions and the things they are saying to eachother are just flat out hysterical. I've watched it probably 10 times and it's still just as funny as the first. I hope that they never grow out of this will try anything phase. Trent just kinda got into it. Kaela has been riding crazy rides since she was 4 or 5! That was the first time she went on Tower of Terror at Disney and LOVED it! That and Splash Mountain are...or at least were her faves. I just want to them to grasp at opportunities that are given to them because they might not come around again and tomorrow is never guaranteed. I've learned that...the hard way....this summer.

Dalan and I kind of took separate vacays this summer. He went to a shooting class in Vegas while I went to NYC with my cousin and met up with some friends. This was my first trip alone! I can't believe I survived it. I had never flown by myself before...ever. When the taxi dropped us off near our hotel I stepped out of the car, looked up and couldn't stop saying "WOW". I was amazed at the buildings and how close together they are. We saw all the must sees like the World Trade Center site, the Today Show and GMA studios, the Statue of Liberty, experienced "the train" and walked 5th avenue down to Central Park. We still didn't get to see everything we wanted to see. We decided we needed a few more weekdays. It was a fun trip and I can't wait for my next trip with the girls.

The 4th of July was spent here. We went to the parade, then the park and then...I don't remember what we did. It was just like every other 4th of July spent here. At the end of July we went to Lake Powell with Dalan's parents and some friends of the family. I hadn't been there since high school. The kids LOVED it and it was a good time...well, the boats breaking down wasn't all that fun but sliding down the slide of the houseboat and jumping off the back of it from the top was pretty awesome! Just being able to float and relax and not have a worry in mind is nice.

August...ugh...my birthday month. We will just skip that part but Trent had a great birthday. All he wanted was an Ipod Touch. So, he got it! Kind of an expensive birthday gift but he needed a replacement for his old nano. I bought the nano off Ebay for him two or three years ago and told him if he took care of it and actually used it we would eventually upgrade him. Years passed and he never really asked for a new one til this year. The Ipod Touch is pretty fun and now I want my own! The day before his birthday we went up to Seven Peaks and I allowed him to take a friend. We also tried out Cowabunga Bay this summer and it wasn't too bad. My niece and I stood on the walkway by all the tube slides and sprayed people as they slid down. I could've stood there all day! I know...how old am I again?

This summer was also a sad one. My grandma passed away about a week before my NYC trip. I wish the kids could've met her at least once but with them living in Florida, it was always so hard for us to try to fly all four of us out that way. We were actually going to try this summer and do DisneyWorld and decided to wait one more year. Wouldn't have mattered anyway I guess because we would've done it in July and would've missed her anyway. RIP Grandma. We love and miss you!

Our friend, Ren (aka Ren 10 10 or just 10) also passed away this summer on my birthday. A few days after we found out the strangest thing happened. I hadn't really looked at the clock all morning that day. I had just gotten out of the shower and something popped into my head and told me to check the time. When I looked at the DIGITAL clock in our room it said 10:10. I only knew him for about a year but he was a very likeable guy. It was tough to hear about his death and come to the realization he isn't here anymore. I will never forget his smile and how he always seemed to be having fun no matter what. For years, Dalan has been trying to get me to pick up the sport of golf. I hated going because I would get so frustrated with the sport...and him. One day this summer, Dalan begged and begged and begged me to go out with him and Ren. I kept tellin him no and then finally gave in. Ren gave me little tips here and there and helped me out. I've been going out on the course a lot now and I'm really starting to like it. I'm even getting better at it. Finally found something Dalan and I can do together that we both like. We love and miss you Ren and we will never forget you!

Just a couple of weeks ago my Aunt Terri passed away unexpectedly. Her and I just reconnected over Facebook a couple months ago. I chatted on IM with her a few time or we'd e-mail or she'd comment on my page or I would her. Our very last convo was....on my birthday (sigh...like I didn't hate my birthday enough already. What is it about that day?) She wished me a happy birthday and we commented back and forth a little and that was it. One of the last things I said to her was, "So glad you found me on here. Makes it seem like you aren't so far away." A lot of people are really negative about Facebook but when used right it's a great tool. If not for Facebook, I probably wouldn't have gotten that opportunity to chat with my aunt. I know, I could've called. I'm just not a phone person because once I get on the phone I have the kids and Dalan driving me crazy. I have found so many old friends on there and have been able to keep in touch with my east coast family so much easier. They can view the pictures of my kids and feel like they aren't missing out on anything. Anyway, there are a lot of people who are going to miss her including myself. It's too bad I didn't get to see her just one more time.

After going through all that this summer I have told friends and family they are not to go dying on me anytime soon. Not sure if I can deal with it anymore. I know I'm gonna try to have more fun in life and do and go places when I can. I will try to live every second I can of my life. Right now is all that matters. Not yesterday or tomorrow. Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

I'm sorry for my absence

I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post on here. Time goes by so quickly lately. I've been so busy with kids and Girl Scouts and everything else that I just have not had a minute to sit down and keep this up to date. Well, I do but I'm on Facebook sooo...

Let's start with February. Kaela turned 9 on the 9th!!! WOW! I can't believe it. NINE! She's almost to the double digits. My little girl is growing up. I could do the norm and sit here and say how much I miss her being a baby but really I'm not sure I miss it all that much. Sure I look back at pictures and just think, "If I could just hold her in my arms one more time" but then I wouldn't get to enjoy the things I so love about her now. We laugh. We dance (usually to the song Body Language that we made up a dance to). We talk. We shop. I love those fun moments with her. I love her sillyness. I love that when I tell her that I haven't had my morning hug and kiss she says, "Or your morning sit" and then sits with me and we watch t.v. I love those things and I think I love them more than I miss her being a baby. I welcome the years to come and I welcome her getting older because really, it's just getting better.

During the month of January or February Trent tried out for a baseball team up in West Jordan I think. The Highlanders. He had attended a baseball camp there Winter 2009 and Dalan was interested in the program. We got more info on it and decided to take him up for tryouts. Unfortunately, he didn't make the team. We were so rooting for him. The good news is, and from what I'm understanding, is that it's mostly because he was the only 11 year old trying out for a 12 year old team. The coaches said he did well. So, we are going to take him up at the end of this year to tryout again and hopefully he makes it this time. It's a big dedication on our part since we would be driving him 2 hours to practice three times a week but we think this could be a really good opportunity for him especially since his first love is baseball.

As for me, I've just been really busy with trying to plan Girl Scout meetings and we are right in the middle of cookie season. I can't wait til cookie season is over. We are going to be doing our cookie booths the weekends of the 12 & 13, 19 & 20 and if any cookies are left 26 & 27. We'll be sitting out in front of the grocery stores so come buy some cookies from us...PLEASE! I've also done some substitute teaching here and there and that's been a lot of fun. Something else that's keeping me busy is planning trips....ugh! Although the trips will be a lot of fun, the hotel booking, car rentals and flight booking is not.

That's about all that has been going on. Nothing too spectacular or wonderful. Just the same old stuff as usual (which is why I probably rarely update this). Hope all is good and warm on your end because it's freezing here.

It's almost serene around here.

Things have been pretty mellow in our house lately. Usually I'm fighting with Trent to do his homework while Kaela is screaming at the top of her lungs in the basement with her cousins as they play Littlest Pet Shops. Then Dalan comes home and wonders why I'm in such a bad mood. Dealing with a pissy 11 year old is enough to put anyone in a bad mood. Lately though Trent has been somewhat mellow and not as high strung as he usually is. Kaela still plays loudly with her cousins at times but oh well. What do ya do? When Dalan comes home, I'm more relaxed and not in such a stressed out mood. In fact, the last few days I've woken up at 5:30 AM, made him breakfast, got the kids fed, ready and sent off to school and then I head downstairs to workout. And after all that, I'm not tired...at all! Lately I've had all this energy. Sadly, it's not being put into doing laundry and cleaning the house but that's just asking a little much of me. I actually sleep well at night and I don't toss and turn as much. I just feel refreshed and not achey. I have to attribute this all to the fact that I've been working out...like mad. It's amazing what it can do for ya. My back is getting stronger so I assume that is why I don't have the back pain anymore. I just feel so much better now that I've started up again. After a while I will start to hate the whole working out thing as it starts to feel like a chore. But, for now, I'm all for havin a bangin body and a butt so sweet it will make a grown man cry..otherwise known as Onion Butt :oD

Embarrassing Moment Of The Day

I was to meet Dalan and some friends at the Pizza House for lunch this afternoon. Dalan gave me 30 minutes notice. Since I had done absolutely nothing the whole morning but sit and try to catch up on Days Of Our Lives, I still had to shower and get dressed. So, when he told me to meet him there at 12:15 pm., I didn't leave the house until 12:15 pm. I was five minutes late, no biggie. Anyway, as I'm walking into the restaurant I see Dalan through the window...or so I thought. I went straight to the table where Dalan was sitting and guess what? It wasn't Dalan. Oops! The two guys sitting there probably thought I had lost my mind. But, I'm blonde so maybe they just expected it.

Small Town, USA

When you pull into Delta, UT you might think to yourself this town is nothing special. You might think it's kind of an ugly town or would be pure hell to just live here. Pull in on a Sunday and it's a teenagers worst nightmare. I know this because when I was in 8th grade, we got into town on a Sunday and I was horrified. Just about every business is closed and you'll find only a few cars on Main Street. Delta is a town that when discussed the fact that the only streetlight in Millard County is here...in Delta. Main Street lives up to it's name. Just about everything and anything is on Main Street. There are no big name stores or big name restaurants (unless you count McD's, Subway and Hogi Yogi). I dreaded the day Dalan made patrolman and we were going to move back here. I would miss the city. The malls. Target being 15 minutes away. But yesterday, that all changed. Yesterday I saw something that you don't see as you pull into town. It's something you don't see often anywhere anymore. Camaraderie.

Yesterday was Deputy Sheriff Josie Greathouse Fox's funeral. I didn't attend the funeral because I was one of those unlucky ones who didn't know her. I did however attend the funeral procession. I wasn't going to at first and then decided at the very last minute to jump in my car and speed to the middle school which is where my sister and her husband were sitting and waiting for everything to begin. It was quite a sight to see all the middle school kids, including Trent, pour out of the northeast doors, each of them grabbing an American flag to hold along the route. I later found out that Kaela was also along the route but much further down from where we were. High school students also made the walk over to hold flags along the route. When everyone was positioned and all flags were in place it looked amazing! I have never in my life seen anything like this. Ever. I don't know how many times I looked up and down the street just to take in the sight of so many flags. I opted to not take my camera to take pictures because I felt weird about it but did get a few with my cell phone. As the procession started I stood there holding my nephew. I held him for about half of it and then held a friends baby for the other half. Not once did I sit down. I didn't think the procession would last too long but I was so wrong. My count was an hour and a half, others say an hour and 45 minutes, the news reported TWO HOURS! Whatever it was, every person stood the whole time as numerous vehicles drove by....motorcycles, cars, K9 Units from all over Utah and also from Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. Three kids passed out while holding flags because they had their legs locked instead of standing with them bent a little. It amazed me how one little community can come together for one person. It was amazing how many kids there are in Delta :o) I overheard a couple people say, "I didn't know there were this many kids here." I think for the first time ever I am proud to live here. I was so proud to know and see so many people take that time out of their day to come down and stand on the side of the street to honor this amazing women. Seeing all those kids standing there not once looking annoyed or tired or even complaining was just awesome! After the procession when I was taking Kaela in to get her hair cut I saw a police officer at the memorial where all the candles are. He stopped, dropped off a pink teddy bear in a plastic bag and just stood there. I have to say, that brought tears to my eyes. It was just one of those moments.

So, anyone can say what they want about this town but when push comes to shove, people do and will pull together here. I always say I wish I could live back east and I still do. It's where I'm from but I think Delta will do just fine.

Below is a quote from an interview with Sheriff Dekker that was on KSL5. He was commenting on how good can come from this.

"The bringing of our communties together to remind us of the blessings that we do have and the good things going on, and that we do have good people here, and that one person can make a difference."

P.S. Santa forgot something

One thing I forgot to mention in the Christmas blog is that Santa left something behind. When the kids checked out the plate of cookies...that were mostly eaten...they found a note that Santa left for them. They also found that Santa forgot his gloves!!! His hands must have been freezing! They both got e-mails later in the day from him saying that he had left his gloves here by mistake and since Kaela had asked for something of his, she could take care of them for him. Apparently, one of his most favorite, most sweetest elves made them for him ;o)

GOTTA LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

:o)