blatant irresponsibility...

Once in a while, when I don't feel like cracking the proverbial whip, I'll do something totally irresponsible on a school night.  After shuttling Olivia to her soccer pictures, grabbing a few pizzas and visiting Andrew at the farm (Potato harvest is not something to be missed!  Granted, we only go for an hour and he eats, sleeps and breathes it for three weeks straight, 14-16 hours per day, so the novelty wears thin as far as he is concerned.), we headed home and planted ourselves on the couch to watch a 2+ hour movie.



I'd been talking this one up to the kids for at least a year, although I hadn't seen it myself for at least ten.  I'm talking 1995's Mr. Holland's Opus! Have you seen it? You should! (SPOILER ALERT!)  It chronicles the life of Mr. Holland, a young married musician whose life aspiration includes composing a symphony that rivals those of Bach and Mozart.  Unfortunately (or fortunately!), real life gets in the way, and he's forced to take a job teaching music and John F. Kennedy High School in 1960.  He's only supposed to teach for four years, until they have enough money scraped together so he can go back to his music full-time.  He winds up having a long and esteemed career there, until he's forced to retire due to the elimination of the music department. Damn those budget constraints!



I'm not often a crier during movies, and according to my brother, we watched that movie tons growing up and I don't remember ever shedding tears over it.  But seriously, the scenes with Mr. Holland's son, who was born with a 90% hearing loss, were heart-wrenching!  It was like reliving some scenes from my own past, and made me feel so, so lucky to have had Adelaide in a time and place where she has benefited so much from general knowledge and technology.  Not that I don't feel lucky every single day, because I do, but things like that always hit it home extra hard.



I think the kids enjoyed the movie, although Olivia seemed at times more interested in whether I was bawling again, than the movie. Then again, I remember doing the same thing when watching movies with my mom, so I guess that's normal?  No one got any homework or reading done, and there are still a pile of dishes in the sink, and I'm really hoping everyone has socks and underwear for tomorrow.



One more quick tangent and then I'll sign off.  The movie touches on John Lennon a bit and features a song at the end by his son, Julian.  My siblings and I had an obsession with The Beatles and each of the band members, stemming from an old record my dad played for us, as well as the ABC special, "The Beatles Anthology" from 1995.  I couldn't help myself from listening to 45 minutes straight of old Beatles and Lennon hits.  I have always had such an appreciation of the beauty of music, and gearing up for the BF concert next week (Kales, you know what I'm talking about!!), I'm reminded of how varied of my tastes are.  I love the new stuff, but damn....I love the old stuff too.

And for kicks:

happy new year...

Ask me what I did for New Year's and I will reply with one thing, and one thing only: FOOTBALL.  Growing up, the only football I knew was the kind where you couldn't use your hands. Since meeting Andrew, I've become acquainted with the other kind, and I've become a fan.  Not the fantasy-football-addict, know-the-name-of-the-players, can't-miss-a-game fan, but the yeah-I'll-take-football-over-anything-else-on-TV fan.  And the last two days of football did not disappoint.  We closed the office at 1:00 PM so we could be home in time to watch BSU's third appearance at the Fiesta Bowl at 2:00 PM. It seemed like a blow-out after the first quarter, but by the fourth, we were all biting our nails.

Boise State did NOT disappoint, and we won 38-30.  A bunch of seriously happy campers.  The game was followed by Andrew trying to teach Adelaide and Marlie how to do head-stands. The tutorial was unsuccessful. 

 We were super lame and in bed and asleep before midnight.   Which totally reminded me of this:

New Year's Day was followed by a solid 12 hours of intense football action -- every game was better than the next, it was so much fun to watch! We always rooted for the underdog, and the underdog won, every single time (I'm sure our cheering made the difference).

It looks like Adelaide sprouted a beauty mark in this photo, but it's just a lingering scab from a little scratch from Aunt Barb's dog last weekend.  Andrew's brother and sister-in-law and three kids were over for both days of football, and you might wonder how we kept six kids entertained all that time.  We honestly didn't have to - they entertained themselves (win/win for all involved). The girls played with Marlie, and Christian played with Jake and Wyatt and we hardly saw any of them. The boys would surface for air once in a while to watch a little football, and the girls would come entertain us with gymnastics routines they'd choreographed, but other than that, they kept themselves happy and that made us happy.   

It was a new and fun way to spend New Year's.  Normally, I set at least a few goals and resolutions for the New Year, but I feel like that would requiring analyzing 2014 and my life at this point, and that seems like too much work. That sounds like a good task for Monday.  Until that Monday happens, Happy New Year to you and yours!

not just di plus three anymore...

So this happened.  November 14th, to be exact. No one was as surprised as I was, I promise. I will have to do a lengthy post at some point, but not tonight. I've been wanting to get back onto the blog wagon because the days and months are slipping past me and I feel like I'm doing my kids and myself a disservice by not documenting any of it.  But.  Baby steps.  We'll work up to the lengthy posts.

summer of love...

First post of the summer. What we've been doing...

Adelaide loves to help with the dishes aka make huge water puddles...

I don't even know what to say here...dress-up gone wrong at bedtime?

Sleepovers in the living room...

Christian is running track this summer...he's not very fast, which means he collects
a lot of last place ribbons.  But as always, keeps up the positive attitude and is enjoying himself.

That blur on the right is Christian running in the 100 meter dash...

They let the little kids play in the sand pit after the jumps are done...the only way
Adelaide makes it through the 3-4 hour long track meets...

I invested in some little camp chairs that have canopies and fold up so that you can make your kid carry them on their backs, backpack style and they have been AWESOME at the track meets...
$15.99 at Costco if you're interested....

Look at those beautiful girls!  They are both doing gymnastics at the Rec, which they thoroughly adore.
Especially Adelaide, who constantly asks if it's time for "nastics".

Adelaide wears her leotard (actually a swim suit, but we're not picky)
 just about everywhere, with just about anything...


Painting rocks and campfires in the backyard with Mo & Anna...

Our little painted rock fire pit....Mo and Christian examining their handiwork...

Captions needed here.?  I think not... :)

Happy summer to you and yours!

dirty thirty...

On the eve of my thirtieth birthday, I feel the need to ramble...

How grateful I am to be turning thirty!  Once again, I must quote that complete time waster website that I love with all my heart, PINTREST...

I am so happy to be turning thirty! I have a healthy body and I want for nothing.  I have a warm, cozy home, three beautiful, happy and kind children, friends and family who love me, gainful employment, and a bright outlook for the future.

I got approved for a home loan two weeks ago!  I'm so grateful to be looking for my own little piece of heaven.  I'm excited for what life holds for myself, and for my three little ones.

I struggle so often with discouragement, and on nights like tonight, it seems so unwarranted!  I have much to be grateful for.  Saw this (also on Pintrest), and thought it summed it up nicely.  I think it will be my motto for the upcoming year.

So what if some other thirty year old is so much "further ahead" than I am! So what if they've got a rocking body, and have a better job, and live in a nicer house and drive a newer car than I do!  No more comparing!  Not to say I don't have goals, but not obtaining them will not determine my level of happiness... So anyway...lest my ramblings become incoherent and I start to type things I'll think sound stupid in the morning, let me leave you with something ridiculously funny...because everyone knows the Humor section on Pintrest is the best section, and because I totally dug my Crocs out from under the bed on Saturday morning and wore them to Fred Meyer...

sheepish...

Wow, it's been so long since I've posted, they've completely changed the format on here. Hopefully I can still find my way around.

I'm embarrassed to admit why I haven't posted for so long. Luckily, I have so few readers, I will confess what I have been doing for the last two months.  My friend Gina introduced me to "The Tudors", a Showtime series about King Henry VIII.  Seriously...I'm so ashamed of how many hours I spent watching that wonderfully addictive and smutty TV series. But ladies, when you can watch this guy:

Henry Cavill...my personal favorite...

Why wouldn't you???

Not to mention this guy:

Jonathan Rhys Meyers...definitely hotter than the real Henry VIII...

It couldn't be helped. I had to watch every single episode.  To the detriment of my laundry, dishes, and my children.  I finished the series last night, and feel like my life is kind of over.  

I also spent a couple of weeks with my sister Ro:

This smart lady has a BS in CHEMISTRY, she's crazy smart...

watching the genius that is "Downton Abbey".  Cousin Matthew is probably the only guy that can be considered somewhat handsome in this series, but the cinematography, acting, and dialogue make up for the bad teeth and homely looks. Just kidding, I don't remember any bad teeth.  This was really a great show!  

I know this may not be a compliment to the show, but do you know what I thought was coolest?  It looked like the show had been filmed in the seventies or eighties to me, and I'm not sure why! It just had an old feeling to it.  Regardless,  looking forward to the next season coming out this winter, I believe.

Lest you think I was entirely slothful and indolent, I DID work on a cross stitch for my sister's (Cynthia, this time) brand new baby boy. He's a doll.  Anyway, bought the damn thing over eight months ago and finally finished it last week.  I tried to load a photo of it, but the awesomeness was too much for my computer and it kept freezing. But this is the more important finished product; he is sincerely and utterly adorable.  

Bentley Zach Woolsey...

So I've been missing in action for a couple of months, but until the next amazing series comes along...maybe I'll find the time to post more frequently...and actually, I'm LOVING this new format!! So much easier to post pictures! When did that happen!? Ohhh...right...probably during "The Tudors".

to avoid making a budget for march, i blog...

Plus, I really felt the need to post something a little more cheerful; that last post was dreadful.  I've had a much better week.  Can I share?

I have to admit, as much as I crave and love the alone time that comes when the kids are with Ken, I really start to miss them after the first couple of days; after I've worked out enough and caught up on cleaning, laundry, and errands.  I really have a pretty amazing deal - not only do I have the best ex-husband EVER, but I get to see the kids even on the days that he has them. We meet every morning so I can take the kids to school and then I usually have them until he gets off work and takes them for the evening.

Tax season is a little different though; not only do I work the full 40 hour work week, but it's at a different time each day.  Ken's parents have been amazing helping with the girls on the days that they don't have school, and also letting me drop the kids off right after school on days I work late, rather than waiting until Ken can get them around 5:30-6:00. They get so bored being at work, and I have a very hard time concentrating (and being patient with them!!!).

Anyway, long explanation, but what I'm trying to say is that it seems that I haven't seen them so much in the last two months since tax season got underway.  So I picked them up on Tuesday and we've been having a great time!  Tuesday I got off work early and we hit the library and swimming at the Rec, followed by half-price Happy Meals at McDonald's (truly, the best day of the week!), baths, homework and bed.  Then today it was work and school, dinner at Andrew's, home for homework and washing faces, hands, teeth, brushing hair, and bed.  Nothing too terribly exciting, but it felt a bit more normal than things have felt lately and it has made me feel happy. And I love feeling that way...happy, that is.

Not so happy items thus far in the week:

*Back of my iPhone cracked! WHAT HAPPENED!?!? We'll never know, but I'm pretty sure this girl was the culprit:

Who? Me? How dare you accuse me of such a heinous crime...

I had a Zagg on the back and so I didn't realize anything was wrong until I took a very close look and saw that something was amiss, pulled the cover back and discovered the unthinkable...so I took it to Verizon, but they couldn't do anything for me since I didn't have their super expensive insurance package.  Then I called the Apple store in the Boise mall, explained the situation and that I was in NAMPA, and asked what they could do. They set up an appointment for me for 8:10 that night to replace the back for $29.00 (sweet!), and Mo and Anna were kind enough to not only accompany me, but DRIVE me there.  So we got there, and guess what?? They didn't have the part in stock!! I know, I know...I was disappointed in Apple too.  So that was lame, but it was fun to hang out with Mo and Anna.

*Olivia hyper-extended her fingers today while horsing around on furniture at Andrew's house (let THAT be a lesson to you, after I've scolded them a hundred times about not jumping on furniture). The middle, ring and pinkie fingers of her right hand were the victims, and not only are they painful, but they are starting to swell and discolor. She had to color a picture left-handed tonight, and let me tell you folks, it was not pretty.  

Olivia, in happier, goofier times...

*Can any one else explain to the adult acne fiasco to me? I avoided the awkward teenage acne years, only to be bombarded in my very late twenties.  What the hell?  Drives me crazy. Also, slightly embarrassing since Adelaide will point out any blemish on my face, quite loudly, to any one that will listen, as an "owie". Thanks for the reminder, Adelaide.

I'll leave you with some pictures from Christian's last basketball game. They didn't win a single game, but he had such a good little attitude and never complained about it once. He was just happy to be playing the game.