Moving On....

It's hard to believe 3 months of baseball is already here and gone. Last Thursday Jared had his Little League baseball party. His season flew by incredibly fast (as every thing else has). Despite their loosing season we met some really great people and Jared had a wonderful learning experience.

Luke being silly

Wednesday was Luke's official last day of preschool. They had a mini graduation for all of the 4-5 year olds. They even played the traditional graduation march. It was hard to fight back the tears seeing his big smile walk down the middle of all the parents. He will no longer walk the grounds of a preschool. He is now moving forward on to the big elementary school. Luke has definitely come along way since he started preschool 2 years ago. My once timid, shy child has grown up to be outgoing and playful.

At the beginning of the year Luke would not even pose with his teachers so his confidence has grown. We will really miss Ms. Sheila and Ms. Michelle. I am always in awe of women and men who teach this age. They really are a special group of people who do an amazing job working with little people.

With our house selling (phew) and getting through the option period.... Doug and I moved on to the projects the buyers wanted us to repair. At first they seemed overwhelming and ridiculous, but after talking to people that have bought and sold we feel very fortunate to have considerate buyers. Ironically they are LDS so our ward will be gaining another couple to replace us. They only required 4 major things off the list (which was obnoxious if you ask me). The funny thing was the inspector noticed things I never knew was wrong and didn't even pick up on the things I as a home owner noticed. Go figure.

We have made umptine visits to Lowe's and Home Depot. I had to snap this shot at my 8--12ft boards and 5 pieces of 12 foot siding fit in my van. Pretty impressive I may say! I am thrilled that our projects around the house will be finishing up this weekend.

Good mail from Becca

Good mail from Natasha

I saved the best for last and didn't want to seem ungrateful for the kindness I have been surrounded with. I have gotten several phone calls, emails and these pieces of good mail in honor of my stress selling my house. Thank you all for your kind words, gestures, and goodies! It looks like we are officially moving on....let the packing begin!

Memorial Day Recap

Highlights to remember:

*Me falling off the porch doing a victory dance (I have a bruise to prove it).
*Running to the store to buy more and more food. (I should have photographed the pantry)
*Not applying enough sunscreen on my children or Maryn. There was a finger print on her face. *Valero 44 oz drinks
*Attempting to run on the beach (much harder than it seems)
*Dallin and his ** juices
*Finding sand in places I didn't know you could get.
*Jamming out to the beach boys in the house.
*Helping John study for his GRE exam. We learned lots of vocab words!
*Realizing how much crap you take down to the beach for 4 hours of fun.
*Our neighbor asking us how we did this with 6 children umm..we had 10.



Day 1

In Texas they allow people to drive on the beaches, this was definitely something new to me since in Alabama and California this isn't the norm. There were cars as far as the eye could see along with some pretty interesting folk.

John and Doug building our barrier

The tide was pretty high which didn't allow us any dry areas for our stuff. Doug and John came up with a cleaver idea and went and bought a shovel. Apparently we were out of the loop because as we were driving in several people had their rakes and shovels out prepping their spot. The boys built us a water barricade which held up for our 2 days of beach time. Nice.

Weston, Luke, Maryn and Abby

The kids had a blast from the get go. We took Mackenzi and the Wirthlin's took Maryn in their car a day early. (The Gordon's had a softball game to attend).

We ended up staying at the beach for about 4 hours and decided to head back to the house to get cleaned up. As if we didn't have enough food already, Ellice and I headed to the grocery store for more goods. We were a little hammered from the sun--can you tell?

Doug was in charge of the burgers for dinner and saw something on the food network he was dying to try. Instead of just grilling the meat normal, he added in some chopped butter, cheddar cheese wrapped in bacon. Needless to say they were delicious. We all agreed if he wasn't a doctor he could pass for a culinary chef.

The Gordon's showed up later that afternoon which made our party complete. They headed to the beach since Maci hadn't gone yet and we all literally vegged on the couch.

Day 2

We are all here!

We headed back to the beach for more fun in the sun and as you can see some of us were a tad sunburned. Sadly, I didn't apply the sunscreen enough times and my children were a little on the cooked side.

Luckily, Greg went and bought a canopy for us to all enjoy which gave us ample amount of shade for the 2nd day. Even Meg came out in a suit. Isn't she such a cutie??

I forgot how exhausting trips of this kind are with kids. It took us literally a half hour or more to set up shop and then add lunches in the mix and the moms were exhausted before it began. The things we do for fun eh?

As if we hadn't eaten enough already... (why is it we eat so much on vacation?) the Wirthlin's made their famous homemade carmel popcorn. Did I mention that we made Cafe Rio pork for dinner prior? It really was to die for. We also brought up the cards to play blitz (some people call it speed). After about 4 rounds I opted out since I really stink at that game. It was fun to see how the competition heated up throughout the night.

Ellice, Dallin, Maci and Mackenzi

Blitz anyone?

Day 3

We had to check out by 10 am so we decided instead of beaching it just to pack up. This photo I must say was a little tricky set up on the self timer. As you can see my children weren't all in it (pre-teen attitude-grrr....and Weston was beyond unhappy. But, we managed to pull it off. I couldn't think of a better vacation to end out journey in San Antonio than to be with our great friends. We had an awesome time!

SPT--Something Blue

Last Friday we had a beachalicious weekend with the Gordon's and Wirthlin's. I couldn't think of a better SPT than our "blue" beach house we stayed in for the weekend. We traveled 2.5 hours South to Port Aransas, TX. For pure enjoyment here are some of my blue encounters.

Front of house.
Isn't it so charming?

We were greeted with a rather large blue fish on the blue wall as we walked in.

inside family room/kitchen area

The view from the street and other beach houses surrounding ours.
More details to follow.............

Day 54

We have had 3 different buyers walk through our house with our house being in the top 2 choices. Meaning it was our house or the other. Unfortunately, those three times they have chosen different ones. I was beginning to think our house was cursed! Our Realtor brought a couple through Monday morning (who were going to be starting medical school). Once again our house was one of the finalist. So I wasn't going to hold my breath over it (even though deep down I wanted them to & said lots of prayers). I sat my kids down and explained that they were coming over for a 2nd look the next day (yesterday). I also asked them for advice, after all at this point any advice especially your own kids couldn't hurt right??! Desperate times call for desperate measures. Taylor suggested I should vacuum. Check. And the rest of the gang said "make cookies and give them to the people!" I agreed upon the cookie part, but don't worry I didn't offer any to them. Can you imagine? Headline: Psycho woman selling home offers cookies out of desperation! I was gone when they came. (which I prefer).

The biggest bonus about cookies is they leave a yummy smell in the house. Late last night I received a phone call from my Realtor that they wanted to buy our house. My heart skipped a beat. I think. They drove over a contract and I happily initialed by the dotted lines. The big scary inspector (what I like to call them) came over this morning. But, it looks like there was nothing MAJOR wrong with the house that can't be fixed or replaced. Phew! I was having some serious anxiety over that. So, I think it's official to say. WE SOLD OUR HOUSE! YIPEEE! And guess what?? We were shy 4 days of the San Antonio average of selling. (the avg. is 58 days here) I can't think of a better way to celebrate than head to the beach with our dear friends this weekend. Port Aransas here we come!

SPT--Something Borrowed

Taylor & Allison

This year has been a whirlwind for sure. Last night was Taylor's last strings concert. It's hard to believe she started "borrowing" this instrument over 8 months ago! The unfortunate part was I not only had to be at her concert at 7pm, but Jared had a baseball game at the very same time. Normally, this is somewhat feasible with the little help of dad. However, dad was in Florida so I borrowed my second daughter Mackenzi to accompany me. (thank goodness for friends!)

Mackenzi and Jenny

The concert didn't last longer than 15 minutes....phew! I was already on borrowed time and trying to juggle these little boys and keep them quiet held to be quite challenging. Once the concert was over I rushed everyone home (the boys were already for bed) The older girls watched Luke & Weston and I rushed off to root for Jared one last time. Go Royals!!

Yes, Luke IS in his pj's. (perhaps trashy)
Multitasking--- is what I do best!

Jared lost his last game and was sorta bummed out about it. I told him he did his best and there was always next year. All and all it was a great season of Little League and I am so glad we chose to do it!

I love this photo!
Maci and Jared watching Taylor's softball game.

Loosing The Midas Touch

I have decided I am an emotional mess or a psych's best patient? You choose. I am weeping one minute, followed by pulling my hair out the next. I know that there is a lot of stress going on in my life, but seriously. What is my problem? I have been in a funk for nearly six weeks and can't seem to place a finger onto a specific reason. My kids are doing great in school, I have a wonderful caring husband and I can't snap out of it. Doug was on call this weekend. It's probably one of the worst calls he has had in nearly 7 months. His phone would NOT stop ringing. He made several trips back and forth to the hospital and did 2 surgeries well into the night last night. I have gotten so used to him being around at night (sometimes late, but at least he is in bed), that him being gone threw me through a loop. Single parenting is crimping my style. Apparently, I don't even know how to cope with that anymore. I put the kids to bed and had a date with Grey's Anatomy (which didn't help my mood) I am beginning to relate with Meredith Grey. Pretty pathetic. Geesh. Well, I am off to medicate with some of this. I know, I know, woe is me. Wanna join me?

Events

Today is Angie's birthday. I wrote this post last year, and this year I decided to post her birthday message on her blog so she could have it. I could write story upon story about our friendship and the meaning it has. She has been my rock in so many occasions (I lost count). So, if you have a second click over here to wish her a happy birthday. AND I thought it would be a good idea for her to update. Perhaps some words of encouragement may enforce that.

Jared running for third

Jared's team played a great game today. They tied up the score (7-7) with the #1 team in the league, the Blue Jays. Just when the boys seem to be getting a groove the season ends. They will play their last game this Monday. Way to go boys!

The Royals

Luke, John, Zack, Carson, Colin, Cameron, Carlos, and Jared
(missing Quin & Ethan)

Five For Friday

1. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but our house is still standing without any offers. And driving me insane! We have now lowered the price for a 2nd time. I am beginning to think we have the oddest floor plan in the city.(since this is the only complaints I am getting on the feedback--by this website) I am not sure if it's a blessing or a curse that we have had over 25 people track through our home. On one side it's great since we are getting so much traffic, but frustrating that no one is even LOW balling us. Seriously. The good news is that one person that walked through does really like it, but is having to wait for her job. I am not going to hold my breath, but perhaps it may come to pass. I have the "showing" number set for a weird ring on my phone and the minute it rings they yell, clean up we have to leave! My kids have gotten the drill down to a science. Luke continues to crack me up with his mumbling comments regarding the whole selling process. The other day as we were leaving I was in my own world and heard Luke say under his breath, "well, if they don't like it they should just go home!" Once I asked him to repeat it, he said I didn't say anything.

2. I have decided that picking out furniture is much more challenging than I imagined. I am not sure if it's because I have never really done it, or I fear I will hate it within a year. The difficult part is that our carpet will be chocolate brown. Some may think ick, but I have a few friends that have put it in their homes and swear by it. However, when looking at furniture most of the stuff I am liking is brown or black! I am definitely going to have a decorating crisis. This was one of the couches that Doug and I really liked the other day. It was SUPER comfy and I just love the smell of leather.

playing nintendo for "sick" day on the couch

3. My boys some how caught a stomach bug, which constantly is sending them to the bathroom this week. They have no other symptoms other than they will be playing happily and suddenly say, "I am going to be sick!" or my stomach hurts and run for the toilet. I opted to keep Jared home yesterday since I didn't want him to be mortified if he didn't quite make it to the bathroom. (which did happen for each one of them--yuck!) It does make it challenging for #1. I am constantly lighting candles so my house doesn't smell like a public restroom! Who wants to buy a stinky house?


4. Television. Did anyone watch Fantasia?? Holy moly. It was awful and disturbing! The best was Simon's reaction when the cameras panned on him. I couldn't stop laughing. I wasn't surprised by American Idol and the 2 David's being in the finals. I am really not a fan of David Archuleta primarily because his type of music doesn't tickle my fancy. Not that I don't think he has an amazing voice. I just like David Cook's style. I don't think it really matters who wins at this point, both will be getting a contract.

SBC Center
SYTYCD concert

5. This past fall Doug and I took our older kids to So You Think You Can Dance's live performance. It was so much fun and one of my favorite shows. And guess what? The new season starts next Thursday. So set your DVR's for 7pm central time. I can't wait!

SPT--Something New

Our kitchen looking into the family room.

Doug and I have never owned a brand new house or piece of furniture. So you can imagine the excitement that is building up as our home will soon be complete. Just yesterday I was informed that the kitchen cabinets were in. The photo above is the kitchen in our new home. The one below will be a replica of what it will look like (with minor changes such as tile, counter tops, etc), but you get the picture. It's crazy to think I will be cooking in this by the 4th of July!

model home kitchen

Treats Of All Sorts

My family always does such a great job at Mother's Day (my husband in particular). Sadly, most of the time (okay ALL of the time) I either find out what he has planned or some how guess the surprise. One thing I didn't know was after the baseball game on Saturday I came home to this envelope of goodness.

It has been months since I have actually gone shopping for myself, so it was an extra special treat. On top of that Doug took me to dinner at Chuy's. Double yum! We ended the evening catching up on Lost, The Office and Criminal Minds.

Sunday the goodness continued. We all slept in until 8:45am. I can't even tell you the last time I have done that. My kids each wrote me a letter which was quite endearing. Jared thanked me for making breakfast each day so he didn't starve--as did Luke and Taylor. I learned that I don't starve my children (phew!)

There is nothing better than white cake with buttercream icing.

Church was great as was the meal that Doug prepared (steak--yum!) I was showered with more homemade gifts from the kids along with several hugs and kisses. We ended the day with a kickball match (which I believe we tied) and some delicious cake (thank you Sam's Club!) I couldn't have been more blessed with such a fabulous day. A special thanks to Doug and the kids for treating me like a queen.

Five For Friday

1. Taylor's softball team has done really well this season. Although painful & lengthy at times (with wild kid pitches) there has been a few exciting games. Last Thursday the girls faced a tough undefeated team. They were down by 5 runs and came right back to tie the game 13-13. I'll have to admit the extra 45 minutes of play time was worth it!

2. Due to the above and Jared's games mixed in you can imagine the healthy food we are consuming during the week. I really do try and feed my kids before they come, but that doesn't seem to matter. The minute we set foot on the fields it's "mom, I am SO HUNGRY!" Nachos, popcorn, m&m's or soda anyone??

Ms. Martinez and Taylor
teacher appreciation week

Ms. Gutierrez & Jared

3. Last week as many remembered it was teacher appreciation. In the past I have been really good about doing something for my kids teachers. Afterall, I believe they have one of the most important, yet hardest jobs their is. Well, Thursday rolled and it was then I realized I completely spaced it. (duh!!) Friday was half day so I quickly pulled something together and ran it up to school right before the bell rang. It was a close call, but better late than never!

4. A few weeks ago we planned a dinner out as girls because Sara is leaving in less than a week. (so sad!) Tonight we ended up at Nordstrom's Bistro and then headed out to stroll the mall. Our last stop of the night was Target, until we were kicked out by Target turning off the lights. It was definitely a night full of laughter. Good times.

5. My sister who is expecting found out the sex of her baby a couple of weeks ago. We ALL thought for sure her first was going to be a girl, and deep down I secretly wanted some baby pink in the family. But, things don't always turn out the way you expect and she will be having a baby boy. The funny part was you know who was the most excited?? Taylor. Out of curiosity I asked why and she said because I want to be the only granddaughter. Smart girl she is.