Thieving Thieves

So, I never got around to writing a letter to the grocery store. Maybe I'm all bark and no bite. I really should write a letter. I fully intend to, but I wanted to give them some time, being a new store and all. I'm nice (read: lazy) that way! Some day I'll do it. Really, I'll get to it.

Today, we (Christian, Samantha and I) were at said store and finished up our shopping. Christian got to ride in the cool cart that has a little sports car attached to the front of it. When we got to the car and I loaded all the groceries in, I put Christian into his car seat and noticed the king sized 3 Musketeers bar in his hands. (That race car is right at the level of the candy, so I guess he just thought he was having drive through.). Then all these thoughts go through my head as I'm seriously considering stealing candy from my baby: "I am not hauling everyone back into the store for a dumb candy bar." "Serves them right for charging 13 cents more than dumb Wal-mart for a box of Rice-a-Roni!" "I'm totally having me a 3 Musketeers bar!" "They deserve this anyway for how they rip you off price wise.", etc...

I get in the car and Samy says; "Did you buy that candy for Christian?"
me: "No. He stole it."
Samy: "Let me tell you about the story of the little boy who stole the lollipop from the store..."

Dang! Blast you, Sunday School teacher! You just cost me a candy bar!

So we run back in and hand over the goods. The cashier looks at me like I'm crazy for returning a dumb candy bar (I know!), and we get back into the car.

Samy was very pleased. Christian's attention span moved on to something else. I want a 3 Musketeer.

It is upon us

Birthday season was kicked off this past Saturday with Samy turning the ripe old age of 5!

I love this little shadow of mine.

(She specifically requested the "chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with a hole in the middle". I love a lady who knows what she wants -- especially when it involves chocolate!)

Happy, happy birthday, Samantha!

Spring has been Breaked!

For spring break, we first took care of our spring cleaning on Monday, then spent the rest of the week playing way too many video games and doing things close to home.

Our most fun adventure of the week was going to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This is the biggest rodeo in the world. It is huge. It happens every year and lasts a month.

We have lived in Houston for 14 years and have never been to the rodeo. I have now repented.

I have to say, my excuse is as follows:

When we first moved to Houston, we lived right down the street from the famous Astrodome. This is the complex that is transformed into cowboy heaven for a month each year. Our first year here, we walked out of our apartment and down the street to go check it out. Upon entering the gates, there was a crush of people you could barely move at a snails pace to get to anything or anywhere. There was felt hats, giant belt buckles and boots everywhere you turned. It was awful. We turned around and went home, never to return, we decided. It just wasn't our thing.

Everyone I know, raves about the rodeo. I hate crowds and the memory of our first visit kept me away these 14 years.

So this year, wanting some spring break fun, I "cowboyed up" and loaded the minivan and headed out. What a great time we had! We are totally making this a yearly event for our family!

I have to say, that we are total "city folk" though. We're not much for animals. The kids pretty much think we don't have a dog (or a cat, or any pet) because I have allergies. I do have allergies. Seasonal. Due to the weather. But all they need to know is that I have allergies. Needless to say, we are not very well versed in the life of animals. For instance, we were walking through the livestock "area" and as soon as we walked in the building, Samy immediately put her hand to her nose and said: "WHAT is that SMELL?!?" Um, poop. So then we walked down an aisle with cattle on either side. It was a somewhat narrow aisle. A girl pulled her cow(?)/bull(?) out in front to go have it judged, and was walking down the aisle in front of us. The animal dumped four big cow patties right in our walk way and stopped Maren in her tracks. "WHAT is THAT?!?", she asked. Um, poop.

So, yeah, we're not really animal people. But regardless, had a wonderful time and look forward to doing it year after year.
















The End.

I didn't think ahead

When I decided to have a million children, I didn't think about activities. It's not the gas or the expense (although it is expensive!) or anything like that. It's the scheduling.

All I have to say is that I now realize why my siblings and I didn't have music lessons or play organized sports. I'm positive it's not that my parents didn't want us to play instruments or be on teams and such, it's that it was logistically impossible! (Aside from the fact that in the good old days, a child could/did actually go outside and play with the neighborhood kids after school and come home when the streetlights came on. I hate perverts and video games that have now made that impossible!!!) They just plain couldn't get up to ten children to varying activities every day of the week.

In our house, when a child turns five, they can start a sport/activity. Ideally they will, at some point shortly after that, begin music lessons as well. But at five, they get to do an activity. Samy's birthday is in 16 days - not that she's counting. She will be five years old. The magic number. She has gone to baseball practice and games, ballet classes, football games, dance recitals. She has sat through piano lessons, oboe practice, and track meets. It is now her turn and boy, if she isn't letting me know!

I have gently tried to cajole her into taking ballet classes like big sister. I have offered tap class, even hip hop class (which I think is skanky dancing), so that she could be at the same studio as Maren. She wants nothing to do with it. Samantha will be a gymnast and nothing else. "Maren can teach me ballet at home", she says, "I want to do 'nastics'!"

Of coarse the gymnastics place is across town. So, as I sit here with all the schedules in front of me, I am really having a difficult time finding a spot to fit in gymnastics. It shouldn't be this difficult. Eric has a sport and oboe. Maren has ballet and piano. Logan only has a sport - no instrument has been desired as of yet. But it is that difficult because I didn't think, years ago when beginning to have the million children, that when they turn 8 they also start Cub Scouts and Achievement Days (the Church equivalent to Cubs for girls). At 12 yrs, Cub Scouts turns to BOY Scouts/Mutual (weekly Church youth meeting), which goes on a bit longer and adds many other Saturday activities and Sunday evening "firesides".

Holy crap, what have I done?! And there is still one more child to add to the schedule. That baby will be five in only three and a half more years! What have I done!?!

***deep breath***

Here is the logistic problem: I can fit gymnastics in on Wednesdays at 5 pm. With that, we will have to pick Maren up from piano and race across town. BUT! Starting in the fall, Maren will be in Achievement Days on Tuesdays, which means her dance class will have to not be on Tuesdays anymore. I'm trying to not have activities on Mondays because we have to move Family Home Evening there instead of Sundays because of all the new firesides and devotionals that come with being 12 (Eric). Saturday is full of ballet and baseball already - along with the (all too) occasional camp out, band competition, recital and/or youth service project. Thursday there is always a random school meeting/talent show/family fun night, etc., and Friday is all baseball. So, so far, Wednesday is okay for gymnastics, but will have to fit in ballet or something else in the near future. On top of all this, I have to keep in mind that in the fall also, Logan (and probably Maren) will begin their UIL training again, which will keep them after school (30 minute drive each way) a good hour a couple/three days a week through January. I can't even go on.

Now I'm tired. I've gotten myself confused. I need to work up a spread-sheet and look it all over.

So, as I'm going through all this (and I don't mean to sound complain-y, I'm more shocked and overwhelmed than complaining). I'm really mostly wondering how a family is supposed to eat dinner at home, let alone together! The funniest part is that I know many families who have fewer children and way more activities. What do people do? We are always kind of the family who doesn't really do much. I thought so at least. What do you cut out? Church activities? Exercise/team building activities? Developing talent activities? Academic activities? I'm going to need a whole new budget for eating dinner in the car. Then for sure we can't cut out the exercise activities!

Whatever. I'll make it work. The best part of all is that all the scheduling/driving/hectic-ness all ends right. about. 7 pm. Just in time for the dad to come home from work. Why does that crack me up?

He gets the night shift - that's all I have to say about that.

(P.S.: I really miss my camera. And now I'm having trouble downloading clip art here. So sorry for the "unillistrated" posts. Hopefully there will be a new camera in the next 16 days...)

I don't know why

Man, I just haven't had it in me to blog lately. It's been a mix around here of somewhat busy to downright bored and lazy. But even bored and lazy, there is still cleaning and laundry and the like to be done so it's not like I'm laying around reading books. (Oh wouldn't that be so great....)

I'm just going to blame part of the blogging funk on the fact that we can't find the camera. About a year ago, I thought I was cool, so I bought a small camera just for me that I kept in my purse and had at the ready for whatever I came across. It was great to have. But it died. First of all, I wasn't savvy and bought one that used regular AA batteries instead of a rechargeable one (whatever they're called), so it ate batteries like nothing else -- even rechargeables. Then, like I said, it just died. Don't know what happened. No. I didn't keep the receipt. We will not speak of this again...

So, now the "family" camera is lost. It wasn't me. It was someone else. Could have been that baby. But it's gone.

So, I want to report about Logan's awesome trip to the County Spelling Bee. I'd love to post a picture of the very cute/cool bobble-head bee trophy that he earned. (Just picture it all in your head.) He really did great. (I also must thank Emily tremendously, for taking care of Samy and Christian - even with a snotty nose (Christian, not Emily) - and allowing me to go and just be there to support Logan). He got out in the fourth round, on the word azalea (spell check corrected this). I can't even spell it. The other three words he spelled were iffy for me even. But I was so proud of him. Overall, there were just over 40 contestants, and he finished in the top 20 (which was made up, incidentally, of primarily 6th and 7th graders - Logan is in 4th grade!)

We were also treated recently by a visit from my brother Lance and his daughter, Victoria. We had such a good time! Lance treated us royally and took us to every steak restaurant in the greater Houston area. He was on a beef mission. Geoff was sitting in a church meeting Saturday night and texted me: "beef headache". Thanks for a great weekend, Lance and Vic!

So see, there's lots going on. I just haven't been in the mood. Know what I mean? I'm just going to blame it on the missing camera. We've got to find it. Birthday season is beginning in just 17 days (not that Samy is counting!). Maybe Samy needs a new camera - that will remain in my custody - for her birthday. Hmmmm....