First Day of School 2012

Disaster threatened early when the new third grader woke up at 3 am with a fever and stuffy nose. She said she had a headache all day yesterday. Bad mama for not paying better attention! Fortunately, she was able to go back to sleep, sleep hard, and make it out the door with her siblings for this first day. 

Bella: 11th grade

Go Utes!

Carter: 5th grade. So cool.

Roz: 3rd grade! Giggle!

Their last year together in
elementary school.
Cue Mom crying

Harrison: 8th grade!
High school next year!!!

7:49 PM: Roz is now taking a great big nap that will hopefully last all night. 

OK, the terrible dreams can stop any time.

Mine have been about killing a raccoon that was trying to eat me and my babies, and this morning I had two, one about being a political prisoner/medical experiment victim and about the boys embarrassing me at church (which NEVER happens).

 I was also unusually high-strung in my dream and was butchering a hymn on the piano in Relief Society at the time. And the medical experiment thing was seriously gory, scary and frustrating and I probably had some PTSD. Nice huh? Really, brain, anytime you want to throw in something funny or happy, I'd be fine with it.

Later: I took some cute boys to get haircuts for back-to-school. Those cute little faces. I took them to my friend Marisa's and she did a wonderful job, but these boys have been attached to their longish hair for a while and Carter was still trying to deal with his shortened locks.

Take 'em to Burgerville,
that'll shut 'em up.
Look at H's cute smug smile :)

Along those lines, happy first day of school tomorrow... I'm going to enjoy it instead of thinking about Bella's senior year, Harrison's freshman year, and Carter starting middle school all happening next year. Waaaaaaa

Just.

Me: For YOU ARE THE MAGNET and I AM STEEEEEEEL

Brian M: I LOVE that song!

Mark P: I AM THE GOOOOOAAT!

Joni G: Wait...I thought it was "I am Rubber...you are Glue..." :-0

Me: The song would have been funnier that way.

Jim P: That lyric is a bit presumptuous - basically saying "You are strongly attracted to me".

Me: I thought it was more like "You're sucking me in, I'm a hapless victim".

Mark P: Hee, you said "hapless"

Me: I did. I don't have any haps.

Jim P: So you're saying magnets suck? No haps? I always knew you for a happy person.

Me: I hid away my dark side so no one would report me to the authorities

Joni G: Since you mentioned this song I have heard it 3 times. 

The Things You Hear Yourself Say To Your Child

"DO NOT make cymbal crashing noises during the opening hymn!!!"

It was "Come, Follow Me," and Hubby could hear it from two rows back. It was nice and loud. 

Mellonkalee

Missing my extended family this eve...

Trampoline Park

Mr. H

Miss R

We couldn't love you more if there were two of you.

YOWZA.

Our dryer works again!! AND it broke during summer, so we were able to use a clothesline. Very happy now that it's over!

Dryer rejoicing aside, I have to say that it's been a really great summer with the kids, but I'm getting to the point where I really might put a fork through my ear. They start school next Wednesday, not that I'm keeping track. 

The kids are so great and I love having them around, almost always, but I think we can all tell that the end is near and everyone's just a bit snippier than they've been. I'm getting tired of cranky and arguing.

This morning I helped a lady get something from the top shelf of the baking aisle at Winco... I felt so tall!....especially considering that I feel asleep last night with two huge Nerf guns at the foot of my bed. They're still there.

This evening for a snack, I made plain popcorn tossed with roasted almonds, olive oil, lemon pepper and a little salt. Mmm. 

Friendship

Had a proud soccer mom moment as Carter the Beast had one goal and two assists at his game this morning... Score 4-1. Best part was hearing a dad from the other team say of Carter, "Who's supposed to be guarding that kid?" 


Later:
Bella: Hey, are the Turleys home?
Me: Mmmhmmm
Bella: Let's go punch them.

More Than Meets the Eye

We just heard a small explosion, like a gun going off, and we have no electricity... Has Anonymous struck our neighborhood???

Later: It was just a transformer, you know, exploding. But it's fixed now. Hooray for some Friday morning excitement :) 

Wit

Roz: I forgot what I was going to say.
Me: You were going to say "I love you, Mother. You're the best mother ever."
Roz: No, that wasn't it. That's crazy talk. 

School Shopping, Etc

Just bought two Pee-Chee folders for Bella. I sense a movement about to begin. 

Pee-Chees were folders we used in school, in the 1980s and earlier. They had drawings of athletes on them. They used to be plain yellow like manila envelopes, but now they come in funky colors... I told Bella we used to color the athletes' clothing, draw eye patches and mustaches on them and of course she wanted a couple. 

P.S. The humidity is gross today. 

At the Beach

This is the one pic I can find so far of our family reunion with my mom and siblings.  :)

How deep is your LOVE? How DEEP is your love?

So I just spent I don't know how many minutes hand-adding all my iTunes from my external hard drive to my new computer hard drive, then discovered that none of the songs would play when I ejected, rejected, or whatever it is you do to something attached to your computer.  Then read that I have to let iTunes find them, or something.  Now they're uploading/downloading/whatever.

And I'm currently listening to this gorgeous, old, overplayed song.  I don't care, I love the Bee Gees.  It would take some serious deprogramming to get them out of my romantic little 70s girl heart.

My recently-turned-16 daughter has started dating.  In the last eight days she has dated the same boy twice - he asked her, then she asked him.  First a trip to P-town to enjoy the weird, then today a picnic and Frisbee at a nearby park.  He's a seriously cute kid and it's fun and exciting, but of course we're worrying our butts off.  Today I lectured her about the need for group dating and coached her about having double date buddies in the ward... Dude, I was just there.  Like, yesterday.  Ric and I went sledding on Valentine's Day and had a great time.  He turned 16 in October and I the next January, and he waited till I had my birthday so we could go on our first-ever date together.  The man was made of gold.

On a completely different topic, and kind of gripey, so just skip it if you want: 

Does it seem like Facebook is just a pain in the butt now?  It does to me right this minute.  The novelty has finally worn off.  The many arbitrary "upgrades" have killed the enjoyment.  I've caught up with most of the people I care to catch up with.  I'm kind of done.  

So, what's next?  Is there anything else left to conquer, out there in Father Al's glorious Internet universe?  I've decided to stay off Pinterest....

What are your thoughts, Hobson?

That awkward moment

When you find yourself praying 

"Please let it be hemorrhoids." 

A male child has reported seeing a "significant" amount of blood where it should not be, i.e., in the loo. Appointment with the doctor in twoish hours. 

Prayers are great. 

Snickering is fine too. His sister has already expressed her worry that the doctor will have to "look at his butt," which to her would seriously be a fate worse than death. The laugh cat is out of the bag already. It's OK. 

We Are the Champions

Hooray!!!!

Spotted in the wild

The manly man triumphs over the meadow-like local terrain.

Also:

Randomness

Some pics from Hubby's Facebook wall.
1) Hubby and Carter accompanied Harrison on a ward Young Men campout.

The group

Make a wish!  With Sean W

2) Harrison's track meet performing the long jump.

In other news: C has picked out the introduction to "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" on the piano. I love it so much.

Also: I found this note in one of the kids' school backpacks, and I'd like to know why Alyssa's homework neglect is my problem.

Mock. Si. Ing. Si. Bird. Si. Si. Si.

We're eating at Shari's and I'm doing my best Melissa Cordova music-over-the-PA analysis, especially since "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is playing.

Apparently Shari's targets 50-year-olds with an affinity for chicken strips and loaded mashed potatoes.

"Sometimes... All I need is the pie that I eat and to love you"

Epic Battle

Warm Stove Burner vs Potato Chip Bag

Quotes

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans..."

- John Lennon

"There are only two kinds of women -

goddesses and doormats."

- Pablo Picasso