Bring on the Holidays!!!

Santa's little helper!

Well, well, well... long time no see...even longer no blog... yikes!! sorry about that! lots of drama going on - none of which I'll discuss here... only the happiest of thoughts on this blog... that's  right... POSITIVE I tell ya!!  As most of my friends and family know - I don't really care for the holidays, too much baggage of Christmas gone horribly wrong but a couple of years ago my sister and I were talking about how we feel about Christmas and decided it was time for us to make it better for our children than we had it so now that is exactly what I have been trying to do - for the past week I have visited, cuddled, sat close (ya know teenage boys...), cooked with, watched movies with, and laughed with my kids so that they will understand that this time isn't just about presents... that being said, Sager bought all of us presents at the Elf Shelf at school - you know the little store that the school puts on to raise money first and foremost but allows the kids to buy goods for their family... Sager gave so much thought into each and every gift that he bought - it did my heart proud... a heart necklace for me, a #1 dad magnet for Brandon, a bravest brother key chain for Scout and a camoflauged watch for Shaw... precious... absolutely you could feel the love coming out of those lead ridden china made trinkets.... anyhoo...it was magical no matter how you look at it...

Today is also a great day because fourteen years ago this day, my sister called me to take her to the mall to buy her husband another Christmas present because she had been so horrible to him.  You see she was pregnant and VERY, VERY, did I mention VERY hormonal.... and so Scout who was still so little and cute and I load up in my chevy cavalier and go pick her up, in the snow, in the cold, on Chrismas Eve... do you see where I'm going with this??? and she says on our way I think I need to go to the hospital... WHAT???!!! sure enough we're in the elevator trying to make sure whatever she thinks is going on is really going on and her water really does start to break and not too long after that Jackson was born (literally, I didn't even have time to get out of the room!!! ha!)  So here's to the sweetest boy around, the best brother and my favorite boy (don't tell my kids... oh whatever - they know I just LOVE jackson!!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great new year - remember you are who you are and your life is what you make of it - so make it special!!!

Love, Maria

The Hereafter...

Ok so for some reason I have been obsessed lately with the hereafter.... Especially since Scout, Shaw and Sager (well really not Sager since he didn't make it past the first 10 minutes of the movie!!and me watched a ClintEastwood movie that stared Matt Damon -I can't tell you too much about it or I'll start and then I can't stop and then it wouldn't do you any good to watch it unless you're one of those people who watches a movie over and over and over and over (kind of like my nephew, Jackson, who I kid you not watched John Wayne's The Cowboys no less than 10 million times!)  Now this movie had me and Scout crying and all of us mesmorized.  It's basically about these people who each are destined to meet up - one is a little boy who tragically loses his brother, one who is a psychic who is trying not to be a physchic and another woman who has had a near death experience and has many questions about the hereafter.  It was a great movie if you're looking for one to watch... Now this leads me to my new FAVORITE show The Long Island Medium...

 It is so something.... let me ask you this, if you could have a meeting with the Long Island Medium who do you think would make a connection with you? Friend, family? I absolutely can't watch this show without crying - it is so sad but yet so wonderful the peace that these people feel after they meet with her... it's like they just need to hear it from someone else that it's going to be o.k. and that they're absolved from their guilt - that's the biggest thing there is so much guilt associated with someone dying. You ought to check it out... Scout always ask me - why do you watch it if you're going to cry!! I say I don't know - it's just so sweet and fills me with hope, love, peace and happiness - it's like therapy!! Love it!!  Anyhoo - I've got lesson plans to type up, today was a holiday for us at school so I've made some cards, and some pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting... yum-mo!! Have a great week!!

Times are a changin....

Well tomorrow is a big day.... Shaw-lee-tamale will turn 12! yikes where has the time gone?? This school year has been a new and exciting experience for Shaw. Jr high... you remember those days don't you? I do - boy I'm glad I don't have to relive those days and don't even mention high school - geesh!

  Well this week Shaw had picture day and about a week ago, I noticed that Shaw had a little spot on his nose, so I did what any other mother would do... I teased him about getting his first pimple - got him pretty good - even cracked him up a time or two but then.... the pimple didn't get any better... in fact it started to look weird... so weird in fact that we went to the doctor... take a guess what it was - go ahead - imagine the theme song to Jeopardy and take a guess - yes Aleck - I'll take weird bumps on a 6th graders nose for $110 because after the co-pay and the creme for the offending bump - that's how much it cost me!!! The bump- could be ringworm but maybe not... what kind of diagnosis is that? I don't know but $85 creme should take care of many, many things!!  and of course he had to get his picture made for the annual with that thing on there... my kids always get me good when it comes to school pictures - one time Scout was so cute and dolled up when I dropped him off for school and when I got the pictures he's wearing a white hanes t-shirt, and one pant leg is rolled up - What the heck?? how about the time Sager got his picture taken and scratched his head right before the photographer snapped the picture so a giant tuft of hair was sticking straight up - yup - bought those too, so clearly a giant ring-worm-esque thing on Shaw's nose wasn't that big of a deal....

Look at that sweet boy - oooohh how I just love him... but this is what is really something... Brandon asked Shaw if anyone asked him about his nose and he said yeah that he just told him Sager got him with a stick... and Sager tells Shaw - ya know it's always better to tell the truth than to make up a lie.... such a smart brother but clearly Sager doesn't know how jr. high kids really are!

Fall is in the air....

Well here in Dogpatch as my dad so lovingly calls it, we've had a cool spell.  It's been around 80 degrees and it has been glorious!!! Glorious I tell ya!  We've had a long weekend what with Labor Day and all.

     So let me tell you about a phone call we received.  Scout received a call on his phone which in and of itself is a novelty because I don't know if you know this but teenagers don't answer phone calls... they answer texts.  It's much more impersonal and cold but that's just how it is.... Clearly my father doesn't understand that but that's a whole 'nother post in and of itself... anyhoo... Scout answers the call and low and behold it's his PawPaw... he called to reminsce about a pivitol time in Scout's life. It was the threshhold between child and young man, and without a doubt, Scout failed miserably.

     When Scout was a Kindergartener, he went to the Grand Canyon with PawPaw and ChaCha.  It was quite the ordeal... but suffice it to say I should have probably thought twice about sending one of the sweetest little boys off with his grandparents but I had another sweet little baby at the house, was working full time and going to school - I thought Scout might enjoy a little break from me... so after days of riding locomotives, rock climbing, and traversing the Grand Canyon, PawPaw and the gang are at the hotel... a hotel which has a pool... which Scout was dying... DYING to get in... PawPaw says Scout can you swim? and here is where it gets tricky... knowing that he can't but wanting so badly to be able to,  Scout says with all the bravado a Kindergardener can muster and says... why of course PawPaw... there was the line - He wanted to be big, wanted PawPaw to be oh so proud of him, wanted to go swimming but here was the problem... he COULDN'T no more swim than the man in the moon!!!  PawPaw gets the towels, and trapses  Scout downstairs to make all of his little wishes come true... Scout runs and jumps in and promptly sinks straight to the bottom of the pool and before anyone else could react - Selden promptly jumps in after Scout with his wallet, boots, jeans, knife and belt on... Long story short - Scout calls me and says (hiding under the blanket on a cell phone trying to whisper... PAWPAW NEARLY DROWNDED ME!!!!!) and immediately starts crying and the jig was up.... well this weekend ChaCha washed PawPaw's jeans which had his wallet in it and as he was laying his money out to dry, the act of airing out all his business reminded him of a time not so long ago... when a little boy tried to be big, as big as his PawPaw and failed miserably....

      Isn't that the sweetest thing but wait it gets better.... PawPaw also called to tell me that he got my high school annual for me... that's right - I'm nearly 40 years old and I never got my senior high school annual - and quite honestly I only got one annual - they were kind of pricey... so I never got them... for the record - I never got my senior pictures taken either... well so I had asked my dad to get the annual when I figured out that I wouldn't be going to my 20th high school reunion and he hadn't mentioned it... so I figured he just forgot about it - it wasn't that big of a deal besides - most of the people I went to school with probably don't remember me and that's cool but deep down inside - I wanted that annual... I longed for it... but it would be silly to tell people that... so after Scout got off the phone, he and I sat side by side and teared up a little bit.... because he knew what the annual ment to me and I knew what the memory meant to him....

Summer is over... in approximately 2 days!!

Memories... like the
corner of my mind...

Summer will be over in two days.... sigh.... sob.... no really I'm ready for school to start - are you? well too bad - it's starting whether you like it or not! ha! Today I have been reflecting on all that has been this summer... how about you? was it all that you wanted and more? yeah? not really for me - it was something... Scout was busy running, he ran at Tech for track camp, he ran in Cloudcroft New Mexico with Tech cross country camp (which I highly reccommend!) Sager was busy growing... it took 9 years and 9 months to get to 40 pounds and 3 months to get to 51 pounds! wowzer...Shaw also is growing - he's wearing the same size shoe as Scout and he's officially starting Jr. high... I have a kid in Elementary, Jr. High and High School - holy crap!! I can't take it... you know what else I can't take it's this... seg way into what this post is really about...

misty water-colored memories...

People can we get real? Can we get honest? There are a lot of people who need to get real... honestly is there a way for one person to know everything? NOOOO... and quite frankly who would want to? I have a ton of useless knowledge in this ole noggin of  mine and if I worried about everything and tried to know everything, I couldn't function... heck - I can't find my keys half the time and if I had more useless information I would need a chauffer.  There is no way for one person to know everything about every situation... I love a fair amount of gossip but there is a place and time for people to just get on with their life... and that's all right... let's make a pact - you and I to get real with our lives, this year this is what I'm gonna do - I'm going to encourage and try to be as in tune with my kids as possible.  These are important times - I'll never get them back once there gone.  I'm gonna check and make sure Sager is happy and being successful (whatever success is for him...) in school and in his life.  I'm going to make sure Shaw is finding his niche in Jr. High, that he knows he's one of a kind and that's important.  I'm going to make sure that Scout has his eye on the prize (whichever prize he wants...) and not worried about how long his side burns are... just saying - it's one example... I'm going to be positive and encouraging.  If people don't like me, I can't change it.  I can't change them.  I'm going to be honest and I'm going to be real - no delusions of grandeur.  

of the way we were...

What are you going to do?  Tell me because it's a fact that if you tell someone you will become accountable for your words and actions.  Let's have a great year and do something great or good or even pretty good. I have faith in you - you can do it!!!

I know two posts in one day...

As I am making dinner the other night (fresh fettucine with pesto with turkey meatballs - notice I'm trying to be healthy here!)  I'm halfway listening as Scout flips through the channels occasionally landing on something and he lands for just a minute on TLC's Toddler's and Tiaras.... are you familiar with this tidbit of Americana? Holy moly... now while most people would be appalled at the outrageous antics of stage mothers (or cage mothers in the case of my sister - ha!! if you know my sister you'll have to ask her about this!) and their proteges, I love it!

     Why? well even though I am pretty much a tomboy, what with my love of jeans and pigs... I love, LOVE pageant hair and makeup!! I do... is that sick or what?    If I had a make-up artist and hair stylist,  would show up for school in FULL pageant wear!!!  I would.  I absolutely love the look of perfection.  The heavy foundation, the liquid eye-liner, tri-colored eye shadow, fake eye lashes... oh my... be still my heart.... and the fake teeth - the flippers!!!  gasp and swoon!!  Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to cover every flaw that you have... granted I'm really talking outside flaws but let's not quibble... how could you act ugly when you look perfect! Not me...  well I'm off to find me a form fitting sheath pageant dress with just the right amount of sequins for the first day of school!!!  Let me know if you've watched this fabulous show (psst... I won't tell anyone if it's your guilty pleasure...) and what you think about it!!

Summer is almost over...

Summer is almost over... and that is a little disappointing because it doesn't seem like we really did anything because it's been sooo HOT!! Every day I wake up thinking that it will finally be the day for it to cool down but it hasn't happened yet! 

 I've made a lot cards, washed a lot of dishes, cleaned out closets, helped re-model a bedroom, watched our bathroom get re-modeled, traveled to Colorado to watch my nephew play baseball, read a bunch of books (I'm reading one right now about a man who went to federal prison for kiting checks who ended up at the last colony of lepers in the United States... it's fascinating...), watched Scout run near Palo Duro Canyon, watched Sager and Shaw play video games - we haven't even hardly played in the water since we're on water restriction because of the heat... gone to Dallas and Lubbock and will go to Amarillo soon for Sager's doctor's appointments.... so a lot of things done but none tooo exciting.''  Have you had a good summer or have you had a GREAT summer?

Sager's birthday is coming up and he had wanted to have a party ot the city pool but they've drained the pool so that's a no go!! oh well... we'll figure something out...

  

I love, love, love skin damage....

I know - the title of this blog is definitely not politically correct - I almost put a disclaimer on here that said if you are Sharla Miller please do not read this!! (because of Sharla - a skin cancer survivor - I vowed never to go to a tanning bed again!) however - I didn't promise to stay out of the sun.... sorry Sharla!!!

When my sister and I were little we would "lay-out" all summer long.  When I say "lay-out", I mean literally lay out in the backyard, the city pool, the Amarillo Town Club (remember those days Sarah - that's a whole 'nother post!!).... even the pool in Gruver, Texas (that is the "new" pool that probably is quite old now but when we were little they had an indoor pool and that was the old pool - at the high school - how swanky is that? - but then when we were in jr high or high school they got a new pool that was totally outside... )  We would go outside in the backyard and take drinks, chips, sandwiches, our boom boxes - you know the ones with the D size batteries... geesh - those batteries were expensive (and half the time we would just use an extension cord and plug in the radio - ya know.. po') because you couldn't be going inside all the time and missing the sun and letting all the cool air from the swamp cooler leak out of the house (do you know what a swamp cooler is?  my kids probably don't know what they are... it's an evaporative cooler, you know the ones with the pads that you had to run water over in order for the fan to spin and cool the air - and when it was really hot someone would have to go outside with the hose and spray more water on it....geesh! how ghetto is that!!!) and lay outside for HOURS....HOURS I tell you.  Sarah and I had given the topic of tanning many, many thoughts. (at just a side note - Sarah grew up to marry Shawn - a total tan-orexic who goes to the tanning bed EVERY day.... hmmm.... and he just thought it was his charming personality, mullet and mustache that hooked her!)

Since we tanned pretty easy and we were poor... as in po'.... we couldn't buy the expensive tanning lotions that smelled like coconut (hello hawaiian tropics - I would wear that as perfume if I could!!!)  no, no we had to improvise.... only now that I look back at what all we did, does it seem really, really ridiculous.... especially since I was out in the backyard today tanning.... sorry Sharla.... watching the boys play in the water when I decided I needed some sort of oil to really get me good and tan so I asked Scout  to get me the canola oil out of the pantry and when I did... he stood there for half a second and stared at me like I had spoken swahili.... then and only then did I realize... I have a little problem.... When my sister and I were in our prime tanning years, we would get baby oil and put iodine in it for a really nice tan - anyone know where that came from? If someone is reading this and knows the origin of the baby oil, iodine concoction, I would love to know!  We also used crisco, laid on aluminum foil,  pooled money together and went in for a baby pool to lay in so it was like we were at the pool, (because everyone knew that the reflection of the water off your skin was necessary for optimum skin damage...) we did the sprinkler with the lawn chairs, you name it we tried it...

Those were the days.... I smile at the idea that as long as I was tan, I was beautiful.... how simple....I had a friend named Jennifer Carroll who got a tan and didn't want it to peel and she took her big ole' bottle of lotion to jr. high school (because everyone knew that you must keep your skin properly hydrated so your tan wouldn't fade....) clearly it wasn't just my sister and I who wanted to be tan.... anyhoo...I'm off to watch baseball and try to sit in the sun... just kidding...I'm just kidding.... sort of.... I have a sickness - you people shouldn't judge me!!!

My kid came home at 3 in the morning!!!!

Well... it happened... one of my kids came home at 3:00 in the morning (2:45 in the morning to be exact!)  It was a shock.  As I waited for him to come in the house, all these questions were going through my head... was he all right? what had been going on? how was I going to react? would his future actions hinge on how I handled this?.... I asked him - what's going on? and he says - I've had a long night - I just want to go to bed.... I asked him what happened? he said - I don't know....

after reading this - you probably think it was Scout right? well you'd be wrong! It was Sager.  He had been over at a sleep over and he got sick and his Aunt Holly had to bring him home.

 The reason I tell this story is because of this.... sometimes when you only know part of the story, you don't really know all the story.  For me, it gets really old people only learning part of a story and then talking about it... if you want to know something find out the real story - as Paul Harvey always said - the rest of the story (especially if it's about me - just ask...but be ready - I'll have some questions of my own - just saying...)

Now on a more positive note - Scout is getting ready to go to his first camp at Texas Tech - he's very excited - it's a track and field camp - woo-hoo!  Shaw is finishing up his baseball season - he's absolutely hysterical - at his last game there was a triple play and he got out on a pop fly - Brandon was asking him about it and Shaw tells Brandon - well clearly I wasn't thinking....too funny! and Sager... he's been sick since the last week of school - he's been to Amarillo and Dallas for doctor's appointments but he's still going strong!  Shaw will be with me next year at Jr. high and Sager will be a big fourth grader - holy moly!! Where did the time go?

Sager Shaw Scout

 Shaw: what he is: loving (but not for long - ya know how jr high boys are with their mommas...),laid back, middle child, baseball loving, his best friend - Doc Holiday the dog, nail biter, kind, courteous, hard of hearing unless it's possible gossip..... 

what he isn't - a morning person, Scout, Sager, assertive, early riser, tidy,  health food nut, scared to use the public restroom, totally NOT obsessive compulsive, vegetable eater....

Sager - what he is: kind, loving, obsessive compulsive, nail biter, lip picker, dehydrated, cheese lover, Taylor Swift lover, funny, sarcastic, witty...

what he isn't - passive, quiet, tidy, afraid, vegetable eater, afraid to speak his opinion, 

Scout - what he is - competetive, health food nut, lover of all things running and running related especially apparel, smart, loving, confident, loyal, slightly obsessive compulsive (almost as bad as Sager)

what he isn't - neat, afraid of wearing non matching socks, coke drinker

Three boys all different, three spirits different as night and day but all mine!!

Aaaahhhh Mother's Day.....

      Today has been a wonderful day before Mother's Day.  Today was the epitome of why I love being a mom.  This morning I was awaken by my teenager who was showering in my shower at 6:30 this morning... did I mention it was Saturday?...at least he didn't start singing!! He was headed out to play baseball in Canyon, Texas (the Bobcats by the way just won Bi-District! Great day to be a Bobcat!!!) Then I promptly got up and fixed breakfast for the two remaining children that I gave birth to... Shaw had pictures and a baseball game - and as usual Sager was along for the ride!  Shaw had a great day of baseball.... wait - that's not true - it was 98 at 11:00 and his team the rangers got trounced! Sorry Dude, but you looked sweet in your red socks.  Then we came home where I did more and more laundry, made some cards, washed some dishes and played in the sprinkler.  Does that sound very exciting? probably not but it was just like I like it!

     Anyhoo - here is my ode of love to the most wonderful mother I know, my sister Sarah.  As I write this, she has hauled her family to Albuquerque, NM so that her sweet baby boy (who is over 6 feet tall...) can play ball!!! (For the record he gave her two out of the park home runs for mother's day! isn't that so thoughtful - he knew just what she wanted!!)  She was our surrogate mother growing up, the oldest child of an alcoholic who was the peacemaker in all that she's ever done.  I've written about the fight we got into because she was mad at me for coming in late after canoodling with my boyfriend.  She was in the right, I shouldn't have been out that late on a school night, but you couldn't have told that to a teenage girl filled with hormones and hate!  


     Sarah has always been the fabulous one, she was beautiful, inside and out and tried to take the best care of me as best as she could.  I was living with her and her husband when Scout was born, and I can still remember how mad she was at me for getting pregnant first but how much she loved Scout and now his brothers.  She wants so much for her children and there's nothing that she won't do to make them the best.  She always said - I'm a do-er - I'm going to get it done.  Often, people take her nice ways and run over her, but she's getting better about being more assertive... God help us all! 


   She's my favorite person in the whole world.  Literally.  I've given my feelings for her many moments of contemplation so I can say that with no apologies to no anyone else because they haven't been together as long as Sarah and I have.  We have always been together, even when we're mad at each other, we're still together. She's Shirley to my Laverne.  She's Lenny to my Squiggy.  So here's to you sister of mine.... you're the best! The best mom, the best friend, the best! I love you!

My sister Sarah and her baby boy Jackson!

Austin, Texas Here We Come....

I mean, Austin Texas here comes Scout!!! This week, Scout and his fellow Bobcats went to Odessa Texas to compete in the Regional Track Meet.  Now for those who don't understand the process.... They ran in Fritch Texas where they competed against about eight different schools.... let me remind you of what transpired....

Shame on you.... Bushland guy... here he is about to whack Scout!!

Now that everyone is on the same page...once they placed in the top four of that meet, They went to Regionals where they competed against about twenty five or so more teams.  On Monday, you had to place in the top eight to make it to the finals in Odessa and then they ran again on Tuesday and they had to mplace in the top two to make it to State, in Austin, Texas... So Scout made it to  the finals in the 800 run in the last spot but then his coach wanted him to be fresh for the mile relay so he didn't get to run... bummer - I know but on the other hand.... the mile relay placed second so they are STATE BOUND!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!

Here's some pictures....

On your mark...

Get Set..

Go!!!

All the Bobcats going to State!!

We are so stinkin' proud of Scout and his team - you would NOT believe how incredible they ran... AWESOME!!!! I'll have to keep you posted as soon as we get back from the Big City!!

Long time... no blog....

How have you been? yeah... I know... it's been quite a while since I've graced you with my witty commentaries on life as I know it.  Let's recap the recent activities....

Baseball - Scout has been playing baseball, Varsity and Junior Varsity - just wherever they need him.  This picture is from the Clarendon baseball game... seemed to be a little confusion, Scout was just trying to get home and the nasty catcher wanted to get him out.... what to do, what to do... don't worry all you Bronco fans.... Scout was ejected, and the kid was all right, we still don't know what the ejection was for.... any hoo.... Shaw has begun little league - they had opening ceremonies last night, it was a huge turnout, so glad to see all the support from everyone - so glad to see these kids participating and getting up off the couch - boys and girls! Take that childhood obesity!!  

Sager is singing with the Togetherettes but he really wants to take a Mixed Martial Arts class... we'll just have to see... his mouth is already mean enough - he'd be a contender if his body was as tough!!! 

Here's Scout on the first lap before he gets knocked off the track by Kale Lane of Bushland, he's the kid with his head hung down in shame for what he's about to do!

Track is in full force.  Scout recently competed in the District Track Meet in Fritch, Texas.  Scout placed first in the 800 m run as an individual and then the mile relay team which he's on placed first so they'll be going to Odessa, May 2 and 3rd! We're so excited but there's a long story about it so I'll have to save that for another post!!  Here's some more pics from the meet...

The family that cheers together, stays together...

Maniacs... straight maniacs!!

Brandon and I just love track meets (he would love them even more if they were closer but oh well!!!)  Shaw is still getting ready to play for his Guild competition in Quanah, Texas and then the end of the year piano recital, and this year he'll be playing in the Fifth Grade Follies - kind of like a talent show, it should be a lot of fun.  Well until next time, I'm writing about the saga that was the District Track meet but you'll have to wait until I'm finished...

You may not believe this...

When I was a little girl, I joined a lot of stuff because many of my friends from school joined.  Yes, I was a loser, I know... Did I really want to be a cheerleader? no... especially since my mom had to sew the outfit - hideous... and who wants to be the biggest cheerleader on the "squad", yeah no.... I played basketball - that was a lot of fun, except we sucked.... and I looked like a (I was going to use a deragatory term for a girl who likes other girls... but I forgot that my "boss" reads this - sorry about that...) I looked like an ugly, manish version of Dorothy Hamill.  

the socks? 

My dad even signed me up for stuff, let us not forget the swim team - green speedo, second to last place ribbon.... thanks dad - I still need therapy for that, how about the violin lessons - once again dad - thanks... but what this post is about is the mistreatment of me by my beloved father... he signed me up for .... wait for it.... ballet.  Yeah that's right - pink tights, black leotard, ballet shoes... HIDEOUS... Here's the deal though... my step-sister took ballet - clearly where Selden got the bright idea... but Anna was long, lean, athletic, lean, thin, skinny, not fat, not plump, and did not look like a manish version of Dorothy Hamill.  

No wonder I need therapy... look at the daisies on my leotard....

Sometimes my mom would drop me off at the "dance" studio and I would act like I would walk up the stairs - wait til my mom drove off and then I would sit on the stairs and wait til the lesson was over... horrible it was so horrible.  I can remember wanting to be long and lean so bad and some times I would look out the window and convince my self that I wasn't so bad - I could do this! (especially if I got the special square bag that all the "real" ballerinas carried their stuff in  - my sister knows what I'm talking about) and then the teacher comes up and says uh excuse me... are you planning on taking the dance test (some test that dancers have to take to move up to the next "level", you get a special certificate with your name on it -  in gold lettering, classy... I wanted it but never got it.....)? so I say uhhhh..... and she says before I can decide my destiny.... yeah you probably don't need to..... ouch!   Well there goes that dream... no olympic gold medal in gymnastics, no first chair in violin, and no prima ballerina status....  when will the mediocrity end?

Reason 101 NOT to get a Tattoo till your older....

This morning as Sager is getting out of the shower and drying off, flexing his guns, he tells me - ya know when I get a little bigger I'm going to get a BIG tattoo across my chest..... So I say Really? Just what exactly do you think you're going to get a tattoo of???  

He thinks about it for just a second and says.... (wait for it..... because it's good....) a giraffe!  He says yeah, either a giraffe or a giant turtle.

So here's a picture of his guns and just imagine his chest with a big ole' giraffe across it.... just saying... 

More spring break news...

Yesterday the boys and I went to Altus for a little spring break fun... we had a delicious lunch, went shopping, had ice cream, and then headed home.  On our way home we saw the strangest thing.... beef-a-lo's.  They looked like a buffalo but not really - they were colored differently than a buffalo and their hair was more like beef cattle. One had a very pronounced hump, and one had a smaller hump and the last one  had a huge front end and was soo big. 

The funny thing was is that when we pulled back around to get out to look at them - Scout whistled and called to them and they just moseyed on over... We stood at the fence and all three of them stood there looking at us.  The biggest one stuck her head OVER the fence and let me pet her face and licked my hand.  It was AMAZING!! We giggled all the way home!!  

I've read a little bit about beef-a-lo's but I wondered about them.... Scout thinks they're sterile but I'm not sure... I better google it!  Well Sager sang today and he'll sing tomorrow at the Senior Citizens center (the busy beavers'), we'll see how it goes!!! 

How's Your Spring Break?

Well, how's your spring break going?  Our's has been pretty uneventful and that's just fine with me.  Sager's going to sing today at the Lion's Club or Rotary, (I can't remember which!) he also has to sing tomorrow and the next day.  Shaw's busy with friends and Scout's about to go get his hair faded.... The only excitement we've had is going on a small fishing excurision at a local fishing hole. Here's some pictures ....

Look here's Morgan with his fish.... clearly having a good time....

Look here's Shaw, with out a fish.... clearly not having a good time.....

 

Look here's Sager - with no fish - clearly same as Shaw - NOT having the best of time!!

Here's Brandon.... he's having a fine time since yours truly just got done paddling him around in the canoe while he fished... and then he had the nerve to call me Sacajawea!!!

oh well.... I'm off to listen to Sager singing Molly Malone!