Thirty Years Ago...

It's my birthday! I LOVE my birthday. I have a feeling that sentiment might change as the numbers get higher, but for now I will freely admit that I LOVE LOVE LOVE my birthday! My kids, however, are already tired of hearing me say, "It's my birthday today!". It is true that nobody cares about my birthday quite as much as I do... in honor of my big day I have posted some photos of July 12 over the past three decades. They are my 1st, 4th, 14th, and 24th birthdays. I also want to wish my niece Jillian a very happy 3rd birthday today...Happy Birthday JillyBean!

Fun at the Lake

Be sure to check out all of the photos from the lake this weekend on the Flicker Badge to the right. Just click on it and click view as slideshow to see all the pics! Happy 4th of July!

Our Wednesday Morning Entertainment

Here is a typical summer morning at our house. All the kids were captivated watching Katelyn and her friend play a dancing game!

My Vacation

I have been on vacation all this week. For the most part, I do have to say that it has been wonderful and I have hinted to Tim more than once that I could really get used to this! Coming home from the gym and sitting down and reading the paper in the quiet house is my favorite!

However, on the downside, my vacation has been filled with several chaffuering duties daily. The kids have had bible school all week in the morning, golf on Tuesday, volleyball camp everyday, hockey camp everyday and baseball tonight. What fun to dress up in hot stinky hockey gear in the middle of the summer. Yes, I'd have to say that the cult better known as Moorhead Hockey has lured us in. But then the kids see Brian Lee in the lobby, or watch Matt Cullen on tv, and you know this is where it all starts; with mom getting them dressed and schlepping them and all their equipment to the rink during her "vacation". So, when they hit the big time, let's hope they remember these days (not the part where I scream at them to hurry up and get their stuff on cause we're going to be late again, or wonder loudly why can't you do this by yourself yet, you've been in hockey for two years already.) As I was discussing with my friend Melissa the other day, in a few short years, us mothers will be banned from the locker room only to be left standing in the lobby wishing for those days when our little boys needed our help.

**Editor's Note: This entry is not meant at all to brag about the amount of this mother's involvement in her boys' early hockey careers. This task falls largely on the shoulders of dad, and boy do we appreciate it! It is not also meant to imply that there will be hockey careers at all...but hey parents can dream right?

Golf...Family Style

We played in our first Family Fun Golf Tournament at the Moorhead Country Club last night. What a winning team we make! It certainly is a test in patience golfing with four children. They had a blast though. They must have said atleast 49 times..."this is fun...I like golf." We scored a16 on our five-hole-scramble. Not too bad!

The Four-Million Dollar Photos

I'm quite sure that people just like me are the reason that People magazine thought that 4 million dollars was quite a bargain for these much sought after photos. I loaded up seven children and hauled them to Target yesterday to get my copy!

Then last night I went to see The Break Up with a friend and the whole time could not stop thinking about Jennifer Aniston and how this whole thing must be so difficult for her. Can you imagine your life being played out like this for the whole world to see? Are Brad and Angelina wrong for being together? Do you really think Jen has moved on with Vince and can find it in her heart to be happy for them? Why is the world, me in particular, so interested in this story? Guess you could say I need to get a life!

Last Day of School!

It's off to the the big school next year for Katleyn. The boys were thrilled and a little relieved to see that their teachers had written down 2nd Grade at the bottom of their report cards...meaning they passed! Who knew they were so worried about it? Tommorrow will be an adjustment having the big kids around...better get to the grocery store today to stock up those cupboards.

Memorial Day Festivities

After a weekend at the lake, we spent the day at the MCC pool and then had a picnic at the park with our good friends. It feels almost wrong that we have to get the kiddies tucked in early tonight, sunburn and all, for another week of school. The "feeling" of summer is officially here.

Summer is almost here

Unlike Fargo schools who only have two days of school left, we on the Moorhead side will be going until June 5th. The kids got some good practice in for summer today with the season debut of the sprinkler.
 

 

My Favorite Shows

If you are a Grey's Anatomy fan, I hope you caught the season finale last night. If you missed it, it is on my Tivo and you can come and watch it! I have already watched the last ten minutes three times...mmmm,mmm,mmm. So good. Best show on television right now in my opinion.

And for my favorite sitcom.... The Office. The season finale for that was last Thursday which was also delicious! The first season is available on DVD and the second season should be available this summer, so you can catch up before season 3! Funny, funny show.

And my guilty pleasure this spring has been my favorite "reality" show, 8th & Ocean on MTV. I'm alittle embarrassed to even admit that I watch this. It is pretty much just a bunch of beautiful people behaving in destructive ways, but I'm hooked.

Happy Mother's Day!

Check out the mom wizard at salary.com to see what the average mom is worth! I did my calculations and should be earning over $119,000 per year for all of my mom duties. Oh, but that's the best thing about mothers...we love those kids so much we do it for free.

The end of an era....

I'm not sure if six years qualifies as an "era", but it should. Preschool days are officially over at our house. We have had kids attending Little Lights for four of the last six years, and today was our baby's last day! The photo is of her receiving her graduation certificate from her teacher.
I have never really understood mothers who wanted to hang onto their children's younger years...until now. I have informed Kennedy that if she never wants to start kindergarten and stay little forever, that it is okay with me. I have also never been a mother to cry when sending her children off to school ("better in your hair than mine" was what I was thinking...what a horrible mother), but I'm willing to bet that a few tears might be shed come next September!

Eleven Years Old

I'm not sure either of us new what we were getting into eleven years ago today. We look so young...we WERE so young! It has led us to a wonderful place and a wonderful family. Happy Birthday Katelyn!

New Toys

Here are the boys...up way past their bedtime trying out their new Nintendo in their new sports room. It was quite a birthday weekend! I think dad had just as much fun with the new toy as the boys did. 

Happy Birthday Carter and Cooper

How could it be that seven years have passed already? Every minute has been an adventure. Happy Birthday boys!

Funnies...by Carter

Carter and Cooper have been into the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt lately. It starts: My Life is Brilliant, My Love is Pure, I Saw an Angel, Of That I'm Sure, She Smiled at me on the Subway, She was With Another Man....and continues....You're Beautiful, You're Beautiful It's True; I Saw your face, In a Crowded Place and I Don't Know What to Do, Cause I'll Never Be with You.
They have been listening to it over and over...apparently pondering the emotions of the singer. One day a few weeks ago it came on in the car and Carter asked me why I thought the singer would never be with "her". Being deep in thought with my own agenda, I brushed him off and replied "Oh, who knows.." and didn't think twice about it. Then last week, after hearing it blare on the stereo 238 times, Carter came running into the office all excited and said, "Mom, mom...I know why he'll never be with her...cause she's with another man!"


Awhile ago, Carter came home from school and while he was telling me about his day he mentioned that his friend Noah said that his mom was sooooo fat. I thought it a bit odd, and sadly enough even spent a few days feeling self-conscious thinking what a heffer I must be if a six-year-old had put me in the soooo fat category. Obviously I'm no supermodel walking around, but at the same time I don't think that the first thing a child would notice about me is my not-size-six-ness. So the topic came up again last night, and I questioned Carter as to what his reply was to his well-mannered little friend. He said, "Well then Seth said, 'Oh yah... well your mama's soooo fat that she couldn't fit through the door', and I said, 'Oh yah... well YOUR mama's so fat that she broke her chair!'" Apparently it is already cool in first grade to degrade each other's mothers. And apparently Carter takes it literally. Oh My. Looks like we need a little lesson on appropriate behavior. Home-schooling looks better and better!

Happy Easter!

Today was the first Easter that our kids did not wake up in time to do their Easter Egg hunt before church. We didn't even set our alarms in anticipation of them being up at the crack of dawn waiting to see what that Easter bunny brought them. They must have been tired out from the big Easter Egg hunt at Grandma Sandi's yesterday. Katelyn dressed up as a very convincing Easter bunny and all the kids had a blast running around the lake looking for their eggs!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

The Easter bunny visited our daycare today! Here is Kennedy...all smiles and ready for our Easter party! 

The Three Piggy Opera

Carter and Cooper starred in their 1st grade play today...the Three Piggy Opera! They both did great!