Bored...

I got bored with the old template so I thought I would try something new today.  You know though it probably has more to do with the fact that I am not on facebook (thanks a lot Jill!) and I felt like I needed to mix things up a bit.

Do you know that I spent like 2 hours on that thing yesterday?  I was talking to my nieces and Jill and my friend from Oakdale.  It was fun but not very productive.  My niece Ashli and I were both supposed to be paying attention in class and were instead writing on each other's wall and then emailing each other.  I tell ya, technology is great but very distracting!  You know darn well I am going to go play with it some more later too!  : )

Oh and before I go, just want to say one more thing..... GO BEAVERS!!!!!!!!!  I am wearing orange today people!!!!  If you don't know what I am talking about go check out who just beat the No. 1 team in the nation baby!!

Dallas, Relay, sick kids and money!

It's been a while my friends.  I have had two very busy weeks.  

Last weekend I went to Dallas...yes while there was a hurricane.  You know me, I don't do easy.  I went to Dallas for a leadership conference for the American Cancer Society. We had a really great time but we were a little worried that the storm was coming to get us.  I learned a lot, cried a lot more and met some really fabulous people.  You know what I love best about Relay?  I meet the most fabulous people who are so generous, kind and just fun to be with.  I love to Relay!

Sick kids, well one sick kid and one sick dog.  Jeff called me Saturday while I was on a break to tell me that my puppy dog had an ear infection.  Poor little dude.  He winced when a friend of ours went to pet his ears and Jeff just knew he was not doing so well.  $200 later, we have more meds than we could ever need and a healthy dog.  

So, as I am on my way to the vet on Monday to get Gunther's ears cleaned out again my cell phone rings.  It is Ian and he has a throbbing headache and his throat is on fire (that is the way he described it to me)  Another visit to a different kind of clinic and Ian has a sinus infection.  More meds on the counter for us!  Not a good week for meds and doctors - or maybe it was a good week for them, they got my $$

And finally some money!  Lots of money actually.  When I was filling out my financial aid packet this past February, they asked me to fill out a generic scholarship form as well.  It asks some basic questions about organizations you belong to, awards, major, etc.  Nothing big and it is mostly fill in the blank.  I filled it out and never thought about it again until Wednesday.  On Wed, I got the most fabulous letter that stated a group from the school wants to give me a $1000 scholarship for the year!  Yahooey!  I was so excited that when I called to accept the dinner invitation for the award recipients a box of rocks fell out of my mouth.  I couldn't think or speak or anything.  The assistant just giggled at me and said she understood.  Oh well, box of rocks and all I got me a scholarship and I didn't even have to type up a 3 page essay (like some of the other applications I filled out).  Very exciting stuff.

All in all my week wasn't bad.  Sick kids but some money in the bank.  Nice week.  Let's see what next week brings us?  Probably snow!

New table

I know it's not terribly exciting news but I had to share that we bought a new table this weekend.  The WHOLE family is coming for Christmas this year and I just had no place to put everyone for a family dinner.  Jeff and I have been looking for some time for something a little larger and we finally found a good table at a good price.  I'm so excited that we can have everyone at the same table this year.  Now if I could just add two more bedrooms then everyone would have a place to sleep.  Oh, wait I have a better idea....just move here people and I won't have to run a hotel!!  : )  Sorry, just my own little rant.

P.S. I also got an email from Ian's dad yesterday....he wants to take him to Japan for Christmas.  We will see, I will keep you posted.

My Politics

I had to do a little post today about our upcoming presidential election.  Last night we watched Gov. Sarah Palin speak and all I can say is WOW!  For me, it doesn't matter whether I am a Dem or for the GOP she was an amazing speaker that I think most of us moms could relate to and understand where she was coming from.  This morning Cindy McCain said it best, she told Good Morning America that she didn't necessarily agree with everything Palin believes in but she respects her views.  After last night, listening to her powerful speech, I didn't feel like she was another  typical politician speaking down to me as a citizen.  Instead she is a mom, a wife, a concerned citizen who knows what it is like to have high gas bills and feed seven mouths every night without the help of a personal chef!  I too don't necessarily agree with everything Palin says but I sure do respect the lady.  That is more than I can say for a lot of our Johnny come lately politicians.  

No matter who wins this race, I am happy to see that we are making change and this year we will make history one way or another.  Let's hope that this wonderful change is not overshadowed by a bad leader later on down the road!

Cold!

It is cold today!  And I don't mean that it is a little bit below 80 degrees either!  It is only 62 degrees outside, breezy and not going to get much warmer (it was 48 degrees when I took Kayla to school)!  

What happened to my summer?  My days of laying out by the pool now that the kids are gone and won't whine when I just want to tan my hide?  My days of cool summer coffee's outside?  They are gone my friend that is what happened to them!  Gone I tell ya!  

Mother Nature decided that this past weekend was the end of warm, glorious weather for us Nebraskans - although it is beautiful today, not a cloud in the sky.  We have already seen the geese-a-flocking and the trees-a-changing.  

Oh well, so much for that pool idea.  I guess now instead I will focus on buying Halloween candy, digging out those sweatshirts and college football!  (Which by the way, Nebraska won, UCLA won and ND plays this weekend!)  Yeah football!

Have I told you guys yet, this sure ain't California  : )  

Our first tooth!

McKayla has finally lost her first tooth.  I am not all the thrilled about it...first, her 6th birthday and now this!  What else, her first boyfriend?  Jeez!

Even though I am not all that thrilled she is tickled pink.  All her friends have lost the first four teeth already and so this was a very big event in our house.  She is finally one of the big girls now.  I don't know if you guys remember but Ian lost his teeth late too.  I am sure she will follow.  (Although the other four are pretty wiggly, jiggly right now)

Oh and did I tell you that today of all days is picture day!  Couldn't we just wait one more stinking day....again, jeez!

Move over Beckham...we have our own super star!

Yesterday was the first official soccer game of the season.  We had two back to back games.  One for the regular team Ian is on and one for the special select team he is on.  Last year a friend of his asked him to try out for a team where the boys are one year older than he is (this year it is U12 - Ian is still 10yrs) and he made it.  He is playing on that team again this year.  At the end of the spring season his coach and another coach from a local team put together a combo team to play in a U13 league.  The major differences on this team is the boys on the other teams are older, the field is bigger and it is 11 vs. 11 instead of 8 boys on a side.  He made that team too.  We are so excited for him.  (Maybe one day he will be rich and buy mom a pool, a car and hire me a maid!)

Anyhoo, yesterday was the first day of the season.  I am sunburned, he is SORE but we had a great time.  They won their first game 5-1, Ian had four goals that first game.  The second game we won 7-0, he had two goals which is pretty awesome considering the other boys outweighed him by 100 pounds!!!  He looked so stinking little out there.  

What was really great, was the passion we saw when he played.  It wasn't so much about winning it was about the game, the moves, the ability to out maneuver the other team.  It was a sign of his maturity and dedication to something other than a video game!  It was just awesome!  Now if I could just get him to turn in his homework on time....but that is for another blog  : (

Here are some pix.....