Let's shoot each other

When I say, " I want to shoot you!"  This is what I mean:

When my son yells," I'm gonna shoot you!"  This is what he means:

Here's the set up for the 11th b-day party at Westview Park in Mira Mesa.  There was a lot of shooting and shooting.  And laughter, and soda, and running, and yelling, and screaming.  It was fun to play and it was a joy to watch.  How blessed am I to have such a good natured son with a solid group of positive friends that come from good families?   God is very good to me.

Miss me some Kat Von D

Lately, I've been thinking about a girl.  I know a girl that - at one time - I got to spend a great deal of time with.  She and her family would join ours for dinners (more than once a week) and we would share make up ideas, laugh uncontrollably, surf the net, and cook dinner together in the chaos of having the kids play and yell and laugh and run.  One summer, I think we hit a record for highest number of swim parties in a month.  Good times.

Alas, life takes whirls and twirls making it difficult ( and in some cases - impossible) to spend time together.

So it isn't a surprise that I miss my Kat Von D.  Those talks about tattoos, those moments of driving in the car together, not saying a word. Extensive conversations about make up and hair...annoying enough to send the Hubby to the other room.   Chicken gizzards.  Precious times spent with her family, my family, our kids.  It all paints a collection of beautiful memories.

But I know that friendships have seasons.  We as people have factors that interfere with the ability to just do whatever we want to do all the time.  But even though the time with this gal is almost non existent these days, I do - from time to time - wish I would just have her around.  I'd love a night of homemade dinner at her house (such a great cook!) or to sit around in the living room and watch TV with all the kids and their random commentary. I'd love a crossfit workout...ok, that's a lie.  What I would love is the conversation after the workout.  Our time together has been reduced to the occasional text message and reading each other's Facebook statuses.

Here's a clarification before I go on... I have NOT lost this friendship.  I DO have friendships that I have let go of and friendships that have let go of me.  But this is not one of them.  I will always treasure this woman.  She is amazing, although I don't get to see her very often.  I do not believe that we have not let go of each other; we've simply entered another season.

Ria used to always say that real friendships pick up where they leave off, however long that may be.  Those are words that I believe with my whole heart. Whether a few weeks or a lifetime, I reserve a very special place in my heart for her.  No, we are not as close as we used to be, but when I told her I loved her, I meant it.  And I still do mean it.  No amount of time can change the very fond memories that I have with her.  No amount of time can change how much I treasure her.

To that, I wish my Kat Von D good wishes as she bids a temporary good bye to her husband (who is stationed in Bahrain for a year)   Miz Von D, if you ever need an Indiana fix, I'd love to go through the 500+ pictures from lil sissy's wedding.  It will bring the smell of fresh biscuits and gravy and mammaw's homemade meatloaf back.  Promise :)  

Not even the rain can stop us

I know it is January.  The season is WINTER.  It is cold outside.  And yes, it is raining.

None of that stopped us from planning #2's birthday party at a local park.  What I mean by "plan" is that a week or so ago, I found a coupon in the back of a magazine at the doctor's office and hired a guy to come set up a laser tag course at the park.  Then I invited a bunch of kids through their parents' facebook accounts or by sending a very informal text message.  No phone calls were made and no attempt to figure out the food situation was made. Then I prayed for a clear day.  No rain. No rain. No rain.

I have come a long way since the clown/jumpy/catering days. 

I did feel a tiny bit of guilt because six months ago for the older one, I sent out handmade invitations weeks ahead of time.  Then, I set up a red and yellow candy bar for all the kids to pick and choose a goodie bag.  I spent weeks thinking about what I wanted to serve for lunch and dinner, and what I thought the kids would like as a snack.  There were decorations and balloons... the whole nine yards.

This time around, I sent our email invites, cleaned my house fifteen minutes before guests arrived, and left the party several times to grab things at Little Cesar's, Ralph's or Costco.  Oh, and it started to (lightly) rain several times while at the park, in the pool, and during the smores segment of the show.

Luckily, a very wonderful woman that I know reminded me that it isn't about the bells and whistles.  It is about the thought and the effort.  And believe me, I want nothing more than for my son to have a good time with his friends, laughing and playing. No face painting, no traveling animal shows, no gimmicks.  Just fun. Since I'm blogging at 11:30 at night, while the boys shake my house with their uncontrollable laughter, I think I got what I want. 

But... I bet in 6 months from now, I will do it again with spending weeks planning a sweet 13 for my oldest one.  I think it is more of a time issue than it is an effort issue.  January is a tough month, but by June I'm not working, so I have all sorts of time to come up with grand ways to celebrate.   In the end, it's all the same.  The boys have wonderful friends that celebrate with them, and I have equally great friends that will help me set up, clean up, run to the store, and calm me down with their words when it gets just a bit to overwhelming.  Thank goodness I've got a solid support group to help me with all the antics.  Not to mention that the Hubby is always a step ahead. 

I'll end this blog with three little tidbits of information that I'd like the world to know:

1) The Dads and Moms played an all out, no mercy game of laser tag today.  I am happy to announce that the Mom Team claimed an undisputed victory today.  In a sign of pure humble acceptance of our victorious win, I am posting a picture of the husbands during the slaughter fest.

2) My anniversary is tomorrow.  I still feel like I'm the luckiest gal in the world.

3) There are 11 boys in my house between the ages of 10 and 13.  They are the loudest, kindest, most polite, messiest group of kids I've every had over.  And the room they are sleeping in smells kind of like wet feet.

Splashing in puddles and picking up seashells

With one week until the big run, the girls and I hit Solana Beach for a 9 mile run to Torrey Pines and back.  What I expected was nine miles of sweat, crying, and swelling of the knees.  What I got was an hour and a half of chasing birds, splashing puddles, collecting shells, and - most importantly - QT with my cuties.  

I'm not gonna lie:  39 Degrees stings. Literally. When we started our run at 7:15, the wind was doing a great job penetrating right through the clothing, shoes included. By the time we hit the sand, the ocean water didn't take its time getting in my shoe. But I dare not complain because in turn, I got to hangout with some of the coolest chick I know.  Just good people.

I may not necessarily enjoy running, but I do appreciate the time I get to spend with my girlfriends staying active and strengthening our friendship.  What a blessing to have a group of friends that have solid families, great kids, and a genuine love for me, my Hubby, and the boys.  God's really taking care of me.

The snail shaped shell,  I picked up when we hit the 4 mile mark and I thought I might die.

The beige and brown "perfect" shell I picked up when we made it to Torrey Pines.

The really big white one I picked up right after I ran to to scare a group of birds...just to watch them fly away because it is so pretty.

And  the sand dollar I picked up because... well, it's a sand dollar.  That's cool.

I think I'll make each of the girls a cheesy piece of shell jewelry with the treasures I picked up this morning.

Or maybe I'll keep going to the beach and collecting them.  When I have a lot, I'll glue them to the mailbox. 

Or maybe I'll pull out all my old hula stuff and stick them to a headpiece or tassel belt.

Or maybe I'll keep them for a few days, then toss them. 

First, I better go ice my knee though.  I guess swollen joints is part of the nine mile package.

Kids + Costumes = Typical Times at our home

Each time the little ones put on the costumes, they ask me to take their picture.  So, here it is.  A favorite shot of a few of my favorite people.

These two love lip gloss and imaginary play.  They say they are best friends and they ask to go to each other's houses.  Early friendships are the best!

This year, the two olders will be 13 and the two youngers will be 11.  Wow.  Where did the time go?  It was just yesterday that these three were in the backyard playing in a plastic swimming pool.  So much has changed, yet one thing remains:  they are as close as ever and still enjoy each other's company. 

Starting 2012 surrounded by lots of kids.  Lots of love.  Lots to be thankful for this year. 

Thankful for a New Year

It is the end of the first full week of 2012.  Here are three things that I feel thankful for:

My Job

Hubby and I got hit pretty hard a few years back with cuts in both of our professions.  The financial cut was hard, but not impossible.  The emotion cut was definitely more difficult.  And the hit I took with the increase of responsibilities (with less days and more students) seemed to be impossible.

Fast forward to 2012 and we find that things are as they should be.  With a strong relationship with Hubby and a sense of peace amid the chaos of kids, we found a way to make it all work out.  As I reflect, I even got a little "carrot" this week.   Kids give teachers gifts at the holidays all the time, but this particular one is special because the giver is a student, who a year ago, told his 7th grade teacher where she could go.  This week, he gave me a Christmas present (yes, it was late... everything he turns in is late)  a bracelet that he bought for me with his own money.  What a great way to get "paid."   I sure am thankful for my job. It doesn't hurt that I have another one week break in 5 weeks though :)

My Kids

The Boys are wonderful.  Period.  Academically, they are stellar students.  They work hard, try their best at everything they do, and are extremely disciplined when it comes to things like asking for permission.  I don't know how I got so lucky, because I'm pretty sure I don't deserve it.  The bonus: They stay active and healthy and have a fantastic set of friends that I really like.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Hubby and I are constantly on them to be their best and they are , in many ways, "typical" kids, but I bet that with a little bit of slack, they would still make the right decisions that make us so proud.

My Hubby

How'd I get so lucky?  I have a hubby that is honest and truthful with me.  He supports the craziness ("Hey babe, I signed us both up for a half marathon," or "Honey, I'm going to Reno for three days with my friends," or "My car is running on fumes and a prayer.  Could you fill it up, run it through the car wash and pick up In and Out for me?" )  Yes, there are times that I want to poke him in the eye.  What marriage would be complete without that piece, but the overwhelming majority of the time, I want to just be with him.   Lucky, lucky me.

I'll end this entry with a short list of NY resolutions for myself:

1) Keep Running.*

2) Sit up Straight.

3) Trim the Fat (achieve simplicity, "X" the drama)

4) Above all, Give Praise.

*A special note of thanks to the pretty girl that talked me into another run in 6 months from now.  That will help me keep up with resolution #1.  Now I need to start thinking about the other three...