Oktoberfestivus

Well, who can believe that October is here? I surely can't. October and November are always such a blur, so it won't be long until it'll be the true Festivus season. To celebrate the season, I'm taking a mental health day tomorrow, and I plan on making things very fall festive by purchasing a couple of pairs of boots, maybe a sweater, and possibly a pair of jeans. 'Tis the season!!! Sadly, I was supposed to meet up with another fellow mental healther tomorrow, but she won't be able to meet now that her kiddos have come down with a germ. Such sadness! Luckily, there is always another pal waiting to improve their mental health! Looking forward to lunch with a friend and some shoe shopping and toe health improvements also. In other Oktoberfestivus news, we'll soon be planning Sammy's 9th birthday party, Jack is considering attending his first school dance, about 3 weeks after that, Sophy will turn 8....followed shortly by my geriatric debut at the old folk home. Yeehaw~

Losing Stinks Like a Terd

The title is a quote from my football playing red head after his game today. The little Wildcats lost today....and when I say lost...well....I mean they stunk it up good! We could easily say the other team was much larger, physically and in numbers, and were probably older too. But that would smack of bitterness, and well, I'm just not one to get wound up over third graders chasing a football. Still, in all fairness, #91 for the little Mavericks was a head taller than everyone else. And apparently he had a brother, and several cousins, on the team who had all been corn fed as well. Sam had to get a piece of #91 once and decided he didn't want no more after that. #44 though, that's a different story. Sam and that kid tied in throughout the whole game. Lets just say I can tell by body language when my child is talking smack. Even when I'm a good distance from the verbal exchange. The good news is that the ref didn't see Sam's "after the fact" tackle of #44. Yeah. He's still learning. Most of the game he was incredibly lost, and I'm thankful for that. Once he figures this game out, I think we're gonna have to address his red headed ways. He sang "Who Let the Dogs Out" all the way home. Hahhaa, I don't think he even cared that we lost.

It was hotter than a fat lady's arm pit out there, and my feet and legs are sunburned. Pmac had to leave the game early. The heat was just a bit much for her and several others, maybe we'll have some football weather soon.
We're headed to Outback for dinner tonight. Sam wants some steak, and we're gonna give it to him. I'm certainly not complaining. My stomach and my spine are rubbing together.
(Side note: We watched Ghost of Girlfriends Past last night (Matthew McCaughney and Jenn Garner,) and it is pretty cute. You should Netflix it if you haven't already.) Sam has a birthday party tomorrow afternoon, and I drew the short straw which means I have to take him. Joy!!~~
Better scoot..

One, Two, Three, Four...

One: The big news of the week....Sam's coach dropped one of their weekly practice sessions, so now we only have practice twice a week! Wwwwwhheee! Isn't that the most amazing news ever? I'll answer that for you!! Yes, yes it is!! Couple that with the fact that we found out the season ends in October, and the game is in town this week, well...you can just color me happy! Actually, I'm looking forward to his game this week.
Two: Speaking of Sam, a yellowjacket got a piece of him this evening and left a hole in his tummy. For a brief moment, when he ran into the house screaming like he was on fire, we thought something horrendous had happened while he practiced repeatedly crashing his scooter into the gate. But no, just a gaping hole in his side. Yeeouch.
Three: DaddyP is the proud owner, finally, of his long awaited new television. I'm not a techie person, but who knew that a person could get sea sick while watching Pirates of the Caribbean? The new television technology is amazing.
Four: I'm starting our second book club book tonight. This month, we opted for 6 weeks to read two books instead of four weeks to read one. I've heard great things from the other girls about The Sugar Queen, so I'm excited to get started on it. I'll update about both once we meet.
Five: We're hoping to meet friends for dinner Friday night. The kids have planned a sleepover at Meem's, and DaddyP actually has the night free! Yahoo~

The Week Ahead

#45 in the blue shoes! That's our guy! What a kid! He'll be deadly once he figures this game out! Heaven help the other team.

Of course we have more football practice this week! If Sam had his way, he'd have a game every day of the week. Now that he has played one game, he's even more in love with the sport than before. What a kid! Sophy has gym Monday night, and most of our TV shows are back on this week, plus a few new ones! Whhheeee! The DVR is working over time. We may, or may not, be able to sleep this week with all of the shows we'll have to watch! We'll try to get Jack to the pool this week one extra time since Sam's game cut into his swim on Saturday. Next Saturday, Sam's game is in town, so Jack should still be able to swim on schedule this weekend. At least, that is the plan.
We took the kids to see the movie, Shorts, on Friday night. It was ridonkulous, but the kids loved it. Sophy wanted to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and I'm thinking we should have. I was trying to avoid animation at all costs, but it might would've been better. The kids thought Shorts was hilarious, though, so I guess that is all that matters.
DaddyP finally got his TV! Who knew that the latest and greatest TV technology was so insanely awesome? Wow! I'm sorry I ever doubted him! Wow again! We've been waiting and watching the weekend sales at Best Buy every Sunday, and my dad called today while passing through Dallas that his fav tech store there was having a colossal sale. Needless to say, there is a HUGE tv in our living room now, and I must say....it's amazing. Truly, it is. The new LED technology is unreal. DaddyP is in Man Heaven now. He may never leave his recliner. HE WISHES!
The week ahead is fairly typical, but the kids are happily planning a sleepover at Meem's this Friday. DaddyP and I are hoping to go out to dinner, if possible.

I HEART YOU!

Sophy's BFF, Cousin E, has The Dreaded Germ. When Sophy heard this news, she was "horrified." She wouldn't rest until she sent Cousin E a message. It didn't take her long to come up with what that message would be.
From miles away in another state a reply was sent from Cousin E that made Soph's heart melt.

Is there anything sweeter than two BFF's in their PJ's sending hearts through the wires?

Monday Musings

(I left school by 8:15 this a.m. with a migraine that had me in bed until about 7pm this evening. One of the worst I've ever had. I'll probably be awake until 2 a.m. now.)
I spent the weekend getting my dining room decorated for fall. It's my favorite time of year, I think. At least, it's my favorite until Christmas rolls around. And Christmas is my fav until Spring rolls around. Can you say fickle? Anywho, my dining room is mostly decorated. DaddyP has picked out his new tv, and now I have to pick out a new tv cabinet. I'm so getting rid of our armoire, but I'm not of fan of media cabinetry. This could be a difficult choice. The tv will be coming to our house soon, so I better decide quickly. We're kicking around our next project list. With the kitchen being finished, we're thinking that instead of starting on the master bath, we'll be diving into the pool bath demolition and rebuilding in order to have the construction completed by next summer. DaddyP is on the search for a landscaper to draw up some plans for a backyard area that he can begin minimally shooting outdoors at our house again. I'm very ready to revamp our backyard. It's the ugliest backyard I think I've ever seen. The biggest problem is it's size. My little garden is in for a face lift too, as soon as the weather cools off. It takes me a while to get things where I want them, but I like playing with things and changing them when I don't like them. I've got some changing and moving to do, but not any time soon.
We're making plans for the upcoming months, and I'm looking forward to some of our holiday plans. Can't believe we're within spitting distance of October. October always flies by. Before we know it, it'll be Thanksgiving! TURKEY! Drroooll...

Jack, Sam, & Sophy

Jack is growing about an inch a day (I exaggerate), and he is doing well in 5th grade. We're having to adjust to the work load of middle school. Other than that, he's made a fairly smooth transition. His foot pain has returned with a vengance, so we're readying ourselves for the fact that he will jump 2-3 foot sizes in the near future. He recently weighed in at 89 pounds and is 5'2 or so. I had hoped he would be able to wear his size 14 jeans from the end of the cold part of last spring, but no. That will not be the case. I recently purchased size 16's, which for those of you who don't know, is as high as you can go on the boy side of the store. Not only is my boy in the men's sized shoe section, it seems we'll be in the men's clothing section by the end of 5th grade. Sniff, sniff. Still hasn't topped a mile in the pool, but he's oh-so close. He has an appointment for next month to set a date for his braces. We think we have all of our prep extractions completed, so we're on to the next step. When did this happen? My boy is a young man. He is VERY interested in cars and can tell you which one you should buy, which one has the best engine, and what year model he prefers to the current option. He's very well read on the subject, let me tell you.
Sam, after NOT growing for years, has started eating us out of house and home, and recently weighed in at 86 pounds. Yep, he is 2 pounds shy of his big brother and wearing a size 6 shoe. If we're not careful, he's going to be wearing Jack's clothes by the end of elementary school. Ha. His first football game was set for last weekend, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. We'll have his first game this coming weekend, and he is fired up about it. Practice continues to go well, and he continues to work hard. It's hard to believe he'll be NINE years old in a little over a month. He's 8 going on 28, for sure. Still my building man. Still my crazy scientist, chef, inventor, etc. School is going well for Sam. He continues to struggle with reading, but he has improved a good deal. His new favorite library book is the Diary of a Fly, Worm, Spider, etc. series. He LOVES them! And I'm just excited that he's CHOOSING to read a library book! Willingly! YAY!
Sophy is loving 2nd grade and is especially fond of her teacher. Miss F is young and fun, and Sophy adores her. So far this year, Miss F. has started off some very neat classroom projects and activities, and Sophy has really enjoyed the work. Her progress report grades were extremely good, and I'm very thankful that her year is off to a good start. She told me this evening that 3 times as many people in the US drink bottled water as drink tap water. She apparently read this in a newspaper. She reportedly prefers bottled water as well, so she feels like she is in the moral majority when it comes to water consumption. She also told us this weekend that if we ever wanted to punish her that she would appreciate us NOT sending her to Germany. She recently read about the Nazis of WWII, and frankly, Germany is NOT "a place where nice people live." So there.

Labor Day Musings

Amanda, Do you have any info/advice on Christmas activities in the area??
This weekend has been a welcome rest from the hairum skairum of our typical week. On Friday evening, we took the kids to our homecoming/rivalry game (we lost miserably!!) They had a great time watching the game and the bands/cheerleaders. Sophy was very upset about the fact that our team lost. Poor thing, if she becomes a cheerleader in years to come, she'll be weeping on the sidelines if she doesn't get over her scoreboard issues.
On Saturday, DaddyP had an early engagement shoot, so I waited until he made it home and then took Jack to the LC to swim. He blew me away by swimming 62 laps. I am so proud of him for setting a goal and then not quitting until he accomplished it. Throughout the entire swim, especially when he made it to lap 45 and 50, I kept trying to get him to stop. He would NOT stop for anything. "No Mom. I've got to do this." He wouldn't stop until he hit #62. If my calculations serve me correctly, that is just a few laps off of a mile swim. YIKES!
After his LONG swim, we headed to Shreveport to eat lunch at Olive Garden with my folks. Sam was in dire need (or want??) of a pair of boots and some Wranglers. So off we went to Bossier to the boot store to get the latest and greatest pair. This kid HATES to wear tennis shoes, so he's been waiting for a while to get his new pair. He's a happy boy now, for sure! We came home, and DaddyP had an evening appointment at a class reunion. The kids and I relaxed around the house, went swimming, and played games. It felt VERY good to spend time at home! Niceness.
Sunday morning, we headed to church then to lunch with my SIL, nieces and parentals--stopped at Kroger for some essentials for the coming week, and headed home to meet friends who were coming over to swim and eat. The kids had a blast (all 6 of them.) We stayed up way too late while the kids swam, ran around the yard with flashlights, and our friends showed us their hurricane photos from their old home (wow.)
We woke up this morning with a burning drive to get tons of yard work accomplished, and I'm afraid that DaddyP did everything on his list and is now paying the price for it! He is fried to a crisp from the sun, so sore he can barely walk, and grunts everytime he breathes. Not sure how he'll fair at work tomorrow. Haha. The kids swam this evening, while we grilled some ribeyes and veggies. I gave Soph a mani/pedi to get ready for tomorrow, and DaddyP crashed in his recliner with an icebag and some coconut pie that Meem brought over for him on her way to eat with my brother's fam. Speaking of ribeyes. I made a sauce from Pioneer woman for the ribeye called Bleu Cheese-Onion sauce. Heavens to Besty, was it good....and stupidly easy. If you like Bleu Cheese, I highly recommend it for your next grilling experience. You will NOT regret it!
Finally called and booked our Christmas vacation dates! We're heading deep into the Ozarks to stay at a mountain top cabin the days just prior to Christmas. The cabin is literally perched on a mountain top with 6500 acrees of moutainous woodlands, waterfalls, wildlife, etc. around it. We're planning to spend some winter time outdoors, and also to hit Branson and Silver Dollar City's nightime Christmas festivals. We've heard that Silver Dollar City has amazing family Christmas activities, so we're excited. We're planning on surprising the kids with the trip, so it'll be hard to keep it from them. I'm hoping to get to hit Eurka Springs Christmas village also, but we'll see. Good times! Looking forward to it.
In other news, football is speeding ahead for Sam. He loves it so much despite the fact that he is really behind all of the other kids who started playing, apparently, when they were in diapers. We wanted it to be something Sam wanted to do, and we're not ones to push our kids into something just because everyone else likes it or is doing it. However in this case, Sam was VERY interested this year, and he's learning a lot. He's still WAY behind, he's slow as Christmas, and he has NO idea what he is supposed to be doing at any given moment. Despite all of those things, he LOVES it! He's barely within 5 pounds of the Pop Warner weight limit, so he better lay off the goodies for the time being. Pop Warner, as you may know, has mandatory weigh-ins prior to EVERY game. I appreciate why they are doing this (for my child's safety.) Still, Sam is a solid hunk of kid, and he seems to be getting more solid as the days go on. Football may be a wise choice for him. He just needs to hurry up and learn how to play it! haha.
We're in the process of trying to get Sophy in riding lessons for a few months this fall. It may or may not be something we extend beyond the initial few months, but she's VERY excited. The only problem that I foresee with horse riding lessons is that...well...Sophy's gonna want a horse! We'll see where it goes, but she chose horse lessons over piano for this fall. We're waiting until the weather cools down and football is in it's ending stages, but she can't wait until we get started! I'm excited to see where it goes....unless it means me having to find a horse to stable somewhere! haha.
Well, back to school tomorrow, so we're about to start brushing teeth and getting ready for bed! Happy Labor Day~

Book Club as promised....

After gorging on pizza and homemade, REAL cheesecake last night, I didn't have the energy to post about our new books. No one really liked the last choice, Hope in a Jar. Poor Hope. hahha
Our latest pics are:
The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen (I think) and The White Queen, by the same author as The Other Bolyn Girl, but I can't remember her name. I'm pretty excited about the second book. We shall see! I've also started reading the Jane Austen mystery series. Has anyone else read that? I would really like someone's take on it before I invest a lot of time in it. It was highly recommended!
I'm off. I'll be back in a week or two. Sorry again for the let-down in blogging. I promise to do better in a few weeks!