Saturday, December 5, 2009

Washington Wizards V. Toronto Raptors



It's been a long time since I have been to a professional basketball game, but last night I had the chance to take the boys! Through school, I (as the guidance counselor) received a letter from the Wizards allowing us to acknowledge outstanding students for their hard work! The student received a free ticket to the game and a free dinner, and then their guests got tickets and dinner at a reduced price! So, we gave out the letter to some fabulous student and I decided to nominate Leo as an outstanding first grader! He tries so hard, always has a great attitude about school and homework, and does his best! BUT, he also LOVES sports! This was perfect for him!

So, off we go! As luck would have it, my mom was also in town because my brother and his fiance were in DC for the weekend for a "Welcome Weekend" with his new company (they'll move here in March so he can start!). Their evening activity with the company was to go to the game as well, and so I got my mom a ticket to come too!

We got to the game early and the boys were excited! Besides the basketball, teams always have fun stuff to watch on the court during time-outs and half-time, etc. They were mesmerized! Even after I got the dinner for them, I couldn't get them to focus on eating! Tey just were glued to the game! ... and so was my mom!

Unfortunately, the Wizards didn't have a great first-half. They were never ahead, and sometimes behind by quite a bit! But, it ended in overtime 109-107... they lost to the Raptors. :( It was fun to just be there though! Here are some pics...

Well, I wouldn't say our tickets were ground-level!!!
Leo and Jeremiah - all SMILES :)

Me and my mom :)

So, just wanted to add the last two pictures from Thanksgiving. Leo's personality shines in the one below! He's such an amazing and fun kid!!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tis the season for gratitude. My top 50!

Tis the Season. Not for Christmas songs just yet... although one station in DC thinks so and the stores thought so before Halloween... disgusting. Not Christmas... but just the idea that they're trying to maximize on the materialistic aspect of the holiday!

But, tis the season for gratitude. And I don't have enough of it. I get so caught up when things go wrong, but yet, when things go right it's like fleeting thoughts!

This week in school, I have been teaching the kids about expressing gratitude and how it makes the person feel when you express gratitude to another.
Makes you and them feel all GOOD inside :)
I even have a little visual I do with it (thanks to a lesson I found on lds.org!!) So, why don't I do more of it? Seems like a great thing for both involved... the giver and the receiver!

So, this post has been on my mind for a while and I am going to just start listing in no specific order because I realized I can't prioritize these... or it was agonizing to even try and do so:

1. Prayer
2. Temples
3. The Sacrament
4. Scriptures
5. A living prophet and church leaders
6. General Conference
7. Children
8. My ever patient, ever giving, ever loving angel mother
9. A trusting and loving father
10. Supportive and encouraging brothers
11. Friends of 32/Fab 5 (you know who you are!)
12. Camp Oneka/Red Team
13. BYU
14. A job (or a few jobs right now :)
15. Weddings
16. Holidays... when families gather
17. Peace and quiet
18. Sleep/rest
19. A strong and healthy body with the ability to run!
20. A curious mind that's capable of learning and growing
21. Good Books
22. Ability to talk and listen
23. Uplifting songs
24. Sunsets
25. Lights
26. Beaches
27. Treadmills and Gyms
28. Water! Warm showers included!
29. Warmth... esp. from the sun!
30. Winter Clothes. QUALITY winter clothes!
31. Space Heaters
32. Comfy Couches
33. Alarm clocks
34. Medicine
35. Cell Phones
36. Cars
37. Contacts/Glasses
38. Microwaves
39. Ipods
40. Internet & Blogs
41. Cameras
42. Hairbands
43. Changing leaf colors
44. Desserts! Cereal! Chips! Mexican Food! Ice Cream... mmm... food in general
45. Caffeine ... Diet Coke :)
46. 7/11's and Slurpees
47. Target
48. Panera Bread
49. The American Flag

50. MY LIFE!!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

"Borrowed" Random Thoughts

So, my friend had these random thoughts posted on her blog... but she had "borrowed" them from someone else. They made me laugh... and I figured that laughter needs to be shared. So, I am borrowing them too! I think the reason they made me laugh so much is that I could see myself saying them... but someone just decided to write them down first :)

* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit?

* Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

* I wish Google Maps had an 'Avoid Ghetto' routing option.

* More often than not, when someone is telling me a story, all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better- but also more directly involves me.

* The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

* Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Kids today are soft.

* I think that everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure that I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really really gets it.

* I would rather carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips from the car to bring my groceries in.

* LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

* Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely terrifying.

* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent someone from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

* MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my own neighborhood.

* Bad decisions make good stories.

* Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they're from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem...

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

*Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVD's? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

*I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I didn't make any changes to.

*I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"

*I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

* When I meet a new boy, I'm terrified of mentioning something he hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

* I like all of the music on my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle- then I like about one in every fifteen songs on my iTunes.

* Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

* As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation- I always hate cyclists.

* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Apple picking!

After moving from Boston, I naively thought I would never get to go apple picking and leaf peeping again... because New England is the only place where apples grow and leaves change color, right?!! Ha! And, that thought did make me a bit sad... but not enough to keep me there :) Something I can fly back for when I get the craving, right?

So, imagine my excitement when my good friend from
BYU who lives nearby said she was going apple picking on Columbus Day! Now, there aren't too many places within an hours driving distance, but Bekah found one! I would have to say it is the most "ghetto" apple picking place I have ever been to... not like "Phil's Apples" in MA! But hey, all you need are apple trees and a bag, right?

Well, we had fun and as you can see
Bekah was a little more adventurous in making sure she got the best apples off the tree!

I remain grounded... Bekah like to climb!
They also had these beautiful sunflowers to brighten any one's day!

So, not only was it fun to get away from the city and spend time with a good friend, it was also a GREAT way to satisfy my fleeing moment of sadness to not be apple picking in New England!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

I feel like my life recently is reflected in this quote:

With thoughtless and impatient hands
We tangle up the plans
The Lord hath wrought.
And when we cry in pain He saith,
“Be quiet, man, while I untie the knot.”

Author unknown, in Jack M. Lyon and others, eds.,
Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People
(1996), 304

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Halloween FUN!

I'll confess. This is not my most favorite holiday. I love it because the kids get so excited.. and pumpkin carving can be fun! But I hate how much society has turned the costumes for girls into sleazy outfits and a lot of the blood and gore that comes with it.

Sometimes, it seems like this holiday goes on for forever! Kids start talking about costumes and candy in September, then the pumpkin carving starts in October... and then again in mid-October because the pumpkins rot, more Halloween decorating, and parties and parades even before the big day! This year was no different, but more fun for me because I was more involved in the action of it all with the kids!

Leo had off on Friday so he and I made homemade doughnuts (thanks to a post by Emily with the recipe a few weeks ago!! ) and then we went to Jeremiah's pre-school Halloween parade! I had never been to one before and couldn't believe they actually went and paraded around the neighborhood... but they did! They had people lining the streets to hand out candy and the kids put on quite a show with all their costumes! The weather was cloudy and damp... but at least not raining!

I don't think Jeremiah really understood what was going on either, but was happy to get the candy!
Jeremiah - The Astronaut
Here's a picture of his "Frog Class". They could not sit still to get one good picture!
Jeremiah looks thoroughly bored in the back.
After the parade, I took Leo, Jeremiah and Leo's friend Walter to Cox Farm. There they have this huge festival with 6 or 7 giant slides, a hayride, a corn maze, petting zoo, crafts, a rope swing, and food everywhere! It was a ton of fun and the boys LOVED it!
Jeremiah on the volcano slide... was a little hesitant at first because of the "haunted noises" coming from the volcano... but he was happy when he got on the slide!

It took a lot of convincing to get Jeremiah to pet this goat! He was TERRIFIED of them and clung to my pants for the first ten minutes we were in the caged area. Understandably so because they were about his same height! But, I slowly warmed him up to the idea and I petted the goat first. Since the goat didn't move, he thought it would be OK too! Now you can see a smile on his face in this picture...
This was the coolest thing we saw in the cornmaze.
Can you see what's missing? How do they do that?
We stood and looked for about ten minutes and could not figure it out!
A HUGE pig... although picture doesn't capture that!
My little buddy and the pig!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

My little Buddy's 4th Birthday

I can NOT believe Jeremiah just turned 4! I remember getting a call when he was just born.... and now it's been 4 years!

I have to say that I remember his first two months of life were VERY trying. He just screamed and screamed. Nothing would console him or quiet him down at any hour of the day. Maybe that was just a test for his parents (and all those within ear-shot) that if they could make it through those two months, the rest of their lives would be filled with the JOY this sweet, caring, loving, and kind little boy would bring into their lives!

I call him "my little buddy" as we have spent countless hours together since birth. There's never a dull moment when he's around and he knows how to give the best hugs and to say the nicest things to warm your heart. He sees the bright side of life and just wants to please you!

For his 4th birthday, he wanted a Halloween party. So, about 15 of his friends came dressed in costume on a BEAUTIFUL fall day in Washington DC. It was perfect weather for a sweet celebration! Here are some of the pics...

A spaceman looking down on his big cake!!

"Happy Birthday Jeremiah!!"
Ooopppsss... I bought the candle and I didn't realize they were TRICK candles!!
That's what you get for going birthday party shopping at a Halloween store!
Mom's trying to help... :)...
until we realized they were TRICK CANDLES!!
Cecilia (his sister) and Daniella are DYING to get some!
My favorite picture of all.

I could give him hugs and kisses forever!!