black widows, trojans and cougars

Today was the season opener for soccer.  We started our day at the fields at 9 am for some practice before Luke's 9:30 am game - Black Widows vs Red Dragons.  

The picture below cracks me up.  The Black Widows has just scored - notice the smiles on everyone but the one Red Dragon kid in the middle.  His expression makes me laugh - he looks totally outraged by our teams goal.

While Derek and I were in the parent tunnel Emily snapped this great shot of Luke running though - good job Emmy!
When Luke's game ended Derek, Emily and Luke headed off to the Oakley family picnic and I took Megan and Nate home for a quick change into Nate's soccer uniform and then we were off to the next field for an 11:15 am call time.  By the time the game started at 12 pm we were roasting - it was so terribly hot here today.

Nate looked sharp in his Trojans uniform and he had a great time playing.  Both he and Luke have never played soccer before so they are learning lots but I was impressed with how well Nate did.


Love the action shots.  Because of the heat a lot of boys on our team were not doing well. We didn't have kids to substitute in so they all got worked hard but everyone managed to finish the game and I'm sure everyone was happy to climb into air conditioned cars.
We eventually met up with the rest of the family for the picnic until 4 pm and then it was straight home so Derek could plant himself in front of the tv to watch his beloved Cougars.  It was a very sports filled day.

TIME to celebrate

I was at IKEA last Saturday and I saw this clock for $2.99.  I picked up a few because I wanted to try using them as plate chargers.  I didn't have a particular party in mind so the plan was to just store them away until I came up with an excuse to use them.

Last Sunday I noticed in our church bulletin that one of my friends had a birthday coming up and I instantly knew I had my excuse to use the clocks - I just had to figure out how to incorporate them into a theme.  I ended up with "TIME to celebrate" You could really use the clock/time theme for anything...school time, it's about time, free time, time after time (thank you very much Cyndi Lauper)

So today I had 7 friends over for a birthday brunch.  Here is the finished table.  Please excuse the bad pictures.  These were taken sometime after midnight - the lights horrible and I was too tired to deal with settings.

The original clocks were clear plastic which I thought was rather boring so I grabbed some spray paint and spiffed them up.
Instead of making a birthday cake or bringing out cupcakes at the end of the meal I incorporated them into the centerpiece - cheap and easy.
I picked up a few watches at Forever 21 on sale for $6 and hung them from colorful block pictures holders that I also found at IKEA for $2
This was a simple party to put together that didn't demand a ton of time on my part or a lot of money.
It was nice to have an excuse to plan a small get together but it was even nicer to have an excuse to get together with friends to laugh and to talk.

goooooooooooal

Our weeknights have gotten busy with soccer practices for both Nate and Luke.  I decided to take my camera along to Luke's practice this week (Derek was at Nates and he's not one to snap pictures on the sideline so pictures of Nate will have to wait)

How cute is he? 
Nate on the sidelines watching Luke's team play.  He wanted so badly to get out there with them - he would inch closer and closer to the action.

if this is what white people like then

i am so white.

Janae posted about the stuff white people like blog and I had to laugh at this post.  I have total being on time issues and yes being on time does mean being early.  And like the post points out I am guilty of earning bonus points.  I try hard not to throw disapproving looks at the late comers but come on people can you not get yourself out the door a bit earlier and arrive on time?

the trip started bright and early

So here I go with some trip posts (broken down so as not to bore the few blog readers we have) 

The morning we left started early - we had to leave our house at 4:15 am (not a great time when you don't go to bed until about 2:30 am) We had decided to have a driver pick us up since there was no way we would subject friends or family to an LAX drive at that time of the morning - aren't we nice people?  Derek looked into a shuttle but found that for $4 more he could get a limo to pick us up so he went with that knowing that the kids would be thrilled when they walked out to meet the driver in the morning.  Luke's face was classic - I so wish I had a shot of it.  The ride was nice since most of us promptly fell asleep.

We got to LAX and sat, sat and sat some more.  The joy of airport security and international travel.  Nothing like sitting in the airport for 2 hours.  The kids did really well.  First of all they were still pretty tired from the early wake up and none of them have ever flown before so the airport was kind of a big deal.  
Everyone loved the plane ride with the exception if me.  I thought I was doing ok so I didn't take any anxiety medication (which I usually take every time I fly)  I ended up having a bit of a cry fest but only during take off and occasionally I freaked when we hit turbulence.  
Unfortunately we were not on a non stop flight so we had to land in Mexico City where we did some more sitting before boarding our flight for Cancun and I did some more "I'm scared to fly" freaking out.
We eventually ended up at our resort after a long day of travel.  We ended the night watching a movie, ordering room service and getting some sleep so that we would be ready to enjoy the rest of our vacation.

makes me smile

Derek suggested that I use my free time today blogging about our trip.  Great idea but instead I took a nap. Although I feel a little bit guilty about my 2 hour nap I use the excuse that I really did need it. Since coming home from the trip I haven't been in bed before 1 am most nights.  I deserve the nap right?!?!  Besides that now I am awake and kinda blogging about the trip.

There are still a ton of pictures to look thru before I start posting but I did want to hare this one...

Every time I open up my pictures I go back to this one - it makes me smile, I love it!  It's not the best photograph ever.  The kids aren't looking their best and some aren't even looking at the camera.  Luke is blurry.  But for me this picture captures the perfectness of the day we went to see the ruins.

In photography you are often told not to shoot into the sun but I happen to like it.  I love the sun in this photo.  You get a better feel for how the sun was beating down on  us.  It was hot this day thanks to the sun and so I am glad I captured "mister sun, sun, mister golden sun" (any Barney fans?  Is Barney even still on?) because he was a big part of the day.

I love that the kids aren't looking their best.  We were dressed scuzzy, we were sweating pigs, we were hot and tired but man, we were having fun exploring.  The fact that some of the kids aren't even looking helps me to remember that there was so much to look at it and learn - every ones attention would be focused on a different pyramid, hieroglyph, historical marker, bug, etc. and we would all want to tell the others about what we found.

Luke's blurriness is jut proof that the kid is in motion a lot.  He would run up and down the ruins exploring tunnels and little hiding places. He just went and went. He nearly flew up the big pyramid we climbed (pictures coming) The only thing that slowed him down there was his mother (who was completely freaked out watching her 6 year old climb stairs built in 800 AD that were now crumbling ) telling him to slow down.

So this picture for me is everything I loved about this particular day that we spent exploring Coba and Tulum.  I am so grateful that we were able to take this family trip!

headed back

Today was the day the kids headed back to school.  I woke up to the sound of hundreds of local moms giving sighs of relief.  I have loved having the kids home for summer but lets face it - it was time for them to go back and for me to have a bit of peace.  I can't begin to tell you how enjoyable it is to be sitting in a completely quiet house right now.

The 6 am wake up call was a bit of a bummer but the morning went off smoothly.  Megan was out the door at about 7:05 so that I could drive her to a friends house.  She needs to enjoy these next few mornings of waking at 6 because come Monday Seminary starts and she'll be getting up by 5:30 am.

She is excited to be starting high school this year.  Me?  Not so excited because people who have high schoolers should be old.  I feel like I was just in high school (despite the fact that that was 20 years ago)

Our local middle school has the easy morning schedule and since Emily is in 7th grade this year she gets to enjoy another year of sleeping in.  Classes don't start for her until 8:50 am so she headed out the door at 8:20 to meet up with friends and walk to school.  She is excited to be in Madrigals this year and to have teachers that she likes.
The boys and I left for our walk to school at 7:15 so we could take a few pictures at the school and meet up with old friends before the 7:40 am start bell rang.

  

Nate will be in a 4/5 combo which we are excited about.  I love combo classes and would always put my kid in one if giving the chance.  In fact Nate was in a 3/4 combo last year.  He has a really great teacher and lots of good friends in his class.
Luke is moving up into 2nd grade.  He is excited for school but also a bit nervous.  He did better then I thought he would this morning maybe because there were some familiar faces in his class.
So now they are all off for the day and we are looking forward to a great school year.  Not looking forward to the homework each day but we'll manage - we always do.
Since the first day is more about the fashion for the girls I thought I'd post pictures of their outfits.  Megan and her friends spent last night going to each girls house and picking out first day of school outfits. They had to pull together just the right look - not to formal but definitely not too casual, it is the first day of school after all.

Had to end with this shot - I love it.  The boys running to school. Will they always be this excited to get back to school?

sad decision

After a lot of thought I've decided to not have a Halloween party this year.  I may still do a small open house or something else to commemorate the spookiest of holidays but it will not be on as big of a scale as our Ghost Town party would have been.  I feel sad but at the same time I feel a ton of relief.

Life is busy right now.  I'm involved in (or my kids are)...soccer, primary teacher, activity day leader, a church assignment to decorate for a big women's conference, the return of school (including a high schooler) and homework, kids costumes, Luke and Emily's birthday parties, and little things here and there.  None of these activities on their own are too overwhelming but together they start to make my stress meter rise and I find it hard to carve out time for planning and executing Halloween in a way that makes me happy.  I also have a much bigger assignment then all those mentioned that I am involved in and feel the need to be completely focused on it until election day on Nov. 4th

I am helping with a coalition, Protect Marriage to pass Proposition 8 on the November ballot.  I (along with many other Californians) have been busy and will continue to be busy up until election day as we work to save marriage in our state.  Many have been out walking each Saturday contacting voters to find out how they plan to vote in Nov. Phone calls have been going out to voters as well.  More work is planned in order to get the word out before the election.

For those who are interested in reading more about this proposition and why I support it please read this article, The Divine Institution of Marriage.

I realize that there may be some that disagree with my support of Prop 8 - I respect that and would not criticize you for your stand.  I hope that same respect would be shown to me especially if you comment here on my family blog. I am happy to hear others views in a civil, kind way but please do not handle it in an ugly manner.

So as sad as I am to see the ghost and goblins take off down the dusty road of Tombstone to ride off into the sunset (man, I was excited for the ghost town theme) I feel like my time is better spent in other pursuits at the moment.

for susie doom

My mom hates anything that is even remotely dangerous - she is sure something bad will happen, hence the nickname Susie Doom.  So this first post from our trip to Mexico is dedicated to her.  I thought she would love seeing pictures of Derek and the kids cliff jumping.

Derek

Megan

Emily

Nathan

The pictures are blurry but these are the only shots I got of the jumps.I was surprised at the kids bravery (granted a monetary bribe was used) but still they were brave to jump.  Nate was the most nervous which surprised me but he eventually made up his mind to jump and just did it.

font obsessed, guilty as charged

I've declared my undying love for letters, type, fonts, etc. before on the blog.  Well this table takes the prize for making my type loving heart skip a beat.  Crate & Barrel has a knock off but it's just not as nice as this one.  Perhaps I need to start scouring ebay for old letterpresses.

reality

It is so hard to come home from a trip for the inevitable slap in the face that we call reality.  We pulled in this morning around 1 am and got a few hours of sleep before the alarm went off signaling it was time for Megan to get up for freshman orientation.  Then it was on to laundry - piles of it!  The boys had a Meet and Greet to go and meet their new teachers.  Now I am sitting here at the computer contemplating dinner knowing full well that we have nothing remotely edible to eat in our fridge or pantry.  

Oh Mexico, how I miss you!

hola amigos

We are in paradise and loving every minute of it. Here is a quick snippet of some of the highlights so far...

Being upgraded to high-end rooms in the resort without asking for them. They include...
ocean view rooms
jacuzzis in the bathroom as well as on the balcony
3 free half hour massages at their beautiful spa
unlimited soft serve ice cream
free room service
free dvd rentals
personal consierege service
private pools for "Platinum" guests only
and more

Hanging out on the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean - the water here is unbelievable and makes our California beaches look like sewer water

Snorkeling with the kids and seeing lots of fish and stingrays

Visiting the orphange in Cozumel and letting the kids see how other kids live - we are hoping they will feel a bit more gratitude when they return home

Drinking unlimited strawberry margaritas (virgin of course)

Arriving for church 2 hours early and killing time until Sacrament meeting started.

Derek seeing someone at church that he knows from groing up in Los Alamitos

Hanging out together as a family

We are having a blast and I love that we still have a few days left to see the ruins, snorkel, swim, explore, relax, etc.

we're off

A driver is picking us up in 2 1/2 hours to take us to LAX - warm tropical beaches here we come! 

bff's

One of my dear friends, Susan, flew in from Texas today.  She stopped by for a few hours (much too short of a visit)  It was so fun to get together and laugh.

  

Susan is someone that my kids are all familiar with by name because they faithfully pray for her every day in our family prayers.  Susan has been battling cancer for many years (hence the cut military cut :)) and because of Susan's fight my kids always remember to ask Heavenly Father to bless her and her family.  I was thrilled that Megan and Emily hung out with us while Susan was here so that they could get to know her better and get a feel for what a wonderful person she is.

Susan truly is one of my best friends and has been since my junior year of high school.  She and Lisa befriended me when I moved to a new area and had no friends.  They welcomed me into their friendship and the three of us became inseparable.  How grateful I am for friendships that stand the test of time.  20+ years and I still feel as close to Susan as I did in high school.

2 more sleeps

today at church

Luke to Dad...

"If you are still alive when I go on my mission will you go with me?"

So we're keeping our fingers crossed that Derek can hang on at least until Luke's mission.  Not sure though, Derek is getting up there in age.

we need some serious sleep

because we are so tired from all the late nights of watching the Olympics.  

Loved tonight.....

with Phelps taking his 8th gold medal.  The swimming and gymnastics has been exciting to watch.  I also got into the women's marathon race tonight.  The woman that won was unbelievable - she never looked fazed even at the end of the race.

As much as we are enjoying watching this summer sports fest I am looking forward to the end so that I can go to bed at a reasonable time and not worry that I'm missing something.

just a bit tardy you tube

I was surprised to get on our blog a few minutes ago to find videos of Half Blood Prince.  I tried downloading the video from YouTube a couple weeks ago but without success.  Now two weeks later 2 videos show up - weird.  And now it serves as a horrible reminder that the movie I have been so patiently waiting for is being put on hold for almost a year.

bring on the half blood

Loving little Voldy.

Megan and I will be in line for the midnight showing give us a call if you want to join us.

bring on the half blood

Can't wait for this. If anyone wants to hang out in line for the midnight movie give me a call - Megan and I will be there!

alice says she sees a party in my future

Pottery Barn has these to die for place card holders that I have my eye on.  Once I saw them I immediately started to figure out a reason to buy them.  I'm thinking I might have to have a pre show party for the Twilight movie.  Anyone want to come?

As I have been checking out sites for new Halloween goodness the last few days it has made me wonder who decides the trends for holidays?  I am still seeing tons of skull stuff for this year. Granted some of it is really cool - Pottery Barn has some nice stuff and Z Gallerie has some nice skull stuff as well but skulls have kind of seen their day.  That is why I was so stoked to see these silver vampire teeth.  Retailers should have run with this theme because I think there is a ton of interest in vampires at the moment.  I also think a nod to creepy haunted house objects would be a great sell - I'm picturing antique replica items with a creepy twist to them.

This time of year seriously makes me giddy with excitement.  Halloween jive is popping up at nearly all the stores (no Target yet - come on people, clear out the school stuff and bring on Halloween)  I love seeing all the holiday goodness!

:(

Can you hear me weeping over this?

needs more butter

Check this soap out!  Yes, soap.  How cute is this?  I want this spilling out on my bathroom counter for our next movie night shindig.  Or for my Halloween party 2010 - CarnEVIL.  Yes, I am working on themes that are still years away.  This popcorn soap is seriously so cute!

Just a little blog lesson...when you see a word or words highlighted in bold or a different color in a post it usually indicates a link.  Just click on the word(s) and you will be led to more information.  I have had some questions recently about this so just thought I'd share to make sure no one was missing out.

how about an 8 o' clock curfew?

I am just too tired to have a teenager!

Derek is asleep (so are the kids) and I am struggling to keep my eyes open while waiting for Megan to get home.  I use to think that my babies and toddlers wore me out but this 'waiting up for a teenager to get home' gig is taking its toll on me.

I can't even begin to tell you how badly I want to be in my bed sleeping right now - hurry home Megan!

in 2 weeks

We'll be on our way to the Yucatan Peninsula.  

We are all way excited for this trip.  The kids are gearing up for their first plane ride (I'm not thrilled about that part of the trip but I'll manage)

We will be visiting the areas that are South of the little island (Cozumel) that is in the map above in the Caribbean Ocean near Tulum.  

Some of our plans...

*visit the Mayan ruins in Tulum and Coba.

*visit an orphanage in Cozumel to work and play with the kids (if anyone is interested in donating needed items for the orphanage please check out the wish list page on their site to see what they need. We would prefer to take clothes items so that we can travel as lightly as possible. We can pick stuff up (assuming you are fairly close) or you can send it to us.  If you want to donate email us or leave a comment)

*zip line (assuming we convince Luke that he wants to do it)

*explore some cenotes

*enjoy the beautiful beaches and the even more beautiful water

*avoid any bouts of montazumas revenge

*and more

I'm looking forward to this last little hurrah before we head back to school on September 2nd.

a family of 6 and a scooter named stella

So here is my plan...

Buy 2 of these cute Stella Scooters (which are available everywhere but California - small problem) add the side car and our family is good to go.  1 adult and 1 of the girls on each of the scooters with the little boys in the side cars.

90 miles to the gallon.  The wind blowing in our hair. Traveling as a family without the gas guzzler Suburban. It's a good idea, right?  I'll even let Derek get a more manly color like black or avocado green - nice of me, huh?

This is going on my wish list to Santa.

thanks janae

Janae emailed me yesterday with some music ideas for Halloween from the Wall.E soundtrack. I loved the music and was grateful to Janae for the ideas.  

So now I am issuing a plea.  Before I spend hours searching the Internet I thought I'd ask the masses out in blogville...anyone have ideas for western music that has an eerie sound to it?Classical music that has a western feel to it? Any music that would work for our ghost town theme?

While we're at it...any ideas for decor, games, etc.  I have most of it planned out but I'm always looking for good ideas.  

Anyone have pie tins that they are willing to give up?  I need to collect about 90 tins.  I plan on heading over to Marie Calendars soon but I'm sure I won't be able to get as many as I need.  If you have them and are willing to let me have them I will send you money to ship them.

Anyone live in a really rural place that has cow skulls lying by the side of the road?  I am waiting to bid on a few that I found on ebay but there are not enough online.  I need about 12 total.  If anyone can help let me know.

What other strange requests do I have...uuumm, can't think of anything else.

Thanks again Janae!

hgtv brigham edition

While in St George we took a tour of some of the historical sites.  We stopped off at Brigham Young's winter home and I found some decorating ideas that I love. 
I want pillows like this.  Well, not just like this but pillows that say "rest"  I would like a more modern spin on the pillow.  It seems so relaxing to walk into your bedroom and see these pillows.  I may try to work up a design for pillows of my own and it add it to my already too long list of things I'll never get to.
I was dying over this dresser.  If I could have hefted this on my back and walked out of the house without being noticed I may have tried to swipe it.  I love anything with letters or numbers on it.  If we ever decide to buy a dresser for our room or the kids rooms it will end up with numbers on it just like this beauty.
I liked this idea as well.  It is a little prayer stool that sat next to Brigham's bed.  It sure would make kneeling down for prayer more comfortable plus it acts as a visual reminder to say your prayers.  I plan to keep my eyes peeled for something similar.