Did They Run Out Of Students?

Our family must have it's star in the right house or something because not a month after C won an award E got one yesterday. The Optomist Club gave her the 2006 Youth Achievment Award for service to her school, community and fellow students. Pretty cool! She met it with the same non-smiling countenance she meets everything, lol! Of all the people in the world, there is a real irony that the OPTOMISTS gave her an award. The kid is the poster child for pessimism.

It is nice to know somebody noticed how hard she works and how much she has done at school. She has spent more time in the special ed room helping others than the special ed kids have studying there.

How To Look Like An A**

First, walk down the steps at the stadium and trip. Fall in a heap. Hold just purchased beer aloft, so while head and back make contact with concrete only a small amount of beer spills on your head. Get up and continue down aisle to seat. Have dh lose balance and grab you, sending you into next row of box seats (luckily unoccupied). Spill more beer on self, twist knee and bang head. Note that though you are stumbling around and smell like a brewery you have yet to even taste your beer. Unless you count the drips running down your face. Argh!

Annoying+Tagged

So today, oh four days after taxes are due, dh's 401K sent me a check and a letter saying that we saved too much. Ok, now I'm penalized for too much saving? And I get to figure out how to file an amended return. Blech!

This week consisted of four parent/teacher conferences, four baseball practices, two track meets, dance picturesand two cub/boy scout meetings. Oh the excitement.

I was tagged by Melissa. I'm supposed to tell you six things about myself. If you've read here much you already know all about me but here goes (since the inspiration well is dry)

1) I was once very bright. I got my MS with a 4.0. My brains have since dehydrated into a tiny pea that rattles around my skull.

2) I love to read. When I was in high school and college I read great literature. Now I mostly read excapist fair. Best book I've read lately. Cod by Mark Kurlansky. Strangely interesting story of a fish and culture.

3) I missed the girly gene and have no idea how to decorate or do my hair.

4) I like sports, beer and nachos.

5) I am a Sunday school teacher. I try not to bring beer and nachos to class.

6) I was 30 when I had my first baby. If I had started 10 years earlier I could have fit in six more, and been very happy about it.

Terrific Kid

Last night C received an award from the Kiwanas for being a Terrific Kid. This was huge for him. He has really struggled with the social aspects of school. He is easily frustrated and impatient. Not a great personality for public school. They had a lovely buffet for the winners and their guests. He was trying to be so careful and watch his manners it was painful for me to watch. He was so tense trying to remember to chew quietly, not drop things and keep the napkin in his lap. He got dressed up and was sooooo proud. Only one student is chosen from each grade school for the year so he should be proud.
Here he is wishing he could drop through the floor. He didn't know he'd have to talk.

Here is C and dh. They both clean up pretty well.

By the way, the terrific stands for:Thoughtful Enthusiastic Respectful Responsible Inclusive Friendly Inquisitive Capable

Spiffed Up

This is the kids pre-church on Easter morning. You'll note there are no post-church pictures.


Here they are after the Easter egg hunt on Saturday. This is more how they usually appear.


A good Easter, at least so far. The morning opened with the traditional scavenger hunt for the baskets. I have rued the day I devised this tradition. I appear to be stuck with it for at least 14 more years. I'm running out of clues guys!
We had breakfast (candy), got cleaned up, dressed and to church where the kids ate more candy.
Dh had to work but the kids and I had a nice lunch with pop in wine glasses, at least they had pop, lamb, rolls, corn, broccoli, fruit salad and candy. Do you sense a theme here?

After Mel wakes up from her much needed nap we will have an Easter egg hunt in the back yard. I am tempted to fill the eggs with carrots and grapes but noooooo, it'll be candy.

Cry Out To Jesus
Words by Mac Powell / Music by Third Day
To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

When your lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who struggles with being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

(c) 2005 Consuming Fire Music / ASCAP. All rights administered by EMI
CMG Publishing. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Round Up

Ds went to kindergarten round up Wednesday night. (As an aside, this always makes me sing 'head 'em up, move 'em out, RAWHIDE' in my head) He loved the bus ride around the parking lot and looking in the lockers. I'm not all that happy to see another one getting bigger. I also suggested to the principal, when he came around mingling, that a margarita booth at the next school carnival would be nice. I'm sure I added another asterisk by my name on the "Parents Who Are Trouble" list.

S ran in his first track meet last night too. He did all right. A solid middle of the packer. They run 6th, 7th and 8th grade all together. His skinny 6th grade self didn't stand a chance against some of the 8th graders who darn near looked like full grown men.

The kids are home tomorrow. After a thrilling visit to the orthodontist I think we'll dye eggs. Church in the evening. Dh is working so I'm pretty sure after taking all 6 to a packed church service I will be feeling less than christian. Maybe we'll all do shots of benedryl before we go.

It's Over *sob*

We finished spring break week with a bang. Saturday dh and I went out for coffee then I took 7 and 4yo to Easter bunny story time while 10 and 14yo roamed the stacks. After we had our Easter eggs and bunny pictures we played outside until it was time to pick up 12yo from his Boy Scout camping trip where he had a good time. Sunday morning the kids did the palm waving thing which is always cute and then we went to a baseball game. Go Fort Wayne Wizards. Three hours in the sun eating junk seems to have really worn them down. I'm hoping for baths and bed.

This is how Mel appeared after nap time yesterday. Not just everyone could wear this look.



Just adding, is there much that is cuter than that first pink cheeked sun kissed nose of the season. The only thing that comes close is a 4yo who whispers "Mommy, you're beautifuller than Jasmine." That boy's silver tongue will take him far.

Happy Birthday to the Test Model

E turned 14 today. That does not seem possible. I took her and one of her good friends out to lunch and shopping. So far the teen years haven't been bad. Of course there are six long years to go. E is a goal oriented, generally mature kid. She is in everything. She is a straight A student, belongs to student council, campus life, student leaders, choir and band. She ran cross country, plays basketball and softball and takes dance. She is also a voracious reader. It is nice to have someone who actually likes hanging out in book stores and libraries with me. I didn't take her picture today,(she got cake with lunch and so I didn't make one). This was taken last summer.

Hmmm

First I write a post that doesn't appear, then it appears three times, now it's gone again.

Spring Break!

The kids are officially on spring break. Yeah!! They seem pretty burned out (and I could use a break from homework help/poster board delivery myself). Unlike what seems like 75% of the people we know we will not be going to Florida, Carolina, Alabama or anywhere else sunny, sandy and resort like. We do have more things we want to do than time I think. They have mentioned going to friends/friends staying here, baseball games, movies, shopping, library trips, the zoo or the children's museum, Pizza Hut or Ponderosa, hiking and parks. Considering I also scheduled eye appointment, shot appointments and the dire need to get dd some jeans it sounds like a full schedule. E's birthday is coming up next Friday but since her friends have fled to the above mentioned warmer latitudes her party will be postponed. I'm considering a trip to the wine shop just in case the weather turns miserable and they are stuck inside playing too much gamecube and getting on each others nerves.