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Yesterday after a busy day at work I frantically pulled into the school parking lot to pick up Mollie. I asked her "what was the best thing today?" She quickly answered and then asked me a question. Little did I know that it was to be a day of questions. Mike was gone late so he was not around to field some of the questions here is an outline of what I remember:

• Are we going to Walmart? (Mollie)
• Can Jaime Come? (Mollie)
• Are we ordering me new glasses? (Mollie)
• Are we still going to Walmart to get my glasses? (Megan)
• Can I get some make-up? (Megan)
• How far is Kennelly Keys from Walmart? (Megan)
• My clarinet broke, can we drop it off? (Megan)
• Can I go to the basketball game tomorrow? (Sam)
• Can you pick me up? (Sam)
• Can I paint my face blue? (Sam)
• What's for Dinner (Mollie)
• When is Dad going to be home? (Mollie)
• How long will you be gone? (Sam)
• When is Dad going to be home? (Sam)
• Have you seen my shoes? (Mollie)
• Is my jacket clean? (Megan)
• What's for dinner (Megan)
• Why won't the insurance buy the glasses? (Mollie)
• How long is this going take? (Mollie)
• How much does this cost ? (Mollie)
• Can I play select soccer? (Mollie)
• Why not? (Mollie)
• What's for dinner? (Sam)
• Mom, can you help me with this? (Mollie)
• What does this word mean? (Sam)
• How to you do this? (Mollie)
• Can you quiz me for my test? (Megan)
• Can I play Wii right now? (Mollie)
• Can I watch 24 when it starts? (Sam)
• Can I call Lydia? (Mollie)
• Can she come over tomorrow? (Mollie)
• Can we get a gym membership? (Sam? Megan? can't remember)
• When is Dad going to be home? (Megan)
• Is the orange bottle Motrin? (Sam)
• Can you braid my hair? (Megan)

Yes, we finally ate dinner and Dad finally got home. OK, so now the final question after a very long afternoon/evening. The kids, after being asked five times, and yelled at a little bit, are finally in bed. It is 9:48 pm and I am saying good night to Sam and he asks "Mom, we were just messing around while we brushed, WHY ARE YOU OVER-REACTING??????????

Happy Birthday!

I can't go to bed tonight with out officially saying Happy Birthday to my best friend. Thanks for being a great husband, friend, and dad! I love you!

Yesterday was Mike's birthday but we celebrated for two days. His idea of the perfect birthday present was loading up in the van and driving to Cabela's in Lacey. I rented some movies for the car ride and we headed out. The store was awesome and we had a great time. Unfortunately we couldn't eat lunch there because we ran out of time and the line was way too long so we had to settle for Wendy's on the way home. The conversation on the way home was pretty much the what if game... If you had $1000 dollars what would you have bought today?

Last night Mollie's gift to Mike was a wrestling match. After confirming that Sam and Megan would not be participating the match began. I'm pretty sure that Mike was still able to take her. Today, Sunday, we had family over to officially have dinner, cake and sing. It was a fun day and a fun visit with everyone.

Nineteen years ago when I went shopping for Mike's birthday for the first time I had no idea what to get for him. So I decided to be funny and bought him an outfit from Goodwill complete with a pocket protector. I thought it was hilarious. If I remember right he didn't think it was too funny. Since that Birthday I still have a similar problem. What to get for him that is "in the budget." I would have loved to have come home with a stand up jet ski, a new pair of snow skiies, a flat screen TV, a new lap top, etc... Well, I actually came home with a couple of books and an arm-band for his ipod. He also bought a few things at Cabela's. He thought it was a great birthday weekend.

Sam's Football Season

He is number 66 in the above picture.

On the line he was usually matched up against someone bigger than him. I love this picture of him getting to be the bigger kid.

Ok, so I should have posted this a week or two ago but it never quite happened. As many of you know the debate at our house over whether Sam would play football this year for the first time ever got very heated at times. I obviously lost and Sam played on the 8th grade team. He absolutely loved it. When football first started I worried about him everyday after school (yes, I am just a little protective of my boy). After a little bit of time I relaxed. I started looking forward to picking him up because he was always all smiles. There must be something about being a guy and being able to shove people around and knock them down. For never having played before he got a lot of time playing defensive tackle along with being on both kick off teams. He played offense a handful of times with the highlight being in on a few plays as full back.

The very first game was just starting as I was walking up. The night before Sam had told me he was not on the kick off receiving team. But as I was walking up I saw him on the field and thought I must have his number wrong because he shouldn't be on the field. A few seconds later he received a short kick and ran back about 12-15 yards and then got pummelled. I was cringing the whole time and hoping that it was not him on the bottom of the pile. A few seconds later he ran off the field and pulled his helmet off. It was indeed him and he was all smiles. Well by half time I was very relieved when Mike showed up and I left to get the girls. I was literally sick to my stomach from watching him play.

By the end of the season I had definitely calmed down and could watch the game without feeling ill. By the last game I only slightly cringed when he was hit hard or ended up on the bottom of the pile. It was pure joy watching him have such a great time. Not sure that I am ready for next year but we'll see how it goes.

Girls Night Out?

Last night after dinner, which was at Arby's, Megan informed me that I am somewhat "lame" or maybe it was "pathetic" because I was so excited about the price of dinner. Thanks to some great coupons the entire family ate dinner out for $12.88. It was pretty exciting, the price was right and I didn't have to cook or do dishes.

I am hoping that I have now changed her opinion. I just purchased movie tickes via the internet for the 21st to go see Twilight. She and her friends have planned a mother/daughter girls night out. I can't imagine the number of girl's night out parties that are taking place on Friday the 21st. I am sure we will all have lots to say after the movie.

District Swim Meet

Other than the fact that the District JV meet was 4 1/2 hours long it was fun. I picked up Mollie early from school and headed to Marysville. We watched her first two events then went shopping to Fred Meyers and to dinner at Ivars. Mollie and I then went back over to the Pool and watched Megan's last two events. She did a great job. Over 100 kids swam the 50 free. She took first in her heat and finished somewhere in the top 25. The exciting part of the night was watching her win her heat in the back stroke. She shaved over 4 seconds off of her best time. I couldn't take it. I had to put the camera down so I could watch and cheer the remaining three lengths of the pool. She credits her increased speed to the fact that her coach was following her along the edge of the pool yelling at her the whole time. It was very exciting. She is done with swimming for this year and is trying to figure out how to occupy her time after school.

HALLOWEEN HOOPLA

For the ward halloween party Sam decided to return to his roots and be a pumpkin again. I couldn't resist including pictures from his first and second halloween.



After the ward party his pumpkin costume was pretty much a goner so he decided to go for a different bag on halloween night. He was just a bag of garbage. He didn't trick or treat just headed over to a friends house. Megan was at the highschool football game on halloween night so no dressing up and no pictures.

For the ward halloween party Mollie was a vampire. I think she has been a vampire five or six times. She loves it. I also had to do a flashback to the first time she was a vampire at age 3. Mollie and her friend Lydia always coordinate costumes for the ward party. The vampire and the vampire cat. They looked great!

Mollie decided to switch costumes on Halloween night. She was a beat up soccer player. She loved having a black eye and a bloody nose. Jorelle and Andrew brought Nate and Ben over to go trick or treating. Mollie loved spending time with them and I loved having little ones in the house. It was a fun night!