Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Family Reunion Time

At the last minute, we decided to hit the family reunion scene. We drove 14 hours to So. Lake Tahoe, CA one way - got there at about 7 in the morning - kids fully rested and parents fully knocked out - we went to the beach that day (Saturday). We took a hike (nature type stuff) on Sunday (not we, just husband & kids, I went on a walk and got lost in the bitty teeny neighborhood, but I won't get into THAT) on Monday, we took a hike w/ everyone in the morning - and then the kids & Ross went to the beach in the afternoon & I went with FIL, MIL, BIL & his wife & boys (and Coby) on a little hike to see the Vikingsholm Castle. That was - well, another hike. We came home & ate a fabulous diner and crashed. Left early Tuesday morning for another 14 hour journey back home!

Here are some of my more favorite pictures.

The twins:

The twins grown up:

Tug-o-war:

Picture from the Sunday Hike:

While they were taking in the beautiful scenery - I was getting lost on my walk:

Yodel-lay-hee-whoooo:

I had to add this one -- Kiersten took this picture and WOW - I didn't even have to photoshop it! WTG, Kiersten!

Monday hike w/ the gang - this was the beginning of the hike...people are still relatively un-grumpy.

Heidi of the Alps with her little puppy dog, Sixx. Keep her on a tight leash.

And lastly - he who needs no introduction or posing tips, it's all him:

Sadly - I am having to pay a retrieval company to pull the remainder pictures off my camera card, I can see them on my camera, but they won't show up on the computer - any suggestions?? - I've been hitting my head against the wall all day long! Nothing more frustrating than 28 hours in a car with 6 children, two of them full size, but all 6 of them acting like 2 year olds - with only 1/2 of the pictures to keep the squishy-car-trip-memory out of their heads! Nice...any experts on picture retrieval, I'd appreciate it!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

I'll spare you the play-by-play details

Because OBVIOUSLY some people don't find swim meets as exciting as perhaps the participants and parents - I mean - poor Coby - she tried her hardest to keep interest, but fell short by about an hour!!!

But I have to say I'm so proud of my kids! Last night was the LAST {insert fanfare music here /TA\/DA\ lots of symbols crashing and other chaotic merriment} swim meet of the season! It was divisionals - 8 lanes open - Gold, Silver & Bronze metals along w/ 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th place ribbons to be had for all!

My talented children came home with 9 medals - including 3 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze, along with various other placement ribbons (thank you to the relay teams - ya know, you're only as fast as the kid that swims like a rat on acid) Poor Howie didn't get any medals and because of that he has vowed to never ever ever swim again ever unless, of course, his friend Brendan is there, in which case, he'll make an exception. (I just have to laugh at the expression on his face! It makes it even harder when you miss out on getting a metal by a HAIR!)


I must toot the horns of Kali, who got a GOLD MEDAL in the butterfly - WOAH - (she's never attempted that stroke in a race before!! she did FANTASTIC) Rossi EARNED his medals, the races were all very close down to the photo finish, BUT what's so impressive about him is that he only swam in his division (13-14) for ONE race, the other ones he swam up a level - the 15 and above - he did PHENOMENALLY! Kiersten of course did her best, had to pinch-swim for one of the girls on her relay team who got sick just before the race. Howie also swam butterfly (a new stroke for him) and came in BARELY 4th - just missed that bronze medal by a hair!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Girls hour out....

it wasn't a full DAY OUT, but we did splurge & get pedicures! It was Kali's first pedicure and she giggled the whole time they were pumicing her feet!
She loved the massage chair! It's so fun watching kids get pedicures for the first time - Kiersten did the same thing - giggle, but try to be serious because this is an "adult" thing...
Kali was a little more free with her girley giggles, it was cute. So here's our toes - whose is whose?

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Rebuttal

Here's a little "cousin rivalry" (for Avery) and Kiersten wanted me to pull out all the pictures of cakes & stuff she's done through the years, since I'm not competitive that way - but just competitive enough to show her most recent accomplishment -- today she made a really REALLY good brunch, some kind of breakfast like concoction - actually quite tasty. Here's what she used...
6 eggs
12 oz breakfast sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups dry biscuit baking mix
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*slightly scramble the eggs (cook slightly - not runny, but not all cooked, either)*mix (like you would a meatloaf) remaining ingredients, add scrambled eggs.
*Roll into balls (makes 10 fist sized balls)
*cook for 20-25 minutes at 375 or until slightly browned on top.

EAT UP! It was SOOOO yummy!

Then we cut Kali's hair...7 inches off the bottom, it was so chlorine-thrashed - we're going to give her (and Kiersten) a deep stripping type conditioner thingy made for removing chlorine & green from blondes (for Kiersten and Brynn) meanwhile, Kali has a short new 'do with bangs.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A Pictorial Interlude

All the sources say you THINK you're better, but then it comes back for a final Exclamation point. We're at that part in our parasital combat right now. So for your viewing excitement, here are some pictures.
Grandma & Grandpa came to visit, Grandma brought some grass skirts for the girls and Brynn really decided to ham it up for the camera...and I know I laughed my HEAD off when the girls showed me this "laying down" picture they took of her?!
Methinks this is more appropriate than those Miley Cirus pictures in Vanity Fair?

Meanwhile Kiersten grabbed some cantaloupe seeds from the sweetest cantaloupe we ever did eat and she planted them in a little garden area - LOOK what we have!


Brynn also wants to be a rock legend, this is a picture of her playing "Popcorn popping on the Apricot Tree" I know - hardly any guitar in that song, but we like to keep it simple.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

A dummied down version

for the uber TMI sensitive.... (yes I said uber and still don't like the word)

You take the 8 pounds off,
You put the 8 pounds on,
Clean the small intestines out
And you shake them all about,
You do the Hokey Pokey and you twist them inside out.
That's what this week was about!

There...if you're sensitive don't read below.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Going through the Big D...

you know that song...

Going through the big D and I don't mean Dallas,
I can't believe what the doc had to tell us,
We got the squirts and intestinal malice...
Yep, we're going through the big D and don't mean Dallas!

(music fades to background...)

So there's a little taste of what's been going on here at the homefront the last few weeks. Interestingly, we just MONDAY got the word back from the county health department that the specimen (oh please, you don't even want to know the recipe of providing that little tidbit to the county...trust me) came back with a positive for the parasite cryptosporiosis.

They call it CRYPTO mostly because it sounds like kryptonite - you know, that magical element not on our periodic table that is the only known substance to weaken and kill Superman, except, of course, Chuck Norris, but I digress...Yes, even Crypto has the ability to turn guts of steel into shards of glass.

If I didn't experience this myself, first hand, my sympathetic hindsight for the incredible amount of pain my children had been in the week before wouldn't have nearly peaked to the current level.

As the representative from County Health was on the news saying "this isn't a major illness..." the rest of what he said sort of went into a blur...clearly, he needs to come swim in my toilet water. Because as I experience it, once your intestines turn into glass and the contents thereof work the way out - either up or down - the intestines themselves invert and also fall out. Simultaneously, the stomach empties all the contents - including it's acid, it, being dried up and shrivelled much like a Styrofoam plate does as it's thrown into a fire.

Never fear, once the aforementioned takes place, you're on your way out of the sick and into the recovery phase, where the term "Texas Tea" takes on a whole new meaning.

Kidneys all but stop functioning because, well, they'd been out of work for the past 4-10 days, it's difficult to have that kind of vacation time off and expect to jump right back into the whole "functioning as a team player" role...meanwhile - oh - forgive me my couth - what? I have none...as those affected run to the toilet not sure if they're loaded or throwing out blanks - luckily at this point, they're all blanks, but they're shot out with such force the toilet flushes itself and swears oaths as it wants to cut a deal with you that it will to never again allow itself to be backed up if you promise to keep that kind of toxicity to do your part toward global warming.

But alas, as a few of us sit here with the McGurgles, we know we're on the downside and it will just get better from here.

My internal conflictor-meter is trying to determine whether or not we'll follow the recommendations & stay out of the pool for 2 weeks, or if I need my kids to have that 4 hours of wear-out swimming to keep them from fighting and asking me every 2 minutes "what are we doing today" of course we won't go swimming, I wouldn't wish this sickness on even our previous renters...okay - well MAYBE them, but definitely not...like...you know - someone I don't like - like - oh - OH YAH - that guy who totally cut me off on the freeway going 90 miles an hour and then slowed down to almost a stop right in front of me, ya, I wouldn't wish it on him, cause, well, actually, that'd be pretty funny if he got it, and then he knew it was ME who wished it on him...anyway - you get the picture.

We're feeling better.

Thanks for your well wishes and calls and thoughts - and all that stuff, especially Crysty, my co-lactator, who offered with full charity to nurse my dear sweet starving Coby as I lay incapacitated and completely dehydrated for 2 days when she wouldn't take the bottle. I know you meant well, and are too far to follow through on that, I'm just sad mom at least didn't TRY to nurse her...you never know...can't you milk anything with nipples?

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The folks are visitin'

Memo to mom:

Even though you see them clean carpet and dishes with paper towels on TV, they're not a reasonable tool to clean such elements. Nor do they assist in cleaning out the garbage disposal. It will just rip them to shreds.

Memo to dad:

Do you really think artificial sweeteners in my sports drink will kill me off quicker than your deep fried pancakes?

Memo to Grandma:

I'm Florence's daughter. Nice to meet you. The baby is 3 months old - and I am a neurosurgeon...I gots all the education I can handle...and no - the kids won't catch a draft if they run around outside in the 110 degree weather without shoes on.

Oh - and to my brother, Pete...

Grandma took a nap in your bed while you were at the office! BWHAHHAHAAAAA! She used your pilla, too! While all her teeth remained in her mouth, not all her saliva did....BWHAHHAAA!

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

I can't help it

I have to say something or I'll burst.

Our pool has been shut down for the week - all the lifeguards are sick and there's just not enough healthy staff to guard the pool. So swim team practice has been moved to a neighboring pool. Syncro practice has also been moved, but to a different pool than swim practice...so we're bouncing around - but the good news is - there are no extra classes, so we're FINISHED at 10 instead of noon!

This leaves me with two extra hours of day. And I feel like I need to blog about a particular topic that's been on my mind.

One of the lifeguards - I shall keep the identity in my head - in case anyone who knows this pool/guard reads it and I don't embarrass him. oops, now you know it's a boy.

Anyway - I was talking to him today - and he had TWO - yes TWO large VERY large white zits on his forehead. I was afraid to stand in front of him while he was talking to me for fear of them blowing up and splattering on my face.

So I stood to the side as he explained his theory on the whats and hows of this whole pool virus thing.

I couldn't stop staring at them. They were smiling at me and giving me the "nanny nanny booboo" treatment. I really just wanted to reach up there and - (okay - I'm coming out of the closet on this one) - but I needed to pop them. Both of them.

He had to notice that I didn't make eye contact with him. I was totally staring at "Moe" and "Shep" two of the stooges that danced around on his forehead threatening to spray buckets of puss out at any moment.

I can't get it out of my mind. Now - I have a question relating to today's blog. Do you tell someone they have a ginormous talking zit on their face (the equivalent of spinach in the teeth) or do you just do your best and try to ignore it? Is it rude to point out something of that nature? And if so, where do you draw the line? A lady has her skirt tucked up into her panties - tell her or no? let her figure it out? Food stuck in the teeth? I just need to know - is it just me. I can't get those brother zits out of my mind. Which is really doing wonders for my afternoon snack appetite.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Just some pictures we took before church today

 

playing around with picassa!
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Ever since she created her Mii on the Wii and gave herself pink glasses, she calls herself "Binny with the pink glasses." When she found these Tinkerbell glasses, it was etched in stone! Our little Binny with the pink glasses!
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Saturday, July 05, 2008

Lifes little mysteries

How does toothpaste end up on the wall behind the toilet when the toilet is in a different room than the sink?

Why do we find useful things like - game pieces, spoons and pony tail holders in the garbage, but children can't find a place for the garbage they have in their room?

Why would we put mated socks in the dirty clothes, but dirty underwear in the drawer?

Must we really keep all this dust?

When will they figure it out??????

We don't want mom knowing that we snuck granola bars upstairs, so instead of eating them and throwing away the evidence, we're going to eat them and shove all the evidence (wrappers) behind the TV upstairs. Really - think about it...put it under the dirty diaper in the garbage, mom won't dig under there.

When we don't want to brush our teeth we use excuses such as "I can't find my toothbrush" not knowing that mom has a case of tooth brushes and can access them in a matter of seconds. Interestingly enough - when we find 13 toothbrushes in a bathroom that is shared between two girls, they get to clean the bathroom with it - they still can't learn - if you can't find your toothbrush, look behind the toilet near the toothpaste.

Did you know milk spills disappear if you don't feel like wiping them up all the way after you spill...yep, they dry and go invisible.

Rub spilled lemonade into the floor, it looks just like water and will also dry clear.

Sucker sticks and Popsicle sticks belong in couch cushions. So do candy wrappers and toenails.