Soccer and some Singin'

Not too much has been going on here. We are just adjusting to life in general. But, I did want to share a couple of fun things that my boys have been involved in.

In Amarillo most of the soccer teams have either practice and/or games on Sunday. I was told by a friend at church that there is a team called Upward Soccer where they practice and have games on days other than Sunday. We were thrilled to get the boys into soccer here and onto teams that had the same standards as we have and teach good principles. My boys, for the most part, really enjoy soccer and we have told them that everyone has an important place on the team. Let's just say we don't necessarily have a couple of David Beckham's on our hands. ;)We have found though, that Cooper uses his size (it's a 1st and 2nd grade team and he is a 2nd grader. Not to mention he is taller than his team mates) to get into the pack. Then he "muscles" the ball out, and Greyson is pretty quick. He defends the ball and does a pretty good job of stealing the ball and turning it around towards their goal. They do try hard and I am really proud of them and enjoy watching them play.

Cooper waiting and watching Greyson's team before he plays.

Cooper "muscling" his way into the pack.

Going after that ball!

Greyson during his game while he sits out to let all team mates play. The sun was really bright...the smile and the contorted face explains that real well.

Greyson getting in there and playing.

Greyson and his team. He's the boy on the far right (our right).

Another fun thing that has been going on is the boys' elementary school dedication. I actually went to it this morning, so these pictures are "hot off the press today". :) When we moved here we had no idea that the boys would get to go to a brand-spankin' new school. Through a bit of "tweaking" they were able to attend and they are really enjoying it. I am amazed how "smart" the school is. They have Smart Boards and other highly electronic things. I think back (and I'm not that old) and remember the actual blackboard and chalk that I used. I am quite pleased how technical the school is, they really seemed to be interested in giving the best education my boys can get. Today at Hillside Elementary School's dedication we were able to hear from Amarillo's mayor, the state representative, the Canyon School District President and other highly visible people of Texas. I thought it was pretty neat they made priority in their schedules for the dedication. I must say, above all the pomp and circumstance I enjoyed the picture slide show with music (I don't know what it is about music and pictures, but it always makes me want to cry) and the kids' song. I know they had been practicing the song for quite awhile, because Cooper and Grey have been singing it at home. It was really beautiful and it made my heart swell so big to see my boys sing their hearts out. I thought that it would pop right out of my chest.Here is Cooper singing his little heart out.Greyson while he was waiting for their part to sing.

Here's Cooper singing and doing the arm motions to go with the song.

It has been fun watching and supporting my boys in their activities. It helps me remember what good boys they are and how I am blessed to be their mother.

Fall Smells, "Oopsie" and a Crazy Little Nut

It's been feeling a bit like Fall around here...and I am a total seasonal girl. I don't like soup in the summer, I love baking in the fall and winter and I l.o.v.e. seasonal scents. Yumm-o!! I was thinking that I needed to get some fall smells going on so I decided to take myself and Ella to the mall. (oh, darn-it! ;) So, Ell and I got a Auntie Anne's pretzel for lunch and then headed to Bath and Body Works. Going to that store is a bit painful, because I want to buy, buy, buy. Not so good... Anyway, I had a purpose in mind and I saw the fall scents beckoning me. Ahhh, love them. I took one sniff and I was in luuuv. I smelled the "leaves" scent and thought it was heavenly. I was looking for the Wallflower starters because I thought that maybe I should replace my old ones and got thinking that since my home is a bit larger I should try these: They are plugged in and I am currently basking in a very powerful fall scent....hmmmm. Maybe too powerful?? We'll see... Wait!! I totally forgot to mention the best part! When I went in they were having buy one get one free. Love it!! Makes a good-smelly home a guilt-free home and who doesn't love that??

Does anyone else out there start a project, get looking at it and then after it's done realize it's not exactly what you had envisioned?? Well, I have....lots. There was a space above my daughter's changing table and it need something else. I didn't know exactly, but when my mom and sister came and visited they put their finger on it. A vinyl saying. Love it!! I was so excited! We looked when they were here and I found this saying on sale (!) for way cheap and it was cute enough so we tackled the project and I was pleased...or so I thought. As the days passed I kept looking at it and thinking that something was not quite the way I wanted it. I finally figured it out. It was too light for the wall and it didn't "pop" like I wanted. I still liked the quote and it was already hung...what to do... So. I decided to color it with permanent marker. One may think I am crazy. Well, that may be true, but I couldn't think of another way to fix it w/o taking it down. So, I am carefully pulling up, corner by corner, and coloring the saying. It's been quite the task, but I think that it looks loads better.On another topic...even with going to the mall, Book Fair and other craziness my daughter still manages to dump old, dirty, dead-buggy water that had accumulated in the empty sandbox (gotta get that filled) all over her, eat a package of still packaged gum....don't worry, I got to it before she swallowed any, dump a jar full of Styrofoam fruit all over the living room and try to eat it. Gotta love the permanent bite marks. Ohhh the joys of a two year old. Here is a picture of her stripped down to her skivvies because she was absolutely soaked from the gross water. What a crazy little nut.

My Mother Taught Me Better Than This!!...and Other Grand Adventures

I have been meaning to update sooner then I have, but I was busy having fun and showing off a bit of Amarillo to my mom and my sister, Whitney and her kiddos. So, pardon the tardiness. ;)

You may be wondering what the title was referring to when I said that my mother taught me better then this. That would be these:

If I saw this picture I may be thinking to myself what's so wrong with a pair of Dora sandals?? Well, it all began with a harmless trip to Kohl's. I have been checking out the shopping a little bit now that the boys have been in school (love the freedom). I was looking at the jewelry and Ella insists that all of it is hers. She lets me know it's "mine"! Getting a bit tired of hearing her incessant cries that all the jewelry belongs to her and she has all licence to try on (and keep) whatever she wants. I tell her we can go to the shoes...her other passion (a girl after my own heart). She breaths "shoes" and we're off. I am looking at little cute fall shoes for her and she lays eyes on that particular pair of Dora shoes. She won't let them out of her sweaty little hands...unless it's to try them on. I get a look at them and folks, they light up. Ella is AMAZED. She bops them against the floor and cannot believe her eyes. Love at first sight. I get a bit better look at them and see that they are two different sizes...no good. I ask the sales lady if there are matches to them and evidently some person has purchased a 5 and and size 6. I get a bit better look and realize that a.) there is no price tag and b.) they are plastic. I ask the sales lady how much they cost and she tells me they are on sale for $14.50, but since they are two different sizes they would give them to me for 1/2 off...$7.25. I am thinking...um, yeah...they should be paying ME to take them off their hands. What crazy lady would purchase shoes that aren't the same size?? By now Ella has wielded her feet into the mismatched sandals and are proudly wearing them. I try to take them off, but she pitches a fit. So, I decided that I will let her wear them while I continue to browse and then stealthy take them off and slip them onto a shelf while she is is busy looking elsewhere. (Fantasy World??....I think so) As fate would have it, Ella takes off the shoes herself and so I plan on just "leaving" them somewhere in the store...not to go back to the shoe section because it would start the cycle all over again. But...then I remember how much of a deal I had made with the sales lady and realize she would remember me and the mismatched shoes and see that I totally ditched them in the middle of the store...tacky, tacky, tacky. Well, I continue looking around and actually forget the Dora shoes were in my basket altogether and then remember that I need to get my boys from school. So, I rushed up to the front of the store to purchase the couple of things I picked out and Ella spies the sandals...a bit faster then I do. She has them clutched so tightly in her hands and I try to reason with her and tug them all at the same time. I am running out of time and she is making such a big fuss all the while there is a line beginning to form behind me. I must admit to all, that I have a "bit" of an anxiety problem and I could feel it rising as I struggled with my daughter who refuses to give up the mismatched, plastic, light-up Dora sandals....all of which my mother would staunchly remind me are a horrible deal. After all, I did have her words ring in my ears ("they should pay you to take them off their hands!). My anxiety and the screeching, I must say, drowned out all reason and I purchased the Dora sandals. When I get home and I see them placed on her sweet, chubby feet I think of all the negatives of the shoes and realize I lost that battle, but she was so insistent and who could say no to this face??

Onto other naughtiness... Another love of my sweet daughter's is makeup. I will, on occasion, sit in front of a window and do my makeup. I will get a hand mirror and place it on the window sill and put my makeup on while sitting on the floor. Ella gets the routine and she will grab a compact and brush and scoot her little bottom right in front of me. She will sit with her head right in front of my view. I will place her out of the way, but she will repeat the bottom scooching and head blocking until I get sick of getting her out of the way. She "gets" for the most part what each product does, and I was proven right on this assumption the other day. While my mom and sister were here my mother gave Whitney's youngest, Scarlett, a mascara to fiddle around with. She is young enough she wouldn't have opened it, just roll it around. We were all getting ready and then we see Ella emerge looking like this:The picture didn't come out very clear, but she has mascara all over her eyes and even onto her lashes. I was quite shocked that she could get it onto her lashes w/o poking her eye...but then I remember that she has amazing dexterity. She was pleased as punch and could see no problem with her naughtiness. We scoured the house looking for the mascara aftermath. We ran straight to Georgia (Whit's other daughter) with whom Ella has loads of naughty fun with. But no, Georgia was playing beautifully by herself. So, we continue our hunt and eventually find the mascara tube perfectly closed w/o as much of a smudge on anything (remember the amazing dexterity) and she hates to be dirty. So, I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. Wiping off the mascara, I did have to chuckle to myself at the girly naughtiness that had been abounding.

Onto other fun things...

While Whitney and my mother was here we were able to go to Cadillac Ranch. One of my favorite, fun, simple things in Amarillo. I guess I love it so much because it is characteristically Amarillo. If you ever drive through, it is fun to see. The kids got quite a kick out of the cars sticking out of the air and actually getting to color! on them. We didn't stay too long as we brought permanent markers (Phillip's brainchild)...at least it wasn't spray paint (what is traditionally used to color the cars). Scratch that, the kids ended up picking up the discarded cans and trying to spray them, much to our protests to put them down. Cooper still ended up getting blue spray paint on and in his ear...I don't know how they do it. Overall, we did have a fun time and left our mark on a interesting art statement.

Greyson inside of a Cadillac making his mark.

Ezra and Coop happy to be together...and loving the dirt, cars and coloring on whatever their heart's desire.

Little Miss Georgia taking time out of her scribbles to take a picture.

Boys in the Hood....ummm, literally.

Cutie-patootie Scarlett. Ahhh, love that little girl.

The girls kept insisting that they get their hands traced on the cars...Georgia even tried on her own. Gotta love green permanet marker hands... My mother sweetly took their little hands and traced them. They loved it.

After that, we went to Blue Sky Burger and had a grand time. They have fantastic burgers and may I say a fabulous sand area for the kids to play.
It is wonderful because there isn't humidity like there is in Oklahoma. We sit out on the tree shaded deck and feel the breeze while the kids play. It's wonderful. We had lots of fun and only had to deal with the sand covered scalps (much to my sister's dismay).

I am so grateful they traveled down here and were able to see my little piece of the world. And, I just want to tell them how much I love and miss them (already! :)