The Boys are Back in Town

Their town, that is. Derik took his boys back home today. Sad face, as Dustin would say.

The six weeks they were here flew by! I know we kept busy and had fun, but I didn't think it would go by quite so quickly.  Seth was ready to go, ready to be running free in the woods, fishing and hunting with the bow Derik bought him. Dustin has a trip to Austin next week with the Lonestar Leadership Academy. He is excited about the trip, but would have loved to stay here longer too. Hope he has a blast and takes lots of pictures! He was a little disappointed that they have a no cell phone rule, but he'll be too busy to worry about texting and Facebook anyway.

Braden and I have to get back on track with reading, math, and all that preparing for 3rd grade. I can't believe we are already gearing up for school. I met with the new principal today to discuss the upcoming year's plans for our PTA. The TX PTA Summer Seminar is this weekend in Austin. (Woohoo! Free trip!) Next week is school supply delivery, then registration, and we're off! Bye bye summer!

Sad face! =(

Truth from the Blogosphere

This is from a blog I follow...  Rocks In My Dryer 


If You Give a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy a Cookie

If you give a thirteen-year-old boy a cookie,
he's probably going to ask for some soda.

But as you are a mom who is feeling the pressure to make Positive Nutritional Choices,
you will urge him to drink milk instead.

He will shrug, and you will pour a giant glass of milk--whole milk--
and you will reflect that if you drank that much whole milk you would have hips as wide as Tennessee.

He will finish the milk and and wipe his mouth with his shirt,
and you will not complain, because this is better than the milk moustache he normally wears.

He will set down the cup and ask if you've seen his cell phone, and you will tell him you turned it off,
because why-oh-why must he and his friends text each other Chuck Norris jokes all day?

He will shrug, and then he will think of Chuck Norris, and this will remind him of the movies,
which will remind him of popcorn, and he'll ask if you can fix him some.

And you say sure, because you're thinking that popcorn is
a much cheaper snack than the bacon he normally asks for.

He will jerk his head around because he somehow heard you think the word "bacon",
and you will tell him "no, you're having popcorn, remember?"

He will take the popcorn to the living room, and you will remind him there is no longer any eating allowed in the living room because you stayed up late picking brownie crumbs out of the carpet after the last youth group party at your house.

And his eyes will shine and he will say, "Brownie?" and you will say, "NO."
So he will eat his popcorn instead (in the kitchen, like a good boy).

And all the salt will make him crave another glass of (whole) milk.
But he's polished off the third gallon of (whole) milk this week, and he must therefore hike all the way out to the garage to the nasty old back-up fridge.

As he walks out to the garage, you will notice that you can see the bones in his hips, and you will sadly remember that your pants get tight if you even think about cheesecake, and you will know that good metabolism is wasted on those young enough to think that Big Macs are gourmet.

He will return from the garage with the milk, but with all that physical exertion, chances are he's going to want a cookie and a brownie and some bacon to go with it.

Ha! She cracks me up! Check her out...  http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/

Dilla Dude

We caught an Amarillo Dilla's game this week, before the mosquitoes attacked.  (Several friends went later in the week and ended up running away around the 7th inning stretch due to the swarms of blood suckers!) The game was enjoyable, even though the Dillas lost.

All the audience games and races they do are fun to watch. They boys were telling me about a time they came with Derik and got to race the mascots around the bases.  I think Dustin was 6 and Seth was 4 that year. Apparently they asked Derik to do the Sumo wrestle but he declined.

Now the boys are 'too cool' to be seen racing mascots or even taking a picture with them. Braden did chase down the Dilla Dude and Maverick the Cowboy for a picture though!

Yes...I know my child looks like a street urchin. He needs a hair cut desperately. However, now that he has a certain style he's going for, we have to go see my stylist who I trust to achieve the look he wants. This requires an appointment, which I keep forgetting to make. We'll get there, eventually!

Attack of the Giant Mosquitos

All the rain we have had lately (including a record breaking 7.25 inches in 24 hours that flooded the airport and several parts of town) has allowed the mosquito population to grow to mammoth proportions. They are huge and there are tens of the thousands of them in my yard alone.

I have gone in to detail about my hatred fort this horrible creation that I think the world would survive without. Someone needs to come up with a spray that doesn't just repel them but kills them on contact. I would like to eradicate the entire mosquito population. That would make me happy and greatly improve my ability to enjoy the outdoors!

Fun @ Angel Fire

The boys had fun with the eurobungie, which was Braden's favorite. Dustin and Seth both made it to the top of the rock wall. Braden enjoyed trying, but decided he needed longer legs.

We also enjoyed the paddleboats. An hour was a little long, but gave everyone a chance to paddle or just float. Braden enjoyed "talking" to the geese that were all around us.

Cimarron Canyon Hiking

The river was very cold and we got to see people fly flishing down the river. Dustin, Seth, & I scaled the mountainside up to some rocks but it was a little too steep for Braden. We also saw a bear not far from here while driving. It was a small brown bear that hung around the road long enough for all the boys to see it, but not long enough for slow parents to get a picture!

Fireworks in the Mountains

We hung out near the Eaglenest Lake waiting for fireworks on the 4th. They were beautiful with the lake & mountain backdrop. Unfortunately, we have weird pics of us waiting instead of the scenery & fireworks!

A random moment in the camper. Don't they look thrilled!

New Mexico Camping

Sunday, July 4th, we drove to Angel Fire, NM with my parents. They invited us to join them in their camper for a couple days out of their week long vacation. We enjoyed fireworks over Eaglenest Lake, eurobungie and rock wall climbing at Angel Fire Resort, and paddleboating in Monte Verde Lake. We also hiked around Cimarron Canyon, visiting the same spot and trails we used when I was Braden's age. We all had a good time and enjoyed the beautiful scenery!  Pictures to come!

Thursday Five

Here is this week's 5 that have made me happy, giddy, joyful, excited, and appreciative!

1. We all really enjoyed the family (Derik's fam) coming to visit this past weekend. I enjoyed getting spend some time with Laken, my almost 17 year old niece who I see very very little of. We all enjoyed playing games together. Please note the girls beat the guys at Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and Sequence. (These were tournaments, not just one game!) Go girls!!

2. I've spent time this week preparing for the next school year in PTA. We have a great group of parents that are all enthusiastic about being involved. I have high hopes of increasing the volunteerism and making a real difference for the students at our school. I am switching jobs, from Treasurer to President. As of today, I am done being the Treasurer. I still have to go through the audit and do the tax stuff in the fall, but I am down right giddy about not being solely responsibly for the PTA books anymore!

3. I am reading a memoir, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (which I borrowed from my niece Laken). It is an incredible story. This girl, the children in this family, suffered an unimaginable upbringing. Just makes me feel ridiculously blessed to have the lifestyle, husband, parents, and creature comforts that I have! Excellent book! Check it out!

4. This weekend is 4th of July! Saturday, after backing out of a garage sale with other families that I had previously agreed to, we will be enjoying a patriotic parade and visiting my grandmother. Sunday, we will be heading to New Mexico with my mom & Bill for a couple of days. Camping in their RV in the mountains. Hopefully Derik will forgo the tents due to being in bear country. Don't think I would get much sleep!

5. Tomorrow is my father-in-law's birthday. He passed away last year on Father's Day. I am greatly appreciative of the 9 years I knew this sweet man. The last several years, he and I became closer and had a unique bond. We all miss him dearly and will be thinking of him tomorrow and always.

My father-in-law, Rick, having fun with the kids.