Weekend Whatevs

Another Summer Weekend has flown by!
Can you believe it?
I had a completely awful train of thought
about getting ready for school
or
"The Day That Shall Not Be Named"
in 5 weeks!
YUCK!
It was awful I tell ya.
So not ready yet.

It's because retailers are puttin' out
backpacks
lunchbags
notebooks and pencils.
Killjoys, nuthin' but rotten Killjoys
all of 'em.

When I wasn't thinking about
ya know,
TDTSNBN,
I was having fun with la familia.

Friday night,
the yahoos and I made
homemade guacamole
and
fresh tortillas
for a really tasty Messican dinner.
Am I the only person on the planet
that knows about
keeping the
avocado seeds
aka
"Buddies"
in the mixture to keep it fresh?

I don't know if it's actually true,
because
guacamole disappears in our house
before it can go bad--
but if you've heard of this,
and know it to be true,
shout it out, K?

As for the fresh tortillas--
I don't make the dough,
but buy them already formed
from Costco
and cook them on the griddle--
seriously,
once you've had them fresh and warm
you will never want to buy them
cooked again.

Saturday Morning:
We did not have the missionaries over for breakfast.
That was weird...
we have fed missionaries breakfast
for a decade.
But the elders didn't call and didn't come.
So we had a fun family breakfast,
cleaned the kitchen up,
got into our clown car
and went to the Y
for
Zumba Class!

One of Nana's friends, Taylow,
came with us
for her very first Zumba experience.
We told her how much fun it was
and all that
really pumping her up
to have a fantastic workout.

To our shock and awe,
the Zumba-Instructor-On-Crack,
Elody
was there.
Dani and I
quickly warned
Nana and Taylow about her
with all the energy of our souls--
"That's HER! She's nutz!"

Only 15 minutes into the routine,
we were all laughing our bums off
at the ridiculousness of it all--
Elody knows her Zumba moves--
yessirree she does!!--
But
But
But
it's like she is Angel*na J*olie in that
new double agent thriller,
SALT--
Elody doesn't want anyone else
to know what's coming up!
It's like her routine is a secret
and we're just supposed to read her mind
what she is going to do next.

FUH-HUH-NEE Stuff
I tell ya!
I had to take a water break,
and as I stood in the back of the room,
I saw more than two women
just standing there
just. standing. there.
shaking their noggins in
frustration
disbelief
and may I add,
not to the schizophrenic beat at all.

As for me and my girls,
well, if we'd been at school,
let's just say that
we'd have been kicked out
for goofing off in class--
we were laughing so stinkin' hard
at the situation
and
at each other's attempts to keep up.
I'm giggling now as I write this--
an image of Nana comes to mind
where she is half-jumping
trying to touch her toes with one hand
while the other hand is flailing above her head
like a wet noodle
and
Dani, unsure of what to do
just started doing the can-can!

I promised myself to bring a camera next Saturday.
The good news?
Our regular awesome instructor, Wendy
was in the class too--
so we tried our best to keep up with her.
I grabbed her after class and asked,
"Is Elody a different level of Zumba instructor than you?
Because, well, as you could see,
we were all over the freakin' map here today!"
Wendy smiled,
"No, she's not a different level--she's not too good at giving
directions though. But if you keep coming to her class, you'll catch on."
Wendy was loyal to her co-worker,
and I can appreciate that--
told you Wendy is awesome.
I did see several women corner Elody outright
and ask about her routine...
read
my
mind.
I only overheard her answer,
"Just keep coming...blah blah blah...
and you may be able to read my mind someday."
Or something like that.

Truthfully,
it was awhole lotta fun
in a different way--
the workout kicked our bums
but the laughing made it so fun!
Can't wait for tomorrow's class--
Wendy's night!!
Yesssssssssss.

Okay,
so after the YMCA
we came home and ate leftovers
from our Messican dinner...
the rest of the guac was inhaled
I do believe at that time.
Oh, I didn't mention that we used
six avocados for one batch
did I?
Yeah, we make enough to feed our family
and whomever drops in.

The youngest yahoos had to be threatened to sit down
and eat before they grabbed their fishing nets
and headed to the little pond
with their awaiting posse on the front steps...
a clan of little yahoos in the neighborhood
all lovin' the excitement of fishing!

So the yahoos scarfed down their lunch
and flew out the front door
and down the path to their summer haven.

An hour later,
they all appeared at the front door
with a bucket of stinky pond water
and a five-inch-long sunfish in it.
"Can we keep it?"
"Uh, no. Where would we put it?"
"In this bucket!"
"It smells awful guys. N' look at it--the bucket's too small."
"Awww...c'mon Dad!"
"No, we're not keeping it."

That's when I noticed the yahoos
looking at each other,
fretting about carrying the heavy metal silver bucket
all the way down to the pond again--
obviously,
their excitement in the catch
had made the trek home easy,
but hauling it all the way back
was pure dread.
I chimed in,
"Let me grab my shoes,
and we'll take the baby for a walk
down to the pond with you guys, k?"

Of course there was much relief
and
rejoicing at my offer,
and I was proclaimed to be,
"The Best Mother In The World!"
by all concerned parties.

Apparently,
I rock.

So we took the Ninja baby,
who giggled and cooed the whole way,
down to the Preserve where the pond is--
only we didn't go all the way to the shore--
there's two paths,
one is above it all,
and the one directly to it.
Once, because of trees,
we couldn't see the Boofus and one of his posse,
and just as I said that,
we hear:
"REDDDDDDD ROBINNNNNNNN" coming from down below--
to which the Caboose responded with missing a beat:
"YUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!"

Do you remember calling
"Marco?"
"POLO!"
yeah, my yahoos are all commercialed-out.
Every so often we'd hear,
"REDDD ROBINNNN"
and not to be left out,
Mr W and I joined with the Caboose--
"YUMMMM!"

On the trail, I realized we
coulda
shoulda
woulda
brought the hound
if I'd thought of it.
So after an hour
we headed back home
dropped off the Ninja Baby
leashed the hound
and
headed back to the Pond.
Our dog lubs the Preserve--
she can be taken off leash
once we assess that there are no other
dogs on the trail
and she lubs it as only a lab can.
We put about 400 miles on her in
thirty minutes
before coming home.
Saturdays rock, don't they?

Sunday:
Church.
Three hours of it.
Sounds like a long time,
to members of other faiths,
but we Mormons are the definition
of
Overachievers--
while one hour is good enough for my Baptist heritage,
Mormons just can't get it all done in one hour!
We have things to do,
people to see--
if I don't write another post this week,
you can assume I've been translated
overnight.
just kidding.

If that were true,
I'd be gone already,
on account of it being
Monday morning
at 2:04--
I went to bed at 10pm,
but between Mr W's snorfest
and a coldfront that woke me up shivering
so I had to get up and close the windows
in the whole house,
I couldn't go back to sleep.
So apparently,
three hours of church
was not enough
to translate me.
Not even after thirty-plus years.
Shoot.

I'm ready for Monday...
supposed to be a scorcher.
Bring it.

What about your weekend?
Spill it!

Dog Fight!

Love the Cujo eyes...

The camera settings were off, but I like the glowy effect...

It's just too bad they don't have any fun.

New Girl in Town!

Remember I told you I would be busy on Saturday? It was a hard secret to keep, but we told the kids we had a surprise but we had to go to Denver for it. The kids don't like going to Denver. So we had to convince them it would be worth the trip. We bribed them with candy from the corner store before left the Springs. We told them we'd make a special stop at the Bass Pro Shop up there--it's huge, so they stopped whining. Then, we met the Puppy Guy there who drove down from Nebraska with a truck full of puppies for our picking. The kids didn't suspect a thing until the guy opened the back of the truck and we said, "Surprise! Let's Pick One!" Their eyes widened, mouths dropped open and then it got really fun! Each of the kids found a "favorite"...we had to tell them "Just One!" This is Dakota--or Kota. She is 7 weeks old. AKC female black lab. And she is fuzzy and fluffy and has puppy breath.

When she isn't eating, this is what she does.

Except at night. I was up with her every 25 minutes last night. We're crate-training her. Just a couple more sleepless nights and she'll be fine.
She has no idea that we're going to make her a hunting dog and a hiking dog...it's just as well for now...we'll let her sleep when she's tired and fatten her up so she'll grow strong.

That look right there is why we chose her out of the whole litter...she looked right into our eyes when we spoke to her. We think she may be a Genius Dog. We're pretty sure of it. No more dog-stalking for me...I've got my own little girl to keep me company.

When God Made....
When God had made the Earth and sky, The flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals And all the birds and bees.
And when his work was finished, Not one was quite the same.
He said, 'I'll walk this earth of mine, And give each one a name,'
And so he travelled land and sea, And everywhere he went,
A little creature followed Him Until his strength was spent.
And when all were named upon the Earth, And in the sky and sea,
The little creature said,'Dear Lord, There's not one left for me!'
The Father smiled and softly said: 'I've left you till the end.
I've turned my own name back to front, And called you DOG, my friend.

That Long NIght...random thoughts

It's past midnight. I'm awake. What's up with that? I mean, really--WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?

I'm sleepy. I want to sleep. I need sleep.

I went to bed early. Even fell asleep. Then, Daisie comes in around 10:15pm from babysitting, and here I am, three hours later. Mr W is snoring. Loud. This is not cool. I'm gonna have to get those breathe right strips for us...well, he'll wear it and I won't have to listen to his snoring. Sometimes, his snoring is so weird-sounding, I start giggling and then he starts giggling--cuz he wakes himself up!

randomness #1: I can hear the Boofus is yammering in his sleep. He's dreaming about Legos. I am not kidding. He's saying, "Dude, these are all mine. These are all mine. You have the [blah blah blah] ones..." The other morning I was complimenting him on his newest Lego creation..."someday, you might work for an important company doing amazing things." "Yeah, I think I will work for Legos." Hmm. Well, maybe he will. I was thinking like an architect or a civil engineer...but yeah, people work for Lego too, right? I've just never met anyone in my life that works for Lego. But you know, the Boof-dog would love it, and you should always do something you love.

randomness#2: The girls made it to Utah. They haven't called me from Lea's house. I don't have Lea's number.
They last called when they were 5 minutes from her house...so the chances that they are lying on the side of the road or in a hospital are pretty slim. Besides, Lea woulda called me by now.
Okay I feel better about that.
Diana is awaiting her Nanny assignment--the Director said she will know the details about where she'll be placed by May. I'm excited for her to have a great adventure on the East Coast. It's with LDS Nannies, I'm pretty sure. Definitely an LDS nanny company though--they even require a Bishop's recommendation letter.

randomness #3: What else? Oh we had Nan's daughter's Bridal Shower tonight. We used the ABC theme. There were some fun gift ideas and lotsa good food--as is always the case when it comes to any thing that Nan is involved in--you never leave there hungry. The Bride-to-Be rec'd some "naughty nighties" from her sisters and she had a great sense of humor about it too. But then, she's is Nan's daughter, so what else would she do? Okay and the punch Kelly made was TO DIE FOR!
***Sprite, Apricot Nectar, Pineapple Juice and Pineapple sherbet.*** I had to go back for more 3 times. Yummy!

randomness#4: Even though Mr W vetoed getting a dog right now, I'm still clicking on craigslist every stinkin day looking for a dog I can't resist. It's like a "dare" now...and can I just say that there are some hideous-looking pooches out there? Sometimes I have to go back and look at the pic again to be sure it was just an ugly dog! Man, I've seen mutts in my day, but some of these look like science experiments gone way wrong! Since we always neuter/spray our pets, I guess I didn't realize how many people just don't do that. From what I can tell, Black Labs get around ALOT.
Black lab "Mixes" are everywhere to be found: "labradoodles", "lab/pits", Lab/goldens, Lab/Newfies, "lab/shepherd", "lab/beagles" --on a side note, ever hear of a "Puggle"? I didn't until today: Pug/beagle= puggle. Whodathunk?--anywho, Black Labs are apparently very attractive to many many other breeds...and why not? Are they not the most affable dogs on the planet? What's not to love, right? Isn't Scooby Doo a Lab? Labs are the "Barry White" of the Canine Community.
Okay okay--well I'm looking for a dog Mr W can't resist...truth be told, cuz I'm a pushover for Labs and Goldens. And I want one so I can have a reason to walk my old woman behind off!


randomness #5: I'm thinkin of taking Ari to the Park tomorrow and taking pictures of her in her white baptismal dress. She is getting baptized next weekend. I feel a little emotional about that...she's my baby.
And you how when your kids get to be close to 8, they start acting out and stuff and you think, "Yep! It's time! They're accountable!"?? Well this little sweetheart is not like that. She's just so dang sweet. Oh shoot, tears.
Breathe. Exhale. Tissue.
I really shouldn't be allowed to post things after my bedtime.

The death of Killer Po

Back in September, we bought Killer Po for the kids. It came with a 14 day guarantee, that I thought we'd have to use for sure! read this for the full story: http://momza.blogspot.com/2008/09/meet-our-siamese-fighting-fish-killer.html
I was wrong. Killer Po was one tough little fishy. He lasted until today.

Upon breaking the news to the Caboose, she worked up a tear, and said, fretfully, "Now I won't get to train him anymore."

Trying not to laugh, I said, "You trained him?"

"Yes, to swim backwards and flip over. Now I'll never get to train him again." She cracked a smile when I looked at her with all the pity I could muster.

Anyone want a fish bowl?
Which is ironic, because tonight we're going over to look at a black lab to see if it's a good fit for us. I told you I've been missing our sweet dogs...so I think I found an adult lab, fully house-trained, up-to-date on shots, well-behaved and an indoor dog. The kids and I met him last week, we're taking Kent over to meet him tonight on the way to the Blue and Gold banquet.
Maybe we should reconsider after the demise of Killer Po?

Meet our Siamese Fighting Fish "Killer Po"

This is Killer Po. He is my new responsibility, because my kids got wind of all that "unaccounted-for-time" I last spoke of and plotted against me.

When we went camping last wekend up at RMNP, we saw alot of fish in the streams. Cutthroat Trout, and brown trout. Arianna, for whatever reason decided that she needed a fish in her life. I can't emphasize her need enough. You had to be there.

So what does her daddy do? Being the "I-live-to-serve-my-children-kind-of-Daddy" he is, told her she would get a fish. Someday.

She didn't forget that. She talked about it all the rest of the way home and into the next day. At dinner on Tuesday, Joseph says his friend across the street has a fish tank they're selling or giving away--he wasn't sure which. I said, "After dinner, go ask about it." He was out the door in two shakes, with Arianna on his tail. He walked back in with a gallon size gold fish bowl and gravel. FREE.

The next 15 minutes are a blur, but suddenly we were standing in Pet Smart looking at fish. We went there thinking we'd bring home a guppy or a goldfish. The PetSmart guy sold us on a betta. We asked if there were a guarantee of any kind? He said there was!--14 days and if anything happened to this fish, we could get another. So we let Arianna pick out the first one, and told Joseph when this one died, we'd let him pick out a red one next week--they were fussin about which one to get...that seemed to settle the argument quickly.(hey, I"m just being realistic here.)

The next feat to overcome was where to put the bowl? Ari was pulling for the bathroom counter. She said something about it being the place with all the water in the house. Hunh? We opted to let each child have the fish in their room for a few days and then switch. We may make this poor betta schizophrenic.

As of this morning, Day 3, *Killer Po is still swimming strong in his little world.

The best part of this experience was when we were leaving PetSmart and our kids announced that WE ARE THE BEST PARENTS IN THE WORLD! True story. Joseph even offerred up,"When I'm a teenager, I'm going to buy Dad a convertible AND a SUV!" Arianna siad she would buy me a SUV too, but I told her that if they bought Daddy a car, I would just ride with him. Then her eyes lit up and she said, "Oh I know what--I will buy you TWO German Chocolate Cakes for your birthday!!"

That's my girl.

*Killer Po is a combination of the kids name choices..Ari picked Killer, Joseph chose Po after the Kung Fu Panda movie...I wanted to name it Jackie Chan.