Hiatus

I've been avoiding my blog for awhile, as you can probably tell. I'll be back soon, though. I have quite a few updates to share, but it will have to wait until 1) I have a little bit of free time and 2) I get some things straightened out. I hope you are all doing well!

First Performance

Finally, the pictures I've been meaning to post are here!

Quite frankly, this post is all things Sydney.

Parade practice in the lot behind Oreganos

Here is the Dynamite Express float the morning of the Gilbert Days Parade.

Warming up before the parade. It's about 8:00am, and she's been up since 5:00am.

Almost 2 miles later, she's still dancing in the streets.

Santa was the final parade entrant. He must have been steaming in his Santa Suit, it was about 85 degrees by this time in the morning.

I was able to snap a pic right after the parade, and before she demanded water.

First stage show performance was about 3 hours later.

Second stage show performance. I love this pic because I think it shows how seriously she takes her dancing.

Another pic from her second dance. I know you can't see it, but she's standing on a chair on a (not so) sturdy stage and she didn't lose her balance, luckily. We're approaching 3 in the afternoon in this pic, and she's still smiling!

She is not all things dance (MOST yes, but not ALL). Since volleyball is over, she now plays softball at school. She takes organized sports just as seriously as dancing. Girl is competitive!

Even though she has fun doing everything that takes up her time, she does get to spend SOME time at home. Here she is playing 4-square in our next door neighbor's driveway with 2 of her friends that she had sleep over.

So here is what's been keeping us all so busy in the last week. I don't know if I'll be posting anything this week. Mom is coming!! I can't wait. I know I'll have pictures to post after she flies back to Iowa, but in the meantime, I'm going to make her enjoy AZ weather, like it or not! :-)

Coming Soon

Ok, so it's been a week since Sydney's first performance of the year. Last Sunday I posted that I'd be putting up some pictures and time has gotten away from me. Ok, I admit it, I procrastinate. For those of you that know me, you know that this (unfortunately) is nothing new. Well, I'll be putting pictures up later today. First, I have to do some cleaning before my mom comes to visit in, oh, T-Minus 50 hours. So back to cleaning and music before I settle back in to post some pictures.

Whew!

Well, we did it! The first DE performance of the year is finally under our belt. Thanks to a lot of hard work, time and talent, I consider it a huge success.

It's 7:15pm right now, and I've been up since 4:15am without a nap. I'm getting ready to watch a movie and call it a night (especially since I already know I won't make it all the way through the movie).

It's been a wonderful day, and I'll share more tomorrow. : )

Dinner and Dance

I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't think about food. This morning, while sitting at work at 8am or so, I got this mad craving for party potatoes. It's definitely a comfort food that I haven't really had since leaving the Midwest. I even talked myself into making it (with a little persuasion from a co-worker or two). I took a recipe that I've made before, one that I got from my sis-in-law, who got it from a friend, who got it from their mom. This recipe is my favorite! So good, it's worth sharing!

Party Potatoes:

1 cup sour cream

8 oz chive cream cheese

2 cups cream of celery (2 cans of your favorite cream soup is fine)

2 lbs. frozen hash browns (small cubes works best)

1 cup diced onion

2 lbs shredded cheddar cheese

garlic powder, salt and pepper

4 slices of bacon (I use a whole pound of bacon)

butter (about 1 stick)

1 cup corn flakes

In a greased (rub butter on pan to form a thin layer) 9x13 in. pan, put a layer of the potatoes. About a half pound, also make sure the potatoes are still frozen. Then lightly season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and crumbled pieces of bacon. Then in a separate bowl, combine sour cream, chive cream cheese, soup, onion, and 1.5 lb of cheddar cheese. Stir until well mixed. Then add the rest of the potatoes. Again, mix well and add any seasoning then (salt&pepper). Pour that on top of the potatoes in the pan and spread out. In another small bowl put about 1/4 cup butter. Microwave until melted. Pour that over the Corn Flakes and mix until the flakes are coated. Spread over the top of the mixture along with the restof the cheese. Bake covered for about 1/2hour then1/2hour uncovered or until everything is hot in the center and the cheese on top and corn flakes are golden brown. Delish!

Too bad my pictures don't do it any justice. (Also, I used about 1 1/2 lbs of cheese total and it was still gooey. But according to my family, you can never have too much cheese)

On another note, Sydney's first performance is coming up this weekend. Saturday is going to be a very long day for this little trooper. She'll be up at 4:30 in the am to start getting ready. The Gilbert Days Parade begins at 9:00, and she'll be dancing her happy little self down Gilbert Rd for about 2.5 miles. Then she'll have time to get a bite to eat before the stage show, which begins at 2:30. She's going to have a friend spend the night, I hope she can stay up past 5pm!

I did a quick braid of the hair to make sure I could do it the way I'm supposed to, and here are a couple pics of her costumes that she'll be wearing on Saturday. You'll have to wait until after Saturday to see what she looks like in them.

Parade Practice

The braid... I think I did ok.

This year's DE costume. It's pretty bright.

This year's KnockOut costume, sassy!

I can't wait to see how this weekend goes! I'll have more pictures to share. : )

It's About Time

I haven't been doing very well with keeping you all informed with what's been going on in our daily life. It definitely hasn't been boring. Instead of trying to come up with clever ways to put our happenings into words, I've decided that it's time for more pictures. This will give you a peek into what exactly it is we've been doing that has kept us so busy. Enjoy!

Anniversary Dinner at the Melting Pot

One of the last volley ball games of the season. The team's best players together on the bench. (Sydney is #4)

Girls against the parents, the official last game of the season.

Dinner after the game with the parents. Every girl is taking a bit of mac n cheese pizza.

Kyle almost to the top of the rock wall at the CTK Fall Fiesta

From left to right... Rod, Sydney and Kyle's carved pumpkins. Yes, they did them all by themselves.

HotShots all dressed up the day before Halloween.

PEACE! Sydney and Courtney in their matching hippy costumes.

A benefit walk for work in downtown Tempe. This was the day after Halloween. And yes.... that is a real camel!

Time For An Update

So, a lot has been going on in the past, oh, forever! Just to give you a quick glimpse... Sydney felt her baby bro kickin' around for the first time yesterday morning. Kyle got a slick new haircut last night - literally inches!! (He had enough to spare, trust me)
I'm still crazy busy with dance stuff. The first performance is coming up real soon!
This weekend the family is taking a walk. Ok, that's literally all I have time for right now. If I'm not too tired when I get back home tonight, I'll definitely elaborate more.
And yes, Andrea, the 90's is still too hot... I totally agree with you. (I miss you girl)
Hope you're all doing well!
Until later......

What's Going On?

It feels like forever since my last post! Not too much happening, but here's some good news... We have relief from the heat! WooHoo!!
I do have a few updates, but they are not for tonight. Check back this weekend if you get a chance. And for those of you living in AZ... Enjoy the weather with me!

Remedial Driving

I try not to complain too much. Sure I have my moments, but for the most part, I try to keep a pretty calm attitude towards things. One thing that makes me absolutely crazy, though, is some of the drivers I've seen lately. Wreckless people, not paying attention, and then blaming someone else for taking up "their" space. UGH!
Last night we got together with some friends and decided we'd take it outside of the homefront and went to 2nd Friday in Downtown Mesa. None of us had never been and we thought it would be a good way to get the kids out of the house, get a bite to eat, and support local businesses. I think we were out of the car for less than 5 minutes and had to cross the street. We, being the example setting parents that we all are, made sure that the WALK sign was lit and proceeded to make our way. Then, some stupid driver thought she was going to race traffic and turned right to where we were walking. I thought for sure I was going to have to pick Rod up off of the street. Get this... she starts laughing??? Had I had something to throw at her car, I might have done it. We got over it, but I did give my fair share of "if only...".
If it only happened once, that would have been ok, but no.....
Downtown Mesa has crosswalks in the middle of blocks, and we had to use one. We hit the button and waited. Talk about what we've going to eat for dinner. Well to me, WALK means walk. I should be able make my way across the street, even if it means cautiously. Round 2.... A car literally blasts through the red light, and didn't even notice because he was too busy on the phone. It was the second time in one evening that I wanted to throw something at someone. And this time I wanted something heavy! This time I thought for sure I was going to have to pick Chad up off the street. What in the hell are people thinking! I've always known that drivers in Arizona are horrible, but walking with my family during what was really a street walk made my blood pressure go up, I'm sure. From now on, I vow to carry things that I can throw just to make myself feel a little bit better. Just please people, pay freaking attention when you're driving!
There, I'm done.
On another note, unfortunately 2nd Friday in Downtown Mesa wasn't a huge success. We'll probably give it one more go before we make our way to 1st Friday in Phoenix.

IT'S A BOY

I have so much more to share, but with all of the excitement in my house right now (i.e., Rod), I have to post a couple of pics. Enjoy! : )

Cute little feet.

I love 4-D pictures!

I'm Coming Home

I will be away for just a little while. I'm flying back to Iowa for a few days to be with my mom as she goes through a difficult time. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

It's Official

I think the cat is (finally and officially) out of the bag. We are going to have an addition to our family. No, we're not getting another dog. Rod and I are expecting!

I'm approaching the half way mark, and have fully transitioned from my regular old duds to a closet containing primarily maternity-wear. We told Kyle and Sydney back in July and our parents soon after that. Now we want everyone to know! I've had a couple of ultrasounds, already, and I scheduled another one on October 3rd. So even though we've been anxious to know if we're having a boy or a girl, we have another couple of weeks before we get the confirmation. Unfortunately, I don't have that type of intuition, so I don't have a "gut feeling" one way or the other. We'll both be happy whether blue or pink.

I made sure to schedule my ultrasound appointment so that Rod could be there for this one, and Sydney has expressed a pretty strong desire to be there, so there will be 3 of us checking it out this time. And as promised to some of you... As soon as we know, we'll let you know. :)

Here is a picture from when I was about 12 or 13 weeks along. It's not as good as the 4-D pictures, but I like the way it looks. He or She is laying on their side waving at you.

Mom

I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.

I am a mother now, and so I know

Hard work is mixed together with the fun;

You learned that when you raised me long ago.
I think of all the things you gave to me:

Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,

Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--

All these you spent on me throughout the years.
You loved me with a never-failing love

You gave me strength and sweet security,

And then you did the hardest thing of all:

You let me separate and set me free.
Every day, I try my best to be

A mother like the mom you were to me.

(A Sonnet by Joanna Fuchs)

I love you, Mom, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

Busy Busy

One thing that I've been so thankful for are lazy weekends. This past month has given me some time to just relax on the weekends, because that's what weekends are for, right? Riiiiight....

This weekend was an exception for the most part. It felt like I was back in gogogo mode. On Friday, after I got home from work, I had just enough time to take a shower and bark orders to everyone in the family so that we could make our picture session on time. You see, our church is putting together a 50 year anniversary directory, and each family can get their picture taken and receive a free 8x10 photo in addition to the free directory once it's completed. Anyway, it was very important to be there on time, because if we ran late, or if we missed the appointment, that was our last shot. Pictures went really well! The only thing missing was D. After pictures we went and grabbed some din din... pizza, of course. By the time we got home, I was pretty much ready for bed, so I watched Rod play around on the computer before calling it a night.

Saturday was so crazy! Dynamite Express had its first event of the year for the girls. We rented one of the pools in Mesa and, thanks a million to Paulette, we had plenty of food and beverages donated, as well as a pot luck of sorts. Each girl/parent brought some type of goodie to share. The event was so successful, but it did require some work. I was up pretty early to start the errands. And by the time errands were done, I had about an hour before we had to leave for the party. In case you didn't know already, things aren't exactly close here. Everywhere I go requires a pretty hefty drive. That's probably one of the reasons why it seems like time goes by so fast! After the party, I had to take Sydney over to a friend's house to work on a science project (i.e., sleepover). I think I got back home around 7ish, just so that I could turn around and leave again to pick up food for Rod and guests (pizza AGAIN). Sleep was so welcome that night.

Then Sunday.... We watched some football. The Bears disappointed. I finished a book. We picked up Sydney. We went shopping at the mall for awhile. We made some dinner and then it was time to get ready for the week..... already.

It was a great weekend, but I'm looking forward to the next one that I can be lazy all over again. I'm not sure when that will be, but it'll be welcome, that's for sure! I have some pics to share from the pool party, but that will have to wait until after I get them off of my camera, which is not going to happen tonight, because I just sat down for the day. I'm going to relax!

Appreciation

I am so fascinated by clouds. I haven't always had this fascination, only since living in AZ. But when you only see clouds a few times a year, trust me, you have a whole new appreciation. Especially when they're fluffy! Yesterday, on my way back to the dance studio from Trader Joe's, I was lucky enough to have to stop at a red light, and scramble for my camera to capture this picture. I wish that my camera did it the justice it deserves, but I think you'll get the point.

Today's "Aha" Moment

It's been a crazy couple of months. And by crazy, I mean there have been some pretty significant changes in my life. Without going through the list of things that are different, I realized something today.... I love to talk! Some of you know this all too well already, but for those of you that don't, well, let me just tell you!
After today, I honestly think that if you let me, I could go on for hours about anything and everything. I think I've always been one who can carry on a conversation without completely having to dominate it, but I don't know that it was ever something that was always consciously enjoyed. Today I had a conversation with someone, and enjoyed it. Really enjoyed it. I was driving afterwards, by myself, and I swear there was a little lightbulb above my head for everyone on the 202 to see. It was definitely a great AHA moment!

What's Going On

I haven't meant to be in blog hiding for the past couple of weeks, but that's pretty much what it's been. One of the most exciting things that's happened has to do with a certain little girl who doesn't have enough going on in her life. Yes, Sydney.

Dance is going really well this year, and we're looking forward to what this year's hair and make-up will look like, and also what the costumes will be. All I know right now are colors for one of the costumes. If you can picture it..... Teal, Lime Green, and Black. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination for the time being, but know that I will post a picture as soon as I can! Anyway, in addition to dance, she decided that she wanted to take part in school activities, namely volleyball. 5th grade is a time when the kids at her school get introduced to organized sports, if they haven't already outside of school. There are 13 girls on the team and I must admit, I was pretty apprehensive about letting her play volleyball. Hours upon hours of dance and keeping grades up is hard enough without the pressures of competitive sports. Of course I gave in. How could I not let her play! Well, their first game was last week at Queen of Peace school, also in Mesa, and they WON!! I was so excited, I almost didn't mind the fact that we were standing in the blazing 105 degree sun for two hours! Here's my little dancer, ok volleyball player, in action:

That's a little peak into what's been going on with Sydney lately. I do have a Kyle story, but I just don't have the courage to share it just yet (or a picture). Soon though, I promise.

Catching Up...

I know that's what I want to do with everything... Catch up!
It's been pretty crazy on all fronts. Stay tuned... I'll be back soon!

(Oh yeah, I finished the book, and I now see what the hype is all about. I just started book 2 in the series. In case you didn't know the first one, here it is. I definitely recommend checking it out!)

Happy Birthday Kyle!

I know, I should have put this up on your actual birthday, but since we celebrated all weekend, I had to wait until today. I love ya, kid, and I'm very proud of you!

?+?+?+?=Busy

I believe I am now officially in full swing. Of what? You name it! Kyle's in school, Sydney's in school, things are hoppin' at work, dance is going full force, things are just happening. It's all so crazy and so comforting at the same time. Here's what I don't get... I have homework. Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

Almost all of Kyle's teachers have sent home paperwork for me to sign. Well, I'm not going to just give away my John Hancock, I want to know what I'm signing. So far I've done quite a bit of reading for his classes and signed and dated about 7 different forms.

Sydney's first day of school was yesterday and she had homework, already. She did a good job, too, no complaining. So, today being her second day, I knew that the homework was still going to flow. Still no complaining... on Sydney's part. I, however, have homework that's due back to her teacher on Friday. I have to answer 10 or so questions about Sydney surrounding her personality and habits. Sounds easy enough, right? I know my own kid (for almost 11 years now). But I want to make sure that I put some thought into it so that her teacher knows what she's dealing with. Anyway, I put it on my calendar so that I don't forget to turn it back in. Scary.

If you've visited my photo album (which, I know hasn't been updated in forever), then you've seen plenty of pictures of Sydney. The girl will smile when performing in front of 40,000+ people. Harldy afraid of the camera, right? My, how things change... I know she won't be happy about this, but I have to share the proof by way of a couple of pics. This first one says, "Hurry up, this is the best smile you're gonna get this morning."

This second one says, "Go away, I'm not looking at the camera again!."

On another note, DE is back in action and Paulette and I had our first Booster Club meeting of the year. It was a success, I might add. Committees have been formed and things are really moving. Our first special event for the girls is going to be a swim party sometime next month. Hopefully we'll get costumes and a preliminary list of some performances soon.

Hope things are going just as smoothly for all of you!

He's Come A Long Way, Baby

Kyle has been here exactly 2 months tomorrow. Now, that's not a long time, but in the two short months since he came down to "visit" for the summer, a lot of things have happened. Just take a look at these photos.

Before:

After:

Today was his first day at Red Mountain High School. And let me just tell you, it's quite the change from the school he was going to in Iowa. The school, comparatively speaking, is really a small college. It has over 2600 students! Day one down, and Kyle made a friend. I kept my cell phone out and kept checking my phone at work to make sure that all was well and no one called. I know, I should have more faith, but this is my baby boy we're talking about. He did miss the bus at the end of the day, but I report good news.... Kyle made a friend and found a ride home. It's gonna be a great year!

No Crying Allowed

I love to read. And when I read a good one, I typically read it more than once. Let's take a Dan Brown book for example, Angels and Demons. I think I've read that book 4 or 5 times. Why? Well, if I haven't made it to Borders, or the Mesa Library, I'll re-read something I already have. And it seems like every single time I read it, I pick up something new, or notice something that I didn't the last time I read it. (Something tells me that I... a)either need to slow down and savor the reading more, or...b)not fall asleep reading every night). In the last couple of weeks, I've finished a couple of books.

A friend of mine from work is in a book club, so I like to ask her about books she's read. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is the first one that I've read that she recommended. I didn't have a true understanding of what the story was about going into it, but I trusted her judgement. OMG. What a great read! Since finishing this book, I've recommended it to anyone and everyone who will listen. The subject is controversial, and I really connected with all of the characters, in some way or another. I picked this one up at the library, but I will definitely be adding this one to my permanent bookshelf.

Last year I read the Kite Runner. If memory serves me correctly, it's the first book I read that made me cry (My Sister's Keeper had me sobbing uncontrollably). I remember I was on a plane flying from Ft. Lauderdale back to Phoenix, the only open seat on the whole plane was between me and a guy with some headphones. I knew that the author had another book out, and I was dang sure I was going to read it! I don't know that I was necessarily looking for another cry with A Thousand Splendid Suns, but I found one. I finished the book today and, even though I may not read this one again, I'm glad I read it.

So two books in a row had me in tears. Kyle recommended I read a series that he read last year when he was at Linn Mar. Now here's the irony.... If you remember, a few weekends back we had that little staycation at the Kierland Westin. Now, my two friends were talking about these books that they were both reading about vampires. I was already in another book, so I didn't involve myself with what they were talking about. A couple of days later, Kyle tells me about the series that he read that he thinks I would like. He said it was about vampires, kinda romantic, but good. I put two and two together and voila.... realized that the series he was talking about was (is) one and the same that my two friends are reading. What's even more is that every time I turn around, I see someone else reading one of these books. The first book in the series is called Twilight. Maybe you've heard of it? I still don't know a lot about it, but I'm going to start on it tonight. What I think is really fascinating is how popular these books are.. and don't let me forget the author: Stephenie Meyer. And she lives right here in the Valley. I told Kyle that I better not cry when I read these books. I'm ready for something a little different. We'll see what happens, though.

I Am Loved

....by these lovelies.

And here's how I know.....

Allow me to explain. For some reason, there are two things that I just cannot get enough of this summer: Tombstone frozen pizza and Dairy Queen soft serve. I know, healthy, right? Last Friday I was not feeling very well at work. I had a "Friday" headache, had a little stress going on, and just wasn't feeling 100%. Rod had Friday off and it was his day to take care of all things school. He drove Syd around getting her all ready for next Tuesday. He called a couple of times for different things, and I mentioned being tired and not feeling well. That being said, and him knowing how often I've been uttering the words Tombstone pizza and soft-serve, you can imagine how excited I was when I got home to find both! How thoughtful!! I was able to put my feet up and enjoy my Friday evening. And quite frankly, the rest of the weekend was just as great. We didn't do much of anything, but we did all go to Red Lobster so that Rod could finally enjoy something other than cabbage soup. Then today.... I haven't been drinking too much coffee lately, but today we stopped by this cute little coffee shop not too far from where I work (Coffee Rush, if you get the chance), and I picked up my favorite.... an iced Coconut Latte. It was so delicious! Other than that, we did some cleaning and we now have more hangers. What that means to my near future is new clothes to hang on those lonely hangers! Back to the grind tomorrow. Last week before school starts for the kiddies. Oh, and I'll have to fill you in on how things are going with the DE Booster Club. Our first meeting is this Thursday, so stay tuned and have a great week!

It's Always Something

There are times that I don't realize my age. I wouldn't call it denial, but I would call it being forgetful. I work at a place where, if I had to take a guess, the average age is about 25. And I think I'm being pretty generous there. So yeah, I forget about my own age sometimes. That being said, I have those aha moments where I realize that I lack in the "keeping up with the times" department. I know that high school boys have long shaggy 'dos, but I still want to take Kyle to get a haircut. I know that Syd is going on 11 and is a girl, but I still want her to wait until she's 13 before she starts shaving her legs. I know that most of the world is doing their part to be just a little bit nicer to Mother Earth and be just a little more green. Ok, so that I'm doing, too. But one thing that kind of stopped me in my blog trolling tracks today was ..... (drum roll please).... bento lunches. Are you kidding me? I carry around Syd's lunch box from last year with whatever I can get to fit into the thing. Where have I been for however long? They are brilliant! I don't think I'm the last to catch some Bento Madness, but clearly I'm a little late. I'll tell you what, though, I'm hopping on the bandwagon! I did a web search and an image search, and I'm pretty excited! Hopefully it'll spark a little more creativity in my lunches since for the last 3 weeks or so, I've had a PB&J sandwich on some type of wheat or multi grain bread. It may be a little while, but stay tuned, I may surprise you with a pretty, edible concoction! Oh, and here's a another couple of pics I thought I'd throw into the mix. They were taken at Mission Beach a few weekends back. I love my family!