A New Season...

...soccer! 

...brothers are excited...

...Marra, not so much... 

how she spent her time during practice

...the long walk to the field...

ready to play

 ...it helps when you have such a cute ref...

coin flip, princess or pirates

 ...yes most of the game was spent crying...

coach dad ends her pain, at least for a quarter

 ...even tried to get a hug from the ref...

thinking about kicking it

 ...the tears ended...

...thinking it was the snacks...

...having your brother for the ref helps a little...

go nate

A begining and an end...

... I knew this day would come.
I was ready...
I soon realized,  I wasn't prepared at all.
I have a senior and a kindergartner.
CRAZY!!!
Where one begins, another one ends.
And...
I cried.
Yep, I cried.
Now before you lump me with all the moms and dads who cling to their children while they are entering the classroom,
I dealt with my drama...
alone.
It started at 3 a.m.
I did manage to get myself together by the time I needed to get them all off to school.
It's going to be a great year.

Much growth can be expected.

And not a glimpse into our morning. 

Kindergarten

4th grade

6th grade, first year of middle school

9th grade, first year of high school

                                                     the senior even let me take his picture.

SENIOR

play dough always makes the start of any day great

Ready for a great year!

Hip hip horray for Mr. Touchdown and a little lightning...

We have seen our fair share of sports around these parts...

football,

basketball,

soccer,

karate,

 and even baseball.

But after months of training...

a new sport has made it way into the testosterone veins of the household

New sport shoes were purchased,

a new uniform too...

with a bit of sparkle...

 a ruffle or two...

add in a few team mates,

 and a star is born!

Mr. Touchdown

 our star is on the right...

Grease Lightning

 don't forget the flowers...

 and brothers who cheered her on.

 It was a good game for all.

I am sure this sport is here to stay.

After all the sporting events sis has endured in her five years,

I think brothers can put up with one concert a year.

I think the teenagers actually enjoyed themselves.

We have entered a new era...

...Prom

Crazy, I know.
 I didn't think I was old enough for this yet,

apparently I am,

or at least that is what my sweet son keeps telling me.

prom is simple...

flowers,

few handsome young men.

some gorgeous girls,

all adds up to a great night with friends.

Now it's on to finding a summer job so a certain prom patron can afford his dating life and college. 

I knew I would miss those days....

I have taken a three day vacation from work,
and have discovered that I am not very good at this staying home bit. 
I can honestly say I am BORED!!!
That is not to say I have nothing to do.
 I have plenty,
laundry to put away...
unload the dishwasher...again...
dust...
clean a toilet...again...
ohhhh the list goes on.
I have only been home from work for two days and  at 10:30 this morning, I am ready to go back.
Back to the business of my day.
I did all the stuff I needed to do for the day by 10:00 a.m. 
That includes dinner, dishes, and laundry. 
Marra is ready to be with her friends at school...
I am ready to be around a few adults...
It's funny to think that just a few years ago when my kids where little I seemed to be busy, at home, all the time and nothing seemed to get done around the house.
Now there are no noses to wipe, no diapers to change, no nap times to work around, no boo boo to kiss, and no stories to read over and over again, (that happens when they are all reading on their own).  
Yes,I miss those days.
I knew I would, just didn't think it would be so soon.
For now I will look forward to going back to work on Thursday, and leave a few pictures for grandma and papa to enjoy from our never boring weekends.

Nate with his choir

Cam and flag football

Running the track at football

Mase and a little singing

A bit of guitar

I love the smell of cleaning in the morning

Now that the kids are all home from school it is not so quiet and plenty of crazy to enjoy...

Karate, basketball, football, and homework never gets old..

Right?

Hair today...

...Once upon a time there was a little girl who LOVED a  movie about a young princess who never cut her hair. A movie where this young princess would let down this said hair and her to be prince would climb up into her tower and rescue her.  This little girl knew that she could never cut her hair if she ever wanted a prince...

That was until last month when she decided that the short princess haircut was the way to go.

I waited a while to see if she would change her mind...

...4 weeks later

the appointment was made...

Before... 

during... 

and 11 inches later...

Locks of Love is getting her golden locks.

Pretty big desicion for a 5 year old.

A Day of Rest...

...to be "present" on the day of rest, means I will try to join the kiddos in activities that may be going on, I will set aside a Sunday nap for the greater good, family.
All the time?
I will try.  Sunday is a day with a lot of no's at our home.

No basketball,
No Ballet,
No work,
No football,
No school,

just family.

This week, due to some procrastination, we set out to help Cam finish his science fair project.

Yes, it was Sunday.
Yes, the project involved a ball (I know shocking).
Yes, even a couple of the kids ran around.
But, my fabulous hubby bought me a new camera and I wanted to try it out, mostly on the sport shots.

Science Fair 2012.
"Bat"ter Up
Which bat hits farthest: metal, foam, plastic.

Cam in full swing.

Peyton

Peyters and Nate in the outfield

Dad pitching

Mase was the catcher, and Marra cheered from the sidelines and fed the cows.

The camera was fun to play with and Cam's project was done on time and he did it (the poster) all on his own.  After watching all the other projects walk in this morning, pretty sure more parents did work than the kids.

Next time maybe we will start a little sooner.

I must confess..

...I like to listen to sports talk radio.

I know the girl who swore she would NEVER marry any one who loved sports, just happened to meet and marry the biggest sports fan. Alright maybe not the biggest, I do not have to decorate my house with sports paraphernalia, but pretty close.  Baseball cards and magazines are a part of my life.  I avoid most sports on TV, why watch when the volume of our house can tell me of a win or loss or even a great play.  That, and Cam is always running in with detailed updates. Who needs sports.
Apparently I do..

I used to listen to music..
but have discovered listening to the music on the radio in the morning is filled with Hollywood talk.  Why should I care who is sleeping with who and if a paternity test is needed. So my children really need to hear that?
So I moved on...

I moved on to talk radio...
I soon tired of the politics.
Perhaps it is due to the childhood memories of running around the state capitol building waiting for the session to end so my parents would take me home.  Often I slept in the window sill waiting for that last bill to be signed.
So I moved on again...

I let Marra choose the CD, but I can only listen to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" for so long before  the actual spiders creep into my brain feasting on what is left of my brain cells.
I had to move on once more...

In my search for entertainment on my hour drive in the morning as I take children to seminary and school, I came across sports talk radio, and I laughed, my boys laughed, and Marra has even giggled a bit.

They are funny.

They say things I wish I could say.

My boys think I am almost cool.

I even amaze Steve with a few stats here and there.

Most of all I like that they say things as they really are.

Players, just do what you are getting paid for.
Play ball, just ball, no politics, just sports.

Now if only I can find a station that tells Hollywood and Washington to do the same.
My mornings would be set.

Then again, if the players aren't listening,
Hollywood and Washington probably aren't either.

Moments...

... so my perfect moment has come and gone, and many more moments have been replaced.  Many wonderful, some not so great, and the rest just the usual.
Life.

Days seem to fly by and I wonder how things never seems to slow down.
I fear I may be missing some of these moments because...
I forgot to pay attention...
I forgot that my first born is going to be a senior next year...
WHAT?
Wasn't it  yesterday that I was watching him on the sideline playing soccer praying that he would  kick the ball in the right direction.  Now I pray he is headed in the right direction when he is driving himself home.

Didn't I just turn 30?

Wasn't I just praying that my baby boy #3 would sleep just for a moment?...
Alright that one I am still praying for, it been 10 years, pretty sure he's not sleeping anytime soon.

It seems only yesterday when I cried hearing the news that baby boy #4 would most likely never walk, never talk, and the outcome of his life was uncertain...
Yet he proved them all wrong and does all of the above, perhaps not in the way most of us do, but he gets it done.

Yep moments are fleeting...

And because this is so I have chosen a new word to center me this year. 

present...

present: a moment in time, between past and future; now. Being, alert, at hand.  Attentive.  A gift.

Now not sure my kids would call me a gift, but perhaps some day they will. 
For now I will work on the present. 
The me that I can control and do so if need be moment to moment.
Perhaps even see those moments that I thought had passed.

At the present time I am off to bed, work is put away, dishes are done, and all my blessings are quietly tucked into bed in preparation for the world they must face tomorrow.