whatever

fall sports are over.
and since i have been accused of not caring about sports…

lauren tried volleyball for the first time.
loved it.
she wishes the season was much longer.
she received the ‘most improved’ award!
she moved from the B team to the A team mid season.
it was so nice to see her really get in to a sport.

scott chose soccer over football…gasp!
he plays everyday at recess
he was really working at improving.
he scored almost every game and played hard!

this photo perfectly captures sean on the soccer field…
in his own world.
i believe this is spiderman?
he loved playing but can easily be distracted by his thoughts.

talby was finally old enough for soccer.
big year.
the only time she was unhappy was when she had to be a defender
staying by the goal…she hated that.
she just wanted to kick it!

feet photo by sean…one of my favorites.

annie wants her own soccer game so badly.
and she was tired of the camera.

and for the record…
i do care about sports.
i just don’t always enjoy being around the pressuring parents that are there.
i may show up to a game one of these days with a poster that says “HAVE FUN”
and run up and down the field shouting it…louder than the other parents
also having 4 kids in tow with me for every game is sometimes tough.
and i am not usually happy with my pictures i take.
but i do care about sports.

saturday was the family outing for craig’s office.
hanging out at the zoo.
lauren wanted to hide behind the camera that day…
kind of nice to share that job.

here’s what i look like from the back.
there were many of these…i’m not sure what she was trying to capture
boredom?
but i kind of like this behind-the-scenes shot of our life.

i took this one.
goats always look so annoyed.
they look like they can’t be bothered by you…
“you bore me” he says.

bob vila at work again.
craig is so good at stuff.
i am not trying to embarrass you honey.
just so impressed at all you can do.

new garbage disposal.
so look out rotten leftovers.

do you have zingo?

it’s bingo – with a ZING!
annie adores this game…
but it’s for bigger kids.
i got it at target.
it’s for ages 4 – 8.
but it’s easy enough for her to play
(even though she doesn’t play fair)
my other kids love it too…when annie lets them play.

do you like the shirt?
this is the picture that talby drew last school year for ms. kristin.
now it’s the new school logo.
it’s grandpa in a wheel chair and a little girl…both very smiley.
their preschool is in a nursing home
and they visit the grandma & grandpa’s everyday.
it is so neat.
annie tells me if “gwwammpa howard” was there.
i have a shirt too.
i’m one proud mama.

i have so much too do.
and of course that means i can’t do anything unless i do one more scrapbook page…
i am horrible about that.
if i have chores that must be done…
i can’t think of anything but scrapbooking.
my brain is a mess.

so here it is…
sticking with the love of preschool.

now.. i guess i have to get some cleaning done.
bummer.

can you hear that?
shhhhhh….it’s quiet.
okay.
12 years in the waiting…
i have all my kids in school
and i have a small break 3 times a week.

since lauren was 6 mon. old i have been surrounded by children.
i was a nanny and took her with me.
then when i quit that i did daycare from our house.
when i quit that i had so many kids of my own that it was its own daycare!

i have had 4 or 5 kids with me almost everyday for 12 years!
wow.
and it’s been great.
that’s exactly the way i wanted it.
but now i am ready for what lies ahead.

i have no big aspirations.
i want to be creative…
relax…
exercise…
i will enjoy every minute.

naturally i started with the creative.

(technically i made this one 2 weeks ago.)
i just wanted lorel to see it.

and those brown letters…so cool.
they are made from transparency sheets…
the designs are clear and the letter is brown.
they are made by Making Memories.
self adhesive…love them.

this was what i made today.
i don’t think i’ve hand sewn on my page before?
maybe once.
it was fun to work with.
some paint too…and the last of my blue bling.

more of the same…
but they were just begging to be photographed.
i couldn’t help it.
the mums are an even prettier purple then i expected.
and the green on my favorite chairs…
(from the flea market store)
i love all that chippy paint and rust.

for lorel.

last week was parent’s night at church for jr.high youth group.
they are nuts.
during the singing they are jumping up and down
and yelling and body slamming.
just like it’s supposed to be.

jim is our church’s youth pastor.
what a calling it is.
it has to be.
if you feel comfortable & willing to spend hours and weeks
and years serving and teaching this age group….
it has to be from God.
and i am so glad.
they need it.
they need someone to listen.
someone to talk to to who can build them up, set an example,
have fun and let them be crazy.
jim is focusing on a theme of
Don’t Waste Your Life.
sounds like good advice to me.
i am so thankful for jim…and our church…and how kids are important there.

i love chicago.
i think i do because i feel like i know where i am going…
most of the time.
it’s full.
full of people and life and noise and action.
i love the shopping.
i was loving the no kids factor.
oh how i miss walking into pottery barn or crate & barrell
whenever i felt the need.

the apple store was so cool.
it’s just tables & tables of all their products
and you can try everything out.
then upstairs there was a theater where a tech guy stands all day and gives talks on iProducts…everything they do. i think if craig got in that store we would never get him out of that theater.
standing there about 2 minutes i learned 2 new things about my own computer.
very cool place.

everywhere you look there are flowers.
in the city.
they make you stop and take notice…
it’s such a different setting than a yard or park.

and i am in love with cloud gate sculpture.
my sister pointed out how cool it would be to be here in different weather.
why didn’t we go back at night?!!
i regret that.
i could spend a lot of time here.
it’s a camera lover’s dream.

my sister & i went to the art institute.
i had never been.
just never did it.
all the paintings you’ve seen in books in real life.
it’s strange.
and now for my ode to ferris bueller.

kind of sad really that i’m in the art institute and i kept thinking of movies!
that’s just me.
i can memorize movie lines
and i love watching the same movies over and over.

we had a wonderful time just hanging around chicago.
i never saw any of my IL. friends or even talked to them!
but there just wasn’t time.
we were having too much fun to even take a break.
it was good to be back.

the trip home was longer than we cared for…
but pretty.

and then when i drove home at 7:00 am monday morning…
even prettier.
it was so perfectly kansas
and felt so much like home.