You Ever Been So Nervous You Wanted To Throw Up?

I felt that way every time I had to give a speech or do a demonstration in school! But this isn't about me, it is about my Emily. Ever since the softball season started this year she has been telling me that she wants to be a pitcher. She mostly plays outfield or second base but last night was THE night! She finally got to pitch for the first time! We were playing against a team that mostly had little girls on it and only the ten year olds were supposed to pitch, but the coaches talked it over and decided that it would be ok for Emily and a fellow teammate who is also 11 to pitch. I think they allowed it because neither one of them had ever pitched before! I think what made her the most nervous was that she was our first pitcher on the mound and didn't have a "guide" to follow! She actually did quite well for her first time! She got a few strikes and managed not to hit anybody. (hey...that is doing good in my book) She almost got a girl out at home plate and she even got a hit that took her to second base! To top the whole night off the coaches only gave out 1 game ball last night and Emily got it! I hope last night was the just the boost she needed to finish out the season strong! Thanks to our game tonight in Livingston I will be missing my first night if golf league....We are so proud of her and we hope she does well! Until next time....

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

I hate when I let so much time lapse between posts, but April/May/June is always super busy for us with all that the kids have going on and the end of school nearing! We have been on the go for softball since the end of April and it will last until the 2nd week of June. Two weekends ago my husband, my mom and dad, 2 friends and I went to Anaconda to a bowling tournament. How did we do, you ask? If there had been a trophy for drinking we would have brought home first! Last weekend, we packed up the family and headed to Alberton for our 2 oldest boys' graduation...one from high school and one from 8th grade! (1 outta high school and 5 to go!)

In lieu of all the craziness, I have decided to post some pictures of our latest happenings....I hope you enjoy them! In case I don't get back on here before Memorial Day, I want to wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday!

Our Softball Queen

What up, dude?!

One cool guy!

Emily singing in the Spring Concert

Emily's 1st place at the Art Show

Another fun day at our house...

Blaine graduated! YEAH!!

Graduation after party

Yes, that is part of a potty training seat!(Luckily it was brand new!)

Band-aids fix everything!

Madison's field trip to the zoo

More zoo (shouldn't the monkeys be in a cage? ;-)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Since I will be getting to spend Mother's Day this year in a bowling alley with my mom, I am taking this time to wish all of the mother's (the kind with children.....) I know a very Happy Mother's Day!

I don't know about you all but Mother's Day in my house is a little different than those depicted on television! On TV they get diamond earrings and necklaces. At my house I get a pumpkin plant that didn't even make it home before it got uprooted and died...and I get a vase made from soup cans that holds a beautiful array of paper flowers....and I get a tastefully made T-shirt with designs on it. (as of this post I haven't got to see the shirt yet but was told to act surprised when I get it) I get cards that say Happy Mother's Day in scribbles (you have to be a mommy to able to read it) and I get dandelion and weed bouquets that sit in a glass of water on my kitchen table until I get tired of wiping up all of the stuff that falls off and finally throw them away. (It can be quite devastating when the little ones realize that you have thrown their gift into the garbage) I get homemade picture frames with my kids' pictures in them and I get hugs and kisses.

These are the kinds of gifts that make being a mom special and I wouldn't trade them for all of the diamonds in the world!

Again I say, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all!

Is Something Wrong With My Kids??

Or is something wrong with their mom? Let me explain.....
I was never really much of a coffee drinker until I met my husband. I drink more than my fair share now, but I am not your typical coffee drinker either. I could drink straight black coffee if I was dying of thirst (which if I was you would think that I would opt for something cooler) but find it to be a much more enjoyable experience if I add sugar and cream. (I know that most people say "cream and sugar" but I say it in the order of which is more) ANYWAY, when my oldest child was little she got a taste of my coffee and liked it. After that she thought that she should just have coffee every morning. I would fix it in a sippy cup that was 1 part coffee to 3 parts milk. (at least she was getting her calcium) Well, when Madison came along she had gotten a hold of the sippy cup a few times and she decided that she liked it too. From then on it became a morning ritual to wake the girls up with their "coffee". I began to question this ritual when they started to lay in bed and yell out "Coffee". When people (mostly relatives) would hear the story of how my children drink coffee every morning they would say "aren't you afraid it will stunt their growth?" First of all, I think that is an old wives's tale and secondly, they are Myrstol's.....do you really think it matters Eddie?!?!
A few years later along came Gabriel. Yup, you guessed it....he also acquired a taste for the "java". When Rollie came along, he too has joined in the family tradition! There are days that I watch my youngest play and wonder "I hope that the coffee is not what made him just trip over that blade of grass or make that bad decision to stomp on the cat's tail!" I think maybe that might have something to do with just being a boy! I don't think the coffee (mostly milk) can be all that bad....when we go to the doctor they never ask, "does your child drink a lot of coffee?" I don't see how a little bit of coffee can be any worse than pop or candy. Yes, I am one of those mom's that let her children eat candy and drink pop.....but DEFINITELY not for breakfast....that is when they have coffee!