Doesn't Everyone Call it a Junk Drawer?

This post is for a couple of important people. There is a small group who will "get" this. We just moved(ok, that part is probably for more than just a few people). We didn't go far, just a few miles to a house with a POOL!! Yes, we are excited.

Anywho, the real reason for this post is the actual moving part. It is a pain. A big pain. Every little thing has to be moved. Including the "junk" drawer, or the drawer that cannot be named in this family friendly blog.

You know who you are. We had a good laugh.

Candy From the Prison...Sure, Why Not?

Halloween…and posted before December, thank you very much!!

I learned my lesson last year. NO making Halloween costumes this year. NO WAY, NO HOW…NOPE. Not happening.

We made our decisions early, and I had them shipped. If only I were so efficient in my blogging.

Bubba decided he wanted to be a BYU football player, luckily we ordered early since there was a glich in the arrival of his costume. He was so excited to open the box the day it came. We opened it up, and there was a big red jersey in there. “NOT UTAH!” Were the first words out of his mouth. Upon further investigation we realized they had sent us a Wisconsin Badgers uniform. That didn’t make him any happier. Luckily we had enough time to get the appropriate uniform sent.

Pie after much deliberation decided she wanted to be Cleopatra. She was VERY excited because she thought this would be very different, and there would not be a lot of Cleopatras. She is all about being different. Sadly Cleopatra was hugely popular this year. When we arrived at Trunk-or-Treat the first costume she saw when we walked in was exactly like hers. She wanted to go home. I hope no other girls have the same dress as her on Prom night, she will not handle it well. Finally, once she calmed down we had a great time with church friends.



Since Halloween landed on a Monday this year we had two nights of candy. We went to Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday, and on Monday we went to the Territorial Prison to trick-or-treat. It was awesome. The kids loved it. Cool Dad loved it. The weather was amazing, and the organizations that decorated cells did a great job. We will definitely be going back next year.



We had a great Halloween. Even though nobody knew Bubba’s football team, and he was kind of disappointed, he was still glad he was a BYU football player.

FOOTBALL

I have been dreading this post since August. I decided that instead of complaining my way through the whole football season I would just save it all, and wrap it up in one post instead of 90 posts of, “guess what, we have football AGAIN today”.

Bubba loves football. It all started last year when he went to school. A group of boys would get together and recess and play tackle football. I know it is crazy, on the big kid playground the kids couldn’t play tag, because someone might get hurt, but on the Kindergarten playground they were allowed to play tackle football.

Cool Dad also made him participate in a sort of “rite of passage” that all boys from Cool Dad’s side of the family must go through. Your father sits you down and makes you decide who your NFL football team will be. Apparently this will be your team forever, there are no do overs, no take backs, and if you have the misfortune to choose the Miami Dolphins like Cool Dad then you have to like them even when they can’t win a game. Bubba is a proud San Diego Chargers fan.

See how painful this is, and we aren’t even to the part about how football CONSUMED my life for three months.

Bubba talks non-stop about wanting to play football. When I mentioned that I might sign him up for a flag football team he told me he wanted to play football more than he wanted to breathe.

So I plopped down my hugely enormous fee, and we were all signed up…In an INTERNATIONAL football league…What????

There were a few eye openers at the parents meeting. First, practice for the first few weeks will be Monday-Friday from 6-8pm. This is where the first signs of what have I done started to set in. Next, it turns out that there aren’t that many teams in our area so we would be traveling to games. Traveling for six year old football games, are they crazy??? No, apparently I am. Everyone else there seemed to think this was perfectly normal. Finally they hit us with this zinger. The coach asks if anyone has a problem going to Mexico for a game. Excuse me, as in leave the country for a six year old football game. Passports, we need passports to be signed up for this sport?

That is what began my life from August until November.
Bubba loved EVERYTHING about it. He loved games, he even loved practices. I have to admit there were a few days where he was refusing to do homework, and I told him if he didn’t get it done he wouldn’t be able to go to practice. I know a lot of kids who would have said. “Who cares, as long as I can play in the game”. Not Bubba he loved practice too.

Game days were interesting, we only won one game in the regular season, but it was a sweet victory. On the day of the tournament we won one, tied one, and lost two. Bubba didn’t care. He has his trophy, and I think that may be the main reason he did it.

The worst part of the whole experience for me, realizing this is just the start of what will likely be many Saturdays watching football.
Good bye Saturday. It was nice knowing you.

Fiesta!!!

I live with a party planner. I used to live with a different party planner, but then she moved out and went to college. The second daughter has stepped into the role. They did not get it from me, they got it from their Auntie.

I do not plan parties, I don't really even enjoy parties that much, but my girls LOVE them. They each have one goal in life, to be the hostess with the mostess.

While Bubba and I were off to a football game out of town one weekend(don't worry, that post is coming) Pie and Cool Dad (mostly Pie) decided that she wanted to plan a party for Bubba to congratulate him on his football (loss???) experiences. She somehow conned Cool Dad into driving her to the party store and plunking down cash for decorations, and a pinata (that is where her Auntie comes in. That girl LOVES pinata's. It's Christmas, let's have a pinata. It's Easter, let's have a pinata...Fourth of July, pinata. You get the picture. She actually has her own custom made pinata stick (and still only one pinata stick injury, which we are not supposed to talk about). Anywho, at least Pie's party was a Fiesta so the pinata was a good fit.

Don't you just love the chili pepper pinata. We will not be posting any pictures of us hitting the pinata because not only did we have to hang it dangerously close to a pillar, we also had to use the broom to hit it.



We had an awesome meal of chips and salsa with carne asada, and amazing decorations. She is already bugging me about when our next party is. Look out, your invitation just might be in the mail.

GO TEAM!!!!!!!!

Since we have been in our new city we have been thwarted a couple of times while trying to attend a cheer clinic. This has made Pie very sad because we used to attend a couple each year and she loved them. We finally found one that was not cancelled. We did however have to drive to a rival high school to do it, so all of you locals reading this, don't be offended, and if our cheerleaders would get on the ball and have a clinic we would attend that one too!!!

As usual Pie LOVED this clinic. Not only did she get to perform at half time, but she got to cheer with the cheerleaders too, including doing stunts.





We also met some fun friends who told us about a gym with a class that is perfect for Pie. She in now enrolled in gymnastics and loving it. She is hoping to try out for cheerleader when she is in junior high. I am not sure how I feel about that!!

Catfish Rodeo

Last year we accidentally ended up at the Catfish Rodeo. I think I went to great lengths last year to make Cool Dad feel bad that he didn't tell us about the Catfish Rodeo even though his work was sponsoring it. This year he had it on the calendar circled in red....he really does listen...sometimes.

What is the Catfish Rodeo you ask? Does it involve lassoing ugly fish, no. However, it is a lot of fun.

Each of the government agencies in our area put up booths and have fun activities for kids, including fishing for catfish, and although we didn't actually "fish" we did get pics with a catfish that someone else caught.



We also get to pan for gold, shoot BB guns, cast a fly fishing rod, and try our hand at archery.



He looks a little scary with that bow. He has had way to much fun practicing this past year. If you recall he received a bow and arrow from his cousin Lou last Christmas. Still working on forgiving her.

Pie was not quite as excited about shooting, but she loved panning for gold.


Each of them found actual gold. Cool Dad could probably put a whole post up just about the gold. His agency "stocked" the sludge with actual gold. If the kids found real gold while panning they were given little vials with actual gold in them. It was a huge hit. Cool Dad and his cronies were having more fun than the kids with the whole experience.




All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday, notice our short sleeve shirts in mid-October. Starting to love the weather.

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!!!

While I am happy to see October go, it was action packed with a lot of things that I did not blog about.

The first of which was Pie’s birthday. We were in quite the conundrum this year as to what type of party she should have. I am one of those moms who only does a party every other year, so when you are going to be nine, and you don’t get a party for two more years you have to make sure it is extra super special.

The winner of the birthday theme for this year, drum roll please…

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!!!

We decided to show one of her favorite movies, It Takes Two, and have pizza and popcorn and theater candy.



Attendees seemed to enjoy arriving and walking the red carpet.



If you are going to watch a movie you had better have popcorn. (I wish the cake looked as good as the one I found on the internet. Notice I am NOT posting that one for you to compare).

Pie had a great birthday, and she is very happy to be NINE!!!!!