Fantastic FALA

Every parent hopes that their child will run home from school and tell them how great it is to learn, they love their teachers and all their soon to be friends. Well this year I got what I wanted. Ever since Ryann was accepted in to this "Arts and Leadership Academy" I have tried to let her know that it may not be just like she sees it on Victorious or any other number of Disney shows. Well apparently I was wrong.
First, they are encouraged to debate....LOUDLY. The teacher says that if you are not being loud you are not being passionate. Second, the kids (all decked out in fo-hawks, nose rings and purple hair) break into song and dance during lunch, And the teachers encourage that too, clapping and hooting with the rest of them. Ryann has made friends, been selected photographer for yearbook and finally feel that she fits in just right. Although, I am expecting the questions about hair dye and piercings very soon :)

Start of the Season

Every year, just before cheer starts - you get really excited. You forget how much money you spent the past year, how hard it was on your family to constantly drive to and from practices and competitions. Those mom's you talked crap about last season seem kind of nice all the sudden and you wonder if you could be friends this year? It's like once Nationals are over, the slate is washed clean and all you have is the great memories of the year.


Then, you start fundraising, and the bills start coming in, and moms are fighting over who's child will be moved up a level and which ones should stay down. Now I can handle most of this, just to have the smile below and see the confidence she gets from putting on that uniform, but some days I still wonder.....how can a company possibly charge $260.00 for Lycra and sequin?

A burst of color

I absolutely love color...I do not like white anything...which is odd, because that is what my dishes have been for my entire 15 years of marriage. I think that maybe I was so paranoid about something not matching that I was afraid to take a risk. Whatever the case, my ab-fab husband took me to the white sale at Dillard's an low and behold, I have COLOR! It may be the first time that I willingly washed a dish with such vigor,life is good!

Flip Flops $2.50 Walk $0.00

Seriously, this is for every parent who's shild has said "mom, I SWEAR I will walk this puppy....I will feed it....alnd clean up after it....and no, I SWEAR I will walk it if you JUST LET ME GET THIS PUPPY!

Well........this is one of MANY casualties that have left our home in a trash container. I can't even break in a pair without at least some puppy teeth indents.

I can tell you that my kiddo has since started walking the dog every day and she has not eated any more shoes. Unfortunatly, she has moved on to the coach. Anyone want a puppy?

4 adults, 6 kids, 7 dogs, 2 cats and some chickens

Ok, so the poor chickens had to be left behind because of our HOA.....and the cats went to a different house for obvious reasons but everyone else is here. One of the 5 biggest fires in Flagstaff's history has displaced 275 homes and burned over 12,000 acres of Forrest. Almost every family has at least one other family living with them since Fathers Day and we are hoping that they get it under control soon.

We are still miles away and safe but hope that the fire fighters are able to save our friends home....in the interim, if you want to see how many loads of laundry can be done in one day, or see how many kids you can shove in a bedroom or see the biggest Mastiff dog you have ever seen in your life, this is the place!

Living the Dream

Sometimes I forget that I live in paradise. Sometimes I forget that I have such a blessed life. Sometimes forget and start to feel sorry for myself because my body won't cooperate. Then.....I wake up and look out my bedroom window,

and suddenly I remember.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

When I open the fridge door, I can almost hear the dogs ears go up in red alert. When I pull out the hot dogs, they come running and sit very nicely just like this.

In our home, turkey dogs are used for treats....to train....to hide medication...and occasionally to reward them for not jumping out of the bath tub. it is the ultimate treat.

Today, I was feeling generous and passed out (evenly sliced) hot dog pieces to my canine buddies just for the heck of it. I go right to left, making everyone sit nicely. If they try to snatch their neighbors piece they get skipped. Mean, yes, but effective.

So, on the third trip through Friday got smart. She decided to sneak around the back of her brother so she would be first in line and get an extra slice. It was so cute that I came very close to giving it to her on creativity points alone. However, I did restrain.

The point of this story? Well it all goes back to my brother Kevin. When my brothers and I were little, our mom's would line us up in a row and distribute Dimeatap to sedate the savages and get us to go to sleep earlier. One by one, the 5 of us would get our dose and move on....except Kevin. He would sneak to the back of the line and go for seconds. I'm pretty sure it worked at least once :)

Happy Birthday Mom

After a LONG 12 hour drive we made it to Oakley. Just in time for the festivities at moms house. Happy 58th ma!

Durango, CO

There were no cheer faces, glitter or screaming girls in Colorado.....but we still had a GREAT time! The weather was perfect, the rivers were raging and we were hanging out with some of our favorite people. Plus it was virtually free because we brought all our own food!

We love the Borrero family....Ethan, Jody, Mason, Tyden and Baby Ethan made the 5 1/2 hour drive through AZ, Utah and into Colorado for the weekend. Uncle Kevin is always a huge hit with the kids and doubles as a jungle gym.

Mason decided to embarrass his dad by telling the restaurant that it was his dads birthday. Not only did they sing and shove whipped cream in his face, but they also let all the kids play an instrument before, during and after the song. We were not the most popular table but we did have the most fun!

Did I mention the scenery? Holy cow! I REALLY would not mind moving here some day.....seriously!

I just love Flagstaff

Mellow hippy mountain folk rock! The one bad thing about my vacation was scheduling dog sitting on only 4 days notice (for Memorial weekend no less). We were sooo grateful that we found the perfect solve to our dilemma!

Enter 24 year old gymnastics coach Kevin - lives in an apartment with a roommate and his puppy. I offer the use of a 3 bedroom house, hot tub, laundry facilities, TV and whatever beer is left in the fridge in exchange for hanging with my 3 obnoxious dogs for a few days. He says "you had me at hot tub".

Ahhhhh.....I can just FEEL the vacation already!

Hip, hip, hooray!

Enough of the wind and snow....enough of the dogs and enough of cheer....okay that is a little overboard :)

Friday - Monday we head to Durango Colorado! Along with our good friends the Borrero's, to share a condo for the weekend. Neither of us has had a vacation in quite some time that did not involve driving back to see our familes and we are SUPER excited!

Nothing but rivers, old buildings and exploring....yep, super excited!

Meet the dogs - Friday

Friday is Ryann's puppy. If she was not so darn cute, I may have sent her back. Friday is a 6 month old Sheppard Chow mix and was adopted when we went to get a fish. Mom's, when you go to the pet store - LEAVE YOUR KIDS AT HOME!!! This dog has eaten more shoes, documents and peed in every corner of the house (thank God she is now potty trained). She is in puppy training now and doing somewhat better. She has one friend....a Pit Bull named Bentley. Other than him, she barks at ever other dog in the world who does not live at our house. This one needs a lot of work, but will eventually be a good dog. Her issue? She, at 32 pounds, can still fit through the rod iron fence. She is quite the contortionist and will move snake like through the slats until she has managed to get to the other side. When I find her on the front porch.....she will run back through the fence, in the doggy door and stand at the front door like she never left the house. Yep, we are in serious trouble!

Meet the dogs - Roxy

Roxy is by far the strangest dog you will ever see. She is pretty photogenic, but when you see her in person.....well let's just say she is special. She is a 2 year old Brittany Spaniel/Pit Bull. No, that is NOT a typo! For anyone who has ever been afraid of the Pit bull, you really need to meet Roxy. She was raised from 4 months to 1 year in a kennel. Why no one wanted this dog was beyond me. You would think after not being in a family her whole life that she would not be the dog she is. While she is known to jump on people (she thinks she is a lap dog) she has the best disposition of an animal. She has been tackled, bit by puppy's, jumped on, tail pulled, ears eaten and more. She takes it all lying down (literally) so that the child or puppy can get a better angle on her. She loves the snow and will spend hours in it until she can't walk due to ice balls on her hind legs. Once she defrosts, she is back out again. Her one oddity???? She has been known to announce her arrival into a room....by burping :)

Meet the dogs - Cruzado

Cruz was the only survivor of a litter born on the side of a freeway to a stray dog. He is 5 years old and by far the best dog we have ever had (I say that about almost all of them). He can usually be found under the futon which sometimes scares our guests who stay in that bedroom. For those of you with sinus issues, Cruz is your man! He has a slight licking fetish and often goes for the nose....we do warn people first!

Charter....no public...no charter!

So my 13 year old daughter Ryann went to Montessori for her whole life. I was happy about this and it showed. Then, one gray day, she decided to go to public school. I resisted.... my husband resisted...I resisted again. Then, my well trained future lawyer pleaded her case.

1. Everyone in high school will already have their friends picked out by the time I get there.

2. If I go to a larger school now, I will be able to acclimate better.

3. You have taught me to be a mature, well balanced child. Don't you trust my decisiveness now?

So that third one eventually got us. She was right, we did trust her and off she went to public school. Fast forward 9 months - decent grades, captain of her cheer squad and officially not getting placed in the dumpsters I was sure I would find her in at a public school.

Happy ending? Maybe. Now my kiddo informs me that public school is just too big, and too much drama, and why did I ever let her go there (okay that last one was just me) and she wants to go back into a charter school. We have found one that fits her personality (they have a great DRAMA department) and we interview tonight. Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy. Looks like a great school, the kids really enjoy the performing arts and they travel to way cool places like New York and Los Angeles. They also do not have a bus which means I need to now put clothes on much earlier than I want to.