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 :)