Friday Fragments

I love listening to BG pray. Mostly because I usually get a good laugh out of it, but also because it's sweet to hear her innocence. The other night this was included in her prayer. "Please bless Big Foot. Please bless that he has big feet, because his name is Big Foot. Please bless that he can hide so the people looking for him won't find him and he will be safe." After the prayer she asked why I was crying. Instead of telling the truth- because that's what happens when you hold in so much laughter, I told her it was because I love her. Also true.

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Blanche is talking more and more all the time. When you sneeze, she will say "Bless you", only she can't enunciate well, so I may be the only one who understands what she is saying. I love it.

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I want to get new family pictures taken soon. It's been about a year since we did our last ones. I'm trying to decide on what colors for our family to wear. I probably spend way to much time/energy thinking about it, but there are lots of things to consider. I don't want anything too girly because JM already endures so much estrogen, so pink is out. I don't want anything too boy-ish because we are a family with three girls. I'd like to use as much as possible that we already own so we don't have to buy all new outfits for the whole family. Should the girls match or not? Should we match the girls? I don't want all white or all black. Should I consider where they hang in our home to match home decor? Dressy or casual? See, told you I am thinking about this way too much.

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I love that Blanche is getting so big, but also sad. She thinks she is just as big as BG and will copy anything she sees. She loves to climb and jump. Oh, how she loves to jump. It's her newest favorite thing. She is getting pretty good, and can sometimes jump off both feet at the same time. I love watching her grow, but it happens so fast!

Represent, Yo!

This weekend was the big rivalry football game and I realized my girls didn't have any team appropriate gear. That wouldn't stand so I had to remedy the situation by pulling out my Silhouette to make some team gear. These shirts were free because I used clothes they already had, and I had the paint and everything else I needed. I used freezer paper to make the stencils and fabric paint to color them. We rocked our new attire for the game. I proud to say our team STOMPED the Cougars. Go UTES!

I also up-cycled a sweatshirt into Ute apparel. I really like how it turned out but I haven't taken any pictures yet, so you will have to wait in suspense.

Remembering

I know there is already lots of talk about this 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001. I wanted to add my story to all those others.

It was the beginning of my sophomore year of college and a crisp fall morning. I was walking to one of my generals classes in the Presidents Circle. I happen to run into one of my co-workers on the way to class. It was the only time I ever saw her on campus. She told me that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. I wasn't quite sure what to think about this; it seemed so surreal, almost like a bad joke. I walked into class which happened to be in a computer lap where I immediately logged onto CNN.com. Their web page was flooded and it took a really long time to come up. The whole class was watching the news online. We didn't do anything at all during that class but watch the news. It was mostly commentary and I don't recall seeing the images until later.

I walked to my next class stunned. It was during my 2nd class that it was announced all classes would be canceled for the day. I walked home the few blocks to my apartment and turned on the radio. We didn't have a TV so I listened to the radio while lying on the couch. No one else was home. I listened to the radio for hours, until it was time for me to get ready for work. I called my boss and asked if the store was really still open. She told me that yes I had to go to work. it seemed that everything, everyone was in a daze. The world had stopped turning.

I went to work and tried to focus but there were no customers and all the employees were sullen. The store manager closed the store a few hours later and I drove home. I still had not seen the images of the planes hitting. A friend was getting married and since I was no longer working, I decided to drive to their reception. I stopped at my parents house and for the first time, saw the graphics on the TV. It's hard to describe the horror of watching that for the first time. It's like watching a movie where you hope it's fake, but the pit in your stomach is twisted so tight, you can't pretend it isn't real. I cried that day thinking of all those who were in the towers and on the planes.

The wedding reception was morose at best. Guests were trying to celebrate a wedding union while we all feared our country was under attack.

I still get teary eyed thinking about that day. I think about the lives lost, the heroes that emerged, and the families affected and it makes me choke up. It makes me feel so lucky for what I have and almost a little guilty. Because how can I even come close to appreciating what I have when there are those who lost so much. I plan to spend some time today remembering, thanking, and hugging my loved ones a little closer. God Bless America.

Friday Fragments

It's been a while since I did a Friday Fragment, so I thought I'd throw out the random things going on at our house.

Blanche is now telling me when she poops in her diaper. She will waddled up to me, grab herself and with a concerned look on her face say "Di-poe". 9 times out of 10, she is poopy and will get a clean diaper. Does this mean she might potty train soon? I sure hope so.

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When I opened up my bin of fall decorations, they were all wet and moldy. I'm not really sure how this happened, but it was devastating for me. I had to throw away everything I've collected over 8 years of marriage to decorate my house for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. I actually cried over it.

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We had a parents only back-to-school night at BG's school. She warned me before hand that I was going to have to sit in her chair (hilarious!) and do board work. She also told me if I don't listen to the teacher, she will take away her pencils and will have to do her papers in crayon. "Mom! Listen to my teacher; DON'T get my pencils taken away!" It was tough, but she still had pencils to use in class after I left.

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The dog is on notice, on the short list, cruising for a bruisin' and any other phrase you can think of meaning he is in perpetual trouble. We are working with him, but he's basically a disobedience teenager who likes to drive me crazy. We bought several bags of dirt to fill in the holes he has dug in my flower beds. He continues to dig and loves the fresh, loose soil.

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We had great aspirations to go camping this summer. We haven't actually gone beyond the backyard. Last Sunday (Labor Day weekend) we decided spontaneously to try again. By the time we made it up the canyon, all the campsites were full. So drove back home, put the kids to bed and built a fire in the charcoal grill. Then JM and I chatted by the campfire half the night. It was a great date night.

What are they teaching you?

BG has now been in Kindergarten for 2.5 weeks. You wouldn't think that would be long enough for anything too terrible to happen. Not so. The other day, driving home from school, this is the conversation we had.

BG: Mom, I need my own phone.
Me: What?! Why?
BG: So I can call Sydney. (I don't know who that is.)
Me: You have to be a lot older to have your own phone.
BG: How old?
Me: Old enough to pay for it on your own. Phones cost a lot of money
BG: Do I have to be, like (pause) sixteen, Imean six?
Me: More like sixteen. Does Sydney have her own phone?
BG: No

Where did she even get this idea? On the up side, she is reading well, likes her class, and seems to be learning a lot. I guess school isn't all bad.