A little bit of ordinary...

Miss Sassy loves her Nana!  This is one of those ordinary moments that I seldom catch on film;  the everyday cuddles of our third child and her grandmother...

Here is Miss Sassy playing the drum pad in the school band!  For a couple of years, we asked to have Miss Sassy join the band.  Finally, last year, we didn't ask.  We simply said we were signing her up!  Her smile says it all!

And Miss Sassy's riding lessons!  I love the ramp and raised platforms that allow her to get into the saddle so that she can ride again!

Original Oddball (left) and Aunt Gadget Girl (right) were comparing bellies yesterday.  I'm thinking Oddball won the bump contest... 

And the goofball section.  Yes, this is "ordinary" for us.  Actually, I was really tired last night and mentioned to oldest kiddo when we left that I hoped I didn't seem too wierd.  She said, "ummm... Mom, wierd IS normal for you.  If anything you were a little quieter than usual."  Hmmmm....

Have a happy day!  Celebrate the ordinary today!

When pigs fly...

I'll be taking on a long-term subbing position for the remainder of the school year.  With only a couple of weeks between the last job and the coming job, I've had a long list of things to do.  Well... correction... mostly a list of friends that I want a chance to visit with!  With some housework thrown in for good measure....

This week, I managed to snag my dad for a day of driving all over the bumpiest little back roads we could find.  I've spent time with my kids and my parents.  I walked with my neighbor and went out for breakfast with one of my buddies.  And, as always, goofed around with a bunch of trombonists.  But I forgot to dig out my camera. 

It seems to be the people I most love and most often see that I forget to photograph.  A few years ago, we lost an older neighbor whom we loved and chatted often with.  The girls looked forward to the crazy Halloween costumes and haunted house that he put on every year.  We often visited when he was out in his front yard.  But when he passed away, I realized that we didn't have a single picture of him.  Never thought to photograph the ordinary...

Some day, I resolve to capture more of those ordinary days in photos.  In the meantime, this little antenae topper is headed to a buddy to remind her that I am going to get her photo (and have more coffee) "when pigs fly!"  Sounds like a good excuse to get together again!

Photo Album...

Miss Sassy had a riding lesson last weekend.  She loves horses and used to ride when she was younger.  Eventually it became too difficult to get her up onto the horses.  We are thrilled to find therapeudic riding just a few minutes away!  Complete with ramped platforms allowing riders to get *down* onto a horse which is much easier for her to achieve!

It wasn't long before Miss Sassy felt comfortable back in the saddle!

Gadget Girl is excited, too.  The stable is taking on new volunteers to help with the spring riding season!  She's already helped lead and side-walk with several lessons and is scheduled for many more.  When I arrived to pick her up the other day, I found her "schooling" a horse.  Hmmmm... looked a lot like riding to me!  I think the instructors have figured out a sure-fire way to keep their volunteers excited. 

Academic fair was this week.  This is an hour-long event scheduled so that parents can walk around and visit with other parents ask intelligent questions about 300 or so topics presented by the kiddos.  Like Demeter and Greek farming.  Just ask youngest kiddo about those and she'll launch into a five minute explanation.  The next kiddo will tell you about Athena or food or...  I'm still trying to figure out how to see 300 booths in an hour.... 

Here is Miss Sassy with her booth!

And the latest trombone rehearsal.  Hmmmm... lots of grinning, plenty of food, but no trombones anywhere in the photo...  We really DO play for a while first.  Honest!

Prettier with power...

We are living in a fairy-scape of ice!  The sunlight shimmers in the branches, reflecting zillions of tiny points of light.  The breeze makes a faint tinkling sound like hundreds of tiny wind chimes.  It's gorgeous.

Unless you have no shower, no coffee, a dozen loads of wash waiting, a puddle on the floor from a mini fridge icebox defrosting, it feels like an eighteen wheeler hit you the night before (whatever stomach-yuck most recently ventured home from the schools), you're in the middle of the upheaval of swapping rooms around (Fearless Leader and my laundry is somewhere under a pile of toys) and there are four kiddos home from school making more mess.  Ummm hmmmm....  I had a moment of serious contemplation.  Perhaps the best course of action would be to leave the puppy licking up the defrost puddle while I ran screaming from the house and slid my way towards the nearest gas station with a bucket of caffinated sludge simmering on a back burner?  Maybe a gas station in Hawaii? 

The phone rang during that moment of hysteria.  It was my dad calling to see how everything was going and checking to see whether the kids had school.  He must have heard the flight plans taking shape in my caffine-deprived brain, 'cause my parents showed up half an hour later with a very large cup of coffee, doughnuts and big buckets of water so that we could at least flush the toilets.

My heroes!



As the caffine seeped into the frantic little places in my brain, the world started looking right again.  (Everything looks a little brighter if you can flush toilets.)  We laughed, we shared a meal, we toured the town  picked up parts for the next house project and we even snuck in a game of cards.  And the power turned back on by late afternoon. 

      Now, a few days away from the stomach bug, with a cup of coffee in front of me and the laudry caught back up again, isn't our ice pretty?

random stuff

Miss Sassy has discovered her girly-girl side.  She loves sparkly necklaces and asks to wear one each morning.  She even holds still for a pretty barrette.  And this kiddo has NEVER before held still for anything hair-related...

Oldest kiddo has popped...  I guess a week of vacation, extra rest and good food will do that :o)  I'd better be careful.  I had a week of vacation, too....

And the goofball section of a local band.  (A.K.A. the trombone section.)  I'm in the front.  Ummm... the short one in the front.  (Just in case you were wondering.)  I love these guys!  We laugh and joke all through band practice.  And hang around gabbing after practice until our conductor starts audibly jangling his keys.  Sometimes we keep talking in the parking lot.  Recently we started getting together to play outside of band.  Which quickly turned into dinner and playing.  Then theming the dinners.  Dinner, talking and laughter are starting to obliterate the playing time.  Um hmmm... typical trombone section.  I love it!

Oh!  And I LOVED Karen M's response to our collection of trombones in Vacation Shenanigans  She said to, "tell the husband to just be glad you aren't tuba players!"  Yeah... they run a little more expensive!  I can only imagine trying to get three tubas (and the respective players) into the car for a gig.  And if we had a bunch of tubas in the house, we might need to convert a few cases into tables or chairs or something...  For more band stories (and gardening and art and bunnies), check out rabbits eat quilts :o)

Well... that's the happy thoughts for today!  Have an awesome day!    

Streph vs. Browns Playoffs, round 2

We are headed for some serious overtime.  We thought we were ready for this playoff.  The team was healthy, strong.  Maybe a little smug for having gone all winter undefeated.  Not even a sniffle. 

Until the streph faceoff...

The first player down was Miss Sassy.  She fought hard but was finally benched with a 101.4 fever, ear infection and streph. 

Next down were team mates Mom (yup, me) and Nana.  Possibly due to all the consoling and chicken soup making for Miss Sassy while she was benched.  Team captain, Fearless Hubby, and our starting line-up, oldest two kiddos, rapidly followed suit.

Youngest kiddo was left holding the family game.  Until Monday.

Streph 7 vs. Browns 0

And team captain and oldest kiddo recently issued reports of returning scratchy throats...