Friday round up

I'm so glad I had nothing on my calendar today. This week has flown by with me looking at the calendar every couple of hours to make sure I'm in the right place at the right time.  Wednesday was early release day and  it was a beautiful fall day.  Many people headed to the park. It was wonderful to see these four awesome boys run and play for 3 hours without a screen in their hand!

It was career day at school on Wednesday. You can see three of four are wearing Spurs jerseys.  Alex said he is a sports manager for these guys. They have to pay him a percentage.  Then Hayden corrected us that he is wearing a Chuy's shirt. We said, oh he is serving the food after the win!

What is the difference between these two bags besides their color?

The price tag!  I bought the one on the right at Academy earlier this week. Conleigh had wanted this backpack before school started and I balked at the price, so we passed.  Now, she claims she doesn't need a backpack (but she does). I could not find this backpack anywhere. It has been on b/o at Penney's since school began.  I found this one and only one at Academy.  Sucked it up and bought it.
Today, on my one day of nothing on the calendar, I walked through my favorite store, Goodwill. Lo and behold, this backpack was hanging there with the tags still on.  I just saved $30 by buying this one.  Time to return to Academy!

Campbell has been going two times a week to gymanstics this month.  I'm just thinking of it as good exercise; however, there are too many girls in the class for the ratio of coaches. He isn't saying that  but it is obvious when I watch.  So, I encouraged her to give Jazz dance a try. She did yesterday and loved it! I'm so glad. We will make a change for October and do one day gymanstics with her bestie and one day Jazz.

Our neighbors have a new baby boy, Deklan.  I made dinner for them yesterday. Peter said I'm turning into a regular Betty Crocker. He doesn't know what to do when he comes home and the house smells like cooking.  I made honey mustard chicken breasts (regular mustard, honey and jalapeno mustard with basil and paprika stirred together & brushed onto the chicken), roasted asparagus, homemade oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies and rolls. They sent a picture of empty plates and dishes with their texted thank you.

I've started a low carb/high protein diet as of this morning. wish me luck...

Have a good weekend!

Convo

Yesterday I drove Campbell to her last volleyball clinic. As we were driving, she asked me, "are you happy with your life?"  I answered Yes.  She asked, is it because you get to be with me, Conleigh and Alex?  "Yes, it is. You three are the most important things to me."  So I asked her, "are you happy with your life?"  She said, "yes, and you want to know what is most important to me?  Y.O.U.

Love holding her hand.

Love the shape of her sweet, strong 7 year old legs.

I can't believe how long she is. When she sleeps in her bed, she is soo long!

I love that she wants to be a teacher and teaches her class at night by reading to them in her bed.

I love her so much.

Still processing...I

What a month February was .  It started normal but ended in a way that changed normal forever.

I spent part of the first week of the month in San Antonio for work. Since I work part time and worked on a day that isn't a usual day, I took the following Wednesday, the 12th off.  Mom had back surgery in Houston on Monday, February 10.  It was for spinal stenosis. Her back pain has been so bad for several years now. She walks hobbled over with a walker and just hurts all the time. 
I drove into Houston on the 11th with plans to stay until Thursday just to help them out at home after the surgery.  She was sitting up in the hospital bed all dressed and in good spirits when I arrived. She had walked twice that morning and they were ready to dismiss her.
That day at home she walked the most straight I have seen her walk in three years.  She said she was sore but the pain was less.  It was a low key afternoon at the house.
Wednesday she continued to say her back was sore but the pain was less.  She walked a little stooped and seemed a little tired but nothing out of the ordinary.  Sometime during the day she mentioned that she was having trouble emptying her bladder, and I said something like, "oh, you need to go to the bathroom," and she said, "no."
We discovered that the big freezer was broken and not cooling, so Dad and I toted all the food over to the neighbors, Bill and Terry.  Mom cooked up some of the cookie dough cookies that had been in the freezer.  We all went to bed.

About 7am on Friday I woke up and could hear mom & dad in their room. They are not early risers and I got up to go see what was going on. Mom was shivering. She was so cold. There were at least five blankets on her and her teeth were just chattering and she kept saying, I'm so cold, I'm so cold. 
I got in bed with her to see if I could warm her up but she wasn't cold.  I found the number for the Humana nurse and called. They asked how long the symptoms had been going on and dad said about an hour. The nurse told me to call 911 because after 30 minutes they get nervous about sepsis.

January Wrap Up

I started the year in San Diego for a week of work.  

Highlight of the trip: getting to spend one evening with the Lin family. 

We ate at Underbelly, a hip Pho restaurant.

Love this family!

January means basketball.

Does this picture say Campbell all over it? The girl can hold her own on the court too.!

 These Doves don't cry. Campbell & her friends are having a great time on the court.

Uh, hello Pistons...  What is so exciting up there?

 So far, Alex & his team are 4-0.

Company man.  Playing the part in a contest!

Ever wonder how temperature affects the stickiness of glue? Me neither.

Well, Conleigh had a hypothesis about it and did a science fair project based on it.

Say what?

Say blue ribbon!  Go girl!

 Hey Jude!  We loved having you play at our house. Come back soon.

 While my good friend Krissy and her husband went to a funeral, they brought their three precious kids to our house. We loved having them run around and light this place up.  When they left, Campbell said, "oh good. it is quiet around here again." Ha.

Juliet looks just like her mama.

January meant something that doesn't come often to these parts.  Snow. Mostly ice, but ice equals snow days here. We've had two. Kids loved it...

 for ten minutes...

 we aren't really equipped to keep warm in that very cold weather.

eek!

Daddy saves the day and builds a fire!

Rest In Peace

Grandma & Grandpa at the cabin in Warm Lake, Idaho

Ralph Hardin has gone home to join Betty Hardin who left this world on October 8, 2013. They enjoyed 70 years of marriage and were a true team. They lived on their own until age 92. Betty succumbed to bladder cancer in October. She died one day before Peter and I arrived in California to visit her.
Ralph passed away during the night January 23, 2014.  From what we know, he simply went to sleep and did not wake up. Although his body was frail, death was not expected so soon. We had face timed with him briefly on January 12 to tell him Happy Birthday.  I think he was just ready. Ready to be with Betty. Ready for rest.

These two wonderful people were Peter's grandparents.  I first met them in the summer of 1999 in Warm Lake, Idaho. They were so welcoming and throughout our marriage have been vocal in how proud they were of the family they created. I know they loved our children very, very much. 
Peter flew to Salt Lake City today for a memorial service tomorrow. Ralph had been relocated to SLC in November to live with his daughter there.
Today Peter told me that Grandpa wants to have his remains (and grandma's) laid to rest in Orange County, California, in the same cemetery where John Wayne lies.  I love it! 

We will miss them dearly. May they rest in peace together.

Weekend Report

Basketball. EKG. Birthday party. Mexican food with friends. Church. Basketball.