BASKETBALL at age 5?

“Little Haylie” started basketball practice last night. :/ How did that happen??? She is by far the least experienced on the team. I wasn't surprised that she is the least experienced though. She shows a lot of potential, so it’s OK. :) Her coach made a comment about her not being afraid to shoot the ball... apparently beginners are a little hesitant to shoot...? As athletic as Haylie is, I’m sure she will be just fine!  I’m embarrassed to say that we don’t have a basketball at home, but she got to take one home from practice so that she could practice her dribbling and ball handling.

Poor Connor feels so left out… he just kept telling me that he wanted to play basketball too..  They even started fighting over the ball when we got home, so it got put away until the arguing stopped. I told Haylie if she went to bed like a good girl last night, she would be allowed to put it in her room this morning where it would wait for her until she got home from school. So this morning when I went in to get her up for her shower, the first thing she said was, “Can I have my ball now?”   

She’ll have practices every Wednesday night at 6:30 and her games will be on Saturdays. And the best thing- all her games will be here in town! NICE!! I love that she isn’t afraid. She walked right up to her team, not knowing a single one of them, and got in line. She’s so social and I am truly thankful for that. I’m hoping that she finishes the season with a better understanding of the sport and some muscle! It takes her entire body to get that ball up that high…

Sure love my girl! :)

 

 

 

 

Love Like Crazy

I don't usually do this sort of thing, but I had the Internet radio playing tonight while I was doing stuff on the computer, and this song just really hit home for me. There's so much of it that describes our marriage and/or how I envision it to be in the future (minus the getting married at 17 part):

They called them crazy when they started out
Said seventeen's too young to know what loves about
They've been together fifty-eight years now
That’s crazy

He brought home sixty-seven bucks a week
He bought a little 2 bedroom house on Maple Street
Where she blessed him with six more mouths to feed
Yea that’s crazy

Just ask him how he did it; he'll say pull up a seat
It'll only take a minute, to tell you everything
Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I Love You
Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy

They called him crazy when he quit his job
Said them home computers, boy they'll never take off
He sold his one man shop to Microsoft
They paid like crazy

Just ask him how he made it
He'll tell you faith and sweat
And the heart of a faithful woman,
Who never let him forget

Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I Love You
Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin knees get lazy
And love like crazy

Always treat your woman like a lady
Never get to old to call her baby
Never let your prayin knees get lazy
And love like crazy

They called him crazy when they started out
They've been together fifty-eight years now

Aint that crazy?

OUR story is pretty crazy. We started out with next to nothing and went about things in a way that I would probably change if I could go back, but he's my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without him.

I know I was "the talk of the town" when Joe's and my relationship began, but look at us now! I know I made the right decisions with my life, no matter what anyone says.

I have a wonderful husband who puts me and our kids first, no matter what. We have our problems, but who doesn't? He brags about me to his friends, kisses me in public, and thinks of me all day, every day. We have 3 BEAUTIFUL children together and I can honestly say that I wouldn't have it any other way. I love love love where we have ended up. I hope we are together for at least another 58 years...

ZOO

I used to be adventurous. While Joe and I were dating and then when we got married, before we had Haylie, I used to be fun. There was a side of me that just said, "Ah screw it. Let's do it." Mostly, "it" meant going or doing something new and fun. I think having kids changed that part of me. I am such a worrier. Everything makes me nervous. So when Joe said on Thursday, "Let's go to Seattle and go to the zoo this weekend! We can stay in a hotel and see Kelli and Sam (his brother)!" I hesitated. It took me forever to decide that that was OK. I really wanted to go, but I just couldn't get over it being an "on a whim" decision. Joe's family, especially, will understand when I say that all of the decisions Joe and I have made since we started dating have been rash. Good ones, thankfully, but all very sudden. I finally decided that it would be alright. It wasn't a life altering decision, and we packed up and left right after Haylie got out of school. It was a LONG trip to Seattle. Haylie, it turned out, was coming down with something and the kids got hungry and yadda, yadda, yadda... A stop in Ellensburg for a snack and some Tylenol for Haylie's fever. Then 20 miles later, a stop in Cle Elum for dinner (weren't thinking on that one). Then FINALLY we made it to our hotel. The plan was we were going to meet my sister and her boyfriend and my step-sister and her family at breakfast Saturday morning after we picked up Joe's brother. After a few "minor" mishaps, we finally made it. We ate at Portage Bay Cafe (A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS AN AMAZING BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH) and then headed over to the zoo. We were WAY too busy having fun, so not too many pictures... the weather was awesome!!! 65 degrees and a little cloudy. PERFECT!!! As you can see, I liked the giraffes. They were breathtaking and so majestic. Anyway, great times had by all!!! Can't wait to do it again!! :D (P.S. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry... I think there was a smudge on our lense.)

Inspired.

Every time I read a new post from patrickandashley.blogspot.com, I feel so inspired to write something. But every time I click on "New Post" my mind goes blank. I'm warning you all... it's a serious tear jerker. So for all of you who cry easily these days ( Tiff, Sunny, Brooke, Andrea, Kiley, Lexi, Jenni, Jessica, {holy cow, there's a lot of you!}) you have been warned!

Their story begins in early July... every time I read something new from them, I am amazed and in awe of how incredibly strong they are. Her most recent post is entitled "Gratitude" and in it she writes about a comment left on her blog that goes:

"Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future."
(Robert D. Hales)

I had to read this a few times to really grasp the meaning. But, holy cow, how inspired is this quote?! When I think about it, I think of the different periods in our lives when we've had extra money at the end of the month. And the times when we didn't have enough. Earlier this year, Joe was out of work for almost 3 months! At the time, it was really hard to look at ourselves and come up with things we were grateful for. Of course we had ourselves and our children... I can only imagine what it must mean to people like Ashley and Patrick who have lost a child.

My favorite post she's done is titled, "Answers" (September 11). The first thing she says in this post is, "Have you ever had something you love more than life, ripped out of your arms?" I assumed she was talking about her late daughter. And she was... to an extent. But she was also comparing HER loss to her little girl's loss of her binky and how taking away Preslee's binky was for her own good. For those of you not wanting to read the entire post, she says:

"To be given the opportunity to be Preslee's mother was my gift, it was my binky. I was able to experience it for 18 months. Then, she was ripped away from me. I was left in a state of unbelief and in a world of pain. And because of my limited knowledge here on earth I cannot truly understand why.
As I stood on a chair in the middle of the hallway clutching her binky I began to cry. Then I began to sob. I felt my Heavenly Father's love so strongly. I finally understood what He has been trying to tell me for weeks. It's time for me to grow. It's for my own good. It's not an easy way to learn the lessons I need to, but it's necessary for my future. His love for me became so overwhelming. I understood it hasn't been easy for Him to watch Pat and I struggle."

I can't really say much more, except I have a lot of work to do, spiritually. Wow.

Pictures for Joey!

Joe is working in Alaska for two weeks, so we decided he needed an easy way to see some pictures of us (you know... so he doesn't forget who we are ;)!When I came across this picture, it literally made my heart jump. The little round face in that blanket looks exactly like baby Haylie, to me. And it cracks me up how she ALWAYS has her little toes propped up on the tray. Always!







She loves her brother. Right?

Why?

Every day I get up, take a shower, get dressed. Then I get Haylie up, get her showered and dressed. I do her hair. I make her lunch. And I make her breakfast. THEN, I get Connor up. He goes to the bathroom, gets dressed and puts some shoes on. Then we all get Maggie up. I change her diaper and put her in her car seat. I hand Haylie her coat and backpack and we walk out to the car. I drive the mile down the road to drop her off. Every day. Always in the same order. And every day, when Haylie gets out of the car, she tells me, "I'm going to miss you ALL day!" Then she hugs me and runs off to play before the bell rings, but not without blowing me kisses all the way. Two weeks of school gone by and I still get a lump in my throat when she runs off. I can see her walking the length of the playground (about half of a football field) and she looks so small and vulnerable. It takes all that I have not to run to her and walk her all the way.

Happy Money Saver

I'm trying to win this brand new laptop!!!! This lady is giving away a free laptop to celebrate the start of her new website (formerly fistfulofcoupons.com)! Everyone should go and visit her new site: www.happymoneysaver.com to enter!