Goodbye Mark & Chelsie

In honor of the awesome dancers that were sent home today, here is one of the best performances of the entire season:

Rogue's First

I decided last minute to enroll Rogue in summer preschool. When I say, last minute, I mean I called yesterday, and they started today. I had no idea when it started, and I was just crossing my fingers that I hadn't missed it- Lucky me. When I told Rogue about it, he was very unsure about the whole thing. I'm not really sure what he had in his mind of what it would be like (thinking back now, I should have asked), but I just couldn't imagine any kid not loving preschool. We had a talk about it, and he agreed to give it a try before making his decision. So, to help get him excited, we went school clothes shopping, and he found a sweatshirt that he refused to take off for the rest of the day, and immediately put it on for school today. It definitely helped put him in a good, confident mood to start the day off right. Rogue LOVES the color blue, so we made a plan to count how many blue things we could find when we walked into the classroom. I figured that it would help distract from sensory overload when we walked in, and help him feel more comfortable, but once we got there, he never looked back. We didn't even get a chance to count anything! His teacher was wonderful, and he can't wait for Tuesday, when he gets to go again! YAY- a success! I know that some moms get teary-eyed when their little ones head off to school for the first time, but those emotions don't even make an inkling of an appearance for me. I am just so excited for them! I know that it's a new journey for them, and a new opportunity to learn, and make friends. I can't wait to watch him grow more from this experience.

A reason to CELEBRATE!

I am soon to have a new sister-in-law. Yay! I'm getting less and less outnumbered by the men in the family. Travis's brother Shane just proposed to his girlfriend over the weekend. The four of us spent an evening up in Portland at the Japanese Garden. Poor Shane really had to work for it. First, he'd find a beautiful spot, but there'd be too many passers-by, then he'd find a more secluded spot, and Alissa (oblivious to his intentions, of course) just didn't really feel like going over to "that little bench in the trees". Once he was finally able to coerce her into a good location, Travis and I blocked the paths to keep strangers from interrupting their moment, and he was finally able to get down on his knee. Alissa's reaction was so sweet- she was so excited, and completely taken by surprise. Welcome to the family, Alissa! I am SOOOOO excited to have you as a sister (-in-law)!!!!

Release

I have realized what's missing. I've had a really hard time lately just getting through the days. I always feel exhausted, I never get anything done, and each day feels never-ending. For a long time, I didn't know what was wrong- why I was feeling this way. Finally, I realized what it was. I am a person that needs something to feel passionate about- a release of sorts. It comes in spurts, usually. I throw myself into one thing completely, then after some time, will grow tired of it, and need something else to fill the gap. I've had that gap left open for too long, and it has left me feeling gloomy. I know what I need now, though- a motorcycle... preferably a Harley, to more specific. It's actually something I've been wanting for many, many years, so I doubt that I will grow tired of it anytime soon. I want to feel that wind, speed, adrenaline and confidence, and listen to my favorite hard rock music while I do it. Does this shock some of you? It shouldn't shock the ones who really know me (even you, Mom- although I imagine you might be having a slight heart attack right now :). Oh, I can already feel the stress and exhaustion that would melt away every evening when I go for a drive on my bike- ahhhhh.

Silly, Silly Blog-readers

And you thought that SYTYCD is an obsession? You have no idea- I just finished reading the entire Twilight series (each of the 3 books are 500 pages or more) in just 4 days. The last book in the series is coming out in just a couple of weeks, and I'll be standing in line at midnight to get it. I'll probably stay up all night reading it too. The movie comes out in December (yes, I'll be standing in line for the midnight showing of that, too), and there's also a new book called Midnight Sun being written right now. The whole Twilight series was set in first person, from Bella's perspective. Midnight Sun will be Twilight, again in first person, but from Edward's perspective. Awesome. I can't wait.

No, No, No, No, NOOO!

Yes, I know it's almost 4 in the morning. Yes, I know I'm crazy, but I just finally got around to watching the SYTYCD elimination show that I had recorded. WHAT IS GOING ON? The person that was EASILY the best dancer on the show didn't even make it to the top 6??!! Not that Will is going to have any trouble aquiring an incredible dancing career, but how in the world did he not win this thing hands down? And Twitch- what in the world was he doing in the bottom 2 also? Did people not see the best performance of the night (and one of the best of the entire season)? At least Comfort finally went home... again, but I don't know if I can keep watching my beloved show!

Bella and Edward

I have been hearing rants about Twilight for far too long. I'd always planned on reading it, but the buzz of an upcoming movie prompted the final trip to Target to retrieve my own copy (I don't like to watch a movie derived from a book, without having first read the book). I purchased it a few days ago, but only sat down to finally read it yesterday... and I didn't stop until I was finished- one day, cover to cover. I hung out with the kids in the playroom most of the day, completely wrapped up in it. As much as I enjoy reading, I don't get to do it nearly as often as I used to (for obvious reason- the 3 anemones I have suctioned to my body from sun up to sun down... and beyond). When I am able to find the time, it's precious, and I have a hard time trying new books, worried that they won't be worthy of those such valued moments. So, it's hard for me to find a new one that I can immerse myself in, the way I did Twilight. Simply put, it's a "must read", a "page turner"... you get the idea. It sounds a bit corny, I suppose- a vampire love story- but trust me, if you haven't read it, go buy it. I'm going out to buy the sequel today (yes- there's a whole series, thank goodness!).

What Happened?!

I wasn't too surprised to find Kherington in the bottom 2 with Comfort, but what in the world are people thinking sending her home??? Like I said before, Comfort did an awesome hip hop routine, but OF COURSE she did- she's a hip hop dancer! Plus, her solos are never that impressive. As for Gev- I really didn't see that one coming either. His solos are just amazing (I totally agree with you Tamsen), and he's pretty versatile, even though he just doesn't compare to Joshua, Twitch, and especially Will. As surprised as I am, they are probably the two I would have expected to go home next week. And- I guess I can't really complain, since I don't even vote. Since one of my predicted top 4 has left the show, here is my new list (in order): 1. Will 2. Katee 3. Chelsie 4. Twitch . Oh, and on one more note: Did anyone else find Mia Michaels's group routine incredibly odd?

Holy Katee!

In the beginning, I didn't even see top ten potential in Katee, but she has shot right up to one of my top two girls! Seeing her paired with Will this week, I thought that perhaps she'd fall into the same problem as Jessica, being consantly outshown by his fabulousness, but I was dead wrong. The union of her and Will created a technically perfect couple. Their pas de deux was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L !!! As Kat put it, it gave me "proper chills". Easily one of the best performed routines EVER on the show (despite their one mistake).

Kherington is quickly going the other direction. She was by far my favorite girl, but now Chelsie, Courtney, and most of all Katee are all showing her up.

For those of you that missed it, Jessica had to drop out of the competition because of broken ribs. In replacement, they brought back Comfort ("boooo"). She did terrible in one routine, and awesome in the other. However, the "other" was her own genre- hip hop. As great as she did, we already know that they're all good in their own style of dance, or they wouldn't be where they are. That said, I'm predicting for Comfort to be sent packing once again, along with (I hate to say it) Mark. I love Mark, but after tonight, I fear he's a goner.

Will and Katee's Pas de deux:

Free Spirit

Lexi apparently feels very comfortable in her own skin- or, I should say, in ONLY her skin. I cannot seem to keep that girl clothed! She spends most mornings running rampped through the house, and all I can see is a little peach-colored streak flying around the corners. I have no desire to squash her free spirit, but I do hope that it tones down just enough to keep her clothes on as she gets older!

Ahhh, the memories.....

Here is a fun little game... leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time or a long time, anything that you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is pretty funny to read the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you are playing and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. On your mark... get set... blog those memories!

LoViNg ThE lAkE!

We made it up to Detroit lake twice this last week, and we are all loving it. We finally put our own boat in yesterday, and spent the whole afternoon playing. Lexi took right to it, and we can't even get the boat going fast enough to satisfy the constant "FASTER! FASTER!" chants from all 3 kids. Rogue took a turn tubing for the fist time, and LOVED it, and Alex was a little jumping bean. She would jump off the back of the boat, swim over to the ladder, climb up (actually, she took the elevator up- I had ahold of her life jacket the whole time, so I would just lift her back up to the boat), and then she would turn around and jump right off again. She probably jumped off about 20 times in a row! Eli pretty much stuck to the boats, but would take a dip in right next to the ladder and let go for a few seconds. At one point he even ventured off for a little float on a tube while we were anchored. He's not nearly as daring as his siblings, but hopefully he'll get there in time.... Anyway, our boat is now moored up at Kane's Marina, so that we can make easy trips up whenever we want. We might go again today, if Trav gets off work early, and I'm sure I'll be making more trips up during the week with Leah and her kids. If anyone wants to take kids up during the week with us, you're welcome to join!

Rogue tubing with Drake:

Just a few of Alex's jumps:

The Fam minus Mom
Trav attempting to "surf" the lake
Rogue checking out the geese on the boogie board
Lexi and me out for a swim
Elijah heading out for a float

Rogue's Special Day

Today was Rogue's special day alone with Mom & Dad (I wish I had pics, but I forgot my camera). We spent the bulk of our time watching Diego, Alicia, Dora, and Baby Jaguar swinging and running around a stage, much to the delight of our extatic little boy. Afterwards, we splashed around in a huge water fountain for a for a few minutes, then headed on to the Family Fun Center, where we sped around a track on a couple of go-carts. He had such a blast, and it was so nice to enjoy some time with just one of the kids. Elijah's up next with pottery and an IMAX movie, then it'll be little Lexi's turn to do some splashing of her own at a water park, then maybe a trip to the Humane Society to see some "DOGGIES!!!"

SYTYCD... again

Yes, I know I'm posting a lot about this show. Does anyone care? I don't know, but I have a slight obsession with it, so the posts will continue.... I had to throw in one more for this week after last night's results show. Will was once again in the bottom 3, because of his coupling, but he never has anything to worry about (as he is going to be winning it all). Last night he out did himself, and blew away the competition in the first 5 seconds of his routine. It was AMAZING!

SYTYCD

Oh my, I love this show. First of all, a quick recap of last week, since I forgot to post: Matt was the easy choice of boys to go, Kourtni has not been great, but I was sure they'd pick Comfort to head home, Gev rocked his solo, and these were my fav routines (all coincidentally by my favorite choreographers):

Chelsie & Mark (Tabitha & Napoleon):


Twitchington (Mia Michaels):


Will & Jessica (Mandy Moore):


On to last night.... I love Tabitha & Napoleon's routines, but Comfort and Thayne didn't do it justice. They will definitely be the ones going home this week. Once again, Katee and Joshua rocked it out with their Bollywood routine, and it was a battle between Chelsie and Mark and Gev and Courtney for the best overall couple for the night.



Two of my original predicted top 10 have already been sent home. Katee has definitely proven herself deserving of the spot instead of Chelsea, but even though Kourtni was clearly struggling lately, I would have prefered her to Jessica in the top 10. As for the boys, Gev is going to snatch up that 5th boys spot that was up for grabs- he's been doing awesome. Kherington and Will are still my top 2, along with Twitch and Chelsie rounding off the top 4, and Katee and Mark close at their heels.
And btw, has anyone else noticed an excess of ballroom dances this year? Even though several of them have been danced very well, they are not my favorite to watch, and I'm left desperately wanting of a Wade Robson routine! Where is he??!!

The Magic Finger

This pic was taken on the 4th too, but it deserves it's own post....

Rogue has, what he refers to, as a "magic finger". He'll show anyone who will indulge him, and he has plans for his own magic show one day.

Dirt Bikes & Lawn Mower Rides

I know, I know- I'm slacking once again. My days have been crazy, and my nights exhausting, hence the lack of posts for a whole week. So, to catch up....

For 4th of July we first watched the concert and fireworks show at The Oregon Garden (which was actually on the 3rd), and it was spectacular! For anyone nearby that missed it, it's definitely a must-see for next year. After the concert was over and it was dark, a woman sang the "Star-Spangled Banner", fireworks started going off near the end of the song, and then patriotic music continued on stage for the remainer of the fireworks. It was great.
I didn't get many shots this night for some reason, but this is Lex posing mid-dance

Friday, on our way to Stayton, we first stopped by our old Elementary school. There's a lot of new expansion, but we were delighted at the flashbacks the playground provided for us. There are a few new structures, but they left up all of the old stuff too... ahhhh- the memories.... After reliving our childhood, we went to the Stayton parade, before heading to the bbq at my M&FIL's home, from where we could see the local fireworks show. But, things have changed this year, and it just isn't what it used to be. We'll be sticking with just The Oregon Garden show next year.
These tires encircled the whole playground, and one of the favorite things to do at recess was to walk around them. And when you happened upon the one with the hearts, you had to say the name of your crush.

Playing football with the Uncles
Boys will be boys....
Nose kisses for Uncle Shane
Gorgeous sunset
Elijah's football injury, and some finale' fireworks

And in huge news- Dad got a tractor!- he's pretty stoked :) He's been working on it all weekend, and during his breaks, he towed the kids around the property in a lawn mower trailer. Yes, we're cool like that.


Let's see.... Oh! Back to the 4th.... Before heading out to the M&FIL's, we hung out at Shane & Alissa's for a little while. Turns out, Shane has a little 50 dirt bike in his garage, and when Rogue spotted it, he went crazy! Shane took the boys for rides on it, and Rogue was very upset that he couldn't go out on his own. It took a lot of talking to convince him that he needed to learn to ride his bicycle without training wheels first. But, actually, you can apparently buy training wheels for the dirt bike, and adjust the throttle so that it goes pretty slow. Sounds like an early birthday present is on the way....



Well, that about sums it up folks!

My Little Runnin' Machines

There is an old park just on the outskirts of Silverton that has a great little dirt bike/bmx course. On Saturday, we took the kids out there with their bikes to kick up some dust. Their bike ride was short lived, however, because the hills were just a bit too big for them to get up, and not quite enough room between each one to keep up momentum. So, not to be defeated by the dusty monster, they took to running it. First Elijah, then Rogue, and Alex even jumped in for a little bit too. Elijah ran the loop several times. I was so surprised, because he's been fighting me anytime I try to encourage running. But this year, those other kids at the Bush Park Runs better watch out! Rogue has always been a trooper for any kind of athletics, but the intense heat left him laying in the shade after a couple of races with Eli. Elijah did not want to leave when the time came, and was only coaxed out of there by numberous promises to return soon.
Trying it out on the bikes first...
...Then taking to running instead.
On your mark, get set, go!
Elijah was winning first,
But slowed down to let his brother win (wasn't that sweet?)
Alex comforting the tired champ
Crocs+Running+Dirt= icky feet!

Dama

We'll miss you Dama girl....

Happy Birthday to Me!

My steller birthday present- You're awesome, Mom!

"Carlisle Paddlestrap is the quintessential white water rafter. All he needs in this world is sunglasses, a paddle, a kayak, and a cooler full of twinkies and he is in white water heaven."

Catching Up

Some of you know where I have been lately, while others of you, I imagine were left wondering what caused the screeching halt to my daily ramblings. We have been on vacation. Where? Only my favorite trip of the year- THE ROGUE RIVER!! (A quick side note for those who don't know: I love rafting. My family began a tradition of rafting the wilderness section of the Rogue every year when I was about 16 or 17. Once I started having kids, however, we changed the trip from a 4 day long, 34 mile float, to camping for a week and taking small day trips. That way the kiddos could come along, and get some rafting in, too on some of the lower class rapids.) So, this year, my awesomely awesome madre volunteered to watch the kids for a few days so that I could do the wilderness section again. The rapids range from class I-V. Class I being the smallest, easiest of rapids, and class V being basically a waterfall. There are a couple of IV+ rapids on this trip, and one class V, Rainey Falls. Luckily, there is a fish ladder along the side, so that it's possible to pass by the drop off, which 95% of the rafters do. This year, however, my brave bro Mike decided to take my raft over the falls, and did awesome! Anyway, once you get on at Grave's Creek, you can't get off until 34 miles down the river at Foster's Bar. Everyday, we loaded up, and rafted for several hours, before pulling over, unloading all of our gear, setting up camp, eating dinner, sleeping, then ate breakfast the next morning before packing the boats back up, and doing it all over again the next day. Ahhhh, I miss it already.
We had a sobering realization this trip, however. We love doing this- we have fun, laugh, and enjoy ourselves. It's easy to forget just how dangerous the river can be. On one of the most dangerous rapids on the river, "Blossom Bar", the usual routine is for everyone to get out to lighten the load of the rafts, and hike around the rapid, while one person takes each raft/kayak through. It's very technical, and the lighter the rafts, the easier they are to manouver them through. Anyway, boats getting flipped and stuck is quite a common occurance, but we all made it through without incident. Just a few hours behind us, however, a woman flipped in her kayak, and drowned. It was the second time just in June this year that it has happened. My heart goes out to the families. The older I get, the less invincible I feel, and I find myself passing up daring opportunities that I would usually throw myself at. I tend to feel like a whimp, at the fact that I seem to be losing my nerve, but I also think that there is a good reason for it. While it's simply exhilerating to take risks, and "throwing caution to the wind", it's simply not worth it. Will I still raft? Absolutely. But, I'll definitely be taking it a notch down from now on....
Row, Travis, Row!
Getting in some Kayak time
The girls all going for a float
Mike taking the raft down Blossom Bar
Trav and Chaz in the kayaks....
We hiked back to this awesome natural waterslide
The crew atop "Sturgeon Rock"- Jump!