A Girl Who Knows What She Wants

When The Fam started asking what MC wanted for her birthday, I was not surprised when her requests were very specific ~ she has always known EXACTLY what she wants:


*Red lipstick (not pink and not lip gloss)


*Fake Nails (not the stick on, but the glue on)


*A hamster ("not the gerbil, but the little gray one that loved me when I held him")


*Roller Skating at Coffeeville, not Tulsa,
and I am not inviting any friends. (?) 
I never did get a good reason on this, but  
it's her big day, so we went with it.




She did wind up with these purple Heeleys from B, B & lil' b, and they were a big hit.  So much so, that she is begging for me to take her to the mall where "it's no problem, they let you skate in there," she assures me.

As the ice-cream cake sugar-high kicked in, the Trampoline Show- Down followed.   Uncled Ben had some interesting Herky's and, believe it or not, this High School Musical inspired picture took just one take - it was magical. 

The Hawthorne Trophy for Best Move          

(which is always defined by): 

    

1. The most dangerous

           and/or

2. Any act requiring a follow-up talk to

    the youngins where you explain that

    the previously witnessed act may

    only be tried once they have proof of 

    insurance (which they have secured on

    their own) 

went to...

{drumroll}

Aunt Kari, who pulled out her back flip....

twice. 

Happy 6th Birthday Mollie-Claire!
Hope you are back-flippin, roller-skating, and Heelyin' through the mall until you are 106!



Body piercings, Hurricanes, and Random Questions

 "http://www.facebook.com/v/1334000847608"

Normal Weekend:

*Clean house

*Clean car

*Work on house project(s)

*Yard Work

*Tennis (if I am lucky)

*blah, blah, blah

Weekend with GG & PaPa:

*Frank & Lola's

*Tour of the Frank Phillips mansion (after living here for almost 5 years)

*Spending GG & PaPa's hard earned $ at the mall 

*Hurricane simulator

*Body piercings (OK, just the ears)

*Candy store

*Trampoline jumping

*Playing the Random Question Game with Madi and Mollie on the trampoline 

                     

                     MC:  "Mom, has Dad ever nursed anything?

                     Me:  (Look of confusion)

                     MC:  (trying to clarify) "you know, on his boobie." 

                            She points to hers to help me understand.

We need a few more weekends with PaPa and GG to remind us to:

live a little!

These are the dresses that MC bought for her and Madi (due to a little begging from me) with her birthday money from GG and PaPa.


Me:  These dresses look a little Marilyn Monroe-ish. 
       Do you know who she was?


Madi:  No, but I do know who Sonny Monroe is. 


Me:  I don't know who that is.


Madi:  You could google her.


Me:  And you could goodle Marilyn Monroe, I guess.

Cobbler's Kids Have No Shoes

http://www.facebook.com/v/1320039978595

Or, in our case...The Coach's Daughter Has No Game


When Madi was three, the baseball team decided it would be cute to
have her, and three other coach's kids, run a "dot race" around the bases.  They would each be wearing a different colored dot, so the spectators could cheer for them.  The "gun" was fired and our little girl took off....for 3rd base.  She went all the way around, passing each of the racers, who were all going in the right direction.  Crossing home, she never even caught on.  So what, right?  She's three, and that just makes for a cute scrapbook story, I reasoned.


The following year, she was slated to dot race again.  We had even prepared her this time, by practicing running around the bases in the correct order.  There was no "gun" this time, just the head coach yelling, "On your mark, get set" and before he could say go, the other mini racers took off.  Madi, ever the rule-follower, was confused and her daddy, standing on 3rd base, told her to "go."  She began running, but the sheer frustration of the unfair start, and the realization she was not going to catch up, overwhelmed her.  By the time, she reached 3rd, she just wanted her daddy's shoulder to cry on.  Her daddy, ever the coach, had to refuse her, and coax her to home plate where he immediately picked her up and tried to console her.  He later confessed it was horribly painful not to just snatch her up right there on 3rd base.


I am not sure what happened next, between the years of 4 and 9, but we looked up one day, during a washington county coach pitch game, and suddenly realized that we had not really invested our time to prepare her to play softball.  Being the unbreakable husband & wife team that we are, we immediately started pointing fingers.  "You're the teacher," he said.  "You're the softball coach-PE teacher," I said.  "And, I have done my job, she is doing very well academically speaking.  As for her softball skills - not so much." 
Ouch, I know (he accuses me of hitting below the belt all the time). 


So, one guilt trip led to another, and before we knew it, we were both getting off our behinds, but mainly Jonathan, to go and practice with her.  This is not easy.  Sure, in the movies they make it look so blissful.  Sun setting, a lush green field, a kid diving for every ball with every fiber in their being determined to make their parent proud.  This was not exactly our experience and there were days that we both thought, "well, at least she is really
smart."  But, just when you try to peg a kid one way or another, they will prove you wrong.


The pitching started as an experiment, because Madi is a lefty.  And, before this sounds like something you hear one of those out of touch with reality parents say, who are desperately trying to recapture their athletic fantasies of long ago:  She just may wind up being the next best thing since....what was the pitcher's name?  You know, the one they did the ESPN special on who was striking out all the boys?  Hey, I can dream.  And speaking of dreams, I have a whole University of Hawaii fantasy in the works.             


Oh, and as for baby sister?  I am not missing the boat this time!  She is destined (as of today) to be a tennis star, since I am slightly selfish and would LOVE to have to go and watch her play.  However, since I have pegged her (in writing), she will probably wind up being a mathlete.  And, if so, Aunt Kari, you'll have to be the mentor on this one.

Suffering, Demons, and Giant Crosses (The 1st 10K) *

"When the guy says go, you start to suffer -- or you might as well not be out there. It's a small piece of your life, make it hurt."


My little sister embodies this quote.  On the morning of our first 10K (which, of course, was rainy, cold, and windy), our conversation went something like this:


Me:  So, could we just keep a steady pace since this is our first 10K, so that we are not hurting for days and days after?
Baby sis:  Uh, we could, but we won't.  Even though we have not done much training, we will get out there and push ourselves to the extremes, and yes, plan on hurting for the next several days.


She knows us so well.  I stayed with her for  the first 2K and then could see glimpses of 634, her number, for the next couple of miles.  Then, I lost her and a small part of me (that sibling rivalry part) thought:  maybe I will catch her toward the end? 


I did not catch her and by the time I crossed she was holding Bode, had finished a water, and was asking the race directors if they were going off of chip time or clock time.  I was looking for a spot to throw up my morning Gatorade, but thankfully, shook it off.  I would be laughed at for days by my loving family had I of puked publicly.


The times were posted and I was bummed when I saw that I was thrown in my little sister's age category (her being 30, me being 39) - there goes my medal, but at least, my sister would be blog worthy. 


I finally got my runner's high when they announced:  In the 30-35 age female category:  2nd place to Bethany Wagener!  AND, the best part, we were not in the same age category ~ the hope for hardware was back. 

I was happy for my little sister ~ second place, and without much preparation.  But she is a total athlete, always has been, always will be.  For me, it's different.  I did not find my sports until my 30's, thanks, in part, to growing up in a tiny town that completely ignored Title IX.  Every time I step into competition these days, I feel the burden of proving myself, not for approval's sake, but for the journey I never had the opportunity to take as a young girl.  








The quote I embody is something more along the lines of:


Racing is a good way to outrun your own personal demons - be they past, present, or future.

So, when they called:  Heather Sheffield, 2nd place in the 35-39 age group, I felt like I really showed those demons a thing or two.  Plus, they gave me a giant cross.  If that does not shut 'em up for awhile, I don't know what will....other than planning our next run.

Spring Break 2011: Girls Gone Wild......for Cherry Berry

Tulsa Raddison here we come.  

Me (from the bottom of the stairs):  C'mon Blueberry let's go.
MC:  I need some help with my things.
Me: (confused, because we had already packed) What things?
I walked in her room to find MC, who may have some hoarding issues, insisting that each of these items were totally necessary for our one night stay at the hotel. 



On the LAME/TAME/WILD scale for kid indoor pools, this one scored a TAME.  Just about right for MC - one little slide and this climbey thingy.  The best part was going to Dave & Busters for dinner, and I cannot believe I just admitted that in writing.  Best forty dollars I've spent in a long time watching the little gamblers-in-training go from machine to machine looking for the big pay-out.  I stole some swipes of their cards for skee ball and basketball, but they were not too happy with my lame return of coupons. Watching Mollie "hit the jackpot" on a game where she had no idea what she was doing, was glorious.  Kids gathered around as her 250 tickets made giant loop-de-loops on the ground.  We caught the fever then, and tried to make her repeat this act of skill. "But, this time, try to aim, and pop the ball into the 250 tube."  Bad advice, it turns out.  Her luck was better without adult intervention.  So, the girls pooled their coupons, all 1260 of them, and settled on a fuzzy elephant and some finger traps.

I am usually WILD about gardening and Spring Break is the time to put one in.  I was feeling pretty TAME, in my enthusiasm for the job, so I enlisted the help of these little hoodlums.  They worked pretty good at it for about 2 rows of peas, 1 row of carrots, and a row of beans.  I had to get the task master, who was busy building furniture, out of his garage to come and help me finish the job.  


It was fishing time for the boys and movie time
for the girls and baby Bode.  Actually this was Bode's very first movie:  RANGO
I had high hopes.  It is Johnny Depp, after all, and it scored like a 90% on RT.
I found it LAME, however. The creatures grossed me out, and not much grosses me out.  When Kate got scared, of course, she chose Madi to snuggle up with.  Bode hung in there for most of it, but, unlike me, could not fall asleep.  His mama worked tirelessly to get him comfortable, but had some paci mishaps, and then he went past sleep into delirious laughter. 

                                                       We did find that the girls (everyone but MC) was WILD for Cherry Berry.  They even won me over and that is not easy.  Their sign claiming that there is 4 live and active cultures in each serving, plus fresh blueberries, if you so choose, had me craving some triple chocolate and espresso "yogurt."  It's not Greek God's, but it is Spring Break so we went TWICE - that's how WILD we got!

I took Adam to the tennis courts where with one day of solid practice he would totally smoke me.  But as for now, I remain queen since he spends his free time off the courts.  Johnny and Ben also got a little Adam time too - fishing at Lake Hudson. 

Every meal, Kate would close her eyes, take a bite and say, "This is the best."  Papa had made her some Nutella on toast in the morning and she said it with a little more conviction, than she did previously with the broccoli. 

All in all, we are WILD for Spring Break.

DIY Kind of Guy

Jonathan has always had mad skills when it comes to remodeling homes.  He has never had any special training, but I figure it just runs in his blood.  His dad is an extreme handy man as well.  By extreme, I mean he can fix anything (plumbing/electrical/cars/remodeling/carpentry/you name it).  Jonathan will just stare at the issue (like when I asked him to please make the utility closet in our kitchen the stove area) and then make several trips to Lowe's, his favorite place to escape a house full of women making unrealistic demands.  It may not work out the first time, but persistence is also a Sheffield thing, so he does not give in. 




My favorite part about the cooking
 area is the built in spice rack and
the task lights that he installed. 
I also really love way he bricked
the back splash.

                                    

He learned to tile, put in new sinks, build decks, among other things on our first home, which have all come in handy in our 1930's downtown tutor.  We could easily spend the next 20 years remodeling and still not be quite finished.  The biggest project completed so far was assembling 392 IKEA boxes and then magically installing their contents into what we now call our kitchen. It is truly magic to me, because how the heck does someone learn how to do these types of things?  However, he can now add carpentry to his repertoire.  I found a web site that shows you how to knock off expensive (and overly priced) furniture, for next to nothing since wood is fairly cheap.  So far, he has "knocked off" a restoration hardware dining table and six parson's chairs, M & M's beds, desk, night stand, a desk, shelves, & a plant stand.

My favorite thing about the kitchen is how it all came together.  We went with wood counter tops, with the idea that we would upgrade eventually.   However, they are so easy to clean and I really like the touch of wood against all the the white.  Also, I did not get a good picture, but he replaced the ceiling with white wood and crown molding.  This made a big difference the overall look.

My favorite part of the table is that it fits 8 people with room to spare.  I also love the way he notched out the wood to fit the pieces together.
















Over the summer, he built:
 Madi and MC's desk, beds, head boards, and night stand.

Over spring break, he built:
A zen style desk, bench, and shelves.

And currently on his Honey-Do list:
*Kitchen Island
*Picture Frames
*2 night stands
*2 side tables
**This list is not comprehensive, as I get deas daily 




UPDATE:
I need to put a check by the *picture frame listed above.  He built this in ten minutes.

So fortunate that he can fix anything, build anything, and put up with me and my ever-changing design ideas.






    

Ben & Bode's First 5K

This day, had been planned for quite some time.  The whole family would come to B'Ville and run in the 5K which starts downtown, goes right by the house, and then ends downtown.  However, I had some issues (not excuses!) what with my stitches and all.  Oh, and the doctor telling me that I was just "getting worse with age."  You would think that this would have spurred me on to go ahead with the run, but Jonathan and I were just not feeling it, so we lazily backed out.  Bucky too.  Our family likes to plan things.   It's the follow-through that can get in the way, once in awhile.  

But not Ben and Bode.  They baby jogged the entire thing and had a great time: 25:25.  Also, he was the cutest big ol' barrel chested boy for miles. 

Bucky and I did get some tennis time in and it was glorious.  I love that sport.  So fun and just when you think your are getting pretty good at it, you will mishit a ball (or miss it altogether) bringing you right back to reality. 

Reality: We will not turn pro together, touring the tennis circuit to all sorts of glamorous destinations. 

Sisterly Pipe Dream:  Running a tennis-surf shop-yoga studio on the beach as classy senior ladies.  We tease B & J that (if they don't keep in good shape), we will outlive them and be forced into this cougar-like lifestyle. 

Reality:  If Ben keeps this running up (and we continue to flake), our Pipe Dream may die! 

*This story contains sarcasm.  Process with a sense of humor.