Fun With Sheep

OK, it was never my intent for this blog to be a place where I post a bunch of stuff off the internet, funny stuff, random videos, etc. But now and then I may make an exception. Hey, it's my blog, right? This is easily one of the most bizarre things I've seen. Where do people get these ideas?! I haven't decided if there is any kind of a lesson here. For now I'm just enjoying... FUN WITH SHEEP!

Introducing: "Volleyball Talk" with Marina!

Today after school Marina had a Volleyball game. Er.... Marina tells me it's called a "match." They played at Mt. Baker Middle School so they were the "Visitors". She played in two games and I only arrived after work in time for the second game. And since I went straight to the school after work I didn't have my camera so I had to just take a couple of pictures of her at home in her costume. Er... Marina tells me it's called a "uniform." Whatever. So Marina is going to write all about the Volleyball Match. If she starts focussing on who won please remind her that winning doesn't matter... school sports are about having fun, being active, making friends, learning and improving skills and practicing good sportsmanship. And now, introducing.....MARINA!

I played in the first game and the last. The first game, WE WON!!! YAY!! We won 25 to 12, and I even scored the first point of the meet. My team was really good, and we worked really well together. I scored the first point because I was tall enough to block a return hit, yay for me! My second game I was in, we lost, but we played really hard, and at the end felt proud of ourselves. WE lost 23 to 25. Oh well..

My coach is really nice, and an eighth grade manager we have is making up cheers all the time for us to do so that we always feel supported. Our latest is a version of Jiggalo. "Hey Rainier, Hey What, Hey Rainier, Hey What Hey What? Show us how you jiggalo! We set up high we bump down low and this is how we jiggalo!!" We always have lots of energy, which makes volleyball fun, and everyone is always really positive, and there with a smile if you mess up, which we all have done.... oops... So, that's pretty much our volleyball match... Back to dad!

Here she is in her Volleyball sweats. Her team name "Ree Ree" is on the back, below.

DeeDee got her hair cut today too... doesn't she look good when she's not a big hairball? She certainly smells better too.

And I just couldn't resist the urge to take a picture of one of my hanging baskets... they're going to look so good once everything starts filling in!

So that was pretty much the day. Now I need to get online and do some work. I have so many accounts to refer that I am never going to get caught up. We're just beginning our busiest season and already I feel so overwhelmed that it is debilitating. Today I had my "Roll Out" meeting/training for the staff to introduce the renewal of my Select Hotel program which renews every year on 6/1. That went well. But between that and the other meetings scheduled today I didn't have time to do any of my own work. So I need to do some tonight. The good news is that tomorrow is my Friday off. I work extra long days so that I have every-other-Friday off. And tomorrow is my "off" day. I am excited. I'm going to choose to spend it at work. Because I have too much work to do. At least I am thankful to have such a wonderful family to come home to in the evening!

Dakota Plants His Own Flowerpots

To pick a flower is so much more satisfying than just observing it, or photographing it ... So in later years, I have grown in my garden as many flowers as possible for children to pick.

- Anne Scott-James

Yesterday I put together my hanging baskets and planters in the front of the house. All of the things that mom & I picked out on Mothers Day worked together really well and for once I bought enough and didn't end up with holes and wishing I'd bought just "one more of those". Dakota helped me out a whole bunch and we had so much fun together that today I stopped and got him some flowers and a nice sized pot of his own to plant.

He was pretty excited to get started!

Scooping dirt is one of the best parts!

Poking your fingers into the dirt and making a hole for the flower is fun too!

Dakota planted lots of yellow Marigolds and blue Lobelia. He had a bunch of Lobelia starts left over so he made a second pot of just Lobelia. When it fills in it will be a big puff of blue!

Here he is with his finished pots.

Don't they look beautiful?

Now we just need to do some work on that garden.....

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a nice Mother's Day weekend. On Saturday we did some housework, ran a couple of errands and generally had a relaxing day. In the evening we went to dinner at Jimmy Mac's with mom and dad for Mother's Day. We wanted to go to PF Changs but we didn't figure out what time everyone would be available until late and we couldn't get a reservation. But Jimmy Mac's was good and the kids were thankful for the reprieve from eating Chinese, which they have decided they don't like. Dad had some crawfish chowder that he said was terrific. The kids mostly enjoyed throwing peanut shells on the floor. It was fun spending time together.

Sunday was Mother's Day. At breakfast Carol opened the beautiful outfit the kids got her from J-Jill. It ended up looking really nice on her!

She also got a really neat magnetic note-holder with a flower pen that Dakota made for her at school... it was a really special gift!

Our meeting was very small- Larry & Carol Hagbom were gone, June & Dudley Bickford were absent and Connie Lombardo and her kids were missing and Evelyn Brock was out sick. So meeting was fairly short. After meeting we went to mom & dad's for lunch; mom made delicious BBQ Beef Sandwiches and it was nice enough that we ate outside... first time this year! After lunch mom and I went flower shopping at Carpinito Brothers in Kent and the Fuschia Lady's. Mom already had a lot of her annuals and bedding plants but I hadn't bought any yet this year so I loaded up. Got everything I needed for my hanging pots and my other pots out front. All red-white-and-blue this year. Mom and I always have a good time flower shopping together. We came back to the house to find that dad, Carol and the kids had gone shopping for scrapbook supplies and were working on dad's "Hunting & Fishing" scrapbook. I NEVER thought I'd have seen the day when dad got into scrapbooking but this is his third book already!

But our busy day wasn't over yet! We all headed over to Aaron & Dani's for pizza dinner and to celebrate Aaron's Birthday.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Mom & Dad got him some shirts and an iPod Shuffle that he can use when he goes running. We were boring and got him giftcards... to Salty's (his fav) and to Cabela's. I really, really wanted to get him a huge loud air-horn for his truck but it didn't end up working out. So... boring old giftcards.

WOW! It's a.... a.... another box!

Reece will be the next one with a birthday... she turns ONE in less than a month!

Saturday Morning

It's a beautiful sunny Saturday morning. The day before Mother's Day. We have a little last minute shopping to complete but not much more planned for the day. Perhaps some yard work out in the back... it needs it bad! So while dad is up drinking coffee, munching on a bagel and updating the Blog, here's what the rest of the house looks like:

Carol has been reading the Harry Potter books to Dakota. They're about 1/3 way into book four.

Marina's still in bed too. She was playing Dakota's Gameboy and feeling a little shy about having her picture taken. Nice elbow.

Marina's Spring Orchestra Concert

Tonight was Marina's sixth grade orchestra concert. It was the "Auburn School District Orchestra Festival 2009" celebrating "Music of Many Cultures". This is Marina's second year of orchestra; the program starts in fifth grade in Auburn. The concert was held at Mountainview High School. We got to hear the fifth graders, sixth graders, combined seventh & eighth graders and the high school as well as the Harp Ensemble. The concert was wonderful and we were impressed with how much the sixth graders have learned in two short years of orchestra. Seems just yesterday they were struggling through "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

I recorded one of their songs, Menuetto from the "Royal Fireworks" by G.F. Handel. I again apologize that my camera is not working right so the video quality isn't good but at least you can hear them play. Marina plays cello and, while you won't likely be able to pick her out on the video as her back was to the camera, she is just to the left of the conductor.

Marina was very happy that she got to share a music stand with her great friend Sydney. Here is a picture where I pointed them out so you can see where they were. Marina is in a black top & Sydney is in (what else?!!) a pink top.

Deacon Cole

I got a couple of pictures this morning from Auntie Carol of Rosemaree and Nigel's new baby. His name is Deacon Cole and he was born on Monday April 20th at 10:13AM. When he was born he weighed 6lbs. 3ozs. and was ninteen inches long. From the pictures he looks very alert and attentive. And big sister Cecee looks so proud!

Here he is at 3 days:

And at about one week.

Welcome to the family, little guy. Your Grandpa Marlin would be so thrilled and proud; I have no doubt that from his place in Heaven he is watching over you.