Tagged

I have been "tagged". Thanks, Amy. If you find yourself "tagged" like me, here are the rules you must follow...
The Meme Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The Facts:
1. I have not posted my response to this tagging because my keyboard died this week! I am much sadder than is probably healthy for a nornal adult who had to replace a mere computer keyboard. See, I bought the keyboard that died 12 years ago and it got me through undergraduate and graduate schools plus 5 years beyond. It is a really nice ergonomic design that my fingers have become accustomed to. Of course, in replacing it, I went to Fry's and just got the $10 cheap-o keyboard (because that is what I am: cheap-o). I still have the old one sitting on the floor here next to the computer with some hope that a miracle of God will occur and it will be raised back to life if it gets enough rest and time off from being plugged in. Tuesday is trash day, so I must get over the nostaligia of my ancient keyboard and force myself to part with it in only 2 days...
2. I randomly have dreams about people from my past who I haven't spoken to in YEARS. For example, I dreamt 2 nights ago about my second and third grade teachers. I was tempted to get on google and try to look them both up, but my keyboard was dead.
3. I am currently working on a HUGE mural in a bedroom across the street. I am at a stand still right now because I ran out of green paint, but as soon as I get some more the brushes will be flyin'! It is a wall to wall floor to ceiling picture of a football stadium as if you were looking down from a blimp. I hope to finish this week.
4. Last week I did a back flip off a diving board. No, I am not kidding! I told all the little kids at swim lessons that I would do a flip if they each jumped of the diving board to the teacher. It has been at least 10 years since I was even ON a diving board, much less flipping OFF of one! It was actually so much fun that I did another, which was quite a bit better than the first I think. The kids all stood around in awe, not believing that I had that much coolness in me.
5. In high school I had to disect a cat in anatomy class. In college I had to do frogs, pigs, sharks, cow hearts, sheep eyes, and much, much more. Beacuse of all this surgery on the dead, I have a hard time eating meat with bones in it. I can separate myself from the fact that meat was once a live animal until I some across a chicken femur of pig rib. My loving husband graciously pulls the meat off the bones for me a lot of the time!
6. I love my friends! I have friends from elementary school, high school (different city), college, grad school, and Indiana who I just adore. Lynn, Jeannette, Ceci, Megan, Corrie, Ali, Myra, Jenna, Jenny, Lori, Jennie- you all know who you are! I am so thankful to God for placing these amazing gals in my life and for giving them the patience to be my friends!
7. My shoe size went up a 1/2 size after I had kids. I know- not that interesting, but I am running out of ideas here...
8. My husband and I are both born and bred TEXANS. We have been in Indiana for 5 years, we have put down roots and are blooming where we have been planted, but (make no mistake about it)- we are still TEXANS. :) Our kids are both Hoosiers, which is probably God's joke on us for being so prideful of the motherland...

Ok, so here is who is being tagged:
Ali, Myra, April, Amy T., Jen A., Jen D., Jennie, & Jenna
Get it done, girls! I have faith in you- and no excuses... I already took the one about the keyboard dying...

A Good Laugh for All Moms

Adaryll sent me this link this morning. I watched it twice and laughed out loud both times....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlY8STkhopc

Of course, these are all things my parents said, not things that I would say....
...and you have to believe me... "because I am the Mom- that's why!!!"

Slip N Slide

We got out the slip-n-slide on Monday for the neighborhood kids. The Millers brought one also so we had 2 going at the same time. We made a loop out of them so that when the kids got off one, they were in line to go back the other direction on the other one.

Elias, although super-excited, is afraid of the slip-n-slide. Or maybe just of getting water in his face or up his nose. Not sure what the fear really is. But he is ecstatic to get the thing out and then doesn't want a turn.

We have coaxed him into laying on his tummy on the slide, and then a grown up takes one arm and lone leg and slings him down to the other end. He protests each time, but then laughs histerically when it is over.

Elena quietly observed the goings-on for a while before deciding she needed to actually participate. She kept crawling to the slide and getting in the other kids' ways. So I laid her on her tummy and gave her a good push down the slide. She yelped out a scream that was as much joy as it was terror. Then she sat up, laughed, and played in the water. She returned to the slide several times for more. Before I brought her in for nap I got a video- see above right. The look on her face is so funny- she really is somewhat scared, but enjoying every second of it!

Chatterbox

Elena has discovered the phone. Thus begins the looooooong journey of a girl needing to communicate. My sister and I had such a hard time with this when we were teenagers that we had to get our own phone line. Then we had to split the hours into "phone time" so that I had odd to even hours and she had even to add hours. It was quite ridiculous, really! I remember many a fight breaking out about whose turn it was to get to be on the phone.

Hopefully Elena will have a more mature view on such things- for now she doesn't even care that noone is on the other end listening...

See video on above right...

Happy Fourth!

Our day began with the local 4th of July parade, which we attended with our good friends and neighbors, the Millers. The kids caught enough candy to last all summer, and the grown ups had fun looking at the old cars and tractors. It was a nice, small-town atmosphere that we have grown to love since becoming Hoosiers.

That night, Daddy took Elias to his first baseball game. Our church had a block of seats, so Elias got to sit with some of his Hoosier "grandparents" from church- which he LOVED! He also loved the food- a hotdog, popcorn, lemonade, ice cream, cotton candy, and who knows what else! After the game there were, of course, fireworks. Elias will be talking about this night for a long time!

Curly-Q

Elena's hair has gotten so curly as it has grown. Her poor little head gets so hot when we go outside to play, so I decided to give her some pigtails on the 4th of July. She had 8 in all and her head was much cooler for it! I prefer her sweet curls hanging around her face, but this was a very finctional 'do for a hot summer day!

Go Daddy Go!!!

Softball season has begun and the kids had a great time at the first game! Elena, our bulldozer, played with her namesake toys and pushed enough dirt around to create a new infield. Elias, more grown up and into the game than ever before, stood on the sidelines cheering for Daddy. "Go Daddy!", "Run Daddy!", and "That's MY Daddy!" are just a few of the sweet cheers we heard.