In Memoriam (and out of memoriam)

What I would like to remember about Memorial Day:

• Those who have fought and continue to fight for our freedoms.
• A fun ward activity with a yummy breakfast.
• The opportunity to do some service at the church building.
• A nap.
• My mom's birthday.

What I am trying to forget about Memorial Day:

• Those super annoying birds who woke us up at 5:30am.
• Being slammed hard by summer heat.
• Dripping sweat and soaking through my shirt while participating in the service project.
• Losing my cool over a ridiculous social studies project.
• Recording a show called "World's Worst Teenagers" just to make myself feel better.

Hope your holiday was a memorable one!

Music a la All Day Long

We finished up the musical school year with the annual Music a la Mode event.  This year we added Brooke to the mix, so with Emma being in jazz band this year, we had five performances to watch.  Throw in my volunteering shift that started at 10:00am, and stick in three performances from Sydney there in the middle, and you realize you'll be at the performing arts center until about 4:00 that afternoon.  It's a lovely event, and a lot of fun to see all the groups perform, but it makes for a long day.  And I have to admit that I skipped out on a couple of Sydney's performances to take Brooke home and grab some lunch.  (Unlike my children, I wasn't thrilled about my lunch consisting of the two servings of cake and ice cream that is the real attraction of the day.)

Mackenzie, I was hoping for a picture with some tongue sticking out, but no luck!  She was still able to play just fine.

This picture was taken after searching and searching for Brooke in the group, not spotting her, worrying that she had missed her time to get to the stage and envisioning her freaking out somewhere because she wasn't where she was supposed to be.  We found her.  Glenn has instructed me to put something big and bright in her hair next time.

Emma thrilled as ever to be singing in the choir.

Leah with a surprise turn on the slide whistle.  She is an amazing slide whistler.  Who knew.

A lovely song by the 7th grade choir. Inside scoop: most of the boy's singing that you hear is actually the choir director singing really loud.

And that's a wrap!

Do ya hear that, New York? The frog is STAYin'!

(and if you don't get the obscure Kermit the Frog reference above, 
you need to brush up on your Muppets Take Manhattan quotes!)

When it was announced last year that American Greetings was looking to move its world headquarters out of Brooklyn, Ohio, there were several cities on the list of possibilities.  On one extreme we had Chicago, and on the other, Westlake.  I could neither fathom nor stomach the thought of moving away from Cleveland, but I dare not hope that AG would move into our own backyard.  Literally.

Earlier this year we got word that, due to our fine governor and his tax breaks for big business (never mind his total disregard for public schools, that's a whole different topic), American Greetings would indeed be staying in Ohio.  What a relief.  Still, the question remained as to where AG would eventually end up.

Until today.  Yesiree, my friends, the news broke this morning at 10:00 EST that American Greetings is moving to Westlake!  Can you believe it?  We are incredibly happy.  And you know what this really means, don't you...

Glenn doesn't need a new car after all!  Get your bike tuned up, honey!

My fashion mullet.

Evil Strep Mother?

Nope, not strep--just a nasty, painful sore throat that kept me in bed (actually on the couch) on Mother's Day.  Not only did it hurt REALLY BAD, but I didn't get to participate in all the day's festivities.

What I missed out on:

• The peace I feel when I go to church.  Instead, I got a healthy dose of the neighbor's acid rock blasting through the open window.
• Listening to the children sing to all the moms during Sacrament meeting.
• Hearing Andrew give a talk in Primary.
• Hanging out with the family at the Franklin's.

What I didn't miss out on:

• A lovely gift and thoughtful cards from Glenn and the kids.
• The delicious desserts the men provided us ladies at church.  Glenn brought home a heaping plate of chocolate cake and cheesecake.
• The yummy meal the guys made for dinner.  Again, a tasty plate magically appeared before me and I gobbled it down.
• The beautiful sunny weather.  Right there out the window.
• A couple naps.  Always good to catch up on sleep.

If there's one thing we learn when we become mothers, it's that we've got to learn to go with the flow.  You have an idea of how things are going to go, and then it doesn't work out the way you expected it.  But if you can open your mind to the possibilities,  the end result might be better than what you had originally anticipated.

Because in all reality, what I got for Mother's Day was the entire day to myself.  Doing nothing.  Isn't that really all we ever want on our Big Day?

On the right track.

As a compliment to cross country, the girls decided to give track a try.  I think we've all kind of agreed that we like cross country a lot more.

At the starting line...

CC meets are short and sweet and held on Saturdays.  Track meets are long and drawn out and are held after school.

CC meets take place in the lingering warmth of autumn.  Track meets take place in the frigid cold and blustery, biting winds of spring.

There is a small, tight-knit group of girls who run CC.  It seems like every girl in the school runs track.

All runners compete in CC meets.  Unless you are one of the top 4 (and in the case of conferences, top 2) runners, you only get to compete in the home track meets.

CC meets are free.  Track meets charged admission.  Never understood that.

CC is distance.  Track is sprinting.  'Nuff said.

 

But Emma and Leah were smart enough to stay away from any events involving jumping or throwing, got a cool hoodie with "FRANKLIN" on the back, and gave it a good run (so to speak).  I'm proud of them for going outside of their comfort zone and trying something new.   And besides, who is not impressed with running a mile in under 7 minutes?

Cross country, here they come!

Is there a teenager in the house?

 

obsessed with Harry Potter, American Idol, Survivor, Hunger Games, and Friday?

check.

prone to emotional outbursts, huffing and puffing, and stomping up the stairs?

check.

spends way too much time on iPod?

check.

new cell phone owner?

check.

would rather text friends than call on the phone?

check.

loves to babysit little kiddos?

check.

suddenly taller than one parent?

just about.

busier than all get out with school, activities, church, and friends?

check.

responsible for own laundry?

check.

cleans up entire kitchen the way Mom would?

check.

stays up way too late at night and sleeps in way too long in the morning?

check.

yep, we've got teenagers alright.

TWO of them.

buckle up and hold on tight!

Happy 13th Birthday, Emma and Leah!