Just Another Day

We’ve had a crazy week.  I had a trip to Owensboro scheduled that I decided to cancel due to bad weather.  Boy was I glad I did because that ended up being the day of the tornado outbreak and there was horrible weather all over the state.  Since our trip was cancelled we had a chance to go with Byron to Columbus, OH for a few days.  Free hotel suite, free gas, free food, umm…yes please.  The kids and I swam and went to the zoo and park.  Then we got to hang out with Byron at night.  We came home and then the very next day Kendall had her very first soccer game.  Her team is so sweet but the best part is her coach.  Coach Bryan is a upstanding Christian man who loves those girls and loves coaching.  During game time he gets really excited and starts yelling from the sidelines helpful hints to the girls.  Some examples are:
“Turn around!  The ball is behind you!”
“You’re a forward!  Run forward!”
“Kick the ball!”—very helpful
“No!  Our goal is the other way!”
“Quit playing with the grass and watch the ball!”
“Don’t kick it to the other team!”
He hollers through the whole game and it’s all I can do not to lay down on the sideline and laugh until I pee my pants.  It’s so funny.

 

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They Keep Getting Older.....And So Do I

I took the girls on a field trip today to the botanical gardens on University of Kentucky campus.  I highly recommend it.  The area is beautiful plus UK uses it for teaching purposes so they are always adding things and it's very up to date.  Plus it's right on campus and you can just feel all the good young happy feeling that a college campus always seems to have.  I was uploading pictures and I was blown away by this picture.

Kendall had set down next to that little pond; situated herself just right and asked me to take a picture.  I can't believe how grown up she looks!  I see her everyday so it's hard for me to notice these things.  She looks like a real kid!  She's lost all the baby look and even runs and walks like an older kid. She interacts with others on a more mature level and can entertain herself for a LONG time compared to her sisters.  Something about this picture just really made me realize how grown up she's getting.  Happy face, sad face?  I'm not sure what to put here.  Both I guess!   :-)  :-(

The Halls are Off the Grid

Okay, well maybe I am embellishing just a bit.  Hey, I've got to keep the blog interesting.  We packed up the van (with a ton of stuff!) and headed out to Byron's old stomping grounds for a couple days.  We camped at the Jenny Wiley State Park and then went to see where Byron grew up.  The kids even got to play on some of the same playground equipment (like the very same, totally old school) that he played on as a kid.  Okay, back to the camping.  I knew it was going to be a little cool that night but I forgot to bring the heater for the tent, duh!  It was in the 70s though and we were sweatin' it getting the camp site set up so I thought we'd be fine.  About 1:30 in the morning it started getting pretty cold.  The kids were sleeping good but I still decided to cover them up more.  I had left a blanket in the van and I headed out in the pitch black to grab it.   While I was out there I got my pant leg wet.  I come back into the tent and knock over Grace's water bottle on my foot and got my socks soaking wet.  I was so cold though that I didn't want to change my socks and pants.  Dumb idea.  I spent the rest of the night freezing!  Beyond that, we had a great time and here's some pictures to prove it.

Just Keep Spinning, Just Keep Spinning, Just Keep Spinning, Spinning, Spinning

I finally got up enough nerve and took a spinning class.  I know you are thinking, "Alicia, spinning classes have been around for years.  You're just now taking one?"  Yep.  Hey, a year ago you would have never caught me in a spinning class.  It took me six weeks to get up the nerve to go.  Let me give you a play by play on how it went.

6:55 - arrive at class and I have to take the front row because the back row is full.  Now everyone gets to watch  my wide rear while I stumble through the class.  Oh joy.  (Note of sarcasm here).

7:00 - we start pedaling and stretching and I'm thinking "Hey, I think I'll be able to do this.  This won't be so bad."

7:10 - I'm sneaking peaks at the clock.  It's only been 10 minutes!?

7:15 - Sweat is pouring off me.  Is it even possible to sweat this much in 15 minutes?

7:20 - My legs and butt are on fire.  I can't decide which is worse.  Standing up to pedal and killing my legs or having to sit down after pedaling.  I'm pretty sure someone has replaced my bike seat with a dry skinny piece of jagged wood.  I'd turn around to look but I'd fall off the bike if I did.

7:30 - Everyone is standing up to peddle at crazy speeds.  I am peddling like I'm stuck in the mud.

7:32 - Everyone is still peddling standing up and I'm sitting down.  Of course now we're back to the butt pain problem.

7:40 - I close my eyes hoping to give the impression that I'm in the zone, but I'm really just praying that God will grant me some out of body experience.  He doesn't.

7:50 - the class is finally over and I did it!  I'm not sure I have the energy to even get off the bike and walk out of the room; but the class is over and I survived.  Yes I will be crawling on the floor by this time tomorrow.  I may have to sit on a doughnut pillow for the next few days.  I might have to put myself on an ibuprofen drip to walk up and down the stairs but I made it through the class!  The crazy thing is I'm actually looking forward to going back and seeing if I can accomplish a little bit more.  Thank goodness I have six days to recuperate.

The Substitute

Tonight something we saw on TV sparked a conversation with Kendall about blended families.  These conversations usually lead into a discussion about how Kendall is related to my dad and step-dad.  While talking she says, "Now, I just want to make sure; you guys are not my substitute parents right?  Because if you were I would be so upset you didn't tell me!"  Ummm...I think she meant step-parents.  It's always cute when kids misuse words.  However, there is something about them misusing more complicated words as they get older that makes it even sweeter.