Hello...is it me you're looking for?

Gosh, I really need to get better about posting here.
So, let's see...what have we been up to?

Well, soccer mostly. Raegan's team has been doing surprisingly well. They've tied two games, won one game, and lost one game. The team they played yesterday was the "stacked team", meaning that they had about 6 or 7 Division III boys on their team, as well as some Div. III girls. And, boy, could you tell! Holy Cow, they were good. Our team did very well the first half, and the score was only 1-0 at halftime. But our defense, who was just getting pounded the entire game, was overpowered in the second half and we ended up losing 4-0. Still, not bad considering how good this team was.

Today, I have a soccer tournament with my adult coed team, and Raegan has tryouts for the Div. III U-11 girls team this afternoon. We'll be living at the soccer park all day today. My team has a 12:00 game and a 1:00 game, and then depending on how we do, we may then have to play again at 2:00, and then if we are still doing well, we may end up in the championship game at 3:00! I may not be able to walk by the end of today.

I feel so bad because Riley has a cub scout event today that I have to miss. His pack is doing their annual rocket launch this afternoon. Unfortunately, Casey had to go out of town this morning too, so we're both going to miss it. I went last year, and it was a fun event. Riley has two rockets to launch. He's very excited. Luckily, he has a wonderful den leader who has agreed to take Riley for the entire day. It's actually better this way. Riley would not want to be hanging out at the soccer park all day anyway. He's become pretty good friends with his den leader's son, so they will have a blast together. I still feel like a terrible mother, though.

I've been busy with my scrapbooking too, and have made a few layouts with the skiing photos Casey took on their skiing excursions up to Mt. Shasta. Here they are:










So, I guess that's it in a nutshell. We all have various events coming up in the next few weeks that I will keep you updated on.

Until then...

A Bit of an Update...

So, it's been awhile since I've posted, so I thought I would just give an update as to what we've been up to!

We had spring break the week after Easter, and although most of it was uneventful, the kids did have a great couple of days with Casey up in Mt. Shasta at the ski park. So, where was I during all this snow filled fun? At home. You see, I don't ski. It's not that I've never tried. Oh, I've tried. Let's just say it's not my thing. The kids keep asking me why I don't want to go skiing with them. My reply is that I don't ski, I fall...alot. I always joke that I would be the giant snowball tumbling down the hill. I'm glad that they all like it so much. Both of the kids took to skiing pretty quickly. But what is surprising is that Riley is actually the one who has really taken to the sport and is excelling! You see, Raegan has always been the jock, and sports usually come fairly easy to her. So when Casey told me that Riley was the one who was really doing great, I was so excited! It has been so great for him. Here are some photos Casey took on their last ski trip...









Soccer is also back in full swing. This season, Raegan moved up to the U-12 division. And, for once, I'm not the coach! I am one of the assistant coaches though. It's kinda nice not to have so much responsibility. There are 3 other coaches besides me. The main reason I wanted to join these guys was because they are the ones that will be coaching the Division 3 U-11 girls team in the fall. That team is the one the girls have to try out for. They go to tournaments, and overall, it's much more competitive. I had already told the guy who is going to be the head coach that I would help him if he needed it, and he said he'd be happy to have me join his coaching team. So, this season is kind of a test to see how we all coach together. So far I'm loving it, and we all seem to be getting along great!

We had our first game yesterday, and we were all pleasantly surprised at how well our team did. We tied 2-2. You see, because none of us play the stupid political youth coaching B.S. that some other coaches do, our team is a bit of the underdog. Our team is the only one in our division with more girls than boys, and we do not have one Division 3 player on our team. (They mix them in the spring season). The team we played yesterday obviously had some D3 girls on it. And they were HUGE! Holy Cow! But our little girls (and boys) stood up to them and held their own. It was an awesome game. I think it also showed the boys on our team that the girls know how to play, and aren't the giggling, gossiping, silly girls that they usually see at practice. So, regardless of how our other games turn out, I think it will be a great season!

Boy, I'm long winded today, huh? I better not write anymore, or I won't have anything to talk about in my next post!

Until then...

David Cook Rocks!!!

Ok, let's talk American Idol...
I hate to be an "I told you so", but I have been diggin' on David Cook from the beginning. While everyone else is all about David Archuletta, I've been saying, "No, this David Cook guy is really good". Even Simon Cowell didn't like him at first and told him he was boring and had no personality. (I think he told Chris Daughtry the same thing)

So last night just proved my point all along...
I didn't hear Ryan Seacrest say what song he was singing, so when he started, I was thinking, "What song is this?" Then I thought I heard him say "Billie Jean", and I was like, "Oh my god! He's singing Billie Jean by Michael Jackson!" Then I got a little nervous and thought, "Oh no, how's he gonna pull this off?" Well, I shouldn't have worried at all because David totally rocked it!! Oh my god, it was so awesome.

What I love about this guy is that not only does he take risks, but he can totally take a song, change the arrangement, and rock it every time. He is the only contestant that has consistently done this and succeeded every time. He is so talented, I hope he wins!

So, if you missed his rockin' version of Billie Jean, here it is: (don't forget to pause my music at the bottom)



If you have missed any of his other performances, go to YouTube and watch them. His version of Lionel Richie's "Hello" is also amazing. Love him! Not so much diggin' on his hair though, but I still think he is by far the best of all the contestants. Sorry Archuletta fans!

Happy Easter!

All I Need to Know I learned from the Easter Bunny!

*Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
*Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
*Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
*There's no such thing as too much candy.
*All work and no play can make you a basket case.
*A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
*Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
*Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
*Some body parts should be floppy.
*Keep you paws off other people's jellybeans.
*Good things come in small-sugarcoated packages.
*The grass is greener in someone else's basket.
*An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
*To show your true colors you have to come out of the shell.
*The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

Happy Easter to all my friends and family!
I found my little bunny friend on Flickr . Isn't he cute? Here are some more Easter photos I found on Flickr that I liked:



The kids are all excited about Easter tomorrow (or should I say egg-sited?) (I'm such a dork). They colored some eggs today and Riley keeps laying plastic eggs around the house. Now, when I say "lay" I don't mean he's placing them down with his hands. No, he's spreading his legs apart, clucking, and dropping the egg from behind and between his legs. Yea, I think he needs some clarification on the whole male/female egg laying thing. Oh well, it's funny anyway.

So, I hope everyone has a great Easter, and I'll try to post soon! We are on Spring Break this week! Hooray!

I'll leave you with one last Easter hurrah...

I'm A Happy Hooker!

No, it's not what you think you dirty minded people. I'm talking about crocheting. Ok, so it may seem like a total grandma thing to do, but you're wrong! Crocheting has come a long way since your grandma crocheted you that avocado green, bright orange, and gold afghan back in 1975.

I picked up a crochet hook for the first time last summer. I had been knitting for a year or two and wanted to see if I could crochet as well. I bought a book of crochet squares, a crochet hook, some yarn, and jumped right in. Well, I should say that I sunk a bit at first. It took me several tries and lots of swear words to complete my first square. It wasn't very pretty, but I did it! I wasn't totally won over for awhile quite honestly. My hook was put away for awhile and my knitting needles were going full force. A few months ago, I picked up my crochet hook again, and this time something clicked. I was hooked! (ha ha no pun intended) So now my knitting needles are collecting dust and I'm hookin' up a storm! Right now I'm working on an afghan that I first saw in an ad for Moda Fabrics. The picture below is the same one I think, but it looks a bit different in this picture.



I also found some more pictures of crocheting that I love. I really want to make this afghan and pillow...



I was also playing around at Flickr the other night and found all these cool crochet pictures. So much inspiration!




My grandmother was a huge crocheter. I'm blessed to have two baby blankets she made for my kids after they were born. I've studied them carefully and have realized I will probably never be as talented as she was, but I like to think that she is looking down on me and guiding my hands as I try desperately to teach myself this wonderful craft. I've even started teaching kids how to knit and crochet. They have a class at the kids' school every Friday that I have been volunteering in. It's so much fun and the kids are having a blast. Right now my kids haven't shown much interest in it. Raegan has learned to knit a little and has almost completed her first scarf, but she isn't obsessed with it like I am. I won't push it, but I hope some day that she will carry on this craft that both my grandmother and I have loved.

Da Breakin' Bokavich Boys

First, I just have to say I LOVE JibJab! They have the funniest stuff on there. But, the best part is that you can add your own heads to some of their videos and be the star! I experimented on one at Christmastime, and it was hilarious. I just noticed tonight that they had a new free one, so I personalized it with a few familiar faces and have posted it here for your viewing pleasure...Before you start the video, scroll down to the bottom of the page to my music playlist and press the pause button. Otherwise it will interfere with the sound on the video. Oh, and get ready to laugh your ass off!

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Basketball Album

Well, basketball season is over. I really enjoyed the season. Raegan did too. She had great coaches that taught her so much about the game, and they did it with much patience. While many of the other coaches from other teams jumped up and down, screaming at their players, or just paced nervously up and down the court, Raegan's coaches sat calmly and quietly on the bench, occasionally making positive comments or helpful hints to the players. To show my appreciation, and because I am such a craft geek, I made them both a scrapbook. The slide show below shows the result. They were a HUGE hit with the coaches and the parents. I have to give big kudos to Casey for taking all of these great pictures of each girl on the team. I had all the girls sign the last page too on the final albums. Anyway, thought I'd share it with you...

I also just wanted to say how much I love my new discoveries! These slide shows are so cool! You can make them for FREE at Slide.com

I'm also loving the music I can now have playing on this blog. It was also FREE at Playlist.com.