Red Rover, Red Rover

The GT (gifted and talented) program at Aspen's school went on a field trip to UT to hear a lecture given by the electrical engineering department. I signed up to go a month ago and then forgot until the teacher sent out a reminder email. I was going to cancel because I couldn't find a place for Hazel to go. But Aspen's teacher graciously offered to let Toby and Hazel come with me on the field trip. I was glad. I knew that it was something Toby would love and I really wanted to be able to spend the day with Aspen too. (You can read Toby's account of the trip here.) Anyway, we went and enjoyed it. But the best part of the day was spending it playing red rover on the UT campus lawn. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun. Most had never played the game. But it sure was fun to see all these middle school kids holding hands - boys and girls:)

They let Hazel play too.

Misery loves company

The new season of Biggest Loser started again last night. Anyone watch? That show makes me want to work harder. I DVR it and watch it after the kids are in bed and I'm done with my work. I guess that I should watch it in the morning, however, so that I can use that motivation to actually work out harder. Instead I just go to bed. By morning, my resolve to workout has weakened enough to tell myself I'll do it later. But you know how that goes.

Nate made me sign up for a fitness bootcamp last month. I actually really enjoyed it. It's easier for me to work out if I have someone expecting me to be somewhere and to push me a bit. It's been a couple weeks since that session ended because of the holidays. It started up again yesterday. Laura, the trainer, is tough. I guess that's the point and I'm glad that she does her job well. I really need to get my butt in gear and get moving. I know that I will feel better, and look better, and be healthier. But -- my whole body is complaining. It's only been one day. And tomorrow will be even worse. And then I will go again. Please come and join me. You know --misery loves company.

Landmark Day for my Dad

My Dad turns 60 today. Dad, I hope that this year is the best yet!

New Year's Resolution

So I make new resolutions just about every week, not just on New Year's. It becomes more of a to do list than a self improvement plan and those resolutions never seem to get checked off. It's a disease really. So this year, I am just going to work on only one thing, well, maybe two. But they kind of go together.

This year I am going to LIVE my life and just BE. I'm tired of my life living me instead of me living my life. I want to do things on purpose instead of stumbling through the experiences that are thrown at me. I don't want to wait to do and be the things/person I want. I'd rather not stress about what I am suppose to do or not do (read: dieting - just to be thin, working out - just to be thin, cleaning house, getting the oil changed, going to bed on time, getting up early, etc.)
I want to BE all the things I want to be, not just work at them.

So, instead of planning and list making and wallowing in guilt, I am going to DO and BE and LIVE in the present. Instead of dieting, exercising, or cleaning or feeling guilty because I am avoiding those things, I'm changing my focus. I'm going to indulge, sometimes - sugar cookies are just as much a requirement in my diet as salad; roller skate with my kids instead of running on the treadmill; play Rock Band with the family instead of doing laundry; snuggle with my baby on the couch instead of doing the dishes; stay up late talking to my kids after I've put them in bed; read late into the night when I've got a really good book; and, occasionally, get up to see the sun rise (that's not too hard right now:) the sun comes up at 7am - I can do 7 am.

All the work will still be there but the moments to really LIVE and enjoy my life are fleeting and will be gone before I know it. The time goes by faster every year. I don't want to miss mine because it wasn't on my to-do list. So here's to BEING and LIVING in 2009.

Blue eyes

Hazel has these amazing bright blue eyes.

"Can I call you Kar?" or #3

Sorry to keep you hanging. Life just gets in the way of blogging sometimes. Good thing too. Otherwise I'd have nothing to blog about.

Bang on the Drum All Day

We had a fun New Year's Eve. Our friends came over and everyone ate food played games and stayed up late to ring in the new year.

Nate cooked for two days straight, making some yummy food from his new fancy-schmancy cook books.

Hazel didn't quite make it to midnight.

The kids banged pots and pans at midnight, making quite a ruckus.

We got Rock Band for Christmas and stayed up until 2 am playing.

The other kids played Spore and dressup. Everyone had lots of fun.

Death by Breakfast

Our friends made this for breakfast on our camp out last week: That would be French bread spread with butter, a layer of sausage, a layer of cheese, a layer of bacon, another layer of sausage, another layer of cheese, then the top of the french bread, spread with more butter. You could hear your arteries clogging up with this breakfast. But it was very tasty. And breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Right?

Starting off right

We started 2009 off right by going camping out at Enchanted Rock (one of our favorite spots). It was beautiful and warm, until the sun went down, after which the temperature went down about 30 or 40 degrees. And with the burn ban, there was only the lantern to warm our hands by. Anyway, the next day dawned even warmer, so it was spent hiking and hanging out. Here's a couple of shots from our outing.

Some more fooling around with the camera.

The sky was so clear. These are the brighter stars in the sky. I'm surprised at how well they showed up, especially since it wasn't a really long exposure. We could even see the milky way.

Nate took the bigger kids hiking (we went with some friends - those are the unfamiliar children). They hiked to the top of the Rock and then around to a cave on the back side.

It's either a little windy, or really steep, or both!

I took the two littler girls on a small hike. They were troopers.