I am thankful

Today.. I am thankful

Today I am thankful for so many things.

I am thankful for my two beautiful, healthy daughters. I am thankful for their innocence, their health, their infectious laughs and Faithful spirits. I am thankful that they are children of God and truly know what to say when others are having a hard time. One of my best friends daughter has a horrible terminal disease called SMA. They have two other daughters who are in perfect health. Miss L (as I will call her in this post) can't fight off the common cold like other healthy children, she can't cough or swallow and her little body works so hard to fight a simple virus. Today, a cold virus has gotten the better of her and they had to take her to the hospital. She is currently on 8 LITERS OF OXYGEN, just to keep her oxygen where is should be. She will most likely end up on the ventilator within the next day or so.  She has always been able to turn things around and fight the virus.. and I hope she does it again this round.  Miss L's older sister came over after school today so her parents could be at the hospital. I am thankful for the girls friendship and I know they are going to be life long friends. I am so very thankful that we are here and that we can help this amazing family in really tough times.

Today made me think really hard about the pity party I have at times with myself.  I don't like my weight, my looks, my carpet, my kitchen, my walls, my clothes.. and the list goes on.  But.. does it really matter about those things? In the long run.. absolutely not. They seem so important at times and it IS a little important because if we like our home and it makes us feel good.. it makes us happy.  However... this by no means defines happiness and it's so easy to fall into the trap of what I like to call.. "the gimmies".  Gimmie this, Gimmie that.. I want it all NOW.

As I was driving home from Kansas City this weekend on Sunday morning I tuned in to a Christian channel and was just browsing the stations... and something caught my attention. There was a man talking about temptations and patience. The patience is what really caught my attention.. because I don't seem to have a lot lately.  And it just put everything back into perspective for me that in time.. and that is in "God's time" I will have the things I need.. maybe even the things I want, but I need to put it in God's hands so that He can take my burdens on. I tend to get really caught up in something that I really WANT. In fact, I become a little obsessive and then it becomes all consuming and then I am mad, sad, disappointed etc.. that I didn't get what I want. But what I really want is "Peace in the Valley". Life becomes so all consuming and busy that I find myself losing focus on what I REALLY want.  I want peace in my heart, patience in my soul and love of life that pours out to others... that is not accomplished by what I have in my home, but what God leads me to.

I kind of got off on a tangent there.. but the words just flow sometimes! :)

BUT.. I still want to list some more thankfuls below.. because I really am blessed to have so many people in my life and the things I need.

TOP Thankfuls.....

1. I am thankful for my awesome husband who supports me and loves me unconditionally.

2. I am thankful for my girls.. can't imagine life without them

3. For my awesome sister who knows me better than just about anyone else.. 

4. For my job that allows me to work school hours
5. For my wonderful Dad and Step-mom Lucy.. who always have the best advice and support!

6. For my amazing mother and father-in-law, I have known them for just about 21 years and they are like         my second set of parents... LOVE YOU!

7. For the roof over my house.. even with all the things I want to change.. I am thankful

8. For my great neighbors and friends who make living in this neighborhood...Aw..Some!

9. For my adorable little Dudley.. he may be a stinker.. but I love him.

 Brief pause... my oldest is throwing a fit because she can't have a snack right now.. DEEP BREATH.. I am supposed to be saying what I am thankful for.

10. For my health, that I take no medicine, I exercise 3-4 times a week and get stronger every day.

FOR ALL OF THESE THINGS (AND MANY MORE) I AM THANKFUL.. now I have to go deal with my 9 year old.. I think this is where the patience comes in.  I remember a wise woman once told me (and yes Sharon, I am talking about you) that if you pray for patience.. God will test you.. let the test begin!  :)

A little note of sweetness...

So my little Lauren (who isn't so little anymore) left me a note before she left for school. I am always gone before they are up in the morning so I can be home after school. Beginning of the school year always wears the girls out and this is what she left me.
" Dear Mom, I was wondering when I get to have a play date with Kennedy K? p.s. I am tired"
So.stinkin.cute.

FINALLY!!

Well, I can finally blog again, the browse button disappeared on the page to upload photos for some random reason.  Apparently it's a huge issue and people are FREAKING out because they can't blog.  I finally read on the question site that someone was using Google Chrome and it would work but it using Internet Explorer, it's missing.  Blogger says they are aware of the problem but nobody knew on when it will be fixed!  So I am back on-line using Google Chrome.. phew!

You Raise Me Up!

After an awesome sermon at church today, the tears keep coming for the children in Newtown, CT.  I was sitting at swimming lessons watching Lauren (age 6), laugh and play and somewhat pay attention :)... and this song came on over the speakers and I started crying in the middle of the bleachers, sitting by myself... listening to Josh Groben sing how God will "Raise me up".  I didn't even care that someone may have been watching me.. I just thought of those families and prayed that God will raise them up as well.... and then I looked around the pool and saw at least 50 children swimming and having fun, laughter, splashes and an occasional whistle.. and thought My God.. what if that happened right now.. in this very room.  So I listened more to the song and the words and it has stayed with me all day... I know it is God reminding me that He will raise us up and He will watch over us.  Pastor said that we all feel like we have to do something and he said "Be still and know that I am God"... that's all I needed to hear today.



For this tragedy to be so far away.. it feels like it happened right here...  I have vowed to myself and my husband that I won't watch anymore of this coverage, I won't look at the children's photos, I will quickly skip over the internet updates... and only find the good things in this world.. I need to see and hear it because I know it's out there and it is strong!

It's a Hug your kids kind of day...

What is this world coming to?  Unfortunately I have asked myself this more than desired.  Today a lunatic 20 year old stormed into an elementary school and killed 20 kindergartners... 20!!!!  When I first heard about it, I thought, no, that can't be correct... then the reality hit me that this was true and I couldn't get to my girls fast enough.  These kids were 5 and 6 years old... Lauren is 6 years old.  All I could picture today was all of the times I have volunteered up at my girls' school and the kindergarten teachers walking their kiddos to lunch or to a special like art, music, guidance.... and these adorable little people who have such big wonderful smiles and are just starting there journey in life, waving at me and saying "hi Lauren's mom" or "Hi Elise's mom"... and it was taken away.  Not only from the families of the children who were brutally killed but the children who witnessed it, they have lost their innocence and will be forever damaged.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/14/15907407-elementary-school-massacre-20-children-among-28-killed-in-connecticut-slaughter?lite

So today as the Christmas season is upon us and we are supposed to be joyful and thankful, we are tested.  Tested in our Faith of how could God let this happen, how could God not protect these children??  But I know in my heart that this is not His doing, this is evil.  I pray with a very heavy heart for these families, for the children, for the community of Newtown, CT.  I pray for strength and courage.  I looked at my husband tonight and said that I could learn to deal with the loss of a child if it were an illness, it would be horrific, but I could do it with God's help, but to lose a child to such brutal violence, I don't know how I could possibly recover from that.

So now I am going to take my cousin Kate Peck's advice from Facebook today;

Kate Peck

Joel and I are going skiing tonight. I am going to put the awful news in the background for now and think about all the incredible goodness there is in this world. Sometimes it doesn't feel like it ... But there is a lot of it.

 and look for all of the good that is out there and remember that there is SOOOO much more good than evil and that is what I have to focus on... the laughter of my kids, the Christmas magic, the love in my family and friends, and in all of that.. find strength and know that He will watch over my family and that is all I can do... I am handing this over to God as I hope everyone else does as well.

Peace to all.

Melinda

The Perfect Summer night...

Last night was a lazy night, we ordered pizza and were chatting at the table when we heard the neighbors outside.  Jayden, Nathan, Ryan and Katrina Davis were outside getting ready to play kickball.  So we finished up supper and headed over to join the game.  We played an adult/kid combo kickball game and had a TOTAL blast.  I felt like a kid again... and the competitive side came out of me big time.  I grabbed the ball and blasted Katrina as she was running and screaming to first base because she knew I was going to get her... I laughed so dang hard it was awesome!! 

Once we tired from that, the kids played Ghost in the Graveyard, Eric and Ryan played Horse on the driveway and Katrina and I drank margaritas and made fun of our husbands.... it was great.  Then the kids decided they wanted to watch a movie about 8:30 in the basement so they went inside and we all went back on the deck to chill for a bit and had a few more cocktails.

Then the kids decided they wanted to catch fireflies so they got out their bug catchers and chased those little bugs for an hour.... and we couldn't see them, just saw little shadows of kids scurrying around and heard giggles and laughter with an occasional "there's one".  When they were tired of that they hid battery powered tea light candles in the yard and the others had to find them... they thought it was great.  Finally about ten o'clock or so we decided we should get the kids to bed.  So they had a quick shower and off to bed by 10:30.

Thought this was awesome!!

It was one of those nights that brought all of these flashbacks of my childhood... parents drinking with friends, kids running around all night, making up games, catching fireflies in jars and staying up super late.... that is what summer is all about.  Love it!!  And I love that my kids are doing what I did as a kid... and it didn't involve electronics what-so-ever.

This is perfect...

Baby Boomer or X'er... or somewhere in between???

I found this email from one of my very best friends that died in 2004, Jennifer Waymire.  She sent this to me on July 30th, 1999. 

"This is pretty funny, I am amazed at how many I can relate to...

YOU'RE LOST BETWEEN A BABY BOOMER AND GEN X'ER IF.....

1. You remember when Jordache jeans with a flat comb in the back pocket was cool

2. In your class picture you were wearing an Izod shirt with the collar up.

3. You know by heart the words to any Wierd Al Yankovic song.

4. You ever rang someones doorbell and said, "Land Shark!"

5. Three words:  Atari, Intellivision and Coleco, sound familiar.

6. You remember the premier of MTV, in fact, you remember the Friday Night Videos before the days of MTV.

7. A predominant color in your childhood photos is plaid.

8.  While in high school, you and your friends discussed elaborate plans to get together again at the end of the century and play Prince's "1999" until you passed out partying.

9.  You remember when music that was labeled alternative, really was alternative.  And when alternative comedy really was funny.

10.  You took family trips BEFORE the invention of the minivan.

11.  You rode in the back of a station wagon and you faced the cars behind you.

12.  You've recently horrified yourself by using any one of the following phases:  When I was younger.... When I was your age.... You know, back when....

13.  School house rock played a HUGE part in how you actually learned the English language.

14.  You ever dressed to emulate a person you saw in either Duran Duran, Madonna or Cyndi Lauper video.

15.  The first time you ever kissed someone at at dance came during either "Crazy for you" or "Leather and Lace".

16.  You remember with pain, the sad day when the Green Machine hit the streets and made our old Big Wheel quite obsolete.

17.  The phrase, "Where's the Beef?" still doubles you over with laughter.

18.  You honestly remember when film critics raved that no movie could ever possibly get better special effects than those in the movie Tron.

19.  You had a crush on either Ted the photographer on The Love Boat, Gage from Emergency or Ponch the motorcycle cop from CHIPS.

20.  Your hair at some point in time in the 80's became something which can only be described by the phrase, "I was experimenting."

21.  You've shopped at Benetton.

22.  You're starting to believe now that maybe having kids do to school year round wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

23.  You're doing absolutely nothing pertaining to your major.

24.  U2 is too popular and mainstream for you now.

25.  You remember trying to guess the episode of the Brady Bunch from the first scene.

26.  You had a front row seat for Luke and Laura's wedding on General Hospital.

27.  Your parents wanted you to attend medical school, but you decided it was pointless since Quincy got all of the babes anyway.

28.  You know who shot JR.

29.  Loves Baby Soft was in every girl's  Christmas stocking.

30.  This ring a bell: ".... and my name is Charlie.  They work for me."

31.  You were unsure if Diet Coke would ever catch on after all.

32.  You know all the words to the double album set of Grease.

33.  You ever had a Dorothy Hammill haircut.

34.  You sat with your friends on a Friday night and dialed 867-5309 to see if Jenny would answer.

35.  "All skate, change directions," means something to you.

36.  You owned a pair of rainbow suspenders just like Mork used to wear.

37.  You bought a pair of Vanns and wanted to order pizza in history class just like Jeff Spicoli.

38.  You owned a preppy handbook.

39.  You were too young to go see the Blue Lagoon so you just had to settle for the second hand reports.

40.  You remember when movies were only PG and R.

41.  You learned to swim about the same time Jaws came out and still carry the emotional scars to this day.

42.  you remember when your cable TV box had a sliding selector to switch.

43.  Your jaw would ache by the time you finished those brick-sized packages of Bazooka gum.

44.  You remember Bo and Luke Duke.

45.  VCR's cost $2,000.

46.  There was nothing strange about Bert and Ernie living together.

47.  You remember rotary dial telephones.

48.  You actually  believed that Mikey, famed for his Life cereal commercials, died after eating a packet of pop rocks and drinking a coke.

49.  The theme song to Greatest American Hero still comes back to you on occasion (BELIEVE IT OR NOT I'M WALKING ON AIR...)

50. "Members only" Jackets, say no more.

I will be back soon!

Well, I have been absent for the last month except a few posts here and there.  I have to re-certify this year so I spent a week in Chicago with my best friend Jen Wadle at board review.  It was grueling.  We pretty much relearned the entire body in 4 1/2 days.  We started at 7:00 every day and ended about 6:00, we would grab some dinner and then take a 2 hour test... fun stuff I know.

So after that fun week I have been studying most of my free days and I take my boards on Monday.  It can't get here fast enough.  I am to the point where I keep looking at stuff and then realize there is even MORE I don't know... (which I am sure it's in my brain somewhere).  So I am taking today off from studying and trying to attend my neglected home... wow, it's a disaster!!  I will spend 1 more day tomorrow at the library studying (because if I am home... too many distractions).  Then Sunday I am not going to study and go in Monday and rock it.  THEN I feel like I can finally get back to normal.

Since our Disney trip in October life has been a giant whirl wind.  We got back and then it was Thanksgiving, then Christmas then all of my boards stuff so I am ready to be back to normal again.  I will say though that I am very proud of myself for sticking to my work-outs 4-5 times a week through all of this.  It helps clear my head and gives me some much needed energy....

I will back with lots of photos and funny stories soon... just a few more days!!

Where do I start with this madness???

Well I have come to the admission that I am just not a good house keeper.... there I said it.  My house is a disaster and I can't seem to figure out where it all goes wrong on any given day.  I have been told by Eric numerous times that I can't seem to finish one single task..... I start a million things but yet nothing is done.  My reply is that I am a GREAT multi-tasker.... which really isn't true because I don't seem to be able to finish any of those tasks.  My biggest problem is that I start a project whether it is cleaning a room, going through closets/toys/drawers etc and then I leave that room to get something and while I am away, I always see something ELSE that I didn't get done, so I head over to finish it... and it leads to the next task... by the end of the day, I get back to the original task and am totally annoyed with myself because I have made more work for myself because I am TIRED by this time.

I have never been a fan of New Years resolutions because I think they just set us up for failure... however, I am going to try to come up with a schedule to tackle each room in the house, go through all of the crap, get rid of it or store it in a more useful way... that is the goal.  I get the Better Homes and Gardens emails and they had an idea to de-clutter your home.  So I am taking their advice and picking one BIG room a month and tackle it from head to toe.  I am going to start with my kitchen pantry and junk drawers... they seem to be over flowing with crap... and WHY do I need so many stinkin' canned goods in my pantry... I could feed an army with all of the stuff in there... I don't really know what is in there. 

So this is my goal to myself.... have my house presentable at ALL times that if someone were to drop in, I wouldn't be totally humiliated by what they see.  Don't get me wrong, the house is CLEAN it's just so dang cluttered.  I will be getting the kids involved as well, they are old enough to get the stuff picked up!  Wish me luck.... I am going to show you my pantry now.... and when I get it where I want it...I will show you the finished product.... not that any of you care what my pantry looks like, it will just be a proud moment for me!

Seriously.... who has this much crap in their pantry... there are only 4 people in this household for goodness sake.  I am going to start making meal plans based on what is in here, and get rid of it.  There is a TON of storage in there going to waste on canned goods that I hardly ever use!!  This will feel SOOO good when I am done...  happy organizing to me!

"Did your family have a favorite song they would sing?"

My immediate family doesn't have a song that we sing, but what I do remember is that we had and still have this wonderful group of family friends that we all grew up with.  The Heath Family: Ruth, Steve, Chris, Peter, Michael and Theresa, The Pokorny Family: Karl, Joyce, Sonja, Monica and Jason, The Hill Family: Jack, Marcia, Mal and Ryan and the Divine Family... that would be us. Our families have all been good friends since we were young kids (late 1970's to early 1980's) would be about the time we all met.  Our family moved to Minnesota in 1978, so it was sometime after that.  Anyhooo,

We used to have pizza parties at the Ole Piper Inn, downtown Wayzata, and we would always spend Christmas Eve at the Heath household making Fondue... yummy.  Once we all started growing up and moving out of the house our gatherings became less but we still to this day seem to manage a gathering around Christmas time that the entire crew... the grown-ups, the grown-up kids and all of their kids, get together at Ruth and Steve's house for a Christmas brunch.  We have lots of good food, Mimosa's and great company.  It is never a dull moment at this get together.  It is pure entertainment.  When you get all of the Heath boys in a room together... look out!  We get loud, the kids get louder and then comes the dreaded.... (yet we all do it and laugh)... 12 Days of Christmas!!!

Marcia Hill is our singer/entertainer each year.  She performs in show choirs etc so she LOVES to sing.  We all split up into months of our birthday and then we sing the 12 days of Christmas.  Sonja's husband is a music teacher so he plays the piano for us.  It usually takes about 30 minutes to get organized and figure out just exactly how the song goes again.  Once we get it, we sing and we laugh and then we all take photos of the families and kids.  When it is time to go we are usually ready to go because your ears are usually ringing because it is so LOUD in this house with all of the people.. it's not just the numbers that make it loud... it's the group of people... we joke, we laugh and usually find someone to pick on, that person usually ends up being my dear friend Mal, occasionally Mollie but she has grown up so she isn't such an easy target anymore.

When we head over to start the party it's usually on Sunday and we are usually heading back to Iowa so we say this every time.."we aren't going to stay long, so we can get on the road" but guess what, we always end up staying long but it's always worth it.  I have years of memories with this wonderful group of people and I hope it continues for a very long time!  So that is my long version of a "song" that we sing, it's more than that, it's family.

A Hubbard Update... just the basics

Well, I haven't written much lately so I thought I should give an update on the crew these last few weeks.  2 weeks ago the girls got sick (Labor Day Weekend) which was a huge bummer, it was a picture perfect weekend and we were stuck inside. The girls both had fevers and stomache aches... at least Eric and I survived it without getting it.

Lauren has been having tummy aches a lot and I just couldn't put my finger on what was wrong.  This went on for about 3 weeks.  So I took her in to see Dr. Stoll and turns out... she is constipated.  Her belly film was full of poop... so we are back on track and she is taking daily medicine for a bit and we have had no more tummy aches.  Lauren is LOVING school.  She has some of the greatest songs she is learning in Mrs. K's class... I will get them on tape soon and post them.  She had a speech evaluation because her adorable lisp and troubled "r"s were of concern.  The speech therapist said it is normal for her age and no need to worry.. so that is great.  I love how she talks and I don't want it to change.... she is so sweet.
Lauren started soccer and is loving that.  She is very competative and wants to score goals all of the time.  She asked me the other day why one of the boys is "so bad" on our team..  We are working on that with her... brutal honesty. :)

She had a little incident today.  She was supposed to go to KTC but forgot and got on the bus.  When she realized I wasn't home she went to the neighbors across the street and thank goodness they were home.   The bus driver Dave got wind from the school that she is supposed to be at the school so he came back for her and she got back on the bus and he took her back to the school.  Brenda, the KTC director was there waiting for her (and of course Elise was too, because she was worried about her sister).  I told Lauren today how proud I was of her that she did the right thing by going to the neighbors (someone we know) and getting help.  I would bet she was a little scared today.  But she did great and is fine.

Miss Elise is rockin' at school.  Her teacher Mrs. Moore told me that she is doing really well in class especially with her reading.  She is all ready reading above the expected level for this age so that was great to hear.  Elise LOVES to read and especially when she reads to someone else.  Elise is back on the mend as well.  She was so sick over Labor Day that she had to go on steroids to help her cough.  But she is back on track.  She has mastered the monkey bars at school and she is SO proud of that.  She has worked hard.  She is really enjoying school and making a lot of new friends.  Here good buddy in class is Paige and they can't get enough of each other.

Elise and I went to the Homecoming Parade tonight.  Lauren wasn't feeling well so she stayed home.  I was laughing so hard because she knew TONS of people.  She is miss social butterfly and acts so grown up all ready.  She said it was the "best parade she has ever been too".  I would have to disagree but it's funny what she thinks great is... socializing!

We are excited because Dad and Lucy are coming down tomorrow for the weekend and Mollie and Charlie are headed up from KC for the weekend as well.  It will be good to see everyone.  We have 28 days until we leave for Disney World... not that I am counting and I can't stand not telling the girls right now but it will be priceless when we tell them the day we leave.... yeah!!  Well that's it for now... I am tired.

Never Forget

Ten years ago yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.  A day that I will never forget until the day I die.  It was the day that America changed forever.  The terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, The Pentagon, and the plane that didn't make it to the Capital or the White House will forever be in my memory.  We will all be able to tell the story of "where were you on 9/11".  Here is my story:

I was in my apartment on the south side of Des Moines.  I was getting ready for work and had the Today show on.  It was my day to work 11-8 so I was taking my time in the morning.  When I turned on the television I was watching a plane fly into one of the Twin Towers.  At first I thought it was a movie clip because it looked so real, and then I realized that this IS real.  My heart started racing but yet I couldn't take my eyes off of the t.v.  The next thing I knew I saw the second plane hit the second tower, saw the explosion and thought my God, what is happening?  I panicked and call Eric at work and he was okay, then I had to hear from all of my family members.  I called my dad in Minnesota, my sister in Kansas City and my brother in Arizona and everyone was okay.

As things started to unravel I watched another plane crash into the Pentagon and the last plane was still in the air.  The entire country was put on hold.  Over 5000 planes were grounded in a miracle moment without error.  There was the 4th plane and people didn't know what was going to happen with it.  It turns out that the plane was hijacked and was headed for either the White House or the Capital.  The passengers overtook the plane and crashed it into a meadow so that no more lives would be taken and the terrorists would not succeed.  We heard all of this later of course.  The passengers on board were able to contact family members and tell them what was going on.  True heroes that is for sure.

I think the most horrific moment is when the first tower started to crumble and come down.  There was debris and smoke and paper and people running everywhere.  As the second tower crumbled the death toll was staggering.  I think it was almost 3000 people with over 350 of them being firefighters and policemen.  I cried and was fearful to go to work, because you start to wonder, "where is the next attack going to be?"  I did go to work and it was really hard to take care of people who really were doing okay all in all especially when all of this was happening.  Dr. Ekwena was one of the docs I worked with and he was crying because he left Nigeria, a country of war, to come to America and now we were under attack.

As all of the stories replayed over the last couple of days, I cried a lot.  For the kids who lost parents and for all for all of the heroes who fought and are still fighting for OUR FREEDOM and safety.  I remember that it took months if not longer to be able to look into the sky and see a plane and not visualize that plane crashing into the Twin Towers.  I have a photo from a trip to New York City on top of the Twin Towers, and they are gone.  Now ground zero is a haunting memory for many, a memorial and a reminder that we can never forget what happened that day and who has fought for this country.

For the husband who told his wife I love you one last time before his plane went down in a field, for the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say I will love you forever, for the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye the morning they died, for the policemen who rushed in with firemen to help get others out only to die themselves, for the soldiers who fought back and lost their lives. Today, tomorrow, ten years from now, we will remember!

And as the last note of this journal entry... Osama Bin Laden was caught and killed in May 2011.  He has met his maker and he will be judged!

Another week in the life of the Hubbards!

Well we have made it through 3 weeks of school and so far so good!  The girls are slowy getting adjusted to the long days at school.  They are still really tired and most night are crashed in bed by 7:30-8:00.  Tears and whining have become a norm lately and am hoping as the fatigue goes away.. so do the others!

Lauren is loving kindergarten.  She has had so much fun and she loves to come home and tell me all about her day.  She really likes to tell me who got in trouble that day and who got warning cards!  :)  The boy who was bugging her at school has settled down and we haven't had any issues so that is good.  I have started volunteering in her class on Monday mornings to help out.  I love it.  It is so entertaining and I really like getting to know the teacher and the kids.  I have been helping with assessments on letter sounds and recognition of letters.  Lauren is an ace!!  Not that I am bragging but she is pretty darn smart.  Her teacher sent me an email the other day because she met with the speach therapist.  Lauren has trouble with her "r" and "w" sounds and sometimes the "th" sound but she was fine and they said she should grow out of it no problem.  On a funny note Mrs. K said they were working on the letter 'J' and Lauren said "like Justin Beaver, he is my boyfriend".  This is hilarious for two reasons, 1) That the teen heart throb is her boyfriend. 2) She calls him Justin Beaver and it's Justin Beiber!!  so cute.

Lauren started soccer practice last week and we have two new kiddos (girl/boy twins) Lizzie and Finn.  It turns out that Lizzie is in Lauren's kindergarten class so that was a great surprise!  We start games this coming Saturday.

The girls turned in a reading sheet from over the summer so for the kids that read 1000 minutes or more they got to dunk Mr. Salmon the school principal.  Lauren did it twice!!  Elise got to dunk Mrs. Adair (the school librarian who is REALLY funny, and Mrs. Roquet (the PE teacher).  The kids had a blast and what a fun reward for working hard on thier reading this summer.

Elise has been doing great as well.  Every time she comes home I feel like she has grown up even more from the previous day.  Some good... some not so good.  She has had a bit of an attitude with all of us.  We are working on that and she is getting better (at least at home, no complaints from the school so I think we're doing okay).  Elise started Girl Scouts again a few Sundays ago.  She had her first meeting and still loves it.  She is a Daisy Scout through first grade and then next year she will be a Brownie.  They meet one Sunday a month for an hour and work on thier petals, crafts etc.  Right up her alley!

I have started volunteering in Elise's class on Friday mornings.  I spent 2 1/2 hours up there yesterday and had so much fun.  The kids are great, I LOVE her teacher.  She is funny yet firm and you can tell she has great experience as a teacher.  I am looking forward to the rest of the year.

Elise was in the Johnston Dragon Cheer Camp this last week at school.  Every day after school the High School cheerleaders came over and taught cheers to the girls.  Then last night they got to perform all of their cheers on the football field at half time at the 9th grade game.  The stands were full and the kids did great!  She really does have a ball with cheering!  I always said my kids would never be in dance or cheerleading but in all honesty, she is really cute out there and most importantly, she has fun.  Grandma and Grandpa Hubbard came out to watch as well as Eric, Lauren and I.  It was really hot and sticky out but it was fun, and we all went out for dinner afterwards. 

Funny story about Elise.  She was at the High School yesterday before the performance and she had to go to the bathroom so she went inside the school and there were boys with there football jerseys on and she said they were "hot" and then she blushed and giggled.  She also said that the Hawkeyes were "hot".  So at dinner we asked what that means and said it means that the boys are really cute and a lot younger than Dad and Grandpa and they are "kissable".... YIKES, she is in first grade, where do they get this stuff?  It was funny though because she turned bright red (just like her mom).

Now we get to enjoy 3 days off for the Labor Day Weekend and that start all over again!

Tell of a time you laughed so hard you cried...

There are so many of these moments in my life but one sticks out the most right now, probably because it's the freshest in my mind.  It all started on a beautiful summer night on Lake Minnetonka..the kids were in bed and the adults (Dad, Lucy, Mollie,Matt, Bridgette and me) were sitting at the kitchen table playing Apples to Apples.  For those of you who have never played this game, it's hilarious.  There are different topics on cards and the rest of the table has to throw a card out that BEST represents that topic.  Then the person with the topic card gets to pick the card they agree with the most, and that card owner wins the card..... anyhooo.  If you have ever played a game with my dad you know that he isn't a very good loser AND he tries to find a way to win at all costs.  So, the topic was "dangerous" and one of the cards thrown out (by my Dad) was "mosquitos".  So when Mollie was reviewing the card he slaps his arm and says "these darn mosquitos are so dangerous"  The next thing I know, Lucy looks around at the doors and windows to see if something got left open.  She then gets up from the table as Dad slaps his arm again from a "dangerous mosquito", to check the doors.  I started laughing so hard that I couldn't talk.  There was obviously no mosquitos in the house it was Dad trying to get Mollie to pick his card.  We couldn't stop laughing for about 15 minutes.  I spit my beer out of my mouth laughing... now that is bad.  So this story will forever make me laugh and it's something we still are laughing about when we bring it up.  It's probably one of those "you just had to be there moments" but my dad is so darn funny and when we play games he makes us laugh so hard!!  Such good memories.  I love you Dad!  Thanks for all of the laughs through the years.

A week in the life of the Hubbard Family!

Well we have survived our first week of school.  Now that both of the girls are in school it is so QUIET around here.  I feel like I finally have some freedom to get things done, run errands, and take as long as I want at Target!

Lauren has had a great first week.  She has been so excited every day to get on the bus and go to school.  I have been sending her cold lunch all week because it is craziness watching the kindergartners go through the hot lunch line.  Today is our first run with hot lunch.. sounds silly but she was really excited about that.  And in fact I was too.  I have to make Elise's lunch everyday due to her allergies but just not having to pack another lunch everyday it quite nice.  Lauren has shed a lot of tears this week and it is only because she is so darn tired.  We cry about snacks, having to go potty, brushing our hair, because Elise looked at her wrong.. etc.  I have been very patient with her because I know it is major fatigue that has set in :)!  We have a problem child in the classroom that has all ready been sent to the Principal's office.  He is actually our neighbor and has always had issues with not being very nice, so when I heard he was in Lauren's class, I cringed a little bit... yes I admit it.  Unfortunately he has decided that Lauren is the one he is going to pick on.  We have talked to her a lot about what to do and hopefully he will get adjusted and maybe grow up a bit.  Eric said if he doesn't straighten up he is going to go have some words with his dad.. they are on odd family to say the least!  Anyhoooo, on to better things.  She still loves school and loves her teacher and that is great.

Elise has had a great week as well.  She has Mrs. Moore and she always comes home laughing so how funny she is, I love to hear that.  If the kids are having fun... they will like school so much more.  Elise has had a little bit of an adjustment too being the big sister.  Last year it was all about her.. her bus stop, her bus driver, her school, her friends etc... and now she has to share that with Lauren.  On Wednesday the girls were in the front of the line waiting for the bus and as soon as the bus opened the doors, Elise basically pushed Lauren out of the way to get on "first" so she could sit with Natalie Fruendl (her best friend) and sit in the front seat.  Well she and Lauren were arguing so they were holding up the line... needless to say, I had to get on the bus and tell them to move it along.  Elise got in trouble and so she had to be the last one on the bus for the rest of the week.  She didn't like that ONE bit, so I guess that was punishment enough!  On a positive note, she is doing great with her lessons, she has brought work home and is excited to get it all done.  She has mastered the "round monkey bars" on the playground.  She can go around twice she told me!  She has worked so hard over the last year to accomplish that, so kuddos to her!

Our week has been pretty low key otherwise.  The girls have been passed out by about 7:30 most nights.  I had to wake Elise up at 7:30 this morning.  I don't recall ever having to wake her up!  We have 2 days to rest and take it easy and get ready for next week.  People probably think I am silly, but once school starts, especially when they are young, we take it easy on the weekends.  I am a firm believer that kids need to be kids and many parents have their kids doing way too much and never have time to chill, or just be kids!!  I am going to try and journal at the end of each week and highlight what has been going on in the fam!

Describe your bedroom as a child-

I remember specifically all of my bedrooms in the 3 homes that we lived in.  When we lived in Cedar Falls, this would have been before 1978 because that is when we moved to Minnesota, I had a lime green room with big white daisy wallpaper.. that is all I remember of that room but I LOVED the wallpaper.  The second room I remember was in our house on 13th Avenue in Plymouth.  We moved up there in February of 1978 and there was a huge snowstorm when we moved.  I had the corner room right next to Mom and Dads.  I honestly don't remember the wall color but I remember that I had 3 big shelves in the corner where I could keep all of my nick knacks... and I LOVED nick knacks.  I had my desk right below it and would listen to music there.  Because I was in the corner room I had windows on 2 walls.  The south windows looked out to the front yard and the east windows looked down onto the driveway.  I could see my best friends house right next door... Deb Wysocki (Smith now).  We moved over to 5th Avenue in Ferndale North when I was in 7th grade.  My bedroom was upstairs with Mollie's and Mom and Dad's room.  I remember when Mom and I went to pick out wallpaper for my room and how "cool" it was to be able to pick it out for myself.  It had little streaks of pinks, blues, yellows and greens and then there was a border at the top.  The best part of my room was my closet.  Inside my closet were giant stairs, more like landings, that led up to the attic but they were carpeted.  My parents let my friends and I write on the walls so every time I had friends over we would write notes or memories on there and of course it stated who loved who for the day!  I think mine changed at least a dozen times!  It was really fun to reminisce through the years from that wall.  I remember my Dad saying how neat he thought it was and knew how much fun we had doing it.  That was the best room because I have the best memories of hanging out with my friends and listening to music etc.... ahhh to be a teen again.

20 years ago...

It is really hard to believe that this summer marks 20 years since my high school graduation. Does that make me officially old???  This picture hung in my dorm room in a frame for a very long time.  It captured the pure joy of the day, the good friends I had (and still have) and what a goof ball my dad can be.  :)  In the picture next to me is my dear friend Jennifer Blomlie Waymire.  She died suddenly February 9th, 2004.  She had a 5 month old baby at the time and we were all devastated by her death.  She will always be remember for her great smile, great attitude and most of all a GREAT friend. I miss her dearly.  On a happier note the gals in the photo next to Jen are Shay Kratchen, Sara Minors and Mallory Hill (now Hasz).  Mallory is still one of my best friends.  We have known each other since 3rd grade, how crazy is that!  She lives in Minnesota so I get to see her when I get home to visit Dad and Lucy.  We have had our ups and downs over the years but she is a true friend and no matter how long it has been since I have seen her, we pick up right where we left off.  This photo was also one of my favorites because my friends loved my dad and he loved to goof around witht them... he is always the jokester that is for sure.

My 20 year class reunion is in 2 weeks up in Wayzata at the Wayzata Country Club.  At first I was really excited to go... then I decided I maybe wasn't going to go... for superficial reasons that I shouldn't even care about, so after a pep talk from my awesome sister... I have decided to go and I know I won't regret it.  I can't wait to see my old friends... and the ones that can be judgemental... who cares.. right?.... right!  Now I just need to drop 20 in 2 weeks... don't think that is going to work out too well for me :)  I will update after the evening and let you know how it goes.

Memory Lane

I was going through old papers and came across this list of questions my friend gave me.  She gives them as gifts along with a journal to capture memories and tell the stories we want to someday share with our kids.  I have always thought this was such a great idea but I have never taken the time to do it.  I thought that as I continue to blog I can capture these stories and maybe add some old photos to along with the stories... if I can fine them :)

Question #1: Describe a few of the favorite hairstyles of your youth.

This one is easy... BIG HAIR.  I grew up in the 80's so big hair was, well, big.  Everyone permed thier hair, we wore it as puffy as we could.  And for the lucky ones who had bangs, they would tease them so they would stick literally straight in the air.  Some of the guys wore thier hair long, maybe shoulder length especially as we got closer to the 90's and the grunge look became popular.  The guys would also have ducktails in the back, some would even have the mullet.  Most of my guy friends had shorter hair as they were athletes but it is still hilarious to look back on.

I have no idea who these people are but they fit the mold for the 80's... I didn't graduate until 1991 and it was mellowing a bit... but not much.  One of the fashion trends we all hope doesn't repeat itself.

http://www.liketotally80s.com/1980s-hairstyles.html

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You....

Elise was missing Mommy this weekend because I had to go out of town for a few days.  When I called her Monday evening she was telling me all about her cheerleading camp and how she spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa Hubbard.  She informed me that the tooth she has been working on for WEEKS, finally came out over at Grandpa's house.  I asked her if she was going to set it out for the tooth fairy and she said that she wanted to wait until I got home so she could show me her tooth.  I had a huge grin on my face over the phone I couldn't help it.  The next thing she says to me is this.  "Mommy, I really miss you and I really wish I could give you a hug right now."  I could hear her voice getting shaky and eyes tearing up.  I told her how much I missed her too and that she should turn to Daddy, pretends it is Mommy and give him a great big hug.  It is so funny how we as parents at times can't wait to get away from the kids and have a little "quiet time" but yet as soon as we are away, we miss them dearly!! 

I am slowly getting the hang of this...

So my sister sent my an email yesterday because I was putting one picture per post.  I wasn't aware that you can post mulitple photos per post... it was an AHA moment because it was a pain in the rear to do each one seperately.  I will get it one of these days!  I really like this though because for the longest time I have kept saying I need to start journaling to capture our family outings and funny things the kids say and do.  So this is great and I can include the photos that go with the story!  And if anyone else wants to read the stories, they can.  Someday, I hope, this will be priceless for the kids to look back and remember.