Soccer Champs

The soccer season this year is going really well for the boys. The picture on the left is Logan scoring a goal. Hunter scored both of the two goals they scored on Friday. They are also doing well at following plays and Logan is doing really well at passing. Now at Hunter's level they are gravitating towards positions. Hunter is primarily played as a forward, but the coach has to keep yelling out at Hunter to remind him he is a forward not defence, he likes to play where ever the ball is... which is everywhere. They are both doing awesome this year.

Jess is a such a good sport going every night to one of the boys games or practices. I looked over tonight and chuckled at her self entertaining abilities during the long games.

Updated Logo

I took some advice and feedback and here is an update logo. Better?

New Logo

(click to see big)

Okay we think this is it....we have finally decided (we think) and finished tweaking our new logo for the updated web site...which is coming soon. This is the top of the website...check out our old logo at http://www.alphabetgardendesigns.com/ This was a very long labor of love (2 years in fact) trying to get the design and "look" of just what we wanted. What do you all think?

How Many Licks?

Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
This classic commercial got Hunter thinking and curious. He has discussed wanting to try it out and when he received a tootsie pop yesterday he set out to find out. We said go for it. He would lick 10 add it up.... lick another 10 add it up...etc. It was funny watching him.

He came up with 4,422 licks to get to the center.

So I looked online and this is what I found.

Conclusions
"The data suggests that it takes approximately 508 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop when alternating the licking side. Since the procedure calls for equal licking of both sides of the Tootsie Roll Pop and completion is determined by core contact on either side, one could reach the core with fewer licks by focusing on only one side of the Tootsie Roll Pop. If one were to select the side closer to the core, it would theoretically require approximately 254 licks to reach the center.

One could look into the effects of tongue size, saliva production, tongue retraction and other variables on the number of licks necessary. The methods contained are easily adapted to further experimentaion."

Goodbye Speedy

So Speedy, Jessica's fish, finally died. He's been through a lot. Jessica was okay with it all....seeing it wasn't her most beloved pet. Nevertheless, all her pets are loved and deserve a proper burial according to her. So in the rain we decided to bury him next to the house so Powder wouldn't dig him up. She made a sign with arrows downward. She wanted him put in a box. This wasn't very easy because mommy didn't get to the dead Speedy very quickly so....he was kind of in pieces by the time I got to him. (sorry a little graphic)

We all said kind words...

Daddy: "A good little fish, we will surely miss"
Hunter: "He was a good pet for my little sister, gave us no problems"
Logan: "Bye-Bye."
Mommy: "He was a good eater"
Jessica: " I love him and he was a good fish"

It's a Girl!

No I am not pregnant...that ship has sailed....but my sister-in law Holly is! I have been so exited for Curtis and Holly from many miles away...so I just wanted to document that she is having a girl! YA! I am so thrilled about them having their first baby and I am also ready to be an Auntie to their little one...AND now I can zero in on the perfect gifts!

Derby Regionals...What!?

(Hunter, Tanner and Tanner)

Because Hunter won his derby car race he was off to Regionals again where all first, second, and third place winners competed. There were 36 racers in total.

However, there was some heated controversy for this particular race....

Back in January Matt tried to get clarification on the rules for how the derby car was built. When Hunter and Daddy accidental broke through the designated spot where the nail holes are pre-drilled for the wheels, the natural thing was to drill a new hole and move the wheels forward. The official rules don't say whether the wheels can or cannot be moved. So Matt, just to be sure, tried to contact everyone he could think of to make sure what the rules were. He went around in circles for months and never got a straight answer. So the day we show up with Hunter's car, what do they tell him, they can't run his car because he moved the wheels. What!? Thankfully I wasn't standing there.... Anyway, Matt was very firm and told how he contact these guys and even talked to one of the guys who said no and he was never told the rules! But one lady kept saying no, and that for 25 years they have been doing it this way...well this is our second year, we only have the official rules to go from and we saw no where it said that. Finally, they said they would just let him run it, but he may not be able to win....he would have to be disqualified...what!?

So Matt comes back and tells me what they had said...I came unglued....mama bear came out. Long story short I calmly (as best as I could) explained that we relentlessly tried to get the correct standing on what the rules were and that no one knew and they said it wasn't a problem until he made Regionals. I was maaaaaaad. After explaining also that it was absurd to penalize or disqualify an 8 year old for something we tried to get answers on was unfair and un called for. Anyway they agreed that because they didn't let us know and we had asked months ago, AND it wasn't written anywhere (that is a big one), that they would change the rules for next year, and if he won he wouldn't be penalized....then....

We start the race and he won his first 3 runs (by a landslide), the fourth run they ran his car backwards, so he placed 4th! So I went up to the man and told him what had happened and he told me we should of told them at the beginning of the run and he wouldn't run it again.... (even though they ran another car twice for another reason)... What?!

I was very pissed off to say the least, but all my fight in me was gone at this point (you know when everything is so bogus, you just want to wash you hand of it all!)

... and I looked over at Hunter and realized he wasn't as affected by it as me (in fact he had no clue to most of it), so I let it go....this was very very hard for me though. (I will ALWAYS fight for my kids)

The next run he took he was in unlucky lane 4 which made all the cars bump, because the track wasn't straight, so you were SOL if you got lane 4...we got lane 4....so Hunter was eliminated. Sigh... he placed in the top 12.

These are the moments when you really teach your children life lessons, everything about the Regional race was unfair. The unclear rules, the way they handled it, the track, the people running the track...we had all those things stacked against us. But life isn't fair, and it stinks, you try your best and move on.

When we returned to the car after the race was over we decided to play up in front of the kids how fun it was, how neat it was that he got third last year and that others could have that chance too, how much fun it all was and all that kind of stuff. Hunter was totally okay with it and had a good time....we could of played the victims and the poor sports of how we were treated but we decided to not allow that to be the focus and what we took away from this experience. He brushed it off, so we could too...

....at least until the all the kids were gone, then Matt and I vented to each other of course.

A Buck

We needed to do some Spring cleaning in the yard so we paid the kids a dollar to help us move a huge wood pile. It took 5 kids about 15 minutes to do it. They thought it was a sweet deal...so did we, it would of taken Matt forever. It is amazing what kids will do for a buck...

Rockstar

At the soccer game the other day I taught Jessica how to make a flower chain. She looked at me like I had taught her the most wonderful golden secret. She kept saying, this is SOOO cool. She was in daisy chain heaven...or dandilion heaven. The kids are at a wonderful age when you can teach them things that are "old news" to most but to these fresh new eyes they look at you like you are a Rockstar.

Jessica's Old McDonald Musical

Jessica was our star tonight! She was casted as a pig in the first grade musical "Old Mcdonald" ...and she had a part too! She had a few lines and she did an awesome job! I thought she was the cutest little piglet... Daddy congratulated her with a bouquet after the performance and then we came home and had pie.

I have the cutes video that won't uploa! At the beginning of the musical Jess didn't get the memo that they had started already...her lines are at the end or the video. Check back soon for the working video.

Tooth City

Jess lost another tooth today at school. As we lay in bed tonight reading stories she kept raising her hand. (which is what she does when she has a comment...she usually has many) She wanted to discuss the tooth fairy tonight. This is how the conversation went...

"Mom, I think the toothfairy has to make lots of trips back and forth to drop off all the teeth."

"Oh ya?" I said, now quite curious on her take of the toothfairy.

"Ya, she has to carry ALL the teeth of the kids who lose their teeth ALL over the world! So she has to drop off some teeth, they're heavy...and she is SMALL." she says.

"Ya, she must have a lot of teeth, all those children." I said

"Well no, not ALL the children, you know kids like Logan who haven't lost any teeth." she reasons.

I then ask her, " What do you think the toothfairy does with all the teeth, build a castle or something?"

She looks at me with her classic "Jessie look", (the "keep up mom" look) and says, " No mom, she has WAY too many teeth for one castle! She has a teeth city. And see the blood and pointy part on the tooth?", as he handles her tooth.
"she cuts that part off. She also brushes all the teeth to keep them clean."

"Oh?....Wow." I said, curious where her information was coming from.

We go back to our story and then Jess puts up her hand again....

"Mom, did you know the tooth fairy can't be tricked." she says.

"Really?" I say.

"Ya, she won't fall for a piece of ripped paper or something." she says.

"How do you know?" I ask.

"Cause I tried once, I broke off the end of one of the dental picks in your bathroom and put it in my tooth box and there was no money in the morning." she says.

"Nope, she can't be tricked." I agreed.

We finished our story, I tucked her in and kissed her goodnight and blew her sprinkles (we have blown sprinkles on her so she won't have bad dreams since she was two.) Then as I was turning out the light she has one last comment.

"Mom, I think the tooth fairy keeps the money in a special bag that gets real small when she is flying around." she says.

"Ya, I think so too. Night Jessie."

Earth Day Wake Up

The kids and I watched Oprah today...(I only watch it once and awhile believe it or not.) There is a garbage patch or swirl in our ocean that spans from Californina to Japan. We all watched with our mouths open. The animals grow up with garbage surrounding them. This sea turtle in the picture above grew up with a plastic band caught around his tummy. They even discovered Bulluga whales with breast cancer that they relate to the enormous disgusting garbage and chemicals. We need to do something different...fast.

So as my little guys were watching this I was impressed with their shock and urge and reaction to DO SOMETHING! Jess kept saying to the t.v. , "Okay...so what do we do to make it go away!" Her heart was breaking seeing all the animals living in the garbage, especially her beloved sea turtles.

Hunter finally says, "Why do they think people are more important than animals?"

We need to do something...any suggestions?

Spring Evening

Yesterday it was HOT and it is only April! At 91 degrees it brought us outside to hang out in the warm evening. We threw down some blankets on the grass and just stared up at the sky and at my beautiful favorite weeping cherry tree. Daddy and Hunter were off at soccer practice so Jess, Logan and I just hung out and stared up at the sky and my tree full of humming bees. (can you see that enormous one in the picture!) The smell of the blossoms were absolutely wonderful. The warm breeze and giggling children snuggling next to me, it was one of those times I want to capture, put in my pocket and save for later...and then pull it out on the days that are less than wonderful.

Tidy Shoes

Today Logan's after school chore was to put away the coats and backpacks and straighten the shoes. I walked into the living room an hour later and found his chore completed.

Rescheduled

Last Easter it poured rain. So our yearly family tradition of rolling Easter eggs down the hill had to be rescheduled to today, and the kids wouldn't let us forget it. What a beautiful day! It was a warm 79 degrees today so we made a picnic dinner and spent the evening in one of our favorite places to hang out, Rock Island Park. Wonderful.

Our Plans

We have lived in our home for 3 years. We haven't landscaped much in those 3 years. The house has my favorite tree in the front yard, a weeping cherry tree, so I was pretty content. But now we have big plans...but what I have learned in gardening 101 is you need patience...lots of it. You make a plan and then 3 or 4 years from then you can see it happen and come to life. That is one committed plan if you ask me...I have moved my furniture and decor around 500 times already in the inside...I can't imagine sticking to one idea for 4 years. Anyways here are our ideas...

-We added a second walkway last fall so I wanted to plant cute little flowers which I can't remember the name of all along each side of the walkway.
- Last weekend we (Matt) planted 12 climbing roses (pale yellow with pink tips) for each panel of the picket fence...the plan is for them to grow up and trail over the top of the fence.
- We bought 2 more climbing roses to grow around the wrought iron arbor by the gate.
-We plan to trim the big green bush in the front.
-We planted a mishmash of stuff in the dirt mound next to the house...we don't have a plan for this space...it is mostly shade and that is hard to work with....except for the climbing clematis we started 2 years ago....any ideas are welcome!
- Matt and I have a dream of having rows and rows of raspberry bushes...we DID start that when we moved here...one row...
- We have other odd plants here and there that are there primarily for lack of a better place.
-We finally got our missing window box, so we are going to fill all of those and make them look peachy...and may even get a drip.

Sounds pretty good for today..check back in 4 years. We plan to paint the house next Spring, I hope that doesn't make a difference in my landscaping plans?