I can't drink milk. I want to. It's not the taste. It's just that every time I try, I think of cows. Eeew.

Update: I am a cool mom.

Just thought you all should know.

We have been busy this past week. We took the girls to a local water park (on a school night!) and spent the evening going down slides with my oldest who yelled, "this is wicked!!" more than twice on the dark tube ride...and watching our youngest scoot her way down the kiddie slide (which is apparently not slick at all). We stayed until after bedtime, which I usually never allow, and we were told on the way home that we are cool parents. Thank you very much. We also spent Saturday at the local amusement park. We had a great time and again stayed waaayy past bedtime. So, we were cool parents twice in one week.

Beware.
The universe might implode.

My baby goes to 2nd grade

First day of school '08My oldest started school on Monday. I can't believe she is in second grade already! I took her up to school that morning and helped find her classroom. When we got there she gave me a hug and said, "you can go now mom." NOOO!!! That is not supposed to start yet! I am glad I have a confident and independent daughter, but I am not ready yet to be kicked out. I guess I should be grateful she let me walk her to class and gave me a hug in front of her friends. It is amazing how fast they grow!

Weekend with old friends

This past weekend we went to visit our good friends in Twin Falls, Id. We had such a good time! We met Paul and Michelle when we were in Boise going to school. (go BSU!!) Michelle and I got on almost immediately. We had baby girls about the same age, and husbands who both worked full time and went to school full time. And we lived about 60 feet away from each other. there is something about the bond you have with people you were poor with. And first time parents with. I was far away from any family, and Paul and Michelle became our family. We get along so well. I loved visiting them and seeing their cute home and hanging out. It is totally comfortable with them. there is no awkwardness. We can just hang out and do nothing and it is still fun! And they don't care if I say stupid stuff (which happens often). They are so fun. I wish we could live closer (oh, the poor neighbors!). We visited the Twin Falls LDS Temple open house while we were there. It is so beautiful! Here are the kids minus the youngest in each family.

Our cute little family :)
My BFF Michelle and her baby and Paul (How on earth did we not get a pic of us together? Oh Yeah, my kid had a meltdown....)
We visited Shoshone Falls on Sat and had a picnic there. Beautiful!

Here are the two babies we had in those college apartments! They seem to have some special bond, too. No matter how long between visits (over a year at times) they are glued together from the first moment. This weekend they spent trading each other's clothes, giggling constantly and being rock stars together. Such cute girls!
Thanks Paul and Michelle for such a fun weekend. We all had a blast. Lets do it again soon!

How amazing was that?!?

The opening ceremonies, I mean. I was blown away. Incredible. I have been loving watching the events the past three days. The men's 4x4 freestyle had both my husband and myself standing up willing the American team to go just a little faster. It worked. You're welcome, guys.

I realized I forgot to provide a source for the Derek Redmond story below. I found the story and Pic here (as well as this next one) This story about An Italian bobsledder. People can be soo cool.

Eugenio Monti
An Olympic story that teaches us the value of sportsmanship and hardware
The rarest medal in the Olympics wasn't created from gold, but a bolt.
The story begins on a cold, winter afternoon in Innsbruck at the 1964 Olympic two-man bobsled competition. A British team driven by Tony Nash had just completed its first run, which had put them in second place. Then they made a most disheartening discovery. They had broken a bolt on the rear axle of their sled, which would put them out of the competition.
At the bottom of the hill, the great Italian bobsled driver Eugenio Monti, who was in first place, heard of their plight. Without hesitation, Monti removed the bolt from the rear axle of his own sled and sent it to the top of the hill. The British team affixed it to their sled and then completed their run and won the gold medal. Monti's Italian team took the bronze.
When asked about his act of sportsmanship, Eugenio Monti deflected any praise, saying, "Tony Nash did not win because I gave him a bolt. Tony Nash won because he was the best driver."
The story of Monti's selfless act spread. And because of it he was given the first De Coubertin Medal for sportsmanship. The award, named after the founder of the modern Olympics, is one of the noblest honours that can be bestowed upon an Olympic athlete.
In other words, the most precious hardware any Olympian can own.
(Credit: IOC)

See What I mean? Just plain classy.

Ladies and Gentleman, Medammes et Monsieurs...

Daaaaa dum da dum dum dum dum, dum dedlelelum dum.... The XXIX Olympiad is here!!

I am so excited. I have loved the Olympics for as long as I can remember. All my siblings would play that we were Olympians in the back yard. As a little girl, I remember crying during the parade of nations when the American athletes would enter the stadium. I watch all the tear-jerker stories they do on athletes and coaches, I cheer out loud for all the events...This is so awesome! I cannot wait for the opening ceremonies tonight.(can you tell I am totally geeking out??) It is already online, and it is killing me to wait...but the laundry must be done and the bathrooms must be cleaned.

To help us all wait, I am posting one of my very favorite Olympic moments. I remember watching this one on the TV at my parents house. What an amazing thing it was to watch.

Derek Redmond - a weak leg, a strong father Barcelona, 1992

This was to be his moment. Though he had been plagued by injuries throughout his career, on the evening of August the third, 1992, Derek Redmond had never felt stronger.
He broke quickly in lane five, quickly making up the stagger on the runners in lanes six through eight. Then Redmond felt something pop in his right leg. He had torn his hamstring. As the other runners finished the race, all eyes turned to him, helpless and motionless on the track.
Suddenly, a man appeared next to the injured runner, who, in spite of his injury, was determined to complete the race. Redmond's father had been watching in disbelief from the grandstand. Now, he provided a much-needed shoulder as his son hobbled in agony toward the finish line.
(Credit: IOC)

I remember seeing the guys with the stretchers running out, Derek waiving them off and trying to walk the rest of the race himself. Then his dad was there. They would finish together. After the crowd gave a standing ovation that seemed to last so long. It was amazing. That is what the Olympics are all about, to me. That is the true Olympic spirit.

So, bring on the next two weeks! I can't wait to share this with my kids... my oldest is excited to see the swimmers...I think I know what she will be imagining next time we go to the pool...

Harvest time

I love having a garden! (I wish the effort was a little less "little red hen"-y though...) Here's what we pulled up a few weeks ago...zucchini, tomatoes, miniature carrots and beets. We had a ton of beets. There are about 15 beets in this picture, but the ones on top? Those are the money beets :) We had beet salads, steamed beets, wilted beet greens with olive oil and garlic, beet everything! My hands were bright pink for about a week straight!

Now, our tomatoes are coming on, and Green peppers, too. So many! Our five-a-day is all green and red these days, But delicious!

Okay, so I love to read my friend's blogs. It is fun to get a glimpse into their lives and keep up with the friends that are far away. However, when I am done reading them, I always feel like I have gone through their medicine cabinets and looked under their beds. I have no clue why I feel this way, but I do! So, here is my life, in all it's glory. I guess you could say it is a work in progress.

So, welcome to my medicine cabinet. Don't worry, I took out the laxatives and KY jelly and hid them somewhere else :)