Storch Stuff

Soccer

2011-03-21T17:03:00.004-04:00

So much for me keeping up with the blog again. Here are some soccer photos for you Aunt Linda:

Commander!

2010-12-03T14:29:00.005-05:00

I know it has been FOREVER since I have posted to the blog, but I am going to try to get back to it. So here goes...
On December 1st, Eric became a Commander and we were able to go into the office and participate in the ceremony. It was pretty cool!

Hopeline

2009-10-16T19:56:00.003-04:00

Most of us know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. But did you know that it is also Domestic Violence Awareness month? Eric is on the Board of Directors for the Albemarle Hopeline, a non-profit organization here in Elizabeth city that provides services such as an emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis telephone line, and courtroom advocacy to victims of family violence, sexual assault, and teen dating violence.

Last night the Hopeline held their annual candlelight vigil commemorating the lives lost due to domestic violence so far this year in North Carolina. The vigil also celebrated domestic violence survivors who have begun anew. Jake and I were unable to attend since Jake is sick, but Eric and Megan did have a chance to go. The local newspaper covered the event, which had a turnout of over 100 people, and a photographer snapped a picture of Megan.

http://www.dailyadvance.com/photos-and-video/week-in-photos/week-in-photos-oct-9-oct-5-2009-92043.html

(the photo is copyrighted so I can't copy it here)

I'm sure that Megan did not understand the true gravity of the vigil, but she seems to have understood the sadness.

Megan's first day of school

2009-08-31T13:10:00.004-04:00

Megan returned to preschool today....her third year at this school. She has the same teachers that Jake had a couple of years ago., and is so excited to be in the 4 year old class. Here's a picture of my big girl ready to go:

1st day of school

2009-08-25T07:53:00.009-04:00

I can't beleive Jake is now a first grader! We met his teacher, Mrs. Wittington (the school's Teacher of the Year for 2007-2008!), last night. Many of his friends from last year are in his class again this year and he was quite excited to go to school this morning. Shortly before getting on the bus he asked me "are we gonna do some kind of new math today or are we just gonna do the same stuff I did in Kindergarten?" Funny the things kids worry about...

gotta show off that new

Star Wars: Clone Wars lunch bag!

Sometimes you just gotta improvise...

2009-08-24T07:50:00.003-04:00

The beach house we rented in Emerald Isle had a great pool that the kids seemed to be in constantly. With Megan's near-white hair...the chlorine quickly turned her hair a lovely shade of green. One afternoon, I pulled her hair back into a ponytail and it seriously looked like someone had colored streaks of her hair with a green marker. Many washes with UltraSwim made it a tiny bit better, but still not great. Upon returning home, I asked a hair dresser friend and she recommended using Dawn dishwashing liquid. That also improved the hue a little bit, but did not eliminate it totally. So off to Google I went. I found a product - Malibu 2000 Crystal Gel Treatment - that got excellent reviews. So I ordered a couple of packets. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the treatment required time under a heated dryer to be totally effective. Guess it would have been a smart idea to actually read the whole product description. Oh well. So last night - I improvised...Megan did not want her picture taken at first, but finally she acquiesced:

Yes...that is a chip clip holding a heating pad around her head. The good news is that it worked beautifully! Her hair is back to it's natural, white-blond color.

Finally....

2009-07-09T19:48:00.005-04:00

After about 2 months of dealing with a very stubborn and quite horrible sinus infection, I finally got to see an ENT today. (His office was the most well-run medical practice I have ever been to...every single staff member, from the receptionist, to the nurse and to the billing secretary was efficient, organized, polite and friendly. Doesn't that make all the difference in the world? I think so.)

Dr. Keyes started by spraying some numbing medicine into my nose and then using an endoscope to check out the status of my sinuses. The camera on the end of the endoscope was connected to a TV and I got to see everything the Dr. was seeing. (I thought this was totally cool. Anyone who knows me should know that I love to watch the Discovery Health Channel!) As much as this guy was super nice and was obviously competent, it was a tad strange to hear him say "eeeewww....gross...you've got all kinds of junk in there". I asked him if "gross" was an official medical term, at which point he revised his statement to say "wow- you sure do have a severe sinus infection".

So, for the next month I get to take antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines, nasal sprays and decongestants. In mid-August, after ingesting approximately $1356 worth of pharmaceuticals, I will go back to see him in hopes that the sinuses are clear and no longer inflamed. At this point, he will better be able to determine if I will need surgery. I will also go through a battery of allergy tests.

Don'tcha wish you were me? (Didn't think so)

Dumbass

2009-07-03T17:06:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I was in my bathroom drying my hair when Jake comes running in, shouting "Megan called me a dumbass". Megan followed close behind and told me "I did NOT call him a dumbass. He called me a dumbass". Jake retorted "I did NOT call you a dumbass. Stop trying to get me in trouble". And last but not least, Megan responded "I did not say dumbass. Jake said dumbass".

My reaction: "The next person who says dumbass is getting their mouth washed out with soap!"

I can't imagine where they possibly could have heard that word.

Bizarro world

2009-06-07T14:41:00.002-04:00

Every night before we go to bed (and by we, I actually mean Eric...but Eric is currently out of town) we get Jake up to go to the bathroom. So last night, I go into Jake's room to find him laying with his head at the wrong end of the bed, his foot on the bedside table and a tube of chapstick in his hand. What's up with that? I tell him I'm going to pick him up (easier said than done when dealing with 50 pounds of dead weight) and take him to the bathroom. I gently put him down in front of the toilet, tell him to go potty and step out into the hallway. I leave the door cracked as I always do to make sure he does what he is supposed to do. Jake stood there for a second then walked over to the sink and put his head down and tried to go back to sleep while standing up. So back in I go and steer him towards the toilet and tell him again to go potty. Instead, he turns around, closes the toilet and sits down, perching his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands and closes his eyes. I give up at this point and just try to get him back to bed which is quite difficult since I am laughing hysterically. I get him back to bed, peek in on Megan and then walk down the hall to my room.

Five minutes later, I hear Megan sort of whimpering in her sleep which usually means she needs to go to the bathroom. Sure enough, I soon hear her walking across the hall to the bathroom. Normally, no matter what the hour, Megan announces "I'm goin' potty", but there was no such announcement. Instead of hearing the sound of the toilet opening, I hear the sound of the faucet going full blast. I walk into the bathroom just as she is pulling up on the stopper and dunking her stuffed horse into the pool of water. "My horsey needs a bath"" she tells me. I grab the horse, dry it off and ask Megan if she needs to go potty and she tells me she does, but she starts walking back into the hallway saying something about having to "get the thing and wash it". I redirect her to the bathroom where she finally goes potty and then returns to her room, climbs into bed and promptly begins snoring.

...at which point I look around for the hidden camera, head back to my room and hope that I will depart bizzaro world by morning.

If a wolf invited a baby chick over for dinner...

2009-05-22T19:16:00.002-04:00

...a short story by Jake

One night a wolf sticked his hand in a nest to get a egg. He brings the egg to his house. He waited until the egg hatched so he could eat it for dinner. When he ate the chick he spit it out because it did not taste good but the chick was still alive. It just had a very bad brooz.

The End

The Spin Cycle: Pets

2009-05-22T13:36:00.008-04:00

My family has always had pets. My parents' first "child" was a mutt named Danny. I don't really remember him very well since he died when I was about 7. I do remember the day that he died, though. We were getting ready to go somewhere for some type of family fun and my dad had just found that Danny has just laid down and died. He was an old dog but that didn't mean that my dad wasn't upset. We were all waiting in the car and my dad walked over with a very solemn look on his face and told us girls that Danny had died. The words were barely out of his mouth when one of us - I truly don't remember which one of us sisters said it - asked excitedly "so does that mean we can get a cat now?" How nice of us to be so gentle and caring to my mourning father. We did get a cat - 2 actually - but I'm not sure how much time lapsed between Danny's death and the arrival of Patches and Willie (named after Willie Nelson) (we lived in Texas at the time and my dad wanted to name the cat something that would remind us of Texas once we moved along).

Willie was one homely cat. He was an orange tabby cat with really big ears, but boy did I love this cat. Willie was with us for about 8 years before he was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia and we had to put him down. I remember that trip to the vet quite well. Patches seemd to live forever. I think she was with us for about 15 years - through a couple moves halfway across the country, countless camping trips, and lots of mischeif.

I had a hampster once. I forgot to give it water and it died.

I had a crawfish - a souveneir from a middle school science class - and on the first night at my house, it somehow escaped the tiny little cage (which was actually a tupperware container with some holes poked in the cover) that was on top of my desk, crawled under the door, down the hall, down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mother discovered it in the middle of the kitchen floor the next morning. Following the instructions of my science teacher, she scooped it into a Ziploc bag and stuck it in the freezer. How weird is that? My science teacher actually gave us instructions on how to euthanize the thing. We disposed of it in the trash later. Maybe he defrosted and crawled away. Who knows?

Fast forward many years and I had Jesse, the best cat in the world, also an orange tabby (trying to replace my beloved Willie? I'll have to mention that to my therapist). He was mine and only mine. I got him at a pet store the day before I left college and he rode from VA all the way to Massachusetts in my car with me. I carried him around all over the place, scared to put him down for fear of him getting stepped on. He was so tiny. Many years later, some friends began to refer to Jesse as "Spalding" (Cast Away had recently come out...remember Wilson?) because they thought he looked like a basketball with legs. Jesse grew up to be a HUGE cat, tipping the scales at 22 pounds, which is more than each of my kids weighed on their first birthdays. Jesse will spend eternity in Kodiak, Alaska near the Buskin River where we buried him after he died.

Currently, my family has one dog, one cat (read more about him here) and two fish. I'm not a huge fan of Max the cat, but I must give him props for being the most tolerant animal on the planet. Megan flings him around, carries him by his paws, sits on him and just generally terrorizes him, and he just sits there and takes it.

Our dog, Piper, is much more tolerable now that she's not really a puppy anymore. Those first several months made me just a leeeetle bit crazy. But.....I digress. She's an extrodinarily smart dog and the kids love her. Recently, a couple home security system companies have stopped by soliciting their products. After I corral the dog, I tell them no thanks - I have Piper! Not only does she protect me from coffee makers, but now I can rest easy also knowing that she will warn me of an impending aerial attack:

Click on over to Sprite's Keeper and check out the other spins!

I'm making a mountain

2009-05-08T11:57:00.007-04:00

...out of a mole hill, I know. But isn't that what moms are supposed to do in this case?

You see...we have a little star athlete in our house. I am quite convinced that he is going to take very good care of Eric and me in our old age (which is a VERY long way off, by the way) with his multiple professional sports salaries.

First - he's gonna be a fantastic quarterback. He's really got an arm on him. And it's not just that he can throw far. His throws are unbelievably accurate and always have a perfect spin on them. He throws a football way better than I do. Of course, I did not single-handedly change the topography of Kodiak Island from age 18 months and on by throwing as many rocks into the ocean as possible. That would be Jake. This child could be entertained for HOURS by going to one of the many beaches in Kodiak and throwing rocks. Over and over and over again. Kerplunk. Splash. Kerplunk. Keep an eye out for him in the 2025 NFL draft.

Next - he is quite good at soccer as well. This he gets from his dad. I never liked soccer because it required entirely too much running. Outside. When it's hot. He scores a goal in most of his games and is one of the fastest little buggers on the team. David Beckham.....look out. Here comes Jake!

And third - Jake started playing baseball this spring. He had never really played baseball before. Sure, he has one of those Fisher Price baseball tee/pitcher things, but it never seemed to hold his interest for long. But during his first baseball game last week this is what he did:

The next big league slugger, no? Now I realize that he is no Mark Maguire or A-Rod just yet (and hopefully he will steer away from performance enhancing drugs....'cuz a 6 year old on steroids is just all kinds of wrong), but as his mom, aren't I supposed to be extra proud of him and his excellent sports skills?

And there is that mountain that I am making. I think it's quite nice.

By the way....this post brought to you by

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2009-05-05T12:36:00.007-04:00

The weather guy on our (sortof) local NBC station loves his job. It is quite evident every time he appears on screen. When there are storms brewing...the man is downright giddy! And boy can this guy talk. I guess you could call him "long-winded". (Get it??!?!? A weatherman who is long-winded. Heeee heeee. OK...since I'm the only one laughing, I'll stop now). Well yesterday - it must have been like heaven for this man. There were some severe storms in the area and the channel broadcast this guy and his weather giddiness for 2 hours straight! There are only so many ways you can people that there are thunderstorms coming. And this guy used 'em all. Unless a storm has a name, I see no need for 'round-the-clock weather reports. An update or two or streaming text along the bottom of the screen would be just fine.

I think maybe I should have just stayed in bed today. First of all, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Literally and figuratively. And of course, Jake pushed my buttons. Then Megan - who is so overtired after a long, napless weekend - woke up around 6:30 AM. Normally, I have to wake the kid up at 8 and she STILL fights me on it. Normally between 7:10 (when Jake gets on the bus) and 8 when I wake Megan up, I am able to get a head start on some stuff around the house, say "good morning" to Matt and Meredith, check e-mail and facebook, and ~~stalk~~ read my favorite blogs. Oh well.

I also had to go get my annual blood work today. You know....cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides....etc. Which means I couldn't eat breakfast. That made me grumpier. After the blood work, I had an eye Dr. appointment. I forgot to bring my glasses with me so when they made me take out my contacts, I was then walking around totally blind. I told them not to dilate my eyes since I didn't have anyone to drive me home and the nurse wrote it on my chart. But the lady who does some of the testing didn't read it and there she went....putting those drops in my eyes. Then they tried to tell me I couldn't put my contacts back in my eyes because the drops might stain them. Great idea. So here I am, hardly able to walk around the Dr. office without bumping into furniture and they expect me to leave the office IN MY CAR without my contacts. Obviously, I ignored their advice and put them back in as soon as I left the office. I think I'm over my grumpiness (for now) and my eyes have finally returned to normal and I'm not forced to wear my sunglasses inside, looking like a drunk trying to hide the bloodshot eyes.

Jake loves to play Madden NFL on the xBox. But he gets really mad when he isn't winning. And he calls it "out of balance" instead of "out of bounds". Cracks me up every time.

I started painting our bedroom this weekend. My intention was to finish it yesterday. But wouldn't you know....I ran out of paint with about 15 square feet of wall left to paint. If I could have wrung out and squeezed the can, I would have. So this morning I was off to Lowes to buy more paint. Guess I'll be painting the bathroom the same color.

It's a good thing that Megan's preschool director puts a chalk board with important info at the front of the drop-off line. Otherwise I would have been sitting there waiting and wondering "where the hell is everyone" tomorrow morning. Apparently tomorrow is a teacher workday.

Have you tried any of the new Starbucks ice cream flavors? Caramel Machiatto ice cream may be the best thing ever. Too bad it isn't fat free.

Out of touch

2009-04-22T16:40:00.002-04:00

Does anyone know how to do a "contact backup" for their wireless phone? I'd really like to know. That way, if my cell phone ever again leaps out of my pocket at a ridiculously crowded amusement park to never be found again, I won't have to spend hours trying to track down people's phone numbers and then cause crippling arthritis in my thumbs and blindness in my eyes while trying to key in everyone's phone number to my (sortof) new phone. UGH. And since we don't have a land line (a practice I used to think was thoroughly crazy) I was going thoroughly crazy and feeling very out of touch for a whopping 36 hours. Thank God for Hotmail and Facebook.

Easter Pictures

2009-04-13T16:59:00.004-04:00

We were looking pretty fancy, being that it was Easter, so we took a few photos. Funny how these two sweet looking children who appear to adore each other were hitting and yelling at each other just a few minutes later.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2009-04-07T19:59:00.004-04:00

The UnMom does this thing called "Random Tuesday Thoughts". She has a button, but I'm too tired and lazy right now to figure out how to "grab" it. Anyway - check her out. She's funny. On to my random thoughts for today...

I used to meet friends for drinks or dinner in the evenings. Now I go to PTA meetings. How did that happen?

Have you seen those ads for some kind of drink called Syke No. 9? If you did, you probably didn't notice the giant beverage can in the commercial. You may not have even known it was a commercial for a beverage. Probably because you were too busy rolling your eyes at the ridiculous ~~skanks~~ women dancing around. Tell me -- would any self-respecting woman buy this beverage? Didn't think so. (BTW, I am not stupid enough to believe that it is being marketed to people such as myself, i.e. females, but still...)

There is a man that lives in my neighborhood who walks every morning and every afternoon. And he walks and walks and walks. There are some days when I swear that he has been walking the entire day. His route brings him past the front of my house around 7:55 AM, which is loudly announced by my dog barking furiously. His walking route and my driving route often cross around 8:30 AM as I am driving Megan to school. He always salutes me. It always makes me smile. Thanks for that, Walking Man.

This weekend, I spent many hours weeding my flower beds and planting some new plants. I discovered that I hate crabgrass or whatever that annoyingly stubborn, leggy, and unsightly stuff is that pops up all over the place. It's a bitch to remove. And it wraps itself around the plants that I put there on purpose. But....I now have two great weapons in my arsenal...a spray bottle filled with vinegar and a really cool root-removal tool. I came. I saw crabgrass. I kicked its ass. (Thanks to Linda for the vinegar hint. You sure do know a lot of uses for vinegar! And flaxseed!)

After conquering most of the crabgrass, I planted a few new plants, including two gorgeous hydrangea bushes. I love hydrangeas. I had them in my bridal bouquet and have loved them ever since. I used some bagged garden soil while planting them and the smell of it kept transporting me back to my Nana's (now Aunt Linda's) lake house. Something about the earthy smell of the dirt smelled just like the lake smelled. It gave me a hankering for a pita filled with tuna and some corn on the cob, two foods that I always associate with "The Lake" and my Nana.

Those are my random thoughts for today....maybe I'll figure out how to grab the official Random Tuesday Thoughts button in time for next Tuesday.

Still here...

2009-03-31T21:18:00.002-04:00

I know....I know....I've been missing in action for a while here in blogland. No excuses....just haven't felt like I've had anything funny or creative to write about.

I don't have much to say, but Jake did crack me up today:

Jake: I just called Megan "Emily" by accident (Emily is a girl in his class).
Me: Why'd you do that?
Jake: 'cuz they look alike.
Me: Not really....they don't have the same hair color or eye color.
Jake: Well, then I guess it's because they're both really nice and really cute.

Such a sweet big brother.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T09:37:00.002-05:00

I'm throwing a party!

2009-02-25T19:05:00.002-05:00

Finally! ...The New England Journal of Medicine has scientifically proven that the key to weight loss is the simple concept of calories in vs. calories out! How much you eat vs. how many calories you burn off through physical activity. Wow...what a concept!?!?

All those "diets" that tell you exactly what foods to eat, what foods to eliminate, exactly when to eat and exactly when not to eat drive me totally crazy!

I hope the media takes this info and runs with it for two reasons: 1) so we won't have to hear any more about that crazy Nadya Suleman anymore, and 2) so we can finally stop listening to people talk about low carb this and low carb that! Unfortunately, the concept of calories in vs. calories out isn't particularly sexy or exciting or trendy and it will probably only be mentioned in passing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29393995

Mermaid t-shirts and flip-flop earrings

2009-02-24T16:56:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, I spent three days with 9 other girls at Holden Beach, NC. Some were already good friends. Some were acquaintances and a couple were essentially strangers. It was a fantastic weekend. Lots of girl talk, lots of relaxation, lots of food (oh...the food. UGH!), and lots of fun. Oh...and a few drinks. It was a completely unstructured, unplanned, un-hectic weekend. It was just what I needed.

One of the girls, Lezlee, designed some shirts for us and even bought us all these cute little flip flop earrings. Don't we all look adorable?

Aside from learning some funny and interesting details about my friends' lives, I also learned that I have a fantastic husband. In the 60+ hours that I was away from home, he didn't have to call me for anything. He did it all by himself....and always does. I've always known how capable a father Eric is. But it was totally solidified this weekend as I listened to the other women answer their husbands' frequent phone calls and questions about where is this....what do I do....etc. And to top it all off, upon my return, the house was neat and tidy, the kids were well rested and well-fed, and everyone was happy.

And no....he doesn't have a brother.

I love ya, babe!

Time to move?

2009-02-15T16:42:00.002-05:00

Maybe we have been in NC too long...

While Megan and Jake were creating some valentine crafts, Jake started shouting for Megan to hand something over...

Megan: "You have to raise your hand. You can't just holler out!"

Holler? We may yell, we may shout...we may even scream...but I'm pretty sure I have never hollered! She sure didn't learn that from me or Eric.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T16:43:00.003-05:00

It is such a shame that they can't always be this sweet, innocent and angelic...isn't it?

The Spin Cycle: The Soundtrack of My Life

2009-01-30T08:00:00.004-05:00

So I am finally participating in Sprite's Keeper's Spin Cycle. You see - I'm not always so good with direction from others. (stop smirking, mom and dad!) I like to go my own way. I don't like the pressure of an assignment. High school, college, grad school...they're all over. But this week's topic is one I can do: MUSIC.

I truly cannot imagine a world without music. It would be entirely too quiet. There was always some kind of music in my house growing up...my dad liked to listen to Wolfman Jack on the radio; my mom liked to listen to Anne Murray and Neil Diamond records; my dad even sang in a barbershop chorus, complete with the most hideous yellow polyester suit with gold sequins and a red bow tie.

As I got older, I had my own little radio in my room and always had it on. I can sing the lyrics to songs from 30 years ago (and yet I can't remember what I ate for dinner last night) (OK, bad example...I had Spicy Thai Noodles - also known to me as Lily's noodles. Long story). I can usually tell you - with astonishing accuracy, if I do say so myself - what year a song came out by picturing which bedroom in which house I first heard it. (I moved around a lot as a kid...military family, don'tcha know). In fact, this uncanny knack causes several of my friends call me "Radio", in reference to the Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ed Harris movie in which Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character always has a radio with him. (For the record, I did not actually carry a radio around with me. I just always had the radio on in my room).

Hearing a song can transport me to a different time and place. A certain song can remind me of someone I hadn't thought of in awhile. An upbeat song can lift my mood. A heavy beat might make me want to dance. It's no wonder to me that my job REQUIRES music. What fun would a group exercise class be without a soundtrack? Studies have even proven that people workout longer when listening to music. In my classes, people frequently sing along. The music makes it fun.

My favorite song? I have no idea how to answer that. It changes every day. Maybe even more than once a day. Sometimes I'm in the mood for some cheesy 80s pop. Other times I may prefer classic rock. Or maybe a little bit of country (not too much - I don't like anything too twang-y). My iPod contains an eclectic mix. I like it that way...and so do my kids. One day, they will ask to hear Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train"; the next, perhaps "the Keep Bleeding song" (Leonna Lewis); sometimes they request a silly song called "There's a Carp in the Tub" by Robbie Schaefer (if you have young kids and can't stand hearing songs from Disney movies one more time, you should check him out. He is a lyrical genius and quite the comedian) (Not that there is anything wrong with music from Disney movies. In fact, I like quite a bit of it. But all that cheeriness can get on your nerves).

I think I'll go turn on the radio now.

Skiing

2009-01-22T20:48:00.029-05:00

Our ski trip to West Virginia was a success! But it sure didn't seem like that would be the case on Monday afternoon. Upon arriving on the slopes and putting the skis on the kids, Megan proceeded to stand still sobbing "I wanna go home" for at least 10 minutes straight. And Jake fell down the first time he tried to get on the little conveyor belt thing and got really mad at me for "making" him go skiing. And me....well, I wanted to cry, too. I couldn't believe that we had spent close to 8 hours in the car to come up to this beautiful mountain so I could listen to my kids complain. Enter Eric. Daddy to the rescue, thank goodness. Clearly, Eric was not as exhausted or exasperated as I was and was able to persuade Megan to actually move from her sobbing spot. And Jake - after a successful ride up the conveyor belt and a successful "run" down the tiny ski school slope, he didn't want any help from anyone. "I can do it myself!"

Around 3:30, I had to ski down to another lift so I could ride it up to check into our condo. It was one of the longest, slowest ski runs I've ever experienced (well, except for the time when my sister fell down, tearing her ACL, and refused to allow me to call for help from ski patrol. We were on the LONGEST run on the mountain on our way back to the condo and I think it took us over an hour to get down the mountain) Anyway - off I went to the "real" slopes. It was steeper than I expected. And I was feeling way older than I expected. And I was thinking that perhaps this whole skiing thing wasn't a good idea after all. It was overcast and snowing fairly heavily. The slopes had been chopped up by the gazillions of other skiers that had gone before me. I had no goggles, my toes were frozen and I felt like I couldn't see a thing. I also felt like I couldn't ski worth a damn. I went slow. I was cautious. I was nervous that I would fall, tear something and be laying on the snow forever waiting for someone to rescue me. But, alas, I made it to the proper lift to take me to the check-in desk without breaking anything, without falling down, without working myself up into a total panic.

Tuesday was a new day. While I was carefully making my way across the mountain on Monday afternoon, Eric had devised a fabulous way to ski with the kids. He would stand next to Megan or Jake and hold one end of the ski pole while they held the other. They held on tight and off they went. So on Tuesday, Megan and I paired up and Jake and Eric paired up and we went to the beginner slope. By 3PM, Megan and I had made 18 trips down the hill and up the lift. It was truly a toss-up as to which she liked more...the skiing part or the riding the lift part. Megan had half the slope in stitches: as we would ski down the hill, she would scream at the top of her lungs "go faster, Mommy" followed by "Yaaaaaaaaahhooooooooooooo!" It was a hoot. Meanwhile Jake and Eric "accidentally" traversed down a blue slope. They made it down without any injuries, but Jake did fall down once...and hasn't let Eric forget that!

I once again got a chance to go ski some of the other slopes and I felt like a whole different person. The steep hills didn't phase me. I found my rhythm. I was having fun. I flew down the slopes. Thank God! I still had it. I wasn't turning into a nervous Nelly. But the sub-zero temperatures got to me and I went in to give Eric a chance to snowboard until the lifts closed at 4:30. (Seriously - the air temp was about 12 and the wind chill was making it feel like -6! That is freaking cold!) It was a great day.

Wednesday morning, Eric and I tagged-teamed again: he stayed with the kids while I skied and then vice versa. I was at the top of the slope when Ski Patrol took the ropes down (we were staying at the top of the mountain) right at 9AM. I swished. I swooshed. The slope was in perfect condition. It had snowed about an inch or two after the groomers came through so there was a nice powder on top of he neatly combed snow. It was unbelievable. If only it hadn't been so darn cold. Those four runs on Wednesday morning made every tear, every whiny moment, and every scowl worth it. And to top it all off...Megan declared that she wanted to go skiing on her birthday EVERY year!

photo by Jake

This was the view from our condo

On this date...

2009-01-21T18:31:00.001-05:00

Four years ago today, I was hoping for the weather to clear so Eric could fly back to Kodiak.

Four years ago today, I was lucky enough to have my mom and dad by my side.

Four years ago today, I needed all of Laura's sarcasm I could get to take my mind off the pain.

Four years ago today, I was hopped up on morphine. It wasn't really helping.

Four years ago today, I was not so patiently waiting for the anesthesiologist to finish up with a 12 year old boy who needed his jaw surgically repaired.

Four years ago today, I was being wheeled down to the OR just as Eric arrived at the hospital.

And four years ago today, I had a beautiful daughter.

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Classic!

2009-01-16T07:42:00.002-05:00

Jake's first basketball game was last night. I think the final score (after four 5 minute quarters) was about 10 to 4. Check out Jake's (#11) skills:

I couldn't have planned that! Classic.....

Shouldn't the parents get sedatives, too?

2009-01-12T16:40:00.005-05:00

Megan's dental appointment this morning went as well as to be expected. I was braced for a rough day when I woke her up and told her where we were going. She cried. But...the most stressful moment of the day occurred when the dental assistant told me "the Dr. will try her best to get all of the teeth done today. If not, we will have to schedule another appointment."

"Oh hell no! We will not be doing this again nor will we be paying the ridiculous amount of money for the sedation that insurance doesn't cover. She's gonna need to finish it all today", I told her.

Megan took her sedative and we watched a Dora video while waiting for it to take effect. She protested a bit when the assistants came to take her back to the exam room, but I was informed that the crying stopped upon the administration of the laughing gas. I should hope so. All 10 teeth that needed reshaping were finished and I was sitting with Megan just 1 hour after it all started. The poor thing looked a little puffy and a lot worn out, but she was in pretty good spirits and thoroughly enjoying the grape popsicle she was given. Soon after getting in the car and going through the drive-thru at the closest Starbucks (if the dentist isn't going to dole out sedatives to the parents, then Starbucks after the fact will have to suffice), Megan was fast asleep. She slept all the way home and even took a 2 hour nap, complete with slightly strangled cat.

She seems back to her normal self. Glad that's over.

The two hour nap enabled me to finish making and installing a new window treatment for the sliding glass door in our newly-repainted kitchen:

I'm not sure if the picture really gives a true representation...there actually is quite a bit of red in the fabric I used. And the brown(ish) background looks really nice with the brown walls in the next room. I really love the red walls. Wish I had painted it red the first time!

A much-needed distraction

2009-01-11T20:40:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow morning, I have to wake Megan up 90 minutes earlier than normal, tell her that she cannot have any chocolate milk or eggs for breakfast, and then drive her 45 minutes to the dentist. As if that is not enough, once we arrive, she has to be sedated so the dentist can fix several of her teeth...she's got some weird-ass shaped teeth that are just asking for cavities. The dentist has to drill and fill her teeth to reshape them so that they don't rot out of her mouth. Great fun. So....I'm a little bit stressed about how the whole morning is going to go. She does not like the dentist already, and all she has ever had done is a cleaning. Again...great fun. Can't wait. Sarcasm. It's a coping mechanism.

Enter our crazy cat. For some reason he was out in the garage. Don't know how or when he went out there. I kept hearing some strange noises from the direction of the garage, but never did investigate. Eric did. As I was coming down the stairs after putting Megan to bed, I run into Eric at the bottom of the stairs holding Max the cat. Thinking that he is bringing the cat up to Megan (he likes to sleep on her bed and she only sortof strangles him while "hugging" him), I step out of the way. But he just stands there. I look a little closer and realize there is something stuck to his back left paw. It's a sticky mouse trap. And it caught my cat.

Luckily - although it won't sound like it at first - a small bird got stuck on one of them in our garage last week. I felt horrible for the little guy but didn't know what to do. I updated my Facebook status to reflect my dilemma and was informed by several of my friends that pouring some vegetable oil onto the pad would dissolve the adhesive and set the poor little bird free. How do these people know such things? Alas, I did not receive this information in time. Tweety did not make it. But I filed that little helpful hint away, even though I was sure that I wouldn't ever need to free an animal from a sticky mouse trap. After all, they are designed to catch the little squeakers. Why would I want to free them?

So there we are in the front hallway with a cat stuck to a mouse trap. We suspend the cat over the kitchen sink and I open up the bottle of Wesson and start pouring. Note: cats do not appear to like it when you pour slimy cooking oil on their paws and will likely shake their paw vigorously in an attempt to rid its fur of the offending substance. So we put the cat down in the sink to complete the removal process. After dumping approximately one gallon of oil on his foot, I am able to pull it free of the gooey glue which has now turned into some sort of gel-like goo that seems to be multiplying. Now that his foot is free, Max again commences the paw-shaking in response to the oily foot. A quick flick of the faucet and a speedy wipe down with a paper towel follow. Crisis averted.

Max appears to be doing fine, but he won't stop licking the paw in question. Oh - and Piper keeps following Max around sniffing at his paw.

For the time it took to free the cat from the trap, I wasn't stressed about inflicting terror on my baby as I take her to the dentist tomorrow. I was too busy wiping up oil spatters from all over my kitchen.

Wish us luck.

Better than coffee

2009-01-05T07:21:00.008-05:00

Unfortunately, I have discovered a way to wake up that worked better than coffee: a very suspicious dog.

With today being the first day back at school and Eric being out of town, I decided to set up the coffee maker to automatically start at 6:30 this morning, knowing that I would need a jolt of caffeine to jump start my day (16 days of sleeping in really wreaks havoc on your ability - and motivation - to get up early).

6:30 AM...Piper wakes with a start and runs out into the hall and begins barking in her deepest, loudest bark possible. She usually saves this for the UPS man. This of course, gives me a heart attack. And since she usually only barks that way when strangers come up to the house, I am a little bit panicked that someone is in my house, although, logically, I'm pretty sure this isn't the case. In my haste to get out of bed, I managed to knock my glasses behind the head of the bed and can't find them since I am blind without them. I ran to the bathroom and put my contacts in as fast as I could and jog out to the hallway to see what was the matter. Piper is still standing at the top of the staircase growling and barking, and I'm getting a little freaked out. That is until I hear it.....the sound of the coffee maker! Apparently, Piper thought that someone broke into our house to make coffee! I went downstairs and poured myself a cup of coffee and realized that I was plenty awake and might not need the caffeine this morning after all (who am I kidding? Of course I want..er....I mean...need it). I drank it anyway, despite my already racing heartbeat.

Paranoid dog? A dog who hates coffee? Or just a good watchdog? Doesn't matter....I can rest easy while Eric is gone, knowing that no one will get into my house to make coffee without my knowledge!

Look at that face! Could you be scared of that face?

Aunt Jill is really smart!!

2008-12-29T18:43:00.002-05:00

Out of the blue this morning...

Jake: "Mom. Did you know that Aunt Jill is REALLY REALLY smart?!?!"

Me: "Well.....sure I did...but what makes you say that?"

Jake: "Well, I forgot to ask Santa for some more Bakugan stuff, but Aunt Jill knew that I wanted it and gave it to me! She must be the smartest person ever! How did she know that??"

Me: "She's just really smart, I guess. And maybe a little magic, too"

Jake: "Nah...not magic. Just smart."

Christmas Before and After

2008-12-28T20:23:00.001-05:00

Before:

and AFTER:

10 things I like....

2008-12-27T23:30:00.002-05:00

....that start with the letter V. (side note - I started this about 10 days ago, but was not feeling very creative, so I abandoned it in hopes of finding some inspiration. Not so much. And then it was the week before Christmas, and my little niece was sick in the hospital, and Jake started basketball, and school ended and the kids were home all the time, and Eric was home from work....and I just couldn't find the time. OY! How's that for an excuse!???!?!)

Jen (who is freakin' hilarious, by the way) over at Sprite's Keeper assigned me the letter "V" for this meme. Gee thanks, Jen! I can hardly think of 10 words that start with the letter V, let alone things I like that start with the letter V. But I'll give it a shot...

1) Vitamins. I like vitamins,because after taking them, I don't tend to feel so bad about having cookies for breakfast.

2) Variety. It's the spice of life, after all, and who doesn't like a little spice? My days may not always be action-packed, but they are never actually dull. Having two kids, a husband, a dog and a cat always leads to a variety of events or non-events.

3) Visits. I like that I am now closer to most of our family and they can come visit us or we can go visit them fairly easily, unlike those 4 years we spent in Alaska, when visiting required no less than 18 hours of air travel...and that's if the weather cooperated.

4) Vacuuming. Yes. I'm a little weird. But vacuuming is one of those chores that makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Those neat little tracks in the rug that the vacuum leaves behind? I like them. They are somehow satisfying. Again..I'm a little weird.

5) Vapor. As in water vapor. For someone like me with heinous sinus issues, water vapor from a humidifier is my friend.

6) Venus. I like that I can see it up there sometimes. And that I actually remember something from college Astronomy.

7) Velcro. Thank God for Velcro. It means that my kids have been able to put on their own shoes since they were about 2, thus saving my back and knees from bending down!

8) Vermouth. Not in cocktails. In a great recipe (Chicken and Vermouth) that came from my Aunt Nancy. Yum. Delish.

9) I'm running out of "V" words....might have to go get the dictionary..Valor? Nope...don't have anything to say about that. Value? No. Vasectomy? No. Vermin? No. Valkyrie? Nope...haven't seen the movie.

10) Vision. I'm glad I have it and can easily see that I need to end this post right now!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-10T08:14:00.001-05:00

Things that make you go "what the.....!?!?!"

2008-12-05T07:40:00.006-05:00

Someone please explain this to me...

I was standing in line at the checkout at Walmart behind a guy wearing a jacket like this one:

Now....I understand the need for camo when hunting...so the deer don't see you creeping up on them. And I understand that sometimes blaze orange jackets are necessary for hunters, especially if you are going hunting with Dick Cheney. But a camo, fluorescent jacket??? Really? Doesn't that just cancel each other out? Or maybe (and it's quite possible in this town!) the guy was just wearing the jacket because he thought it looked gooooood. Let me tell you two things, gentlemen: blaze orange is a hideous color and looks good on no one! And...camo? It should only be worn if it is part of your required military uniform.

Ouch

2008-12-03T13:50:00.003-05:00

Can you imagine the crick in your neck if you fell asleep in this position?

I thought she was trying to hide from me, and was quite suprised when I realized she had fallen asleep bent in half like that. I had to remove the blanket from her head to check that she was still breathing!

Check out this giveaway!

2008-12-03T13:26:00.002-05:00

A classmate of mine from highschool is a quite talented and creative seamstress of sorts. She makes beautiful purses, burp cloths, pillows, and even jewelry. And she's doing a great giveaway! Check it out:

http://www.mommyandbeyond.blogspot.com/

Age is just a number

2008-12-01T16:25:00.005-05:00

76. What do you hope to be doing when you are 76? I hope to be alive and well and relaxing somewhere tropical with my husband. A friend of mine, Beverly, who turned 76 yesterday, has more specific goals in mind.

Beverly is a little wisp of a thing that attends just about every one of my classes. You might take one look at her and think "oh, what a sweet little old lady". But then you would get to know her or you would see her keeping up with the "young" women in my class. She is the spunkiest lady I have ever met. She recently told me a story about chasing down some bike thieves in her car with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on her cell phone, poised to dial 911 when she found the little criminals. Message: don't mess with Beverly!

Anyway - back in the middle of the summer sometime, Beverly started talking about what she was going to do in honor of her upcoming 76th birthday. She couldn't decide if she would do 76 push-ups or climb the rock wall! Can you imagine??!?! This morning, after sweating it out in my class for a full hour, Beverly asked for 6 people from the class to join her in doing 76 push-ups. Many people just ducked their heads and walked out of the room, not to be outdone by someone twice their age. A few people volunteered (including me, of course. I couldn't duck out! How would that look? The instructor can't keep up with a lady twice her age??!?!) And then I guilted a few more into participating as well.

So the 10 of us assumed the push-up position (on our knees, not our toes...don't judge until you try it!) and we all began our push-ups with Beverly counting them off. We got to 10 and the lady next to Beverly started to count up to 20 and so on and so on. By about number 28 I thought my arms were going to fall off and we were only about a third of the way through! A lot of ladies stuck around and cheered us all on, hootin' and hollerin! When we all finished (well, most of us. A few people took a few breaks.) the crowd went wild. It was great!

That was all at about 10:15 AM. My arms were still shaking and burning about 90 minutes later. And tomorrow??? Don't ask me to lift anything. Including my arms.

Beverly rocks! She is living proof that age is just a number. I just hope I still have the gumption to even attempt something like that at age 76!

Happy 6th Birthday Jake!

2008-11-15T19:37:00.006-05:00

How on earth did this:

turn into this so fast?

Happy Birthday, buddy!

No Special Treatment

2008-11-14T07:44:00.003-05:00

Apparently when Megan is in charge....even princesses have to wait in line for the bus.

Veterans' Day

2008-11-11T09:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Veterans' Day. Please take a moment today to honor those men and women who put their lives on the line to ensure our freedom.

Award

2008-11-09T13:00:00.001-05:00

OK...so enough about spiders.

On Friday, Jake's elementary school held an awards assembly for kindergarteners and first graders honoring those students who showed the most improvement over the first 9-week grading period. Jake was given the award for Most Improved Writing!

Here he is going up to accept his award:

He was also selected to carry a flag at the beginning of the assembly

We're so proud at how well he has been doing in school! I guess I better start studying...at the rate he's going, he'll know more than me by the time he's in 3rd grade!

Spider

2008-11-06T08:50:00.006-05:00

This guy has taken up residence in the flower bed in front of our house. I'm not a big fan of spiders (and either is Eric...he's been known to jump up on a couch in response to about 150 tiny baby spiders jumping off their mother's back in our living room. I don't really fault him for this reaction, but I do mock him. I was forced to deal with these tiny baby spiders armed only with a can of strawberries and cream air freshener. OY!)

Anyway - this spider is actually kinda cool. He (or she?) spins some really cool webs and catches some interesting prey. Jake likes to check it out each day after school to see what has been caught in the web. Someone told me it was a "banana spider", but that just sounds weird. Any spider experts out there?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-05T13:57:00.002-05:00

3/28/04

Election Day

2008-11-04T08:21:00.003-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I hate politics. I rarely discuss politics with anyone. But I find Election Day really cool, for lack of a better word. There's an excitement in the air. Everyone is buzzing about it. Starbucks is handing out free coffee to those who voted (!!!!). Waiting in lines is not my idea of fun, but I'm looking forward to arriving at my polling place this morning and waiting in line to cast my vote. Every vote counts. Mathematically or statistically it may not seem like it does. I'm one of several hundred thousand (or more - I don't know how many people live and vote in my state) who vote here in NC. What's one little vote among so many? It's a lot! Remember - the election in 2000 hinged on 537 votes in Florida. 537! What if those 537 people decided not to vote because they thought their one vote didn't count for much? So vote! Because if you don't....you have no right to complain. I could go on, but the blogging genius over at Undomestic Diva said it so much better! Check her out.

*UPDATE* I went to vote and it was sort of anti-climactic....not a single person in line. In fact, I was one of just two voters at the place! Everyone else was either working there or doing some last minute campaigning by the front doors. Weird.

Delish!

2008-11-03T20:41:00.004-05:00

My neighbor, Lori, has joined us for dinner a couple times in the past few weeks while her husband is deployed to Iraq. Each time she comes over, she brings a delicious dessert. This past weekend, she (with the help of my little Megan) made the most delicious Caramel Bars. They are my new favorite dessert...and that is saying a lot since I pretty much haven't ever met a dessert that I don't like (unless it is some sort of fruit dessert. Fruit is not dessert. Unless it is covered in chocolate. Dessert should always contain chocolate, caramel, or frosting...or all three).

So - the next time you are looking for something unbelievably decadent, make these!

Caramel Bars

1 cup flour
1 cup oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup better, melted
1 bag chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk, whatever you prefer)
1 small bag chopped pecans (about 3/4 cup)
40 Kraft caramels, unwrapped (duh!)
1/3 cup milk

Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add in melted butter and combine until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, melt caramels and milk in a double boiler or sauce pan over low heat.

Remove crust from oven, sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped nuts over hot crust. Drizzle caramel sauce on top. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and serve with a big glass of milk! YUM!

Sandwich

2008-10-30T13:45:00.002-04:00

Look, Mom! Daddy and Megan are the bread and I am the meat! It's a Jake Sandwich!

Our little starfish

2008-10-24T16:55:00.003-04:00

Megan finished up a session of swimming lessons and has really done great. According to Megan, yesterday's class was her "gradulations".

Our little soccer star

2008-10-24T16:20:00.005-04:00

Jake has just finished up his soccer season and what a season he had! He scored a goal in his first game back in September, a goal here and there throughout the next few weeks and he finished up the season with a bang! 2 goals ("ALL the goals for my team!") in his game on Tuesday and 1 goal in his final game, last night. After his spectacular performance on Tuesday, I brought the camera on Thursday in an attempt to capture his greatness on film and he did not disappoint! Jake is #6:

His teammate, Brandon, went on to score the next two goals and after each goal, Jake told him "Brandon, I was open. You should have passed it to me so I could have scored the goal". I guess they don't learn the whole There's-no-I-in-team thing until next year!

A few more pictures:

36

2008-10-23T14:30:00.003-04:00

Yes...I am 36 years old. But that's not what I'm talking about.

36 pairs of jeans. That is how many pairs of jeans I tried on today in my quest to find a pair of jeans that is both comfy and doesn't make me look like a total slob. I started in the misses department of a department store and tried on about 10 pairs from there. Nope...not one that was right. Most were just too long and I've never come across a tailor who can alter jeans without them coming out dorky. Some were just too matronly. Why don't jean manufacturers (or at least one's that make affordable jeans for regular people like me) make stylish jeans for people my age that don't have the words "tummy control" on the label. I want to be comfortable in my jeans....not have my mid-section wrapped in industrial strength spandex.

So off I went to the juniors department. First question - are there really people that wear size 0, long? Who the heck are these ridiculously skinny people with legs the length of your average giraffe? Oh - they are 12 year olds that haven't "filled out" yet. But still. Size 0? That's just wrong. Needless to say, I was not successful here, either, despite trying on 8 more pairs of jeans. So I was off to the next store.

9 more pairs later, I was still no closer to finding some that I liked. Too long, too tight, too flared (really - on a short girl, flared legs are just goofy looking!), fit the thighs but way too big on the waist, or fit the waist and way too tight on the thighs. Second question - why don't women's jeans come sized like men's jeans ... waist and length? That would make things so much easier! A pair with a 28 inch waist would have just that! None of the quesswork about what size of what brand will fit. And some brands' "short" are too short, but the "average" are too long, so an inseam measurement sure would make things easy!

So off to the third store I went, feeling a bit discouraged, but still determined to find something worth buying. I grabbed just about every style in my size and off to the super fabulous dressing room I went. On pair number 9 at this store, I finally struck gold! I pulled them on, zipped and buttoned without sucking it in, and checked myself in the mirror. They looked like they were made for me! Just the right length, not too tight anywhere, and a little bit of spandex to make everything more comfy. YEEEHAAAAA! After dumping the ridiculously large pile of discards at the fitting room entrance (I felt a little guilty about this, but I only had 15 more minutes before I had to go pick up Megan. I had been trying jeans on for 2 hours!), I noticed a sign that advertised a 15% discount for all military ID holders. BONUS! So off I go to the register, hand over my jeans and present my military ID and am promptly informed "the discount don't apply to jeans" (nice grammar, babe) to which I replied "well that is just asinine" and the lady looked at me with horror in her eyes. I guess she didn't know that word and probably thought I had just called her an ass. I no longer felt guilty for leaving the pile of discarded jeans in the fitting room!

Next on my to-do list: look up the customer service number for the store where I bought my great jeans, and tell them their so-called military discount rules are asinine.

You know it's gonna be a long day when....

2008-10-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

1) your three year old - who normally sleeps until 8 - wakes up at 6:15

2) same three year old begins whining immediately upon waking

3) the lame-os at the school system call for a one hour delay for FOG that was gone by 6:45

4) five year old spends extra hour at home bouncing off the walls and winding up the dog

5) three year old resumes tantrum from previous night over drinking 3 whole ounces of non-chocolate milk and carries on for 90 minutes (hmmmm...imagine if she had just slept until her normal time?)

UGH.

Luckily, the rest of the day has gone fairly smoothly. So far.

NOT an invitation

2008-10-14T15:36:00.003-04:00

Why is it that complete strangers see my Alaska license plate and take it as an invitation to tell me their political views, their opinions on Sarah Palin and then ask me mine? Two people stopped me in two different parking lots today after seeing the Alaska plates. One of them even went on and on about how horrible Obama is. The other was more polite about things, but still....

I hate politics. I never discuss them with anyone, except maybe Eric. And even we don't agree all the time. So why would I want to discuss politics with complete strangers? And why did these strangers assume that since I once lived in Alaska I must me a Palin supporter? (Never mind the fact that she was elected AFTER I left Alaska) Didn't their mothers teach them never to assume ("it makes an ass out of u and me") anything? Whether the assumptions are true or not is not important. People need to learn some manners.

Hey - and isn't there some saying about not discussing politics or religion? What is that saying? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Note to self:

2008-10-13T14:34:00.002-04:00

Don't use the word EXPLODE when talking about your soda bottle spraying soda all over the kitchen. It will make your 3 year old daughter afraid of diet coke.

P.S. Also...stop letting children watch TV shows with explosions.

It's Official

2008-10-12T17:02:00.004-04:00

It's official. I have turned into my father. Not my mother (although there are many things that I have -- ehem -- learned from her that I never thought I would do, say, or think...but that is a whole 'nother post!), but my father.

I distinctly remember a time when I was about 8 or 9 and my sisters and I were playing outside while my father did some yardwork or something and a teenager, driving a beat up old car of some kind, went tearing down my street. I looked at my dad and I swear I saw steam coming out of his ears. The kid must have driven by our house again and somehow my dad got him to stop to share a few words. My dad was fuming...a few bad words may have been said (nah...not my dad!)...bodily harm or legal action may have been threatened...and the kid finally drove off - very slowly - quaking in his boots. I couldn't understand why my dad got so mad at this kid. After all, isn't that what teenagers are supposed to do? Drive fast and try to look cool?

I understand now.

This afternoon, Megan and I took off on our bikes in search of Jake who was not answering my call over the walkie-talkie. During our ride, I noticed a white SUV driving VERY fast down the neighborhood street and running a stop sign. The driver pulled into a driveway, got out and disappeared into the house. After locating Jake, I noticed Mr. McSpeedalot pulling out of the driveway. I parked Megan on the sidewalk, told her not to move, and raced into the middle of the street to flag the little bugger down. He actually stopped instead of running me over and I gave him more than a piece of my mind. I ripped him a new one. I really let him have it. I was FURIOUS! And then I called him an idiot (seriously, I called him an idiot...and I only one bad word came flying out of my mouth...and it isn't such a bad word anymore...they say it on TV all the time). I memorized his license plate as he slowly drove off. I don't think he was exactly quaking in his boots (my father, at 6'3", is a tad bit more imposing than me at 5'2"), but I'm quite sure he got the message...even if he was wondering where the heck the crazed lady came from!

So you see....I have become my dad. There sure are worse people I could become. So thanks, Dad, for loving me and my sisters enough to scream at an irresponsible teenage driver that could have brought us harm.

So how have YOU turned into your mom or dad? Or what have you recently done or said that, as a kid, you NEVER thought would happen?

Slacker - Updated with photos

2008-10-02T14:41:00.004-04:00

OK...OK...OK...here I am writing something. I hadn't given up on this here blog. I just didn't have anything exciting or interesting to write about. Still don't, really, but I'll give it a whirl.

Germophobes Beware!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bit of a germophobe. I carry Purell with me in my purse. I have a bottle in the car. And one in my gym bag. Anyway. While getting Megan ready for her swimming lesson the other day we observed another young girl (maybe 4? or 5?) walking toward the toilets with the top of her bathing suit on and the bottoms in her hand. After using the toilet - are you ready for this? - she sat down, bare-assed, on the slimy, wet, hair-infested, dirty tile floor to pull her bathing suit bottoms on. And then I puked. Not really. But I sure felt like I was going to. I'm not sure what is the grosser part of this story: the germs from the floor getting all over the girl's parts...or the germs from the girl's parts getting all over the floor where they will flourish and fester in the warm, wet environment of the lovely locker room. Bleck...Yuck....Ewwww...Ick...and every other sound you can make when something is disgusting.

On a much less gross note, Eric, the kids and I went up to Norfolk on Sunday to see one of our favorite bands ever, Eddie From Ohio (or EFO), play at an acoustic music festival. Both Eric and I play their songs in the car with the kids and we've even downloaded some of their songs on to the kids' iPod, so the kids were familiar with the music. It was a great show. We hadn't seen them in years and they managed to play the kids' two favorite songs, "Hey Little Man" and "Fly". If you aren't familiar with EFO you should get to know them. They are great. Check out their website: http://www.efohio.com/. You can also find them on iTunes and listen to some clips! I have some pictures on my camera...but putting them here requires ...yadda, yadda, yadda....here they are:

...waiting for EFO to start playing

more goofing off before the show

Eddie From Ohio

"no, mom, I will NOT dance....cheeeese"

Dazed and Confused

2008-09-14T20:27:00.002-04:00

On my way to drop Megan off at school one morning last week I spotted the following message on a sign:

Sirloin Tips

with Bev

550

I'm thinking...What kind of tips could Bev be giving about sirloin? And why such an odd time? Why not at 6? How strange.

Duh! It was on the sign for Prime Sirloin Steak House.

Maybe the sign writer should not use abbreviations. And how about a dollar sign, people? Or maybe I just need more caffeine in the morning.

Miscellaneous Storch Stuff

2008-09-04T14:07:00.008-04:00

I realized earlier today that I haven't posted anything in a while and figured I'd better get cracking on uploading some pictures and making a few notes. (Thanks to Supervised Mama for the kick in the pants that I needed!)

Jake technically started kindergarten last week, but the bus didn't pick him up on his first two days. (Insert eye roll here....don't get me started!) He was quite disappointed that he didn't get to ride the bus, but he soon got over it and had a great day at school. Here are a couple of pictures from his actual first day and from his first bus ride to school.

He was so excited about school on his first day that he went out to sit on the front porch at 6:40 AM! The bus was supposed to come at 7:10! (Grrrrrrrrr....damn bus driver!)

There he goes...my baby is riding a bus. To school?!! How did that happen?

He was so excited to get on the bus that I nearly missed getting the picture! I was tempted to follow behind the bus to be sure that he got to his school and to his classroom alright, but I resisted and instead went back inside and back to sleep for a little bit. Mother of the Year. I'm a shoe-in.

Side note: There is a child in Jake's class named "Wonderful". I assumed it was a girl. Nope. It's a boy. I'm curious to know if he has any nicknames. Derful? Wundy? (OK. Snark stops here. For now.)

Side note #2: I, exclusively, will be dealing with his teacher. She is entirely too hot to meet my husband. I told him this. He thinks I'm crazy. But of course - he's never met her, so he just doesn't know.

Next up: Megan's first day. She was eager to get into her new classroom and play with all the new toys. Some photos...

Pretty stinkin' cute if I do say so myself!

My big girl!

Apparently now that Jake is such a big boy and rides the bus to school and everything, he thinks that he should have free run of the neighborhood. We do live in a fairly safe and friendly neighborhood, but holy crap - I mean - goodness gracious, he's only 5. ("I'm almost 6, mom!") He wanted to ride his bike down the street to a friend's house. So I dug out the walkie-talkies (I guess they call them 2-way radios now) and showed him how to use it. He sort of rolled his eyes at me (where, oh where did he learn that?) as I told him he needed to check in with me every few minutes, but he did as I requested. He even called me on the radio once just to say "I love you, Mama". Such a sweet boy.

Once TS or Hurricane Hanna clears through here, I will be taking the kids back over to the CG beach so I can try to get a photo of Megan doing her duck impression (trying to do a handstand in the water while wearing a floaty!)

And it's only Wednesday!

2008-08-27T21:08:00.005-04:00

It seems like it has been such a long week. But it's only Wednesday. How can that be?

I've been single-parenting so far this week, quite unexpectedly. Hubby left for work on Monday morning and is still not home. Such is life married to a military pilot flying planes that are older than me. Something always needs to be fixed. I suppose a delay in coming home due to repairs is better than the alternative, but try explaining that to a three year old who wakes up in the middle of the night crying for her daddy!

The funniest part of the week was Megan attempting to do handstands in the water while wearing her floatie. She would throw herself forward in an attempt to get her hands down to the bottom, but the floatie was making that a bit difficult. All I could see was her little tushy up in the air and her feet kicking furiously. She looked like a duck. And then up she would come shouting "did you see that Mommy?". I was actually rolling on the sand laughing at her. She just kept doing it over and over and over until finally she flung herself forward with enough force to flip herself all the way over. Boy did that surprise her! Not to be outdone, that prompted Jake to try to do flips. Unfortunately I didn't have my real camera with me and only remembered that I can take pictures with my phone at the very last minute...so I didn't capture the duck imitation on film (on digital? on memory card? whatever). But I did get this cute (and blurry) picture of the kids actually being nice to each other.

Oh - and Jake had his Kindergarten assessment test on Tuesday and the teacher was "wowed" by how well he did. Her word, not mine. She was also quite impressed by his drawing skills. I think this is going to be a great year for him. He goes his first full day on Friday and then begins a regular schedule after Labor Day.

So - all 6 of you who are reading this, please cross your fingers that hubby will make it home tomorrow so that he can be here to see Jake off to school on the bus on Friday morning. And so I don't have to spend the holiday weekend in the psych ward.

Lessons from a 5 year old

2008-08-19T20:30:00.003-04:00

I took the kids to the beach on the Coast Guard base this afternoon. As I sat in my chair under my umbrella, I watched Jake trying over and over to catch the minnows that kept swimming by him. He worked at it tirelessly, never doubting that he would catch them if he could only dip the bucket into the water just right. He believed that he could do it. Why would he believe otherwise? He kept at it for about 15 or 20 minutes until something else grabbed his attention. But he didn't give up....he had faith that he would catch those little buggers sooner or later.

It took me back to the back yard of my friend Meredith in Houston in the early 80s. She and I were certain that we could learn to fly if we practiced enough. We set up a step stool and jumped off it over and over and over, convinced that we were getting closer to actually flying each time we jumped. We tried various materials on our arms to help us fly. We tried different step stools. We tried different types of shoes. We must have jumped a hundred times. We truly believed that if we jumped up high enough, the wind would lift us up to the clouds.

Watching Jake's perseverance, unwavering confidence and positive attitude today put a huge smile on my face. Isn't it amazing that a five year old can remind you of such a fundamental life lesson by simply trying to catch a few fish? You may not actually ever scoop up those minnows, and you will probably never take flight by jumping off a stepstool, but it sure doesn't hurt to believe in yourself and to keep trying.

The ICK Factor!

2008-08-14T21:44:00.004-04:00

Allow me to set the scene: a 30-something mother of two successfully potty trains both of her children before they become adults (at times it seemed as though the darling son would be wearing diapers to college). Said mother therefore thinks her days of cleaning poop are over.

WRONG!....because she didn't take Max the Cat into consideration.

Flashback to November 2007:
Jake and Eric are playing outside in the early evening when some type of four-legged, furry creature approaches them. Upon further inspection, they determine the creature is, in fact, a small cat. A very dirty, very flea-ridden, and very skinny cat. With really big ears. He had obviously been living outside for quite sometime and therefore did not appear to have the self-cleaning feature that most cats usually possess. So of course, we decided to adopt this mangy little thing. Max eventually learned to use the litter box with relatively little mess. The key word is "relatively"!

Back to present day.
I walk up the stairs to take a shower and an overwhelming stench of cat poop assaults my nostrils. Armed with a can of Lysol, I bravely enter the room from which the toxic smell is emanating. After I regained consciousness I discovered little brown cat footprints leading from the litter box to the door, out into the hallway, all the way through my bedroom, and into my bathroom. Yup - he stepped in his own poop and tracked it ALL OVER THE PLACE!

And Eric wonders why I am constantly kicking the cat out of our bed. Say it together...."ICK!!!"

I have only one question remaining: Is it bad to clean your cat with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes???

Love it!

2008-08-11T19:36:00.002-04:00

Yes...another post about the Olympics. Can you tell how much I LOVE the Olympics? Last night's men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay is the exact reason why!

A thunderstorm rumbled through our area right around 11:00 and I was sure that our satellite TV was gonna go out right before the relay race that I had been waiting up to see. It didn't, thank goodness. The storm did, however, wake Jake up. I was actually glad that he was awake. It was 11:20 and I brought him downstairs to watch the race with me. I told him which lane to watch. I told him that if an American Flag popped up on the screen each time a swimmer touched the wall it meant our team was winning. After each length of the pool, he wondered where the American Flag was. I told him to just wait. Have faith. We will win. But then I wasn't so sure...

As our anchorman, Jason Lezak, dove in the water, I started to think that the USA team might have to settle for second place. Jake's eyes were glued to the TV. My heart rate was accelerating. Why isn't the American Flag on our screen? he asked. I don't think our team is gonna win, he said. It's not over yet, I told him. And then it happened. Lezak started closing the gap and the adrenaline took over. Mine...not just Jason Lezak's! Jake and I both sat up straight, leaning toward the TV. They might win, Jake....they might win...I think they're gonna win, I said. And then the American flag popped up and Jake's arms (and mine, too) went up in the air. I got chills. I've seen the replay no less than 20 times today and I still get nervous watching the last couple of seconds and I still get chills and a huge grin on my face when I see Lezak touch the wall first and see the reaction of his teammates. It was so great to watch and so great to share the excitement with Jake. After a race like that....how can you NOT love the Olympics???

In case you didn't see the race, see it here.

Can't Wait!

2008-08-04T08:00:00.003-04:00

I feel the electricity in the air. I can feel everyone's excitement. I'm even starting to get the adrenaline rush myself. No - I'm not talking about Coast Guard Day (Happy 218th Birthday, Coast Guard) - I'm talking about the Olympics!

I love the Olympics. For 2 1/2 weeks, I am a HUGE sports fan...no matter what the sport is. I love the swimming and the gymnastics, and the track and field, and the soccer. Heck - I even like the archery. It's all about cheering for our country's athletes. I always feel so patriotic while watching America's best compete in their sports.

I'm especially excited for the Olympics this year because Jake is old enough to really get into it. I was telling him about it last night and he said "I want to watch all of those games right now, Mommy!"

So - starting this Friday I will be glued to the networks of NBC soaking in as much patriotism as I can and cheering on every one of America's athletes! Go USA!

Hugs and Kisses

2008-08-02T18:04:00.003-04:00

Me: I need some Megan hugs, please.
Megan: Not today. Tomorrow. Tomorrow is hug day. Today is kiss day.
Me: OK, then can I have a kiss, please?
Megan: No, I don't have any more kisses. I gave them all to Nana.

Isn't he too young for this?

2008-07-27T21:25:00.005-04:00

This evening, one of Jake's friends from the neighborhood knocked on the door to see if Jake could come out and play with her. After a few minutes of playing with the new basketball hoop and a few laps around the house chasing the dog, Jake and Abby settled on the front step and were just sitting there talking to each other. They looked so darn cute that I had to take a picture...but I didn't want to disturb them so I was taking the picture from inside the house:

Then I decided to just go out front and take their picture:

Could they be any cuter? But seriously - isn't he too young to have a girlfriend?

P.S. Please pay no attention to the dead grass in our front yard. Don't you know that NC is in the midst of a severe drought?

Finally she sleeps!

2008-07-27T21:18:00.005-04:00

After many days of not napping, several nights of staying up late (either because of activities or because she just won't stop playing!), a couple days of bad allergies complete with a couple doses of Benadryl (and STILL not napping or falling asleep at a decent hour), she finally fell asleep! And it was before 8PM! Hallelujah!

Funny Megan

2008-07-26T21:20:00.002-04:00

After another afternoon without actually sleeping during nap time, I asked Megan "Are you ever going to take a nap again?" Her reply -- "no I'm only gonna take beds".

An interesting take on it, I suppose....naptime vs. bed time...time to take a nap vs. time to take bed (although I never actually say that). I see the linear progession there, don't you?

Surely all these days of no naps, staying up late and getting up early are going to catch up with her sooner or later, right? Maybe she will sleep through all of next week.

Seriously!?!

2008-07-25T15:27:00.002-04:00

Why is it that my son cannot not remember that I have ears? Does he seriously think he is fooling me when he says he was taking a nap when in actuality he was hopping around his room like a kangaroo? Does he really think I can't hear that?

Calgon....take me away!

Crazy magnet

2008-07-19T19:38:00.002-04:00

I've frequently kidded my friend Toni that she is a magnet for crazy people. Toni has some good stories about these frequent encounters and they never get dull. Unfortunately, I think the magnetism has transferred to me! UGH! It's amusing to hear the stories, but not so much when I am a part of them.

Nothing major happened...I just got blind-sided by some crazy lady during one of my classes last week. I thought she was about to simply walk out (it happens every once in a while), but instead she chewed me out right in the middle of a turn step! I could do nothing but stand there completely still with my mouth hanging open and twenty something aerobicizers waiting for me to tell them what step to do next! It was a short chewing-out, but a chewing-out nonetheless. Thankfully, my faithful followers literally cheered me on, saying "shake it off", "just let it slide" and the like. Therefore the tears threatening to fall simply stayed in my tear ducts. I took the cheers as them being supportive and being just as dumbfounded by the whole thing as I was, but really, they were probably just hoping I would call out the names of some steps pretty darn soon so they could actually get a workout in!

One of my regulars actually chased after her with the intent of telling her that her outburst was one of the rudest things she had ever seen, but couldn't find her. Oh well. The crazy lady couldn't be found, because apparently she went to complain to the management. OY! My boss just thought she was crazy and didn't really give much more thought to it. Cool. It's over, I thought.

But for the last few days, every time I run into someone I know from the gym, they say something like "I heard about the incident in your class...it's the talk of the gym!" Great. For once I actually handled something fairly well - without my mouth getting me into trouble (shocking I know...can you believe it?) - and yet it just won't go away. Oh well. I can only hope for some other incident to occur so this just dies.

Toni - please take your crazy magnet back. I'm done with it!

I'm off the hook!

2008-07-11T19:32:00.002-04:00

Here's a big weight off my shoulders...

"Scientists at Harvard School of Public Health found no link at all between eating fruits and vegetables and cancer risk. It didn’t matter whether people consumed two servings a day or 10; their risk of developing cancer over the 15-year study period was exactly the same."

YeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

This not-so-good fruit and veggie eater (do fruit-flavored Skittles count as a fruit? Kidding, Mom, I do eat some fruit...every once in awhile...sortof) is not more at risk for cancers than all those extra health-conscious people. What a relief.

Now if someone could just find scientific proof that eating ice cream every day is EXCELLENT for your health. Then I'd be really good to go!

Fourth of July at the Beach

2008-07-08T17:49:00.005-04:00

We hopped in the car around 8AM on Friday to head out to the Outer Banks. My sister, Julie, her husband, Chris and their kids, Ryan and Kelsey, were in the area visiting Chris's parents. Mid-morning, they all trekked out to where we were on the beach and hung out for a few hours. Unfortunately, Kelsey wasn't feeling well and didn't last too long on the beach, but Ryan had a ball. He and Jake were like two peas in a pod, jumping around in the waves, splashing, and just generally having a great time.

Hopefully Julie and her family will be out at the beach again this summer so the kids can play together again! Here are two pictures that Julie took:

Ryan, Jake, Megan and Kelsey

Ryan and Jake

41 is not old!

2008-07-06T20:06:00.003-04:00

I'm watching the Olympic trials and just saw Dara Torres kick butt once again. That's great. I love the Olympics. But it is totally driving me crazy how they are making such a big deal about her being 41 years old! I realize that this is much older than the average Olympic swimmer, but for God's sake - it's not like she's 70! She's only 41! The announcers keep saying "this is such a story of triumph".... and so I keep waiting for some bombshell of a story to drop. Did she overcome a terrible illness? Did she have a heart transplant? Did she recover from a catastrophic injury? Did she lose a limb? No. She had a baby. And she aged 8 years since the Olympics...yup...8 years ago! Not so triumphant, really.

The fact is - Dara Torres rocks! She is awesome. She works hard, she trains hard and hard work pays off at any age. So all you NBC announcers and other news people need to just get over her age! 41 is NOT old!

(I suppose I might have had a different perspective 10 or 15 years ago, but I just don't think of 41 as old now that it is not so many years away!)

Beautiful, beautiful rain!

2008-07-01T14:02:00.006-04:00

Monday afternoon brought some much-needed rain, a bunch of frogs, a silly 3 year-old, a very wet dog, a rainbow and a dripping, nutty 5 year-old.

Anyone who has ever met Jake can attest to the fact that he LOVES water. In any form. A puddle, the ocean, coming from a hose, in a lake or river, in the bath, squirting from the refrigerator's water dispenser...or even in a cup. I'm telling you - if you are ever stranded in the desert, you had better hope Jake is with you. The boy can find water ANYWHERE. After which he will promptly splash in it.

SO - when it actually began to rain fairly hard on Monday afternoon, Jake was just crazy with excitement to stomp around in the rain puddles getting soaked. As Jake ran around delighting in the water falling from the sky, Piper followed closely behind him, trying to catch raindrops in her mouth. Apparently we don't provide enough drinking water for her.

The ditches in our front yard began filling up with rain water and out came the frogs. They were jumping into the water, jumping out of the water, hopping away from Jake as fast as they could, all while making all kinds of weird noises. Jake was in heaven! Megan, ever the more cautious Storch child, stayed on the front porch observing from afar for awhile. After finally venturing out into the driveway and subsequently getting quite wet, she started shivering and announced "I'm going inside to get a jacket". A few minutes later....out she came....wearing this:

Yes - it is her winter parka. Over her little sundress. With bare feet. Silly girl.

The rain storm also produced a gorgeous rainbow. The picture doesn't quite do it justice. It was beautiful.

It sure was nice to get some good, steady rain. Hopefully we will get more soon and have some more fun splashing around!

Another great day at the beach!

2008-06-29T20:55:00.003-04:00

We drove down to Nags Head today and had a GREAT day. The kids, as always, had a marvelous time playing in the sand and surf. It was Piper's first trip to the beach and she had a blast as well!

Kids say the darndest things...

2008-06-20T13:07:00.006-04:00

I was really dragging this morning, not much in the mood to teach my 60 minute step class at the Y. I got started with my class but my energy seemed to be kaput. Always one to try to kick the butts of my class participants, I felt I was struggling to keep them going. I know I was struggling to keep going. At the end of the cardio portion of my class, I looked over at two of my regulars - who can always keep up with my attempted butt-kicking - and they both looked exhausted. That helped me feel a little better. Shortly after my class ended, the young son - about 10 or 11 - of one of the class members came in to talk to his mom. He pointed at me and asked "who is that?". She responded "that is my teacher, Laurie". The boy thought for a second and said "Oh - she's the teacher whose classes you LOVE, right?" and mom said "yup - that's her!" So... a well-timed, much-needed ego boost for me on a day when I felt like I was doing a horrible job. It's all about perspective, I suppose.

When I got home, I took a shower, of course. When I came into the kitchen, Jake said, out of the blue, "mommy, you're pretty"...and I thought to myself "how sweet". But then he continued "...but not so much with your hair all wet like that". Maybe not so sweet. Oh well. The ego boost was nice while it lasted.

What a HUGE pain in the eye!

2008-06-18T20:16:00.002-04:00

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to put a contact lens in your eye when your eyelid is swelled up like a dark blue balloon? VERY DIFFICULT. Just so you know...

Wear your SPF!

2008-06-17T17:25:00.003-04:00

This morning I had two small skin cancers (basal cell carcinomas) removed from my forehead, bringing the grand total of removed skin cancers to 11! Yikes! And 10 of them were on my forehead. The 11th was on my nose and I have a lovely fish hook-shaped scar to show for it. So in place of these two latest basal cell carcinomas, I now have a beautiful sideways "J" stitched above my left eyebrow. I'm lookin' good. Eventually it will fade and blend in with the rest of the scars. And at least I will never have a wrinkle-y forehead...it has been so lifted, tightened and stretched over the years.

And now for a Public Service Announcement: PUT SUNSCREEN ON YOUR KIDS. EVERY. TIME. THEY. ARE. OUTSIDE. I am living proof that sun damage from your early years will come back to bite you in the ass (or forehead) when you are older. Now - I'm lucky that I have had just basal cells. I realize it could be worse. Sunscreens are getting better and better, more effective and less greasy, sticky and smelly, so the list of excuses to not put it on yourself or your kids is dwindling....fast.

That said....I wish someone would just invent sunscreen in a pill already! There are many drugs that make you more sensitive to sun exposure, so why hasn't someone come up with a drug that does the opposite??? I'll get right on that. Me and my scientific self. Right.

A new home...

2008-06-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

...for the Storch Stuff blog! I have many friends and family members who use "blogspot" for their blogs and I just decided that I like the way it is set up better than the MSN Spaces page that I have. So - here it is...

...Oh and I promise to try to update more often. I've been seriously slacking off for the last two months.

Beach Vacation

2008-06-16T19:28:00.005-04:00

We just returned from a fantastic week at the beach with two other families. What a great vacation! In this case - a picture is really worth a thousand words. Err...well...several pictures.

One of Jake's favorite things about the beach...
being buried in the sand!

Another favorite beach activity for Jake: karate chopping the waves!

Megan boggie boarding in a tide pool...
the real waves were a bit much for her

Crossing the Oregon Inlet Bridge

The server seems to be having some problems with uploading photos, so the rest will have to wait.

Piper the puppy

2008-06-16T19:23:00.001-04:00

On May 10, the Storch family brought home a new addition to our family: Piper, a beautiful yellow lab puppy. It's sortof like having an infant in the house again...getting up in the middle of the night, frequent feedings and some crying, but she has really adjusted well. She is now 12 1/2 weeks old and is doing great. She loves to play with the kids and cannot stop chasing Max the cat! When she catches him, she chews on his head until he gets tired of it and runs off.

I will post some more recent pictures soon...the rest of them are saved on the other computer.

Storch Stuff

Soccer

Commander!

Hopeline

Megan's first day of school

1st day of school

Sometimes you just gotta improvise...

Finally....

Dumbass

Bizarro world

If a wolf invited a baby chick over for dinner...

The Spin Cycle: Pets

I'm making a mountain

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Out of touch

Easter Pictures

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Still here...

Wordless Wednesday

I'm throwing a party!

Mermaid t-shirts and flip-flop earrings

Time to move?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

The Spin Cycle: The Soundtrack of My Life

Skiing

On this date...

Classic!

Shouldn't the parents get sedatives, too?

A much-needed distraction

Better than coffee

Aunt Jill is really smart!!

Christmas Before and After

10 things I like....

Wordless Wednesday

Things that make you go "what the.....!?!?!"

Ouch

Check out this giveaway!

Age is just a number

Happy 6th Birthday Jake!

No Special Treatment

Veterans' Day

Award

Spider

Wordless Wednesday

Election Day

Delish!

Sandwich

Our little starfish

Our little soccer star

36

You know it's gonna be a long day when....

NOT an invitation

Note to self:

It's Official

Slacker - *Updated with photos*

Dazed and Confused

Miscellaneous Storch Stuff

And it's only Wednesday!

Lessons from a 5 year old

The ICK Factor!

Love it!

Can't Wait!

Hugs and Kisses

Isn't he too young for this?

Finally she sleeps!

Funny Megan

Seriously!?!

Crazy magnet

I'm off the hook!

Fourth of July at the Beach

41 is not old!

Beautiful, beautiful rain!

Another great day at the beach!

Kids say the darndest things...

What a HUGE pain in the eye!

Wear your SPF!

A new home...

Beach Vacation

Piper the puppy

Slacker - Updated with photos