Game ON!

When you have young kids, ie babies and toddlers, it can be really difficult, right? Right. When the girls were little I found myself wishing that they were older- no more changing diapers, being up in the middle of the night would be a thing of the past, and let's face it, not having to dress three people, including oneself, was such a novelty. I longed for that day to come.

Well, it's here, and it's been here for a while. And grateful though I am, it comes with other peculiarities.

This being one of them:

I'm innocently showering, minding my own business, spending some much deserved quality time with JUST MYSELF, no one happened to be knocking or pounding on the door. It really was just a sweet moment in time. So I tarried. And I tarried. And really, this amount of me-time should've tipped me off to something brewing, but alas, it didn't, because this me-time is so precious and I grab and appreciate every moment that I can.

As I was saying, I was innocently showering, basking in the heat of the spray, when suddenly I feel this icy blast of water hit my head and run like rivulets down my back. I gasp for air, sputtering, and then what do I hear? Tinkling notes of hilarious laughter that burst forward from my darling daughters as they just realized that they got one over on me. It's a rare moment that this occurs, and they found themselves incredibly proud.

Needless to say, I wasn't enthused, however I had to acknowledge and laugh that it really was quite clever. I don't know what size cup they used, but from the amount of cold water that was thrown on me, I am surmising that it was quite a large one. I'm about to up the ante chicas. Watch out!

GAME ON!

And to think that I was going to apologize to them for buying such crappy toilet paper!

Overworked Diaphram

I have the hiccups.

Normally I would never post about such a thing as having the hiccups. It's just not 'post-worthy.' Who wants to read about someone's hiccups? But they're not going away!

They've been coming and going ALL day. I never know what will trigger them. Did I breathe wrong? Did I yell at the kids? (Okay, so that could very well be it.) Was it when I put the 4th child in a time out that should've taken three minutes, but actually ended up taking 20?

Oh...now they're gone. Sweet Mercy!

Oh crap! I mean crud. (I'm trying to control my language) They're back. Now it's as if I just think about them and they come back. Maybe I oughtta hold my breath.

*Holding breath*

Nope. That didn't work. Ah well. I suppose I shall just suffer in silence. But now they're becoming painful.

AHHH so funny! The 4th child mentioned above just walked in with Andon's Cup that he wears to T-ball! And it's on inside out!!!! It looks painful. AHHHHH...so laughing right now, I'm practically crying, especially as I watch him walk away and I see these cute white bum cheeks peeking out behind the straps. (In case you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the SPORTS cup, or the "Special Underwear" that Andon is required to wear to play ball. That's what we had to dub it so that he'd wear it. On a side note, cause I'm easily distracted, the first official game they played you could see the boys rapping their knuckles on their 'cups' and laughing about how hard they could hit it and not feel a thing. Right there on the playing field! Right in full view for the audience's pleasure. Now that's funny!!!!)

Hey, what do you know? The hiccups are gone! Wow! The cure is to laugh! It's really true what they say about laughter- It really is nature's home remedy!

Or not. They're back.

*sigh*

What gives?

Yes Sir, Officer Sir!

Me, on my way to T-ball, looks in my rear view mirror to discover the flashing lights of Mr. Police Man.

Me, after having made Mr. Police Man chase me three blocks because I am an oblivious motorist, then turn on his siren briefly but enough to jolt me right out of my skin, follows me into the parking lot where I was going to park anyway, I say: "Officer, what did I do?"

I truly didn't know! And okay...I was going for the wide eyed innocent, damsel in distress look that apparently only works when you're in your twenties. Truly, it used to work!

Officer: "Well Maam, (MAAM????!!!) You rolled through the stop sign at 7-10 mph.

Me, thinking: (Oh crap! I'm sure I did since I don't stop at ANY stop sign. UNLESS THERE'S A CAR, I'm not that crazy.) But here's what I said: "Really Officer?" (Said with innocent disbelief, that apparently only works when you're in your twenties cuz he wasn't buying it!)

Officer: "Yes, I have you on my camera, do you want to see it?" (Now he said this like he's used to not being believed and having confrontations with people. Now really.. in his line of work? I could hardly believe it.)

Me and my split second, think on my feet thinking, cuz I'm quick like that...NOT!!, start thinking to myself, OOH- I should be nice and accomodating and maybe I'll get out of this potential ticket. So I say, "NO, I believe you. I'm really sorry! I was trying to not be late for my son's t-ball game, you know how cute they are when they're this little, and he just loves to play!" (I'm trying to appeal to his sporty side, after all- he's a guy. AND a grandfather. Well, at least I think he is. He was in his 50's.)

I smile.

He asks me for my license and registration.

Nice. Like I said...in your twenties...

He takes my drivers license and registration, and proof of insurance. Hello what? My insurance card is expired? What? Really? Shoot! Officer, I swear I have insurance!

He nods briefly and walks away. Does the guy have any sense of humor?

It takes something like 5 whole minutes before he comes back from checking out my police record. During that time Andon's asking my if I'm going to jail, and how come we can't get to the game. He reminds me that we're late. As if I didn't know! I was getting quite irritated with said Officer. I mean, it's not like I have a 20 page rap sheet that he has to look through! However, I figure that I could score huge points by leaning out the window slightly to respond to my son who's walking around the car at this point because he's unbuckled himself, to say somewhat loudly, 'No, mommy's not going to jail. The nice officer pulled me over because I broke a rule.'

See, I'm a good parent. I teach my kids to not be law breakers. Did that score me points? Well, WHEN I WAS IN MY TWENTIES IT DID!

I've gotten out of every ticket till this one. I've even gotten Doug out of a ticket! Apparently I was much more pretty...ummm I mean, PERSUASIVE, when I was in my twenties.

Officer: "Okay, so you don't have any points on your drivers licence." (Duh, that's cause I've gotten out of the other tickets! Well okay, so I didn't get out of the parking ticket, and the seat belt ticket. But the seat belt ticket was in lieu of the speeding ticket. I was 21. Do you see my point?)

He proceeds to write me a ticket.

Me: "Seriously Officer- you're going to write me a ticket? You can't just give me a warning???"


I am now a proud owner of a $204 moving violation ticket. And do you know the worst part of it? I haven't learned a darn thing! When I got back in the car to go home after the t-ball game, I rolled through 2 more stop signs! I can't seem to help it!!! Today though, I have to say that I'm much more aware of my car and it's proximity to the stop sign.

Baby steps.

As we crossed the crosswalk, Andon yells, "There's the police man that pulled us over!" I turn and with my sweetest smile and miss America wave, (elbow elbow, wrist wrist) I wave at him. And then under my breath I mutter, "Take that Mr Officer Sir! Now do ya feel guilty?"

That'll show him. You don't ticket a sweet YOUNG mother. Shame on you.

Baby steps. Baby steps.

Lots of Prickles Later

I've been in desperate need of new photos of my ninos to put in picture frames. I've finally succeeded, but not after traipsing through weeds and losing out to many pouty faces. Andon was great, surprisingly, but I think it was because I took him out alone. He was much more agreeable. I did the same with Zak, however he wasn't so enthused. However, after much of this....



We finally achieved this. Thank heaven cuz that was all I was getting out of him!







Next photo project...Brittnee. Maybe by fall I'll have everyone's photos done and in frames, just in time to call them school pictures. Hey, that's not a bad idea!

Blog Printing

I know...Two posts in two days!!! It's like the old days when I was first blogging. I couldn't get enough of it!

So this is for all you who have asked me about how Doug printed my blog for so cheap- namely Kim and Kimberley. Okay, so here's how he did it:

He went through sharedbook but he doesn't remember if there is a dot com attached to that, so just google sharedbook. So for $2.95 you can get it converted into a pdf format. You may have to do some adjusting for pages after they send it back to you. I asked him if Kinkos just printed and bound it for him, and he said that they charge by the color print, unless you want it black and white, but who wants that?, and it was going to cost him about the same as if he just had this other company print it, so he just printed it himself, right off the good ole laser printer. Granted that's almost 200 pages, but he said it was much cheaper. THEN he took it and had it bound at Kinkos. Super cheap! As I'm not looking for anything fancy, this suited me just fine. I just wanted it in print, so this was a great way to go if you're just looking to get it into print. He put a nice cover on it. It's a picture of Andon, and a back cover as well. If I wasn't so lazy I'd take a picture and show you, but I don't want to sift through the 200 files on my memory card for one little ole picture.
I know... (shake of the head)

Joe and Elle

Elle asked me to take some pictures of her and Joe, which I was happy to do! You don't have to ask ME twice:) I'm sorry I'm just getting around to editing them, it's been a crazy week! As I was doing so, I couldn't help smiling as you guys are so darn cute! Elle, your spunk definitely comes through in the photos and I have to say that I had the most fun editing these!! So let me know when you want these. Hopefully I can email them out to you, but I never know if the file is going to be super huge. I need to ask my tech guy (aka Doug) Or, if you have a Ritz Camera near you, I'll just upload to a file there. So I've decided to post most of the pictures so that you can decide which ones you want...or if you want some done in B&W...or if you want the ones I did in B&W in the regular color....whatever. You decide. I'll give you all of them, but if there's a particular picture you want something done with, then call me or email me: kristin_bassett@ymail.com. Or I can ship you a disc. But that may be a while:) I am fast approaching senility.
Hope you like them! (crossing my fingers)
(To see the photo full size, just click on it.)


















I have to say that this is one of my favorites. When it's blown up, you can really see the sweet smile on Joe's face. I just love it!!

Mother's Day Gift

My sweet husband, who reads my blog and read it's last post, decided to do just that- publish my blog for me. That's right, I have all 115 posts on hard copy! I now know what the rest of you feel after you've gotten yours done. I realized that I had posted entries on my life and my family life for over a year! I have never permanently stuck with journaling, or anything that kept up on my life, so to have the evidence in my hand of this very thing, well, it was just an extraordinary feeling.

Doug first checked out having it done like a book, but he said they wanted $95 to do that, but to put it in a pdf format was like $2.95. So he did that, then took it and had it spiral bound. Even all the wonderful comments you all have made over the last year are included! Very clever and thrifty on his part I have to say!

I spent the better part of the afternoon reading through the entries that I had wrote. Doug took the kids outside and let me have a moments peace. He wouldn't let me do any housework, and actually told me to put the broom down and sit down. He cooked dinner and did the dishes. I am so lucky!! Thanks babe! You're awesome!!!

I have how many posts?

Okay, SERIOUSLY...I need to publish. I had no idea that I have 114 posts since I started this blog last January. Has it been a year already???

Good grief.

So I started wondering what I wrote in the very first post on this blog, so I tracked through the archives, (like it was that difficult:) and rediscovered a rather funny story I had taken from one of my favorite books. After reading it I thought, "Wow, I really have entered into a new phase of life with the kids. I'm able to LEAVE the oldest two with the youngest two when I have to run to the store, or if Doug and I want to take 2 hours to ourselves...guess what, WE CAN." It's really quite nice!

So here's my first post ever. You'll understand why I mentioned leaving the kids to go to the store BY MYSELF now, and what a treat it truly is. When I first wrote, I wasn't in this next stage of the game, the one where you have older slaves, uuhhhh....I mean..CHILDREN, so it's been fun to see how our family has changed. Thank heaven those days of diapers are over! Loved the kids when they were that young, but when someone asks me if I wish for another baby, Texas can hear it when I say, "NO WAY!!!!"

Saturday's Fun

I wanted to read the book before I went to the show so Amber lent it to me. I ended up liking Elphaba immensely!! I couldn't wait to see how the show would follow the book. And it was somewhat close. I know there are some who read it and thought it was vulgar, and unfortunately, though I was warned to skip one particular paragraph, it happened so fast, it was such a miniscule paragraph that I didn't realize I'd just read the part I was warned about. Duh.

But by midway through, there wasn't anything I thought should be avoided and so I enjoyed the rest of the book. In fact, when we saw the show yesterday and Elphaba entered the stage, I wanted to jump out of my seat and yell, "I'm with you! I know the truth now!!" However, I refrained. Cori thanks me I'm sure as I was sitting next to her.

The show was so amazing!!! I haven't been to something like this in years. And I mean YEARS. There was some great dry humor which was unexpected but added such fun and warmth to the show. Even Doug laughed, and that's hard to do. All in all, it was fabulous!! I would recommend it highly to anyone, and I actually prefer this storyline to the original Wizard of Oz. I just loved Elphaba!!!! Very very very good show!

I just wish that I would have bought the "POPULAR" shirt:) That part in the show was just so darn funny!!!

The Next Victims- BWOOO- HA HA

I took the kids out a week ago to try and get some pictures, as the ones that are on my wall are from a year ago. The boys were a nightmare, Britt was pretty good and would let me shoot her but would pull jokes like putting her fingers behind her sister and other such things. (shake of the head.) But Teaghan let me shoot her and didn't complain. How I love having an older daughter who will do what I say with just a couple MINOR bribes!
These are some I took of her and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I know it's not really in good taste to brag, but she's just so darn cute!







The few my kids did sit through without griping.


Can you see the look on Andon's face? I've taken so many photos that he doesn't take anything serious anymore! I was laughing so hard that the girls turned to see what was so funny. One of the 'joyful accidents' I so love. (note the sarcasm)



I love my Britt! I remember this stage well in childhood. You know, the awkward teeth stage? Yep, you're looking at my mouth as a kid right there. You're welcome Britt.



I finally got around to editing my niece's photos today as well. Check out the AMAZING blue eyes! It's too bad I don't know how to blow up a picture full size on the blog cause these little ones just don't do those eyes justice.













You'll be happy to note, Melissa, that I airbrushed out the owie between the eyes, and all bugars:)

New Pictures of a new baby!

So my friend Kim asked me to take photos of her new baby, Lyla Rose. (Love that name!!) I wanted to share a couple of my favorites. Keep in mind that I am really not a photographer, just wish I was one. Kim's put a bug in my ear about starting my own business, which I'm not sure if I'll ever do, but thanks be to her for the vote of confidence! Granted I would love to take some classes, but I'm not sure how great I would be even if I had said classes:) But there's something to be said for putting your name on something. As I was just contemplating how great it would be to actually be AWESOME at something, such as photography, and what I would name my business if I ever had one, it really got me thinking: What would I name it?
I was watching a movie the other day, and bodda bing- there was my answer! Right from the lips of John Cusack. I think I would call it, SERENDIPITY, meaning (to me that is) a Joyful Accident. So much of the time I take photos on purpose, but it's when I stop posing and just take them, the 'accidents' turn out so much better! I suppose that's why I love taking photos of kids and families, because some of the greatest moments have not been on purpose, or posed. Those moments have just been caught, or, if you will, a Joyful Accident. I love when that happens!

Thus, Serendipity it would be, and I couldn't resist putting those words on EVERY picture! LOL Seriously, there's something to be said for putting one's name on one's creativity. It's been such fun!

Here's Kim's beautiful children!















Tomorrow, on to editing photos of my niece. Hopefully. If I have a couple of hours:)
(visualize me prostrate on the chair.)

The Chatty Cathy's

Yesterday was a really long day. We were at T-ball's opening ceremonies that started at the bright hour of 7:30, and as much as I had been 'catching some rays' the day before, that day had the promise of being seriously cold. And it was. Andon's game was at 10am so in the interim of the parade of flags and game time, we got some breakfast. Then onto the game, a birthday party, and the endless shopping for track shoes. Gosh Teaghan is picky! And seriously, I won't pay $50 bucks for shoes that she's going to wear through these next couple of months. I don't even pay $50 for shoes for myself! (I always hit the sales.) Needless to say, we didn't get back until late afternoon. I was exhausted from my previous insane week, and so were the kids, so everybody went to bed early last night. I tell you this so that you can fully appreciate what's coming.

At about midnight, I wake up to a dog barking, and as I continue to listen, I hear people talking. I thought, "oh great, there's a responsible pet owner who is shutting their dog up." HA....NO. And NO. They just keep talking. And what's worse, you can hear every word. It's like listening to cranky cowboys who've been on their horse a TAD bit too long.
I walk outside because I realize the other part of the bed is empty. I walk out back and I see him silhouetted against the light from the neighbor's yard. He's just standing there. We talk about why he's outside, when he's coming in, that sort of stupid midnight conversation. I then say, "really, if you're not going to say anything just come in and go to bed. It's pointless to just aim invisible daggers through the fence." (shake of the head)

So he finally says something, really nicely about it being midnight and some people are trying to sleep. THEY COMPLETELY IGNORE HIM. They are talking so loud that I think they just didn't hear him. So he says it again. And a third time. A THIRD TIME!!! Finally, they say ok, and then start talking again. Suddenly we hear a guy yell, and I mean YELL, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS! But in Spanish. They sort of heard that cause they dropped it a bit. So we commiserated with the neighbor for a few seconds about the idiocy of some 'other' neighbors, told each other to have a good night, and went inside. Luckily they stopped talking 5 minutes after that cause I don't know what Doug would've done. The neighbor who was annoyed just as much as we were suggested to call the cops, but really... one must live peacefully with one's neighbors.

I miss the people who used to live in that house. It was much quieter then.

T-Ball

Doug and I have always wanted to put Andon in Little League, just to see how he would do. I mean, shouldn't every kid try their hand at this all-american sport? I think for me though, it was just seeing him in uniform. The kid is too darn cute!!!

Seriously, look at that face!!



Here they are huddling up. Andon is at the back, not really sure what's going on.



This one I love! Hand over the face...I know he's thinking, "What have my parents gotten me into this time."



Running the bases. I think he's cute just running the bases! And he's not even into full uniform. (sigh)





Here's a fun chronology of events. This is our T-Ball money at work right here people. Andon's supposed to be 'fielding' in the outfield.



In Andon's Mind.....

"Dad bought me some really cool baseball shoes. They did really well in the grass. I wonder how far apart I can spread my feet."



"Wow, my shoes are super cool! I can spread my legs SOOO wide and I don't fall over...."



And lastly, when there is no action, as there rarely is in T-Ball, at least as far as distance is concerned, this is what happens. The other parents and I had a good laugh over this last picture.



Here's Andon throwing the ball. The coach is trying to get the kids to step left and throw right, if you're right handed that is. Andon is still stepping right and throwing right. But look at the energy he gave that throw. Not bad. He just needs to aim now.




The coach played in the minor leagues at one point, and as I was watching him work with the kids, he really does know what he's doing. He's just one of those guys who have the look of a baseball player. He could be standing in a crowd of people and you would say, 'I bet that guy was a professional baseball player.' And you would be right. Or maybe, you're just like me and used to be wildly attracted to baseball players. Perhaps that's why I married Doug. He was pretty darn muscular when he was younger. Boy oh boy I had the hots for that boy!







By the end of practice I was amazed at the fact that the coach didn't get whacked in the head with the bat. After all, we are dealing with 5 year olds here. I kept thinking that he was really brave or just really trusting. I would've put that baseball on there and ran away at least 10 feet.
We do need to work on Andon's hitting technique.



Once they hit the last ball, they have to run to first base.





Is this the look of sheer joy?! He's loving this! There is such an amazing feeling when you see your child happy. There are only a few things better than that! Gosh I love my camera! I can sit 20 feet away so he doesn't even realize I'm taking pictures of him, and still get great shots.



Dearest Nikkon, you allow me to get some great shots of my son. I can never repay you. Even though you were frightfully expensive, I will love you always. I pledge my right arm and leg if you should ever 'stray,'(aka get lost), for that is what my husband will demand of me.
Love always,
your devoted owner