Mom and Dad Visit Turkeyville

It had been 3 years since my Mom had been to visit and 4 years since my Dad had been here.  We talked them into coming for a visit during one of my favorite times of year....I'm sure you know by now. ;0)  We had such a great visit.  There was a lot of hanging out because the weather turned so bad, but this helped us to have time for some fix-it projects.  My Dad got my boys involved in going around the house to see what needed to be fixed and making lists and then shopping for the needed items and then the fun fixing part.  My Dad also showed J how to take care of the lawn and all the weeds we are growing in it and got him set up so that he had a plan to carry out after he went back home.  He also taught the boys about working first and then playing.  My parents were here for the infamous show choir auditions.  We got to cheer E on in a soccer game in south valley where the parents are a little too intense for my taste.  We were a little worried about getting shanked.  We also came away from that experience with a new favorite word, pansy.  That is because one of the Dad's sitting next to us kept calling our kids that.  It was such a lovely experience.  These were 8 year old boys playing.  At one point after yelling at the kids for not being good enough and threatening to take them home if they weren't going to take the game serious and cussing at them (they were kicking our butts royally btw)  one of the players lost a shoe and kept on running and kicking the ball.  This pansy word loving Dad yells out about 50 times "that's how we raise em!"  Oh brother!  Yea, we raise our kids to get kicked 20-0, bunch a pansies! **eyes rolling and much sarcasm** Anyhoooo, My Mom was eating up the attention that Jordy was giving her.  There was game playing, baking and nightly reading for her school work and just generally talking Grammy's ear off.  We went to balloon fiesta and I took my parents to a monument right up the street.  We also put on a musical talent show to showcase all the kids talents.  They even got to be here when E finally got to pick out a violin for consistently practicing the piano.  E got a captive audience for showing off his new instrument. He is so darn cute about finally being able to have something he has longed to have for several months now.  Oh and we showed my parents the joys of a home theater.  We had so much fun and it was super sad to see them go.  We can't wait for the next visit.  

Prime Real-Estate

This post should have been before the others, but oh well.  I guess this is what happens when you get behind.  The first 2 days of the fiesta were gorgeous and perfect.  We have some pretty prime real-estate for balloon watching.  We just walk out in our backyard and see all the balloons taking off from the park.  Depending on the direction of the winds the balloons will come right over our house.  This was a good day for us because it brought the balloons right to us.  They get so close when they are looking for somewhere to land that you can wave to them and talk to them.  If you look closely you can see J waving to the people in the left bottom pic.  Nate and I decided to take the dogs for a walk and almost missed all the action that happened on our street.  Luckily J was home and grabbed my camera and got some pics to document the balloon landing a couple houses up the street from us.  We got there just in time to see the kids getting to play with the basket and the burners.  We also got to run into my brother-in-law's Dad because he was out balloon chasing and headed for the action.  That was a fun little surprise.  The ballooners were so friendly and kind to our kids.  What an awesome experience we had.  Have I mentioned....we love balloons! :0)

Ballooooons!

Another Balloon Fiesta has come and gone in the land of enchantment.  this one was extra special because we got to spend it with Grammy and Grampy, my parents.  I teased my parents because the day they flew in the weather got horrible and the clouds and rain descended upon us.  My parents are from Wa state, so it seemed like a logical conclusion to me. :0)  All my talk of sunshine and blue skies was nowhere to be found and I was beginning to think that balloon fiesta would be a bust this year.  There were a couple of days that we readied ourselves just incase the weather was going to clear only to be dissapointed.  Then the clouds parted and we finally heard the news we had been waiting for.... that the weather should be good for the final day of the fiesta.  So we got up at 5am and headed to the field with our fingers crossed along with several thousand other people.  It was so crowded!  We took in our own yummy donuts this year and got some hot chocolate and settled in for a beautiful morning of balloon watching.  I am so happy that my parents were able to experience it.  Everyone should at least once!  

Pomp and Circumstance

A couple of weeks ago the kids had Show Choir tryouts.  Last year J was terrified and was hardly able to pull off a rendition of "Happy Birthday."  Even though he pulled it together he didn't make it, but was told that if he worked on his confidence and picked a different song he would make it in this year for sure.  He waffled back and forth as to whether or not he would tryout again this year and in the final hour was convinced by the teacher who rejected him last year to tryout.  So, he practiced and practiced his song and gave himself several pep talks to help him with his stage fright. On the night when his turn was called, he bounded up the stage and went right into his song without missing a beat.  He sounded really good, and I'm not just his Mom saying that!  He really did.  He forgot where he was in the song at the end, but still did a great job.  His confidence in his doing what he needed to make it in was pretty high.  MJ of course pulled out another great performance herself and she has made it in the previous 2 years so we excepted no less this year.  On Monday morning the list was posted in the hallway.........

J didn't make it again this year!  I couldn't believe it.  MJ couldn't believe it.  His friends that were there couldn't believe it.  Word had even gotten around school how awesome he did.  I was there the night of tryouts.  My ears were bleeding from a night of listening to some kids that really should not think of singing as in their future.  We of course felt some devastation and anger at the news.  There were kids on the list that did horribly and 2 especially that made it last year and couldn't sing -like really can't sing- that made it again this year.  Who were they?  The directors son and his girlfriend.  Now, do I believe that the director can place anyone he wants on this club that he wants for any reason he sees fit?  Yes.  What I have a problem with is the lengths to which he convinced my son to tryout.  Bigger still was...... The 5 min display of pomp and circumstance.  He felt it necessary to disclose that his son would be trying out but that there were 3 judges so his kid wouldn't automatically make it in and he had to tryout like everybody else and how fair this was yadda, yadda, yadda.  Nepotism is fine and I completely expect it.  All he had to say was "Hey, I'm here after school so my kid is going to be here with me and btw he really wants his girlfriend here too.  Great.  His prerogative.  What frosts my cookies is the 5 min he spent babbling on trying to convince us otherwise.  

J handled it like a champ, and some things just aren't meant to be.  He also worked really hard at overcoming a fear and now knows that this is something he can do.  Great valuable lessons learned.  I just upsets me when people that can't be honest with themselves and with everyone else.  Honesty is the best policy, and in the end, gets you into far less trouble.  Integrity is so undervalued.