My son the Mustang - #13

Dominic has been so excited to play football this year. He went to weight training over the summer at 7 a.m. every day, practiced with the older kids and spent time learning the plays. The coach has put him in as the kicker, first string corner back and second string wide receiver.


This is Dom's first kickoff in a game - Sunrise Mountain Mustangs (Dom's high school) vs. Deer Valley High. The video below shows nothing you can really see unfortunately...the sun was facing us and my camera doesn't have a setting to offset the sunlight. Although you can't actually see him or the ball due to my photography skills, you can hear the two girls vying for his attention right now - both the cheerleaders in the corner of the video. The new object of his affection is Lexie - the brunette. He's kicking about 30-40 yards pretty consistently which is pretty decent for a freshman kicker from what I understand. They don't kick field goals at this level....apparently there aren't many kickers that can actually kick field goals, so the teams always go for the 2 pt. conversion.


We lost this game pretty miserably.....I think the final score was 60-30....tough loss for the boys but they get better every week. The amount they lose by decreases every week, so I suppose that shows improvement, right?

Dom's first day of high school

The presence of these pictures almost brings you up to date. Below are the pics from Dom's first day in HIGH SCHOOL. Yes, he's a freshman. Yes, it is impossible that I have a child old enough to attend HIGH SCHOOL, but he went and defied me and did it anyway :) You would have been proud - I kept my tears in check and sent my baby off to play with the big kids - literally.

Dominic - so handsome!

Lookin' good for the ladies!

Kevin and Dominic

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

So, I've been singing Twinkle Twinkle to the kids since the day they were born. Really only because as a new mom it was the only thing I could remember. It seems as though every nursery rhyme I had ever heard disappeared from my memory. It was twinkle, twinkle or nothin'. And, I didn't sound "pitchy" when I sang it!

Noah sings to himself every now and then, but it's usually the ABC song. I guess he must have been listening this whole time - who knew he knew the words? Turn the volume up and enjoy. This is Noah's debut as a singer :)

Look at the big boy....

Guess who figured out how to climb out of his crib....apparently Noah was a great teacher. Needless to say, the big boy beds have made their arrival. Big boy beds are just as hard to keep them in in the beginning, but Zane is getting the hang of it. Noah is obsessed with Lightening McQueen so he was more than happy to go to bed. Zane goes to his room and makes the "ka-chow" noise from the movie. How is my baby big enough for this?

Checking in....

Hi all - It's been a couple days and I have fallen off the face of the earth. I'm back now, and laughing at life. We've had an interesting week....

First, we found out we have termites. Not such a big deal considering the climate we live in, but a pain and expensive to deal with. And gross - have you ever really seen a termite? Although small, those things are creepy looking!

Next, my car broke down. I figure no big deal because I've never really had to spend a whole lot of money on my trusty little Honda. Bad starter. Oh well, I think to myself. Replacing it now means I don't have to replace it for another 6 years, right? Then came the big one....

Labor Day dawned nice and sunny. We took the boys to the Zoo as it was only supposed to be 102 outside (which in comparison is cool compared to the humid 110 we've had recently). We spent the better part of the day lounging in the sun and came home exhausted to a very warm home. Turns out our A/C unit died. A long, costly, painful death. After 3 days of no A/C (did you know your house can be hotter inside than out?) we were able to get the unit replaced. We are now living in the lap of A/C luxury.

I suppose I bring all this up not to make you feel sorry for me, but as I spent the better part of a week feeling sorry for myself and all my misfortune I realized it could be so much worse. I have so much to be thankful for, and so many people to say thank you to....but each day passes without saying the words.

I read an article on azcentral.com (http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/09/08/20080908nie0908-CP.html) today about a woman who uses this very blogging site to keep in touch with her family (nienie diologues.blogspot.com) For whatever reason her blog has a little following....she's a mom with 4 kids and loves being a mom. Life for her is crazy, but she blogs about indulging in the little things for her kids. Unfortunately, her and her husband were in a plane crash a month ago - and survived. Both are in critical condition with severe burns, but are expected to live. In an instant their lives changed. Reading this woman's story - and visiting her blog has shown me how fast life can change. Talk about wanting to change your life and living it with real perspective. This story - and the stories of others close to me have made me want better...for everyone.

So, to all my dear friends and family - I love you. I thank you for your love, support and friendship. I hope in some way you find the same peace I am learning to find as we navigate our ways through our crazy lives.

I'll post some more pictures soon - but only because I promised Shannon and Amber :)

I love you!
Love, Rhonda