Stitches, Pumpkins and Princess Leia!

Tuesday night, Lelu was being dropped off after YW and the wind blew the car door shut on her right index finger. She was too embarrassed to let her leader know that she was really injured and ran bleeding around the house impatiently banging on the doors to let her in and bawling her eyes out. It was nasty enough looking that B took her to the ER and she came home with 4 stitches and a very black and blue finger around midnight.

The next day, I took the kids to the pumpkin patch as promised - even though it was slightly raining. The drizzle turned out to be a good thing because they picked their pumpkins in less than 10 minutes. I need to remember that.

Friday night, B & I had plans with our good friends to go to a dueling piano bar. Lelu had a birthday party to go to, so I told D he was our babysitter. He was not very happy about it, to say the least. Apparently, King Karma was on his side because half hour before we were to leave, our friends scored tickets to Star Wars in Concert at the Delta Center. Enough for us and the twins. D was free to go socialize and we left and headed downtown. B was not excited for two reasons. He wasn't feeling very good and he doesn't like symphonies. We were all totally impressed. C3PO (Anthony Daniels) hosted it. It was all the music from Star Wars with a giant screen behind it playing all the highlights with a really cool light and laser show. I love live music! And I got to laugh at the goofballs who dress up to go to these kinds of things. It made me go hunt down my super cool Princess Leia 3rd grade school picture too. I've humiliated myself for your viewing pleasure............even though I was only 8! Dueling piano bar will be saved for date night another weekend.

I Believe in Reincarnation!

Okay, so hear me out.......For those of you who have known B and I since we got married, this story is old news to you. For those who haven't I'll give you a brief synopsis......

B has an unbelievable ability to keep dogs alive for much longer than they should be. When we got married he had this dog named Kizzy. She looked like a black golden retriever. I think she was 15 when we got married and I'm pretty sure she stayed alive this long in order to TORTURE me. She couldn't hear, had horrible fleas (in CA), disgusting tumors all over her, stunk to high heaven and found ways to get in the house. She leaned against the walls to walk and left a gross greasy black line along each one. I could not scrub it off with anything! She pushed through the screen door at night in order to sleep next to our bed and I would wake up smelling her. 20 years later and I can smell her like it was yesterday. She lived until around 17 yrs old and died one month after we bought our own house and left her with B's brother Jeff. I don't think that was a coincidence. B & Jeff made sure that she tormented me up until her body was buried in the Santa Monica mountains at 4 am......that's another story for another time. I used to say that Jeff would never get married until Kizzy died because NO ONE could stand her. And he started dating Christina 6 months later. She has no idea how lucky she is!

Flash forward 3 years when we moved to UT and decided to get our own dog. I wanted a really cute younger pup and B said he felt like Roxie was the one, she was a little older. Since he is the dog lover, I let him decide. I should have figured it out 15 years ago..........Roxie is Kizzy.

Here are my reasons: 1.They both are completely neurotic during storms and fireworks 2. Even though they are outside dogs, they think it's their right to bolt into the house anytime they please 3. They both can open doors to let themselves into the house 4. They both destroy doors 5. They live to ruin my sleep. 6. They are both determined to TORTURE me. 7. They both have disgusting tumors in their old age. 8. They are both deaf in their old age. 9.Roxie has the same longevity, she is 15!

Last Monday was a particularly trying night for me. There was a storm and Roxie did a total number on my door before I woke up and kenneled her. I could not go back to sleep and I laid there planning my visit to the vet to have her teeth pulled out and her front paws declawed. Pure fantasy, of course, because my husband is Dr. Doolittle and would never let me put her through it. The next morning, let me just say I used up my quota of swear words for the year (the kids were still asleep, I ranted for B only).

I have a list of books that I want to read that are highly rated on GoodReads - some I know nothing about but if it's available at the library, I check it out. Later that day, I started a new book called "The Art of Racing in the Rain". It is a novel narrated by a dog. Yes, a dog! I couldn't help but see the irony in this. In the book, he talks about how he is ready to be human after he is reincarnated. He tells a story of a Mongolian documentary about "Dog's souls leaving their body waiting to be reincarnated into another body when it is time". But some dogs just remain dogs and keep coming back as dogs. (I don't buy the becoming human part) Of course, that dog only lived to 10..... There you have it! Kizzy's soul just waited around to enter Roxie's body!

So I ask, "What is my lesson in this?" I myself will NEVER get another dog. She can't take over Lucy or Izzie's body - so if I don't ever get another one, I am safe! However, I am worried about my posterity. Esp. my boys who don't like dogs either. My girls are like B, they LOVE dogs. D and Mr. T will need to watch out and not marry anyone who is a dog lover in order to be safe. That is why I am blogging about this.......help me keep them safe!

In my new house, Roxie can see into my kitchen. Her life consists of WATCHING me (so creepy that I can hardly explain. I call her CUJO), pooping, eating and sleeping - with a frequent freak out chewing the crap out of my no longer beautiful wood doors. I am sure she will live at least 2 to 3 more years and eventually chew all the way through the door. Lord, help me!

Homecoming 2009! The First Dance He Did the Asking:

Here are a few of D's photos. I don't know why the one in the middle is so small. I pirated these from facebook because he loaded them on there but not onto my computer. Presently he is in Cedar City at the Shakespeare Festival with his camera so I can't get them off his memory card.

It was a couple weeks ago, so I thought I better get writing about it.

He took a very nice Senior named Jessica to the dance. They group dated with 12 other couples. Yes, 26 kids went all together! They went on their day date to the Children's museum and the Gateway and then to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. They wanted to BBQ at our house, but with my ongoing construction, I really did not want to host 26 kids for dinner. Afterwards, they ended up at one of the girls houses to play "murder in the dark". He said it was one of the funnest nights ever.

Mr.T has caught Football Fever

Because he isn't old enough yet for tackle football, he played another year of flag football. At the beginning of the season, I won't sugar coat it- his team was Horrible! They didn't know where to run or who to block or even how to play the game. Last night was their last game, and boy have they improved. B usually takes him to his games on Tues nights. I call Tuesday, "Terrible Tuesday" because I am in my car nonstop driving to and from activities from 3 to 7:30. No joke! B and I even have to divide and conquer. Usually I take Ari to gymnastics and he takes Mr. T to football. A couple of days ago, he and Ari decided it was time for him to come watch gymnastics. Of course on the COLDEST night so far and I was still nursing a cold. Waa waa waa, I know. But I was so glad I went because not only was Mr. T responsible for pulling 3 flags, he made 2 touchdowns. The second one was from the other end of the field. It was super cute, because his teammate Gavin followed right next to him and blocked every kid from getting his flag. Yay! They get how to play the game! He was on fire and running faster and playing harder than I've ever seen him. It's all in his motivation. And no, I did not have the video camera (I NEVER have the video camera). D is a video camera hog with all of his important bloody and violent videos he likes to make.

Come picture day, we had just taken our family pictures where I learned that Mr. T has a "Chandler Bing" smile. Did you see the Friends where he and Monica were taking engagement photos and every time they'd say smile, he'd pull an awful fake smile? Well, Mr. T definitely has that curse! Anyway, I told him when he went to take his picture that tough football players don't smile, they look tough. So the individual photo is his "tough look" and then he couldn't help but pull his "Chandler smile" in the group photo.

Next year, when he starts tackle, my friend Sharon and I are lobbying very hard for B to coach. That way our best bud boys can play together and they'll get in some good play time too. It's a big commitment, so we'll see if he can tear himself away from work for a few months. D would have had a MUCH better football experience if he had B coaching him instead of Coach Evil. And I don't know if you all know, but B's helmet was retired and cut in half and is on display at Westlake High because he was such an awesome player - He CAN coach and coach well, I am sure! Stay tuned....