Adios Superliga.

Oh man. Ok I know most of you don't have a CLUE what I'm talking about but one of my birthday gifts was a ticket to tonight's game (FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy). We should have won in a landslide. Our team is head over heals better than theirs. We sit down, enjoy some snacks and drinks... sing the national anthem... yadda yadda yadda.. get all excited to cheer our team to victory... 20 mins later, the score is LA Galaxy 4, FC Dallas NADA. Horrible. Thankfully at halftime we had at least scored one goal and then by the end of the game the score was 6-5 so our team had a great comeback, but COME ON!! So, long story short, they are out of the Superliga (4 best Mexican teams vs. 4 best?? MLS (major league soccer) teams. The prize was a million bucks. That would have been nice..

A big thank you!

Thanks Tib, for my new Blog header! :) You're so thoughtful!

Spanish

That's my next goal. I'd love to learn Spanish. How do I go about that, besides watching games on Telefutura? I quiz Nathan on vocabulary all the time but are there any programs that you can do yourself to start the process? I want to take a class at some point but would like to get a headstart. Growing up in San Antonio helped somewhat but I need to actually UNDERSTAND and SPEAK the language. Recommendations anyone?

How about a night off of the diet? Maybe 2?

Dinner tonight is likely going to be at OLIVE GARDEN. Yum... I'm looking forward to a little bit of this...


Nathan's going to be out of town for my birthday on Wednesday and we're going to the game tomorrow so why not start the food fest early? right?

SuperLiga!!

Yes, that's our current obsession. We're attending tomorrow's game, FC Dallas vs LA Galaxy. And, for the record, we don't CARE that Beckham isn't playing. We're just hoping for a bloody good thrashing against LA.

My Wonderful Companion

I often take my husband for granted. The more I talk to other women the more I realize what a gift he is. He loves me. I know that in itself isn't uncommon but it's priceless nonetheless. He respects me as an equal. He realizes (unlike many men) that a marriage is an equal partnership. He loves his kids and wants to spend time with them. He knows what is important.

Sharing in the housework is not a question. We both do our part. I can't believe how many women are shocked that Nathan does the laundry or cleans the floors. It seems pretty natural for us to simply do what needs to be done. Neither of us takes ownership in a household chore. If it needs to be done, we do it. Simple.

He works hard but puts his family first. This year I have been somewhat high maintenance for various reasons and he's really stepped up. Yesterday I took Morgan to a gymnastics event and he took the day off to be with the 2 littles. He took them to a play place with inflatables and he didn't just sit and watch them. He was right in the middle of things, going down the slide, jumping and being silly along with them.

Every year there is a daddy daughter dance at the community center and he looks forward to it. He orders corsages. He loves his girls. How attractive is that?





It doesn't hurt that he's pretty darn hot either! I am glad that we've had a wonderful 10 years together and I'm looking forward to the next 10 and beyond.

What a difference 2 years makes!

When I think about what I was doing a little less than 2 years ago, an image comes to mind. It looks somewhat like this.



My mother used to harass me because before Melody was born we called her "Oopsie". Most of my friends and family know that Maya was my 5th pregnancy and the result of quite a few visits to the Reproductive Endocrinologist. She was (and still is) a miracle. Just when I thought all of my miracles were used up and that our family was very much complete we were shocked with the news that we were going to have another baby. I doubted it for the longest time. I hadn't carried a pregnancy to term without intervention since Morgan and thought that this time would be the same. I was about 8 weeks along when I found out and my numbers were sky high. We couldn't believe it. I was in shock for most of my pregnancy. To be completely honest, I was so frightened and unsure how I would handle two kids so close together along with the demands of one in school/extra activites.
I will not lie. The first year was a doozie. But when all is going badly, it helped to have this to look at...



Melody has been the easiest, most outgoing baby/toddler. I think it's out of necessity. Her one issue is that she is very attached to her mom. Her mom complains sometimes, but she wouldn't trade her little "Oopsie" for anything.

The Money Pit

We got a list of fees tonight for the begining of competitive season for gymnastics. With about a dozen meets, monthly fees, leotard, warmup, etc... we're looking at incredible amounts of money. We're even at a gym that's considered reasonable. My kid is still SEVEN, right??? Holy cow. Remember the soccer days? 40 dollars for the entire SEASON??? Tell me it will be worth it. The kid is in love with her sport and doesn't ever complain.
Want to see a cool video? This is from March. She's so much better now. Mom bragging over.... for this post.

The age old question

Why do children KNOW your plans for the day and organize their sleep patterns to completely destroy it? I have a specific block of time today that requires a nap from both little kiddos and it's not looking good. Another question that needs answered is why my husband always travels on Tuesday, the day that is always the most busy for me? I'm a generally positive person but these two things continue to irk me. Now I'm going to say a little prayer that I can make things work today with 2 kids who don't like to stick with MY schedule. Of course, now I need to post pictures of them. Here they are in all their dancing glory. Oh yeah we know how to groove. Just for reference, they get all of their dancing skills from their father.

Who needs furniture when you have laundry baskets?

I have shared this picture with some people already but it's fast becoming a favorite of mine. They do this frequently. The get a pillow off the couch, hop in and cover themselves with a blanket to watch a movie. Melody sometimes throws in a few toys. My next house will have a bunch of laundry baskets and no couches.

Super-Maya

This is Maya's new favorite game. "Not now, Mom. I'm dead."


Then Morgan has to 'bury her'. She's totally limp, completely dead weight. (Morgan gets a kick out of this step of the game.)


Maya is one of the most amazing miracles that has ever graced this earth. She took her time getting here and it was a heck of a rollercoaster ride. I love that kid with all of my heart and soul. When she is in her element and is happy she is a joy. She entertains us constantly but I'll be darned if she isn't going to put me in an early grave. Bedtime is especially precious these days. Now if she would only stay in her bed and SLEEP.

Looks innocent doesn't she? Don't let her fool you!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

3:05 pm. Finished Reading. Wow. Thank you JK Rowling for entertaining me and wowing me with such an amazing, complex imagination. It's weird, not having a book to look forward to.

Early to bed, Early to rise

There are three reasons I wake up early. Here they are.



I decided after I had Melody that I was fed up with my weight and could either be fat or tired. I chose tired. Now I am in the habit of getting up at 5 - 5:30 am and going to the gym almost every morning. The only downside to this habit is that you are awake at this time on the weekends too! This would be ok but the gym doesn't open until 8am on Saturdays. I have actually looked into changing gyms for this very reason but the cheapness of my current gym keeps me where I am at. So here I am this morning, waiting for LA Fitness to open its doors. Only 1.5 hours more to go. Today will be an hour of elliptical and upper body weights.

Sports Fan

I don't know how it happened and I don't like ALL of them... but I have become very partial to a few sports. I've always had an affinity for basketball... Can I interject a "GO SPURS!!" here for a moment? Thanks.



I even own this..



Of course, the soccer fan in me was brought out by this man.


Finally, a growing love for gymnastics is being fostered by this budding olympian. Could I be any prouder?

Once a Nerd, Always a Nerd

Yes, it's true. Once you are a nerd, it's very hard to get out of nerd-dom. I am a nerd. I play the trumpet. I was in the marching band. I loved it. I miss playing my trumpet regularly.

This weekend I am mostly looking forward to the launch of the new Harry Potter book. It will most likely be read by Sunday night. My children will feel like they are being raised solely by their dad.

Last year's family picture was taken in FC Dallas fan-gear (see above picture). For those who are uneducated with the world's most popular sport, FC Dallas is our MLS (major league soccer) team. My most exciting event this week was running into Kenny Cooper at the local grocery store. For those who are unimpressed... here's Kenny. He's also played for the USA national team. I happened to be wearing my FC Dallas shirt at the time. How cool is that? For me, very cool!



And for good measure, here's a another year old picture of me in said shirt.