Yeah, I'm hot-blooded...

...check it and see. Feel the fever burning inside of me. That Foreigner song is running through the brain looking at the following pics.


First off, all you Twilighters out there...... If you haven't seen it already, check out the Wolf Pack from New Moon (book 2). Oh My! The movie comes out in November and I think I want to see this one more than the first because it's my favorite book. Contrary to most fans, I am Team Jacob all the way, more like team werewolf. I really like Stephanie Meyer's version of the brotherhood of the wolfpack, their special abilities, etc. I'll take the kind, hot-blooded man over a cold, brooding vampire any day. Come to think of it, I do! (love ya babe!)









Speaking of my hot-blooded man, here he is during his race last Saturday. For his first open water swim he did a great job. I was a little bummed that I couldn't be there. Thanks to his friend Brad we can all get a glimpse of race day. Dave swam as part of a triathlon relay team that didn't show up, but he got to race anyway. So he learned that training in a pool is a lot different than swimming in open water with a bunch of people packed in like sardines. The first glimpse I got when Dave got home was him shuffling to the door like an old man because his calves were so tight from cramping up. Because everyone was so close at the start he had to swim more upright with his head out of the water which was a lot more kicking than normal. It sounds like my kind of swimming. I'm so used to wimping out by keeping my head out of the water so the contacts don't slip off my eyes. I never have liked getting my eyes and ears in the water. I guess that's what goggles and a cap are for, eh?Giving a wave in the middle of the sardines. :)
The new wet suit worked wonders in this chilly water.

I'm glad Dave was pleased with his swim and had a great weekend (except for some minor drama). We sure missed him a ton! It was nice to have him back on his side of the bed last night.

That reminds me...... Friday night was the first night Dave was gone and I had done laundry all day but ran out of time to fold it before we had company. We just piled it all on Dad's side of the bed and I planned on folding it before bed. That didn't happen so I snuggled with the pile of clothes instead of Dave that night. Logan did his usual 5 AM flyby of Dad's side of the bed for whatever reason. He stumbled over to me, I mumbled something about Daddy still being gone and Logan fell asleep on the floor right next me. In the morning, Logan looks at me with the most serious face and says, "Why was Daddy covered with all those clothes last night?!!" HA! He still didn't get it that Dad was gone/not sleeping at home for 2 nights.

strange feeling

Dr. Dave is gone for the weekend. It's weird to not have him home at night. The kids cried when he left this afternoon. I will admit I almost did too. The worry-wart in me thinks that something bad will happen while he is gone. He is having fun though.

Dave loves pig-tails, when the girls wear them and me too. ;) I thought I'd send him off in style this afternoon. I really should take the 10 minutes needed to do my hair more often. I felt a little different, a little fancier, all day. I know the Mister noticed my hair even if he didn't say anything. He was running around trying to pack while his friends waited for him in the living room, so it was understandably a little crazy. Dave has been working on 2 different things lately that have come together this weekend. First, he has been training to do a mini-triathalon the end of May. Holy smokes, it's May already. One of Dave's patients, who was going to participate in the Wildflower Triathlon in Monterey County this weekend, asked him to swim her leg of the relay. He is excited to try the new wet suit and do his first race tomorrow morning.

Second, Dave joined a chiropractic group that travels to various events around the area to provide support for the athletes and participants. He has done 2 events so far and is already seeing a little boost in business, which is the end goal. Plus Dave's having fun at what he does and that is the best part. His group had planned on going down to Wildflower to support the event before Dave knew he could swim, so he is stoked to do both!

Even though we miss our Dad/hubby tons, he is having a fun, productive weekend with colleages "camping" in a double wide trailer.

Dan & Lauren and Tom & Kristy came over for dinner and a movie to keep us company tonight. The kids love getting crazy with their uncles. They watched movies on the couch and played while the girls sewed in the kitchen. Kristy and Lauren made blankets for friends' babies and I started making rice bags for Dave to sell to patients.

After the kids went to bed and everyone left I realized how eerily quiet the house is right now. I actually stopped and thought about what I should do. It's too early for me to go to bed, especially after eating 3 chocolate chip cookies, and Dave's not home to talk to as usual. During the day when the laughing, screaming, fighting gets to be too much, I dream about time to myself with total silence. Now I have it and I'm a little lonely.

What should I do? My top choices are blog, (which I'm almost done with), wrap up in a cozy blanket and watch a chick flick without getting up to take care of someone else, read until I fall asleep in the precious silence. We'll see. I might do all three.

Typical morning lately

M: Logan would you like some oatmeal or cereal for breakfast?

L: Mmmm..... a meat sandwich!

M: So you want some oatmeal?

L: No, a meat sand-wich!

M: You can have a meat sandwich for lunch. We're having oatmeal if you don't decide.

L: Okay....oatmeal.

M: Do you want cinnamon in it?

L: Gross.

* 5 minutes later when oatmeal has cooled *

M: Mr. Cooper! Here's your oatmeal.

L: Bop (my nickname), I'm NOT eating this oatmeal. (Grrrrrrrrrrr!)

M: Eat your oatmeal. It's got brown sugar in it.

L: I HATE brown sugar!

M: No you don't. That's what cookies are made of.

L: I hate it!

This kid is beyond frustrating with food sometimes. He finally realized the oatmeal on the table was his only breakfast.

I am a picture nerd. Capturing part of my kids personalities, catching that elusive smile that I fell in love with from the Mister, or freezing a moment in time that would otherwise be forgotten makes me so happy.

We were leaving Toby's Music for Minors concert at J's school last night when we walked past this cool mural wall. I had to stop for a few snaps. When I glanced at this picture in the camera last night I couldn't wait to get it up on the screen. I love it. This is so Toby.Sydney discovered airplanes last week at Toby's T-ball game. Whenever we are outside now she points up and says, "Pay!" for airplane. She knows the sound of an approaching jet and won't stop until we find where it is in the sky. This is what happens when all the kids except Syd see an airplane. I didn't even see until later that it looks like Syd has a halo above her head. It's appropriate since she is our sweet angel. All the kids love showing her new things and rejoice with Mom and Dad in her milestones. Kids are the best!

We had one of those bounce-from-one thing-to-the-next days yesterday. I think we were home for about 3 hours all day. I'm glad my schedule does not demand more of those days. I really don't mind having nothing pressing to do and making my own schedule for the day.

We started with a trip to Home Depot with Uncle Tom (my brother) to buy new countertops and kitchen sink for an apartment. Tom is doing all the work I can get for him here at the apartments. It's a slow time for construction so he's grateful for some work. I think Tom is almost done with all he needs for his contractor's license which is exciting!

On a related note, my Dad is still out of work in the same field. Construction is understandably slow in this economy, and Dad has been looking since the beginning of the year. Toby always remembers to "bless Grandpa Bob that he can get a cool new job" in his prayers.

Between piano lessons for Jess and her friend Jaime, errands, T-ball, and Toby's concert last night we were running the rest of yesterday. It's feels good to be busy and super productive sometimes.

the question box

Mr. Cooper enjoying some Veggie Chili and his canned-goods race car track. He had cans swirled all over the table and was driving cars on top of them because I asked him not to scrape the cars along the table.

This boy is made of chili lately. He asks for it all the time, but I draw the line at chili and chips for breakfast. That is just wrong. So I was not surprised when he came to me at 11 AM holding a can of Trader Joe's Vegetarian Chili and asked if he could eat his "mechanical chili" now. I had a good giggle about the word he substituted for vegetarian. Although there is definitely something mechanical about chili. For the record, it's pretty good as canned chili goes.
While driving home in the Jeep with the boys and Syd, Logan asks from the back seat, "Dad, where does Chinese food come from?"

Dad: China.

Logan: No, what animal does it come from?

Dad: Oh, chicken and pigs and cows and ducks....

Logan: And Pandas?

Dad: No, people aren't supposed to eat Panda's, buddy.

Logan: Then how come there was a picture of a Panda on that sign?

Then I realized we just passed Panda Express where we have gone for Chinese food before. Smart kid. ;)