Nervous energy

From Payton track

Nervous energy is good for one thing.........winning.

Those mad butterflies carried Payton first across the finish line, in both her running events.
Walking away from her first track meet with blue ribbons was most certainly groovy, but the real excitement stemmed from the aftermath. The phone call came today, requesting her information and promising a letter, THE official letter inviting her to State, in good ole' Rexburg, Idaho! If that nervous energy can nudge her first across the finish line there too......an all expense paid trip to Hershey Pennsylvania, where's she wined, dined and able to compete against the fastest kids in the nation, will be her fortune. Now we have no idea how this cookie's going to crumble, but I must admit... the thought of it ALL, releases a whole lot of nervous energy, and I wish I were just speaking for the young one with fleeting limbs!

maybe a thousand

From owen 1st day

I shed a tear or two or maybe a hundred, 9 months ago, the day Owen started pre-school.

Cousin Beckham was in town visiting. I just happened to notice that the grey Beatles T, Beck is sportin' in the photo above, is ironically enough, the same Mr. Max is wearing at this very moment. Sure am grateful for hand me downs, and for a sister in law with good taste!

From Owen pre-school graduation

I shed a tear or two or maybe a hundred, just last week, the day Owen waved good-bye to friends and wonderful teacher Summers, shuffled away wearing his paper cap and holding a fancy certificate, credentials and validation for learning brass tacks,

and just like that...............his pre-school days are behind him.

From kid pic.

Mr. O has been my side-kick for 5 momentous years. I'll keep him close and have him to myself all summer long, but in mid August when the night winds start to cool and the buzz of a new school year rings in the air,

I'll shed a tear, or two, or maybe this time.......a thousand.......because then "inevitable" arrives, taking Owen by the hand and leading him forward, onward, schoolward, while Mama is left standing in the shadows, mustering up the strength...........

to face the music and let him soar.

From jump

Braggin' rights

From Coach Pete Run

I BEAT PETE!

......said I was gonna!

Ya beat Pete around here, ya get braggin' rights and a t-shirt to prove it!

Congrats to my speedy Payton, who I tried desperately to keep up with but only lasted a measly 10 yards, and all my fast friends who earned the "winning" shirt.

Hats off to Uncle J. who came all the way from Twin Falls to join us for the big race. We love you, buddy!

Pete, you know how we hate to see you lose

...................unless it's to US and the annual Beat Pete Scholarship Run!

Hot Babes in Monkey Suits

Who throws the tots in the vehicle and drives 10 hours through the lowly desert, in a last minute effort to bask in blue skies and feel Mr. Sunshine's kisses?

WE DO!

After lugging a chunky monkey and his bag of necessities, the big, old camera seemed an added nuisance. I surrendered the MM and chose to snap shots with my nifty new phone instead. Sad ending to the story is I can't quite figure out how to get the darn things downloaded to the P0000ter!

I'm on a mission to download portraits, hopefully sooner than later.......

cuz' something tells me the G'ma's are dying for more shots of the hot babe in his monkey suit!

P.S. I am laughing. I just looked over the post and noticed Bob's hole and wound vac are showin'. It's so second nature round here, I didn't even regard it! Sorry for the eye sore, ignore and focus on Max's amazin' baby figure, chunka legs and all!

Cheap Thrills

You've made it pretty apparent you're partial to your pops, but I'll never forget you said, "Ma ma" first! Thanks for the cheap thrill, Mr. Max.

P.S. I've been tuckin' the inner cheese ball down tight. It squeaks out just a little when videotaping, but I think this clip is substantial evidence me's a trying.

To My Favorite 5 Year Old

From Owen's birthday

From Owen birthday

From Owen's birthday

From Owen's birthday

Happy 5th, Owen boy.

You are my gentle, shy, big-hearted boy. I wouldn't say your Dad's right about everything, but when he says you've got me wrapped around your finger, I'm afraid he's dead on. You see, you won my heart from the very beginning. You were the perfect baby, sleeping through the night at just 2 months. Even as a toddler you never gave me a moment's grief. Minus a few episodes and phases, you've pretty much been unceasingly easy going, good and cheerful.

Not much has changed today, except you're bigger, infatuated with sports and Boise State football, can dribble a ball better than this point guard could in high school, love Pre-school, playing with your buddy Cole, making Max laugh, and following your sisters everywhere. You are my side kick, my every day, "turkey sandwich and chocolate milk lovin' lunch date", my wrestling opponent, my "unload the dishwasher and empty the trash cans" helper, and my giant bear hugger. You are your daddy's boy, missing him while he works and insisting on sitting next to him every night at the dinner table.

I'm grateful for your kindness, Owen, for your million and one, "thank you, mom's", and your consistently pleasant, "sure" when I ask a favor. You wear the sweetest smile across your fair skinned, delicate face. An expression that softens my heart, and makes me think,

"Man, I'm privileged to be your mother. "

I love ya BIG, kid.....and always will.

Yo Ladies

...all the ladies.

(especially my G'mas)

Just thought you might want to know I bruised the scales at my 9 mo. check up weighing 17 lbs. I even jumped the charts from the lowly 5th right up to the 10th percentile.

Last week I slept through the night for the very first time. Mom sung a happy tune all day, which makes me wonder if there was a sliver of a correlation.

I'm crawling around in the forward range. My style's something else. You can check it out on the video below, but I'm warning ya, mom and dad sound down right ridiculous, especially mom, who has learned the hard way to zip her lips while videotaping!

From Max

See what I mean?!

The last pics. are of me and Owen. I've overheard Dad say it's too bad we're 4 years apart. There aint nothin' bad about our age difference. Ya see, Dad isn't home all day to witness Owen and I playing. We're so loud together, when mom's on the phone, her friends ask who is over visiting.

So here we are, showing off our mad football skills. Ya sure, mom might have busted me pulling a face mask or two, but like Great Grandpa Peterson used to say, "If ya didn't cheat, ya must not have wanted to win bad enough!"

From Max

......and I think that sounds like a mighty fine motto indeed. (wink, wink)

Love,

Mr. Max

From owen

Bob hooked to an IV antibiotic for a few hours in the morning is good for one thing, ME ...leaving baby Max at home, in his care, and fleeing the joint for some field trip time with two of my favorite people.

Check out Owen's score. I know it's bumper bowling, but a 114?! Shoot, this girl took bowling in college and you don't see me securing a 114.

Oh, and our matching outfits.....yes, I am queen cheese, but I swear THAT wasn't planned.

Avery's class spent the morning downtown at the library, Historical and Art Museums. I always thought my dream job was the story-time gal, you know me, dramatic and telling stories, but after the tour, I added docent to my list of adventures I'd someday really like to do.

Bottom line, most days I'm overwhelmed. Life's been throwing us some curve balls, and instead of connecting and hitting em' out of the park, arms pumping in the air as we sprint victoriously around the bases, that curve ball seems to keep tagging us in the shoulder, and here we are again shamefully, painfully, barely making our way around the bases.

And so I seek "moments. " Moments of of calm and enjoyment, moments, not days or weeks, etc. In small and simple ways feelings of relief and normalcy are grasped, and in the past, I never would have said it, but RIGHT NOW, for me, it's true. Time away on a field trip with my little ones............ seemed to provide just that.

Derby racin'

From Derby

Pay and her dad had a splendid good time designing, cutting, sanding, painting, and especially decorating their first Derby car.

With Bob's lack of skills and experience, I must admit, I was a little worried about the outcome.

Mama was impressed with the final result. But no one was as happy and as excited as Miss Payton, herself.

The big Derby race happened the night of her birthday. I'll never forget my girl standing shoulders hunched, mouth turned upward in a smirk, cheeks ever so flushed, utterly embarrassed.....

as the entire crowd sang her the merriment song.

After that, the race was on, and much to our surprise, her Derby car won two races.

Yup, that put her right up there in the Top Ten.

Unfortunately, the W's stopped there.

But hey, there were no sore losers in this household that night, which really is a feat in itself.

Just before we went upstairs to retire to our beds, everyone took one last look at the car, sitting right smack in the middle of the kitchen table, in all its fluorescent green glory.

The kids were wide eyed and chuckling as their irreverent dad summed up the provision,

Holding it high in the air he shouted, "BAD ASS meets BLING!"

Prudish me shook my head and rolled my eyes, but showered with bedazzled jewels and accompanied by fire blazin' stickers,

I had to agree.

Bob says.....

Bob says the theme of the blog for the last 9 months is, MAX. Yup, he says all my posts are about Max, Max, Max, Max, and....................Max.

Well, ....................not today.

The older kids were gone all weekend, over in Twin Falls visiting Clint and Amy for a day, then to the McBride's for the annual Tea Party Robert's family throws for the kids every year. Because of Bob's health, we had to stay back at the homestead. It was a quiet, uneventful weekend, which was a blissfully welcomed change from the chaos our Saturdays usually bring, and although we missed the chilluns', and the rocking Hollywood Tea Party.....I must admit, the quality time with Bob was, well, refreshing.

It's amazing how our busy lives pull us in so many directions. Sometimes it feels as if Bob and I are business partners, working pretty soundly together running our little McBride family corporation. Although we're happy doing so, it seems like more often than not.... Bob and I, as a couple, get lost in that shuffle.


After this weekend, with all our uninterrupted conversations, pleasant dinners at restaurants of our choice, ya, like NOT Burger King, staying up late, snackin' and watching movies, I felt like we were dating again, and I realized how much I missed my boyfriend, Bob.

Promises were made, promises to be better, better at taking time for each other. Better at placing "date night" on the priority list, and even, at least twice a year, getting away from ALL the grind and going somewhere, just the two of us.

Ya, YOU promised, boyfriend Bob

.....and this girl's gonna hold ya to it!

(P.S. Max accompanied us every where we went....all weekend long. Yes, the littlest side kick was still here, but I did a fabulous job not to mention him in this post. Well, almost.)