Monday, September 29, 2008

Unicorn

So here's the back story on this post. This past MAY my family was visiting Armitage's and Kate forced me to climb a small mountain. (Tee-Hee) The only problem with this was other than being incredibly out of shape I had only brought sandals with me. Both her and Clint said it would be fine, so I climbed their stupid mountain in sandals and I'm pretty sure that is what gave me plantar fasistis (I'm sure I did not spell that right). My left foot has pretty much been in pretty bad pain since MAY and it's now almost OCTOBER!! Love you my Kates!!

For those of you who know my husband you know that this has perplexed him a great deal. He likes to be able to fix me and he normally can but this is just not going away. So he's been trying all these treatments and stretches on me. It has now actually progressed upwards and is affecting my ankle, calf and knee. Last night he was working on my whole leg doing very painful stretches and working out the muscles. And I am a huge wimp - very low tolerance for pain. So I'm laying on the couch whining that it hurts and what does my sweet Raquel say to me - "Mom, just think about riding a unicorn and then it won't hurt!"

HUH?!

Todd and I started rolling in laughter!! I love my girl. The things she thinks of! So, for anyone having pain of any kind today I say saddle up and ride yourself a unicorn. Trust me, you'll feel better.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Fun At The Park

Since the weather is still gorgeous here in Spokane in the middle of September we have been going to the different parks around town a couple of times a week. So, today I am at the park with my girlfriends Kim and Allyson and the kids are playing and we are visiting, just having a great afternoon. There are several gentlemen (a.k.a. bums) taking naps around the park under the trees. We weren't paying them any mind until all of the sudden we hear this shouting coming from the bushes. Out pops a "gentleman" who is running full speed ahead and screaming at the top of his lungs. Two seconds later a sheriff bursts out of the bushes right behind him. So this guy is running across the park and the sheriff is yelling at him to stop and he doesn't so when he gets close enough the sheriff totally pepper sprays this guy in the face like four times!! Then the sheriff is yelling at him to get down and he isn't so he kicks him until he falls down!! The guy is screaming, "My eyes are burning! I can't see!" and we're like duh, sherlock, you just got maced in the face like four times! This whole time we're just standing there watching and then we decided park time was over and we might want to leave. As we're loading up the kids three more sheriff cars come screaming up to the park and they are handcuffing this guy and he is just a howling about his eyes. Now that I think about it we should have just stayed at the park. It probably would have been super safe for the rest of the day since the minute the sheriff's showed up the park emptied of our "gentlemen" friends! Hey, Kim and Allyson - good call on the choice of park! Which one are we going to next?!?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

TV

Okay, I will admit I watch a lot of TV (see sidebar), but there is a new show on FOX called Fringe and it is really good for anyone looking for an exciting show to get into. Also, for all you moms out there who think you've got it hard, check out Jon & Kate Plus 8 sometime on TLC. They have a set of twin girls and then they had sextuplets. That's six kids all at once for a total of 8 children!! I love this show. I love Kate. She totally reminds me of me. She has "Monica" problems just like me and I feel a special kinship with her. I love September - because TV starts again!! Woo-Hoo!!

Raquel's 7th Birthday

Holy crap I can't believe my baby is 7!! Where does the time fly when you are a crazy busy mother, oh, yeah, right out the window. Well, we partied like mad for my little princess. Grandpa and Grandma Jarman and Lavonda and Annie all drove over this past Friday to help us celebrate the big 7. We had such a fun weekend. All Raquel wanted for her birthday was a Nintendo DS. So we all went in together and got her one. She was so happy!! Spoiled rotten and happy! It was a little discouraging at first because no one could figure out how to play the game we had gotten her. No joke, six adults sitting around trying to play this game for kids and none of us can figure it out. Thank heavens for daddy. He finally got it out hours later! (Please disregard the chubby bunny in the background. I'm working on it and I hate cameras!)


We spent the rest of the weekend playing games (of course), going to the movies (all the girls, then all the boys), shopping and out to dinner at a buffet where the birthday girl had ribs. Shocking - NO!! For those who don't know, Raquel is a meat eater. We tease her that if she had been a dinosaur she would have been a T-Rex!!


Her birthday event culminated today, her actual birthday, with cupcakes at school, her favorite dinner and spending all her birthday money on more DS games for mommy and daddy to figure out. I hope she had a great time turning 7. She is such a joy to us. Such a beautiful, smart young lady and I am so thankful that she is my girl. Happy Birthday Raquel!!











I Am A Super Hero

I found out today that I am a superhero and my powers are activated when I am behind the wheel of my 2000 Mistubishi Galant. Let me tell you how I discovered my super powers. It was a normal morning and I left to take Raquel to school. As I turned onto the street where her school is I came upon this scenario. There was a man walking his daughter to school on my left hand side. On my right hand side was a HUGE black dog that was barking like crazy and charging across the street right towards them. I could see the owner of the dog, just standing in their yard yelling at the dog, but doing nothing to prevent it from running across the street. So, what do I do? I discover that I have super powers when I'm driving the Mistubishi. I don't even think I thought about what I was doing, I just did it. I pulled forward really fast and put my car between the dog and the poor people on the street. I think they must have been really scared because they were just standing frozen in place. Every time the dog lunged forward I nudged my car forward to keep it from crossing the street. I told the dad to walk and I stayed right with them so the dog couldn't cross. Then all of the sudden the dog figures it out and just runs around the front of my car barking like mad and totally going crazy! So, no joke, I turn on my best mom voice and I yelled out the window of my car to "Stop" and "Go home"! And he did!! I drove right next to this poor family until we were about a block away from the school and they were totally appreciative. I asked if they wanted a ride, but they said they were okay. What an adrenaline rush!! I was actually happy to know that I would instinctually help someone in need. You know how they say some people are fight and some are flight. As long as I got the Mistubishi, I think I'm a fight kinda girl. So, never fear when Traci and the Mistubishi are near!!!!

And don't worry all you dog lovers, I am a dog lover myself and I would never have actually hit the dog, I was just trying to discourage it from eating the people on the street. I wonder when dogs act like that what their owners are doing to them to cause them to misbehave so aggressively towards humans. Anyhoo, crisis averted and we'll see you next time on Traci and the Mistubishi . . . . . . .

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Twilight Party

**Disclaimer** - To all my Adna girlfriends, please know that I love you all and think you are totally awesome. But this post is all about my new Post Falls girlfriends and they are turning out to be SUPER COOL!! So, if you don't want to read about their super coolness then I suggest you stop reading this and wait for my next post!! LOL!!

So if you've been reading my blog you have to know that I am a huge Twilight fan. At the Breaking Dawn release party I met these sisters in line who were from Post Falls. We hit it off and had a great time while we were waiting to buy our books. They kept saying that we were going to get together afterwards and I was like, okay, sure, but not really sure if that would happen. Well, thanks to Katie and Corinne we kept in touch by phone and they let me know that they would be throwing a Twilight party in honor of the release of Breaking Dawn. Well, it was this past Friday night and it was a blast!! First things first - hello the invitations were to die for - so super cute!! They were handmade and the front said - "Were you bitten?" And then you pulled a little ribbon and the card folded in half to reveal a miniature copy of the cover of Breaking Dawn!! Anyhoo, that got me excited for the party and I was not to be disappointed. I was a little late, thanks to getting lost in Post Falls on the way to Katie's house. So, I ring her doorbell and they open the door and they all scream, "Traci!!" I felt kinda loved. Anyhoo, long evening short, we played Jeopardy with questions from all four books, charades, pictionary, etc. There was yummy food and a blood red punch and just good times and lots of silliness and visiting! The real kicker were the party favors - apples, of course, dipped in caramel and chocolate and rolled in nuts. YUMMY!! I had a great time and I am so happy to have my new friends from Post Falls - you know who you are!! Oh, and Katie - you rocked the decorations for the Twilight party sister. Amazing!!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Missing Raquel

So, I found out during quiet time today that I'm not the only one who misses Raquel when she's at school. I went in to check on Marcus and he had taken a picture of her off of her dresser and was holding it while he watched his movie. He carried it around for half the day today and kept giving it kisses. The funny thing is when she's home all he does is pick on her, but apparently he can't live without her! He kept asking me today, "Where's sissy?" and I would say, "At school." and he would say "School" and walk away. So sweet.

First Day of School

I hate school. I'm sure most of you mom's are jumping for joy as our little ones head off to school, but not me. Surprise, surprise, right! It's just that Raquel is my oldest and it is SO HARD sending her to school! It's like I'm letting my baby out into the world and I really don't like the world she has to go out into. I cried my eyes out the first day I took her to preschool. I cried my eyes out the first day I took her to kindergarten and guess what? Today was her first day of the 1st grade and I cried my eyes out!! I did make sure to keep myself together until I got to the parking lot so I wouldn't embarrass her or anything. I mean how horrifying to have your mom crying on the playground right?!? I didn't want her to be known as the kid whose mom cried on the playground, so I kept it together until I was walking back to the car where my sweet husband was waiting. Waiting and laughing at me. No joke, I walk up to the car and he is laughing at me for crying. Men have no feelings or emotions I swear this to be true! He's thinking, yeah, one less kid to take care of today. Not that he actually takes care of any of them because he is gone ALL the time now. Work sucks too. Work and school - hate them both today. Here are some pics to see our first day of yucky school. Isn't she beautiful?