Life Lately

Oh wow! It's been awhile since I have found the time to blog.

Actually, that's not true. I've found the time on plenty of days, but used that time to look at other blogs, follow crazy facebook drama, and let's face it - Live With Kelly and Michael isn't going to watch itself.

Anyway, yesterday I got an email from a friend pointing out the fact that the last day I blogged was February 22nd. Now normally I could have just ignored the strong hint that I need to get back on it, but since this particular friend had a baby less than a month ago and is still managing to FREQUENTLY update her blog, I decided to carve out time and save my Kelly Ripa watching for another day.

We've been up to a lot lately. A lot of life moving too fast. The calendar has been full with destination imagination, birthday parties, baseball practice, home decor projects, and bike rides.

Destination Imagination is a creative problem solving team that works for months to solve a central challenge. I was in something very similar in 4th and 5th grade called Odyssey of the Mind. Anyway, this year I allotted a little bit of my "leisurely time" and a lot of my garage space to managing a team of third graders. It was a team of four boys and three girls (thank God for little girls!) and it was just what I needed as I transitioned from working mom to stay-at-home mom. Because as it turns out - managing people is a hobby of mine - whether it's 30 year old professionals or 9 year old kids.

(For the record, managing a two year old is not the same. We're still in the throws of potty training, but Blake does know how to change his own diapers now...so if he doesn't figure out the whole toilet thing by college, at least his diaper changing skills will set him apart).

Sure, the weeknight practices were long, and losing my voice from explaining something fourteen times was difficult, but the whole thing was a great experience. Even the smiley face shoe marks on my wall.

(Never ask a group of kids to sit up against a wall if they are wearing shoes if your coaching will take longer than thirty seconds).

(It's a lesson I had to learn the hard way).

So anyway, the team placed 2nd place at the regional tournament and recently we spent a week in Houston for the state tournament where the competition went from what I'll call entry level DI'ers to what could only be described as PROFESSIONAL DI'ers.

Picture every cool thing you have ever seen on Pinterest.

Now picture that all of those moms united to create a group of elementary kids that competed against us at the State Tournament.

We were out of our league.

These other teams totally brought their A game.  They wheeled in wooden backdrops and replicas of the Statue of Liberty made solely of bamboo and duct tape and made our cardboard box props look like they were made by a bunch of 3rd graders.

Which makes sense. Because they were.

All that to say that we were totally out-played at the State Competition and so DI is officially over until next fall. Which I have to admit is a little sad, but we are moving on. I have to look on the bright side, this will allow for more time to do whatever stay at home moms are supposed to do. Exercise or something.

Actually, I just spent an entire hour registering Hayden for flag football this summer and tackle football this fall. Between that and Davis' baseball season that officially starts this weekend, I think we have our role as a spectator cut out for us.

And because I can't post a blog without at least one picture or video, here is one of my favorite videos I have taken over the last few months. It's Davis teaching his internet watchers (me) how to catch a fake fish.

My favorite part?

It's a toss up between the part where he acts surprised to be filmed despite the fact that he just asked me to video him ("Oh! Hey Guys!) and the part where he refers to the audience as folks ("ok folks - I really don't have all my stuff"). I guess he was explaining why he didn't catch as big of a fake fish as expected.

Which is always disappointing.