See What I Mean....

So...it has been a really crazy week. The first week of school is always full of tears at our house. I know that sounds terrible but everyone is so tired in the evenings and someone usually ends up in tears. Last night gigi and I went to Staples while the little man was at football practice. One would think that a trip to Staples would not end in a crying fit....one would think. Well, gigi was so tired and when I would not buy a bucket of pick your own paperclips the tears started to flow...it ended with me being the world's worst mom because I would not buy the velvet color by number poster. Finally we made it out the door and into the car. I thought that maybe I could ease the tension of the day with a little sugar and a stop at Krispy Kreme. I needed that sugar high as much as she did. Did I mention that I am working at two schools this year and between the two I have 1125 students....yes that is one thousand one hundred twenty-five students to one counselor....like I said.... I need the sugar high...I actually think I need something stronger but Krispy Kreme will have to do. So.....we make the trek into the store which instantly dried the tears and put me in number 1 mom standings again! Woo Hoo....the things that fried dough can do for you. Any hoo...went to order and gigi just loves the ones with sprinkles that's when I saw this......

AAHHH.......see what I mean.....I am in the heart of Bronco nation....they have even invaded Krispy Kreme. I asked the guy behind the counter if they had ones with black and yellow sprinkles and he gave me a blank stare, no not because he was totally appalled that I was a Vandal, my guess is by the looks of the tattoos and piercings he was not really familiar with university life. So I bit the bullet and bought the Bronco doughnut. It's killing me!!!

* On a side note did you see that McCain's running mate is a Vandal. That's right there might just be a Vandal in the White House. I wonder if there are any Broncos in the White House...probably, I think they drive the food services trucks...graduates of the Boise State Truck Driving School!

I am a Vandal

I am a Vandal, I am a Vandal, I am a Vandal but I happen to live in Bronco Nation. Some of you feel my pain and others have no idea what I am talking about...well here it is....I am a Vandal and the Broncos are our rivals...arch rivals might be a better word. I mean we coined the cheer "Who do we hate, Boise State". Yeah, I know the tide has turned and BSU has beat us for the last oh I don't know 12 games? I will remind everyone that before that Idaho had won the previous 13 or 14 games. Any way, you might wonder where this is going. Well, my little man has started tackle football this year and they hold the opening jamboree at BSU. The kids get to play on the blue turf and yeah, it's kinda cool especially when you are 9. We're talking a college stadium here. After the little man's game on Saturday we headed over to an area where they were having a free bbq for the players. One the way we passed by the weight room/indoor practice area for the BSU players, that's when we ran into this guy.....

Yeah, it's Ian Johnson...you know the Fiesta Bowl Superstar..blah,blah,blah (sorry did I type that...it's my vandal pride just can't help it). Well, you should have seen the stars in my little man's eyes. I mean this is as close to a real live football hero as you can get and in this town he is a hero. He also happens to be a really nice guy that was willing to stand and take pictures with little guys who were living their dream. So I said get up there and I'll take your picture. The little man ran right up there, all he needed was the word from his vandal parents that it was okay to take a picture with the enemy (oh, see that vandal pride). So, I am thankful that he was there and stopped to take some time with my little guy but I still hope we kick their butts this year!!!

***Had to include this picture...aren't they cute!

Back to School

Tomorrow is the first day of school. All over the valley there are moms that are probably doing cheers. This mom is not cheering. It's back to work for me as well but that is not what makes the end of summer so sad for me. I will miss lazy mornings snuggling on the couch watching the Disney channel until noon, I will miss taking walks and catching grasshoppers, I will miss warm evenings sitting on the porch swing watching the kids swim, and I will miss sitting out under the stars watching movies on the big screen until midnight. These were just a few of the fun things we did this summer. Now it is back to early mornings rushing to catch the bus, evenings filled with homework and football and gymnastics, and piles of laundry waiting for the weekend. I love summer not just because it is warm but because we get to be together just us...no interruptions. So I will go back, I will fall into the routine, I will make the schedule work but I will be wishing for summer in my heart!

~Scarlett

It's Fair Time

Hello blogger friends....it seems that I have dropped off the face of the earth....well not really, life has just kicked into overdrive. We have just finished our first Fair as 4-H'ers and WOW we learned alot. The first thing that I learned is that it is really not that easy to get a pig into a trailer??!! Last Thursday we had to take the pigs to weigh in and check them in for fair. I got up in the morning and did a few things then headed for the shower. The mister says why are you taking a shower...oh I don't know just thought I would, why. Well, we have to load the pigs....so...you have never loaded pigs before have you...no, how bad can it be? (haha). So we decide it is time to head out to load the pigs. We get the trailer ready and head into the pen to catch the pigs and convince them to walk into the trailer. They really do not like to walk up the grate because it scares them, there is really not a lot of traction with those little piggy hoofs. So the mister and I try to get the first one in the trailer...umm not working...finally he grabs it by the ears and tries to drag it up into the trailer...umm not working. We send gigi out for reinforcements...the neighbor..who is a former 4-Her her self. She comes over and we grab the pig by the ears and tail and manage to drag it into the trailer. Once we get it up in the trailer I use a board to block it in. They try to grab the second one since it was squealing, the one that is in the trailer gets upset and basically charges me. He about knocks me on my bottom and escapes...back to square one! Now we decide to get the other one instead because he is bigger...not moving...here comes the other neighbor...I wonder what tipped him off, maybe all the squealing. Now there are 5 adults trying to get these pigs loaded. Finally we tie a rope around the middle of one, the mister grabs the ears, neighbor on the tail, neighbor in the middle of the pig, neighbor pulling the rope, and I am holding a board to try and trap it. Heave ho and he is in, now we tie him off so he can't move and I stand and block him with a board. They grab the second one and basically do the same thing. Lift the ramp and lock them in!!! Yeah they are loaded...umm....let's just say when pigs get upset well, they poop and we are all covered in it. Now I see why I didn't really want that shower. So, I check the time to see how long before we need to leave.....well, that only took 2 hours!!! So I have decided soccer moms...4-H moms can kick your butt anyday!!! I actually think that I am going to talk my SIL into making me some 4-H mom T-shirts on this really cool website called cafe press. If you want to make your own t-shirts you should check it out. Any way, the kids had a blast at fair and it was all worth it when my little man took 3rd place for one pig and 2nd place for the other. He took 2nd place in his class for showmanship and 4th place overall. Woo Hoo! I have a whole new respect for 4-H kids, they work so hard! The whole thing was worth it when I saw the smile on his face in the picture above!

Hang'n with the Cousins

Here are a few more things that we have been doing this week. The kids have been hanging out with their cousins. They have been on several adventures together.
Here is my little man heading out for a float on the Rappahanock River. Not quite as big as our Rivers and definitely not as cold. I bet the water was almost 90 degrees. They had fun splashing around and finding treasures.
The kids also got to spend some time with their grandpa. Here are all the cousins. My kiddos are the little ones and my brothers are the other two. My nephew is 6'1" and he is only 14. WOW he has grown!

I guess you would call her my niece dog...Miss Maya. She made me miss my Romo. I know the two of them would have had some fun together.
The boys headed out back for some paint ball. My little man loved it so who knows a paint ball gun might be on the Christmas list.
The girls decided to hang out upside down. They are both in gymnastics so they had to show us their moves.

I have been riding around with my brother on his Harley....no pics....what was I thinking. It is fun. Who knows maybe I will turn into a biker chick!

~Scarlett

Gone with the Wind

Whew, it has been quite a week here in VA. I feel like I have been gone with the wind. We have visited a lot, ate a lot, and learned a lot. Here is a little recap of a few things we have been doing.....


Shopping in Historic downtown Fredricksburg. This is a street view. There is a lot of history here. More battles were fought in Fredricksburg than any other city. There are several old houses with cannon balls in them from the war. This is also the childhood home of George Washington. He built a house for his mother in downtown that is still here.
We went on a Ghost walk one night. This is one of the most haunted towns in the US. This is a graveyard next to one of the old churches. Some of the people buried here date back to the 1700's.
This is Chatam Manor. A home built buy a wealthy family in 1771. This home became the headquarters for the Union Army during the civil war. Abraham Lincoln met here with his leaders during the war. George Washington visited Chatam as well. This home overlooks the city of Fredricksburg. Chatam was a thriving manor before the war. There are documents that over 100 slaves worked here. After the war and the fall of slavery the family was in financial ruins. The home was sold and restored. It is now part of the Park service.
This is a view of the city from the lawn of Chatam. I love the steeple. There are many churches here. I think in a previous life I lived on a plantation or in a manor. Hence the name Scarlett! I will post more, I have tons of pics and stories to tell!

~ Y'all come back now...Scarlett