Being Fearless

Doesn't it seem that the happiest people live their lives in a fearless way?  They're confident in their decisions, true to their own wants and needs and make no apologies for their choices.  I think it takes a lot of courage to just put your whole self out there, mistakes and all, and see what happens.  This world doesn't make it easy to live that way.  There are always those who are judging and forcing their opinions and criticism on others.  Over the last year I've come to the conclusion there is no better way to live, though.  This is my resolution for 2015 - I'm just going to be fearless.  I'm going to worry less about what others think and just do what makes me happy. 

Our New Home

In two days, the kiddos and I are moving into our new home! 

We are so excited to start the next chapter in our lives....it's been a rough couple of years and it's so great to finally get past a lot of the sadness and confusion that comes with divorce and move to happier times! 

Here's to good times and great memories to be made in our new home!

They're leaving on a jet plane...

....without me.  Marc is taking the kids on their first airplane ride to his brother's wedding in San Francisco this week.  I'm excited for them - they are going to have a great time!  But, I am sad that I won't be there with them for this big adventure.  And I'm sad that I won't see them for FOUR DAYS.  I have made some plans to fill the time, and I am sure I will have fun with my goofiest girlfriend, Michelle.  But, this sucks.  I guess it's one of the divorce realities that I just can't get my head around....missing firsts with my kids. 

My kids want to talk about their excitement about the big weekend....so I try really hard to just stuff my sadness and be excited with them.  I guess today it was just too much.  I've been dreading this coming weekend for months...and the closer it gets, the more awful it feels. 

What a week!

This is gonna be a long post!

This last week started out with Miss Megan turning 10 on Tuesday....yes, double digits!  She has grown into such an amazing person...inside and out.  I know I just posted this photo recently, but it's one of my favorites.  To celebrate Megan's birthday, we took her to dinner at Applebee's and they sang Happy Birthday do her...she was thrilled and a little embarassed. 

On Wednesday night we had dinner at our friends' house....Michelle and her kiddos, John and Samantha, are great friends to us and we always have a good time together!  They have been such an amazing support to my kids and I over the last year - I honestly have no  idea what we would have done without them!

Thursday night was taco night at Aunt Katy's and then Friday evening was spent with Michelle, John and Samantha at the Hruska's house (Rudy, Doris, Jasmine and Jesse)....I just couldn't ask for a better bunch of friends!

And then there was Saturday... Saturday morning I rushed from store to store gathering snacks and drinks for Megan's birthday pool party!  We had 22 kids and at least 10 adults at the pool on Saturday afternoon....and it was a fantastic party!  It was 90 degrees, the pool was nice and cool and the kids had a great time!  Despite the inevitable exhaustion after spending the afternoon at the pool, the Hruskas joined us at Michelle's house for an evening barbeque.  I put my kids in bed at 10:00 and I'm pretty sure they were asleep by 10:01! 

Today we went to church and then the spent the afternoon at the pool - it was fun, but I am pooped!  In fact, I am so tired that I think I will wait to post pictures from all of these happenings tomorrow!

This week will be spent preparing for the first day of school next week - Megan is going to visit my hairdresser and we still have to buy school supplies!  I'm actually looking forward to the routine and early bedtimes that come with the school year schedule!

A Fun Day

Today the kiddos and I went to a Wild West Fest at the historic Kleffner Ranch....and then we grabbed A&W cheeseburgers and rootbeer and had a picnic on Little Prickly Pear Creek up the road from the ranch.  They were thrilled to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Katy and their cousins.  It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun!

Baseball 2012

As I mentioned in my last post, Kellan and Jacksen had a great baseball season!  Kellan had a some great coaches and it is amazing how much his game improved in just 6 short weeks.  At the beginning of the season he usually ended up hitting the ball off the tee, but by the end of the season he was almost always able to hit the machine pitch.  I am so proud of my boys!

Jacksen on the pitcher's mound



Kellan bugging his daddy during Jacksen's game

Megan discovered "spits" while watching her brothers' games

We have about a month off from sports until fall soccer and flag football begin....I wonder what we will do with all of that time on our hands?!



My Sweethearts

 Megan

 Kellan

Jacksen

Off To Camp

So, a couple weeks after school was out for the summer Megan discovered a flyer in the mail advertising a summer camp sponsored by the Living Hope Fellowship Church.  She was immediately intrigued and asked if she could attend that camp rather than going to the horseback riding camp she usually attends for a week each summer.  Her daddy and I visited about it and decided that would be a great opportunity for our little almost 10-year-old.

Today was the big day.  After work, her aunties and I drove her to Holter Lake to spend the week roughing it with a bunch of other boys and girls.  Upon our arrival, I immediately felt like it was a warm, inviting place to leave my little girl...well, except that it was raining.  We got her registered and she was assigned to a cabin, which is really a small wall tent.  We made her bed, which is actually a cot/bunkbed and gave her a hug goodbye.  I was trying my best to not cry when she leaned over to me and said "Mom, I'm going to give you something I've been wanting to give you for a long time."  I assumed she was going to give me a hug or a kiss, but I was wrong.  She totally bitch-slapped me....HARD! 

Well, as you can imagine, all activity in the cabin/tent stopped.  The counselors and other girls completely stopped talking and stared.  I was so embarassed that it took me a moment to ask why she did that.  She gave me a little giggle and said "I don't know."  After thinking about, I think she was just really nervous and didn't know what to do.  Her aunties thought it was the most hilarious thing they had ever seen and laughed about it all the way home.  I'm still a little horrified and speechless.  As we were driving, I asked if they thought she would be okay for four days up there.  They both advised that after her seeing her deck her mother, it would be highly unlikely that anybody will give her a hard time at camp.  Good point.  It'll be interesting to hear about her week when I pick her up Friday evening!

My Three Kiddos

I meant to blog more over the last couple of weeks....but we've been too busy with swimming lessons, baseball, library nights and recreating with family!

Anywho, here's an update on my three beautiful children:

I'll start with Jacksen, who generally has to go last because he's the youngest.  Mr. Jacksen spent the last year going to daycare in the mornings and preschool in the afternoons.  He LOVED preschool....but I think he loved being the oldest at the daycare more!  He graduated from preschool with flying colors at the end of May, attended Kindergarten orientation at good 'ol Jim Darcy Elementary School and will officially be a student of our most favorite kindergarten teach at the end of next month....crazy!  He can hardly wait!  In the meantime, he is thoroughly enjoying improving his already stellar swimming skills and talking our ears off.  That's right....he has found his voice and asserts himself constantly!  This kiddo has an amazing vocabulary- all of that bedtime reading has paid off!

On to our middlest kid, Kellan.  Kellan is still excelling at all sports and has discovered video games...particularly Madden NFL '12.  He is still funny as ever!  The thing that amazes me the most about Kellan is the fact that he is such a natural-born leader....despite being pretty much the smallest kid in his class and on every sports team.  I loved that he is comfotable with who he is and has such an amazing sense of security.  He ended his school year with a PERFECT report card....academics come as naturally to him as athletics.  He is just so awesome!

And Megan....our miracle girl.  Megan is getting taller and more beautiful (if that's even possible!) everyday!  She is such a confident, mature almost 10-year-old....I always think of her as kind of an old soul.  She loves to read and has decided she wants to be a school librarian when she grows up.  My little girl has lots of friends - mostly boys!  She got her braces off this past spring and her teeth
are just gorgeous!  She has a special friend (She is MUCH too young for a boyfriend!), Logan, who she is a little smitten with and they like to hang out sometimes.  Miss Megan is also an excellent student and truly loves school!

So, that's what the kids have been up to.  And me?  Not sure what to say.  I guess I'm still working on figuring out who I am and what I want for the rest of my life.  I think I'm a little lost right now.  I just know that I am so grateful for my friends and family...and these amazing kids that I've been blessed with...they are truly a gift from above! 

I'm working on a photo collage from the past year....should be posted SOON! 

A Poem by Kellan

Roses are sweet
so is my mom
I just want to kiss her
She is the bomb!

Yep, he made this one up all by himself....what a little charmer! It's a really good thing he's full of charm 'cause he would get in a lot more trouble if he wasn't! More on that later....

I'm not a loser anymore!!!!

So, have you ever noticed some people seem to win more than others? It's like they lead these crazy charmed lives....my twin sister is one of them and it's always kinda pissed me off a little bit. In one year, she won two ipods and a flat screen TV in drawings at work! Our employer (YES, we happen to work for the same company!) used to do weekly drawings for tickets to local sporting events. For quite a while I made it a game to enter every single ticket drawing....just to prove to myself that I'm one of the unlucky losers in this world. Well, I can't say I was surprised that it took me over a year to win anything....and I didn't really win 'cause there were more tickets than there were entries....figures.

You can imagine how surprised I was when, a few days ago, I got an email from Julie with Leelou Blogs advising me that I am the winner of her giveaway for a gift card to Harpari Swimwear! I was so excited that I called my sisters right away to tell them what an awesome winner I am....besides being such a winner, I am also a huge dork! Anyway, I've been visiting the Harpari website everyday trying to decide which swimsuit I should choose....tough decision 'cause they are all so cute! I'm leaning toward this one right now:


I have the fake tan, but I need the body to go with this....good thing I'm gonna start training to run Bloomsday next year!

I can guarantee that my sisters will read this post and think to themselves "That Christy is a real winner!"

Cinco de Mayo

It seemed like a good idea to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year....so one of my favorite girls, Ristene, and I met up at The Brewhouse for a few celebratory beverages....

I know this isn't a great photo, but it was taken with my cell phone by a chick who had probably had a few too many. We had a lot of fun....so much fun that I think this should be a new tradition!

Goodbye Floor Hockey....

...Hello, Soccer! (Now, if we could just get some Spring sunshine....)

I got a new phone today....

...it's a droid. I have to admit I'm missing my Blackberry a little bit...but I'll adjust. Anyway, I'm downloading some music onto my phone, which made me think of the days of recording tapes. You know...those things that came before CDs? Well, anyway, I was just reminiscing about making tapes for friends...and boyfriends....tapes full of really cheesy songs. I just had a little chuckle with myself!

While trying to figure out how to use this thing, I've learned a few things about myself:

1. I'm a little bit dependent on my cell phone
2. I'm not very patient
3. I'm apparently very nostalgic
   

I learned the first thing when I realized my old phone was turned off but my new phone was not yet activated this morning. I had to drive all the way to work without talking to anybody...well, except myself. Then, when my phone was finally working, I couldn't figure out how to make a phone call ...yes, a simple phone call. I know...I'm lame. That's when I figured out that I'm really lacking in the patience department. As I mentioned above, the third issue came to me when I was downloading music. I would bet my kids could have informed me about my lack of patience long before today!

I have a feeling I'll be digging out my old cassette player and tapes after I put my kids to bed tonight. I just have no excuses for myself...

Babies...

Baby lambs, that is!

Spring

It's official....I have Spring/Summer fever! I'm ready for warm days, lounging in my bikini while my kids splash in the pool, exercising outside, a nice natural tan, green grass, a road trip or two, shorts and tank tops and flip flops, barbeques....the list is endless!

Well, until the weather really changes, I'll keep dreaming of this:

Viva Las Vegas!

So, last weekend I went to Las Vegas for a Bon Jovi concert with two girlfriends, Shari and Tanya. I had never been to Vegas before, but Shari and Tanya had so I had two great tour guides! Even though I didn't like the creepy guys standing on the street with those little cards, I really liked the rest of it!

After meeting up at the airport on Friday afternoon, we headed to the MGM, where we were staying, to drop off our luggage and freshen up. Then we went to Margaritaville for dinner....they really do have some great nachos! After dinner Tanya suggested that we go to her favorite little piano bar at New York New York. Now, I have to admit I wasn't so sure about that idea....BUT, it turned out to be so much fun! We had a great time there and met some really cool people.



On Saturday morning we ate a much-needed breakfast at the Rain Forest Cafe and then hit the strip for some shopping. We didn't even stop for lunch! Then we headed back to our room to get ready for the concert. Bon Jovi rocks....what an amazing show! They played for three hours and I wasn't ready for it to be over. It was so cool!



We slept in on Sunday and then decided that we needed another Rain Forest Cafe breakfast. After breakfast we walked down the strip and then met up with the cool guys from the piano bar for a drink...which turned into a few drinks. I don't think I've ever just had margaritas for lunch before....but it was a good time! We hustled back to our room to change and then went to the Blue Man show and to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.


That's a quick recap of the weekend....I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep and get used to eating meals at normal times again. We were so busy having fun that we missed a lot of meals and we walked a lot of miles....I lost 3 lbs!

Anyway, while I was gone Marc kept the kids really busy. Megan had a sleepover, they spent Saturday in Bozeman, Kellan went to a birthday party on Sunday, and then Grandpa and Grandma McCauley brought dinner Sunday evening and they rode horses. We are all going to bed early this week!

A Double Bad Day

What a day! Despite staying up until the late hour of 10 pm, Kellan had everybody up and out of bed shortly after 6:00 this morning. At first I saw this as a good thing 'cause I had lots to do; however, by the end of this afternoon, I was feeling pretty tired!

While I was doing my usual Saturday house chores, the kids and their cousin, Cody, decided to build a fort in their bedroom. I was grateful for the distraction until Jacksen decided to jump out of the top bunkbed. He hit his little leg on a bar stool (NO...the kids don't usually have bar stools in their bedroom - it was part of the fort!) and has a nasty bruise. Not even twenty minutes later he somehow managed to fall off the back of the couch and smacked his face on the floor. This resulted in a fat, bloody lip and a very sore, bloody nose.

After spending quite awhile getting the kids' bedroom back in order, we drove to Target to shop for some items for a care package for a friend whose little girl is in the hospital in Salt Lake City. I have no idea why I thought it would be a great idea to attempt this with three children in tow, but I did it. I don't think I'll do that again....at least not until they are ALL past the age of 15. Maybe not even then. We went to lunch at McDonald's and then Auntie Ami took Jacksen to her house while I dropped Megan off at a friend's house for a playdate, took Kellan on a quick grocery shopping trip to Walmart and then took him to a birthday party at Burger King. After the party I picked up Megan and then went to Ami's to pick up Jacksen. Whew! We got home on time to put away groceries and throw a lasagna in the oven.

While I was putting together the lasagna, Kellan and Jacksen chased each other through our house with lightsabers. Well, Jacksen tripped and scratched up his knee. Then Kellan spilled an entire glass of milk on my arm during dinner. The final straw was Jacksen having a little intestinal issue just while he was preparing to take a shower. Ugh.

After the shower, which was sorely needed after the little "intestinal issue", Jacksen and I were checking out the bruise he got after he jumped out of the bunkbed and discussing his sore lip and nose....he said "I had a bad day. I had a DOUBLE BAD DAY!" Yeah...I know a little something about that...

All I had to do...

....was blog about being sick of winter! Today was a beautiful almost-Spring day! If I had known that I just needed to blog about the weather for it to change, I would've been writing about it long before March!

Anyway, after a long week of work and school, it was nice to have a day of fun and relaxation. I started my day with a a few minutes in a tanning bed....I know it's pretty early in the year to be worried about a tan, but I'm heading to Vegas in less than 2 weeks and I need a little glow! I then dropped my vehicle off for new tires and spent some time with my favorite twin sister shopping around for some new accessories for our house. We've only lived here a few years, but I've finally decided on a color scheme and I'm changing some light fixtures and window treatments. Ami is an amazing interior decorator....I don't know what I would do without her!

Just when I decided I was pretty tired of home decor stores, it was time to meet my family and some good friends for lunch. I have been looking forward to this lunch date all week. We met up with three other families for some pizza...there were 9 kiddos there!....we don't see each other very often as some live in Missoula and some live across the country in Rhode Island so it was great to catch up!

Marc and Auntie Ann took the kids skiing this evening so I took the opportunity to do some weekly cleaning, bake an apple crisp, and watch "Footloose." There is nothing like watching "Footloose" to make a girl feel nostalgic!

The groundhog was full of it....

I. Am. Sick. Of. Winter.

Generally speaking, I really like living in Montana. I've always enjoyed the change of seasons, the slow pace of life, and the beautiful scenery....and I consider Montana a great place to raise kids. HOWEVER, this winter has felt absolutely endless...too cold and too snowy to endure much longer. I've been grouchy and tired the last few weeks....and I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from too much winter. The kiddos seem to be totally over snow and skiing as well....we're all looking forward to sunshine and warmer temperatures!

With a little break between sports, it was nice to have a weekend of fun and relaxation. In an attempt to remedy our cabin fever, we spent a couple hours at Exploration Works yesterday morning:



Yeah...that groundhog needs to get his act together....