Roller skatin' at the carwash...

Is that a song or do I have it wrong? I guess I'll google it later when I have a meaningless minute to spare. In the mean time I will entertain you all with our delightful night of roller skating with the kids for the first time EVER!!

For Christmas we got Dante roller blades and Erin roller skates, and we finally took them to an actual roller rink about a month ago - AND like 5 months since we got them their skates- GO US!

Anyhow- it was a lot of fun- here are TOO many pictures for your enjoyment. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the captions!
Ethan in roller skates for the 1st time! Trying to get up.


Erin proudly dawning her skates (even though she was mad we forgot her princess skates she got for Christmas)

Mom- LOOK! I'm almost up!

Dante proudly showing off his cool roller blades- that he did not get in Paris!



Ooopppsss.... I'm down again. Dang it!


Erin makes it out onto the rink- and is excited to get to skatin'!



Yeah- Ethan is finally up- with Chet's help of course, but I'm not sure how much he is liking it



Dante is out on the rink. YEAH!!



Ethan not happy about dad dislocating his arm.



Mom - look NO wall!
Man!! I'm down AGAIN!



If you look closely (or enlarge the picture) you will see Ethan on the floor towards the back, near the dj booth.



Chet trying hard to get Ethan to go back out on the rink with him after only 5 min. of skating...
Ethan gets his way- and is taking his skates off- all the while MOM is laughing hysterically behind the camera at all of this!



Erin looking pretty for the camera and having lots of fun!



Dante rockin' it on the skating floor.



AND we have Erin down!



Ethan and Erin going to take a break.



Ethan and Erin waiting so nicely on the bench... hoping to NEVER go back out on the floor (well Ethan at least is wishing that)



MOM- I'm silly!




Dante's last smile of the night. He now wants to go play video games and we have no coins on us-too bad so sad.

Chet gettin' his speed on.. and showing off!

Props to the man of my dreams ... every time I see him skate I get chills.



Erin looks HOT! I love the after rollerskating hair.




Dante claims he is done and he is going to sit over at the games just wishing he was playing.



I was dying over his tantrum- because every once in a while I'd catch him doing a "hmpppphhh" and then folding his arms. I was laughing and i was trying so hard to catch a picture of him doing that- but he would always notice and then come run after me- because he didn't want me to take a picture of him-- here he is in one of his classic runs!



Ethan debating on going out again--- nope- not this time!



However Dante does go out again- and puts his blades back on.. and lives happily ever after, until he falls and then I see this on Ethan's face...


HAHAHA Mom- Dante fell!!

Oh, the joys of rollerskating, ice-skating- anything on wheels or blades where you can watch kids fall - will last me a laugh for a lifetime! It is truly hilarious-- the arms flailing, the priceless look on their face while they try so hard to catch them selves, then they finally think they have caught themselves-- and you see a smile of accomplishment start to spread across their face- just before you see both legs fly up into the air as they come crashing down!! Gotta love it- because we ALL learn that way:)

I feel SO special! You have NO idea!

I cannot tell you the overwhelming response I have received due to my "broken ankle" I have had people tell me all sorts of things that crossed their minds while they were reading my post- like bringing me dinner, watching my kids, bringing me a wheelchair, giving me a massage, bringing me ice-cream, writing me a get well card, etc.... and NOW I know I can get ALL this by simply breaking my ankle:) WOW! I really do feel special- and well taken care of, even though it was a simple April Fools joke. I guess when they say- "It is the thought that really counts" that it isn't just a cheesy saying- that I really did feel a warm feeling in my bosom from reading the comments and getting phone calls- So thanks ya'll!

And - I wonder if it really DID happen- if those were just thoughts and then never acted on- would the thought count then?? Or does the thought only count when it doesn't really matter- because it really isn't your b-day or Christmas, or I'm not really sick, etc... hmmmm.... wonders for the wise!

ps- i really do hope to be back up to my normal blogging soon- the roller skating pictures are DYING to come out....

oh and pps- for those of you who were curious about the ankle- I googled "broken ankle" and searched images- and that was pretty much the only ladies ankle I found. The rest were hairy manly legs- that I don't think I could have gotten away with.

I just want to cry!

Not to rant and put a damper on anyone's day.... BUT........

So, would you say my ankle was broken or just swollen?! Any guesses??

BROKEN! I can't believe it! Last night I was walking to my moms house and I was walking along side the kids, while they were on the sidewalk and I was in the grass... and what do you know- a BIG hole (which was cleverly disguised as grass) swallowed me and my ankle turned the wrong way, one too many times- and voila- you have a nice, juicy, swollen, and I mean SWOLLEN, not to mention broken ankle. Lovely! Chet goes out of town- and not 4 hours later I have a BROKEN ankle! Am I bitter ?? NO! I mean YES- but only because every time things seem to be going great in my life... WHAMMO- something happens like THIS! I just want to flip my own lid- and I want to run in the streets screaming!!! Since I can't RUN- does anyone want to put me in a wheel chair - and roll me down a stupid hill- so I can flail my arms screaming, that the world must HATE me- because I now have a BROKEN ankle! I have NEVER broken a bone in my body (well- one toe and my middle finger- which was great when I had to cheer at football games- and I had a splint on my middle finger!) But nothing MAJOR! I'm totally out of commission- I CAN'T believe this! UGGGHHHH! I'm totally feeling sorry for myself- and YOU for falling for my April fools joke:)

Have a great day!

Happy Easter:)

As many of you have already learned, Easter is my favorite holiday for many reasons. The biggest one is because it is like a new beginning, my new years if you will. It is a reminder that I can start over, that I can start fresh... that Jesus Christ died for me so that I can make mistakes and learn from them and repent. Easter represents new life, a time for celebration and gratitude for the sacrifice of our Savior, so that he could be resurrected so that I can gradually become more and more like my Savior and be worthy to live in his presence someday, with my beautiful family. Every Easter I try to make a resolution to be more like my Savior.

Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever walked the face of the Earth as a perfect being. He was the greatest teacher and he taught BY example. So that is what I resolve to do! I want to be a better teacher through example. Sometimes, I let my temper get the best of me, or I'm a little more idle then I should be- and then I expect my kids not to yell, or not to sit in front of the tv for prolonged hours at a time.

In "You've got to Read this Book" Rafe Esquith said that "To Kill a Mockingbird" opened his eyes to a whole new way of teaching. He says,

"The number-one rule in raising children is to be a role model. I saw that if I wanted to be a truly great teacher, I had to be the person I wanted my students to be. If I wanted them to work hard, rather than lecture them, I had to be the hardest worker they had ever seen. If I wanted them to be kind, I had to be the kindest person- even and especially when times were bad and others were unkind."

When I read that statement, it was like a slap in the face! So many times I will tell my kids not to do something and then I'll go and do it myself...... SO- with that being said- It's Easter and with the help of my Heavenly Father and the example and resurrection of Jesus Christ- I can change:) I CAN become a better teacher, I can be a better example for my kids and that is exactly what I am going to do!

What is your Easter resolution?

Coming soon to a blog near you............

Actual posts about my kids and our outings! It seems forever ago since I've posted pics of my kids!

I have a roller skating one coming up- but we are leaving now for the beach for the next few days, so it will have to wait til' I get back-- but you WILL get it and I promise it will be worth the wait!!

Since we are going to the beach- you will also get lots and lots of fun adventurous beach pictures and all there is to do in Galveston, including going back to NASA with our seasons passes purchased with love by Grandma and Grandpa Ranger:)

You will also be getting the Easter blog with lots of pictures from Easter morning.



But for now it is Adios folks! See ya on Monday (most likely):) And until then- here are some cute pics of my kids way back when (3 years ago)- to help quench the withdrawals until I'm back:)

Severe weather?!

WHAT severe weather??? I have been SOOO excited for the "big" storm that was supposed to blow through today.... and what did it bring- a whoppin' 5 min. of rain! No thunder, no lightning, no hail... NOTHING- just 5 min. of medium pounding rain.

Now- normally this doesn't bug me- I LOVE me a big thunderstorm, but I like a normal rain shower too. The part that irks me- is all over the radio, and all over the news you hear "stay inside, severe weather, possible tornadoes, this is going to be a BIG one folks!"........

and then you get me waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting and for what?? 5 measly minutes of rain- and then it is gone- no sign of it ever having rained, and no sign that it might start storming again later.


It reminded me of the "emotional roller coaster" I had to go through when Hurricane Rita was going to hit. Chet and I had been in New Orleans 2 weeks prior to Hurricane Katrina hitting- and we all know what a disaster that was.... and we were so thankful we did not choose to go that weekend, or else we would have been stuck there too. However- 2 weeks after that was when Rita was supposed to hit Houston- and it was coming right for us. First a weak 2, then 3, then 4, then 5- and before it hit land- it had weakened back to a 3.... and luckily it moved out of our way- but with ALL that emotional roller coaster- of should we leave and move to higher ground- uh,oh- I guess we really can't because traffic is clogged with all 15 million Houstonians trying to get out- and what would normally be a 3 hour trip to Austin or San Antonio is taking people 12 hours... and on the way they are running out of gas, because gas stations are out of gas, etc.... so - we stay put---- and NOT one drop of rain-- we did not get ONE drop! I was sooooo irritated- I was like- I was excited at first when I heard a small hurricane was coming our way- because I made it through hurricane Alicia when I was like 5- and I could do it again. Then as it kept strengthening- I started to get more and more nervous- because of what happened with Katrina-- and then NOTHING, nada, zilch-- all I wanted was a little bit of action- and I got nothing!

Yes- I'm grateful that Hurricane Rita did turn at the last minute... and I guess I'm grateful that a tornado didn't come barreling down on us (even though I never expected that would happen anyway) - but is it too much to ask for a little thunderstorm where I can hunker down and open the blinds and watch it from my bed while reading or watching a scary movie with my hubby??

Oh, well- what can you do! Does this happen to anyone else, or am I just one of a kind- that gets mad at the weather when it doesn't go my way- good or bad!? LOL!

Sometimes I only WISH I could see like Raven

Oh, SNAP! I wonder how much easier my life would be, if I could get just a glimpse into the future of my day. For instance:

It seems like EVERY time- and I mean EVERY time I get ALL caught up on laundry.... someone starts throwing up- and it is like I just have to start all over again. If I could see in the future- would I even DO laundry- if I knew someone was just going to be throwing up all over my "so fresh and so clean" laundry??

Or... when I'm VERY CLOSE to being caught up on my laundry (after the person is done finally throwing up on everything) - would I be smart enough to fold it right away... if I KNEW Erin and Ethan would decide it would be fun to mix the clean with the dirty- so that they could have a bigger jumping pile to jump in?? Or, would I "see" that in the future and be like- have at it with the dirty ones before I wash them- because once they are washed, they are washed- and there will be NO jumping after that point??

Or..... today while I'm catching up on all my cleaning after a CRAZY weekend- where I literally didn't have a chance to even wash ONE dish... and Chet was so kind to take all the kids to "Horton Hears a Who" and to the park so that I could get everything nice and clean without any interruptions...... would I have had a better attitude when I opened the fridge and the bottom bar on the door breaks off for NO good reason, where I keep all my salad dressings and other fun glass bottles, and they all decide to fall onto the tile floor and break and so I had Worcestershire sauce, raspberry vinaigrette, honey mustard dressing, and a cilantro based dressing all splattered and quickly spreading all over my kitchen within the grout of the tile- and it wasn't pretty!! Luckily- my kids were gone- so they weren't trying to play slip-n-slide with the mixed dressings- because they did look very inviting. But- if I had seen all that happening in my near future- would I have had a better attitude because I would expect it- or would I have prevented it and just thrown all the bottles away ahead of time??

Sometimes I seriously wonder how different our lives would play out, if we could just have little glimpses into the future. But I guess that is just so Raven and NOT SOO BERTIE!