The Countdown

For a year now, I have been anticipating Katelyn's 16th birthday. And not for the reasons you might suspect, such as now she can drive herself to all of her various activities that keep me running in circles AND drive her brother to all of his various activities that keep me driving in reverse circles. Nope the reason I have been so looking forward to her 16th birthday is because of the celebration! Originally I was going to have a surprise party for her, but then I got worried that I wouldn't know which friends to invite. So in June, I clued her in on the party. Then we got busy thinking about a theme. Honestly, it has taken me over 10 months to come up with just the right theme for her Sweet 16. Then a month ago I was listening to the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack and it hit me....Masquerade! She loves the Phantom of the Opera and doesn't a Masquerade Ball sound just about perfect for a Sweet 16? Saturday is the big day and I can hardly wait! We spent last Saturday picking out a dress Oh that was a nightmare! very difficult to find any sort-of modest dress these days, but we were somewhat successful. She has to wear a little jacket over the dress because of the spaghetti straps, but she is very OK with that. She is such a good daughter! We met with the DJ's last night and they seem like they are going to be terrific! They had some very fun ideas. The cake is taken care thanks to some talented grandparents (thanks Mom and Dad). The decorations are in--50 masks, 100 beads, 15 yards of deep purple toole and 16 yards of green toole (we have to use something to cover up the prickly brown walls in the cultural hall), scene backdrops, balloons. We've had positive responses from about 25 people with about 25 more pretty sures. The only thing I'm still trying to resolve is how much and what kind of snacks to have. The party is from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Any suggestions? I want something that isn't messy and doesn't have to be kept warm. I thought about pretzels and chips. I am going to make some pecan pralines and we are using Skittles as part of the the table decorations. So any suggestions? Fun party food ideas? Now is the time to reveal yourselves. Don't hold back because I only have til Saturday to get it all figured out. Oh and what do you think about a Father/Daughter dance after we sing "Happy Birthday"? Paul Simon has a great one called Father and Daughter.

Sports Round-up

Last Saturday, Dave and I were part of a 1/2 ironman relay team. He biked, I ran, and a gal we know from LL did the swim. David rocked on the bike--56 miles in 3 hours on the TOUGHEST course ever--really, my friends who do Ironman all the time won't come and do this race just because of the bike course. Anyway, he was amazing. Doesn't he look like a bike rider?

I'd love to brag on how well my run went, but it didn't go that great. But if you ask Dave he'll tell you I did a great job--he's the best. (This picture was take about mile 5 when I was still feeling really good and my body was still sweating. About mile 6, I quit sweating. Not good.)

The good news...our team took 3rd place! We were so surprised.

And just so you don't think that we are the only athletes in the family, let me tell you about Carson's football game. His first game was yesterday. It was a beautiful day for watching middle school football. He played the first half mostly left guard and kick return. Then the second half he added left tackle to the positions he played. Yep, offensive and defensive lineman for the entire second half. No breaks, he was in for the entire time. He had some great blocks on offense and really busted through the defensive line. A couple of times he was right in the quarterbacks face causing some busted pass plays. He had two nice tackles that I saw and fortunately he was not on the bottom of the pile when all was said and done. His team went on to win 14-13. He has a bye next week (I think).

What's the Emergency

Dear Parents, Can you please help me understand why you list grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, neighbors, friends, etc. as emergency contacts and then provide NO NUMBERS! I don't see the purpose of giving me all of the names if you don't tell me how to reach them. I promise that if you provide the numbers I won't call them except in an absolute emergency AND only AFTER I have tried calling you at every number you have listed for yourself. So Parents, please help me out. Please provide not only emergency contact names, but also emergency contact numbers for those names. Your child's health and welfare may depend on it. Sincerely, Nurse Graham

Brian Urlacher, You Say? Nope, that's Carson

Did you notice in the "first day of school" picture that Carson has cleats in his hands? No? Well, he does and they are FOOTBALL cleats. Yep, he is playing football this year. So far I have been OK with that. I figure it is just one of those "rights of passage" for junior high boys. Besides, in our middle school, the boys are divided by weight and age. If you are a big boy, you play with the other big boys and if you are on the smaller end of things, well you play with other boys who are also on the smaller side. Needless to say, Carson plays on the lightweight team. Like I said, I've been OK with things so far. Sure, it's tough seeing your boy come home with forearms and legs that are various shades of blue, purple and green. And no mother enjoys watching her boy limping around because everything hurts. And I felt bad when I had to tell him last night that there wasn't much I could do for him except offer him ibuprofen and put him in an ice bath. But I've been OK with him playing football. UNTIL they announced positions! Those coaches...what were they thinking? They've decided that Carson--my 5'1, 92 pound boy, should be playing offensive and defensive lineman! Are they crazy? I am not OK with this. But Carson is ecstatic about his positions. He says he can't wait to smash into other people. David tried to be very supportive and said that the biggest guy can only be 120 pounds. Um, excuse me, that's still 30 pounds heavier than my boy. I'm trying very hard to put on a brave face, but I'll be that mother you see cringing on the sidelines.

How to Catch a Fly and Why I Need New Shoes

Dear Parents, When you are at a new school and you are advocating for your child, please realize that loudly declaring "I'll do whatever it takes to push this through" isn't the best approach. You will do well to remember that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You see, nothing raises the hackles of school officials faster than to have a parent come in all fired up and yelling threats. A much better approach is to present the information in a sweet manner. Yes, I realize that at times an assertive approach is necessary to get the bureacracy moving and out of your way, but when you are aggressive, you just burn bridges. Those bridges are really hard to repair. And the next year, when your child is at a new school and you are talking with the nurse about your child's situation and she realizes the solution, she thinks all is well. Until she notifies the persons in charge of the solution. Then she discovers that she has stepped into a big pile of stinky, old crap. And now she needs new shoes--even though she was successful in getting the solution implemented. Sincerely, Nurse Graham

A Last and A First

This post is a few days late, but I need to do it anyway.

Saturday was the last day at the Farmer's Market for the kids. Running a produce booth at the Market has been their summer job for the last 3 years. I'm sorry that summer is over and they are done (and I mean done, no more Market for us next year) at the Market. But they worked hard and I think from time to time, they even enjoyed it. Farewell Graham's Garden Goodies.

When summer comes to an end, you know that school is coming to the beginning. David stayed home from work Tuesday morning so he could make the kids breakfast and then drop them off at school. His plan mostly worked. Carson only wanted toast for breakfast, so he made his own. And Katelyn didn't need to be to school until 11:30, so David wasn't able to drop her off. It was fun to have Dave home in the morning to get the kids ready for school--although since they are 13 and pretty much 16, they really don't need much help. Anyway, here is the traditional "First Day of School" picture.