Waiting is the worst

Aaron had his interview for the mini vp at redbull last Friday. We should know this week if he got it. If he doesn't get it, he needs to find a new job by jan 1 cuz his current job will go away. I hate waiting. Brutal. 

Harry!

Just watched the order of the Phoenix with bryn. Finally someone likes Harry potter. It has been crazy frustrating to have kids who refuse to read these books. Now off to bed. 

bubble bubble bubble guppie guppie guppie

It has been a nuts day. It's one of those days that I got a ton of stuff done but it doesn't seem like I did anything. And then sweet little Bryn bawled her eyes out after school because she didn't get the job she wanted for an upcoming field trip where they live and work in this mock town. She wanted to be a doctor and instead she is the hospital accountant. She was devastated. I haven't heard her cry like that in a long time. Maybe she needs more sleep?

Ava is the perfectly middle kid; for the most part, she keeps out of trouble but then avoids doing pretty much everything I ask. Pulling her teeth would be easier than getting her to clean her room, do her chores and don't even get me started on homework. But she was a great playmate for Gray today which helped a ton.

Morgan is still working to get off the naughty list. She faked that she couldn't read at school. So they put her in a special reading group with the special reading teacher. Seriously. I was so mad at first and thought good, now you'll learn what happens when you fake it. So she has way more homework for reading but now it is backfiring because they won't let her read books that are at her real level. I keep calling them and emailing them to send home harder books. And they recognize she can read but they want her to read independently. I'm not quite sure what that means because I just sit next to her as she reads the whole book without help. I don't know if she is pulling stuff at school but the specials teachers over there assess weird. They did this to Ava last year, same story, she needs help. But then Ava was one of the best readers in her class by the end of the year.

Gray is my buddy. He loves to ride his bike and play with trucks and watch bubble guppies. He has to sleep with three blankets at night and calls them "bits." Every morning, we walk/jog the neighborhood after we get the kids out the door for school. He rides in the stroller and eats icees. He loves to bounce on the tramp and play with bailey. And he's not the most stable kid, he falls a lot. Makes Bryn look good actually. He's already had staples to the back of his head and he's got a nice harry potter scar on his forehead.

Lauren is coming into her own. 7th grade has been a ton of hormones and drama. And yet still no period. A new girl moved into our ward and Lore was great about be-friending her--she's even in our carpool to school. But now she's really getting to know Madison and the girl is a major flirt. This is throwing off Lore's game. Lore likes boys but does not go out of her way to stalk/talk to them like madison. So we have a ton of drama because of it. It also doesn't help that the deacon Lore likes is hot for Madison. This has been a new parenting drama for me because I probably relate more to Madison, I was definitely a flirt in 7th grade, but I also don't want my innocent little Lore to grow up as fast as I did.

Too tight Too tight

It is no secret that Morgan and Bryn do not like to wear socks. Possibly because we wear flips all summer and are barefoot at home. So wearing socks and closed-toe shoes to school is a major issue in our house.

Since school started, Morgan has thrown raging (like crazy who are you rage) fits about not wearing her sneakers (that she picked out at the store). She claims they are "too tight." But when she can kick them off her feet while they are double knotted, I know this to be a bogus claim. Because of the fits, Mo has become our house elf. I counted up to a hundred chores before she finished her last fit and now she is working off her debt to society. She is also officially on Santa's naughty list. She has four months to get off. Since being put on the naughty list, the fits have ended. It also helped that she had to wear her shoes all day (even to bed) for 20 days. She likes her shoes now but still hates socks...

This leads to my Bryn story. Bryn is ten and in the fifth grade. So you would think she would be used to socks, but she's not. She hates them but she also knows throwing a fit gets you no where in this house. She went the sneaky route instead. For the past few weeks, her feet and new shoes have been getting quite pungent. Burns the nostrils. Aaron and I were baffled because she puts on a clean pair of socks every day. Does she just have crazy stinky feet? Was she wearing the same socks again? We couldn't figure it out...until last week, when Aaron noticed that Bryn had been cutting off the bottoms of her socks (so her feet could be free inside her shoes) and tucking her refurbished ankle-warmers into her shoes to make it look like regular socks. Scoundrel. She's now on the hook for buying new socks. And I have to do a sock check every morning.

kids, man.

How do you like me now, chinstrap?

So I'm doing a challenge with my sisters that requires me to journal everyday. This means I'm about to be extremely chatty over the next 8 weeks. Cheers to christy. 

Being that I've had blog fatigue for a while, I have a lot of stuff to share. Get ready for a ton of backstory (so that I don't forget some of the crazy that is my life). 

But this is is for tonight since I'm writing from my phone in the car in the high school parking lot while my kids are at swim team. 

Journal for today: check. I'm going to win the money. 

Call it what you will

My return after two years. Why? I need to keep a journal and this is it. So everything that has happened to me since my last post is gone. A faded memory. No, I kid. No literally, I had another kid. I have a boy. Miracles do happen. Was he planned? Hell no. Do I love him? Yes but not the teething. Gray was born Oct 20, 2012 and it almost killed me. Seriously. I'm going to focus on the positive and leave it at we are both alive and thriving.

We are still in Denver, making this the longest we have ever lived in a home and still love it here.

Currently, because it hurts my brain to dwell on the past, we are in the thick of summer.  All the girls are in swim team and I need them to be or they have too much energy to go to bed. Aaron is in the thick of business planning at Redbull and that means I'm buying an electric guitar for Lore's birthday on Wednesday alone. I'm hoping to find a cheaper decent blue one.

I went to the Big Sur in the Rockies Writing Workshop in May and got to be in a group with Andrea Browne of Andrea Browne Literary Agency. The workshop was amazing. They loved my Recess Revolt but not the title. For shame. I still can't think of a better title. Titling is hard. Right now my query is sitting in Kelly Sonnack's (andrea browne agent) email and it is killing me. It has only been a week but I was secretly hoping to hear from her by now. HarperCollins wants my story, Andrea wants my story and yet Kelly hasn't responded yet. She waited 8 weeks to reject me before, I'm hoping she responds faster. But I'm worried since I didn't hear from her by now that it isn't the gem Andrea thought it was at the workshop. I was hoping she would have requested a full manuscript by now. HarperCollins gave me until the first week of July to send a partial. But I want an agent. Patience. I suck at it. Argh.

On the upside, I'm finishing my YA dystopia while the revolt goes cold. Sunny and Amber will be pleased.

My tomorrow is insane. Why isn't summer more relaxed...I guess we are doing fun things but it is crazy busy. On the docket: swim team for 1.5 hrs, buying a guitar, balloons and other birthdayness, visiting Jen Bagozzi who is in town, and then ending on A days and YW.

I better get writing before my eye close. good night.

Hey, how you doin? It's been awhile

I have many reasons why I haven't blogged for the entire month of April.

1. Spring Break. A week and a half in Utah visiting friends and family plus snowboarding. It was a great trip. We were there over April Fool's (on which Alys had her baby and I didn't believe her till we saw the pictures. Sorry Alys.) Lauren dared me to get her with three pranks because one would be too easy. My kids feel love based on how many pranks I pull on them. It's sick, I know, but I love it too. Before we left, we peeped my parents house so when they returned from their cruise they had just under 100 peeps hidden all over their house. Some had their butts or wings bit off by Morgan--those were Mom's favorite ones to find.
2. Writing and rewriting and writing some more. I'm almost ready to query.
3. Running here a little and there a little. I'm running the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon with Sunny and Kendra on Saturday. I get butterflies just thinking about it. I'm pretty sure I won't be picked up by the you-suck-van but I'm just planning on finishing. This is my training half. If there is such a thing. I plan to beat my crappy time (because it will be crappy) at the end of the summer.
4. Ava's birthday. The little sassy kitten turned five. We had a big party at Pump It Up. She wore a giant grin the entire time. I can't believe she's five. It really is soo crazy how fast they grow up.
5. Keeping up with the kids and the final sprint to the end of school. Everything is wrapping up right now. I just bought dance recital tickets (that sold out like rock concert tickets) and it will be fun to see them get their groove on. We've got field trips and joy school and plays and a bazillion other things.

That's all I can think of right now. Oh we got Bailey back from her dog training. She's been gone since January and it has been bliss. She's been a good dog since she's returned. She's mellowed a ton. Little Bryn started crying when I told her Bailey was home. She's missed the dog the most. She stinks like the dog most days.