Date Night

"A date? Why do you guys have to go on a date? You're already married!" This is the response I got from CJ when I told him he and his brothers were spending the night at Aunt Ali and Uncle Juan's.
On Saturday night Daniel and I went to dinner and a concert. Daniel won the tickets from the radio station we listen to, otherwise we probably would have spent Saturday night at home with the kids watching an animated movie for the umpteenth time. We tend to forget that it is okay if we find a babysitter once in a while. We think we need an excuse. Daniel and I figured this is only the third time this year we have spent the evening alone without the kids.
Before the concert, we had dinner at Proto's in BoDo downtown. We sat outside on the patio and had pizza and watched the people walk by. It was so nice...and quiet. Then we went to the concert at the Big Easy. The music was great and we had a lot of fun! Hopefully we don't wait too long before we do it again!

Saying Good-bye to Grandma

Sadly, my wonderful Grandma Hadley passed away on May 8th. She had been sick and we had time to prepare but I'm not sure if that made it any easier. To understand you have to know a little background.

When I was four years old by parents bought a little piece of land in Shelley, ID. When we moved in, my grandma also moved her little trailer there. For the next fourteen years I grew up with my grandma living next door. If we needed something we ran to her house to borrow it, if I needed to earn some money I asked her if I could do chores. We spent the night at her house and went to town with her to run errands. She drove us to Driver's Ed and taught us to play cards. Grandma was a constant.

For as long as I have been alive, Grandma worked hard and provided for herself. She was fiesty and independent. She was Grandma.

Even after I moved out on my own and moved to Boise, Grandma was there for me. Though she hated the thought of making the long drive by herself she did it for me. Not once but twice, first when I was pregnant with CJ and was put on bedrest and again when I was pregnant with Caleb and the same thing happened. When I told her I needed help she packed her bags. She stayed as long as I needed.

Eventually Grandma moved to Boise and moved into my house. It was supposed to be temporary but due to her health it turned into a permanent situation. In that close of quarters we had our differences. In truth, we fought like an old married couple. Despite that, Grandma was still there. If I needed something she wouldn't hesistate. She helped wherever she could and always wanted to do more.

We had her funeral in Idaho Falls on Thursday May 15th. We had a get together with all the family afterward. It was nice to see so many family members that we had not seen for years. We all stayed at Grandma Turnage's house, it was crazy and loud and fun! We also had a barbeque there on Friday. It was so great that we were all together. It felt more like a party than a death in the family and though it is cliche it is what Grandma would have wanted. She also wanted to be cremated and have her ashes scattered at Medicine Lodge, a place where we spent a lot of time camping in the summer. We all drove up there on Saturday. We had lunch and let the kids play before placing her ashes around the fire pit. It is a place where Grandma spent a lot of time visiting with family and we feel that when we go camping there next we can sit around the camp fire and be with Grandma.

Grandma will be easy to remember, first as the little eccentric lady who lived next door, second as the crazy lady who lived in the bonus room, and finally as the grandma who was always there.

We love you Grandma.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Today was the day for the 10th Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I was very excited to be running for such a great cause but what made it much more exciting was that I would be racing against my brother Rob. He was running his first 5K race! We chatted about running, we talked a little trash...but it all added up to a 3.1 mile race to raise money for breast cancer.

Good thing I was running to raise money for a good cause because my mouth ran a little faster than my feet!! I can't brag about winning anything! Rob kicked my hiney!! He ran his first 5K in under 27 minutes! That is amazing! My time was 27:42, a respectable time for a 5K, but nowhere near Rob's time! I have to admit I was a little cocky going into this. I started running about a year ago, surely I can beat my "little" brother in a 5K. Alas, it was not meant to be. Rob went ahead of me early and I thought to myself, "My only hope is if he runs out of juice." I don't know what he was drinkin' but he ran and ran and beat me by better than a minute! It was a lot of fun and I am so excited to keep running and keep competing! Especially if it is against Rob! Maybe someday I will beat him!!

Next up!! The Fit for Life Half Marathon! July 12, 2008!

School Carnival...so much fun...so glad it's over!

I have been very involved with the school PTO this year. I was elected Secretary and have enjoyed going to the meetings and taking all the notes. Therefore, I blindly and enthusiastically signed up to head the Games and Prizes committee for the school Carnival this year. Do I need additional volunteers on the committee? Heck no, I have Daniel, the ever reliable husband, and several trusty family members who also have students at the school! Help, schmelp!!!

First item on the agenda: the Plinko game. Daniel accurately dubbed this the "Tetanus shot waiting to happen", this game had over a hundred three inch nails pounded into a three quarter inch piece of plywood. The rusty ends were poking out of the other side and the heads were all bent in various directions.

With the help of our Dads (both of whom would rival Andrew dan Jumbo on Trading Spaces), we proceeded to pound wooden dowels in place of the rusty nails. We then added colorful painting and graphics. CJ and Caleb had fun helping us pound and paint. It was quite the family project.

Meanwhile, my sister in law, Tina, had no idea that I had observed her talents at decorating the office calendars. This would result in her being recruited to redecorate the school's Go Fish pond. This pond previously consisted of canvas stretched on PVC pipe and taped-on paper fish and seaweed (which constantly fell off last year). Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I can attest to the oohs and aahs it recieved when we carried it in! Tina did a great job!!

The Carnival was crazy and fun! After everything was set up I ran around making sure everyone showed up for their shifts at the booths and filling in for those who didn't. Daniel single-handedly manned the football toss for the first hour. I should also add that I learned how to spin cotton candy and I am pretty good at it to boot. I ran my butt off and my feet were killing me by the end of the night but it was a blast. I plan to head the Games and Prizes committee again next year. We have a few more games that need "Mercado-izing" according to Daniel. If you have a desire for something crazy and a few extra hours next spring, let me know, I'll put you to work!!

Yay!!! Yard Work!!

Last Sunday, Daniel and I decided to tackle a small part of our yardwork for this Spring/Summer. Our house is only about two years old so we still have generic, boring landscaping in our front yard. Daniel has always hated the plants that are in our front beds and I don't like that there is no specific division between some of our landscaping and our grass.

The problem is that whenever Daniel and I go look at plants we always differ in opinions. Whatever I like, Daniel hates and whatever Daniel likes, I won't approve. It is an interesting outing, let me tell you.

However, this time we agreed on a few plants at Costco that we both felt we would like in our little flower bed by our mailbox. The evening weather was nice so we decided to go ahead and put it all in. As you can see from the pictures, Gabe decided to help. Unfortunately, my timing was not good enough to get a picture of Gabriel actually falling in the hole! But he was a good helper and we had fun! Gaby wore his clogs that Grandma and Grandpa Mercado gave him and I couldn't resist taking a picture of his wonderfully dirty feet!! The area looks good and I look forward to posting some more pictures of our front yard after we finish it!

CJ and Caleb's Birthday Party!

We celebrated CJ and Caleb's birthdays last weekend with a bowling party. We all had a ton of fun bowling and thankfully Grandma and Grandpa Mercado were there to entertain Gabriel! He would have loved to throw the ball but he is still a little young. They did a great job keeping him occupied and I can't thank them enough! After bowling we moved over to Grandma and Papa Dickson's house for presents and cake. The cake was awesome--from Costco of course! The presents were a'plenty!! I always comment about how many presents the boys get every year and Mom (Patti) had a good reply this time...every year!! It is every year!! CJ and Caleb get tons of presents!! We completely filled up the back of our car! Recession?? What recession! The economy must be booming due to all of the gifts our kids received this year!

Anyway, it was a great party and we really appreciate everyone who comes every year to have fun with us!!!