She said, she said ...

The cute kid quote of the night goes to Samantha - (age 9):
Sitting down right next to me on the couch, and laying her head on my shoulder - "You know you smell like a mom." I asked if that was a good thing, and she said, "For you it is, Mom." Thanks Samantha; I think...

Soccer Update ------------

For those of you following the season of the Mean Green Soccer Queens - they have played four games and their record is 1-2-1. Samantha continues to play half of each game in the goal, half on the field. Go Queens!

Somewhat Useless Information

I found this cool little tidbit on my cousin's blog (thanks, Liz) and it brings up a little something about me and my family. As you can see below, there should be about 114 people with the name Tina Ball. My maiden name is Tina Brumbley, so I tried that, too. The funny part is that it said that there are one or fewer people named Tina Brumbley. This might not sound funny to anyone else, but, it is funny in my family because I was Tina Brumbley. My sister in law is Tina Brumbley. My brother's first wife was named Kristina Brumbley. My maiden name was Christina Brumbley. My other brother's wife is Kris Brumbley. And no, we do not, any of us, have any children named Tina, Christina or Kris!

Try your name, too.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 114 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Free Day Out!!!!!!!!

A friend of mine (thanks, Shauna) sent me a great tip in an email, so I wanted to pass it along -

If you're looking for a FREE way to spend the day with the family and kids check this out, Saturday September 27 is National Museum day, the site will show you what museums in your area are participating!! Hope you enjoy!! Click here for participating museums in your area!!! http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

Amazing Race Season 13!!!!

Ready everybody? The best show on television starts next Sunday (yes, folks, we watch TV on Sundays. Especially football games and the Amazing Race. It's a family activity and if anyone wants to debate this, well, I'm here for ya.) Here's a preview of season 13:

Soccer Season Has Begun

Samantha has taken up a new sport - soccer. She practices twice a week, with games on Saturdays. This schedule will last through November. After three games, her team is 1-2. For the first half of each game, Samantha has played goalie, and in the second half of each game she has played forward.

Her only complaint so far is the name of her team - which was voted on by the team - they have neon green uniforms and they chose their name to be - the Mean Green Soccer Queens. Samantha did not vote for this one - she voted for the Lizards. Mean Green Soccer Queens was way too girly, but, hey, she is still having fun and learning a new game. Go Green Queens!!!

Time Out

Last weekend I was able to leave four out of five kids at home with James (thanks Babe, love you!) and go away for two days and spend it in St. Louis at Time Out For Women. This is a conference sponsered by Deseret Books and includes many Latter-day Saint authors, speakers and artists. It was much more musical than I expected, although very uplifting and refreshing. Thirteen of us traveled together, with two nursing infants, up to the conference. The biggest message I took away from the weekend was that if you are doing your best, then that is good enough. Our Father in Heaven sees your efforts and knows your trials and even when we think we have no strength left, He will fortify us to press on. It's all endure to the end! Plus, enjoy the little moments. Cherish your kids and their sense of wonder. Take the time to be fascinated by nature, by music, by our blessings and by our Divine Creator. Pause every chance you can to be thankful for the beauty and wonder that is our world. And, rememeber to breathe deeply. Thanks, friends, for helping make it a great weekend and a satisfying Time Out For Women!

She said, she said ....

The cute kid quote of the evening goes to Josephine (age 3):

Running into the house from playing outside - "Mom, I need another cough drop. I started to talk and it dropped itself into the yuckiness."

Hole In The Wall

We watched a new show at our house - it's called Hole In The Wall. Basically, the players stand in a narrow playing zone while a wall comes toward them with a cut-out shape. They players get points by fitting through the hole in the wall. If they don't fit, or are in the wrong position, they are swept off of the playing zone into a shallow pool. Sometimes it was one guy, sometimes three. The winners, after three rounds, get $25,000!!! In a bonus round, the team picks one player, who stands in front of the moving wall - blindfolded! - while his team tells him how to position himself to make it through the wall. For that success, the team gets $100,000!! It was NBC, I think.

::::: THE DOME :::::

WARNING - Tons of Pictures; longest post ever!
Look what our family DID!

We built a climbing dome for the backyard. You, too, can have your own dome. We found it at domeclimber.com. They come in various sizes and it was pretty easy to assemble - just time consuming. Here's the play by play:

future dome site

the layout

the skeleton


getting the hang of it

we had a great helper

Jo's idea of helping - modeling


up and up

are we done yet?

finishing touches

yeah!!! all done!

the view from the top

Thank you, Daddy - we love it!

Thank you to our friend and neighbor, Brother Duncan for your hours of help!!

We had to do this in August?????

Rachel was the best help of all the ladies, so we let her have a treat - jumping from the dome to the trampoline. We've since moved the two far enough away from each other that this is not the norm in the backyard - but it was fun.

Then, we celebrated in summer style - with watermelon.

Just a few more snapshots of all the assembly fun...

All our friends are now invited to come over and climb. And just because I know you are wondering - yes, we have already had a big fall - Charlotte (5) was hanging by her legs from the tippy-top upside down and fell to the ground - all nine and half feet down. She's fine, and is back up to the top again. And as a side note - one of the big reasons she fell was because the ladies decided it was hot, and hose would cool everyone off. Makes sense, right? Just don't spray your sisters while they are climbing. Wet domes are slippery-ish. So, come on over!!!!!

The Baby Ate My Homework ...

Rachel was doing her homework on the front room floor and over rolls Baby Jay (he hasn't quite learned how to steer himself, but rolling around has brought new horizons into view...). He grabs her papers, and thrusts them into his mouth. Luckily he grabbed the pile that were just to bring home. Rachel decided that this yellow one with the holes in it might make a good start on a halloween mask.

Playtime

Jay is the best toy in the house. His sisters literally smother him. I hope all this feminine influence makes him into a great husband one day. Jay is six months; Rachel is ten. August 08

School Is Back In Session

Going back to class this year marked a few milestones in our family. First, Charlotte started Kindergarten! She was so excited to go and did a great job. She didn't want me to walk in with her to her classroom, and she was slightly annoyed that I had Samantha follow her to her class, just to be certain she knew the way. Everything was great. Charlotte was confident. She said, "I'm big now, Mom. Just drop me off with Samantha in front of the school. And don't forget to come back and get us, okay?" Yes, babe. I'll be back this afternoon.

Samantha is a pro already, since she is in the fourth grade now. This year was new for her, though, because since we moved across town last Christmas, she is beginning this school year at her new school. Still no problems for her. She makes friends so easily and already has discovered that going to a school one block away means that all the other kids who are walkers live really close to you. Playdates for Samantha have picked up since school started!

Rachel's milestone was that she started Middle School! Fifth and sixth grades have their own building. She is on a team (four homeroom classes, there are three teams, so that's about 350 fifth graders!) and moves around to different classes within the team. Most of her friends from fourth grade were not on her team, but, not to worry. So far she has fit in with two other girls and the threesome has become pretty tight in just two weeks of school. Rachel has even already been approached by a friend of a boy and asked if she likes him, 'cause he likes you, te he he he. We have taken that opportunity to remind her that she can't date until she has a master's degree...

So, another school year is underway. They grow up too fast ...