Vida. Risa. Amor.

Here's a brief "status update" on the Palacios home this Friday night:  the girls are out at a high school football game, my boys are watching Dr. Doofenshmirtz rap with Perry the Platapus on Phineus and Pherb, Chemo is hopefully wrapping up his 12 hour shift at work, and I am kicking back after scooping out 4 pumpkins.  With ice-cream.  Life is good.

I do this every year.  I can't not carve pumpkins, and I can't not save the seeds.  We never end up eating all the salted seeds I roast, but I do it anyway because it makes me feel semi Martha/Crockerish...(in other words, both resourceful & festive).  We do pumpkin carving in two steps:  scoop night and carve night.  I just like to get the scraping of the insides of the pumpkins out of the way so the next day the kids can just carve away without getting pumpkin slime all over themselves and the floor.  Plus knives and boys don't mix...and the stench of pumpkin innards makes my girls gag.  So at our house, scooping out pumpkins over the years has become "Mom's job".  I don't mind.

So we're set for a fun weekend of football and softball, end of season parties and Halloween festivities.  If I'm not up to my elbows in pumpkins, then I'm up to my eyelashes in halloween treats.  My contribution to the world will always be box mix cupcakes and rice-krispies....I seem to not fail in these two party desserts.  I did burn some cupcakes last night though.  shhh...don't tell.  It's my oven's fault anyway.

I realize it's often a rare occasion where my whole family has been home altogether, but we all seem to be enjoying our lives for the most part.  I'm sort of hoping the pumpkin carving will bring us together tommorrow night though....that and maybe some smores around our firepit.  On Sunday the kids are looking forward to trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, and so from youngest to oldest, this year we have a pirate, (captain Jack Sparrow), a cowboy, a derby girl, (going by the name of Smashley Simpson), and Thomas the Train.  After hours of searching my closet for a costume, my highschool daughter finally decided to just be Thomas.  She's too old to trick or treat though....I've cut them off at 13. 

As my girls like to say, "it's all good in the hood", and for the most part it's a real family friendly atmosphere here on Halloween night.  So I give Arizona an A+ for fun on Halloween...(just don't forget to disguise the adult beverages). ;)

My son Aydan just came down the stairs after I had tucked him in because he said he wanted to give me an extra hug.  He whispered, "x-o-x-o-x-o".  Funny how sometimes God knows exactly what we need and sends it through to us to our kids.  Hugs from him are so precious.

Tonight we found out our air conditioner system in our attic is leaking water and forming a big puddle in the middle of the hallway, so we spent the last hours before bedtime trying to figure out how to fix it.  Fiberglass really should be outlawed.  Add to that a tired Mom and Dad and a spazzy 4 year old and this experience can feel ten times more frustrating.  Bed time tuck-ins were the fast versions tonight.

After that I decided to try and unwind and spend some time catching up on my friends and family's blogs, and since my own brain is lacking a decent train of thought, I've decided I like what other's have to say tonight better:

"Life usually sucks more often than we'd like, but it's important to make an effort to find the good and the joy in the middle of those times that's going to help you get through." 
...I probably added too many words to this quote of hers, but my sister suggested that to me yesterday as we were surounded by a bunch of light-saber fighting boys at her house for her daughter's princess birthday party.  She has an amazing talent for doing more than the average Mom can take on....and doing it well.  I don't know anyone who knows how to make a prettier pink cupcake either.

I also caught up on my friend's "Living Life" blog and am always amazed at her positive outlook on life despite the tough trials she's been through this past year(s).  I tend to think of her around this season since we ran the Chicago Marathon together 2 years ago and the second week in October is the anniversary of that day.  That was a big life moment for me, and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have run it with....(we've been friends for almost 30 years).  She's a wonderful friend and mother and not only has the coolest family friendly craft ideas, but she shares the same passion I do in running.  I really liked what she wrote recently in her blog:  "Run the race God has set before you with endurance..."(Hebrews 12:1).  "This is the run of my life....the good, the bad, and the roads I've yet to travel....and I'm learning to trust God all the way."

So this is me right now:  I'm usually the last to bed, and the first one up for a jog every other morning.  I love that time on the road before the day starts... and I need it too.  (Endorphins are a good thing for a Mom to keep stocked up on. Well that, and chocolate).

I'm in the "marathon" of life right now...and some seasons I'm going to have to run like a mother to keep up.

...and discover the "fun" in the "run".  ;)

Well another Friday night has arrived.  I don't really care that I spent most of my day doing housework and yardwork; my week kept me too busy to keep up with it so it feels great to be sitting in a clean house right now.  We have 4, maybe 5 games total to go to in the next 2 days, so it feels good to get ahead.  I win.  And I'd also like to add that my mesquite tree is once again even-steven with it's branches.  I win again.

My girls are out with their friends and my boys are engrossed in their 50th viewing of Transformers...(that I occasionally get distracted from because I actually kind of like that movie too).  I'm also texting on my new cell phone back and forth with Josie who is at her high-school's football game with friends, and with Lanie who is at a movie with her friends.  I really had no idea the fun and ease it is to communicate through texts...there's no tone of voice to have to deal with, or noise to have to shout over, and it's really quick.  My text-bashing days are officially over.  And sending pictures!....shopping for two picky daughters has never been easier.

Today is also the beginning of my kids fall break from school.  In years past, we have taken the week for a vacation, but I'm actually kind of glad we didn't have anything planned so we can just stay home.  The weekends are going to be just as busy with soccer tournaments, football, and now softball, but  I can honestly say there's no other place I'd rather be on the weekends than watching my kids play. 

And I don't know what it is about finding happiness in my driveway lately, but last night was fun to sit out there watching my husband throw a football around in the street with my two boys.  With girls, they like to be shopped with, (or for), but with boys, they like to be played with.  They were having a blast, literally, since they decided to scrounge up the leftover "snaps" from the 4th of July and zap them all over the driveway.  I truly don't know if I can convince my neighbors that we are normal anymore.  And I'm pretty sure I've started a new obsession for our 4 year old. 



 It was really great for us to find a little moment where we weren't all separately disconnected from each other in different rooms with TV, video games, the computer, practices or homework.  Being outside felt so wonderful since the temperature has finally dropped due to some wild storms a few days ago, and it has finally begun to feel like fall...my favorite season.  Sweata-weatha...pumpkin smells...taffy apples...I could go on and on...

I did another new thing tonight...not a big deal thing, really, but I don't think I have ever lay down on my back on my driveway at night before.  I find it's fun to be random once in a while.  I even baked a pie yesterday.  It must be October.

But it felt good to just listen to the trees swaying in the breeze....the raindrops on my face....the thunder...the lightning clouds...the sidewalk warming my back...the quiet.  I realized I haven't had much of that lately.  It's true what they say, "7 days without rest makes one weak".  (cheesy, but true).

So I soaked up my brief moment of silence as long as I could while trying to ignore the sounds of my boys jumping off the couches inside.  I couldn't figure out what bothered me more:  that I couldn't figure out how to put words to the thoughts floating around my head, or that I might not actually be able to keep up with the busyness of life right now.  I reread my previous blog and bored myself again with this past week's crazy schedule.  I guess I said "roof" twice in the same sentence too.

But I've come to the simple conclusion that I don't think I need to feel like I have to figure out everything right now.  It's Saturday anyway. 

My Dad has always been good for some words of wisdom for me.  A couple of things he sometimes tells me is to "Keep the main thing, mainly the main thing.", and "just do one thing at a time....you can worry about the rest later".  So, my main thing is making sure I'm being the right kind of Mom to each of my kids, and wife to my husband every day.  Sounds simple written down...and I'll admit it's not always easy all the time. 

But one thing I really should do right now is get both Rylan and the toothpaste out of the bathroom sink...and worry about this blog later...