A Thorn Among Roses

when paige was little, i could ask her "paiger, how big are you?" she would always answer, with a big smile and hand reaching as far as she could to the sky, "i this big, momma." and now...she really is that big. it has started... one of the biggest fears of all parents and adults alike.  driver's ed. and of course, she is taking the online class time...oh how things have changed. fine...she really is big enough.  problem is...i'm not sure i am!

my name is danyele...and i am a starbucks coffee addict. cups are for wimps...why bother with a venti when you can totally buy an entire traveller? and...honestly, coffee keeps me going most days. they are so precious {all of 4 of them}...but man, do they take energy to keep up with! {{as a side note, sofia just ate an entire packet of sweet and low that i didn't even know we had...seriously!!!}} see...it makes me happy. fine, a little jumpy at times and i twitch when i drive by that glorious green sign. what can i say?  we all have our addictions and mine include coffee with cream and grey's anatomy.  just saying.

sofia has this passion...for her cowboy boots. when it's time to leave, she says, "i need my boooots".  when someone else starts to leave, she needs her boots. the outfit doesn't matter...it's all about the boots. i gotta go with her on this one...they are really cute boots. and i guess the strong willed, spirited child grows to be a great leader in the world one day...with her boots on.

a few things me and the fam DID NOT do the last TWO weeks... we DID NOT have the worst flu ever in the  month of may in our house.  ryan DID NOT end up with strep and banned to the bedroom for 4 days straight. i DID NOT sleep in the basement to avoid the germies... brooke DID NOT get a lapdesk for her artwork and writing things...she DID NOT take it to school to show her teacher and friends her "new briefcase".  she is NOT getting too big. sofia DID NOT walk up to me with nasty  hands and say, "look mommy, doggie poopy. stinky, mommy. gross!"  she DID NOT continue to say, "stinky poopy taste yucky."  i DID NOT gag and start a bath! i was NOT sick on monday...i DID NOT wake up to the messiest kitchen on the planet the next morning.  i was NOT angry or frustrated that a maid was NOT called in for back up.  i am NOT dreaming, btw. jada DID NOT tell me this joke: why did cinderella cross the road? why? because prince elvis was on the other side o...

sofia has given the tasmanian devil to the test these last few months... she is in everything...and i do mean everything.  oh, i mean, she's stinking cute, but there's always a trail where she's been she asked if she could have carrots...i say yes...and this is what i get. note the taz eyes... the entire bag of carrots in a bowl, nonetheless, for her snack.  did i mention that she nibbled on almost every single one of them? oh..only a few minutes earlier she had helped herself to the sugar bowl...with a spoon. the whole bowl!!! guess it's true...a spoon {or 12} full of sugar helps almost anything. stinker.

oh yes...i'm still here, but there are a few things that have kept me away. my terrible cold...and my bed. my "helpful husband" who did all this cleaning up on the day i stayed in my bed with my terrible cold... school, softball, kids and well, honestly, crap everywhere. i just wonder whether anyone else is suffering from the "mom didn't do this and it didn't get done syndrome"?

it's approaching the end of the school ball season... ...but i think sof has it all under control.  just saying.

someone needs to send an alert to the weather dude that it's MAY!!! we have been freezing our booty's off here in good old indiana...it's so bad that sofia walked up to the cadillac today and said, "momma, get in cad-oh-wak and go to floor-ee-duh now, please."  it's that bad...we need some sunshine bc we are starting to lose it here. my gift to you today is some florida sun...via our vacation last month. if i close my eyes, i can still hear the waves...if i could just jump in the cadillac and drive there now.  hmmmm....maybe?

a few things me and the fam DID NOT do this last week... b and jk DID NOT have a softball game on saturday morning in 40 degree weather with a 25 mph wind.  brooke DID NOT beg the entire game to please sit in the car and just watch the game and cheer.  jada DID NOT just cry and shake in her 4 layers of clothes saying constantly, "i'm freezing. i want to go home." i DID NOT read the clock an hour wrong and leave jada at school.  i DID NOT get a sweet phone call from the teacher saying she was in the classroom eating some snacks with them.  i DID NOT wonder why there was early release...and i DID NOT almost pass out when i realized i was an hour off!  jada DID NOT wave and smile when i came to pick her up saying, "mommy, would you like some goldfish too?" paige and jk and i DID NOT go out on a date to subway this week.  knowing we were tight on our food budget, paige DID NOT buy 3 cookies to share with jada on her very own. paige DID NOT get nominated for...

b and jk had their very first softball game of their lives! oh yeah...the fighting blue dolphins were out to win...ok, hit and pay a little attention, in most cases. then, there was brooke...she was aggressive.  she's been watching big sis, paige, play for sure! {notice p as one of the coaches in the background} where ever the ball was hit, brooke ran full throttle and grabbed the ball...oh, and since she was first baseman and she was suppose to make the outs, she just ran the balls back to the bag in front of the runners.  yep, she was quick. after 4 balls all in b's hands, she decided to actually throw the ball to the other girlie covering 1st...or something.  she threw the ball at the bag.   if no one was there...she ran and caught it and tagged the bag.  she was a one girl team...and honestly, only 2 other girls even cared!! but when coach london told b that she could only chase balls on her side of the field, it went south fast.  tears and shruggi...

a dugout says a lot about a team... serious players... fashion minded yet always thinking about the game... desperately hungry and thirsty... encouraging and fun! i love p's varsity team this year...the girls are just awesome.  the attitudes are amazing and the leadership of the girls, on and off the field has been fab.  this group of girls has it together. they are serious when they need to be... always supportive, team buidling, encouraging and FUN!!! they are pretty much rocking my stinking face off.  just gotta say...

do this...remember tuesday! ...and please, just kick cancer's butt! enter at project create a home where we are giving away a handmade print from sarah jane studios.

indiana has lots of exciting {{and sometimes super dangerous}} storms in the spring... but last night, jk and sof were jacked up about the huge monster black cloud that was coming. and they totally made a game out of it...you know, like the "sit-on-the-driveway-and-watch the balck-cloud-and-when-the-wind-blows-really-hard-and-the helicopters-hit-your-face, you-run-in-a-circle-and-scream -really-loud" game.   i don't know what this says about us...like are we just totally hill jacks or confirming yet again that we are "those people"...but the kids had fun. and jada had to pose for the camera saying "mommy...take this picture.  i look so cute!" ...and she was right! and for the record, when the lighting started we did come in...i'm not stupid.  and it doesn't help that i'm a total wimp either ;)