Happy Birthday, Sammy!

Five years ago today, Sam Hutton made his surprise entry into our lives--well, we knew he was coming, just not that day and definitely not the way he came!

It was as if he was saying, "I will not be ignored!"

Sam is growing up so fast--and if you see him, please wish our Sam monkey

Happy Birthday!

Thanks

On Thanksgiving morning, I ran in my first Turkey Trot. Eight miles--farther than I'd ever run at one time before. I was lucky to start the very chilly run with a fun group: David, Allison and Angela.

I found myself alone by mile 5, which was a very tough mile. However, right after the turnaround point headed to the marker for mile 6, I saw a wonderful sight: my family, cheering me on. I was greeted with very loud cheers and awesome homemade signs.

This was the front of Will's sign: "You can Doo it Dad."

Luckily, at that point in the run, I just needed to pee.

This was the back of Will's sign.

Made me feel a little like Forrest Gump!

This was Jack's sign.

"Go Ames" -- I think he knew I couldn't chase him down at that point in the race!

All of the kids were very concerned before the race about whether or not I would win--they were sweetly convinced that I would win--at the end I think that we all were just glad that I finished in one piece!

And this was Annie's sign. Very creative!

Sam's sign contained secret messages that only he and I can decode.

All of this said, I was reminded on Thanksgiving, as I rounded the turn and saw my family waiting for me on the race route, cheering and waving their signs, how thankful I am to have such a wonderful family that supports me and loves me. I am truly blessed by my family and I appreciate all that they do to lift me up and love me! Happy Thanksgiving indeed!

Be on the lookout...

If you are out on the soccer fields (as we always are this time of year), be on the lookout for.......

Lightning Sam!!!

He's fast, he's purple, his tongue is sticking out (his secret weapon)
.....it's Lightning Sam!

Busy, busy, busy....

...should be our family mantra! Yet I'm always talking about cutting back and taking it easy, saying no and just chilling out. Is that even possible with four kids? Anyway, here is a little more of what we've been up to this fall.....


Will joined an elite and prestigious club....hey there toothless Joe!


Halloween was a little scary this year! Yikes, what happened to fairy princesses and football players! :)


....and then it got scarier!



And then even scarier!!! Sorry I blocked you with my "Y", babe. Guess I got caught up in the moment....or maybe I was distracted by the short shorts...raowr! :)



The annual Kindergarten trip to the Arboretum...and a cute photo op for Willie G and me!

More to come....

School Daze....

It has been years since I posted anything...well maybe not years but a really, really long time. So much has transpired since then that it just makes sense to start fresh. The fall has flown by at lightning speed...I'm convinced October is the shortest month of the year! And, as we quickly approach Thanksgiving next week, I thought I'd share the things I'm most thankful for!


I can't believe I have 3 in school! They love it and that makes me a happy mama!


...and our future seahawk will be there next fall! (hopefully not wearing those socks!)


Could they get any dirtier!! God bless Oxy Clean!



My baby girl...not so little anymore! Wow she is growing up fast....but isn't she breathtaking!



Last but not least, I am truly thankful for their awesome daddy! You rock, babe!



WOW it's a crazy, busy, roller-coaster of a life...so much to be thankful for!

One Love

How cool to see what the world can do if we all work together.

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "One Love" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Neighborhood Patrol

Anyone who drives down our street knows that you have to watch out for our Neighborhood Patrol. They're kinda like the White Rock Valley version of the A-Team. Here is the resplendent younger contingent of that group,

in all their glory:

Watch out, folks, or the Neighborhood Patrol will getcha!

PS: I love the fact that Reed has got his 'Horns up

in preparation for the big game this weekend!

Free falling

Spoiler alert: Jack is fine. So don't get excited.

The story (long, made short): Jack learned the hard way the correct way to exit a tree at seven feet height is not to fall on one's face and use a concrete paving stone for a landing pad. Yep, our monkey executed a less-than-perfect dismount of a neighbor's tree, finding one branch with the back of his head on the way down, and landing on his face on a concrete block. (I think he gets his grace and style from me.) Needless to say, this impact was not good for his coordination, memory or speech, which created a few scary moments.

After our neighborhood rallied 'round and took over care of the other kiddos (thanks to Ginger
and everyone else who played the kid shuffle game this afternoon!), Cat hitched a ride with Sarah (thanks!) to Presby (hi, Dr. Shah!) where Jack got a CAT scan and a diagnosis of a concussion. Jack was super brave the entire time--as was Cat--and ended walking out of the hospital on his own power, in fact he was goofing around pretending to fall down the steps on the way to the car!

When we finally made it to the car, the irony of the song on the radio when we turned on the car struck me as funny: it was Tom Petty singing "Free Falling."

I stand correctly.

Most days, it is all we can do to make it through the day relatively sane and out of CPS scrutiny. It can be hard at times to enjoy, much less remember, the multitude of silly and funny things that the kids say every day. However, some of the gems do tend to stand out, like this one from last night:

The big kids were 'pendin' the night with Mimi and Big Mike, so both boys had a much more open stage at the dinner table and a less divided audience. Well into dinner, I notice Will giving me a very funny look--kinda googly, semi-cross-eyed, with a goofy face that only Will can pull off. I ask him what he's doing, and he responds "I'm giving you my interlastic stare."

Trying not to giggle, I ask Will, "What is an interlastic stare? I've never heard of that."

He continues to goggle at me for a few seconds, then straightens himself up and says with a straight face and (mock) dignity: "I stand correctly."

Needless to say, that is a new Hutton family saying.

Signs of Life

Well, we are more than halfway through Annie's first week at Pine Cove. It's amazing to think of how much fun she is having, and that is what is keeping all of us going because she is sorely missed at home! A very sweet letter (the first!) arrived this morning, and it sounds like she's having a great time.

Fortunately (thank you technology), we knew already that she was having a blast, because Pine Cove allows us to peek into the camp experience a little by posting pictures of the campers here. (Choose Towers, Week 9, and then a day to peruse.) Some of the Annie pics are...

Annie in the car heading into camp through the counselor gauntlet

Annie's counselor, Skrat Splat (her real name is Gracie!)

Annie's cabin

Annie and friends in camo

It doesn't look like the rain has slowed them down at all
What a great surprise it was to see that Mary Shannon and her Houston friend were also in Annie's cabin!

Two more days until we pick up the girl. Can't wait to see her!

Roughriders (Alt. hed.: Sarah G. is jealous)

Last Friday, I took Annie and Sam to the Frisco Roughriders game. We had a blast. There were hot dogs, cotton candy, Dippin Dots, and soft drinks galore. The park was very nice and they really try hard to make it a fun family atmosphere. Annie and Sam really liked the Diaper Derby, Sneaker Scramble, and the antics of the mascot. We also had the chance to meet a few folks from WFAA, Channel 8 at the game. We met Pete Delkus, Cynthia Izzaguirrrrrrre, and Chris Flanagan, and the kids had their picture taken with them! Link to the picture on the WFAA website is here.


Sarah G. was quite jealous that we got to meet her weatherman crush, Pete, at the game. Since she was sick, we got an autographed ticket stub to bring home to her! Pete was funny. When I explained that the autograph was for our neighbor who had a crush on him, he immediately asked "How big is he?"

Happy Birthday, Will!

Big Willie Hutton turned 6 today! Wish this growing boy a happy birthday, especially if you see him out on his new bike!


Just stay out of his way!

Galveston remote blogging: night 1 and day 2

Oy vey. Looking back at what I posted yesterday evening, in light of last night's events, I feel bad for ever suggesting that my eldest child and most precious daughter may have been left by the road yesterday. Long story short, dear Annie was riding her scooter and fell, breaking her right arm. (A new one for us as she's broken her left arm twice, but not her right. Hi, Dr. Sackett!) So that entailed a LONG trip back into Galveston for Cathy and Annie last night to get a dubiously applied splint, which is covered by the plastic bag you see here:


In any event, it sounds like everyone is making the best of the day, and I've seen some evidence of that...

...like Jack prowling in the shallows...


...and Will building a sand castle empire...


...and Sam asking, "Where's da beach?"


It looks like Mary Shannon and Annie are having a good time at the beach!


And this alleviates my concerns from last night and confirms that Will Tompson is still being taken care of well!

Here are all six of the big kids out in the water:

I'm headed down tomorrow! Yippee!

Remote Semi-Live Blogging from Galveston

Well, bright and early this morning I waved goodbye to Cat and the kids as they headed south to Galveston. The trusty family wagon including a borrowed roof top cargo carrier (thanks, Karl!) was filled with beach toys, scooters, fishing poles, swimsuits, and food for our family and the Tompsons of Houston for the next five days.

(Quick aside: as I was helping Cat pack last night, I commented that I didn't think that the 3 bottles of wine she was taking would be enough for 5 days at the beach. Her response? "Valerie is bringing 4 more, and you boys are on your own to get beer." So I think they'll be well provisioned [I typed and then quickly deleted "lubricated" because I know the type of person that reads this blog] in that respect this week.)

Anyhoo, Cat has been kind enough to update me with periodic notes and pics from the trip. They've made it safely to the house, which sounds great, and I can't wait to join them. In any event, here's the day as I've experienced it vicariously via text and e-mail:

11:15 am -- I assist in the search for a Redbox in The Woodlands in which to return a movie, as well as a McDonalds for lunch. (There's one at Exit 69 in Spring off I-45, by the way.) Thank you, Google.

1:08 pm -- "Leaving houston headed to big g." The renovations to the Tompson house are reputed to be "Awesome."

2:17 pm -- "On island not to house yet. Passed place we stayed [Spring Break 2008 with Barbara]. Still there."

2:55 pm -- "The bridge in the background is the beach. Pretty awesome."


You can barely see Sam in the lower right corner of the picture sprinting toward some unknown thrill/dangerous condition. Looks like fun.

3:17 pm -- "View from our upper balcony."


I sure hope Will Tompson survives this trip.

3:22 pm -- "I forgot the pkg of steak seasoning. It is in the spice cab. Please bring it for grill nite."

[Yes, I am happy to make a 280 mile trip to deliver spices. Try me.]

[At this point, Cat ignores my very pertinent question of whether they have had their first bottle of wine yet.]

4:49 pm -- "In the 1st 5 minutes Rach got a crab and Jack found a shark skull. Nice."


Curiously, I have not seen any pictures of my eldest child in Galveston. I'm wondering if she's currently locked in the roof top cargo carrier or if she made the entire tri? There may be a band of Gypsies out somewhere on I-45 with a new daughter/scullery maid/laundry wench. Good luck to them.

Now (roughly 6:00 pm) they were headed to the resort for the swimming pool and some dinner. Sounds like they are having a blast! Can't wait to get down there and join them!

I think I saw...

Driving down Central earlier this week, I could have sworn I saw David W. Harper in a white convertible whipping through traffic. Who? This kid from Fletch.

(Now in fairness, it was a Miata and he didn't have Chevy Chase with him, but it looked like him!)