Little Getaway

Last week Riley and I were able to sneak out of town for a few days to Spokane where he was going to attend a convention for work at the historic Davenport in downtown Spokane.

I wanted to tag along for a few reasons:

1. I've always wanted to stay there, it's gorgeous and fabulous.

2. I needed some rest and relaxation time desperately. Like ASAP before I drove myself off a cliff.

3. Riley's birthday, valentine's day, and our anniversary all fall within a few weeks of each other so why not wrap it all up into one fun little mini trip?

With arrangements made with family to help take care of the kids, we were able to have a few days to slow down, spend some alone time together, and for me - sleep in. (I can't even count how many times I've been able to sleep in the last few years, but I'm willing to bet I could do it on one hand.) Riley and I don't get to do things like this very often where it's just us, so it was great.

One of the best bonuses of the trip? Riley gets reimbursed for pretty much all the expenses. We even got an upgrade to a king suite which was super lux. The beds were so comfortable I could have slept all day - best nights sleep of my life.  Not exagerating.

While Riley popped in out of his meetings with clients I lounged around, worked out, swam and sat in the hot tub, ordered room service, shopped, and got caught up on my addiction of Downton Abbey. In the evenings when he was done we shopped some more, went to dinner, and walked around. One of my favorite purchases of the trip was when we visited the Northface store and I splurged on an awesome new coat to keep me warm and dry during softball and soccer seasons. (If I have to sit out in one more rainy game, well at least now I'll be more comfortable.) Friday afternoon was also a treat. I got to meet up with my girl Nancie for some visiting, lunch, and shopping. It was great to catch up with her and do some bargain hunting (which I needed to do after buying that coat) and scored a super cute dress for only $3. Yep, that's right.

They totally spoiled us at the Davenport and we'll definitely be going back again. I could not stop staring at the unbelievable architecture and design that had recently been restored. It was nothing short of spectacular. I loved walking around taking in all of the beautiful features. The story of the restoration of the hotel is absolutely amazing.

I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated after our little time away. I realized we need to do things like that way more often. It is so worth it to reconnect, have that time to just think about yourself a little for once, charge your batteries, and a relief to know that your children are being well taken care of in the process.  I was glad they were in good hands and for everyone that helped us. It takes a team sometimes when you have kids in school, and sports, and everything in between.

Now we are already planning our next trip.........

A Major Award

This picture was taken a few weeks ago when Riley was at his company's (Sprague) corporate office in Tacoma. Pictured to the right and left of him are the two owners of the company Alfie and Larry Treleven and on the far end is his director of sales Jerry Shuck. Riley was there to receive the Lawrence Treleven Circle of Excellence Award. It is a lifetime achievement award that recognizes individuals each time they've reached 1 million dollars in contract sales. It is their tradition to also present each awardee with a new suit jacket and Riley is wearing his in this picture.

When most people ask Riley what line of work he's in and he replies sales for a pest control company, most people think it is for a small time operation that people call when they have bugs in their house. Sprague is actually a very large company serving 9 regional states and is also partnered with the international company Copesan. Riley is one of their national account managers for the eastern Washington/Oregon region. Some of the businesses he works with are hospitals, schools, hotels, commercial and industrial, food processing (that's a big one), grocery stores, restaurants, and resorts. Their company not only helps protect the public's health and property, but also the productivity and safety of businesses. It always makes us feel good when we eat, shop, or stay somewhere that we know his company provides services for. What is also worth mentioning is that Riley was able to reach this goal while also coaching two soccer teams last year and having to devote much time to that as well. He works really hard and has to travel a lot, and we really appreciate all he does for our family.

Attitude and Underwear

Last Saturday Kendle's soccer team gained another victory. She scored three goals, made some stellar saves at keeper, and played tough defense. Their team is still undefeated and she has a total of 10 goals for the season. She played like a beast and dominated the second half. So why was it a little hard to celebrate after the game? Well, I hate to say it, but her attitude and sportsmanship could use a little bit of work. Her competitive edge came out in full force, maybe a little too much? Sometimes she gets a little frustrated when she doesn't feel like everyone else is trying as hard as she is, which I totally understand, but we tried to emphasize the importance of building your team mates up and leading by example instead of having a major attitude and trying to be the "mini" coach on the field. Her dad and I tried to explain that even when you play your best game, you don't walk off the field a winner if you acted like a loser. I think it is also hard for her to treat her dad like a coach and not dad when she doesn't agree with what he wants her to do. All that aside, if she can work on the attitude and keep playing like she has, I think the sky is the limit to what she can do. She has become a whole different player this season. And I suppose (uh hmmm, throat clearing....) that Riley and I need to work on being better examples of not being so critical and that winning isn't everything.

I took these pictures during the half because I was so entertained by how hard Riley was trying to instill come strategy and instruction to these girls, although half of it was probably over their heads. He tries so hard to make these girls better. I just had to laugh and capture "coach Riley" in action on camera:

Lately Morgan has been obsessed with underwear. The other day while watching The Grinch who stole Christmas, he was sincerely puzzled as to why the Grinch wasn't wearing underwear (or clothes half the time for that matter). Is there really any good explanation you can give a 4 year old about that? I think I mumbled something about the fact that the Grinch was a creature of some sort and creatures don't need to wear it. Then this morning while getting dressed he asked me if Darth Vader wears underwear. Yep, I replied. Then he asks me, "Even when he was getting melted in the hot lava that burned half his body off?" Ummm....yep, I replied. "What about after he became the bad Darth Vader and he was wearing the big suit and mask and he talked funny?" Yep, pretty sure he was still wearing it. I read somewhere the other day that the average 4 year old asks around 400 questions a day. It's crazy, but true. And half of Morgan's questions are about underwear. Ha! He is so funny.

Here are a few pictures I snapped of the boys this morning since they were actually getting along and playing together:

The Day After

I have to say, yesterday was one of my best Valentine's Days yet. Not because of fancy presents or a romantic dinner for two (although Riley did bring me roses), but I just thoroughly enjoyed being with my loved ones and seeing everyone trying their hardest to be nice to each other. The kids were all really well behaved most of the day. Riley out did himself on making dinner. He came home early to get it all going. Along with grilling the best savory pork tenderloin I've ever had {I mean really, the guy has serious skills on the grill}, he accompanied it with garlic mashed potatoes, caesar salad, and french bread. It was delicious and I think it would have been pretty hard to have gone out to eat and had something as equally yummy. I appreciated the effort he put into making it special for me and also doing all the cleaning up afterwards. Best present ever right there. We had a great time during dinner and lots of nice things were said all around. Yummy cupcakes for dessert and then I felt like somebody needed to roll me right into bed. It was such a pleasant and relaxing night that Riley and I nearly fell asleep while watching a movie after the kids were in bed. I love my kids and my husband so much, and I really felt overwhelmed by all the love they have for me. And that is what Valentine's Day is all about!

This morning though was another story.  I felt like I had a big party hangover from all the sweets and treats and fun that has been going on since the weekend, so a good workout was in order. I am glad to say I totally owned Jillian Michael's this morning. Oh yeah. Feeling good -- too bad Morgan brought home more candy from his preschool party today............I think we're good on sugar and sweets until at least Easter. :)

Happy Birthday Riley

Today Riley turns the big 30! Welcome to the 30's, it's really not so bad. I thought I would write down 30 things about him in honor of his big day.

1. Favorite author is Tom Clancy
2. Loves Johnny Cash and vintage country
3. Favorite college football team is Ohio State
4. Some of his favorite TV shows are Deadliest Catch, Ax Men, American Pickers, and Pawn Stars.
5. Loves to sleep in and take naps
6. Likes mowing the lawn and making our yard look nice
7. Loves coaching
8. Favorite colors are blue and green
9. Is an awesome bbq man on the grill and would love to start up his own bbq/catering business.
10. Favorite ice cream is cookies and cream
11. Loves chocolate milk
12. Favorite book is "A Place Called Freedom" by Ken Follet
13. Born in Moses Lake, Wa
14. Used to be a sleepwalker as a child
15. Is good about doing things for our kids' sakes so they can have fun. (ie, riding the dumbo ride with Morgan at Silverwood and riding all the roller coasters with Kendle)
16. Favorite professional soccer team is Manchester United
17. Knows almost all the words to all the teen pop songs on the radio (he spends a LOT of time in the car for work)
18. Favorite meal is fried chicken and mashed potatoes
19. Favorite treats are rice crispy treats
20. Loves being a dad
21. Refuses to give in and start a facebook account
22. Hates onions, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower
23. He is great at running errands or stopping to pick things up that I need
24. Is a night owl
25. Loves any sort of athletic clothing by Nike or Under Armor
26. Pretty much let me pick out all of our children's names
27. Can fall asleep just about anywhere
28. Has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh
29. Loves avocados
30. His perfect day would consist of some golfing or hunting (or both) man food, a good game, rice crispy treats, and a good nap.

Riley's morning got off to a great start with his favorite breakfast - fried egg sandwich and chocolate milk. Tonight the kids are excited to have a little "party" for dad with cake and ice cream. Making his favorite - yellow cake with fudgy chocolate frosting. (and some peanut butter cups might be finding their way onto the cake as well)

Happy Birthday Riley! I hope this is a great year full of lots of wonderful things for you.

Coach of the Year 2010

If you read today's newspaper, you might have seen a little blurp about Riley being named the Tri-City Herald's girls soccer coach of the year. We found out earlier in the week, but I didn't want to say anything until it was officially printed in the paper. I think I was more excited than he was because he tends to just brush things off and look at the bigger picture and move on to the next thing he has on his plate. Deep down, I know it means a lot to him though. {During the regular season's all-league meeting with the other coaches, another coach got voted the league coach of the year even though Riley really deserved it. I think the other coaches didn't like being showed up by someone who stepped in to coach one season while the regular coach took a leave of absence. I felt like he got really cheated on that one. It is hard to not be respected for all of the hard work and effort that you have put into something.} After that meeting that night, I told him to just keep winning and take those girls to state and it would all right itself in the end. Sometimes actions speak louder than words and that is exactly what happened. 

I am really proud for him to get just a little bit of the recognition that he deserved. If you ask him, he will humbly deflect the attention and credit back to his players and other coaching staff that also worked so hard. And it is true. He was surrounded by amazing players and coaches and everything meshed to make one of the best seasons any sport at Southridge High School has ever had. But what people don't know, is just how many hours he spent going over game film, re-writing formations, strategizing with Johnny his assistant coach, talking one on one with players on how they can improve and do better, scouting other teams, talking to parents, dealing with administrators, and on and on and on. It was A LOT of time away from his family, and took a lot of hard work on his day job to be able to squeeze everything in. People always ask me how I can stand to let him coach and be gone so much, but ultimately it is the one thing that he absolutely loves to do and he is amazing at it.

What really means more than the recognition from the newspaper or anywhere else though is hearing the awesome things that the parents and players have said about him. On Monday night they had their end of the season awards night and he received some really nice cards and notes from the girls expressing their appreciation. Here is one in particular that really stood out:

"Riley,

Thank you SO much for coaching our team this year. You made a huge impact on our team and really helped turn our team around. You were just the change our team needed and we couldn't have made it this far without your help. Thank you for always having faith in what our team could accomplish and setting a high standard for us to reach. No coach has ever had as much faith in us as you did. You have made this year very memorable and you are an unforgettable person. Anyone who gets a chance to be coached by you is very lucky. You have changed my whole soccer experience for the better. Thank you."

He went into this coaching position knowing it was most likely a one season job, and regardless, put every last bit of his heart and soul into making it the best ever for those girls and building up the program in general. I know it was really hard for him to walk away from those girls on Monday night and know that their future soccer season's were back in someone else's hands.

On a card they all signed and gave him it has this quote:

"You have taught us how to be winners in the most important game of all - the game of life."

And to me, that is what truly makes someone worthy of being coach of the year. Not having the best winning record, the most attention or accolades, but having a positive and life changing effect on the players. I'm a firm believer that what you learn in sports and on the playing feild sticks with you the rest of your life almost more than anything else you could learn sitting in a classroom. Riley is the coach you want to have when you are down by two goals, have horrible reffing, and things just aren't looking too good. I hope his girls learned from him to not ever give up no matter what life throws at them.

Job well done Riley!

And for the record, he was always my coach of the year.



State Tournament Recap

With the end in sight, and some school history to be made for the girls soccer team, the last week of soccer season finally came and went. Julie and I rode up together to watch the team play in Lakewood. I left the boys with my parents so it was a total girls trip. We left Thursday afternoon and arrived at our hotel around 7:30 or so. The hotel we stayed at was in Sumner, about a 20-25 minute drive from Lakewood and was pretty nice and had a pool and hot tub so of course Kendle was in heaven. We arrived to cold, cold wet weather and it pretty much stayed that way the whole weekend. It seemed like we could never quite get warm.

With some time to kill on Friday before the game, we decided to get some lunch and do a little shopping. We ate at Panera Bread which was totally delicious then we did some shopping at Marshall's and Target and stocked up on some treats for the games (and scored some cute clothes). When we pulled into the stadium parking lot it started to pour down rain. Just great we thought - here we go. Heavy coats, umbrella's out, and then we waited in line a good ten minutes to get our tickets before we could head inside. Luckily the stadium seats had a cover so we could stay out of the rain a bit. Look at us all bundled up and trying to stay warm:

The girls faced some challenges during their first game with a wet field and some not very good officiating and we came away with a 2-0 loss to Seattle Prep. You know the officiating is bad when even the winning coach complains they had no business reffing the game. That should have been the championship match up, but good old computer bracket systems can be thanked for that. Anyways, everyone was kind of bummed but ready to come back out on Saturday and end on a good note. Friday night Julie, her girls, Kendle and I all jumped on the charter bus with the team and went out for some pizza. That was fun. It was a good opportunity to get to visit with the other coaches and get to know them better. Riley is sure lucky to have such great people helping him. It really makes all the difference. On the way back to the hotel we couldn't pass up stopping at Krispy Kreme and loading up on some donuts. I think by that point everyone was stuffed to the gills, totally exhausted, and ready for a good nights sleep. Well, everyone that is except for Kendle. I took her swimming before we went to dinner and she was still raring to go and get some more swim time in before bed. Riley took her down for the last half hour before it closed. Needless to say, she slept like a rock.

Saturday morning the team had to leave bright and early to get to the field for their 10:00 game. Luckily the weather although bitter cold, at least cooperated enough to stay dry for their game. The sun even began to peek out a bit towards the end. The game against Prairie was pretty slow for the most part. We were definitely a way better team and it was kind of slow paced until the end. One of our little freshman stud's scored the only goal of the game so that was pretty cool. I wasn't even stressed out at all during the game because you could just tell that we were going to win. After the game was finished the girls all came out and took a big bow in front of their fans which was cute and then they presented Riley with their trophy and game ball. I had a hard time getting some good pictures with all of the chaos and people in the way but here are a few:

It is a really bittersweet feeling to see it all come to a close. Even though it has been a sacrifice to have Riley away so much, I'm glad he has been spending that time doing something positive and rewarding that has made a difference. To hear all of the positive feedback from the players, the parents, and the school has been really great. To take your team to state and earn third place your first year coaching is no small feat. The athletic director wants him to come back next year, but because of circumstances out of our control we don't know if that can happen or not. Either way, I'm glad they all had a fun and memorable season.

And can I just give one big huge YAY!!!!! We're DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*And a big thanks to Julie for being such a fun side-kick for these games. She has put up with many long hours of Johnny being gone helping coach as well and it is not easy when you have little ones at home. It makes it so much more bearable to have someone great like her around and made the weekend a heck of a lot more fun!

Break Day

It's Friday. What to say? The kids had yesterday off for Veteran's Day and today off for a "break day",  yes a four day weekend around here. Wish we had some exciting plans or a weekend away, but we are sticking close to home. Riley's team will be traveling to Federal Way tomorrow morning for their quarterfinals game against Decatur. The kids and I will be staying at home for this one, but my best thoughts will be going out strong all day long for them. It will be a nerve wracking day since their game doesn't start until 6:00. That is a long time to be nervous!

Our kids were up and at em super early this morning. I wish just for once that on a day off from school there could be some sort of quiet spell that falls over our little house and I can stay curled up in my warm bed for a while longer. Riley was up at 4:30 so he could leave by five o'clock to drive to Cle Elum for work this morning, so I guess I had kind of been dozing off and on since then. We woke up to a white and frosty front yard, but now the sun is shining bright and melting the frost away.

I'm trying to think of what I can do to keep the kids busy and occupied today so that I can get some work done. I literally have 101 projects and things that need to be started and/or finished. I had Kendle and Morgan bundle up and walk down to get the mail this morning since I hadn't checked it in a few days, and Kendle was excited to see the new Children's Friend arrive, so at least that is keeping her busy for now. The babies enjoyed a nice warm bath this morning and I think more water ends up out of the bath tub than in it. Now they are mosying around the house in their matching Batman outifts. Morgan is already asking if it's lunch time yet. It's not even 9:30. Could be a long day.

Well, time to turn some holiday music on and clean up the house.

Always Learning

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head but can't quite seem to be able to put them into words. I've had lots of promptings and strong impressions lately to be thankful for what I have. I think I take things for granted a lot of the time. The things that sometimes frustrate me when looked at more closely are actually blessings. I'm learning to take the bad with good. Sometimes life sends unexpected surprises when we need it the most. 

For example, back before Riley and I met he had received a nice sum of money from his grandfather that passed away. Being a typical 20 year old guy he would have loved to have spent it on a new car, or vacations or some other cool thing but instead he tried to do something responsible and decided to invest it in a program that offered substantial returns. He was planning for his future. Months later he and many others in the Tri-Cities and beyond received the gut wrenching news that it had been a ponzi scheme and all their money they had invested was lost. They were told a trial would ensue that could take years, and not to expect to get much if any of their money back.

Fast forward to about a year ago, we heard from a representative of the case and they wanted to verify our address and information to ensure that Riley could get his settlement money when the trial ended and everything was finalized. They wanted to prepare us that becuase of the large amount of plaintiffs in the case,  the percentage of the inital investment money they would be getting reimbursed with would be pretty small. They gave us a rough figure and we thought it sounded pretty good actually. Not the full amount, but still only a few thousand off and we could definitely use the money. We waited and waited and never got anything in the mail. We kind of just gave up on it.

A few weeks ago after checking the mail, I saw an interesting looking envelope and knew right away what it was. I called Riley and excitedly opened the envelope so I could tell him the amount and read the attached letter.  Wouldn't you know it, it was waaayyyy less than even the rough estimate they had given us. We're talking, way way way less. It was pretty discouraging, heartbreaking really. But, we both decided it was lucky that any money came at all and it came at a time when we needed it and could put it to good use.

It's hard when life can be disappointing sometimes and I want things right at this very instant. It's hard playing the waiting game and being patient. I'm trying to be more grateful for what I have and what my life is like at this point in time.

What's New

*In the last week or so the twins have started to do some walking. Kale is a little more motivated, but Cooper doesn't want to be left on the sidelines so yesterday he was trying his hand at it as well. I'd randomly catch them letting go of furniture and take those funny prancing steps until they finally lost their balance. Exciting stuff! I'm thrilled. One more milestone that will help life be a little easier for this mom. (We'll see if I'm regretting that statement in a month or so.) They are at such a fun stage right now and are getting really silly and playful. They love to make us laugh. They are just too cute and every time I see their happy little faces staring over the crib rail in the morning I just want to give them the biggest squeeze.

*Kendle is done with soccer season. Their team had some really awesome games, and also some not so good ones but they always kept a good attitude and had fun together and acted as good sports to the other teams. I think she finished the season with about 9 or 10 goals, lots of assists and only gave up two goals as goalie. She is an awesome defensive player when she gets going and is starting to see how to make plays happen. I was really proud of her. We want to work on speed for next season. I don't think she'll know what to do with herself without practices and things after school, but yesterday she told me she wanted to start running on the treadmill to get ready for basketball. I looked at her like, "who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" Ha. I guess she's still young enough that the treadmill is a fun thing. Then she told me about a program her school is participating in to track how many minutes of physical activity the students get a day. They are ideally supposed to get at least 60 minutes. They can log onto the program online and input their stats. There are supposed to be some kind of small rewards for meeting their goals. So I wasn't surprised that had something to do with it. She is an incentive driven type of girl. Got to keep holding that carrot out there for her. HA.

*Morgan is loving preschool and I can already see some changes in him and his desire to learn new things. We've been working on spelling his name and he is so proud he can spell his first and last name now. I can also get him to sit down and color and do some busy work. He is so excited when I pick him up from preschool to tell me all about the fun things they did that day. He told me the other day that he thinks "Miss Molly is the nicest lady ever." He adores her. He is a typical busy three year old and loves to build things or look at things taken apart and put them back together. He loves everything to do with farming and tractors and being outside. Every time we drive past a corn field or empty potato field he tells me all about it. I'd love to make him his own little garden someday.

*Riley's team is done with league now and moving on to the regional tournament. We're excited to see what happens from here on out. He is still as busy as ever with his day job and sometimes I never know where he will be at from one day to the next. Yakima? Wenatchee? Moses Lake? One never knows. He is always on the go and usually pretty exhausted by the days end. I'm looking forward to some of the honey do's that have been on hold finally getting done after soccer is over and I know the kids are looking forward to having their dad back for a while.

*Not much is new with me. Just trying to stay on top of the day to day tasks that come about. I've been loving the cooler fall days that are still giving some sunshine. It's like the best of both worlds. I've been trying to stay ahead of the game a bit and get some stuff done for Christmas while I have the time. I've been trying to cross off one person every week and hopefully that will keep the stressful shopping to a minimum this year. It seems the nights have been quieter and bed times earlier around our house as of late, which has been nice for me and my large stack of new books waiting to be read. This is a great time of year and I'm glad for the reminder to be thankful for all that I have. Today is also election day. Another good reminder of how blessed I am to live in a country where everyone is entitled to cast their vote according to the dictates of their own conscience. How very lucky are we.

Team Dinner

As if this week wasn't a crazy one already, my friend Julie and I decided we'd do a team dinner for the Southridge girls soccer team. Being the coach's wives we thought they deserved something fun after their big win on Tuesday night that ended their regular season league games.

{Let me paint a picture for you of Julie and I at the game in the freezing cold and horrible wind. Both of us had big coats, sweaters, and sweatshirts on. Scarves, gloves, hoods and then we each wrapped ourselves up in a big blanket so only our faces were left uncovered. The guys told us we could sit up in the announcer's box out of the cold, but we decided to sit behind them in the bleachers so they could hear us cheer. Which they couldn't because of the wind. But that's ok. It's the thought that counts. We got up to go get hot chocolate at the half and could barely move. Thank goodness for the hot chocolate though, I think that prevented us from freezing completely solid.}

Julie offered to have it at her house and we are going to attempt to feed 20+  soccer girls (and coaches) that according to Riley, really like to eat and can eat A LOT. We've got pork roasts going in the crock pot for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and my counter is filled with peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, snicker doodles, and pumpkin bars. I did most of the baking last night after the kids were in bed and it is amazing how much I can get done when all the little helpers are asleep.

We're really looking forward to celebrating the girls and  having a fun night. They have worked so hard and deserve good things to happen to them. We are excited for the team and what lies ahead of them in the next few weeks.

Perfect Getaway

Wednesday afternoon Riley and I took off for a little overnight stay in Portland. A month or so ago, I saw that one of my favorite bands was going to be coming there and since they hardly ever tour, I didn't want the chance to pass me by. So I ordered tickets online and we decided to just have faith that we could make it happen. Yes, there are more famous artists on my list to see in concert, but this husband/wife duo was on the very tip-top of my "absolute must see if they come anywhere close" list. It felt like fate that the date of the concert worked out, child care worked out, and Riley's soccer/work schedule allowed us to leave.

Upon arrival in Portland, we decided to check into our hotel and then get something to eat before the show. We were staying downtown right by the Convention center. As we got closer and closer we noticed streets blocked off, police everywhere and crowds of people. "Was there a bomb scare?" I joked to Riley. Then we started seeing people holding signs and it suddenly dawned on us why there were thousands and thousands of people making their way to the convention center  - President Obama was coming to campaign for the Governor of Oregon and having a huge rally - right across the street from where we were staying. Wow, totally didn't do very good planning on that one. The only reason we stayed where we did was because Riley's work uses them for business trips and we got a good deal. So just getting into the parking lot for the hotel took lots of maneuvering and was quite the adventure. We saw lots and lots of interesting folks waving their signs around (some of which made absolutely no sense whatsoever) hoping to catch a glimpse of the president. I think they said there was around 8,000 people or so.

{Side note: Every time we go to Portland, I always come away with the distinct impression that they want to discourage as many people from driving there as possible. It is seriously annoying.} Luckily we found a good parking spot across the street from the venue for the concert and there was already a line wrapping around the outside of the building so we thought we'd better hustle over and get in line. It was a beautiful warm night and we marvelled that it was nearly Halloween and we could stand outside without coats on. It was held at the Aladdin Theater, which only seats around 620 people. What a cool place to see a live show. Since it is on the smaller side there isn't really a bad place to sit. All the floor seats have a good view and then there is a balcony up top as well. The only thing I could complain about was the lack of air conditioning so it was pretty darn warm in there. I couldn't believe all the people that were still sitting there in their big wool coats and sweaters. Crazy! We had good seats in the middle section about 6 or 7 rows back and the sound inside was great.

The lovely Lucy Schwartz was the opening act. She came on stage to get things started  at 8:00 sharp.

She plays the piano, guitar, and harmonica and was backed by another lady guitarist and an amazing woman percussionist who sat on a wooden box and made the coolest sounds with her hands, feet, and all sorts of little instruments. They did a 30 minute set that went by way, way too fast and was simply a - ma -zing. I had only heard a few of her songs before, but her song "Life in Letters" from her new album of the same name is definitely my new favorite. It's a toe tapper, and a hand clapper. I can't stop singing it. Riley looked at me after she finished her first song and was like - wow! He didn't think he'd be enjoying the music but even he was blown away. Lucy's song "When We Were Young" was the theme song for the television show "Parenthood" and also "Life in Letter's" was featured on a recent episode of ABC's "No Ordinary Family." Here's the clip:



Her new album is super great and it was seriously a treat to have her as the opening act.

After a brief set change to fill the stage with lighted lamps decorated like their album cover art and glowing candles, The Weepies hit the stage at 9:00.

They are touring to promote their new album "Be My Thrill" which was recently released. They have a three year old and a 6 month old baby. Deb Talan and her husband Steve Tannen have the magical ability to make the best harmonies and make music that just melts like butter on warm bread. I think Deb Talan has probably my most favorite voice in the whole wide world. It's simple and clear and unpretentious. I was worried that they wouldn't sound as good live as on their recorded music, but I am so glad to say that not only did they sound better than I could have imagined, but in between songs they were hilarious and entertaining and you couldn't help but fall in love with them. Like, I seriously wanted to move in next door to them so we could be neighbors and hang out and listen to them play music all the time. They were backed by a four piece band that added to their nice indie-singer/songwriter folksy, pop rock magic. It really was magical. Seriously. I've been to concerts to see people that I've liked, but never someone where I love every single one of their songs and each and every song is a work of art.  And sometimes other artists are kind of off key and lacking, not so with The Weepies. They packed in 20 songs and each and every one gave me goosebumps. They love their fans and gave us the feeling that we were just old friends that they were playing for. If I wouldn't have been about ready to pass out from the heat, I probably would have stuck around after it was over like a crazy obsessed fan and told them how their music changed my life and their lyrics paint the prettiest pictures that any lyrics could. They are pure genius to me, and I don't dish out compliments like that very often. We tried to get some pictures, but the lighting was low so they didn't come out that clear.


(Deb and Steve are holding hands in the middle)

This was taken at the end of the show. Right after which they returned following a standing ovation to do an encore of three more songs. It couldn't have been a more beautiful evening. We couldn't get very good video footage on Riley's phone but here is a clip of their concert five days earlier in California. This is one of their most well known songs "The World Spins Madly On".



Me after the concert getting ready to head back to the hotel:

I'm so glad we got to go and I know it will be something I will always remember. Umm, and did I mention the people watching was awesome? There was definitely a good mix of people from every walk of life. I guess that is the great thing about music is that it brings so many different types of people together.

The following morning we ate a late breakfast, squeezed in some shopping at the Nike and Gap outlet and then enjoyed a lovely drive through the Columbia Gorge which was splendid with jewel toned colors of autumn. To this busy mom of four, and wife to one of the busiest men I know, it was the perfect little getaway.

Live - Breathe - Sleep - Soccer

I feel that it is very ironic that my previously least favorite sport is now an all consuming part of our family life. I'm sure the soccer gods are having a good laugh at me. To be fair, where I grew up soccer was pretty much non-existent and to be honest it was kind of the sport we made fun of. They didn't have it as a sport option in the schools and there were few if any local youth leagues. Anyways fast forward all these years later after I met my husband and I feel a bit tricked that it has become such a huge part of my life. In all fairness, he was a football coach - not a soccer coach when we first started dating, but I did know he was definitely passionate about sports - playing, watching, and coaching.

I first started to rethink my previous opinions about soccer when Riley and I were dating and I would go watch him play "Mexican league" soccer. I was blown away at how tough and fast those guys were. I couldn't believe they could run so hard and fast for that amount of time. I got tired just watching them. Most of the games were pretty exciting, Riley was (and is) a very physical defensive player and a master at slide tackles so he was a fun person to watch and cheer on. I being a soccer newbie, had no idea really how the game was played except for the obvious tactic of kicking the ball through the opponents goal. It seemed so backwards to me, I mean really, what kind of strategy is it to pass the ball backwards to in essence move it forward. Riley would throw soccer terms and lingo around in attempts to educate me on the game and my eyes would just instantly start glassing over with the overload of information.

Fast forward more years and now I'm literally entrenched in soccer fever. With Riley coaching three or four teams and Kendle now playing I have a bit more incentive to be knowledgeable about it and have even (dare I say it) started to really enjoy watching soccer. It is still not my most favorite sport, but it continues to grow on me. Our kids all have soccer gear and jerseys and our garage looks like a sporting goods store.

Kendle had her first game this last Saturday and did a great job. She got to play goalie twice and had some great saves and a great kick that made it all the way to the other teams goal which would have been awesome if one her players would have been there to kick it in. She was really excited they get to play four on four this year because she has been dying to get to play goalie. When she was playing out in the field she was able to score two goals. She is listening to my coaching from the sidelines a lot better this year. Ha! At least no more dirty looks when I yell "run faster" and "hustle" every five seconds. I love it when she is excited after her games about how she played and tired because she knows she worked hard. I think they have a pretty good team this year and the girls had a lot of fun together.

Riley's team played West Valley on Saturday and beat them 2-0. This was an exciting game for them because WV is a very good team, I believe they were the league champs last year. It was great for them to get that win and have it behind them. Southridge went up a spot in the state rankings from 7th to 6th, so hopefully they can hang onto their winning streak and keep playing hard.

Riley mentioned to me the other night that by Thanksgiving we are going to need a vacation. It probably won't happen, but I think he's right.

Long Update

Do you know the 80's song "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", I'm sure if you don't your kids do because if they're like mine they love the Chipmunks movies and listen to the soundtracks ALL of the time. I kid you not, that song invades my every thought and I hear it in my sleep at night - they have listened to it so many times. Anywho, that is what my life has felt like the last few weeks. Spinning round and round like a record, totally chaotic and crazy, but with a few fun things thrown in. I guess our family wouldn't know what to do with itself if we actually had normal peaceful lives. Here's what we've been up to:

*Riley*
Work, soccer, work, soccer, work, soccer, soccer, soccer. Usually I don't see him until he gets home after practice at night. Or after games, or after he's travelled really far from work. So we don't see much of each other during the week. Last week he travelled over 500 miles in two days for work. He is pretty much just going as hard as he can go every day to get everything done he needs to do and then tries to squeeze in some time with the kids at night if they are still awake when he gets home. I can tell it is starting to wear on him a bit and he misses being more of a part of the kids' lives and every day going ons. But he still manages to help me with the babies at night and the other little things that make a difference the most. He will always take the older kids with him whenever possible to give me a bit more quiet and I really appreciate that. He's looking forward to summer, BBQing, and a little slower pace.

*Me (Mom, Sarah)*
I turned 30 on Monday and feel like I have reached a milestone. I didn't feel good or bad about getting older, just glad that I am liking the person and place that I am at in my life. I have been feeling like every day is a marathon sprint to keep up and get things done. From the time I wake up in the early morning hours, until I lay my head on my pillow at night I just go as hard as I can to keep up with everything and everyone around here. I think there only a few moments in the day where I am not multi-tasking four or five different things at once. It can get to be kind of a circus at times, but also at odd moments it strikes me as hilarious and I will laugh out loud that I am making dinner, unloading the dishwasher, handing out snacks, pushing a baby walkers off my feet, answering phone calls, looking at homework, listening to piano practice and trying to catch snippets of the news to have some sort of sense of the outside world. Ha. The five o'clock hour 'round these parts can get pretty brutal, it would probably scare most people away with how crazy it can get. To me that is just what's normal at the moment and although I'd wish for more sleep I'm trying to relish these ever fleeting moments. No amount of preparation or organization can prepare you for the onslaught of what I call the 5:00 "cranky time" of the day. The kids are cranky, the babies are cranky, heck I'm even cranky. Once we get through dinner and clean up everyone is feeling much better and it's off to conquer another task, problem, etc.....Super human or super woman I am not -I just use super speed as a coping mechanism in order to survive. I understand a tiny bit more the term "survival of the fittest". I never thought I could be one of those tough pioneer wives, but now I think maybe, just maybe, I could hack it if I had to.

But, in my "spare" time I have been learning that the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention" still applies and I have made some great discoveries. I've mastered using Riley's big old smoker/grill which always seemed complicated and scary. Riley is hardly ever home during dinner these days, so what happens all the times I want something grilled for dinner? I had him walk me through how to turn it on and the other steps, and ta-da I grilled up some delicious dry rubbed salmon and veggies, and found out it's not so hard after all. I think guys like to make us women THINK it's complicated so we seem more impressed. :) Also the fact that I can't always run to the store at a moment's notice has made me more resourceful and more willing to try new things. I needed some tortillas this week and decided to try making my own. They turned out delicious and were pretty simple to make. Now I think I will make them all the time. Had I never been in that situation, I don't think I would have ever attempted making them. I've had more experiences like that and it's a good feeling to know I can rely on myself and come up with solutions. I realize my being "stuck at home" more these days has been a blessing in many ways for me and my family. On the TV front, one of my current fav's right now is watching "America, the Story of Us" on the History Channel. It's fantastic and so interesting. It is great for teaching your older children about major events in our nations history. As I get older I fall in love more and more with the history of our country and the people who sacrificed so much to make a better place for future generations to live.

*Kendle*
I would describe Kendle as a never ending question asker. I fear it will only get worse as she gets older. In her mind, everything deserves an explanation. She loves to be busy and have lots of things going on. She is always reading something, making something, or making plans for something. As I type this she is making a F.H.E. jar filling it with fun activities for our family to do together. She is really into telling jokes, but doesn't like it when we all guess the punch line before she's done. She had her first softball game Monday night and got a really good hit. I think she is more excited about playing now. She's been practicing for her first piano recital coming up as well and has her song memorized. I can't believe she's nearing the end of 2nd grade and will be a big 3rd grader next year. She loves to ride her bike and read, read, read. I can't get her new books fast enough and to her, one day of library at school is no where near enough. She is a typical 2nd grader- slightly sassy, growing out of everything, turns up her music loud when she retreats to her room, and thinks everything is hilarious.

*Morgan*
Morgan is good at entertaining himself. He plays well and has a great imagination at this age. I can't believe he will be turning 3 in June. I want him to stay as cute as he is right now forever. His little face just melts my heart. He loves going outside and right now the cool thing for him is occasionally getting to play out front which I usually never let him do. The other day I gave him a treat and let him eat it out on our front bench where I could see him and I swear that was the most blissful little boy in the universe. His back was to me and he just was rocking out and eating and probably thinking in his little mind, "this is the life". I love watching him because he relishes every little thing that we mostly take for granted. He is adamant about being on a schedule and it will be interesting to see if that is a trait he will keep as he gets older. A few weeks ago, our whole family worked out in the yard on a nice sunny day and Morgan had to have been the hardest working 2 1/2 year old I've ever seen. For over an hour straight with not one whine or complaint, he'd come along after we pulled weeds, gather them all up, dump them in our big garbage container and repeat; all the while smiling and doing a thorough job. It was totally amazing, and he does stuff like that quite often when I need help. I thought back to when Riley gave him his blessing at church as a baby and I specifically remembered him blessing Morgan with a love and desire for service. :)


*Cooper*
Cooper is so mellow and patient. He often will cruise around quietly in his walker without a peep, just checking things out. He is a super champ sleeper and always wakes up happy. He sucks his thumb only when he sleeps and can self soothe himself if he wakes up which is great. I love the way his little eyes pop open wide when he smiles at me and gets excited. He also has started doing this adorable little shy look where he will tuck his chin down and gaze up at you. He is rolling over a little more and starting to really like baby food. He doesn't get mad when Kale (who is quite the grabber) will pinch or hold onto him. He is just so good natured. He also loves bath time and splashing in the water. He only cries when he is really upset about something and will sit and rock with me at night. Quite simply he is a dream baby and about as sweet as they come.

*Kale*
Kale is a wonderful baby too, but he is a "now" baby. When he wakes up, he wants you to come get him NOW. When he is hungry, he wants to eat NOW. When he's mad, he needs to be picked up NOW. He is a feisty little guy, but also sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. When I'm feeding him a bottle, he will push and push his little legs against my arms or legs, or anything else in the way. He is a busy body and likes to jump - my arms get quite the workout when I hold him for long periods of time. When he smiles his whole little face lights up and his grin spreads from ear to ear and his little eyes twinkle. I can tell how much he loves Cooper because he will look around trying to find him. He likes to grab and hold onto him. He rolls over a lot in his crib and wakes himself up which is not great because he's not the best sleeper as it is. But he is a good eater, and happy most of the day. He likes to follow me into the kitchen in his walker and pull on my pant legs. I think he likes knowing where I am most of the time.

*Both boys are getting huge and are about 19 pounds right now. Good thing they move around so much during the day.

And that is just a little taste into what is going on with us Dodson's.

*More to come about our trip to Portland over the weekend

Near Perfect Day

*Sunshine*

*Perfect weather*

*Baseball food*

*Second row seats*

*Ichiro*

*The Cheesecake Factory*

*A quiet car ride with good conversation*

The only thing that would have made it better is if the M's could have pulled out a win.

Thanks for the early birthday present Riley!!!

*And thanks to my parents for making it possible for us to go

Done.....Well, Not Really

(my good friend Natallie took the above four pictures, she is great at the action shots)

(I LOVE this picture of Michelle. These girls played in every possible type of weather.

Tough girls.)

Saturday Riley finished his season coaching the girls U-14 club team, "The Rage". It was quite an accomplishment for his first year of coaching club soccer. They finished undefeated and won their league title. They led their league in scoring and only gave up 5 goals in the regular season! They finished league play back in November, but have been playing in the State Cup the last month or so. Saturday they played the number 1 team in the state and played really tough only losing 1-0. Riley was very proud of how his girls ended the season and their effort in that game. They ended up placing 3rd in the state which is not too shabby. I know I complain a lot about how much he is gone and that all I hear about is soccer, soccer, and more soccer, but I am really proud of him and how he doesn't do anything half way, he doesn't do something just because he is being paid to do it. He gave those girls 100% of his efforts and it amounted to a successful season for everyone involved. It will be exciting to watch some of those girls who are moving up to his high school program in the fall as they progress and become even more amazing.

So at least for the next month or so, we will be back to Riley only coaching one team, IF you don't count all the work getting ready for girls high school soccer starting in June, and the club work that starts back up in the summer...............................................ahhhh, who am I kidding?

Keeping It In the Family

How often do you see an athletic team that has siblings playing together?

How often do you see 6 sets of brothers all playing together on the same team?

Well, hardly ever, especially at the bigger high schools that we have here in the Tri-Cities. But this season, the team Riley helps coach has some outstanding talent and lots of brothers. They were featured in an article in today's Tri-City Herald. Here is the link if you'd like to read it.

It is really an amazing thing!

I hope one day our boys can experience something like this as well.

Spring Break / Easter 2010

As it turned out, our floors took a little longer than we bargained for and the kids and I ended up spending the whole spring break in Irrigon with my parents. We literally did not come home until last night, just in time to let the kids slide around on the new flooring for a bit and then send them to bed. We are so thankful for everyone who came and helped, but especially my dad for coming up almost every day and working late into the night with Riley. They just worked and worked and the floors look great! All that's left to do is just touch up a few spots and paint the baseboards and put them back on. Easier said than done though, it will probably take longer to finish those than the floor did! Ha.

I was feeling kind of lame that our kids weren't going to get to do anything for spring break, but they ended up getting pretty spoiled while we were there. A few of the fun things they did:

-Went to the "How to Train Your Dragon" movie with my mom

-Helped decorate Easter cupcakes

-My mom bought Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel which they've been DYING to watch and I think they watched it at least ten times.

-Went exploring with my dad to the river, the park, and the fish hatchery. They had so much fun collecting shells and being with grandpa.

-Had lots of yummy treats including root beer floats.

-Kendle got to hang out at the school with my mom for a while on Friday and go to their book fair where grandma treated her and Morgan to some cute books. (I think this was Kendle's favorite day of the whole week.)

-Morgan got to go the farm with grandpa a few times

-Morgan played outside every day, even when it was cold and rainy. He had a blast jumping on the trampoline, pushing the wheel barrow around, and occasionally chasing the neighbors chickens out of the yard. He is an outdoors type of boy for sure.

Every morning when I would start to hear the babies fussing, I would get up and go out to the family room and there would be my parents already feeding and changing the babies. They are nothing short of amazing people. I know they were pretty tired from helping with all of the kids this week and I think they deserve a vacation themselves. One thing is for sure, Cooper and Kale absolutely adore grandma and grandpa.

I enjoyed the parts of General Conference I was able to watch over the weekend and hope I can recap the parts I missed. I also loved this movie that played after Saturdays session.

Sunday morning Kendle and Morgan woke me up around 5:30 to see if they could go look at what the Easter Bunny had left them. I made them go back to bed for a while but finally by 6:45 or so I couldn't stand listening to them "pretending to go back to sleep" anymore so I let them get up. Here are a few pictures of them:

As you can see there aren't any baskets in these pictures. I decided to do something a little different this year. Morgan has really been wanting a back pack and since he has been kind of obsessed with the "How to Train Your Dragon" movie, I bought him a cool dragon back pack and made that his "basket" with his cool stuff inside. I found Kendle a cute Eiffel Tower bag from Forever 21 that I knew she would love as her "basket" and she could use it for piano books, going to the library, or short trips to grandmas house. I think they got pretty spoiled by the Easter bunny.

Now we're back to school, routine, cleaning house, and all that jazz.

Spring Break, Where Art Thou?

We've been staying at my parents home in Irrigon since Sunday night so Riley can work on putting in our new flooring. I talked to him yesterday afternoon and he said he was very sore, but it is coming along and looking good. Riley took a picture from his phone and emailed me a little look at some of the progress:


Can't wait to get home and see it. That is about the only exciting thing about our spring break. The kids (or I should just say Kendle) are wondering why we can't go to Disneyland or some other fun place like lots of their friends. I think it will be a loooooooooonnnng time before we attempt something like that, or will have time for something like that.

Family Update

Riley got offered and accepted the position of varsity girls soccer coach for Southridge High School. That means that he will be coaching not 1, not 2, but 3 teams this year - high school boys, girls club, and now high school girls. Yes, we have gone totally insane and just love to keep adding chaos to more chaos. We are gluttons for punishment I guess. This is going to be a really busy year for us, but we are going to tough it out and hopefully it will be worth it to have the additional income. So between his FOUR jobs, you could say he is a hard working guy. I am trying to be thankful for these opportunities instead of resentful knowing that they are giving us the little extra cushion we needed this year with the twins and it is a blessing. I get to be at home with my kids with everything we need and I couldn't ask for more. He's going to be putting new flooring in our house during spring break and I can't wait.


Kendle is going to be playing softball this spring and I am excited for her. I think it will be a lot of fun, especially since one of her friends will be playing with her. She's also been practicing extra hard on the piano to get ready for her recital that is coming up in May. She is a reading machine and goes through books quickly, usually a book a night. Sometimes I have to tell her to turn the light off and go to bed. I always think the late night reading will hinder her getting up in the morning but it never does, she is an early bird at heart. She is a really talented writer and artist and is always entertaining us with her witty and amazing stories. I really think she has a knack for it. We get to take her out to lunch on Wednesday with her teacher for being student of the month and she is really excited about that. She is a good helper and an extra set of hands when I need them. She continues to be joyful, exuberant, and extremely loud but we love her anyways.


Morgan is a whirlwind of fun and play. He's been totally potty trained for the last few months and is such a good boy about it. I am so happy with him and that we've conquered that battle. It is a huge relief to me and I know I don't have to worry about him going. He is such a little chatterbox and talks and sings the live long day. I love his happy go lucky spirit. We are starting to see a bit of the terrible two's. There are moments of stubbornness and tantrums, but I know a lot of it is due to my being busy with the babies the majority of the time and not being able to help him with what he needs or wants. He is a little overzealous with the twins sometimes, but I think he is just super excited to have some buddies to play with. It will be so fun for all of them in the next few years. When we get a quiet moment in the evenings he likes to come sit with me and get some mom cuddle time. I try to enjoy it because I know those moments will get few and far between. I adore his little face and smile and he continues to be my buddy. Sometimes I wish I could freeze him at this age because he is so cute.


Cooper and Kale are now 16 weeks and getting to be some chubby, chubby, boys. They just seem huge to me, but maybe that is because I am packing them both around and my arms get a serious daily workout. I was hoping these last two would be on the calmer end of the spectrum, but I guess I'm just destined to have really active movers. They both are already walking around in walkers and have both rolled over in their cribs. And speaking of their cribs, they are all over the place. The last few nights I have slept them in separate cribs because they have been moving around so much and I will find them completely turned around with their arms sticking out of the crib. It made me wonder this morning if they are trying to find each other because usually when they sleep together, no matter how far apart we lay them down, they always end up smack dab side by side with their little heads together. Maybe they are missing that. In any case, Cooper is definitely the better sleeper of the two which isn't much of a surprise because he reminds me more of Morgan while Kale is much like big sister Kendle - not just in how he sleeps, but boy does he have a temper and he is very sensitive. Both boys give the biggest smiles though and are so happy most of the time. They just talk and chatter and laugh. They love getting attention and they love to be held and talked to. What good boys they are. I just look at them every day and think - wow! I love them so much.


I feel like my days are mostly a blur of diaper changes, feedings, cleaning, laundry, and meals. I really feel like I'm being blessed with more patience than I thought I'd ever be capable of and the ability to get most of the things done around the house I need to do. Thank goodness for this blog so I can write down things I know I would probably forget in the hustle and bustle. Most nights when everything is winding down and I am reflecting back on the day I am amazed at what I was able to do and that I made it through another tough day. Every day feels like an accomplishment and right now the little things feel like big things. It is a very satisfying feeling to know that I am succeeding at taking care of my family and trying my best to be a good mother and wife. No matter how discouraging those tough and long days can be, I choose not to let those feelings keep me from being happy. There are days when I can feel the wave of being overwhelmed about to drown me, but I just keep swimming although sometimes it feels like I'm just treading water rather than getting anywhere. I know everything I am experiencing right now is making me grow and pushing me to become a stronger and more capable person. My sister-in-law Molly that also has twins told me that after this I would feel like I can do anything and make it through anything and I think she is right. In my spare moments I've been trying to finish a book that has been taking me forever to read and work on a few craft projects. Sometimes I feel guilty taking the time to do those things when I could be using the time to do something more productive, but I always feel better when I do those little things for myself. This week I am getting rid of all my maternity clothes! Hurray for that, it is a sad but good feeling.