A busy Tennis weekend for my sweetie

Ok, so this isn't Shelli, and she didn't win a big fat trophy, but in my mind she IS a tennis champ! Her team had 2 injured players, so they put her at the #1 singles position (her most feared place to be) for the USTA tennis tournament this weekend. She plays some singles with me and with a couple of friends, but by far most of her tennis practice is doubles. She was soooo nervous!

Friday I couldn't be there to watch, but she won both her singles matches! I was so proud of her. The tournament "nerves" can be tough to overcome, especially during the first match. Saturday we drove to Yakima and I got to watch her at her first "away" matches. She was so nervous again that she gave away her first set 0-6! she came back and won the second set 6-3, then the ti-breaker 10-4! She won her next match 6-3, 6-3! 4 singles matches in one weekend, undefeated! Go Shelli! Henin may have retired, but you're on a roll! Love u!

It's nice being tight with the tooth fairy!

Dear Sweet Skylar lost a tooth at school this week. She came home SO EXCITED and was just pumped to put it under her pillow. I got home from Tennis and Shelli told me about this. I went to check on her, and found this note under her pillow. What a sweet girl! In the morning she came in very excited! There was a small but ornate blue box with a $5 bill folded in an origami shape for her. She was very happy and quite relieved the tooth fairy didn't ignore her. Tanner was a little upset, though, because he never got that much, even though his teeth would always split into 2 halves right before he put them under the pillow (very strange, actually) and maybe he thought the tooth fairy would pay him double! Good job Skylar! The tooth fairy felt your pain!

Pepper.... It's not just a spice

What happens when you get a nurturing mother, 4 kids; the youngest of which is 5 years old (gettin' too old to cuddle), and a dog that loves the dad and oldest daughter the best? You get Pepper. Pepper was given to us by a woman I work with. She breeds miniature Schnauzers, and had a little girl that was a runt and couldn't sell. Enter Shelli and the Larsons! So, without further introduction, I bring you Pepper, the runt that we all love!

A house of sick people

This has been a rough week! Skylar started out with a fever on Sunday, turned into a cough. Gracie got the cough. Shelli and I had been fighting of a persistent cold that we keep passing back and forth (she can't help kissing me all the time), then Saturday Rachel said "I feel like I'm going to throw up". The sensitive dad in me said "Rachel, you say you feel like throwing up EVERY DAY!" It's no exaggeration. She says that every time she gets nervous, upset, happy, whatever. "I feel like I'm going to throw up". It started a small argument which I firmly ended with a convincing "whatever Rachel". I know, I'm very articulate. Anyway, I was on my way to a tennis practice and got a call from Shelli. "Guess what... Rachel just threw up in her room". I could hear the faint "I told you so... retch... dad. thanks.....retch....for listening.

We have run out of motrin for kids, running low on other cold/cough/sinus/stomach remedies. I remember when Gary Coleman was younger he said he took so many pills he thought he should rattle when he walks. This picture reminded me of that, and the kind of week we are having. Now more than ever I am READY for warmer "open up all the windows for an entire day" weather to decontaminate this house.

Anybody want to come over for dinner tonight?

Backyard camping...who's ready for spring

Last year I asked the kids "who wants to sleep in the backyard tonight?" Gracie was the ONLY one who wanted to. So Gracie, Cotton, and I all piled into the little tent, built a fire, and fell asleep under the stars listening to the crackling of the fire, the sound of the owl that roams the neighborhood, and the occasional coyote howl. It kind of felt like the 3 amigos campout!

Well, I for one want that time back! I want to be able to camp in my yard, smell the fresh cut grass (thanks to the kids this time) and roast mallows, swing in my hammock, and spend some time on the river!


I got Shelli out in the kayak last year one time, and I got Cotton out there too! He swam from Rachel's kayak out to me so he could ride with me. What a fun day that was with the Jensens at Loon lake! Looking forward to that again, too. Can you tell I am ready for summer????

What do you miss most or look forward to most about summer?

Give life everything you've got!

We went to French's orchard last week to pick peaches to freeze. I love this time of year! Fresh peaches, apples, corn on the cob, watermelon.... It just doesn't get any better when it comes to fresh produce. I love a tree-ripened peach. Wash it well, and dig in. Don't forget a napkin!

As we were pulling in to pick, I saw this little twig of an apple tree among the other full grown trees. It was right on th edge of the rest of the orchard, stretching upward with all its might. It reminded me of a little toddler trying to be accepted by the older kids in the family and saying "I can, too!" As I looked at this little tree in passing, I realized it had an apple on it. I stopped to take a better look, and there were two full size apples on it, and one on the ground under it that had fallen off! I had to admire that tree. It put all of it's energy into growing those apples, even though it had very little to give to begin with. It would have been acceptable for that little tree to go a few years with little or no fruit. Nobody would have cared. After all, it was so small. But that little tree didn't let its size or any other obstacle get in its way. Go little tree! Go!

Oh, to be young again

I was at the club with Shelli playing tennis yesterday, and there were 3 older men waiting for their 4th to show up for doubles. They watched us for about 20 minutes, then when they were in the breezeway between courts heading out to play, one of them said "Oh to be as young as them again" as he watched us play. It was louder than he intended, so I heard it clearly. It made me think to be grateful for my youth, my energy, and to be at this stage in life. It also made me look forward to about 50 more years of tennis and life! I hope to still be playing at his age!