Stripper Shoes

Yes, I know, a blog post about your daughter should be ballet shoes, not stripper shoes. But, evidentally, my daughter has an obsession with stripper shoes.

We went to Target to spend the yard sale money that was burning a hole in their pockets. We had some time to kill, so we were silly.This is a preview of no Halloween costumes, just fun.

After they spent their money and had their fun, we went over to Payless for a part of Blaine's costume (more on that later), but Kylee went NUTS!!When I told her they were stripper shoes, of course, she just rolled her eyes. (Now, for those of you that come here, I don't mean that all these shoes are stripper shoes for adults. But when you are 12...just sayin'!)

We had a fun little afternoon of shopping that left my son wiped out! When I looked in my sideview mirror on the way home, thisis what I saw.

In Sickness and In Health

Saturday was kind of a weird day at our house. I felt awful and was ready to just sleep. The boys had baseball practice and then went hunting with Papa. Kylee had dance, did not want to go hunting, so she was stuck home with me after dance. This girl is never boring.

Our neighbors were having an open house all weekend to sell their house. As I was lounging on the couch, all of a sudden, Kylee is carrying bags of stuff outside. When I got up to see what was going on, thisis what I found. She decided to take advantage of the people coming and going next door to make herself a little money! She made $15! Every time she would sell something, she would come back in the house looking for more stuff to sell.

When the crowd seemed to be dwindling down, she and I ordered Outback Steakhouse takeout and cuddled up on the couch with a movie. I was already feeling much better. We were finished with our supper and our movie before the boys got home. I think they stayed at Papa's after hunting to watch the Yankees play.

Sunday was pretty typical. I did laundry, except it was double since I didn't get it done after Dallas last weekend. Kylee headed back out for more sales, and this time her brother joined her.Blaine kept yelling at everybody that walked by or drove by, "Yard Sale! Yard Sale! We're having a yard sale!" His sister did not find it humerous...at all. She said he was scaring them away instead of bringing them in. She quit him. She only stayed out there with him long enough to make $1.

After she came back in, it seemed the crowd got thick.He ended up making $25.

Kylee was not happy, not to mention the fact that he had been to Papa and Nana's the night before and got to see Chessie, their kitten. She went outside to talk to him, and he came in asking if we would take them to Clint to see Chessie. I think she killed two birds with one stone. She killed his sales and got to see Chessie so he couldn't say he saw her last.

So we went to Clint. It was actually a good time to go, since the kids are on intersession for the next two weeks. Otherwise, we wouldn't have headed out there at five o'clock on a Sunday.


On our way home, the kids decided to play the quiet game. After about five seconds, I realized how nice it was, so I said, "If you make it all the way home, I will give y'all something, too." Kylee starts sign language, telling me she wants a pen. I said, "NO, no notes." She dug around and found something to write on anyway. She passed me a note. I responded, "Well, nothing for you. I told you no notes." She sent the note back with a second line.She was hot! I mean, HOT!

When we got home, she stomped in the house. When I told her to get in the shower, she said, "You're not going on Facebook, are you?" All I said was, "Get in the shower." Then went straight to Facebook to thispost. She obviously wanted me to see it or she wouldn't have said anything.

Monday morning I took Superstar to work with me. She was invited, but she did not want to go. But Monday night while Superstar and his dad were at baseball practice, she and I went to see The Help. We are friends again...for now!

Homework Robot

Blaine came home and had a project to create an invention that would help the world. He had to create it and build it. He pulled all his Leg0s out and started building. He asked me for help, but, I mean, really, I can't build! This was a total Daddy project.

So when he starts explaning it to Joey, Joey said, Tell me what an invention is. Blaine said, It's something you make up that will make the world better, so you get it 'plummished.' (published)

What makes the world better? A robot that does your homework!What could be better than that?! And ALL the kids would buy it! It would bring at LEAST a hundred bucks! Maybe even a thousand!

I tried to get him to 'present' it to me, but he wouldn't because, 'that's not part of the homework.'

Advanced Acting Drama

Imagine! Drama in Theater Arts? I mean, really, I guess it should just be expected in that class, right?

Kylee had her first 'Advanced Acting' class performance last night. They brought in a 'professional choreographer' to teach the class two dances. Then, as a grade, they were to get in smaller groups and choregraph their own routine to perform also.

Kylee had been telling us that her group was just falling apart. She was the only one doing any work, and the other three girls kept being absent. When the other three girls got back from their absenses, after the routine was due to be 'turned in', of course, they didn't like what Kylee had done. A few weeks ago when this was being discussed, I didn't realize it was for this performance, I thought it was just a class grade.

So last night the groups did their individual performances and then the two group dances. Their group performances were so fun!

Ladies Choice

Mamma Mia

Even Blaine and a little boy, who has now become his friend because his sister and in the class,got into it. They were moving and grooving right there sitting on the floor. They even threw their hands in the air a couple of times.

Did you notice Kylee had no individual dance? As she put it, their group "sucked" after everybody decided to make changes and bail on her. She was worried about it Monday night after dress rehearsal, and she told me that it was awful and it was going to be embarrassing because they sucked. Right before Tuesday night's performance, Mrs. Moore (the theater arts teacher) pulled her aside and told her she knew her group had -- and then she used a big word Kylee doesn't remember what it is and had to ask what it meant, but basically -- betrayed her. She understood Kylee had put a lot of work into the dance without any help, and then they decided it wasn't good enough. So she decided she was not going to let that group perform, when the other groups had worked hard on theirs. Because she had seen the work Kylee had put into it, she told Kylee she would receive a 95 on the assignment, while the other girls were getting zeros. To avoid drama you know, since there hadn't been any already, she didn't want Kylee to say anything to the other girls about her grade or even discuss it with them at all.

Kylee said she guesses when Mrs. Moore told the other girls they weren't performing, they freaked a little, because they were asking Kylee to just go back and practice with them, that they could get it together. Kylee just told them she wasn't willing to embarrass herself. Such drama! I'm so glad I don't teach middle schoolers...especially a middle school drama class!

It's always nice to have grandparents there to cheer them on.Papa was at home babysitting their new kitty. I guess he does baseball games, and she does dances when there's a newborn at home. (hehe)

Kylee's 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Enriquez's daughter is also in Kylee's class. We talked to her after the performance, and she said she recognized Kylee's "adorable face" as soon as she saw her on the dance floor.

And with that, the curtain closes on another performance.

Whose Gift Is It?

Did I mention the 30th anniversary party wasn't actually over? On their anniversary, we gaveDad Dad and Mom Mom a trip to Dallas to stay at Great Wolf Lodge again and go to a Texas Ranger Game.

I have to stop and give Doak major kudos here for planning and organizing this trip. He did an amazing job, and all Kyle Myra and I did was book our own family's rooms and write a check to him. So thanks, Doak!

Friday we all headed to the big D. Doak and Kyle drove their families, while the El Paso bunch flew. Kyle left earlier than Doak, and my family left earlier than Dad Dad and Mom Mom, so we got there at almost the same time.

We finally got to give McKenzie her birthday present.
She's going to be 'Sepatariat's' jockey for Halloween. Since we were talking about Halloween, I told her that Kylee was thinking about being Strawberry Shortcake. She told me to be sure I put 'frinkles' on her face.

Then we hit the water park for the hour and a half we had before it closed.This is the only picture I have from the waterpark Friday night. Kylee and Kellie took off by themselves, and the rest of us were on the tube rides with the kids. I'm not willing to risk my prized camera in the water, so this is all I got. Then Joey and I headed to the airport to pick up Dad Dad and Mom Mom while Kyle, Myra, and the kids ordered pizzaand waited on Doak's family.

The next morning, we were up and at 'em, ready to get all the time we could in at the waterpark before we went to see the Rangers play the Seattle Mariners. I got thispicture of the 'big' girls before they, once again, ditched us for their own fun. I got plenty of pictures of the littles, though,since they had to hang out with us. There was also some cominglingwhen the adults would go with the kids on the Tornado, or take the littles on the 'family ride' in one big tube, or when the big girls came to play with the baby.

After a few hours of water fun, it was time to shower and head to the ball game. We got all the girls dressed with their bowsAndrea got them, got grandparents/kids pic,(I just realized Michael is missing!! What the heck?!)took a power nap in the car,and arrived at Ranger Ballpark!
Thanks, again, to Doak, we had ah-maze-ingseats that were even in the shade, and the whole rowwas the Painter tribe! Blaine spent a lot of his time training on Dad Dadabout how this game works, while Kylee spent a lot of her time with Kellie keeping Brodieentertained. All the kids took their turn on the teeset up in the stadium. After a family picture, we left the game headed back to Great Wolf Lodge.

The kids (of all sizes) had a little more fun in the water, then there was eating
tattoos

ice cream

and dance lessons in the hallway
before bed.

Then this morning before our goodbyes, there was one more Painter tribe photo op.


As I look back at these pictures from the weekend, I wonder whose gift this really was? I mean, it seems to me the grandKIDS had way more fun than the grandPARENTS. But, ya know, I guess when you've been married 30 years and still walk into the
ballpark like this,it doesn't really matter, does it?