Girls Night v. T-Ball Game v. Bridal Shower

Last night, my calender was booked...what's new, right?!? I had to be in three places at once...plus, I was playing "single parent" because Mike was at school. I had my monthly girls night, Connor's t-ball game, and a bridal shower for my cousin. Can you guess which one I picked? Yes, I know I'm awful...but I picked girls night! I sent Connor & Aiden to the t-ball game with my dad (thank you), sent a check to the bridal shower with my mom (thank you), and I went to girls night! I know, my priorities are ALL screwed up, but I just love my girls night! It's the one night of the month that belongs to me...and, with Mike being gone three nights a week, I think I deserve it now more than ever!

Anyway, the girls & I had a blast! We went to Tepankayi this month for a little Japanese cuisine! It was fabulous--especially the filet minon (is that how you spell it?)! Great food, fun conversation & a hilarious chef made it an awesome night! And, like always, I didn't have any leftovers to bring home (Sorry Mik)!

Anyway, it may not have been the most responsible choice, but it sure was a fun one! --Lindsay

The Last Day of School!

Most children are excited on the last day of school. Mine? Well...he cried! It was so cute. I went to pick him up today, and as his teacher called his name to go, I saw big alligator tears fill his eyes. He tried to hold them back and he did a pretty good job...until Mrs. Rodabaugh gave him a hug and said, "Bye Connor...I will miss you!" That's when the tears started to flow. He said, "Goodbye Mrs. Rodabaugh...I love you so much!" It was so sweet! His teacher told him that next year (when he's in the 4- and 5-year-old class) he can come back and visit her whenever he wants. That brought a little smile to his face and he said his final goodbyes...or what we thought would be his final goodbyes. We had walked out into the hall a few steps when Connor paused & turned around to look at Mrs. Rodabaugh one more time, then he ran back and gave her another huge hug and said (through more tears), "Mrs. Rodabaugh...I will miss you everyday!" After that, we said his final goodbyes (for real this time) and walked out to the lobby. I asked Connor if I could take his picture (the one above). He said yes, and tried to wipe away the tears (cause he's a "tough man" like that--hehe). I tried everything to get that boy to smile for his "last day of school picture", but nothing worked. Even little Aiden was trying to make his big brother laugh, but that didn't work either. He was so sad! Oh well...it turned out to be a cute picture anyway, I guess!

As we drove home, I kept hearing these quiet, heartrending little cries from the back row. "You okay, Connor?" I would ask. "Yeah," he would say trying to muffle his tears. "I just miss Mrs. Rodabaugh so much!" It was so sweet, he almost had me jerking back tears!

So, while most kids are jumping for joy and singing, "No more homework...no more books," my child is crying as though he's lost his best friend! I'll remind him of this when he's graduating from high school and see if he still feels the same way about his teachers then! --Lindsay

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Yesterday was Connor's first T-Ball game. (He's #10 in the picture) Well, actually, it was his 3rd game. But, mother nature put a damper on the first one (it was cancelled because of rain) & we had to miss the second one because of our road trip to Boise for Mike's grandpa's funeral. Anyway, the game was worth the wait...it was a blast! Nana & Tata (my mom and sister, Kristin) came with us to cheer on Connor and rest of the "Road Runners". And, we came to realize that the "T" in T-Ball doesn't stand for the little thing that they hit the ball off of...it stands for "tackling, terrible tantrums, tough, tattle-tale ball". These little boys & girls were hilarious!

Connor was one of the first boys to bat, and boy did he ever wack that ball good (it went all the way to the pitcher's mound--woo hoo!) He was so excited when he hit it! His little legs started running as fast as they could over to 1st base. Unfortunately, he was so excited that he forgot to drop the bat before running. His coach had to chase after him and pull it out of his tight little grip about halfway between home & 1st! After all the boys on their team had hit, they switched places with the other team and took their positions in the outfield (or infield...since nothing goes farther then the base line). This is what I love best about T-Ball! There are no outs, no fouls, no strikes...you just let every kid hit the ball and take his or her turn running the bases. Then you switch places with the other team and they do the exact same thing. This is the kind of game I would be good at!

Okay, back to the action. So, the boys went to play some defense. Unfortunately, I don't think--at the age of four--they understand the concept of "team work". I really think that they think this is an individual sport. I think they think that not only are they playing against the other team, but they're playing against their own team members too. Case in point: When a ball would be hit...the entire team would scramble to the ball, doing whatever needed to be done to get it in their grasp. These sweet little kids were pulling, pushing, punching & pinching each other...just to get that ball. When one person would get it...another child (who felt the ball was rightfully theirs) would automatically burst into tears! We even found Connor doing this a time or two. We'd see the tears welling up in his eyes, but then he would cover his face with his hat so that the other kids wouldn't see. It was so cute!

Connor even left the game with a battle wound. He had scraped his ankle up a few days earlier. I guess in one of the many scrimmages, a boy had stepped on his ankle just enough to scrape the scab off. He came over to the sidelines, we put on a band aid, and he was back out there playing within two minutes. We cheered him on for being such a tough T-Ball player, and he thought he was the strongest member on the team! It cracked us up!

Anyway, it was a fun morning...I can wait for game #4! --Lindsay

The 5 Love Languages

Hey...check me out! I actually read a book cover-to-cover! Now this may not be an accomplishment for most of you, but for me...it is! Let me explain...I love to read books. However, there are only 24 hours in a day, and I'm usually booked for about 18 of them (the other 6 are reserved for my "beauty sleep"). Other things are just more important than reading. But, a few months ago, my friend, Tami, told me I should read this book and gave me her copy of it. I knew I wasn't going to be able to return it without giving her my informal book report, so I decided I was actually going to read it. But when??? That was the million-dollar question. I decided that (since Mike doesn't get home until 11:00 pm three nights a week) I would read a chapter each night that Mike was at school. I would shove it into my bedtime routine...somewhere between the 10:00 news & my facial scrub. And, you know what...I fell in love with this book.

Dr. Chapman (the author of the book) has a theory that people speak different love languages...meaning people express and receive love in different ways. This can be applicable for any relationship in your life...your relationship with your spouse, your kids or your friends. Here are the five:

1) Quality Time--You feel loved when someone takes time out of their day to spend time with you.

2) Words of Affirmation--You feel loved when someone tells you how much they love you or pays you a compliment.

3) Gifts--You feel loved when someone gives you a special present.

4) Acts of Service--You feel loved when someone does something nice for you (washes your car, changes a diaper, etc.)

5) Physical Touch--You feel loved when someone gives you a hug or holds your hand or goes all the way with you...if you know what I mean. :)

Each person enjoys all five, Dr. Chapman says, but everyone has one or two that are most important to them...these are your love languages. If you express love to your spouse or a child in a way they don't understand, he or show may not realize you've expressed love at all. For example, if your husband's love language is "Words of Affirmation", he may not feel loved by the nice dinner you made him. Or if your love language is "Quality Time", you may not feel all that loved by the flowers your husband sent you. You need to figure out what each family member's love language(s) is/are so that you can communicate your feelings in a way they will understand. Here are ours (or at least what we think they are):

Mike--Physical Touch (Big surprise here--just kidding Mik!) and Quality Time

Lindsay--Quality Time and Words of Affirmation (Give me a compliment over flowers any day)

Connor--Quality Time (The boy loves to have your undivided attention) and Words of Affirmation

Aiden--Physical Touch (he's a cuddler) and Words of Affirmation

Anyway, it's an awesome book that I recommend to anyone (in fact, I've probably already recommended it to most of you who read this blog). Once you read it, you'll really start to notice the things that people react well to and it will improve the relationships you have with everyone around you.

And now that I'm on a roll with this whole book thing, my next read is going to be another recommendation. It's one that was recommended to Tami by my friend Summer...they then both recommended it to me. (It's like our own book club we've got going here girls!) It's called "Love & Logic: Magic for Early Childhood". I'll let you know what I think when I finish. --Lindsay

My Husband the Rocket Scientist--LITERALLY!!!

The Storrs' have some exciting news! Mike just accepted an AWESOME job! ATK in Magna just offered him the Lead Engineer position on a project working with long-range rockets that are launched from nuclear submarines! Can you believe it? It's another classified job (similar to the one he has now) so I can't write a whole lot about it...but it's a very cool job!

The funniest part about this is that he wasn't even looking for a job! A few months ago, Mike's MBA program at the University of Utah decided to hold a career fair. Mike wasn't going to go to it...because he was really happy with his current job and the prospects there, but he just had a feeling that he should go. I still remember that day. He called me and said, "I think I'm going to go to this career fair and just see what companies show up." My reply was, "Why???" He said, "I don't know...I just feel like I should go." So off he went! From that career fair, Mike has been offered 4 jobs!!!

The first was for Trane (the air conditioner company). We turned it down right away because it required moving to Ohio for 6 months...plus, Mike couldn't bring himself to give up engineering to be an Air Conditioner Salesman. The next was for an engineering consulting firm in Salt Lake. We turned that one down because it required moving to Lousiana for 9 months. Uhhh, been there...done that...not going to do it again! The third and fourth both came from ATK. The first one they offered him was for a new division called "Mission Assurance". With that one, he would have been in charge of going into the various departments of the company and figuring out how to improve the different processes and such. He was really excited about it and was about ready to accept it (if it was offered to him) when he got another phone call from ATK. This was for the Lead Engineer position (the one he eventually ended up accepting). He went into the interview thinking that he didn't want the job (because he was so excited about the Mission Assurance position), but he came out of the interview extremely excited about the chance to be the Lead Engineer on such an awesome project!

He was offered both jobs a few days later. So now, the boy who can't make up his mind about what he wants for dinner most nights, had two GREAT jobs sitting on the table. What was he going to do? It was a hard decision...but Mike just kept coming back to the Lead Engineer position, so we decided that was where he was supposed to go!

We are very excited about Mike's new opportunity, but we are sad to leave our friends at Chang! Mike's boss, Richard, treats Mike like a son! I don't think we'll ever find a boss like him again! I will miss hearing Richard say (in his Chinese accent with his silly little grin), "Oh Mike alway give me so much trouble!" I will miss the come-and-go-as-you-please schedule. And, of course, I will miss the once-a-month sushi parties at Jasmine. But, this opportunity was just too good to pass up! Come on...what wife, when asked what her husband does, doesn't like to say, "Oh...he's a rocket scientist!" He he! --Lindsay

We love you mommy!

What better time to write my first post to our family blog then on mother's day. I just wanted to take a moment to tell Lindsay how much we love her. This past week I decided to ask the kids a probing question, "How much do you love mommy?" Connor quickly stated "so much...so much more then heaven!" I said "Wow! That is a whole lot." He then said "Ya, it is this much!" and he through his hands out to his side to show me how far he could stretch out his arms.

Connor then asked me "Dad, how much do you love mommy?" I told him "I love her more than anything else in this world." He quickly asked "Even more then our house, or the mountain, or... Star Wars!" laughing I responded "Yes, Even more then Star Wars."

When I posed the same question to Aiden, "How much do you love mommy?" I got the response of "dink... dink," which is loosely interpreted drink. Now before we just dismiss this as the simple random ramblings of a 2 year old, You need to understand Aiden's love, almost obsession, he has with his drinks. He must have one available at all times. If you put it away in the fridge while he is watching, you had better prepare for war! He truly loves his "dink", and what better way could he describe how much he loves his mommy!

I am continually amazed by the amount of work it takes to raise a family! It takes a lot of work to just take care of me! (He..he..) But honestly, I am so grateful to have a wife who takes care of the finances, the laundry, the cleaning, the kids (all day and 3 nights a week!), some cooking (the days I am not there), her job, this blog and so much more! Lindsay, You're amazing! Thanks!

We love you! (This is us blowing kisses!)

Two Boys & a Box

I have officially decided to never buy toys again! From now on, it's only boxes and styrofoam in our house! Here's why:

Mike had to go to Florida on business for a few days this week, so (being the wuss that I am) the boys and I stayed at my parents' house. I don't know why I get so freaked out about being home alone. I lived in the GHETTO of Louisiana by myself for two months before Mike and I got married. Really...it WAS the ghetto. We're talking high speed chases, drug deals, & drive-by shootings...all outside my front door on Louisiana Ave in good ol' Lake Charles. I'm not even kidding! I saw it all! So, why do I NOW have a problem staying home alone? I don't know, but I think it has to do with the kids. I'm worried about being their only protector. I'm a 95-lb weakling! I'm no match for a bad guy! So, the thought of being the only thing between a guy with a weapon and my kids totally freaks me out! Wow! That was a tangent if I ever saw one! Back to the real story...

The boys were playing with toys in my parents' family room when my dad entered the room with a big box. The box contained a new desk that my sister had bought earlier that day. My dad took the desk out of the box and started assembling it. The boys eyes and attention simultaneously went from blocks & batman figures to a box filled with styrofoam. The next thing I know, two little boys are diving into it head first. They spent the next half-hour in that box pretending it was a swimming pool and the styrofoam the waves. The only reason they got out was because I forced them...bedtime ruins all the fun!

It was just such a funny site to see two little boys choosing to play with a BOX when hundreds of trucks, helicopters, action figures and legos littered the floor. That's why I'm NEVER spending another cent on toys. Will someone remind me of this in December please?!? --Lindsay

**A special thanks to Special K (aka Kristin) for the pictures!