Halloween

Here are some shots of our treak or treating gang on Halloween. We had a wonderful time at our friends house and the boys had a blast getting candy. Our friend the Fursmans hosted another wonderful Halloween bash and we walked throught the neighborhood. Many of the neighbors got very creative with their decorations as you can see by the graveyard created by a family who lives on Silva St.

Weekend adventures...or lack there of.

Is it true....could it possibly be????? Are sports really and truly over until January!!!! There is a Lord up above who takes care of me!!!!

Friday night we did.....................Nothing. Christian was invited to a friends house to go to the Mt. Si football game and a Haunted walk through the woods. So, I got boboli pizza stuff and we made pizza's and watched Harry Potter. Chris was asleep by 7:58 which was cracking me up. I wasn't awake much longer. It was lovely.

Saturday I worked but I took an hour off so that I could make it to Christians last football game. He say he likes it when I hold the chains on the sidelines because he can hear me cheering for him. I told him I thought that it would be embarrassing to have me on the chains screaming my fool head off. He said "well, some of the things you yell are pretty embarrassing but I like it anyway." I loved it! Because it was the last game they worked Christian in on defense for the last three plays of the game. He was in on both stops until the tallest, fastest kid on the other team got the ball and ran it back on the left...Christian was on the right he went in the backfield to put pressure on the QB (a little retribution) when there was a hand off to the monster kid who couldn't be stopped. Christian took off after him and was the last kid in the back field. He ran so fast and so hard he was passing everyone! It was one of those moments where it looks slow motion. He was two steps behind him when the TANK entered the endzone if there had been 5 more yards to that field Christian would've had him. Why is this important? Christian has been working so hard to recover the strength/speed in his legs. He knew he had beat all those kids up the line and he knew he came from the back! I looked at him and said I had never been more proud and that he could finally put the issue of the "leg" behind him. I think for the first time he really believed that was true. So, the officials blew three calls that were (touchdown related) one of them was a touchdown for Christian. I was on the line so I saw him cross. So the officials weren't the greatest and we totallly got creamed but in the end Christian did awesome and walked away a big time winner. YEAH Skippy.

Then Saturday Night we did nothing....
Sunday we went to Church and then had breakfast with the Kolodejchucks. It was nice. It was just them and us and we had a really wonderful time just hanging out and we were so thankful they invited us.
After, Tanya and Travis came to pick up Max. They took him on the Halloween train. Mrs. Roy had loaned Max a skeleton costume and he loved it. After, Travis and the boys had an impromtu yard football game which lead into dinner. The kids had a blast playing and loved seeing Tanya's kids. It was great. Dinner ran a little late but it was good and I was so relaxed just hanging out. Tanya and her family are fantastic guests. I am really glad she doesn't live in Georgia anymore!!
So that long blog is what happened this weekend. I hope to do a lot more of Nothing in the weekends to come.

Happy Birthday Mom

So you know I am super lame when I not only post Derek's birhtday late but my Mom's too.

Happy Birthday Mom. My mom had the difficult task of raising four children. Raising three has proven challenging enough. With the absense of my father my mom truly had to become the super mom, she worked, she raised kids, she taxi'd us around she did it all. She once said that she thought that I thought I was a better mother than she was. I told her that I just have a different set of circumstanses to deal with. What she doesn't realize is that in many ways she set the bar very high. I struggle everyday to be the perfect mom not despite her but because of her. She taught me how to fight everyday and to never give up. She tries so hard to please everyone and to be an important part of all her grandkids lives. This is never more evident that when she comes for a visit. Of course she spoils the kids but that isn't what makes her great. What makes her great is that she take the time to get to know them individually and to learn their strengths, dreams and goals. She has a special relationship with each and everyone of them. When they succeed at something she is one of the first people they think to call. She supports them and nurtures them. I am thankful she is in their lives. Holy Cow the bar for Grandma is virtually unattainable. (but if anyone can do it, I can..hehehe) Happy Birthday Mom.

Happy Birthday Derek

UGHHH, I am sooo late on this but oh well. Happy Birthday Derek.

Derek is my older (much older) brother. He turned 36 on Oct. 19th. Derek is the father of two adorable little girls Devyn and Chloe (toddlers) and the foster parent of Courtney (teenager....crazy). Rumour has it that they have opened their home to another teenage daughter. How God thinks it is a good idea that I have all boys and he keeps giving Derek daughters like crazy is beyond me. But, that is my lot in life and I love it anyway. Derek is a Pastor at Christ the King in Bellingham. He has been there for years and loves it. He is a great Father, Husband, Brother and Friend. He is always very supportive of my children and their efforts and it is not unusual for Christian to pick up the phone and give him a call to let him know how is latest sports endeavor is going. I am thankful that Derek is my brother but I hardly tell him so. That is mainly because when I was growing up and trying to get some sleep he would get on the piano and play these ridiculous songs he made up about me and I don't think I have really ever forgiven him.
I am proud of my brother and the man he has become. From Spirit Man, New Cans on the Block, to Pastor and Daddy Day Care oh yeah and he helps his wife coach cheerleading! We've come a long way. Happy Birthday Derek.

A new slide show

I haven't posted a slide show in a long time. I felt these pictures were worthy. Chris left today to go visit his family in Seaside. They are celebrating his Dad's birthday. The boys and I stayed behind. We were just not able to clear the schedule enough to make it work. The upside to us staying behind is that I did clear some time. After I got off work, I went to pick up the boys and we decided to go to the pumpking patch. I have been taking the boys to there for years. I tried to talk them into Safeway pumpkins but they just weren't having it. We were there at the perfect time in the afternoon. The weather was perfect and we had the place to ourselves. They gave us a private tractor ride. The guy kicked it into high gear for the boys and they loved it. Mudd was flying off the tires and going everywhere. Max was covered in it after the tractor ride. They picked out more pumpkins than we could possibly ever need. After my friend Jerean and her son came over for some pumpkin carving. It was fun. Mitchell turns 14 tomorrow and Christian was very impressed. Jonah entertained them with his dancing. Max made a police man pumpkin. It was a fun night and I am glad. We needed a good night at home and it makes up for not being able to go to the beach.

The Pumpkin Patch

Peter Pan was a success!

Jonah was Peter Pan in the school play. It was great. The people that came to the school to put the play on were fantastic. They met once and to audition and try-out for parts. They practiced for an hour and a half once a week for four weeks and then this was the final product. I could not believe the play was almost a full hour and the kids really new their parts. Jonah was adorable. Tanya brought Tristan and Tori to the play which was awesome. Thanks to her I have a few clips to share of the play. Enjoy. Sarah (Mrs. Burns) also came out to support Jonah. He is so lucky to have such great people in his life. Here is a little sample of what he can do.

As for the Christmas Carol tickets are $12.50/15.00. The play is appoximately 2hrs. The tickets have not gone on sale Yet!

Jonah as Peter Pan

From Peter Pan to Tiny Tim

Well next Tuesday is Jonah's school performance of Peter Pan (he is Peter Pan). He is very excited.
Last night he went to a reading for the Christmas Carol at a small theater in North Bend. He got a small part in the production and is looking forward to playing Tiny Tim along with a couple of small rolls. He was so thrilled. He called Mrs. Burns (one of his biggest fans) and my mom. They appropriately oohed an awed for him. He is mostly looking forward to hundreds and millions of people seeing him on stage. All morning I listened to him go on and on about how it has always been his dream to be on a real stage. He cracks me up. You can get tickets to his performance from their website. http://www.valleycenterstage.org/ It looks like they will run the play three weekends in a row. I am not sure how much the tickets will cost but if I remember correctly it is not very expensive. Christian and I went with his third grade class two years ago and it was great. I am looking forward to watching my little man perform!!!

working working working

Well, that is all I have been doing lately. I worked everyday this week except Wednesday (I ran errands). Next week I look forward to working doubles on Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday being my only day off. I am sure I will run errands on that day too. I have been trying really hard to keep up with the house cleaning on Mondays and Tuesdays because I work nights those days. I have to say though, it is very difficult. I am just getting by.

Jonah has been asking for a family night so I think tonight after baseball we will cuddle in and watch a movie together. Who knows maybe we will have a Duvall Family Wii Tournament.

Chris comes home and Christians team pulls off their first win.

What a crazy week from start to finish. Chris has been gone which I hate. I don't sleep well and I am getting sick too. Not cool. The kids and I have been busy with school and their activities. It sure makes a difference having Chris home to share the responsibilities. Thanks to Mr. Burns, though, for giving Christian a ride to and from Football all week. It was a huge help. Also, Claire came out and watched the boys while I went to the schools curriculum night. My mom is here today taking care of the boys while I work. I get off in a few minutes. She took them to the movies so I am sure they are having a blast. Thanks mom.

The girls at work let me sneek out for an early lunch so I could watch the second half of Christian's game. They did great. He threw a 20yrd pass for a touchdown and had a fumble recovery plus several Quarterback keeps with good yardage. He is so cute. They won the game in the last 31/2 minutes and the defense worked hard to hold on to the lead. Christian was excited, the last play of the game was him taking a knee to run out the clock for their first victory!!! Yeah Skippy. Chris was of course bummed that he missed the game but I was there waiting on the sidelines phone in hand so the first person Christian talked to was his dad. He was so excited. Their relationship is so cool. I love that they are close buddies.

Chris texted me between flights, he is just now catching his plane out of Denver to come home. I miss him a ton and can't wait for him to get home!!!

Chris Duvall is in San Antonio, Texas

Chris left today for a business trip and won't be back until Saturday night. I need a cup of coffee and I hate being without him. The kids have a busy week and I have rearranged everything to make it work. I plan on trying to find time to sit and have a glass of wine with a girlfriend while he is gone so I don't go crazy.

By the way, My Texas friend is fine and all is well but I can't get a hold of another friend Coleen who was further inland. There phone hasn't worked for days. ...gotta go finish later

Jane Austen

I recently read an article about Jane Austen and it basically said "Why do people have such a problem with Jane Austen being a spinster." The article was talking about the movie "Becoming Jane". (Which I love) The whole point of the article is people can't fathom how Jane could write such wonderful love stories with the absence of true love in her life. Therefore there is a constant quest to find out who Jane truly loved and what went wrong. There are two choices: Tom LeFroy (which the movie addresses) and the speculation of a captain who died at sea. I don't personally care which, or whom she was in love with. I love Jane Austen with or without romance. The reason is she just didn't write love stories. To me the books were wonderful explanations about life, people, and love. She touched on ideas that I can relate too. Pretentious women, arrogant men, a lack of fortune but most of all relationships. Relationships of deep passionate love, comfortable love, convenience, relationships for gain or duty. It didn't matter she mastered all of them and those are all relationships I see around me to this day.

I think Jane wrote about love because she was in love with the idea of love. Perhaps she didn't get married because she trusted her heart and mind more than any other. She knew she could fall in love with a whim in her mind and maybe that was all she needed. Perhaps she loved Tom LeFroy and he couldn't marry her because of her lack of fortune. I don't know but I like her anyway and I resent anyone who suggests Fans aren't happy with her spinsterhood. I think it makes her cooler....But that is just me...

Can you tell, I am at work???

Happy 30th Birthday Tanya.

Tanya, me and Melissa





Happy Birthday to my dear sweet cousin Tanya. "Nicki" is the closest thing to a sister I have ever known. She is a wonderful friend to me, a fantastic Aunt to my children, and above all she is a great wife and mother.
Some of my favorite Tanya memories are:

1.Dancing like idiots in our bedrooms.
2. Wearing too much make-up.
3. Dating all the wrong boys...ughh
4. Finding the right boys...Yeah
5. Our Weddings (Made of Honors)
6. The birth of Tristan
7. The time we got lost coming home from the movies (her dad was sooo mad)
8. Oh yeah, that reminded me of trying to teach her how to drive a stick shift!!
9. Red Robin
10. Getting our Christmas tree this year was a huge highlight.

To the past, present and future. Thanks Tanya for being there for me always. You know everything that sucks about me and you like me anyway. So thanks for being an amazing, kind, honest, strong, peacemaker, smart, funny, directionally challenged, beautiful, fantastic women. You inspire me!!!!
Love ya, D
p.s. remember the time we locked Meli out of my bedroom (hehehe she'll never let us live that down!)

Remembering and Prayers

First I just want to ask for prayers for my good friend. She and her family were recently just stationed outside of Gaveston Texas and have obviously been evacuated. When our home flooded a few years ago they opened their door to us and let us stay with them. She also has saved me many other times along with demoing my kitchen (babe in arms), she helped me with my carpet, Max's room, she and I moved all the furniture out of the house to re-do the floors. Basically if I need anything she is always there. Just pray that the family is well taken care of and that their new home is still there and in good shape for them to return to! Thanks, Y'all!

The second thing I wanted to talk about is 9-11. I remember as everyone else does Exactly where I was and what I was doing. The strange thing is we did not have television. Therefore, my experience was dramatically different from most. Last night NBC aired two hours of the original broadcast from that day. First I am so glad I saw none of it on that day. Second, I was deeply touched by the timing and images I watched last night. What a day that was. I am so amazed at the wonderful response of good will that we had in those days and I hope as we move toward the future we can regain some of that.

The Duvall Boys head back to school.

Oh my Snoqualmie Elementry better look out because the Duvall boys are back. The kids were so excited to start school this morning. Everyone was up and dressed early. Jonah made lunches for everyone. What a good boy he is. After practicing our piano we were off for our first day of school. I had to do our pictures which Christian was irritated by, but it was necessary. Here are the boys with their teachers. Max has Mr. Z, he calls his class camp cougar so Max took his binoculars today. Mr. Crumb is Jonah's teacher and the doll is Chucky. When we walked in the Beatles were playing (Jonah is at risk of liking school too much). Mrs. Hodgins is Christians teacher. Thank God! Christian asked me nearly everyday of the summer if he had Mrs. Hodgins or not. He is soooo excited to have her this year. Well, I better get to cleaning the house and getting it set for the school year. I have exactly four hours left til they come home...Crazy!

Busy Weekend

Well, It was another crazy weekend for the Duvall's. It started out Friday when my brother graduated from the police academy. The boys got to spend some time with their cousins. I finally met my neice Devyn who is beautiful and such a happy baby. My cousin Tanya was there with her kids and my other cousin Charles who I never see. So all in all it was fun. Thanks Mom for lunch it was great and the kids had a blast. Saturday Christian played his first full game and they did great. I had to work but was able to sneak out and see a little. When I got home the boys were playing the wii with Chris (strange). The next day we went to mass and then off to Tanya's church for Tristan's baptism. She had a photographer taking pics so I will post those when I get copies. I was honored to be the God mother and it was such a special day. She put on a nice brunch and my other cousin Melissa was there so it was great to see her. Then we went to dinner at some friends house which was nice.
We finished the weekend painting the house, doing yard work, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. I worked a little yesterday and was exhausted when it was all over. The house is basically finished being painted with some touch ups needed but nothing major. SIGH OF RELIEF to have that behind us. Well, I have to be off to Meet the Teacher. I will post first day stuff soon and the pics from the baptism....

Blogging at work.

Ok, so I shouldn't blog at work. But sometimes I just can't help it. It is very quiet tonight in the library and I am sick of searching the web. I was watching the Olympics for awhile but now that they are finished I half to go back to surfing. Plus a girlfriend came in and I was showing her how to blog and then I just had to post.

Christian played in his first game ever. He did a good job and had a couple of pass completions, and even ran for a few yards....Nice.

We went to some friends for a bbq this weekend. It was nice to spend some time relaxing.
Chris broke our shower on Saturday which caused a lot of commotion but in the end worked out ok. We needed a little extra drama so Chris stepped up and provided.

As a football fundraiser we all went to the movies and watched Remember the Titans. That was fun for the kids. We came home last night and snuggled in bed after a long, tiring weekend when at about 10pm I shot up out of bed. I remembered that I was supposed to get 600 mailers out for the school today. So I stayed up til about 1am stuffing envelopes until I couldn't stuff anymore. I woke up at 8am and began again. I put the last label on at about 1:30 this afternoon....Note to self. Don't sign up for that one on a busy weekend where Chris decided to break plumbing, we have a game, funeral, bbq, movie and a birthday party planned. Leave it for one of the slow weekends....uh what is that?

I hope school starts next week and our teachers don't strike. I support them if they do but I sure hope they don't!!!

Happy Birthday Max

Ok, so I am super LAME. I was looking back at my blog and realized I forgot to say Happy Birthday in the Blog world to Max.

We were out of town for Max's birthday which was fun but busy.
So here is a little bit about Max. He is hilarious rough and tumble kind of kid. He loves everyone and is super compassionate. He is so much like Chris. He is stubborn and quiet. He is a huge cuddler and never misses a day without cuddling his mommy. He acts like a big kid but will quickly turn into the baby of the family if it suits him.

I love Max's smile. He is always grinning. My favorite thing about Max is he still kisses his mommy goodnight, good morning or whatever. If mommy needs a kiss Max is the one who is there. He is so loving. He is also a surprise. He doesn't talk much but when he does I am always laughing. He also surprises me in the smarts department because he will just whip out this knowledge and you never knew where it came from. He is an inventor and is always thinking of things to build. I think he will be an engineer like his dad. He is building a car in the garage. I video taped him talking all about his plans for a battery, lights, steering, a trunk etc. He has it all planned out and the crazy thing is all of his ideas should work....He is way too smart.

So Happy Birthday to my boy. My thinker, inventor and explorer. I can't wait to watch him quietly change the world!!

p.s. I will post a pick when I get home from work. I shouldn't be blogging at work anyway.

I just bought two tickets to the gun show!

Ok, I will start with the gun show.. Jonah is cracking me up lately. The Olympics have totally inspired him to work out and be fit. He is working really hard in his gymnastics class and he is loving the rings. I taught him to say "do you want to buy tickets to my gun show?" I know I shouldn't have but it makes me laugh so hard.
Football has begun and Christian is having a great time. The gymnastics is really helping the strength in his leg and he is working hard. He loves doing flips on the parrallel bar. This is his first year playing football and some of the kids have been playing 2-4 years already so he has a lot to learn. But never the less the kid works hard and has won the spot of starting quarterback. (this dissapointed him because he wanted to hit people). He got his jersey today and is super excited so I took a couple pics of him to share.

This is Max and his friend Anna Pehlivanian. They are so cute. We only get to see them a couple times a year but the two of them are great buds. Anna was excited to see that Max had a picture of them on his bulletin board. They were cuddling listening to books on tape after an evening swim. Max just started Soccer and is having a great time. He doesn't know a single kid on the team but you would never guess. He is also having a great time with gymnastic. He is really good at tumbling and loves the trampoline.

A picnic

Chris had his work picnic this last weekend in West Seattle. We went to the beach, had some burgers and played some beach football. It was hilarious. After the picnic the fun wasn't over. The Pehlivanian's and the Stapleton's came over for some bbq ribs, Seahawks and a game in the yard. It was awesome. We don't often get to hang with these guys b/c our lives are so crazy but I am glad that the kids got to hang with their friends and no matter how much time passes we still all love to chill. Plus, I really needed to hang with my girls. I have been super stressed and it was nice to just have fun. Sunday we went to church and just hung out at home. It was awesome!

Happy Birthday Chloe

It is my neice Chloe's birthday today. I never ever get to see her and I miss her a ton. I know she is growing and changing all the time. She is the best big sister in the world. I hope she knows her auntie loves her. In the mean time everyone wish her the best wishes in all the world for her birthday. The boys and I tried to call her today but her mommy wouldn't answer the phone. NOT COOL. Oh well, this is proof that for once in my life I didn't forget a birthday!

Remebering to Blog

Well, I haven't been blogging much even though a lot has happened and I have a lot on my mind. Our dear friend Kyle passed away and we will miss him terribly. The boys were sad to hear the news and I know Chris will miss his buddy a ton.

On a happier note the kids are doing well, we have had a lot going on. We finished baseball and they have been doing golf and Christian started football. I think things are going to slow down a bit once school gets started.

I have a lot to think about and will blog more soon. Oh yeah, I am loving the Olympics.

Tagged

Ok, Jen tagged me. I am going to try my best to finish this. Here goes

20 years ago- I was 12, in middle school, lovin' the new kids on the block and I had a huge crush on Rob Penrose. I had big curly hair, braces and I thought I was an awesome dancer. I dressed as an army girl for halloween and my best friend was Leila Haletky. We even had the same bathing suit.

10 years ago- I quit my job, had my first son Christian. We lived on Capital Hill in a one bedroom appartment and Chris was finishing college. (I am glad someone did) I found out I was preggo with Jonah. Claire and I used to walk to Madison Park and Starbucks together.

5 Years ago- Max was 2 and we had been living in Snoqualmie for a couple of years. It is crazy how in the years from 10-5 so much happened. We had three kids, bought a home. Christian was starting school. Jonah was hanging out at Our Lady of Sorrows Preschool. I was helping out at the library a little and Chris was of course working a ton.

3 years ago- I believe Chris finished most of his tests (for his P.E. and S.E.) I was running around like a mad woman shuttling kids from here to there and everywhere. We started remodeling the house.

So Far, life has been pretty good. Kinda crazy with all the sports and activities. I started working back at the library again. I am working towards a few personal goals and my kids are pretty amazing. Chris has done a great job balancing, work, kids and all our volunteering. So for the most part things are pretty cool.

Yesterday, I took the boys to gymnastics. I cleaned the house for three hours (no one should ever clean for that long) Then I went to work. The boys came to the library for a bit to see me and then I took them home and went to bed. Thanks Misti for buying them Pizza for dinner, I had a slice when I got home.

Tomorrow- We leave for Battle Ground. Jonah is in a baseball tournament. We will be there until Sunday when Max turns 7. Strange. Hopefully, we will get to spend some time chillin in the hotel and playing in the pool. Oh yeah, Saturday I will have been married for 11 years..

Next year- I hope to be managing life a little better. I hope to get in the groove of kids, work, volunteering etc.. I just want to be happy and live life to the fullest and maybe have a vacation.. Or time to get my hair done. We will see....

Tagged, My BFF, Tanya, Derek, Tia.....

Here's what happened

In honor of my birthday I started writing a list of my 32 favorite things. I got distracted half way through and I am back 9 days later....Oh well. Things have been crazy as usual. Christian and Jonah both had tournaments this weekend. Christian's team did really well and took 3rd which is the best they have done so far. Jonah's team had a rough go with several bad calls and a little hitting slump but that is the way baseball goes.

I have been working a ton. We are leaving town for a baseball tournament on Friday and Max turns 7 on Sunday. Crazy. The boys start golf camp next week which is different from baseball so that is cool. Christian starts football on the 11th but first both boys have one final baseball tournament. So, I am thinking my life will resemble some sort of normalcy on the 11th. I am hoping football will be less taxing than baseball but the reality is they practice everyday too.

Chris and I are coming up on our 11 year anniversary which is crazy. Of course we will be at baseball but it is a nice milestone anyway.

Well, I will try to post more often.

32 Favorite Things

1. My Family (Chris, Christian, Jonah and Max)

2. My Friends, I am so thankful I have so many great friends

3. Tanya, she gets her own line b/c I am thrilled she moved back this year and she has been so amazing to me and my family.

4. Diet Coke without it, I would be a disaster

5. Cheesecake. Love it

6. Margarita's - I had a couple over the weekend and that was awesome. Jeremy even made me a strawberry one the other day. Fantastic.

7. Pride and Prejudice. I watched it last night and it was awesome. I think I may read it again for a little refresher.

8. I love the little pool we bought for the boys. They are having a blast.

9. The Wii- I never thought I would say that about any video game but we do have a lot of family fun with it.

10. My Hammock. I don't get to sit in it as often as I should but I love knowing that it is there if I ever need it.

11. Books- I can't choose just one but I love a good book and a hot cup of tea.

12. My bath tub. I am so glad we put in the new bath. If I am ever stressed, I can lay in there and everything gets a little better.

13. The Ice Cream shop. I love taking the kids for a bike ride or walk up the candy factory. Simple pleasure with a whole lotta reward.

14. Warm summer nights by the Burns' bon-fire. Good times.

15. Movies- Ok so I am a movie junky....

16. Warm cookies

17. Thanksgiving- Probably one of my favorite holidays what is better than good food and family.

18.

The Latest

Well, we haven't had any baseball since Sunday. Which gives us two full days off. I did have to work but that was ok. I caught up on a few things like, mowing the lawn, removing paint from my car, weeding, and I am working on the laundry. The kids have been playing in their pool. Max won't get in unless he is wearing a life jacket which just kills me. Jonah and Max got sunburns yesterday b/c their mama was not quick enough with the sunscreen. They wear shirts when they swim a lot but they took them off and were running around the yard. The back yard was shady so no big deal. The front yard on the other hand not good. Chalk that up to a lame Mom.

Jonah has a scrimmage tonight and Christian has practice. I signed the boys up for gymnastic class so they will go to that today. They loved the last class. So thats the latest with the Duvalls. Sunburns, baseball and gymnastic......

Happy Birthday Jonah

Happy Birthday Jonah- 9 years old. CRAZY

My favorite things about Jonah are:

His sense of humor

His joyful spirit

His compassion for people and animals

His love of family

His love for nature

His art, music, laughter

Jonah is the kind of kid who absolutely loves everything. He is honest, kind, and such a tender heart. He makes me laugh every day and he puts more color in the world than I ever thought possible. He can turn rocks into gold, a dirt patch into paradise, wood into a ship....He truly is magical.

Thank you for being an amazing little boy. God blessed me more than I could ever explain with this little man!

Snoqualmie Valley Invite

Jonah's team (the knuckleballers) played in a tournament this weekend. It was the first tournament Jonah has ever participated in and he loved it. He had a few key plays and was always ready to go. I was so proud of him. His team took 3rd which was fantastic. All of us are a little hot from the weekends activities. I have a nice little sun burn. The boys of course were properly sunscreened but mommy missed a spot on each shoulder blade and behind my knees. Ouch. The boys sold consessions for their teams and raised some money for the knuckleballer association.

Christian scrimmaged with the All Star Team this weekend. I think he can't wait to get that going. He is really excited to play in some knuckleballer tournaments too.

Max spent the weekend selling consessions which was awesome. He pushed a wagon around the ball park with all the big kids and sold stuff. He would get sno-cones or gum or some other treat. He had a great time and suffered through only one major baseball coma this weekend. I video taped it but it is just to pathetic to share. He and I ditched out a little early and cuddled on the couch to watch a movie.

Christian and Jonah stayed at the park with Dad until the last game was over. That was just in time for an incredible Lightning and Thunder Storm. The boys stayed up staring out their window watching it last night. Jonah said it looked exactly like when a wizard is training his dragon and then when the dragon roar's it is the thunder. (his explanation was much longer but I figured the jist was appropriate here). I am off to work a double today. Uggh, I am tired.

I will try to find time to post again soon.

Busy Week

So my BFF moved with her Hubby to Texas! Not cool. She and the kids came by the library to say good bye. Her kids are so awesome and I will miss the whole damn family
Christian has been so darn tired from All Stars that he fell asleep reading his book. We went camping with Burns and Fursmans which was Awesome! Jonah had a bbq with his knuckleball family and Max has been spending a lot of time at Burns Home.

I feel bad for Max because he is has to go to the baseball field day after day and watch his brothers play. I have been working so he is stuck there alone. The Burns family took pity on him and have been having him over daily so he doesn't go into a baseball induced coma! He wanders the ball field playing in the dirt. So sad.

Sarah came over and helped me finish paint the front of the house. I am going to clean up and head over with the kids to play in her pool. It is so stinking hot. I can't wait. We have invited ourselves back over to their house for dinner (3rd day in a row). It should be fun. The last picture is of the boys on Crazy hair day at school. I can't believe it is summer. There is too much to be done. Well, I finally have a day off from work and I am going to make the best of it!

All Stars and Father's Day

Christian went to All Star Try-Outs on Father's Day. The try-outs were long and hot. Right after the try-outs the selection comittee met and choose 13 kids to represent the 10 year-olds in the Valley at the All Star Tournament. I am happy to announce that Christian Elijah Duvall won a spot on that team! Even more amazing is that his three best friends did too. I am so proud of those boys, I can't even say. Congrats to Christian, Cooper, Ian and Alex Burns for working so hard!!!! Christian fell asleep with a baseball in his hands last night. What a sweet little boy! The only picture I could find with all four of them was from Father's Day last year when we took the kids bowling.

School will be out on Thursday. I can hardly believe it. Jonah is having a great time on his knuckleballer team and Max is just as crazy as ever. With all three baseball teams done, I have finally breathed a small sigh of relief. The good news is I am no longer coaching but Chris is coaching the 10 year old knuckleballers and helping out with Jonah's team. I have been asked to be the team mom for the All Stars. My biggest concern is that I don't want to put one of those ridiculous "my kids an all star" sticker on my car. Christian will want me to. My mom's husband Chuck said he would put one on his squad car. HILARIOUS! The Duvalls are a little less busy. Which is nice. Maybe I will finish painting the house soon?

Happy Father's Day to Chris who is such an amazing Dad. He puts everything he has in this family and I love and respect him for it. He has also put a ton of time into the community and his work. I often wonder how he does it all but he does and that is what I love about him! After practice we had a little Father's Day pizza party and that was great. I think over-all he really enjoyed himself. Next year, I hope he gets to watch the US Open as I hear he missed a great match!

well, it is official....

It's official, I am the crankiest person in town. Yesterday, I was asked be no less than 5 people if I was ok. The answer is Yes! However, I am exhausted and perhaps not my usual cherry self. Sorry about that but I will be back to chipper in no time.

Christian and his crew played a fantastic game of ball last night. I was so proud of them. I went on a field trip with him yesterday that was a lot of fun. I forgot my camera but that is par for the course.

I was out 'til about 11pm last night at a board meeting. I woke up drained but am determined to fight through. All three boys have games tonight and I have another meeting at 8pm. UGHH! I work today and tomorrow and only have a practice tomorrow night, oh that and a school beach party but I should be in bed early and ready to start the tournament over the weekend.

Max's last game is Saturday and the boys play through next week. One last big push and I am done. See you on the other side. I promise I will be smiling!!!!

Things I don't have

I don't have pictures of the boys piano recital.
I don't have pictures of their last few games.
I don't have my house painted yet. (We currently have three colors of trim.)
I don't have laundry done.
I don't have a line-up written for tonights game.
I don't have my car cleaned up for the field trip I am taking 7 adults to.
I don't have coffee made......uh oh....
I don't have time to finish my book.
I don't have pictures of Jonah's science experiment.

Today I am taking Max on a field trip to Salt Water State Park and it is pouring down raining. I don't have rain boots so I will have to borrow Christian's. The weekend was crazy again. Lots of baseball two bbq's, a piano recital, painting the house......still, more baseball and no quiet time. Yesterday I had lunch with a girl friend which was really needed. Then I went to work. UGGHH. Christian lost his game, I took my break in time to see him sitting the bench for the last two outs. That was not cool. Well, that is my blog update. Hopefully I will have time to do this again soon.

Something different than baseball!!!

Yesterday the boys were invited to participate in something really cool. One of Jonah's friends invited the boys down to Bad Animals Sound Recording Studio in Seattle to do voice overs for a movie. First of they got to go into the historical studio which is pretty amazing. Then they got watch bits and pieces of a movie that is almost finished. They were given lines to say and then they had to scream A LOT! The recording session lasted about an hour and a half and then the kids were all treated to dinner at Red Robin. It was such a neat experience and the kids had a great time. They said the boys would get a copy of the movie when it is finished and they will be credited as the "Loop Group." So cool.
Thanks Horn Family for inviting us!!!!

Mother's Day Happenings....

Things have been crazy per usual. We have had several baseball games and I have been working more than usual. So for Mother's Day we did nothing. If you looked at my calendar you would laugh. Every day there is something written in, squished beyond recognition. I am amazed I can even fit all the tasks on the calendar but on Mother's Day it was blank. So, the only thing I asked for was not to be rushed into doing any activity. I woke up, Chris put a movie on for me, he made breakfast, I drank a cup of coffee and relaxed. We thought about different things we could do for the day but then the rain came. I decided a bath sounded nice. Then I took a nap while the boys watched golf (I didn't really fall asleep though). Before I knew it the day was over. We played a little Tiger Woods golf before bed and the day was done. It was perfect. The down side in doing absolutely nothing is that Chris and I both forgot to call our mother's. We are in big trouble. But, the fact that we did nothing all as a family was perfect. I needed to slow down and regain some of that energy. We started back up as usual yesterday with, errands, dr. appt, baseball games, board stuff and work. The good news is that in July we really don't have too much going on. I am sure life will take care of that!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!!

Way to go Jonah

So Jonah is AWESOME as we all know. What we didn't know is just how great of a hitter he has become. Last night he was the big hitter of the game with a singe, a double and a triple. The double would have been a triple but he stopped running to admire his hit and rounded second a hair to late. Stinker. He has a pitching practice tonight. (they start pitching on Friday) He is so cute. Max had a game at the same time, that I missed but I looked over a couple of times and he was running the bases or playing pitcher. He is adorable. He went home with his best buddy after the game. That child is soo lucky! Christian is making a name for him self as a great umpire and I deposited a ton of money for him today. Little working man.

I pampered myself today with a mani-pedi and now I have to go clean the house before cranky gets home. I will say, the relaxation was long over do and I feel like I just slept for 12 hours. Just think how productive I would be if I got a pedi every day!!!

Sunday Family Day

We had a crazy weekend that started with a game and BBQ on Friday. Then up and at the fields by 8am for a day full of games. Christian umpired two games and played in one. I missed Jonah's game because I had to work 2.5hrs yesterday. Lame. But I was told he had a great hit. Max also smacked the ball and is so cute. Christian had another great game and they won after a tough loss on Friday. His buddy pitched a great game and he came in to pitch the last three outs. He got them in 11pitches. He rocks.

We woke up this morning and went to 8am mass and then the boys went to Sunday School. After church we headed out to the golf course for some family golf time. We had so much fun. The kids crack me up but they made it through without too many freak outs. I don't golf so that was quite amusing. I think I did ok. I am up to three outings and I think practicing on the Wii helps.

Here are a few photos from this Beautiful Sunny Day (we aren't used to the sun!)

Way to go Dodgers

I was feeling like I was neglecting Jonah on the ball field. I had no pictures of him playing ball until tonight. He did a great job and had a ton of fun. The boys and Jamie were all hitting the ball and making plays. Jonah hustled and had some really big hits to the outfield. He is so cute out there. He does however, like to be the big cheese out there and often is GOOFY! Well the Dodgers had a terrific outing. Christian plays tomorrow and Max on Thursday.

Oh by the way Happy Birthday Tori. Tanya's daughter turned two today. She is soooo cute and very sweet.

Saturday

Well, we had a great day at the fields. Chris and I dropped the camper off in the parking lot so we would have a place to hang between games. It proved to be a great idea. Lots of friends stopped by the Duvall Casa to say hello. Tons of fun. All three boys played ball but I only managed a few pics during two of the games. Lance took over for me while I took Max to a birthday party, hence all the crazy pics.
Jonah had a great game and played hard. Then he promptly left for an overnight with his buddy Andy.
Max also had a great game and was a fantastic catcher and got a big hit. His team is so fun to coach. The kids are adorable and say the craziest things.
I hope you enjoy the slide show....

Check out my Slide Show!

Christian pitched a great game. Pitching 4 2/3 innings before being pulled for pitch count reasons. He had 8 strikes outs and allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks. So proud! Alex Burns came in relief and only used 4 impressive pitches to end the inning. Our Tigers are starting to come alive out there and it is fun to see. As you can tell from the slide show above we are a crazy crowd. Nathan Blazevich almost had his second homerun missing it by just inches. Everyone got on base and we had some nice hits made by Will, Matt, Ian, Andrew and Jacob. Way to go boys. The hits in combination with the tight defense pulled out another W for us. Go Tigers.

BASEBALL

Well, it has been a crazy week, with board meetings, piano, baseball, Chris's birthday/vacation and anything else we could pack in. Jonah played a great ball game last night. He was hitting the cover off the ball and had some terrific defensive plays. I must say that I am really proud of him and he is working hard on the field. He also had an audition at the village theater for a play. He didn't get the part but he nailed his monologue and got great experience. Christian's ball team has had a rough start they are 3-4. They have been playing in snow, rain, hail and chilling wind. However, they pulled out the much needed W today with some stellar baseball. Christian is having a blast and is always impressive to watch on the field. Max has his first game tomorrow and he can't wait. I will try to be more consistent in my posting but it is hard to even get a meal in.

Alright Dodger Fans our first game was awesome.....

So our first game was really a scrimmage. The boys did great. We were short a couple of players so Max stepped in along with another six year old from my other team. We won by a large margin scoring 13 to something.....Jonah was awesome smakin the ball all over the place. He is sure getting to be a great little hitter. Max even smacked a good one. LOVE IT. Max also had a fantastic out at second. Christian was the umpire and had to call Jonah out base running which was awesome. (well Jonah didn't think so) It was a good night.

We spent Tuesday at the science center before I had to go to work and yesterday I had 10 kids over....not relaxing but the boys had a great time. I work everyday this week which is a bit hard since it is Spring break but the kids are getting a lot of time with their friends so it works out. I am exhausted but I can rest in July.....Maybe.

Tigers 7 Mariners 8

The dugout
Christian catching

Nathan the ball slammer... Logan Roy receiving the game ball after a homerun.....

The boys battled hard tonight with some impressive pitching, great bats and fantastic defense. Logan Roy slammed our second home run of the season. Alex Burns and Christian were fantastic at catcher. Christian threw out a base runner stealing third and blocked a steal at home. Alex Burns blocked his second steal at home of the season. Connor Jensen and Nathan Blazevich continue to hit hard. We had so many fantastic hits, plays and strikeouts that it is difficult for me to remember them all. We almost had it....Chris spent the evening at El Caporal drinking his sorrows away lamenting a bad decision that ended the game (don't tell him I mentioned it) but the best part of it is.....as you can see from the smiles in the end game huddle the kids didn't seem to care. They had fun playing a great game. We play the Mariners for the third time in a row tomorrow night....Lets Play Ball!!!