Ain't Misbehaving!!

So, yesterday, I was able to play tennis at 36 weeks!! I paid for it last night, but it was worth it and fun. Just for the record, Jen and I won in three sets...5-7, 6-0, 6-3. (Yes, the pregnant lady bageled them in the second set!! :) I got there a hare late and our opponents wouldn't give us a five minute warm up, so I guess the first set could count as our warm-up! In the six years I've played league here, no one has ever been that much of a stinker...no warm-up??? Come on, they were just asking for a spanking!! I originally stopped playing tennis two weeks ago, but my team was in a bind and I had to play or we'd default a position. So what's a girl to do? I'm not misbehaving!!! I thought I'd get one last picture, pregnant in our team uniform!

This is my cute sister, Jamie and one of her BFF's, Alex, who recently joined the church. They are grubbing after a hard core swim team practice. Jamie is such a good friend and example to all she is around. Aren't they such cute girls?!?!?!?!
Photographer---Bryanna

And of course, Bryanna the photographer wanting to take more pictures...

My mom's dog had puppies a while ago, and they kept 1 of the 3. Meet Beauregard (but we call him Beau for short). He's the sweetest and most obedient little pup ever...and the kids just love to cuddle and squeeze and give him lots of kisses!

I couldn't forget to post pictures of the almost finished Baby room. I still have to get the dresser, but I know the exact one I want, its just a matter of getting it!! I will put it right under the picture here.

And to finish this wall, I found a mirror at Home Goods. It should be complete right around the time Cali arrives... just two-three weeks left!!!

love the ladies!

Here are some recent pictures of my Tennis Team. We had a wonderful day, playing in GORGEOUS weather, and hitting the ball well makes it even sweeter.

Monica, Debbie, Cindy

Reach for the sky! :)

Jen & I...we love being partners. Today we played really well together, even though we lost in the third set. Some days, your game is so on, but you still take a loss. I'd rather lose when I'm playing at my best any day!

Lois & Carroll played even better!

Last week, Cindy and Sherry pulled off a win in the third set...pheow!

Looking pretty!

Cindy has a killer forehand groundie...the girl can rip it!

Jen can smash her backhand groundies. I'm glad I play with her and not against her!

Shauna used to play at BYU-HI, and she took state back in the day. The girl has form unlike anyone I've ever played with!

Thanks to a fun day and a wonderful season...tennis is my sanity!

funny lingo

My tennis team won 3 out of 4 matches today. It was great fun playing and watching everyone do their best. Tennis is a great outlet, among other things for me. There is friendship, which brings the social aspect into the sport. I love to socialize. There is exercise, which brings the health aspect into it. There is competition, which brings out the excitement in the sport.

Then there is the lingo. Tennis has one word that is really funny to me. Lob. You hit a lob to surprise your opponent or when you have no alternative defensively. A lob can be an offensive shot as well as a defensive one. If you can't hit a lob correctly, it could totally break your game. Watch the video for further explanation:


Tennis:How To Master The Lob Shot

At my level of play (which is a little more than recreation, but certainly not anything as serious as the professionals) the lob is a catch 22. My favorite shot in tennis is an overhead. But you only get an overhead if your opponent tries the lob shot.

Today, it was windy, and for some reason, I seem to play well in the wind. I think it makes me focus on the ball as it can spin in all different directions. You've all seen a tennis ball, and if you've ever held one, its considerably light. For those of you who can use and picture numbers in your head, here's he exactness: "A tennis ball is hollow and composed of inflated rubber covered with a fabric. It is between 2½"and 2 5/8"(6.35 and 6.67 cm) in diameter and weighs between 2 and 2 1/16 ounces (57.7 and 58.5 grams)." (united states olympic committee)

The wind can carry the ball long, or keep it in the court. It's actually quite marvelous to see your lob stay in, when you felt the ball hit your racket and you knew you put too much mustard on it. Taking advantage of the wind and knowing what side the wind is blowing from is crucial.

(By the way, this is my favorite racket: Wilson nCode)

My partner, (who is also my sister, Jen), was exceptional with her "lob shot" on the court today! Our game usually consists of a few lobs, but we like net play with a good volley ralley going. Of course, sometimes you have to strategize and mix things up a bit to conquer your opponents, which is another fun part of the game for me. Figuring out how to frustrate your opponent and take them out of their game didn't really come until I had played for a couple of years at league level. Before then, all I could really do was work on consistency and improving my all around game. And that only happens by getting out and playing.

But today, the "lob shot" became a turning point in one of our games. If it weren't for the wind holding the lobs in, it could have definitely gone the other way, and we could have lost our momentum. That's where tennis can be such a mind game, your shots are only as good as you think they are.

I love the lob...but its quite a funny term for such a crucial shot.

Tennis time

There is a pro shop and lots of tennis courts here at our resort, which makes even more fun in Maui! We ran into one of our friends from vegas who plays in the leagues back home and we all took a lesson together, it was fun...but humid! The hot tub was right by the courts, so we took a dip after some playing!

Tennis Spotlight

Tennis Habitat, a national deal based out of Vegas, did a spotlight on my tennis team a month ago and it finally appeared on their website! Jen, my sis & doubles partner, and I are on the far right. Our team has done really well this season, surprisingly! The first few weeks our team did horrible, but with only three more weeks to go, we've moved up to the number 3 spot! My sister Jen and I are doubles partners, and we have a record of 7-3! We have lots of fun together, it really is a blast. Last season we actually came in 2nd place and won a trophy! Who'd a thunk it?!?!

The guys came and took video and interviewed us...they were silly and made it fun! Our entire team was not there (I think most of us forgot they were coming that day), but it was fun and we made-do with who was there.

Check it out here to see us on the camera!

The past week

As I ponder my life and all that encompasses it, I feel so blessed. Most of that comes from being a wife and mother. I absolutely LOVE staying home with my children. The other day, Bryanna got into a cupboard and found two suckers. One was bigger than the other, so she, of course, took that one for herself, and gave the smaller one to Maddox. I was busy cleaning during her little adventure on my counter and when I came back into the kitchen, I was surprised and taken back. My 3 year old was being the girl I know she is; found a treat and SHARED it with her little brother!! I was thrilled. These are the moments that totally make motherhood SO WORTH IT!
Because Maddox can't chew, he just kept sucking, the sucker got so small and cute, I had to snap a picture of it!! Bryanna is very caring and when it is manifested in her actions it just helps confirm the little person she is becoming.

And Maddox was having some fun with my sister's dogs playing with their toys! We are watching them for a bit and my kids are loving playing with the most lovable dogs ever!



We had our team luncheon for my tennis team the other day, and I just had to post the picture of our team. We came in Second for our flight this season, which is amazing because the team we thought was going to take first, actually came in third! THe margin was only by three games that we came in for second place...first place was within grasp! Now we know for next season!

Fun win over Spanish Trail!

We had so much fun playing today! Even if we lose, its still such a great time, but today we won 3 of our 4 matches against Spanish Trail! Carroll brought her camera today and snapped some pictures of us all. It's much different seeing myself playing tennis in pictures, I'm more used to seeing the kids around or Mark in photos with me. It's great to have something more than my explanations to Mark of how the matches go every Wednesday, now there's proof I'm running around out there, occasionally pulling muscles and getting some blisters!! (It's all worth it though).
I am grateful for my hobbies, and when I get to do them, it fills my canister. I'm definitely a much happier wife and mommy! And not to mention the girls night out is another great way to get some me time!! I never understood when my mom wanted to do things with out us kids (it didn't make me feel unloved, I just didn't know why) until I had my own babies. And thanks to Mark for supporting my fun hobbies...now thinking about it, he's long overdue for some time on the golf course. Your turn honey!!

Making good choices

Today was great. My sister, Jen, and I played so well in our tennis match. I've learned that sizing up your opponents during warm-up isn't always the best way to approach a winning strategy b/c you usually wait to pull out your secret weapons until the match begins. The other team seemed tough and unbeatable, hitting their ground strokes with ease and grace during warm-up. I kept thinking that our work was cut out for us, and the match would be longer than I hoped for. It's always nice to win in two short sets! Surprisingly, we cruised through the first set, with a score of 6-2, which almost seemed too good to be true. I should have followed my instincts from warm-up because we let up in the second set. The score was the same, but not in our favor (darn!) We got our "mojo" back in the third, and this is where the battle began. The evaluation I came to during warm-up kept proving itself right. We were always up a break, but they came to break us back. The inevitable part was coming, a tiebreaker for the set AND match. The outcome didn't favor us, but we played our hearts out. Little did we know that the team lost only by ONE game...the tiebreaker teetered not only our doubles match, but the team loss too, bummer!! Oh well, my racket has seen better days. It couldn't have been a prettier day to be outside playing and getting in some good exercise, so needless to say, I was still satisfied, despite the score!

After all that running around, I was starving. As a team, we headed to lunch, and by then I could eat a horse. For me, when I get to the point of shaky starvation, it is so hard for me to make smart choices and eat healthy. But being so inspired by my good friend, Christene, and her quest for healthier living, I couldn't just throw away all the calories I burned chasing after the little yellow ball for two and a half hours!! So thanks Christene! Even under the pressure of my growling, no, roaring stomach, I managed to choose cottage cheese over french fries, and a tortilla wrap instead of the bread. This is just one of my weaknesses, making healthy choices when I can't think straight. But today, I did it, and I felt so much better about myself. I'm so glad I didn't wallow in disappointment of losing the match in some fatty french fries!!! I hope this is the start of a perpetual cycle for good choice making. Thanks Christene (and all the others who inspire me to strengthen my weaknesses; I will have to take time out to share about those who help me in different areas some other time!) Her example is giving me lots of courage to eat better!

Getting better, not older!

I was at tennis clinic today and was thinking of the circle of life. Most of the tennis ladies on my team range from their 40's to 60's, except for me (28 years) and my sister (31 years). During our different skill practicing, I was talking with a lady who is just coming back after a knee injury and is 65 years old. She is very beautiful, and is the nicest, sweetest thing, isn't a member of the church, (but acts like she is) and has a heart of GOLD! I was sympathizing with her and her injury, and she commented to me, "Don't get old, it's not fun!" Of course she was meaning all the creeks and pains and physical ailments that naturally come with age. I actually wanted to reply something back to her like, "Well, I actually wouldn't mind getting older if it means I'm getting better." I wish so much to be the person Heavenly Father wants me to be. There is much to learn still. I see older women who seem to have become so refined in certain areas of their life, and I hope to be there one day.
My children are helping find those parts that need work in my life...if I only had the patience of Job! I hate losing patience, the outcome isn't always a pretty one! Isn't that what grandchildren are for, to prove we overcame our faults when we were mothers? If only it could be sooner than later, right? Well, the prayer I will be praying til I get it right is to not lose patience!

Tennis is fun...when you win!!!

As my mom would say, "Is the sky blue? Is the grass green?" In other words, "Guess who won their tennis match today?" Yes, I played with my sister Jen, and we pulled out the win! We lost the first set 4-6, but came back strong in the second 6-0!!I don't think I've bageled my opponents before! And we took the third set 6-2....a glorious day! Although I'm pretty sore, its worth it!