The Talk, Little Strippers, The Monster Truck Rally, and Pooh Pooh

It has been a while since I have posted so here it goes. I am sure that Rachel is cringing somewhere worried that she has not reviewed this before it goes out. This past weekend was Aubrie's first dance competition. Rachel was up at the butt crack o dawn to get Aubrie ready for the show. 5:50 a.m. was the wake up call and the curlers were flying and makeup was being applied. I tried to sleep as best I could, but the light got the best of me. I finally rolled out of bed around 6:15 a.m. and we were off for the competition by 6:45 a.m. We had a great time chatting. Aubrie looks up at me and asks if A S S is the same thing as S E X! I almost drove into oncoming traffic! I knew that this little talk was coming, but figured that Rachel would surely get to field this question and have a nice little chat lady to lady. I cleared my throat, said a quick prayer and then let loose. It was actually really cool. The spirit really helped to guide me in what to say. I explained the whole process without getting too graphic and I think that she really got it (I think I said PRIVATES 300 times!) At the end of the chat Aubrie looked up at me and said, "That sounds wonderful!" Again, I almost plowed into oncoming traffic! I went back and explained that it was a very wonderful thing, but made sure that she understood that it was for a married man and woman. I swear what little hair I have left is either grey or looking to join the rest of my hair!
We pulled up to the event and Aubrie was ready to go. I could tell that she was nervous as this was her first time. We got inside and settled in. Aubrie took off to be with her group and primp and do whatever else 8-year-old girls do. I sat back in my chair and pulled out my PSP and started to watch movies, play games before the event started. The announcer came on and welcomed everyone and the show got under way. The first group came out and did their dance and everyone thought it was wonderful. The next group came out and I finally understood what it felt like to be in a strip club. Little 8 and 9-year-old girls dressed in next to nothing strutted out onto the floor and started shaking and gyrating. I guess I forgot to pay the cover charge. I felt very uncomfortable and did my best to not watch and not make a scene. I was glad when that act ended. The next act came out and what do you know? Little strippers! I was blown away! Seriously! What in the world are these parents thinking? I heard some moms saying how cute their little bodies were and how well they danced?! All they were missing was dark lighting and stripper poles! I am so glad that Aubrie is in the studio that she is. If she had come out in a little stripper outfit I would have had a heartattack and then pulled her off the stage and left. I was glad to get out of there! Aubrie's team ended up winning high gold, whatever that is. They were all very happy.
That same evening the boys and I went to a monster truck rally at Chase Field. It was quite the event. The boys thought that we were going to see a "shooter movie". When they found out that we were going to a monster truck rally they got excited even though they had no idea what it was. We got down to the stadium with Marco and Alex Lorenzana and started to make are way in. Those trucks are loud. You could hear them clearly two blocks away. As we got into the stadium the boys had a panicked look in their faces and the noise was very loud. I got the ear plugs out and put them in. The plugs kept falling out and the boys weren't very happy. We got down to our seats and were on the front row. The event started and the boys were pretty scarred. Ethan kept telling me that his heart was going beep beep. I had to take him up and into the concourse to settle him down. He eventually calmed down and enjoyed the show. I don't really understand the appeal of the whole Monster Truck Rally. It was fun and the boys enjoyed watching the big trucks smash and crash. We ate Nachos and got sick on candy and headed home. We got home around 11:00 p.m. and they had not trouble getting to sleep.
This has been a crazy couple of weeks. Work has been keeping me very busy as I am working to get caught up and then ahead as I get ready for this new company. I am very excited for the new company and know that it is going to do very well. Sophia is really starting to grow. It is hard for Rachel and I to watch her start to do things since she will be our last baby. This week she really started to throw out words. Among them of course is the family favorite....Pooh Pooh! Everytime she says it the kids laugh and she gets a big kick out of it. She still loves to walk around the house saying MOM and DAD. She loves me very much and that makes me so happy. As soon as I get home from work she runs to me with her little arms wide open squealing! It is the greatest thing in the world. I am very fortunate and blessed to have the wife and children that I have.
Rachel is doing well. It is amazing what a difference good friends make. Rachel has some wonderful friends that are really helpful and uplifting and I appreciate all that they do for her. Rachel has started to run regularly and she is becoming quite the athlete. She is now running at least 3.5 miles 3 times a week. She will get up MWF around 6:00 a.m. and head out. Sometimes they will leave from our house and other times they will leave from other locations. I am so proud of Rachel and the dedication she is showing toward running. She is a great example to me. Now if I could only follow her lead! I think that she is planning to run a half marathon sometime in the future. She is awesome!
Life is crazy, but good. I know that Satan wants us to spend our time dwelling on our weaknesses, but we are supposed to focus on the positive and improve on the areas where we need the help. Hopefully I did not embarrass anyone with my entry! Seriously though....Little Strippers?!