Sheri's Scribbles

2012-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

It was recently brought to my attention that I need to update my blog. I often have these great ideas to blog, but I never seem to have the time to follow through. I changed jobs in October to my dream job as an oncology social worker in a breast cancer center, part time, making twice as much. In December, I was given the opportunity to cover for a social worker at another cancer center. So, for three days as week I am attempting to keep another full time job afloat. I love it, but it's exhausting. I don't think I like working full time though. I will be happy when she returns.

So anyway, here are some random moments from the last week that made me smile. I went to pick Nate up for grandma's house and he was asleep. I had to grab my phone and snap a picture. He was SO cute. He used to sleep like this when he was a baby. Awe... he's still my baby.
After the loss of Amy on Halloween, we agreed to get Jacob a new pet for Christmas. We originally decided on a hampster, but after talking to the guy at the pet store decided a rat would make a better pet. Apparently, they can learn their name and come when called. They can also learn tricks, although I have no idea what kind of tricks you teach rats. Plus, they are diurnal. He got another hairless pet. Did you know there was such a thing as a hairless rat? Sadly, the hairless pet curse struck again. Fortunately (for lack of a better word), he did not have a chance to get as attached. I think we had it for about 20 days.

We went back to the pet store to try again. Jacob held and talked to three different rats. When he held this one, she climbed up the front of his shirt and perched herself on his shoulder. And I think this is still her favorite spot. Jacob didn't choose her, she chose him. And she really is cute, and soft, and furry. He named her Brownie.

I bought Nate a new bed from someone at work. This was the picture I got from the co-worker. Nate will not have a TV in his room. Notice the "hiding place" which is billed as storage space to purchasing parents.

I came home to find that Nate had made it his own. Gotta love that kid.

I hope to be able to post more often. I miss it. I have so much to say and little time. I hope someone is still reading...

2011-09-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

My computer is in the shop (again) so I wasn't able to post my 9/11 post. I did want to say that I remember 9/11/2001 like it was yesterday. I remember the early morning phone call from my dad saying "They bombed the pentagon", because that was the one of the first thoughts. I remember going to school and for weeks watching my 4 and 5 year old build towers out of blocks and knock them down with toy airplanes as they processed what they were seeing on TV every day. I remember holding my one year old a little tighter and telling my 9 year old I loved him one more time. To which he replied, "I know." This day is etched in history and in the minds of those of us who experienced it. We will never forget.

But, what I really want to share is 9/11/2011. This year I didn't wake up to the phone ringing, rather I woke up to Nate yelling, "Mia peed on the couch!" Mind you Mia 'was' pregnant and very well litter box trained. So, I didn't think she peed on the couch. I picked her up and loved on her and noticed what look like a small balloon protruding from 'below'. I yelled for Nate to get me a towel and put it in a box for her. I petted her, soothed her and loved on her. Nate was amazing too, encouraging her in the sweetest gentlest voice, "you can do it" and "don't stop."

My sweet girl Mia in early labor

My baby girl had a hard time with the first one. It took over an hour after her water broke (on the couch) until we saw a tail sticking out. I'll spare you that picture. Then a paw and a leg. In between contractions it would go back up. I had to help deliver the first one. It was nearly dry when it came out. It was amazing to me. This was the first time I had seen anything born.

What the heck just happened?

Baby one is all black. We named him (it) Justice. Baby two came out much easier still in the amniotic sac, but also breech. This one looks more like Mia with darker coloring. This one came out letting the world know it was here. It also fought the siblings for a nipple, even though there are only three kittens and 8 nipples. This one is feisty. Meet Baby Freedom.

Baby number 3 had a little trouble breathing at first and I got to wipe her (it) down and wiggle it to make it cry. Nice huh? Baby Liberty is the softest and has beautiful markings.

Nate was so sweet and gentle
My grand kitties: Justice (top), Liberty (left) and Freedom (right). My 9/11 babies.

2011-08-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my degree was officially conferred. So, last night we had reason to celebrate. And celebrate we did. We had a shredding party. After completing my project I had to destroy the data that I used. Here goes...
It was important that the kids be involved in the shredding party as well. They were very much impacted by the amount of time spent on this degree, especially in the last few months. One day, Jacob was particularly chatty and I kept asking him to be quiet so I could work. Eventually, I asked him if he needed to go in the other room to be quiet. He said to me, "I'm sorry if I don't like that I can't spend any time with you." OUCH! Later, I was telling my dad about it and he said, "I think a lot of us are feeling that way." This was truly a joint effort and they deserve to share in the celebration. I could not have done it without their support (even if they would have preferred not to give it).

Here Nate is helping me shred.

In keeping with the human protections requirement for my data (and a bit of personal satisfaction), I shredded the data myself. I did however have plenty of other things to shred as I kept many papers from the last four years or so.

Paper jam

We overheated the shredders (we had two) a couple of times. So to pass time while they cooled down, we played. Look at the form Jacob has playing badminton.

All the kids playing badminton

And no celebration of this status is complete without some bubbly (in this case cider). My dad joked about building a tower of glasses to pour it. IT WORKED! The kids were impressed.

A toast...to me.

Four years of work reduced to two inch strips.

And thus the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Today begins the year of me. A year of learning to take care of me, as well as everyone else. A year of learning not to always put myself last. Please join me on this journey. I love to write and this blog is one of my outlets. Part of taking care of me is making time for the things I enjoy. So, expect to see more from me :-)

2011-08-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

I think all of my blog readers know that I am a social worker. They know that I have a passion for working with cancer patients and their families. What everyone may not know about is my academic journey and challenges to get here. I began my college education in 1997, when Joshua started first grade. I started out taking two classes at a time and working full time, as a single mom. In 2007 (yes, ten years later) I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Social Work. Medical social work is a Master's level career; so I applied to the Master's Degree program and began in the fall of 2007. It was a three year program. Things went well until my final year. In the fall, Nate was diagnosed with H1N1 (remember that flu?). Well, it knocked down my usually high energy little guy and I spent a lot of time taking care of him. Soon after that, I fell and injured my knee, badly. This put me behind in in my fall classes. Then the spring semester started with knee surgery (and vicodin) which was not conducive to my studies. However, I did finish my classes that semester and walked with my class.
These are a few of my favorite academic people. Far left is Dr. Montana; I am standing with Dr. Middleton, the social work department chair; and to the right is my mentor and friend, Dr Rondero Hernandez (aka Dr. V.).

BUT. I had not completed my Master's Degree. I had to take an extension. I thought I would be able to complete my final project over the summer and be done. Instead, in June my dad's cancer went rogue and he had 6-8 surgeries between June and November. Nate had a very rough start to second grade which ultimately led to our decision to pull him out of school and homeschool him. Then in December, my dad's doctor decided to do radiation treatment - 33 daily treatments, Monday through Friday. When that was finished in February. I still had not complete my degree.

I was working part time, homeschooling Nate and still managing my dad's medical care. The radiation did not stop the cancer and my dad again needed several surgeries. Then another, shorter round of radiation. This one seems to have done the trick (knock on wood) as he has not had another recurrence.

I began talking to Dr. V. about how to get back on track. She guided me back and as my project chair kept me on track to finish this. I have worked diligently for the past three months to finish this project that I started nearly two years ago. And here it is, all 79 pages.

And here is my degree clearance. Signed, sealed and delivered. I even walked with my chair to turn it in to the graduate studies department. After all this work, this part was disappointingly anti-climatic. I joked with Dr. V than I was going to wear my cap, gown and hood to campus to turn it in.
A couple months ago, our organization changed their logo and everything had to be ordered new. They ordered me this name tag, knowing that I was working on completing my degree. Now I can rightfully wear it.

Stay tuned to see how we celebrate this accomplishment!

2011-05-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places, and one of the most beautiful.

This is the where we got married 12 years ago (May 22nd), right here at the base of lower Yosemite Falls. It was beautiful, and misty, and loud from the water crashing on the rocks. Here we are on our 12th anniversary.

Closer up. This place makes us happy!

We walked down from the other side of the falls. There was a clearing with a granite bench. It was a memorial to someone. When I sat down and looked up, I saw this. It may be the beautiful view of the fall. The photo just doesn't do it justice. It was awesome!

This is the plaque seen at the bottom of the previous photo. It is commemorating John Muir in 1924. Who would place such a thing in Yosemite? The parks department? Wilderness preservation? Um, no. It was the California Conference on Social Work. Love it.

My anniversary gift to Brian this year was a hitch hiker. Money is tight right now and we can't afford to go anywhere. So we are going vicariously through our anniversary hitch hiker. It will fun to see where it travels. Hopefully, it will be found soon. It was left with a minimally active box, but near Yosemite, on our anniversary. So, it was perfect.

2011-05-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last night was Shawn's senior prom. It sounded this morning like he had a great time. He's made some really good friends this year and a bunch of them went together. Here are some pics I took before.

Here's my little boy. He sure cleans up nice.

Shawn and his date Ellie. They were together, now their not. But they're still friends and they already had tickets for the prom. They are part of the same group of friends.

Shawn and Ellie

Shawn and (not his girlfriend) Alex. They have been best friends since sophomore year. She a great girl. And she calls me "Aunt Sheri" which I think is cute.

Alex and her date Ray

This is Shawn's best guy friend Jonathan. He's cool too. His date Hilda was one of Shawn's first crushes. But Jacob was better at talking to girls than Shawn back then and held her attention more than Shawn. But, that's another story.

Here are "the guys" looking pretty sharp.

Here are some of the girls, some were not there yet. I really liked this picture because they look like they were having fun. There was excitement in the air. And everyone was taking pictures at the same time.

Me and my (not so) little guy. Isn't he handsome?

Some of my handy work. Last year I realized, when I went to get Brandi's corsage, that they are quite expensive. So I decided to try my hand at making a corsage and it turned out like this. This year I tried again, and got this. Apparently, carnations are Ellie's favorite flower, so it was a hit.
I think I'm safe from proms for a few years now. Although, Joshua did ask me yesterday if I do wedding flowers. We shall see...

2011-04-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter my friends! I hope you all have had a good day with your loved ones, however it is you chose to spend this day. If you were around last year, you may remember that the Easter Bunny dropped the ball. This year she did much better (and spent less money). These buckets were intentionally low on candy, but had some other fun stuff in them, stuff we can use at the pool and the beach. Great thinking Easter bunny.

Gotta love the silly posing children.
OK, take the picture already. (Boy, these guys need haircuts!)

We had an Easter egg hunt at church this morning. This was the starting line. I think this same picture is on last year's post, with a lot of the safe kids a year younger.

The first egg that Nate spotted was up in a tree. Do you think that stopped him? Not my monkey boy.

I think he found a "bunny" nest in the bushes.

Jacob is less aggressive in his egg hunting. At one point, Brian asked me where Jacob was. I said, "I don't know. Look for Audrey." Just a moment later they came walking down the sidewalk together. I wish I had taken a picture of them. She is his best friend from church.

Checking Nate's eggs for prize tickets.

It is our Easter tradition to have a picnic lunch at the park after church. This year, Grandma, Uncle Ronnie, Stephen and Raymond joined us. They didn't play on the playground though. So, I didn't get any pictures of them.

Nate's hair has an amazing ability to build up static on the slides. I have several pictures similar to this. Check out this one from Easter 2 years ago. It's one of my favorites.

I asked the boys this morning if they were OK with me dressing them alike on Easter. They both said yes. Yay! I always worry that each year will be the last. But, they are good sports. Easter is still my one day of the year for girl envy, with all the cute dresses. But, I happen to think my boys are pretty darn cute too!

2011-03-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Sheri and I am addicted to overalls.

Seriously. I am a boy mom. And is there anything cuter than a little boy in overalls? I buy overalls for every baby shower. Boy or girl. Because, I love overalls.

So tonight, Jacob wanted to look at his scrapbook (which is WAY out of date, but that is not the point). I had him sit on the couch with me and we looked to together. I started out pointing out how cute he looked in overalls.

At ONE month old

THREE months old
FOUR months old

FIVE months

SIX months

No overalls in this one, but I love it because it has Joshua and Shawn (when they were both still shorter than me).

First Birthday

Second Christmas (this page is not done, just photos in the sleeve)

Second BirthdaySecond Birthday

No overalls here either, but I love this one too

Jacob's Third Birthday. Look, he and Nate are both in overalls!

These are only the "occasion" photos. His scrapbook is full of overalls! So, OK. Maybe I am a little obsessed. Then along came Nate who, "no like oberalls." Broke mommy's heart.

2011-03-14T14:50:00.001-07:00

I know, everyone is looking for healthy recipes. Everyone wants something good for you that tastes good too. Today, I found it. the perfect, healthy, balanced meal. That even my kids will eat!
Let's start with ice cream. Everyone loves ice cream. And you know what? It's good for you. Really. It's made from milk. It has calcium and protein. So there. It's healthy.
Of course. You can add other healthy things and make it even better for you. We decided on strawberries and bananas. They are fruits. Therefore they are good for you. Two food groups down. Remember, we are going to a balance meal here.

Protein; AKA the meat and legume group. Legumes are beans. Chocolate comes from cocoa beans. Therefore, I declare that chocolate belongs in the meat group. Three food groups. And doesn't this look yummy!

What? We are missing one? The grain group; bread and cereal. Never fear. You see, we also got ice cream cones. And ice cream cones are make from flour, which was once a grain. So there. All four food groups. A healthy meal that even me kids will eat.

2011-02-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

4th grade history: California History.

In California, 4th graders all study the California Missions. For those who are not versed in California history, the missions were churches established by Spanish priests throughout California before it became a state. The missions were supposed to help the native populations by teaching them to farm and by converting them to Catholicism.

Part of learning about the missions for many 4th graders includes building a model of one the 21 missions. I remember building mine out of sugar cubes back in the day... Now, I have a 4th grader of my own building his mission model. He chose Mission Santa Cruz.

The first buildings of Jacob's Mission Santa Cruz

The roofs of missions were build from hand made tiles. This is still a popular look in California. But, how do you get the look on a small scale? Manicotti. First you boil it until it's just soft enough to cut in half. Then you let it dry again to get the lovely half circle shape. Each one is a little different, giving it that handmade look. Then you paint each one.

Close up of the pasta, before and after painting.

Assembly of the roof, one tile at a time.

This became a family project.

The back yard of the mission. They farmed a large area around the mission. They also had lots of animals.

Jacob's fountain

We visited the actual Mission Santa Cruz. (more about that in a future blog) This is the real fountain at the current mission site.

The finished project.

The real (replica) of the mission. The original was damaged and moved a couple of times over the years. There is only one original building still standing. (More about that in a later blog too)

Consider googling Mission Santa Cruz. It has an interesting history. I am much more interested now than when I was in 4th grade. Watch for more from our trip to the mission, coming soon, when I find time...

2011-02-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

You really just never know what will inspire a blog posting. Today, it was a trip to get a new toilet seat. Now, first there is a back story to get to why we need a new toilet seat. We have had some crazy plumbing issues in recent weeks. $8000 worth of crazy plumbing issues to be precise. Needless to say, Brian was not happy to find the toilet backed up again yesterday, after we thought we had everything fixed ($8000 worth of "fixed").

Anyway, after his battle with the bowl, he informed me that he had broken the toilet seat. I didn't even want to know how that happened, but I asked anyway. His reply? Sheepishly, "well kicking it probably didn't help." Sometimes, all you can do is laugh. Then you get to pick a new toilet seat. And there are options! While we debated the pros and cons of each seat, I felt a blog coming on and pulled out my cell phone, lol. I bet you're glad!

Option 1: This nice wooden number. Unfortunately, neither of was sure of the color of the wood our sink cabinet is made of, and we could not have a mismatched toilet and sink.
Option 2: I teased Brian about getting a nice squishy seat. He vetoed the "stick to your butt" soft plastic/vinal stuff. But, aren't the embroidered dragon flies lovely?

Option 3: I kind of favored this pretty shell pattern. It would match the shower curtain with a beachy theme. Brian's comment? "When you sit down, can you hear the ocean?"

Not really an option, but seriously, where was this little number when I was potty training the boys? How cook is this? It has a small lid and toddler size seat AND the whole lid lifts for adult use. Genius!

So what did we get? It didn't even warrant a photo, lol. A simple white wooden seat, just like the one that got broke. We are such boring decorators.

2011-01-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

Wonderful Weekend - Part 2

Brian and I had fun letterboxing before heading back. It was a good letterboxing weekend. We found every box that we looked for! We even went on a nice hike in the San Luis Obispo hills. Well, nice is relative. I had to ice my knee after. But, we got the box. Oh, and WE. WERE. FIRST.

This was taken about halfway up the hill.

If you look to the left of the trees, you can see our car. This was taken from the same spot as the previous photo, about halfway up.

If you look real close, there is a drive-in theater down there. This is the other side of hill, from the peak.
Then we had to go home. It was so beautiful and sunny at the coast. When we reached the mountains you could see the the clouds/fog sitting in the valley. Here is proof that there is sun above the cloud layer. Then we descended into the fog. And we didn't see the sun at all today.

If you are not familiar with letterboxing, check out atlasquest.com or letterboxing.org. This is a great hobby for the family. It's a neat way to find places in your local area that you may not yet be familiar with. It's also a good way to explore new places or get out and stretch during road trips. Let me know if you give it a try. I'd love to know I've introduced someone new to it. Beware, it's addicting!

2011-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

Wonderful Weekend, Part 1

Brian and I escaped to the beach this weekend, without the kids. I really needed the break. Life has been kind of crazy since before the holidays. And it was perfect. It was sunny and warm. I was so tired of the fog and the cold. I didn't even realize it. But, I missed the sun. I am such a California girl.

Those who know me know that I love signs. I love taking pictures of signs everywhere I go. This one just struck me as funny. Don't feed the... whaa? Seals? Sea lions? Still makes me giggle!
I've been to Morro Rock many times. How is it that I didn't know that Morro Rock was a volcano? Well, there was a volcano there at some point. Now the rock is a lava plug. Considering the frequency of earthquakes in the area, I wonder if the rock could be dislodged...and if it were... The things I think about.

The beach at Morro Rock is one of my favorite places. I love the way the waves crash on the rocks and spray up several feet (like 20+) It's awesome! Of course, a still photo just doesn't do it justice.

Me and my honey

We also got some good letterboxing in. "Under the gaze of Lady Liberty." Only significant to those who know the significance, but it made a nice picture.

2011-01-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

In December, before Christmas, we took the little boys to the beach for the weekend. When it's cold and rainy (or foggy, which is normal, but it was rainy) here, it's usually warm and sunny there. And it was true for this trip. We had an especially fun time playing in the sand this trip.

Jacob and Nate working together!

Our family sculpture of Jacob! This was fun.

Sunset on the beach
Day 2, more sand play and beautiful weather

Jacob's sand castle

Brian's and my sand sculpture

Attention to detail

Not sure about that hair

Beware the rising tide

A family tradition!

It was fun to stand on the peer and watch people who noticed the mermaid on the beach. It was a fun trip. I think it's about time for another trip. Hmm, I think tomorrow would be a good time.

2010-11-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

12 of 12 ~ November. Thank you to Aimee for introducing my to 12 of 12. Here are 12 random photos of my day yesterday, the 12th of November.

9:57am ~ Thanks Jenny for the reminder.

10:02am ~ Good morning sunshine. Teenagers and mornings without school don't really go together.

10:20am ~ I wonder how many time my washing machine has been on 12 of 12. It seems I am doing laundry every day. And no the kitty didn't get washed. She's just nosy.

11:30ish ~ Since Shawn was going to his dad's and Nate was at my dad's, Jacob and I needed something to do.

12:00ish ~ Making mini cupcakes, with Reese's chips. 12:15ish ~ um, this is my spot, notice my laptop.

12:30ish ~ These could be the best cupcakes EVER.

12:35ish ~ Again?

1:00ish ~ When we were out, Jacob also chose yarn for his teacher's scarf. I love that he likes to do this. That's one less gift for me to make!

1:00ish ~ Quality time together. Another Holiday gift.

6:30pm ~ Jacob got to chose dinner. Great choice.

6:45ish ~ I love conversations with Jacob. He's so animated.

It was a great day spent with Jacob. I do not get a full day with just one child very often. I hope days like this leave good memories for them, as they do for me.

2010-11-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

I survived my "unplugged weekend." We went out of town for the weekend, without my laptop or my cell phone! The only electronic item was my camera! About 11am yesterday, after printing off some letterboxing clues, we hit the road. (If you are not familiar with letterboxing check out atlasquest.com) First, we drove north to Fremont to pick up Joshua from school. It's about a three hour drive, so we planned some letterboxing to "stretch our legs."

Our first stop was Mission San Jose, which ironically is NOT in San Jose. One of the great things about letterboxing is that you get to see places you might not have otherwise, and sometimes you learn things. Jacob is studying California history this year and the missions are part of that. I think this one is less popular than some of the others. Maybe, we can model this one for his spring project. Anyway, there was (note past tense) a box in the mission park.

I love the architecture of the missions.

The next stop was a small park in Fremont, with a very cool train that you can climb on, and a letterbox. Don't worry Aimee, I'm not giving anything away, they aren't even close in this photo, lol.
This is Nater Tater's first letterbox, well his first with his own personal stamp, carved for him by Aimee when we were in Seattle this summer. He loved it. I think we may have to do more of this now that he is into it.

Jacob has had his own stamp and book for a couple of years now. He had fun, but doesn't seem to be as into it as Nate.

I love it when letter box planters are creative in their clues. Our next box led us to another park, the clue included a list (i.e. Locust, Locust, Dr Suess, Dangerous, Locust, Redwood, etc) Joshua realized that it seemed to fit a row of trees.

Dr. Suess, can you see it?

Dangerous, would you want to climb this tree?

Our last box of the evening. It was getting to dark to read the clues, much less find what you we were looking for. I love this photo, just wish Joshua were in it too, but he was behind the camera.

Then we drove to Monterey. There always seems to be a pillow fight when we stay in a hotel. Tradition? Maybe, it's because there are SO many pillows, lol. Always makes me smile!

We almost got rained out today. But, a little rain can't keep my beach bum out of the sand.

Same goes for me. I am drawn to the ocean.

And what's more fun than puddle jumping in the parking lot?

It was wonderful weekend. It's nice to be connected again. But, I would totally do it again, no phone calls, texts emails. And I didn't miss anything earth shattering! Hope you all had a good weekend.

2010-10-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine was asking on Facebook about blog themes. I have seen quite a few and thought to myself, "that would be a good way to increase my posting." Well, honestly, so far it hasn't helped. I try to remember 12 of 12 each month. And I have attempted NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month, each November) a couple of times, without success. So, I thought I would attempt my own one day a week posting for fun. And here it begins. Please play along and give me my 15 minutes of blog fave, lol. Post your blog address in the comments. (And if I have stolen someone else's theme, I'm sorry, add me to your blog roll, because I haven't figured out how to do that yet.)

I know introduce "Fun Friday Fotos." A random, fun photo from your Friday.

Today, after school, Nate felt the need to show me what he had in his pocket. So here we have my first Fun Friday Fotos entry:

A Little Boy's Pocket Full of Treasures

2010-10-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Light the Night 2010, Part 1

Last night was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk to raise funds for blood cancer research. Not only is this where I work, it is an organization that I whole heartily believe in. When I interned at Children's Hospital, I got to see the benefits of LLS to families first hand. Now, I get to help make it happen. Yesterday, I got to bring Light the Night to the children in the hospital. It was an all day affair. We started with taking stars for the children to decorate to hang at the walk site, so those coming out to walk would know that the children were with them. In the evening, we had our own little walk at the hospital complete with balloon release and walk around the oncology floor.

These are a couple of my super star volunteers. I put a call out for Spanish speaking volunteers to help me at the hospital, in case there were children/families who spoke only Spanish. Mrs. D. (principal extraordinaire (now retired), I have mentioned her before) and her bilingual hubby Dan. I very much appreciate their participation and it was great to see them both again.

This sweet girl is Melanie. She could not come out with us because it is not safe for her to be around other people right now. She was alone when I came by her room, playing with her play dough. I had to wear a gown to visit her. We had so much fun decorating stars. I didn't want to leave.

Meet Gary, aka Turbo. Turbo and his dad are well known around the office. But, this was the first time I got to meet him. When he's not putting all of his energy into fighting his cancer, he likes to do things like skateboard. Last week he was visiting a water park and fell and broke his leg. Even that has not slowed him down much! Turbo is not the only fighter in his family. His dad is an amputee who designed his own snow board that he could attach a crutch to so he could balance and keep snowboarding. This family rocks!

We had three "Arches of Hope" along the walk course. We hung the stars on the arches to remind everyone why we do this. We also had a table at the walk site where people could decorate stars to hang on the arches.

Another arch starting to get decorated.

Dad: You're going to put all those balloons in your car? I don't think so. Plan B. As you can see, the back seat is already full of balloons. We had to get them to the hospital somehow... Along with the ice chest, snacks, binoculars, glow sticks...

Success!

I just thought this was a cool photo of the start finish line. The sky was pretty, but the clouds were coming in. I was hoping the rain would hold off until after the walk. (It did. But, we did get a nice lightening show in the distance.)

The walk site had some really cool activities for kids. There were bounces houses and this really cool tricycle track.

Another view of the tricycle track.

The banner making table, for teams who had not yet decorated their team banner. They had paint and markers. It was a quick fix, but some really cute banner came off that table.

This was the view from the moon roof of my car, making sure the balloons stayed put!

We made, with all the balloons in tact. See Part 2, for more from Light the Night!

2010-10-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Light the Night 2010, part 2

We were not allowed to bring latex balloons to the hospital. So, we were able to get permission to release the white "survivor" Light the Night balloons on the hospital patio. The patients were given mylar star balloons to keep. Here we are getting ready to release the balloons. Each balloon had a small glow stick in it to "light the night."
Fortunately, we had enough balloons for every to participate! Family and friends are really part of the fight too. It was fun to have so many children participate.

Check out the little guy in his Batman jammies. Dad pushed his IV pole while they walked. The young lady sitting in this photo, she did the "walk" in a wheelchair. But, she walked out on the patio with us to release balloons. (Unfortunately, the photos of the balloons going up didn't turn out. But, I did hear that they could see them from the walk site.)

Signing the banner for "Team Children's." Two children led the hospital walk carrying the team banner. I do not having any still photos of the walk. I have video which I need to download. (Leave a comment and let me know if you want to see it.) It really was amazing/heartbreaking/heartwarming/inspiring.

The little guy signing the banner is Jason. He was visiting his cousin who is in treatment. Jason goes to Nate's school. They were in the same kindergarten class. It really is a small world, and you never know cancer may touch someone you know.

Having a snack after the walk

I didn't get this little sweetie's name. But, she sure loved the balloons. Not even able to walk, but she's a fighter. So unfair!

This Melanie was not able to leave her room, I brought her back a couple of balloons after the walk. Mom was back when I stopped by. I introduced myself and told her I had been by earlier to decorate stars with Melanie. I kept one and left one in her room. Mom explained that she had gone home to take a shower and visit with her son. She said she does not get to see him much when Melanie is in the hospital. And when she returned Melanie was crying and asking why she left her. Can you even imagine being in that position? Here's Melanie with dinner that mom brought back for her.

This is Carlos. Carlos happened to arrive at the hospital the same time we returned with balloons. His plan was to play for the children on the oncology floor. Instead, he helped us unload and set up for our balloon release and walk. He was awesome. After, he played a song for my dad and I as we sat down for the first time of the day. It's awesome to see young people giving of themselves.

I am truly blessed to have a healthy family. I am also blessed to have a job that I love that gives me the opportunity to give back everyday. Oh, and it's not too late to donate to Light the Night, you have until October 31st! I'll even make it easy, here's the fundraising site for my team: http://pages.lightthenight.org/cca/Fresno10/STaylor_LTN6

2010-09-13T00:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Aimee found this 12 of 12 blog thing where you take 12 random photos on the 12th of the month and share them. I have done this a couple of times, but usually forget all about it until I see Aimee's. So yesterday, she reminded that 12 of 12 was today (it's still the 12th because I haven't slept yet, lol). So, here, my friends, is a glimpse into my day today.

2:00 am ~ My diligent husband working on some power point slides for Monday's class. He loves what he does and spends alot of time preparing.
The rest of the day started late. Since the children were sent in different directions, we were childless this morning, so we slept in...
11:30 am ~ Joshua and Brandi loading up his bike to go to the train station. Back to school for him tomorrow too.

11:55am ~ Joshua's train arrived a bit early. I love trains. I love to sit at the crossing and count the cars. I love model trains. And I loved it when my little boys were into Thomas and Friends.

12:05pm ~ Time to go. Have a good trip. See you on your birthday baby. Joshua will be 19 on Sept 30th. That is when he will be back again.

12:30pm ~ We took Brandi home after we dropped Joshua off. She's a nice girl. I think she just might be my daughter-in-law someday. I'm glad she likes me too, since she will be the woman in my sons life and the one supervising my grandchildren. I know it's a ways away, but I have often thought about the women my boys will marry.

12:45pm ~ Then Brian and I went to lunch, without children. We went to the Bulldog Grill (where I wanted to take Aimee and Jodi when they visited and introduce them to tri-tip). We had tri-tip sandwiches, Joshua's favorite food, after we put him on the train. And they were SO yummy.

2:00pm ~ Bug Bug. Joshua and I have a digital/text version of punch buggy. When he is at school, we take a photo of VW bugs that we see and text them to each other. This kind of bug is worth one point. Convertible, new bugs and hard top classic bugs are worth two points, and convertible classic bugs are worth three. At the end of the week, we tally the photos and winner owes the other a Pepsi/Diet Pepsi.

4:00pm ~ We went to pick Nate up from my dad's. My dad lives out in the country of Central California. This is the nation's largest agricultural region. One of the crops we passed on the way to my dad's was grape vineyard. These happened to be raisin grapes. Did you know that grapes are picked and laid on the ground, on paper trays, to dry into raisins? If you look close at the base of the vines, you can see the paper with drying raisins.

6:30pm ~ Another errand. Soccer starts this week for Nate. And each soccer season starts with a new pair of cleats, because last year's cleats never fit. His first game is Saturday. I can't wait to be sitting on the sidelines and cheer on the team, and the fast, lanky boy, with the red hair trailing in the wind. I am a soccer mom!

8:30pm ~ After getting home, getting the boys bathed, teeth brushed and tucked in, it's time for laundry. Ok, I did start it earlier, but I still had a couple loads before everyone had clean pants, shirts, socks and underwear. Behold, the red load, lol. We have a lot of red stuff around here.

9:00ish ~ Time to check in on facebook. Looks like Joshua make it to his dorm safely. Although, I already knew this. I got the text. I love that I am "friends" with my kids, and several of their friends, on Facebook.

10:ooish ~ If you are my friend on Facebook (if you are not, you should be), you know that I have been making bracelets and auctioning them to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Every Sunday, I spend some time with my beads and create a bracelet to post for the week. So, here some of the beads I was working with tonight. This is not all my beads, by far... The finished project is on Facebook. Come on over and bid. It's for a great cause!

Thanks for peeking into a day in my life. This is not an average Sunday. But, it was today. It's been a good day. I hope you all had a great day. I also hope you will share with me your day on the 12th of October. If I remember I will post a reminder :-)

2010-08-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me at all, you know that I absolutely love my job. I work at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My title is Patient Navigation Coordinator. The patient navigation program is "my baby." Navigators are volunteers who are professionals in the cancer field, either by being a social worker, nurse or other "professional" or by being a cancer survivor, far enough out from treatment to be able to help patients jut beginning their journey.

My job as the coordinator is to connect navigators with recently diagnosed patients. The navigators help these patients get connected to resources to help them as they begin this new journey. I love this program; and I believe in this program. A diagnosis of cancer turns your world upside down and this program helps patients get going in the right direction.

I think it is very important that my navigators have the best training to help our patients. I try to make our trainings both education and fun. This evening we went on a field trip. I became acquainted with Marlene, the owner of Hollywood Hair, when I was interning in a cancer center last year. I arranged for my navigators to visit Marlene's shop and see what a patient experiences when visiting a wig shop for the first time. First, we got a lesson in wigs, types, prices and care. We learned about scarves and wraps too. Then we had the opportunity to try on some wigs. We really did have a blast. Below, are two of my navigators, Pakou and Debbie and me.

So, now I need your help. I am looking for a new hairstyle.

So let know if any of these works for me...

Flash forward... We all decided to try on grey wigs

and see how we might look in about 30 years, lol.

Not too bad, if I do say so myself, lol.

2010-08-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, have I really not blogged all summer? It has been a great, although busy, summer. We've done some traveling. And I have been working at a job that I love. Oh, and I've been Facebook-ing. If you are not my friend on Facebook, you should be. There are some great photos over there from our summer vacation. Hopefully, I will get some up here, with some fun stories, now that the routine of school is back.

Speaking of which, today is day 3 of school. But here are the first day of school photos, because the boys are getting so big and I don't want to miss sharing this moment. This year they are in 4th and 2nd grades, and still at different schools.

Nate is all set for the first day of 2nd grade. He is so excited that his friend Joseph is in his class this year. Here, he's ready to go, with an apple for the teacher, a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory apple to be precise. It's a tradition.

Nate and Miss Basmajian

Jacob is ready to go to 4th grade. I'm not sure how he got so big so fast. He excited to build a model of a mission this year. 4th grade focuses on California history. They will be learning about the gold rush too. I think this will be a fun year for him.

Jacob and Miss Bailey. She wastes no time. At back to school night last week, Jacob was given homework! This is his assignment, due Friday. But, since he will be riding the bus, and I took him the first day, he decided to bring it.

I think this is going to be a great year for both of them. I get a good feeling from both teachers. Maybe next year we can have them both at the same school though. That would make life a bit easier. For now, we will just go with the flow.

Stay tuned for pictures and stories from our summer road trip! It was a blast. Just like I remember with kids fighting in the backseat, wanting to know, "are we there yet?" Can't wait to do it again!

2010-06-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Nate and I left for our "special trip" to Seattle. I took Jacob 2 years ago, when he was 8. It was a great time, and we have so many great memories. I promised Nate that we would go on a special trip too. I love building these memories with the boys. So here is our first day of travel.

Here's Nate, playing with a toy airplane that we bought in the airport store, while we waited for our flight to start boarding. When they started boarding the VIPs, we went to the gate and could see our plane. Nate good, although growing impatient waiting for our turn to board.

Boarding Alaska Airlines Flight 235. I love this picture. He was so excited! One person behind us was annoyed at us for holding up the. Oh well, he'll get over it. This was my baby's first flight and must be documented. Honestly, it was ONE picture.

Buckle up.

Be sure to read the safety instructions.

Nate loved looking out the window and pointing this he saw to me. This was on our ascent. We were leaving the bay area and heading over the mountains.

This was how Nate spent just over the first hour.

Once we were above the clouds, in Oregon somewhere, there wasn't much to look at. I brought his DS, just in case. So he got to play it.

This is crater lake, mostly surrounded by clouds; so it is not vary clearly defines. I'd like to visit it from the ground someday.

I believe this is Mt Rainier, in Washington, snow capped and standing tall through the clouds. Is this not an awesome photo?

Descending into the clouds for landing.

This is what the inside of a cloud looks like.

As we broke through the clouds we got a glimpse of the space needle. Nate saw it first. But, it was cloudy enough that I could not get a photo. As we got closer to the ground, Nate spotted this water tower. I love that he notices things that not everyone would think is significant.
When we touched down, Nate noticed these and explained to me that "Those rectangle things on wing are called flaps." That's right Nate. Then when were taxi-ing to our gate, we watch another plane take off. Nate pointed out that the wheels went up into the plane. I said yes, most airplanes have wheels that go up when they are flying. He informed me, matter of factly, "I know, that's so the wheels won't make it unstable." He's a smart boy!
After arriving and settling in at Aimee's and Jason's house, we decided to get Subway for dinner and meet Jodi and the boys at a local park to eat. They have the awesome-est parks here. Unfortunately, I left my camera at Aimee's, so no photos. The kids got along great. Never fear, there will be other parks to visit, and I will remember my camera.

2010-06-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Jacob's backyard camp out birthday party - part 1

We decided to have a sleep over party for Jacob's 10th birthday (which is actually Monday). So, we talked about themes and he decided on a camp out. I have never done anything like this, so I turned to the internet. There were some great ideas that I borrowed for Jacob's party. The party started at 6:00pm, just in time roast hot dogs for dinner.

A couple of Jacob's classmates, and his cousin.
Then we made s'mores!

Next we divided into teams, one teen and two younger kids on each team, and went on a photo scavenger hunt. I will post this in part two, hopefully tomorrow. The kids really enjoyed this.

After scoring the scavenger hunt, it was time for presents. Jacob opened them on the hood of the car, because Brian insisted on having the fire pit on the driveway.

Jacob got a set of water guns and they all enjoyed them.

Here they are all ganging up on Jacob. He was a good sport.

Jacob's school friends.

Looks like Jacob is the target again.

Shawn and Raymond

My masterpiece. Way too much chocolate, but oh so yummy. It's a "dirt cake." Chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, oreos, and chocolate "rocks." I used the rocks to create a campfire, with all 10 candles together. A paper tent was the best way to show that it is a birthday cake.

Jacob is ready to put out the campfire. He really blew them out.

Several rounds of "glow in the dark tag" before bed. Each child had a glow stick that they used to tag each other. You can't really tell because of the flash. The porch light was on so it wasn't completely dark. But, the glow sticks were a fun touch.

Not sure who was "it."

Jacob and Raymond are "frozen."

Jacob get "untagged" by Devin.

Nate blowing bubbles (just thought this photo was neat)

The girls' tentGoodnight girls (yeah right)

The boys' tent

Goodnight boys (yeah right)

For at least an hour, we heard "Jacob, are you still awake?" from the girls. And, "Devin, are you still awake?" from Jacob and the boys. It was so funny. It was nearly 12:30 before it got quiet out there. Brandi is supervising the girl tent. Joshua and Shawn are supervising the boys. So, I don't have to sleep outside. One of the many perks of having older kids too.

Check in soon for part 2 - the scavenger hunt. It was so much fun. We are even talking about doing it again later in the summer, just for fun.

2010-06-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

There is this phenomena called the "Freshman 15." It is common knowledge that college freshman gain weight in the first year they are away from home. My college freshman son recently wrote an essay about this for his English class. He got the idea because I was complaining about the Grad School 50 that I has put on over the last couple years, mostly over the last year that my backside has been glued to a chair in front of a computer. It certainly didn't help that usually there was a startbucks cup nearby. Well, it helped, but not in the weight department.

I have had this photo (actually, it was our Christmas card photo in 2008, only 18 months ago) on my desk all year. I have to say that while I was still "dieting" at that time. I was pretty happy about the way I looked. I'm easy to spot; I'm the only girl. I'm also only taller than those under 8 in the picture, lol. The summer before (June, 2 years ago), Jacob and I went to Seattle to visit some friends. Here is a photo from that trip. Since I am usually behind the camera, there are not many photos of me floating around. You can't see much of me in this picture. But, I looked HOT, lol.

I decided to do my two years master's program in three. This lightened my load the first year which was great. I thought (errantly) I've got this. Then my second year was not too bad, although I did add an internship to my course load. It still wasn't too bad, but I started to gain the second half of my second year.

I took Nate to Santa Cruz in May (1 year ago), just before the end of my second year. Here is another of the few pictures of me. It's not flattering. But, it helps tell the story of my Grad School 50.

Another year goes by. The year from Hell. Yes, I said it, because it was. Not only did I have a crazy course load, but I had more internship hours. In the fall, Nate had the H1N1 virus and was down for two weeks. And what does a sick 6 year old want more than anything else? To be held...by Mom. And so I did.

This put me behind in my courses. But, I figured I'd catch up during winter break. I'm a good student. It really didn't seem like a big deal. Then just before Christmas, I fell and injured my knee. BADLY! I realized that trying to write papers while on vicodin was not a great idea. So, again the work was put on hold. And, again I was sitting on my bum. Until I had surgery in January. And until I start Physical Therapy in February.

Oh, I had started a new semester. And I still had work from my prior semester. I became glued to my chair, at the computer, except when I was at PT. And every week my PT asked if I had been doing my exercises. UM. Well, anyway, here I am NOW. It's not pretty. But, it's the beginning of my battle with my Grad School 50.

I am not going to share how much I weigh. Come on, this IS a public blog. But, I am going to track my loss. As of yesterday, I am down 2.8, since graduation.

My angle of attack, is to first cut back on my starbucks and my Diet Pepsi. These have been my crutches the last several months. And it's time to learn to walk on my own, literally, lol. I'm also trying to plan meals better. I am planning a weekly update to say how it's going. I'm counting on my readers/friends to hold me accountable.

2010-06-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Too much time; too little do...HA.

So much has happened so far this year. So, much that I haven't had time to share. I was looking for a challenge to get me posting again. Actually, I am looking. Please share with me your favorite weekly challenge, or create one for me.

Until then, I thought I would resume my Project 52, kind of. Originally, it was supposed to be a random photo of the week. Really, just something to make sure I post once a week, to create a habit. Well, the only habit that has taken hold this year is Starbucks. But, that's another story, and I certainly have photos to prove that too.

Anyway, for my new Project 52, I am going to post a random photo from this year (since January). That way I can share some of what has happened with you all. So, without further ado...I bring you:

Sleeping arrangements for boy moms

It's been almost two weeks since I graduated. Wow, and I have accomplished, nearly nothing. But, that's not what this is about. I have a couple of amazing friends who live in Washington who came to visit and attend my graduation. When making plans, I was horrified that they would see my house at the end of the most horrendous semester of grad school. I explained, "the only thing I can promise you is clean sheets." I followed this with the choice of character bedding from the linen closet that I had in twin size: Superman, Spiderman, Transformers, Wall"E, Thomas, Pokemon. Grandma has a tendency to by them a new bed set with the current character of preference each year. Fortunately, my dear friends are also the mother's of boys. Jodi played along and chose Pokemon. Fortunately, I have two set of those, because Jacob had the other set on his bed. Aimee, did not choose. So, I chose Wall*E for her. Actually, it was the first full set that I pulled out. So, this is Joshua's room, kindly donated, to my friends. They were great sports.

It was an amazing busy, emotional, fun, estrogen flooded weekend. One I will never forget. Jodi and Aimee, thank you for sharing it all with me. Photos to follow, for those who could not be there.

2010-05-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day: First and foremost, a day to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms that we enjoy. Freedom is not free. My thoughts are with those today who are missing someone who paid the price for us to be free.

Secondly, it's a great day to spend with the family. The unofficial beginning of summer. And here, that means it's not to hot yet to enjoy some time outside. Jacob is really into caring for plants right now. His "Topsy Turvey" strawberry planter tore, so we decided to plant them in the front flower bed. I need to get stakes to transplant the oriental lilies he grew from bulbs for my birthday. They have several buds. I can't wait to see them bloom!

Joshua cooked burgers and hotdogs on the fire pit or dinner.

He is the resident pyro.

MMM...burger!
What BBQ is complete without roasted marshmallows?
I love this little brother/big brother picture.

Dad showing the proper way to assemble s'mores.

My dad. Aimee will appreciate this picture, lol.

My dad is a farmer at heart. He created this "river" to water the newly planted flowers and let the water seep in deep. It is very dry here, so to survive they need deep water. Hopefully, these flowers, and the strawberries will make it through the summer, and produce.

And this one just cracks me up! Nate was climbing the cherry tree, so I tried to catch a couple pictures of him. Nate lost a tooth today on the bottom, beside his middle two teeth. The smile in this picture lines up perfectly to make his teeth look like fangs.

Great day. Back to the routine tomorrow. I hope you all had a great day today and enjoyed some special time with your families.

2010-05-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

IT'S PROM NIGHT!! Here is my (not so) little boy all decked out. He sure cleans up nice. Isn't he handsome?
And here is Brandi. She is a beautiful young lady, inside and out. But, WOW! She's not a girly girl at heart. Now, we have proof that there is a girl in there, lol. (Buggy would be mortified)

Here is the full dress. So pretty.

Here they are together. I have better photos on my camera; these were taken with my phone. Funny they both blinked, but I couldn't tell on my phone screen, lol.

The prom theme is masquerade. So, I made them masks to wear. Hers turned out nice. His looks kind of like an indian headress. At least the colors match.

How come no one told me how expensive courages are? I am in the wrong business. I stopped by the flower shop today to get Brandi's coursage and they wanted $24.99 for one, and $7.99 for a boutineer (one little rosebud and some baby's breath). So, I stopped by the grocery store and bought a boquet of flowers and rummaged through my craft supplies. And this is what I came up with, for $7.99 and some imagination.

And this was left over from the boquet!

2010-04-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Has it really been nearly two months since I posted? Wow, time flies when you're having...uh homework. I'm counting weeks now. It seems so close and yet so far at the same time. I have so much to get done in the next 7 weeks until graduation. YIKES!

Happy Easter

My Dear Friends!!!

When the Easter Bunny visits our house, it's kind of like a cross between Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. He comes under the cover of darkness (and gives yet another night of the year with which to threaten "if you don't go to sleep the Easter Bunny will not come"). He leaves a basket of treats on each of ther children night stands.

Usually, the Easter Bunny is quite creative and the baskets have the children's favorite candies and toy or game that matches the child's interest. However, this year the Easter Bunny has been very busy doing homework, er, I mean working extra hours to affort treats for all the good little Christian children. (Much love to my friends of other faiths, or lack thereof, no chocolate bunnies for you). This year the Easter Bunny was shopping Walmart YESTERDAY. And the only baskets left were those overpriced, pre stuffed, with cheap plastic "stuff". They didn't even have chocolate bunnies in them! So, the Easter Bunny had to fix that.

ONE HAPPY BOY THIS MORNING, JACOB

ANOTHER HAPPY BOY THIS MORNING, NATE

Easter is one of the few times a year that I miss having a little GIRL. After about four years old, there just really isn't the selection of cute clothes anymore. At church this morning, the children performed a song using hand bells. It was very cute; and look at all those pretty dresses and sweaters. AWE. Nate is in the front far right of the picture. Jacob is in the back, second from the right.

My silly boys exiting the stage. That is my friend

Melissa playing the guitar on stage behind them.

Nate getting ready for the egg hunt after church.

They set them off in age groups, youngest first.

Mom was too slow to get any photos of the kids actually hunting eggs. Actually, I was too busy talking. So here are the boys on the way home examining their finds. It was nice to hear them talking about trading candy (Jacob cannot eat sticky or gummy, because of his braces) and sharing treats/toys that they didn't both get. You gotta love little moments like that!

They even shared a Cry Baby (super sour)

bubble gum with Joshua. How nice of them!

Now, back to my regularly schedule homework. See you in a few weeks. Please wish me luck on getting everything done in a timely manner. It seems an uphill battle at this time. Thoughts, prayers and Starbucks gift cards appreciated, lol.

2010-02-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was busy, but productive. Saturday was all about the boys. We had a couple of major transformations.

Jacob: Before

His first orthodontist appointment (well, not counting the consult). He got his phase I braces on Saturday. They are only on top, to make room for permanent teeth that want to come in. He will wear these for about a year. Then he will need them on the top and bottom, probably in middle school.

Braces: close up; and those crowded bottom teeth

We also managed to squeeze in haircuts on Saturday, too, to complete his big transformation. I think he looks older now. Where did my little guy go?

Nate: Before

Nate needed a haircut too. I love his red hair, and this surfer cut is so cute on him. But, at this time, Nate decides he wants spiky hair like Boo (Jacob). I tried to gently change his mind, but ultimately decided it was his hair. Brian reassured me that it will grow back out. I almost cried when I saw all that beautiful red hair hit the floor. I think he looks older, too. Where did my baby go? And when did he get an opinion of his hair? I'm still getting used to his new look.

Sunday was productive too. We made it to church, grocery shopping, and Brian and I both got our hair cut. I don't have pics of us. We don't change much, lol. Hopefully, I don't look older, that seems to be theme with this round of haircuts, ACK!

2010-01-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

In case anyone didn't know, California had some crazy weather last week. Well, since Monday was a holiday Joshua did not have classes; and as it happened he only had one class on Wednesday. So instead of sending him up on the train for one class. We opted to play hookie and take a road trip. Brandi came along too.

In between storms, we caught glimpses of blue sky.

We even spotted a rainbow in the distance.

Instead of coming straight home, we decided to take the scenic route, aka: Pacific Coast Highway. It's always a beautiful drive, even in the rain. The ocean looked particularly angry to me this day. Interesting that you cannot see where the grey sky and the ocean come together.

Between showers, we stopped at Point Loma Lighthouse.

We all got out and walked toward the beach to enjoy the view of the ocean. (Remember, I'm on crutches) Well, after a very few minutes, it starts to sprinkle...ALOT...FAST. It was the craziest thing. So, Brian runs up to get the car to come get us, so I don't have to walk so far. It was a sudden downpour. But, it was a pretty view.

Ignore the double chin. But, look how wet my hair is, Brandi too. We were only out there a few minutes. It was too funny. Probably, one of the best moments of the day.

Further down the road, we came to a traffic control area. If you look closely, you can see a broken power pole in this picture. What you do not see are the downed trees. It was a mess. PG&E and CalTrans were cleaning up the road and only one lane was open.

Frothy ocean and mean clouds

Project 52- 2010: My random picture of the week is from the same road trip. I have to say I do not like tolls. So here is the toll booth of the Dumbarton Bridge, crossing the San Francisco Bay. just because.

2010-01-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

Parental blackmail is always fun. You just never know what to expect from Nate. Here is a look at some of Nate's shenanigans over the last week. Just for fun.

Is there such a thing as "too many bubbles"?

Probably, when they start creeping down the hall
Transforming into Super Nate

Yes, he can fly

He can also pick thing up

Another day, another character

Cute mask, now pick up the scraps!

Completed mask

Project 52-2010: It seems the kids weren't all that into the cameras; and didn't take any pictures this week. So, I am on my own. My random picture of the week is Joshua's cat Shadow keeping my leg warm while I have it somewhat propped up on the couch.

2010-01-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

Project 52 - 2010. The little boys each got a camera for Christmas. Mind you they are cheap-o cameras. But, they are something to start out with, since they both love to take pictures. So begins Project 52. I am going to let them each choose their favorite picture of the week and tell me about. I will share it here.

Unfortunately, the first round of pictures did not turn out very well. These cameras do not have a flash. So, they will take some practice. Without further ado: Project 52 #1.

Jacob's Picture: Description below

Me and Nate got new cameras the other day. My room was the only area with enough light for me to take the photo. Nate wasn't cooperating very well. This is the best picture I could get.

Nate's Picture: Description below

The plate is broken. Somebody broked it. (what is the blue thing?) I think the top of a pen. (why did some stick a pen through the plate?) Maybe because they wanted to. I know they hurt the plate's feelings. (anything else?) Nah.

My picture: Because I want to play too

Irony: This invitation came in the mail this week from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's team in training program. I have wanted to train to walk a half marathon for a couple of years and time has been an issue. Well, right now, the crutches are an issue. I am hoping to be able to start walking distance again after my surgery. I'd like to include training for a half as part of my recovery. Did I mention that one of the options for the local team is the Rock n Roll Marathon in Seattle? I can dream...

2010-01-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Has it really been less than a week into the new year? It sure has been a long week. It has been a hard week. It has been a crazy week.

I did make a New Year's resolution this year. I do not usually do that, because honestly, who keeps them? Well, this year, I have made a resolution to preserve my mental health; to take care of me.

You see, I am a social worker. I come by it naturally. I have always been the one people come to when they have a problem. I am a good listener, and usually have something helpful to say. The problem with being me is that often other people's problems become my problems. I have a tendency to internalize other people's issues. Then they eat away at me. I lay away at night crying over something that I cannot fix. Things that I should be expected to be able to fix, or even listen to. So, this year, I resolve to draw lines. I resolve to tell people, "I'm not going to talk about that" or "listen to that." I expect that those who love me will respect this. I hope that they will understand. Because, they are killing me. I cannot keep being the family social worker.

I am going to take care of me for a change. I cannot be a good social worker if I don't. I love what I do and I want to give it my best. I owe my real clients the best social worker. I owe my family the best wife and mom. I owe myself my best me! So here's to the best me in 2010!

2010-01-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to the young lady in my life. Um, that didn't sound quite right. I mean, the young lady in my son's life. She is one of my biggest blog fans. And I am happy to have her in my blogs. She fits right in.

Happy New Year to all my blog world friends. I wish you all the best in the new new. Here is how we rang in 2010. I don't think Brian and I have ever gone out for New Year, and really I don't miss it. Because we have the best parties, right here, at home! The kids strive to stay up to watch the ball drop.

Nate made it to 11:30pm. We did wake him before midnight.

It has been an interesting holiday season. I have spent a lot of it with my leg propped up. So, our "party" goods were set up within my reach, on the large storage box that has become my foot stool/end table. Yes, that is my foot propped up along side the cider.

If you look close, those are NOT his ears!

Happy New Year 2010! That it "the ball" on the TV, lol.

What a New Year's celebration without noise

Awe, first New Year's kiss

My first kiss of 2010

That IS cider. Target was sold out of plastic champagne flutes.

Someone was shooting off fireworks, so we went outside to see. Nate got cold. Joshua is the bestest big brother.

For those who do not know, the earlier part of the day was interesting. A few weeks ago, I had an incident that involved Christmas lights and a step ladder. Well yesterday, I had a follow up appointment with the orthopedic doctor, to go over the MRI I had done of my knee the day before. Well, in addition to the fact that I tore up my meniscus, they found a blood clot in my calf. This had everyone in a tizzy and got me an ultrasound in the hospital, after hours, on New Year's Eve. Fortunately, I got home in plenty of time to ring in the new year properly. The good news, is the clot is tiny and with warm compresses it should re-absorb.

As for that pesky meniscus, we'll be taking care of that soon surgically. We are looking at Monday, the 11th. The silver lining? It got me out of jury duty. Serious, I got a summons for Jan. 11th. What a way to start the year.

I wish you all the best. I am confident that its only going to get better from here!

2009-12-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

We finally made it back to church today. Sadly, it has been several weeks since we've been to church. Between my crazy school schedule and Joshua coming home on the weekends, and needing to go back on on Sundays. It was great for me. I miss my weekly spiritual uplift.

So, we took the little boys with us, since our family of 6 (plus my dad) still does not fit into our 5 passenger car (Rick, we NEED a new car, or better yet a van). Anyway, while the little boys are away, the big boys will play...with their Christmas present. We came home to some impressive marble runs.

Nate is checking out Papa's building

The older boys working on their own creation

Oh the excitement of marbles rolling downhill...

When we got home, my dad informed us that we were expecting company. Two of his sisters were visiting his brother across town, and were on their way to our house next. Um, great, I have not cleaned up anything from Christmas morning. Nor am I in any condition to clean anything to the point of being guest acceptable. But, they came anyway, and it seems they had a good visit.

Aunt Ruby, Aunt Mary and my Dad

Then, we sent that little boys to Grandma's house, and Joshua went to Brandi's. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDI!!! We took my Dad home and Brian and I went to a movie, ALONE. We saw Blind Side. Awesome movie, two thumbs up. Take your kleenex.

2009-12-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning ~ Stockings first.

Santa almost got the right game

Another DS game and a new toothbrush!

Brian always get a funny pair of boxers

Last year Mom's stocking was left empty. So this year, my little sweetie gave me candy and this note. My boys are going to be awesome husbands someday!

Nate has been waiting so long for this

This is THE gift the year

The other BIG gift

Everyone got into building the marble run

It took a team to build this

Hmm, the directions say it should go here

Almost there

And it was still fun to play with today!

I think it is quite possible that Jacob is the only child who got this playset that was concerned that Osiris' and Anubis' accessories were wrong. Gotta love having really smart kids!

2009-12-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house...

Well, the boys each got new pajamas. This idea of opening PJ's on Christmas Eve comes from a collections of brilliant mommy friends. However, I opted to do this this year, because the boys prefer to sleep in the their underwear (come on, this IS California), and they are getting a little too big for me to take pictures of them opening Christmas presents in their underwear.

Nate was not thrilled. He was excited about getting to open a Christmas present early. We are a Christmas morning family. When he saw the pajamas, he said, "Just what I didn't want." I looks rude in type. But, it was the funniest thing. Nate is not one to beat around the bush.

I think they are pretty cute pajamas, myself.
The boys playing in the living room floor.

Um, when did Nate learn to break dance?

We are some competitive Blokus players in this family.

The final viewing of Prep and Landing

The children are nestled, all snug in there beds (so is my dad). The stockings are hung by the TV with care. According to NORAD, Santa is in Minneapolis and headed this way. So, I should get to bed and let him do his magic... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

2009-12-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

For Nate's birthday, we went to Magic Mountain. It was a great choice for my fearless boy. Unfortunately, mom was in no condition to ride the rides with him this time. I think everyone had a fun day, regardless. Except for the fact that we waited too long to eat, then had to wait in a crazy long line.
First things first. Let's check out the map and decide what we want to ride first. And if that doesn't work, we'll get help from the pros. Thanks Daffy!

The kids were not into getting pictures with the characters.

Nate and Daddy getting "scrambled"

Mommy got to ride Thomas with Nate

The roundhouse. They had a great Thomas and Friends section. I know a few little boys (friends' children) who would have a ball here.

Nate, as Percy's conductor

Too short for lunch?

So much fun. So few pictures. I'm not sure how that happened. Maybe, because I couldn't get the best angles from my electric scooter. But, considering all things, I would not have made it all day on crutches.

2009-12-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

2009-12-20T20:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby boy today. Nate is SEVEN! Where has the time gone? Nate loves helium balloons. So, Grandma bought a helium tank and last night Joshua and I filled seven balloons and put them in his room. It was a fun surprise to wake up to this morning.

Here is is collecting his balloons.
My silly boy, with very fine hair that reacts well to static.

Then we headed south. the plan was to go to Six flags today. But, we got a late start. Hmm, I think it might have had something to do with the fact that Mom wasn't able to do all the packing/organizing and getting everyone out the door on one leg and two crutches, lol. The plan was to stay over night and go to the beach tomorrow. Well, we decided to go to the beach today and hit the park tomorrow, when we can get there early enough to spend the day.

My little guys on the beach

Nate climbing the rope at Muscle Beach. I saw a couple of buff adults climb it and a few, older kids try. But, none of the other kids succeeded. My Nate has amazing upper body strength; and I think he is part monkey too.

After we checked into our hotel,

we went out for a birthday snack.

Have you seen a happier birthday boy?

Love that toothless smile.

Stay tuned for a blog about our Magic Mountain adventure. It should interesting trying to manage an amusement park on crutches...

2009-12-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a little update on this past week: First, I haven't been getting around much, lol. Now, that doesn't really sound like me does it? Well, I am getting around a little better on my crutches. You might remember my little incident last Tuesday.

Well, Jacob's class has had many field trips this fall; and they have all been on Thursdays. And, Thursdays have been my three class in a row days, 8-5 straight in class. So, I haven't been able to make any. I promised him I would go to the Meux Home Museum with him in December. So, I hobbled along, chaperoning 3 very well mannered little boys. I even went UP THE STAIRS! So there. I. AM. SUPER. MOM. Overall, it was a fun trip. I was so looking forward to it...before the crutches, lol.

Jacob (top right) and his classmates.

(Photos were not allowed inside the museum.)

So it is, Christmas of the beads 2009. This scarf was made for Jacob's teacher. It is fuzzy and white, and trimmed with crystals and clear tear drops. I love the sparkly trim. It makes it festive, without being over done.

This one was for Nate's teacher. Actually, I made the scarf last year, and it didn't find a home. This year, I trimmed it with beads and it is so pretty. These beads are little more random, but pretty.

And because, these special gifts have been received, I can share them now. When I saw these lovely green beads, they screamed AIMEE! I even had enough to make earrings, lol. So much fun. I love making things with someone in mind. Just wish I could have been there when she got them!

Then there were these fun funky beads. My friend JODI is a fun funky introverted type. They were perfect for her. She is also a teacher. And teachers can pull off fun and funky. I didn't have enough beads for the earrings, but I had some in the right color. The little cubes have swirls of red and blue, so they work, although you can't the that, lol.

I made myself one too, with the same "Friends" charm. We are kind of three musketeer-ish. I so much wish we lived closer. We have had great chats...wish we could chat over coffee. Someday.

2009-12-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

Keeping up with the Woolwines... If you want to see a lovely decorated home, don't come to my house. Go here. My friend Aimee's post yesterday inspired me to hang the lights outside. I got this far...
Then I went to the emergency room, and cam home with two new friends. It's not broken, but I messed up my knee pretty good.

So much for riding the cook rides with Nate at magic mountain on Sunday. I was so looking forward to a great time with Nate. It will be fun anyway. The ER nurse suggested getting a wheelchair at the park and then we can get to the front of the lines. There's my silver lining.

2009-12-12T23:57:00.000-08:00

So my dear friend Aimee introduced me to 12 of 12. I have had the hardest time trying to keep up with this. Its fun when I remember; but usually I don't. Of course Aimee remembers and always posts late at night. This was ok when she lived in Atlanta. It bought me a few hours, which I never really used. But, now I am really trying (I did it last month). AND, she now lives in the same time zone. So, tonight she posted her 12 0f 12 at 11:40ish pm. Now, how am I supposed to do mine in 12 minutes (by the time I commented on hers). Then, because I have this little stubborn streak, I had to try. So, I ran around the house taking pictures of, well...whatever. Here is my 12 of 12 in 12 minutes. I did get all the pictures taken before midnight!

11:48pm - Joshua playing on the computer

11:49pm - The neighbor's lights, through the kitchen wondow
11:50pm - Shadow asleep on one of the kids' backpack

11:51pm - our Christmas tree, because it was there

11:51pm - I woke up the cat, now he wants out

11:52pm - What I have been doing ALL DAY!

11:52pm - How I have been getting through...

11:53pm - Hey Shawn, smile. I'm sorry, were you sleeping?

11:54pm - Jacob is at Grandma's, so I took this pic in his room

11:55pm - Nate is under here somewhere

11:55pm - One Nate favorite toys

11:56pm - Guess I should have made my bed this morning.

But, since I am going to crawl into it soon, not happening.

I did it! With four minutes to spare. Ok, I really need a life; or some sleep; or something. I'm tired now, running around the house. And my bed looks very inviting. Hope everyone had a great Dec 12th. Mine was pretty uneventful, until the last 12 minutes.

2009-12-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

Check out my young genius. I wonder what this boy will be when he grows up.

2009-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone. Here is your first peek at some of our holiday crafts. Last year was the year of the scarves. Money is tight this year, so I'm trying to create Christmas gifts with crafting supplies I have on hand. I'm sure Brian is happy to see my supplies dwindle. I'm thinking this is going to be the year of the beads. Here are a few of the pretty things we've made in the past couple of weeks (the ones I'm pretty sure the recipients will not see here).

Shawn made this necklace for his, um, oh yeah,

his sister. I was surprised to see him get into beading.

Then he wanted to make for (not Shawn's girlfriend) Alex.
Brandi made this when she was over last week.

I love that she really matched their personalities.

This one is for Nate's pre-K teacher, who shares

his birthday, December 20th.

I will be sharing more Christmas crafts as they are completed and/or received. What are you up to as far as holiday crafts? I'm always looking for crafts to do with the kids. And crafts to gift.

Time to address some Christmas cards. I finally finished the Christmas letter. I will share that at some point for those who don't receive one. If you want a card, let me know in the comments, or email me if I do not have your address.

2009-12-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

A local holiday tradition. Christmas Tree Lane has become a family tradition for many generations of local families. I remember my parents driving us through Christmas Tree Lane every year to look at all the beautiful lights. I still love to look at lighted homes and yard displays. This is how Christmas Tree Lane began 89 years ago. Today, Christmas Tree Lane is two MILES of lights and holiday cheer.
Twice per year, the lane is shut down to motor traffic and only walkers are allowed. We have made a family tradition of walking the lane. The kids favorite displays change each year (last year's post) This was Joshua and Brandi's first year to walk together (maybe this is the beginning of another generation...)

Nate was the only one who wanted his picture with Santa.

My pride and JOYs!

I took this photo for my friends, the Gaertners.

I hope it says something like Happy Holidays!

Jacob walked to Christmas Tree Lane from our house, about 1.5 miles.

Nate rode in the wagon. So, it was Jacob's turn to ride.

Each year the art students at the local high schools paint signs.

This is one of two by out high school.

This is the other. Brandi is a senior this year.

Shawn is a junior. Go PATES!

Nate and I got separated from the group.

Brian was pulling the wagon and i made sure to keep hold of Nate's hand.

Nate's fascination this year is with Rudolph.

This was my favorite this year, a huge Christmas card.

And the only picture of me, lol.

Nate loved these characters from the cartoon.

We had just watched it a few days before.

Nate and I found hot chocolate, and Bumble Bee.

Santa's worshop always gets Nate's attention.

This was Nate's favorite house. He want a house like this,

"because, it has another story."

I'd love to have a house like this someday, too.

Last year, the grand finale was the house with the "snow." That was all Nate talked about as we walked the lane. "I wonder if there will be snow." You know when you live where it never snows, even fake snow brings holiday magic; and Nate was not disappointed.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Traditionally, the evening ends with Starbucks.

Its a good thing too. Baby, its cold outside...

Nate walked nearly the whole two miles,

so he got to ride in the wagon one the way home.

Wishing you and your family a holiday filled with love and happiness. May this season be filled with traditions that will become lifelong happy memories.

2009-12-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I was determined to get the kids picture for Christmas cards. Tomorrow morning Joshua is having his wisdom teeth pulled, all four, under general anesthesia. When I had mine done a "few" years ago, I was bruised for weeks. So, I was determined to get a picture tonight. Some of you might remember the wonderful photos my friend Melissa took last year. But even she landed some pictures of my real family. LOL. I love those pictures, all of them.

So, this is my attempt to get a Christmas card photo of my boys. This is what I got. Matching shirts. Fresh hair cuts. A decorated tree. Four silly boys. One who likes to make faces. One who always closes his eyes. One who just wanted to be done. One who is a model and just loves to have his photo taken. Can you guess which is which?

Not the best pose...

Not quite what I was hoping for...

OPEN YOUR EYES!

Joshua (with his eyes open) Shawn (Mr. Photogenic)

Jacob (take the picture already)

Nate (all I want for Christmas...)

This just might be the best we get this year!

2009-11-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

We had a fun evening with the kids last night. Joshua was home and Brandi was over. We started out phase 10. They were eating marshmallows left over from Thanksgiving dinner. Which led us to do "rubber baby buggy bumpers." Joshua got a marshmallows. Shawn got five. Did I mention that these were jumbo marshmallows? It was hilarious. Oh, Brandi and I passed on this truly masculine activity.
Then Brandi and I decided do do some beading, while playing Farkle with the boys at the other end of the table. We are girls; we can multi-task like that! I cannot share any finished projects yet...

One of these years, I am going to organize my bead stuff...probably, after I organize my scrapbook stuff and my yarn. Someday, I am going to have a craft room, with pink curtains! This is what we worked with last night. Lots of pretties and sparkly things.

After Brandi went home, the boys decided to bead something for the young ladies in their lives. Joshua already had a plan, but it worked that everything was already out last night. Shawn decided to make a necklace for his sister, which I thought was sweet. I've raised them well.

Joshua, such diligence. His focus was much better than my camera's. The battery was just about dead. Charged over night and ready to take more pictures.

I put Joshua on a train back to Fremont this morning. All those people who traveled before Thanksgiving are on their way home now. We barely got him on a train this morning. All of the trains for the rest of the day are sold out. It is sure nice to have him home every weekend.

2009-11-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (Although, it still tastes a lot like Thanksgiving). After battling the Black Friday crowds this morning, we decided to bring out the Christmas decorations. A few years ago, we bought a pre-lit fake tree (after Christmas, when it was on sale). This baby is such a time saver, as lights are the hardest part. So here I am straightening the branches that have been squished in a box since last year. It has to "look real", right?
Here is my little helper. He's digging out the bulbs. I insisted on taking out the "special ornaments" myself. I let the kids hang their own. But, I don't want any getting broke in the process.

Nate hung the first ornament as I was still "fixing" the tree. I'm so excited to be in a couple of pictures this year...

Shawn got to put the angel on the tree this year. And, no it's not because he is the only one that can reach! Joshua can reach too...

I have wanted to share special ornaments for a couple of year, but never got good pictures. So here are some of them, that were not already on the tree.

These are Nate's: The blue ceramic precious moments is his "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. It has his birth information on the back. The teddy bear ornaments were party favors for his first birthday, which is 5 days before Christmas. The one in the box was from when he was 2. It says little helper (as you can see, he still is). That year, I got Nate and my dad both dog house ornaments and put their picture in them. They are always getting into trouble together.

Jacob's ornaments: The 2000, in front, says, "Expecting in 2000" and is a 1999 ornament. The train in front is Jacob's "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. The snowman photo ornament is also his first Christmas. He was 6 months old. For his 2nd Christmas he got a snowman (not in the photo) and the Pooh photo ornament. He was 1.5 then. The one on the far right is a toddler stacking blocks H-O-H-O. He was 2.5 and that was the year Nate was born. I don't remember which year the kid throwing the snowball is. The sled in front, he made in 2nd grade. I love school/hand made ornaments.

Joshua's ornaments: The ball in the center is one of two "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments Joshua got. The other is the rocking horse. The apple is a book work (go figure). The Hershey bar was a last minute ornament, bought by my friend Melissa, because for some reason I forgot. (Probably the year Nate was born. I was drugged through that Christmas). To the far right, you can see the cinnamon cookie ornament that he made in kindergarten. It doesn't hang on the tree anymore; it's too fragile. But, it still smells yummy; and is so very special! The Star Wars speak for themselves. The cat in the box was how we told Joshua he was getting a kitten for Christmas two years ago. We wanted him to pick his kitten. And that is how Shadow joined our family.

Brian and I do not always get ornaments, but here a few that we have acquired. The round one is from Yosemite. It is dated 1999, the year we got married in Yosemite. The love forever was one I bought for Brian one year. The bears sitting on a key and the house with the ribbon were bought the year we bought our house, our first house.

A few more special ornaments. Last year I found this adorable snowman ornament that had 6 snowman. It was the first thing I have found with six characters. Our names are on the snowmen's hats. The Starbucks...do I need to explain? Actually, I bought one for my friend Jodi and myself one year; so it reminds me of her. And the gold foil state of Texas star. This one is priceless (even though it is Texas). My Aunt Cathey lives in Texas. She and my mom were best friends. She bought this ornament for my mom; but my mom passed away before she gave it to her. This one hangs prominently at the top of my tree every year. It reminds me of my mom, of friendship, of love.

From 2001 to 2005, I was a teacher. I collected many Christmas ornaments. These are some of the ones I still have. Some are personalized or just to beautiful to part with. I still have the cards that came with them, signed in 4 year old scrawl. Most of these are not hung because they are glass and I just don't trust my kids (or my husband) enough to hang them.

Our pretty Christmas tree

We did not get to outside lights today. It was too windy and threatening rain. So, you may be treated to more decorating pictures soon. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the spirit of it.

2009-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day I don't even know.

So, random photo of the day. Funny thing is I didn't even know where/when it was taken. I had to look at the other pictures before and after it. It could have been a winter trip to play in the snow at Yosemite (that was my first thought). But, no it was actually another from our Alaska trip this summer. At least it's not ICE. This was taken on the Yukon Pass train ride into Canada.

Train Station - lots of cool train stuff and souvenirs here

A beautiful photo of the train ahead and the scenery

The US-Canadian border. They actually came

aboard the train and checked passports.

2009-11-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: I blew it! I did get a few days further along than I did last year. Besides, Joshua was home from college for the weekend and we were chatting alone. I realized about 5 minutes till midnight that I hadn't blogged. So, Joshua grabbed his laptop and booted up (his is faster than mine). However, it was 12:02 when I was ready to blog. LOL. No, NaBloPoMo is not an obsession...

Shawn will be 16 on Tuesday. (It's hard to believe he was 13 when he came to live with us. He is SO one of us.) So, yesterday we had a birthday party for him. He requested bowling (again, because is was SO much fun last year.) Well, I scheduled it for this weekend, because he will be with his dad next weekend. What I didn't consider is that Nate has soccer on Saturdays. Or at least I didn't consider the possibility that he would have an 11:00 game. So, I had to enlist the help of Super Grandma.

I asked Grandma to stop by the grocery store for a cake, snacks and drinks. I DO NOT bake birthday cakes! And I forgot to order one from Costco, which is my usualy route. So, the party went on without a hitch... Yeah right.

It's lookin' good.

Shawn and his best friend (not Shawn's girlfriend) Alex

It's (not Shawn's girlfriend) Alex, again.

Shawn was giving Nate some pointers.

Shawn's friends (sorry guys, I'm bad with names)

Hmmm, will it stay on the alley?

Hilda and, umm, Shawn's friend (Justin, Jonathan, Matt?)

Joshua, (yes, she's Joshua's girlfriend) Brandi and Brian

Nate and Jacob, both up on different lanes.

Ah, the cake. Know what happens when you wait til the last minute to get a birthday cake? You can't fins what you want. Sometimes, you have to improvise. Sometimes you even have to settle for cake with a different theme. And, if there is a creative decorator in the bakery, no one will know the difference (until you blog about it).

So Grandma found this cake. Only instead of the football...it had blue booties and said "It's a boy!" The cake decorator knew just what to do, scoop up the booties and writing (but don't actually remove it from the cake). Then cover it with half a plastic football and write "Happy Birthday Shawn" When we removed the football to cut the cake, there was a blue and white icing lump under it. And that's the rest of the story...

Oh yeah, I forgot the candles too...

Shawn's friends have an interesting sense of humor.

Shawn's moonwalk backward throw gutter ball move

Aw man, Game over!

Nate is the kissing police. Here he trying to separate Brandi and Joshua.

2009-11-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 12 (I think)

My friend Aimee introduced me to 12 of 12 several months ago. Usually, I completely forget until I see hers posted on her blog. 12 of 12 is 12 random photos of your day taken on the 12th of the month. You record the time and something that is going on at that time. So, here is 12 of 12 today.

Thursday is my most busy, least favorite day of the week. I am busy all day, sitting on my butt. Seriously, Class, after class, after class; from 8am to 5 pm. Then work from 6pm until 8:30ish (9 pm tonight). So how do you take 12 random photos of 13 hours in a classroom? Well, it goes something like this...

7:30am - off to school

7:40am - drop off
7:50am - caffeine "Oh Thank Heaven..."

Almost 8:00am - walking across campus

10:15am - Alex and Priscilla prepping for a presentation

10:30am - Solane and Shanisha being studious

We interrupt this wildly exciting 12 of 12, so I can attend six straight hours of class. I was thinking about photographing the profs, but somehow, it just didn't seem like a good idea. My classmates already thought I was a little crazy for taking random pictures of them.

5:30pm - Bertha, Fernando and I working on data analysis

9:00pm - Brian still carries my books

9:30pm - the sign in front of our house

9:35 - Just because his shirt was funny

9:40pm - The real reason I don't like Thursdays

9:45 - I don't get to tuck my boys in.

2009-11-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 11

I decided to dig way back for today's random photo. Thing was September 2006. We went to Yosemite (one our favorite places). This is Jacob, just barely 6. Younger than Nate is now. Boy, we make 'em cute don't we?

Here are a few more photos from the same day, because it was so much fun to see these again. I love Yosemite. And I love these boys SO MUCH!

Nate was 3. Isn't he so darn cute?

Here we have Joshua at 15, with the sun in his eyes.

2009-11-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 10 (I beat last year's day streak!)

This one is not random in the sense that I chose it randomly. But, it's a "random" picture. Shawn makes this silly/weird face, that cracks me up and so I had to snap a picture. Gotta love this kid. He's so...RANDOM!

2009-11-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 9

Choosing random photos gets kind of boring, so I have the kids help sometimes, in random ways. Tonight, I asked Shawn to pick 3 random numbers/digits. He chose 2,3,5. So, these pictures have 2,3, and 5 in their last three digits.

More ice... Um, these are the icy waters off the coast of Alaska.

This was part of the chocolate buffet one night on the cruise. This is carved out of solid chocolate. Is that not awesome!

Ironically, this one was also chocolate buffet night (good thing there was only one!) It was TOO HARD to choose just one or two sweet treats. Brian and I got a little of everything (actually, not even close to everything) and have a bite or two of each. Honestly, we were quite wasteful. But, it was too rich and sweet to eat more.

Everyone should take a cruise to Alaska, at least once, in their life. It was a vacation of a lifetime.

2009-11-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

NoBloPoMo: Day 8

For my birthday last year, the guys had roses delivered to me at work. It was Jacob's idea. He is such a lady's man. The boys were quite proud of their gift. Check out Nate's "bunny ears"; he is such a silly boy. I love these guys! (ok, now it's bed time. This was taken after baths, lol)

2009-11-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 7

Joshua picked today's "random" photo #2655. (Actually, he picked 2555 first, but it was black. I really need to go through and delete some pictures.) So, here we have another fine photo from the July 4th party. I hope this one brings a smile to your face. Again, I'm not sure who this is. It's hard to recognize from this angle. If you can identify this butt, leave me a comment, lol.

2009-11-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 6 (I think)

This is Mrs. G., Nate's kindergarten teacher and our friend Mia. Mia has a December (or early January) birthday, like Nate. The week before winter break, they celebrated all of the winter break birthdays, including Nate and Mia. Gotta love her pink boots. This girl's got style. I just love her, and her Mommy and Grammie too. She gives me a big hug everytime I see her.

2009-11-05T10:29:00.001-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 5

Nate getting ready for a T-ball game. He was barely 5. Look at the sweet baby face. He looks so much more grown up now.

Click here to see Nate in action. He was so surprised, he didn't know what to do. And it didn't help that everyone was yelling, lol. But it's too cute.

2009-11-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 4

Different SD card. This picture was taken at Sandy's 4th of July, family reunion, party this summer. Sandy and her daughters used to babysit Shawn when he was a baby. One of the daughters, Kassandra, was in Ca visiting this summer (her husband is in the military on the east coast). She contacted me to see Shawn, and we were invited to this celebration. It was a lot of fun. They rented this great water slide, which was enjoyed by kids and grown ups alike.

Random, unseen selection pulled this photo. I don't even know who is in it. I tend to not delete photos from my SD cards, even if they are bad, or unidentifiable (as seen in NaBloPoMo: Day 1).

A few more photos from that day. I know who is in these pictures!

Shawn showing how high he can bounce

No wonder his nickname is Tigger!

Nate was loving it. No surprise there!
Jacob (accidentally) went head first.
He was none to happy, but it made a great photo!

2009-11-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 3

More ice! I think a good portion of this SD card was used in Alaska. But, it's the only card I have with me right now; and right now, I have the time to blog. If you read the prior entry, you got my mini lesson on iceburg density and color. Well, this chunk of ice is a good example of that. See the blue in it? I took a lot of pictures of ice that day. The were beautiful. Of course, there was that thought in the back of my mind about a ship that did not fair so well in icy waters...

2009-11-02T00:09:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo: Day 2

HA! It's a picture of me. That wasn't supposed to happen, lol. I am usually behind the camera. So how did my random photo of the day happen to be one of the FIVE or so of me?

This photo was taken on our cruise to Alaska this summer. Oh, what a fun trip. This was our 10th anniversary celebration vcation. Not sure what I was reading here; but check out those iceburgs floating in the water. They were so cool to look at (no pun intended). They denser the ice the darker blue the iceburg. Some of them, you could see how big they were, because you could see the dark blue under the water. Ah, to be in Alaska again. This does bring a smile to my face!

2009-11-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

NaBloPoMo - Day 1

So, first random photo was a flop. But, what a funny way to start the month. Jacob helped me choose a random (unseen) photo. And this is what we got. The plan was to describe the selected photo. But, I think it would be more fun you heard your ideas of what is happening in this photo. So, come on...comment.

Ok, so we decided to try again. This photo is of Nate last fall, playing in a pile of raked up leaves. I remember this day very well. All of the kids were involved. Joshua raking, the rest of them jumping in the piles. Shawn doing flips into the leaves. Nate doing everything Shawn did. Monkey see, monkey do! I have some great video clips from that day too.

2009-10-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we all know that I do not have enough on my plate right now. So, I have committed myself to another project: NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month! What is NaBloPoMo? Well, it's a commitment to blog everyday for 30 days, the month of November.

I tried last year. I only made it to November 9th. How pathetic is that? Then I got the 11th and 12th. Then I hit every other day for a few days. Then a week later, November was over. I failed miserably. But, it was fun trying.

I have a strategy this year. It might even be cheating, but I don't think so. The idea is to get in the habit of blogging. I'm not sure that my issue is things to write about, but rather taking the time to blog. I have plenty of things to share. But it seems that when I have time to blog the things are so old that no one is really going to care anymore. So, for NaBloPoMo I have decided that each day I am going to select a random photo (they are labeled by number, so I will not know what the pic is until I upload it) and post it with it's story, assuming I remember it. I have several SD cards, so photos might be quite old. Depending on which I choose to use on a given day. It should be a fun trip down memory lane.

So, join me for NaBloPoMo. Come back and encourage me. If you decide to sign-up let me know (Did I mention there are prizes?). You can click on the the NaBloPoMo logo on the right sidebar to sign up.

2009-10-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend was emotionally exhausting. It was fun. But, it was also heart wrenching. We moved my little boy 3 hours away, to stretch his wings and go to school. It's really a great thing for him, academically and for his maturity. Little did I know, it would tear my heart into a million little pieces. I'm not sure what was worse, hugging him and crying and feeling him cry in my arms, or seeing him and Brandi hug and knowing they were both crying. Then watching him walk back to the dorm alone after he walked us to the car.

Then there was the quiet and sniffles in the car. That is until Shawn (resident comedian) said, "Now that the awkward silence is over, woo hoo, we got rid of him," or something to that effect. It did break the tension and make us all laugh. Although, it was still hard to leave him there.

Last night was particularly tough, on all of us. I was in desperate need of a good cry, but people kept coming in my room. Even Shawn came in and laid on our bed for a while, because it didn't feel right in his room alone. I texted and IM'd with Joshua for a while before bedtime. Webcam is an awesome thing, except that he really looked lonely and sad. I hope tonight is better for all of us.

Now that I have that off my chest, here are some pics from the weekend. I didn't take any pics yesterday. It wasn't a moment to capture and see again. The emotions are enough.

This is Joshua's new part time home. His home is still here.

Is this not the coolest thing?
Moving in on Saturday.

Brandi, Joshua and Shawn in Joshua's dorm room.

Shawn, don't ask; it's Shawn - enough said.

Joshua's space.

Saturday night, playing games in the hotel room.

The train game

This one is for Brandi's Mom. See, they slept in different beds. With a table in the middle, lol. We moved it to play games the night before.

There is a story here. We were headed to the beach to have lunch before dropping Joshua off on Sunday. Well, we got caught up in some major traffic. So, Shawn went through the backseat, to the trunk, to get some drinks. I don't advocate this, but we weren't going anywhere, and neither was anyone around us. We ended up turning around, and didn't make it to the beach after all. Maybe next time.

Like I said, no pics from Sunday afternoon. But, you can see there was a lot of fun this weekend too. I can't believe I have to do this three more times...

2009-09-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the senior complex where my dad lives hosted a birthday party for those celebrating birthdays in September, including my dad and Joshua (since he was going to be there away).

What's a party without balloons?

Nate was a big helper. Look at those cheeks!

Joshua was the only one tall enough to hang the balloons.
The decorating crew

What's a birthday party without cake?

September birthdays: My Dad, Joanie, and Joshua

Jacob and Dakota (big brother of Princess)

Brandi, Joshua and Munchie: Practicing?

Friends of my Dad

Joanie and her husband Richard serenading us

My Uncle Ken (2nd from the right)

Most of my gang

Nate helping Papa open his presented

A lot of fun was had. I think Papa was surprised to have everyone there. He seemed to enjoy himself.

2009-09-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember, last summer I had a little addition to our family for about two weeks, when his baby brother was born early. Well this weekend we had both of them, when their little sister was born Friday evening. Princess Savannah Gaberiella Ware (yes, her first name, on her birth certificate, in Princess) weighed in at 6lbs 4oz (I think). She was bigger than her big brothers (the littlest two anyway, she has FOUR older brothers).

Of course, Aunt Sheri was one of her first visiters. When I arrived, she was dressed in the hospital t-shirt and had a little pink bow glued to her head. I came bearing little pink things. Mom was feeling pretty good (with the good drugs), so I got to dress her in pink for the first time. I also got to take her first picture, since mom and dad didn't have a camera. If I do say so myself, this is a great picture of a baby less than a day old. She was so alert; and is just a very pretty baby!

Princess Savannah Gaberiella Ware

Then, I wrapped her back up and just sat and snuggled her for a while. This is what I saw as I held her. Isn't she precious?

It's not about her being a girl. There's just something about holding a newborn that makes my heart smile. Almost...makes me want another one. I'll just have to borrow these guys occasionally. I had fun with the little boys this weekend; but it was nice to take them back home. Maybe, I'm getting too old for this...

2009-08-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! I got a new bed! Well, I got a new frame. We bought our "old" bed a few years ago; before we bought this house. And that furniture has never really fit in our current bedroom. I love my house, but our bedroom is small. So, for almost two years, we have been talking about downsizing our bedroom furniture. I love my mattress set, and it's supposed to last another 8 years or so. So, we only bought a bed frame. Bye bye sleigh bed...hello platform bed. (I should have taken a picture of the old bed frame...)

Nate loves to help build things.

Hold on; I got this figured out.
My pretty new bed!

A well deserved rest.

Now, I need the night stands. I wasn't sure there would be room to put them beside the bed. I couldn't put both of the old ones and the bed along the same wall. But, I think these will fit. Woo hoo! I am so excited to have a pretty room and be able to walk around my bed.

The funny thing about this is that our mattresses set is think and pillow top. I thought this frame would be lower that the other one. But it's actually higher. The bed skirt does not reach the floor. Also the top of the bed is only a couple of inches below my waist. I am going to have to literally climb into bed at night, lol.

2009-08-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

One last summer fling! Brian and the kids started school last week, but my school starts tomorrow, so it's still summer vacation for me. We made it a weekend at Pismo Beach. I'm going to have to make these photos a screen saver, or tape them to my notebooks, to get me through the next nine months!

Nate playing chicken with the waves.

Jacob enjoying the cool water.
Mom and Jacob, wave jumping.

My little beach bum!

Jacob showing Dad how to jump waves.

Jacob: Nate, what are you digging, a cave?

Nate: No, I'm digging a hole!

The tide came up and filled up Nate's hole. He was splashing the water out, but the tide was gaining. Then my little engineer decided to make a river to allow the water to flow away from his hole.

Then we did a little bit of letter boxing. We forgot to take our letterboxing kits with us, so we had to improvise. Being a teacher's car, we found a stamp pad in it, lol. So we left a finger print caterpillar, and our letterboxing info.

This box was called "Three Leaves." Can anyone identify this three leaved plant that want abundant in the area? Aimee?

The thing I love about letterboxing is finding place that you might otherwise not know exist. This park was one of those gems. We did not find the box, probably due to construction in the area it should have been. But, the views were worth the stroll.

There was a plaque in the park that said to close your eyes and view the scenery through the eyes of a child. Well, we didn't have to close our eyes, we had Nate. Who kept pointing out dragonflies and lizards.

And other creepy crawly things.

It was a great weekend. Very refreshing. Now, I'm ready to tackle grad school!

2009-08-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

We have two new additions to this zoo we call a family. Jacob has been studying goldfish in his class this week. The teacher provided each child a fish to observe in the classroom. They researched them; wrote about them; drew pictures about them. Then yesterday, came the note asking parental permission to bring home the fish. WHAT!? Of course, Jacob loves his little silvery goldfish, that he named Angel. Did you know that goldfish don't turn gold until about six months old? Now, how am I supposed to say no?

Instead, a trip to Walmart for a small aquarium and fish food.

Then, Jacob decides that Angel needs more rocks and some decorations for the little aquarium.

Grandma and I went back to Walmart for the requested items. Grandma decided that Angel needed a friend too. I chose one of the feeder fish. One out of a tank of about one hundred. I don't think anyone ever buys ONE feeder fish. The sales lady looked at my like I was crazy.

This is not a great picture; but it's not easy taking pictures of fish. Angel is on the left. Hannah is on the right. Hannah is white, with a heart shaped orange spot on "her" head. "She" is so cute.

2009-08-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

The kids (and Brian) went back to school today. Woo hoo. It seems everyone had a good day. Here are the required first day of school photos.

Jacob and Nate show what grade they are in this year.

My baby is in 1st grade. Sniff, sniff.

Shawn ran out of finger for his 11th grade year.
The boys having breakfast at school.

Nate's new teacher, Mrs. M.

Nate's class. There are a few familiar faces in the crowd.

Jacob and Mrs. W.

He is at a new school and will be making new friends.

Joshua wanted to meet Brandi after school.

Everyone is represented.

Overall, good day. I even got to do a little shopping for myself. I needed new school clothes, lol. I got a couple of outfits for my internship. The reason I need new clothes is another post...

2009-08-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love you tomorrow....You're only a day away...

Guess what tomorrow is? Tomorrow is the day the kids go back to school. It would be safe to say that I'm happy that it is finally here. It has been a great summer. It's been the first summer in several that we were all home together (except Joshua, who was taking summer classes, over achiever!). Summer messes with my routine, as well as the kids. It will be nice to have a routine in our lives again.

Of course back to school means. Shopping: New shoes, socks underwear, jeans, backpacks, pencils, crayons, notebooks, binders. You know the drill. Fortunately, we got most of that out of the way in the last week or so.

So, what was left for the day before school? A few things, including Sunday's normal stuff, like grocery shopping and laundry.

Honestly, not sure how it is that I had this much dirty laundry!

Nate's clothes, bagged in outfits that he can choose from.
Lunches made and apples for the teachers. Cuz, I'm the cool Mom.

And a little something for myself! I am starting school too.

Nothing exciting...

2009-08-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

We spent the day yesterday in Yosemite. It's easy to forget, sometime, how lucky we are to have such a beautiful place in our own backyard. People come from all over the world to visit Yosemite. Brian and I were married in Yosemite. Guests at our wedding included two bus loads of tourists from Japan. We have a photo of the whole group, with us, in our wedding album.

Yesterday, we up for Sarah and Anthony's wedding. After the reception, we went to the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. While we were walking through the parking lot, I noticed a few license plates from different states and wondered how many states were represented in the park that day. Then, I thought 'that would make a great blog post.' So, I grabbed my camera and start taking pictures of license plates from different states.

These were in only two small parking lots, the Mariposa Grove lot and the Wawona General Store parking lot (each about 30-40 cars). Some states were represented more than once, but I only took one picture. Please leave a comment if your state is represented and let me know if you've ever been to Yosemite.

This one was behind a bike rack, kind of hard to get.

I only saw one of these. They were a long way from home.

I actually saw two of these. I wonder if they were together.
There were two of these too. I think they were together.

There were quite a few from Oregon. It's not to far to drive.

Illinois. Jacob would be searching the park for Hannah.

Only one Bama

Now that's a LONG drive! I hope it wasn't to hot for them.

There were a few Texas plates...can't blame them for leaving.

Two, at least from Minnesota. Going to visit there someday.

Quite a few from Arizona, maybe cooler here?

Pennsylvania? Wow!

A few from Colorado. Maybe, there aren't enough mountains there.

A lot from Washington, why? It's beautiful, but so is WA.

Two of these too.

A lot, from Nevada too. It's a nice weekend trip for them.

New York. New York!

2009-08-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

I CANNOT COOK! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Just ask my family. I am not a good cook. I do not like to cook (except maybe for the holidays). I do however, like to bake. I like the way it makes the house smell. I like the warmth of baked goods. It lifts the spirit.

But, I live in Fresno, and in the summer the closest I come to baking is walking to my car. Well, for some unknown reason (I'm not complaining) we got a major break in the heat yesterday. Seriously, it was 112 degrees a couple of weeks ago and yesterday is was only 82! I decided to do some baking.

For dinner: I mixed 1.5 pound (equivalent) of Mexican seasoned tofu crumble, 16oz. frozen mixed vegetables (I took out the green beans, because I wanted the smaller veggie pieces), and a couple handfuls of shredded cheese. I put it in a 9x13 baking pan and topped it with Marie Calendar's cornbread mix. Baked 35 minutes at 375.
Yummy! And healthy, vegetarian even (don't tell my kids). Doesn't it look pretty? The kids really liked it. I'm going to put this on my regular menu list for fall/winter, when it's cool enough to bake.

Last week someone brought bags of peaches in to work. I took a bag home and thought 'what am I going to do with all these peaches?' I went to the store and got the ingredients to make a peach cobbler. When I got home, I found that my peaches were all squishy and icky! It was probably just as well since it was still over 100 degrees. It would not have been the best idea to turn on the oven.

Yesterday, that wonderful co-worker brought more peaches; big beautiful peaches. And, it was the perfect day for baking!

My great-grandmother made the best peach cobbler ever. I remember always finding it interesting that the batter was on the bottom and the peaches on top when she put it in the oven; but it always came out with a golden crust and the peaches inside. I have not made a peach cobbler in many years. (probably, because it's too hot to bake when peaches are in season)

YUMMY! Hot peach cobbler. My house smelled so good last night. And it was awesome. I forgot how good peach cobbler is. This is comfort food!

And really, it's all about presentation.

So, this prompted Jacob to say, "Mom, you can to cook." I replied, "No honey, I can bake." That's my story; and I'm sticking to it!

2009-08-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

My darling little DOES NOT SLEEP. He has never been a good sleeper, even as an infant. He was diagnosed with ADHD in January and is currently taking Concerta. After a few months, we found the right dose and his behavior and focus have remarkably improved. Keep in mind that Conerta is a stimulant. Well, what do you suppose happens when you give a child who already has sleep problems a stimulant? That's right, they don't sleep AT ALL. Well, pretty close anyway. So, I explain this to his doctor, who prescribes another medication, basically, a downer, for him to take at night. Several week later...NOTHING. He's still not sleeping. So, the doctor increases the dose. Weeks later...NOTHING. He's still not sleeping. This week, again, the doctor increases the dose.

I am not a proponent of drugs for children, for the most part. They were not the first choice for Nate either. But, I admit they have made a huge difference for him. That being said, I am open to other ideas, including less traditional ideas. One day, I was chatting (venting) with my dear friend Aimee about Nate's lack of sleep and my exhaustion. At some point in the conversation, she said, "Nothing says he has to sleep in a bed." She's brilliant like that! My Jacob and Aimee's son had both been in occupational therapy for a time, and we often shared ideas about therapy and such. She suggested a swing for Nate, like the ones the older boys had used in therapy. Like I said, I'm open to trying just about anything...

The swing came today.

It is mounted in the door frame of Nate's bedroom.

Trying it out.
A little closer up.

After the boys were in bed, Brian and I ran out to grab a few things from Target. (My dad was here.) When we got home, this is where we found Nate, asleep on the couch, by my dad. Brian carried him to his room.
I guess we'll try again tomorrow. It was fun reading him a bedtime story. I sat on the floor, just inside his door and held the book "teacher style." I rocked the swing gently, while I read. It reminded me of when he was a baby. I hope this works. I wish it was strong enough for me to sit in. It looks SO comfy.

2009-08-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi bloggy friends. I am up for air. Here's a bit of a flashback for you. Because some thing you have to blog. Better late, than never.

I don't think I shared the events in the week preceding our cruise, because, quite frankly it was an exhausting week. All good, but exhausting. I was SO ready for a vacation when the time came, but I was seriously packing THE NIGHT BEFORE.

June 8th: My oldest son Joshua graduated from high school. I could not be more proud of him (well maybe when he graduates college). Doesn't he look studious here? He started his college program in July, and in October will be moving three hours away to live in a dorm and be a semi-grown-up. Where did the years go?

June 10th: As if seeing Joshua graduate didn't remind me how fast they grow, My BABY graduated kindergarten two days later. Kindergarten was a tough year, for Nate, for his teacher, and for me. We have come a long way. Nate was diagnosed with ADHD (finally) and after a couple of months we found a medication does that changed his school experience. I couldn't be more proud of Nate than when I saw him on stage, PARTICIPATING with his classmates in their program. YAY NATE!

June 14th: Graduations mark the passing of time; so too, do birthdays. Jacob had to get in on the action. He turned nine years old. It was a pretty low key celebration this year (wonder why?). We let him choose a couple of friends and took them to see UP! It was actually a nice break in our crazy week. Check out my fancy M&M cake decorating. There's talent! LOL.

Three kids. Three celebrations. One week of wonderfully exhausting chaos. Three occasions to realize just how fast my boys are growing up. Three chances to see what amazing young men they are becoming. Three chances to cry happy tears and hug my boys and take pictures. One week of wonderful memories.

June 18th: Yes, FOUR days later, we flew the coupe!

2009-07-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

Cruise Day 3 - Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan was our first port of call. This was our first glimpse of Alaska, from the balcony of our ship. It is such a quaint looking town.

This one speaks for itself.
Now that's alot of rain. Although right now, it sounds pretty good.

This little creek ran behind the visitor's center. It was so tranquil. I had to take a picture. It looks like a postcard.

Display inside the visitor's center.

I like to take picture of signs. They remind me of the little things that I would certainly forget. They also look pretty cool in the scrapbook. I liked this timeline of Alaska. I learn a few things on this vacation.

When Alaska became the 49th state, there were many suggestions for the 49 star flag of the United States. These are some of the submissions.

This was the winner! I can't help but wonder what the flag will look like if/when we add another state or two.

There are lots of Totem Poles in Ketchikan.

Here we are at the base of the previous Totem to give you perspective.

Here we go with the signs again. Totem poles tell a story. Here is the story for the Totem in the previous pictures.

Here is another Totem in town.

Yay! Another sign. I love signs!

Many of the homes in town had Totems in their own front yard. I wonder what stories they tell.

I wanted to get a Totem as a souvenir. But, the ones in my budget were made in China. There was something wrong with that idea, lol. There were some awesome hand carved (locally), but, they were not in my vacation budget. Maybe, next time.

Stay tuned for vacation photos and stories. I'm enjoying this revisiting of our vacation. I hope you are too.

2009-07-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

We now return you to the Alaskan Cruise vacation picture posts. I shared photos from our time in Seattle before the cruise and pictures from the day we set off, along with some random pictures (when the ship's internet would let me). Now, I am going to give you the day to adventure. So, here is a look at Day 2, our first full day at sea.

We explored the ship a bit. We did not play shuffle board. But it's a cruise ship, it seemed appropriate to take a picture of the shuffle board game.

Some nautical decorations
One of the clubs. Karaoke

The pool deck

Brian enjoying the view from our balcony

Smooth sailing

Our first formal night

I love this photo!

This one too!

We were asked several times during the trip if we were newlyweds. I don't know why? Doesn't everyone married ten years act like this? It was very romantic.

2009-06-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to be back home with my boys (well, except for the temperature). I was so excited to see them last night. I thought I had booked our flight home for 9am; getting us home before noon. Well, as it turns out, I had actually booked it for 9pm. This gave us another full day in Washington. But, I was really missing my boys.

It seems they survived our time away. There was only one mishap to report. Nate decided to give himself a haircut (again). We had this conversation last night.
Me: Why did you cut your hair?
Nate: Because it was getting too long in the front.
Me: What are you supposed to do when your hair gets too long? (based on the fact that he had done this before)
Nate: Tell you.
Me: Why didn't you tell me?
Nate: You weren't here.
There's logic in that! Well, at least hair grows back.
When I asked Nate what he wanted me to bring him back from our trip, he said "a toy." I could not resist this Alaskan Husky puppet. I think he was happy with it too. A real Husky would melt here, lol.

Jacob requested a T-shirt. So this one seemed very appropriate for him. Jacob grew while we were gone. Shawn measured him just now, and he was 4'7". That is exactly one foot shorter than me.

My friend Jodi sent this Tag reading thing back for Nate. It seems to be a hit. He is still playing with it. He has taken a liking to books on CD. So this might be quite helpful for him to learn more sounds and read more.

The older boys got souvenirs too. But, they didn't model theirs for me. I think we did a good job of matching their souvenirs to their personalities too. It was fun to shop for them while we were gone. They were never far from our mind.

Be sure to check in regularly. I will be posting more pictures from our trip in the coming days. I have lots of pictures.

2009-06-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm going to share a peek at the pretty food and drinks on this cruise. The food is amazing, beautiful and delicious (and always available!). Its no wonder people gain ten pounds in a week on a cruise.

Pretty umbrella drinks, in real pineapples

These are all make of chocolate!What better to go with chocolate, than champagne?

Yum, chocolate dolphins

Pretty, pretty chocolate

Another chocolate carving

Is this not the most horribly, amazing plate of food your have ever seen? In my defense, I (honestly) only had a bite or two of each thing. I simply could not choose which treat to try. And, it seems whatever I didn't get, Brian did. So, we were totally suger loaded.

Mel K. and Amy, I hang my head in shame. But, OMG it was so worth it. I do not look forward to stepping on the scale when I get home. I'm going to REALLY need you guys to rally around me me the next few months to repair the damage done, lol.

2009-06-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have had some trouble posting blogs from my laptop on the ship. I tried three times the other day and finally gave up. Don't even ask me how much I have to pay to even have internet access on here, lol. So, this time I am using the ship's computer cafe', ooh la la. Anyway, I just hope it will post. We are having a great time. Since I have not been able to post like I had hoped, I am just going to tease you with a preview of some of our activities. When I get home, I will post the details.

Without further ado:

So that was a bit cheesy, but it fell right into place. Yesterday, we visited Juneau the capital of Alaska. We also took an excursion to see the Mendenhall Glacier. Wow, it's beautiful, magnificent. I mean words fail to describe the awe, lol. It makes me think of one of my other favorite places, Yosemite, which was also carved out by a glacier. I can't imagine Yosemite looking like this thousands of years ago.

This is Mendenhall Glacier. It has receded over many years. Where you see water was at one time part of the glacier. The ice burgs in the water have broken off from the face of the glacier. This and the glacier itself melting are causing the receding.
After we left Juneau, we down Endicott Fjord to see another glacier (I can't remember it's name at the moment). We were supposed to go up Tracy Arm Fjord, but it was too dangerous due to ice conditions. Hmmm. In this picture, Brian and I are on our balcony. I am taking the picture, using the reflection of our sliding door (cool, huh?). Do you see that big chunk of ice behind us? Um, I seem to remember tales of another ship that did not fair so well in icy water...

This is just the tip of the ice burg. Couldn't resist! See how is goes out under the water? These things were huge. It's hard to get perspective in a photo. I took lots of pictures of ice, lol. Not to worry, we survived.

Today, we visited Skagway, the first city in Alaska. It's a really small town and quaint (think Old Town Clovis looking, in the whole town). We rode the White Pass train over the pass and into Canada. I got to use my passport, for the first time ever...TO GO TO CANADA! That was pretty uneventful, but the views were breathtaking, again. Alaska is beautiful. Here we are crossing a trundle bridge and entering a tunnel. It was pitch black in there. Kind of eerie, but fun.

Another photo as our car got closer. There were some other great views from the train. But, like I said, this is going to be a teaser post.

I hope this posts. I need to go get something to eat. I just realized that its nearly 9:00 and I haven't eaten dinner. It's hard to gauge when the sun doesn't set until 11:00 (seriously). It also rises before 4:00am. Talk about long days.

Anyway, keep checking in. Tomorrow, we have a stop in Canada. Then we arrive back in Seattle for a couple of days of visiting. And we will be back home on Monday. I miss my boys, but we have had a great time. Next time, I think we'll bring the whole family.

2009-06-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today's the day (well actually, it was yesterday, but I was too busy to log in and post). Jodi had to leave early for class; so she left us with this greeting, along with the birthday crown I made Brian the night before at Gabriel's birthday party.

This was the first view of our ship, from the highway as we were heading to the port. This thing is huge; like a floating hotel. It is beautiful though!

The view of Seattle from our balcony, before we left

Leaving Seattle, already have our umbrella drinks

Bon Voyage Barbeque, poolside

Cool view from the back of the ship

The wait staff singing Happy Birthday to Brian

The evening sky, about 10:30 last night, long days here.

This chess set is not as big as the one Jacob and I played in Seattle, but it still reminded me of him!

We are having so much. I think we will have to do this again; with the whole family next time. There is so much to do.

Happy Father's Day to Brian, my Dad, and all of my daddy friends. I hope you all have great day. Here is a picture of the guys at Jodi's house with their Father's Day t-shirts.