Sandals Building Fundraiser

Our church is putting together a fundraiser to help raise funds for our new building. A girlfriend of mine's family is generously offering to help. There will be two different items for the fundraiser each week. One can be bought at http://www.plumbersurplus.com/sandals-church-building-fund.aspx and the other one can be found at http://www.outdoorpros.com/sandals-church-building-fund.aspx. They are donating all the proceeds from these weekly items to Sandals. Most products even have no shipping costs! Thank you! We hope you enjoy your new item and feel good about helping build God's kingdom!

I donated today......did you?

Unsafe water and basic lack of sanitation causes 80% of sickness and disease, and kill more people every year that all forms of violence, including war.

Yet, for only $10 you can provide one person in Africa with clean water for TEN YEARS.

Donate.

Today.

Right Now!

Our latest fat lip....that we can't seem to heal!

Ruby's Diner

Last weekend I took the boys to my parent's church and after that we headed out to lunch with them and Auntie Eryn. Off to Ruby's we went. Little did we know that it was the grand re-opening and they were not only giving out free Ruby burgers, but they also had the original Ruby there to meet. Pretty cool.

Halloween

We did things a little different this year for Halloween. We forewent the potluck hang out in our garage and headed down to our neighbor's house. We had dinner out front while the kids played. From there we took some pictures for mommy's sake (not daddy's sanity!) and all walked up to Crossroads Church for the annual Trunk N Treat. We have never participated in one of these before and weren't really sure what we were going to see. There were so many entertainment options. The kids played in the jumpers, mom, dad, and Ali danced a little, and the kids picked up some goodies. I think next year we need to get there right on time as when we left it was getting very busy. From there we headed back to the neighbors to hang for a short bit. Kai was a hand-me-down lion from Luke's second Halloween and Luke was a band member from Kiss. His costume turned out great. I was very nervous. He seemed to be a hit with adults. His idea came about all from when Adam Lambert sang with Kiss on the season finale of American Idol. He thought they were so great. We have seen that scene probably 150 times by now. So all this from 1 song! Ironically, my niece Claire had this brand new electric guitar that she was going to sell at a garage sale. Luke took one look at it and had to have it! That is all she wrote! All I can say is that I hope this is a phase and his hair will not be touching his ears in the future if I have anything to say about it!

More Pumpkin Patch Fun

So...I lost my camera! :0( These are some pictures I took from our great family friend's blog. We head the pumpkin patch every year together. The boys always have a GREAT time!

Carving Pumpkins

I am not sure how, but I waited literally until Halloween day to buy pumpkins this year. Little did I know that I would have to go to 5 places on the morning of to find them! I did however find a great deal. Our pumpkins were larger than we have ever had them and they were each only $3.30 at Stater Brothers! Yeah! We had a great time like always carving them. Luke actually did get his hands a little bit in there this year. Kai on the other hand was more interested in eating the candy. I opted to carve with a knife for old times sake and Bill once again chose to use his power tools! All in all it was fun, but rather warm in literally 89 degree weather!

The Pumpkin Patch

Off to the pumpkin patch we went. I of course in search of great pictures and Daddy in search of the boys having fun! lol. We did a little of both. Luke was big enough this year to go on the big slides! It was a little scary, but thrilling for him. Kai was kind of tired through the event and I really didn't see too many smiles out of him. Next time....we still got two weeks to go right!?

Possible Flood

This what happens when one parent (I) turn on the bath tub and "think" that the other parent has gone in to give the baths.....luckily nothing happened to Luke and the tub didn't overflow. Good catch Daddy!

LA County Fair

We all played hooky today and went to the fair! It's the only day we could afford it! On Wednesdays it is $20 per person including a wristband for unlimited rides. Otherwise that sucker alone cost $50! We had fun. Not too hot. Luke absolutely loved every minute of it and Kai kind of fell in that in between age. He wanted to do stuff, but there are only 3 rides that they will allow someone under 36 inches on....even with their parent. So....I am sure we will back next year in full swing with both of them.

Luke's Dinosaur Preschool Song

Stuffed Animals

I do not like stuffed animals at all. I do think they are cute, but I don't think we need to own any. My kiddos feel differently. Luke just recently got into them and Kai seems to absolutely adore them. He really does carry them around and love on them. This is his dog Spot. He has been through the wash a few times because of the whole pink eye thing, but he has survived and Kai loves him as you can tell.

Training him young....

For those of you that make fun of my little green machine.....you know who you are! It is light and quick, and yes the handle does extend to my height! In the meantime though, it also works for Luke to start helping around the house. Yes, I have OCD and clean everything all the time. No not because of germs, but because I don't like messes. Anyway, I feel as the mom of a son I need to teach HIM how to TAKE CARE of the INSIDE of his HOME. Not just for my sanity, but for his future wife's sanity too! Daddy can do the outside teaching! :0)

Disneyland

On Sunday Luke and myself joined my niece Lauren and my mom at Disneyland. She had told me that she was surprising Lauren with a trip for her birthday and asked if we wanted to come along. We almost didn't get to make it because our passes had expired. Thank you to Daddy for renewing them literally just a couple of days ago for all of us! We had a great time.

Getting ready to go inside the park

Grammy, Luke, and Lo-Lo

Luke on this ride for the 1st time (even without mommy) with Lauren

Lauren and Sissy (me) on California Screamin'. She said that she was supposed to wait for Auntie Eryn to go on this ride. Now that I have a family of my own I barely get to do these special little times anymore. I am glad we will have this memory!

Waiting in line for the Toy Story ride

Once again cousins alone (without mommy)

Isn't this the cutest picture ever? We sent Grammy to go wait in line for him while we rode the carousel.

Pee Wee Soccer - Team Spongebob

Last week we started our second year of pee wee soccer. Last year we often had Luke crying on the sidelines, not participating, and actually volunteering to sit out for the sake of someone else playing (and not because he was being kind! :0) This year it is like night and day. What a difference a year makes! He is 3 and 3/4 and is really on the ball. His dear friend Matthew is on his team and personally I think that has made a huge difference as well. They are running around like crazy little boys out there actively pursuing the ball and trying to get it through the goal. No games yet, just practice, practice, practice......45 minutes, 2 times a week. More pictures to come!

A hilarious attempt at jumping jacks!

Stretching to the sky.
Luke & Matthew trying to reach to their toes.

Luke and Daddy

Football Fun

Auntie Eryn home for the weekend from college. Luke asked her to come spend the night!

Papa & Kai hanging out

Happenings this week...

1. Mamma's got a new hair do......Luke says I look like Grammy!
2. Bill's Birthday - Yeah!
3. Renewed our Disneyland passes.....Luke got his very 1st one!

Pink Eye

Well....cooties have arrived. Claire, my niece who watches the boys, called Sunday and said her little guys were at Kaiser with eye infections and that the twin girls she watches also had it as well. They were all put on antibiotic eye drops. Monday was a holiday and Tuesday Luke went to school and Kai stayed home with Bill just to be safe. Wednesday came and.....Kai woke up looking like a pirate with one eye completely sealed shut and staring at me with the other. At first I thought how is he doing that? A call in to Kaiser and eye drops for him were given. Yesterday in class my eyes started to itch! I went home and used some of the drops too! I thought out of 6 kids Luke just might escape it, but no such luck. I went to take him to school this morning and when the light caught his face just right I realized he has it too! WASHING HANDS IS HAPPENING EVERY 20 MINUTES IN MY HOUSE - BY ALL!!!

Cousins Bradley & Matthew with Luke & Kai

Time Is Flying By

This Reminds Me of.........

This

(Can you tell one picture was in summer and one in winter!)

Beach Fun - Part II

Beach Fun - Part I

Luke's 1st Day of Preschool

Luke had his 1st day of school at Crossroads Christian Preschool. He had a great time. Bill and I took him in the morning to get reacquainted with his teacher, Ms. Peggy. He was very excited. He put on a brave face and was just a little bit glassy eyed as we left. Once we hit the sidewalk we both began to tear up! A father walked by and said, "I remember that day well." We stayed for a few minutes peeking through the blinds as he sat talking with his teacher. I called around 10:45 to check on him. She said he was having a great time and had not been sad at all. She said he had asked several times when "nap time" was. I guess the full day was already doing him in. I picked him up after his nap and he was very happy to see me. I keep reminding him that he needs to believe me when I say it is time for bed! :0)

Auntie Eryn took the boys to the park!

Once Upon A Blog Giveaway

For all you bloggers out there this is a great opportunity to win something. Jennisa from onceuponablog.org is having a grand re-opening of her blog design website. I personally had my blog done by her a few months back and absolutely love it! She worked with me sometimes up to twenty times a day until my blog was just what I wanted. She has now added many new options as well like business cards, photo cards, and twitter backgrounds! Go check it out! She is offering 3 different giveaways this next week. Couldn't your blog use an update?

Kai and his new dog.....thanks Grammy!

River Trip

Summer fun.......and messy faces!

Disneyland Fun

Luke's 1st Football Game

Last Friday night we joined some of my family at Orange County's High Schools All-Star game. It was divided into a North and South team. My sister's boyfriend was asked to play. This was Luke's first time at an actual football game. He was on a date night with mommy. Daddy was playing poker and Kai stayed with his Aunt Jean. We had a great time. We were pleasantly surprised when my brother and his family showed up. Luke loves all of his cousins.

PS. Carey is doing great. It has been 8 weeks since his accident. He will actually be returning to work tomorrow. Thank you again for your prayers.

PSS. Luke is going to be devastated when Eryn leaves to college in Arizona next month. :0(

Luke's 1st time bowling......

Luke had seen some kids bowling on the Disney channel so off we went to try it out! He LOVED it. We have already been 4 times since! :0) He has bowled 1 strike and several spares.......with bumpers of course! Remember to always ask for coupons when bowling. Bill, Luke, and I bowled 2 games with shoes for $26 with no coupon. Luke bowled the very next day 2 games and I paid $1.98 with the coupons they had given us the day before! I kid you not. I can see many more days at the bowling alley! Doesn't he look so big here?

4th of July

We had a quiet 4th of July this year at our house. Usually we have all of my family and Bill's family over to swim, eat, and do fireworks. Not this year! We ended up at one neighbor's house playing on a rented water slide and using a dunk tank as well as were able to eat and swim at yet another wonderful neighbor's house. We had a great day. The kids were absolutely pooped out with fun! Somehow I didn't end up with many pictures, but here are a few.

Front Loading Washer BEWARE.....There Is A Sock Monster!

Sorry I haven't blogged yet this summer. I am indeed behind by like 4 or 5 topics! THIS COULD NOT WAIT! Tonight I was in my OCD form taking apart and washing all of my car seats, my single stroller, my double stroller, and my travel seat. Anyway....I was putting back together one of my car seats when I noticed I was missing half of the clip that goes across your chest. I couldn't find it anywhere. The only place I even thought it MIGHT be was stuck inside some other piece of material or something in the washer. I was talking on the phone with my girlfriend Ali when I noticed you could pull back the rubber near the front of the machine. I was horrified. All Ali could do was laugh as I explained this disgusting and odd find. Yes, I did find my clip and I found 25 odd baby socks. TWENTY - FIVE! Oh yeah, and a candy wrapper, a nickel, a penny, and a black sharpie. I was telling her when I had Luke I used to joke that the sock monster was true because I would loose a sock here or there (which is not like me at all) and I just couldn't come up with where it went. Now I know. Please don't hold it against me! Disgusting!

Today is Kai's 1st Birthday!

Kai is now walking!

Last day of school is Friday! Hello summer!

Our World Series of Poker Weekend in Las Vegas

Grammy & Luke haninging out as we are leaving town. We were so happy to have her with us for the weekend.

Luke & Daddy hanging out in the hotel room.

Do what Kai does best.....investigating every part of the room!

Luke wanted to take his nap his in this small space (like 2 feet wide max.) **Irene are you freaking out because my son is sleeping on a hotel room floor? lol.

Playing at the kiddie pool.

Fish in the water. It was perfect because Kai can now walk and the pool was only 1 feet deep.

The entrance into the Rio hotel. We went to wish Daddy luck!

Just one of the many room filled with players.

Bill and one of his oldest friends from the base Jimmy. We just love him!

Make a good call.......Mama wants a new purse!

Is it a good hand?

It's Official!

I am done nursing. Monday was my last day with Kai. Amazingly he isn't really concerned about it! He is whiny and I know he wants comfort, but let me tell you he LOVES cold whole milk. There was been no problem transitioning him there! Although I have been looking forward to this day....usually when I am sick of pumping or I am full of milk etc. I have to say I am sad. I was telling the girls at work how I felt bad because I didn't decide Tuesday was the day until Tuesday. So......I didn't get to have a chat with Kai about it. :0( Off to the next toddler walking stage and his 1st birthday. Does anyone know of a great plastic surgeon to uplift theses things? lol.

Luke Surfing

Can you guess what I am doing?

It involves.......

1. ibuprofen
2. cabbage leaves
3. sage tea
4. an ace bandage
   

Memorial Day Weekend

Only sometimes do we all look at the camera at the same time.....not today!

Mommy & Lukie
Kai climbing in and out of the beach chairs
Kai eating popcorn with Mimi

Auntie Lyn jumping waves with Luke

Auntie Eryn, her boyfriend Aaron, and Luke building a sandcastle

Daddy, Uncle Libor, and Kai walking on the beach

This.....reminds me of

this

Cousins

My mom came over with Carey's kids to play last weekend so he and Kelly could have a little break. We first went to the water park and then came home and had a lunch and a nap. Yeah! And even after that........they still went swimming!

Our family often watches American Idol together. Luke, Bill , and I that is. Kai is already asleep and often times I am too! But.....out of no where Luke was rooting for Danny Gokey and has fallen in love with the video clip of Adam Lambert on stage with KISS. We have replayed the scene on DVR over and over. He now mimics (which is absolutely hilarious) dancing around while playing the guitar with his tongue out (on purpose that is!) Bill was dying laughing last night when Luke showed him. He also told me that he would just ask for a new guitar for Christmas (if he even had one to "break" in the first place.) That will not be something I purchase any time soon. Well.....the show is over and now we will move on to So You Think You Can Dance. We will just wait and see what he comes up by the end of this season!

Blue Teeth

Do you love a southwest style salsa and homemade tortillas? Then Anchos is the place for you! We love to go to Anchos because the food is great and it is a family oriented restaurant. They have great Steak Tacos and also a great Sante Fe Salad. We order the same thing every time because we enjoy it so much! Kids make a mess.....no big deal. Need entertainment.....they will give your kids dough balls to play with. Need a FREE desert for the little ones.......they let the kids pick out an ice cream treat at the end of the meal. Notice Luke's blue teeth and lips! Need directions.......call me and we will join you there!

New Blog Design

I would like to say THANK YOU to Jennisa for my new blog. I LOVE IT. It took about 3 weeks and over 50 something emails to work it out. I really appreciate her hard work.

A couple of nights ago Luke came to me telling me he had ripped up a book in his room. I went in and found this........

I then told him how sad and disappointed I was in him and did this.......

He seemed fine about it until bedtime and burst into tears saying he didn't have any books and he needed just one for his room. We talked again about how you shouldn't rip up books and I told him I will see about putting them back. (Of course I will!) :0)

Update on Carey

Carey is doing okay. He spent most of the day in bed. He has a broken neck, shoulder, and rib. No broken collar bone. All he needs now is time. There a 70% chance he will not need surgery. They will have to wait a few months to see how he heals. His sugar levels have been crazy all day (over 400) so they are hoping to get that worked out because that makes him feel lousy too! They are probably sending him home tomorrow morning to rest on his own for the next 6 - 8 weeks with the neck brace and sling. Everyone at the hospital says he is lucky he is alive and not paralyzed. His car is totaled. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PRAYERS! I know they could still be of use as he begins to heal, they adjust their single income of disability pay, and figure out how to acquire a 2nd car.

Urgent Prayer Request

My twin brother Carey was brought into Mission Hospital about an hour ago (8pm) after getting into a 5 car accident. It appears no one else was hurt. Thank GOD. I don't know all of the details, but he has a broken collar bone, a broken neck (C-7), and a broken shoulder. His MRI came back negative, which is good. I don't think his sugar levels are controlled as of yet. He has been an insulin dependant diabetic since we were 13. As many of you also know, they just had a their 4th baby a couple of months ago and Kelly has resigned from the school district to stay home with their family, so Carey is their only income. There are many needs for their family right now. I will keep you posted. We don't know about any surgeries yet and he MIGHT end up getting moved to Kaiser - probably the new hospital in Irvine. PLEASE PRAY.

James 5:16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great powe r as it is working.”

“You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:11

Dentist

Luke went to the dentist yesterday for the 3rd time and got a great report! We were so happy. With the amount of junk our 3 year old tries to consume I thought for sure we were doomed for a cavity. Something new in our routine Dr. Mike suggested is we start flossing. I guess his molars are now touching. Have you ever tried flossing a 3 year old? There are huge variations in the interpretation of open you mouth wider, relax your lips, close you mouth some, etc. etc. we ended up in a giggly fit before we were done. Thank goodness we only have to do it once on each side, top and bottom. Above is what they recommended we use.

Kai can now take 5 steps and give kisses when asked!

Kai's Dedication @ Saddleback Church

My nephew Ethan turns 2!

Look what I got this weekend......

For those of you that know me and spend time with me you know that I am addicted to the AC. Okay, not addicted, but.....I am scared to death of being broken into so I refuse to sleep with any window open. Thus, we run AC all year long much to my husband's dismay. He is looking for more efficiency in this new product and I am looking for some savings. Right now we are paying $377 per month (12 months a year) for our electricity. I will keep you posted if this indeed helps.

Something Old (the original) - 2 tons

Something new - 4 tons

Las Vegas Bound.........

As many of you know over the past year we have had poker night at our house once a month. It is the same 11 guys that have committed to playing and paying! There is a point system that they have kept track of that will allow the top 4 players to enter into the $1000 World Series of Poker tournament in Vegas at the end of the month. They each also received $300 to apply to travel costs for the weekend. So......Bill got 3rd place. We will be there to support him with smiles! I have already been thinking of ways to spend his winnings! lol.

Swap Meet

me together.

New Shoes.......Old Shoes

Here are a pair of Walmart sandles, size 5, that I bought for Luke 3 years ago. Since then, my nephew Ethan has used them too. Well......they found their way back to us just in time. Seems like with little boys we always need a staple pair of black, navy, and brown shoes. Just a few snips with the scissors here and there and they look almost like new. Here is a before and after shot. Perfect timing for Kai Kai!

Carvinal

Eating hot dogs, cotten candy, and nachos with our neighbor Chris

Luke doing the ring toss

Kai standing on his own now!

Luke doing the bean bag throw

Kai sitting in the duck game.....this was not the object of the game by the way!

Fishing

Hanging out with Daddy

Getting his face painted for the 1st time

Our neighbor Mckena celebrated her 5th birthday today with a carnival in her backyard. It was so fun. I didn't know what to expect, but it was very well put together and the kids had a blast. They were able to include so many friends!

Luke Spent the Night Out.....

Well, we did it. Luke spent the night out for the 1st time. He went to Mimi's house with Bradley to have a sleep over. He was so excited. He really never gave it a 2nd thought. We called him around 8pm and he was busy playing Bingo and said he loved us and good-night! He came home the next morning around 9am and said that he had made cookies and had gone to the park. He was excited to see us, but......I don't think he would have been sad to play longer! lol.

There's Hope!

I am building/planning out my calendar for the next school year because I am very HOPEFUL we will get to plan a VACATION to HAWAII with our frequent flyer miles. They expire May 2010. While verifying our holidays etc. I came across a VERY IMPORTANT DAY for my future. Ready? Mother-in-law day! Officially the 4th Sunday of every October! I hope my future daughter-in-laws will want to celebrate! :0) Do you think? XO

Easter - Afternoon

Jean, Grandpa Gil, and Bill

Cousin Ethan - almost 2!

Daddy helping open eggs. Kai just liked to shake them. Luke on the other hand just wanted to eat the candy in them!

Papa helping with the little ones out front

Still searching......

Mimi helping Kai find some eggs

Luke, Austin, and our neighbor Alex were on a search for eggs in the planter

Our Family

Opening the Easter pails from Mimi

Playing out front on the patio. I can't believe he was able to climb op the ladder to get onto this. Going down the slide part is something he doesn't have!

We were so fortunate this year to be able to have so much of the family join us that did. It was great for the kids. They had a blast in the jumper, playing with bubbles, looking for eggs, and swimming. Luke fell asleep at 6:20 pm due to not having a nap. They all played hard.

Easter Morning....Before Church

We dyed our eggs on Saturday and when the boys awoke on Sunday the Easter Bunny had hidden their eggs in the living room along with leaving their baskets. Luke had a blast and Kai really wasn't sure what he should do other than squish the hard boiled eggs in his hands! After the short hunt we ate, got dressed, and headed off to church to celebrate the true meaning of Easter!

Dying Easter Eggs

Celebrating Grammy's birthday.

Spring Break & Camping @ The Beach In The Trailer

I LOVE THIS LITTLE FACE!

Here is what he really was doing...tucked away in the corner underneath the cabinets eating. I thought it would be fun one day to show him how "little" he was!

Our TANK eating like the champ he is! Again!

Luke and his cousin Bradley relaxing after a hard day of playing.

Playing in the sand.

Daddy and Kai hanging out. Surprisingly he never tried to eat the sand!

Mimi and the boys playing.

Spring Break & Disneyland

Our usual hang out crew!

A Trip To The Park

I can't believe I actually conceded in taking Luke to the skatepark behind our house. We rode our bikes up there and watched some of the others do their tricks and such. Luke took his scooter inside the "bowl" with Daddy. They had to slide down on their fannies just to enter because there was no way you could walk into it without falling. Most of the time they looked like they were playing a game of chicken trying to stay out of the way of the other skateboarders! Luke decided not to get on his scooter much to Mommy's happiness! I sure that day will come.

It's official.....my pink slip was rescinded! Yeah!!

No Picture Required.....

Imagine.

Three year old goes potty.

Leaves lid up.

Does not flush.

Nine month old enters.

Hands swish around in toilet & pulls out toilet paper.

Disgusting.... as you can imagine.

Clean-up begins.

True story.

Easter pictures by....my little sister Eryn.

Friends

Matthew (3) and Luke (3)

All of the babies (boys) from my school last year!

Here is Kai (9 mo.) Logan (1 year), and Cannon (1 year)

Enjoying our pool.....Can you believe we are all looking at the camera?

Spitting Images of Each Other

Our New Family Treat.....Beach Cruisers!

So we have been talking about getting beach cruisers for like 2 years now. And today....they arrived! I even have a cute little basket to hold the dipes, wipes, and sippy cups! lol. We got so lucky. When we were at my mom's the other day she gave us the baby seat and bike rack for the car to use and another friend of ours had the bike extension for Luke to borrow. Imagine that! Thank you everyone for sharing! :0) We headed out around the block for some fun. People thought we were a cute family and were saying hi to us left and right! Kai even fell asleep......now only if he were bathed and in his pjs already!

Our 1st outing for the season in the trailer @ Pechanga!

Hanging out with the boys: Robbie, Brandon, Brad, Ryan, Cousin Bradley, Kai, Daddy, and Luke

Skateboarding with Mommy
Kai hanging out with Daddy

Kai loved skateboarding like this!

Riding the shuttle from the RV park to the casino - where I lost $20 is a minute and a half!

Kai & Grammy

My Birthday - Last Friday @ Disneyland

Hanging out in Toon Town with Daddy, Luke, Kai, Jean, and Bradley

Off we went to collect the $70 FREE Disney gift card (since we have season passes) for my birthday. It was so nice outside!

Well.....I was given my pink slip from the school district yesterday. According to my principal I am number 13 out of 207 elementary teachers that received them. Meaning, 12 other teachers will be called back prior to me. He seems pretty optimistic it will all work out for me. Unfortunately, they don't think we will know for sure until May. There were 6 other teachers from our campus as well that were notified. Many tears and many worries.

Please join us on Friday, March 13 and Stand Up for Schools.

What You Can Do

1. Wear pink on Friday, March 13 to show your support for public schools, students and educators.

2. Call or e-mail your Legislator. Tell them that investing in public education is an investment in California's future.

LEGOLAND

Uncle Scott & Auntie KiKi (Corinne) took Luke and Bradley to Legoland for their birthdays today.

Our Weekend..........

Riding the neighbor's go-cart with daddy

Kai walking across the living room (assisted) for the 1st time
Friday night in the spa with mommy

Growing up a fish already......

Papa turns 83 and off we go to Olivera Street in LA

Luke, Bradley (2nd cousin), Papa, and Grandma

Mimi, Lukie (with chocolate on his face), and 2nd cousin Matthew

Even though it was COLD today.......

Practicing to be like our hero....Handy Manny.

My new nephew Timothy Jadon.

Cousin Lukie and Sissy (Auntie) with Timmy

Papa and baby

Grammy and baby

Papa and Kai

Our Morning...........

On our way out the door.......
Coming back inside to reevaluate........

Triplets Update

God is awesome! My mom's friend just heard from Karla (the mom.) She said "many people must be praying because they were about to put a needle into the baby's lung to inflate it but when they took the xray to help navigate, they found the lung perfect again!" She said they even took two xrays! She was almost giddy with excitement.

Immediate/Urgent Prayer Request

As some of you know, my mom has been helping care for some triplets in Mission Viejo. They are 3 months old but were so premature that they are like newborns. Yesterday, one of the girls choked, turned blue and was rushed to CHOC. One of her lungs has collapsed. Please pray for Lila's survival and healing. Also, please pray for this family. Dad has been laid off with no severance or benefits, so they are really hurting now. They are a wonderful, loving family that need our intimate prayers. Thank you.

UPDATE: We just got word that the other girl Karli is now at CHOC too for "testing" of some sort. I think she was the littlest and most vulnerable of the three.

Tonight's bath.

Bill and Luke put on new non-slip duck adhesives to the bathtub tonight. We didn't realize that you cannot use the tub for the next 12 hours. No problem. Kai can get a bath in the sink and Luke can do the shower or wait until morning. Of course not! lol. Luke wanted to jump into the sink too. I can't believe he fit.

UPDATE - The ducks were a bust. They were floating in the tub last night with Kai!

Disneyland......you MUST know about this!

We knew Disney was supportive of families, but this is great. Today, we needed a child-switch-ticket. I can't remember if that is the exact name or not. Anyway, when your whole family waits in line but all of you cannot go on that ride you can exit out (like with the baby) and get this handy pass to go on it after the original party gets off the ride. What we didn't know was that the return ticket can be used at ANYTIME on the same day visit and it can be used for ANY TWO RIDERS. So if your tot doesn't want to ride over and over with mommy and daddy (like Luke did not want to today) go find a friend! lol. Make sense? No one looses out! Just head up through the exit lane and whalah!

Kai's 1st Haircut

So.....it isn't as straight of a cut as I thought it would be, but there is no sight of a curl or two so I trimmed up the little guy's hair. I really just wanted it trimmed over the ears and across the front.....kind of bowl cut, but we got layers instead. I can't believe tomorrow he will be 8 months old. He also had his 5th tooth break through the skin today. He is growing up way too fast.

On Feb. 11th my 3rd nephew, Timmy, was born. He has been in the NICU, but is doing so much better. Than you Lord for the answered prayers. I can't wait to hold him. I have only seen him for a couple of minutes. While my twin and his wife stayed with the little guy I kept the other 3 kids over night. Wow.....to go from 2 to 5 was a lot! :0) They were so good. And it seemed as if everyone had a blast and enjoyed it. Luke loved the slumber party. We should do it again. I know they would all love it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to snap more than a picture or two. But....here is Luke and Lauren. They were up at 6am chatting.........

Kai's new favorite thing to do......

Kai LOVES to play with doors these days. We often hear him crying....stuck in the bathroom because he has CLOSED HIMSELF IN!

Our 10 cent goldfish from Walmart

About a year ago I purchased 2 goldfish. One for Luke and one for his cousin Bradley. We named ours Nemo and they named theirs Ariel. I am sorry to say Ariel recently passed.....Anyway, I NEVER thought these things would grow to be so big or last so long. I have been telling Bill for a few months now that Nemo has to find a new home. I am no longer able to care for him the way he needs to be cared for. Tonight PROVED that! Picture this: I was done with everything. I had his glass fish bowl in the sink (this later saved him from going down the drain.) I was trying to use the net to put him back into the clean water when HE FELL OUT! I didn't know what to do, but I knew I only had seconds! I grabbed a spoon and tried to scoop him up. Every time he jerked I screamed. Finally, after about 30 seconds he gave up and I was able to get him into his bowl - without touching him. I was so scared. He is okay. And.......Bill is taking him into work - HIS NEW HOME. Sorry Nemo.

Great gift idea.........

My girlfriend Kristy gave me these frames as gifts and I JUST LOVED THEM! So...I think I am going to start giving them out as gifts as well! I gave my first one this past weekend to my friend Julie. I even went to the owner's house to pick it up! Her website is http://www.akmeengraving.com/. The best part of all about it is, SHE CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT! You just email her some ideas or suggestions about the theme or what the people/person likes and she will send you a proof. When I was at her house she even had a frame that had a picture of people throwing snowballs and the clip art was the cutest reindeer throwing them across the bottom of the frame. Anyway.......check it out!

Working on the yard

So we built our new porch right before Halloween and we finally put in some plants. Okay...so Bill put them in and no I did not get dirt on my hands! lol. But.....Luke was there to help daddy and Kai ate some on our family's behalf as well! Now we just need the patio furniture to get out into the stores so we can pick out some seating!

Luke is 3! He just had to go to Chuck E. Cheese!

Summer clothes and flip flops! Can you believe it is January?

The beginning of birthday fun!

Luke got to spend the day with Grammy & Auntie Eryn @ Disneyland.

I can't believe 3 years has already gone by.....

Shopping.....

Today after church my girlfriend Ali, my boys, and I went to the Cabazon Outlet Center. I was on a mission to find a new purse! A few teachers showed up with Christmas gifts after the break that caught my eye big time. I am a sucker for a COACH purse. Sadly enough, nothing seemed to work out for me this trip. I prefer bucket size purses that not only hold my junk, but a sippy cup, a diaper, wipes, and a few snacks too! Sort of a toddler/mommy version. On our way home I called Bill to report in that I hadn't even spent $1 and he said he was so happy that I had had some discipline! haha. Not....I just didn't find anything, but okay.....will leave it alone at that!

Often times I don't have much to say on on my blog, but.....a very dear friend from high school named Julie has tagged me to complete a task.

Here's the deal:
Pick the fourth photo from the fourth folder in your computer.
Post it and tag four other people.

Here it is!

The boys....Bill, Luke, and Kai!

Classic.

Guess where mommy is.....not sleeping in her bed that is for sure!

I tag Irene, Kelly, Kim , and Alison.

Two weeks of vacation and its.......OVER!

I can't believe Christmas break is already over. I must say, I am quite relaxed. I didn't do a whole heck of a lot. I did manage to pretty much clean out every room, cabinet, and drawer in my house. I seem to always be giving things away. I love to. I have no desire to hold on to things "hoping" they will get used some day. My theory is why not let someone else use them instead!

We did get to spend some time with both sides of the family, went to Disney with our passes, and we got to go to the mountains together as a family.

New Year's was a bust, but when you turn in early to bed every night like me you don't really care much! :0)

Our greatest addition this year has been Kai joining our family and my personal biggest struggle is dealing with an almost 3 year old. I am trying daily to encourage and raise a kind, respectable, and loving little boy. It is hard work. It will be interesting to read a post next New Year's to see how this endeavor goes throughout 2009.........XOXO.

My New Year's Resolution is to have more one on one time with my husband. We both love and adore our children and basically one of us is usually with them. We need to start to make time for us: the foundation for our family. Hopefully I can post a picture soon about a date night...or maybe small steps....an outing! Even a trip to Cold Stone would be a getaway at this point!

I LOVE ALL OF MY BOYS SO MUCH!!!!!

Sledding

Some of Christmas 2008

2nd Cousins.....Matthew (3 mo.) and Kai (6 mo.)

Santa brought Luke a new big boy bike

And Kai a new pony

2nd Cousins (Kai, Luke, Bradley, Matthew, and Ollie - puppy)

Our Family

We got our tree this past weekend.....Kai was asleep through the whole thing!

Sparkling Cider SALE

Last Thursday I bought the sparkling cider at Albertsons for $3.99 a bottle. I went into Longs Drug Store tonight and bought 4 bottles for $1.88 each! Can you believe it!

Favorite Drink

This time of year.....okay any time of year, I love to drink Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. When we were young our local realtor used to drop off a bottle every season! Now....I have consumed a bottle a day for a few days now! Literally by myself! It is so good cold. The other night Luke and I had a rough evening while Bill was out of town and I popped one open a pured some in a cup and drank, and poured and drank, and poured and drank again until the bottle was gone. Good thing there is no alcohol in it! I think I downed it in less than 5 minutes! :0)

No More Gel

Luke has decided that he no longer will allow me to put gel in his hair and spike it up. I am sad. I cut his hair initially at one year and have kept it military short (lol) since. I love it spiked up. So...off we went to the hair cut place and only got it cut over his ears and along the edges. It was a cheap $5. Since he won't let me do it anymore I think I am going to grow it into a bowl cut from when he was small. Stay tuned! I did pick up a new tube of gel and Luke looked at me concerned. I told him not to worry. It will be for Kai's hair whenever it is I decided he needs a new do! :0)

Comparision...

Luke = 9 months

Kai = 5 1/2 months

We went to Santa's Hide A Way..........

Eryn needs votes for a $1000 scholarship!

She entered herself in a photo in a contest called "Planet Beautiful" and if she wins, she could recieve up to a $1000 scholarship and a new Nikon camera.

The more votes she gets, the better my chance of winning.

Please, it only takes a few moments and it would mean so much to her.

Please encourage anyone you know to vote. College is expensive!

Thank you so much.

http://www.brickfish.com/Pages/PhotosAlbums/PhotoView.aspx?picid=728250_45555502&pid=1577189&scid=392&=PPIMEMAIL&isep=1&pbapi=-1&pbvi=50707855&pdi=2366

Pumpkin Patch

Thanksgiving

Kai with Papa

Eryn with Corinne's new Shih Tzu Ollie (Oliver)

Auntie Eryn with Lukie & Kai

Auntie KiKi (Corinne) with Kai

Man version vs. Woman version

Today, I put Kai down in his crib and desperately needed to take a shower! Bill popped his head in and I asked him to keep an eye on the baby.

Ten minutes later.....

Bill comes in and says Kai is okay.

I say good. Is he asleep? No.

Is he sitting up and playing or laying down? Sitting up playing with his toy.

Is it still running from when I turned it on or did he activate it again? Bill sighs and says I don't know and leaves.

Ten more minutes goes by.....

Bill comes in and says he is crying and he is going to let it go because Kai is tired and needs to nap.

I say okay.

Are his eyes open? If so it means he isn't tired yet and then you should just give in and get him up.

Or are his eyes closed? If they are, then he is indeed tired and soon (in a couple of minutes) he will be fast asleep.

Is his blanket near his face? I don't want it too close.

Bill sighs and leaves.

XOXO. Thanks for letting me take a shower! :0)

Latest Smith Family Picture

Easy Ham Recipe

1 store bought ham

1 container of syrup (for pancakes)

Directions - Pour 3/4 of the container on your ham and cook! Done!

No seriously...it is really good! :0)

Possible Future Jobs............

Hot Dog On A Stick

Professional Poker Player

We LOVE aunties!!

Just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU to Auntie Eryn (my little sister) and Auntie Jean (a.k.a. Mimi (Bill's sister))for coming over on Sunday to hang out with our boys. We were busy doing household chores :0( while the girls were playing with the little ones.

WE APPRECIATE YOU!

Fun Idea....

I am invited to a baby shower this up and coming weekend. On the invitation they mentioned bringing a children's book to be entered in to win a surprise. I have done this many times with diapers, but never with books. What a great idea! I was trying to think of a fun way that we (the boys) could write in the cover of her book (we don't know her name yet!) This is what I came up with.

Off to the beach for the weekend.....

We ran away with the trailer this past weekend to the beach with our dear friends Ali and Jeff. We had a great time. Glad you could come! Didn't really do much at all...isn't that the plan? Kai's 1st two teeth cut through this week (notice the fingers always in his mouth!) And...Luke went to his 2nd dental cleaning today and got a great report! Yeah!

Knott's Berry Farm with Grammy, Auntie Eryn & Counsins

Election Results

Bill just asked Luke who our new President is and he said MOMMY!!!

Thank you God for looking out for us....BOTH!

Yesterday Bill was driving into the base for drill weekend when he was pulled over by a police officer (I think that was the first time in the whole time we have been together!) He was ticketed for speeding, but was given a brake from the police officer (we think due to him being in the military.) The officer told him to plead not guilty and that he would dismiss the case at that point. We will see.....

This morning (on our way to church) I was pulled over for speeding. Now, for those of you that know me, yes I am a pedal to the metal kind of girl. But, I have worked really hard to get my record completely cleared. I have had a GREAT THREE AND A HALF YEARS! Anyway, I gave the officer my driver's license, registration, my military ID, and an insurance card for our MAZDA WE SOLD! I then gave him the insurance card that EXPIRED TWO WEEKS AGO! He went back to his bike and proceeded to write me up. He came back and FINALLY, I PRODUCED A CURRENT INSURANCE CARD FOR OUR NEW CAR!!! He scribbled something off of the ticket and then told me he was going to give me a verbal warning for speeding and a fix it ($10) ticket for the tinted windows. THANK YOU OFFICER PAUNCH AND BAKER.

After he left, I then informed Luke of what a nice man the police man was and how he stopped us to make sure we were okay! :0)

Happy Halloween

He is built just the way Luke was........

4 month apt. = 19 lbs, 26 inches, wears 18 month clothes, sits up alone, and just cut his 2 bottom teeth!

Carving Pumpkins....

Notice the POWER TOOLS???

On a walk with Daddy....

Bath Time...........

Are you wondering why Bill is mopping the ceiling?

His parent's dining room table broke earlier this week. Apparently it had a container of PUNCH on it that splattered all the way up to the CEILING!

The boys with Grandma Lupe and Grandpa Gilbert

Kai ate rice cereal today for the 1st time!

Disneyland....the boys rode the Matterhorn Roller Coaster for the 1st time today!

Luke LOVES Kai SO MUCH!!!

We took the trailer to the beach....

We had a wonderful relaxing Columbus Day weekend at the beach. Luke just loves it there as do we. I think it will be a wonderful memory for our children to have as they grow.

Brutally Honest.....

It is picture day at school today and one of my 4th grade students came up to me (in front of her mom) and asked me what was wrong......ARE YOU SICK? I said no. Actually, I thought I looked pretty nice since it is picture day and all. I even wore eyeshadow!

Thankful Thursdays.....

I have decided that every Thursday I am going to write something I am thankful for. Today it is.....

THANK YOU LORD THAT I AM NOT A SINGLE PARENT.

Off we went tonight to the pumpkin patch with a wonderful girlfriend and her two boys who are almost the same age as mine. The boys had a GREAT TIME and it is always fun to GIGGLE about a mom's INTERESTING MOMENTS.

Needless to say we went home tired!

Even though our husbands weren't able to join us, I take great PLEASURE in knowing there is HELP, CONCERN, and UNDERSTANDING once he gets home. i.e someone else to help wipe poopy butts, gives baths, clean-up smooshed cheese-its in the carpet, and of course spilled drinks! :0)

As I read in someone else's blog (I sorry I can't remember where...) Rinse, Lather, Repeat!

We finished Pee Wee Soccer! Yeah!

His turn at goalie......the ball actually went in between his legs and they scored!