Quote of the Day!

We were sitting eating lunch today and I noticed that Zachary had dropped a pile of his Macaroni and Cheese onto the table. When I went to ask him to clean it up out came, "Can you Mac the Cheese please?" Wow, I'm more tired than I thought!

Christmas Bells are Ringing

We are in day two of December. The Holidays are in full swing. We have the Christmas decorations up inside and have begun our advent tree adventure. The countdown is on!

Life continues to be busy. Isn't that so for all of us? But this time of year is always so full. So many more activities, places to be and people to see! This year is no exception except we decided to make it even more busy! In less than 2 weeks (1 week and 4 days to be exact...but I'm not counting!) we are leaving for an impromptu road trip to Colorado. I was really missing Susie and during one conversation with her we were saying how nice it would be to spend the Christmas season together. I just automatically thought it wasn't even an option (we already have a trip planned for March when the baby is born and this is already the most expensive time of year!) and was really sad. Then those wheels started turning...why can't we go, really? Craig has a job he can work anywhere. Gas is at a 15 year low. Tyler gets out of school two weeks before Christmas...and so I talked to Craig. And talked. And talked, until he started to see what a grand idea it was! Within two days a trip was planned and we are all so excited!!! Oh to just sit around, scrapbook, watch the snow fall (HOPEFULLY!) bake, exchange gifts, feel Bella kick, play games late into the night (you can do it Craig!)and just enjoy the season with my best bud! We are also excited to see Craig's family. It was fun to surprise his mom with the news! Being able to celebrate Christmas with them as well will be a lot of fun and a first since she moved and the kids were born. We wait for this trip in eager anticipation!

Last night we kicked off our Advent Calendar. Night one was going to Disneyland with the Hooper family. The boys absolutely love this tradition and have been eagerly waiting for December 1st! When they picked the card and saw we were going to Disneyland, and with their best buddies no less, they screamed and jumped up and down! It was a fun night of "snow" , "Small World" all lit up, decorations everywhere, the castle lighting and of course rides. I love Disneyland at Christmas time!

So busy as it is, I am feeling excited, blessed and thankful!Excited for Christmas, blessed that we are able to go to Colorado and that Craig has such a great job, and thankful for good friends to celebrate this season with!

Quote of the Day

As we were leaving Disneyland tonight, it was starting to rain. I said, "Hey guys it's starting to rain again" (it had been raining and stopping for a few hours). To which Tyler replied, "Yeah, and it only rains once a year here!"

Quotes of the Day!

Here are a couple more from Zachary. Enjoy!

While in Vegas about a month ago, he was looking puzzled and than asked, "Why is Vegas lost?" As we had been saying "Las Vegas" he had been hearing, "Lost Vegas!!"

And, Jacob was doing something funny at lunch time and I said to Zachary, "Isn't he funny?" and he replied with, "Yeah! Funnier than I thought!" =0)

Quote of the Day!

I think I am going to try and keep up with this...it may be more like "Quote of every few days"...or even "of the week!" =0) We'll see how it goes!

Today's quote is brought to you by Zachary! So here it is.

"Outer Space is the BIGGEST space of all!"

What's That?

Jacob has developed a habit over the past few months. Actually, I'm not sure habit is the right word. More like a skill or a sixth sense. Whenever there is food around, preferably snack foods or treats, he knows. No matter how quiet and careful I try to be he always knows. If I try to unwrap something, even if he his fully engaged in something else I suddenly hear, "Was dat?" and see those eyes staring at me. If there is a hint of a crinkle from a cracker box I am sure to hear, "Was dat?" This morning I went downstairs to indulge in some leftover donut pieces from church. Jacob was upstairs mind you. Silly me thought I was going to get away with it until I heard it. "Was dat? Jakey share donut?" Man, that boy is crafty!

Broken Moon

A cute story. A few weeks ago Jacob was looking out the window at the moon which was a crecent shape. He started urgently saying, "Broken!! Moon is broken!" He then saw it a few days later and said, "Moon broken!! Fix it Daddy??"

Halloween...It's What You Make It

Halloween. Such a controversial time for Christians. When Craig and I first were married, we talked about the Holiday and how our kids would participate. His initial reaction was that they didn't need to trick or treat to which I quickly disagreed. While growing up, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. Getting to dress up and receive a ton of free candy...couldn't get all that much better then that! I have to admit that I loved it so much, I trick or treated into my high school years! I know that the initial Holiday itself is evil, and that many awful things occur on the 31st. But when we partake in the festivities, along with the majority, it is a time for fun and memories. Our children will never be allowed to dress as something evil or scary. We will participate in the Church Festivals, carve pumpkins and enjoy mounds of candy! Thankfully Craig is fully on board now and we both relish seeing our little ones dressed up so cutely and hearing their little voices as they say "Trick or Treat"!



And to keep our traditions alive, we went to Whittier for the festivities. First we went to my best friends parents. There we had the kids trick or treat at a few houses and took lot's of pictures.









Then we headed off to our home church,Whittier Hills,for their Harvest Festival. We met our good friends the Hoopers there, as we have spent Halloween with them for the last several years. The boys loved the bouncers, playing the games and even Jacob was able to join in this year. It was so much fun to see many friends that we hadn't seen in awhile as well. It was a great night of memories!

Contagious Joy

Saturday, after a morning of soccer games, we came back home. My parents had given the boys a little piano that has a working microphone attached to it. They thought it was the best and that started the wild dancing, singing and running around the house that ensued. The boys have so much life, love, excitement and energy in them. They love to run around the house, wrestle and dog pile anyone who will oblige. Their joy is contagious and we just laughed with them, taking in the moment. I love my family!!

What are some things that you did with your parents growing up, that you look back at with fond memories?

Double Standards

I have been very frustrated lately with the political views that have been flying around Facebook, forwards and the like. At first I didn't think much of it, but then as I noticed all the views being expressed were basically one sided, and that they were bashing those who believed differently, it really began to bother me. I brought the subject up with Craig last night and felt my blood pressure go up. I said that I was at the point where I wanted to speak up on Facebook, that someone needed to represent the other side. But I figured my blog would be a good place to get my feelings out on the subject.

If someone wants to support something they believe in, I believe that is their right. What I don't understand, is people saying that others are not "tolerant" when they themselves are not "tolerant" of those people they are speaking about. If I choose to believe that abortion or a gay life style is wrong, does that make me intolerant? Or does that mean that I believe the Bible to be 100% true? The Word of God. That I don't pick and choose what I want to be true out of the Bible and ignore the rest. That when He says that marriage should be between a man and a woman, I follow that. And when He says that we should not kill, I follow that. Just as I should follow other things like loving my neighbors, not lying, caring for the poor...are those things wrong as well? I know that those commandments fall under the "politically correct" section but the others do not.

And I know there are extremist. Those who choose to take things way too far and instead of showing love, they show hate. And that is not biblical. That is not what Jesus did when He was on earth and not what He would want us to do now. Although He does not condone same sex relationships, He would not have us hate those that are gay. We are to love our brothers gay or straight. If a women has an abortion, we are not to hate her. We don't have to agree with it, but we need to show her love.

So for those who seem to think it's OK to call me intolerant, stupid, unbelievable, uneducated, etc., I would just like to ask what that makes you?

Potty and Go-Go's.

Jacob has slowly been learning to "go on the potty". We are not pushing him as with his personality, we know that would not go over well. So we put the potty out, talk about it, ask if he wants to go and watch potty videos. He goes once every few days and has even told us he has to go, held it and then gone. He gets various rewards for going ranging from fruit snacks, to small candies. One thing he LOVES are yogos...yogurt covered fruit snacks. He calls them go-go's which we think is the cutest thing (isn't it though?) Anyway, tonight he was asking for his go-go's. I asked if he had to go potty. He says "pee-pee potty!" so we go try, twice, and no potty. He then asks for the go-go's but I put them up in the bathroom. He then decides to have a complete meltdown. After asking again for his treat, not getting the answer he wanted and more yelling and tears, he gets up, pulls on my arm and says, "Come on Mommy, come on! Too dark!" So I go with him to the bathroom again turn on the light and ta-DA, he finally goes. Just a little bit but he knows that qualifies. Man, when there's a will, there's a way!

Everyone Loves a Pumpkin!

Last Friday we went to a pumpkin patch to bring home a nice round pumpkin to call our own! Usually it would be a full event, rides and all, but this year we are pinching pennies. Thankfully the boys were just super happy to be picking out a pumpkin they didn't even miss the rides! Tonight when Daddy finally gets home from his long 3 days at the L.A. Convention Center, we will turn our pumpkin into a Jack-o-lantern. And fun will be had by all!











And today Zachary had his little Halloween party at school. The kids got to dress up and then parade around the park. The parents were stationed every few feet with bags of candy and the kids went around and trick or treated. Zachary had a blast! Just a few days more until the big event!

Hello God!

I was just going around and opening up windows on our second floor. (Man it sure has been hot!) As I opened one Zachary ran over and yelled out into the open air, "Hello God! I want you to come over to my house!" How cute is that?

Seriously?

So last Thursday night, the night before my Dr's appointment mind you, I was heading to bed. I rounded the corner from our bathroom into our bedroom and Craig had just turned the lights out. My eyes had not adjusted yet so I could see nothing...most pointedly the suitcase still laying on our floor. Before I knew what had happened, I was flying onto the floor and of ALL places, landing ON MY HURT FOOT!!! Not anywhere else...my knees, hands, other foot ...leg...oh no, the left broken foot. Seriously?!? I just lay there for the longest time in disbelief. I sometime truly think I am jinxed!

The next day at the appointment I told the Dr. what had happened the night before. He had been ready to just have the assistants put light bandaging on my foot after he looked at it...I was so happy to be getting the cast off and to have only two weeks left!! Then he looks at the x-rays. Dislocated. Again. "Thankfully," he tells me, "I put two screws in there so I don't have to go back in". Holy crap!!! I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He wanted to know what a suitcase was doing in the middle of the floor...sheesh...it was obviously not put away yet! He then said he was going to have a full hard cast put on and I begged him not to. Going from the expectation of having less on my foot to more was completely unbearable. Thankfully he allowed the soft cast. And I now have at least another 4 weeks completely off the foot...and that's after already being off it for FIVE!! When the nurses came back in to package my foot back up, they knew I was super upset and felt really bad. I was at the point where I couldn't talk because then I would bawl...not a fun place to be. And as for the look of my foot...horrible. Peeling, red, purple and yellow, raw in spots and just plain awful looking.

Please pray that no further injuries occur. I have been so crazy careful and I can't believe that from just a few seconds I set myself back so far. I need my foot back. I need to be able to resume all of my responsibilities and all of the extra Christmas ones that are coming my way. And, man, I just need a break! (NO pun intended!!)

Little Illustrator

When we moved into this house, the boys received our old dinner table as a craft table. They now have a space completely devoted to creativity. As a result, we have seen their drawing abilities and love for art dramatically increase over the past year. Just these past few weeks or so, Zachary has become obsessed with "making books". We thought he would have fun making the first and that would be it, but they just keep on coming! I have never seen him do something with such fervor! Now when it's quiet, I know I'll find him at the table, creating a new book. At least once a day now he comes running, "Mommy I'm done! Can you please staple my book??" He started off making a book for each member of the family. Then he started giving them themes, such as Dinosaurs or Sonic characters. It is so sweet to see how proud he is of his books and to hear him "read" them to us. He is quite a good storyteller and is very entertaining!

Thought you might enjoy some of his art work. Let him know you stopped by to take a look!





Wall-E


Sonic the Hedgehog


Shamu (One of my favorites!)




Holding a book with a Golden Sonic cover.


Taking a break to hug brother!


The illustrator, Zachary James, 4 years old.

And Life Goes On...

It has been so long since I last wrote. So many times I have thought of things I wanted to Blog about but never had the time. We have been going at full speed the past few weeks (well as fast as you can go on one leg!=0)) I guess I'll start there!

I'm still off of my foot. This Friday I have another Dr's appointment where they will do an x-ray to see the progress. I am really hoping for a glowing report!! It has been over 4 weeks now since I broke it and I am very ready to retire my flamingo status! The stitches came out last Monday which was very painful. I can't believe how tender my foot is! I am so happy to have that part over with! Prayer for the quickest healing would be appreciated!

A few weeks back Susie and Adam came for a visit. I had been looking forward to this visit since we left Colorado last March! Having my friend so far away has been a very hard thing for me to deal with this past year. People in your life come and go but she is one that I thought would always be near. Spending almost everyday together since 8th grade brought us a great, close friendship. So, months apart are not easy on me especially now that she's bringing a baby into the world! They arrived here on October 5th and the next day, we held her shower. I was really worried about pulling everything together with my broken foot but thankfully the shower went very smoothly and there were lot's of friends and family there to celebrate. I being a mother of all boys, was especially elated when they found out she was having a girl! Planning a pink shower was a lot of fun and so was shopping for a girl! I am already bursting in anticipation of baby Bella's birth in February!


That Tuesday night they came to stay with us and were here through Sunday morning. It was a great four days and wish it could have been longer! We hung out, played our favorite game Settler's of Catan while watching movies. We went to the Wild Animal Park which I was once again grateful for a wheelchair! One of the nights my other life-long friend, Melinda, came over and just the 3 of us went out to dinner! It was really nice to sit and chat with my girls and then go home and play our favorite game from childhood, NERTS. We have been playing that together for at least 15 years. So neat to have such history and longevity with friends. On Saturday, we went to the outlets for a bit and helped start Bella's wardrobe! I was super happy sitting amongst all of the sweet baby girl clothes. The clerks kept asking if we wanted a bag but I was perfectly happy to have all of the stuff right on my lap where I could look at it! That night family came over to hang out and say their goodbyes. And then it was on to more Settlers! It was nice to see Susie's growing belly, try and "talk" to Bella and constantly ask, "Is she moving much right now"? I'm sad to miss out on the rest of the pregnancy but I have made her promise to take lot's and lot's of pictures (you hear that Suze??) and we talk everyday about seeing baby Bella when she's born. I think Zachary may almost be as excited as I am!


A few days after they left, we headed out to Vegas. Craig had a convention to speak at that had been planned for months. I figured it would be easier to go with him still then to be alone for 3 days. It was a quick trip, Tuesday thru Thursday. Craig was only gone on Wednesday and the boys and I mostly hung out in the room except for a trip out for lunch. They were really well behaved and it worked out better then I had hoped. Both nights there we watched the Bellagio's Water Show. Both free and very entertaining...a great combination! The set-up inside the Bellagio's Conservatory was the best I had seen yet. It is always beautiful but they really outdid themselves. I always marvel at the beauty of Vegas in the midst of all the ugliness. If I could just take away the smoke, sex and the smoke it would be a truly amazing place!


This past Friday, the night after we got back, it was off to an Amy Grant concert! Something else I have anticipated for months! Amy has been my favorite singer since elementary school so it's always a treat to see her. Especially since she only comes in our area every few years. The concert was held at a Church in Irvine so the "smaller" (still over 3,000 people!) venue was fun too! She had recreated the exact band from over 20 years ago for her Lead Me On Tour. So all the songs she sang were from the 80's but she also stuck some in at the end that had not yet been recorded. "Lead Me On" wasn't one of my favorite albums (now if she did a "Heart in Motion" or "House of Love" tour I wouldn't be able to contain myself!) but it was Amy so it didn't matter! I love hearing her talk, always so funny. Seeing what a great entertainer she is. Hearing her sing and watching her dance. It was a fun night!

The next day was filled with soccer, snacks for both teams and a Halloween party. More fun to be had by all! Hopefully life will now slow down a bit...after Tyler's Dermatology appointment, both older boys dentist appointments...and those are all just today! And life goes on.





A part of the Bellagio Conservatory.

I Want to Have My Cake and Eat it Too

The last week has continued to be a struggle for me. The pain is still there. The struggle to figure out how to "live" this way is mounting, not getting easier. I'm just down and trying to fight myself, and the negative thoughts that seem to fill my head no matter how hard I try and push them out. I am reading Max Lucado's "Just like Jesus" and there was an entry about focusing on God every moment of everyday. That means waking with him in my mind from the moment I open my eyes at the start of a new day to ending my day falling asleep in His arms. He writes of a man who tried to achieve this...literally being with God every minute of the day. This man kept journals of how difficult it was to stay focused but that when he did he felt complete and utter joy like he had never experienced before. So much so that nothing else mattered and everything fell into place. It really stuck out to me reading that today. That I want to come out of this place of misery and even more than that, be the complete opposite, basking in his love and perfection. This is what I will continue to strive for.

May the Best Story Win...

So I have been getting lot's of questions from those I know and from complete strangers as well. They all want to know what happened to my foot and how I did it. I always say I wish I had a better story to tell...one of bravery or one that's just plain cool. So that's where you come in! Come up with an awesome story of how I came to dislocate/break my foot and leave it in my comment section under this blog. After a few days I'll try and have a vote for the Best Story and that's the one I'll tell people (first anyway!)when they ask! Hopefully this will pull some more of you lurkers out as well...come out come out where ever you are! This could be a lot of fun!

May the best story win!=0)

Our Past Days in Snapshots.

I made it to Tyler's first Awards Ceremony of the year where he received an award for being a "Creative Toucan". It was the morning the day of the surgery and I was so grateful to be there! We are so proud of our little artist!!=0)








This is Tyler's First Grade teacher, Mrs. Lance.

After the surgery Susie sent me a beautiful basket of fruit from Edible Arrangements. So SWEET (literally!) Thank you so much my friend!!







I was having a hard time sitting around and focusing so much on the pain in my foot today so I went and watched the boys soccer games. Great memories of the week before! Ugh! Really though, thanks to the invention of the wheelchair for that trip! I enjoyed being able to see the boys play!