Adventures of Sharkboy, Soccerqueen and Monkeyboy

Catching Up Part I

2010-08-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

Since I last posted anything substantial, a lot has happened in our lives. The kids started 8th, 6th and 4th grade and it was a busy year for us. Frank was finishing up middle school where Lexi was just starting. For the first time since he started school, Tyler was alone. My work schedule changed so we all had some big adjustments but in the end it worked out great.

Frank ended his years in middle school and the last year was hard for him. He is still playing guitar and had awesome concerts during the year.

During the fall season of football, we had the opportunity to start looking at high schools and things were put into motion for Frank to do the paperwork for Faith Lutheran High School. He tested in the spring, had his one on one interview and we learned just before school was out in June that he had been accepted and is now getting ready to start as a Crusader next Monday. We are so proud of him because it was a tough test and admission process but in the end he did very well. He went to camp in San Diego with his new team and got to experience his first earthquake and aftershocks. He has been working out all summer and is in great shape. We are excited to watch him play high school football. The team that he was on in the spring season went to the superbowl for the league and ended up dominating the game and winning. It was a great end to his last season of play for the league. We made some great friends in the past year because of football.

Lexi finished up her first year in middle school and it was a fun and tough year for her. She made new friends, lost some along the way and found herself in the process. She was in orchestra and is playing the bass string instrument and improved a lot during the year. She received a Presidential award at the end of the year and was on the deans list for straight A's for the entire second half of the year. She and I took several trips to LA to see Galaxy play and had a blast at the games and on the beach (more to come about that). She will start 7th grade in a couple of weeks and is looking forward to a new year. She is still playing soccer and this year played on the field more than in the goal for the first time ever and she even scored a goal. She traveled to Utah with her team to a tournament and visited Zion.

Tyler finished up 4th grade and will have the same teacher for 5th grade which is he really happy about. He did well being with out his brother and sister at school and was very responsible this year as he had to get himself to the bus everyday on his own. He broke his arm again for the 2nd time in 3 years. He was playing football and broke it in 2 places so he missed the entire spring season. He is back to playing again now and enjoying it very much.

We took several mini vacations but that will be another post all in its self....more to come in Part II

Bad Blogger

2010-05-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know where the time has flown to but it is way past time to do an update. A lot has happened since my last post so I will be doing a full picture update soon...but until then, we have celebrated holidays, birthdays, lost a dear friend, had some exciting changes in the kids school plans, won a superbowl, placed 2nd in soccer tournaments and traveled to Utah, the beach and disneyland. We are currently getting ready to head North in a month or so for family reunion...

Our Trip to Redondo Beach

2009-08-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights of our trip to Redondo Beach and to see LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders...

Lexi in the car on the way down.

Boys getting ready for the beach

Lexi on the beach, not going in...

Catching a wave.

My surfer boy!!!

Redondo Pier

Lexi and I on the Ocean Racer Boat

We saw seals while out on the boat

Beautiful View

After spending all day on the beach, Lexi and I went back to the hotel to clean up and head to the game. It was a great game with Seattle winning 2-0. David Beckham received his first red card in MLS and was ejected from the game along with Lewis from Galaxy and Marshall from Seattle.

The Home Depot Center Entrance

First in line to get in

In our seats with her new Galaxy tote bag

This is the view of the field..

Seattle Crew making their entrance

Zakhauni and company from Seattle

Landon Donovan who was suffering from Swine Flu and the rest of the non starters for the game. This is Lexi's favorite player. He did play the 2nd half.

David Beckham making his own entrance

We went back to the beach before heading home. The boys were worn out from the 9 hours they spent in the water the day before so they were only in it for a little while. This is the last picture I took as we were leaving.

We had a wonderful time and didn't want to come home.

End of Summer

2009-08-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

With summer coming to an end and practices starting up again, I am looking forward to a couple of trips. The first is to LA in the middle of August. Lexi's favorite soccer team is the LA Galaxy and her second is Seattle Sounders. It works out that they play each other before school starts and I was lucky enough to get really good tickets for a small price, so we are going. She is so excited to finally see her favorite players live and not on TV as she watches them everytime they are on. We are going to tape the game at home so we can watch it when we get back. If you are flipping the channels and come across the game between these two teams, look for us in the stands.

She isn't sure who she is rooting for that day but either way, her favorite team wins. She wants to be there early to see the warm ups and has found out that they are giving tote bags away that day so we will have to be one of the first 10,000 to the stadium, I feel a long day of soccer is ahead of us.

Originally it was going to be just her and I that went but then my sister in law decided to take my nephew and Frank to see the ocean and it happens it is the same weekend so we are going to ride down and stay at the beach. It should be a really fun trip and a nice get away before school starts. Tyler is a little bummed because he is staying home with his dad but they will have fun together.

My next trip was to Seattle but that is postponed for now. It was a solo trip for me with no kids and hopefully it will work out that I can go in October or sooner but more than likely October....I was really looking forward to some fresh seafood and enjoying the pacific northwest.

Happy Birthday Monkey

2009-07-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe that you are 9 years old. It seems like just yesterday that we were driving to the hospital at 100 miles an hour since you had decided not to wait until we got to the hospital to come into this world. I never heard you cry when you were born but boy you sure have made up for that since then. You had a rough start but I will never forget the first time that I finally got to see you with your eyes that were swollen shut from the blood vessels being broken in them and how much you looked like your brother.

You make me laugh each and every day and I thank you for that!!! I love your stories and jokes and my favorite will always be the first time we met Old Man Jenkins who was in China. I hope that you never lose the ability to make us laugh. You are adventerous and a daredevil and I love seeing the world through your eyes.

I hope that you have a wonderful birthday Monkey and just know how much I love you.

Mommy

Another 40th

2009-07-10T08:43:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, 40 seemed old but now that I am there (almost), it isn't old at all. Most of my friends turn 40 this year and today another one of my closest friends celebrates this milestone. This person came into my life when I was a freshman in high school. We both were the new kids in a class that was mostly kids who knew each other since kindergarden. It was a tough transition for both of us and I think that is part of the reason why we became such good friends. There were situations that brought us very close and I was even lucky enough to go to prom that year with him (even though at the time he didn't realize this is how I felt). He was someone that had big dreams and has been fortunate to achieve many of them and I am so proud of him. We remained extremely close friends throughout high school and the year we graduated, we were involved in a serious crash. He held my hand and kept me calm until we went to the hospital all the while in pain himself. I didn't see him again after this day as we both went our separate ways to different hospitals and then eventually on to college. We kept in touch here and there through the years and yet even with the distance, we somehow found each other and when we did talk, it was always easy and we picked up right where we had left off. We remained close friends and now with the age of technology, he is a big part of my life once again and I am ever grateful for that!

Happy Birthday my dear friend, since you didn't want anything, here is my gift to you. I hope that the next 40 years are as great for you as the last 40 have been, and thank you for being in my life once again.

Happy 40th Birthday

2009-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

40 years ago today, a very special person in my life was born. I didn't know her for the first 10 of her years but once we met, we became instant friends and were inseperable. The day we met I will never forget and I am so thankful that she has been apart of my life for 30 years. Through good times and bad, she never gave up on me and has always been there for me. She is an amazing mother and a great example as a person. When we were little kids, we dreamed of living next door to each other and raising our kids together. I am fortunate enough to say that in some respect this did happen. We don't live next to each other and lately haven't seen enough of each other but our kids were together when they were little all the time. Even though I don't see her much, that doesn't mean that she is not always close to me. I know that no matter what, she is just a phone call away and would drop what ever she was doing to come over if I needed her to and has done just that for me and I would do the same for her.

Happy Birthday Neece, I hope you have a wonderful day and know that I am thankful each and every day for you being brought into my life because friends like you don't come around very often.

5th Grade Graduation

2009-06-03T16:25:00.001-07:00

This was Lexi's 5th Grade Graduation Dance with her best friend Rachel who is standing next to her in the Kindergarden Graduation picture below. Wow, how much they have changed and grown in to beautiful young ladies. I cannot believe that they start middle school in the fall.

Happy Birthday Lexi

2009-05-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Kindergarden Graduation 2004

11 years ago today, I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl. She was overdue like her older brother but worth every minute we waited. I was so happy that she had dark hair but was afraid it would eventually go lighter which it didn't. Her eyes are the color of the water behind her in the picture and she has the most beautiful soul you will ever meet.

Lexi loves to read and has a quest for knowledge. She also loves to shop and is a girly girl but then she also loves soccer which is why we call her soccer queen. She would spend everyday either playing or watching if I let her. Her favorite treat is Starbucks.

She is one of the nicest people you will meet and some days is too nice to her brothers. She did inherit temper from both sides but luckily she is like her dad and it takes a while for it to come out but when it does, WATCH OUT!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl and thank you for being who you are and making me proud of you each and every day!

Love

Mom

New Moon Countdown

2009-05-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

Disneyland, Soccer and the Beach part III

2009-01-31T09:53:00.001-08:00

After the tournament was done on Sunday, we had promised the boys that we would take them to the beach.

This is from our hotel

The weather had cleared up and it was really nice but the water was COLD!!! The kids didn't care, they had a blast.

Sunset on Laguna Beach

Disneyland, Soccer and the Beach part II

2009-01-31T09:42:00.001-08:00

After getting to our hotel in Dana Point around 11pm, Lexi and I had to be at her team meeting at 6:30am. I left everyone else and took her to the game for warm up and then went back and picked Daddy up. It was pouring rain once again so the girls learned how to play in the rain and what it is like to have a wet, slick ball to kick. After the game, we went back to the hotel to dry off, eat breakfast and pick up everyone else to go to the second game.

Here is Frank still able to text even in the rain.

Here are some pictures of Lexi from the weekend.

This is her after the 1st game, sleeping on the way back to the hotel.

Disneyland, Soccer and the Beach

2009-01-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

Lexi's soccer team travelled to Laguna Beach for a soccer tournament last week so we made a family mini vacation out of the trip. Originally it was going to be just Lexi, Grandma and I but then I found a great deal on tickets to Disneyland so we decided that we had to take the boys because I would be too guilty without them and then at the last minute, Daddy was able to get the time off from work and go with us too. We did not tell the boys about Disneyland, we wanted to surprise them. We left home at 5:30 in the morning and headed to California. I had been watching the weather and it said that it was supposed to be cloudy with a chance of rain in the morning but boy were they wrong!! The sky was clear until we started to drop down into the LA valley. The boys did not figure out we where we were going until we were almost there. Here is a picture of them finding out.

We got to the park around 10:15 and the longest wait we would have all day was the tram from the parking to the parks.

Here are the boys as we headed to Disney's California Adventure.

After getting into the parks, Grandma went to find rain ponchos, umbrellas and hats (thank you Grandma!!!) because the clouds had opened up and dropped a downpour, the rest of us headed to ride Tower of Terror. It was a great ride and there was no lines for any of the rides. We would wait a few minutes and then get right on. Fastpasses were not necessary and we had a fantastic day. After spending a couple of hours in DCA and having ridden all the rides there, we headed to Disneyland. Here are some pictures from the day.

this is on the pier at DCA.

We ran into Tigger just as he was coming out to say hello so we didn't have to wait for him either.

Kids in Jail in Toontown

After a long day and riding everything, we decided to call it a day. We were all sore, cold, wet and hungry but had a fantastic day. I was a little sad walking down Mainstreet because I had looked all day but had not found Mickey. Just before the exit, Tyler had to go potty and as he and Grandma walked down the alley, I heard him yell, he had finally found Mickey and Minnie for me.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Next to come is the tournament.

Another Tag

2009-01-31T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged yet again so here is the 2nd picture in the 3rd folder. This is from the Turkey shoot tournament that Lexi was in last year.

I have been tagged again

2009-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

Klucky from Horses say Moo has tagged me so here goes. This is the 4th picture in my 4th folder.

This was from Halloween this year.

I now tag Lacey for this.

The 2nd Day After Christmas

2008-12-28T19:31:00.001-08:00

So the 2nd day after Christmas brought a trip to the emergency room with a leg broke in 2 places. The day started out great with the kids playing and while I was in the shower, they decided to go outside to play with Tylers new ripstick. Tyler comes running in that my 4th child (Franks best friend) has fallen and is hurt. I through on some clothes and started to go outside when I hear him crying in pain. He was laying in the middle of the street and saying his leg was broken. We got him up and out of the street and carried him into the house. There was a lump on his leg so we put ice on it and then I made the decision to call his mom. She sent his dad to pick him up because he was closer than her and 4 hours later, after a trip to the emergency room, he has a fracture in 2 places in his right leg. I feel so horrible!!! He has a temporary cast on it today and will be seeing the orthopedic to get a permanent cast this week. Luckily it will not require surgery, just a cast for 8 weeks. (not that having a cast for 8 weeks is good but better than the alternative).

We have spoken to him and his parents and he is doing well, just cranky because he cannot go outside and because the boys plans for the weekend got messed up. Crazy boys!!!

Christmas

2008-12-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas at my mom's house. She came in on the Saturday before and we finished our shopping up and then took the kids to her house. Frank and I went out there after I got off work on Christmas Eve.

The kids decorated their new stockings

and then we went to the candlelight service and it started raining while we were in there. I was hoping that it would get cold enough to freeze to have a white Christmas but it didn't happen. After church, the kids opened a present

and we settled down in bed to wait for Santa. The kids got up around 6 and the festivities began. Santa brought Tyler a ripstick, Frank an electric guitar and Lexi got a bunch of games.

We then cleaned up the mess from round 1 and started getting stuff ready for dinner. The rest of the family arrived and we opened more presents.

Tyler, TJ and Frank

Tammy, TT and Lexi

Lexi, Tyler, TJ and Frank

TT and TJ

The crew

The grandmas cooking dinner

after we got everything cleaned up, we came home and got ready to go to work the next day. TT had to fly home on Christmas night but we were glad she was here with us.

Bah Humbug

2008-12-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

So with 8 shopping days left, I cannot get into the Christmas spirit. I have not bought 1 gift as of yet. I have my tree up but it has not decorations on it because 15 minutes after we put it up, the cat climbed it so because of my bah humbug spirit, I just left it plain. There are no presents to put under it either. I don't know what to do..... It is not fair to my kids, this is supposed to be a fun time with shaking presents and trying to figure out what is inside the pretty wrapped boxes but I cannot find it in me to even decorate the tree.

My mom is coming in this weekend to take the kids to do their shopping as is her tradition. She started this when Sharkboy was 2 and took him to the dollar store. She has continued this every year since but now they do some at the dollar store and then some at other places too. It is my favorite part of Christmas because there is always a story or good thought of why they get the gifts they do and sometimes you have to really think about them or they are so excited to give it to you, they explain why they chose the trinket that they did. Hopefully having to help them wrap those things will help get my spirit jump started.

The Meaning of Christmas

2008-12-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

I found this on a block that I was stalking but thought it was very appropriate and enjoyed it so much, I thought I would share.

The Meaning of Christmas
Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask him.
The words choked in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, TEACH THE CHILDREN!
I was puzzled: What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.
As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, Teach the Children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that a now-a-day Christmas has forgotten!
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it on the mantle. Teach the Children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven.
He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. Teach the Children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of that promise.
He then reached into the bag and pulled out a CANDLE. Teach the Children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.
Once again he reached into his bag and then removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree.
Teach the Children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection.
He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF. Teach the Children that Santa Claus symbolizes the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.
He reached in again and pulled out a HOLLY LEAF. Teach the Children the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent blood shed by Him.
Next he pulled out a GIFT from the bag and said, "Teach the Children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the Children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should give gifts in the same spirit as the wise men."
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. Teach the Children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the shepherd's staff helps bring back strayed sheep from the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper.
He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. Teach the Children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth, peace and good will.'
Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulledout a BELL. Teach the Children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of a bell, it should bring people to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.
Santa looked at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the Children the true meaning of Christmas, and not to put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One who is, and I bow down and worship Him, our Lord, our God."

Looking Back at 2008

2008-12-09T10:08:00.001-08:00

As 2008 is getting close to ending, I thought I would do a recap of the year in our lives. 2008 started by me dealing with the 1 year anniversary of losing my dad. It was a sad month for me but I did survive with a lot of tears. Lexi played winter soccer and it was cold. We spent many nights at practice and games wondering who's idea it was to let her play in the winter.

As Winter ended and turned to spring, it started with the Granny moving here for good and what a blessing she has been to us. The boys played football and Lexi moved to Spring soccer and ended up with a concussion so she was out for several weeks. I heard from an old friend from high school that I have missed so much and was glad to hear from him. During this time as the weather was warming up, we suffered another loss, my Grandmother. My mom, Lexi and I made the trek to Idaho (14 hours) for the funeral and got a surprise of snow. We woke up to white stuff all over the place and it continued to snow up until the time of the funeral. We had a wonderful trip and got to see family that we hadn't seen in many years and met some new additions as well. We got home from Idaho and 10 days later, we loaded up everyone (except my sister in law who decided to fly) in Grannys new van and drove to Montana (15 hours with 4 adults and 4 kids) for my brother in laws wedding. We had a great time and saw some pretty country. We went thru Yellowstone and it was covered in snow but was so pretty. We got to see all kinds of wildlife including buffalo.

Before we left, my husband had hurt his foot but would not go to the doctor. He knew it was broke but did not want to be in a cast driving that far so he toughed it out. On the morning that we were leaving to come home, he stepped wrong on it and hurt it even worse. By the time we got home that night, it was so swollen and bruised. He went to the emergency room the next day and it was broke in 4 places. He spent weeks in a bionic leg (a fancy cast) and has now healed up nicely.

The boys finished a season of football and Lexi had finished a rough season of soccer and decided to move to another team which she loves and is doing well. We had another anniversary to remember, losing Papa N. 2 years ago. We spent the summer in the pool getting tan and then school started with Frank in 7th grade, Lexi in 5th and Tyler in 3rd. The fall saw another season of football and soccer so our lives were pretty much busy running kids from practice to practice.

As we finish up 2008, we are greatful that we have all of our family here with us and that we are all healthy. We will be celebrating Christmas with everyone at my moms house.

Beautiful

2008-12-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless ?' God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.' God said, Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?' God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

Who will protect me?' God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life'

But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.' God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mommy.'

Happy Birthday Sharkboy

2008-12-02T07:33:00.000-08:00

I have a teenager!!! Here is my tribute to my firstborn baby.

13 years ago, I gave birth a beautiful blonde hair, blue eyed baby boy. He was 12 days overdue and I had finally accepted the fact that I would be pregnant forever because he was in no rush to come out. When he finally decided to make his entrance in the world, it was well worth every minute of sickness and pain because he was the most wonderful baby I had ever seen. He slept good from the beginning and has loved to eat since he came out of the womb and that has not changed even to today.

Here are a few of the reasons that I love him so much.

His smile is warm and his laugh is infectious.

He gives the best hugs and now that he is taller than me, they are bear hugs.

He is a good student even though I am tough on him for being lazy.

He laughs at his brother all the time and even though it annoys me, I will always remember him laughing so hard he had milk out his nose.

The color of his eyes are the sky on a clear day.

He has gotten past the stage where it is not cool to give me a hug in front of his friends or tell me that he loves me.

He is a terrific big brother to his brother and sister and they are all very good friends.

He carries groceries for me.

He looks like his dad.

I hope that he has a wonderful 13th year and continues to mature into a young man.

I love you!!

Mom

What I did for Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T12:25:00.001-08:00

Lexi had a soccer tournament for the entire long weekend. She played a lot of games and the night ones were cold. They finished 3rd in their division and 6th overall out of 12 teams so they didn't do too bad. We had a good time and she played some great soccer.

Watching the Ball

Another Great Save

Happy Birthday Dad

2008-11-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where to start with this but I need to recognize today and tomorrow as they have great impact on my life. My father and father in laws birthdays are only 1 day apart and we lost them 6 months apart. Without these 2 amazing men, I would not be who I am or have the beautiful family that I do.

Sharkboy is the exact replica of my father in law. Since the day he was born, he had the most beautiful eyes and they are definately his Papa N's. Everyone thought that he has my eyes because I have light eyes but after seeing pictures of Dad N. as a kid, there is no doubt who Sharkboy looks like. At Papa's wake, we did a collage of pictures and there was one when he was 15 or 16. Everyone thought we had taken a picture of Sharkboy and put it up there. They were amazed when they found out that it was actually Papa N many years ago. He also has much of his personality that will take him far in life and he loves to argue which is again, his grandfather through and through.

Monkeyboy (or crash and burn as my dad called him) is my so much like my father. They are built alike, have many of the same attributes and the same strange sense of humor. He loves collecting rocks and I continually find them in the house but if he sees me trying to get rid of them, he has a fit because it is always special for some reason or another. My dad was happy to wander around looking for unique rocks. Monkey still has the first rock that my dad gave him.

Soccerqueen is a perfect blend of both. She got the adventurous side from both of them, especially when it comes to eating. Neither of them were afraid to try new creations and she is the same way. She loves butter which comes from her Papa N. She loves life for what it is and is willing to work hard to get what she wants which is from both of them.

We are lucky to have had them in our lives for the time that we did and miss them both very much every day.

Bounce Houses/Jumper Tents

2008-11-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Tyler went to a birthday party with all the kids from his football team. The parents had rented a big jumper with a slide for the kids to play in. During the course of playing, the tent started in deflate while the kids were in it and climbing the slide. Because it was deflating, those that were in it fell and hit the ground. One of the kids broke her arm and another was taken with a bad back injury. Tyler was one of those that were in it and fell and hit his jaw on the pavement. The paramedics were called and they checked out everyone that was in it for injuries. Luckily he is ok, he just has a swollen jaw that is black and blue. No broken bones or serious injury. The scary thing is that because the Soccer Queen had 2 games, I was not able to be at the party and they did not call to tell me anything had happened. My sister in law picked him up and that is when he told her what happened.

House Remodel

2008-11-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

We are having our house remodeled (sort of, just the flooring and new appliances). On Monday, we moved everything out of the house except for the bedrooms. The furniture was put out on the back patio and everything else was put where ever we could find a place for it. The tile guys were supposed to be here bright and early on Tuesday and we were told that as long as everything was out, they would be done in a day. Here are the pictures from Day 1 after they left....

Dining Room

Family Room

Living Room (the tiles are just for show at this point)

When I got home at the end of Day 1, I found that they had only pulled up the carpet and purchased the materials to put in our garage.

Day 2....

Dining room

Hallway and Living Room

Family Room

We did make some progress at the end of Day 2 but at this point, my appliance (stove, fridge, washer and dryer) have all been moved out so they could remove the old tile from the kitchen and laundry room.

I did not get any pictures of Day 3 because I was frustrated at this point. The tile they did have layed out was not grouted, just put down so we had to be very careful walking on them and with 3 kids, a BIG dog and 2 cats, this was a very tough job.

Day 4....

Dining Room

Kitchen

Hallway

Family Room (the fridge is still sitting here because

they have to come back to finish the baseboards)

We now have tile that is grouted but still needs another

wash or two in all of the rooms. The new stove will be

delivered on Wednesday (since they won't be done until

Monday and I have to schedule it out 48 hours and Tuesday

is a holiday). They are supposed to have everything done

Monday so only 1 more day of locking the cats up and taking

the dog to Grannys.

It will be really nice once it is done and we can move everything

back into our house and the frustration will be very well worth it.

My 1st Award

2008-11-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Klucky at Horses Say Moo gave me my 1st award,
Thank You Klucky!!!!!!!

I am passing this on to Lacey and the Hernandez Family.

Kids Sports

2008-11-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

My 2nd job (and the most important) is running kids around to various sporting events. Someone has practice every night of the week and then games all weekend. I usually have at least 3 games because Lexi plays for 2 different teams.

Tyler played for the Bears this season.

Getting ready to play.

and then we went to Lexis game

Here she is making another great save

and another. Great win 5-0 and another shut out.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are the pictures from 2008. It was just the 4 kids this year and not alot of houses to visit. It was a dark night in our neighborhood but the kids had a blast.

Not another pictures is what she is saying.

Frank did not dress up but went with us and it was a good thing
as you can see below in the next pictures.

Frank ended up carrying Momo most of the way.

Smiles at the end of the walk

Halloween

2008-10-29T09:07:00.001-07:00

Since Halloween is just a few days away, I thought I would share some pictures of previous years.

This was 2005. Frank was almost 10, Lexi 7 and Tyler 5. We had a bunch of friends and Grandma that went with us this year and we had a blast.

This picture below is from 2006. Frank was almost 11, Lexi 8 and Tyler 6. Tyler had broken his arm in 3 places and we had his cast put on that day. Lexi (aka Bob) is holding her best friend who was 17 months and has been going with us every year since then.

2007 - Frank was almost 12, his best friend, Lexi 9 and Tyler 7 and her best friend who was 2 1/2. It took us hours to get all the knots out of Lexi's dead soccer player hair.

We trick or treat through the neighborhood for a while and then come home to check out our loot. This year, Lexi is going to be a Hippie, Tyler a Football Player and I am not sure if Frank is dressing up or not, we haven't decided yet. I will post pictures soon.

Another Tag....

2008-10-21T14:22:00.001-07:00

Klucky from Horses Say Moo tagged me so here goes with 7 random things about me....

1. I am afraid of thunder and lightning
2. My birthday is in November, hubbys in December. My dads birthday is in November as well as my father in law's and my mother and mother in laws are both in December. My grandmother and hubby's grandfather's birthdays are in November, their spouses are in December.
3. I love penguins
4. I love the red sand and red rocks from Lake Powell
5. I love Hawaiian jewelry, especially anything with the plumeria flower
6. My favorite candies are Dots and Mickey Gummys from Disneyland
7. I hate snow

2nd Tag

2008-10-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

The 2nd tag I received was for the 6th picture in the 6th folder. How fitting is it that the week that I have been missing him more than ever, this would come up. This was 4 months after he died that we took his ashes to bury him with my oldest brother. My dad hated funerals so we did not have one, just a family bbq when he first died and then we did a graveside service when we could get back to Moab. It was a beautiful, clear day and our service was very short so I think he would approve it. We had a new headstone made for him, Bruce and mom (which we will put her there when she goes but hopefully that is a very long time from now!). There is a picture of a quail next to his name because while he lived in Pahrump, he fed the quails every day. He probably spent $500 on bird food but he loved getting up each day and talking to his critters. I don't know why this week has been so hard for me, maybe because it is getting close to our birthdays.

Tagged

2008-10-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Monkeymemories tagged me so here it is:

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket

2. Where is your significant other? grannys

3. Your hair color? blonde

4. Your mother? home

5. Your father? heaven

6. Your favorite thing? Family

7. Your dream last night? husband

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. The room you're in? family

10. Your hobby? reading

11. Your fear? spiders

12. Where do you want to be in six years? wealthy

13. Where were you last night? soccer

14. What you’re not? hungry

15. One of your wish list items? vacation

16. Where you grew up? Utah

17. The last thing you did? sat

18. What are you wearing? clothes

19. Your TV? off

20. Your pet? fighting

21. Your computer? new

22. Your mood? stressed

23. Missing someone? dad

24. Your car? dirty

25. Something you’re not wearing? hat

26. Favorite store? costco

27. Your summer? hot

28. Love someone? family

29. Your favorite color? yellow

30. When is the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? today

Faith

2008-10-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

The definition of faith according to Merriam Webster is the following:
Pronunciation:
\ˈfāth\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural faiths \ˈfāths, sometimes ˈfāthz\
Etymology:
Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide
Date:
13th century
1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1): fidelity to one's promises (2): sincerity of intentions2 a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction ; especially : a system of religious beliefs

I have been taught from a very early age to walk by faith not by sight. Sometimes this is easier said than done and at times I have done that more than others. Sometimes it is just easier to just try and do things how I think they should be done rather than to have faith that things will work out. I have been studying and this is a reoccuring factor that keeps showing up so lately I have relied on faith for things to work out and to my surprise (which it shouldn't surprise me), this has happened. Maybe not as quickly as I would like or resulting as I would like but they always work out. In this tough time that the country is facing, I am having faith that things will once again come into check and that things will work out for everyone.

Seasons

2008-09-23T15:38:00.001-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of year and I am really not sure why. Having grown up at Lake Powell, we did not have seasons, just summer or winter (with the occasional spring and few days of fall). When I was 15, we moved to Northern Nevada where for the first time experienced the leaves changing, the air turning brisk and all the scents and sites of this beautiful time of year. Now that I live in the desert again, I once again don't have this season to enjoy. I don't really like Halloween but the idea of making caramel apples, the scent of apple cider and there is nothing better than biting into a nice crisp, juicy apple!!! I love taking a ride to Red Rock Canyon or Mount Charleston to see the leaves turning orange, yellow and brown which are both about half an hour or more drive but it is worth it. My mom is lucky enough to be taking a fall foliage cruise next week and I am hoping she brings me lots of pictures of the trees.

So Far So Good

2008-09-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried the dryer when I got home the other day and much to my surprise it worked. This was a surprise because so much had happened that I was just expecting the worst once again. I have used it a couple of time since then and it continues to work but I got a new tip from a friend (Thanks Klucky) that I am going to try when I get home to help see if there is lint that may have been stuck. Either way, I am just thrilled to be able to do laundry when I need or want to (not that I really ever want to) and not just on Sunday afternoon. I never thought I would be thrilled over something like this but hey, this is a big deal.

I still haven't gotten pictures of the kids in their new uniforms (since they all 3 went to different teams this season) but I am going to try and get some tomorrow at Soccer Queen and Monkey Boys games. Soccer Queen has 2 games each week from this week on so I should be able to get something of her :)

Gremlins

2008-09-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

With all the things that have fallen apart in my life lately, I was beginning to think I had a black cloud following me. I know that my faith is being tested so I am trying to concentrate on the good and the things that are right in my life but today I am feeling that I have Gremlins in my house. We got the garage door repaired, a new computer purchased and hooked up that is running great and my wonderful Hubby was even able to get the old one running and hooked to a network so we now have 2 computers to search the net with. Things are starting to look up!!! My dryer was still not repaired and that was something that we were working on this week and this is where it gets a little strange. What happened was that I was doing another load of the never ending laundry (which is a whole nother subject because I swear it multiples at night) and it was taking forever to dry. I finally realized that the dryer was not heating up. Luckily, Granny is just around the corner so I have been doing the laundry at home and drying it down there for the past couple of weeks. It hasn't been to bad or inconvenient because her house feels like home to me anyway and it forces me to put all the laundry away instead of leaving the socks to fold themselves. I washed clothes yesterday and I never dry my jeans so I put them over the shower to dry last night but they were still a little damp this morning. I put them in the dryer because it still turns, and blows air, it just doesn't get warm. After about 20 minutes in there, I decided that they would be good enough to rush out the door to work. Well, to my surprise when I opened the dryer door, my pants were warm. Now I haven't used my dryer in 2 weeks so maybe it needed a rest but I think the Gremlins have been playing with me, just to drive me nuttier that I already am.

I am going to test it again tonight just to make sure I am not crazy and hopefully it will continue to work until Hubby can work his magic on it to repair it for good. It was nice to start my Monday with some good news rather than the bad that has been happening lately.

We Will Never Forget

2008-09-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am like most Americans that remember where I was and what I was doing 7 years ago today. I was getting ready for work when Sharkboy informed me that a plane had hit a building and we needed to call his Poppa to make sure that he was ok. About that time, the 2nd plane hit and from that second until the next day, we did try to call but of course the phone lines were down so we could not get through. My hubby was at work and was calling me to see if I had heard anything from Poppa or Granny but my answer was continually the same, no. He had limited access to information at work so my phone minutes were burned trying to keep him updated on what I could gather from the internet at my work. As the day wore on, so did our worry and I remember picking up Sharkboy from school and him asking if we had talked to Poppa. The hardest thing was telling him no. I don't think I have searched the internet as much as I did that day for any information that I could get from any media. I searched faces in pictures and as lists of missing were posted, I searched them too but found nothing. As the night wore on, we were back and forth between hoping that no news was good news to dispair that no news was bad news.

Fortunately for our family, he had ran into a friend and was able to get to New Jersey as all the bridges, tunnels and ferries were closed to get home and he sent an email saying he was ok. For many, they did not have such news and because of that, WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

Observations of Idiots

2008-09-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is because I spent 12 hours out in the blistering hot sun of Las Vegas so my brain is melted but I have never seen so many adults acting like idiots over football. Yesterday was Jamboree for the boy's football teams. This is a gathering of all teams in each division to play against other teams before the season kicks off, sort of a "preseason". It is a chance for the teams to run their offensive and defensive plays in a game setting. There is no score kept and they don't play on a full field, no referees, just coaches and players. It is a great idea especially for the little ones because for some of them, it will be the first time they have ever been in uniform, on a field, running plays. They are excited and full of positive energy but the older the kids get, the less positive energy there is and it seems that there are more idiots. My day started out by me leaving the house with Monkey Boy and Soccer Queen at 8am. We were all packed with chairs, umbrellas, sunscreen, water, ice, cooler and of course football gear. We arrived at the park and found the team which consists of 30 boys in the ages of 6-8 all ready to play. This session went off very smooth and with no injuries. Moms were proud and excited, Dads were talking superbowls and NFL for the kids, and the boys, well they just had a blast. We finished around 12:30 but Soccer Queen had to be at her game at 1:15 so Granny took the monkey home to change and feed him some lunch while I took her to the baking oven. Mind you that I had now been outside for 5 hours in 107 degree heat so I was a little melted by this time and when I got to a new park she had never played out and found out they had turf with rubber backing, I was a little frustrated because it felt like an oven. Her game got over at around 3:15. We then ran home, changed our clothes because I was soaked in sweat, picked up the boys and headed to the 2nd session of jamboree. We had to be there at 4:30 so they could get warmed up or whatever so I found a nice shade tree and laid in the grass until 6pm. This is where I started to notice the idiots everywhere. This session was for kids between 12-16. The first team we played was ok but on the field next to us, the idiots were fighting with everyone. Parents were on the field yelling at coaches, kids and other parents and the head coach of this particular team was running his mouth to anyone that would listen. Our attention was quickly diverted to the action on the next field and it is amazing how quickly we forgot our own kids were still playing. This group of idiots (when I say idiots, I am referring to the parents and supporters, not the kids) moved over to where we were sitting. The fighting continued on our field because they were standing in front of us so that we could not see our kids so our parents asked them to take a knee so we could see which the kids did but the parents and coaches were ready for a fight and started in on our parents. The head idiot (or coach if you want to call him that) was belittling our kids as they were playing and talking so much trash it was uncomfortable to all of us on the sidelines. When they finally got to the field with our kids, it got even uglier. Because they were teaching their kids to play a certain way which is dangerous, and players were getting hit late, hit dirty, our coaches opted to end this session and get our kids out of harms way but not without the league officials stepping in for the 2nd time in a matter of 20 minutes . Our coach who has a temper and hot head also turned into an idiot for a minute and gave in to their level of class and words were exchanged. Our boys were able to "score" (no score was kept but they did allow them to run into the endzone) several times before the ending was called. As this team moved to the next field, the fighting continued with the next team. I don't know of the head idiot will survive to see his first game because of all the parent complaints from all the teams and this is so sad for the kids that just want to play football. How easily it is to forget these kids are in middle school and not the NFL with million dollar contracts, the boys just want to play and have a great time but parents (or idiots) can ruin it so quickly. By the time I arrived home at 9pm, I was a melted mess of goo that had no clear thoughts but now that I have cooled down and rested, my opinion of idiots is still the same, idiots will be idiots no matter the situation.

Another One Bites The Dust

2008-09-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

It seems that everything in my house is falling apart. It started with the air conditioner a month or so ago and has just continued with the fish tank, my mother in law's freezer, our computer, and now our dryer and garage. I left for work and it opened and closed fine but then I realized that I had forgotten my purse at home so I turned around and headed back home only to have the garage door not open but a couple of inches. So now I have to call and get someone out there to repair it... Our dryer died over the weekend, it still turns but will not heat up. Hopefully we can get it fixed over the next week.

It has been a very long week (even though I only had to work 4 days) and I am ready for the weekend but even then, I won't have a break, because the boys have football jamboree all day on Saturday so I will be out at the field. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post of them in their uniforms. I am ready to go back to bed and start this week over.

Back in Business

2008-09-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

We were able to successfully purchase and install our new system. I am loving it, for the little time that I have spent on it since Saturday night. It is much faster than our old system (which we have had since 2001) and were in need of a new upgrade. My weekend was spend with Soccer Queen at a tournament here in Las Vegas. Her team did well and she was very tired after 3 days of soccer. The boys both have a football jamboree next Saturday so my weekend will once again be spend out in the sun. More about that later.

Condolences for our computer

2008-08-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, our computer at our house has died. We are in the process of obtaining a new one and hopefully we will be up and running on Saturday but as of today, I am lost at home without my PC friend. It all started a while back when we noticed our computer was running really slow. Monkey Boy said that we should to to finallyfast.com because Club Penguin (CP as he calls it) wasn't working how he wanted it. We had a couple of minor issues but nothing big but we decided (after talking to a computer tech) to add an addtional virus protector and it found lots of bad bugs. We got them all cleaned up and it had been working decent since then until yesterday. My hubby was in our room when he heard a pop noise in the computer room. He assumed that it was one of our 4 legged babies who is infamous for knocking stuff off the desk so he went to see what fell now. To his surprise, he found our computer smoking. He sent me a text message and I thought he was kidding but no, it was true. He took it apart and hopefully it is just the power supply which all the signs point too but it could be the nasty mother board has given up. I am hoping for the first because that means I will be able to recover all my pictures (which I always said I would back up but never did).

In the mean time, Monkey Boy is having fits because his friend is on and today the new stuff came out and he cannot get on to see it. Life of luxury for the kids.

Getting Started

2008-08-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have been reading many of my friends blogs so I thought I would give it a try. I am not sure where to go with it but I am looking forward to getting it set up and will have fun doing it.

I have titled my page for each of my 3 kids because essentially they are my life and focus. I will do a bit on each of them when I can get some pictures added. Our computer at home died today and we are now researching on getting a new one. I am hoping that we did not loose all our pictures from the last couple of years :(

Check back later for another update and hopefully pictures.