My Kids Like Squid

2011-11-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

Have not blogged in forever. but if you are checking in here it might mean that you have been linked through comments I have left on your blogs. All is well here in Camarillo CA, my dear husband still will not consider another adoption of any kind, so I, being the crazy mom I am, continue to support all you adopting families in the only way I can, through prayers and a few bucks here and there. God bless you for following your hearts and your husbands who also follow what they believe. There will be a high place for y'all in heaven!! xoxox

2010-05-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

2010-03-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

2010-02-19T22:23:00.000-08:00

Michelle....I would do anything to bring you here.

Please pray for this tiny girl, that her family will find her soon.

Michelle.....

Hiatus!!

2009-12-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

My mom is not doing well, I have nothing new to report and I am feeling depressed and down

Taking a break. Maybe catch me on FB.

XOXOXO,

kelly

p.s. might be doing this again if we decide to foster, maybe this summer.

I want this girl!

2009-11-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Is she not adorable? I am pretty sure she is in the same region as Nick was. Maybe even the same baby home. Wouldn't it be awesome if someone who is very stubborn would let us adopt her? I would be very thankful!!!!! They say she is healthy. She has Ds and will be shipped off to the institution very soon. I can't stop thinking about her. Look at her lips...look at that little ponytail on top of her head, just like the one Sophie wears. She is awesome. I want her to be our daughter so bad. If only........

Thankfulness Day 14

2009-10-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Again I will add 2 things in which I am thankful for Today!

First: Finally a Rainy Day.....YAAAYYYY!!!!!

Second: Ugg Boots: I love them, my kids love them. They are so comfy and warm on a cold day. Hooray for Ugg Boots.

Thankful Heart Day 12

2009-10-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Okay....bust me! I have not been able to keep up with this thing. So once again I will chunk days 10, 11 and 12 into one entry.

Below are three very profound things in which I am deeply grateful:

1. Survivor

2. The Amazing Race

3. The Real Housewives of Atlanta

I am so thankful that I can sit down at the end of a long day and watch "my" Reality Shows. I have never missed an episode of any of these, I ought to add that I am deeply thankful for my DVR because if I did not have him, I would never get to enjoy the 3 gems mentioned above. So there, now I'm caught up.

Thankful Heart Day 9

2009-10-09T21:46:00.001-07:00

The kids had the day off school today...some teacher training mumbo jumbo. They are just happy to have a day off. We slept in, then got some yummy sandwiches at Jersey Mikes and headed to Sycamore Cove. It was a not so beautiful day, cloudy and cool but who cares....I am thankful that I can throw my kids in the car and be at the beach in about 15 minutes. I am thankful for where I live. I love California. I have never lived in any other place. I have lived in several cities in CA each not more than 30 minutes from the beach. There was an ocean view out of the hospital window where I was born. I enjoy writing "Newport Beach" when I have to write the city of my birth. I am so thankful to live in California.

Thankful Heart! Day 8

2009-10-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

This post certainly might be TMI (too much information) but maybe it might be helpful to someone out there. I am thankful today for Novasure Endometrial Ablation. I had this procedure done about 2 years ago. It was and is everything it is supposed to be. I am beyond thankful that I had it done. It totally works.

Thankful Heart!

2009-10-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Day (What is today?) I think this is supposed to be Day 7. Today, I am thankful for my job as a stay at home mom. I used to have a "real" job. I know this mom-thing is a very REAL job, I'm talking about a job where I actually got paid and had to wear clothes other than sweat pants. I liked it. I was a teacher. I like my present job a lot better. I am thankful to my dear husband that he is able to provide for us in a way that enables me to stay home and be a full-time mom. Even though most of what I do could be defined as full-time driver and part time-maid. It's still a pretty good deal. On a side note....the weather has become a bit cooler here in CA. Yesterday I had an early morning PTA meeting so I actually put jeans and long sleeved shirt on. When the kids got home from school they all stared at me and asked why I was "dressed up." Jeans for me, I suppose, is now "dressed up." Fabulous.

Day 3

2009-10-04T11:54:00.001-07:00

Okay...I am already a delinquent. I was gone ALL day yesterday, Football Game in one city, far away, gymnastics meet in another city farther away. Finally home at 12:45 am. Not usual for us at all. We usually just have one big event on the weekends.

Which leads me to what I am thankful for today and yesterday. It should count for 4 days. I am extremely thankful for my 4 fabulous kids. I love that I can drag the little ones for hours upon hours to watch their sibling play sports with no whining and complaining. A great describing word for each and every one our kids is "trooper." I can take them anywhere and everywhere. They are awesome and I am grateful for their personalities every day.

Thankfulness--Day 2

2009-10-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for sushi! Very thankful! I love it so much. I like plain sashimi at home and I adore those fancy rolls they have at sushi restaurants. I am also thankful that my friend Yvonne turned me on to a new sushi place in our city. They have a killer yummy roll called the Red Roll! I am in love with it. It is divine! The new sushi joint is very close to the Library. Nick and I now have a standing date for Library and Sushi lunch every other Thursday. It works for me!! Praise God for raw fish!

October--My Month to be Thankful

2009-10-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Experiment: Steph over at ...to live love and laugh has offered up a challenge to post one thing you are thankful for each and every day for one month. Lo and behold today is the first day of the month. I will do it. I may not get all philosophical and religious as that is not where I am in my existence right now, (I am still mad that Big Dad won't let me adopt another kid-I think I am taking it out on God.) Anyway.....I do have MANY, MANY things to be thankful for.

DAY 1: I am thankful for Costco. I enjoy going there. I always find good stuff and Nicholas gets a free lunch from all of the samples. I had no idea he likes fish sticks. Who knew any kid would like fish sticks? I have never purchased a fish stick in my entire life, but he gets to eat as many as he wants at Costco all for FREE. He does not however, like stuffed grape leaves, he got some of those free, too. Luckily they also give out free napkins with the samples so I could wipe off the floor where he spit it out. I cannot live without the Costco Brand anti-bacterial wipes that come in the plastic canisters with the green, yellow or orange lids. I go through a lot of those. I also enjoy the ribbon they have in stock each Christmas Season. I got a roll the other day with very adorable Santas on it. Costco Rocks!!

2009-09-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last Day of Summer and Back to School.

Nicholas Made the Decision for Us!

2009-08-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

We have decided not to pursue the Foster Parent thing....at least not right now. Through a series of events that have all happened in the time between the orientation meeting and now, it has become quite clear that this is not the route we should be taking. I asked for clarity....I got it. More clarity than I actually wanted. More like a slap in the face.

First of all, the night of the first mandatory training session, I have a conflict. I need to be in several different places at once. I went around and around trying to figure out how I will register Sophie for Faith Formation class which she needs to make her First Communion, pick Tony up from football practice, pick Claire up from gym, feed everyone and attend a 3 hour training session all at the same time on the same day while dragging Nick and Sophie along for the ride. Impossible. That was the first obstacle...not huge and certainly I can call in the reinforcements. but do I want to? No.

Second, one night last week we were blessed by the opportunity to babysit the adorable 16 month old daughter of a friend. We jumped at the chance to have a little one in the house, even for just for a few hours. She is a doll. Well....I had forgotten how all-encompassing a toddler can be. Nicholas in turn became loud, whiny, demanding and needy. He kept trying to divert his sisters' attention to him and pretty much ignored the little girl and me. Not a desirable response on his part at all. Marty and Tony came home from football practice wondering where was dinner. Dinner?? How could I finish making dinner while entertaining a toddler and a needy 4 yr. old? I used to do it all of the time, but I am seriously out of practice. I should add that during the babysitting time, Claire dropped a glass bowl on the kitchen floor which shattered in a million pieces sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Not a big deal but with a barely walking toddler in the house. uh oh!! This reminded me that we would have to put baby locks on all of the lower cabinets and re-arrange everything just to be on the safe side. The girls took her outside while I cleaned up the glass and had to watch her like hawks around the pool. Another issue to worry about.

The most serious and really what made up our minds was a recent change in Nicholas' behavior. We know he has some obstacles to overcome. He is impulsive and has some anger issues. He is super smart but just reacts to things differently and is quite unpredictable. With school starting for the 3 oldest, Nick's behavior took a nose dive. He did a lot of crazy things that I have not seen him do in a long time. He always acts up at the change of our schedule. This time was a doozy. Horrible behavior all week! Behavior which demonstrated that he still needs my full attention. I think it would be too rough on him all around. Yesterday we all spent an hour cleaning the girls' room carpet after he drew all over it with a purple marker. Not just small marks but huge hula hoop sized circles on every spot of exposed carpet. This was just one example of the stuff this kid did last week. Hopefully it will not last too long. He starts school next Wednesday. Then he will be on a regular schedule, too. God Bless his new teacher!!! (She will need it.)

I have also had the flu since Friday and we killed another rattlesnake in the yard, this time he had the balls to be hanging out in a planter right next to the pool. Not big deals, but I'm just sayin'.....

See what I'm getting at? Clarity with a capital "C."

First Meeting-check

2009-08-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I attended the first Foster Parent informational meeting. There were about 20 folks in attendance. Several couples, the rest women. Mostly about my age, a few younger. I was kind of surprised, I thought there would not be that many people there. I have to say that I was quite impressed with the organization of the whole event. Perfect power-point presentation, lots of information in brightly illustrated folders, name tags, snacks, tear-jerking dvd at the end. Very politically correct and governmental. I must admit that if we chose to do this, the county has it all "goin-on." They have every base covered. Not a penny comes out of pocket from us and I can attend all of the classes myself leaving Marty home to mind the kids. He just has to be fingerprinted, that's it. The only thing we have to do here at home is make sure the smoke detectors are working and put up the pool fence.

I just do not know if my heart is strong enough for all of this. We have decided if we do it to only take kids younger than Nicky. He is 4.5 years old. That is the age where there is the greatest number of kids who get put into Foster care anyway, although many of them are sibling groups, which we are not going to have. The thought of having a "baby" here for a few months and the nurturing and bonding that will occur, then having to surrender that child back to an unpredictable home just makes my stomach turn. The primary goal of the Foster care system is to re-unite children with their bio-families. I understand this concept, but....here's where I am not so good, most of these kids just go in and out of the system their whole childhoods. It seems like the system is working for the parents and not the for the kids.

We still have not decided what to do. I do think I would benefit from the training. It is 3 hours a week for 8 weeks and it is not far from our home. Maybe I will go ahead and do the training and see where it leads. Not a huge time commitment. After all is said and done, I may have more clarity. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Summer Recap

2009-08-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost over--Boo Hoo! I do not think I have much to say except that we had a great time.

June: Beach Camping weekend, Girls trip to Vegas for Mommy

July: Lake Tahoe with the Moto' Homies, Kauai with my side of the family

August: UCLA Camp and Claire's B-day, Football Season has begun!

Back to school in 11 days.

I am still being begged by one particular student to be home-schooled this year. Have not decided yet.

I will be attending an orientation meeting next week to find out about becoming a Foster Care provider in our county. This is not the road I would have ever chosen for our family, but the only road my husband will consider. So....off I go.

Cute!

2009-06-29T09:46:00.001-07:00

Boring Blog Alert!!!

2009-06-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

I like to listen to Talk Radio. On one of the shows I listen to, everyday they read aloud and poke fun at the boring blog of some lady who is the girlfriend of the LA Mayor. It is hilarious!! It just gets me to thinking how boring and non-eventful my whole blog has become. I started it over a year ago when I was so hopeful that we would be going back to Russia. That has not happened and probably never will. I had these great plans of how I would become a prolific writer and share our experiences with those who were interested in adoption. Oh well...Tammy is the only one who ever reads this blog. Tammy, BTW, has adopted the most gosh darn cutie from Russia also named Nicholas. You should check out her blog. It is not boring at all. If you want to see him you can click on Tammy's name in the comment section below. It will take you to her profile then you can click on her blog title. Very cute!!

I have, along the blogging way, read some stories of fantastic families who inspire me everyday to be a better mom, to branch out, to see things from another perspective, to hope, to be thankful for the wonderful life I have, and to see a window of the world that most people know nothing about. I have learned a lot....just sitting here at my little computer in my little corner of the house. I do enjoy it. A LOT!! But my little blog.....BORING!!! So sorry! In the mean time until something more exciting happens around here, I will try to post links to things that I am reading that make me happy.

My all-time favorite is www.reecesrainbow.org If you feel at all interested in checking it out, Navigate yourself to the photos of the sweet little girls waiting for families in Region 2 of Russia. (This is St. Petersburg) I'll take 2 Please!!

Good Day!

2009-06-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

4th place AA 1st place vault (9.2)

Hiatus!!

2009-05-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have not had much to blog about lately. We have been doing some fun stuff, but for some reason I have not had the energy to get it on the boring blog.

Here are some highlights:

Baseball Season: Over, No All-Stars this year (not a great season, performance-wise) for Tony. He had a blast, though. Nicholas learned how to spit sunflower seeds. The famous Nick quote from Baseball Season this year "Mom-3 mens teached me how to spat seed flower suns. You buy them, then you spit them out!" I was ever so thankful to 3 of our team dads who got never ending joy out of watching a 4 year-old spit sunflower seeds.

Basketball Travel Team: Going Strong, they actually came in second place at a tournament and got their first trophy. It was about 3 inches tall.

Gymnastics: In full swing, One level 6 competition down and 1 to go. She qualified to move up to level 7. Which is called "optionals." This, I am told, is when it gets really fun. She still lives and breathes gymnastics.

Softball: Done. Soph got an award for best Team-Player! So cute to watch a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds play softball.

Pre-School: Still having some issues, Nick called several of his classmates "losers," punched his best friend and pushed a little kid, all in one day. We are working on anger issues daily. 2 steps forward, 1 step back.

I had the chance to go to San Diego and meet up with a bunch of my college friends this past weekend. We all re-connected courtesy of Facebook. It was really a lot of fun. We visited a lot of our old hang-outs, ate and drank way too much, and acted like crazy college students.

I will try to post some photos....not much motivation. My friend says I need to go on Lexipro! LOL!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T12:44:00.001-07:00

This is my Mom and my Mother-in-Law on Mother's Day.

Sick!

2009-04-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have been sick all week. I hate it. I have no energy at all. None!! I have no idea how I am going to handle the 3 basketball games, 1 baseball game, 1 softball game and 2 gymnastic work-outs that I have to be semi-coherent for this weekend. Plus, the Poodle has now decided to become a dog and go out on hunting excursions with Luna. She comes in covered with mud and assorted stickers and burrs every hour or so. Luna at least has the decency to take a swim after such activities. The Poodle also reeks up to high heavens. I think she rubbed herself on a dead animal...again. This is a dog that no less than a month ago would not venture 5 feet away from me without freaking out. Calgon take me away!

Spoke Too Soon

2009-04-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

These photos somehow are in the reverse order of how I wanted them to appear.

RATTLESNAKE: First of the season

LOCATION: My driveway

LENGTH: 2 Feet

RATTLES: 8

FEAR FACTOR: High

Notice the Fireman's Fear Factor: low

The "PoopenHiken"

2009-04-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Keeping the theme of staying home for Spring Break, we all decided to go for a hike. We have great parks around here and this one is the absolute best for hiking. All was well.

I think the above photo shows exactly how much Tony needs a haircut. He however does not want one at all.
All was well until nature called for poor Nick. "I have to POOP." Oh dear, we are in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of the valley at the falls, no bathroom within miles. He was miserable. He kept yelling about his condition and saying he wanted to go home. Poor dad had to take him into the bushes. Yuck!! Poor Nick!

The rest of the hike was uneventful and thankfully we saw no snakes. This is the first time I have had Luna out hiking since our neighbors dog's have all been bitten by rattlesnakes. After we got home, Nick had a 2 hour nap. I think he was traumatized by the events of the day. We have nicknamed this Spring Break activity "The PoopenHiken" Back to School Monday-Boo!! 38 days left 'till summer vacation-YAY!!!

Spring Break!!

2009-04-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

We stayed home for Spring Break this year. (We always do, due to Dad and his work schedule during this time of year) Luckily we have fun places to hang out right in our own "backyard."

You may be wondering...

2009-04-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Why I am interested in internationally adopting a child with Down Syndrome. I read this today and thought that Shelley (who is in the process of adopting a THIRD adorable little boy with Down Syndrome) explained it perfectly. Shelley and her husband recently adopted boys from Serbia and Ukraine and are now in the process of adopting from Bulgaria. This is in addition to their 3 homegrown children. What an amazing family!! Thank you Shelley for letting me share this post. Click on the highlighted word "this" above, and it will take you there.

Is this the cutest kid?

2009-04-02T20:11:00.001-07:00

She is currently living in a baby home in Eastern Europe. Well...in a few short months she will have a birthday, not the kind with cake and presents, she will on that day be sent to a mental institution where the mortality rate is unspeakable. Yes... she is beyond adorable, yes, she has Down syndrome. I would love for someone to help her! Wish it could be me! If you or anyone you know would be interested in adopting this Princess, go to www.reesesrainbow.org Look for the link for "Most At-Risk girls.

WOW!!

2009-03-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Is this Normal for a 4-yr. old? He drew this himself and Claire was wondering why he asked her to spell "toilet" until we heard him laughing and saw this!!! He cracks himself up.

Nick does a Basketball Tournament

2009-03-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is what a 4-year old boy can look like when asked to travel 2 hours in the car and sit through 2 of his brother's basketball games when he would rather be doing something else. At least he got a razzleberry icee and an In-and-Out Burger out of the deal. Good times!

Huge Progress!

2009-03-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful surprise when I picked Nick up at school today. The kids are usually outside playing when I come to pick him up so I have a minute or so to chat with his teacher and ask about the day. She will tell me how the day went and report on his behavior. Sometimes if she is busy with another child or teacher, she will just give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. Today, the minute I saw her she signaled me over with a huge smile. She reported that Nick had been in the sandbox happily doing sandbox "stuff" minding his own business. Another boy out of the blue, comes over and dumps an entire bucket of sand on Nick's head. Why? Who knows? probably because they are 4 yr. old boys. In retrospect, if Nick had done that, I may have flipped out and figured something was wrong with him. I wonder if the other kids mom freaked out? oh well...I'll never know. Anyway, Nick quietly got up walked over to the teacher and told her what happened. She even said he had tears in his eyes. This is a major miracle in 3 ways. First, Nick did not retaliate and throw sand back at the kid, kick him, yell or fight. Second, he came to his teacher and asked for help instead of taking care of it himself. Third, and this is huge. He was sad. Sad that his classmate had done something mean to him. Really sad with tears in his eyes. Not horribly spitting angry as he has been in the past in situations like this. His teacher was thrilled. She gets Nick and truly loves him and wants to teach him. I was so excited. He was excited because his teacher made a big deal out of his good behavior. When we got home, I broke into Tony's secret stash of candy and gave Nick a teeny pack of M&M's. He deserved a little treat.

The Burrito was Fantastic.

2009-02-28T15:22:00.001-08:00

I ate it in the dugout at the Softball fields while Sophie was charming us all at the Opening Day festivities. It was 88 degrees. Life is Good.

A Big Step.

2009-02-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

I put all of our adoption paperwork away today. Way up high in my closet on a shelf where I cannot even reach it unless I stand on a chair. For me, this is an admission of defeat. I was so sad. My big accordion file stuffed with dossier documents has been proudly sitting at the side of my desk downstairs. It has been there for 3 years just gathering dust. Sitting there waiting so everything would be easier for me to find when I started adoption number two. All of the important stuff that is needed for a dossier is in that file. Putting this file box away was not an easy thing for me to do at all. I felt resentment and anger doing this. I feel like a door has been slammed in my face.

Down, but not defeated entirely, though. Lent this year for me is going to be a season of gratefulness for what I have now, not about the child I cannot bring home. Thankfulness and gratitude for the life and family I have. For now, I will focus on those things. (No one can stop me from looking at the cuties on Reece's Rainbow though, no matter what) Those kids are never far from my thoughts. Wish me luck, it may be a tough road ahead. Old habits are hard to break.

Just to make me feel better, I am going to eat a huge carne asada burrito this weekend--South Beach Diet-- be darned!! I can't wait!

One Week!!

2009-02-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

Nicholas had one great week at school. No issues. His teacher was even out on 2 of the days. He did have a few minor meltdowns at home but nothing too serious. We are working on it. It is pouring down rain here today. I have one sick kid and probably a few more by the end of the weekend. Nasty Virus going around the big kids' school. Tony is not going to be able to play basketball this weekend--bummer. We are staying home for Valentine's Day this year! We figured out that we will save so much money by doing this. We probably will have a much happier family, too!! In years past... we hire a babysitter, order pizza for the kids while we are gone, go to an overpriced hurried dinner, then sit and talk about the kids and miss them. We'll save close to $200 by changing things up a bit. This year, we will make heart-shaped pizzas ourselves and have a family movie night. We even borrowed some movies from the neighbors!! This saving money thing is actually quite challenging and I am doing pretty well, except for the small fact that I really want to buy the above item. I am smitten with these sunglasses. the ones i want are actually in black, but I put up the wrong picture. Am I crazy?? I think not! I will try to find them at a good price! I do have a birthday coming up and I have been known to buy my own gift, wrap it and say it is from my silly husband who is thankful he did not have to shop.

This Morning,

2009-02-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

I have done 3 loads of laundry, had a discussion about possibly selling our house and moving to a cheaper one, emptied the dishwasher, made 4 lunches, supervised 4 breakfasts, fed 2 dogs, mopped muddy footprints off of the kitchen floor-- twice, administered first-aid to a wound, returned 3 e-mails, given a spelling test, reviewed the systems of the human body, signed 2 homework papers, filled out a reading log, had 3 cups of coffee, found a missing pair of glasses, decided what I was making for dinner, dropped off 3 kids at school, put 4 yr old in front of Spongebob, wrote this blog entry, looked at crackbook, I mean Facebook, commented on Zoey's blog.... all before 8 o'clock. Happy Friday to me, hopefully Nick can make it through the day without some interesting behavioral issues. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Yesterday he told me "You are ruining my life." What 4 year old says that? He cracks me up!!

A Busy Weekend!

2009-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Sophie made this Caprese Salad for us on Saturday Night. It was fantastic!!

We had our first meet at our new gym. It was out of season for Claire and the last time that she will compete at level 5. We are movin' on up. She did great, 3rd place All Around and best of all..... she finally got a First Place in Vault!!! We really like our new head coach. He seems to be what Claire needs to move her ahead, especially in vault and bars!! Woo Hoo!! Our Team also got First Place. YAY GIRLS!!!

Oh Dear!!

2009-01-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

Nick decided to throw sand on a classmate, hide from his teacher, spit at his teacher (raspberries-not a full-on loogie) kick sand at his teacher, and call her a "punk." Happy Friday to me!! Thankfully he did not call her a "frickin' idiot"...that was last month.

His teacher says he has "anger issues." Lord, help me!

Sunny!!

2009-01-14T20:07:00.001-08:00

We got a new little family member today. We did not think Big Dad would like her, but thankfully he does. They think she is about 3 months old. Super cute. I think she will fit in with the rest of the crew just fine!! She is a little poodle-rescue puppy. The rescue group named her Noel, they said they found her wandering the streets of L.A. on Christmas. We changed her name to Sunny. We thought that sounded good with Luna (our other doggie.)

Two (Too) Funnies!!

2009-01-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

First: My Mom (Grandma Donut) has Leukemia and has been going through chemo for the last few months. Since she has been on chemo, she is bald. Well, she was visiting this weekend and Nicholas was hanging out while she was getting ready to go out. Grandma was wearing a hat and needed to change into her wig. As soon as Grandma took off the hat to put on the wig, Nick said "Wow...Grandma's a Boy!!" My mom thought this was hilarious. So did we.

Second: While in the car, from the backseat, I hear:

Sophie: Mom, what are Buppies?

Me: I don't know, what do you mean? Buppies?

Sophie: You know that song This Land is your Land, This Land is My Land, (starts singing) As I was walking a ribbon of highway I saw a BUPPY....an endless skyway.

We had to explain that there were no Buppies, too bad. I think Buppies sound much more interesting.

Happy Birthday Sophie!!

2009-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Our sweet girl turned seven this week. She had a very special day. She got her ears pierced, then spent her birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa on a Monkey from Build-a-Bear.

Then out to dinner with the neighbors. Yummy Cheesecake Factory!! It was great!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

We all had a wonderful Christmas this year. A little crazy but so much fun. I was remarking to my Mother-in Law that Christmas just passes too fast for me. It seems like I blink my eyes and it is over. She reminded me that this happens with any major event (weddings, babies being born, etc.) The actual event passes all too quickly. It is in the preparation that we must take enjoyment. My mother in Law is very "matter-of fact." I am glad that we all got to have fun in the time before Christmas and did not have to do any major shopping or preparation at the last minute. I always like to get my trees up early and have my shopping done before it really gets into December. That way we have time to really enjoy the season and all the stuff that goes along with it.

Yes, I did write "trees" above. I am a Christmas tree lover. Always have been. We now get two. One big tree in the living room for my stuff. I have a collection of angel ornaments that I have collected through the years which I love to put on my tree. After the kids came along, they started making ornaments and getting ornaments as gifts from the grandparents. What started as me buying a teeny tree for Tony, now has grown into an (almost) full sized tree of their own each year. Next year, I have to get them a bigger one. We could not fit all of the hand-made beauty on it this year. No fake trees either. We like the real things. We have a fun time teasing our friends who have fake trees. I know...it is a sick thing to do, but we can't help ourselves. We call it "going over to the dark side" when one of our previous real tree friends get a fake tree. Our trees start getting that real sweet piney smell into about the third week. New Years Day, we say adios to my beautiful (dead) trees.

Merry Christmas to all of you!! I hope you had lots of Joy and Peace and were able to see the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of a child this year. I truly did and I will write about it in a few days so I do not forget the moment, it was the best.

PS.... If you read this, please leave me a comment to what kind of tree YOU have. We promise we won't tease, even if you have gone over to the dark side. LOL!!!

Gotcha Day Number Three

2008-12-17T09:36:00.001-08:00

Nicky and Cousin Ashley.
Don't be alarmed...Michael did not get in a fight, he got hit in the nose with a baseball. Yes, his poor nose is broken. He thinks it is cool. Michael will be going to college next year on a baseball scholarship. Not sure where yet. We are way proud of him, even with his bent nose. Click on the picture and you can see all the spectacular colors of his black and purple eye. You can also see just how much this kid eats. This was his first plate, he was just getting started.
The Pelmeni were stuffed with ground beef and onion and garlic. Sour Cream goes on top. YUMMY!!!
Sunday was Nicky's Gotcha Day Celebration. A fun time was had by all. We cooked up some Russian Food and Celebrated the 3rd Anniversary of bringing our little man home. The Pelmeni were divine this year. The kids all helped to make them. We also had Russian Salad and Roast Beef in Sour Cream. We added Hot Fudge Chocolate Cakes for Dessert, not Russian, but delicious. It is always fun to do this. Nicky still has no idea of what it is truly all about, but he enjoyed getting to pick out the guest list (his favorite uncle and cousins) and telling everyone it was his Gotcha Day. He got to eat on the special red plate. Do you all have a red plate? If not you should try to get one. All of my kids love it when it is their turn to use the red plate. BTW...we are having a big storm here in CA. The wind is whipping and it is about 45 degrees outside. Off and on rain. What the heck? I am freezing. I have not worn my flip flops in 3 days. Not a happy camper, here. Ugg Boots are my friend!!

Christmas Card Fiasco

2008-12-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

In my ongoing quest to save money, I attempted to take my own Christmas Card Photo this year. It was a complete disaster. I made my kids put on their Christmas outfits, and report to the backyard. I took a bunch of photos which all pretty much stink. First of all, my kids except one, take after me and are not very photogenic. Second, my camera is horrible. Third, the kids were grumpy and un-cooperative. This is a sample of what I got. I think I am going to use a shot I took in Kauai last summer and be done with it.

Our Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

These two pictures below are the way the weekend started. The above pictures are how the weekend ended. Below.... the girls going nuts, look at Claire's evil face. They were dancing like crazy women inside our motorhome. Note the filthy clothes and we had only been there a few hours. The boys after an airsoft war. Another note of filthy clothes on boys. Don't they look horrible? Like a band of some kind of outdoor criminals.

Best plans....did not actually pan out the way we had planned but fabulous all the same. We had planned to go camping with our friends as we do every Thanksgiving. I spent the week before the holiday shopping , gathering winter clothes and packing the motorhome with feast fixin's and tons of junk food for an army of hungry campers. When we go camping, I let the kids eat all kinds of stuff we never have at home (think pop-tarts, peppermint oreos, pringles chips- you get the picture) We drive six hours, set up camp, play for awhile, just long enough to coat the motorhome, kids and dog completely in dirt. We finally settle in for the night and the rain starts falling. It rained all night and into the morning. That dirt I was talking about was now mud. Did I want to spend 3 more days with 4 kids and a dog covered in mud? No thank you!!! We were out of there. Our friends stayed and went up the hill to Mammoth Mountain for snowboarding. Not us, we headed home. 6 hours of driving and one flat tire later we were back in our own driveway.

The girls and I were able to spend the entire Thanksgiving day cooking and getting ready for our own Thanksgiving Feast. We just hung out at home with the 6 of us and had a spectacular day. Not the crazy picnic-table Thanksgiving the kids are used to, but a great family day.

We made all the good stuff and enjoyed a great meal, the food was even HOT!! Claire set the big table in the dining room and made it look really beautiful. It was so much fun. During dinner, we all talked about the many blessings we have as a family. I absolutely loved it, except that now I have a ton of junk food left and guess who is home eating it? The kids actually packed pop-tarts in their lunches this week for snack. They are so happy.

Yum!!

2008-11-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

We went to Mass tonite. We usually do not go on Saturday nights. A very quiet Mass, not the spot for 4 kids who are hungry, tired, out of sorts, not used to this routine. We usually go on Sundays with most of the other families. Well, for those of you who are not used to this kind of thing.... During Mass, we all go to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Kids who have not yet received their First Holy Communion or those from different faiths, still go to the table with their hands crossed across their chests to receive a blessing. Nick (and Sophie) know to do this. Tonite, I was directly behind Nick as he received his blessing and I received the Sacrament....Nick, who hates to feel like he is missing anything said in a very loud voice "YUM!!!" as I received the Body. Oh my! It hit me like a ton of bricks! This kid is voicing what we should all feel. That feeling that we are getting something special, something we have been waiting for. YUM!! Something delicious. Something spectacular. This communion that we have been waiting all week to enjoy. I love these lightbulb moments! Happy Thanksgiving!!

7 Random Motherhood Facts (or more)

2008-11-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting challenge over at One Mother's Day, Since Nick and I are home sick today, I have time to play along. It is a twist on the 7 random things about me idea. This challenge is more interesting for me to write about. I am even twisting it a little more and only writing about childbirth stuff. Here goes: There are way more, but these are what quickly came to the top of my stuffed up head.

1. My first child was born at 35 weeks. My water was leaking so I was admitted into the hospital, they spent a whole day trying to get contractions to stop, then the next day starting them up again. I had no idea what I was doing. The whole thing was a nightmare and I have blocked most of it from my mind. Tony was whisked off to the NICU at another hospital while I stayed at the hospital where I delivered. I think the whole thing was a medical screw-up and could have been prevented. I did not get to see him until the next day. It totally sucked. He stayed in the NICU for 4 days. I stayed there during the days, but had to go home at night. I was a mess.

2. I had (of course, since they gave him a bottle in the NICU) issues nursing him. I refused to give up and finally had him nursing exclusively after a few months. This was no easy feat. I went for a few months with no sleep and no help. My darling husband was inviting people over for dinner right and left, to show off the new baby and thinking I should be the perfect hostess. He had no idea of what was going on. He is somewhat clueless. (i still love him)

3. I could not wait to get pregnant and have another baby. I had to talk my husband into it. He gave in quite easily.

4. My husband did not want to find out the gender of the next baby. I found out anyway. My friend accidentally told him the same day. oops!

5. My second birth was pretty painless. Lots of drugs. I had no idea I could do it without any. Claire came out all scrunchy looking. She nursed like a champ. I finally cut her off when she was 18 months old. That was mean. I still had no idea what I was doing. I guess Big dad is not the only one who could be labeled clueless at this time.

6. I could not wait to get pregnant again and have baby #3. I really had to do some serious convincing with my husband. He did not give in as easily this time. I really think he was shocked when the time came and I told him we were expecting again. At this point my medical chart contained the words "advanced maternal age"

7. Sophie was born in 2 hours with no drugs. I arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am, had her wrapped up and nursing by 9:30 am. I wanted to go home at about noon, but they would not let me. I should have had a home birth. I guess I really did know what I was doing. She started sitting at 4 months and walking at 8 months-no joke.

(supposed to be 7 things but I'm not done)

8. Could not wait to have another kid, looked toward adoption. We always wanted to adopt. It took a few months, maybe more to finally convince my husband that this was not a crazy idea. He finally gave in, and was on board for another adventure.

9. We asked for the referral of a child between the ages of 1-3. We thought since we were "older" we would get an older child. We were overjoyed at the referral of a baby. He was a super-cute baby, too. He nursed from a bottle sitting with me holding him in the same rocking chair where I nursed everyone else. He had his beloved "ba-ba" until he was 3.5 years old. I was letting him make up for lost time. I knew what I was doing.

10. I guess we should have started earlier. I would love to have a bunch more kids. I am still in the convincing my husband for another adoption stage, which, this time has proved to be many times more difficult than ever before. I do not think I am making any progress. What do you think will happen?

Back from State Finals

2008-11-15T20:14:00.000-08:00

We are back from State Finals and our gymnast did not do as well as we thought she could have. Big Dad has a great perspective on all of this which I will share at a later date, but i think he is right on. Our entire team was off, but it has been a weird week. As many of you know, we had a small fire at our gym last Monday which in itself was not huge, but activated the sprinkler system. All of our equipment and floors were soaked and ruined. We will most likely be displaced for workout space for at least 2 months. On the bright side, another semi-local gym has opened their doors to us and has allowed our team girls to work out there. Not a small thing, as we are a huge team of rambunctious and unsocialized wild girls who happen to be exceptional gymnasts (also great singers) Anyone heard 7 nine-year old girls belting the song "Super-Girl" for 9 miles in a closed car? Good Times!! We carpool now! Honestly I am not complaining. It is true joy for me to see my daughter having so much fun. She loves her team, she loves what she is doing, she is so happy. Worth it!!

Need I Say More?

2008-11-06T08:46:00.001-08:00

Very Fun-Filled Days

2008-11-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

We have been having a lot of exciting things going on in the last few weeks. I will share some highlights. We still have more fun coming up with Nicky's birthday coming on Friday. Tony's last Football Game and our last visit from the Social Worker both on Saturday. We will have our final Gymnastic Competition the following weekend, then Basketball will start. WooHoo!

We stepped out on Halloween Night with the Neighborhood Gang. I got a little irritated at the older ones because they "ditched" Big Daddy, Nicholas and me. We apparently were not moving with their lightening speeds and they wanted to hang with their friends and not their parents or their three-year old brother who happened to be dressed as a skunk. Luckily there were a lot of other parents supervising the mayhem. We finally met up and collected the bunch of them. They got SOOO much candy.
Tony celebrated his birthday with a few of his buddies. Big Dad and Curtis took them all bowling then back to the house for a BBQ. I wondered how B-Dad was going to handle all of the boys. He is not used to that kind of thing. Guess who happened to be bowling in the lane next to the boys? Their School Principal!!! He just happened to be there bowling with his son. HA HA HA! Dad and Curtis got to enjoy themselves while the boys acted like perfect angels. Big Dad always comes out smelling like a rose.

This is the pile of laundry that I happened to be left with after the busy weekend. This pile extends up to the second floor. Can anyone guess what I was doing all day on Monday?
Our Gymnast had her big Sectionals Meet. She qualified for State Finals by the seat of her leotard. Not the best effort on her part. She did make her goal of qualification for the next meet. I know it sounds like I am less than impressed and I am being one of those crazy Sports-Moms, but you know as a parent when your child is not giving it their all. For whatever reason, she lacked that spark she needed to get the scores she is capable of making. She just works too hard throughout the year for her not to bring out her best "game" at an event of this magnitude. I am sure she will put forth her best effort for State. The girls on her team are so darn cute. They love to ham it up for the cameras.

Two Things

2008-11-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

First, please go visit little Miss Zoey Grace at her blog "Little Wonders" Zoey and her family can use all of the love, prayers and support that they can get right now. Her button is to the left. Just click on it to get you there.

Second, The Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree Project is in full swing. It is their biggest fundraiser of the year. Click on the RR button to the left then go to the Angel Tree. Wait until you see the precious faces of the babies that are all waiting for families. Our little Angel Liza is all the way at the bottom on the last row.

Attachment

2008-10-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is Nicholas on his first day of Pre-school this September. Such a Big Boy!!

These are the first photos we ever saw of Nicholas, we think he was about 11 months old here. These were unofficial referral photos sent to us by our agency. Did we want him? "OH YEAH!! We want him! Are you kidding me? "Look at those eyes!! Look at that smile! I took pictures of these with my digital camera since all we had were prints. Check out the beautiful lady who works in the baby house. Isn't she gorgeous?

We are nearing our 3 year "Gotcha Day" for Nicholas. It is so hard to believe that it has already been three years. It seems impossible that it was 3 years ago that we first met him. In ways it seems like yesterday and in other ways it seems as if he has always been with us. I know that when he is not with me, I feel like something, a piece of me is missing. Maybe it is because he is the baby of the family or maybe it is because he has the kind of disposition that warrants me to always know where he is and what he is doing.

Our attachment and bonding has been fairly textbook for a kid who was institutionalized for the first 13 months of his life. He bonded to us easily, but there have been and probably always will be bumps in the road. He still will run off in a crowd without looking back. He did this just last weekend at a birthday party at an extremely over crowded and noisy indoor playground. The other kids his age were sticking to their mom's like glue. Not Nick, he was off and running. I could not even find him at one point. I knew he could not get out of the building but it is still an uneasy feeling. He is fearless and does crazy stuff for an almost 4-year old.

He still exhibits indiscriminate affection. He will go with anyone at all. Most people think it is so cute, "He is so out-going and lovable." I still think he could leave and move into a whole new family without missing us at all. I hope I am exaggerating, but it still breaks my heart to think about. He talks to anyone and everyone, will go up and ask to share food or drink with total strangers and sit down and play with any kid no matter the age. Most people have no idea that this is all typical of a kid with some kind of attachment issue.

We still struggle with direct eye-contact at times. He will look away if he is at all feeling stressed or like he is in trouble. He still bonks his head into the wall or slaps himself in the head if he has to go on a time-out. This happens very rarely anymore, but it does happen, even after three years.

I do not want to sound like he has not made progress. He has made SO MUCH progress. He is huggy and affectionate. He snuggles and kisses without being asked. He loves to fall asleep with me in our big bed. He prefers to be with me as opposed to most anyone else, except maybe Grandpa Donut or his God-Brother Sean who is 13. He tells me he loves me and my favorite line which I hear almost daily... "I very like you and you are my best friend." He lights up when his siblings arrive home from school. He wants his daddy when mom won't let him have a cookie before dinner. He actually came to me the other day asking for a band-aid. He had a little scab on his foot that he scratched off. It was bleeding a little bit. He came to me for help. Usually when he gets hurt, he just deals with it, himself. He will have "owies" that I never know how they happened. He actually wanted me to clean his foot this time and put a band aid on it. Amazing!!! Monumental, in fact. He loves us---I know that, but we still struggle with his little quirks that I know are related to his attachment or lack thereof. We love him for who he is....he is fine. He is ours. He is the bomb!!!

Three years, I can't believe it. Wait until you hear about the Russian Feast I prepare for The Gotcha Day Festivities!! YUMMY!!

Six Random Things About Me

2008-10-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

My bloggy friend Tammy tagged me. It happened awhile ago, but I am just getting around to it. I feel quite honored. Seeing as I am taking a break from blogging and hardly anyone reads my blog anyhow, I thought I would do it. Just for fun.

Here are six random things about me in no particular order:

1. I have a serious potato chip addiction. I love them. I would eat them every day of my life. I could eat an entire bag of Ruffles if I wanted to. I especially love Ruffles with onion dip or cottage cheese....yes, I dip them in cottage cheese, wierd? I think not.

2. I have next to no computer skills. Since I have been home raising kids and out of the work force for almost 12 years, I have not had the chance to learn them. Even when I was working (teaching elementary school) we never used computers. It is a miracle that I even figured out how to do this blog. My sister has to help me with my camera every time she comes for a visit. Pathetic-huh?

3. I hate going to the movies. I have probably only seen 3 movies in the theatre in the last 5 years. They were all kid movies, and I had no choice but to go. UGH!!

4. I will not gladly share my burrito or my sandwich. I absolutely love burritos, especially from the yummy Mexican markets we have around here. I also adore deli-sandwiches. DO NOT ask me for a bite of either one of these items. I will gladly share any other meal or dessert with anyone who asks. My husband always asks to take a bite--just to annoy me.

5. I wear flip-flops every single day. Even in the rain, which makes everyone laugh. I rarely wear shoes unless I am hiking. I once in awhile will wear boots to church. I have at least 15 pairs of flip-flops in all different colors.

6. I love going to my kids sporting events. I absolutely love it. I never (hardly ever) miss anyone's event. I always get excited and nervous right before. I have spent hundreds maybe thousands of hours watching my kids play sports. FUN!!!!

That's it!!! 6 silly things.

Taking a Break!!

2008-10-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of the Squid-Eaters saying Goodbye!! (actually I think they were grinding down a bunch of Killer Shrimp)

I actually set up this blog because I wanted to document our second adoption. I really thought that it was going to take place. I had such high hopes. Now that it seems that my dream will not become a reality, I think I will take a break from writing for awhile. Our day to day life is not all that exciting.

I will still continue to check my favorite blogs daily, I am addicted. I will rejoice with those of you in the process of bringing kids home from faraway lands.

I am feeling very depressed and sorry for myself---boo hoo!

I am incredibly thankful for the children I have been blessed with and will continue to try to be the best mom I can be. So for now....Adios!

My Scientist

2008-09-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

I cannot remember if this is normal 3 year old behavior or not, but Nicholas is consumed with spraying, squirting and dumping out any sort of "product" that he can get his hands on. The second I turn around he is looking for something to dump out. This has included but is not limited to; sunscreens of all types, lotion, shampoo, any type of bath stuff, hair gel, playdough and glue. Those are all I can remember but I am sure that there are more.

One day I left him in the tub splashing around with his toys, while I answered the phone. Before anyone gets hot and bothered about turning around with a 3 year old in the tub, this is a kid who swims like a Russian Michael Phelps. He goes all around our pool, off the diving board, swims to the bottom of the deep end as often as he is allowed. It is quite safe to leave him in 6 inches of water in the tub for a minute. When I returned...he had squirted an entire bottle of baby lotion into a bucket I use to rinse the kids hair. He was adding some green shampoo to to the concoction and was mixing it with a bath toy. Lovely!! Last night we were outside barbequing and he sprayed an entire can of sunscreen all over the patio in little globs. He had also used the sunscreen to spray onto the side of the counter and stuck a little toy onto it. Apparently he has come to the scientific conclusion that sunscreen can also be used as glue.

He once squirted an entire large bottle of Elmer's glue all over the kids desks downstairs in the playroom. He then stuck all kinds of paper onto that. The playroom has double french doors with glass panes that separate it from the family room. He locked the doors from the inside so we could watch him "at work," but not get in to stop him. He just looked at us and smiled.

What is up with all of this spraying and squirting? Do all three year olds do this? I have tried to explain to him that this stuff is expensive and he is wasting things that our family needs. Besides, he is making a huge mess that he has to help clean up. None of this has deterred his obsession to squirt. Any thoughts? I may have a chemist on my hands. Or just a really curious kid?

My Dream Job

2008-09-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Since I have been in a funk lately, I have been thinking about all of the things I would like to do if I could have a "Dream Job." I really love the job I have now, but a girl can dream....right.

Second only to being a Mom to LOTS of kids, I know 4 seems like a lot, but I really would like a few more, just to make it more interesting. Here is the Job I came up with:

Adoption Specialist: (I made up this job title-Doesn't it sound important?)

I would like to help families and orphans to find each other. I would like to work for an agency part time from home while my kids were in school. I would like to be the one who answers the phone when a PAP makes that first call and says, "I think our hearts might be open to adopting a child. Can you help us?" I would love to show encouragement and support. For example, "You can do this! Let me show you how." "What is an Apostille? I know that word is not in the dictionary...I know what it is, I can help you." The wording for a notary? No problem...my friend Christy helped me with that one...I can e-mail it to you." So it goes....

I would like to make a trip or two each year with said adoption agency to visit the orphanages we were serving. I would like to review post-placement reports of families whose adoptions were complete. I would like to learn more about the inner-workings of International Adoption. I would like to be an advocate for parents who feel like adopting a child from abroad is too daunting of a task.

I would not ask to be paid much more than to cover expenses such as phone and travel.

What do you think? Is there anyone out there hiring for this position? Well....it never hurts to ask. I said it would be my DREAM job.

What Now???

2008-09-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

I must admit that I have been in a funk these past few days. I am pretty sure this is nothing new and I get in a funk for the first few weeks of school every year. I just do not remember it being this bad. I think that I am mourning the end of summer, vacations being over and the loss of spending a lot of fun and crazy time with my kids. I miss staying up late and getting up late. I miss hanging out with the kids and watching TV in our jammies. I miss planning the day ahead and doing fun things together. We are not very productive during the summer, but we sure enjoy it.

I dropped Nick at pre-school for his first day last Wednesday and it really made me sad. I lingered around and watched him through the window. I had such a hard time leaving. Nick, on the other hand, was happy as can be, he has missed his little friends and his teachers. It was a long morning for me. I ran some errands and treated myself to a pedicure. I was so happy to pick him up when 12:00 finally rolled around. I was just so darn excited to see him. What a weird feeling, having 3 and a half hours to myself. I guess I will just have to get used to it. I have plenty of things I should be doing with that 3 hours....I just have not made myself do them, exercise, cleaning, organizing photos, etc. etc. All of the things that sound so productive and that I have been putting off for the last 10 years could surely take up a mere 9 hours a week.

The other kids are settling in nicely to the routines of 1st, 4th and 5th grades. There is a little more homework for the older 2 and Claire stays at school for an extra hour. They seem to have it all figured out. They come home and get started on their homework right away. I do not need to even say anything. I think they want to get their homework done and over with so they can get to their sports. Sophie has been wanting to hang out more with her school friends since they have been spending more time together during school hours. The little girls are always trying to arrange "playdates." Even Nicholas is now going over to the neighbor's house to play with his buddy, or his buddy will come here to play. The pool fence is down, he is swimming like a little champ.

I guess what I am so reluctant to admit is that my kids are growing up and away. They do not need me as much anymore. I think I am just trying to find my new place. The fact that they are independent and well-adjusted must mean that I am doing something correctly--right? I still feel gloomy and un-needed. I think I am the one who is the most reluctant to get a new schedule in place. I am the one that resists change. I need a kick in the pants!!

My discussions (pleas) with my husband to start another adoption have fallen on deaf ears. He is just not ready. I think that is another root of my sadness. He has at times, told me that he will consider another adoption. Other times, like last night, he is not open to even discussing it. I do not know what my best course of action should be at this point. We will have a visit from the Social Worker soon for Nick's last post-placement report. I think I will try to keep my mouth shut about adoption until we need to get that report written up and sent off to Russia for the last time. That is our very last piece of paperwork to do. His adoption will be entirely complete.

I can imagine that most people who read this little "boo-hoo" session would say that I need to

GET A LIFE. In reality I have a life. It is centered around being a wife and a mother. Being a wife and mother has been my identity for the last 11 years. Now, my identity needs to be changed up a bit, maybe just a little tweak. I have no doubt that I eventually will find my way. I still have a few interests. I am pretty sure I still possess a few skills besides changing diapers and making up funny songs. I can organize a mean car-pool schedule, juggle 4 kids with multiple sports and extra-curriculars. I know a lot about international adoption, probably more than anyone would ever believe. I have everyone's vaccinations (including doggy's) up to date. I can cook a gourmet meal and organize a top-notch birthday party, I can plan a perfect vacation, I can hold a position on the PTA. Heck....I think I may be qualified to run for vice president. Alas, I am nowhere as cute as Sarah Palin, and I have not attempted being governor of California, though most people in our state might rather have me than Arnold, he is not very popular right now. I do find politics interesting.

What this all leads to is: Change is in the air for me. I am not sure what that will mean exactly, but it is the direction in which my mind is headed. I am open to any and all suggestions.

P.S. This may all change tomorrow, maybe my peri-menopausal hormones are just acting up.

A Few Memories of our Kauai Trip

2008-08-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my favorite shots of our trip. I think this was my favorite vacation ever. The kids were great, we got to do a lot of fun things, the weather was nice, Big Dad seemed to really enjoy himself and just hanging out with the kids. What an awesome way to end the summer.

Dad and Sophie heading out to surf near Poipu Beach. There is a little reef break right out in front of the Kiahuna Plantation. They had such a great time. Dad was able to stand in a shallow part of the water and push her so she could catch the waves. Tony was out there paddling around on his boogie board and was able to help tow her back out around the breaking waves and other surfers. The board was giant so it was hard for her to maneuver on her own. It was a true team effort.

Nick playing in the sand at my favorite, Tunnels Beach. We snorkeled and swam here. I think it is the most beautiful beach I have ever visited. There is a huge reef that is home to tons of tropical fish. Last time we even saw turtles here, but not this year. Sophie was our little snorkle-girl this time. She was able to go out really far with no problem at all. I was impressed. She loved it, too.

The 3 oldest at Kalapaki Beach. Tony, Claire and Marty all surfed at this beach, too. Tony and Marty also did a lot of body-boarding this year. Tony is starting to enjoy it as much as surfing. He can do a lot of pretty cool tricks in the waves. He flips the board over and does a barrel roll or does a 360 while riding the wave.

Our beautiful baby girl. I love this photo because she still looks like a baby with chubby cheeks. We bought the girls flower leis at dinner one night. Can you see how tired she looks?

My boys. I absolutely love this picture. Tony and Marty are watching a really great surfer way out in the water. The waves were really big that evening. Nick is checking out a sea turtle in the rocks below. The turtle was huge. I think he freaked Nick out a bit. The turtle kept sticking his head out of the water and looking around. He was pretty awesome. I would have taken a photo of him, but he looked like a giant rock.

First Day of School

2008-08-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

It is the day Tony and I have been dreading. Even the weather was bad. It was drizzling a little bit. We are all still a bit jet-lagged but we made it in time. The girls were excited but Tony made his typical "face." Nick goes back to pre-school 3 mornings starting next week.

I made this today while the kiddies were at school. I enjoyed putting a police hat on myself. I do feel like a warden at times. I also liked the chef hat and briefcase combo for Marty. I know... I have far too much time on my hands.

I would far rather be spending my time putting together an adoption dossier, but we are not there.....yet.

OLYMPICS CRAZY!!!

2008-08-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

WE ARE CELEBRATING TONITE !!!! Team USA and Mommy's favorite, Nastia Liukin, winning the GOLD in All-Around. We made Chinese Food and had a great time eating. Sophie and I made: Dumplings (Costco) Broccoli and Beef, and Sweet and Sour Shrimp, both from Emeril Lagasse (TV Food) We even made decorations, a little cheesy, but a yellow plastic lid was as close as we could get to a Gold medal. Sorry Shawn, but all we had for a Silver was a beige top and it looked completely disrespectful. We kept telling Nick that he and Nastia were from Russia and we were so proud. He has absolutely no idea what we were talking about, he just wanted to eat the "potstickers," his alltime favorite. We love celebrating this crazy stuff. Gymnastics and Russia both hold dear spots in our hearts. So...Let's eat Chinese... (food!)

Fun at the Beach

2008-08-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

We spent all last week at the beach. Here are some highlights. Sophie finally got it. She is surfing now...just like the rest of them. She is the one in the ponytails. How about Nick in his board shorts and pajama top? He rolled out of bed and onto the beach. What a life these kids have!!!! Even Luna joined in on the fun.

Happy Birthday Claire!!

2008-08-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our gymnast's 9th Birthday this weekend. I cannot believe that she is 9 years old.

She wanted to have her team over for a swim and pizza party It was so much fun.

Boys and Their Toys

2008-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is what my boys do in the summertime while I think they are getting ready for bed. Apparently the "old" gameboy has been passed down to the little brother. BUSTED!!!

Moto' Homies Do Zion

2008-07-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

It all started about 10 years ago. I was a new "stay-at-home" mom. I had recently had my first son, and converted to Catholicism. My old friends were still working full-time and had no kids. I decided to call the Church and see if they had any kind of Moms Group where I could meet other moms and have like-minded ladies to hang out with. Unbeknownst to me another mom had recently made the same phone call to the Church looking for the same exact group (which we were both told did not exist) You know where this is leading......

I finally met this mom (after I completely forgot to even show up the first meeting the Church had set up for us, thank goodness she understood.) We became fast friends, we had kids the same ages, we both love to cook, we both wanted more kids, our husbands liked each other....the list goes on and on. We ended up starting the first ever Moms Group at our Parish. This particular group went strong for a number of years and had almost 100 members at one point. As our kids got older and were off to elementary school, we (the core bunch) stopped meeting formally, though we still see each other all of the time. The Parish Moms Group is still going strong, but if I attended I would not know a soul. Those of us who started the group have remained friends and still see each other often.

Our kids have grown up together and are like siblings. We have gone through and supported each other through a variety of life events. That first mom I mentioned above and her husband are Nick's proud Godparents.

Fast Forward to 2008. The only really organized event that we all still do together is go on a week's vacation each summer and sometimes over the New Year Holiday. We all have acquired RV's of some sort and enjoy camping together. We plan all of the dinners around nightly themes and have tons of fun activities for the kiddies. The parents pretty much sit around and watch the kids run wild, play games, cook fabulous meals and eat. We have been to many places in California and have even ventured to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. This year we traveled to Zion National Park in Utah. We had 7 families. A grand total of 18 kids between the ages of 13 and 3. We call our group The Moto'Homies. Cute name-huh?? My Gymnast thought of it, she won the contest. Some of our members can't stand the name, but they have to live with it for awhile because we made T-shirts last summer. I think it is a hysterical name.

Here are some photos of our trip to Zion last week. We finished out the week stopping for a night in Las Vegas so 4 of us girls could have a night on the town to celebrate my friend's birthday. The dads stayed in the blazing heat in the RV Resort with the kids. It was a nice break and us moms had a blast. The last photo is the Birthday Girl and some of the little girls checking out the Limo that took us to "The Strip" this was her birthday surprise from us.

Getting Real

2008-07-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Whatever that means.....

I have been reading so much lately about people getting real. What exactly is that? I hope that I am a real person. I have a lot on my plate and I am trying to do my best.

I have a real husband whom I love so very much. He has real life goals that seem so really different than those of my own. How did we meet, fall in love, marry, give birth to 3 , adopt 1, have a home, do all of the day to day stuff? We are really different. I REALLY converted to Catholicism because I wanted what he had been brought up with. I really believe that I did the right thing. I really have questions about it all. I think that it is okay.

I really have 4 fantastic kids. They could not be more different than if I had picked them up off of 4 different planets. I could not be more proud of the wonderful people they are becoming. By the way, I REALLY love being a mom. I also really loved being a teacher before I had my own kids. I really feel guilty for not being a home-schooling mom. I really do not think I would be good at it.

I really want to adopt again. Some of our family have not been supportive of our adoption and we have really felt isolated since we adopted Nick. They really do not "get it" and we really will be on our own if we do it again. I REALLY do not care. I really think that we will do it. It may just be awhile. It will be a really special kid!!! They may be really surprised. We will really need your prayers.

I really am worried about the future. My mom is really sick and I do not think she is going to be able to be a grandma for as long as she would like to. My dad is the best grandpa ever, but he is really worried about my mom. I am really worried about him.

I really am getting fat. I think I am fatter now than when I gave birth to my last kid. Who cares? I really think I should exercise more, eat less and drink less wine. I have lofty goals. I have a really good sense of humor. If you do not believe me, you really should see me try to get into one of my older pairs of jeans.

I have really awesome friends. I am so thankful for them. I could not ask for more they are so supportive and really fun.

I am awed and inspired by the lives I have read about lately. I am really grateful that I have been able to share the stories of people that are doing truly awesome things to change the lives of children. I really hope to someday walk in their footsteps.

I really am thankful for the life I have. Sure, there are always going to be bumps in the road and I will always be striving to reach higher, but....I am blessed. THAT IS FOR REAL!!!!

Boys vs. Sea Lion

2008-06-30T20:54:00.001-07:00

The boys were minding their own business having fun on the platform. Until they had a visit from an uninvited guest.
They were SCARED and couldn't figure out what to do next. Us moms were wildly gesturing from shore for them to jump off and escape the beast.
They ditched the platform and headed for shore. The rascal sea lion claimed his territory for the rest of the afternoon.

6 word Meme

2008-06-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

So.....I got tagged by a blogging friend, i am not quite sure how all of this works because i am new to this blogging thing. I was supposed to pick six words to describe my life. Everyone else who has done this has seemed so eloquent. My assignment was to summarize my life in 6 words. It was impossible for me. Here is the best I can do: I made a few attempts. i worked on it for at least three days. Here Goes... I will not tag anyone since I rarely have anyone who reads my blog. I hope I do not mess the whole thing up.

Family means the world to me

Never know what I'll do next

*Usually* take the road most traveled

Love to drink wine with friends

Pissed off some of the time

Living for the next big vacation

Leading by example, God help me

Desperately hoping to adopt once again

Trying to be what God wants

Sometimes guilty for things done wrong

Trying but failing to be Supermom

Plugging along at my own speed

**Thankful for the life I have**

Take it or leave it, this is all I have.

Just for the Joy of it

2008-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

A few photos of my Gymnast in action. My friend Jenni caught her having fun on the beach. I have no idea why the 2 are so small. but you get the idea.

We are Warriors!!

2008-06-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Due to our Bdad and his failure to commit, our dreams of adopting a special needs kid are nixed for the time-being. (Remember, I believe in miracles...so what?)

Well, we have signed up to be in a program called Prayer Warriors through Reese's Rainbow. We have been matched with a special little girl who happens to have been born with an extra chromosome. She is half-way across the world in a baby-house and desperately needs a family. My sweet kids and myself have agreed to to pray for this angel every day until a family finds her and brings her home forever. The kids have also decided to start a recycling project to put in a fund for the family who will adopt this angel. I am so proud of them. We will be getting her picture this week. Very Cool!!!

JP

2008-06-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

We had visitors this weekend. A favorite couple that BDad used to work with as his business partner and his wife. I have missed them so much since they moved away. These are the kind of people that you can talk with for hours. I love them.

This was the first time they had met Nicholas. The other kids adore them so, of course, Nick did too. They had many questions about his adoption and adjustment to family life etc. Throughout the evening I kept hearing them call Nick....JP. I am thinking to myself, What are they talking about? Why are they calling him JP? Finally I asked, "What is JP?"

They said "JACKPOT, We think that kid hit the jackpot". I of course replied....NO!! Are you CRAZY??? It was we who hit the jackpot, when we found him. Anyway..I still think the nickname is kind of cute.

Summer 'Do

2008-06-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

My T-Man decided to go for the buzz cut this summer. We usually threaten to shave his head when he acts up or messes around when he is supposed to be doing something semi-important, like playing well in basketball or making a few hits in baseball. Honestly... we were just kidding. He made this decision all on his own. I was a bit disappointed because now we have no punishment to hang over his shaved head (i am kidding, again) I did like his long hair, oh well.

It grows back at some point. He has lived most of his 10 years being either bald or buzzed.

No one better get their shears on Nicky this summer, I forbid it. He does not look good with a buzz. He has a crazy shaped head.

On the adoption front, we are still hoping that one member of the crew comes around at some point. Big Daddy is not quite there yet. I thought he was getting close. I was mistaken. My heart is so torn. I am so thankful with the family I have been blessed with right now, but there will always be the longing to adopt again. It is already in my heart. Again, I came across the photo of an adorable little kid that will most likely be in the institution all of his childhood until he is thrown out to the streets at age 16 or 18 with no life skills or family. Not good things happen to kids in that situation. I am ready to do it again. Put me on that airplane. In the meantime, I will wait.

Something is Brewing

2008-06-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

And it is not only the neighbor's home brewed beer that we have fermenting in the big fridge in the garage. It is adoption related and all I can say is to PRAY!!! I am waiting patiently for some things to fall into place. I am hoping that we may need a babysitter for a few days, maybe 4 here and 9 there. Crazy??? I think not.

Finally!!

2008-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sophie lost her first tooth today. That is very exciting for a little girl in Kindergarten. Especially when she is one of the only ones in her class who did not lose a tooth during the school year. Luckily, there are still a few days left of school so she can show off the new space between her teeth. Thanks to Uncle Bill who is the official tooth-puller in the family. The kids wait to see him, he does the deed, then gives them 5 Bucks. It is all very bloody and fun. Sophie has been in a good mood all day!! Now let's hope that the Tooth Fairy "remembers" to visit tonite. Sometimes she forgets which causes distress among the ranks. Way to go Sophie! A great way to start the Summer.

Good Eats!!

2008-06-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

We had some delicious food yesterday. Big Daddy used all of the leftovers from Tony's Baseball Team Party. We had some Chiles Rellenos and some Pizzas. Claire and Sophie made this pizza. It had sections of all kinds of different stuff. The Chiles had shrimp, cheese, chorizo and tomatoes. They were fantastic. Big Daddy gets all excited whenever he can fire up his pizza oven.

We had a great team party. All of the boys and their families were here. There were about 50 people in all. The highlight of the night was a showing of a DVD of our team made by one of the dads. It was nothing less than amazing. The boys were cheering and the moms all had tears in their eyes. Though we did not have a winning season, we had the nicest group of kids and parents. The coach was superior and the boys learned a lot about baseball and winning and losing with dignity. It was a fantastic season. A crazy fun way to end it. Now....on to All Stars.

Did you really just say that?

2008-05-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I put Nicholas down into his crib for the night and somehow got sidetracked (happens to me a lot these days) and we skipped our goodnight prayers. When I realized my mistake, about 10 minutes later, I went back in. He was not yet asleep, but I think he was just starting to doze off. After the initial parts of the prayer..."In the name of the Fadder, Son, Hoaty Spirit...." We always go through the God Bless so and sos, he names off the people that he wants God to bless that day. They are usually the same ones, he once in awhile throws in someone random just to keep me on my toes. Then we end by praying "God Bless all the children who have no homes, Amen" Here's where it gets cute....Nicholas looks up at me with those sleepy eyes and says "Mom, I am in THE RIGHT SPOT, right here next to you and Tony." Now who really knows what exactly he meant by those words, but I took it to mean that he was happy and content here in our family. I left the room with tears in my eyes.

I could not agree with you more, sweet boy.

American Idol

2008-05-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

I finally figured it out. It has been bugging me all season. Does David Cook remind anyone but me, of Jon Gosselin on the Discovery Health show, "Jon and Kate Plus 8?" Am I nuts? They just look alike somehow to me. I love John Cook. I hope he wins. I also love to watch "Jon and Kate plus 8," although I think Kate is very mean to Jon...that show always inspires me to be nicer to my husband.

The Crazy Things We Do in SoCal

2008-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

One of the not so fun things about living in the "country" in Southern California is having to deal with rattlesnakes. Some dogs in our neighborhood have had some nasty encounters with snakes this season. We back up to hundreds of acres of open space and the snakes seem to be coming down in record numbers this year. I actually killed a medium-sized one myself in my driveway a week ago. I thought I would have "super-mom snakekiller" status, but the hawks got the dead snake before the kids could even see him. I usually am not a fan of killing any wild thing, but a rattlesnake living in my front yard does not sit well with me. Here is our dog, Luna working with a trainer at a Rattlesnake Aversion Training Class. There is a rattlesnake in the grass right under her nose. Our neighbors hosted this class yesterday on their property. 40 dogs participated throughout the day. The dogs were rigged up with a special collar that gave them a slight shock if they showed any interest in any of the live rattlesnakes that were brought there by the trainers. The other photo is one of the small snakes. Notice the muzzle around his head. I wish I had a photo of the biggest snake. He was about 5 feet long and very angry. I think the guy who muzzles these snakes must win the award for most crazy job ever. My camera is not the greatest, and they would not let us get too close. Luna did a fine job, I hope she has learned to stay away from Rattlers.

Future Russian-American Idol?

2008-05-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nicholas has always loved to pretend he is playing the guitar. Even when he was a baby. He improvises with whatever is handy, a stick, a ruler, a toy gun...to him they are all guitars. His favorite song is "School's Out for Summer" by Alice Cooper. We blared this song in the car on the way to the last day of school last June. The kids all thought I was crazy, but it has been a family favorite ever since. We brought this guitar home for Nick from our recent Mexico trip. It cost me $50 pesos-about 5 Bucks. It is already broken, but he still plays with it every day. I caught him mid-performance last night. Our superstar.

Gymnastics Insanity

2008-05-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter lives and breathes gymnastics. She works extremely hard and we are so proud of her. She had her first competition season last year. We traveled to Torrance, Chino, Van Nuys, Valencia and State Finals in San Diego. We even got to fly to Phoenix, Arizona for the Hard Rock Invitational. Gymnasts came from all over the US to compete. It was so much fun. She had a rocky start with a few low scores at the first meets. She battled back and showed some real improvement by the end of the season. She had a fantastic finish at State Finals. Our entire team is so dedicated. These girls are awesome. The coaches have upped the training schedule to 12 hours each week and are now getting the team ready for the Level 5 season beginning in September. Should be fun!!!! The other squid-eaters will be dragged all over So.Cal to watch, they get bored, but how many baseball, basketball and football games have we all been to? Are you crazy? Way too many to count. This photo is dark, but here she is, getting a medal at State Finals.

Back to Reality

2008-05-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in awhile, because there really was not anything exciting going on around here, then drumroll please.......We went on vacation. When I say vacation, I mean VACATION!!!!! No camping trip, which is actually more work than staying home, no fighting crowds at Disney with 4 kids all wanting to go in opposite directions, not anything like that at all. This is the first time we have left the kids overnight since we went to Russia to bring Nicky home. This was an adults only, 4 night break, a little slice of heaven, if you ask me. We even got upgraded on the second night to a suite. It was a much needed, relaxing almost second honeymoon. Check out our digs at casaquecanta.com The place was great, the setting was beautiful and the food was fantastic. If I ever had the chance, I would return to this spot in Mexico again in a heartbeat. I am going to save every extra penny I get, in a special spot earmarked just for this purpose. I waited 10 years for this, I can wait again. Big thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Donut for holding down the fort while we were gone. Yes...these are my toes as I sit in a chaise reading a BOOK!!!

2008-04-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well....it is Friday once again, Where does the week go? I spent the entire week in a blur. On Tuesday, I found a little kid in the Ukraine on the Reece's Rainbow website who I completely fell head over heels for. I spent a lot of time this week pleading my case to Big Daddy. I can find no reason (in my pea-brain) why we should not drop everything here and begin the adoption process of a very sick 2 year-old boy who lives in an orphanage on the other side of the world. My dear husband, on the other hand, can find about 27 reasons why we should not do this. I am just hoping that he might keep an open mind about adding another child to our family, though after hearing the strength of his reaction to this latest plea to my case, I know that it will take a miracle. That is okay...because I believe in miracles. I look directly at a miracle in the eyes of my youngest son every single day of my life. I can only pray that something will change Dad's heart. If you ask me to, I will direct you to a picture of this new little boy who stole my heart. I hope a forever family finds him very soon.

International Adoption

2008-04-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

I knew that I would get around to this topic sooner than later. I am obsessed with International Adoption. I always have been. I can remember having a conversation with a friend on the topic when I was in second grade. I think I wrote some kind of report about adoption when I was in 5th grade, maybe I was older, but I remember writing it. Anyway...I pretty much remember all of the kids and parents I have personally met along the way who have adopted internationally. The thought of a kid in an orphanage without a loving family is something that has always laid heavily on my heart. I am a part of many yahoo groups which pertain to IA. I have many favorite blogs which I read almost daily, most of which are written by families who are also involved in IA. Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Liberia, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, China....adopting from any country fascinates me.
We were so blessed in 2005, to make our dream come true and to finally do it ourselves. We were able to adopt Nicholas in Russia. It is the single most adventurous thing I have ever done. It was the hardest "pregnancy" I ever had. I am so incredibly lucky that my dear husband got right on board with my somewhat crazy idea and supported me all along the way. Nick has been a fantastic addition to our family. He is an awesome, smart, funny, crazy kid. We all love him so very much.
Here's my dilemma, I really feel called to adopt again. It is a feeling that comes from the depths of my heart. As much as I try, I cannot make that feeling go away. I saw a documentary on the plight of children with Down Syndrome in Eastern Europe. I cannot get those images out of my mind. I just want to go and get one of those precious kids. This time, though, my dear husband does not share this dream. He thinks it would be too much for the family. Too much of a sacrifice for us, too much time, money and grief. I just do not see it that way. Am I crazy?

Crazy Hot!!

2008-04-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

It has been unseasonably warm this last few days. Actually it has been really HOT. I think it was over 100 degrees in my backyard. Weeds like heat. With the rain we had this year and now this heat, I have a weed farm out there.... At least the kids have something to do when they get in trouble. Big Daddy is fond of making them pull weeds for a half hour or so when they decide to cut-up. I digress. Well.. I thought I was going to pass out on Saturday during T's Baseball game, for two reasons...First of all, the heat, which I am not used to in April. Secondly, the boys were actually winning for a change. In fact, they were winning almost the entire game. Sadly, it all fell apart during the last inning, so disappointing that one guy actually started to cry. These are 10 and 11 year old boys. This kid had heart and was really depressed. I think his emotions show the depth of his commitment to the game. His dad yelled at him for crying. I thought that was a little bit mean, that dad probably really wanted just one win, too. All my little baseball player wanted to do was have his good buddy over to play after the game. His good buddy happened to be on the team that beat us. I think they were making plans as his buddy was rounding first base on his way to score the winning run. The boys ended up having a blast together for the next 24 hours. They never even talked once about the game.
We had our first real beach day on Sunday after Mass. Boogie boards, skim boards, buckets, shovels and burritos, something for everyone. No surfing, the ocean was as flat as glass. It was just beautiful. The boys wanted some waves, but improvised and had a great time anyway. Even Nick is getting brave in the ocean, I will really have to watch him like a hawk this summer.
It was a fabulous day which ended back at home with barbequed burgers and a fantastic bottle of red wine. The kids went for a swim after dinner so we did not even have to do baths before bed. Heaven.....(I did think Desperate Housewives, which we had been waiting for weeks to see, was boring. I fell asleep)

Kids Sports II

2008-04-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

We lost another baseball game tonite. No surprise, but the real surprise was my reaction. I am happy. Yee Haaa!! (Tony hit a stand-up triple. It was one of our teams' only hits tonite. I am sooooo proud of him.)
Mission Accomplished.
BTW, Big Daddy thought that my new attitude was completely CRAZY!!!

Problem Solved

2008-04-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

There was a big neighborhood soccer game in our backyard on Sunday. During the game, Sophie and her best friend disappeared into the house for awhile. I figured they had grown tired of getting kicked in the shins by the boys and decided to take on a more "girlie" indoor activity. When they came out of the house a few minutes later, dressed like this, we could not stop laughing. They were ready to play again. This time It would be the boys who felt the shin pain. I like the way these girls solved their problem, and they looked darn-girlie, too. What? Stop a really fun game because of a few kicks to their sweet little shins? They weren't crazy!! It was a good day for co-ed soccer.

I Hate Kids Sports

2008-04-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

They bring out the worst in me. Since when did I become one of "those" moms? My vow to myself this week is to not let kids sports bother me. If someone (the kid) is having fun....so we lose yet another game. I will be positive and cheer and be proud of my kids' teams. No matter what. My son's coach put things into perspective for me, this morning, as I was fuming inside about another loss. He wanted us all to say goodbye to one of the players' dads who was leaving this week for his third tour in Iraq. What am I moaning about? Baseball!! I must be crazy.

Back at it

2008-04-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Since I have not posted in a long while, I though I'd better write something before I forgot how to do it.
Not much is going on here. We utterly enjoyed our Spring Break, except for one day which also happened to be my 45th B-day. We had to go to a double funeral. It was awful, 2 members of one family died suddenly of heart problems, only a few hours apart. So sad!! My heart breaks for this family. Other than that, I enjoyed the week off. We had good weather, heated up the pool, went to the beach house and generally did nothing but sleep late, eat good food and play. We are so lucky. I was a little bummed that we decided to stay home, but it worked out great. I felt like I got a true vacation. I had half a mind to pull the kids out of school and homeschool them so we could carry on like this forever--What am I? CRAZY???

We got the call we have been waiting for yesterday. Our timeshare trade for this summer came through. We get to spend a week in Kauai at the end of August. Woo Hoo!!!! The kids and I are over the moon with excitement. Big Daddy is playing along but I think he is less than gung ho! We will do everything we can to get him motivated to have a good time. The kids' excitement is no less than contagious. Nick can't wait to get on the "big airplane." The girls can't wait to dump every penny of their hard-earned savings at the ABC Store. Tony wants to surf on a "shortboard" this year. Mommy just wants to hang out at Tunnels Beach and to snorkel for at least 1 undisturbed hour. We all have big plans for this trip. I spent several hours yesterday trying to get 6 flights to Kauai using our airline miles. I spent a lot of my afternoon waiting on hold. Thank goodness, I was semi-successful. I did manage to get 2 free tickets, but had to pay for the rest. Those airline miles do not go as far as they used to.

As for matters of the heart, I am still trying to talk Big Daddy into the adoption of another kid. He says...what are you? Crazy??? We all know the answer to that question.

Aloha!!!

I am still working on this

2008-01-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

I am now trying to figure out how one would add something to the blog, then, come back to it later. Since the time I started this, an entire Monopoly Board Game has been spread upon my floor downstairs. This means EVERY SINGLE part of the game. I did not realize the amount of stuff in one box. Well, it now litters the entire floor. Each little bill of the fake money has been wadded up or torn to shreds. Even the little Chance Cards are all crumpled up. Tragedy... See what happens when a three and six year old are left to their own devices for 8 minutes.

Welcome Me to Blogworld Please

2008-01-31T10:56:00.000-08:00

I am trying this blog thing for a ride. I have no idea what iI am doing at all. It is a true case of trial by error. At least I have gotten this far.