Dream a Little Dream

Kitties Part II

2010-08-07T00:28:00.000-07:00

I never expected to become attached to a feline, let alone 5 of them! But here they are and here they will stay until either we move away or another neighbor takes over feeding them. As the evening cools, the kitties all come out from the shade of the bushes, ready to eat and snuggle.

Even Austin who is not really an animal person has enjoyed having them around. Holding them is very soothing as long as he can immediately use a lint roller to remove every last strand of hair from his clothes.

This is Dolly. She started out as one of our favorites until she went through a moody spell. Now she has been bumped down the favorite cat lineup, being replaced by Princess and Scout . This is Scout. For a long time Austin and I tried to think of the perfect name for her. We didn't want anything too girlie. We came up with Scout at the same time. I was thinking of the young girl in "To Kill a Mocking Bird" and he was thinking of a military sniper scout sneaking through the bushes. Whatever, it works for us both.

Kitties

2010-07-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

When we moved to our current neighborhood almost two years ago, one of the first things we noticed was that our street was over-run with cats. They all belonged to the neighbor next door but they seemed to have free reign and made themselves at home in all the neighbors yards. I never gave much thought to them other than the annoyance I felt when I discovered my yard is part litter box. A couple of months ago the neighbor who owns the cats lost her home and had to move out quickly. She was unable to find homes for her kitties and so she decided to abandon them and leave them in the neighborhood to fend for themselves. The animal lover in me refused to let them starve and couldn't bare to call the humane society. Now every evening the Kitty Club meets in our driveway for their evening meal and play time. There are five beautiful cats with very distinct looks and personalities and each of us has our favorite.My personal favorite is Princess (named by Amanda). She is the chunkiest, fluffiest, sweetest kitty in the bunch. She just can't get enough lovin' and we can't seem to keep our hands off her.

She is such a purr-ty cat and I don't know that we will be able to leave this house without her.

I held her like a baby for half an hour the other day and she was in heaven.

I never thought I would become a "catwoman". You never know what is going to drift into your life.

Cell Phone Photography

2010-06-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

Amanda is now a professional photographer...self-portrait photographer, that is. She has mastered the art of holding out her cell phone, pointing towards herself and taking some pretty cute pictures. Sometimes she includes her best friend Kaitlyn, her sister Lauren and every once in a while, me. Here are a few she snapped today on her "monochrome" setting.

Corona Del Mar

2010-06-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago one of my forever friends, Leah, was out visiting from Utah and we all decided to hang out at the beach for the day. It was a bit windy and cold but we still had a great time.

I didn't go in the water but the kids did and they said it was warmer than our pool. I kinda doubt that!

Whenever we are at the beach Austin and Lauren love to dig huge holes. This hole came up to Austin's chest and he needed a little help to get out of it! They wanted to dig until they hit water and they actually did.

Somehow, I got lazy and didn't get a picture of Leah but I did snap one of my girls with her daughter Marissa. Marissa looks so much like Leah when she was a kid, it's scary! The girls had a great time together even though they haven't seen each other in many years.

Family Gathering

2010-06-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a family get together while Aaron's Dad was visiting from Hawaii. We had a great time enjoying each other's company, BBQing and swimming. Hope to have more of these in the future!

She's Got Skills

2010-06-28T01:27:00.000-07:00

Today I had so much fun teaching Lauren how to sew and she had just as much fun learning! She started out watching me turn pants into shorts, then before I knew it she'd learned how to thread the machine, fill the bobbins with thread and attach the bobbins underneath. She practiced sewing straight lines on an old shirt and then once she was confident we decided to make a sleeping bag for her special stuffed animal (AKA "Dog Dog"). The sleeping bag turned out perfectly and Dog Dog is sleeping comfortably in his new bed. Lauren, on the other hand can't wait to get back to work. Oh, the things you can create with a sewing machine!

Manda's New Bag

2010-06-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a crafty person but tonight I made Manda a designer bag out of an old pair of jeans and a pillowcase. Ok, it's not so designer but she's pretty happy with it.

Not a Perfect Picture...

2010-06-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

...but sweet.

Pesky Little Sister

2010-06-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Need I say more???

Moving On

2010-06-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for Amanda. She had her 6th Grade Promotion! She's been looking forward to this day for years. She's always had the idea that real life starts in Jr. High. Hope it lives up to her expectations!

Twins!

2010-05-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Amanda and her best friend Kaitlyn dressed up for the "twins day" being held at school. Kaitlyn's mom took them shopping at Ross where they found these matching tops and headbands. They looked so striking and were very proud of their outfits.

There is never an ounce of drama between these two, which is a rare thing in the sixth grade. Kaitlyn is a little on the shy side but when she and Amanda are together it's constant laughter and silliness. I think this is a friendship that may be around awhile!

Airfest 2010

2010-05-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

My kids are obsessed with the military. Well, two of them anyway. I think Austin knows the name of every flying and shooting machine ever made. He has enrolled in ROTC for his sophomore year and is planning to join the military after high school. Amanda decided a few months ago that she wants to be a military nurse and help put soldiers back together. The idea of them being in harm's way kills me but I don't get to choose their dreams or tell them what to do with their lives. Instead I will do the same as any other mother. I will do what I can to support them and pray....pray that they will change their minds!
Ha, ha!

Yesterday we went to the Airfest at March Air Reserve Base. As we pulled onto the base we saw uniformed soldiers with guns in their arms and pistols strapped to their legs. Everyone got pretty excited.
Then we saw things like helicopters

and F15's that threw your eardrums into shock and made every baby within a 10 mile radius cry.

There was this gigantic beast that made you wonder how something that size could actually fly.

This is the inside of it where we got to get out the sun for a bit.

A helicopter with big gun. The things dreams are made of.

See that smile on Austin's face? That's what "love at first sight" looks like. Maybe someday it will be a girl instead of a gun.

The girls enjoyed having their faces painted in camouflage colored stripes. In this picture Amanda is blushing and giggling because the lady told her she loves her freckles. I love her freckles too.

Lemonade

2010-04-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today the kids decided to make homemade lemonade out of the lemons they picked from my Grandma's backyard tree.We don't have one of those fancy electric juicers. We don't even have one of those cone juicers you smoosh the fruit onto.

They just juiced these lemons by hand, squeezing every last drop out of them.

After the squishing and squeezing they sifted out the seeds,

then decided to taste their juice before it was sweetened.

Here is Austin's reaction...

and Lauren's. Amanda barely flinched.

We ended up with a large pitcher and a half of lemonade that's suprisingly good. Strong, but good.

Easter 2010

2010-04-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Another Easter has come and gone. We celebrated by going through our usual routine. I guess "tradition" would be a more heartwarming word to use. On Easter Eve we boiled, then decorated 2 dozen eggs. Notice the look on Austin's face and you can probably guess what's going through his head. After dying a few eggs he said apologetically, "Mom, I'm just too big now to hunt for eggs in the morning." I told him that was ok, that now he could be the one to hide them.

That put a smile on his face!

Aaron tried to get in on the fun but got sent to the couch for teasing too much :) Ha, ha!

We dipped some of the eggs in dye and did a marbleizing technique others. Then Lauren decided to add some finishing touches.

The kids either got ultra-creative or ultra-sloppy, I'm not sure which, but we sure ended up with

some colorful, unique eggs.

The next morning after opening Easter baskets, Austin got to work hiding the eggs...

and the girls got busy finding them.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at home. Lauren played with her new ball, Amanda read her new book and Austin played his new video game. Aaron and I spent the day raiding the baskets for treats and begging our children for chocolate.

Twirly Locks!

2010-04-04T00:23:00.000-07:00

I recently got my camera out and asked Lauren to help me with a little project. I'm a little rusty on the controls, but you'll get the idea. Here is Lauren, patiently ready to go and wondering if she should request some Dramamine.

Weee, this hair can catch some air. Pfooooof!
A little dizzy now... This one looks a little bit creepy. How did her eyes turn white?
Look out for swinging limbs!
A golden curtain!

Ethereal comes to mind.

Still Dreaming...

2010-01-26T22:52:00.000-08:00

I wish it really were...within my reach, I mean. I have been drooling over the idea of spending a summer at RMSP in Missoula Montana for about 3 years now. They have an 11 week Summer Intensive program and when you come out of it you are ready to go as a professional photographer. What a dream come true that would be.

Lollipop Turns 9!

2010-01-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

Last week our baby had her 9th birthday. The problem is that she's not actually a baby anymore, but I keep forgetting this. I forget that she doesn't always need our help with things and doesn't need to be looked out for quite so much. She's growing up and yet I still have this feeling in my heart that she's the itty-bitty two year old who was seldom found two feet from my side. I guess you would call this denial and I should probably try to resolve this issue sometime soon. At least, before she goes away to college.

Love This...

2010-01-16T22:28:00.000-08:00

One afternoon Lauren was drawing at the dining room table. After she had gone outside to play I found this. A single word, accompanied by a few colorful hearts can be so powerful.

La Jolla

2009-11-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I was able to play with my camera on the beach in La Jolla. It's been a while since I've done much picture taking and this morning reminded me how much I love the weight of the camera in my hand, the sound of the shutter clicking and seeing only a slice of the world at a time through the viewfinder. The mist was barely lifting as I began and it gave those first pictures such a mysterious/melancholy feel.

I loved how the waves would rush into this crevice, then shoot powerfully into the air.

The water in the tide pools was so clean and clear, you could easily see the tiny crabs swimming around.

Somebody forgot to tell the seagulls they are supposed to be afraid of people. This guy was happy to pose for a portrait.

I was amazed when I came to an area with a ton of sea lions lounging on the shoreline. There was one in particular that caught my attention. Every time the wave would rush toward him, he would lift his head high in the air so his head wouldn't get wet.

Then I came upon these strange creatures who were also lounging around. Group nap? Nope, they were actually doing yoga.

Happy Birthday Austin!

2009-09-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

He's Such a Young Man Now!

2009-09-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today was Austin's 14th birthday. We celebrated very low key this year. We took him for dinner at Red Robin last night so he could get sung to by the servers and tonight he enjoyed peach cobbler and cards stuffed with money from family members. Food and money, two things boys this age can't get enough of. I made Austin a slide show video of his life but I'm having a few difficulties getting it posted here. Hopefully I can get it posted tomorrow.

Back-2-School

2009-08-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Every year on the first day of school, I take out my camera and snap a few pictures of each of the kids. I love documenting these momentous days but as they have grown older, they've also grown more and more annoyed with this little tradition. Since last year's pictures were full of rolling eyes and impatient frowns I actually considered giving them a break this year. Boy was I surprised when the evening before the first day of school they all said, "You're taking pictures in the morning, right?". It's a nice feeling when someone asks you to take their picture instead of groaning when the camera comes out! Here is Lauren on her first day as President of a large Corporation. Oops, I mean the first day of 3rd grade. When I look at this picture I get a little flash of her future. Anyway, her day went great. She loved her teacher, she was excited about the three thick text books she gets to use this year and she was relieved to find that the little boys who made last year miserable were NOT in her class.

For the first time ever, Amanda loves her teacher! I can't even tell you how happy this makes me. She always seems to get the one teacher that should have retired already. She has made friends with a couple of girls who like to avoid the girl drama that Amanda seems to get sucked into, against her will,every year. Thank goodness for that. I think the 6th grade is going to be a great year for her.

These next few words come out with a sniff and damp eyes...Austin started HIGH SCHOOL this year! Can that really be right? Wasn't I just IN high school? I'm not sure what is more upsetting, that he's growing up or I'm growing old! So far Austin loves the 9th grade. I hear the most about French (I guess Spanish was full) and Geography class. I love that he comes home excited about the things he's learning and tells me all about it. It makes me want to do High School all over again, minus the teen angst.

Papa Pulls Through!

2009-08-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight my gratitude is overflowing. When I heard that my Dad would be released from the hospital this afternoon, I was finally able to exhale the breath I'd been holding for two weeks. Two weeks ago he went in for some tests and before he knew it they were performing major emergency surgery that he was not really expected to live through. The Dr. warned that if he did live through it, he may not have use of his legs. It was agony for me to be so far away and to not know if I would ever see him again or have one more of our "solve the world's problems" conversations. All I knew was that this could not be it because I still really need him in my life. My dad spent most of the past two weeks in ICU getting some major kinks worked out, then got transferred to a regular room a few days ago. He had VERY limited use of his legs until yesterday when he pulled himself out of bed and took himself for a walk down the hallway. With a walker, of course. I sure wish I had been there to see that, and I'm sure you could have heard the faint sound of angels sing Alleluia in the background. I'm so glad that he is able to come back home to recuperate. I love you Dad and wish so much that I could come be with you! When I told Janet what had happened to you she said, "I swear Kase, your dad has like 9,000 lives!" That cracked me up and I hope she is right!

Ouch!

2009-07-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning I went running with a friend and by Tuesday afternoon I was in horrible pain every time I took a step. The Dr. suspects a stress fracture. There wasn't anything obvious on the x-ray but the Dr. says it often takes 1-2 weeks to actually show up. In one week I get it re-evaluated. In the mean time I get to wear some ultra fashionable footwear!

Father's Day Campout

2009-06-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

One thing Aaron really loves to do is go camping so we thought this would be a great way to celebrate Father's Day. We packed everything up Sunday morning and headed up to SouthFork campground in the San Gorgonio Mountains. We'd been told this was a nice campground along the Santa Ana River and we were really excited that we'd get to play in the water. Well, the river turned out to be a stream two feet wide. That was a bit disappointing but the campground was still beautiful. We hung out and relaxed, then went on a short hike. Then we drove over to Jenks Lake just a couple miles away. The lake was so incredibly clean, you could actually see the fish swimming around in it! After hanging out there for a while we headed back to camp for dinner and smores. We left early the next morning, so it was just a quick little camping trip. We are hoping to do many more this summer.

Family Photo

2009-06-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

For years we've been saying that we need to have a family photo taken. Here I am, hoping to someday be a professional photographer and I haven't even had my own family's picture taken in 5 years! A couple nights ago, the kids surprised me and Aaron with this near life-sized chalk rendering of our family. "Take a picture," they said. "It can be our new family photo!"

Miss Manda

2009-06-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Me: Okay Manda, pretend you're a Supermodel!
Amanda: .........................................

New York Fashion Week, here she comes.

Run!

2009-05-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, Austin and I decided that we really wanted to get in shape. We began getting up early to work out before school and we've also been running in the evenings when the temperatures cool down. I am enjoying the results I am seeing in my body but more than that I have enjoyed spending this time with my son. Our evening runs have become one of my favorite parts of the day. We encourage each other to keep going when we want to quit and we have pushed ourselves to go farther and farther each time. We started with about a half of a mile and tonight we ran 3.5 miles. We feel so accomplished! Austin makes me feel old when I watch him run. He bounces along like he has springs in his legs and just when I am about to keel over, he will break into a sprint. I spend a lot of time laughing at him because he will do things like race dogs along a fence line while barking back at them. I beg him not to do these things because laughing while running cuts my power in half but the kid is merciless and keeps it up.

Unfortunately, tonight our run ended with a terrifying event. We were worn out and struggling up our last hill when all of a sudden a beat up brown van flew up to the curb right behind us. We heard it coming and as I turned to see what was going on I saw that the passenger door had flung open and a man was jumping out before the van had even fully stopped. My heart jumped into my throat as I heard Austin yell back to me, "Run Mom! Run!" and deep in my soul, I knew he was right. I was literally sick as we ran for our lives, believing we would be thrown in that van and whisked away. Luckily, we happened to be not too far from the back side of our house. From the sidewalk we had to climb up a weedy, stickery hill and then climb over the back fence. I was so exhausted and frantic I could barely make it over. I was so, so relieved when we were finally safe! When we told Aaron what had happened, he tried to calm our fears by suggesting other possible reasons the van had pulled over. Austin and I are both very familiar with "promptings" and I have no doubt that we were prompted to run for our lives with every ounce of strength we could muster.

Now that my fear has subsided I am so angry that Austin and I will not be able to run, be silly and enjoy our time the way we have been. Now if we run, we will looking for threatening brown vans and wondering what could happen next time if we don't happen to be close to home. Aaron offered to follow us in the car for now on and I'm sure we will be taking him up on that. I know that our runs won't be the same, being shadowed by our own personal security guard, but I am determined to not give up something I love because of the evil lurking in the world. I will not let evil win.

Amanda's Adventure

2009-05-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Monday morning Amanda headed off to Science camp with her 5th grade class and we were so sad to see her go. Aaron and I were fighting tears as we dropped her off at school. We just really didn't like the thought of spending the next four days without her. We had a heck of a time deciding whether she could go in the first place because we are pretty protective parents. Sending her off to a place we've never seen with people we've never met was just plain scary. It took a lot of faith to let her go and you can bet we were praying for her every day. I'm so glad we allowed her to go because she had such a great time! They did lots of hiking, fun activities and were fed really well (leave it to a Mom to ask her what she ate while she was gone!). Being the social and adventurous kid she is, she loved being there and didn't get home sick at all. We're happy she had so much fun and made some great memories but we are even happier that she's back home with us now!

Welcome Addi, You're Here At Last!

2009-05-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Janet and I met when we were twelve years old. We were instant friends and did all those things twelve year olds do. We tied up the phone lines for hours at a time, slept over every chance we got, and most of all talked about BOYS. We were great friends through Jr. High then got a bit separated in High School. I think we had only one class together out of all four years and yet we stayed close through constant phone conversations. Those conversations have been going on for 21 years now. As far back as I can remember, Janet has always looked forward to being a mom. She was deciding the names of her three children in Jr. High and knew that of course, she would have a girl first. She absolutely had to have a girl. After High School, Janet became a Labor and Delivery nurse and has probably helped deliver hundreds of babies over the years but it wasn't until the evening of May 9th that she delivered one of her own. I can't even put into words how honored I was to be present when little Addison Elizabeth came into the world and made her mother's greatest dream come true. Janet looked like she was bursting with joy and I was bursting with joy right along with her.

Go Manda!!!!

2009-05-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

I was so proud when a few months ago Amanda was voted Most Athletic Girl for her school yearbook. She has won the admiration of her classmates because she can run like the wind. I think her new title inspired her because she decided to try out all the team sports, starting with Spring soccer. She hasn't played soccer since she was four years old and used to stand around trying to chat with other players during the games. She's over that now and she gets down to business.

Practices and games always start with a warm up run. It's supposed to be a slow jog but Amanda can't stand to be beat so she kicks into turbo and runs flat out. This little guy got close but she still smoked him.

A little bit of stretching (Amanda's someone you can always lean on),

A pep talk from the coaches...

...and then it's on! Amanda has worked so hard this season and has gotten better and better with every practice and game. At Saturday's game she was awesome and everyone was cheering for her. It's got to feel great to hear everyone calling your name.

The Rescue

2009-05-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our current house six months ago, the kids were super excited that they were going to have their own built in swimming pool. Their excitement faded quickly as all the water began to leek out through cracks in the walls and the water began to turn green. Month after month we contacted the owners to take care of this problem but they never got around to it. As the weather began to warm up, the pool/pond became infested with mosquito larvae and we dreaded the day they would hatch. In an attempt to deal with this, Aaron went and bought 30 tiny goldfish and tossed them into the pool to eat the larvae and hold off the swarms of mosquitoes. Last week the pool guy FINALLY arrived to restore our pool to working order. He hooked up a pump to drain the green water and said he would be back the next day to repair it. By early evening the pool was empty except for a small puddle of sludge and about 20 goldfish who'd tripled in size. They lay there flopping in about and inch and a half of yuck, gasping for breath. I was horrified that they would just lay there suffocating and asked Aaron to please save their lives. He looked at me incredulously for a minute and then went to work. He carefully walked down the length of the slippery, slimy pool, squatted down and began "fishing" around the muck for the goldfish.

Austin watched as Aaron demonstrated the lengths a man will go to for the woman he loves. I'm not quite sure what he thought of that...

After Aaron rescued the fishies he gave them a little bath on the driveway, then put them into a nice clean fish bowl.

I was so grateful that Aaron saved their lives and didn't make me watch them flip and flop 'til they took their last breaths. That evening we went out to dinner and when we returned we discovered that every one of those goldfish had croaked in our absence! We were shocked that after Aaron's efforts, they ended up dying anyway. Oh well, at least he tried.

Hello Again

2009-05-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? For a while there, I thought my blogging days were over. I've recovered now from my bout of blogging burn out and plan to continue chronicling the events of our lives. This Mother's Day I am feeling so grateful. Grateful to be a mother to these three awesome kids and grateful to have a mother who has been such a wonderful example to me. I couldn't ask for a better mother or better children. How did I get so lucky?

Happy Birthday Amanda!

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

Darling Daughter

2009-02-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

Lately, Amanda has been the kid who is least likely to let me take her picture. That is, until yesterday when she got her new hairdo and she suddenly felt inspired to pose for the camera. I love that I was able to catch the many sides of Manda: beautiful, sweet, fun, zany and as you see in the last picture, full of suprises!

The Princess Locked in the Tower, I Mean the Bathroom

2009-02-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

This morning Lauren went to the bathroom, then had quite the suprise when she discovered she couldn't get out. The door was stuck and there was no prying it open. Luckily there is a window and Daddy was able to rescue her through it. Oh, the joys of living in an old home.

My New Toy

2009-02-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

Last week I got a new camera lens as an early birthday present and I absolutely love it. It's a Nikon 50mm, f1.8, for those of you who understand that kind of thing. The reason I love it is because it gives you very shallow depth of field. That means that it throws the background out of focus. This is great if you are taking a picture of something and don't want to see the busy/ distracting background behind it. It also makes ordinary household objects look kind of interesting.

25 Things

2009-01-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

My friend Rachel "tagged" me on Facebook which means I had to post 25 facts about myself. For those of you on Facebook this post will be repetitive but I thought I'd go ahead and post it here too.

25 Things About Me:

1. When I was growing up I planned to be a career woman and never get married or have kids. When I was 18 I got married, had 3 kids and have been a stay at home mom ever since. Go figure.

2. After 15 years of marriage I still get excited every day when my husband gets home from work.

3. I love to ask people questions about themselves because I enjoy figuring out what makes them tick. I often wonder if people feel like I'm interrogating them!

4. I LOVE photography but still have a lot to learn.

5. I am addicted to books and usually read 2-3 of them a week (mostly in the middle of thnight).

6. In my opinion, Barnes and Noble=Heaven on Earth.

7. I talk to my animals like they are human.

8. I am shy. If I see someone in a store that I know, I am more likely to hide than say hello.

9. I had Lasik eye surgery a year and a half ago. Best money I ever spent.

10. I love to make lists and always have half a dozen of them going in my head.

11. We move a lot. I have lived in 11 different homes in the past 15 years. There's something disturbing about that.

12. I would much rather spend money on experiences (travel, classes, entertainment) than material things.

13. I love blogging because it combines writing and photography, two of my favorite things to do.

14. I can name every actor/actress in just about any movie.

15. I would rather listen to the radio than a CD. Listening to 15 songs by the same artist drives me crazy!

16. I once hiked 10 miles into the Grand Canyon. It took 3 days for the pain to subside and then I hired a donkey to carry me out.

17. I love how I feel when I put on an apron. Instant Domestic Diva.

18. I am terribly afraid of heights yet I jumped off an enormous cliff into the sea in Jamaica, just to say I did it.

19. I could eat pizza every single day and never get sick of it.

20. A couple years ago I took horseback riding lessons. I enjoyed it a lot but never really got over the fear of being thrown off.

21. I fear failure. I would almost rather not try than try and fail.

22. I love to cook and try new recipes. My husband and kids are great sports about trying my new concoctions.

23. I love to spend time with my family and can't stand the thought that someday the 5 of us won't always be together.

24. I daydream a lot about places I want to travel to and where I will stay when I get there (example: Italian villa, thatched roof cottage in Ireland, beach side cottage on an east coast island etc).

25. Sometimes I forget I'm "the mom" because my kids and I are such good friends.

My Little Helper

2009-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

One thing Lauren loves to do is help me in the kitchen. Especially if I am baking. For her birthday we decided to make one of our all time favorite desserts, key lime poke cake with strawberries. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

He's So Sweet

2009-01-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

It's exciting to get flowers for your birthday.
They are hoped for when they come on Valentine's Day.
It's romantic to receive flowers for your anniversary.
They are well deserved when they come after giving birth.
It's sweet to receive flowers when he's sorry.

But there's nothing better than getting flowers JUST BECAUSE.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words...

2009-01-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

(Make sure your sound is turned on!)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The New Additions

2009-01-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

Today Austin and Amanda gave Lauren an early birthday present. Knowing they've been wanting fish for quite some time, I questioned their motives, but Lauren was very happy with the gift. The jumbo goldfish is named Winston and three smaller ones are Stormy, Poppy, and Blossom.

Winston looks like he'd be a tasty little snack, don't ya think???

Jeepers Creepers, Where'd You Get Those Peepers?

2009-01-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

Last week Austin started wearing contacts. I love these big brown eyes!

Two of My Favorite People

2009-01-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

A "Rockin" Good Christmas

2008-12-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

It was a great Christmas but...PHEW...I'm glad it's over! All that planning, plotting, and preparing wears a person out. We did lots of fun things and enjoyed our Christmas experiment of opening one gift a day for the week before Christmas. It was nice to see the kids give each gift their full attention and appreciation. We did, of course, save stockings and a couple gifts for Christmas morning. I'm not a huge fan of Christmas morning pictures but I do love this look on Amanda's face when Lauren opened up a new doll she'd been hoping for. I know Lauren probably had an identical look on her own face.

Austin's main gift this year was Guitar Hero but the whole family has taken it over. Aaron, Austin and Amanda stayed up until 1:00 am this morning because they couldn't put it down. You know somethings got to be good if Aaron stays awake for it past 8 pm! I had a feeling Austin would be great at it considering his guitar experience and I was right. What surprised me was how Amanda step right up and was awesome from song one! She rocks!

Christmas Memories

2008-12-22T23:13:00.000-08:00

Last year Christmas sucked. There's no prettier way to say it. We'd bought and decorated a tree, then undecorated it two weeks later and gave it away to someone else to decorate once again. We opened Christmas presents two weeks early and then the kids and I drove away from our home in Idaho to find a new one in California. We spent Christmas day alone in a motel room while Aaron was stranded in Idaho, seriously sick and closing up our life in the place we'd hoped to never leave. Yes, it sucked. But this year we are making up for it.

I decided to do Christmas a little differently this year. The joke is that we are celebrating Hanukkah because instead of opening our presents all at once we are opening one gift a day for the week before Christmas. I thought this would give the kids a chance to really appreciate each individual gift instead of throwing one aside to open the next one. Along with opening a gift, we have been doing a fun family activity each day. So far we have driven around to look at Christmas lights, built Gingerbread houses, spent an evening playing Christmas games, and watched a Christmas movie together. Tomorrow will be our "Christmas around the world" night and on Christmas Eve we will have our "Shepherd's" dinner and read about Jesus' birth. So far, I am loving this new way of celebrating and the kids seem to be enjoying it too. I'm hoping we are creating such great Christmas memories this year that they won't remember the not so great once from last year!

Dance

2008-12-21T00:42:00.000-08:00

I just came across this quote on another blog and fell in love with it:

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain!

I hope to be doing a lot of dancing in 2009.

Twelve Days of Christmas

2008-12-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Last night the kids decided, somewhat last minute, that they wanted to do the Twelve Days of Christmas for the elderly couple that live across the street. I was a little hesitant because of the spontenaity but because Aaron and I did this once when we were just dating and it made that Christmas so memorable, I decided to go with it. Austin grabbed his Gingerbread House kit we had yet to put together, wrote a little "first day of Christmas" poem and we headed out into the cold to watch him try to sneak it onto the neighbor's porch. He quickly discovered that the drapes were wide open and they were sitting right in front of the window. He stood out there contemplating a strategy for quite a while. When the cold began to get to him and he realized there was no other way, he charged onto the porch, dropped the gift, rang the doorbell and ran for cover. He was so happy with his secret mission...until our neighbor called several minutes later asking if it was us that had just been at their place! The kids were furious when Aaron admitted that it had been us who'd left the package. That is, until they found out that being 88 years old, having your doorbell rang late at night and finding a package on your porch is a little unsettling. Once they knew it was us, the neighbors were happy about their little surprise. The kids were a bit disappointed that it is not a secret anymore but they still had fun running across the street tonight to leave cute little snowman mugs with packets of hot chocolate on the neighbors porch.

Popcorn and Cranberries

2008-12-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

This year Austin suggested that we string popcorn and cranberries to hang on our tree. Aaron and I had done this when we decorated our very first Christmas tree, but we hadn't done it since. Always game for a new Christmas activity, I eagerly agreed and we ran to the store the buy cranberries and white popcorn. We popped the corn, set out the berries and threaded our needles with loooong strands of white thread. Then we sat down and got to work. Several hours later we were still sitting there and that's when I realized why we had never done this particular project with out kids. Not only was it taking forever, but there was popcorn smashed on the floor across three rooms and and my fingers had more pricks than a pin cushion. Of course I did get a few good pictures of our work in progress. Here are a couple of my favorites...

The end result was well worth the effort. Our tree this year is the prettiest one we've ever had. Aaron says I say that every year, but this year I REALLY mean it. The popcorn strands were a nice touch but I have a feeling it will be another fifteen years before we do THAT again.

Ringing In the Holiday!

2008-12-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Season has now officially begun for the Koffords'. The stockings are hung, the Nutcrackers are set out and this morning we took a trip to the most awesome Christmas tree farm I've ever seen. At the entrance of the farm a Christmas Shop was set up with lots of beautifully decorated trees and holiday decorations. Each of the kids selected an ornament of their choice to add to their personal ornament collections. Outside the shop were thousands of trees to choose from, kiddie rides, refreshment stands, a petting zoo and best of all, a huge fire pit. The day was cloudy and cool, perfect for warming ourselves by the fire. Miraculously, everybody agreed on the same tree, a lightly flocked Noble. It was a great kick off for the fun month ahead.

Quite the Multitasker, She Is...

2008-12-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

Not only can she walk and chew gum, she can check email and play gameboy at the same time!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Thanksgiving! After being out of state the last couple of years it was fun to celebrate the holiday with Aaron's family. The kids and I spent the entire day before Thanksgiving baking pies and preparing food for the big day. All the dishes turned out really good and I even made a decent turkey gravy (I've always had a gravy making phobia).

The kids busted out the Playstation Dance Dance Revolution and everybody had fun dancing and laughing at each other. Aaron's mom even gave it a try!

Settling In

2008-11-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

After a bit of nagging and prodding from Amanda I decided to change the look of my blog. Pretty fancy, huh? I think it's beautiful but I normally go for something a lot less ornate.

Well, we are all moved and settled now. It feels great to be back in the last town we lived in, almost like we never left. It just feels so RIGHT for us to be here and I want to stay forever. The kids love their schools so much they didn't even want to go on Thanksgiving vacation! They fell right back in with their old friends who were so excited to see them. We are renting a home that was built in 1966 and because of it's age it is both charming and challenging. It needs a lot of little repairs that the owner will be fixing over the next couple weeks. It is a cozy little place though and we feel at home. The neighborhood is great and we were welcomed by several of the neighbors before we had even unloaded the moving van. Many of the neighbors have been here since the early seventies. I didn't know anyone stayed in one place that long!

My Beautiful Girls

2008-11-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-10-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

Want to guess how much candy we came home with after trick-or-treating down four streets or so?

15 lbs !!! No kidding! The kids actually weighed their bags on the scale and had about 5lbs each. I can only imagine the belly aches and cavities...

It's That Time of Year Again!

2008-10-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Here we are once again carving our pumpkins on Halloween Eve. I enjoy carving pumpkins so much more now that my kids are big enough to do it themselves! I might help draw the faces/ pictures on but other than that they're on their own. This year Amanda's friend, Isabella, came over to carve with us and we all had a lot of fun.

Such a beautiful little pumpkin carver. This year Amanda decided to put a peace sign on her pumpkin and it turned out so cool!

The pumpkins we had this year were filled to the brim with icky, slimy strings that took forever to scrap out.

Austin was such a nice guy, he finished cleaning his own pumpkin, then helped all the girls scrap out theirs. He doesn't look the least bit put out, does he? Just kidding, he was just being a goof ball!

This was Isabella's first time carving her own pumpkin (her brother usually helps her) and the Pumpkin Squad gave her lots of pointers.

Every year we wash the seeds, sprinkle them with seasoning salt and bake them in the oven. They seemed to turn out especially good this year.

The Pumpkins weren't bad either!

Those Special Moments

2008-10-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Whenever I look through old photo albums I pretty much skip past the hundreds of Chistmas and birthday photos. I don't know why I have taken so many pictures of people opening presents other than the fact that it seems obligatory. The pictures I really stop and look at are the ones that capture a little slice of every day life. A couple weeks ago I went into the girls room to deliver their clean laundry and found Lauren laying on her bed reading a book. Something about her look of peaceful concentration and the soft glow of light made me want to remember that moment forever. It's moments like these that I will miss when my kids are grown and gone.

This Is Getting Rediculous

2008-10-27T13:01:00.001-07:00

The poor economy once again caught up to us on a personal level. Last Wednesday Aaron was told he was being layed off from his job and that Friday was his last day. We had anticipated that this might happen, after all he is in the construction field, but we still were not prepared to hear those shocking words. Fortunately, we were immediately blessed and had another job lined up the same day. The bad news is that the new job is back in the area we just moved from 6 months ago. I can't even describe how sick I was about having to tell my children that we have yet another move to make. We are trying hard to concentrate on the silver lining of these newest storm clouds. At least this move will be taking us back to a familiar town and the kids will go back to their previous schools. We will also be closer to family and that area is more affordable. There are actually quite a few good things this move will bring. We'll just have to hang on tight to those thoughts as we once again pack up our things and move on.

Upholding Tradition

2008-10-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

When Austin was a month old we took him to the Pumpkin Patch, set him down in a pile of pumpkins and snapped a ton of pictures. That was the beginning of our first family tradition. Just about every year since, we have visited a patch where we ride overpriced little carnival rides, pet animals and search for the perfect pumpkin. I look forward to it every year.

Is He Really Thirteen? How Did This Happen???

2008-10-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

This morning I was fighting off a wave of emotion as I drove Austin to school. This kid of mine is growing into a young man right before my eyes and my heart aches because I know that in a few short years he will be ready to leave home and build a life of his own. It seems that every day his eye level creeps up closer to mine and I notice things, like how he no longer hugs me around the waist but can put his arm around my shoulders. I know that someday he will be amused when due to his increasing height, I have to look up to him. What he may not know is that I have always looked up to him. I have always marvelled at his intelligence, his work ethic, his strength of character, his integrity, his grasp of personal responsibility and his ability to do well at just about anything he tries. He is an awesome kid and I am so, so proud to be his mom.

What Next?

2008-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

In the weeks following 9/11 I sat in my living room glued to CNN, trying to make sense of the fact that the world had suddenly gone mad. Hijacked airplanes crashing into buildings? Terrorist sleeper cells waiting for the call to strike? The deadly Anthrax disease travelling through the U.S. Postal system? The unthinkable was occurring and it was terrifying. Seven years later I find myself once again sitting in my living room, glued to CNN, only this time it is not buildings falling down, but the entire U.S. economy. Enormous banks, investment and insurance companies going bankrupt? $700 billion taxpayer dollars spent to buy up worthless debts? Another possible Great Depression in our future? Once again turmoil grips our country and anxiety is gripping my soul. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

An Afternoon on the Licking River

2008-09-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

HERE is my third and final gallery to share from our Kentucky trip. My brother's property runs right down to the banks of the Licking River and we had a ball playing there one afternoon. Between the row boat, 3 kayaks, giant blow-up hamster ball and the surf board, we stayed plenty busy floating and splashing and swimming.

Mom and Dad

2008-09-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about our trip to Kentucky was just getting to spend time with my Mom and Dad. We've always been so close to them and we've missed them so much since they moved away. Click HERE to see some of the photos I was able to take of them (thanks Mom and Dad for being good sports about all the picture taking).

Our Trip to the Holler

2008-08-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

I guess I've been missing in action in the blogosphere for a while now. I don't usually go this long without posting but life has been crazy for several weeks and blogging got knocked down a few rungs on the priority ladder. The kids and I recently got to make a much anticipated trip to Kentucky to visit my parents, my brother, Aaron and my Sister-in-law, Sandra. I can't even put into words how much fun we had. It was great to spend time with my family and the whole week was packed full of non-stop fun activities. We went to the Kentucky State Fair, spent a day on the river, went to a park, had our own fireworks show, and built a HUUUGE bonfire to roast marshmallows. We shot guns, searched for an Indian burial ground on my brother's property, caught fireflies, spent lots of time on a rope swing and even ate squirrel. Okay, I didn't eat squirrel, but the kids did. Kentucky was beautiful. I've never seen that much green in my entire life. As you can imagine, my camera was pretty much glued to my hands. I snapped pictures of everything I saw and that's not an exaggeration. Don't worry, I won't make you look at all 415 of them. Only 410 (just kidding). I've set my pictures up in a few different galleries that I will be posting over the next few days.

To view my first gallery, click HERE. Be sure to click on the play button to see the slideshow. These are just some general pictures from the trip. I will soon post pictures of my parents and our river day. Hope you enjoy them.

Love It

2008-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Last week was awesome. I began my training as a photographer for Lifetouch and loved every minute of it. It was challenging and at times a bit overwhelming but I loved it. I am amazed when I think about how much I learned in only one week! I can now set up a studio, lighting equipment and all, all by myself. I am extremely proud of this because I am not a mechanically inclined person. If something needs to be put together I usually give it to Aaron or Austin and run the other way. We learned camera and computer operation, how to pose people, lighting techniques, how to properly interact both children and school authorities and much more more. Tuesday we begin photographing our first school and I can't wait to put all I've learned into action.

My New Hairdo

2008-08-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

My Dream Come True!

2008-07-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today I was hired by Lifetouch Studios as a school portrait photographer! I am still so shocked I can hardly believe it. Everything about the job sounds absolutely perfect. I will be completely trained as a photographer (lighting, posing, camera operation, studio setup, people skills) and actually get paid to do it! Another huge plus is that I will get home around the same time as the kids get home from school and I will have all evenings, weekends, holidays and Christmas/summer vacations off to spend with my family. What more could I ask for??? I guess dreams really do come true!

A Blip In His Luck...

2008-07-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

My brother Aaron has always been a daredevil. He climbs cliffs, jumps off bridges, rides motorcycles standing up, laying down and in every position in between. I think the only fear he's ever felt might be the fear of missing out on a thrilling experience. It has always amazed me that with as many crazy things as he's done, he's always remained injury free. That is, until last week when he was out for a motorcycle ride with some friends and he suddenly went down. Ironically, he wasn't doing anything particularly dangerous at the time except riding without an ounce of protective gear on (shame, shame on you!). Considering what the outcome could have possibly been, I think he came out pretty well. At least skin grows back!
OUCH!!!

Adorable!

2008-07-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Hesperia to visit Constance, Brad and baby Jake. As you can see, we were AAALLL over the little fella.
But how could we help it when he has a face like this???
I have to admit, the little guy makes me feel a tad bit baby hungry.

Constance and Brad seem to be doing well with parenthood, but then Jake seems to be making it pretty easy on them. He's so easy going they've yet to hear him actually cry and Constance has to wake him up to feed him during the night or he'll sleep right through. It doesn't get much better than that!

The Jakester is Here!

2008-07-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

My nephew Jake finally arrived Wednesday evening after being evicted from his cozy existence inside his mother's womb. He really had no interest at all in joining us all on the outside. It took about 16 hours of Pitocin to convince him to finally make his exit. Every inch of him was perfect, from his curly blond hair to his tiny purple feet. Unfortunately, due to hospital rules I was unable to witness his actual birth but I was able to spend time with Constance during her labor and come in soon after the birth. It was an honor to be a part of it.

Now I have to admit, with lots of embarrassment that no, I do not have any pictures to post of little Jake. My camera was sitting in the car because I hadn't wanted to lug it around all day and I thought I still had time to run out and get it before he appeared. We were quite surprised when Constance went from a dilation of "6" to pushing within an hour! Stay tuned though because this weekend we will be visiting Jake (and his parents) and I'm sure there will be some mad picture taking going on!

4th of July Visitors

2008-07-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

We had such a great July 4th weekend! Aaron's brother Leif and his wife Jennifer came out and spent the weekend with us. They got here just in time for fireworks and stayed until late Sunday evening. The two of them are so much fun and full of interesting conversation. I love that they are great with the kids and give them so much attention. We all enjoyed having them stay and look forward to more visits.

Mraz Fan

2008-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

For weeks I've been hearing this song on the radio that I just love. Every time it comes on I turn up the volume and shush everyone in the car. It was driving me crazy because I never could seem to catch the song title or the name of the singer. Now I know that the song is called "I'm Yours" and it is sung by Jason Mraz.

I'm Yours

After watching several Jason Mraz videos on You Tube, I can say I'm definitely a fan. I love his voice and the personality he puts into his performances. I especially like this:

I'll Do Anything

Anxiously Awaiting ...

2008-06-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

This week we are anxiously awaiting a new member of the family. Little Jake Dallon is due on July 3 and we just can't wait to meet him. I am especially excited about this little boy's birth because his Mom has invited me to be there when he comes into the world! I can't even say how much it means to me that Constance has asked me to be a part of this. Constance was only 6 years old when I started dating her brother and seven when I married him. I've watched her grow from a tiny little girl into a woman and now I get to watch her become a mother. I couldn't be more excited!

Hmmm...

2008-06-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

These signs just went up on my son's bedroom door. Should I be worried???

Movie Night

2008-06-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Friday evening we popped some popcorn and headed to Movie In The Park night to watch The Game Plan. This was the first time we've watched a movie in the park but I'm sure it won't be the last. It was kind of like going to a Drive In but better. We got there a little early to get a good spot and it's a good thing we did because the entire park was soon filled with families. We killed time, waiting for it to get dark, by playing a few games of UNO. The Game Plan was such a cute movie and it was even better getting to watch it beneath the stars. We are looking forward to watching more movies in the park throughout the summer.

Apology of a Shutter Bug

2008-06-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

I know my constant picture taking is the cause of much exasperation in the lives of my husband and children. They see the camera coming out and instantly the groaning and eye rolling begin. I feel sorry for them, really I do. I love to be behind the camera but on the other end of it, I'm not nearly as comfortable. I would probably hate it if someone followed me around capturing everything I did on film. But as much as I feel for them, I just can't stop! I've always felt the need to document our lives. Not just birthdays, Christmas and big events, but the day to day.
I see something, like Austin sitting in the window playing his Gameboy and I just have to capture it. It may seem like an insignificant moment, but to me it's a moment I don't want to forget.I don't want to forget the times I thought, "Wow, he looks so big! When did this happen?" and "Isn't he cute deep in concentration?". To me, my memories are the most valuable thing I have. I know that someday my memories will begin to fade but because I seized these moments with a click of the shutter, they will never be completely lost. Aaron, Austin, Amanda and Lauren, please forgive me. I just want to remember every moment of the life I share with you!!

Opie and Sadie Behind Bars

2008-06-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Our poor pooches, Opie and Sadie spent the weekend in jail. Doggie jail, otherwise known as the dog pound. Because we are living in a townhouse right now with no yard to speak of, we are not able to have them with us. They have been living at Aaron's work where they stay in a generous sized kennel by day and have full run of the entire yard by night. This was working out pretty well for them until Saturday morning when a cleaning crew came in to clean the office and not knowing that there were dogs loose, left the gate open. When Aaron came to work Monday morning, they were gone. He couldn't find them anywhere and couldn't bring himself to call me and tell me my babies were gone. Luckily, sometime later he noticed a card stuck in the front gate that had been left by a dog catcher. Aaron called the number and was told they'd been nabbed not too far from the yard. I'm not sure how the catcher knew they'd come from the fence company but I'm glad he left a card. He was very nice and even brought them back free of charge. I'm so happy they were found! It would have killed me to have them just disappear and forever wonder if they were okay.

My Girl

2008-06-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Contemplative
Lady Like
Imaginative
Beautiful

Hello!

2008-06-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks now since my last post. Every day I wrack my brain to come up with something interesting to write about but the truth is, my life just isn't all that interesting right now. The kids are out of school and we pretty much spend our days lounging around the house, swimming at the pool and visiting the library. My nights are spent reading books or surfing the net and then the next day it starts all over again. I appreciate those of you who are still checking in with me and I will try my best to get myself posting again soon!

$$$$$

2008-06-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to visit the Dentist. I know those visits are supposed to come twice a year but without dental insurance, bi-annual visits can be a little tough. We got lucky and found a new Dentist we really like. His name is Dr. Yum. Can you imagine the taunting he must have gone through as a child? Austin went first and had his visit last week. No cavities to report but because he grinds his teeth so badly in his sleep he had to have a mouth guard made to prevent any further permanent damage. $$$$$. Today was my turn and I was quite confident I would get away with a simple check up and cleaning. Unfortunately, I was wrong. An hour later I left with a set of nicely polished teeth and several new, unexpected fillings. $$$$$. I'm considering becoming a dentist so I can make back the money I spent on dental work this week.

I discovered today that I am apparently quite sensitive to Novocaine. The dental assistant told me that it would probably take about 2 hours for the numbness to wear off. She was wrong. It took nine hours until I no longer looked like a stroke victim. The left side of my face was completely paralyzed from my eye to my ear to the tip of my chin and my tongue was so numb I could hardly swallow. When I picked Austin up after school he was horrified by my half-faced smile. He begged me not to smile until we left the premises because he is just now beginning to make friends and he really didn't want them to see THAT. This of course made me laugh like crazy which made me look REALLY scary.

Hobby Hazards

2008-05-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is crawl into bed at night and lay beside my sleeping husband while reading a good book. I have been known to tuck everyone in early if there is a good book waiting on my nightstand, calling my name. Yesterday I suffered an all day, massive headache because 1) this particular book wouldn't let me go to sleep until way, way past my bedtime and 2) it made me cry buckets of tears which always causes me a whopper of a headache. I think I was literally sobbing out loud by the end of it. Thank goodness Aaron's a sound sleeper.

A Visit with the Kentuckians

2008-05-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

This week my brother, Aaron and sister-in-law, Sandra were able to make a quick trip out from Kentucky. They moved to Kentucky at the same time we moved to Idaho and unfortunately, it's been about two and a half years since we've seen each other. That is way too long! Our visit seemed about as short as the blink of an eye and the whole time the kids were begging me to please, stick them on a plane and send them to Kentucky.

I was happy to see that Aaron hasn't changed a bit. He's still a big kid full of energy which makes him an awesome uncle. In the short time he was here he managed to give the girls cartwheel lessons and do stunts with Lauren.
And of course, he got a kick out of Austin's mini-bike.
It was so fun to see them and we were sooo sad to see them go. I hope we don't have to wait another two and a half years before the next visit!

Perspective

2008-05-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today not one, but two of my kids told me I'm mean. I wasn't actually being mean, just firm and they didn't like it. Then Amanda's new friend came over and spent the evening with us. While she was here she told us that her mom wasn't speaking to her and hadn't been for a few days because she had gotten angry at this little girl for something she had done. Not only was she getting the silent treatment but her Mom left the home out of anger and didn't return until this afternoon. The little girl told me what she had done and it was nothing serious. She also told me that she hates her mom. By the end of the evening both of my kids had come to me with apologies in their eyes and told me I'm not mean.

Obviously, this past year has been a little tough on our family. We've had to face many changes and losses and adjustments. There are some days when we could get a little down about it all. But then there are days like today. This afternoon I met a wonderful lady and her fifteen month old daughter. This precious baby has Down Syndrome, a major heart defect, and was born with Leukemia. She has suffered two strokes (one in utero) which have left her with impaired vision and motor skills. She has now developed catastrophic seizures and will soon face a surgery that will remove two thirds of the right hemisphere of her brain. After visiting with the woman, all I could do was count my blessings.

Life, it's just a matter of perspective.

Hello!

2008-05-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been in our new home for about a week now and we are enjoying it so far. The area is great. Clean, good air, temperatures that seem to stay in the seventies. The ocean is only 10 minutes away and I think we will be making our first beach trip this weekend. We are staying in a 3 story townhouse right now which means way too many stairs, but other than that we really like it. The kids especially like having a pool right outside our door. I think we having been swimming every day this week and they are already getting some killer tans.

Unfortunately, we suffered one casualty during the move. My beloved computer. I don't know what happened, but it's a goner. We are computer shopping this week and hopefully I will soon be reconnected at home instead of having to use a library computer.

Today

2008-05-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

Phew, we found a home. It was tough, but we got it done. Now we are home and have already begun the packing. I tell ya, we are becoming pros at this. I think I could get a job with a moving company and do rather well. Our new home is in Camarillo, about 10 minutes south of Ventura and we really like the area. I think we will have a lot of fun there.

About twenty minutes after leaving Camarillo this afternoon I said, "Hey, maybe we'll see lots of famous people now that we are so close to L.A." Minutes after I said this we pulled into a gas station for a pit stop. As I pulled into a parking spot our eyes fixed on the guy leaning against the wall directly in front of the car and our jaws dropped open. We found ourselves face to face with this person:

Tommy Lee, the drummer from Motley Crue, ex-husband of Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson. Aaron and I were both dumbfounded. Aaron, because it was TOMMY LEE and me, because I was right about seeing famous people. Never one to miss an opportunity, Aaron jumped out of the car and approached him. A little flustered at the situation and not quite thinking straight, Aaron asked him if he was Tommy Lee Jones! Can you believe he said that??? After confirming that he was indeed Tommy Lee (not Jones!), Aaron shook his hand and told him that he rocks. What else do you say to a rock star?

Good Thing We're Flexible...

2008-05-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I was at Austin's school helping out with the school Renaissance Faire when Aaron showed up during the lunch break. I was shocked to see him and couldn't imagine why he was there. Then he told me the news. The company he works for is opening a new yard and they want him to open it up and run it. In the Ventura area (the beach!). Next week. We have one week to find a house in that area, pack up and move. So, Friday evening we packed a suitcase, jumped in the car and made the 2 1/2 hr drive to Ventura. We have been frantically searching for a place to live for the past 3 days. We have a couple of prospects and hopefully by tomorrow we will know if we have a house to move into this coming weekend or not. If this had happened several years ago, I would have completely freaked out over a situation like this. I guess all the moves we've made have prepared me for something like this. Honestly though, I am sick of moving and I'm ready to buy a home and stay put.

Weekend Getaway Part 2: Beach Day!

2008-04-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Following the evening we spent poolside, we enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was warm and sunny with just a bit of a breeze. Doesn't she look like a true California girl?
Somehow we'd forgotten, in the years we've been away, just how cold the ocean really is. Especially in April.
Here's my cool guy, in his cool hat and cool necklace. The next day Austin was showing me his sunburned chest when we discovered he had a white ring around his neck where the necklace had lain. Not so cool. The kids got a kick out of the tide pools, especially Amanda who as I've previously mentioned, has a thing for creepy crawlies. She fell in love with the mini hermit crabs and begged and pleaded (with futility) to take one home.
It was a great day and of course we all went home with baked skin, sand in every imaginable crevice, and eyeballs burning from salt water. Can't wait to go back.

Weekend Getaway Part 1

2008-04-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so much fun. We decided spur of the moment, to have a little family getaway. We found a nice hotel near the beach and spent an evening there just swimming, relaxing and having fun. The kids swam for about four and a half hours that evening, then woke up the next morning ready for more.

The Drive of Desperation

2008-04-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last week, in a desperate attempt to lose some weight, Aaron decided to go on the Atkins diet. Desperation can be a powerful thing. It can cause a man who refuses to go near a stove to actually turn on a burner and cook. It can cause the ultimate macho man to wear an apron.
It can even drive him to temporarily live on artery clogging meals of meat, cheese and eggs. Ooh, the lengths a desperate man will go to...

Vroom, Vroom!

2008-04-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Aaron bought a street bike in an attempt to fight the rising costs of fuel. It is much more cost efficient to ride a motorcycle than to drive his '66 Land Cruiser the 50 miles round trip to work and back. At least this is the sly little argument he used to convince me that purchasing a bike was a good idea. Ever since he got the bike, the kids have been begging and pleading to go for a ride but we didn't have an extra helmet for them to wear. Aaron remedied this problem over the weekend and they finally got to take a spin around the block. Of course they loved it and haven't stopped begging for more.
After each of the kids had their thrill, it was Mom's turn. Only, instead of taking me around the block, Aaron took me to Palm Springs. Okay, so that part was planned, but what wasn't planned was that we would be riding through 70 mile an hour winds on the way back home. I was completely terrified. I was sure the wind was going to send us to our death and I was literally screaming and crying in my helmet, begging God to let us live. Thank goodness Aaron couldn't hear me, he'd never let me live it down.

Snail Girl

2008-04-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Amanda has always had an affection for bugs. No bug is too creepy, crawly or slimy for her to pick up and examine. As a little girl, she was especially fascinated by snails. When she was about 4 or 5 she asked me to drive her to the local Pizza Hut (which I did) , not too eat, but to scavenge for snails under the bushes. She's ten years old now and she's still at it. Nothing makes her more gleeful than finding an icky, slimy snail.

Trouble on Wheels

2008-04-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

My kids often complain that they are always the last ones to get whatever item is the latest craze. They usually seem to get this "in" item just as it's headed "out". Heelies were no exception. Every kid in the neighborhood had them but I kept coming up with excuse after excuse why we should not jump on this bandwagon. I was sure the kids would kill themselves as they took off running, forgetting they had wheels stuck in the heels of their tennis shoes. I also felt it was so disrespectful of kids to Heely through grocery stores and other places of business. Fortunately for the kids, they have a Dad who carries strong persuasive powers over their mom. One day my resolve finally cracked and Aaron immediately took the kids Heely shopping. From that moment on my children no longer walked from place to place, they would glide. I have to admit, the kids proved me wrong. They never got hurt and to their credit, they never used them when it was inappropriate. The story doesn't end there. After a couple of months of watching our children gleefully glide through life, Aaron decided that we should be the ultimate cool parents and buy a pair of Heelies ourselves. I vehemently disagreed. Again, I was persuasively overruled. Following the purchase, Aaron put on his new pair of Heelies and confidently set out to glide across the garage floor. Imagine our shock as his feet shot out from under him, he did a flippy-do in the air and he crashed head first into the cement floor. We were even more shocked (and panicked) when for the next forty minutes he couldn't remember what happened, where he was, where he worked, where we were living and several other important things. I had never been so scared in all my life. Fortunately, he came to his senses but not before Amanda had grabbed those Heelies and hid them somewhere he'd never find them. The next day they went right back to the store. I just knew tennis shoes on wheels were asking for trouble, but nobody listens to me...

Aaaahhh...

2008-04-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Some days I want to run from my house, screaming and pulling my hair out because of all the bickering my kids do. And then there are days when they melt my heart by the kindness they show each other. Today when we were doing some running around, Lauren said, "I want to buy Austin something with my money, just to be nice". She picked out a comic book for him, wrapped it up as a gift and excitedly presented it to him when he came home from school. It was one of those moments that just make you go, "Aaaahhh..."

Jump, Jump!

2008-04-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, to be a kid again....

Dare to Dream

2008-04-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I am a dreamer. I spend a lot of time in "La-La Land" dreaming about places I want to go, things I want to learn, and experiences I want to have. I dream about people I want to meet, attributes I'd like to possess and even a little about things I'd like to own. To those who have their feet planted firmly on the ground instead of having their heads floating in the clouds, all this dreaming may seem like a waste of time. I guess it probably would be if I never planned to make these dreams become reality, but I hope to do just that. For years Aaron and I dreamed of moving our family to a small rural town out of state. When the time was right we took that leap of faith. Our time spent in Small Town USA was quite literally a dream come true and the experiences we had there, have been priceless. As a result of achieving this dream, our lives have been changed in so many ways. Ways that will continue to affect us forever. Our small town adventure is over now but I know that is partly because it's time to reach toward new dreams. When I was a child my Mom told me that I could do anything I wanted to in life. I want so much to believe she was right. We can all be, do or have what we want, it just takes some faith to reach out and grab it.