Happy Father's Day Dad--2008

What a blessing it was this year to have Cheri in town for Father's Day weekend! While business drove the visit (and difficult business at that), we still got to spend time with Dad all together...all 3 of his kids on his first Father's Day alone, without Mom.
We decided to play cards at Victoria with Dad...but what game could we play that everyone would enjoy? Young and old? From 5 years to 78 years? Well...Go Fish of course! And that's what we did.

 

Little did Dad know that he had quite the group of card shark Granddaughters! We laughed a lot, and everyone had fun with the game.

 

Very different from what I thought Dad's Father's Day would be like if I looked forward even 5 years ago. But still a wonderful day.

 

I love my family so much. Happy Father's Day Dad! Hope we get to celebrate many more.

Graduation--Preschool style

Well, the day did come that it was time for Avery to graduate...from preschool. The school had a wonderful ceremony, and each child received their very own Bible.

 

My child was very excited about that!

 

But while I thought we were still at the ECDC for a few more months...hey, Kindergarten is still months away...I got a shock on this day as we found out that summer "Kinder Camp" was being held down at the "big school" and this was indeed our last day at the preschool. Forever. Wow. It hit hard, especially as this has been such a big part of our lives for so long...for years...ever since Zoey was 20 months old and just a little pipsqueek in the "Bungalow".

Avery definitely loved her teachers this year. Miss Bon, who has beautiful long hair and knows how to hula dance.

 

And Mrs. Burnett...someone I respect completely. We actually have a lot in common, she has a parent with Parkinson's and deals with that on a daily basis (as difficult as that may be). She also has been a cook at the Girl Scout Camp "Camp Sherman" for many many years, and is a leader of a Brownie troop as well. It seems the ones with the least amount of time seem to make time to volunteer...how much I respect that!

 

Thank you Mrs. Burnett and Miss Bon for making Avery's last year in preschool such a wonderful one. We will never forget you!

Camping with the Conley's

Okay, did I mention the how I HATE the fact that blogger only lets you upload 4 pics from Picasa per blog entry. And did I also mention how I am too far behind to do it the hard way and upload each individual pic...blah blah blah.

On to the FUN! We were lucky enough to be invited to camp with my friend Andrea and her two girls (two BFF's of my daughters...Britt and Amber) and her family. Andrea's family has a tradition of camping at San Clemente several times in the summer, and has it "down" how to get those rare and highly coveted camp spots. We were honored to join them!

Did I mention how much I love these two girls?? They are funny and extremely cute, and they will be in the same Kindergarten room next year (but they don't know it yet). Mmmmm...I could just eat them up!

 

And how about these two? My hunka hunka burning love, cuddling our smallest monkey (and total Daddy's girl). Wow, I cannot begin to describe how much of my heart resides in the hands of these two. Without them I am NOTHING. (Well...you know what I mean...)

 

Love this picture...what a beauty. We were so humbled to meet such an awesome group of people...family...that took us in and treated us as family. What a wonderful and relaxing time it was. Good food...good wine...even wine snobs! We were right at home!

 

And my angel. How ever did I get along before she was here? I don't even want to think about it.

 

Can't wait for the next trip!!!

It's been how long???

Okay. I admit it. It's been bugging me that I haven't sat down to write a little bit. Or a lot.

But then life strikes. And I know it sounds like whining...but life has really "struck" us this year. I would have to say that 2008 is the WORST YEAR EVER. And that's just not like me. I like to "love" each new year and the possibilities that it brings.

Not this year. I actually hate this year and cannot wait for it to be over. Ross gets cancer--and has to have surgery which has complications and a 5 day hospital stay turns into 30 days. Jan. 4th. My Mom has a stroke and dies...Jan 21st. Phil and Gabby lose a pregnancy. Too many people to mention either die, get cancer, have some other major medical problem...really, if I gave all of the details it would sound like a soap opera.

Rob's Mom takes a dramatic turn for the worse, causing us to cancel our vacation to Florida (that we have been looking forward to for months...since we were there last. We face the reality of losing both of our Mom's in the same year...how can that be possible???

And to top it off, this week I fall on my butt on the stairs and most probably break my tailbone.

No, I'm not kidding.

Yes...I always tell my kids "don't run/play on the stairs". Well, turns out I was right!

More about that later.

So...I'm back on the blogging trail for a while, as least as much as I can be.

This was way back when...end of May when Clive and Johanna were in town for business and came to stay with us.

These pictures just make me miss them even more, but make me more excited about our trip to Australia at Christmas time 2009!!!

 

This trip was so funny because they did not know (as we did not) that Pete would be in town.
Of course Pete had to make some bogus calls to Bea...while they were here.

 

I feel so lucky to be a part of two families that I love so very much. I just wish we were all closer (geography-wise).

 

 

Miss you guys...

Locks of Love

Well, yesterday Zoey did something I thought was pretty brave. She had been wanting to cut her hair shorter for a while, and so when we went to her hair appt yesterday and the stylist suggested she donate her hair to "Locks of Love" she decided to do it

 

Before:

 

And after. She loves her new do, and I have to say we love it too. Except she looks a litte too grown up for Mommy :-(

 

Mmmm...Yummy...

If you know me, you know I LOVE Coldplay! I knew they had a new CD coming out in a few weeks, but ran across this new video today. I've listened to it a few times, and if this is what to expect of the new CD, mmm...yummy...I'll be first in line.

Ouch

Well, this has been a tough week. Sometimes I feel like I am alone, with a bunch of @#$% hitting me from every side. Sometimes (like last night) I sat up until 1AM, because I needed to, looking at pictures of my Mom and my family and sobbing, sometimes so loud I held a blanket over my mouth so I would not wake my family.

Sometimes it sucks.

But a good hard cry has it's benefits. And now, today, I look at things with the eyes of someone that is not on the verge of tears every second, but has resolve. To do what I need to do for MY FAMILY. And that means my children and my husband. And myself. Because I know that while my family would get along just fine without me, in some ways they cannot do without me, so I need to be strong for them.

And snap out of it.

So...how long is the right amount of time to grieve? I feel like a broken record, but I miss my Mom SO much. I would give anything to see her for just one more minute...to tell her how much I love her and give her a tight hug. I can't really talk to anyone about it (but venting to the blog feels good) because I know no one really wants to hear it, and I don't want to hear "move on, she would want you to" or other nonsense. And while I wish my team was there with me, the ones who are going through the same, I have never felt so distant from them, or so unable to understand where they are and where I am.

I feel adrift. Alone. Very alone. Not in the sense of people are not with me, but really only a few understand. If she was here I could speak to her about it and she would counsel me. Isn't that funny? No, not really.

Okay, I'm done. Just wanted to get it out. And you know I cannot have a blog post without a pic...so here goes:



One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. And one of the things she loved the most. I hope I can be the kind of Mom she was.

Jib Jab Monday?

Hey, did I forget about JibJab Friday? Okay, here is something else to whet your whistle...one of the Jib Jab Classics!

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I laugh every time I see it!

Blog, Blogger, Blogging, Bloggiest

Well, it should come as no surprise that I love Blogs. I have found so many interesting, funny, heartbreaking, educational, shocking things written in blogs. I started ours as just a way to share pictures, keep the family informed, just keep connected. But I read different blogs EVERY DAY.

Here are some of my favorites:

"Mommy Blogs"...or Daddy Blogs
These are people just like me (or not) that are talking about their every day lives and how things are in their worlds. Some of them are very well known, and the authors have been featured on TV and all over the internet. Beware, once you read some of these you will want to check them every day"

1. The Pioneer Woman
Ree is a 39 year old (yeah that's right...just like me) woman that was raised very "Newport Beach" but ended up falling in love and getting married to a full time cowboy on a working cattle ranch. Her description of homeschooling her kids,her genuine love for her husband, her awesome photography (and tips) and menus (make me wish I could cook) and just her general writing style are addictive. Check her out, you'll be hooked. She's won many "Bloggie" awards and I think we'll all be hearing more about her.

2. Confessions of a CF Husband
Nate and his wife Tricia and their daughter have an amazing story to tell. Too long for me to detail here, this is a real time/real life story of a couple facing cystic fybrosis, extreme premature birth, and more. You think you have it hard? Check them out for some extreme inspiration.

3. Dooce
She got fired for writing about her employer on her blog, years ago...thus creating the term "dooced". She has recently been all over the news after winning many awards, and been on Good Morning America, etc. Check her out. She's honest, strange, a good photographer, and just a breath of fresh air. One of the most "famous" bloggers around today.

Well, my blogging time is UP for today, time for me to do my own Mommy duties. Check back tomorrow for more awesome blogs to check out.

Until then...HAVE A FABULOUS, WONDERFUL, AWESOME, INCREDIBLE DAY!

And my blog is not complete without a pic...

Happy Mother's Day...to everyone I love that is a Mom or has one...

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Mom

 

After Mom died, we spent a lot of time looking through boxes of old photos looking for nice ones of her for the funeral. This was probably my favorite, and Cheri told me this pic had been taken for a newspaper article. The actual photograph is quite damaged, and my scanner was not working, etc, so we did not get this picture out for the funeral.

I have since gotten a new scanner, but as you can see all of the damage on the photo scanned right in with the picture.

Anyone have any ideas about repairs for this type of pic?

Remember 3rd Grade???

Well, when I'm not sitting around staring at my new tile walls, I get to spend my evening assisting my 3rd grader with her big Social Studies project for the end of the year. This year it was "create a Gabrielino Indian Shelter and Surroundings". Huh??



Now this is a project the whole family got into, including Avery who was instrumental in procuring some of the rocks for the fire pit.



But the actual shelter was the tricky part. Zoey painted a foam "dome" brown and then cut little pieces of raffia and glued them on. One at a time. Takes quite a while...actually...



But she did an awesome job. To finish off, she created a "water" effect using a mirror that she put some blue paint on, and the scene was complete!



Hmmm...next year we will have two of these projects to complete...with whatever 4th graders do, and Avery's life-sized self portrait for Kindergarten.

Can't wait!

Ahhh...we're getting there

Well, after almost a YEAR of having our kitchen torn up we finally got one of the last pieces finished (notice I use the word "we" very loosely) and my brother-in-law John came over this weekend and worked his magic...with Rob's assistance...to create this:



With details like this:



And soon the blue tape covering the receptacles (is that right??...Hoover help me out here...) will be gone and replaced with pretty covers that match.



But, WOW...I love it. All of the different colors in the slate look so cool, I just sit and look at it and wonder which one I like best. No really, I do. Because I have so much free time on my hands. No really, I do. Have so much free time, that is.

THANK YOU JOHN...YOU ARE AWESOME!!

What they're doing when they say they're "working out"...

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The Dude--The Beastly Beast

Here he is...the Dude.

 

He is my one and only son...and an important member of our family.

 

Did you notice he has a HUGE tounge? It's ginormous. When he licks us we say we've been "Ciscoed".
We don't really mind...

 

He lets the girls lay on him, and pretty much do ANYTHING they want with him, and they love him completely.

 

He's pretty much the worst watchdog ever. Today some people came into our home (at our request) when we weren't home. They knocked, rang the bell, then came in yelling "HELLO...HELLO...". The Dude was upstairs in our room, probably sleeping under the bed. He never woke up.

He's a Lover, not a Fighter.

Girls Night Out---Brea Improv

YEAH!!! Finally it's here, GNO (girls night out. Tanya, Lo, Deb and I are going to the Brea Improv to see this girl, Anjelah Johnson.

Can't wait to eat, drink and be merry.

People think I'm crazy...but those dance lessons are really paying off!

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I know, I know what you're thinking. But Cisco is in love! And it doesn't help that Tanya and Pete have such a beautiful young lady living at their house...Miss Ava. Rob even says if he wasn't married to me he'd date her!

Actually, I have an abnormal fascination with putting other people's heads on ridiculous dance numbers, etc.

You'll see...

Just what I needed

Have you ever had one of those experiences...something happens and you feel a force much greater than yourself was at work? Something happened "for a reason" (and I believe EVERYTHING happens for a reason, sometimes we just cannot see it.)

Well, I have had 3 of those things happen in my life in the last 10 days, and I guess I'm thick enough to take 3 things to happen to wake me up--make me pay attention.

Back on April 15th, 3 months to the day from the day my Mother had her stroke...I was really having a bad day. Just very down in the dumps, my Mom heavy on my mind. I had been teary...just feeling really depressed. As I got home from work and collected the mail, there in my mailbox was a card, hand addressed to me. I opened it up to find a "Thinking of You" card from my beautiful sister-in-law, Tammy Warren. Inside was a beautiful handwritten note, mentioning her awareness of how I might still be struggling with Mom's death, and some reminders about turning to the Lord for strength and comfort that Mom was in a better place. This card could not have come at a better time. It helped me to dig myself out of that mental hole, and refocus on something positive. Tammy...Thank You!

Then this week I got an email from somebody I greatly admire. A genuine person. Not a BSer...someone that has her own, extremely daunting issues in her life on many levels, but handles them with grace, strength and even humor. Someone who's words have lifted me up, in times when I really needed lifting.

"I just wanted to say Hi. Oh yeah, I also wanted to tell you that it
is time to update your blog. Please understand that I live in
Bakersfield and look forward to any connection to the outside world (i.e.
Warren Enterprises). Sorry to makeyou responsible for my entertainment,
but you are the only person that I actually know who has their own blog,
which makes you a celebrity of sorts.Anyway, I hope you are doing well and
I look forward to seeing you guys in the near future."

Now I have been MEANING to update my Blog on a daily basis...pretty much since the last time I did...which I believe was 6 weeks ago or so? Thought about it many times, but just "didn't have the time" or really probably just let the depression that is poking its nose in my life take over. This email
was JUST WHAT I NEEDED to kick me in the butt, motivate me to do what I had
been thinking about for weeks.

And one last thing. I love to scrapbook. If you know me, you know I love taking pictures and "playing" with them. I have been focusing in the back of my mind on all of the pics I put together on boards of my Mom for her
funeral, pictures of her in different stages of her life, pictures that I
have been wanting to take off those boards and put into books, with journaling, and the love and care I feel documenting my Mom's life (as much as I can) deserves. I
have felt until that job gets done I really shouldn't scrapbook any "fun" pages,
but everytime I think about tackling that task I just feel a little pit in my
stomach and I put it off. But this week it was my boss's birthday, and lacking
for a better idea I decided to create a scrapbook page about her dog, and put it
in a frame for her.

Just the act of pulling out my scrapbooking supplies, and making a page about
something positive...WOW, it felt good! I realized that maybe I should let
some of these "I need to do this" or "I HAVE to do this" go by the wayside...they are
bringing me down.

The same day, when I got home, I had a note waiting for me from my eldest
daughter, a girl that I believe is wise beyond her years.

Now again, she had no idea of what was going on inside my head. And yet her note, was just another reminder that I need to take a deep breath and realize it's okay to go on. That she would want me to go on, do the things I love to do, and be there 100% for the people around me. I had actually been thinking, dwelling lately on the fact that I don't "hear" her or see a sign from her somehow to let me know she is okay. My faith has been weak.

But DUH...could she be telling me any more plainly? Could God be working through others any more obviously? I just needed to really look at what was right in front of my face.

So thank you, everyone, for your words and your actions. I recognize that God is working through others, and it is

JUST WHAT I NEEDED.

The Daily Prayer

The preschool that Avery attends, St. Paul's, has a wonderful tradition that I try to enjoy every morning. Right around 8:15 every morning, one of the teachers will "ring the bell" for the kids to all line up. This is just about the time Avery and I are arriving every morning, after dropping Zoey off at the "big school". All of the kids, teachers, and any parents that are there and wish to, form a big circle holding hands.

One of the teachers will open up with the "Open/Shut Them" song:

Open...shut them, Open...shut them,
Give a great big CLAP CLAP CLAP.
Open...shut them, Open...shut them,
Put them in your LAP LAP LAP.

This is the cue for all of the kids to fold their hands in prayer in front of them. Then, each room takes a turn during the week to choose a child to say the prayer.

The prayer is spoken by the chosen child and then repeated by the whole circle. These are the most honest, and heart warming prayers, coming from the mouths of 3-5 year old children.

Today's was (spoken by a boy from the Gold room):

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for all of the food.
Amen

Now while this prayer might not seem so heartwarming (but it did put a smile on my face, as they usually do) this whole tradition is something that changes my mornings. If I'm having a rough morning, trying to get the girls out the door on time, fighting traffic, etc., this simple act of saying a simple prayer, out of the mouth of a child makes me stop and count my blessings, remember what is really important.

Yeah God...Thank You for all of the food! And all of the other blessings you bestow on us!

My husband...he's a Stud!

Okay, so I can't help myself. What girl could? I'm walking behind my husband and my girls, headed towards a Duck's game. And he's wearing a jersey. And it makes him look so strong and studly.

Which I already know he is.

Believe me, I know how studly he looks without the jersey on. Mmmm...yummy. But what makes him look like a REAL MAN??? The fact that he is holding hands and carrying our young monkeys. He's an awesome Dad.

So we go to the game, and the DUCKS WIN!!! Yeah!!!

But I'm still destracted by my studly husband. Is that wrong?