A Refreshing Summer Image

Because it's so dang hot at the moment.

This Moment:

Joining in with Soulemama this morning.

What You Say?

There is so much, so much going on around us. Life can get very busy with a family of five. This past month mother nature has kept us horribly busy, especially Chris. All I can say is snow, trees, and outages. Repeat several times over. I have to remember things will pass and we move on. But I must remember that I have growing kids and our little 2 year old is getting so big. I have to write down some of the things he says because for 2- he's a great talker and he's got his favorite sayings.

- What you doing?

-What the heck sound?

-Chicken pot pie!

-Don' worry mommy.

-Shake a booty!

-How are you?

-shutupbehavesorry! (big brother influence)

-You hear me. (mom influence)

-He hurt me (for any owe)

He also sings and says nursery rhymes, counts to 20 now, and abc's.

I love the little rollie polly.

That pile of wood in the background used to be 3 very tall oak trees, one of which held a very fun tire swing. That post is for another day.

The Local Farm

Today we went to the local farm. I agree that farms get yucky and stink, but I couldn't help but feel bad for these animals. In an attempt to make this farm "cleaner" they poured cement in all the pens. The animals look sad and hot. They keep searching for some hay and water and there was only enough- barely. The poor pig had no mud. What's a pig pen without some mud? They are cared for. But I think things could be better.

Autumn

Here we are into the month of November and we nearly hit 82 degrees today. The air is still crisp and breezy- like a typical fall day. But, once I started moving I got hot. At my house Autumn looks like this on the inside:

This picture was brought back from Thailand (I believe) by my mother in law. Circa 1976, again- I believe. I love that this is made up of grain, seed, and rice.

And on the outside. I took so many shots of the trees with burnt red leaves, but it came out kind of orange. Nonetheless, breathtaking.

summer Part 2

This second half of our summer was filled with social events like my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and spending time with family. There were goodies growing in our garden. Soccer camp! There was also a lot of time at home, swimming lessons, and tending to a big boo boo this past week.

Summer is almost over... for us at least. School starts very soon. But, there's much more to accomplish in these next couple of weeks. There's a possible trip to Marine World- I mean- Discovery Kingdom. Soccer practices start soon and we will be involved with that. There's the baby shower, a birthday party, another big wedding anniversary, a little school shopping, and daddy's birthday. Ekkk! See lots more fun to be had- and some tiring days for mama, too!

Summer Part 1

This summer of vacationing really started this spring with our trip to Monterey. We then celebrated 2 graduations in our household. Kindergarten and preschool. The last day of school was full of games, like hula hooping. S is officially a pro at hula hooping. The Monday after school let out for summer we took off to our usual spot in Pescadero. This time grammy came with and we had side by side cabins which was so fun for the kids to be able to hop from room to room via the deck.

The first part of our summer has been met with lots of sand, smell of fire on our clothes, visiting and vacationing with friends in new places, carefree kids. The kids got wet suites to accommodate the cool oceans. I've enjoyed mingling with other families, enjoying my own, and feeling the cool earth on bare feet on a warm day.

There are many more pictures of a camping trip to Lake Don Pedro with a fire fighter friend and his lovely wife and little girl. A impromptu trip back to the coast with Chris's co worker and his fun family at their vacation cabin in Aptos. We are in the midst of swim lessons, hip hop class, some play dates, birthday parties, and wedding renewal (s)! What a jam packed summer this has been so far. But, I am soaking it all up because aside from my little medical issue I've been having- it's been really sweet.

Also, my little guy- who is now 17 months old, is just a joy. He's weaned this week amazingly well! He's been in a big boy bed for most of the nights. We've done away with the high chair. Yay! He talks soooo much. I'll have a post on him I think at 18 months.

I'm feeling very blessed!

March in Pictures

My, my! March has been a full month and has flown by. We have fixed things, hand sewn dresses, weeded our garden, had school parties, celebrated grammy's birthday, got a first hair cut, and were sick for over 2 weeks. Oh, and the kids playing- it's a special thing to see siblings playing so lovingly with each other. We are now on Easter vacation. Time to breath and prepare for April.

February

Why does the shortest month of the year seem like the longest? On the up side. The warm sun.

Stanislaus

There's something to be said for living near a forest.

Cliff Notes

After a highly stressful day I find myself coming here to blog. To be with my thoughts, alone, with no one in need of mama. A lot has gone on in the past few weeks. Soccer is over. I am delighted to reclaim my Saturdays, but it was a great experience for the whole family. It taught us how to encourage and praise another family member, and how to be an observer. S learned a new sport and what it means to be a team mate. Hopefully she'll do it again next year. I know C will for sure and I think we are going to tackle coaching. Well, we'll see when we get there.

My sister got baptized and finished getting her diploma. It felt good to be around the people I've always felt closest to and I am proud of her.

The school business continues. Jog a thons and theme parties and the, you know, just getting them there on time with teeth brushed and hair combed.

Maria made the kids this cute apple picking bag. An idea from another blogger- can't remember the name. But with all the apples we picked at my grandmas, I did make the apple cake. It is VERY yummy and even better a la mode.

It feels good to think of these thoughts when it feels like the roof is caving in on me. I hate it when my kids get sick. Sick to the point where I have to take them to the ER. Even as a nurse, I find its a fine line between when you take your child to the doctor or wait it out at home. I took little E to the ER to just discover what I already know. It's a virus. Not swine flu, but one of many viruses- you take your pick. I was also surprised they didn't test him for H1N1. His symptoms mimic so many others, they just call it viral illness.

This is why I always struggle with giving my littles the flu shot. It's good for the most common viruses- but there are sooo many viruses out there. We got the flu shot this year- and got the flu a week later. And, it went on and on. So, why did I expose them to the preservatives and mercury? Cause I don't want a winter like last year. I'm thinking positive.

But, alas little E looks much better that even 12 hours ago. He just needs mama to give him more loving. We are still learning how to control S's viral induced asthma. She is also learning. So, do I give them the H1N1 vaccination? I don't really know yet. I don't want to. It's a fact they've already been exposed to it and half the school was absent last week due to the flu. Still working it out in my head. All I can say is good hand washing and keep living life.

My Three- Part Deux

The daily on goings at my house amaze me some times. Last time I posted in exhaustion. Tonight I feel sleepy- but not exhausted. This weather change forces me to slow down. My internal clock sends my body a message to shut off at 8 pm and I robotically climb into bed with warm jammie's on. I love fall. It's the season of change. The leaves are turning, acorn are literally falling on my head. The kids have some time still to play out side in the warm afternoon sun before it sets. And, by 7:15 pm it's pretty dark, which I especially love because these guys go to bed at 7:30 -making bed time soo easy.

Miss S has lost her first baby tooth, on the lower front. After feverishly playing with her tooth it was finally ready. Chris pulled it out after soccer practice. You can see the big tooth growing in the back. The tooth fairy-dad (which she knows by the way) made his way to our house. One dollar and floss were under the pillow waiting for her. It was not under the pillow that she sleeps on, but the one next to her so I got woken up at 6:30 because the "tooth fairy- dad" (her words) forgot. But, there it was and she was pleased and promptly went to go talk to her self in the bathroom mirror so she could watch herself with one less tooth.

And there may be hope for C's preschool. In a week, the teacher has stepped up her game. I am hopeful... E has discovered sand, dirt, and rocks. He likes it very much. We snuck away to Pinecrest last weekend while it was still very warm out. E entertained him self in the sand while Chris took the bigger kids on "Mossy Oak" a little boat Chris got a deal on. I have enjoyed the weather taking small walks here and there. I've been baking- banana bread muffins. Most importantly, spending time with the kids and putting jammie's on very early in the afternoon.

News to Report

SCHOOLS OUT! Thank goodness. This means days at home with a warm fire going. Pancakes and bacon for breakfast- or dinner. Christmas Eve and Christmas spent at home for the first time in years. Dinner with friends. Skiing at the local ski "resort", not for me though. Hopefully, we'll get to visit the SF Zoo or the coast as well. I'm sure some one will get a cold sometime in these 2 weeks. But, I'm prepared with cough drops, tea and honey, a humidifier, and meds.

The only down side- weekly visits to the doctor now an hour away and a few school meetings. But, let's not think about that right now.

Enjoy your holiday break!

Week in Review on a Thursday

First snow of the winter at our house.

Sledding in a snow storm. The snow was so dry it looked like dots ice cream. Cold but very fun!

Snow days from school are really exciting. I never got to experience that as a child.

Some Christmas present sewing. Tissue holders for teachers. Very easy. You can follow this tutorial.

Headbands, adapted for little girls. Tutorial here. Supposed to take about 10 minutes. But, if you're like me and need to read each step by step- aim for 1 hour for the first band and then 10 minutes each.

Snow!

We've had a pretty good weekend. We had been waiting for the snow to come and it's finally arrived! The kids have been going out at 8am to play, shovel, and sled. We went further up the hill today to go sledding. And on our way home saw about 4 cars stuck in the snow and one over turned car on our road. It really drives in the fact that there is a reason I have a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We made a classic beef stew and gingersnap cookies and I've even got a little sewing in. It feels so good to be at home with a warm fire going. I hope they cancel school tomorrow for S.

*My camera batteries died, but I'll post pictures soon.

Speedy Season

December, can you please slow down? We got our tree last week. We all decorated it while listening to Christmas music and had a nice warm fire going, our tradition. I love it. It's soooo my favorite time of the year, hands down. We have 7 December birthday's started off by S, rounded off by Tia Irma and...who else? Oh, yeah. Me.

But.

It's going by too fast. Too many to do's. Too many deadlines or appointments or our routine schedule, none of which have anything to do with the holiday season. I just need a few more days to do nothing but enjoy the holidays. Our little Christmas countdown chain is getting shorter and shorter. That's all I'm asking for this Christmas.

(And, by the way. I'm done with Thursday's thing for my baby. You know what you need for a baby and so do I. So this shall end. I know. Quitter. Eh, oh well.)

I've Got the Fever!

I've got the craft fever. Finally!!! It's been a while. And now that I am ready to go- I am realizing that I lack time and money. Because crafting can be expensive, I'm sure you all know.

I need some mad money!

Isn't this paper cute. I got it at Michaels and it is the backround for S's birthday invitations. So, project #1 S's birthday party. Many kids are invited so the felt gift bags are out- no feria. I will be making other things if time permits. This is a big bash in my head, but sadly I think I'll only be able to get to half of my master plan. To be continued...

This is one of my fundraising ideas for C's school. I got the template from Vintage Glam blog, I think. (Uh, oh. I forgot.) I cut them to size, hole punched two holes at the top, tied it off with pretty yarn, and hot glued a magnet to the back. A tear off month by month 2009 calendar. You'll like the font. I did it this way instead of in a CD jewel case, because the card stock was too heavy. It kept flipping back.

And finally... the baby's first time in the snow. This is at 26 weeks. And, yes!! We have a bit of snow. The kids can't wait to ski.

Bring It

It's official. I am ready for fall. While temperature wise it hasn't been soooo hot. It's hot enough. And since pregnant I can't stand the heat. I am really looking forward to some wind, some rain, and cooler days. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler. I really hope so, because we are going out on the boat. This may be one of the last times I will wake board this summer.

The kids start school next week and the routine begins. S is going to school 4 days a week. People always say- wow what a nice break. And, yeah it is. But really- I am missing her so much already. School means 22 hours a week she's at school and not with me. I would never last sending my kids to daycare. C is only going 2.5 hours a week to the co-op. My plan is by the end of the semester I can leave him for a full day, which totals 5.5 hours.

*Those 2 pic are of S's first time at the coast at 4 months old. Waaaaa. They grow too fast!*