Organized Chaos

First Snow

2010-11-26T08:39:00.001-08:00

We were up early on Thanksgiving morning and went to Mount Baldy with the intention of spending the morning on the intertubes. It was a frosty 29 degrees on the mountain! Unfortunately, there was a high wind advisory. The ski lift was closed due to the wind so we made a wise decision to go back down the mountain about 5 minutes and play in the snow. What a wonderful way to begin Thanksgiving. We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving too!

First Day of School

2010-09-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

The first day of school has been the easiest one so far..... the boys woke up early, got dressed, ate breakfast, and were ready to go BEFORE they needed to leave. They started school on Thursday, September 2nd so they didn't have a long week of school, but they were exhausted at the end of the day. I started school the Monday before they did so it was a long week for all of us, but we are off to a fantastic start.

Meet the Teacher Night

2010-09-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

The boys had Meet the Teacher Night the evening before school started. We love the fact that they get to come into their classroom, meet their teacher, see their friends and ease into a new year. This year Aiden is lucky enough to have the same teacher he had in Kindergarten. She moved up to First grade this year and we requested her the day that we found out about the change. Blake has Mrs. Doolittle this year and it's hard to believe that he is in 3rd grade. How are we old enough to have a child who will be 9 in a few months? He has begun cursive and multiplication already and loves the fact that now he is a part of the Laptop Learning Program. It's going to be a great year!!!

Dance Party at the Wiersma's

2010-09-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Jake and Amy had the Dirty Devils over for a pool party the day after the drive-in to end the summer. It was a fun day full of swimming and food and games and lots of socializing. The day ended with a dance party by the pool...... oh my goodness these kids have some moves!!!! It was already dark when the dance party started, so the picture quality isn't great, but you get the idea!

Despicable Me at the DRIVE IN

2010-09-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

The men lounging at the Drive-in
J.P., Aiden, Blake and Gavin
Darren, Jeramie, Eric and Jake
Stacy, Stephanie, Tiffany, Amy, Lynda and Lily
Aiden didn't quite make it through the entire movie..... poor baby!
We played on a co-ed softball team this summer in LaVerne. We are the DIRTY DEVILS sponsored by Red Devil Pizza. I did not want to play at all, but Jeramie really did so I went along with it. I am so glad that I did! We had such a good time and made some fun new friends that we enjoyed spending time with this summer. We all went to the drive in the last Friday of summer to see Despicable Me. I forgot how much fun the drive-in can be!

We're moving to Palmdale!?

2010-09-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

We spent one day at Mulligans racing cars and miniature golf before the 6:00 game.

Carson and Aiden at Happy Hour with Shirley Temples
Our own personal living room in the lobby.... yes, we were right at home.
Here are a few of the kids who weren't on the team, but whose families were there to support the league.
Just kidding of course! We spent a lot of time in Palmdale this summer because the UFLL 9/10 year old team won the state championship. Although Blake wasn't old enough to play All-Stars, that didn't stop us from driving hours to support our team. We went with a lot of families from the league and stayed at the same hotel as the team. It was a fun experience for our family. Of course I was too busy cheering and clapping and jumping up and down to take any pictures of the team, but we had more fun in the hotel lobby with all of the other families than anywhere else. I can tell you one thing for sure, that hotel staff sure was glad to see all of us go....I can't imagine the hotel lobby has never been so crowded before.

4th of July 2010

2010-09-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

A token shot of the two of us just to remember the day
The big boys against the kids.... don't think that they let them win either.....
Justin, Aiden, Garrett and Blake

We're hoping these kids are friends forever!!!

Lexi and Jeramie... .don't you want to take her home? I know we do!
We spent the 4th of July at the pool with our neighbors and had a BBQ later in the afternoon with my dad and Yvette. Later that evening we went over to the Surrell's house and the kids played in the backyard before we headed to Bonita High School for the fireworks show.

Nuevo Vallarta

2010-09-19T13:47:00.001-07:00

A rainy dinner at Tacos Break
The view from our lounge chairs
Tough guys at the foot of a 40 foot statue in the lobby
Lounging by the pool
We had an infinity pool on our balcony and they went in about an hour after we landed!
We went to Nuevo Vallarta in July and spent a week at the Grand Mayan. We swam and played on the water slide and went into the wave pool and met some nice people from New York and Seattle while we were there. We stayed on the resort property the entire time and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Mexico.

Allow me to catch up

2010-09-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Making rootbeer!
Cheers!
Rolling out the pretzel dough
Johnson's, Jackson's, Schultz's and Wiersma's at Brewbakers

The new first graders..... kindergarten had just ended weeks before

I am so incredibly behind on this blog... I never posted either one of the boys' birthday parties (in MARCH) or anything from summer or the first day of school for that matter. I will attempt to catch up through pictures of summer and then go back and add written details. We are busy, busy, busy, but having a lot of fun!

Who Inspires You?

2010-08-11T17:11:00.001-07:00

I have had several instances this summer where I have been inspired.... by people, occasions, books, even memories..... I must say that it feels good to be inspired. I would have to say that my mom and my memories of her inspire me most. I believe that if she were still here on earth, she would be inspiring me on a daily basis with her love, her kind words, her generous spirit and her faith in God.

Today I am inspired by my husband who finds the good in everyone and everything no matter what the situation and challenges me a lot lately with the words, "This too shall pass." I find myself inspired to be a better friend than I have been before. I am in a season in my life when friendships have begun to change for a variety of reasons and I realize that this will continue to happen. I am enjoying my new friendships and find myself hanging on to the more cultivated friendships as well. I am inspired by my children.... to play and relax and just "be". I don't do that very well.... I am a multi-tasker by nature and have a difficult time slowing down the day to day pace of life.

Six years ago we lost my mom to breast cancer and our family has not been the same since that day. We have gone through so many changes, but each one of us understands that we are going to be okay.

My mom gave me a book after I had Aiden called Mommy's Locked in the Bathroom.... Surviving Your Child's Early Years with Your Sanity and Salvation Intact. It is hilarious and inspiring! My children were only 2 1/2 and 5 months old when my mom died and I had a lot of moments in those early years when I needed a break. My mom recognized that and this book was one of the ways she gently reminded me that I am not the only mom in the world who works part-time with 2 small children and a husband that travels (um... he was gone 2-3 days a week for six months when Aiden was born) Nevertheless, I needed some inspiration and I got it.

One of my favorite chapters is entitled Making a Joyful Noise and begins with Ephesians 5:19-20: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. "

Sometimes the noise in our home does not stop. We have two very talkative and social children who are the product of two very talkative and social parents. We have our fun moments of sharing as well as our angry outbursts just like any other family. There are days when I wish my name was NOT mom or mommy or mama or MMMOOOOMMMM!!!!! Overall, in our home of organized chaos, we are a family who loves the Lord, each other, and our family and friends unconditionally.

We are all inspired by someone or something today and I'm just wondering.... who inspires you? Are you inspiring someone? I sure hope that I am!

How "SUITE" it is!

2010-07-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

The L.A. District: Casey, Michael, Jeramie, Matt and Carlos
Batter up!
My boys!
Blake is in his element here... binoculars and all
Sadie, Aiden and Blake... she is just as precious as she looks!
Jeramie had a District Meeting in a suite at Angel Stadium in May. The great thing about this meeting is that the boys and I were able to meet Jeramie at Angel Stadium that evening and watch the game. I can honestly tell you that I do not know who they played that night.. I did not watch one play during the game. I do know that "watching" a game from a suite is by all means the way to see a game (or just hang out if you prefer). The boys were in HEAVEN! It is always fun to hang out with our Medtronic Family.... the people that Jeramie works with are all really good friends and we always have fun when entire families come together for events.

Farm White Sox

2010-06-24T20:19:00.001-07:00

Aiden in his gear ready to PLAY BALL!
Aiden in action during the game
The men behind the Farm White Sox!

Aiden played on the Farm White Sox this year. He played at least one inning at catcher every game. His manager was hesitant at first because this was his first year up from T-ball, but once he saw him play catcher, he put him there all of the time. One of the highlights of the season for me was to coach his team on May 8th. Our Little League had ALL MOMS coach that day in all divisions ( I don't have pictures because I wasn't in the stands) It was so much fun! I think all of the boys and their moms enjoyed that experience and will remember for a long time to come. Here are a couple of pictures to re-cap the season.

Integrity and Christ-Like Spirit with a side of Sense of Humor

2010-06-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Blake and Mrs. K
Blake, Jeramie and Stacy after the awards ceremony

Jake, Blake and Ben... friends since pre-school!
Blake's 2nd grade awards ceremony was Tuesday, May 25th. Mrs. Kilmurray called each student up to the stage one by one and read something that she had written about each child. She had a lot of wonderful and positive things to say about Blake (an entire page) so I won't re-type the page. I will tell you some of the things she did say about Blake though: Blake always has the desire to do what is right, Blake is not swayed to do what the crowd is doing, he has his own sense of self and will not compromise his beliefs, he is kind and considerate, he is respectful and polite, he is honest, he admits to his mistakes and learns from them, he kept us laughing with jokes all year, he has perfect comedic timing, he has been dubbed "The President" in our class. Blake received the award for Integrity, and Christ-Like Spirit with a side of Sense of Humor. We pray that these qualities stick with him throughout his life-time and that as the years go by he continues to desire to do what is right and not be swayed to do what the crowd is doing. As far as the side of sense of humor, we all know who he gets that from now don't we?

"The Spirit of Goodness"

2010-06-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Aiden and Mrs. Free
Aiden with his proud parents!
Aiden's Kindergarten award ceremony was on Thursday, May 27th. We did not know which award he would receive beforehand. Mrs. Free read something about each child without revealing the child's name until just before she presented the award. She started talking about a boy who had stayed "on track" the entire school year. He is always helping others including his teacher. He is always there to extend a helping hand. Aiden received "The Spirit of Goodness" award this year.
"Shout with joy to God, all the earth." Psalm 66:1

KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION

2010-06-23T07:14:00.001-07:00

Aiden and Mrs. Free... he told us earlier that week that he was going to stay in Kindergarten with her... he was serious!
Papa Rich, Yvette and Aiden
I was holding our place in line and had time to take a quick picture

Jeramie and Aiden at our house before the graduation ceremony
The morning of Kindergarten Graduation was a difficult one for Jeramie and I. We do realize that it's "just Kindergarten" as so many people have pointed out. We know that there will be 8th grade graduation and High School graduation and College graduation, etc, but when Aiden put on that cap and gown we both knew that a huge year of milestones was ending that morning. We would never again be sending a child to Kindergarten and that made us sad.... not sad enough to have another child, but definitely sad. The morning consisted of the children marching in to "Pomp and Circumstance" and performing a little show called the ABC's of Kindergarten. Aiden's part was, "Q is for questions, we asked them everyday, our teachers always wondered what we would say." They sang songs and recited memory verses and had their audience laughing and crying. What? You want to watch the performance? Well, we just happen to have the entire day on video. Come on over!

Perfect Attendance

2010-06-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Blake received a Perfect Attendance award on the last day of school. This is the 2nd year in a row that he has had perfect attendance. Aiden was not happy that he did not receive the award and informed me that next year he will go to school even when he is sick. Sure, that's going to happen.

Catching up....

2010-06-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

I realize I am at least 3 months behind so I think I'm going to work backwards for a couple of posts. I need to post pictures from Blake and Aiden's birthday parties in MARCH. Sean and Marla hosted an end of the year party for the Minor Yankees on Saturday. This is a great group of boys who came in 3rd place! Blake has made some great friends in Little League and we love their families too. Here they are taking moment to pose for their moms and the line of cameras.....

Opening Day 2010

2010-04-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again.... Little League baseball season. We have baseball about 5 days a week between both boys so our "organized chaos" has a bit more chaos these days. We have 5 days during the season when Aiden has a game at 5:00 and then Blake follows with a 7:00 game. Those nights will be interesting, I'm sure. Opening Day was March 6th and the rain held out until Opening Ceremonies were complete. It was also picture day and Blake had a game that afternoon that did not get called due to rain until after we had all sat in the cold for 45 minutes. It was a day that seemed to go on and on and on and on, but the boys had fun (all 3 of them) and that's what matters, right?

Our Baby is 6!

2010-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Aiden turned 6 on March 4th. He celebrated at school with special baseball cookies and the entire school sang Happy Birthday to him while his principal led the song. We went out to Shogun for dinner that night and opened presents at home. He such a blessing to our family. He is definitely a boy who knows what he wants and speaks his mind quite well. We're still trying to figure out who he gets that from.......

Horse Races

2010-02-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

Jeramie and I went to a little league fundraiser at the Santa Anita Race Track. We had never been to the horse races before.... so many people were surprised by that. We had our own private area in Clocker's Corner and the 3rd race was named after the little league. Jeramie is hooked and wants to go back to the races.... I paid attention through race #3 and then I was bored. Luckily, 100 of our closest friends were at the fundraiser so the day ended up being a lot of fun.

Valentine's Day Parties

2010-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Blake had a fondue party in his 2nd grade classroom and that was something I had never experienced in the classroom.... it was WONDERFUL! Blake has an extremely energetic and creative teacher this year who loves to celebrate with her students. Aiden's party was fun too! The kindergarten class presented a play that day for the entire school about THE GOOD SHEPHERD and had a party after that. Aiden's teacher talked with all of the parents before the play began about how blessed she has been by this class. We hope she knows how blessed we are that she is Aiden's teacher! Those were some tired kindergarteners!!!! Aiden was a sheep and wore a long sleeve white shirt and sweat pants to school and by the time I saw him at 1:00 pm he was covered with dirt from head to toe. He was a darling little sheep!

Happy Birthday Papa Rich

2010-02-21T18:43:00.001-08:00

Papa Rich turned 63 on February 12th and we celebrated at Tokyo Hibachi with my dad, Yvette, Aunt Mandy, Kamie and Joel. Thanks Yvette for treating all of us to a yummy and fun dinner and HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA RICH!

Bowling

2010-02-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

We went bowling during Christmas Break with the Wiersma's, Griffith's, Clark's and Ebenhoch's at 300 in Pasadena. This place was not your average bowling alley. It was very fancy and even a little bit swanky. We were told that it is a lot of fun to go at night with adults and leave the kids at home... we'll have to try that sometime. Anyone interested?

Happy New Year!

2010-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

We had a last minute get together at our house on New Year's Eve with the Gossett's and Surrell's. The kids wore pajamas, mommies wore sweats and dads wore jeans. We played "Just Dance" (of course). The Gossett's brought a couple of other WII games as well. We just hung out and chatted and played a board game just before midnight (New York time). We celebrated at 9:00 pm which was perfect since we all have small children.

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-02-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

In the very wee hours of the morning, two little boys woke up their parents and grandparents (Papa Rich and Yvette) and crept downstairs to see what Santa had left them. While the adults started coffee and took a couple of moments to wake up, the boys opened up their stockings. We have had a tradition in the Shaon house since I can remember of ME dividing the packages according to the name tags and we open gifts one at a time in order of youngest to eldest. I don't know why we do it this way, but this year was no exception. We did let the boys open ALL of their gifts first before we opened ours. We had a wonderful breakfast casserole and bacon and the best tamales that my dad and Yvette bring each year. Dinner preparations began shortly after 12:00 noon. My sister Amanda joined us that afternoon when she finished her shift at work. I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours!!!!

Christmas Eve (part 2)

2010-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

I know it seems silly to continue writing about Christmas Eve 2009 when February 2010 is almost over, but I don't think I can continue if I skip events, so here we go. After Christmas Eve dinner and opening presents, we played THE BEST GAME EVER!!! Just Dance (WII) Oh my goodness, it was so much fun (thanks Lauren for bringing it). We went out and purchased our very own copy the day after Christmas.

Christmas Eve (part 1)

2010-01-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

We have spent Christmas Eve at Ken and Cindy's home for the past 4 years. This year we celebrated with Ken and Cindy, Zak and Lauren, and Devin. We had dinner and exchanged presents with them before going home to sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn and put out those fabulous Christmas cookies that we made earlier that day. Aiden received an art easel with a whiteboard, chalkboard, 2 rolls of paper and markers and Blake received about 10 boxes of different Lego sets from Ken and Cindy. Zak and Lauren bought Blake Nerf Dart Tag and bought Aiden a gumball machine. Devin and Stephanie bought the boys a super fun Star Wars game. They had full stockings to open at their house as well. Being the only grandchildren definitely has some rewards!!!!! Oh, and if you're wondering about the orange ring around both of their mouths in all of the pictures, that would be the Orange Crush we let them have at dinner....oops!

Frosting anyone?

2010-01-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Making cookies for Santa was one project..... it was an entirely separate project to frost the cookies later that afternoon. If you read the post just before this one you will notice that although it is the same day, Aiden is not in the same clothes... hmmmmm..... I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Cookies for Santa

2009-12-29T18:58:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve morning at our house means baking sugar cookies for Santa Claus. This year I was a lot more hands-off just like the gingerbread house (see post below). There isn't much to tell other than the kitchen was an absolute disaster.... the kitchen table was covered with flour, cookie dough and colored frosting. The floor had to be swept and mopped and the counters with caked with cookie ingredients as well. I can't imagine a better way to spend Christmas Eve morning!!!

Thoroughbred Lane

2009-12-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

We have a Christmas tradition with the Surrell Family that has being going on since 2005. We look at Christmas Lights on Thoroughbred Lane. We always meet before sunset so we can get a parking spot, we look at lights on several blocks beginning at Thoroughbred Lane and then we go out to dinner. This is a tradition that our family looks forward to every year. This year the Gossett Family joined us and so did the Stanley family. We had a really good time strolling along the lane looking at all of the lights. I am hoping that in the very near future I will be able to walk along without worrying about Aiden getting hit by a car. I found myself repeating OVER and OVER again, please stay by the curb, please hold my hand, please slow down, AIDEN, AIDEN, AIDEN. Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread House

2009-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

"

The boys and I have made a gingerbread house for the past 3 years. Each year they complete more of the house than the year before. This year I frosted the house and they did all of the decorating. I didn't touch the gingerbread house at all or help in any way during the decorating process and they did a fantastic job! They licked the frosting off of their fingers quite often so there is no way that anyone is going to eat it, but at least it is a nice decoration and a fun family tradition!

School Christmas Parties

2009-12-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

Blake's 2nd grade class came to school in their pajamas on the day of their Christmas Party. They had donuts and milk and juice and watched The Polar Express. That afternoon they played games and hung out with friends. Aiden's kindergarten class sang a couple of songs in their Rudolph hats and had a book exchange and decorated cookies. It was a very busy day, but one that they will both remember!

VEGAS BABY!!!!

2009-12-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

We went to Las Vegas with Zak and Lauren the weekend before Christmas and had a great time. We had dinner at Diablo's on Friday night and then headed to a brand new hotel that had just opened two days before. It was a little snobby for our taste, but we stayed a while anyway. We had breakfast at the Bellagio on Saturday morning, Lauren and I spent Saturday afternoon at the spa and then she surprised us with tickets to see Jersey Boys on Saturday night. The weekend went by much too quickly and we are so glad that we were able to sneak in a quick get-a-way!

Merry Christmas from Disneyland!

2009-12-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

I took the boys to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and we met up with Miss Virgie from their elementary school. We were only there for a couple of hours because it was so crowded. Thank goodness for passes!!! I did manage to take their picture in front of the enormous Christmas Tree on Main Street.

Christmas Party Tradition

2009-12-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

We have had a Christmas Party every year since 1998 with the same group of college friends. We take turns hosting the party and this year we traveled to Bakersfield because it was Logan and Rebecca's year to host. The boys played cards and the girls sat and chatted about scrapbooks, recipes, children, etc. This is a tradition that Jeramie and I both look forward to each year. We came together for dinner and then the girls had a cookie exchange and we ended the evening with a friendly game of Scene It.

Field Trip to Hurst Ranch

2009-12-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Aiden's field trip to Hurst Ranch in November. Jeramie went with Blake when he was in Kindergarten so I was so excited that I was able to go this time. The kids made crafts, picked a carrot from the field, made butter, squeezed oranges and made orange juice and took a ride in an old-fashioned car.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at Papa Rich and Yvette's with Aunt Amanda and Kamie and Nita. Yvette made a delicious Thanksgiving meal while the boys played games and we spent time enjoying each other's company. It was a wonderful day and a time that we are definitely thankful for.

Thanksgiving program

2009-12-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

Aiden had a little program in his Kindergarten classroom before Thanksgiving. Jeramie was out of town and I had parent/teacher conferences so my dad and Yvette attended the short performance and took the boys home from school that day. He is such a little performer and his line was, "Thank goodness we have finally arrived in the New World!"

DENIED

2009-11-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of phone calls and emails over the past few days asking about how my MRI went last week. Well, without going into my opinion about healthcare, let's just say the request was denied. I am only 35 years old and there was nothing significantly wrong with my mammogram. I do have a 22% chance of breast cancer invading my life at some point in time, but apparently that is not enough for those who rule Blue Cross. If breast cancer is found, any treatment needed would cost a great deal more than an MRI, but that small detail has not been considered by anyone other than me. What's next? Well, I wait. The Dr. has resubmitted the request and I will know by tomorrow. I have a new appointment scheduled for Wednesday, November 25th IF it is approved. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and phone calls.

I do appreciate them..... and you!

Baseball, baseball, baseball

2009-11-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Seriously.... could he be any cuter?
Eric and Blake sharing Eric's ipod between games.... I couldn't resist taking a picture of them!

Austin, Eric and Blake after a close game.
Blake is currently playing on a Travel Ball team and Aiden is playing Winter Ball. We have baseball 4-5 days a week between the two of them depending on tournament schedules. They are both loving the game right now and we are having the best time watching them. They are both playing for the Yankees. Jeramie is managing Aiden's team and coaching Blake's team and I am a professional team mom, scheduler and cheerleader. GO YANKEES!

May the Force be with you

2009-11-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

On Halloween Blake was Obi Wan Kenobi and Aiden was Luke Skywalker. They completely transformed into those characters and had several light saber battles throughout the evening. Their friend Tyler joined us this year and the boys Trick-or-Treated for less than an hour and their buckets were full. I think they had more fun passing out candy to the kids who came to our door. Aiden decided that he should give each person a handful of candy. The benefit was that there was less leftover candy to consume.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-11-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

We went to Disneyland in mid-October with Jake, Amy and J.P. Our boys have been going to Disneyland together for about 3 years now. Amy and I used to take the three of them to Disneyland without our husbands before any of the boys were in school. We always have a wonderful time with them because our boys get along so well. It was extremely crowded that day, but we managed to ride a few rides and our boys rode Toy Story Mania for the first time. Thanks Wiersma's for another great time at the Happiest Place on Earth!

2nd grade project

2009-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

Blake had his first 2nd grade project to complete during the month of October. The assignment was to make something out of an apple. It could be anything at all. The basic instructions were
1. This is a family project, but the 2nd grader is the boss
2. Be creative
3. Have fun
Blake decided to make...... A BASEBALL, of course. Our first attempt was to use white frosting to cover the apple and then put white and red m and m's on top of the frosting to make it look like a baseball. Well, it's a good thing we practiced a couple of days before it was due because it did not turn out as we had hoped. We moved forward to plan B.... we used white fondant to cover the apple and red licorice whips to make the baseball stitches. It turned out perfect and we had a great time working on this together. He presented his finished product in a baseball glove and had to give a short oral presentation about his project. He received an A+ and we are very proud of him!

Family Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

We went to Heritage Park Pumpkin Patch which is a little family tradition of ours and took Blake's friend Eric with us. The boys picked out pumpkins, held baby chicks, and went on a hayride. We love this little pumpkin patch and the kids look forward to going every year.

Flashback to the 50's

2009-11-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

We went to a SOCK HOP on October 23rd. It was a mother/son event sponsored by our church and we had so much fun! We went with Jake and Ben from Blake's class and their moms. Last year's event was formal so the boys were thrilled to wear jeans, t-shirts and converse instead of a tie. Being a mom of boys, it is rare that I am able to just let "boys be boys", but at this event they slid on the dance floor and nobody thought it was odd because in a room full of 80 boys and their moms, what can you do? Thanks boys for a wonderful date!

Where have we been?

2009-10-22T18:27:00.001-07:00

I know that I've neglected the blog over the past month. Life is definitely as busy as it has ever been with both boys in elementary school. Gone are the days of My Gym, Moms Club, MOPS, Mom to Mom and Little Kickers. Instead, we've moved on to Little League, Teacher's PET, school projects, field trips, reading logs, spelling tests and math timed tests for two boys instead of just one. I'm not complaining, just adjusting. We're going to a Mother/Son sock hop tomorrow night so I should have some fun pictures to post!

Now Pitching for the Yankees......

2009-09-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

How cute is he? He is at the age where he doesn't want me to call him cute, but he is! He pitched on Saturday morning at The Field of Dreams and had so much fun..... his parents (and grandparents) are very proud. Aiden called out several times, "Throw the heat!" I don't think that he realizes that Blake has one pitch and throws only one speed, but he is a very supportive little brother.

The Letter

2009-09-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

My sister and I were finally given permission last month to begin to go though my mom's clothing and personal items nearly five years after her death. We went through the closet in mid-August and today we met at my parent's home to complete the task and go through jewelry and some paperwork. This afternoon I opened the top drawer of her desk which had not been touched since she passed away. There were a couple of pictures that I saw immediately when I opened the drawer. Underneath the pictures, turned upside down was a letter addressed to my dad, me, my sister and my brother. I read the first couple of sentences and put it down. I looked at my dad and told him what I had found and commented out of frustration that I'm sure this was meant to be found long ago. It was a "last" letter, a "goodbye" letter, a love letter......
The letter was intended for all of us to read together once she was gone and now five years later it has been discovered. I am full of emotions..... My brother is living in Texas so he has not seen it yet. I am not going to write it out word for word or anything, but so many things that she wrote can be applied in lives of so many of our friends and family so I want to share the letter in a very condensed form.
She said first and foremost that she wants us to be happy. She wants us to stay active in Church and in our Bible Study groups. She wants us to be patient with each other and listen to each other. She hopes that we will document our family history in pictures and get together often as a family. She does not want us to hold grudges. She wants us to celebrate holidays and birthdays and make videos of these events. She wants us to be patient with our dad because she knows that this will be the most difficult for him. She wants us to put in writing who our kids will live with in the event that anything should happen to us. She wants us to have high expectations of our children, but fair expectations. She said that if the Lord allows her to that she will be watching over us. She says that she is lucky because she was given the time and opportunity to write to us before she died and that many people aren't lucky enough to be able to do that before they go. She said that the letter is typewritten because her handwriting is messy and that she would attempt to leave handwritten notes.... did she? I haven't found any yet, but I sure am hoping that she left some behind.
This was one of the most difficult days I have had in a long time. I can't help but think that there is a reason I didn't find that letter until today. Maybe I needed to hear her reminding me of all the things she wrote in that letter and if I would have found it five years ago, maybe it wouldn't have the impact on me that it did today.

The summary of life with us.....

2009-09-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

I came downstairs a couple of weeks ago before anyone else was awake to find these on one of our kitchen chairs. I smiled and even laughed quietly outloud at the sight of the baseball gloves belonging to all THREE of my boys before I found the camera to take a picture. If you look closely you can see a baseball cap squished beneath the baseball gloves and I'm certain that someone was looking for it that morning. This sums up life in our house right now and I love every minute of it!

Empty Nest

2009-09-03T09:45:00.001-07:00

At 6:22 am this morning all children were dressed for school (We didn't have to leave until 8:00 am) By 7:00 am everyone had eaten breakfast and they were ready to go. Our baby started kindergarten this morning and Blake started 2nd grade. It's 9:45 and the house is quiet. The only sounds are the dishwaher and my fingers typing on the computer keys.
Our children were both sent off to school this morning happy and excited for what the new year will bring. Jeramie and I are excited for them, but sad that they are growing up so quickly. We both prayed that each one of our boys will have a wonderful first day at school. They have both been blessed with teachers who are the best of the best since they began school and this year is no exception. They are so lucky!
What will I do today? No need to worry about that.... I will run errands on a week day by myself for the first time in over 7 years! I will read my daily devotion without fear of interruption and fold laundry without anyone knocking over the piles with a light saber. I will smile each time I think of their darling faces and know that it won't be long until it's time to pick them up and hear all about their first day. I will post pictures soon!
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it

2 Down, 1 to go....

2009-08-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

My first blog post was all about my SUMMER MILESTONES....
1. Turn 35 (check)
2. Celebrate our ten year anniversary (check)
3. Make an appointment for a mammogram......
Well, I did attempt to make an appointment at the very beginning of JULY. The phone began ringing, I started to think about what I needed to say, tears began to flow and I hung up. I told Jeramie, a few family members, and a couple of very close friends about the failed phone call. I even had a couple of them offer to call for me, go with me, watch the kids during my appointment, etc......still, no phone call was made to make an appointment.
Last Thursday evening we hosted our small group Bible Study and at the end everyone was given the opportunity to share prayer requests. Jeramie was out of town, but most of our group was present (including 3 men, so I was hesitant to speak up) I shared with our group that I was having an extremely difficult time making my appointment. My friend Corinne asked me what it was that I was afraid of and I did not have an answer. Am I afraid of the process or the results or is it something else entirely? I honestly do not know the answer.
The very next day I had a text from Jessica, "Did you make your appointment? I'm praying for you!" I also had an email from Stephanie telling me that she understands my fear and how it seems to be paralyzing me and that she was praying for me.... still, no phone call was made to make the appointment.
Yesterday Jessica texted me again, "Did you make an appointment yet?" NOPE, I sure had not, but I told her I would call that afternoon.... I didn't call.
TODAY I called my Dr.'s office and I ended up talking to one of the friendliest and most understanding people I have ever come across while making a Dr. appointment. There were no tears and my appointment is officially on the books for October 1st.
I called Jeramie and let him know that I had made the appointment and texted Jessica so she would STOP texting me :)
I am sure that there are some people who think I'm being dramatic about making an appointment in the first place... it's just a phone call, right? I know that making a Dr. appointment is something that millions of people do every single day. This was difficult for me though and definitely was a milestone all on it's own..... one that I was not "counting" while writing about milestones a couple of months ago.
I know that God has a plan and a dream for my life. He knew that this phone call would take me 5 weeks and He has made certain that I am surrounded by people who love and care for me. I now have to wait another 6 weeks until my appointment, however, I will not dwell on it. Next summer when I pick up the phone to make the exact same phone call, I'm sure it will be much easier!
"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

More of the same....

2009-07-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, the lazy days of summer!
There is a lizard under that leaf... they have just saved it from the pool!
Blake, Aiden and Jack filling up water balloons!
Aiden, Brooklyn, Jack and Blake taking a break in the shade.
Aiden, J.P. and Blake
This week began with a trip to "Bakeryfield" according to Aiden. Our friends Rebecca and Logan moved to Bakersfield almost two years ago. Jeramie had to work there on Monday, so we took a family field trip.

Logan filled up water balloons for the kids and pretty much took care of everything while Rebecca and I took complete advantage of talking the day away. Friendship is such an important part of life and in these busy days of raising children, most conversations are interrupted for one reason or another.... not on Monday though! Thank you again Logan and Rebecca! We had a really great time in Bakeryfield!!!!

Our summer has pretty much consisted of swimming, playing, hanging out with friends, building forts, sleeping in sleeping bags in the living room and trying to save a drowning lizard from the pool (not me, the kids)
I have amazing memories of my summers as a child. The days were filled with playing outside with the kids in the neighborhood, swim lessons (and the high dive), trips to get ice cream at Thrifty, making homemade ice cream with my parents and eating dinner outside in the backyard!
I really don't think that life gets much better than playing outside in the sunshine, sharing a meal with friends, and knowing that your only worry is, "I wonder what mom has planned for tomorrow....."

Where has the time gone?

2009-07-23T21:14:00.001-07:00

Family picture day November, 2008

Cancun June, 2009

Christmas Day, 2007

Blake's first day of Kindergarten, September, 2007

Pre-school Christmas Program December, 2006

Today is our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY! ( I wish I knew how to post our wedding pictures.) Jeramie and I have had an amazing 10 years of marriage. A relationship that began as a friendship almost 14 years ago turned into a wonderful marriage with my best friend. Throughout the past ten years we have seen each other through just about every kind of life change. We have family who would do anything for us, two amazing children, jobs that we love, a church that we can truly call home and a wonderful group of friends.

We refer to our family tree as a bonzai tree because of all of the different directions life has taken our family over the past ten years. At the end of the day, we are the one constant for each other, even if life has taken us around several unexpected turns.

We have laughed together, cried together, prayed together, tested each other, learned together, triumphed together, and today we continue to build a bond that grows stronger with each passing day. We have owned 2 homes, 9 cars (I know, someone really likes new cars), 1 dog, several lizards that won't leave our backyard and Jeramie has made 4 job changes over the past 10 years. I had intended to post a short look back at what life has been since July 24, 1999, but it was not very exciting reading material for a blog post.

I am so thankful each day for the life that God continues to provide for our family. The years have gone by quickly and each year is filled with memories that I will cherish always. I often joke with Jeramie and tell him that he wouldn't last 5 minutes without ME and although that may hold partial truth, I know that I couldn't last 5 minutes without HIM either!!!

Thank you Jeramie for agreeing to have a professional family picture taken every year even though I know it's not your favorite thing to do, thank you for making coffee (or going to Starbucks) everyday, thank you for listening to my stories (yes, I do realize that I talk a lot!), thank you for being the best father in the world to our children, thank you for being patient, thank you for understanding how much I love celebrating my birthday, thank you for supporting my decisions, thank you for being an incredible gift giver (it is my love language after all), thank you for your friendship, thank you for GPS because I have NO sense of direction, thank you for asking me to marry you ELEVEN years ago, thank you for loving me for better or for worse!

There are many, many more things I could thank you for, but you get the idea....I love you!

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Sittin' Poolside

2009-07-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Aiden and his swim teacher Fred practicing with the kick board.

Aiden and Mitchell having a water fight and Kylie is trying to avoid all of the action!

Blake hanging out by the pool waiting for his lesson to begin.

Blake is finishing up his 8 minute swim.

Blake, Jenna and Aiden

The boys are finishing up swim lessons this week and they have learned so much. Blake is a strong swimmer and truly believes that this will be his last year of lessons. I have tried to explain to him that although he can swim, it is important to learn each one of the swim strokes and proper technique. Today he swam the length of the pool for 8 full minutes, completing a different stroke each time... he was exhausted! Aiden continues to love his swim lessons and the 10 minutes of free time at the end of his hour long lesson.

We have also had quite a few fun pool play dates during the past week or so. We spend at least a couple of hours everyday at our pool or at a friend's house in their pool. The temperature has been FREAKISHLY HOT so I have even gone in the pool every day! Hope you're all finding a way to beat the heat!!!

Summer Fun

2009-07-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Blake and Aiden toasting (BURNING) marshmallows in the fire pit.

Blake is consuming the finished product.

Aiden all wrapped up after swim lessons.

Aiden preparing to jump off of the diving board.

Ready.....set.....GO!!!!!

The boys started swim lessons this week and are loving them as usual. I only posted pictures of Aiden because Blake's face is always in the water faster than I can snap his picture. I will post more swim lesson pictures with Blake next week. Aiden jumped off of the diving board this morning and was THRILLED with his own progress!
We also roasted marshmallows in the fire pit in our backyard this week and made s'mores. This dessert is a weekly favorite at our home during the summer. The boys haven't quite mastered the idea of "roasting". They believe in toasting the marshmallow until it catches on fire and only then is it ready for consumption.

Captain Jack's

2009-07-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Aiden and his milkshake mustache.

My dad and the birthday girl

A quick picture of the family before mom and dad are off for a night ALONE!

I asked the valet to take our picture before we left the hotel. He seemed confused, but he took the picture anyway.

Jeramie and Stacy at Captain Jack's

My 35th birthday was fabulous! It began with me sleeping in until 8:00am... sad, but that is sleeping in these days. I came downstairs to find fresh flowers and a card from the boys as well as one from Jeramie. Jeramie made pancakes with fresh strawberries and coffee for breakfast. He took the boys to the Little League field for batting practice and I enjoyed an hour to myself. Jeramie surprised me and said I needed to pack an overnight bag for the boys and one for myself, so........
We dropped the boys off at my dad and Yvette's house about 3:00 pm where we were pleasantly surprised with a yummy treat.... HOMEMADE BIRTHDAY MILKSHAKES!!!! I will attach a picture of Aiden with his milkshake mustache. My dad and Yvette gave me a very sweet birthday card and I will be shopping soon with what was inside....YIPPEE!!!!!
Jeramie and I left La Palma and headed for the beach. We had dinner at Captain Jack's in Sunset Beach which has been my absolute favorite restaurant for about the past 20 years. We had a wonderful table for two overlooking the canals and gondola rides. It was a perfect evening!!!! We were lucky enough to spend the night at a hotel in Long Beach and picked up the boys on Sunday afternoon. Thanks Jeramie for another wonderful birthday!!! I love you!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

The kids had so much fun in the backyard. I think they were all in the pool when I took this picture.

I'm not sure where all of the kids are going. They look like their headed inside and on a mission

Aiden has tons of confidence as long as that noodle is in his hand!

My good friend Jenny... she is a FABULOUS hostess!!!!

Blake avoids the camera pretty well, so I have to capture pictures of him from far away.

Aiden is prepared for a water battle with his water gun (and noodle of course)

Our good friends Roland and Jenny hosted The 4th of July again this year. They have the best house for entertaining! There were about 6 families and between all of us there were about 14 kids. We swam and played basketball and the kids played on the slide and swings. We did fireworks in their backyard (shhh!) and that was a bit too much with that many kids so I don't have any pictures of that part of the day. I was too busy making sure no one was lighting anyone else on fire!!!!

Vacation in Cancun

2009-07-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Blake and Aiden in the wading pool on the balcony of our room
Papa Rich and Yvette
Blake and Jeramie
Aiden enjoying his Pina Colada... alcohol free of course!

Family picture on the beach
We spent a week in Cancun at the end of June with my dad and Yvette. My dad took our family to his timeshare as an anniversary gift to us. I had never been out of the country before and with all of the "swine flu" talk, we almost cancelled our trip. We had an amazing time at the Grand Mayan Resort! There were NINE pools and of course we had to swim in all of them. We went swimming every day for hours and had time to relax and enjoy some quality family time.

***On a side note, this is only my 2nd entry and I'm still learning how to place pictures and text where I want and I promise my stories will become more interesting!

Summer of milestones

2009-07-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Opening Day for our family of Yankees.

They look like they belong in the Big Leagues don't they?

This summer marks 3 large milestones for me personally. I am going to be 35, our ten year wedding anniversary is at the end of July, and my mom passed away 5 years ago in August. I am thrilled, of course, about our wedding anniversary. I am so in love with my husband and love the family and life that we have created together.

My 35th birthday is bittersweet. Those of you who know me well, know that I LOVE my birthday more than most people. I try to celebrate with several different groups of people to make my one special day into an entire week if possible! This birthday also means that I have to have my first mammogram due to my family history. I have already tried to make an appointment once, but started crying at the thought of it and hung up.

The final milestone is the most difficult. My mom has been gone five years on August 18th. I can't believe it's been that long. I still think about calling her every once in a while and never imagined that after 5 years, I would still be reaching for the phone. I am blessed to have

an amazing family as well as friends who are like family who understand what I am going through and still lend a listening ear when I am having a hard time.

I started this blog back in May and then deleted it because it was thoroughly depressing. This is a new start... one to document my thoughts and feelings about life with ALL BOYS and the general events in our life. Come back and visit soon!