one decade ago...

Day 15...

Went into work and handed out Christmas bonuses. I always enjoy putting a smile on everyone's faces.

DAY 14...

Took and few moments and opened and read a whole slew of wonderful Christmas cards. It jsut isn't me though that enjoys seeing the faces of friends and family on these cards, or reading the updates on those we know and love; the kids can't wait to pull them from me and have a good look-- see as well. Thank you to all that have sent greetings our way. ;>

Day 13....

Took Lauren to see one of her dance teachers perform in a wonderful ballet, "The Nutcracker". It was 55 minutes of the most beautiful costumes I had ever seen. Thing that stood out the most: Miss Michelle's perfect dancing--and the big green blob of makeup covering up the large star tattoo on her back! This was once again, another lesson on why it is never good to get tattoo of any kind.

After that, Lauren made a darling card for her little sister at dance, and grabbed her gift and we were off to the Dance Team Christmas party. Dropped her off, came home and the boys were out

doing some Christmas shopping. Used the time to wrap some more gifts and do the dishes.

At 7pm, we all got in our fancy holiday clothes and drove up to the Honda Center in Anaheim. Andrea Bocelli was performing and we got there just in time! Took our seats and the lights went down and the orchestra began to play. It was enchanting. The voice of that man--well, I could have listened to him for hours. The first half of the show was filled with some of his opera hits, and the second half was all Christmas. He had one song where a dozen or so children came out and sang with him, "Santa Claus is coming to Town" --if you can imagine that! "Silent Night" brought tears to my eyes, and can that man hold a note! NIko said, "Man, I can only do that for two seconds and then I have to breath. He is awesome!"

I want our kids to witness excellence on many levels. I pointed out this man's success, not because of his voice, but in spite of his inability to see. When he sat down to play the piano, Niko was blown away. "How did he learn if he can't see?" Lauren enjoyed both halves of the show, and giggled when he had four curtain calls! Culture is all around us, thank goodness.

Day 12...

Cleaned up my red room today. Had a pile of presents under a burgundy blanket for two weeks now. Kids new they were there (I was testing their self-control--or maybe torture is the right word?). Hee Hee....anyway, I decided to wrap them all and place them under the tree. They were met with a big round of excitment (which I caught on my flip video camera!).

This was supposed to be our party night. With Juan getting sick though, we had to call it off. We were very disappointed not to get to see our dear friends, but we knew Daddy needed this time to get better. Scabs are there now, so he is not contagious anymore, but now it looks like he took a bad fall bike riding and skidded his face across the pavement. He was craving a meal out last night though, so we ventured to a restaurant we all liked, and then, with the light rain falling all around us, on the way home we drove around Ladera and looked at Christmas lights. Not as many as last year, but the home that did put up lights, went all out, more than usual. It was not our Christmas party, but we were together, and that was nice.

DAy 11...

Juan, on the mend. Doctor says he was lucky the lesion on his eye (from shingles) went away.

We are grateful.

Rainy morning, forgetful morning. Had to run home and get niko's binder, book report, sweatshirt (he thought he left at school) and both kids umbrellas. Then, I worked at school and helped pack up Christmas store. Got grays hairs on my head covered in a nice shade of brown. Grocery shopped, and washed one load of laundry. Made niko's favorite tacos for dinner, and Isabel came over and cooked plantains and beans and rice for "dessert". Only 6:22pm and I am ready for a hot bath and a good movie upstairs. Loving the rain. Tired and worn out, both.

At peace though. Gonna enjoy the weekend.

First 10 Days of December...

Day 1: Happy December! Put out my "Jesus is the reason" sign.
Day 2: Bought and delivered See's Candy to everyone at the office
Day 3: Christmas Shopping and finish putting up deocrations
Day 4: Volunteered at school to help set up Christmas Store--miss tree lighting in town square due to tennis lessons. Kids disappointed.
Day 5: Cleaned house and garage to prepare for our kids Christmas party
Day 6: Finish Christmas shopping and wrap some gifts. Juan gets sick. Went to doc and put on anit-biotics. They say it is an infection.
Day 7: Lauren has sore throat. Juan is worse--I send him back to Doctor because I think he has shingles and it was misdiagnosed. Niko is stir-crazy from the rain, so I play catch with him in the house. He loves it, and goes to bed easy tonight.
Day 8: Lauren a bit better, no fever, still sore throat. Juan does have Shingles--I run to the only pharmacy in South County to get his new strong antibiotics--over in Lake Forest. Forced to cancel Christmas Party. Too tired to cook- Drive to Pasta Bravo, and find out they went out of business. Drive to Panda Express, get dinner, serve dinner, grateful no dishes to wash.
Day 9: Take Juan to eye doctor. Shingles in his eye, ear, throat and nose now. Care for Juan, clean bathrooms, do two loads of laundry, address and mail tons of Christmas cards (while Juan sleeps), do banking, grocery shopping, and run kids to and from all after school activities. Try and remember to administer Juan's eyes three bottles of eye drops in the correct order: two of the bottles, four times a day, and the third, three times a day. Homework, pass out.
Day 10: Dishes, vacuum, pay bills, drop off toys for Toys for Tots. Deal with grumpy husband
whose had it with the nightmare of Shingles. Make chicken and asparagus for dinner. Boys grumble because I put something green on their plates. Lauren devours it. Dogs get out of kennels in middle of night and wake up Lauren. She wakes me up. NIko hears us and now we are all awake. Let dogs outside, clean up their mess, and we all go back to sleep.
Need to go feed dogs now because Niko forgot this morning. Then get lunch for kids (see posting below). Oh, and--- Juan says I'm getting absent minded because I forgot to buy his favorite bread at the grocery store. If the shingles doesn't take him out, I will.

Morning Musings...

It is like an ice box in here! I just turned on the weather channel (which I really enjoy for some odd reason!) and we are experiencing mild temps compared to the midwest. I cannot imagine living like under a blanket of snow like that. It is pretty to look at, but brrrrr!!!!

Finally, at 8am this morning, I lifted the heavy warmth of my comforter and shreaked as the chill rushed in, attacking my skin. Kids had been up for a hour getting ready for school. We had 30 minutes to get to the campus. Fortunately, it is only 1 minute away, but still, I had to get dressed, brush my hair and teeth, and make sure they had breakfast and lunches.

It is incredible how stiff my bones get in the winter. I managed to get my sweats on, and my hair pulled back, and the kids fed breakfast. Lunches? I told them I'd treat them to the lunch of their choice today. After a round of hurrays, I pulled on my uggs and ran them over to school.
Line up had already begun as they hopped out at the curb. Lauren blew me kisses, "Bye Mommy, Love you, Have a great day!" Niko grabbed his backpack and slid over the seat and jumped out, "Bye Mom!" I said, "Bye Loves. Bye Baby girl, Bye Sweet Boy. Love you!"
and they were off. I sat there, along the curb, and watched as they scooted off. Lauren was two yards ahead of Niko and her body language told her teacher she was making every effort to hurry. Niko (I had to smile) was going, but at his own pace. His body was saying, "I'm coming. I'll get there. I'm cool." And, they both did get there, in their own ways, in their own time.
Everything was fine. Something tells me this is indicative of the years to come, and that is just fine as well. :>

Progress...

Spent three hours so far Christmas shopping--80 % done, got cool things, unbelievable prices, and so easy!

Ornaments for 2009...

We hung two new ornaments this year on the memory tree in our family room: The moose labeled South Dakota, is from, um, South Dakota, and the cruise ship Juan just picked out on the Disney Cruise ship when we were in the Bahamas three weeks ago--appropriate don't ya think?

Gratitude....

A week off. With the vacation under our belts three weeks ago, we had nowhere to go but home.
And it was jsut what we needed. We still saw a great show in LA, "Mary Poppins" with some great friends, and we saw some great movies, "The Blind Side" is a tear jerker and so worth seeing! Kids loved Planet 51, and I loved New Moon. After the Pan con Pavo (turkey sandwiches done El Salvadoran style--so yummy!) we put up tons and tons of Christmas decorations, did some shopping, and then we rested. Life is good, for so many reasons, and these are some of mine (in no particular order) :

1. My sanity (which comes and goes, but the moments of clarity are divine!)
2. The health of all whom I love (especially the two who were born on 11-5-1998!).
3. Understanding that faith in a higher power is in itself empowering.
4. Reaching 44 and realizing so much of the daily stress is nonsense.
5. Working for 15 years and building a company to a point that now I can take some time off.
6. Having friends that get me, and love me anyway.
7. Having family that don't get me, and love me anyway.
8. Being able to put my thoughts into words since the age of 9--otherwise I might have not achieved my #1 above.
9. Ugg boots --I love ugg boots!
10. See's Chocolate--tell me, have you ever heard of a recipe for left over chocolate? Of course not!
11. My guy--26 years, my loyal and faithful partner in life, love, and everything, and no matter how frizzy my hair is, how bad my morning breath is, or how wrinkly my skin is, he keeps coming home every single night.
12. My ability to know who is good for me, and whom is not.
13. Good books on my nightstand.
14. Milk and cookies in the morning.
15. My blog, for whom this expression would not be able.

I have some gripes too, but in the spirit of the season, we'll leave this post at listing the gratitude!

Double Ones...

Eleven! It boggles my mind that my babies are now only a brief stint from being teenagers. Some days the years felt like decades, and others, only moments in time. Had these photos taken at my friend, Mindy's house a few months ago at one of those photographry at home parties. So easy! I RSVP'd to the evite, got the kids dressed up, and we popped in for a total of 15 minutes. Mindy got some free pix, and we a hassle free photo session. This gal is very strict about the time alottment--which turned out to be a plus for all of us! These were my favorite--they are darn cute if I do say so myself! If anyone would like the link to her website, leave me a comment, and I'll post it.

Eleven... double ones--the child part in childhood is over, done. I was so careful during the past decade to be present, and kind and a good example, because I knew they were both looking to me. I wanted to raise people that I would like to know as adults. I failed more times than I care to admit, and despite my shortcomings, they have grown into pretty great human beings. And flaws of their own? Well, now I can feel their world getting bigger, more influences, and I am having to repeat myself more often. I am not fond of selective hearing, it wares on me to know the lines of communication are getting clouded. So, it is my very conscious vow to keep those lines as stream lined as possible, and even as I aknowledge, the child is indeed more behind us than in front us, their childhood is not completely over. Doing my best to keep the child in my home, and the hood as far from our lives as possible is my fervent wish, and I think if we keep doing what we have been (exhaustion aside) we will meet our goal. My kids are inherantly easy, but life can take a turn at any moment, and even though there are times when I wish I could be done and on to grandparent time, there is a deeper desire to cherish the last leg of this very precious time. I just looked again at their pictures here---aren't they just the cutest?!

Home again...

We just got home from a week in the Bahamas--three days in Orlando, and 4 days on the Disney Cruise. 87 degress and clear skies. Celebrated our twins 11th birthday--here were are on Disney's own island, Castaway Cay--Fabulous time had by all!

The rest of Hallow's Eve...

My very cool Rock Star, and my adorable bumble bee, with our neighbor bee, Amanda--too cute!

Niko likes spiked hair (although you can't really see it in this photo), and Lauren always giggles when she see's something silly--the belly was too much! I think both costumes fit them perfectly!

Niko has never enjoyed pumpkin carving--until this year. He had a grand time diving right in with his grandfather! Lauren's witch on a broomstick drew lots of compliments from trick-or-treaters all night long. One teenage girl said she should be an artist. When I told she was thinking about it, she said, "Follow your dream!" as she ran off to gather more candy. A fun night had by all. One more year, they think, and our treating days will be behind us. So sad....

Happy Halloween everybody!

I got an email from my treasured friend, Elizabeth, this past week asking if I was okay. You see, it has been about six weeks (!) since my last post --and that is highly unusual for me, and I know she was wondering where I went I am sureWe don't get the chance to see each other in person and I know for me, reading her blog is a wonderful way to keep in touch. I am betting it is the same for her. Blogs, are truly a very cool way of perserving our families journey through this world, and a super way of saying hello to those we don't get to see as often as we would like. So, Elizabeth, thank you for thinking of me ( I so treasure your friendship!), and here is a photo essay of the Halloween decorations we managed to somehow get up in between the rush of other activities...

I will write of our other happenings soon, I promise! :>

Lost and Found...

What is it about something be lost, and then something being found?

I pop into this blog sometimes, written by a man that owns a used bookstore. He thought it would be a great idea to post the bookmarks, letters, notes, dried flowers, etc that he discovers among the books that are donated to his store. You wouldn't imagine it being anything more than people's trash, but it is actually a very cool thing to see what he has found each time, and to imagine the stories behind each one.

I realized a similar discovery of my own this week. I started this online writer's workshop a few days ago--in part to help me with my memoir I am writing--more to make sure I am on the right track than anything else. As I was writing one chapter of my story recently, I realized some more historical facts were needed to make the characters deeper and more defined. I went to Ancestry.com and they were having a two week trial period for free! I signed up and went about looking for information on my biological family.

At first I kept getting these long lists of "Hays" people and none of them matched my mother, so I tried the "De Mont" side. I couldn't believe it--instantly, there was my uncle Bob! It not only showed his approximate birth date but it listed my Aunt Joann and her maiden name, the ages they were (approx) when they got married, and the registrar's document of the marriage record where they got married!

This fueled me to continue my search, even though it was midnight, and even though I could not find my own parents marriage certificate (I don't think they were ever legally married), but I did find both parents social security numbers, their dates of birth (which I already knew) and the dates of death (which I did not know for sure). I jotted down some of the info, put some more of it in the website shoebox, and went to sleep very pleased, but not sure why.

The next evening I went on a bit earlier and began my search again. This time, I found all my Uncle Bob's children, except for one (he had several). Then, I began to enter every name of a relative I knew, on both sides of my family. I was on there for what seemed like forever, when I stumbled across a long list of "De Mont's" I hadn't seen before. I clicked on one that looked like another listing of my mother: Anna Sue De Mont (Anna Sue Hays) born 1948.

When it opened up to reveal the rest of the information listed I was stunned. It said:

Female born Aug 7, 1965, Los Angeles County, and mothers maiden name, Hays. It was... me!

Don't know why but it never occurred to me to search myself; after all, I KNOW when and where I was born! With my heart beating faster, I knew I was on to something so I went back to the main listing and clicked on the next box with my mother's name and this time it was my brother, Sean. Each of my siblings one by one was revealed as I went down the list--and then I was blown away--another child, a male, born March 16, 1970, was listed between my brother, Tim, and my sister, Cassia!

I always knew we had another sibling, and I always knew his place on the totem pole. What none of us knew was his birth date. He was given up at birth and nobody could remember the day he was born. The year had to be 1970 or 1971, and we knew he was delivered in Santa Barbara County, but that was where the deduction ended. Others in my family say they have looked, and I am sure they gave it a good effort, but to no avail. That night, without trying to, I simply stumbled upon it. I couldn't believe it!

You know, I don't really need to know him (We always knew of our brother as Travis Kent because my mother said that is what she would have named him), but there is something very exciting about uncovering a piece of the puzzle. My siblings are curious to meet him, and are intending to execute a more detailed search for our brother, but for me, I am contented just knowing when and where he came into the world. I will never forget how stunned I was to see those numbers pop out at me like that--I read it over and over.

I am writing this book of my childhood, a book of memories of the life I had with my biological parents, for my brother, Jason. I wondered that night, when I found our brother Travis was in fact born on March 16, 1970, if Jason feels that same sense of fascinating discovery-- as he reads each new part of the story I send along to him. We never lived together, he and I, and we are twelve years apart, but it is uncanny how similar our experiences with our parents were. Each of us has our own particular moments, but the feel of those moments is very much alike. At the very least, I imagine he experiences confirmation that his memories, so similar to mine were real--as I felt when the story of a baby brother named, Travis Kent, became an reality for me late one night last week.

I am still not sure why "discovery" is so interesting to me, to Jason, or even to the guy that who owns the bookstore. Maybe it's about the connections between what was once lost, and what is now found. It completes a circle so to speak, a conclusion of sorts, and our brains love closure of any kind. We take comfort in the answers. Yes, I think it is about the connections. After all, isn't that what everything is about?

Summer is over, School has begun...

It is 9:51am and I am sitting here all alone.  Juan and I just left our twins at school for their first day of 5th grade.  He dropped me back here and then he went off to work.  I will go to work too but I felt inspired to journal here first.  

It was hard to get Niko out of bed this morning (he tossed and turned until midnight last night).  I remember doing that the night before the first day of school too. Lauren got up and was singing and goofing around, totally thrilled.  I dragged myself out of bed, made breakfast, lunches, and made sure the kids were showered and ready to go.  We all hopped in the car and drove the one minute drive to the campus.  We were twenty minutes early but the parking lot was already full.  The school enrollment was up this year.  I think we have maybe 130 kids now in the whole elementary.  

It was so wonderful to see familiar faces!  and some new ones too!  I tried to take pictures but realized I had forgotten my memory stick (!) and then I did take some video but not for long since the camera died.  I could kick myself for not being prepared but the truth is, we were living in summer mode right up through dinner last night, and I didn't even think of it.  On the bright side, dinner was filled with memories of the blessings our time off brought us:  a fun vacation in South Dakota--Mt Rushmore, Wa-Tiki waterpark, go-kart racing, tennis tournaments, art classes, hanging out with Nena, hanging out with Pop-pop, pool parties, cuddle time reading good books together, cuddle time watching the US Open, ...we made the most of our twelve weeks, I can confidently say we are all rested and ready for the responsibilities that school brings (for all of us!).

Their teacher, Mr. Shore, is new and I could tell the kids were searching his face to find any clues they could to the year ahead.  I found myself looking too and I told them my first instinct was it will be a wonderfully enriching year full of growth for both of my kids.  We stayed for flag salute, said our goodbyes, and were off to begin another busy autumn.  I am looking forward to it!   

Shattered...

It was a quiet afternoon yesterday, and we were all up here in the bonus room hanging out with some friends--when we heard a huge crash! Juan ran into Lauren's room (she had just gone in there for something) and fortunately she was fine. I thought the sound came from downstairs but he was sure it was made upstairs. He was right. He walked into the master bedroom and to the left into the bathroom and came upon a big scattered pile of glass. Our shower door had exploded!

How this happened we have no idea. Nobody was in there thank goodness, and the glass was tempered, so I guess we'll never know....any ideas on how this happens?

Taco Tuesday...

We have had the opportunity to partake in many fun original happenings this summer, ie: Lauren took an art class at the local college here with her friend Katie W, and Niko joined in with his buddies for a week of spiritual growth at VBS, we repainted Niko's room to a new cool skateboard gray, Lauren joined her friends in private tennis lessons and now she really understands how to score the game--and even competed in her first tournament! Their have been birthday parties galore, and one night we invited the whole class to one of our neighborhood pools for a no-frills swim at night pool party! It was low key and a wonderful chance to let the kids swim without the hassle of applying sunscreen, hats or swim shirts. Lauren made her brownies and the kids swam for three hours under the moonlight. Last week, we realized we were running out of summer and still had one more idea to put into play---Taco Tuesday!

My son is a big fan of my taco's and wanted to share them with all of his friends. I couldn't make dinner for the entire class so I urged him to choose three and we go from there. Maria, from the office, got him this giant sombrero last year and he wanted to use it somehow. We decided to get each boy how own sombrero, and then for a little added humor, we picked up a packet of stick on moo-staches. They were hilarious!! As each boy arrived Niko greeted them with their new look and christened them with their new names: Brendan was Burrito, Logan was Loco, and Nate was Nacho. Without hesitation and with a lot of gusto I might add, they jumped right into the fun!

Here you see them singing what they thought was a mariachi song. It was too funny! Shortly afterward they attempted ping-pong with those giant hats too. They played the Wii, ate a big dinner of Niko's mama's tacos, and then we went over to the courts and they played on the tennis courts for a solid hour (I can't say it was really tennis, but they cracked up the whole time). Niko has gotten pretty good at tennis so they played the three of them against him--and they cheered with victory when they finally got a ball past him. He was running all over the court and loved it. We got home and cooled them down with chocolate brownie sundaes that they devoured. The time flew but fun was had by all!

Summer Happenings...

August 31st.  We are running out of summer here pretty quickly.  I think our family can rest easy though knowing we gave our best effort to get the most of out of our given time off.  The past three months we have been blessed with the company of many friends, and then my kids great grandfather flew out for a bit, and then for six weeks straight, our fun and much loved aunt has been local giving us the opportunity to and privilege of sharing a daily sort of life with her.  Lauren called it the month of relatives!

Here you can see grandpa out to cheer his grandson on at a tennis match in Irvine.  Niko lost the match, but I saw his whole attitude toward the loss adjust due to my father's encouragement and advice.  I was having quite a challenge with my son and Dad flew out to lend a helping hand.  I will be forever grateful.  

Next, this is a picture of Niko's first time as a number 1 seed!  Very cool, but it scared him.  He was so intimidated carrying that title, he froze and lost the first match out.  Dad helped him see a lot of life is in all in our heads.

"Honey I Shrunk the Audience!"  This was a hoot!  Nena, my aunt, hadn't been to Disneyland in over 25 years (!) and we thought it would be great fun to take advantage of our yearly passes and see the park through her eyes--the yellow 3D glasses made the vision even more fun!

We got there around 1pm and stayed until 11pm.  It has been ages since we were there at night.The park was busy but we got on 16 rides and saw Fantasmic, the fireworks, a bit of a parade, downtown Disney, and soooo much more!  Nena is just great--she will jump right in and join the fun no matter what the ride.  It was the first time for Splash Mt and the kids and i were terrified but Nena just giggled and said, "Let's go!"  I must note:  Lauren was very brave--she later told me as we approached the big giant drop that she kept saying to herself, "I'm not gonna die-I'm not gonna die-I'm not gonna die!"  I cracked up!   

After our treat to Disney, Nena treated the twins to the local Rodeo here.  I snapped this photo just as they were off to hang with the cowboys.  Love it!

Last here (and just before my camera died) i took this of the girls at our schools Movie night.  they were enjoying the teeter-totter before the movie started.  

These are just a few moments of our very fun, easy, unexpectedly relaxed summer!

LA TENNIS OPEN...

The four of us had the fabulous opportunity last week to attend the LA Tennis Open with our good friends, The Changs. Michael Chang was playing Jim Courier in an exhibition game at the UCLA tennis center and Diana called and said, "Would you like to go?" Um.....YES!

We drove up, showed the twins where we saw Eddie Murphy there twenty years ago in Westwood, and then took them to dinner at CPK. We shared how we used to go now and again up there for dinner, people watching, and if the lines weren't too long, a movie too. Then, we walked over to the university and joined in the fun! It was really cool --and Michael won! Niko and I talked about him playing there some day.  I told him if he wanted it, he could do it.  Carl, Michaels' brother and such a great person,  told Niko it takes a lot of hard work, and the tennis he is playing now is all about learning. Such good advice! The entire night was so much fun! Thanks Diana! Thanks Carl!  Thanks Michael!  We will remember it forever!

Q'ute Quote...

Last week it was time for the kids physicals.  We hadn't gone literally in three years for one, and with the growth spurts they are both going through I figured it might be a good idea this year to go make sure everything is working as it should.  They are rarely sick (thank goodness) but it is always better to check in than check out ya know?

Anyway, I prepared them for what might happen (shots, they may take blood, etc...).  I asked if we could do each child, one at a time, so I could be present (more for their consideration than mine), and the nurse assured me that would be fine.  Well, as it turned out, I was in with Lauren and the nurse practitioner when our long-time pediatrician popped his head in and said, "I just wanted to say hello.  I haven't seen you all in awhile.  Niko is great and all taken care of.  Hello Lauren!"  I looked over and said, "He's done?"  Yep!  He will grow 3-4 inches this next year and I told him to eat like it!  So feed him, mom!"

We finished up and went two doors down to his room.  I found him sitting on the table there with his head down and holding his one finger.  I said very concerned, "Hey, you okay?  I'm sorry I wasn't here for the needle part.  You okay?"  With his head hung low, he shook his head from side to side.  I rushed to his side and said, "No?"  He instantly perked up and grinned, "Only kidding!"  and then shrugged his shoulders and said, "It was fine.  They gave me a chicken pox shot though and they took blood from my finger--that hurt the most."  I looked down at the finger with the band aid on it and went to kiss it, when he said, "Oh yeh, and the doctor said to be sure and let you know that I am going through POVERTY!"  I looked at him confused and he said really disappointed, "Does that mean I'm gonna be poor?"  I cracked up!  "No, I think the doctor meant PUBERTY."  :>

VBS

Last week was VBS at our church. Vacation Bible School is so popular, you have to register in the Spring just to get a spot for your child (ren). Both my kids have been eager attendees since kindergarten, but this year Lauren opted to take an Art Class instead. VBS is loads of fun, but it is honestly the most exhausting week of summer. They have to be there by 8:30am and they go-go-go until noon every single day, outside, under the heat of the day. Lauren was also just promoted to Juniors on dance team so that provided a conflict as well. I had hesitated to sign Niko up because,as a parent, I have to go every morning and then back again to pick him up. I just couldn't do it. Niko was devastated--until Mindy, his good buddies mom, offered a him a seat in her van. Niko was more than grateful and so excited to join all his buddies from school in this week of fun, learning and growing in our faith. Thanks Mindy! Sherri was our always reliable leader --not only does she lead our boys every summer, she documents the entire thing ( I think I have about 70 pictures she's emailed me from last week.) Here is just one--purple was the color this time--and Sherri went all out for our kids! NIko is the one with the giant purple hand! Thanks Sherri for a wonderfully fun, spiritually fulfilling week!

Roughley Manor...

It is the middle of July--so it must be scrap booking retreat time! Every summer Cathy, my super fantastic scrap booking consultant goes out of her way to find just the right place to invite all of us die-hard scrappers to for a three day weekend getaway. We have gone up to Big Bear in the past and had a great time, but this year she found us a wonderful new Bed & Breakfast called, The Roughley Manor.

This gem is located up in the high desert of 29 Palms, about 50 minutes from Palm Springs and 15 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park. Unlike the stucco and shingle roofed homes in the area, this was a home plucked right out of the east coast--stone covered, wood floors, and lovely detailed woodwork all over--isn't it just beautiful?

During dinner the first night, the owners served us a fabulous meal, and then told us a fascinating story of how the inn came to be. It is too long to post here but if you ever have a chance to google the Crozer family from Pennsylvania (they were prominent and wealthy benefactors) and their daughter left it all to be with her true love, a soldier, to make a life in the desert of California, you will find it a very good read. Every stone on the house was hand picked from the surrounding land--and all the detail work is original. It is up there where old Hollywood stars used to have their vacation homes. Truly interesting!

Anyway, if you are looking for fabulous food, a bed so comfy I wish I had found a way to bring it home with me, and hosts that were friendly, inviting, and available, you must check out The Roughly Manor! (Karen and Elizabeth--we missed you!) Oh yes--and I scrapped 34 pages in my book too! Yippee!

Changing lanes....

It is only 10 pm, and my eyelids are heavy with the weight of the days activities --begging me to let them close.  Long gone are the days where i could get my kids to sleep and then i'd look forward to the next 3 hours or so to energetically tackle all the things i had to set aside earlier. Now, I find the tides turning:  my kids are the ones eager to stay up later, with the energy I vaguely remember having, and i am the one longing for my blankie and pillow.  I don't even feel the desire to correct my grammar here.  Odd, but I never realized how subtle the lane changing would come. My babies are only ten, but they are such real people already.  Without much urging I find them assuming responsibilities--which is a relief because I am looking to release just as many.   I'd like to write more on this but I fear I may need tucking in by my kids here soon, as days seem to be passing like years.  It reminds me of the wonderful book, "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch.  If you have read it to your kids, then you should now read it to your folks.  Let them know you will always be there.  Have your kids sit and listen while you do this --teach them how to be adults who care, by being adults who care.  Read it while you can.

Remember...

to smile.  Smiles are contagious.

We were walking through the mall and Niko slid his hand into mine and said, "That lady just gave me an angry look."  I looked back at her and saw her back walking away.  "She may have been upset about something, and your eyes may have just been in her path of thought.  Next time, smile.  She probably wants to smile but needs inspiration.  Smiles are contagious.  She, or whomever it is, will have a hard time resisting smiling in return.  "

The Truth About Love....

I had been promising my son we'd give his room a fresh coat of paint for a few months now. We finally decided on a cool skateboarder gray and then went about clearing out his room. On the top shelf of his desk sat this balloon to the right--and I couldn't believe it. I had noticed

it up there over time in passing, but didn't really think about it until that day last week. I gave this to Niko last year for Valentines Day, along with a whole bunch of chocolate. It has been sitting there, fully inflated for over a year and a half! I remember telling him I had filled it with all my love. There was a point, about a month after V Day, when Lauren's deflated and I said, "Should we pop it?" He said, "No! Mommy, it's filled with your love!" I smiled and leaned down to his adorable face and gently placed my hand on his heart, "Mommy's love is in here too. The balloon may lose it's shape but my love will always fit perfectly right in here." I could see he liked what i had said but still wanted to keep his miracle balloon, so I put right back up there--until last week. It was finally starting to lose it's shape, so together we decided to let it go. Now, I wish we hadn't though! My love is indeed in his heart and he knows it, but this amazing balloon was a kinda cool reminder to have around.

So pretty....

I made some time early this summer to get my flower garden going again. The purple pretty's above are the crowning glory to the fountain in my courtyard. I love to listen to the trickeling sound of water, especially on a hot and sticky day like today. Juan reset the sprinklers for the lawn so the brown patches will fade away. Soon, I am going to find just the right foliage for the new pots I bought for out there too, and by the end of summer, I will smile again like I used to, when I drive up and see the lush greens and vivid purples and oranges of summer jumping out to say, "Welcome Home!"

Summer evening...

Boy, was it hot today or what?  I still feel sticky--and I've been indoors with the air blowing on me for two hours.  It's that layer of sweat from earlier in the day that never got to evaporate completely--it is an invisible sheen over my whole body.  I probably taste like salt!  Ewwww!!

Hee hee...well, with summer burning down on us (and the rest of the country) I thought BBQ-ing

hot dogs and smore's were in order.  I'd rather eat a fresh piece of salmon, but tonight dinner is for the kids.    I threw in some Van Camp's Pork n Beans,  and threw out all nurition, and we were good to go!  

Afterward, we turned on the pool light, the waterfall, and the bubbles in the jacuzzi. We put on our swimsuits--and now, the sweat of the day is off of us and is presently floating around somewhere in our pool.    :>

Making Strides....

Niko played his second Satellite tournament this past week. This is a jump up from the Jr. Novice tournaments he has been playing in for the past few months. We drove all the way to La Habra (which he thought was La Harda!) and he played two days in a row in blistering heat. I hid under my umbrella and paced the courts while he learned on his feet. I have to keep my distance because he tends to blame me or his Dad when he makes an error (we are working on the maturity issue), but we know when he wins, he wins on his own. Our son is just getting this concept. It is just he and the ball out there and nobody can do it for him, either way. Hopefully someday he will get past this and we will be able to actually see the matches he plays in their entirety. This past week, he made a big stride and brought home his first Satellite trophy--he made runner up! It did his confidence good and I told him, okay, you are getting a good grasp of how this is done. Now you will learn to go on the tennis website and schedule your own matches as well. I thought he'd be hesitant but he actually embraced the idea! Hmmm...maybe we made some progress this past week as parents as well.... who knows, maybe we'll actually get to see him play soon!

Book Review (kinda)...

Summertime is the only time of the year when I read to my kids like I did when they were younger.  We have time, and Niko says, "I love how you make the different voices of all the characters, Mommy.  It makes the story really interesting!"  Truthfully, I'd read to them all the time if they hadn't needed to learn for themselves.  

So, we climb up onto the big bed, make sure all the lights are on in the room (my eyes aren't what they used to be), find where we left off, and away we go into the land of imagination...

This time we chose the much touted, "Lightening Thief"  by Rick Riordan.  We've only gotten three chapters into the suspense of it all, but so far, we have cracked up at the humor, been frightened by the unknown, and (something I truly love) we have been challenged with new vocabulary words and the art of understanding many story lines all going at once.  This is the first in a whole series of books about Percy Jackson, a fictional 12 year old boy who is really the son of Zeuss, and the first movie is coming out in the first part of 2010.  It looks exciting!  If you enjoy mythology, good vs evil, and well written books based in a realistic world, you might give this one a go!

South Dakota

Can you guess where we went on vacation last week? Yep! Mt. Rushmore! If you want to go see cool history, meet friendly people, and have an affordable and family friendly good time, Rapid City, South Dakota is the trip for you!

As you can see we took a lot of photos (actually about 80 but these are a good sampling). I didn't get them in order so I'll just highlight as they go down the side here.

The first was taken atop Iron Mountain --The monument is off in the distance. It was spectacular!

The house is where Laura Ingalls Wilder's sister, Carrie, taught school for years, and the green field with the rolls of hay--well, that is pretty much the view as you drive anywhere in on the plains there. Just green, clean and lovely. So much land!

Next, I saw this in a store and thought good Ole Abe had it jsut right! Read it --you may just agree!

The kids had a blast at the Dakota's largest indoor waterpark, Watiki!

The Badlands! Created by a volcano. So cool--and it just suddenly appears in the middle of all those rolling green hills. Unbelievable! Actually, this place was bad for me--about 10 minutes after this picture was taken, I began heaving. We had to leave, and I continued to be sick for the next week. Ugh!

Walls' was fun. It is famous because it offered free ice water during the Great Depression to those traveling from the dust bowl out to california looking for jobs. The history in there is quite interesting.

Okay. See this giant bowl? Well, my crazy kids went down it over and over and over until Lauren got dizzy. Niko loved it and aasked me (begged actually) to go with him. Being the cool mom I am (and a bit of a pushover) I consented. There is a big sign at the top that says, "Do not go down backwards." Niko turned to me and said, "I have two words for you mom: Be SCARED!"

No problem there--I was terrified!! And as luck would have it, we got turned around in the bowl and shot out of the tunnel BACKWARDS!! The picture just beyond is the four of our feet as we toppled out of the slide doing a backwards somersault--and I smacked my head on the bottom of the pool! Ugh!

Next is a sign we never see in California but we saw everywhere there! A little unsettling.

The next few pics are from the tour we took of Big Thunderhead Mine. This tour guide lived his entire life in the tiny town of Keystone and was without a doubt the most entertaining host ever! We learned they mined by candlelight and it took decades to chip away and dynamite even 100 feet of tunnel through the granite!

My kids loved this day! I sat back on the bus and felt so peaceful with the rain drops coming down as we coasted through the enchanting Black Hills National Forest--and my kids, they have such a great time together when nobody is looking!

Our timing was perfect up at the monument--we climbed over 250 steps to the base of the big heads, snapped photos, read the history, and it was a gorgeous day throughout. Just as we were boarding our bus to leave it began to sprinkle--and as you can see here, the other side of the mountain had hail! EVery time we stopped though, the clouds would part and we got to see everything without effort. We went go-kart racing (dad loves this whenever we can!) and then we went to Deadwood too (Lauren said, "Unless you like alcohol, gambling and smoking you won't like Deadwood for very long. The history was interesting but this place isn't for us."

Mt. Rushmore was more accessible than I thought, more awesome in person, and somehow a bit smaller than I imagined. All in all, we learned a lot, and had fun too! Two thumbs up!