Obering Family

Best Day Ever

2011-04-10T09:33:00.007-04:00

There's an episode of Spongebob where he goes around singing the song, "It's the best day ever," and prances all around Bikini Bottom. Well, that's how I felt yesterday. It started out with us attending Selena's ballet recital. She looked beautiful in her pink tutu and danced perfectly. I told her if she smiled the whole time, we'd go out to eat when she was done, so she plastered a smile on her face as she danced. We enjoyed lunch at her favorite Mexican restaurant, which got rid of my guilt for not buying her a bouquet of flowers like the other parents had for their ballerinas.

After lunch we picked up two of the girls' friends and all headed off to see the movie Soul Surfer. The kids were excited to see it, but honestly, it wasn't on my list of must-sees. After the first few minutes, I was hooked. It was such a compelling story and had me in tears the whole time. We all loved it, even Chris and Alec were engrossed the whole time. I don't see how they didn't shed a tear though. When the movie was over and I had finally composed myself, they showed clips of the real girl and her family during the credits, so cue the waterworks once again. I highly recommend it as a family outing, but take tissues.

Then the day ended with an amazing night. Last week I had heard one of my favorite comedians, Ralphie May, being interviewed on a local radio station and promoting how he would be doing one show in DC. I immediately got a hold of Chris and told him we had to go. I love seeing comedians live and wasn't going to miss this chance to see Ralphie. I remember him from Last Comic Standing and loved him then. So Chris and I headed down to DC, got extremely lucky with parking, free and close to auditorium. We grabbed a quick bite at Johnny Rockets and then went to hear Ralphie. We had great seats close to the stage so we could see the sweat on his face.

At one point he did a monologue about relations between men and women and I was doubled over trying to catch my breath because I was laughing so hard. Probably since everything he was saying was true and the way he presented it was hilarious. Chris also was tearing up, because he was laughing so hard. The show was over two hours long. His stamina was amazing, because after standing that whole time, he said he'd be in the lobby and sign anything we wanted and take as many pictures as we wanted. I was so happy that I brought my camera.

When we went out to the lobby, there he was, all sweaty and smiling and being so nice to everyone. When it was my turn to get my picture with him, I had butterflies. I had planned to tell him how funny I thought he was and how I've been listening to him for years. But instead, as I walked up to him I just blurted out, "Hi, I love you!" Yes, that's what I said. He was so nice and said, "I love you too, beautiful."

I wanted to say more, but just stood there tongue-tied as he signed my ticket and posed for a picture. I left there so happy that not only was it a great show, but that I was able to meet him and that he was such a great guy.

Yesterday I felt like Spongebob, so happy from having one of best days ever!

A Birthday & A Championship

2011-03-30T21:02:00.010-04:00

I guess it's time to catch up. We've had some depressing happenings and some happy happenings. The depressing thing is that my baby boy turned 14. I know, I'm way to young to have a child that age. He's now a few inches taller than I am and he thinks much wiser. I can't wait for the day when he says to me, "You were right mom, I should've listened to you. It was wrong to talk back to you. It was wrong to roll my eyes at you. It was wrong to say you never gave me anything, even though you bought me so much. You were right to keep me home from those school dances where there was inappropriate bumping and grinding going on. You were right to nag me about not doing my homework. You are the best!" Yes, I look forward to that day. Until then, I will enjoy these teenage years and I will be grateful for my smart, athletic, fun and healthy boy!I do love my Alec and can't believe he's almost a man -- well, at least his upper lip is like a man. I'm dying to get it waxed for him!

The happy happening is this was Sophia's first year playing basketball and her team won the championship. She was so fun to watch. She was so good on defense, because sometimes she got basketball mixed up with tackle football, so the girls she guarded had no chance of making a basket. She's still learning, but fell in love with the sport and can't wait for the season to start again.

Big Apple Birthday

2011-02-04T21:30:00.022-05:00

I never knew what a big can of worms I was opening up by buying that first American Girl doll. That first purchase was just the tip of the iceberg, because for Sophia's 10th birthday she asked to go to New York to visit the American Girl Doll store. She even went online and checked on making reservations at the cafe where you dine with your dolls. She also discovered they have a hair salon where they'll style your doll's hair.

So instead of talking her out of it, I made reservations at the cafe, and checked on flights for us to fly to New York. Alec heard about this trip and had no desire to go. I can't imagine why a 13-year-old boy wouldn't have the time of his life at a store that's three stories full of doll merchandise, but he ended up staying home.

The rest of us flew to New York, then took a bus and subway to get to where the store was. But I do have to add that on the bus ride, which was an adventure on its own, I sat next to a heavy-set man who slobbered on an apple, then fell asleep and was snoring. Meanwhile, Chris sat next to an attractive flight attendant and was chatting it up the whole ride. Needless to say, he enjoyed the bus ride more than I did.

Here the girls are right after spotting the store on the right corner. So excited and cold!
The store is right by the Rockefeller Center skating rink. Chris wanted to skate, but it was way too cold for me. Plus I've been ice skating exactly once in my life and wasn't very good at it.
The beauty salon was a little girl's dream. Cute pink chairs for the dolls to sit in and stylists ready to create fancy hairdos.

The cafe was very fancy. The girls were in heaven. They even had all the dolls in seats ready to eat with someone who didn't have their own doll. You could borrow any of them to sit with you.

We didn't need any though, since Selena brought her Look Like Me doll, Sophia now had two dolls. Santa brought her Lanie and for her birthday she chose the new Doll of the Year, Kanani.
The food was really good, thankfully, because it wasn't cheap.

After we left their dream store, we walked on 5th Avenue, which was my fantasy. There were so many stores that I would've loved to go in and set my credit card free, but thankfully for Chris' sanity, this trip wasn't for me. It was for Sophia. So instead of going into all the clothes shops and jewelry shops, we went to FAO Schwarz Toy Shop. Once again, the girls were in heaven.
I got excited when I saw the Trump Tower and asked the girls to pose for a picture, to which they replied, "I don't even know what this is." I guess they don't watch The Apprentice like I do.

Once inside the toy store, they were surrounded by every toy imaginable, and asked for every toy they set eyes on. My favorite part was the toy soldier who was so friendly. He chatted with the girls and spun around with them in a giant kaleidoscope.
Of course we couldn't leave the store without the girls dancing on the Big Piano. They've never even seen the movie Big, which I need to show them now so they can see the piano they played on.

Loving the Lego section of the store.

It was a great birthday for Sophia -- Selena loved it too. At the end of the night Sophia even got to hail a cab. She loved the whole New York experience. They were in awe as they stood in the middle of Time Square and saw all the lights. We showed them where the New Year's Eve big ball drops from that they see on tv every year and they were so impressed.

We flew back home that same day, since they had school the following morning. It was a whirlwind fun birthday trip that made Sophia's 10th birthday unforgettable.

Alec's birthday is next month and he's asking what we're doing for him, since Sophia had such a great one. I told him I'd take him and his friends to the Justin Bieber movie -- he was not impressed.

The Things We Do For Love

2011-01-02T23:33:00.006-05:00

First, let me explain a little bit about my exercise routine. I occasionally walk on the treadmill and feel like a fitness queen when I do my 15-minute mile. I've never done more than two miles, which means I'm not exactly in the best physical shape.

So when my sweet Sophia joined a running club, I was so excited for her since I, obviously, never offered to run with her. She ran with Girls on the Run after school and loved it. She even signed up to run a 5k! I was so proud of her. My little girl running a real race where she'd have a number and get a medal.

My excitement for her soon turned to dread, however, the day she came home and said those words I'll never forget, "Mom, we have to have a running partner when we run the 5k. Will you run with me?"

Inside I was saying, "Holy crap!" But on the outside, I said, "Of course I'll run with you."

Now, let me explain that I also dislike the cold. This race took place in December -- when it's cold. So here are two things I don't enjoy -- running and cold weather, and I was going to be subjected to both of them.

Sophia started to worry about my running abilities and asked me if I was going to train for it. She said she didn't want to come in last place. I really did intend to train a little, but honestly with work and life going on, I never fit it in.

I did, however, have time to shop for new running shoes and an outfit to run in. My friends told me I should break in my shoes, so one day I wore them shopping and hoped that would be enough. I kept telling everyone I was running my first marathon and my so-called friends kept laughing at me and telling me it wasn't a marathon. I told them that for my body, it was a marathon. My friend who is an avid runner made sure I knew that the 5k I was stressing over, was just a warm-up for her. I know, rude. I need to find some non-runner friends.

The morning of the race it was 30 degrees. Sophia was still nervous about coming in last, but I was hoping there were people in worst shape than I was running the race.

We both got our numbers and felt so official as we stood at the starting line. My goal was just to keep up with Sophia. So when she ran, I ran. When she wanted to walk, I walked. But we both started running when we heard Chris call our names and realized he was video taping us. So all the video and pictures show us running.

When we saw the finish line, we sprinted to the end and I was so proud of Sophia. I was so grateful to her for asking me to do this with her because I would've never done this on my own, or for anyone else. When we were done, she said she wanted to run another one in the spring. I told her that would be great, but this time I really need to train a little. The days after the race, I was so sore. Not just my legs, but every part of my body. My body was punishing me for getting off the couch!

At least for our next race I know what to expect, lots of pain. But at least I have the outfit for it and the perfect running partner!

Two Christmases

2010-12-25T23:47:00.003-05:00

The kids woke up Christmas morning and found a note from Santa explaining that because their dad was out flying on Christmas day, he would leave a couple gifts for them, but then return the next day with the rest of their gifts when their dad was home, so he could be there when they opened their presents.

The kids were thrilled that Santa left them a note, left them a couple presents, and that he'd be returning again. So to keep them entertained on Christmas, I took them to see Gulliver's Travels, which we all loved. Love Jack Black, so cute and funny.

Before bed tonight, the girls wrote Santa a note on the computer and handwritten notes next to the cookies and milk, with a request that he write them back. I have no doubt that he'll write them a nice letter.

Selena said, "This is the best Christmas, because we get two of them!"

So tomorrow we do this all over again. I'm hoping Chris makes it home, because I don't know if Santa can come back a third night.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!

Costumes & Birthdays

2010-11-22T17:26:00.012-05:00

Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I think it's time to put up my Halloween pictures now. Every year I usually dress up. I love getting pretty costumes and putting on lots of makeup. But this year I looked at all of my old costumes and wasn't in the mood for any of them. So the day after Halloween, I bought three costumes for next year all 50 percent off. I can't wait to wear them. I've decided I have to have a party so I can wear them -- or talk one of my friends into hosting a party, which would be less stressful.

I thought I had found the perfect costume where I could've been a flight attendant for Chris. But I didn't buy it, since it was designed to be worn by someone who lives in the Playboy Mansion. If the flight attendants Chris flies with wore the outfit I saw, I'd have to accompany him on every flight, because he'd be enjoying his job way too much.

Getting my kids costumes this season was made difficult by Sophia and easy by the other two. Alec did his usual sports jerseys and was not popular at all since he was wearing Dallas Cowboy gear while living among devoted Washington Redskins fans. It got a little ugly when he wanted candy from these people. They let him know that his choice in sports teams sucked before they gave him candy.

For the girls costumes, Selena still wants to be girly and frilly. Sophia on the other hand, wants nothing feminine. After much drama of finding her a costume she had asked for, then changing her mind the day of her school party, I finally threw one of my old costumes on her and she ended up being a cave woman. She looked so good with her wild red hair. Selena was easy. She threw on her princess dress and was good to go.

We also celebrated Selena's birthday and yes, she did get her overly priced doll. And no, she hasn't been playing with it constantly. She claims she'll pay more attention to it after Sophia gets one too. Let's hope so! Selena had a fun birthday. She got taken out of school for lunch at Wendy's and then also got to go to her favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner and have all the waiters sing Happy Birthday to her.

Another major event this month was the young man I married suddenly turned another year older. To me he looks the same as he did 20 years ago when we met and he still acts just as young. I'm a loser wife and still owe him a cake for his special day. He did get to go to dinner though, and ate food that was a lot better than I could've come up with. I did buy him some cute Dallas Cowboy pj's, but he wouldn't pose for pics. He's probably afraid I'd post them, and he'd be right.
My favorite part of this picture is the very thick gold chain peaking out from his shirt. The 70's were a great decade for fashion!

Tunnel of Stress

2010-11-16T22:02:00.005-05:00

For years we had a car that I would constantly complain about because it was old, the sun visor would fall down whenever you hit a bump, only one windshield wiper worked. When I started it, it would make this horrible squeaking sound that caused everyone around me to stop and stare. Then to top it off, I backed into it with our other car so it had a huge dent in the driver's door, and the window would no longer go up or down. (no need to go into details of why I hit the car) So whenever I'd go through a drive-thru or pay for parking, I'd have to open my door and explain how my windows didn't work.

I finally complained enough for Chris to buy us a new car. I have had my new car for a few weeks and have been loving it. I have XM radio free for three months and I constantly have it on Blue Collar Radio. I hate to get out of the car because I'm cracking up at all the comedians. It has bluetooth built in, so talking on the phone is so easy.

Everything seemed perfect until a couple nights ago when Chris called to tell me as he was getting off the freeway, the car just died. What? Our new car? I thought he was joking, but no. He had it towed and the dealership said it was a bad fuse. They supposedly fixed it and we got our car back.

Now, of all the years I had my little thrasher car and complained, it never let me down. Yes, at times I was embarrassed as I would leave a job and it would make awful sounds as I started it, but it always got me to where I was going. And I never even bothered to lock it when I would work in Baltimore, because if someone took it, I would've shed no tears.

So back to my new car. I'm driving to a job in Baltimore, laughing as I listen to Bill Engvall talk about the differences between men and women. I start driving through the Fort McHenry tunnel, which runs under the Patapsco River, when all of a sudden my car starts losing speed. I'm pushing on the gas and nothing is happening. So I start freaking out and yelling at the car like I can convince it to start up again and get me out of the tunnel, but it's not listening to me. Meanwhile, there's a big truck behind me who is so close, he's sitting in the back seat of my car.

I continue to get very psycho as I try in vein to restart the car. I came to a stop as I reached the end of the tunnel, but couldn't move off to the side, since there was nowhere to go.

I was shaking and feeling helpless and didn't want the cars behind me to start yelling at me. I called Chris and I know I sounded like a lunatic as I started yelling, "The car died and I'm in the tunnel!"

As he was talking to me, I could see police lights reflecting behind me. Then what had to be only two minutes after I stalled, a policeman walked to my car and asked if I was okay. I again had a psycho moment, "My car just died! It's new. I don't know why it won't start!!"

He very calmly told me it was okay and to stay in the car. I got back on the phone trying to call the dealership to get a tow truck, but before I could even do that, a tow truck pulled up. I was relieved and shocked how fast he got there. Of course now I know they monitor those tunnels and have them cleared right away. I thanked the officer (who, by the way, looked like he was 16) and wanted to tell him I'm really not a nut case.

As I drove away in the tow truck, the driver had the police radio on and I heard someone talking about "the lady with the stalled car is now out, on her way to the EZPass parking lot and we can reopen the tunnel." Great -- I shut down the tunnel.

I called work, told them why I would be late. Chris picked me up and took me the rest of the way to my job.

When I got there, one of the attorneys said he saw the tunnel was closed because of a disabled car. I told him, yes, that was me. They were all very understanding of why I was late.

So once again, my new car that I begged for is in the shop. The dealership gave us a rental car, which I'm loving because it has heated seats, so they can take their time fixing mine. But I've realized just because something is old, makes funny noises, and not all the parts are working right, I shouldn't complain if it does what it's supposed to do.

Ha! I hope when I'm like that -- old, not working right, etc, Chris doesn't trade me in for a newer model!

Big Time Rush Crush!

2010-10-12T22:47:00.008-04:00

Back when I was young if my mom would've come to me and said, "We're going to the mall so you can meet Andy Gibb," I would've freaked out. I loved Andy and his Shadow Dancing/I Just Want to be Your Everything music. But that never happened. As I got older, my crushes turned to Duran Duran, Def Leppard, and of course Bon Jovi. Unfortunately, none of these artists made it to my hometown for autographs signings.

So when I heard that the Nickelodeon band Big Time Rush (my daughters love them) was going to be at the Arundel Mills, right up the freeway, I had to take them. You had to buy their cd to get a wristband, which allowed you to go up to a table where they sat and they would sign your cd. By the time we got to the mall the line was hundreds of people long. We waited about two hours to meet them, but we had fun meeting people in line around us and discussing which member of the band was everyone's favorites. Selena likes Kendall. Sophia likes Carlos. Personally I thought James was adorable. The girls in front of us had a whole scrapbook they had made of the band. One father said his 4-year-old boy used to ask to watch SpongeBob and now asks for Big Time Rush. Standing next to people for two hours, you really get to know them.

When Selena saw them she said, "Mom, feel my heart. It's beating so fast!" She was so excited. These boys had been signing autographs for at least three hours by the time we got up to them and they were all so nice, smiling and making all the kids feel special. They made it a point to compliment each child. Sophia and Selena both were thrilled that the boys made comments about their clothes, "I love your bow." "I love your shirt." They hi-fived them and fist bumped them and signed their cd's. Chris was videotaping the whole event and Carlos was super friendly and waved at the camera while talking to Selena and Sophia. They were walking on cloud 9 after they met them. Sophia did make one observation that made me laugh. She said, "Mom, they look old. They had whiskers!" On their tv show they act so young and silly, I think she was expecting young teenage boys.

Selena had a different take on their facial hair. She said, "I wanted to ask him for a whisker tickle!"

On the way home we of course had to put their cd in and listen to the girls sing all their songs.

I assumed Chris knew who they were, but as we were in line he kept saying, "Who are these guys?" He was wondering if it was worth spending all that time waiting to meet them. So after we got home, he went to the DVR and watched a little bit of their show so he knew who his daughters were gaga about.

So even though I never was able to meet any of my childhood crushes, I'm glad I was able to make it happen for my girls. And yes, it was worth the wait in line seeing the smiles on their faces.

Never Say Never

2010-09-27T11:50:00.004-04:00

A few years ago I heard my friends talking about these dolls called American Girl dolls. I had no idea what they were or why they were so excited about them. Then as they described these dolls, I totally zoned out on how adorable they were, how gorgeous the clothes and accessories were, how well made they were. All I heard was they sold for $100. I thought these women were nuts to pay that much for a doll -- a doll that in a few years their daughters won't even want anymore. I knew I would never ever pay that much for a doll.

So the Christmas my girls asked for them I thought, yeah, right. I went over to Costco and promptly bought two Alexandria dolls that to me looked very similar to those over-priced American Girl dolls. I thought my girls would be satisfied with their new dolls and unlike my foolish friends, I saved money. But no sooner did they have them unwrapped that I heard Sophia say, "It's not an American Girl doll."

Are you kidding? Is there really a difference?

As I griped about how now it's birthday time and Selena is asking for one of those $100 dolls, my all-knowing and full of advice friend Mendy said, "Well, Tracy, you know you'll spend over $100 on a party and other gifts for her, so why don't you just get her what she wants."

Darn her, she was right.

So I told the Sophia and Selena to show me what dolls they wanted -- because of course now Sophia has to have one and is making her Christmas list. They got on the website and after an hour of drooling over all the dolls, clothes and accessories, Sophia showed me everything they had placed in their online shopping cart. She then proudly announced, "It only adds up to $570."

After I came out of my coma, I explained to her that there's no way I'm spending that much. I had flashes of Chris seeing a credit card statement with a charge of over $500 for dolls and images of me packing my bags after he took all my credit cards away and kicked me out. So after we got the list down to just one doll each and some dresses that were on sale, I could breath again.

But I've opened a whole can of worms though, because now they talk about flying up to New York and going to the American Girl doll store and cafe. I looked on the website and they do have some fun activities for the girls and their dolls -- so looks like this is just the beginning.

This week is Selena's birthday and sitting in my home is one of those dolls I swore I'd never buy. She will get it this week and she better love it and play with it until her wedding day.

I had Selena pose with my doll that I had from way back in the 70's. It's still a perfect doll that even pees when given a bottle -- something that I'd like to see her $100 doll do.

Our First Renaissance Day

2010-09-19T21:41:00.016-04:00

When my friends found out that our family had never been to the renaissance festival after living here for almost a decade, they were shocked. How could we have never gone? Well, I had never heard of it until a few years ago and then Alec always had football every weekend in the fall. But this was our year. Alec isn't playing football, so yesterday we spent the day having our first renaissance experience.

At first it didn't go so well. We walked in and the kids, although they loved all the people dressed up, asked where the rides were. We explained there were no rides and they said, "It's just shows?" They were not impressed. That is until we started seeing some very entertaining acts and eating all the yummy food.

The sword swallower was freaky! He not only swallowed huge swords, but a balloon, a cigarette, and hammered a nail in his nose. This man was talented in the most unusual ways.
Our favorite act was Fight School. These men were so funny. The kids laughed through the whole show and yelled out with the audience at all the right times. We all want to go back just to see these men again.
We also loved the knights jousting tournament. Even though the men were all sweaty in their outfits, they still looked very handsome with their fancy hats and swords. They were so nice and willing to pose for pictures. We inhaled, cheesecake on a stick, bread bowls with clam chowder, chocolate covered & peanut butter covered bananas, turkey legs, onion rings, curly fries, steak sandwiches, chicken Alfredo, chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream in waffle cones. But I'm sure we walked off all those calories we ate -- right?They were so well behaved once they were strapped in. I checked, they didn't sell these timeout apparatuses.

Aside from packing in thousands of calories, the kids also got quite an education on the anatomy of women. I swear some of these ladies had to have bruises under their chins, because their chests were shoved up so high out of their corsets. It didn't go unnoticed either. Sophia kept commenting, "Mom, that lady is pulling her chest out of her dress." "Mom, that lady's boobs are sticking out and she has tattoos on them." Apparently no one had given these ladies the modesty talk, but Sophia was ready to give it to them.

After spending all day in that environment, I totally wanted to buy one of the pretty dresses -- of course with a little more coverage in the cleavage area. But when I walked into the store and saw this stunning red dress that was absolutely gorgeous, my dream of owning one was quickly taken away when I saw the price tag of over $500. I guess I'll have to wait and ask Santa for one.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian were so friendly and the kids can't wait to go back. I can't believe it took us so long to go back in time to the renaissance festival, because we loved the whole experience!

Inch by Inch

2010-09-12T16:28:00.009-04:00

When I gave birth to Alec, my first-born child, my world totally revolved around him. To say he was spoiled would be a total understatement. I remember my mom told me once that no matter how old he got, I would always think of him as my baby. I thought I'd always think of him as my baby because he would always be this small boy I could hold and cuddle and somewhat control.

But this week something changed -- my tiny 7 lbs, 11 oz, 21-inch baby boy somehow grew taller than me! He was so excited to point it out, stand next to me, stick his chest out and proclaim, "I'm taller than you!"

He's now 13 and thinks he's a man, but I still think he's my little boy. When he was a toddler I could do the smallest things, like make a funny face, give him a toy or a treat, and he would think I was the greatest person in the world. Nowadays it's a lot harder to impress him. I'm more of an embarrassment when his friends are around.

But the other day while we were riding in the car, I actually did something that impressed Alec. We were listening to the radio and the new Eminem/Rihanna song came on. If you would've asked me before this song came out to name an Eminem song, I wouldn't have been able to do it, but because this song is played every two minutes on the radio, I knew the words.

So when Eminem started singing or rapping his lines, I said the words along with him. I wish I would've taken a picture of Alec's face. He looked at me like I just got picked to sing a duet with Eminem live at the Grammys. His eyes were all big and he said, "Mom!"

I said, "You didn't think I could sing that?" And for a moment my coolness rating went up in his eyes. Who knew I would need Eminem's help to impress my boy.Time flies when I'm getting older and Alec is turning into a man!

A Wedding and a Birthday

2010-09-03T23:35:00.014-04:00

Right now I'm totally regretting not keeping up on my blogging the first half of this year. We took lots of trips for reunions, a wedding, anniversary, unfortunately a funeral, and then just for one last summer trip. So I don't feel so overwhelmed, I'll just start from the first of the year and start catching up by using pictures, that way I can remember what we did.

In January we flew to California for my sister's special day of going through the temple for the first time. Then in May we flew out again to see her and her husband sealed together and then to their three children. It was an amazing day being in the temple with my parents and siblings and watching an answer to our prayers happening before us. Laura has always been beautiful. Growing up I always wished I had her confidence, her hair, her full lips (they used to call me chicken lips because they were so thin) and her flair for makeup and clothes, but I've never seen her look more gorgeous and happy than she did in the temple.

January was also my mom's birthday. So that trip we had two celebrations. Unfortunately because school was still in session, Alec and Chris weren't able to go. It was just me and the girls. They're in elementary school, so they get to travel more.

I love being with my sisters!

Having a blast at the kiddie table!

Selena got her first tattoo from my Uncle Lehi. She was very excited to show off her butterfly!

Mom got three cakes for her special day -- one peach, one lemon and one chocolate.
Even though my mom's siblings live in Utah and Arizona, they frequently come to visit her. And some of them came out to celebrate her birthday. She's 1 of 9 children, so there's lots of siblings that can visit.

Mom loves having her grandchildren with her -- until it's time to sleep.
Best part of the trip, being with my mom!

Bye Bye Summer :(

2010-08-30T22:24:00.012-04:00

I'm not thrilled that school started. I loved the summer because we traveled a lot and didn't have the stress of homework or after-school activities. But today it begins again -- early mornings, homework, and driving kids to all the activities I signed them up for.

Alec posed nicely for me under duress -- it was either a nice picture in the house or I follow him to the bus stop wearing my pj's snapping pics of him. I wanted more than the one shot of him though, so I went in his bedroom and slid open the window to sneak a shot of him as he walked to the bus. I felt like the paparazzi. After I took the picture, he turned around, but I ducked so I didn't have to face his glare if he spotted me. My girls were happy to pose for me and show off their new outfits.

Selena and her best friend Marlee not only matched outfits, but Mendy made them matching hair bows. Then we noticed they even wore matching Twinkle Toe shoes! Selena said all day long people were asking them if they were twins or sisters. It's going to be an exciting year because they are in the same class -- a dream come true for them!
Sophia and Teralyn so fashionable with their glittering scarves and butterfly tops.

After Chris and I dropped them off, I had a list of things I had to get done. But instead of transcripts, laundry, shopping, unpacking and cleaning -- here's what happened: I went to brunch with friends, came home and fell asleep. Didn't wake up until Alec walked through the door. Yes, it was a productive day. Chris accomplished more. He is assigned to a new airplane so he studied all day to prepare for his tests.

I did more before school though -- I actually worked out! I can't remember the last time my body attempted any form of exercise. But after a night of binging while watching the Emmy's, I was ready to work off the nachos. I worked out with Jillian from The Biggest Loser and she is tough! It's like she could see me and read my mind. As she had me doing jumping jacks she said, "No modified jumping jacks here! I have 400 pound people who can do these, so you can too!" I was huffing and puffing. Every other trainer on my DVDs let me do modified jumping jacks, but not her. Then as we're doing ab exercises she says, "These will get rid of that pooch you have in your lower belly." I was convinced she could see me and that's why she did those extra ab crunches.

I'm feeling sore already because I'm so out of shape. I'm thinking instead of starting my exercise routine with Jillian, I should have gone back to the man I exercised with in high school -- Richard Simmons -- he doesn't scare me and is less intense.

Family Visits -- Finally!

2010-08-26T21:31:00.030-04:00

I realize that having flight benefits, it makes more sense for us to go visit loved ones who live across the country. But I would totally love it if my family were able to visit more. So when my cousin from Oregon called and asked if he and his 12-year-old son could come stay with us for a week and visit all the historical sites, I was sooo excited!

Chad is a cousin who I saw a lot growing up. He was a little shy and probably overwhelmed by my loud sisters -- yes, I'm not the loudest one. Then when I went to college, I moved in with his family. So for a few years I was the older sister he never had.
Chris' schedule was great the week Chad and his son Josh came to see us, meaning he had a lot of days off to play tour guide -- one of his favorite things and one of his many talents.

The first place we took them to was Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy. Now, I do love a man in uniform, so you'd think I'd be in heaven with all these sailors walking around. But I realized something as I watched them marching by -- they are little boys! I felt like their mother and wanted to give them water and tell them to go sit in the shade because it was too hot to be out doing drills. Yes, it was a little heartbreaking to realize I'm old.

My favorite place to take family when they visit is Fort McHenry. It's such an amazing part of history that we live close to and very emotional as you hear the story of Francis Scott Key seeing our flag flying from the fort and how he was inspired to write The Star Spangled Banner. Then they play our National Anthem and it always gives me goosebumps. My favorite memory of this place is when my parents came to visit back in 2001 and seeing my dad cry as our anthem played and he saw Old Glory flying above the fort. I'm so glad he and my mom were able to experience this amazing place.
We were fortunate enough to be at the fort when they took the huge flag down for the day. There was a troop of Boy Scouts there helping with the flag and they stepped aside and let the girls touch the flag. We, of course, had to take them to downtown Baltimore and let them walk around the pier where people watching is always entertaining. The girls and I were ready to go home after a long day of touring, but Chad and Josh were all excited to see their first Orioles game at Camden Yards. So Chris and Alec shared that experience with them.

Another spot we took them to was Harper's Ferry. I think the kids favorite part of this site were the free popsicles from and ice cream shop. This day we also added another child -- I like to think of Tyler as my second son, since he fits in so well with our family. Plus he can take a punch when my girls attack him.
One site we've been to before and I still get emotional visiting, is Antietam. It's an eerie feeling being in fields where there was such a tremendous loss of life.
The boys at a bridge where a bloody battle took place. Alec and Tyler felt the urge to reenact the battle scene.
Apparently Antietam has very large bugs hanging around -- ewwww! Their trip wouldn't be complete without seeing all the Smithsonians and touring the Capitol.
I wasn't disappointed I missed the day in DC with them when they toured the Air & Space Museum, since they spent nearly all day in there. Alec wasn't happy I deleted the hundreds of pictures he took of airplanes. But honestly, he could go back and see them any time.

Of course they couldn't leave without touring Gettysburg. They did a lot of walking that day, so I was happy to let Chris go without me since I didn't have the day off of work like he did.
Chad and Josh went crabbing on one of their last days with us. We've been here almost ten years and have never done that! Yes, we boiled some water and cooked them for a late night snack. I was freaking out a little, but the girls loved it! They couldn't wait to stick the crabs in the hot pot and then enjoy some crab meat.

That week having Chad and Josh here was great. I loved having family with us and it went by so fast.

So if you're ever wondering where you might go on your next family trip and you love historical sightseeing (and we're related) consider a trip to the east. You're feet will be achy, but you're guaranteed a great tour!

Laura's Closet

2010-07-17T03:14:00.006-04:00

I love visiting my sister Laura when she's in the decluttering mood, because as her wardrobe shrinks, mine grows.

To say Laura is a shopaholic -- well, it's true. She's one of these shoppers who buys compulsively, wears something maybe once or maybe not at all and then it sits in her closet waiting for me to come rescue it.

My other sisters and I would walk through her closets (yes, plural) in awe and could only dream of having her wardrobe.

Fortunately for me, Laura and I are the same size in body and in shoe size. Unfortunately for my other sisters, they are not. One is way too short and her feet are too small. The other is always pregnant and doesn't always appreciate some of the styles Laura loves.

I, on the other hand, love her taste and love the fact that I have to get an extra suitcase to fill after I happily go through her closet collecting treasures. I'll be returning from my vacation with five new pairs of strappy heels, along with new skirts, blouses and sweaters and I didn't have to spend a dime.

I hope Laura notices how empty her closet now looks after I went through it and replenishes it for the next time I come visit.

50 Years

2010-07-10T10:19:00.009-04:00

This year my parents celebrated 50 years of marriage. They met in Mexico while serving missions for our church. Then dad returned to the States and mom stayed in Mexico. They courted each other through letters until being apart wasn't an option any longer and my mom hopped on a bus to be with her man, despite not speaking any English.

When I asked my mom what attracted her to dad, she said she loved how smart he was -- he seemed to know everything. And that he had the biggest arms covered with hair that she loved. She also gave high praise to his mustache, because as she always said, "Kissing a man without a mustache, is like eating an egg without salt." (Personally, I don't care for salt on my egg and prefer just a little stubble on my man)

I knew why dad loved mom. He was an innocent little farm boy who spent his teenage years milking cows. Then he met this hot Latin woman -- he didn't stand a chance.

While going through old pictures I found love letters he had written to her and I must say, they were a little risque. They were dated 1979 and dad had given her a coupon book of romantic favors he would do for her. He giggled when I showed it to him and I was impressed at how romantic he was.

They survived living in the small desert town of Barstow for over 40 years, raising six children, dad teaching at the local community college, mom staying home nurturing her babies.

If my mom were able to, she'd totally yell at me for posting these pictures. But I think they're adorable and I love seeing them together.
It was a very special anniversary, not only because they celebrated 50 years together, but because all six children were able to be there with them. I'll forever be grateful for my amazing parents who gave their children the best gift of all -- loving each other.

The Perfect Storm

2010-03-05T23:46:00.017-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. But after my sister-in-law called to ask if I was still alive since I hadn't blogged, and this is how she keeps up on my life, I thought I'd pull a late-nighter and catch up.

In February, we had already planned to take the kids out of school for a vacation to Massanutten. Then Mother Nature stepped in and dumped an unbelievable amount of snow on us the day before we were to leave. We already had the condo paid for, so Chris was determined to get us out of town. He shoveled like crazy to get our car out. So as many of my friends were stuck in their house, we thankfully made it to Virginia. We were very lucky, because instead of missing a week of school, the kids missed zero days since school was cancelled the whole week we were gone -- yay! And I wasn't stuck in the house trying to entertain them that whole time -- double yay! I still can't believe how much snow Chris had to shovel just to make a path to the car. Then he still had to get the car out from under a ton of snow. Sophia was his best helper!

This was my second attempt at skiing and it went so much better than last year! This year there was actually real, soft snow to ski on, which helped slow me down. Plus I had a different instructor this year, who I loved. He was young, patient, didn't rush me and he taught me how to stop.

The kids went right back on the slopes like pros. It's crazy how fast they go. Chris would take Alec and Sophia night skiing and they'd be the last ones off the slopes. Meanwhile, Selena and I were back at the condo staying warm and eating while watching TV. Sophia and Alec even went down the Diamond runs. Now, to me they looked totally steep, but I'm told our Diamond runs in the east are actually bunny slopes compared to west coast skiing, so I think I'll stick to the east.

Our condo was amazing. It even had a sauna in it. I'd never been in a sauna before and I just don't get the appeal. Chris loved it. He'd ask me to join him. And when I'd go in the little room, it reminded me of growing up in the desert where it would get over 100 degrees and you'd feel so hot and miserable. I told him I could go back to Barstow and get the same hot feeling for free!

We also went to the indoor water park again and that was a bit scary since it was February and my body had not seen the sun or a razor in quite some time. But since we were in Virginia, I wasn't the whitest body walking around by any means. (Thank you, mom, for those Mexican genes!)

They had a wave pool where you could try to surf and body board. Chris, Alec and Sophia actually did it. It was so fun to watch, but also painful to see people wipeout. We saw way too many white bottoms as the rushing water pulled down the swimmers swimming trunks.

As we drove home, we took a tour of a cave, which was amazing. We had the best tour guide who made everything in the cave seem more exciting. He said they even perform weddings in the caverns. Really? I don't know that I'd want to pay thousands of dollars for a dress and then walk around in a cave that drips water all over you, but it is pretty down there.

Thanks to this vacation, the storm of 2010 will be a fun memory for us. And it's the time where Chris' arms got the best workout ever from being the king of snow shoveling!

White House Visit

2010-01-03T21:18:00.012-05:00

I've lived here on the east almost 9 years and just had my first visit to the White House, thanks to some sweet friends (who could've taken us years ago, but whatever).

Thankfully they could get us close parking and get us in on a day when they allowed us to take pictures.

The tree we are standing in front of is one that's decorated with an ornament that each state sends to the White House. It really was amazing.

This is the room where they had the dinner where the uninvited guests came. I had pictured a grand ballroom, like the one in the Sound of Music, but it was actually a lot smaller than I thought -- no room for dancing here.

Each year they make a White House out of chocolate and add a personal touch. This year you can see the White House dog laying in the front. I wonder if they end up eating this or it just goes to waste. What a shame if they don't enjoy all that chocolate.

They have all the White House Christmas cards on display. Some were a little boring. I think I'd have the fanciest cards ever if I was sending them from the White House.

Chris admiring the White House china that has been used through the years. This display was gorgeous. Some dishes too pretty to eat on.

This room was had the nativity displayed behind us.

The boys were ready to leave after having to pose for way too many pictures.

As we left, we stopped by the National Christmas tree which had mini trees all around the grounds that represented each state. It was fun to experience all the traditions that go on in DC that I never knew about. One of these days we'll have to let our kids experience it too, because it's moments like this that make living far from family and living where it's so cold worth it.

White Christmas

2009-12-27T09:13:00.015-05:00

Merry Christmas!

We had a massive snow storm before Christmas came. The children loved it since school was canceled all week, church was canceled and basically all they did was play in the snow. I, however, was raised in the Mojave desert and am not used to, nor do I enjoy extremely cold weather. So I could not understand the enjoyment of burying yourself in a pile of snow and just lying there, like Sophia did. I finally made her get out of her snow bed and come inside to warm up.

The view from our deck. So glad Chris was home to do the shoveling!

Sophia and Selena were in heaven as they went sledding in the back of our house.

Chris actually went driving in this winter wonderland. Sophia thought it was a fun adventure as they slid on the street and saw all the cars stuck in the snow. She proudly said, "But daddy didn't get stuck."

Snowflakes that stick to my nose and eyelashes, these are a few of my favorite things!

Santa always comes around on a fire truck and waves to the kids while his elves throw candy canes to them.

Christmas day, after Santa delivered the presents, he checked on the children while they were sleeping. He reminded Alec that he needs to be a good boy.

Santa gave the girls a thumbs up on their year. Selena saw this picture and said, "Look, Santa is wearing daddy's jacket!" She's so observant. She was thrilled to see that Santa actually went to see her in her room.

Best Friends Ever!

2009-12-15T23:05:00.011-05:00

Some of my favorite things are nachos, pumpkin chocolate cookies, chocolate fountains, karaoke, presents and fun friends. And all of these things were at Mendy's house last week when she invited me over for a surprise birthday party.

When I saw all of my friends gathered together, I got teary eyed and realized how grateful I am for them. Since moving east, these ladies have become my family.

The party was so much fun, especially when the singing started. I realized my favorite duet to sing is "I Got You Babe." Janae joined me for that Sonny & Cher classic. And I realized that "Endless Love" is totally out of my range, although Mendy and I gave it a shot.

Here are some pictures from the night that made turning 40 not so painful.

Mendy knows exactly what I like, and was so thoughtful to have all my favorite foods for me.

My friends were so generous and sweet with their gifts of flowers, chocolates, a massage, jewelry, lotions, a super fancy purse, and of course, the evening wouldn't be complete without Edward!

My dear friend Kiersten took singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to a whole new level. I love this picture that shows how emotional and entertaining her performance was.

If you can't tell, they were singing, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," which is what they were doing.

Mendy needed some background dancers as she sang, "It's in His Kiss." Who knew Laurrel and Julie had such fancy moves!

Thanks to all of my sweet, sweet friends for making me feel so special and for coming to help celebrate a major birthday for me. Love them all!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-12-12T22:57:00.003-05:00

Today is 17 years!

We haven't changed a bit...

40

2009-12-06T22:29:00.007-05:00

Today I woke up with a few more wrinkles, a few more gray hairs, and a little droopier. I was ready to schedule my liposuction and lifts and enhancements to various body parts, but then I heard about a former Ms. Argentina who died after getting a gluteoplasty and decided against going under the knife.

When I turned 30, it wasn't a major event for me. But for some reason 40 has me a little uneasy, probably because I remember my parents being in their 40's and thinking, holy cow, they're old. And now here I am -- in the 40 club.

My sweet kids brought me breakfast in bed this morning, complete with eggs, ham, toast, orange juice and even two Vitamin C's. They gave me a Lady Gaga cd, which I played in the car when I drove Alec and his friend to their football banquet and they had to listen to me sing, "I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me, papa, paparazzi." It seemed to amuse them.

Chris had to fly today, which I'm not going to lie, totally sucks since it was my birthday. So I spent the evening with Alec at his football banquet. But he ditched me to hang out with his friends, so I was grateful Laurrel was there to sit by me so I wasn't a complete loner.

Mendy babysat my girls for me and when I went to pick them up, she had baked me a cake and gave me some leopard print gloves and slippers. She knows how I love animal print accessories and clothing, so I was very excited.

I called my mom to tell her I was now 40 and feeling old and how I remembered her being in her 40's. She laughed and was trying to say something, which I'm sure was, "I told you I wasn't old when I was that age, and now you're there!"

When you're young, it's natural that you need your mother to take care of you. But even though I'm a 40-year-old woman, I still need my mom and would give anything to tell her all the things I'm feeling and get her advice on things I'm struggling with.

I spoke with a long-time family friend tonight and she said the sweetest words to me that I really needed to hear. She said, "I feel impressed to tell you that even though your mother can't say these words to you, I know if she could, she would tell you how very special you are to her and how proud she is to have you for a daughter and that she loves you very much."

Even though I know my mom feels that way, it was just nice to hear it verbalized, especially on a day like today, when I know if my mom could, she would have called me to talk, tease me about being old, and listened to me complain about my aging body.

One of the many traits I received from my mom is my love for shopping. She would always buy me the prettiest dresses on my birthday. I know if she could, she would've sent me a new outfit in honor of turning 40. So to cheer myself up, I'll buy some new clothes because I know it's what she'd want.

I love this picture of my mom and me, because it so perfectly illustrates my feelings for her then and now. Yes, that little girl in the picture is now 40!

New Moon/New Abs

2009-11-21T11:04:00.005-05:00

As my friends and I headed off to the midnight showing of New Moon, whether we were Team Edward or Team Jacob, the one thing we all agreed on, was that Jacob had undergone an amazing transformation for this film and we couldn't wait to see it.

But before the night came, we had to prepare by purchasing new shirts for the occasion. Usually I order one off the internet with a quote from the movie, but this time I waited too long and had to head off to Hot Topics to buy one. When I walked in, a young man asked how he could help me. I told him I needed a shirt for the New Moon premiere. He said, "Oh, I have the perfect shirt for you." Then he picks up a shirt with Jacob on it. "Oh, no," I told him. "I need Edward." So then he picks up a $50 hoodie featuring Edward.

Now, as much as I would love it, I knew if I spent $50 on something with Edward's face on it, the man who pays the bills in my home would not be pleased. So I told the salesman I needed something cheaper.

He then tells me there's Twilight shirts in the back of the store on clearance. He was speaking my language -- I love sales. So I headed back and found the perfect Edward shirt for my movie night.

When I returned from shopping, I had a great surprise waiting for me. My sweet friend Deborah had made me a necklace that had Jacob's face on it. I told her I loved it and thanked her for it, but told her she made a mistake and it should've been Edward's face. She's trying to convert me to Team Jacob. I told her I'd wear it anyway, considering how yummy Jacob looks in this film.

We left for the theater almost 3 hours early and they were already seating the theaters. So instead standing outside in long lines, we were able to sit in our seats and chat, eat, and take pictures.

Going into the movie, my friends and I were split on Edward and Jacob. But the scene where Jacob first takes off his shirt and you can't help but gasp at his amazing abs, we were all for that moment in time, united as Team Jacob. Then when Bella tells him, "You're sort of beautiful," you could hear the "Oh, yes" from the females in the audience.

Of course when Edward comes back and says things like, "I don't know how to live without you," I forgot all about Jacob's amazing body and was back to Edward.

I already have a date with all my friends for next summer to see Eclipse, which I loved more than New Moon so I can't wait.

I do want to see New Moon again though, so I'm dragging Chris to go with me. Although I don't think he'll be squealing with me at the sight of Jacob's new look.

What a Difference a Grade Makes

2009-11-16T23:23:00.002-05:00

This week is American Education Week and parents are invited to go into schools to observe their children. So since Chris and I had the day off, we decided to go visit all the kids at school and had very different experiences.
First we headed off to middle school. As we walked in, I saw Alec walking to his locker and hurried over to him. He turned around and I wish I had a picture of his face when he saw me. It was shock, disbelief and yes, even a little horror. He looked around, making sure none of his friends were watching and asked why we were there. It was his lunch time and I said we came to eat with him. He said he didn't want to stay and couldn't we just go out to eat. I really wanted to eat with his friends, but Chris was more sympathetic and agreed we'd go out for lunch. So instead of observing any of his classes, we just ate at Taco Bell and drove him back to school. He pleaded with us not to walk him back into the school, so I just walked him to the door and watched him disappear into a pool of pre-teens. I realize this is the age where I'm an embarrassment to my little boy, but I can't wait for this stage to end.

Next we went to the elementary school and had a very different reaction when Selena saw us. She smiled, waved and gave us hugs and kisses. She didn't want us to leave and told us she wanted us to come back again another day. Even all of her friends loved us being in the class.

Then we went to see Sophia who was in art class. She was polite to us, but not overly affectionate. She showed us her work, then quickly said goodbye as she ran off to recess.
The kids are at very different stages in their lives and as a result, treat us very different in front of their friends. But the good thing is that when we're home, they're all much more loving and not embarrassed to be around us.
The day was great, because not only did Chris and I spend the day visiting our kids and grocery shopping together, but he also helped me and my girlfriends buy Bon Jovi tickets. And yes, we got great seats and are going in March!

Fall Fun, Fiddler & 44

2009-11-08T22:31:00.016-05:00

I'm so behind on blogging, so the easiest way to catch up is with pictures. We had a great Halloween. I tried to talk the girls into being pretty princesses with big, flowing gowns, done up hair and makeup. But my little girls had different ideas. Sophia was adamant about being a burglar and Selena loved her shiny race car driver outfit. It was hard for me to accept that they no longer wanted to do the princess theme. I told them maybe next year we could be matching princesses, to which Sophia replied, "I want to be a hobo." (Sigh) I have a year to change her mind.

I love our church Halloween party, because all my friends dress up. Julie, the ghost bride. Laurrel, the cave woman. I went as a pirate this year, even though I was mistaken for a wench and a gypsy. I should've invested in a sword or a patch.
My fellow Twilight fan, sweet Scarlett.

Alec has worn the same costume the past couple of years -- a football jersey. He was excited that he didn't have to come home after the party. He was able to go hang out with the boys, watch football and exchange candy -- he's a man now!

I went for the second year in a row to see the So You Think You Can Dance Concert. It was great sitting next to Mendy, even though she made me deaf from screaming in my ear. Being with her super hip sister Amber made it even more fun. A fun part of the night was Mendy running into an ex-boyfriend. She didn't tell me until after he went by who he was. I was so upset that I didn't get a picture of them together. I don't think his wife would've cared.

We saw lots of friends sitting close by, even our much missed Jenni and Cami who came from Denver and Utah. (Next visit I need to see more of you two!)

A major highlight that the kids were able to experience was their first Broadway play. We all went to see Fiddler on the Roof, and it was Topol's final tour. It was amazing. We had great seats so they had no problem taking in all the amazing singing, dancing and acting. On the way home and for days after they sang the songs -- Matchmaker was their favorite. When we left the theater, we saw the actor who played the rabbi and he gladly posed for a picture with us, which thrilled the kids -- and me!

The biggest event this month though, has been my hubby's birthday. He wouldn't let me give him a party with friends, but agreed to a family bowling party. Chris had an amazing game where he got 4 strikes in a row and then a spare. He was bummed when our time ended and he wasn't able to bowl more strikes. I tried to tell him that I let him win because it was his birthday, but we both know he'd beat me no matter what. He thinks it's silly that I still make him hold up a paper showing his age, like he's a little kid, but I told him my mom used to make my dad do it when he was in his 40's. Maybe when Chris is in his 50's I'll stop. He thought it was funny to catch the paper on fire -- the girls enjoyed it.
I used to think my parents were so old when they were in their 40's, now I know better, because Chris and I are still young!

Ooh La La

2009-10-10T22:03:00.007-04:00

I really enjoy eating out at restaurants. I love the atmosphere. I love scanning a menu. I love somebody bringing me food. I love how they clean up my dishes and how they insist I indulge in dessert. But I usually don't go to very expensive restaurants, because I eat out too often to afford that luxury. This week, however, we were invited by friends to go to a very nice restaurant. And at the invitation of Felicity & Nathaniel, I experienced my first French cuisine and I loved it!

Nathaniel, our French speaking expert, helped interpret some of the things the waiter was saying and ordered some appetizers for us that I had never had before. We had clams, mussels, calamari, Pate de Campagne, Saucisse Grille Alsacienne (fancy sausage & potatoes) and a cold tomato soup. The waiter announced the soup had no alcohol, which confused me until Nathaniel explained alcohol is put in a lot of the dishes.

We also ordered virgin strawberry daiquiris and it was like sucking straight out of a strawberry. They were so tasty, I ordered two.

You'd think after all those appetizers we'd be full, but no. We were just getting started. Our main dishes were Viande du Marche (the meat of the day). Not sure what it was but I tasted Chris' and it was good. We also had Canard (duck) and I got Filet Mignon. It just melted in my mouth.

Then our stomachs weren't quite bloated enough so we ordered dessert. Chris ordered Gateau au Fromagede Chavre (goat cheese cheesecake with fruit compote). I doubted his selection, but it was tasty. Nathaniel ordered a fancy Sorbet et Glace that came encased in a fancy ice cup. And I have tasted chocolate mousse before, so I thought. But not until I put a spoonful of Mousse au Chocolat from Tersiguel's restaurant, did I realize what I had been missing. It was amazing. Everyone took a bite and agreed that we could never go back to regular mousse again. We also agreed we probably wouldn't eat for a few days after this night. We left very satisfied.

It was a great night experiencing something new with special friends. It's going to be tough going back to fast food after this night.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2009-09-30T22:03:00.016-04:00

Today my baby is 6 years old. She's been asking every day for the past month when it was time for her birthday. She had a bowling party over the weekend with her friends to jump start her birthday week. Thank goodness the side bumpers were up. Bowling took a long time because the balls took about 30 minutes to make it down to the pins, since the kids couldn't throw that hard. But they all loved it.
Today was finally the big day. She happily went to school knowing her dad and I would bring her a cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, fries and a shake from Wendy's for lunch. Lunch with kindergartners is so fun. All her friends wanted to sit with us. They asked us questions. They wanted to be in the pictures. And they hugged us goodbye. Chris even spoke Spanish to two of the kids. It was very impressive.

After school was over, we took her to Silver Diner where there's a jukebox on every table. They play 50's and 60's music and she can eat pancakes for dinner, topped off with a strawberry shake.

Then it was time for a shopping spree. I asked her which store she wanted to go to and big surprise, she chose Toys R Us. After she maxed out the credit card, we headed home and found a huge surprise from her dad. The present said she could only have it if she promised to share it with her siblings. She agreed and then squealed with happiness as she opened Rock Band. The kids wanted to start rockin' out tonight, but we put them to bed and told them their partying would have to wait.
I'm so grateful for my sweet Selena and so glad she loved her special day!

Weekend Update

2009-09-11T22:02:00.021-04:00

Our time at our neighborhood pool is over. Unfortunately the pools close Labor Day weekend no matter what the weather is like. But they do throw a fun catered party with a DJ, dancing and dining. What makes it so great are all my close friends who joined the pool so we had a great summer swimming together. Well, the kids would do most of the swimming while we would talk, occasionally read, and talk some more.

After four days of school, the kids had four days off. Chris went off to California for his grandma's 90th birthday. He was able to see family members he hadn't seen in years. I love the picture with him and his older brothers. He's bigger than both of them now, which is nice since they used to pound on him when they were younger.

For Labor Day we took the kids to the circus. This was their first time, as well as my first time seeing a circus. They loved the clowns, elephants, the acrobats and the man getting shot out of the cannon. Selena had cotton candy for the first time. She begged and begged for it. Then after we paid $5 for it, she tasted it and declared, "I don't like it." Sophia and Alec happily finished it off for her. Then she asked for popcorn, soda, balloons, lighted wands. Holy cow they were selling everything there. We stayed strong though and bought nothing else.

We ended our long weekend at Chevy's where the girls loved their lemons, the boys loved their drinks and I loved not having to cook!

I Can Hear The Bells

2009-09-01T22:22:00.013-04:00

It's that time of year! Summer is over and the kids are back in school.

For some reason Alec wasn't excited about my wanting to document the occasion with pictures and a little video. I thought all pre-teen boys loved that kind of thing. But after given the choice of pictures in our home or out at the bus stop, he "happily" posed for me. I told him he'd appreciate all these pictures and videos years from now. And he did make me tear up before he left. He gave me a hug and said, "I love you." I'm sure he doesn't realize how much that meant to me.

My girls were totally different. They loved picking out their outfits and posing for pictures. We walked to school and I had a little mishap. My cute flip flops broke. There was no fixing them and there was no walking on them. So I had to take them off and walk bare foot not only to the school, but walking through the school, which I didn't enjoy.

Selena was a little reserved. She didn't say much. She sat in her seat and started coloring while I hugged and kissed her goodbye. Her good friend Ashtyn is in her class, so that makes me feel better that she already has a friend.Sophia requested that she walk alone to class. After all, she is a third grader. I told her there was no way that was happening -- I was getting pictures! She realized there was no way out of it, so she put a smile on her face. Oh, did I mention Sophia's teacher is young, blond and beautiful? Yes, I'll be going on all the field trips this year.
So far the school year has been great. After two whole days, no one is behind on homework. No teachers have called about misbehaving students. And I'm not a ball of stress yet. Selena's teacher did call tonight and say how she loves having Selena in her class and how sweet she is. Selena lit up when I told her that her teacher called just to tell me what a good girl she is.When Alec showed me his new math book, I knew I was in trouble. I didn't take that class until high school and I don't even remember it. So I guess I won't be helping him with this subject.

Here's hoping the kids have a great school year. Not only do they have class work to look forward to, but while Alec is busy with football, the girls are not only taking ballet classes, but also a new dance class - Hip Hop! Should be a fun!

Last Days of Summer

2009-08-23T22:35:00.010-04:00

We only have one more week and then free time is over. No more sleeping in. No more sleepovers. No more staying up past bedtime. It's almost time for homework, homework and more homework!

But before that happens the kids have been enjoying pool time, parties, and lots of sleepovers.

Sophia and Selena would have a sleepover every night if I let them.

My sweet girlfriends happily pose for pictures.
These boys, however, I had to man-handle them in place, threaten them not to move and to please smile -- stubborn!
On Sundays when the kids are all dressed up, I try to get a "happy" picture of them, but today they weren't in the mood. They said, "You're not going to put this on your blog are you?" Of course I am! Even if they don't have their happy faces on.

Big Hair/Big Cheeks

2009-08-11T21:16:00.002-04:00

As I've been looking through old photos, I've come to some realizations. One is that I had very big bangs and lots of curl in my younger years and the other is the sadder truth that my cheeks were huge! I had no idea when Chris and I were first married I was Delta Burke's double. But back when these pictures were taken we didn't have digital cameras so there were no redo's like we have now. Even if I have a stranger take a picture of me with my friends, I check it and make them retake it if we look funny. Obviously if I had seen the above picture immediately, it would've been deleted on account of chubby cheek syndrome.
The picture below I love because of all our fluffy hair and all that paisley print. We used countless cans of Aqua Net getting ready for this photo shoot!

The Reluctant Flyer

2009-08-05T23:15:00.006-04:00

There are times when something is happening in your life or you're having a conversation with someone and you think, "This is a bloggable moment." I had one of those experiences flying home on the redeye flight from Las Vegas to DC this week.
I expected an uneventful flight considering everyone should be sleeping, but I was wrong.
Because we get the leftover seats, I rarely get to sit by my kids when we fly. But I was only one row away from Selena, so I asked a lady to trade seats with me since I knew Selena would be more comfortable sleeping on me than trying to sleep sitting up.

As I took my seat next to Selena, the man sharing our row leans over to me and says, "Just so you know, I'm a very nervous flyer. I took a couple Xanax so I should be fine. But if I act strange, that's why."
As I looked in his eyes which were very close to my face, he did have a glazed look going on. But other than that he seemed like a normal man.
Then he got talkative and told me how he hates flying, but does it all the time because of his job. I told him to just think of it like a roller coaster ride. Then he said he hates roller coasters and any kind of ride that goes fast. He then mentioned how he shouldn't be like this since he's an officer in the military and has done two tours in Afghanistan.

I said, "And flying on this plane is freaking you out?"
He told me how his dad was a pilot, but his mom would never let the kids fly because it scared her and she's still never been on a plane.

As we took off, he had his head down between his legs and was mumbling to himself. Then he'd sit up, grab at his hands, and put his head back down again. Part of me wanted to comfort him and the other part wanted to say, "Dude, relax!"

Once we were in the air he listened to his iPod, had his head pillow and I assumed he slept, because that's what I was trying to do.
We didn't talk again until we started to land. At this point he's looking out the window, rocking back and forth in his seat while mumbling to himself. As the plane landed, it was loud like landings usually are and there was some jerking. He did not enjoy this and made a more audible moan while he put his head between his legs again.
Now, I don't get nervous when I fly. But even if I did, I was so fascinated watching him I wasn't even thinking about the possibility of something going wrong.
He was still nervous and mumbling as we were coming to a stop. At this point I grabbed his arm and said, "It's okay. It's over."

He said, "I know. I don't know why I do that every time. I should just sleep. But did you see the lightening storm we were going through?"

What? I thought he was sleeping during the 5 hour flight, but apparently he was checking for danger out the window. "No. I was sleeping. Why were you looking? You should've kept your eyes shut."

He said, "I can't. I have to have total awareness of the surroundings."
Then he asks me if I've heard of Tourette syndrome. I told him I had. And he said he also had that, which didn't help his situation.
He said he's here in DC for a week and then has to go through the flying torture once again.

I must say he was the most intriguing passenger I've sat next to. I've heard of people having anxiety when they fly, but I've never seen it firsthand. And this man was medicated! I can't imagine what he'd be like if he didn't have those pills to relax him.
I wanted to tell him that I was going to blog about him and if I could take his picture, but I didn't want to add any more stress to his day.

Vegas Fun

2009-08-03T16:35:00.015-04:00

Having a sister in Vegas is very convenient. We can go to nice restaurants, enjoy all the sites and not have to pay for a hotel. One day I took all her kids to the strip and we went to the M&M factory, looked at the lions at the MGM and of course showed them the fancy hotels. Then Susana and Jason took us out to dinner at a yummy BBQ place where we ate way too much meat, but it was so yummy.

Then if just living in Vegas wasn't enough, my sister and her hubby also bought a boat, which almost convinced Chris to relocate. We went to Lake Mead where we swam in front of the Hoover Dam. The kids loved it. They tubed and enjoyed being thrashed around on the water.

Chris hadn't been skiing in many years, but got up and looked like a pro. He impressed me, because I never got the hang of it. My sweet sister watched my kids for me one night and Chris and I went to see Lance Burton, Master Magician at the Monte Carlo. I love vacations with built-in babysitters! Visiting Vegas gave me the baby cravings and gave Chris a boat craving.

Family Treasures

2009-08-01T00:29:00.013-04:00

My sister Laura and I tackled a major project for two days. We went through all of our family pictures. That's elementary school pictures for six children and yes, my mother bought school pictures every year for every child, just like I do. We also had a ton of birthdays, Christmases, proms, and vacation pictures to go through. So we went through boxes and boxes of photos, separating pictures for each or our siblings. It was so fun reminiscing as we saw photos of events we had forgotten about and complaining about how we looked because of some unfortunate style choices we made.
But also in these boxes of treasures we found my parents missionary pictures from Mexico, where they both served and some of their wedding photos. We also found pictures my mom never showed us of her youth. For some reason she didn't like showing us all her pictures and I don't know why because she was so beautiful.
I also found tons of pictures from my high school days and I can guarantee once I get home to my scanner, there will be many, many Flashback Friday posts with lots of big hair.

Selena and Alec with their triplet cousins, Tatum, Liam and Shane.

The last time I saw my nephew, I know I was taller than him. He's now a man at 17. Time goes too fast -- I remember changing his diapers!
Connie and I have been friends since puberty. Then we became forever linked when her sister finally gave into my very persistent brother and they married. We also both chose the same job path and are loving our careers as court reporters.
Ever since my girls have been taking care of the newest baby of the family, they're begging for a new sibling.
I'm grateful for my sister-in-law Cheri for taking on the job of being my brother's wife. It can't be easy living with a man who constantly called me "butt munch" when we were growing up.

When we got to the desert, Chris took Selena to a motorcross track to watch the races. She came home and was saying, "I didn't take the picture!" I was confused until she showed me all the pictures they took and this is what I saw -- a not so attractive bottom. She was laughing. I think it was the highlight of the races, laughing at a man's unfortunate sitting position.

Summer Traveling

2009-07-29T15:39:00.024-04:00

It's that time of year again where I head to California and take care of my mom while my sister who usually cares for her goes on a well-deserved vacation. But before I headed into the hot desert to see my family, we made a pit stop in Orange County to visit Chris' high school friends and his grandma, who is in the above photo with the kids. We packed in the OC fair, the beach, swimming and lots of eating at fast food joints that we don't have the pleasure of having back east. I never thought I'd get tired of eating Jack-in-the-Box, Del Taco or In-N-Out, but the five pounds I've gained scarfing down tons of greasy food has helped me grow sick of them, at least for now.

We took a stroll down memory lane visiting Chris' junior high school. He was a Bulldog and Alec is also a Bulldog at his middle school. The kids were shocked at how far their dad had to walk to school every day and so was I. There's no way I'd let my kids walk that far and on such busy streets -- at least it wasn't in the snow.

Austen and Alec have been friends since they were babies. Alec is actually younger than Austen, but has always been bigger.
Chris thinks Sophia looks more like his friend Kenny than him.

There's never a dull moment with Kenny & Rose.

After our OC visit, we headed to the Mojave desert where our bodies went from enjoying perfect weather to experiencing extreme heat.

When I saw my mom for the first time she smiled at me and touched my stomach, then patted it. She can't speak, so I didn't know what she was trying to say. I said, "No, I'm not pregnant." I suspect she thought I had gained weight or had a bun in the oven. She just smiled and patted my tummy again.

She's not a big fan of leaving the house since her stroke, but I actually got her to go see a movie and do some shopping. I took her to see The Proposal. When Oscar from the office did his stripper dance in Sandra Bullock's face, she said, "Ohhh," and was laughing. I think that was her favorite part.

There's tons more to blog about, but since this post is long enough, I'll do more later. It's been a great vacation so far!

Lots of Firsts at Deep Creek

2009-07-08T23:07:00.022-04:00

While the kids are away, Chris and I decided to play. Alec was at scout camp and the girls were at a sleepover (thanks again, Mendy). So Chris and I headed off to Deep Creek and spent a couple days at our very first Bed & Breakfast.
It was a trip with lots of firsts for me. As we did all the activities offered at the lake, Chris and I realized I haven't done a lot of things in my life like he has.

I went on my first canoe ride and my first ride in a paddle boat.

We both have played pool and tennis before, but never against each other. He of course clobbered me at both. He was less competitive during the bike ride and waited for me as I struggled on the hills.

I played my first game of horseshoes, but apparently Chris played a lot in his youth. I actually didn't do too badly. I got a ringer before he did and was ready to stop playing, but Chris wanted to keep going and I knew it was because he couldn't let me get a ringer without him getting one too. It didn't take him long to get one and then we could move on. We took a picture of my horseshoe over his -- it was a great moment for me.

We both experienced our first ride on a mountain roller coaster. It was so fast and so scary. Chris flew down, but I was grateful for the brakes that I kept applying on my way down the mountain. I kept thinking how my kids would love all these activities, especially the roller coaster, so I'm sure we'll be back with the kids next time.

Our first time at a bed and breakfast was a great experience. The hosts were so nice and the guests were all friendly. I can't believe how much we packed into a two day/one night getaway. If I stayed active like that at home, I'd never have to use my treadmill again!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T22:44:00.011-04:00

Our 4th of July started out with me trying to get the kids excited about watching fireworks on the TV in our basement as we ate pizza. Chris was on-call and thought for sure he'd get called out. Well, I'm a stress case when it comes to crowds, driving in crowds, and trying to entertain kids in crowds for long periods of time. So I had made up my mind that if Chris wasn't home for fireworks, then I wasn't going anywhere. The kids were not excited about my plans, so my only hope at a peaceful night was if Chris didn't have to work.

Thankfully he did not get called out and was able to drive us to Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken to pick up our picnic dinner before we sat among hundreds of people waiting for the fireworks to start.

Before we got to that point though, our morning started out with our church's traditional 4th of July breakfast. The kids love being with all their friends and I love being with mine too. The kids wrote letters to soldiers and we sang patriotic songs before having a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and watermelon.

After the breakfast, we headed off to Bass Pro Shops where they had fun activities like fishing, shooting, and crafts for the kids. We wanted Alec to listen to the fishing demonstration because this week is his first scout camping trip. He goes for six days and I'm excited for him, but am not excited to be away from him so long. They were able to practice their skills with a fishing pole.

The kids and Chris were able to feed the fish in the big fish tank. They were so excited to be up on the tank and have a great view of the fish.

I'm so glad Chris was there so the kids didn't have to spend the night in our basement while I shoved treats at them and tried to get them excited about fireworks on the tube instead of live.

Alec Speaks

2009-06-28T22:18:00.004-04:00

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints comes with a lot of responsibility and one of those responsibilities is speaking to the church congregation starting at the ripe old age of 12. But this is only after years of giving talks to just children your own age in a smaller setting, before you have to do it for the big people.
Our congregation right now averages 300 people every week and today my 12-year-old son Alec got up in front of those 300 people and gave his first talk.

First, a little background. Whenever my kids have any kind of assignment to do, I'm a very hands-on mom. I have to see what they're doing and can't keep my opinion to myself. So when Alec was asked to speak in church a few weeks ago, I told him he needed to write down his ideas as they came to him and then put them together.

After he wrote down his ideas, he sat at the computer typed it up and then said, "I'm done. Can I print it?"

I at first said no, obviously, because I hadn't read through it and changed things and added things yet.

He said, "No, mom. It's fine. Can I just print it and read it to you?"

Fine. I let him, ready to make changes that I was sure his talk needed.

As he read what he had written, I was amazed and actually couldn't say anything. He had written a beautiful talk that came from his heart, his love for his family, and for his Savior. He included personal stories, a scripture, and even made us laugh.

When he was done he looked at me waiting for my critique. I was teary eyed and said, "Alec, that was so good!" It was clear he didn't need my help at all.

Today as we sat in church, my stomach had butterflies for him. I told him sitting in the congregation is a lot different than sitting up in the stand and actually looking out at hundreds of people who were all looking and listening to you. Sophia told him to imagine everyone in their underwear (eww). I told him that wasn't necessary, but just pick out a couple individuals to look at as he spoke and not think about all the people.

When he stood up and started speaking, I was all giddy. My friend was sitting behind me and was talking, apparently not realizing my son was at the pulpit. So I turned around and said, "Shh. Alec is speaking!"
He apologized and properly gave his full attention to my son.

Alec didn't seem nervous at all. He delivered his first talk like a pro. I wanted to applaud, but controlled my excitement. I realized my baby boy is growing up, which is both thrilling and scary at the same time.

The "Weigh" It Is

2009-06-20T22:53:00.008-04:00

It's that time of year again when I can no longer hide behind sweaters, coats and jeans. I can no longer where long-sleeved shirts to hide my arms or support pantyhose to suck everything in. The weather is too warm for that. So like every year around this time, I start exercising knowing I can't hide behind my wardrobe for a season. Once I dust off the treadmill and start using it again, I always wish I had started earlier. But I've been very good at working out lately, watching what I eat (except on movie nights. You have to have treats at the movies) And I've noticed my clothes are fitting less snug, which helps me stay motivated.

But there's something very frustrating that happens when I start to weigh myself -- the pounds come off soooo slowly. I know I shouldn't weigh myself every day, but I can't stop myself. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that Chris weighs himself all the time too, only his results are much different.

When he decides to lose weight, do you think he's on the treadmill? No, he doesn't exercise at all. He just drinks Diet Pepsi in place of a few meals and then announces, "Oh, look, I've lost 5 lbs."

Where if I want to lose 5 lbs, it's after weeks of massively cutting down on calories and being diligent about working out six days a week. I even attempted to do yoga for the first time and it didn't end well. I tweaked a muscle in my back from trying to make my body do things it obviously didn't want to do and was so sore. But I did get a massage to relieve my aches, so I guess it was worth it.

Enough talk about how men just have to basically go to the bathroom to lose weight while women struggle for every ounce.

A more fun topic is my day today. I went to the mall to try to buy Chris a Father's Day gift, but like usual when trying to buy him a gift, I had little luck. He says he needs nothing and wants nothing, which is frustrating when I know I have to get him something. But in my frustration, I did come upon a cute pair of strappy heels, which I bought so my shopping trip wasn't a total loss.

After a torrential downpour of rain in the morning, the sun came out and we headed to the pool for a beginning of summer party. The kids danced, ate burgers and cupcakes, had water balloon tosses, hula-hooped and swam until they were exhausted.

Dancing in the Conga line!

Then Chris and I went to dinner with friends at Red, Hot & Blue where they showed us all the fancy things their iPhone does. Chris knew what I was thinking and said no, I couldn't buy him one. (sigh)

After a yummy, calorie filled dinner we headed off to a goodbye party for our friend Christie. I'm going to miss her and am so sad how friends keep moving away. She was a great shopping partner.

I thought our evening was over, but Chris decided he wanted to see a manly movie and went with a friend to a late-night show, which was fine since last night I had a night out with the girls and saw The Proposal. It was a great movie that had lots of laughs, including a hilarious lap dance and Ryan Reynolds' amazing abs!

Springtime Happenings

2009-06-08T22:55:00.015-04:00

I'm so behind in posting what's been going on, so I just decided to post pictures to help me get caught up.

Selena had her end of the year picnic for preschool. I can't believe I'm all done with babies and preschool. Starting in September, I'll have all my kids in school -- I can't be that old! Selena and Marlee had a great school year together and they'll be devastated if they don't get in the same kindergarten class in the fall.

Selena loved her teacher, Ms. Vanessa, who was so motherly and sweet to the class.

Sophia had her Enrichment Fair and loved showing us all her fun projects.

Alec is a little more reluctant about showing his school projects at his Enrichment Fair, but did a great job on his report about why we should have sports in middle school.
We've had days off of school when we've invited friends over. This day the kids enjoyed a picnic outside, since my kitchen couldn't fit all of them
The girls had some friends over one night and they danced to Hannah Montana, while Alec tried to get noticed.
Our neighborhood pool opened and the kids couldn't wait. The water is totally freezing, but they don't care. They jump in and swim as long as they can. I've been working on my tan, but have yet to get in the pool. I figure by July the water will be warm enough for me to swim in.
The girls think the best part about watching Alec play baseball is going to the Snack Shack and eating snow cones. Alec had an exciting game where he was asked to pitch. My friend said, "Oh, Alec is pitching." I said, "No, Alec doesn't pitch." Then I looked up and there he was on the pitcher's mound! They ran out of pitchers and he was asked to step in. He did great for his first time -- struck out three batters and got his team out of two innings. He loved it.
Selena has lots of play dates and they involve a lot of dressups, makeup and lots of snacks.

We attended a neighborhood street fair, where the best part is eating strawberry shortcake.

We've been busy with lots of activities and can't wait for school to be over for everyone so we can go visit family out of state. But even with all we've had going on, I still have found time to watch the preview on the internet for the New Moon movie coming out in November -- I totally squealed and can't wait to go with all my friends. I think I might need to get a new shirt for the occasion!

Faith & Football

2009-05-18T22:29:00.004-04:00

On Saturday I took Alec to a Faith & Football conference. He was so excited to see Derrick Mason, a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. As they announced his name, Alec squeezed my arm and was bouncing up and down in anticipation of seeing him. He didn't realize how hard he was pinching me until I told him to stop because he was hurting me. I told him, "Calm down. It's not like Bon Jovi is coming out."

He said, "No. This is way better than Bon Jovi."

Obviously the boy has never been to a concert and witnessed Jon Bon Jovi singing "I'll Be There For You" in the same microphone with Ritchie Sambora -- now there's a reason to get excited.

But back to the conference -- Alec and his friend had me sitting in the very front row as we listened to LaVell Edwards, Edwin Mulitalo, Burgess Owens, Lenny Moore, Andy Reid and of course Derrick Mason give motivational speeches about successes and failures in their careers, and keeping their faith through it all.

One player told how during his pro career, he would put a mini Bible in the padding of his right thigh to remind him of his Savior and his faith. He said how he's given mini Bibles to current NFL players who also put it in their padding as they play.

Well, when we were leaving the conference, they had Book of Mormons on a display table for anyone to take.

Alec's friend said, "Can I have one of these?" I told him of course and he could even have the DVDs that they had out.

He said now that he had this new Bible, he was going to put it in his pads when he played football just like the player had done.

Alec said, "You can't put that in your uniform. It's too big."

His friend said, "Well, it's smaller than my Bible at home."

I was cracking up. I explained to him that even though this Book of Mormon was considerably smaller than his big Bible, the man had a much smaller, mini Bible that he wore in his uniform. And it probably wouldn't be too comfortable trying to play football with a regular size Book of Mormon stuck in your pads. I told him if I saw mini Bibles, I'd make sure to get him one.

Lenny Moore, who is an NFL Hall of Famer that played for the Baltimore Colts, signed autographs and took pictures with anyone who asked.

The only speaker I really knew was Andy Reid, who I knew was the Philadelphia Eagles head coach. On tv he doesn't look so good, probably because he's stressed and all bundled up when they show him. But he looked really handsome all cleaned up and wearing a suit. So when we approached him for a picture, I admit I was nervous. But he was so friendly, so I felt comfortable enough telling him that he looked much better in person than he does on tv. He thanked me and graciously took a picture with Alec and his friend.

The boys were beaming as we walked out. This night was supposed to be a daddy/son experience, but since Chris got called into work, I took Alec. And I'm glad I was able to see Alec's face light up as he saw people he admires in sports, and was able to listen to their positive messages of being able to be successful while always standing for what you believe in and never forgetting your Savior.

Yes, Mendy -- I Loved It

2009-05-14T20:35:00.011-04:00

I enjoy my days when I don't have to work, don't have anywhere to go, I can sleep in, stay in my sweats and not have to see anyone. Well, I have one friend who seems to know when I have these days, how much I enjoy staying home and being homely, but insists on dragging me out of my house anyway.

Mendy said we were going on a picnic to Brighton Dam. She said there were tons of azaleas blooming and I would be in awe and say, "Oh, wow! How did you know this was here? It's so pretty" blah-blah-blah.

I told her I would go on her little picnic adventure, but I wouldn't comment on how pretty it was and I wouldn't be impressed.

Well, as we walked around this huge garden by the water, it was gorgeous! I forgot I was going to stay unimpressed and said how amazing this place was.

Mendy said, "No! You're not allowed to comment on how pretty it is."

But it was amazing. The girls loved running down the paths and smelling all the flowers. Then we went to the park, ate lunch, ran into more friends, and Mendy got to rub it in on the drive home that I had a good time despite my attitude.

Even though I do complain and give Mendy a hard time when she drags me off of my couch, I do appreciate her introducing me to new places that I otherwise would never discover.

Mommy Dearest

2009-05-10T22:36:00.028-04:00

This morning I woke up to my kids singing Happy Mother's Day and holding a tray with an egg, toast and orange juice. They put the tray down and then the girls sat right next to me and asked for bite after bite of my breakfast. It was so cute how Alec cooked, let the girls help, and then they ate most of it.

The girls handed me gift bags that were filled with various objects they had picked up around the house. They gave me pads of paper, library books, a dvd, framed pictures and wrote me nice notes.

Then my Mother's Day took a Twilight twist. I received the Twilight Director's cut book, which has lots of fun facts and pictures. And my sister sent me a Twilight necklace that had sayings like, "I want to be Edward's Bella." Any gift I receive that involves Edward is always appreciated.

This past week I've had some fun activities with my children.

I went to a Mother's Day tea at Selena's preschool. There was a mini orchestra (2 ladies) playing Disney theme songs, the room was decorated in an Under the Sea theme. The kids sang on the stage, then we had a yummy lunch that the kids made.

Sophia has been taking tennis lessons and loves it. It's at a great place, because there's a park next to the courts, so while Sophia is learning what a backhand is, Selena is enjoying the playground.

Last week I also attended a field trip to Toby's Dinner Theater with Sophia. The bus ride was loud and bumpy, but the play was a cute Frog & Toad musical.

This has been a great baseball season for Alec. His hitting has improved so much from last season. He was moved up to bat third in the lineup and that helped his confidence even more. His last game, whenever they needed an RBI and he was up, he came through. It's so fun cheering for him. The girls sometimes get bored, so they have Ipods and Krispy Kremes to keep them occupied.

I'll end this post with the note Sophia wrote to me that reminds me why I love being their mom:

"Today lots of mothers are getting jewelry and breakfast in bed, but I figured the best present of all is love and good children so that's what you're getting."

Should've Said It Was The Stork

2009-05-03T18:41:00.005-04:00

I don't even know where to start. The last couple of days my Sophia has been asking me where babies come from and how they get in the mommy's tummy. I've just told her that we'd talk about it later and hoped she'd forget about it. I just couldn't imagine explaining that while looking in my little girl's sweet face.

But she didn't let up and said, "I'm serious, how does the baby get into the tummy?" So about 15 minutes ago we had the talk and the hardest part was not laughing at her many questions.

I kept it brief and to the point and emphasized that this was an act that Heavenly Father meant for us to experience after being married.

Now, I've talked with my friends who have had "the talk" with their children and they tell me, "Once I told him/her, they didn't want to talk about it anymore." Well, that wasn't the case with my little red head. She was full of questions.

Here are just a few I had to answer:

"Well, you don't have to do that right away after you get married; right? You can wait."

"Do people who aren't Christian do it the same way?"

"Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"So you do that only when you want a baby?"

"Why aren't you having more babies?"

"Ms. Mendy said right when she got married she had Maia. How did that happen?" (To clarify, Ms. Mendy got pregnant on her honeymoon)

There were other doozies that I had to answer. But just as I thought our conversation was over, her eyes started filling up with tears and she was crying. I thought she was thinking way too much about the mechanics of it and that she'd want to join a convent, but that wasn't what was upsetting her.

I asked her why she was crying and through her sobs she said, "What if no one wants to marry me?"

My poor little girl. Talk about stressing over something way too early. After I assured her that she was sweet, fun and beautiful and she's going to have so many boys wanting to marry her, that she's going to have to decide which one she wants, I told her that she didn't even need to think about that right now. I told her now is her time to think about school, her tennis, her basketball, friends, church, summer vacation -- anything but boys!

My parents never gave me "the talk" and now I know why. They probably were afraid at what questions I would throw at them.

Lesson Learned

2009-04-30T23:58:00.006-04:00

One thing my kids are always asking for besides a dog is another baby. Alec thinks it's so unfair that he doesn't have a brother. The girls just want a baby to hold, kiss and be a mommy to.
Well, last weekend Alec brought home a temporary brother for himself. It was actually a sad event that brought Alec's friend to our house. Alec had returned from the library with not only some books, but a boy who had run away from home and needed somewhere to stay or as Alec said, "He'd have to sleep in the woods."
I told "Bob" that he had to call his mom so she wouldn't worry, because I imagined she was probably going a little crazy.
She was relieved when I called her. There were problems at home, obviously, because she said he could stay the night with us and had never been to our house or really know anything about us.
Well, the one night turned into 4 days. Alec was in heaven -- he had a brother. "Bob" was happy with us, because they played video games and had an endless supply of chips, fruit roll-ups and Rice Krispie treats. But obviously this isn't real life, since he didn't have any chores, homework or responsibilities. "Bob" did not want to leave. I had him call his mom every day. He'd ask to stay just one more night and she'd agree.
On Friday night, Alec had a basketball game and not only did "Bob" come, but they invited another friend too. So as we drove 30 minutes to the game, I put on my Friday night 80's radio station. Alec was embarrassed as I sang Bananrama and Culture Club loudly and tried to get his friends to sing along. They just laughed at me, but my girls sang with me. The boys wondered what kind of band was named Bananarama.
When Sunday came, I explained to our house guest that we went to church for three hours and he was welcome to come or if that was too much, I could take him home. He joined us for church and even put on one of Alec's dress shirts and tie. I felt bad that the slacks were a little tight, but he wore them anyway and didn't complain. At the beginning of the third hour of church, he asked Alec if there was another class or that was it. He made it through and even attended a youth meeting that night with Alec.
I took him home Sunday night, so he could talk to his mom. I think she had enjoyed the few days of no pre-teen drama. She told him it was time for him to come home, but he asked if he could stay one more night with us. She rightfully told him it was time for him to stay and they needed to work on things.
Now, the whole time he was with us, he was totally polite and respectful to me and nice to my girls. But as he talked to his mom, I could see his attitude change. I told his mom how well-behaved he was and then asked "Bob" if he could treat her as well as he treated me.
Later that night, his mom called me and said that "Bob" had told her he was going to leave again and come back to my house. She said she was very grateful that we took him in, but asked that we not take him in again if he runs away. She wants him to stay at home, obviously, and I understand that. I just prayed that he didn't show up at my door and I had to be faced with the dilemma of having to turn him away -- that would break my heart.
The next day, I had to go to his school to give him his backpack that he had left at our house. I told him that he was always welcome at our home, but it had to be with his mom's permission. He told me he forgot his lunch, so I gave him some money and thankfully had already put some fruit roll-ups in his backpack. I promised him that we'd call him for sleepovers again, but to please be nice to his mom. He agreed and I hope he is.
There are times when I feel I have no idea how to handle raising a pre-teen. But I found myself having more patience for this little boy, who I didn't know, than I sometimes do for my own son. I realized I need to have as much compassion and understanding for my own children as I did for this boy. I think Alec learned something too, like I'm not as unreasonable as he sometimes thinks I am and he appreciates his home life a little bit more now.

Catching Up

2009-04-21T23:14:00.007-04:00

I am so behind on my blogging, so I guess I'll just try to summarize what's been happening. Easter for the kids was great, but for me, it was filled with some guilt. The Saturday before Easter we were at a farewell party for Rex. He's my on-call babysitter who is leaving for Greece to serve a mission for our church. I heard people talking about their Easter dinners and realized I hadn't even thought about making a fancy dinner. So when we got home from church, the kids were very excited about painting eggs and I tried to decide what I was going to come up with for their Easter feast. We ended up having a variety of frozen entrees from the freezer, and I once again felt like Cher from the movie Mermaids.

I felt bad for Chris, because once again I didn't make a nice meal. He never complains and eats anything I make (except for a bad episode with some cookies last year) but I need to do better, especially since he just bought me a new stove. Maybe that's all I needed, a new`fancy stove and now I'll be motivated to cook -- we'll see.

We saw a lot of movies over spring break -- The Hannah Montana movie was a winner with the girls -- they sang, laughed and cried. All the kids had tons of sleepovers, which helped the week go by faster.

We said goodbye to Rex, which was very hard. We're proud of him and will miss him so much. I will especially miss being able to text him, telling him to come over so I can go out at night. He was always available and a great example for my kids.

Last weekend was busy with parties. One of my good friends turned 40 (gasp) and her husband gave her a surprise party, that made her cry when she saw all her family and friends come together for her.

Then two other friends who share a birthday got one step closer to 40, so we celebrated with dinner at Ram's Head. I made our young waiter guess how old my friends were and he very wisely said, "28." Yes, he got a great tip.

After dinner, Mendy and I headed off to watch 17 Again. And can I just say that Zac Efron is all grown up! Holy cow he looks amazing and was totally worth the price of admission and snacks we ate while watching his gorgeous face and shirtless scenes on the big screen.

Our weekend was wrapped up by a visit from Chris' best friend from high school. Kenny and Chris are more like brothers. As soon as Chris and I started dating, he introduced me to Kenny and his wife Rose and we were inseparable until Chris and I left California. Kenny is like a second husband without the benefits -- he doesn't give me any money, but at least I get to nag him.

Activity Overload!

2009-04-06T20:25:00.006-04:00

When I receive a catalog in the mail, I get a massive rush and start marking all the things I want to buy. Before I know it, I've ordered way too much, but don't realize it until I receive the bill in the mail -- oops.

Usually this only happens with clothes shopping -- oh, and I guess food. When I go through a drive-thru, I'm always afraid I won't have enough food when we get home, so I order extra and we end up having too much. That's not my fault though. I get that from my dad. When we were young, my mom would tell my dad to order six tacos. Then my dad would say, "I'd like 16 tacos." He wanted to make sure none of his kids went hungry. This annoyed my mom, just like it annoys Chris when I do it.

Well, this time my compulsive ordering happened when I received a catalog for sports activities for the kids. I didn't realize how much I had signed the kids up for until I received the confirmation letter with all the dates. Holy cow, I'm going to be doing a lot of driving around.

Here's what I did to myself for the next couple of months -- Monday, basketball & baseball practice. Tuesday, piano. Wednesday, Boy Scouts. Thursday, tennis & gymnastics. Saturday, baseball games. Then during Spring Break, Alec is doing a flag football camp. And later Sophia is taking a field hockey class. At least my Fridays are free.

I know we're not supposed to over schedule our kids, but it's only a couple months and then I'll let them have the rest of the summer off. And next time I receive a catalog for anything, I'll try to have more self-control.

Sophia's Baptism

2009-03-29T23:44:00.013-04:00

Yesterday was a special day for Sophia. Now that she is 8 years old, she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a day she's been looking forward to for a long time. She actually was able to speak on how grateful she was to be baptized, and did an amazing job. She wrote her own talk and practiced it every day a week before her baptism. My favorite line from her talk was when she said that now that she's baptized and has the Holy Ghost with her, "It's like having Jesus follow you everywhere you go."

We are grateful to all our friends who were there and grateful for those who couldn't be there, but have been so thoughtful in acknowledging her special day.

She looked amazing in her sparkling new white dress and her fancy hairdo. Her own personal hairdresser, Ms. Mendy, came over early Saturday morning and gave Sophia a hairstyle that lasted through the baptism until the next day at church.

Since all of our family members are on the west coast, it was great that some special people in Sophia's life could be there. Her adopted church grandpa came, which took a lot of effort for him and made Sophia very happy. Our family friend Rex, who babysits my children, and who they love, was there. She was baptized with Dakota, her friend from her Primary class. She was thrilled her friend Maia was there. Selena & Marlee weren't shy when it came time for cake.

Sophia is a great example to us and we love her so much!

Freezing Buns & Easter Eggs

2009-03-27T18:50:00.010-04:00

One of the great advantages of living close to DC is the opportunity to take part in all of the amazing activities they have here, like all of the monuments and the Smithsonians. But one of our favorite activities has been to attend the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House.

I had never heard of this event until we moved out here. I couldn't believe it. We actually were able to go on the White House lawn, our kids got to roll an egg in an egg race, paint Easter eggs, see their favorite TV characters like Clifford, Dora, Barney, Max & Ruby, and see performers like Hannah Montana in their own personal concert. And if you were in the first group, get to see the President and his family welcome you to their home.

Getting tickets was an adventure by itself. My friends looked forward to camping out all night long in front of the White House, freezing their little tails off while they played games, chatted, got interviewed by news reporters and knowing come 7:00 a.m., they'd have their tickets for the great event.

Now, I'm not going to tell you I would camp out in freezing weather to get tickets to any event (maybe for an evening with Mr. Firth or Mr. Crowe) that's what Chris is for. So he'd go with all our friends, sleeping on the sidewalk all night long to secure tickets for us.

The year he had to work and couldn't camp out, no problem. I called a strapping young male to go sleep on the sidewalk and get my tickets. That year it snowed, so it was totally worth the money I paid him. (To this day the amount is unknown to Chris)

Well, this year things changed. They decided to distribute tickets online. This means people who live far from DC and probably won't be buying last-minute plane tickets to fly out here, or people trying to make a profit, can get tickets, which takes tickets away from people who will actually go, because they live close by, and who aren't trying to make money, and showed their enthusiasm and dedication for this event by sitting out all night in the cold to be able to attend.

I am very grateful that we did get to attend as many times as we did. And I'm grateful that my kids are old enough to have memories of going to the White House at Easter time. I'm especially grateful to Chris for being willing to stay out all night to get us tickets. I'm just hoping that it goes back to the way it used to be, so he and our friends have more opportunities to freeze their buns off while getting tickets to a great family memory.

Our first Easter Egg Roll

Atlantic City Adventure

2009-03-23T21:34:00.003-04:00

Growing up close to Vegas, my family would drive down the strip to look at all the casino lights. It was always the highlight of our trips driving through the desert from California to Utah, especially seeing the lit up waving cowboy.

So when Chris and I planned a trip to Atlantic City, I was envisioning a mini Las Vegas. I was a little wrong. It was smaller than I imagined and there were a lot of people walking around who were a little scary looking.
But once we were inside the hotels, it was very fun and entertaining. While walking around a casino, there was a fight between some macho men who got escorted out. Then it was unbelievable watching people bid $100 on one hand of 21 over and over again. When I'd see them winning, I wanted to scream at them to leave the table while they were ahead, but no one ever did.

We went to a comedy club that had some intoxicated people who wouldn't stop talking during the show. The comedian handled it really well. Telling them there were dozens of bars in the city they could go to and talk where there wasn't a comedian performing. They refused to hush, so as they got led out, the comedian had the crowd chant, "Na-na-na-na, hey, hey, goodbye."

We did manage to get out of the hotel though and walk on the boardwalk, see the beach, then get back inside where it was warmer to enjoy a buffet.

When we got home, the girls said they didn't want me to go away again. Alec said we could go away any time. I'm thinking we're going to have to go back to Atlantic City, because Reo Speedwagon is going to be playing there in a couple months.

Approval Denied

2009-03-17T22:41:00.006-04:00

After a day that consisted of taking down the testimony of a man who spoke in detail about his non-existent sex life, followed by a fast-talking doctor, I was not in the mood to create a Martha Stewart type meal for my hungry children. So I threw together what I thought were some tasty leftovers, fruit, and frozen appetizers.

My angelic children let me know how they felt about dinner as Sophia said, "What are we having for our real dinner?"

I explained to her that she was eating her real dinner. She looked down at her plate and said, "Miss Mendy would not approve."

Alec then chimed in, "She's right."

What?! My children are comparing my cooking to my Betty Crocker-cooking friend Mendy. Well, they're in for a lot of disappointment if they think I can bake or cook like she can.

As I was putting them to bed, Sophia asked if we could eat out tomorrow for dinner.

I think I'll make reservations now to make sure we can get our favorite table at Taco Bell.

Field Trip, Fun & Games

2009-03-14T22:52:00.011-04:00

This past few days have been filled with firemen, basketball and lots of calories.

I went to our local volunteer fire department with Selena's preschool. The kids were able to see the fire trucks, the kitchen, their big screen tv room, and their huge bedroom. The most exciting part of the trip was when an alarm started ringing and the men had to respond to a call. The loud ringing scared some of the kids, but not Selena. She and her friend Marlee wanted me to follow the truck so they could see a house on fire. Mendy let Chris and I intrude on her hot date with Michael. We joined them along with Corinne and Clint at Mimi's for dinner, dessert and stimulating talk about kids, friends and fascinating books Clint has read. We could've listened to him for hours -- or he could've talked for hours, I forget which:)Then we headed to Dave & Buster's where I miraculously beat everyone at a car racing game. Then with Chris on my team, beat Mendy & Michael at a basketball shooting game. I only bring this up because Mendy is so competitive and I'm not, so she usually wins when we play anything. I just wanted to point out a time when I was victorious, because it probably won't happen again.Chris & Michael's inner children came out as they had to be torn away from their zombie shooting game. And because we hadn't consumed enough calories that night, we headed off to Cold Stone and ate lots of ice cream.

The weekend was capped off with Alec's basketball award ceremony. He had a fun basketball season. His coaches were the best. We celebrated his season with a spicy lunch at Chipotle.

Happy 12th Birthday Alec!

2009-03-11T21:55:00.012-04:00

Ten years ago I made Alec a Teletubbie cake for his 2nd birthday. Today he is 12 and no longer likes the Teletubbies. Time has gone by so fast since my sweet Alec was born. He was the center of my universe for four years until I had another baby, so he was just a tad bit spoiled.

Today I took him shopping for new church clothes. He was not thrilled that that was his birthday shopping trip. He even complained to the cashier about his gift of white shirts and ties. The salesman agreed with him and said I hopefully also bought him video games. I assured him there were presents waiting at home too.

Alec has traveled to more places in his short life, than I have in my many, many decades -- mainly because his dad is a pilot and partly because we've driven from California to Maryland and toured many great states.

Alec visiting Hawaii

Alec at Newport Beach

Alec at a Seattle Mariner's game

Alec at Lake Havasu
The preteen years worry me, but looking at his baby pictures help remind me of the sweet baby he once was and how much I love him!

Swim & Ski

2009-02-28T19:25:00.031-05:00

Chris had a little time off from work, so we had to decide if we were going to spend the time cleaning the house or going on a trip. We decided to go to a ski resort at Massanutten where I tried skiing for the very first time -- more on that later in the post.
I loved this place, they had an amazing water park where the kids played for hours. We had to climb up what seemed like 500 steps before you got to the top of the water slide, but the kids thought it was worth it so they could hear me scream all the way down.

They had snow tubing, which was so fast and fun, but left your bottom a little sore. After Selena's first time down, she said she didn't want to go anymore. But she went up with me after I told her if she didn't go, I couldn't go either. Then she was addicted. She and Sophia loved it.

They had activities for kids all day long. They made tie-dye shirts, etched glass, made jewelry, painted snowmen, and made fleece hats. We attended a family-friendly comedian night and ate tons of appetizers. One night we left the kids at a science class and attended our first murder mystery dinner theater. It was a little corny, but we met some fun people and had a yummy dinner that included crab legs, chicken Alfredo, chocolate cake and cheesecake. Yes, we all gained weight this week.

The main attraction was the skiing though. Chris was already a pro and didn't need lessons. The rest of us however, had never stepped on skis in our lives, so we all took a class. The girls were in a Slope Sliders class with great instructors that taught them most of the day and served them hot chocolate and lunch. By the end of their first day of lessons, they were going down the hills like little pros. Sophia was fearless. After her lessons were over, she would go up the ski lift by herself, come flying down the hill, and go back up again.

Alec and I took a class together. After our first lesson, he graduated to the hill. He and another boy started skiing together. He even went on a more advanced hill with his friend and was off the rest of the day.

Selena and Chris went up and down the hill together. Selena loved flying down and as she explained to me, would come to a stop by making a pizza slice with her skis.

Now, I'll write about my skiing experience. I've been in a couple fender-benders in my life and remember how sore my muscles ached afterwards, well, that's how my body felt after falling down so many times. I had three instructors, all very patient. As one was leading me down the hill, a young boy was going too fast and crashed into us, which didn't help my confidence. After my instructor chastised the boy, we continued down. At times, I felt like I knew what I was doing. But whenever I picked up speed, I'd freak out and end up on the ground. That was basically my experience. After my first day, I swore I'd never get on skis again. But thankfully my second day was better. I had a different instructor that made a huge difference.

The kids loved the condo we stayed in, mainly because it had more tv's than we have in our home. They were in heaven as they sat on their beds changing the channels, watching shows late into the night.

It was a very fun vacation where we were able to swim and ski on the same day. Even though I'm very sore, I didn't break any bones. And the best part is that I have an excuse to get a massage later this week.

Family Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:46:00.006-05:00

This week I had to work a lot, so it was nice when the weekend came. Since Chris was on-call for Valentine's Day, we went out on Friday night. We tried a restaurant we'd never been to before, DuClaw, which had great food, then finally agreed on a movie. It was a tough decision, because the choices were a total chick flick, that would put Chris to sleep, or a slasher film that I'd have to close my eyes all the way through. We decided on a slightly suspenseful film that I could handle watching and could hold Chris' interest.

This morning Sophia made heart cards for everyone. She wrote a poem for me that said, "Roses are red. Violets are blue. Cheesecake is sweet, but not as sweet as you." She's such a sweetheart!

Chris never got called into work, so we took the kids out shopping. We went to furniture stores to look at beds for the kids. Selena found a bed with a canopy and asked us how we were going to get it home. She wasn't thrilled when we told her we weren't taking it home that day.

Then we all went out for a romantic Valentine dinner for five at our favorite Mexican restaurant. During dinner, Alec lost a tooth and I had to keep reminding him that while we were eating, it wasn't enjoyable to look at the gaping, bloody hole in his mouth that he kept showing us.

After dinner we headed off to find some snowsuits, since we're planning a trip to the snow next week. While we're all in our different sections looking for clothes, Selena kept grabbing shirts off the rack. I told her she needed to stop getting so many clothes. She looked at me and with a very serious face and said, "Mom, I'm a girl. Girls always get lots of clothes." Oh, man. I've created a monster. She's only five and already isn't satisfied with her wardrobe. I guess I can't blame Chris for this trait.

We had a successful shopping trip -- snowsuits for everyone, well, except for Chris. He was a little too big for any of them. Selena did not get to keep her ten shirts she picked out, but did get a cute coat and dress.

It was a fun Valentine's Day that included shopping, food, kids and new perfume, so now I can smell as sweet as cheesecake.

Fun & Games

2009-02-08T21:43:00.010-05:00

During my week of not working at all because of the sickies and other issues, I was able to squeeze in some movie watching time, mall time, hair salon time, girls bonding time and game time.

First, let me tell you, I have some great pictures of my friend Mendy getting her eyebrows done at the mall, but if I post them without her approval, I face her wrath so I won't do it. She got her eyebrows threaded, which made them look great and I can't wait to get mine done too. While she was getting gorgeous, I entertained our girls who just bought new clothes. They loved them and couldn't wait to model them right there in the mall. We ended our afternoon with lunch at Panera Bread and a ride on the carousel.

On Friday I helped my young friend Brenda celebrate her birthday. We went to Red,Hot & Blue where I tried a Hoochie Coochie Cajun cheeseburger -- so yummy! My friends said I ordered it just so I could say "Hoochie Coochie," maybe so.

Brenda is one of my sweet friends that I can never imagine her ever getting angry or raising her voice. She's always willing to help me when I need her and I know it's because she likes me and not just because she's assigned to me :)

But I must say, I was shocked to find out that she and her husband have never heard of the movie "Pretty in Pink," nor do they know who Molly Ringwald is! (I need to get older friends) I'm going to have to have them over for a movie marathon night of Brat Pack movies, whether they like it or not.

Saturday, Alec had a basketball game that went great for his team. Their coach was in an energetic/peppy mood, their assistant coach was looking good, and the team was in sync. They had an amazing game that was fun to watch and fun for them to play.

That night I left the kiddies with a sitter, a movie and a bowl full of M&M's as Chris and I headed off to Mendy's for game night.

Brenda thinks the only reason she was invited to Mendy's was so I could play "Loaded Questions" again -- so not true. But she did bring it and we had a blast playing it. You learn so much about people, like someone in the group went two weeks without bathing -- eww! Play time is now over and tomorrow it's back to work, but the break was fun while it lasted.

Did you know...

2009-02-03T18:06:00.005-05:00

Did you know that chips can catch on fire? How do I know this? Well, despite my better judgment of just having dinner delivered, I chose to actually attempt to make dinner for my children.

I decided to make them gourmet nachos. (If I add the word "gourmet" it makes it seem less trashy). I arranged the chips and chili on my heavy Pampered Chef pan, and then spread a ton of cheese all over. After it was melted to perfection, I tried to get the pan with just one hand -- mistake. The heavy pan and tons of nachos were too much for my weak wrist. I lost control and some nachos fell into the oven.

All of a sudden Sophia yells, "Fire!" Alec comes running in and said, "I got it." (He's a man, ready to solve everything). Selena comes and grabs my leg and says, "I'm scared."

I felt too stupid to be nervous. But when Sophia said, "I'll get some water," I decided I'd better take some action. I have a feeling if Chris came back from his trip and I had burned the kitchen up, he wouldn't be pleased. I told everyone to back off and just started blowing out the chips that were ablaze.

When the drama was over, the kids ate their nutritious nachos and I ended up with an oven that has a big mess in it. I did learn a valuable lesson though: Order take-out and avoid the drama, the mess and the work.

Birthday Fun

2009-01-31T23:10:00.010-05:00

Today my little red-head girl turned 8. She celebrated her birthday by having some girlfriends come over last night for a wild night of eating pizza, cake, candy, watching movies, making necklaces and eating M&M's and Starburst while dancing to the music of Miley Cyrus.
Today she spent the day decorating a book bag with fun iron-ons and making more jewelry. We took her to Olive Garden for dinner where she was in total heaven with the all-you-can-eat bread sticks. She's going to want to go back there again.

After dinner we went to visit friends. The kids played in the basement and the over 30 crowd played Loaded Questions (my favorite new party game) in the living room while passing around bowls of popcorn and a bag of M&M's.
Sophia is my sensitive drama queen. She'll be baptized this year, start attending activity days with girls at church, play school basketball, soccer and has been asking when she can have a cell phone. My sweet angel is growing up so fast.

Ready for School

2009-01-28T22:53:00.009-05:00

Don't let the title lead you to believe that I am in any way ready to return to school. It's just that I'm sooo ready for my little ones to get back to school after a scheduled day off of school and then two snow days. I've forgotten how much laundry is involved when they go out in dry clothes, come back in with wet clothes, and then just throw them all in the entryway.

They are loving being outside sledding with their friends and with their dad. I, on the other hand, am a wimp and have stayed indoors the past two days. We're planning a vacation to go skiing/tubing soon, so I guess I'd better toughen up and get ready to freeze and smile as I play in the snow.

Visiting DC

2009-01-22T22:19:00.014-05:00

This week my cousin Christina and her daughter Rachel came to the east from California. Rachel spent the week at inaugural events. Christina spent the week in New York buying up all the stores. They are now spending some time with us. Today Chris and I took them to DC. Here are some photos of our day.

Christina was as confused as I was when I showed her "the mall" and there were no stores, just grass between the monuments.

The highlight for Christina was seeing a motorcade coming from the White House that someone said was Michelle Obama. She loved all the motorcycles, black SUV's and flashing lights.

When we went to the Capitol, the water in front was mostly frozen, so Chris crossed it with Rachel. But it cracked every time they took a step. One lady's leg cracked through and she got all wet, but another man was actually ice skating. Christina and I stayed off the ice.

We took a break from visiting the Smithsonians to eat a gourmet meal of McDonald's. Walking in the mall was an experience because there were a ton of people demonstrating for Pro Life.

Christina wanted to try crab cakes, so after a long day at DC and after Alec's basketball game, we went to Ram's Head for dinner. She really enjoyed her first crab cake. It worked out perfectly as Christina and I ate our salads. I didn't eat my cherry tomatoes; she didn't eat her croutons. When we noticed each other's plates, I gladly ate her croutons for her and she gladly ate my cherry tomatoes. The kids loved dinner, especially the part when they dumped a bunch of sugars in a root beer, each took a sip and then gagged. Good times!

Emotional Ride

2009-01-20T19:39:00.006-05:00

When I hear news of a plane crash, my stomach drops and it feels like my heart stops as I listen for details of the airline, location and time of accident. Usually once I hear what airline it is and realize it's not Chris', I immediately calm down, although feeling terrible for the wives who realize it's their husband's flight. This week, however, I had about 10 minutes of hell of really not knowing.

My brother called me and told me about a US Airways plane crash. I felt numb because I knew Chris was flying at that moment, but I didn't know where he was exactly. I hung up with my brother and went on the internet to try to find out anything I could, but nothing had been posted yet. I think back now and wonder why I didn't just immediately try to call Chris, but I guess my brain wasn't working right or I was afraid he wouldn't answer.

Then my sister called and I couldn't even talk. She was so calm. She kept saying, "Tracy, calm down. You have to calm down." She told me what she knew and asked me where Chris was flying that day. I couldn't think. I couldn't remember. He was on the last day of a four-day trip. I did know he always flies out of LaGuardia. I knew that he was going to North Carolina at some point during the day, which didn't help when she told me that's where the plane was headed. At this point we didn't know that everyone survived, so I was assuming the worst.

Then I got a beep that I had another call. I could breathe again when I saw it was Chris calling me. I switched the call over and couldn't even talk. He said he had just landed in Phili and the crew there told them about the plane going down and that they should call their families.

I hated the feeling of not knowing and being so helpless. This time I couldn't receive comfort in the fact that it wasn't Chris' airline, because it was. It was also the Airbus he flies, the route he flies, and a time when he was in the air.

I've gone through scenarios in my mind of how I would handle myself if anything tragic did happen and I always imagined doing much better than I did. I always thought I would remain calm to protect my kids as long as possible, but that didn't happen. I couldn't stop crying. Poor Sophia knew it was about her dad from listening to my conversation with my brother and kept asking me what was going on. But I couldn't reassure her that everything was okay, because I didn't know.

Alec was amazing. We had two extra girls in our home we were watching and he took them and his sisters all out of the room, because he knew something was wrong and didn't want them watching my breakdown.

With Chris being furloughed for these past few years, I had forgotten about these emotional ups and downs that came when he was flying. I remember those feelings very clearly now. I have never been so grateful to see Chris walk through the door as I was that day. I've realized I can't plan for how I will react in that kind of situation, which I guess I should've known. I just hope it doesn't happen again.

Chris and Alec in 2000

Weekend of Visitors

2009-01-14T23:33:00.003-05:00

My friend Kiersten is on her way to Mexico with her husband for five days -- without children. Her children are currently sleeping in my house where they will spend 3 nights, then their grandparents will take them for the other 2 nights of Kiersten's trip. Bedtime was a hoot, as I listened to complaints about the bed not being comfortable, not being big enough, trips to the bathroom, drinks of water, washcloths to put on eyes, but finally everyone fell asleep with the promise that I would make them sausage and omelets in the morning.

Also this weekend my cousin from California is coming to stay with me. She is now basking in 90 degree weather and has no idea what 20 degrees feels like. I have a feeling she's in for a terrible shock. I'm very excited to see her though, because it's been many years. It'll be nice to see her in person instead of just on blogs or Facebook.

Her visit causes a bit of a dilemma for me though -- to what degree do I clean my house? You know, there's the kind of cleaning you do for visiting in-laws and the kind of cleaning you do for siblings and parents. If my sisters were coming, I'd wait for them to get here to help me clean. I really don't feel like doing the massive cleaning for her. I don't think she'd mind some clutter, so I'm putting her in the sister category so I won't get stressed.

It's going to be an exciting few days around here. I think I'm going to have to break my making dinner every night streak and let our visitors enjoy some fast food. I made it 14 days though! Plus I was getting "We want you back" letters from McDonalds and Taco Bell, so it's time for a visit.

Weekend of Temptation

2009-01-11T23:22:00.004-05:00

I had been doing so well with not eating junk all week and then the weekend came. Because Chris has very huge feet and can't find shoes in regular department stores, we spent Friday night at Casual Male shopping for new shoes for him. After he tried on what seems like 100 pairs of shoes, he finally found two pairs. And since we were out, we went to a Mexican restaurant where I encountered my first temptation of the weekend -- chips, salsa and flautas. Then we went to a friend's house to play games where they thankfully had mint flavored chocolate, which I can't stand, so at least I didn't consume any of that. I just stuck to the popcorn.

Saturday was spent at a girlfriend's birthday luncheon with fancy sandwiches and a chocolate fondue dessert. That evening was another night out with friends at Outback. My poor friend Mendy had been craving their chocolate cake drizzled with a raspberry sauce. She nearly blew a gasket when the waitress told her they discontinued her cake. So she drowned her sorrows in cheese fries and a dessert platter. I found comfort in a chicken quesadilla and some of Chris' peanut butter pie.

Then tonight the Golden Globes award show was on, so of course I had to have friends over and serve treats, which consisted of peanut M&M's, cheesy Chex Mix and Turtles chocolates. I did have a bag full of caramel Treasures, but the kids found those last night and emptied the bag, which is probably a good thing for my waistline.

So you can see this weekend it was totally impossible for me to not give into the temptation of all that food I was around. The next few days I'll have lots of work and kids to take care of, so I should do a lot better in resisting those things I love, but that I should avoid. Let's hope so anyway.

Confessions From The Closet

2009-01-05T23:25:00.004-05:00

So far this year (yes, 5 days) I've actually stuck to ways I'm trying to be better. I haven't been through a drive-thru of any fast food chain since I've been back in Maryland. This may not seem like a big deal, but for me it is. For me to make dinner as opposed to getting take-out or have something delivered doesn't happen that often. I even managed to go shopping at the mall without buying my kids dinner at the food court. They couldn't understand what was happening. It was like being in the Twilight Zone for them. I assured them I would feed them when we got home.

I've even managed to dust off my treadmill and ab machine, which I've used the last 5 days. I've lost a pound and a half (yes, those half pounds are a big deal) and I'm trying not to eat so much.

I also decided I had to get my closet organized since I had some new clothes to put away from my trip. The rack in my closet started to rip away from the wall, so I decided it was time to get rid of some things. After a few hours of going through my wardrobe, I've come to the conclusion that I need a bigger closet. I can no longer fit both summer and winter clothes in it at the same time. So I put away my capris and shorts so I could actually see my pants and sweaters.

I was hoping to be done putting my clothes away before Chris came home, but he walked in the bedroom when my clothes were all over the bed and said, "Holy crap!"

He said I should be able to go at least three years without buying any new clothes. I'll admit that I don't need any new clothes, but needing and wanting are two different things.

I didn't realize how much I had until I started counting. I have 34 dresses, 37 skirts, 22 pairs of jeans, 11 shrugs and I didn't count my blouses and sweaters, because frankly, I didn't have that much time.

I will try to control my spending habits better this year. However, I already promised myself that black dress I've been coveting the last few months if I got to a certain weight and I have 4 lbs to go, then I can buy it. But that will be it for awhile -- I think.

In the meantime, I'm very excited to see the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie next month. I think I'll drag Chris to it so he can see that it could be worse.

Christmas On New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T13:49:00.009-05:00

We're back home. We had an uneventful flight home, which was great. There were plenty of seats leaving Vegas on New Year's Eve, so we all sat together. When we arrived home, the kids found all the presents that Santa didn't take to California. They were very excited to have a second Christmas. Selena got her pink guitar, so she could rock out to Disney princess music; Sophia got her big doll; and Alec got an IOU for a new bike and a video game that keeps him in a zombie-like state for hours.

Chris and I said we weren't going to buy gifts for each other this year, which usually I will break the agreement and buy him something anyway. But this year I listened to him and didn't buy him anything. So what does he do? He decides to buy me a new video camera -- which was a total surprise. I'm very grateful, but also have learned that I will buy him something even when he says "no gifts this year."

Since the kids were still on west coast time, we let them stay up and watch the ball drop in Time Square, which they thought was the greatest thing. Chris and I didn't go to a party, since he had to get up and fly at 5:30 in the morning. I'm sure the passengers are grateful he slept instead of going out.

Our New Year has started out with Selena throwing up, Alec
playing his video game, Sophia on the computer with her Webkinz, Chris flying to Florida, and me sitting around in my robe. I hope Selena gets better or our weekend won't be much different.

Visiting my Grandma Grace. She's the grandma we lived by when I was young and the one I have the most memories with. She made the best peanut brittle and was always so patient.

Our last moment with grandma and grandpa. It was so great spending Christmas with family. My sweet mom loved it and understood that we'd be back to see her in the summer, which made saying goodbye easier.

Family & Friends

2008-12-29T03:29:00.007-05:00

We've been making our rounds to visit friends & family while we're here. We went to see Chris' grandmother, who is as feisty and fun as ever. She'll be 90 on her next birthday and is in great shape for her age.

Then we saw Chris' high school friends, which consists of them reminiscing of their party days and me thinking that they wouldn't have even talked to me in high school, because I would've been way too boring. We ate at Claim Jumper which was so yummy. I've missed their huge portions that I used to enjoy when I was in college. Then we stayed up until 2:00 in the morning playing card games. I went to sleep, but Chris and his buddy stayed up until 4:00 a.m. catching up on each other's lives.

Christmas morning, we hurried and opened presents because I had to drive Chris to the airport. Vacation time is over for him and he had to get back to work. My sister's girls got Rock Band from Santa. My kids played it the whole time. It was so funny hearing Sophia belt out "Living on a Prayer." My sister also had a dog that Selena couldn't get enough of. She would play with her all day. For a second I thought I might buy her a dog, because she looked so happy when she was with her.

Later in the week I was able to see my girlfriend from high school. We had lunch at our high school hangout -- Del Taco. We caught up on our families and old high school friends/flames which is always fun.

Then I hit the road with my parents to drive to Vegas. The road trip was very entertaining. My dad and I argued over who was going to drive. He didn't want me to drive because he said I was distracted with the kids, looking in my purse, changing the radio. He doesn't understand that I've learned to multi-task as a working mother.

I didn't want him to drive because -- well, he's old and he can barely remember my name. But I conceded and let him take the wheel.

Traffic was terrible and we were at a stand-still for a majority of the time. But that gave us the opportunity to observe grown men standing on the side of the road with headlights shining on them, peeing in the dirt. No, they didn't even try to hide themselves -- they were standing right there, in plain view of the thousands of motorists on the I-15 freeway. I wanted to take their picture, but we weren't moving and I didn't want them to come to our car and yell at me for photographing their not-so-private moment. Selena thought I said that I had taken their picture, so she kept asking if she could see the picture on our digital camera. I had to explain that the moment was gone and I didn't get the shot -- maybe next time.

Home For The Holidays

2008-12-23T00:12:00.015-05:00

Sunday night we had a fun family dinner, with what seems like 100 children screaming and running around. We exchanged family gifts -- everyone gave a board game; the children sang Christmas songs; we read Christmas stories; and ate a ton. I told my sisters I was taking pictures of us together -- and one of my grumpy sister's said no. I assumed it was because her hair was all over the place and was in desperate need of a brush. After a lot of pleading, she put some color on her lips, fixed her hair and let me take pictures.
We had a marathon shopping spree for a couple of days. I love shopping with my sisters, because we are brutally honest with each other. I tried on one blouse that my sister picked out for me because she said, "This looks like you." Then after I tried it on she said, "That looks good now, but when you gain weight it's going to be too snug." Well, I don't plan on gaining that much, so I bought it.

We were at Mervyn's where I loved to shop when I lived in California, but was so disappointed to see they are going out of business. Everything was 70% off the first day we went, then 80% percent off the next day. It really was heaven as were walking through the store getting such great deals. When we left the store the first time, my receipt said, "You saved $299.00." Then on the second day, I saved over $300. I would go back again, but the store is practically empty at this point. My sisters and I were out of control in there. I don't think Chris will move me back to California any time soon, because he thinks I would shop constantly and eat constantly -- and he's probably right.
Then we also went to the outlet mall where once again, I felt like I was in the middle of the Shopaholic series. As we walked into Banana Republic, my sister and I went crazy. They had $50 shirts for $9.99. I found a $60 dress for $17. When we got home, I realized there's no way all of the stuff I bought is going to fit into my two carry-on bags -- oops. So I'm going to have to ship a box back home. I think I'm done buying myself Christmas presents.

It's been a great few days. My mom is loving having all the grandkids around, even when Selena goes into her room first thing in the morning to kiss her good morning. We tried to get my mom to go see "Home For The Holidays," which was a very funny movie, but she wouldn't go. Hopefully before I leave, she'll agree to go out with us. In the meantime, she's loving all the cuddling.

Trying To Leave On A Jetplane

2008-12-19T17:09:00.003-05:00

Alec and I had quite the adventure trying to get on an airplane to come out west. All the flights we tried to get on were oversold, but we had to try because Chris and the girls were already gone. We left our house at 4:30 in the morning on Thursday and drove to DC, which for me is quite an accomplishment. We didn't make it on a 7:30 flight, because it was full. But we had better luck with an 8:30 flight to Vegas. We actually got on the plane and were seated.

The man next to me even gave up an aisle seat to go sit in a middle seat so Alec and I could sit together. I didn't even ask him, he just volunteered, which was so sweet. So Alec and I were waiting and waiting for the plane to leave, when the pilot finally gets on the intercom and says, "We are over weight for takeoff. The 5 non-revs need to exit the plane." Which meant the five of us that were on the plane flying for free, could not stay on. It was a major disappointment to say the least, especially since they could not get my luggage off the plane, so it went to Vegas without me.

The next flight we tried to get on was full. I even left DC and tried to fly out of Baltimore, but that flight was full too.

So Thursday night, Alec played in his basketball game and helped his team win by getting some great rebounds. My friend Kim told her son Skylar how we got kicked off the plane because it was too heavy. And he said, "Ms. Tracy was the biggest one?" Yes, he thought because I was too big, we got kicked off -- nice.

So Friday morning we got up once again at an outrageously early hour and headed down to DC. Getting ready was a lot of fun since my makeup bag was in my suitcase in Vegas, so I had to scrounge around for something to put on my face.

Getting the first flight was a no-go. Alec at this point is just ready to go home and spend the week of Christmas with just the two of us. But we tried the Vegas flight at 8:30 again. It was oversold by six seats, and there were two people ahead of us going standby also. So we had to have eight people not show up to get on. I was praying the whole time as I watched the nearly 200 passengers boarding the plane.

Then they told all the leftover waiting passengers to come down the jetway and they might have seats for us. They were counting the empty seats and it was going to be close. Then a flight attendant says, "I have four seats, let's go." Alec and I were number 5 and 6 in line. Argh! But our disappointment only lasted a moment because a few seconds later another worker came back and said, "I have two more in back, you're on."

We were so happy, and just hoping this time we actually got to stay on. The weight this time was fine, and we were able to take off. I'll have to tell Kim to let her son Skylar know that this time the plane actually got off the ground despite my weight.

Alec was seated next to an older couple. I found an empty seat next to two very jovial, loud women. Apparently one had already started drinking before we got on the plane -- remember, it was an 8:30 a.m. flight. Whenever the pilot would mention Las Vegas over the intercom, these women would clap and cheer loudly. They drank multiple beers throughout the flight, weren't afraid to throw profanity into their conversations, and played a word game that wasn't exactly rated G. They were nice to me and we even shared magazines. They gave me their Cosmo to read -- which I have never bought before. And holy cow, was it an eye-opener. I learned quite a bit from those articles.

At one point one of them came back from the bathroom and noticed her friend's underwear sticking out of her pants as she was leaning over looking out the window, so she decided to give her a wedgie, which she had to lean over me to do. It was very entertaining.

When it was time to get off the plane, a man came up to me and as he gestured to the women next to me said, "Six hours of that, I feel so sorry for you." The women either didn't notice or didn't care that he just insulted them.

But honestly, I was just grateful to get on the plane and I was very, very grateful that I sat next to them and Alec didn't. Because he would've totally learned some new words and witnessed some serious alcohol consumption.

My sister Susana picked me up and we went straight to Jack-in-the-Box so I could get my yummy, greasy tacos. When we arrived at my parents home, there were homemade tamales waiting for us. It was quite an adventure getting out here, but totally worth it seeing how happy my mom was when she saw us.

My dad and just a few of his rambunctious grandchildren. My sister and I thought my dad looked like he was ready to chop some wood with his flannel shirt and fancy suspenders.

You're So Vain

2008-12-17T21:55:00.006-05:00

In keeping with the song theme, I was reminded of the Carly Simon song "You're So Vain" as I had the following experience with Mendy:

Mendy: Let me take our picture together. (Holds the camera out in front of us)

Tracy: No, wait. You're too close. Our faces will look fat. (As I'm speaking, she snaps the picture)

Mendy: Ha! Look at your face! (Her digital camera shows a picture of her looking pretty with a perfect smile. My face is distorted, looking stressed, mouth open as I was in the middle of speaking)

Tracy: You have to delete that!

Mendy: No, way. I think I'll post it on Facebook and my blog. (Does her evil laugh)

Tracy: Don't you dare! You delete it now!

Mendy: No. Just let me have one picture where I look better than you. (evil laugh again)

As Mendy is looking down at her camera, contemplating how many places she can post this unflattering picture of me, Chris snaps a picture of her with my camera. Let's just say the photo of her broke her one-chin rule when appearing in photos.

Tracy: Oh, look at the picture Chris took of you. Oh, look what happens when I zoom in on you. (She observes that I now have an unflattering shot of her)

Mendy: Oh, !@*#%^! Okay, I'll delete your picture and you delete mine. (We both put our fingers on our delete buttons)

Mendy & Tracy: 1, 2, 3, delete. (We both push delete with great relief)

Then Mendy takes another shot of us, which we both approve of for postings.

There are so few things we have control of in life, but having a bad picture posted of us, shouldn't be one of them.

I'm sure Mendy might have a different version of the events, but that's how I remember it happening. Oh, yes, this all took place at our church Christmas party, so I guess I'll post some pictures of the children now -- who always manage to take great photos.

Alec played Joseph in the program. Sophia was a shepherd. Selena was an ox.

If You Leave Me Now...

2008-12-15T22:58:00.004-05:00

When I was in high school, I loved the song by Chicago that went, "If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me." Well, today I thought of that song once again as I said goodbye for the first time to my little girls. I have never been separated from them for more than one night. But today they got on an airplane with their daddy to start their Christmas vacation early.

The girls were so excited to go visit "tickle" grandpa in New Mexico and didn't even mind getting up at 5:30 a.m. I didn't think it was affecting me until I hugged them goodbye and the tears started flowing -- my tears. Selena is like her dad, happily said goodbye. Sophia is so much like me and started to cry when she saw me losing it. But I sucked it up fast because I didn't want to upset her. I hugged her and told she was going to have so much fun.

I got in the car and the tears came again. My stomach actually hurt because I felt so anxious that I wasn't going to be with them. I came home and got emotional when I walked by their empty bedroom. I know Chris will take good care of them. How could he not after I gave him a ton of instructions on which lotion goes on which girl, which toothpaste they each prefer, keep them warm, and I just pray they get their hair combed at least one day while they're away from me. They arrived safely to falling snow.

I thankfully had two jobs today to keep my mind occupied. I didn't even mind that my doctor depo went 5 hours instead of the scheduled one hour, so I didn't have the chance to get emotional again. Alec and I did some Christmas shopping tonight, bought our Christmas cards, and ate cheeseburgers.

Tomorrow will be hard when I wake up and don't have the girls coming in my bed, fighting over who gets to touch my neck and cuddling with me. But I'll be with them soon and I hope I remember this feeling of missing them terribly, so I'll be more patient when I'm with them.

16 Year Anniversary

2008-12-12T23:50:00.006-05:00

Today Chris and I celebrated 16 years of fantastic, sometimes frustrating, years of marriage. We spent the day eating, shopping and attending a friend's birthday party. We had lunch at Red, Hot & Blue, dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (yummy avocado egg rolls) then shopped at the mall. I hadn't bought one Christmas present, but finally started tonight.

Then we headed off to our friend's 40th birthday party at a restaurant/bar. Normally the parties we go to aren't quite like this one was, considering I actually got carded before I was allowed in. But my goodness, it certainly was an entertaining crowd. It was fun watching all the inebriated people dancing to Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me." The birthday boy, who had a few drinks and was very happy & friendly, actually got me out on the dance floor, which I haven't been on in years. I also got a fancy drink -- a root beer float.

It was great that Chris & I were able to spend the whole day together, considering he was on-call, but didn't get called in.

Oh, and where were the kids? Thanks to great friends, they all had sleepovers tonight. I didn't even have to ask, Mendy just volunteered to take the girls. And Alec was at Jared's house, his second family. The house is so quiet, it's kind of strange, but we will enjoy sleeping in.

Middle School Madness

2008-12-10T23:15:00.006-05:00

I was very nervous about Alec starting middle school -- him being mixed in with 7th and 8th graders did not thrill me. I worried about evil kids influencing my sweet boy, and loose little girls trying to corrupt him. Well, seems like my worrying was justified.

We have only finished one quarter of school and I've had enough drama for all of his school years.

Leaving out the gory details, Chris and I had to meet with a counselor at 7:30 in the morning the other week because of a bad decision Alec had made. I went in with my sweats, sweat shirt, no makeup, and looking just lovely. Alec said, "Are you going like that?" I told him if I had to go in, that's how I would look, all natural. I was not getting up that early to put on makeup and do my hair for a bunch of middle school kids. He understands that if there's any more incidents at school, I will join him in his classes with a look that will scare his classmates and teachers, so he better behave. I mean, my own father told me, "You're just one of those girls who need makeup," so I know I look scary when I try the natural look.

Then there's the whole hormone thing starting. There are already girls calling the house for him. He's 11 years old! There's no way I can sit there and listen to him chat with girls already. I've kind of put a stop to it, which didn't exactly make him happy.

The latest bit of drama we had was a girl at his school started a fire in the bathroom, so the whole school got evacuated and sent home early. They're charging this girl with arson. I feel so badly for her parents and can imagine the pain they're going through.

I've always said I could never home school, and honestly I can't. His homework is so hard, that I know I could never teach him all he needs to know, but it would be nice to keep him from all the mayhem that goes on in middle school. I just hope I can get through these years without having to take special pills to keep me sane -- right now my Excedrin and weekend dates help a lot. I just hope the rest of the school year is uneventful, but I doubt it.