So.. I am sitting here watching out the window...

waiting for my eldest to come home! Steven is at his first paying job! He is babysitting tonight! He was mostly excited, but disappointed to be gone during the Camp Rock sing-a-long. We are tivo-ing it watch when he gets home. He is babysitting for my friend, her son is 6. Her daughter is out of town with her grandparents... so just the one kiddo... I can hardly believe my baby is old enough to babysit?


Edit by Steven:
I had a great time babysitting. Jacob and I played Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii. Another awesome thing is I got $20. WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love babysitting

Sleepovers...

Well it's Thursday again! My mom & I had book club tonight and then she came and took the boys home with her.
Logan decided to join in the fun and he was dropped off a bit earlier tonight. I wanted to capture this image of them, backpacks
on, ready to go... don't they look excited? If not, it's because I was taking a picture, not because of the sleepover I am sure.

Well I am off to finish my homework for my Healthy Ways class ... gotta be there bright & early in the morning........

Frozen pizza just isn't worth it....Update

Steven was making frozen pizza for he & Jack for lunch. When it was time to take it out -they tried each grabbing one side with a potholder. Their co-ordinated effort failed and Steven got burnt trying to stop the cookie sheet from falling. It is right in between his fingers and looks like it hurts ! So he is soaking it in water right now to stop the pain and then we'll wrap it. Jack is trying to help him...clearing his plate, getting his water bowl downstairs and getting a stool to put the bowl on while he lays on the couch. He feels bad that Steven is hurt and is really doing his best to be helpful.

That's it for now --I have to go watch The Mole with them now.

So Steven had read and approved this message.. He wanted to add that it hurt REALLY, REALLY bad for about 2 hours... but now it's ok. Still hurts to touch, but not intense pain like before. He also wanted me to add this close up......

Smoke......

So I posted this morning that we had to stay inside yesterday -today was another day of it. We actually had ash blowing in our air for a while this morning.... Steven's baseball practice was cancelled for tonight (which is good since I wouldn't have let him go)....still no pool or outside activities for us. Today the boys went to the movies with Grandma & Papa to see Shrek 3... then home and they played video games together most of the day. They like playing MVP Baseball on the Playstation and making their seasons against each other. Jack took a few breaks to read and play quietly upstairs....then he went to play at a friends for a while. Of course now he & Mikey (the friend) are back over here for a sleepover....and they are all playing the video game now.

So I thought I would go outside and see if I could get the smoke to show up in a picture. The first picture is from my driveway with the sun behind me --so it is still somewhat "bright" looking. The next is looking up without the sun behind me -more a true picture of what the sky looks like --white.-gray.. no blue, just gray-white as far as the eyes can see.

Here's hoping for better air tomorrow!


Here is what the local paper said:
Smoke from a large wildfire northwest of Fairfield and other blazes around Northern California continued to choke the skies around Sacramento on Monday, leading authorities to remind those with asthma and other respiratory problems to avoid the outdoors if possible.
The smoke was the result of scores of separate wildfires -- more than 800 as of Monday -- that flared over the weekend across the heart of wine country and remote forests. Many of the blazes were sparked by lightning.

Family Movie Night...The Karate Kid

.

So last night we had family movie night. I couldn't resist the urge to snap this photo as the movie was starting. We watched The Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio.... I forgot how much I laughed during that movie! It was truly funny when he had him washing the car, painting the fence, painting the house, sanding the floor -the kids wondered (out loud) over and over again what that had to do with Karate?

It was a nice way to end the day... we had to stay inside due to the smoke in the air from all the fires.... so no pool, no basketball, no bike rides.. nothing for us. Jack did go to karate and he is doing well with his kata. We picked up a new gi as his has gotten so small....

I guess that's really all for now! Have a happy day!

Wht a difference 5 years makes... where did the time go?

Boys 8-2003

3-2003

3-2008


I was looking back at pictures today and came upon these... I can't believe how much they've grown and changed. Not just physically, but individually and as brothers. After 2003 there was quite a while where their interests just didn't match. Jack wanted to do everything his big brother did... Steven wanted Jack to just back off. Now we are back to where we were --they play together almost all the time, they choose to spend time together (most of the time) they have similar interests.... I see now it is a big circle and we've come around... for now. I am sure we are about to hit another trip around .. but for now I will just enjoy it.

I also was struck by how much I liked having ALL my photo's from those years right here. Of course they are backed up in case of computer malfunction.. but I am spoiled now by digital camera technology. I wish all my photo's from before 2002 were there too -but they are still in negative format in boxes... so happy for the move forward in technology!

Hope you are all having a relaxing weekend... we are.
S

Family thoughts

Today we went to see Ciera play softball. It is so different than baseball and I am still
learning the nuances of the game. I love to watch her play. She is so full of energy and
focus, with a touch of her father's nervous energy thrown in. You can see her love of the
game in every throw of the ball.... her heart is really into it...and it shows.


So I wanted to write about family and that was the perfect lead in. You don't get to choose them. You get what you get... right? Some of us just get lucky. I am amazed sometimes is the pull I feel towards both her and Logan. They tend to be shy at first and warms up over longer periods of time. Unfortunately we don't get to spend those long periods of time together very often ... not like when the kids were young. Now all 4 of them have their own friends, sports, school... lot's of things to keep them busy. It's just not as easy as it was and I miss that.

I miss the days of weekly family dinners. Just hanging out, being a part of each other's lives. I enjoyed that feeling of closeness and knowing that I would see everybody that day and relief of the pressure of "keeping in touch."

Keeping in touch......How do you know how close is too close? How do you know how often to call or even what to say? Knowing everyone has things to do and not alot of time... what is the right amount of contact? Where does it cross the line into "being nosy" to ask questions. How much should you volunteer and what do you wait to be asked.

Growing up we lived a long away from our families... most of the relatives being in the North East and us in Germany, the South and eventually California. It was a unique bond (I think) we formed with our aunts, uncles and cousins... one based on almost yearly visits ...yet when we were together -you knew everyone and felt comfortable. It was a relaxed, joyful time when we were together (speaking from a kids perspective). There were updates when we were apart ...Mom would tell me what she heard from Gram or her siblings... but I didn't speak to my cousins between visits.. yet I always felt welcomed and part of the group when I got there. It is a tradition that carries into today, only now my Mom is the source... and although I try to be better with contact (and blog posts) nowadays. Our web with each other was drawn thru Gram ... our mothers told her, she told them and everyone knew what was going on. Now my mom keeps my kids filled in on what she knows of the cousins their age.... a cycle that doesn't seem to end.

I guess that colored my way of thinking. I see family as an absolute. Always there. Happy to see you when they see you... aware of you when they don't. Loving you either way. I take that into my life as an adult. I feel that connection with some friends and family.

Jonathan's sisters and their families are in Colorado and we haven't seen them in 2 years. We miss them. We think about them. We talk about them. We wonder what happens in their daily and weekly lives -how are their days different from ours? Are they playing sports? Do they have a hobby they are passionate about? Do they know we think about them and we care as much as we do. The answer, sadly, is probably not. We need to do more to keep the contact going...

Not everyone has the same view of family and connections that I do. It makes me sad to think that they may not know how much we care. That not every family functions the way mine did. See that is what I didn't realize until recently --there are lots of people out there who feel let down by their families and don't communicate it -they just let it go and eventually there is no communication at all. Then what do you do? No one wants to make the first move --so time passes. As time passes, people grow apart, they no longer feel that connection and then what? Where do you go from there? Before you know it -nobody knows anything about anyone and is afraid to ask.

I wonder how my life and iteractions would be different if we had email growing up? Myspace and Facebook? All those friends from summer camp -might still know them. Friends from different bases... could still be in contact. The kids from Lowell -I have found a few and a few have found me. It's a start. The world has changed so much in such a short span of time.. my kids have so many options for "keeping in touch" and I hope that I can encourage them to put that technology to good use. We can now send letters, thank you's and thoughts with the touch of a button -yet our communication with other's seems to be at an all time low.

So I have set another goal..... I am going to make an effort to email someone every week that I haven't talked to in a while. To stay in touch...I may even have to use the telephone..there's a thought....

As promised... green smoothies.

Our new favorite treat ... green smoothies. The boys LOVE them. They want one everyday and with 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of veggies in the 15 oz size .. why not incorporate the health with a milkshake taste. Ours are actually healthy -or so my dietician says! I got the recipe from a friend online and we gave it a try...

the recipe....

1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup water
1/4 OJ (we use pine-orange-banana juice)
1/2 banana
2 cups spinach
any other serving of fruit you want

Blend on liquify. You can also add protein powder or flaxseed and you won't taste it.

The smoothies above is the recipe doubled -feeds all 3 of us! Todays smoothie was peach (with skins on) banana. Jack's favorite smoothie is peach bannana blueberry and Steven's is strawberry bannana.

Steven says (and I quote) "they look really gross, but the look isn't the same as the flavor. they rock!"
Jackson says (also a direct quote) "they're good. They look disgusting, but are very, very, very yummy."

So try one and let us know what you think!

Cousins

We spent the morning with my sister in law, Marisa, and my
nephew Iain. She brought donuts to start the day. Then we headed to the park. I was trying to get some good pictures for her of Iain, who is 2. Here are a couple shots I took of all 3 of them. The boys had so much fun playing, walking and interacting with
him at the park. Then we came back to our house for green smoothies. They are our current addiction! In fact they may deserve their own post tomorrow!

What a great time we had:)

The hard stuff...

Sometimes being a parent just isn't easy. Knowing that kids grow into adults, you want to prepare them for the real world. And let's face it -the real world isn't fair. In fact, sometimes it really stinks.
As children grow we want to insulate them, protect them from being hurt and prevent seeing that disappointed look on their faces. In doing so, we aren't doing them any favors, trust me, this I know. Sometimes, though, I can't help it.

There is nothing worse for me than seeing my kids hurt, upset or in pain (except maybe vomit -which I can't be near).... However much I know that they will face disappointments in life, I am an etermal optomist and I hope it will be later rather than now.

So they reason for my ramble... Steven did not make the All Star team. He was one of 5 kids cut in the final round. He was disappointed, sure. What really got him though was the sense of injustice - why was that kid picked? Kids who had superb tryouts and seasons were cut. Kids who had awful tryouts and seasons were picked. He has trouble wrapping his brain around that. He tried being brave, saying it's really ok- but he was disappointed, that was evident.

So, real life lesson learned. Sometimes being picked (or not) for the team has absolutely nothing to do with you. There are adults making the final decisions and sometimes those adults are stacking the deck in the favor of someone else. That is life. It isn't right or fair -but it happens.

The good news is ... he still has baseball left to play as tournament season is just starting. He is very excited to be able to play with his friends in tournament ball.

He is able to see that practices 4-5 days a week in 100 degree heat might not be too fun. Plus there is no minimum play time in All Stars ... so some kids could sit...a bunch. Better to not be that kid if you know what I mean.

So here I sit at 10:47 p.m. ....awake ..... sad for my kid ... but happy that he is learning such an important life lesson with grace and dignity .. he is a good kid and a great baseball player -they don't know what they are missing.

Can't forget Grandma!

Today the boys are headed to the movies to see Nancy Drew with Grandma. The summer free movies are one of our
favorite things... totally FREE... well except for the popcorn. Sometimes I go, sometimes Grandma goes and sometimes both of us go -movie fanatics that we are. I believe Logan & Ciera are also going today...it will be nice to see them!

I am not staying for the movie today as I need to get to the grocery store and buy necessities (bread, milk, etc). It gets so hot here in the afternoons --we don't like to go out then if we don't have to. Today should only be about 96 degree's....

Steven has round 2 of his All Star tryouts tonight... keep a happy thought for him! He is super excited about making it thru the original cut from 70 or so to 18. We should know late tonight the final results.

Yesterday I let the boys go to the community pool by themselves. I mean, I went with them... we talked about where to put their stuff and I stayed for the first 1/2 hour..then they stayed by themselves for a little more than an hour before they called to ask me to pick them up! Another giant leap forward...but I felt like crying for some reason?

So here are a dew pictures from the weekend of Grandma and the boys.

Pools OPEN! at Grandma's house

After dinner on Saturday we went back to my folk's so the boys could swim. They got underwater skateboards from Grandma as a reward for good report cards and they wasted no time learning how to use them. The boys seem like they are never happier than when they are in the water. They stay in there for hours at a time...I wish I had a pool at home, but maybe someday. We are looking forward to a nice, relaxing summer with many days/evenings spent by the pool at Grandma's. We especially like the "papa"sicles that Papa always has on hand to enjoy by the pool.

Happy Fathers Day!

Well it's Father's Day again. What a great time of year to celebrate my dad. We celebrated last night with dinner at Red Lobster and then the kids swam and we hung out while the Giants game was on. I think he liked his gift too (the cashews).

What can I say about my dad? He is honest, sincere and reliable. He is someone I admire very much. I hope that I can be more like him every year. I appreciate that he is there for me and my kids -anytime, anything we need and we can turn to him. For years he picked up the boys one day a week after school when I was working...I think they miss that (he & the boys).

I love you daddy! Happy Father's Day!~!!!!!!

We now have 4th & 7th graders!

Today was the last day of school for both boys. They came home
excited about summer and ready for a break. It was bittersweet for me
as Jackson is moving into the "big" time... next year he will have letter
grades! No more kids in the primary grades... it's all uphill from here.

Steven did extremly well.... 4 A's and 1 B... which is a 3.8 GPA and fantastic!
He is a bit bummed as his B was in Language Arts and his grade was 89.48 --
so close to being a A... but not close enough.

Jackson got all Outstandings and pluses.. meaning he passed the standards!
We need to work on solving word problems using two or more operations -that
was the only thing he needed improvement on.

So now on to summer! Jackson is looking forward to spending time at the aquatic
center, sleepovers at grandma & papa's and playing with his friend Mikey. Steven
is excited about sleeping in, playing tournament baseball and having sleepovers with
Grandma & Papa.

Some days you just feel blessed.

So yesterday started normally...got the kids off to school, went with my friend to drop off her car and get her eyes dilated (she needed a ride), went to breakfast.... I was feeling kinda queasy the whole time, but thought it might have something to do with not eating enough. After my healthy ways class I started logging what I was eating with a goal of 1800-2000 calories per day -but found I was eating only 1400-1600 over the weekend... So I dropped her off around 10:30 (across the street) and thought maybe I would go take a nap.

That's when the full-blown stomach flu hit! I was in bed, couldn't move except to go to the bathroom from then until this morning. It was awful!!!

Jonathan and the kids were great -they kept checking on me... bringing me fresh ice water because room temperature water wasn't working for me. Around 6 p.m. I wanted jello -not sure why as I don't normally eat jello... so the boys hopped on their bike/scooter and rode down to the grocery store to buy me some jello. Of course they stopped at Baskin Robbins too.. When they got home and brought me the jello with a spoon I ate it right up. It was so good and made me feel much better. Steven kept taking my temperature and brought me a cold washcloth to put on my head.

Being sick stinls. However I was impressed with how caring & compassionate my family was when I wasn't feeling well. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family!

Every morning this is what I see...

See the school year started great! We decided over the summer that Steven's 2 friends, Josh & Dillon would be dropped
at our house about 7:30 a.m. so they could all walk to school together. They live too far away to walk and we are just down the street from the school.... plus Josh's brother is dropped at his grandparents a few blocks away -so it was on the way for his mom. So the first few weeks were great.. the kids arrived, piled out of the van and headed to school on foot.

Then they started coming later ...7:32, 7:34 and later 7:38 a.m. This stressed Steven out as school starts at 7:50 and it is a few minutes to walk as they have to go up 1/2 block to the crosswalk, then back down to the school... Josh kept saying it was Justin's (his brother) fault he couldn't get up & ready in time.. I must say -I can't blame him!

See I sit at my computer, looking out the front window, watching for them as I drink my coffee. That way he grabs his stuff and goes, instead of waiting for them to get out, ring the doorbell, make the dog go crazy, etc. I noticed around January that every day Steven got into the van.... thinking Stephanie was just being nice since it was cold/wet I didn't really think anything of it... in March I wondered why still every day? I asked Steven and he said she was driving them to the other crosswalk (where there is no crossing guard) and watching them cross.. that crosswalk is right by their classrooms -where the other one is on the other side of the school.

So everyone is happy with this I guess... Steven still walks home every day --but gets to start every day out with 10 minutes spent with his best friends.

The end of the season....

It's the end of the season for Steven's Major Cubs team. They had some challenges coming into the season with only 4 returning players and 8 players new the Majors....also a coach new to the Majors. The first half of the season they finished in 7th place (of 9 teams) with a 3-7 record. The second half though.... WOW! They finished in 2nd place with a record of 6-4!!!!

For a few days it looked like that might give them a shot at the TOC's... but the league has officially named the A's (in 2nd place for the year) the TOC B team.

The Cubs battled hard and put their hearts into the game... and it showed. As their coach told them.. baseball is a game of failures and all you can do is get back in and move on...

Way to go CUBS!

Healthy Ways

So a few months ago I had a physical and my dr. ordered all the normal tests. My blood sugar was fine, my thryoid is still a bit wonky despite medication, my bad cholesterol is good and my good cholesterol is low. So they retested a few weeks ago and my cholesterol situation hasn't improved. My doctor recommended a class called Healthy Ways that is supposed to help with nutrition and exercise and lasts for 8 weeks. I wasn't going to go, because in my head I know I can do what they are asking (eat better & exercise) on my own. I decided last week that I should go -it will be the motivation to get it done. So I am signed up and ready to go.

I am only able to start this quickly because my mom has agreed to keep the kids for me on Friday mornings -as they get out of school next week and my class goes thru the summer. I am reminded consistently that I am so blessed to have parents who care so much about my kids. They take the time to spend time with them and share their lives. Watching others around me I realize that this is becoming more and more rare. I only hope they know how much we love and appreciate them!!!!!! (hi Mom & Dad )Publish Post

One more week...

ni

til' the boys get out of school for summer break! We are looking forward to a lazy, slow summer. Lot's of friends and fun... not much else! Steven will be playing in several baseball tournaments and Jackson still has karate a couple nights each week...that will keep us busy enough.

I love getting to spend time with my kids.. real time, without having to run somewhere, do something... watching movies, playing board games, taking walks, talking... I just enjoy being with them as people....they are getting so big, so much older and more aware of the world around them... I want to just take the time to relish them as they are now.

Time to spend together... doing things we have never done before --like cracking open coconuts!
Jackson really wanted a coconut -so I got one at the store...we spent a fun hour researching how to open it, getting the milk out, actually opening it and then eating the meat of the coconut. We didn't like the taste, but the experience was fun! I think he got the idea watching Survivor. Now we know that neither of us could be on Survivor as I can't have fish and we don't eat coconuts...

Ughhh.. Is it food poisoning?

So last night we all went to Jackson's team party at Round Table. Everyone had pizza and cake. I opted for a salad, which Steven shared with me. When we got home I didn't feel so good... for the rest of the night my stomach and insides protested..no biggie, I got thru it. Then I went to bed at 10 p.m. ......at 11:05 Steven woke me to say he threw up...everywhere! I got him settled downstairs and tried to clean it up -but I couldn't (sensitive gag reflex).... so I woke Jonathan and he cleaned it up. I remade the bed and got Steven back in it. This morning he wakes me at 6:15 a.m. with the same news --although he made it to the bathroom this time!!!

So I call the dr. and she says it is probably food poisioning. We had hard boiled eggs and potato salad off the salad bar, plus the blue cheese dressing. She reminded me to check the salad bars for ice or cooling systems before eating! Which I hadn't done . She believes it is food poisoning as it struck up both quickly and I am already feeling better. If he doesn't puke again (now that 12 hrs has passed) then that is the probable key as opposed to a virus.

So of course the next question is ...what about baseball? It is his LAST game tonight, against his 2 BEST FRIENDS team..... he is going to be so upset when he wakes up and realizes -no school, no game. In talking to the dr. (who has been his pediatrician since birth) she said that if it is food poisoning and he feels ok by noon -she thinks he is ok to play... so for now it just a waiting game..........

At least he is sleeping peacefully right now... I am hoping for the best.

UPDATE 2:20p.m.

He woke up at noon and has not been sick again! His tummy is still a bit unsettled.. he had some water and just now some toast! He is in a good mood, albeit a bit quiet. Thanks for all the good thoughts and emails -we really appreciated them!

UPDATE: 5:40 p.m.

He says he is feeling better and is going to play! Off to get him some more ice water to stay hydrated.....

UPDATE: 9:37 p.m.

Steven went to the game. His team won!!! It was a good game overall. Steven caught in the 1st and played 3rd in the 2nd...then he decided he needed to sit out as he was starting to feel gurgly in the belly. So he watched the rest of the game from the dugout. Oh well, what are ya gonna do?

Have wheels, will travel.....

For Jackson's 9th birthday last month we gave him a new bicycle. The kid wants to go everywhere on his bike! His sense of independence is growing so rapidly... he is riding to and from school with a friend. I snapped these pictures today as he was coming home. He & Steven have taken the bike to the video store (1.1 miles away) and Jack's baseball practice. I can see that this summer is going to be spent riding, riding everywhere. I sometimes ride with him on my bike, but he is faster than me, that's for sure!

~~Mustang Baseball~~

Steven is playing on a tournament team -the Mustangs! He is excited to play with his best friends -they never get to do that in Little
League. They play real baseball rules, bigger field and faster pace... he loves it! Their first tournament was Memorial Day weekend..they
played 4 games and knew going in they probably wouldn't win... the lack of tournament experience plus this was their first game together as a team. But they pulled it out and won their first game!! We were so happy for them -they played great. The other 3 games were all against great, experienced teams and the boys didn't win any more of their games.

But every one of them walked off the field after the last game (every game for that matter) with a great big ole' grin and ready to do it
again. Some played positions they had never played... they all played their little hearts out and they had a BLAST doing it. This is a true testament to their coaches -who were quick to tell them how proud they were of the way they played and joined right in on the fun!

I am looking forward to the upcoming tournaments... baseball, sun and friends... what could be better?

Our Karate Kid

In May Jackson passed his test and earned his orange belt. He is very dedicated to his classes, attending both sessions most days for 1 hour, 15 minutes of class time per day (required is only 1/2 hour). He spends time at home practicing his kata's as well -so he is very focused and makes it look easy when I watch. Although I KNOW it is NOT EASY! But it is something he is really excelling at. We are so proud of him!