It's been so long!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've really posted anything here! I take pictures all the time and always think of stuff to post but lately life has been pretty hectic around here. Now that Allie is crawling she is keeping me really busy with baby watching. Up till now she has been content to just sit and play which makes it pretty easy on dear ole' mommy... but now the game has changed to a new level and she is mastering the art of transportation. For the first time today she actually tried to climb the stairs... only one step but one step leads to another. I see some baby gates in our future for sure. We also have two teeth so we have had some cranky moments although I have to say she is handling it like a little trooper.


Michael has started 1st grade and seems to really like his teacher and the school work. Today was Patriots Day and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all wore their uniforms and led the flag ceremony. Michael was all dressed in his uniform and he looked really good. It's so cool to see a kid now instead of a baby. He looks so big to me and sometimes I have to remember he is just a little guy... as much as he would like me to forget it. For the first time he was not too cool on giving me a "have a good day kiss" before school.


Hayden is 3 now! Proud mommy I am. He is really growing well and is just a sweet heart. He has his moments but most of the time he's just a silly little kid who just wants to play. He has his first best friend! His name is Ryan and just happens to be the brother to Michael's best friend so it really works out great. They are so funny when they see eachother... they run and hug eachother, then without a word spoken they take off as if they can read eachothers minds.

So, it's back to school, back to routine, back to the "schedule". Last spring I wondered how I was going to entertain all three of them for such a long time. Well, summer just flew by and we had a great time. Lots of lazy days at the lake and lots of laughs. We never left town or went on vacation but we are so lucky to live in such a great area... it was like a "staycation" all summer long.

Summer 2009

Hair

I know we all have physical atributes about ourselves which we wish we could change. Mine has always been my hair. Ever since I can remember my hair has been an issue. Once when I was really young it got so tangled and snarled at the nape of the neck I had to have it cut off like a mangy dog. Growing up in the 70's when the "look" was feathered bangs and flowing wavy hair, my hair always looked like a brillo pad after a few scrubbings. In photos all I see is a foot ball helmet or a pyramid depending on the cut. Speaking of cuts, I've always hated getting my hair cut because it always seems like a crap shoot on how it would come out. I've left salon's feeling discouraged and dissappointed. To be completly honest, my hair has been a big factor in my self esteem. I think I've over compensated with my bold personality to in some way "hide" how I really felt about myself; the way I looked.

Now, don't get me wrong. There have been a few times when I've been glad for my natural curls. As a teenager I spent most of the summers days at the beach. I would always go in the water first thing to get my hair wet. It always dried looking so great after being in the salt water. I wore it long then and I think there was a couple of years where I didn't hate my hair so much... but really, most of the time I've been unhappy with my fro. Funny thing is other people seemed to love it. People I didn't even know would feel free to touch it and scrunch it... I guess like a Buddah's belly it's just something people felt a draw towards. Let me also state at this time... People with curly hair do not like their hair touched. Touching curly hair only seems to make it frizzy and poofy so hands off!

Anyway, a few years ago I heard about this process of Thermal Reconditioning... aka "Japaneese Hair Straightening". I didn't know the mechanics of it, all I knew is I could have silky-smooth, straight hair. Hair that I've always wished I could have. However, it is really expensive and I never seemed to have an extra $600 laying around so I just chalked it up on the shelf of "wishes" right alongside the tummy tuck and the two week vacation in Bora Bora...

Then a friend of ours, Karen Chacon, said she might be able to help me. She works at Medusa Salon in Long Beach. Well, I lunged at the chance. I was so excited for weeks knowing it might really happen. I felt all sorts of emotion in the days leading up to it. At one point I actually considered not having it done... what if I hated it? What if I needed to have it done again and couldn't afford it? What if it didn't work and I was left with horrible hair evan more horrible than the hair I've been living with for nearly 40 years... yes, I hate it but what if it just got worse? Anyway, I fought these fears and jitters and did it anyway. I couldn't hardly sleep the night before like a little kid waiting for Santa to arrive.

The next day I had it done and I have been amazed at the results. It is so soft and silky. I can't hardly stop playing with it! I've never had silky flowing hair like this with little to no effort. When I get out of the shower and let my hair dry naturally it dries almost completely straight. I like to let it dry then use a flat iron to quickly make it a bit smoother. It's shiny and looks wonderful. I actually feel "prettier" with my new hair, like it's given me extra confidence. I think feel like a girl with size 32A boobies feels when she's gotten implants... I feel more like the woman I've always wanted to see looking back at me in the mirror.

The "Red Plate" Special

It's official! Michael is now a 1st Grader! He passed Kindergarten with flying colors and is well on his way to being an awesome student! I could not be more proud of Michael than I am today. Not only did Michael reach benchmark scores in his studies this year but he excelled. I am hoping this is the way his report cards will always read in the years to come.

In celebration of his promotion I made his favorite dinner, Chicken Alfredo with Bow Tie Pasta and Garlic Bread... some grapes thrown in for good measure. Not only did he get his favorite meal but he got to eat it on the "Red Plate". What is the Red Plate you ask? Well, when I was a kid my mom got this plate. I don't know exactly where she got it but it's beautiful! It's a happy shade of red with white script that says "You're special today". Each time it was our birthday or if we had done well at something we got the honor of eating on the "red plate" for dinner. A few years ago my mom passed it down to me so I can share that memory with my own children. So, today was Michael's special day... it was a "Red Plate Day".

And now it's summer so I'm looking forward to lots of fun days in the sun with my kiddos. It already feels different... we can take our time with dinner and putting the kids to bed a little later. If things go my way we'll have a lot to blog about in the coming months so stay tuned!

Friends Forever

In 1975 when I was 5 years old, my parents bought a house in San Juan Capistrano. The house was brand new and had never been lived in. I think I can honestly say those were the happiest years I ever had growing up. My room had yellow and green decor with built-in's along the wall to put all my books, toys, and what ever other things a girl of five years collects. I loved that room. I remember laying on my floor listening to my Donny and Marie album and dreaming of being in love with Sean Cassidy. We had to actually turn the knob on the TV...oh yes, TV's had knobs back then and we only had 13 channels to choose from. Oh, wait, I'm getting distracted....

As much as I loved my room, the absolute best thing about that house was the neighboors. Just within a few houses were six families with daughters just my age. Quickly we became friends and had a blast riding our big wheels up and down the street, taking turns spending the night at eachothers houses, and marching in the Swallows Day Parade with our Blue Bird troop. We had no idea we were beginning friendships that have lasted 34 years and most likely will continue until there are none of us left. I have memories with each of them. There's Tara, best friend grades 1-3, who to this day is always laughing and excited; Kim, my first best friend in kindergarten; Dani, the shy smart one; Terese, who had the first microwave of any of us and learned about life before any of us was ready; Sheila, the fun one who you never knew what to expect from; and Tiffany, the youngest of us all who had the Barbie doll looks we all loved and admired. We've grown together though grammer school, junior high, and high school. After that we all drifted in and out of circulation with eachother and some live far away now. Terese is in Bend, OR and Sheila is in Virginia. No one knows where Tiffany is, and I can't forget Nicole who didn't live on our street but was part of our group none the less. Kim, Tara, Dani and I now we have kids of our own and we are enjoying this stage of life with each other having play dates and celebrating birthdays. Tara, Kim, Nicole and I try to meet once a month at El Torito in the harbor for Taco Tuesday. Someday I hope we'll be enjoying eachother's company while telling stories of our grand children together.

I'm lucky to have them in my life. It's rare to have a friend who has known you as long as you can remember but even rarer to have as many as I do.

Disneyland

We took the kids to Disneyland yesterday and had a wonderful time! I have always loved Disneyland ever since I was a kid. It's gotten so expensive it's not often we get to go but lucky for us we have a connection who works there and we are lucky to be able to get in for free. Thank goodness for good friends because at $70 per person it's a huge expense to go.
I remember as a kid being picked up from school early by my parents and heading to Disneyland. We would play a fun game on the ride up which only took about half an hour. I would get so excited I could hardly sleep the night before. It always felt like Christmas Eve to me knowing the next day I'd be having the time of my life. So, that was our plan. We picked Michael up from school early and got there in the middle of the day. Michael was so excited at school all morning in anticipation. He's been several times but he was young and didn't really remember much. Hayden had only been once when he was two months old so it was a completely new experience for him, and Allie, well she wont remember but she had a blast!


Now, I like amusement parks in general... fast rides, junk food, games... the whole bit. But, NOTHING can compare to Disneyland. It really is a magical kingdom and I personally believe if you can't go to Disneyland and have a great time then you have lost all sense of imagination and I feel sad for you. Young and old can find something there to enjoy. I hope even when I'm old and can hardly walk that my grand children will take me there... they can feel free to park me on a bench in the shade so I can watch the people and enjoy the view of the boats near Pirates of the Caribbean or they can use me to their advantage and cut in line with me in the wheelchair... either way I'll always love that park.



I took Michael on Space Mountain for the first time. He was so funny. I think it kind of scared him and he looked pretty green when the ride ended. He declared he didn't want to do that again! I think I'll have to wait for Hayden to get older to ride those kind of rides with meNow that I'm grown with kids of my own I love Disneyland just as much as ever and it's actually gotten better now that I get to watch the excitement and awe on my kids faces. That in itself is worth the price of admission.

Springtime

This morning when Mike left to spend the day with his Dad I was feeling a bit disgruntled and irritated. After a night with little sleep... Alana's teething... I was awoken at the crack of dawn by my offspring. The last of the Diet Coke had been consumed the day before which no doubt would eventually turn into a headache from lack of my daily dose of caffeine and without Mike I was going to have to entertain all three of my babes without back-up. Throw in some hormones and well, I'm sure you get the drift; it was not looking like it was going to be a promising day.

Eventually we were all fed and dressed and I packed everyone up and headed to the park. What better way to blow off some energy and keep the boys entertained. At first Michael was not happy about my park of choice because there were not many kids, but I made the executive decision to stay. I'm glad I did. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and the boys quickly found friends to play with. One thing about my boys, they have excellent social skills. They are both easy to get along with and just happy to play and talk with anyone who is interested. I love that about them.

After a couple of hours of running around, climbing the monkey bars, and riding their bikes and scooters we grabbed the camera and decided to take a couple of pictures. I even handed the camera to them and asked them to take a few shots of nature. So enjoy the picture of grass taken by Hayden and the flowers taken by Michael.


Now, Michael, who as I'm writing this just gave me a hug and an "I love you Mommy", is enjoying some quiet down-time. Hayden and Allie are napping and there is a nice breeze is blowing in through my window. I can honestly say this has been a great day so far. When Mike gets home we'll BBQ some burgers, eat outside, and we will finish the day as a family. What more can I ask for? It's day's like this that make me realize I have it all. Well, I'm signing off... Michael wants to color with me.

He's a Big Boy Now!!!

The first time Hayden peed on the toilet he was about 16 months old. I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world! My son was going to be potty trained by the time he was two! A potty prodigy! A barely two year old boy potty trained?? It's unheard of for sure but honestly I thought the karmic gods would be on my side since I'd gotten a bit more than I bargained for with all his climbing and mischief.... well, here we are more than a year later and finally the chore of potty training is almost complete. I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch so I'll only count my eggs but he has made great strides towards freeing us from the financial burden of at least a portion of our diaper fund.

For anyone reading this who might find themselves training a toddler boy I will give you this advice. Use "special treats"... it's amazing what a little bit of ice cream or M&M's can do to boost the appeal of the toilet. Even if you have to give them ice cream three times a day for two weeks in the end they'll be trained and the sugar high will eventually wear off.

So, for the last two weeks we've had a naked boy running around our home beaming with a huge smile each time he mounts the porcelain throne to drop the kids off the pool. Never mind however, the money spent on replacing one toilet due to the toilet paper spindle being flushed and Mike's plans for Saturday is to remove the upstairs toilet to search for the "pouf" which Hayden flushed just days ago. So, it wasn't painless but at least it's almost done.

I guess it's time to kiss the "baby" good-bye and welcome my newest "big boy" to our family.

Good Job Hayden!!!

Brownies

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Girl Baby Update

I can't believe Allie is almost 6 months old! It seems like just a few weeks ago she was born. How much faster time seems to be flying by now that there are three kids to chase around. My days are so full now.

It has been amazing having my baby girl. She is the sweetest baby I've ever known. She rarely cries and is just happy to be. Easily entertained, just a look and a "high girl baby!" is enough to make her smile and squeal with delight. Even on my worst day a smile like that could make me feel warm and fuzzy. So, I am delighted to be her Mommy. It's funny really. In the beginning of my pregnancy with her I was so scared and unsure how I was going to deal with having three children. My boys are a lot of work, God love them. Throwing a third one in the mix was terrifying to say the least. Honestly there were days I was dreading having another one. And then when I held her that feeling just faded away instantly. Now here I am six months later and I cannot believe I ever felt that way. I also cannot imagine a life with out my three kidlets. They are all beautiful and happy. Sometimes they make me crazy but I guess that's what it's all about. In the end all I can say is they are the reason I exsist. My true loves.
Back to Allie. She is growing so fast! She's really working her fingers and loves to play with anything she can grasp. Every thing goes in her mouth. If there is nothing to grab onto she is just as happy with her fingers and fist. She drools so much she single-handedly could probably solve California's' drought situation. She has zero interest in rolling over but is sitting up really well. I think it's only a matter of days until she is able to really sit alone without assistance. She's eating baby food now and just tonight seemed to get the hang of it. She is messy but getting it down. She LOVES her big brothers. Every time they come into the room she smiles and pays close attention to their each and every move. I can already see the wheels turning... mind you, Hayden has given me plenty of practice recognizing "that look"... so when she starts walking I may indeed be in for it.

Her hair is slowly growing... She is kind of sporting a Sinead O'Connor look. It's definitely going to be brown but the jury is still out on whether she'll have curly locks like mommy or straight hair like her daddy and big brother Michael. Curly or straight, I cannot wait to put bows in it.

Her name is Alana. We call her Allie. I call her Girl Baby. I'm so lucky.

Easter 2009

Well, it's springtime! Flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and I've been cleaning up a storm around here organizing closets. The weather has been beautiful for the most part; sunny days and warm temps have given me the bug to get ready for summer.

We celebrated Springtime with friends and family this Easter. On Saturday Mike's parents came to visit and have brunch with us. They brought Easter baskets for the kids which were filled with lots of non-edible goodies... thankfully because we are overloaded with chocolates and god knows my boys don't need any thing else to wind them up! Hayden got play-doh and Michael got some new paints which always keep him entertained for hours. Ed took time out to sit and paint with Michael for a while and even Hayden got in on the party and the three of them had a really good time.

On Sunday my Mom, Gramma, Joe, and Aunt Linda came over and we also had brunch. It was a little chilly but we still enjoyed the sunshine in the back yard. After a great meal of crust-less Quiche, Potato Casserole, fruit, and Cherry bread, we all got a kick out of watching Michael and Hayden hunt for Easter Eggs.



The kids had a blast with their new "bubble blowers" the Easter Bunny brought them. My mom took this great picture of Hayden... you can even see the bubble!

After our Easter brunch celebration was over we went down the street to the Merril's house to have Eater dinner with our neighbors. Michael goes to school with their son and they invited us. It was great to get to know the family better. They are really nice people and we are looking forward to getting to know them even better..

Allie just goes with the flow! She's such an easy baby! She just kept right on her schedule through the whole weekend! She did wake up long enough to grace everyone with her presence and to wear the ridiculously cute bunny ears I got her!

The Dying Tunas

Girl Baby

Allie is really turning into a sweet little baby. She is quiet and full of smiles. It is wonderful to see her growing physically as well as seeing a personality emerge from that tiny little infant. I've been begging her since the moment she was born to "give mommy a break". We've talked and she has agreed to be my easy one. I've got an F3 and an F5 tornado already and I told her what I was really hoping for was a gentle rain type of kid. So far she's living up to my expectations.

It's been forever!

Hi Everyone! I am sorry it's been so long since I've posted! Things have definitely been crazy here. Three kids are a lot more work than two and they keep me busy all day long.

Michael is doing GREAT in school! We got his report card and he is really on track and proving to be an excellent student so far. We are so proud of him. He's really growing so fast and loosing teeth too! He's about to loose his second top front tooth any day now. This will be his fourth tooth to date! I know it will feel like a second and I'll look at him one day and he'll have grown into a man. It seems like just yesterday he was a little baby!

Hayden... well, he's still up to his normal antics. Last week we had a big scare when he decided to build a bridge from the couch to the coffee table using pillows... (I guess engineering is not in his future. Well, surprisingly the bridge did not hold him and he came crashing down and tore the lower part of his nose from his lip. It took a plastic surgeon an hour under general anesthesia to fix it. He took it like a trooper though and bounced right back. Now not even two weeks later you can hardly tell anything happened.


We also recently moved Allie into the crib like a "big baby". That meant moving furniture all around. Now Michael and Hayden share a room and Hayden is in a big boy bed. He has adjusted really well to his new room so far. Allie is still adjusting to the crib but she's getting used to it and sleeping longer each night. I will be so happy when she is able to sleep all the way through. At this point she still wakes up two or three times a night and it's really starting to take it's toll on me. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I know it will only last another couple of months.

Moving the kids rooms around also meant all the clothes had to be moved. Michael's dresser became Hayden's... Hayden's became Michael's, and Michael's clothes moved into a spare dresser that was full of clothes not being used at the moment. Since I was doing that I also had to reorganize all the closets and decided to even clean mine out since I was at it. My next project is going to be reorganizing the linen closet. I guess I'm feeling a bit of spring fever right now.

Now that Hayden is sleeping in a "big boy bed" that means no naps. I don't know how well that is working for either of us. Today he just fell asleep on the kitchen floor while I was making dinner. We took the crib tent off the crib since Allie hasn't started climbing.. yet. There would be a better chance of Hell freezing over rather than Hayden sleeping in the bed for a nap so we thought this would be the end of naps for him. Now, realizing he really needs one and honestly I need him to need one.. we have decided to get a tent for the pack and play and we'll put him down for his nap in that. Thank God for tents!

Mike is doing really well too. Luckily he still has a job although the economy is really taking it's toll on his company. They depend on bank loans to meet their pay roll so it's been touch and go for a while but as for now it looks like they may survive the storm. It's really been stressful on our family but I know we'll get through it and I know a lot of people out there have it a lot worse than we do.

Hayden's Great Escape!

Allie 8 weeks