School approaching

I can't believe it's almost September already. It was like Summer happened in a matter of days! At first we were swimming along. Literally. Henry and Sam spent most of each day in the water. Henry can pretty much swim now. He has to gain more coordination in his arms and legs but, it's strictly a developmental thing. He can pretty much paddle across the pool without any help. He can stand and sit dive like the rest of him. "All Pro" is what one of the instructors called him! It's amazing how quickly these kids grow before your eyes.

Sam started doing "water adaptive" this summer. This is basically one on one play with the instructor. The instructor introduces the child to playing in the water and helps them get over the fear of water. At first Sam was scared and wouldn't let go of the person as if his life depended on it. And when he did start liking it, he didn't realize that it was bad to drink the water and he ended up throwing up in the pool a couple of times, which made class end abruptly. But, he was learning! By the second session, Andy, his instructor was whipping him around and dunking him in and out of the pool without any trouble. At any given time you could look in the pool and he would be smiling this big smile. When he came out of the pool, his lips would literally be blue from the cold but, he would be smiling nontheless.

Of course Summer wouldn't be Summer if we didn't do our usual. Of course, for Sam's birthday we went to Roaring Camp and saw Thomas. This time, we went early in the day and it was perfect. We rode the train in the morning, ate an overpriced barbeque lunch, and then did all Thomas related activities till the afternoon. After that, Cindy and Mary opened up their house to us and we had burgers, cake and broke open the Thomas pinata. Oh, and Henry the Magician performed for the first time! He got this Magic Kit from Bobo and Casey for his birthday and he loved it. He practiced all the week before for his audience and his act was pretty flawless (except when Mom, the useless assistant, accidently gave away the trick to a trick!)

We also did our usual of going to the Strawberry Festival. This year it was held in Ramsey Parkrather than downtown Watsonville. We parked next to Target and walked down to the festival. We found the tastiest Strawberry Funnel cake in the world!! Seriously. I could talk about this funnel cake for days. It was crispy and covered with powdered sugar and topped with icecream, strawberries, whip cream and chocolate sauce. We devoured it! The kids colored strawberries and Henry rode the rides and even participated in a show with Ronald McDonald. We got the chance to use our neighbors, Liam and Callum's slip and side. We also spent plenty of time in the Park. We even got to go to Bonfonte Gardens and the San Francisco Zoo. Sam is so not a baby anymore. He has become increasingly active and engaged in everything. The Zoo was the best because he loved looking at all the animals.

A parental highlight was being able to see our friend Amy Jo a few weeks ago. She was visiting Santa Cruz for the weekend and we all got together to have brunch at this place in Felton and then hang out at Mark and Marla's new home there. Mila and Chas and Amy's friend Camille were there too. We didn't think to get a reservation for 10 people so we had to wait for a bit but, the food was yummy. Sam was real upset for me for not getting him a doggy bag for his pancakes!

Speaking of doggy bag, we also got to meet M&M's doggy "Maynard". He was such a sweet and huge puppy! He's part Boxer and from the size it looks like part Great Dane as well! Mark and Marla literally saved him when they found him at the animal shelter. Henry had a grand time taking pictures of the pooch. I'm seriously thinking about entering some of his pictures into the fair next year!

Speaking of which the fair is definately a sign that Summer is closing and fall is coming. We managed to go to the Monterey County Fair this year. Unfortunately, it wasn't "all that." The venue was small and cramped. Parking was on a golf course and the inept idiot who directed us to parking (after I paid 8 bucks to park) made me park my car right on top of a yellow jacket nest!! Henry was stung right on the face! Luckily I was able to swat the bee away and pull the stinger out of Henry's face before a lot of the poison got in. I then took the icy water bottle I had for the trip and told him to put it on his face. He didn't have a huge bite but, poor kid, was so upset. I was so angry! The guy who told me to park there promptly told me to move to another space but, I was so angry I almost couldn't speak. The rest of the fair was sort of boring after that. They try to cram so much into such a small space and the kiddie rides were tucked away on the whole other side from the adult rides. The food was good though and the important thing is the kids had mostly a good time but, I like our fair better by far. I've entered a few things this year and I'm glad to say this is the first year Henry has entered something too! He did a collage/mixed media about (what else) games!! It turned out really good and he was so proud of it.

Well, that's it. By the time I post this, school will have already started. I can't wait.

Camping (the lowdown)

O.k. I'm going to be short because I think part of my problem is I ramble on and on and I never manage to finish my blog entries in a timely manner. So here's the short version of us camping.

We stayed at Sugar Pine Point in Lake Tahoe. Absolutely beautiful place. We were a two minute ride from Meeks Bay. When it was sunny it was lovely. Meeks Bay was gorgeous. The water was cold but clear. The kids all played together well. I got to reconnect with some people from my past. (I'll explain later - Watsonville is truly a small town). Henry enjoyed being able to just pee in the woods (as long as he pee-ed away from the tent). And there's nothing like a smore before bedtime. We all sat around the fire and sang silly songs. This is stuff made for fond childhood memories.

However, there were a few snags in the trip (what's a vacation without a few snags.) First, the mosquitos had a smorgesborg. Our air mattress had an irrepairable leak in it. There was a bear threat the whole weekend (which forced me to be neater than I have ever been in my entire life!) So I had to hide the food and clean up our site every day. (There was a sighting the night before we got there but, none after) It rained the day and night before we left, really rained. Sam and Henry looked like ghosts in their ponchos. Sam's poncho (as everything else) was too big and kept slipping! And last but not least, our little Sam had an ear infection! We went to Urgent Care in So. Lake Tahoe, got turned away (they were "full" - Matt was infuriated), and ended up waiting 3 hours at the Emergency room. And the ride back was long and ardous with Sam's ear bugging him the entire time.

Other than that, we had a great time and vowed to do more camping. We came away with 4 lessons learnt. 1. We need a bigger tent 2. There was an Urgent care a lot closer to Sugarpine Point that we missed. 3. I need to make sure to cover Matt completely with Sunscreen. and 4. We either need a trailer or a bigger car... And that my friends leads us to the next entry!...

Promise. Cross my heart hope to d-i-e...

O.k. public apology time!! Big big big SORRY to all of you (yeah, all 5 of you) who read my blog. I haven't updated in a while because things have been so busy. It's July already and we've gone on a camping trip, gave up an old car (the bright yellow Mazda) and bought a new car, gone on trips and more stuff and lit fireworks and... my dear readers (all 5 of you) haven't heard hide nor hair of it. Anyway, I'm SORRY! I'll try to be better soon. I'll give you an updated by either tonight or tomorrow morning. PROMISE...

The Hummingbirds Fly...

Boy what an exciting last couple of weeks it's been. I am needing this week to fully recover. Last Friday was Henry's last day of school and his graduation from Kindergarten. Before that, we had 3 school events to keep us busy! First, we had the "Piggy Opera" performance. The kinders basically did an Opera version of The Three Little Pigs. Henry was the Pig with the Straw House. He was so cute! The whole thing was wonderful. The only thing is, right in the middle of the performance, there was a brief pause as the kids were getting arranged and Sam yelled out "What the heck is going on!!" Leave it to our Sam!

After that, they had Olympic Day at school where all the kids participated in various Olympic events like the Obstacle Course and Relay. Henry did pretty well. He had the best time in the Soccer event. He made a goal in less than 30 seconds.

Then we had Beach Day at Rio Del Mar Beach in Aptos. We walked out the Metal Ship and watch the fishermen. We saw seals in the water. Odile let the kids go into the water, only up to their knees. The adults stood in a line facing the kids so that they didn't go past us in the water. The kids had a great time.

And then all of a sudden, it was the last day of school. The kids were told to come to school with their swimsuits. After the graduation or "Fly Away Ceremony" the hose would be turned on and they would be able to slide down the wet slide. It was a potluck too and we all signed up to bring food.

As class photographer, I gave all the parents albums to fill with pictures for their kids. Then we gave our albums to Odile and Odile wrote something for each kid and gave each kid a small gift at the "Fly Away" ceremony. It was so sweet. She'd call out their name and then give them their album, report card, and gift and she'd hug each of them and say "Fly Away little Hummingbird, fly away..." She gave Henry a small book of mazes. As class photog, I was also in charge of making the teacher a an album. Well, as you know making albums is right up my alley. I had each parent do a page for their child and then I put together a few more scrap pages with some of our events and quotes about teaching. I also made a collage with a picture of each child in her class and put it in a frame, which all the kids signed. She was so happy, she was crying. (Though, I'm sure it was also because of the gift we all got her - a trip to the spa and a housecleaning!) Holly, Sydney's mom, also brought one of those water snake things that shoot water out in all sorts of directions. Kevin, Ashlee's dad, was in charge of the water hose. He's a fireman, so he had no trouble dousing the kids with water. They were all soaked and happy by the time the bell rang.

Wednesday was also my 34th birthday. Because things were so busy, I really didn't do anything special. I had already got my birthday present from Matt a month earlier. It was my new Digital Rebel camera!! Or my "baby" as I call it. So, it was a low key birthday. If I can manage it, I'll take a picture of my loot and a picture of my cards. I'm part of a birthday group on Two Peas where we make cards or tags for each other on our birthday. I also got some cards from the sistas at Scrapbooker Online where I'm guest designing for until the end of the month. I got some really gorgeous tags and cards. It's kinda humbling how much talent there is out there...

Henry's birthday is next Tuesday. But because I wanted to catch his schoolmates before they flew off to vacation, we decided to have his party last Sunday the 11th of June.
We had it at Anna Jean Cummings Park. Unfortunately the weather was kina crappy. It was overcast and windy. We didn't get as many kids as expected (about 10) but, we still had more than Henry's ever had in the past. We had a bouncy house too which was a huge hit with the kids. Sammy was actually kind of scared of the Jumpy House at first but, after the first hour he got in and wouldn't get out. I actually liked the boucy house because it was easy to keep an eye on everyone. That park is so big that sometimes I wory when Henry and Sam go out there. Luckily no limbs were lost during the bounce time. The theme this year was Star Wars and we had a chocholate Darth Vader cake with chocolate mousse filling. Henry was in heaven. He got some great presents. Lilly gave him this huge Hot Wheelz track. All in all it was a great party. I just wish the weather had been more cooperative!

The important thing is Henry had a great time.

Scrollin..scrollin...scrollin...

So totally happy that one of my layouts got chosen as a fave by these lovely and talented ladies!! If you scroll down to May 17 or their faves for Dare #27 "Dare to be Different" - you'll see that one of them picked my layout . The Dares totally rock. They make me think "outta the box." (There is a link at the top of this entry or you can click HERE.) (Yes, "Effers" is what you think it is - they are so bold I love it!! )Anyway, here's a closer look at the layout they chose to spotlight..

The dare was to use regular items not just scrapbooking items. There were a lot of layouts using something Starbucks - from the sleeve to the comment card! I guess scrapbookers are well caffinated!! Anyway, I felt so proud when they picked it. I worked hard on this layout - gathering bits and pieces of the boys to put on it. These ladies are so darn talented and artistic- I was so excited to be acknowledged by my peers. It's like the cool girls wanted me to sit at their table for a day. Me. With my flat nose, double chin, glasses and hippo hips...

Designing Woman

It's funny because, I spend so much time scrapbooking but, I very rarely post any of what I've done on the blog. I just recently got chosen to be a guest designer for the next 3 months on www.scrapbookeronline.com. I get a super cool design team kit that I use to design at least one page once a week. These two here are my favorite designs from the kit. Both of them display the new trend in scrapbooking: "Free Style". There's a new book about this technique that I'm dying to get my hands on. I have "issues" with my handwriting and my drawing abilities in general. I am in awe of people who can see something and then translate it into an art form. I envy people who can see one thing and translate what they see into a bunch of different things. I am in constant struggle with the right and left side of my brain. I want to design a layout that looks balanced and pleasing but, at the same time artsy and emotional. I want to record the memory but, make it look awesome at the same time.

Can you tell I am obsessed with this? I know some people may think this is just a hobby. But, I find myself totally enchanted by this craft. I wonder if people who love to cook or garden feel like this. You can be amazed at how some people treat this very seriously. I find that I'm sort of straddling the fence. I want to be acknowledged and published but, I also don't want to lose sight of why I am doing this. When my mom died, I had very little to remember her by. I know she loved me with all her heart and she worked hard until the day she died to give me the best life she could. She didn't have the time or the luxury to sit down and write something down. Because Matt works, I have that luxury and I am so grateful to him for it. I don't know how long this is going to last. So, I spend as much spare time as I can trying to record these things so that Henry and Sam will have something to remember our family at this time. Now. Anything else I get publications, honorable mentions, design teams are all just cake.

Anyway, aside from my duties as a designer on Scrapbookeronline I've been busy doing "Dares". There is this awesome group of women on another blog at The Dares who each week give you a starting point for a layout. These women are amazingly talented and I'm a little intimidated by their creativity. A few weeks ago, I found the courage to finally dare. The theme was "Real Women." It was fun doing a layout about myself for a change. At the end of the week they pick their favorites and post them on the blog. Now, totally contradicting myself from what I said earlier - I'm terrible but, I so want to be chosen! I've been scrapping my little heart out trying to get "picked". It's ridiculous. At least I have been able to do some really great layouts - at least in my opinion.

April Showers

Hard to believe it's April already! I was reminded the other day, that Spring Break is fast approaching and before we know it, it will be Summer again! Although, looking outside, you wouldn't believe this. Actually, I lie. It was quite nice yesterday, cloudy but, not a drop of rain in sight. Which was good because our roof was being worked on all day. I was surprised to find that there are 3 different teams involved in replacing a roof. First, there is the team that takes the roof apart. Second, there is the team that puts installs the roof. And lastly, there is the team that cleans up. The final team is yet to come. Right now, I have a bit of garbage on my roof. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I'm not sure if they will come to remove that stuff until Monday. Jorge, the guy from the second team, assured me that the stuff wouldn't fall off my roof in wet chunks (it's partially hidden by the chimney). I hope he's right.

It was funny because literally 5 minutes after Jorge left, it started to rain pretty heavily. So far so good. No leaks. Keep your fingers crossed!

Henry's t-ball practice was naturally cancelled again. They've had a total of 4 practices since the season started! Henry still forgets to drop the bat after he hits the ball and takes off running! He's supposed to have his second game tomorrow. The first game was Monday and it was pouring! He is so cute in his uniform. I hope I actually get to see him play in it! He's team name is the Texas Rangers (yes, I know that's GW's old team...) and they are the cutest bunch. We even have one girl on our team! They took team pictures last weekend at Landmark school.

I forgot to mention that a few weeks ago we went on a field trip. The kids made some pottery at school and one of the parents is an artist who generously opened up her studio to the kids. She had this enourmous play structure and a trampoline so the kids basically played until they had to do something art related: either watch the pottery come out of the kiln or glaze their pieces. It's a special form of pottery called Raku. It involves removing the pieces of pottery while it's still glowing hot and putting them to cool at a lower temperature. Henry's teacher and Elaine, the artist/parent, would take these glowing pieces of pottery with this long tongs and put them into a pile of newspaper in a big metal garbage can filled with newspaper. Because of they way they cooled, the glaze would take on some awesome colors. Sadly this was like the only nice day in practically the whole month.

Sam's obsession with Thomas and all things train continues. He has "train-dar". It doesn't matter what store we go to, Target, Micheals, Paper Vision, he will spot Thomas a mile away. I found this Thomas battery powered track in Gilroy at the outlets about a month ago. It's quite fun. Percy picks up some small boulders and then Terence and Thomas load them. Problem is, Sam loves taking this apart and then has a fit when it doesn't work properly. I must've put that thing together a million times now. It's great to watch him play with all his trains though. He gives Percy and Thomas such personality.

That's it for now. I really hope the rain stops soon.

Rain Rain go away...seriously GO AWAY!!

I'm soooo tired of the rain. Henry's first t-ball game just got cancelled because of it. I have two buckets near my doorway because of it. (Roofers should call today, if not tomorrow...) The kids are going batty because of it. I'm tired of the rain. Seriously.

Matt leaves for Vegas this afternoon. He's got a conference again (cell phone technology or something) and he won't be back till Saturday! Plus, it's supposedly raining in Vegas too!

Seriously. I'm so tired of the rain.

The weekend went by so fast. And it was daylight savings so we lost a whole hour. It was so darn dark this morning when I got up. I don't know if it's true for you but, it's really hard for me to get up when it's still dark. I'm trying to get over a cold I caught last week. Henry started coughing this morning so I'm pretty sure he's got it too..

Time to start another week. I hope the rain lets up somehow. I'm sooo over it.

You take the good You take the bad...

The Bad:

We still have that stinkin' leak!! The roofers have been here 3 times already and it's still leaking! The only option is to replace the part of the roof that's leaking. This is not going to be cheap. We are really frustrated with this.

What's funny is our lawyer (we're currently in litigation over the shoddy workmanship of this house) has to bring the "defense" on the 28th. I mean, this mess speaks for itself. Cabinet doors falling apart, roof leaking, bad plumbing in our bathroom downstairs... These are just unnatural things for a house that's only a few weeks older than my first born son!! The good thing about getting the roof replaced is there is a 10 year warranty and Shelton Roofing had been around a while now. I'm tired of this, but, I suppose it could be worse.

I can't believe we are in March already with all this rain. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so darn cold!! It was actually snowing so badly on Hwy 17 that they had to close it down for the first time in 30 years! Last weekend we actually saw snow off Hwy 1 near Aptos! Not a whole lot, but, enough to cover the sides of the freeway! Enough for people to be getting out of their cars and sliding down the sides of the hills off Buena Vista! Amazing!

Matt and I attended "Open House" on Tuesday. We had to listen to two presentations and we have decide by the end of the month which First Grade class we want Henry to go into. There are two and they are as different as night and day. Seriously. We have our work cut out for us.

The Heart Room is the straight First Grade Class. It's taught by a teacher named Sue. It's basically very structured and planned. She focuses on curriculum and standards, uses the workbooks and drills. They still have fun, though. They get a field trip once a month and they do lots of art projects incorporating what they have to learn throughout the year.

The Rainbow Room is a multi-age class. This not to be confused with a Combo-class. Combos are made when there are too many kids in a grade and the district doesn't have the budget to add a new teacher. Sierra teaches this multi-age class. It's for first, second and third grade. She's got a bigger than normal room. She starts class every morning with stretches outside (weather permitting) and a circle inside with active disscussion from all the students. She doesn't give homework as often. She doesn't work from the basic workbooks. She's got a real new-age approach about teaching. She believes in a childs self-motivation. If Henry were to go to her, he'd be in her class for 3 years.

Matt and I have basically have to go and observe each class and figure out where Henry will thrive more. It's a big decision. Either way, though, Linscott is a great school and I am so happy that he is going there.

The Good News

Go to your local crafts/magazine store and check out this issue because I'm in it!!! This is my first ever published layout!!! If you remember, last Fall I sent in some scrapbook layouts for this yearly contest. They actually picked one of mine for this special issue. My layout is on page 78.

Funny thing is, it's one of the few layouts without the kids in it. The great thing is, if you have been in any part of my life till now, you are in it! The layout includes a picture of all my journals since I was twelve and it's about how I have taken comfort in my words and the journaling I have done over the years. I love the fact that that picture encompasses the journals with all the events (happy and sad) in my life and that you and everyone I love is a part of it. It's so cool. I was so excited picking up the issue at one of the scrapbook stores. It's wonderful seeing my name in print. I'm glad to share it with everyone. I'm so excited to be finally published.

The other thing is, Henry got a new computer yesterday! Matt bought him an iMac. It has video messaginging capability. This is great because when Matt is out on trips, we could video message each other no matter where he's at. Henry and Matt spent last night bonding and putting it together.

In the end, life isn't all that bad. Matt's work is going well. Henry and Sam are pretty happy. And we all have our health. Till later.

Marching...

What? You said today is the first day of March? I can't believe it. Granted February is a short month, but, please. Better get on with the update, before it's April!

February was all about seeing old friends. Henry Sam and I got to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Beverly, Wes, (their adorable new baby Marley), Molly, Jolie, Kelly and her cutie patootie baby Jack. We had a grand time. The kids love the aquarium. It was busy, wall to wall people, but, they didn't mind. Sometimes I wish I still had that kind of wonder for sure!

Last Friday, Mark, Marla, Mila and Chas came over for dinner. I find that I really enjoy making dinner for friends. It was so nice to have them over to talk. The boys pretty much behaved themselves too! I have to admit I was a little disappointed when everyone left so early-- around 10:30. Back when we were in our 20s we used to stay up so damn late! I used to be able to stay up all night, if I wanted to. Oh well. They all live kinda far away in Felton so I understand. I am just so glad they came over.

On Saturday, Matt and I attended Brian and Lisa's wedding. We weren't allowed to bring Henry and Sam. Apparently, a no-kids-allowed nuptial is a "trend" lately. Needless to say, I was kinda taken aback about this. I love what Mark said when we told him and the rest of the dinner party. He said, "That would never fly at a Mexican wedding. Noone would come!" Ha! Even though, I knew in my heart that my kids would have been great, Henry's been known to really "cut a rug" on the dance floor , we still had a good time anyway. Brian is part of Matt's circle of friends -- it was him, Brian, Josh, and Dirk who used to go see The San Jose Earthquakes pretty regularly. They had this ritual. They would go to Cluck-U Chicken burn their mouths on some super hot chicken wings, douse the fire with beer and then watch the soccer match. How manly! They all worked at Aladdin together. Dirk moved away a few years ago and Josh is now at Apple. Both Dirk and Josh were in the wedding party. We got to meet Josh's wife Kayzuko (sorry if I butchered the spelling). She is so sweet. She works at Apple too. Josh adores her. It was nice for Matt to see his chums again and Brian and Lisa were very happy.

Right now Matt is in Kansas. He's been in Florida for a few days. I'm busy working on some scrapbooking layouts and carting the kids around. I'm trying to get into this "design team" for an online scrap site. If I get in, I get free "kits" each month to create layouts plus a nice discount on the online store. Wish me luck.

Catching up

Here is a little something I made yesterday.

The journaling reads: "Attention everyone! Miss Lilly is officially 4. Thank you. That is all." I love how Lilly has her hand on her hip in this picture. She's such a little miss cutie! I love her to bits!

I haven't been able to do a lot of scrapbooking for fun lately. I've been busy making cards and tags for birthdays and a mini book for a baby shower. I wish I had the chance to take a picture of the book I made for Bev's new baby girl, Marley. (Think lots of pink and orange and ribbon - it was cute, really!) But, alas I whipped that sucker out a day or two before the shower and I was just too busy. Bev's baby is just too precious by the way. And she's gonna be a fashion plate with all the clothes she got at the shower last Saturday. It was nice to see Bev and Molly again. We took a picture with our kids (Sam came with me). I hope I get a copy of it. Molly daughter Jolie is so much like her. Super smart and sassy. We're going to try and get together this month. I hope it happens. It's so easy to lose track of friends when you're busy with family stuff.

The whole concept of "catching up" is a riot to me. I've realized there is no such thing. Especially in scrapbooking. I doubt I'll ever be "caught up". Henry will be in college by the time I finish scrapbooking his Kindergarden class pictures!! Right now the big CHA Craft and Hobby Association Convention is happening in Las Vegas. It's like Mecca for Scrapbookers and cardmakers. Everyday, I see bits and pieces of new papers and stuff coming out. It's amazing.

It's also very frustrating because I want the new stuff but, I've got so much to work with all ready. I used to be so bad that I purposely scrapped with the cheaper stuff/materials. But, now I know that if I don't use a certain pattern paper or embellishment it's going to be outdated. In some ways the scrapbooking industry (at least the competitive side of it) is like the fashion industry. I'm dressing up a picture for my scrapbook much like the contestants on my favorite reality show Project Runway are dressing up their models for the runway.

The important thing is I'm still having fun. There was a time when I was trying so hard to get published that my style was everywhere. I think my style is more defined now. I'm still learning. I love this hobby and I plan to stick to it.

Holding Patterns

Sorry I haven't had the chance to update everyone lately. I'm obviously a bad blogger. I have no idea how some people are able to update once a week even every day! It's been very busy since the start of the year. Matt was at two convention/conferences last month. It's not easy when he's away. Thankfully, my sisters are always here to help but, it's still hectic without him. He's going to Florida this month but, it's only for a week.

I had to deal with the ceiling/roof problem on my own most of that time. We had 4 different guys from 3 different companies looking at the roof. Thankfully, for now, the roof seems to be holding up. The last roofing company that did some patch work up there seems to think that the roof is "o.k." now. What we really need is a big rainstorm again to see if it will leak again. For now, the rain has been pretty light and sporadic. We've been holding off getting a painter/plaster guy to fix the ceiling until we know the roof is really fixed. Does anyone know a good raindance??

Also, Matt's grandma had a pretty bad fall at the residential home where she was staying at.. She's been in the hospital recovering for a few weeks now. The poor dear cracked some ribs and crushed some vertabrae. Mum has been dilligently visiting and trying to help whenever she can. We are also almost at the year anniversary since grandad passed. We all really miss him but, I'm sure grandma misses him the most.

Henry has been busy busy at school. He's had several playdates and birthday parties with different kids from his class. My boy is a regular social butterfly. The school is doing a Dance Performance next week. I got to see them rehearse today. They are all over the place, but, darnit if they aren't the cutest! Odile, Henry's teacher, is apparently changing the class curriculum all of a sudden. I guess she's been having problem with parent participation this year. Parent's have been slacking on their duties. Not me. And I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. But, what can you do? At least Henry is still getting a good education. But, am I bad for thinking that maybe some parents should have just taken their kids to a regular public school. I just hope Henry doesn't miss out on anything because of this change is all.

And Sam is all about the declarations lately. It's all "This is great!" and "This is good". He's also taken to acting like he's in mortal danger when something happens that he doesn't like. Like if I pick him up to leave somewhere and he doesn't want to go, he'll start screaming "Help! Help me!!" like some survivor from Lost ! He's a two year old going onto 13!

That's it for now. Sorry again about being so late with this. Till next time.

The New Year Blister

A few nights ago, we had a "heavy-for-California" rainstorm. The wind was loud and I could not sleep. I'm from here, where mild is the state's middle name, so honestly, I'm not used to loud rain and wind. I felt anxious. When we got up, I knew there was a real reason I do not like wet windy weather.

On New Years Eve, as I was walking down the steps with the boys when we noticed two noticable gashes on our ceiling! These horrible paint scars are right next to our downstairs bathroom a little above the front doorway, in front of our stairs. Matt went outside to look at the roof, got a ladder and bravely went up to touch the odd gashes that have now scarred our ceiling and he didn't feel any wet. We surmised that the wind, which was heavy must have beat especially hard on the front of the house. These things were dry, so we thought we could just leave things until Matt got back from his upcoming series of business trips.

We stayed up for New Years. M & I drank Mimosas while Henry (who was so happy to be staying up sooo past his bedtime), drank orange juice. Sam was already asleep. We watched the ball drop, Matt and I played a few hands of poker (I beat him - yeah!), and went to bed.

New Years day was pretty low key. Henry and Sam continued to play with their treasure trove of new toys from Christmas, my sisters came over and we cooked Lumpia, Matt did laundry and watched football...pretty mellow New Years Day. Then in the afternoon it started to rain again. At around 9 p.m. Charlotte started to go up the stairs, for a potty break before she and Joselynn were to head back to their home in Prundale. When Charlotte yelped . She got dinged in the head by a small wet torpedo raindrop. Drip. Drip. We grabbed a bucket. Drip Drip. Ugh. Matt grabbed the camping tarp from the garage and the bucket. He placed everything under the drip. I'm still in a shock. Our house is only five years old! Ugh...

Merry Merry : Recap

I totally stole this layout idea from Ali Edwards . She's a graphic designer scrapbook diva extraordinaire. I want to grow up to be just like her. (Which is impossible because she's white and thin and organized and perfect.) These are most of the Christmas cards we got this year. This way I get to cherish the cards instead of recycle or put them in a corner of a box somewhere.

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone so quickly. Matt's parents were here and then they were gone. They arrived on the 13th of December, about a week and a half before Henry got released for winter break and left on the 27th of December.

It was so nice to have them here. They made the holiday seems so much brighter and easier to deal with. The boys absolutely loved having them here. Mum came with me and Henry to class on 3 separate occasions. On the first Thursday of their holiday here, she came on a "regular" workday and helped the kids make Christmas candles. Then on Friday, Grandad joined us for a production of Elves and the Shoemaker at Cabrillo College. The kids really enjoyed it. Henry wanted to see it again. It was kinda hard explaining to him that we couldn't Tivo a live performance!!

On Sunday the 18th of December we went on the Christmas Train in Santa Cruz. It was so much fun! It started at Neptune's Kingdom at the Boardwalk then went all around Santa Cruz. At first there was a worry because it had been miserable and rainy. But, thankfully it stayed dry. Even if it did rain, it would have been o.k. because they had covered the open air cars with see-thru plastic and lights.

We all enjoyed ourselves. We drank free hot cider and sang songs.Santa Clause came on the train and made a visit. Even the porta-potty car (which after all the cider, Henry had to "try out" naturally) was decorated in lights. Sam was too mesmerized to speak. He just stared out the window happily. He loves trains so much. Everything is Thomas to him. Unfortunately Cindy (who arranged the whole ride) had to sit this one out because little C.J. had the sniffles. Even though we had to wait almost an hour for the train to arrive, they charged 3 dollars for 50 cents worth of popcorn, and they guy with the guitar kept messing up which song to sing, it was definately worth it. We'll surely do this again.

On the 20th Henry and his class had a Cookie Party at the Prebyterian Church near downtown Watsonville. Mum and I came along to help make cookies and take pictures. I wish my kitchen was a big as that one! Henry being a rough and tumble boy wasn't as "into" making cookies as I would have liked. He and Braelan put on an apron, did their regulatory 2 cookies, and then went back outside to play.

This was also the first year we decided to do a Gingerbread House. I bought the kit at Micheals and it said "easy to assemble" Ha ha! I was just glad Mum was here to help. You get these pieces of gingerbread, and the instructions say you need to use the icing to glue them together. You need more than just icing! You need an extra set of hands and some cans of Spam to hold the sucker together! It took us a couple of hours and a lot of patience but, we finished it. The boys helped decorate it. I have a new respect for bakers or anyone who has to write with icing. It's not easy! In the end, much to Matt and Dad's chagrin, I think it turned we did a good job! A few days later, we watched The Gingerbread House Competition on the Food Network. Apparently, it's a pretty big thing in North Carolina! I was amazed at what some of those competitors made and what they used. Who would have thought that a piece of PVC pipe could be used for a Gingerbread theater mold! Our house wasn't quite as good as the nine year old who placed third in the competition with his Reindeer Runway but, it was still fun to do. I can understand why people would get sort of addicted to doing this but, I'm not even sure if I'll be able to do it by myself next year!

On Christmas Eve Henry kept asking when it would be dark so he could go to bed. He wanted to go to bed right after dinner. We kept him up till a respectable hour and he luckily he didn't wake up till 7:30 in the a.m. We sent him downstairs first to check if Santa came and I'll never forget the pitter patter of his feet as he ran up the stairs and said "He camed! Santa camed!". For Henry it was all about the video games, specifically Mario Party 7 . For Sam it was a very Thomas Christmas. The Thomas Aquadoodle was a big hit! It's really quite ingenious. All you need is water. There is this track stamp you use to make a track with the water, then you turn Thomas on and he just drives along the track on his own. Henry also got Mario Dance Dance Revolution complete with a dance pad and even a calorie counter for those mommies like me who are resolving to be smaller next year!

Christmas was one of my days off in the kitchen. Matt cooked the turkey and his mom did all the fixings and sides. The only thing I had to worry about was the table setting and dessert. Cindy, Mary, Cindy's mom Ruth, Lilly, and C.J. came over for a festive dinner. Cindy made these tasty little appetizer cups using turkey slices, spinach, onion and cream cheese. We started out with wine and the tradition of popping Christmas crackers. Dinner was perfect. Matt's turkey was moist and the veggies were cooked perfectly. This was also my first attempt at making Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding (think bread soaked in lots of chocolate, butter and cream). It was a hit as was Mum's Christmas Pudding (with brandy butter) that flew here with her on the plane! A lot of pictures were taken. Henry and Lilly kissed under the tree. It was a great night overall.

It's hard to believe that two weeks passed so quickly. The old adage is true: time sure does FLY when you're having fun!! I loved what Henry kept saying most of all, "This is the best Christmas ever!"

Blink of an Eye

Sad to report some terrible news. Betty Peck, a teacher at Valencia Elementary died last night of an apparent brain anuryseum. From what I gather it was sudden and on the last day of school before vacation. The Valencia School community is undoubtably shaken. I was only at Valencia for two years but, they were busy and wonderful and memorable. I enjoyed working for that staff. Betty was a great teacher. She was very organized and on the ball. She will be missed. My heart goes out to her husband Bill (retired Watsonville High Teacher) and her sons. How scary too. In the blink of an eye...

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Ah...the craziness of Christmas! Can you feel it? Mum and Dad will be here next week. I should be cleaning but, I'm procastinating and blogging instead. LOL. Hope eveyones Turkey Day was a.o.k. Matt cooked the turkey to perfection as usual. My sister even made some awesome Leftover Turkey Fried Rice! Henry ate turkey as long as it was swimming in gravy. Sam, naturally, didn't. We'll see if we can get him to eat some when Grandma is here. Fingers crossed.

Charlotte and I partook of the Black Friday Madness , like we do every year. For those shopping impaired (or from another country) Black Friday is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving when all the shops open really really early (think before the sun) with super cheap deals on stuff from Christmas and gifts. Unfortunately, our first stop, Circuit City was a totally fruitless event. We got there a little before 5 a.m. and the line was almost to the street! Fifteen minutes after we got in, in the midst of the chaos and the grabbing, the computer system went down! In a computer/technology store, the computer goes down!. They had to manually call in every single credit card transaction. Every single one. Now, how many people do you know carry cash on hand??? Charlotte stood in line for at least an hour. (I had to leave her, I went to Toys-R-Us next door to do some important work for Santa.) All for a few CDs and DVDs. They didn't even lower the price of all their CDs (which they usually do). Sis and I plan on NOT going there next year. We also went to Gottchalks, Beverly's, and Target after. At least we got over the "bad" shopping first - so everything seemed pretty tame to us.

One of the things I went sort of ga-ga over, this past shopping weekends has been fleece! Thanks to Cindy, I found a way to make blankets without sewing them! You buy two pieces of fleece and cut strips around each piece. Then you tie the strips together. I made a train blanket for Sam and a Darth Vader blanket for Henry. I keep waiting for them to unravel, but so far they haven't! I made one for a couple new parents that I know too and Charlotte wants me to make one for her too. I have gotten so fleece crazy Matt had to give me a small fleece intervention and told me to stop buying so much!

If you haven't already noticed, we also go a new couch! No eating or drinking on this one - sorry! It's a tough rule, but we've stuck to it so far. It's an end of an era for us. We had those ugly yellow couches since Mom and Dad were alive...
We put the tree up this weekend. Our old fake one was looking a bit worse for wear so we got a new fake one. (Someday, I'd like to get a real one again.) It was much easier to put up. Plus, the lights are already in it! All we had to do was plug it in. I think it looks really good! The boys helped me put the ornaments on the tree. Henry did a great job. Sam mostly "helped" by taking his favorite ornaments and either playing with them or leaving them on the floor! Thanks to him, the brand new C-3PO ornament now has missing shins! Seriously, he's completely broken at the kneecaps! He and R-2 are now the same height!

Henry also picked out our new door wreath too this weekend. At least it's real. It's made of eucalyptys and dried flowers. It smells really good. I almost don't want it outside!

Now, I know I have caused a lot of mothers to cry because of my last post. I'm sorry. I think I owe you at least an update on how Henry is doing. Henry, of course, has pretty much bounced back from all this happy. He and Braelan still hang out a lot at school but, now they are the Three Muskateers with Marcus Chavez. Watonka, Braelan's mom just had their baby - another boy named Skylar. I think the imminent arrival of his sibling was causing Braelan to act out towards Henry a little because now he's back to being nice to him. We even had a play date (Braelan's parents idea) last week at McDonalds.

Henry is so good at just getting over things. I wish I was like that. I'm still very wary of Henry being with Braelan. I still try and remind him that he can do other things and be with other people . Most of all, we just continue to remind him everyday that he is a great kid with a big heart. He's so excited for Christmas. The other day he said, out of nowhere, "I've been good so that means I'm getting LOTS of presents!"

Well, I better get to what I'm supposed to be doing -- finishing Christmas Cards, Cleaning, Laundry etc. Later.

I'll Fix You (A ballad for a broken Friendship)

There's this song on the latest Coldplay album called Fix You . It's so simple and affecting that it makes me want to cry every time I hear it.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you canÂ’t replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try
To fix you....

Today, more than most days, that song resonated within me. Because today I saw my son's heart break.

I had this seen that this was going to happen in the last few weeks. Part of me hates myself right now for not doing anything, but, then part of me wasn't quite sure what to do. Let me explain.

Pretty much from the first week of school, Henry became really really close to this one kid named*Bn. To say there were inseparable would be putting it mildly. They bonded because they were pretty much the only kids who didn't go to Linscott Pre-school or didn't have an older sibling at Linscott already plus, they both loved Star Wars. They were constantly asking to have a playdate or go to lunch together. They were really really happy with each other. I'm not romantisizing this, they really were. I'd see them in circle and*Bn would put his arm around Henry. At recess they would go run around the playground just the two of them making up games. They made up a game called Castle Adventure with their own rules. They were in a world of their own. They were happy.

A few weeks ago, the teacher, Odile was talking to us at session and she talked about friendships. She warned me then, that things would change eventually. She said that Henry, being one of the younger kids in class just wasn't at the same emotional developmental level as*Bn. She didn't say it directly at me but, explained that kids friendships change at this age and that feelings will get hurt . Maybe I should have started to prepare Henry for the inevitable then. Maybe I should have told him to lay-off. I don't know... They were just so close and Henry is such a great kid I guess I was denial. I guess I didn't want to believe that anyone would not want to hang out with my Henry.

Well, for the last few days now, whenever I picked up Henry from school, Henry was quiet. I'd ask him if something was wrong and he'd say "no" so I didn't pry though, I knew deep down, there was something. Then, a few days ago, I noticed Henry desperately saying goodbye to his friend and*Bn just sort of ignoring him and looking away. Then today my fears came to full light

It was my regularly scheduled workday in the class room. It was recess and as usual Henry and*Bn were running around in the playground. But, about halfway through recess, Kristin, who sits at Henry's home table came up to us (me, Odile and Tracy another parent) and told us that*Bn wasn't being nice to Henry. I thought they were o.k. at first. But, it turns out that Henry wasn't running with*Bn he was running after him. He was trying to get his friend, the guy he had spent 20 plus recesses with, to play with him again.

Turns out,*Bn was now "with" this other kid Marcus Chavez. They were really the ones playing together. They were running away from Henry. They were actively excluding him. And it made me so sad to watch Henry trying to run after them. The teacher and I talked to Henry and tried to explain to him that*Bn just wasn't in the mood to play with him today. And at first he seemed o.k. He played around for the rest of the recess but, when recess was over that's when it happened. It's one of those moments that I will never forget as long as I live.

Odile called all the kids to get in line. Henry tried to get his usual spot behind*Bn and I saw*Bn push him away and tell Henry that Marcus was there now. And I watched as Henry started to walk to the back of the line, he put his hands to his face, and he started to cry.

At that point, I went to my boy, picked him up and carried him. I was glad I was there for him but, I was also so angry inside - like a tigress protecting her cub angry. It took everything within me not to just throttle that kid for hurting my boy so bad. Seriously. I was shaking inside.

We got through the rest of the day o.k. Henry sat with me at the library after recess and he was still kinda crying. At circle time, he didn't sit with*Bn but, I noticed him watching him. *Bn did show some concern. He asked me why Henry was crying and I told him that Henry was hurt but, that it was o.k for*Bn to have other friends. (Though, deep down inside, I wanted to go all banshee on that kid. I wanted to tell him, "He's crying because you hurt him. It's you're fault! You made my boy love you and then you stomped all over his heart. It's your fault!!")

Thankfully, when we got home there was a message from Caroline asking to see if Henry wanted to play with her son Kahler. Henry's known Kahler since they were 11 months old. We've been playing phone tag for weeks! Caroline took them to the park and Henry played the rest of the afternoon with his good friend.

Today also happened to be our Parent-Teacher Conference day. After Henry left with Caroline and Kahler, Matt came home for lunch and we got ready to go to the Parent-Teacher Conference. I told Matt what happened today, and I started to cry. I tried to cry it all out but, as soon as we got into the classroom and Odile brought it up. I started to cry again. She reiterated what she said that this is just a developmental thing. That*Bn is almost 6 and is ready to explore new friendships. That this is all a part of Kindergarten, of social learning..That Henry will get over this. She said that*Bn has actually dealt with this better than some kids. He hasn't been physically or emotionally abusive to Henry at all. She said that*Bn is having a hard time too because he likes Henry, Henry is still his friend, but, he just want to have more socialinteractionn than just Henry. And I know she's right. And I know he will be o.k. But, it still hurt, and what worse is I don't know how long it's still going to hurt Henry. I don't want this to stick with him. I don't want it to scar him. I hope it won't

On the good side of this, Odile said Henry is very bright and is excelling in school. He's one of two kids in the entire class who has successfully completed all the homework so far. She said that Henry's reading ability just "blew her away." He just whizzes through the books without even having to sound out the words! He's needs a little help with phonics but, other than that he's progressing very well. He is an amazing creative kid who draws elaborate pictures during journal time. Our kids is great!

I have so many feelings going through me right now. I don't know if the answer that kids are just developing is enough of an answer for me. I don't know. It's just not fair! I feel like Henry got gipped. It seems to me like*Bn has the tendency to sort of glom onto one person and treat that person like they are the world. He did this to Henry. He made himself Henry's world and then in a blink of an eye he took Henry's world away. I don't think that's fair. Part of me wants to tell Henry to never talk to that boy again for fear that he will hurt him again. I give*Bn rides to school on Monday and part of me just want to tell his parents I don't want to pick him up anymore. But, that just wouldn't be right. It's just so hard to watch Henry get hurt and to not be able to fix it . He's always been such a happy kid and to see someone who is naturally happy and excited about life get totaled like that, to see my child get totaled like that makes me rage inside. Don't worry, I'm not letting Henry see all this. He hasn't seen me cry on his behalf. He has no idea I feel this way. The last thing I want is my boy to worry about my feelings. Tomorrow is another day. Matt and I plan to just give Henry more encouragement in the coming weeks, to stand by him and let him know that whatever happens his family and his home will always be here for him . That's the best we can do...

And high up above or down below

When you're too in love to let it go

But if you never try you'll never know

Just what you're worth


Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you...

Birthdays, Business trips, the Big 10, Halloween and heck it's November already!

I can't believe it's November! Where did all the time go? Here is what happened last month.

On the first week of October our good friends Cindy and Mary had their baby Collin James! He is so perfect, with a round head and the sweetest most laid back disposition! I am so happy for them! When Matt, the kids and I went to visit them in the hospital, the nurse addressed Matt as the father! Ha! "He's not the father," we all exclaimed at the same time. Boy was the nurse's face red!

Matt turned 34 in a different time zone! For the second and third week of October Matt was way busy. He was in New York, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, and L.A.! At least he got to see a couple movies in between the traveling. He saw Serenity, Capote and A History of Violence All really good movies in his opinion. Poor guy was so jet lagged when he got back. I got a cake from The Buttery ready for Matt when he got home. I took Sam with me to the Bakery and he when we got home he so upset that we weren't having the cake right away. I kept telling him that it was for when his daddy came home. So, when Matt walked in the door from his long trip the first words out of Sam's mouth was "birthday cake! Birthday cake!" He kept saying that everytime his dad walked through the door for at least a week! "Birthday cake! Birthday cake!"

Unfortunately, Matt was in the middle of his trip on our 10 year wedding anniversary too! When he got back we took the kids to a movie and dinner at Applebees. It was nice to just get out for a change. We went to see the latest Wallace and Gromit movie The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was hilarious! Too cute! The kids were pretty well behaved and Sam even ate more than Henry! Of course, when the dessert (chocolate cake) came out the boys went after it like 2 dogs searching for a bone!

And last week Henry's class visited an Organic Farm in Watsonville and picked pumpkins. The farm is right next to this old rickety house that looked perfect for Halloween, so I took some pictures of it.

I bought Henry a pair of rubber boots just for the occasion. Of course, he managed to fall anyway!. The lady who owned the farm, Jeanne, also has a stand where they sell all that they grow. She had this celery that was the brightest green I have ever seen and it was darn fresh! I had never tasted a piece of celery so fresh. It was almost sweet! She also had some great carrots which Henry tried. There was no way he was trying the celery!

And yesterday the kids at Linscott had a Harvest Festival and were able to come in their costumes to school. There was a parade and then each class had these booths where kids could do activities like paint a pumpkin or do a cake walk. Linscott is a very health concious school so all the treats were healthy and the baked goods were sugar free! Henry did the cake walk and won a chocolate cupcake and he and Sam gobbled the thing up without any hesitation. They didn't even miss the sugar!

As you can see, Henry was Nintendo Mario this year! He'd been asking to be Mario for a while so I did my best to get a costume ready for him. It's not something you find pre-made anywhere. Maybe in the 80's or 90's when Mario was big but, certainly not now! I found most things at Target. The only thing I had a hard time trying to find was the perfect hat. I found one that was green so I tried to dye it. It came out mostly a brownish red as you can see but, I think it turned out o.k. During the parade when Henry walked down the steps the older kids were chanting "Mario! Mario!" so it was a complete success!

For Halloween night, Cindy, Mary, Lilly and lil Collin came over. We also invited Henry's classmate Braelen and his parents Dave and Watonka. Lilly was in this gorgeous Tinkerbell gown and Braelen was a Ring Wraith from Lord of the Rings. I was worried that Lilly would be frightened but, she wasn't at all! And our Sam was (what else) Thomas the Tank Engine! He was swimming in the costume. Mary ingeniously tied a small string belt around him so he wouldn't be stepping on it. Of course the moment we went out the door Sammy was chanting "Take it off! Take it off Mommy!" But, after we got to the first couple of houses and he realized that the costume was getting him candy - he was fine. It was so cute watching them, say "Trick or Treat!" and "Thank you" with a few "I'm Mario" or "I'm Tinkerbell" tossed in. The reception for Henry's costume was funny all around. You could tell who grew up in the 80's because they really got a kick out of his costume.

The neighborhood yielded a bunch o' candy - as expected - though not as much this year as last. I didn't mind that, just that it was kinda annoying that some porch lights were on but, no one was answering the door for candy! I mean if you're not going to give candy, at least leave your porch light off. Anyway, I had bought some take-n-bake pizzas from Papa Murphy's before we went off to Trick or Treat so by the time we got back Matt had baked them all. We had pizza and talked while the kids played. All in all it was a fun night!

Whew! Now we are in November. I can't believe it. Before I forget I must remember to give a "shout out" (why does it sound so uncool when I say that??) to a few people. Our friends Casey and Amy had birthdays last month, so, Happy Birthday ladies!! They're both of Norweigan decent so they still look like teenagers even though (cough cough) they're in their early 30s. In fact, Casey told me she just got carded a few weeks ago!

Then I want to wish Baldo's dad, Baldomero Senior a speedy recovery. He had a clotted artery in his legs and was hospitalized for at least a month. He's home now and Baldo and his sisters are all working together to take care of him. I hope he gets better soon!

Then last, but not least I want to wish a super happy good luck to Bev and Wes and their little pea-in-a-pod girl, who is going to make her appearance in less than two weeks! There has been some rare complications with Bev's pregnancy so she's on bed rest till November 14!! I can't wait! Babies are so wonderful!

Thanksgiving will be here soon, then Christmas. We got a brochure from Toys R Us in the mail this weekend and Henry has already gone through and circled everything he wants to Christmas! And it's pretty much everything! Sam just keeps staring at the train page. It's hilarious. Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, I'll get back to update all sooner rather than later!