My birthday

Despite following in the footsteps of Nicholas and having a fever all weekend, my birthday celebration was a success.
I spent the morning watching a triathalon, secretively beating myself up over not doing it but convincing myself that I have a year until the next one. The afternoon I was with Nicholas running errands, and the evening was spent with the kids, Jeff, Jeff's parents and Grandma Rose. We had a wonderful pasta dinner, the kids made special cards and Gabriella helped Jeff make the cake (funfetti cake with funfetti iciing).
Monday I spent working which to me really isn't work. I got to hang with some of the cutest children who were full of birthday hugs all day! I had lunch with great friends and dinner again with the family.
To everyone who sent birthday wishes my way, I thank you so much. I know that sometimes our individual lives are full of kids, work, schedules, homework, sports, etc and there really doesn't seem to be any time for the "extras." Before we know it, days, weeks, even months go by.
I truly appreciate everyone who called, texted, emailed, or FB'ed that day. I look forward to my birthday every year....not because of the cake or presents, but because I get to hear from old friends, new friends, those that live close by and those that live far away. I love reconnecting and catching up with all of you! I miss my East Coast friends and family so much and hearing from all of you brightens my day. I love my West Coast friends and family and all of you are such an important part of my daily life.
I appreciate each and every one of you! :-)
Thank you for thinking of me and taking a minute out of your day to send your Birthday wishes. I know how hard it is to find a minute sometimes! :-)

My birthday dinner....

Gabby-In-The-Box

Most people have heard of a Jack-In-The-Box but in our house, there is a slight change in the wording...at least yesterday!! Gabriella empied out this storage container, containing miscellaneous toys and stuffed animals, and decided to play hide and seek. She'd place herself in the box, the lid (ever-so-gently) on top of the box, and the rest of us had to pretend that we had NO IDEA where she was.

Great fun for all of us!! :-)

Rules for playing...

Find box. The size is entirely up to you but the bigger, the better!

Roll up into the fetal position...like so...If at any time you are not comfortable, you have the option to lie on your side...

like so...

Place lid on the top of the box, making sure you do not seal it tight!! :-)
Have child with their sweetest, most adorable face peek out of the box or jump out, depending on their energy level. The choice is theirs :-)
Like so....
And there you have a Gabby-In-The-Box!

Happy Birthday Nicholas

My little boy turned eight on Saturday. First thing in the morning, he climbed into bed and snuggled with Daddy but Jeffrey and I ganged up on him and held him down for his eight (16) "whoopins." :-) He then informed me that he is halfway to driving. *sigh* He deserved eight more whoopins after that (but he didn't get them)!! :-)
We took the kids to breakfast then over to Grandma and Papa's for a little visit before heading to Nicholas's soccer game. It was picture day which meant that the team needed to be at the field an hour prior to gametime. For us, that meant arriving at the field at 11:15, pictures at 11:30, and game at 12:30. The photographer failed to show up which meant we sat in the sweltering heat of a 98 degree day for over an hour and then poor Nicholas had to run for an hour afterwards. About halfway through the game I saw him running out of gas and started to worry. Lots of liquids and sitting out the third quarter seemed to help but I could tell he wasn't his usual go-get-em self. Even though he didn't feel well, my little guy scored 2 goals!! Come to find out later, a low grade fever can't keep him down.....

This one went in....GGGOOOAAALLLL!!!
Nicholas fell asleep on the way home from the game, sat in the tub for over an hour with the water just running on him trying to cool down (the tub unplugged), slept an hour in his bed after drying off, came out to the living room and fell asleep again in the recliner until Grandma and Papa came over around 5:30. His 100.4 fever seemed to really take it's toll. He didn't eat a lot for dinner but perked up when it was time to eat cake. This year he chose chocolate cake with chocolate iciing with M&M's on top.

Blowing out the candle....

Grandma has this oversized pencil in her classroom that Nicholas has been eyeing up for the last five years. He's always asking if he can do his homework with it :-) Grandma finally parted with it and gave it to him this year but because of his fever, couldn't show his excitement, although he did manage a slight whisper of a "thank you for the pencil" as Grandma and Papa were walking out. He's has done a LOT of writing with it today :-)
He threw the M&M's on the cake just the way he wanted them :-)

Despite the fever, he had a pretty good day.

Happy 8th Birthday my Sweet Boy!!

We love you!!

Catching up!

Life just seems to be flying by at such a fast pace these days and before I know it, so much time has elapsed. So. here are the cliffnotes on life here on the West coast!

July is usually the month that the kids and I head "home" for a few weeks. This year was a first for us. We weren't able to make the trip this year because my surgery got scheduled for July 7th. After anticipating it for months, I started freaking out the closer and closer it got. The day came and went without any excitement and recovery was just as exciting. I went in on a Tuesday, came home Wednesday night, and laid on the couch for a couple days. Other than a spinal headache , which gets cured only with massive amounts of caffeine (who knew), I had no pain and recovery went smoothly. I'd like to report that I laid on the couch for the entire 8 weeks and was waited on hand and foot but that would be an outright lie. I was up and about 4 days later. Doing too much? yes! Doing things I was told not to do? yes! With a business, husband that is working, and three children, sitting for 8 seconds really isn't a luxury, let alone 8 weeks!! :-)

August brought Mom and Tom out for 2 weeks for a visit. What a huge help that was. We ended up camping for a weekend and Mom helped with the kids a whole lot. We got the kids ready for school, the laundry room painted, but mostly we just hung out. A nice relaxing visit. Two weeks go by WAY too quickly!!

We are now into our fourth week of school for the kids and all is going well. Homework for the kids, soccer for Nicholas, schedules for everyone. We just took the children to Pismo Beach for Labor Day weekend and Jeff and I just returned from a weekend in Vegas for the CHP Softball Tournament (pictures coming soon). Busy, busy, busy!!!

On a sad note, I lost a good friend just two weeks ago. A young beautiful friend, wife, and mother of two was taken entirely too early. She accomplished so much in her short 31 years. Can't help but think about life a little differently.

Some pictures of our crazy couple weeks...
While Mom and Tom were here, we got to celebrate Tom's 67th birthday. Chocolate cake, chocolate iciing! YUM!

Mom and the kids at the lake...

Mom and Tom painting the laundry room! :-)

First Day of School

We are at it again. They really are growing up!! The summer went by so quickly and we are already a full week into the school year. Nicholas is a big second grader, Isabella is in the first grade, and Gabriella is starting her second year of preschool.
Nicholas was completely unphased by the whole transition. He was excited to get to school, he asked me to read his class list at least a dozen times to see which friends were in his class, and he was up early Monday morning dressed in his school clothes that he had picked out the night before. (Thank you Grandma Cheyann for their *First Day of School* outfits)!!
Isabella was the COMPLETE opposite. She cried most of the morning and wanted nothing to do with getting ready. I removed her from the breakfast table, took her to her room, and tried to have a chat about what was wrong. Nothing really came from her but I think it was just apprehension about everything new for her.
Gabriella was just along for the ride and walked with Jeffrey and I to each of the classrooms.

Some pictures in the backyard before we headed out for our first day!
My bribery for taking a "good" picture is I have to let them take a "silly" one too. I'll never admit it to them but the silly ones are almost always my favorite!!

Mom took this picture of all of us right before loading into the car!!

The minute I walked Isabella into her classroom, her teacher (who I adore) was asking her some questions and she seemed to perk right up. I warned Mrs. Harden about her morning but distracted Isabella by telling her to find the cubby with her name on it. She hung her backpack, took a fabulous First Day of School picture, walked out on the playground with other classmates, and waited for the bell to ring. As I turned to check on Nicholas who by this point had already found his desk, hung his backpack, and was outside playing, I watched Isabella walk in a single file line with her class, led by their teacher, and she waved the biggest wave and smiled the biggest smile. All of her grief seemed to have disappeared. :-)

I snuck back in her classroom before leaving campus and took this picture... She was just fine!!

Having Nicholas and Isabella in the respective spots, it was Gabby's turn to have us take her to school. Actual preschool won't start for a few weeks but here is Gabby and Grandma, aka Mrs. Carol!

I am "That Mother" that went back to school at lunch time to check on my children. I took My Mom so she could see the mass chaos and I was happy to see that both children had already adjusted perfectly. Me? This was the first year that I made it through drop off without any tears. I must be growing up too!! :-)

Gabby days of Summer

This sums up our summer so far.....
*sigh*

39 and Counting

Jeff's parents celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary Saturday. Because we were all at the ballet recital for Isabella that night, we made plans for them to celebrate tonight. Our family, Jeff's parents, and Jeff's grandma all agreed to meet at Steve and Carols at 4:30 where a little champagne toast was to occur before heading off to a surprise night on the town. As we were toasting, the doorbell rang, Carol answered it, and the driver of the limo announced that he was there to take them out. It was just the two of them, driving in a white stretch limo (for the first time) to Red Lobster in Modesto, to celebrate 39 years together.

Enjoying a group "toast"...Yes, the kids are drinking champagne. Nicholas sipped it and didn't like it, Isabella made a funny face, and Gabby wouldn't even hold a glass.

The limo...
Carol said she felt like she was going to the prom. :-)

Cheers to you guys!!! *clink* You make 39 years look easy!

Happy Anniversary!!

**Just heard from them as I was posting this. They are home from their night out, drank all of the champagne on the way to dinner, had a fabulous lobster/shrimp/scallops/seafood dinner, and had a wonderful night. *cheers*

SMOKIN'

It is never a good sign to see a thermometer reading like this....

The kids escaped the heat by being at a friend's house and swimming while Jeffrey and I escaped to the movie theatre with his parents to watch Star Trek. Afterwards, it was the parent's pool and dinner.

Lots of swimming and AC happening right now!!

Best ticket in town

Isabella's dance recital was last night. Nights like these are right up her alley. The make-up, the dress up costumes, the curling iron, the glitter in her hair and on her body, and she LOVES being on the stage. (If only she liked posing in 104 degree sun shining weather so I could take her picture.) I managed to salvage a few.
She had 2 different performances for last night's show. The first was a song from the Tinkerbell movie and it was probably her favorite costume and favorite dance. She has been wearing it all morning and I'd lay a good bet that this will be her Halloween costume! :-)

Sweet Tinkerbell

Her second dance was the song Stuck on You and she was dressed as Elvis. This outfit was sparkly and WAY cute.

Ah...the make up. This makes me warp ahead about 10 years. The performers are asked to wear blue eyeshadow so their eyes "pop out" and every year I'm forced to buy a new "blue". Who keeps blue eyeshadow laying around anyway???

At any rate, my little Tink and Miss Elvis loves it!

And I love her!

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day was kind of in two parts for me today. For the kids, the morning was filled with pancakes, cards, and hugs for Daddy. For me, the morning was filled with Skyping. I got to see my two Dads and my brother Jeff. We really didn't talk about anything important but I actually got to "see" them. Knowing that I won't be able to see them again until August (Mom and Tom) or November (Dad), this was a big deal for me. Dad was showing me what he pulled out of his garden, Jeff just sat and chatted, Tommy Boy was kinda quiet since we Skyped the night before, and the kids were interested in showing them all of our pets and just being silly. Being on Skype is possibly the best thing ever for a girl who lives 3000 miles away from her family. It was great seeing all of you! I miss you all so much and I can't wait to see you and visit with you again!!

The afternoon was filled with Jeff and the kids, a big pasta dinner in which Nicholas and Isabella made the sauce with Daddy, and swimming at Grandma and Papa's house. Every child demanded a little part of Jeff's time as he swam with them, threw them in the air, and chased them around the pool. Here are some highlights...

Jeffrey was on a raft and all of the kids decided to climb on him and play. At first it was Nicholas and Isabella until they decided to"pull into port" and pick up Gabby. How the raft stayed afloat, we didn't question!

Jeffrey and the kids...

plus Papa...

all making silly faces. :-)

Jeffrey and his Dad, Steve! Happy Father's Day Gentlemen!!

Closing day

Baseball season 2009 has come to a close. This was the first year for us playing in Merced (played in the Atwater league the previous years) and it was interesting to see Nicholas back as the little fish in a big pond. He did very well, I can see his skills growing, he's gotten used to coach pitch vs. tee-ball, and I couldn't be prouder. His team went 11-1 and everyone had a great season. Way to go Green Machines!!!

His last at-bat for the season! Connected right at the end of the bat!!! :-)
A BBQ and family time took place right after the game. Thank you coaches for all of your hard work! Nicholas met new friends and was having dinner before saying goodbye!

His coach handing him his trophy and putting his medal around his neck!

My Slugger! Great playing Nicholas! Looking forward to next year!! :-)

Happy Birthday

This is the face of a sweet 6 year old. I tried to get her to go backwards and be 4 years old again but she wouldn't have it! :-)

We left Saturday morning and headed off to Santa Cruz so Isabella could spend her birthday at the ocean. The kids nor I had ever been there, Jeff is gone for the week, so off we went on our adventure. Building sand castles, chasing waves, riding rides on the Boardwalk, eating fish and chips, basking in the sun, feeling the breeze, and smelling the salty ocean air was heaven for all of us.

On the car ride back to Merced, Isabella crashed on her new horse pillow. Grandma and Papa bought her this horse pillow that has yet to leave her side. She slept with it last night and snuggled with it the entire 2 1/2 hour drive home (much to the dismay of Nicholas who was sitting next to her and literally had a horses tail in his face). She wants a horse birthday party so her friends can come and celebrate with her but we are a couple weekends away from that. This pillow should hold her over until then. She LOVES it!!
Happy Birthday my Sweet Isabella! I hope you had a wonderful 6th birthday!

*sigh*

More Graduation pictures

The family....

Grandma and Papa....

Isabella and Daddy...

Isabella and Mommy...

Our Graduate!

Isabella is officially out of school as of tomorrow but the Kindergarten graduation party was held Tuesday night at a local park. The class sang a couple songs, accepted their diplomas and had a picnic style lunch. Hard to believe she's out of Kinder and on the way to First grade!!



For some reason, she looks so big here! The Graduate!

Heaven only knows what she's thinking here.....
Or here....Congratulations Isabella!

Love you

Gabby's day

Today was the graduation for the children at Gabriella's school. She has three years of preschool due to a late December birthday but she thinks she is headed off to Kindergarten with her friends. We are one year down, two to go!!!

Congrats Gabby-Day!! We love you!

Getting ready to walk in to school. Big girl!

Her artwork of herself. LOVE the purple hair.

Happy girl with her certificate. :-)

Grandma and Papa! Not the best picture...Sad because Mommy was leaving!