tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83384508671573876932024-03-14T02:21:58.331-07:00Busy kidsThoughts about daily life with kids.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-39093091121744824122010-03-27T20:21:00.000-07:002010-03-27T20:50:32.699-07:00Almost a year<div><br /><br /><br /><div>Wow,</div><br /><div>Almost a year has gone by since my last post. So for a few updates....</div><br /><div>Ben is still furloughed 3 days a month (even though a judge has now ruled that the furloughs must end immediately and after the appeal is hear the state must pay him back pay for the days which he was furloughed....)</div><br /><div>I did get an amazing job. I am working at an elementary school as an Instructional Assistant in a special ed preschool classroom. When I started work we had 5 kids and 3 adults (the teacher, another aide and I). Now we are up to 9 kids and still just the 3 adults. Amazing what a difference 4 kids can make. I love the job and I love the kids I work with. They are all such a fun bunch of kids that have a variety of issues that make them truly unique individuals. I have been working at this job since October and I hope to be working this position for a long time to come. It is a great schedule... 4 days a week from 11:15-3. I have the same holidays and breaks off as my kids do and I will have summer vacation off with them too. Looking back it was truly a job worth waiting for.</div><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453525371249548770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTTtZ9cVGYfrEyorJSR6nU85aaIp6eyW7V5wvF9wYsv3rT_wcYxcI4dy8iJmInNL4FL-7-Ysvj8HAGb8vOPvuhw2ciuzEnL4Y1MS4e3ptIclOyFaVYSZk3MIhr8DPmqWsFGrjrV_SKf4/s320/2010_0307playingaround0023.JPG" /><br /><div>Peter is almost done with 5th grade. Next year he will move on to middle school. He is very excited about the change and I think in most ways it will be very good for him. It is a little scary for me to see him growing up so fast. He is becoming more and more independent every day. He continues to be involved in sports and scouts. He just received his arrow of light award in cub scouts and "bridged" to Boy Scouts. This year in football his team got second place in the Palomar Conference Championships for his age division. In wrestling he finished 2nd place in the county championships.</div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453525321205947266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7Gh35emrvWsLabr3UwZZUVitdrz-YvJPqKl5W33SSYrog4_5i9WeqlFSEdaRPjLGhqMz-RGmuKMs12T8KWpmdMCXcoSynlLTW4JMeqeKVAnfmucXZgHh6VkRLF_qI4PrJ-rXUF_Ot6E/s320/2010_0307playingaround0001.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 210px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453525412594718786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKBVrn72bId4H5I8GdBbv2emsrckVvQ4OTlpYZlVIQZKr6-Nw0SIz-6Xv_0uA-UL23v0hWfdhmqwvN6IhF-YA7NAyfaRUFTkstroZwDX6ufRDge3Ny4Bhx7uc00BhCDx4WDIuYhReoO4/s320/2010_0201playingaround0005.JPG" /><br /><div>Liam is finishing up 1rst grade and I think he is going to miss having his brother around school next year. Liam played flag football again this past year and his team won the local flag championship...way to go WARHAWKS!!! Liam got to start in cub scouts this year and this summer he will move from being a Tiger Scout to being a Bear scout. He signed up for baseball this year and after recovering from a poorly timed broken thumb has been in three games so far. (He broke his thumb the day after the first practice when he was playing outside with some girls...he would kiss them and then run away and they would try to catch him and kiss him...anyway, he tripped and fell and landed just the wrong way and broke his thumb. He was in a cast for 3 weeks and then had to wait 3 more weeks until he could play to make sure everything was all healed up. Liam also acted in his first play put on by Missoula Children's Theater. The kids audition on Monday and then start practicing that night and every night during the week for 5 days and then they put on a performance on Saturday of the same week. This year the play was King Arthur's Quest. Liam was a "mini white knight". It was a really cute play and he had a blast doing it.</div><br /><div>So, it has been quite an almost year....</div><br /><div>All in all I am counting my blessings that I have such an amazing family and great friends (both those near and far).</div></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-12693965546154750542009-07-08T12:27:00.000-07:002009-07-08T12:37:23.197-07:00Another great website.I was surfing the net the other day and came across another great medical website. Here's the link <a href="http://www.natmedtalk.com/">www.natmedtalk.com</a> this is a health forum with tons of discussion boards on health topics. I figure we all need some advice once in awhile about medical concerns, and although my doctor is usually my final say on what's wrong with me it's nice to check out some other ideas first.<br /><br />Right now knock on wood I'm healthy and so is the rest of the family. I'm certainly relieved about that at least. Ben's job has been less than great lately. They have now furloughed him 3 days a month with talk of another day. UGGHHH!! I told him that he needs to look for another job. He's not very interested in that idea unfortunately. Oh well. I got a call this morning about a job, I'm going for an interview next Tuesday at 10a.m. so hopefully that will go well. It's tough finding the right balance of work that I want to do and work that pays enough to make it worth the time. I sure wish the economy would improve.<br /><br />Man, sorry about the downer post. Maybe I should take the approach my friend did on her blog...start over....<br />Things are great here in sunny California. My husband has a job, I have 2 healthy, happy kids and I have a job interview next week that I am very excited about.<br /><br />Here's hoping you're all doing well.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-51046079250580134642009-06-30T19:50:00.000-07:002009-06-30T20:03:28.316-07:00I am going off on one of my little side blogs here. I found a new health blogthat I found really interesting. Generally I don't put a lot of stock in holistic medicine because I don't know much about it, but this site does a good job of explaining different holistic ideas. I will include a link to the page so you can check it out. After reading several of the small articles I think I am going to bookmark it to refer to later. You should check it out if you have any interest at all in Holistic medicine. Here's the link to the health blog: <a href="http://www.healthyfellow.com/">http://www.healthyfellow.com</a><br />Okay, anyway one of the articles on the blog was talking about artichoke leaves and IBS. Since I have IBS that really caught my eye. So far none of the medications that I have gotten from my doctor have helped, so I think I might just try out their suggestion. I figure it can't hurt, right?<br /><br />The boys are doing really good. Peter went to sleep away summer camp. I missed him a lot, but he had a great time. Liam enjoyed being home with me and getting my whole attention. He got to be the "man of the house" when Ben was at camp with Peter.<br />I'll post some more pics soon.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-2019548531043509822009-06-06T08:54:00.000-07:002009-06-06T09:38:15.345-07:00Updates and a few pics<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344251356057772434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio61vrTL6vSmzsbwYtvn8MYGYvOpG9uB_HkRmGeLtTFjtcCBG6qQNpkB5G6bondTOjc-ybM1rRk47UDUSXYasDlOZVfquSTADI6PHcCJ7JD_HTZEbIwn0ZjoDesSTFpF6H4hHiftdYLiU/s320/2009_0517playingaround0035.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0i82QSsH2ltykAKIctgWWyBnQcgqky7Re4cT5JVwtnV3H3eVZRyxyCCR1j9hnBAQ-V4Z72i5j3zH-Wt3KIN3JAAIFK3zDd5AYRkOcJfO5GBS3XPvEYwd9mVrdwqlk0wZVRwHe2zhkd9A/s1600-h/2009_0517playingaround0217.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344253174759111858" style="DISPLAY: block; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7UIwf4bLTnp_4dRj_I7kwgvvP_9ytOterHOyuZEtXknecVGk4pDoNLBgjm3CDtXkGW3WNxl4fsI5G_2til2857CNLPs4rzkC0EuV3xQ60DZFyLjMO3CyZpd2HXDDUtJnAx5tKUmgosY/s320/2009_0517playingaround0126.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElDn8VZA0QH9dCXg3mQJOxQI394Rw4ZV1Bs_y_dKFqKutEVkHvmOh3pu2jhYXGtSFySifiWBvA8rw8BIMrdQ8VZib2bQkJTjmKXIjNkxX0c5Uty2lAFbTaAmuo_1zMauKHQ71KTOewys/s1600-h/2009_0517playingaround0087.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344252185246463666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElDn8VZA0QH9dCXg3mQJOxQI394Rw4ZV1Bs_y_dKFqKutEVkHvmOh3pu2jhYXGtSFySifiWBvA8rw8BIMrdQ8VZib2bQkJTjmKXIjNkxX0c5Uty2lAFbTaAmuo_1zMauKHQ71KTOewys/s320/2009_0517playingaround0087.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzK413_moqPe-2hB-NGKeyT1PxYyRSRydA0QAGBmQrEzp0ot6xjSecNSCmx2TmxjId2a1BvGVOzLxJBy6saiYebJpYO2bAHoLsMbGdmRVfFs8L4DvcBN9pPRv1rvzmm45OIoGnNGgIio/s1600-h/2009_0517playingaround0084.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344252184305674626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzK413_moqPe-2hB-NGKeyT1PxYyRSRydA0QAGBmQrEzp0ot6xjSecNSCmx2TmxjId2a1BvGVOzLxJBy6saiYebJpYO2bAHoLsMbGdmRVfFs8L4DvcBN9pPRv1rvzmm45OIoGnNGgIio/s320/2009_0517playingaround0084.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqm4I5mwPkYE-Q4XMkvj5mJlcJRFuVc_8mpgsmRmwi2s-nDHQiS2PhhfCIRyCASzXuRKwpDT-CR2F8ogL1M0dtQlcpT9LJBb3x9ul19jNCOq_QeX5G6p0ZF5dziwRE6QbFFpaWzWWWj7s/s1600-h/2009_0517playingaround0062.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344251370425124930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqm4I5mwPkYE-Q4XMkvj5mJlcJRFuVc_8mpgsmRmwi2s-nDHQiS2PhhfCIRyCASzXuRKwpDT-CR2F8ogL1M0dtQlcpT9LJBb3x9ul19jNCOq_QeX5G6p0ZF5dziwRE6QbFFpaWzWWWj7s/s320/2009_0517playingaround0062.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRVqnl0VdoRQYT-aeTFOsfPh3i3xrZrObF82HiwoQzZNlL7TRnuhvql9EaBiUn4oIxR5D6XXH9FgAdY5bDGEtlWG55fPN3HmoCzHQO2RQOTzr7yQ2zsSyAAKYFbjCTFryRlvYk8ffjq0/s1600-h/2009_0517playingaround0077.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344251367743486002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRVqnl0VdoRQYT-aeTFOsfPh3i3xrZrObF82HiwoQzZNlL7TRnuhvql9EaBiUn4oIxR5D6XXH9FgAdY5bDGEtlWG55fPN3HmoCzHQO2RQOTzr7yQ2zsSyAAKYFbjCTFryRlvYk8ffjq0/s320/2009_0517playingaround0077.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TgB0nk20PN42PzKQp6498woz7D8PPWg3pDzD_FcU_25Amo96KXg04fOnVfFU9uFN37u4bFzHtxlifxzWZhC03L9u1-3dzRnsFr9-l0H6_7zM4cvorOct2MoF5D8P44t5WUQblTe4iZk/s1600-h/2009_0517playingaround0074.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344251361645742434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TgB0nk20PN42PzKQp6498woz7D8PPWg3pDzD_FcU_25Amo96KXg04fOnVfFU9uFN37u4bFzHtxlifxzWZhC03L9u1-3dzRnsFr9-l0H6_7zM4cvorOct2MoF5D8P44t5WUQblTe4iZk/s320/2009_0517playingaround0074.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344253182099957266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w4W4nc6roUyBzIaQeN-9ICXMAPEe5lbdYTh3DOxQ8twXUJtil_SbMR1f9k6jAWXJB1bVb_rRfC6umGRgh8l0X8gOfPO2XiviMl0MUhWpbZQcTcHRS__IIomZDV20FKV541qUTuqSfGE/s320/2009_0517playingaround0441.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I'm so bad at keeping this blog up lately. And I haven't even been as busy as usual, I guess I just took a blog holiday. Since the last blog, Peter's neck healed fine with no more trouble and he finished out the wrestling season. Then it was on to Rugby for Peter and tball for Liam. This was Peter's second year playing rugby and he of course loved it. Liam played tball for the 1rst time and he had a great time. Right now we are in a bit of a lull from sports, but it won't last too long...football starts officially in August, but there will be camps during the month of July.</div><br /><div>Ben has been really busy at work and has been working evenings and weekends, which is really not fun for the family or for him I'm sure! I've been looking for a part time job to help out with the finances a little, but haven't had any luck so far. In the meantime I've been keeping busy with Poway Pop Warner football, since I'm still on the board of directors there. And a month or so ago I joined the Poway Youth Rugby board of directors. So I won't be bored for a while! HA!</div><br /><div>We took a week long "free" vacation (that we got from touring the Welk Resort vacation condos) to Monterey, CA. It was an absolutely gorgeous place to visit. There was a wide variety of things to do and most of it was FREE!!!! We walked along Cannery Row (made famous by John Steinbeck's book of the same name), went to the Moneterey Bay Aquarium, strolled along the rocky shoreline, hopped rocks, saw some amazing tidepools, visited the "Denace the Menace" park that was designed by the guy who wrote the comic strip, went to the artichoke festival in Castroville, CA, strolled along the oldest running free boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA, drove the 17-mile drive through Pebble Beach and saw the world famous golf courses, and went hiking at Point Lobos State Park. Overall, it was a really fun trip.</div><br /><div>This past week Liam lost his first 3 teeth. (Yes, all in one week!!!) And now, I'm all caught up on my blogging. Hope you enjoy!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344251353523441906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpntA-dmSHzO32sRGS_jbgo63vdXRNXHILswZbEEedmPUihkklFrcx48ledzmYVqDpPXpNmpepudW_12t92S1_1zJKdiCLKaZizA7Ukhk0EIAN0c3kh9bkc3EDW-hq2o2pNhG8WPp-tc/s320/2009_0605playingaround0016.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-84938631447308416772009-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:002009-02-17T16:01:53.208-08:00TraumaI simply couldn't think of a better word to describe this post. <br />Peter had a wrestling tournament on Sunday in a town called Brawley, Ca. which is about 130 miles from Poway. We got up early and headed out for our 2.5 hour drive. It was a fun drive and we talked most of the way there. I was really enjoying spending time with just Peter and getting to chat with him. We got to the tournament and he weighed in and made the 100 pound novice group which he was very excited about. (Most weeks he has been wrestling at 105). (Weigh ins are at 10am and then they don't start wrestling until about 1p.) Then we went throught the drive thru at Carl's jr. to pick up some lunch. I asked the lady at the drive thru if there was a Target or Walmart around and she told me it was just down the street past 3 stoplights. So we headed over to Walmart and browsed there for a little while to waste some time before Peter had to wrestle.<br />We headed back to the high school where the tournament was located and I managed to get a great parking space right in front of the school. We went inside and found his coach and Peter went to warm up and I found a spot to sit in the bleachers. The meet started and Peter was the fourth person to wrestle in the first round. His first round was absolutely amazing, he wrestled better than I had ever seen him wrestle before. I was so proud of him and when the match was over he came up into the stands and I told him how proud of him I was. <br />We talked about his next round matchup against another kid who wrestles for Poway. Peter said he was pretty sure he could beat the guy, but I told him to just do his best. The second round match started and the other kid from Poway was a very tough competitor. During the first period of the match the kid was choking Peter and I yelled out from the stands and said "stop choking him". The kid glanced up at me and loosened his grip on Peter. Then the first period ended and Peter was down 0-5. Peter was doing a good job in the second period of fighting the kid off until the kid took him down and again got Peter in a choke hold. Peter screamed out in pain loud enough for me to hear him in the stands and the ref stopped the match. I ran down to the roped off area and was watching Peter. I noticed that he was having a lot of difficulty standing up and the coach was trying to help him off the mat, so I went out to the mat and helped get him to the wall and sat him down. The whole time he was holding his neck and crying hysterically. I told him to calm down and tell me where he hurt, but he couldn't get himself calmed down so I touched his neck lightly and he screamed again. We had him lay down and when he tried to straighten his legs he screamed again. One of the tournament officials came by and asked if I wanted someone to take a look at him to make sure he was okay and I said yes. A nurse came over and told Peter that she was going to check him over. As soon as she tried to lift his head a little he screamed really loud so she just stablized his neck with her hands and told me that someone needed to call an ambulance. I stood up and told the nearest person to me to call an ambulance and they went to call. In the meantime an off duty paramedic came over and asked if we could use some help and both the nurse and I said yes. He took Peter's vital signs and tried to assess him, but Peter was still too hysterical to answer any questions and so the guy said asked if an ambulance had been called, and I told him yes and he said good. He told me that when the paramedics came they would put Peter in a neck brace and strap him to a board and transport him to the ER. At this point Peter started screaming "I don't want to go, I don't want to go." The nurse and off duty paramedic were trying to calm him down and I was holding his hand trying to reassure him that he was okay. The paramedics got there and I backed away so that they could assess him and they put the C collar on him and strapped him on the board. Then they asked if I was riding with them or if I wanted to meet them at the hospital. I got directions from them and they told me that the hospital was up one block and across the street from Walmart. I got in my car and headed over there. i got there just as the ambulance did and I parked and ran in to the ER. By the time I got in the ER the paramedics had brought Peter in and he was calmed down considerably. They took us to a room and unstrapped him from the board. He immediately tried to start moving around and the doctor told him if he didn't lay still that he was going to stap him back to the board and he wasn't kidding. They took him to get a CT scan of his neck and thankfully it came back that nothing was fractured. He just has a bad strain and won't be able to do any sports for at least a week.<br /><br />I am so very thankful that he is okay. I was so scared on the way to the hospital. I could only imagine the worst and I couldn't stand the thought of my active, tough son with a broken neck. I hope that I never have to go through that again. But the experience really helped me bring into focus what matters in my life. Some things are important and other things are just background noise. Give your little ones hugs and kisses and praise every chance you get. They are just so precious.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-32447843313705854652008-12-26T12:28:00.000-08:002008-12-26T12:40:11.729-08:00Christmas 2008<div><br /><br /><div> I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year. Wow! I can't believe it is almost 2009. We had a good Christmas with just the boys and us. It was quiet, but the boys seemed to enjoy it as it gave them lots of time to play with their toys. Santa treated them pretty darn good this year. Peter got a Nintendo DS, and Liam got a guitar. Liam was very excited about also having a stocking filled with lots of things.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div>Here's a few pics. Liam is very excited in the first one because he found some M&M's in his Christmas stocking.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284200260372584610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aCr6Hzd0qqf-kgpkvJOcIbf8LiXBLpsdeVQ0pT7hrIea25-1lKtRtnzMbIv6kKC4s1dmm9bIti39aLCdN-Dwk1_iLma7zNh4gm7-HmWBsHIRka7uyiUsGTtmjeEUIf49wEicDhIgMRo/s320/2008_1225playingaround0059.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284200271227289970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFOpOb30cdE-sHIeLHQDEdnyAY2Ss2BUbfCEJktzWjIaPqxwQkSDz_Olwlq38PxdANxZoVwKNa0APHhGIaYo5pdy8IIqz5DdLThLmGxdpEmkHJc2UppF9L-aE6aQP4EXcWy1G3G83f2Y/s320/2008_1225playingaround0055.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284200322298748002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOjWDeTM67__nxt3ywjvl_Tvv806BRy57I4Ytb_FXMhmIHpK1xI_hif9HpbJU8bUiTiBfKwyLDrYVV5RIgLYm-3UlwKU3FquwHP0q8U7rof4rT3hP7aEHxl-OxmAiRHnchYoXNftAomM/s320/2008_1225playingaround0049.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284200278166134178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSpCTCN1igTvIW8Vxqq_TOssOlbRlr3PyNgTnhc6EDWMw6yxR88K8vMwOT5Ntte2WYgTBYI8McJP3TmpRczK_0UOBRWRyMXqeyWuR6rZVBrvRFXgJ5JS8i3sOOv7ztaLhLpmZIUiuIVA/s320/2008_1225playingaround0040.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284200330320018978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lTmo45kzoPlS6Gvg7SBe9ti24x60zMtcCAWw6AL82-IwTdk3WCzE5FIeredH5UzWZBkjVD2oTncD_KLIe2mZ3skFU34suQvUFY4HN9RGIUyuXx4zNCV9XFHYUydP-CLEabgI3I2-xdA/s320/2008_1225playingaround0063.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-10787847734717352882008-11-29T12:02:00.000-08:002008-11-29T12:28:02.278-08:00A harrowing tale about a fun day in the desertYesterday we took Ben's brother Michael (who came for a visit from New Mexico) to the Anza-Borrego Desert. It was a really great day. The temp was in the mid 70's and it was sunny all around. We started out by driving up to an overlook and got an amazing view of the desert floor below us. Then we drove on to a desert oasis called 17 Palms. We walked around there for awhile and ate a picnic lunch that I packed us. Then we headed to a place called the "Pumpkin Patch" which was a bunch of small boulders that were strewn across the desert floor and they looked very much like a bunch of pumpkins in a pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch was reached by going on a 4 Wheel drive only desert wash road. There were also hundreds of off road vehicles (dirt bikes, dune buggies, etc.) zooming in and around the area. After the pumpkin patch we went to see the gas domes which were domes filled with some sort of natural gas bubbling liquid out of the ground. Following that we continued down the 4 Wheel drive road hoping to get back to the highway. <br />HOWEVER,<br />We headed down the road bumping and turning along. At the bottom of the hill there was a Y intersection and after looking at the map Ben and his brother decided that we should go to the right to get back to the highway. So we started off down the road and it got progressively more bumpy and turny as we drove. Several of the off road vehicles went flying by us jumping over dirt hills and such. After driving for about 20 minutes and coming to an area where a bunch of the off road vehicles were stopped we decided to ask for directions to make sure we were headed the right way. Turns out it was good we asked because we weren't where we thought we were so we turned around and headed back to the Y intersection. This time after again consulting the map Ben decided that we should have in fact went to the left. So we headed off down the left side of the trail and were feeling pretty good that we were headed the right direction to the highway. BUT....as luck would have it....about 10 minutess into our drive the road started getting narrower and twistier....and so, after just barely squeezing into one narrow turn Ben stopped and he and Michael got out to check out the road ahead. Michael climbed up the hill and Ben walked down farther on the path to see what was ahead. Meanwhile, a group of off road vehicles came up behind our Xterra and had to try to get around the Xterra by going part way up the dirt wall by our vehicle. Ben and Michael came back and decided it was going to be impossible to go forward so we would have to back our way out of this bumpy, turny desert wash. Michael stayed out of the car and directed Ben while he attempted to back out of the area. After backing a few feet Ben had to make a rather sharp turn and the Xterra tilted dangerously so he immediately stopped and after Michael assuring him it was okay to pull forward a little he got the Xterra back on 4 wheels and the boys and I decided that we were also getting out of the car. Then Ben backed around a few more tight curves and we found a place that he could turn around. He finally got the Xterra turned around and we all got back in and headed back to a road that we KNEW for certain would take us back to the highway. <br />I had certainly had MORE than enough excitement and adventure for one day.<br /><br />Unfortunately, none of us had cameras so we didn't get any pictures of our adventures, but I'm sure that we will all remember yesterday for a long, long time.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-91355623053981230012008-10-07T12:47:00.000-07:002008-10-07T12:53:40.570-07:00Giving ThanksI am going to try something new today and give a list of things I am thankful for in my life. Hopefully, it will help me focus on the positives in my world.<br /><br />1. I'm thankful I have a wonderful, caring husband who I've been married to for 13 years.<br />2. I'm thankful for Peter and Liam, I couldn't ask for two more inspiring children.<br />3. I'm thankful that I'm healthy.<br />4. I'm thankful that I have friends all over the U.S who like me for who I am.<br />5. I'm thankful for good teachers for my kids.<br />6. I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head and food on my table.<br />7. I'm thankful that I have enough money to pay my bills.<br />8. I'm thankful for my extended family who is always there for me.<br /><br />That's what I came up with so far. I know I have been given other blessings that I have forgotten, but this list makes me feel a little bit better. The items above are in no particular order, or else I would have had to list them all on number one. And of course I'm thankful for my faith in God.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-69661643334039628392008-10-01T15:52:00.001-07:002008-10-01T16:01:52.374-07:00Mean peopleToday is one of those days where I'm trying to be happy despite all the chaos around me. I am a generally optimistic person and I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. But, I find that I am struggling lately with being optimistic and seeing the best in people. Just when I think that things are going pretty good, someone does something that throws me for a loop.<br />Last night a parent on my son's football team sent an email to the entire team giving vague references to problems he feels the team is having, and insinuating that Ben is putting the players in danger of emotional harm because of his coaching style. This same parent also gave a vague threat in this email saying that he is looking into legal action because of things he has recently learned about the team. <br />Ben is a VOLUNTEER head coach who stepped up to do the job when no one else would. He has been trying very hard to make it a good experience for all the kids on the team. I don't understand how people can be so darn mean! That's what it is, just mean. Whatever happened to do unto others as you would have them do unto you?????? Wouldn't life be better if we all tried harder to follow this rule?<br />I am far from perfect and I make my share of mistakes, but I do not ever remember a time where I was mean just for the sake of being mean.<br />It's just kinda been a rough couple of days...I'm sure I'll get my optimism back...I just have to realize that I can't control other people's behavior.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-81824234549049964112008-08-22T11:09:00.000-07:002008-08-22T11:17:33.970-07:00Music and LyricsOkay, this is a sort of unusual post for me, because it has absolutely NOTHING to do with my kids. But I have been listening to a new song for a few weeks and I really enjoy it. It is one of those songs that you just want to listen to over and over and over.... It is called "Eight Feet Tall" and is song by Gabriel Mann. I discovered the song because I heard it in the background of my favorite soap "Guiding Light", so I went online to figure out what the name of the song was and to hear the whole song. Here is the link to Gabriel Mann's website where you can listen to the song and also check out the lyrics. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/gabrielmann">www.myspace.com/gabrielmann</a><br />I think the reason I like this song is that I have felt the need to live up to others' expectations and rules and I can relate to the feeling of needing to be "Eight Feet Tall". Haven't we all? It is just really one of those songs that I related to.<br />Hope you also enjoy it.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-22259677515512541472008-07-30T14:20:00.000-07:002008-07-30T14:31:19.760-07:00Nebraska tripWell, I made it back to Nebraska again this summer and greatly enjoyed visiting with my friends Melanie and Becca. It was nice to be able to talk to them and to catch up on life. I also enjoyed spending time with my family. We took the boys to my uncle's farm while we were back and the boys had tons of fun there as well as learning a few things. Neither of my city boys realized that potatoes grew under ground and they were delighted to help my uncle dig some up. They were also surprised that carrots also grew underground and helped pull up a few of those. Liam was enthralled with corn fields. As we were driving to my uncle's house Liam kept telling grandpa "look there's a corn field" as you can imagine he repeated this few times!!! At my uncle's farm he got to go into the corn field with Aunt Judy and they walked to a pivot in the field. The boys also got to get eggs from the hens and Peter helped cousin Jackie feed the cows and cats (sorry about the mess Jackie!!!) Both boys said they want to come back to the farm again.<br /><br />Now I am in full football mode. I am on the board of directors for Pop Warner and I am responsible for getting 17 team books organized and making sure that all 350 players have all required paperwork turned in before the start of practice August 1rst. Then once practice starts I will be going like mad for the month of August now that both boys are involved with Pop Warner. So I probably won't be blogging much if at all for the next couple months. I'll try to post some pictures of the farm/Nebraska trip soon.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-41610913276459969742008-07-03T15:51:00.000-07:002008-07-03T15:59:01.019-07:00Broken bone and other stuff<div>Well, Peter another broken bone. It's his second one in two years. This time he did a pretty good job of it and is in a full arm cast. He's taking it pretty well, especially considering he cannot swim, play football, run, or roughouse with his brother. He fell off a slide when trying to climb up the slide part while his friend was sliding down. He put his arm out to catch himself and he cracked his elbow.</div><br /><div>I took some pictures the night of the accident and then I took some more with his cast on. I think he is enjoying the attention he is getting from the cast.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218925854672513730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1xlGE-gmtKRX6j2q2hB9kuFxnp6uj3d_3zcVW1GcL62AhFN8P2QQSb8dwVaLN4VgPKeuBomNGZlx8LXSdP0Z9Is1v6xNSzKKPF2YeYAQ2MH4p2KKliaweVLq7ucEG89Qy8eeM_QOVp8/s320/misc.+june+pics+003.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218925857644735474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8JNjYnjBTLnKD3_jQDjSt0qXiZ2MpODFb9_Qog4SSTj76Q-KIwaPB4wHbv5ID3P1hDF-as7Zw3xjI1faC7BwNkoJoFSMBjBTW-_gZytuRIBNcP8mQBApnecJymjy8Xy0qbyUjU7gVj8/s320/misc.+june+pics+004.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218925866201731298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QMBLRDxTvFgaESsFZ6NT1Md67P_OMVBTZczkyWDXqah-n_uroSjsJcooO9-iC2Up8BgRqPSmzHHATWYKdJlUVcsZIKBjNODaTArTuXSX8zt7w0sHefoCWr9sIGeUoNCagR7mCjV8pyw/s320/misc.+june+pics+005.jpg" border="0" /></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-86265071814719285232008-06-30T15:09:00.000-07:002008-06-30T15:34:20.185-07:00a blog about nothingI am blogging about nothing. I don't have any remarkable tales or amazing ideas to share. I'm just trying to keep in touch. Although I have been busy lately, life hasn't been extremely exciting. Peter finished his second camp of the summer and we are trying to figure out what to do for the 4th of July. I really enjoy the fourth. It is one of my favorite holidays, the food, the activities, the fireworks...what could be better???? It's a little different here in Poway. We cannot have our own fireworks, not even black cats, little black snakes, or smoke bombs...if we want to see fireworks we have to go to the local high school and hang out with thousands of other fireworks lovers. But we can still eat and there are lots of activities going on at the park down the street from where we live. They have an "Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration", complete with mock train robberies, gunfight demos, quilt show, and craft market. And then there is the food....burgers, dogs, snowcones, ice cream, etc...<br /><div>Next week the boys will both have swimming lessons. Peter is a pretty good swimmer, but it is always good to have a refresher course. Liam is getting the hang of it. He has even started diving down to get rings off the bottom of the pool in the shallow end. But he will have to take a break from doing that for a couple of days because he has an ear infection. He can still swim, but the doctor said no diving. He wasn't too happy about that and was even more unhappy about the eardrops three times a day. He has to lay down for 10 minutes after getting them and he doesn't enjoy that in the least...he's much too busy.</div><div>I am including a couple of pictures from Peter's open house at school. His teacher is really creative and the masks on the wall are made from molding them on the kids' faces. The life size astronauts are sitting in a large "space shuttle" ready for their mission into space. The heads for the astronauts are paper mache that the kids did and then the heads are stapled onto a "body"made up of clothes stuffed with newspaper. Peter is the astronaut in the forefront of the picture.</div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217803545783124370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9DuHEvNea2j5OqCX-dIQP-clRNHOmeIZVMQcx3F7qIbqozKyKNDg3CL-ftWeQIwQHepU7obFFwt3VTAwu99Az8EYizNq9eGtkkN7cavk2G1bYvhVFNx6gpxP8NY8U64DvmpRsBKqUO4/s320/alien+masks.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217803552940290226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvdnIsYmW4tVCSjmqEOa3BXcRq_I2ls1HoYm-BsGWLFsPXMJ-WXEGFsxmm2VJFXX0LJR2jBCBE4Okhq1FISeINefJQZDcqbmjBNjXO2lt-_uZVA_oDNCunYwJN5fNS7fpg8bUBL1QrWs/s320/astronauts.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>Here's a cute pic I snapped of Liam "shaving" with daddy.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217806026060482274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyTCFC-T2TyseVqkNQqNe1mWFug2ZZpCf5Bxch72BmrAo-iGstMCI6Bl3_99J_ZztWBWYlBV_NfNkQfNnoEqNQUqAyWcNiQoqhzhxwhmiq_u0aX6NxcRTITpGHIn3FSBnjhTXxJWsAxw/s320/misc.+june+pics+001.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p><p></p>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-9522769139431255542008-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:002008-06-03T12:34:52.481-07:00Pictures from Puerto RicoHere are the promised pictures from our trip... Enjoy!!!! The first one is Liam with Gracie the dog. The second is Liam and Peter with the turtle that Peter accidentally caught when he was fishing. The third is Peter and Liam sleeping in the car...the looked so angelic!!! The fourth picture is Peter on the zipline at the kiddie pool. And the last picture is Liam sitting in the kiddie pool with his snorkel gear on.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207739237627514306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxcTZ2P5f7UY2TxdsVmYj9n_0QPIRNqkdBiLcZNa2sZMYrfQ3f4_DjfL4wKtLFEepyVpzNGMOaa8c1b8zKdHObB0lYNJN90HZH6PQgIDPx-IL-NcaYg2u-oZi6eVn4_ec0NEhIYGlNFU/s320/Kansas,Scouts,+and+Puerto+Rico+029.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207739371757352818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsB_mgloKDQmXOf1EQBbJPd4oDusEZXVtZGjGiG88i4_fqTYd89jXldCIBDu7Fxg4JwBOjoDMn4B8pv9pdw2bTHq_g7cGyCPFXM3Vg8sGryODeo-9o7TZ3OCAgp5lFYEo32rBqSMVisqo/s320/Kansas,Scouts,+and+Puerto+Rico+177.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207739333021367026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mfvGxaK6BwLb5yqOrDJ1c0703Qv2e4cVv_MidsQICISmEwEBoYPj_jFdWFAMzCrFFiSiuXTqC0adSrYi2m1JtvLYpCl6OsY_NwYAT8ZgbOiaKBFX-vq65VceOgbv6z_XUEzsWI4oIzU/s320/Kansas,Scouts,+and+Puerto+Rico+123.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207739301802865602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgid_ZNflsik8m6ruaQA75QWHHdCW3JwH3sQ2eUAn6S1huHERmVEZFCs2PSPDWlFMmgGHMbOX2xlnwr2kzzUue5LLBH8aOcm3QGw9-PO-kvwfyj_CndQNetOjAd1cezzGJCrAhLQzMFahI/s320/Kansas,Scouts,+and+Puerto+Rico+078.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207739270776830578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0GqTAdAbYCW1siKFpKW57hleK_utSbjpF0jMe8PXF3Lw0_UrxMX-SDX66NehlvgyKsqM501EUZFUR8RdR7B8167ofdkHWah7k3JqjwvwwJesa4SHTgx_W-cD8q8t9QXPXGFO6ZO-ubk/s320/Kansas,Scouts,+and+Puerto+Rico+072.jpg" border="0" />California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-56636996579382228572008-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:002008-06-01T20:27:29.281-07:00VacationWe just returned last night from a lovely trip to Puerto Rico. This is the third year in a row that we have gone there and I always enjoy the weather and the beautiful beaches. I will post pictures soon, but I am much too tired to do it right now. <br />On our second of two flights to Puerto Rico Liam wasn't feeling well and threw up. Luckily, he told me before he did it and I was able to get him a barf bag, so I didn't have puke all over me at least. He ended up throwing up about 6 times during the flight, so I had to keep borrowing bags from everyone sitting around me. Then when we got to Puerto Rico we had to drive about a half hour to Ben's parents house, and when we got there Liam got out of the car and puked in the grass. I felt so bad for the poor kid. By the next morning he was feeling mostly better though.<br /><br />We were in Puerto Rico for a week and got to do a lot of swimming and relaxing. We also got to travel to the southern side of the island and go snorkeling in the Carribean. That was really an amazing experience. I had never been snorkeling before and I was very nervous about it. The guide was very helpful and did a great job of explaining how to put on the mask/snorkel and how to work the fins. Our first stop was in about 3 feet of water and we got to see lots of different fish. We even saw a barracuda...but it was moving so fast I couldn't get a picture. Then we went to another sight which was about 5 to 6 feet deep and got to see some beautiful blue fish and lots of other colored fish. There was a small coral reef that was also really neat to see. Ben found a Conch shell and we got to bring that home with us. We also got to tour a coffee plantation and the Bacardi factory as well as a fort in Old San Juan.<br /><br />Overall it was a good trip, but it was nice to get home and sleep in my own bed. Now if I can just get my internal clock set back to California time I'll be in good shape.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-14941297758784996292008-05-07T13:13:00.000-07:002008-05-07T13:24:00.156-07:00May updateOkay, it's been awhile since I blogged. I really don't have any big news to report. Peter just finished his first season of rugby. He really enjoyed playing and is anxious for the next season to start. We signed up both Peter and Liam for football this year. Liam will be playing flag football and Peter will be in his second year of tackle football. Ben got selected as a head coach for Peter's division in football. Peter is excited about the idea of having his dad as his coach. Liam will have the same coach Peter had when he was in flag football.<br />Today I signed Liam up for kindergarten. It really is hard to believe that my "baby" is going to kindergarten.<br />Last month my sister and her hubby and kids drove from Nebraska to California with my parents to have an enjoyable spring break. I got to visit with them for a few days and it was nice playing tour guide. Ben and the boys went to Kansas at the same time to celebrate Ben's grandma's 90th birthday. So, although I missed them at least I wasn't all alone.<br />At the end of May we are going to Puerto Rico to visit Ben's parents for a week. We are all looking forward to a little RandR. <br />Other than that, not much is going on other than the usual running errands and school things.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-4097509703915569042008-03-21T08:55:00.001-07:002008-03-21T09:08:40.445-07:00March MadnessMarch really has been full of madness for me and I'm not talking basketball frenzy either!!!!<br /><br />Liam has been really sick this month and after 4 trips to the doctor, 2 strep tests and a blood test he was finally diagnosed with scarlet fever a week ago today. He is on antibiotics 3 times a day for ten days. I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis for him.<br /> It all started fairly innocently when he complained that his neck hurt one night and I figured he was just sore from a hike earlier in the day. When he woke up the next morning and he wouldn't straighten his neck and I noticed that he had a big bump on his neck I decided I better take him to the doctor. When the doctor checked him out he told me the bump was a swollen lymph node. He told me that it could be strep or possibly mono. He took a strep culture and gave me a lab form to get blood taken. Both those tests came back negative, so the doctor said it must have just been a virus that ran it's course because the lymph gland was also down. That evening Liam started running a fever of 103 and had the fever for 4 days. I took him back to the doctor on the 3rd day of the fever and the doc gave him another strep test and looked him over and discovered the rash all over his stomach and back so he gave me a prescription for antibiotics. This time the strep test came back positive which meant that the doctor was correct that Liam has scarlet fever. He is feeling better though and we are thankful that it wasn't something more serious.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-84057025193692126122008-03-10T10:13:00.000-07:002008-03-10T10:19:05.775-07:00SundayYesterday Ben and Peter went on a whale watching trip. They didn't get to see any whales though. Liam and I went to Legoland for a fun, relaxing day. Liam doesn't like roller coasters, so he was really excited that he only had to ride the rides that he likes (ones that stay on the ground and go slow...) We only spent a couple of hours there, but it was a beautiful day. Since we have annual passes, I don't feel so bad only spending a short time there. Yesterday Legoland unveiled their new area/rides. Only pass members and media were allowed to ride yesterday. It was a lot of fun.<br />Then we came home and took a short nap to recharge. Not much else to report from this weekend.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-48920709376679274182008-02-29T09:22:00.000-08:002008-02-29T09:35:22.343-08:00Misc. posting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15OXnfJxmqLC00W9GsBQpArAJYco-CFLTySxmMG3iPPC1uup0g7Yn8orU7Mplg6EcBxTeQSkKUJG5VhkjHXvFfA3l3wZ2TTIA2mj6eva2VFLZvHoR7MoeapBLsq0_keezYyChoT1u9Ns/s1600-h/Desert+day+trip+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172456579973660914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15OXnfJxmqLC00W9GsBQpArAJYco-CFLTySxmMG3iPPC1uup0g7Yn8orU7Mplg6EcBxTeQSkKUJG5VhkjHXvFfA3l3wZ2TTIA2mj6eva2VFLZvHoR7MoeapBLsq0_keezYyChoT1u9Ns/s320/Desert+day+trip+002.jpg" border="0" /></a> This rainbow was even prettier in person....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Qw7GIH4SCJFkTz47Mx7wvsTlghGvHnr9uUcfnGKjjn5OkDtIaq5qC64EjmmlerQBHhQT-6ia7jZRoM70jT8XWlPf5fIkKVr-0wyAtShG4hjS7UDoA-KITVTZWi6hcN21SGaJ3Ziz4bU/s1600-h/Desert+day+trip+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172456584268628226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Qw7GIH4SCJFkTz47Mx7wvsTlghGvHnr9uUcfnGKjjn5OkDtIaq5qC64EjmmlerQBHhQT-6ia7jZRoM70jT8XWlPf5fIkKVr-0wyAtShG4hjS7UDoA-KITVTZWi6hcN21SGaJ3Ziz4bU/s320/Desert+day+trip+006.jpg" border="0" /></a> I was helping the boys look for fossils...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-qvfIItN7XnKY74Zd6jVoRGgXsJZC0SrsFN5KgSVjYqHR6-JV8hKG7SyPDzNfrbQjWnsZlCDzcGu4JaiJl-adsW6r4bCzb-gxxDRQJQvHxNVEccJZM9Q_w7WHQ-6WgZH95QDNVfp7y8/s1600-h/Desert+day+trip+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172456597153530130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-qvfIItN7XnKY74Zd6jVoRGgXsJZC0SrsFN5KgSVjYqHR6-JV8hKG7SyPDzNfrbQjWnsZlCDzcGu4JaiJl-adsW6r4bCzb-gxxDRQJQvHxNVEccJZM9Q_w7WHQ-6WgZH95QDNVfp7y8/s320/Desert+day+trip+005.jpg" border="0" /></a> Our car next to one of the steep canyon walls. As we drove the path got narrower and narrower...<br /><br /><br /><div>I really don't have much to say today, but thought I'd just update my blog again. My parents were here last week and I really enjoyed spending time with them. We didn't do much of anything, but spent a lot of time just playing board games and relaxing. We had planned to go to Yuma, Arizona for a visit, but didn't make it. Mom got food poisoning, and a couple days later dad came down with a 24 hour flu bug. So out of 5 days, two were not much fun. And all but one day it rained. The one day it didn't rain we went to watch Peter play rugby, which was fun...we all came home with a sunburn though!!! But even with all the bad stuff it was nice to have my parents around.</div><br /><div>My sister asked for some more pics, so thought I'd add a couple of those too. Hope everyone is doing well.</div><br /><div></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-34930253687729720862008-02-10T15:49:00.000-08:002008-02-10T16:05:21.835-08:00busy familyWell, the title of my blog is busy kids, but I think maybe I should have titled it busy family. Seems like we are all involved in activities that we enjoy, but that use a lot of our time. <br />Liam is probably the least affected of us and even his "schedule" could be considered full for a 5 year old. He attends preschool 3 times a week and on the other two days he has speech therapy. Friday he plays soccer which he absolutely loves!!! He has scored a goal in both of the games his has played so far. This is only his second time playing, but he really seems to understand the point of the game.<br />Peter is our busy boy. On Mondays he has cub scout meetings, Tuesday he has rugby practice, Wednesday is CCD day, Thursday is rugby again, and Saturday he has a rugby game.<br />Hubby is busy being a den leader for the cub scouts as well as the cubmaster for the entire pack. He is also involved in church choir. And he works full time as an engineer.<br />As for me...well I am not only the taxi driver for both Liam and Peter's activities, but also the chef, maid, and nanny. On top of these activities I am also on the Board of Directors for Poway Pop Warner Football. Although football is only from August through November the board meets year round. Right now we are gearing up for signups which start in March. And just to keep life interesting I volunteered to chair a committee to organize the cub scout blue and gold banquet. I am thankful that I have a great committee to help me organize this event.<br />So I guess maybe all of these activities are why I don't blog as often as I would like to. By the end of my day I just want to veg out, I don't have the brain capacity left to think of blog entries. I miss my friends and family and I will keep trying to blog for you!!!California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-46334516405530147442008-01-23T16:23:00.000-08:002008-01-23T16:30:55.291-08:00Moody dayI am really feeling extra moody today. I'm not sure why exactly, but everything seems to be getting on my nerves. I worked this morning and one of the kids in the room wanted me to hold him the entire time. He felt warm and we took his temp, and he had a low fever but we weren't allowed to page the mom because the fever wasn't high enough. It was obvious that the kid felt horrible and I felt like he ought to go home.<br />Then I went to Liam's school to help out, and Liam decided that he didn't want to wear a jacket. It was about 68 degrees or so and I told him it was fine if he didn't wear a jacket. At recess time the teacher told all the kids they couldn't go outside without a jacket. So I walked up to the car and got a light jacket for Liam. After being outside for about two minutes Liam was begging to take the jacket off. I went ahead and took it off him and the teacher said "well, that's fine...I guess your mommy knows if you're warm enough". Coming from living in Nebraska for 30 years, I still can't get used to the idiots out here that think 68 is cold. <br />Anyway...I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-16377388952352236012008-01-22T08:27:00.000-08:002008-01-22T09:02:11.813-08:00Family desert outing.<div>Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged for awhile. Mostly it is because my life is generally ho hum, not all that remarkable. I go through the day doing the things that stay at home moms do, and enjoying my time with my kids.</div><br /><div>Yesterday, the whole family went to the desert to go explore some trails. We have an Xterra that we bought with 4wheel drive just for these sorts of occasions. :) The "trail" was through a desert wash and took us very near the side of some cliffs. We parked and got out to explore in the oyster shell wash. We found a lot of gypsum sticking out of the rocks. Then we walked a little further and found lots of really neat rocks. Liam filled up his back pack with rocks that he just couldn't live without. It reminded me of when my aunt used to take my sister and I fossil hunting in Nebraska. Even if we didn't find a fossil, we always managed to bring back a lot of rocks. I was always fnding interesting rocks...my sister wasn't so interested in digging around in the dirt and grit. Yesterday I think I enjoyed our digging for neat rocks almost as much as the boys did. Geology is really fascinating for me, and I really enjoy sharing what I know with my boys. </div><br /><div>After picking up rocks we got back in the car and drove to another spot that had a trail to some wind caves. We parked and hiked about a mile to the wind caves and it was a great spot that the boys enjoyed immensely. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158347123160644290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40GCC_2RH2ucGpXm0YcUH8l2ts2NUPMi6xzsaSoRHbfb_G_eqx_X8x1bqjlFU9WXly9WQRzIkKIVfa9bR6TL9RWnZEm2KlIISQyU05GNARiepqX1xJjVwDR0hIt94_Juy6CMctdNI-UA/s320/Desert+day+trip+016.jpg" border="0" />Then we headed back to the main road, and we saw another side trail that caught our interest. It was called the Elephant Tree trail. It was an easy mile long loop trail hike through the desert shrubs.<br /><div>All in all, it was a really fun and relaxing day. It was nice to get out of the house and spend time with my boys and husband. </div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-36872299489544950022007-12-31T07:50:00.000-08:002007-12-31T08:12:53.718-08:00Reflections<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-Uruzz6xrVZdD9eqTRylPTIg8AQALbXhTtyztzuOWW4i6d4mc3UdbhB2RwwLohlDt3G9LxoMNXOdJP3qqdySsj4u1OhPYmshFJ3OqYWDsLWaGHJyLZAyOPJPiG2uUXjJCueuGBZXsg8/s1600-h/December+pictures+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150170453767885762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-Uruzz6xrVZdD9eqTRylPTIg8AQALbXhTtyztzuOWW4i6d4mc3UdbhB2RwwLohlDt3G9LxoMNXOdJP3qqdySsj4u1OhPYmshFJ3OqYWDsLWaGHJyLZAyOPJPiG2uUXjJCueuGBZXsg8/s320/December+pictures+022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Wow, I can hardly believe this is the last day of the year. Seems like the year flew by almost without me realizing it. I realize that I have so much to be thankful for...great family and friends, healthy kids, my own health. 2007 was a pretty good year overall.<br />Thinking back I really can't think of too many bad things. The worst of course was the October wildfires that caused us to evacuate, but even then we were able to return home and had no damage to anything. I enjoyed going to Puerto Rico in April, it was warm and we got to go swimming almost every day. The ocean water was so blue and clear...and warm. I also loved going back to Nebraska in August to see my family. I just wish it could have been a longer trip so that I could have visited friends too. Most of the rest of the year was spent doing things with and for my kids. Peter played baseball and football. Liam played soccer for the first time. We went on a couple of camping trips and a family vacation to the Grand Canyon and New Mexico. Now, my boys have both had their birthdays and are a year older...Peter is 9 now and Liam is 5. I can honestly say that I don't know where the time has gone since they were born. I love those two boys so very much and I know how blessed I am to have them.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150170505307493330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirp6vy52AFpG9qbea7WxGyJKgRavk102r5o5L1Fbd95orWUVkXyZzJz-7Oit-LHeCvJHDQ5wmbyiV-OiNj25rwu7C-Ig6AapEqdnQ5Xxk1bqeJIWG_4ZZ16Uchr4LTHd6M6OI2pTdit_E/s320/December+pictures+023.jpg" border="0" /></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-62376857618229349262007-11-29T07:20:00.000-08:002007-11-30T09:31:24.892-08:00Grand Canyon<div><div><div><div>Well, I'm a little behind on posting about vacation. But, better late than never huh? We decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon and New Mexico over fall break. It was a much needed vacation and I loved it!!!</div><br /><div>Saturday morning we got up early and headed out. We got to the Grand Canyon about 3pm. This is the entrance gate to the Grand Canyon.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138686543553263122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr_BuKsAPkOt5c9SMTVrIHc7z857CupusbAmz25hU5iTnfniSbyQMiA7rC_xa0MM2Pp58UAFWdTdPws35B1yGSx8myxkomQVP4cLst44dOSw_HFeIGxUZ5cG2wT4zLp8OI322n293vQs/s320/pictures+to+delete+009.jpg" border="0" />As we were driving into the park we saw a deer eating grass along side of the road.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd843MD9vkTni5WGZVZ-ZGK_q1scAAAA4MNeT1STJF1FNAcZG9fOw_-PsEfdKWZkOzkTLGcSuLGYfqQY8Lcfq06TAT6WujRyPYY2oZn7FcE-ps2Ak_zGBO5m5b6Sor383qXFKSXjK2nc/s1600-r/pictures+to+delete+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138673688716146066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67LkKDjOZYWWc2BzW9nLubMnYt_Bb4e1FbFzWhr70_velpnh0bc7n3pwclFc-EnFPI7GTpPNwBsBsveqDF9S9v2t3N45Sh1qEbz9zuGFk20iEou_Yfn5_lB4ONPkei8KexYaEhPqGt8o/s320/pictures+to+delete+010.jpg" border="0" /></a>Then we got our first view of the canyon, which was an amazing sight.<br /><br /><div>We took a ton of pictures of the canyon during the 3 days we spent there. Sunday we got up early and decided to go to church a small Catholic chapel on park grounds. As we were driving around looking for the chapel we saw4-5 large elk walking across a parking lot as if it was the most normal thing in the world. A little farther down the road we saw 2 more walkng through another parking lot. I had never seen an elk up close in the wild. They are rather amazing creatures. </div><br /><br /><br /><div><br />After church we went for a short hike on the rim trail near our hotel. We were looking for fossils, because one of the rangers had told us that just off the trail there was a rock ledge with a lot of fossils. We didn't find the fossils because I was leary about getting too far off trail. We ended up walking to a shuttle stop and caught the shuttle up to a few more overlooks, and then back down to near our hotel. We ate an early supper and went to bed around 8p.</div><br /><div>Monday we got up about 6am and headed out to tackle the Bright Angel Trail. This is one of the most popular trails in the park, and is the one that leads all the way down to the Colorado river. It is also the one that the mule trains use to take people to the bottom of the canyon. We decided that we were going to do a short portion of the trail and only go to the "mile and a half" rest house. (That means 3 miles round trip). I was very nervous about this hike because I am terrifed of heights and there are no guardrails along the trail. I kept dreaming about falling down the side of the canyon while I was sleeping Sunday night. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138678743892653490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREYK9f-b0ZbdwLCCi_IQyqOkMVv02E_docKI-EroaWidNxooGjgEsBaOCvx1-MBsfSxaqsrnntx9GvjQEkdK2m-RsXazoG7Fd0Sn3rJ17p-r9akPUr_WCP3BTucj_zu64UibzvCLNE8g/s320/pictures+to+delete+069.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138678739597686178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKVPMDD9436vzzmzr_Pr49jrJOBMZgwXx6XKQafwMvAUyNmP-Q1K_WjfrbfcFaExwq5DJDWWxS5ZTWw_tD_YaoaxO7u41Tpy6Ud390g2WZh6ynZMwf5_y444nHtsZQHT7m6-A7F14l5E/s320/pictures+to+delete+067.jpg" border="0" />These two pictures show the view from the trail, and the second one shows part of the trail itself. I am really glad that I went on the hike because there were some amazing views and great geology. Having said that, I don't desire to ever hike this trail again...don't think my heart could take another hike like that...talk about facing your fears!!!<br /><br /><div>On our way back up from the rest house we were taking a rest and looked up the trail and saw a mule train coming down.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138681320873031106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoXbVyszzxdk-_5XlXBAVJ8t7mtXmyEMzgeaokZotKDG4KK3MIGZxPOPrCjyXB2fxthzpj5F2hI4NX6bl3GpjKEeWC3ygFEy_8pqIcnFLu8Mjx7mNi4D3ZqLoqWawP_IuGjoCWNGVzEs/s320/pictures+to+delete+105.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>We ended up seeing several of these mule groups on the way up, which was nice because it gave us a chance to take a break. Going up was MUCH rougher than going down. When we were just about back up to the top...about a half mile away or so...we saw a bunch of people standing on the trail and wondered what they were up to. As we got nearer we heard them saying that there was big horn sheep up ahead. I looked up and saw one on the hill. That got me moving faster because I wanted to get close enough to get a picture before people scared it away. When we got closer I saw that there were actually several big horn sheep on the cliff above the trail. They blended in really well so they were hard to see from a distance. Here's a good picture of one of them:</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138682905715963346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SV-NKxquKi4Dk8TBT1pTuaaEuZIZd7bUGiO5WegxuQViwRSjKbVAElu_Q6KFUEX6wvRkg7eeo80ih9chf4izcPzVIXEMF1bdPteh79IoRYY878KLvZbFzXACpbDF5dehd6SZofqGWR0/s320/pictures+to+delete+110.jpg" border="0" /><br />After taking pictures for a while, we headed up the rest of the trail and finished our hike in a little under 4 hours. Don't we look happy.</div><br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138683416817071586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDpndIi9_A_d24ULevl3jC36h0yN9zFumTI0EAPsIIBDMnZo9aDlzbYtlqJEpHJNIEEiMoJXk55lb4K-K5EjknPtZMmWLiRyRKgZFEpVH4SjlOtDoWnV8Jr55H7xVtYlWeus_4GnHp2k/s320/pictures+to+delete+115.jpg" border="0" />We went back to the hotel and took a short nap and then went back to the rim trail to find the fossils again, but it was getting dark so again we had no luck!!! We ate supper and were in bed by 7:30p.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>On Tuesday we were all a little sore from our hike so we decided to drive to one of the gift shops to look for a tshirt for me. I wanted one that said "I hiked the Grand Canyon!" I ended up getting one that said "Bright Angel Trail" on the front and had a map of the trail on the back. When we were driving around we saw more deer. One by the side of the road, and a whole family of deer crossing the road in front of us.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_wDVkyR2vJhrJcTLIcj_B_-FghxAxlDOjvCCS07GN7nk1L6ig4Tncwa7lgCxa2LxTbNrn4tkHHBUpTSfOt_tdj08owande17anKdMgzYR2e-ybMVVDYmFidQQnXqczezql_nCRd0fmo/s1600-r/pictures+to+delete+138.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138685074674447874" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8td-Ni1lTpdvTizkjfmbsARrHpFTvHE6txy3Bt69W6hLmn-nvJhyphenhyphenAmCBFA90I5H7NI_FxTikvvaA-BC7kv8jq6bXCyBdFERhkTzwT0XDh55uaD_XOgkCfXOj-wvSty8xxc3f7W-x0BQ/s320/pictures+to+delete+138.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10_ciWCNB2nJo7j-y8joFJhwuSMZy8NGlpWCjxBPnqjoX3l_pbgmDNQFGiYBsfXPKxV-UWpVlUD2UbPM8gktoTXk-weca-6oeSYj8layPKW5OyIhkpsEoyvnCm7KKDAdD3t9XM4w5XAg/s1600-r/pictures+to+delete+137.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138685061789545970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEI5fTyZxgZHORtN8lXmxI2wOGNN4eDRrrwQUJe2yVrZMEKBTuibS2SUOkr1Pb47LNcHx1bb74lBI5YuQ9XBsO7Hw8DPIJTtJjCSBkJMVC0SGSDkXt2aHaeFrgfJf0uQIiTG8BHpW4UI/s320/pictures+to+delete+137.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br />On Wednesday we got up early and headed to New Mexico for a visit with Ben's brother Michael. I'll do another post about our sightseeing on the way to New Mexico.</div><br /><div></div></div></div>California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8338450867157387693.post-47899079198086985202007-11-14T08:46:00.000-08:002007-11-14T08:57:10.401-08:00RamblingsWell, this is it...the last week of football practice. The final game is Saturday, but Peter will not be there because we are headed to the Grand Canyon for a family vacation. Originally we planned to attend the game and then head out on our road trip, but since the game isn't until 4pm we figure that we don't want to get THAT late of a start. It will take us between 9 and 10 hours to reach the Grand Canyon. We are going to stay there until Wednesday and then head to New Mexico to spend Thanksgiving with Ben's brother Michael. The boys sure are looking forward to seeing their uncle. We will head back to Poway on Saturday morning early. I am really looking forward to our week away. It will give us a chance to relax and have some real family time.<br />Peter is really enjoying school. He is doing really well too. He got his report card on Friday and had excellent grades. We are really proud of how he does in school.<br />Liam hasn't gotten his "report card" from preschool, but I will be anxious to see that. I feel like he has really learned a lot already in preschool. His teacher always raves about what a polite child he is....boy does he have her fooled!!! HA!! Really, he is a great kid.<br />I am a lucky mom to have such great kids.California momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07158571156658129340noreply@blogger.com0