Spring Break - Day Five

Friday was another "at home" day. I went to Costco and bought out the store...since apparently I haven't shopped there in like a month! While I was gone Johnny started the "clean the crap out of the van" project! We had so much trash, garbage, food, Sunday School lessons, Easter candy, legos, snot and crap all over our van. So every six months whether it needs it or not (and it ALWAYS needs it!) we clean out the van, vacuum, armour all, and wash it.

And it literally took ALL DAY to clean out six months of crap! At 4pm the kids got to go hang out with G&G while Johnny & I went to dinner with an old friend. It was a good time. Nice to catch up, be real, open and honest. And then we had a meeting at church which was - ehhhh - we'll see. It's for the vision community at church. I'm still alittle skeptical that anything will become of it...

(I mean C'mon! How cute is Carter? Playing with the vacuum! So precious!)

Oh, yeah... I'm SLEEPY!

Spring Break - Day Four

Thursday started out for the most part as a "Rest Day". After all these crazy trips all over the place we figure we needed a day to just chill out and do NOTHING!!!

So the morning was spent with whinning and cartoons. Then the kids all went out to play and did some cleaning when they just started fussing too much and couldn't get along. I headed out for an appointment with my "McDreamy" Vagina Doctor. Annual check-ups are never "fun"...but after four kids, they are really NO BIG DEAL. On the way home I splurged and got a Jamba Juice and then headed over to see Jill at her place. I went down by the pool and hung out with Nathan and Marc until Jill finished up a phone call. Then Jill's friend Florence popped by. It was SUCH a beautiful day! Sunny, nice breeze, just beautiful!

Jill suggested that we all do dinner together. So I went home, make cookie and got the kids. We all came back and had an incredible meal (thanks to nathan, great asparagus [causing stinky pee!] nice pieceof meat, and fabulous guac and this tasty creamed leek thing.) The kids loved the pool...but moreso LOVED being at J&N's. They wanted to sleep on Miss Jill's bed, cause they heard it was SO GREAT from the time the boys stayed over before. The kids veged out back in the appt. to the end of Shrek 2, and Power Rangers (yuck!) while the grown ups talked (about power rangers - yuck!) and other things! It was a fun night.

BUT AGAIN...EXHAUSTING!!!! We got the kids to bed after 9pm! But who can pass up on such great memories?! It's been one AWESOME Spring Break!

Spring Break - Day Three

Wednesday we took Grandma & Grandpa and the kids and drove down to Carlsbad to spend the day at Legoland! It was a fun time and a great chance to get out of the Valley, and have a couple hours in the car just to 'be' and to talk. We had a fun time on the rides. Carter and I waited for like an hour to ride AquaZone...but it was such a sweet moment to just be there hanging out with (and on) each other. I got a nice moment with Ethan in the Safari Cars and Sophie and I rode the Cho-cho a bazillion times! (She just LOVES that cho-cho!) Taylor was a sweetheart to be around. It was just a good relaxing, sunny day...but again so exhausting!

April 18th

...marks the one year anniversary with my friendship with Jill. Remeber? We went out for pedicures and coffe and then went back to your place for broccoli salad.

That is the reason why April 18th is a happy day for me.

Spring Break - Day Two

Tuesday was spent down in Santa Monica. We did some shopping at the 3rd Street Promenade. We had lunch at Cafe Crepe (the kids had Burger King - go figure!) And then off to the beach! It was a lot of fun. We even brought Eddie along again!

That night we went to our "free screening" of Brother Bear 2 at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. It was alright. It was a fun thing to do with the family...and hey! Who can beat a free movie for 6!!!

We got home at 8pm and I fed the kids P,B&J with strawberries on the side in bed. That way they were confined and that much closer to falling asleep. Again it was an EXHAUSTING day and I fell asleep early.

Spring Break - Day One

This week starts the beginning of Spring break!

Johnny was able to use "exchange days" and take most of the time of without touching vacaton time. So it looks like we are in for some "Famliy Fun!"
Monday we decided to have a "family day" around town. We went out in the morning to The Sport's Authority (still smells like it did in college!) and bought some thrown down baseball bases. Then off to "Miss Jill's Target" to buy a new bat!

Then we headed off to Lake Balboa to play some games and have a picnic lunch! We played baseball together as a family and it was so much fun! Taylor and Carter are really doing a great job. They are hitting so well and are starting to catch the ball great too! Something tells me Little league might be around the corner. (Or soccer if Daddy gets a say!)

After we finished off the game Johnny took the kids for a walk around Lake Balboa. It was such a beautiful day! Oh yeah, I forgot...we brought our fifth child "Eddie" along too! He had a fun time out with the fam.

We then spent some time at the playground, where Sophie HAD to have a turn in the baby swing! We let the kids play for awhile, and then it was just time to head home! Everyone was BEAT! We came home and I took a nap with Carter until 5:30pm! Then it was time to watch 'Narnia' which got us right up to bedtime. Then I fell asleep again. It was a LONG crazy (but fun!) day.

He is Risen!...

...He is risen INDEED!


Here's a picture of my "five" cute kids in their Easter Outfits on Sunday morning! So precious!!!

Holy Week?...Holy Cow - What a WEEK!

Well, it has most certainly been a marathon of a week! Palm Sunday started out a little unexpected. We had this joint worship service at our church with our hispanic congregation. It was a good time, great worship (musically) but then it totally bombed. I mean there were no palm brancehes for the kids...no Hosanna...no real story of Palm Sunday even. What's up with that? So I went to 3rd Service, where we got palms and even got to march around the sanctuary while we were singing! (I stole four palms and took them home to my kids to tell them the palm sunday story myself.) SIDE NOTE: Ethan and Sophie did hear the "hosanna" story in preschool worship, they made palms, and even rode around the room on Miss Sarah as a Donkey! The cutest part was Sophie. "What did the people shout, Sophie?"

"Buhzanah! to the King!"

Monday through Wednesday was school, which was full of chapels and easter egg hunts and parties. Tuesday was an Elder Meeting, but nice dinner with NC2 and MM before hand. Wednesday night we sat down to dinner as a family and then began the "Ressurection Eggs". The kids were into it. As we were talking about the elements we got to the "cup" and began to discuss eucharist with the kids. That led into the most spontanious, beautiful time of Johnny leading his family in communion. It was truely amazing to see our little ones grasping such profound truths with such sincere and genuine faith. We passed the (Target/wheat/$1.02 a loaf sandwhich) bread and then daddy's glass of wine. (Sophie skipped the wine - not a big fan of the smell!) It was such a great time as a family.

Thursday the kids went with G&G to a "Last Supper" play at Bethel Luthern while Johnny and I attended the Maundy Thursday Service. Marc, Nathan, Johnny & I went out to find pizza and beverages after the service...to no avail. Adrian's ran outta dough. What kinda pizza place runs out of dough? So we got guido's take out and had a "Lifegroup" Therapy session at home.

Friday was almost the same. Except this time Jill and our new friend, Jen joined the group. We went to the Good Friday service. (We took the kids to see Ice Age 2 earlier in the day.) It was all right. The band looked good. (Arg!) Another Life group session and more pizza. I love good friends!

Holy Saturday was an event! We brought the kids to church that night. The older guys did a GREAT job coloring and keeping quiet. The little guys needed a snack and a place to walk around, so I enjoyed the service from the West Trancept. All good. Tired Kids. No Lifegroup...but we needed a night off...I was so tired! So I went home, made quiche and put together Easter Baskets.

Sunday morning was a nice time around the house. Got the kids up, bathed and dressed. Had a blast looking at their "Easter Baskets". The boys got Baseball mits with grass and candy inside and Sophie got a Hello Kitty bike helmet filled with grass and candy. We got Easter pictures of the kids, had breakfast and then met daddy at church. (We even brought Eddie in his Easter polo.) The morning was best described as "whatever". The Worship Band really ROCKED OUT!!! It was nice to see that place alive for a change. I know Marc was pumped.

Later we had like 20 people over for a nice Easter Dinner. Firends old and new, and family. It was a nice mix. The older boys played baseball out front with Marc & Jordan. (So cute!) And then we had an Easter Egg Hunt for all the kids. Very fun times.

All in all it was a CRAZY, NON-STOP week. But a good one. And I'm thankful for it.

(Now I need a major nap!)

Where is My heart Mommy?

Tonight I just put my baby boy, Ethan down to bed. He wanted to sleep on the floor since his brother/roommate was spending the night in Taylor & Sophie's room. So I pulled the covers over him and patted his chest saying, "Goodnight Buddy."

He asked, "Are you touching my heart?" (I smiled thinking that little moment was certainly touching my heart even as I was litterally touching his.) "Yeah." I said. He then touched his tummy and asked, "Is this my heart?" He then went through a long list of body parts asking the same question. Finally he put his hand on my heart and asked, "Is this my heart, mommy?" "Yeah, buddy that's your heart."

All of a sudden, he sat up and bent over and looked at his chest and said, "Hi Jesus!" He laid back down and stated, "Jesus lives in my heart."

I bent over to kiss him and then he leaned into my chest and said, "Hello Jesus!...Jesus is in your heart too mom!"

These are the moments I live to blog about!

I just want to die and go to bed...

...I think my period must be coming....that or the four kids...or the chronic fatigue...i don't know...but I do need a nap. Maybe in a year or two.

I baby sat my nieces today. So cute. Little Macy just turned one. It was fun to have a baby in the house...but honestly I don't miss it. And I don't want to go back. That's what scrapbooks, home movies and memories are for.

...but even though everyone is sleeping through the night (although Ethan Sophie and Carter all got out of bed last night for some reason) it seems I will never get back to getting the kind of sleep I got in college.

Remember sleeping in?

Remember when an 8 o'clock class was just so stinkin' early?

Ahhh...I might be incoheriant half the time...but there is just nothing like having kids. They were all so FUSSY & WHINNY today but for a brief 1/2 hour at Grandma's this afternoon, they were all running around, laughing hysterically and tackling each other.

That was priceless.

clarification

Ok so today I was told that I had misrepresented information in a previous post titled "Skrickawocka" on March 7, 2006. I talked about a t-shirt that I thought had read, "Can you spell skrickawocka?" When in acuality the t-shirt states, "I know how to read skrickawocka".

But you know my point is kinda still the same. I mean isn't it obvious that you know how to spell the word when it is written right across your chest? It still seems funny to me.

But in the same humor I think I'm going to make my own t-shirt:

"I know how to spell antidisestablishmentarianism!"

enough said. :)

Funny Story - for Steve & Sarah

Ok so Sunday I drop Ethan off at his class and he sees his little friend Hannah and says with excitement, "Mom!!!! Look at Hannah's pretty dress!" So cute! So I said, "Go tell her you think it's pretty!" I left the room and went to tell Sarah how cute our 4-year-olds were being. Sarah said a few weeks ago Hannah wore a specific "pretty dress" becuase she knew Ethan would tell her how beautiful it was. I mean, c'mon! How stinkin' cute is my little boy? So sensitive!

Well, later in the day we were home and I said, "Ethan! Did you tell Hannah she had a pretty dress?" He shook his head yes! I said, "What did she say?"

"I went to tell her and she burped. I smelled it and it was stinky!" He had a very cute, sheepish smile on his face like he said something he shouldn't, but he couldn't stop giggling.

"She burped out her mouth at you?" I questioned.

"No mom, she burped out her bottom!"

Strangely, smelling Hannah's gas made my little guy all the more indeared to her. (Sounds like they are married!)

These are the Salad Days!

Santos becomes President - CHEERS!

...Oh and to Josh and Donna for FINALLY getting together! Soon we get to wrap this one up...then wrap up my beloved Alias...after that? I guess I can give up TV altogether...well, except for Sunday night. I am still Desperate for the Housewives and i love watching McDreamy.

Hey, everybody got to take some time off from fighting for truth, justice and the american way to just veg in front of the TV...and at my house there is ALWAYS laundry to fold while you are doing it.

Well...off to mowing the lawn and raising the next generation of wackos today!

Cheers!

An Oswald Chambers Dart to the Heart

"We see where other people are failing, and then we take our discernment and turn it into comments of riddicule and criticism, instead of turning it into intercession on their behalf."

"Be careful that you don't become a hypocrite by spending all of your time trying to get others right with God before you worship Him yourself."

MUFHH - March 31st

Challenging.

C'mon, get a Ribbon!

So today I was driving in the van to Wal-mart to buy a "Hot off the presses" 2-Disc DVD of Narnia L,W&R. Sophie was in her carseat and we were listening to Johnny Cash. I wasn't really paying attention, but all of a sudden Sophie kinda freaked out adn said, "I wanna ribbon!" "What?" I thought...I really had no idea what she meant. Then she said, "I wanna hear the 'Get a Ribbon' song!" (Very demanding!) I laughed so hard...she was also listening to Johnny Cash and wanted to hear the "Get Rhythm" song again.

So I went back a track and played it for her...We both sang along.

...and I smiled.

I find it interesting that...

I am in one of the crappiest of situations and yet I am surrounded by such great people. It just makes everything bearable and makes me even glad to be here. I can't think of anyplace where I'd have better people surrounding me and my family. So I don't want to give that up.

That is what community is all about. It's not so much about the place...but the people. And in the midst of so much crap I have great people around me. And I'm thanksful.

...or I'm just totally screwed in the head and a glutton for punishment!

J3, NC2, JC, MM(&M) (love you guys!)

There's nothing like living life together! Last night was good for my soul.

but i need a nap!