Hey, other shoe? You can drop now.

Things are going great for my family.

Marriage

B & I are doing great. We don't have a relationship to envy because we're really quite boring. I just love that we have awesome communication, affection, understanding and a healthy sex life (yeah, I said it). Of course, sometimes I pout because he works on racecars way too much. But, he also lets me do a lot of things I want to do too.

Today, I woke up past Noon. I've been kidless on many evenings this past week, because he's taken the kids on errands with him. My brother, sister and I were out and about around town twice this past week. Once, we went to 3 different bakeries until we finally found one that was open. Then, we went and had Sushi, then shopped for Wii games. The next night, we went to Chinatown for more star paper because I'm OBSESSED now, since my friend Jenn came into town from Colorado last week, and taught me how to fold stars. Then, we had Pad Thai, Chow Mein & Pho. Billy's really earned an A+ in the Daddy department lately.


Kiddos


Kai & Jewel are still managing A's on their progress reports (they get progress reports every two weeks).

Their extra curricular activities are in full speed now that it is approaching Spring:


Jewel's squad is participating in a St Patty's Day parade (the same place they were in the Winter parade). They were asked to perform both in the parade and at the opening ceremony of the festivities there (carnival, etc). Practices are on Thursdays, and most events are on the weekend.

Kai's joined an 'elite' baseball team. Practices are on M,W,F, with a 3 hr practice on Sundays. This weekend, they are traveling to Pomona, CA for a tournament. He is going to another tournament 3 weekends from now. This is in addition to his 'normal' team that his Dad coaches, with practice on Thursdays and games on Saturdays.

Thursdays are crazy with both Kai & Jewel having practices. Saturdays are also crazy, with Kai's games starting soon, and Billy's races being Saturday nights.

Jake's doing great with sleeping in his own bed. His personality is delightful, even for this age. (Terrible Two's). He has manners, he's always in a good mood. He has no attachments-no bottles (hasn't had one for a year), no pacifiers (ever). Sure, he's a typical boy, that's for sure, but he is so much fun to be around.


Racing

Thursday night, B had his first race of the season. He started in 12th place and got 3rd. While we were there at the track, I saw Nascar drivers Tony Stewart & Kasey Kahne. They were there as fans/pit crew members/car owners, so they weren't really giving autographs or taking pics (aka they were enjoying themselves & didn't want to be bothered). It was cool to be within 3 feet of them, seeing them be 'normal'. Kasey Kahne was sitting in the stands right behind us, and his hotness factor is as real in person as it is on TV, so I didn't even muster a hello (he's on my top 10 doable guys list that I posted to LJ awhile back). Tony Stewart stood right next to us while I was watching B's heat race, so instead of taking photos for our race site, I stood there and gawked, until finally I said, "Nice to see you here, Tony!" and walked away like an idiot. I also did something similar when my best friend Katie and I met Carey Hart in Walmart.

B's Dad and our friend Gary went to another town today to pick up ANOTHER car. So now, he has two racecars,1 backup racecar, 2 primary demolition derby cars, 2 backup demo cars. Everywhere I turn, there is a racecar in my face.




Been spending a lot of time with friends-out to brunch & shopping, lounging at the park for a few hours, or being way too noisy at a buffet with a group of 11 of us.




We got a notice from the IRS yesterday in the mail regarding our tax refund. There was a mistake on our refund. I REALLY didn't want to owe back taxes, because we filed back at the end of January and got our refund the next day. Needless to say, it's SPENT. To our surprise, the mistake was in our favor and they'll be sending us a check within 2 weeks for the difference.


Not sure when we'll be going to Disneyland. Our 2-day park hopper passes are posted up on our family board, waiting to be used. I was planning to go in October, but now it may be pushed back to November. It's because B wants to take me to NASCAR in Fontana, CA in October, and we'll be camping out there the whole weekend.


The house projects are coming along nicely. My dining room looks a little less drab. We're still trying to find a light fixture for in there. My 'mismatched' two end chairs actually work in there also. We're really wanting to put wood floors in there and near the front door (that's the area where there is most 'traffic' and my carpet is becoming hideous). But, since that's an expensive project, we are waiting a few months, and I am instead turning my attention to our bedroom.


I've still been baking a lot, reading, painting and folding stars, I just haven't had the motivation to take photos of everything. I've REALLY lost interest in the internet as well. My sister has been sleeping over a lot lately. She's been playing outside with the kids and I, or we've been baking cookies and painting together. We listen to old school music and reminisce about when we were younger, or stay up really late watching ridiculous shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. *ETA: After I posted this, I signed into Myspace to see that my sis had posted a bulletin. She's been enjoying the time spent with us just as much as we've been loving having her here.


I've been asked to take photos of a few families as well, and they are offering to pay. Aside from the cake/cupcake things as well, maybe I should start charging. 20 bucks for 3 or 4 dozen cupcakes, maybe 30 bucks for a photo session and families will get all proofs on a CD. I'd love to make a little extra money because cheerleading and baseball costs money every month, but my faith in my skill level just doesn't justify me charging anyone right now.


Billy suggested a little mini vacation, just the two of us. I was first thinking of staying the night at the Bellagio, then going to see Phantom of the Opera. Billy's never seen it. After thinking about it, my suggestion wouldn't work. Billy's not as enthusiastic about theater as I am. I think he wanted to shoot himself when I dragged him to Mamma Mia, LOL. Then he suggested going to Denver for Six Flags when they reopened in April. I LOVED that idea! I would also be able to see all my CO people! But then I started getting anxious about leaving the kiddos again (remember why we nixed Cancun?). Then, B suggested that we just stay at the Excalibur, and go see Tournament of Kings. It's PERFECT! It's such an US thing to do! haha. Also, our home is 7 minutes away from the Strip, and our house and the Excalibur is off the same street, so I feel a lot better about being close to the kids still.

I have really savored February. February was a break in regards to the kids' sports, and Billy's racing/Demo Derbies. March is going to start with a bang and we'll be on the GO.


See why I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop? badass husband, awesome children. Of course, things could always be better financially, but the things that really matter to me are all in this crazy too-good-to-be-true mode, and I'm having a hard time enjoying it all.




It's a waste of energy for me to NOT enjoy it, though. In a blink of an eye, something can happen.

..and of course, a few photos from this past week:



A muddy B & I after his race @ LVMS' Dirt Track for the World of Outlaws finals 2/26/09




Jake at the park




Sib Love

Old

The first house on our street is inhabited by an elderly couple. On beautiful days like it has been this week, the couple pulls out chairs from their garage, sits in their yard, people watching.

As B and I were driving home the other day, we both noticed them outside together.

"Aren't they cute? they're always out there" I say.

"Yeah, I noticed them the other day" he says.

"Is that going to be us? old & grey, hanging out with each other?" I ask.

"Yeah, when we got nothing better to do, we'll just sit outside" he replies.

"But..babe?" he says with a smile. "You'll be OLDER and GRAYER than me".

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" as I punch him in the arm. Hard.

What we've been up to

Jake:

Aside from the hair cutting thing yesterday, he's been his normal self. B took him to the doctor on Monday, because he had a runny nose. He has a cold, and was prescribed FOUR medications. Two allergy meds, cough syrup and antibiotics. I thought it was a bit overkill for a runny nose. His mucous is clear. We're giving him the cough syrup and the antibiotics. If his cold doesn't clear up soon, we'll start him on the allergy meds. His congestion has already been reduced, and his runny nose is just about cleared up.

He's been sleeping on his 'big boy bed' easily at night. I was surprised at the transition, since he has never once slept in his crib, and slept with us.

Potty training is going well, though on some days, he's more interested in tossing Fruity Cheerios in the toilet just to see them float, and has no interest trying to pee on them.


Kai:

He's had LOADS of homework lately, on top of special projects. We try to knock out all the homework on Tuesday & Wednesday nights, since he has baseball practice on Monday & Thursday evenings. He is currently working on a research project. They were given a list of 'influential' people in this country to choose from. Past presidents, politicians, inventors, civil rights activists, musicians, Indians, explorers, were on the list. He chose Ella Fitzgerald, the first lady of jazz. Quite an interesting pick, but we shall have fun. We've been listening to her music, and Kai's confirmed that he still wants her to be the subject of his project. He's going to bring a tape or CD in on the day of his project, and her music will play in the background while he reads his paper.


Jewel:

Jewel's homework load hasn't been too bad. She's still in cheer, and goes to practice every Thursday. Their community events have taken a back seat at the moment, as the older squad gears up for Spring competitions. Their instructors go out of town a lot with the older girls during this time of year, so Jewel's JV squad brushes up on old routines in the meantime.

Last night on the way to the library, my sister, myself, Jewel and Jake witnessed a girl get hit by a car. She was in the intersection and she had the WALK signal, the motorist was just not paying attention. The girl laid there for a few seconds before standing up in a daze, holding her bloodied face. Luckily, this happened within 3 blocks of a hospital. I was glad to see the girl stand up by herself, sit on the curb and wait for paramedics. This really got to Jewel. She couldn't stop talking about what we witnessed, and had lots of questions about the human body and it's ability to get hurt so easily. I'm sure she's telling her friends all about it at school today.


Billy & I:

Him & I have been super busy lately. We both make it a point to go to bed at the same time, to unwind and catch up. Though he's only outside in the garage, he's been spending all his time out there with the guys, finishing his new racecar. There are some days where I just want to yell at him and tell the guys to go home so that I can have my husband back full time, BUT, I realize that I agreed on him getting the new car. His old one made him a champion at one track, and 2nd place at another, but it just couldn't 'do' any more. This new car will be just as good, but lighter. It will be worth it when it's all finished, and he (hopefully) kicks ass (again) this race season.

Me:

I've been busy as well, doing home projects. If I'm not doing that, I'm spending time with the kids, doing dinner, or reading. My book count for the year thus far is up to 12. I want to make it a point to read a bit every day, but with my schedule lately, it's been impossible.

Along with my 3 kids, Adrian has been over after school every day this week. It gets pretty hectic with a toddler attached to my hip, and trying to help 3 kids with homework. Jason comes to get him around 4:45, so he's not here for that long.

I'm signing up for Bartending school. It's only a few blocks away from our house, and it gives me something to DO. Something that I've been wanting to do.


I've been really wanting to go snowboarding. There isn't much snow on our mountain left. We could make a few hour's drive to Utah or California, but after sitting down with B and looking at our travel schedule this year, I nixed our snowboarding plans. We'll be out of town A LOT this year. I was gone 3 weekends out of January. The race team decided to take a break in February, but next month we'll be back on the road. My snowboard is collecting dust! I bought new boots & bindings a few years ago and have only used them once!

We've narrowed down our Disneyland plans to either October (the week before Halloween) or November. Race season will be dying down, the crowds shouldn't be too bad.


Life-it hardly ever stands still for us. I'm a little tired. Maybe I should jump on the bandwagon and be a Starbucks fanatic too?

...and just so it won't be a text-only post, a few from the snow on Valentine's Day:





...cupcake decorating at my house:




Local girls-I'll be having another cupcake decorating party in March-either St Patrick themed with chocolate mint cuppies, or Easter themed ones.


..and a Girls Only birthday toy party!




I TOTALLY ordered that mask and whip! J/K

You can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather.

We had plans for a family picnic at the park today, but impending rain changed our plans. It was a good thing, actually.
Currently, I am:

- organizing and cleaning out/disinfecting bookshelves, craft boxes/bins, toy boxes.

- packed up 8 garbage bags & 2 boxes full of things to donate

- washing all bedding (4 beds, then Kai's extra bed (bunk bed) per my normal routine every other week

- painting the dining room STILL.

- figuring out the new lighting/chandelier in the dining room. Nothing too fancy-I found one at Lowe's for under 100 bucks. ANYTHING will be better than the old-school brass one we have currently. ICK.

- reminding myself to get pewter outlet covers for the whole house

- picking out chairs for the dining room. Only have 4 chairs, want 6 for entertaining, and because Jake's too big for his high chair. Dining room chairs have been a PAIN for me, because at first I had to search and search (for the past 2 years!) that we've had our set, for matching chairs. I FINALLY found EXACT matching chairs for our set, but come to find out, they're all out of stock on every single site that was offering them. I took the plunge and bought two black chairs to offset our maple colored set just now, online. This will tie into the black reupholstering I'm doing on our current 4 chairs, and will tie in the green walls and black/white theme I am doing in that room. Now to find black valances.

- painting a canvas to match the other one in our dining room

- choosing a turquoise for our bedroom. I found a lot of awesome photos to use for inspiration. B's all about the color, so I'm glad. Here is the photo I really am pulling it from-our bedding is similar to the drapes in the photo:

http://www.houseofturquoise.com/2008/12/black-whiteand-turquoise.html

- figuring out dinner. I'm slacking on the weekly meal plan this week. We've been eating out A LOT. Every Friday we've gone to dinner somewhere, then we've been on the go so much that we've been eating out. ICK. I've got tomato, bell pepper, rice, tortilla, cheese, spices, beef and chicken at hand, so I'll figure something out as soon as I update.

Aside from our dining room being in shambles and our bedroom being close to it, our bathroom in our room is undergoing a mini-remodel, and we have no flooring in there. I haven't even thought about going to pick some out yet. My mind is in too many places at the moment.

Once we tackle those 3 rooms, the kids want their rooms painted.


I don't think my house has been this messy in awhile. I pretty much destroyed every room today, going through stuff to donate. Every time something else is put away, I turn around and there is a new mess. Such is the way of having 3 kids, I suppose. At least my kitchen is spotless. That is, until I start dinner.


I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now, though.

Together we have it all

Sure, we all have things in our lives that we'd love to change, love to improve, love to be rid of, and love to attain.

I'm enjoying life's riches.

No, they are not things.

They are my beautiful children. Straight A students, well rounded, polite, and bright.

It is my husband. Gorgeous, funny, loyal, a good father, and willing to do anything for his family.

I have so many things to be grateful for, even in the middle of the chaotic world around us.

Love day is every day for us

Too tired for a real update, and about to get a massage from B so here's a quick one:

Cupcake decorating party on Thursday at my house:

http://flickr.com/photos/jeniferwithonen/sets/72157613814726246/

Later that night, at Frankie's 30th birthday toy party aka Moms Go Wild, LOL

http://flickr.com/photos/jeniferwithonen/sets/72157613797773843/

Today, in the mountains

http://flickr.com/photos/jeniferwithonen/sets/72157613813002324/

Thank You

B calls me today on his way home from work, with a surprise. He got us all two day park hopper passes for Disneyland. I'm SUPER excited! Although we were planning on a trip there in 2010 because we thought Jake would be older and enjoy it more, I'm still REALLY excited.

He also thought that taking the kids to the mountains to play in the snow, and have lunch at the hotel up there tomorrow, would be a good idea.

He was also all for letting me go to San Francisco with Katie, for a little getaway. (and I SOOO cannot wait to go in March!)

Lots of going out of town this year so far-California twice in March, The Avi Resort in Laughlin in April, Havasu Arizona AND California in May, California in August, and California once in November. I'm trying to figure out when to go to Disneyland. I want to go when there aren't going to be ridiculous lines to get on rides.


I am truly grateful for his thoughtfulness and love for us.

OOOH, a few more things! Free tickets to the NASCAR race when they're here. Granted, its for the Saturday race and not Sunday, but I'm fine with that. We've gone to Nascar on Sunday here before (pretty much the more 'important' series of both Sat and Sun), and it took us over 4 hours just go get home from it being so crowded. No thanks, especially not when we have children that have school the next day. So, if we end up going, we'll be going Saturday.

There is a cinema a few blocks away from our house that has new management and has been renovated. It's a bargain cinema that shows movies that aren't in theaters yet, but aren't on DVD yet. Admission is only THREE DOLLARS! They also have cult-classic nights when they show movies like Fight Club, Top Gun, Rocky Horror, Godfather, etc. They'll have themed contests according to what movie they are playing. Yay, another cool thing to do that's cheap and close.