A year later.

I notice that I've neglected this blog for exactly one year. I'll try to be better at updating, but there are no promises, as my beloved Livejournal that I've had for 10 years has my commitment. =)

Reading back on my post from a year ago, not much has changed. But of course I'm going to do the family recap again, because isn't that why you're here?

Me
What's changed since a year ago with me? I'll make a list, because it's easier.

- employed at a charter school close to home. I work part time hours and this works out great because my work week is very short and I am still home to do all the Mommy duties for the kiddos.

- house improvements/renovations are my current obsession. We've tackled many different projects in the house within the last 5 months that include remodeling the downstairs bathroom, painting the pool table room (and actually doing something more to the space because it was a really boring room), redoing the kitchen color scheme, putting wood flooring in the dining room, remodeling our whole bedroom (new furniture, paint), reflooring our master bathroom, painting and rearranging the 7 & 9 year olds' rooms. Even with all of this, none of the rooms seem COMPLETE, and it drives me nuts.

- we adopted a new dog named Bella. She is a cute white and brown spotted Chi-weenie. (Chihuahua/wiener dog aka Daschund). B rescued her from the animal shelter, and brought her home as a surprise. It took her a day to warm up to the other doggies, Buddy and Bo. Now they are inseparable. B and I are also greatly outnumbered now, with 3 dogs (2 boys, 1 girl) and 3 kids (2 boys, 1 girl).

Here are our fur-kiddos:


Buddy, Bella and Bo

- the baking obsession has simmered down a bit, for two reasons: my family is OVER sweets, and well, I lost weight by not eating so much sugar. I make homemade bread quite often but the cakes, truffles and cupcakes are reserved for special occasions.

- I've been going volunteer-loony. There are SO many volunteer opportunities in the city, and it's perfect for my need to be a well-rounded person. So far, I've volunteered at the Shade Tree Womens' & Childrens' Shelter, and the American Cancer Society. Within the next few months, I will be holding a bake sale for 'Bake for Hope' to raise money for the Susan G Komen foundation. I've also signed up to become a 'regular' volunteer at the Nevada Cancer Institute. Cancer organizations have a special meaning in my life since losing my Mom to brain tumors. I also hope to volunteer for Autism Awareness.

- I've become closer to many people in my life, but I've also cut ties with a few people. The older I get, the more I realize that true friends do not envy you nor talk negative behind your back. They are happy for your accomplishments and support you in your need to be an optimistic person. It took a true group of friends and my husband, to make me realize that my life is much better off without the toxicity of a few individuals. They were right. I no longer worry every day about who may or may not be talking about me in a harmful way. I consider myself a very giving person and I would do anything for my friends, until they prove that they weren't my friend to begin with.

- I still love my husband deeply and unconditionally. He is truly my other half and we are on a level of understanding that makes it easy to live together and flow together easily. Our values, wants and needs are similar, which makes it so much easier to communicate and avoid arguments. Not to say that we don't have our moments, but those moments aren't anything to be upset about. I'd much rather be angry for 30 seconds, then kiss and make up.

A few of B & I:



Us at Nascar Feb '10



Valentines Day '10



Venice Beach, CA 11/09



All of us at Disneyland


The 9 year old

- I have a NINE YEAR OLD, people. A handsome, intelligent, polite 9 year old. He still maintains his straight A, Honor Roll grades. He played his first tackle football season. He enjoys playing on his Little League team and he is also very excited to have recently started with a new club/travel team, Team On Deck. He just found out that Brian Giles of the MLB is going to be an Assistant Coach.

A few pics of the 9 year old:


November 09

Lake Havasu, AZ

Christmas 09

Holidays 09

Disneyland 09


7 year old

Oh, spunky little princess. Still quite the character, still emo and expressive. She likes to write plays and skits for commercials, she likes to think of lyrics for songs, she loves to draw and paint. Her ultimate favorite is to design clothes. She picks out her outfits for school the day before, and she also tries to pick out mine and her brothers' outfits for the following day. She had trouble with Math at the beginning of the school year and I was afraid that I was starting a long, drawn out battle of wills with her because she would get frustrated when she just 'couldn't get how to do it!' (her exact words). Luckily, we've seen a huge improvement in her grades, even math, and she's right back to being an Honor Roll student. Her cheerleading stint has been put on the back burner, and now she's been involved in Girl Scouts and gymnastics. Girl Scouts isn't quite keeping her interested. She's more of a mover and shaker. We are wrapping up her Girl Scout cookie sale and between myself and my best friend Katie, we helped Jewel sell close to 500 boxes of cookies. This Momma's TIRED of the money counting, box handling part of it, but it was a great experience.

The 7 year old:


Disneyland 09


Veterans Day 09




3 year old

I have no more babies anymore. My last child has officially transformed from a squishy baby to a HUGE toddler. Jake turned 3 in January, and he hasn't stopped growing. The last time we visited the doctor a week ago, he was 49 lbs. He speaks well, has a sense of humor and also a bad temper. He is loving, caring, curious, and a TRUE, TYPICAL BOY. He loves the dirt, all things related to racing, and getting into EVERYTHING.

Since I work part time, he stays with my MIL when I'm at work. Luckily, my InLaws enjoy staying with him Tues-Fri. I am truly fortunate that way. I adore my InLaws.

Since he is not in a school type setting, I work with him on counting and number recognition as well as the alphabet. We've been doing early preschool workbooks for colors, shapes and simple words. I am amazed at how quickly he catches on and is willing to work with me. Of course, he has off days as well. Since he's turned 3, he has had a handful of tantrums from either being overtired or wanting to do something all by himself and we haven't let him (for safety reasons).

He is my green eyed chubby cheeked baby and we all adore him.



Winter 09



Lake Havasu 09



I promise I'll try to be better at updating this more frequently =)

Why, hello

I always get the urge to post when it's way too late for me to be awake.

Totally unorganized, too.



This past weekend was a blast a group of us headed to Victorville, CA on Friday night, and returned on Sunday. While there, B was in another Demolition Derby, held at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds. We are returning 3 more times, as it is a series of 4 derbies.

Once again, good friends and my In-Laws provided tons of things to LOL about the whole weekend.


Been spending lots of time with my sister still. Been reading books when Jake naps.



The kids are doing great. As I gaze at them at the dinner table, them taking turns talking, or talking over each other which then causes a fight, I can't help but smile. Bambino, with the voice that's getting lower, these huge brown eyes and a smattering of light freckles on his cheeks. He describes to me the chants he's made up with his new team mates, or funny things a kid at school said. Drama Tween, the one with glittery eyelids after putting on her pretend makeup, or thinking up clever updates for her Twitter page (yes, she has her own Twitter). She's always so animated and full of wit. Bambino compared her tonight to the kid in the books "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"-the one that gets crazy when given sugar. That's just Drama Tween, pumped up on sugar or not. Freckles follows his siblings so much, and is beside himself with excitement when we pick them up from school. He is a polite toddler, both loving and lovingly mischevious.


I recently gave away the last of Freckle's 'baby' things. His slings, his crib. It really made me realize that the 'having babies' chapter of my life is completely over, and now I'll just be raising children. It's both a wonderful and bittersweet realization. No more groggy middle of the night feedings. No more teething. No more baby food. I also realized though, that there will ALWAYS be the nuzzling the kids' heads with my cheeks, the watching them while they sleep moments, and even them sitting on my lap, for as long as they want to do that. Then with those realizations, I am completely happy to begin this new chapter in life. I have after all, been blessed with 3 amazing children.



I've been having self esteem issues. I just feel so BLAH with myself lately. I spent time with my sister today, helping her organize her things for her trip to Egypt. She has all these cool, trendy items that I totally covet, but would be clueless as to how to put together an outfit, had I owned those things. Cool scarves, hats, drapey off the shoulder shirts. When going out, she always looks so put together. Granted, it takes her a few hours to get ready, LOL. I've never really been into the whole being dolled up thing. Unwrinkled jeans and a top are my staples. Of course, everyone has their 'better' days where they just feel like putting a little more effort into their normal look. Maybe I should motivate myself to have more days like that. This whole not having a job thing has really made me take two steps backward in the land of glam. Velour jogging suits are as glam as I get nowadays.

Because of these BLAH days, I've been wondering how B can manage coming home to ME every day. Disheveled looking, but with a sparkling clean home, and dinner ready. Why doesn't he get a cute wife AND a clean home? honestly, there is no reason why he can't have both.

Even with my disheveled ass, he still does these wonderful heart melting moments. He'll text me how much he loves me when we're sitting at a restaurant with a group of people. When he sees that elderly couple that live up the street from us, he'll call me and tell me, "Us in forty years is outside again".

The best thing about him, is that he has been actually LISTENING to what I desire, without me having to mention it more than once. I mentioned how much fun I had with a tire swing, when I was little. He then attempts to assemble one for the kids, then even takes the first one down and tries again to make a nicer one because the first one didn't meet his standards. He came home with the items needed to make a nicer one today, and finished the swing by the time I got back from visiting my sister:




It's been a little chilly here, and windy. I haven't been motivated to take any pictures lately, but I have around 200 that need to be uploaded onto the laptop.



I feel like I have so much more to update about, but am having a mental block as to how to write about it. If that even makes sense.

I don't want him to grow up

I've been a Mom for almost 9 years. My little man has always been my baby, regardless of how old he is. There is something about a first child, although you love ALL of your children the same amount. He's been my learning curve child, the one I've learned from the most.


My Kai. I was worried that he was going to be too shy, too quiet.

Friday night, he ran 3 miles with his new team. He interacted with the players and the Coach, and this was their first meeting. I thought the intense 2 hour practice was going to be too much for him, but he said he enjoyed it and can't wait to officially join this team.

I had a long talk this morning with the ex, Jason, regarding Kai & Jewel's extra-curricular activities. We go halves on expenses such as uniforms, sporting equipment, shoes, event expenses, etc. We both agreed that we're definitely going to have to step it up a notch, since Kai's going to be on two baseball teams-the one that Jason coaches is seasonal, with separate uniforms and bats. The other team that he just joined is year-round, with more expensive equipment and trips out of town. Once football starts up, he will be in tackle football for the first time (he's been on a flag football team for the past 3 years). Tackle football of course, requires pads, a helmet, mouth piece,new shoes since he's outgrown his old cleats. It's getting expensive. This is aside from Jewel's cheer expenses every month.


Kai is definitely worth the hard jab to our bank account. He is still maintaining a perfect report card, has never missed a day of school in the past 2 years, and is always winning awards at school.

Like a typical Mom, I am worried about him getting burnt out, or his schoolwork taking a back seat to his sports. Of course, it'll be easy to change that by not letting him play anymore. I guess this Momma's just trying to find the right balance of letting her boy grow up, and wanting to shelter and baby him. After all, he still is my baby.

It's a bittersweet thing, watching my little man grow up. I am so damned proud of all his accomplishments, that I want to cry. He is such a well mannered child, the best role model for his sister and brother. At the same time, it's a little sad watching him grow up so fast.

So, because he gets all embarrassed when I hug him and squish him and tell him I love him when I drop him off, I'll say it here- Mommy loves you so much and appreciates and cherishes every day she shares with you. You are truly a blessing, and I could not have asked for a better child.

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.