Missing Tooth

Okay. A couple of weeks ago I went to the dentist with severe pain in my right lower 1st moler (that's the very last moler). The pain was so excruciating it radiated all the way into my ear and down my neck. I could barely talk. This all happened on a Friday. So I made an appointment with a local dentist and wasn't able to get in until the following Tues. So I medicated myself with a gajillion Advil and was good to go for the weekend.

So I go in for the appointment and the Dentist, who was super duper nice taps my tooth and asked me if that hurt? To my surprise it didn't. So he tells me that the tooth is dead and we'll have to perform a root canal in order to keep it. He took an x-ray and saw that the tooth was definately abssessed. However, there was a very large space behind the tooth which he was very concerned about. He wrote me a prescription for Vicadin (yeah!) and I made an appointment for the root canal with his colleague.

The following week I go in for my root canal and while the dentist is shooting me up full of novacaine he notices that there is a much bigger problem going on than just a dead tooth. I know this because his assistant says, "Is that what I think it is?" and he says "Uh-huh." He then says, "I'm going to let that (the novacaine) set in for a few minutes and I'll be back in a few minutes." Feeling half numbed already, I look over at the dental assistant and say, "I ate a granola bar right before I came is that what you saw?" She just laughed at me and said "He'll be right back to talk to you about it." By this time I'm feeling a little nervous.

So the Dr. comes back in and says, "Okay. So we have a bigger problem here..... blah blah blah.... dead tooth......blah blah blah..... 12 mm pocket around tooth filled with puss (I know. Gross.)infected jaw bone caused it....... blah blah blah..... have to pull your tooth out." "WHAT?????" I said completely shocked. "What do you mean you have to pull my tooth out?" He explained that it could be either an endodontic or periodontic problem. An endodontic problem would mean that the problem lies in the bone meaning the tooth would have to come out and there would have to be bone grafting and a tooth implant etc... If it was a periodontic infection the root canal would do the trick. However, from the looks of things he strongly felt that this was an endodontic problem. He was very nice and very logical, however, he wasn't going to be pulling my tooth out today. That I knew for sure! So I had him call my brother-in-law who is an excellent DDS in Oregon. Yes. I actually had him call my brother-in-law in OR and explain the situation to him. So he did and they both agreed that since the origin of the infection was unsure we should go ahead with the root canal. After all, this may save the tooth for a few months or maybe indefinately since they were unsure of the origin of the infection. However, since we had taken so long to decide what to do, my dentist could only do half of the procedure today and would have to finish up the following week. Oh joy. At least I wouldn't be in any more pain.

I get the root canal completed the following week. Ten days later we head up to Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family and my brother-in-law who is the dentist. Up until a day prior to our trip I was pain free. And then to my dismay the pain started to come back which meant it wasn't the tooth. It was the bone.

So I went into my brother-in-law's office kicking and screaming and had my tooth pulled and the bone grafted. In 6 months or so I'll be going back for an implant. I'm so bummed. I'm even more bummed after having seen my tooth and seeing that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It was all the stupid bone's fault. And there is no explanation as to why the bone went bad either - just something that's very rare. Furthermore, to make matters worse, I had the tooth pulled the day before Thanksgiving which made my Thanksgiving meal not as enjoyable as it could have been.

My son has a loose tooth which means he'll be losing a tooth soon too. So he said to me, "That's okay, Mom. I'm loosing my teeth too." Cute. But not so funny.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We're leaving to go out of town for Thanksgiving and I just wanted to give a big shout out to you all and say....

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm thankful for you all!!

(Seriously!)

Alphabet Soup

Carly came to me tonight and said, "I'm making alphabet soup, Mama."

"Oh really?" I said

"Yes. Would you like some?"

"Yes! I would love some." I say.

She runs out and comes back with a pie tin full of wooden alphabet letters from her alphabet puzzle and a big mouth spoon and says, "Here you go, Mama."

PRECIOUS!

Class, Style and Grace

Alice Mary Cosby was Mike's paternal grandmother. I didn't know her very well, but yesterday I got a real sense of who she was.

Yesterday we met some of Mike's family at Alice Mary's condo to go through her things (she passed away a couple of months ago). I've done this sort of thing before when my sister passed away. When doing so I tend to separate the things from the person. In other words, all the furniture, dishes, clothes are just things. They aren't the person. I don't know, it just seems to make it easier to go through. However, yesterday was different.

Maybe it was because I didn't know her very well, but I was so interested in everything. I almost wanted to take everything because it was a part of Mike's heritage. So, I just kept looking and looking at things. Not really knowing what I wanted (except the two wood screens. I knew I wanted those). I just kept looking at everything. I ended up wandering from room to room just looking. I came to the room where she kept her clothes and began sifting through her clothes. What I found there didn't at all surprise me. Alice Mary was a very classy lady. She reminded me of a San Franciscan Socialite full of class, style and grace. She had Ann Taylor suits and beautiful cardigan sweaters of all colors and styles. As I looked at those clothes I got a sense of who Alice Mary really was. In fact, I felt her for a brief second with me, because I KNEW who she was for one brief second. She was no doubt one classy lady. I teared up and was so sad I missed the opportunity to get to know her better while she was alive.

Carly found a bag of stuffed animals and with the assistance of Rebecca (Mike's cousin's girlfriend and her new found friend) she pulled them out one by one. There were so many of the same Teddy Bears and a few of the same rabbits and koala bears. All adorable and soft. But I imagined Alice Mary buying these with the full intent of making little children happy - more specifically, her great grand children and perhaps her friend's grand children. There were so many that they would have well covered her family and then some. However, for whatever reason she wasn't able to fulfill her wish.

I may be wrong, but I do believe that Alice Mary was completely misunderstood while she was alive. She was a private woman and no doubt very strong (to be married to a Cosby man you would have to be). She loved her husband so much that she was lost without him when he died. I'm so happy she's with him now.

She was so proud to be a Cosby and if she were alive today I would want her to know that we will do our best to honor the Cosby name and carry on her legacy. But, I think she knows that.

Eleven Years Ago

We met on September 20th, 1996 at a Mobil gas station on the corner of Sepulveda and Sherman Way. I was coming home from work and was in dire need of gas. I had actually passed the gas station and was contemplating on turning around because I really was running on fumes. However, I didn't want to. It was one of those days that I just wanted to get home and I didn't want to stop. I was so tired, but I knew I really should stop, but I really didn't want to and so I was having this internal battle with myself (or an angel who was trying to convince me to turn around. Looking back, I'm pretty sure it was an angel. Anyway....) I finally decided to turn around after having assessed my situation. The nearest gas station wasn't for a few miles and I really didn't think I was going to make it so I reluctantly turned around. I pull into the gas station and began pumping gas.

I wasn't there for 5 minutes when this green Explorer pulls up to the pump behind me. This guy gets out (he was wearing Calvin Klein jeans, a USC sweatshirt and a USC baseball cap on backwards) and I get this distinct feeling to go and talk to him. In fact, it was more like a voice in my right ear that said, "Go and talk to him." Without hestation, I thought, "I'm not going to go talk to him". Now, let me just say that at this time in my life I was so (and I do mean SO) done with guys. I had just ended a very LONG relationship and was not interested in meeting anyone new. In fact, I was thinking about moving to Seattle. So I just stood there waiting for my tank to fill up.

The next thing I know this guy says to me, "You drove that little car all the way from Utah?" (I still had my Utah plates) I said, "Yep, and I had two big dogs with me." From there "this guy" starts asking all kinds of questions about me. I barely was able to get his name, but he was able to get my whole life story within about 10 mins. However, he never asked for my phone number and I figured that after having found out all about me he must want my number. So since I really wanted to go home, I offered him my business card and told him that this was my voicemail number and to leave a message on that and that I check it every few days, blah, blah. (I was so not interested at this point. I just wanted to get out of there. Sorry, Babe. But its true.)

I get home and later that night I decided to check my voicemail. And low and behold there was Mike. He left me a message as soon as he had gotten back to his office and left about 5 numbers for me to try to get ahold of him. I saved the message and went on with my weekend.

I decided to call him back that Sunday right before I left for church. That way, if it turned out I didn't like him or whatever, I had an out. We ended up talking for two hours and I skipped church entirely. We made a date for the following Wednesday and hung up the phone.

To be honest I wasn't expecting much. After all, as I had mentioned before, I was so done with guys and I really didn't care if this was going to work or not. So, to me it was just something to do. We didn't do anything spectacular. We just went down to Third Street Promenade and had dinner at Trilusa (not there any more) and walked down the street. But it was so easy and so comfortable like we had known each other our whole lives.

At dinner, we were talking about what our interests were. We discovered that we both like mountain bike riding and realized that we both liked riding off of Kuehner in Simi Valley. Once we realized that, we both stopped ... looked at each other... and BAM! We realized that we had met before. The image was so clear and precise we talked about it as if it were yesterday. Wierd!

The date ended and Mike was the perfect gentlemen. He took my hand, shook it, held it for a brief second and said "Good Night." and turned and left. I was so impressed. I didn't realized it then, but I fell in love with Mike that night.

After our first date, we were inseperable. And on November 1, 1997 we were married. Two years later we were sealed in the St. George temple.

To say the least, it has been one hell of a ride. We've had our ups and downs and our, "I'm out of here!" moments, but I would do it all over again just to be with Mike. He is undoubtedly my knight in shining armor and the man of my dreams. He is my strength where I'm weak and my sanity when I'm insane.

Here's to another 75 years, Baby!!!!!

Happy Birthday Robert!!!!!

"On October 28, 2002 the news spread far and wide, "Did you hear?" the creatures said. "A baby boy arrived!"

And our lives have never been the same since. He has brought us more joy and happiness than anything in this world has ever offered. He has my eyes and his daddy's personality. He's full of happiness and a desire to always do right. He is powerful and smart. He loves life. And he is a gift to us that we will never be able to match and we are honored to be his parents.

Happy Birthday, My BooBaLoo!!!

Ahhh.... The Innocence!

There is nothing I love more than the innocence of little children: Nothing bothers them; they don't take things personally; and anything sexual isn't naughty or dirty. It just is.

About a year ago a friend of mine was watching both Robert & Carly. They had two fairly young dogs who continually kept trying to establish dominance over one another by mounting and humping one another. Robert started laughing and asked her what her dogs were doing. My friend, Angie, said, "Oh, they're dancing." So, ever since then Robert will point out our dogs "dancing".

Well, today out of the corner of my eye I see Robert behind Jack kinda leaning over him and slightly moving back and forth. I turn to take a closer look and with a slight smile I ask him, "What are doing?" He said, "I'm dancing with Jack."

OUCH!

Okay. So I did something stupid and accidently deleted my post. Don't ask me how, but I'm extremely ticked right not and will just paraphrase what I wrote.

I tripped over my dog and sprained my toe really bad.

Ugg!!

Feeling......eh....

Do you ever have those days that you just have no energy -- you're fighting a cold (still) and you just don't want to do anything??? Brother. That has been me. Monday was a completely wasted day. I managed to get the laundry done and that was it. The plan was to get it all done, put away and clean the house. I thought I had the whole evening to finish it up but then Mike met up with us right after I picked Robert up from school to go costume shopping. We had dinner and went to the Disney Store at Topanga Plaza (love that mall especially after the remodel). I was, of course, all hagged out (exercise pants, t-shirt & no make-up) because I was having an "eh" day. When we got back it was time to put the kids to bed and, of course, that meant I could go to bed too. So nothing got done but the actual washing of clothes.

Tuesday we were invited to the beach and had totally planned to go, but since I got nothing done the day before I decided to forego the beach and stayed home to finish things up. We did manage to get quite a bit done -- the house is clean, the laundry folded and mostly put away. Mike was called out of town so I decided to stay up til 2am watching shows we had TIVO'd. Stupid idea because that meant that today (Wednesday) I was absolutely worthless.

My cold has worsened and because of the lack of sleep I barely managed to make the beds and finish putting the laundry away. Poor Carly has been fending for herself and I feel like the worse mom ever. I hate it when I feel like this. But then again I really don't care at the same time.

Over the weekend we went to the LA County Fair and for the most part that was a lot of fun. We left early, picked up some donuts and ate them on the way down. We wanted to get there early to beat the heat, but didn't make it. It was already 85 degrees at 10am and it just got hotter. By noon we were done. Carly fell asleep in the stroller and Robert was so tired and emotional he was crying over EVERYTHING so we decided to go. We didn't get to ride the rides we wanted to, see much of the animals or go through the winter wonderland exhibit. But all in all it was a good time. It was the cleanest and biggest county fair I've ever been to. I was definately a pleasantly surprised. We're definately going next year. Pics of the fair....

Riding the big slide with dad

Slinging webs with Spidey

Dressing up with Barbie (there was a real life Barbie there, but Carly was not impressed)

Every Princess needs flowers on her face, right?

They had the best petting zoo ever! The animals were so friendly and calm and there weren't any flies either!

This llama was the coolest. He just laid there while the kids climbed all over him. I loved him. He was so soft too!

Ahhh...Bumper Boats...Good Times...

Dragon Roller Coaster

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

My Glamour Girl

So I blew it yesterday with my daughter. I signed her up for a gymnatics class on Tuesdays at 10am. Well, yesterday I don't know what I was thinking but I was thinking her class was at 10:30 and showed up just as the class was ending. Needless to say, she was absolutely devastated. So in order to calm her down I promised I would take her up to Paint A Dream so she could paint some dishes. She liked that idea so we headed up to the mall (after a stop at Target) and painted. She loves to paint and so this was completely cathartic for her.

After the painting, she wanted to go walk the mall and - get this- "look at jewelry." I kid you not that's what she said. In fact her exact words were, "Mom. Let's got look at jewelry." as she took my hand and led me to Ben Bridge. Well, we had walked through Ben Bridge before and she liked the sparkly glitter, but wasn't completely thrilled so I said, "You want to look at jewelry? I've got the perfect place for you." And took her over to Claire's Boutique.

We walked through the door and I swear she had died and gone to heaven. She gasped and said, "Mom! Look!" and ran over to the wall covered with colorful costume jewelry. She proceeded to pick out her favorites and put it on. Oh My Gosh!!! It was so adorable!!! I couldn't believe how thrilled she was with everything. She was so excited that as I took her through the store she would give me big hugs and twirl every so often. She even broke out a "You're the best mom ever!" and gave me big hugs. Mmmmmm..... it was wonderful. I ended up just sitting on the floor and watched her indulge herself. It was priceless.

My Husband Is A Stud

My husband was actually home for date night tonight. Our usual date nights consist of dinner and a movie and tonight wasn't any different now that we actually have some movies to choose from. Anyway, our original plan was to see "Lakeview Terrace" with Samuel Jackson as the bad cop/neighbor. But it turned out that we got our dates mixed up and realized the movie doesn't come out until next weekend. So I suggested seeing "The Women" and since Mike couldn't remember the last chick flick we had seen together, he conceded. I really didn't mean to torture him. Afterall, date night is meant for both of us not just one or the other, but it turns out it was a bit of a torture...



When we walked into the theater it was filled with women. I'm not kidding there was not one other man there. As we're walking up the stairs to our usual spot some woman in the back yells out, "Look! There's a man!" a small applaud broke through the theater. I couldn't help but raise my arms and shake them as if I had a won a victory. Then another woman says, "That's a good man!" Yeah. I was proud.



As we were waiting for the movie to start I kept looking for other couples to walk in but not a one came in. I truly felt bad for my husband. But he took it like a man.



At the end of the movie we waited for everyone to leave and noticed that there was one other man there. So, it turned out that Mike wasn't the ONLY man in a theater of about 150 women. Although, I have to say that my husband was definately the more studly of the two.



As for my dad....
I heard from my sister that my dad had an angioplasty and had some plaque build up cleared out of one of his arteries. Apparently he knew what had brought on the attack and was able to get to the hospital before it turned into a major attack. It wasn't as serious as I was expecting so that's good. Thank you all for your concern and support. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone in this! Love you all!

Heart Attack

My father had a heart attack this morning. I was on the way back from dropping Robert off at school and I get the phone call. My sister, Maria, in Oregon called me. My mom called her.

Maria said that he had felt it coming on and asked to be driven to the hospital. That's so like my dad. He got thrown off a horse years ago and suffered with amnesia from the accident. He couldn't remember his wife or his children but knew that he had amnesia from his own symptoms and called the ER and told them what they needed to do once he got there.

I don't know anything right now other than they are keeping him over night for testing. They want to know how bad it was, where it originated and what damage, if any, there is.

Wierd. My dad shouldn't be having a heart attack. He still goes to the gym for heaven sakes. He takes all the right precautions and he takes care of himself over all. I figure his body is just getting tired.

I have peace that all is going to be okay and yet I'm scared.....

What Were You Doing?

I was reading my friend Lori's blog on what she was doing the day the World Trade Center came down and it got me thinking about what I was doing....

I had just gotten up and was getting ready for work (no kids at the time). I turn on the TV to the Today show and hear Matt Lauer talking about a plane flying into the one of the towers of the World Trade Center. At this point, nobody thought this was an attack. I was kinda half way interested and was more interested in what I was going to wear for the day. Suddenly I hear Matt Lauer say, "Oh My God! We're under attack!" (I'll never forget those words). I looked up just in time to see the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower.... That's when all hell broke loose.

Everything from this point forward was a blur. The phone rang (no cell phone then). It was Mike telling me not to ask questions that our country was under attack and to just get to the office as soon as possible. He would be there shortly (he was on the way to the court house downtown LA when he heard the news). While he's talking I'm watching the towers crumble to the ground and all the people on TV running around in hysterics. It was like everything was moving in slow motion and I'm listening to my husband giving me instructions with my jaw dropped. I had to sit down.

I did as I was told. And as I was driving to the office my heart was pounding so fast and so hard and all I could think of was, "Is my husband going to have to go to war?" Even though he was no longer in the Air Force I couldn't help think that he was going to be asked to come back for this. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.

That's all I can remember. Probably because I was consumed with, "Is my husband going to war? Is my husband going to war?" Even though he assured me over and over and over again that he wasn't going to be asked back that it didn't work that way.

Then I heard about the airplanes that had been hijacked and the pentagon being hit. I was sick to my stomach and my heart broke. I actually cried when I heard about the plane that went down over Pennsylvania and the heroic acts of the passengers that brought the plane down. I still tear up when I think about that one. They knew they were going to die, but had to do it anyway -- Totally something my husband would do.

Seven years later....My heart still aches and the tears still come. I'm sadden when I hear about those who don't fully understand the magnitude of that day and how it changed our lives forever. And yet, the fight for freedom still continues.....

On a lighter note, I'd like to give a shout out to my two girlfriends, Julianna and Pam (Julianna's birthday was yesterday. Pam's is today)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS!

My Little Elf

Lately Carly has been taking her pink tights and putting it on her head like a hat. She thinks it's funny and so do I. I tell her she looks like one of Santa's little elves with her "stocking cap" on. She is so cute!

Saturday

We had a great Saturday.

Mike was called away so it was just me and the kids. The morning was so nice and peaceful. The kids were content just hanging out in their rooms doing whatever so I took the opportunity to finish up my Prop 8 phone calls. I was so proud of myself 'cuz I finished them all in an hour and a 1/2. Yeah! Robert did his homework and then we took the dogs to the beach. I heard there was an off leash dog beach up in Santa Barbara so I thought it would be fun to take a road trip up there.

We made it to Santa Barbara, but I don't know what happened because the place we ended up was just an off leash nature reserve which was no big deal and it wasn't enclosed so I was constantly stressed about losing one of the dogs. However, we found a little gully that Carly got stuck in. Here's what she looked like when we came out of there:

I couldn't help but laugh.

Since the Santa Barbara Off Leash Beach was a bust we headed back home. We hit McDonald's on the way back and for the first time in about 20 years I had a Big Mac. I don't know what I was thinking but I was craving something fat and sloppy. And it was disgusting. I won't do that again.

On the way back we stopped at a private beach just outside of Ventura and had a blast. Robert was able to play in the water:

Carly played in the sand:

And the doggies had a blast:

We had a great time. After a while we headed back home. All in all it was a lot of fun. I really love hanging out with the kids. They make me laugh and I just love every moment with them.

Always making memories.......

The Truth Is In The Trees

Could it be? Already? Isn't it a little early for fall here in California? I mean, doesn't it really turn fall around late October or even November around here?

Well. Check out what I saw in the trees this morning.....

Maybe I'm just in denial, but I swear it's too early for this. Fall leaves???? Really????? It's only September and, the truth be said, I still have to go to the beach some more!

Carly's Masterpiece

Beautiful isn't it?

Close Up

ARRRRGH!!!!!

First Day of Kindergarten

It wasn't so bad. Robert woke up early, got dressed, did his hair and was ready to go by 6:30 AM! Crazy kid. Of course, I wasn't even near ready, but managed to roll out of bed by 7 and get a few things done like get dress, make the beds and eat breakfast (Robert, of course, had already eaten breakfast). We did manage to get in scripture study before leaving by 8. So all and all the first day of having a schedule went pretty good.

We stopped by the office to pick up Mike so he could be a part of this momentus occasion and headed off to school. Robert was too pre-occupied to think about anything else. He didn't want to talk about anything because he was too jacked up to get to school.

Once we got there we headed straight to class and he immediately sat down with a group of boys who were playing some kind of flashcard game. My son. Not a shy bone in his body. We were able to snap a couple of pics before he shooed me off. But then that was that. I was expecting a little more emotion, but nothing. He just couldn't wait to get me out of there. I did manage to sneak in a kiss and a "Remember who you are" but I don't think he noticed any of it. Although, his eagerness certainly did make the transition go easier so it wasn't as hard as I expected. However, I have to say that it sure is quiet around here without him.

Summer's Over

It's official. Summer is over. Robert starts school tomorrow. I'm really sad . We have had so much fun this summer and now it's over. But Robert is so excited! He's so excited to be staying the whole day with his friends and to learn how to read and write. And because he's so excited I can't help but be excited for him (allbeit, reluctantly). I'm just going to miss him.

I asked Robert what his favorite part of the summer was and he said, "Hanging out at the beach with the boys."

I don't blame him. It's been a blast!!!!

Pull Your Pants Up!

Mike was gone over Tuesday night and Wednesday so I decided to take the kids down to visit Robyn again. The plan was to leave Tuesday night and stay over night so that we could leave early Wednesday morning in order to find parking easily. So we left around 8:30pm and got there around 9:20p. Traffic was a breeze. The kids were so excited. Carly wore her soft velvety pink pajamas just for the occasion. It was her first "slumber party" although she was sorely disappointed that it wasn't outside (I have no idea where she got the idea that a slumber party is supposed to be outside. hmmmm....).

We woke up early to Andrew's laughing and giggling (he's such a happy little guy) and ate a delicious breakfast of cereal. We made our lunch and loaded up for the beach. We had to make one stop at Wal-Mart for essentials (chips, salsa, Oreos and black licorice). Traffic was good so we made great time. Once we got there I was a little worried we had already missed the window of opportunity for great parking. Even though, we got there around 10:30ish the place was already packed. But thanks to Robyn's little prayer (and I really do believe that) we found a great spot within minutes of arriving. We unloaded all our loot, found a great spot and camped out for another gorgeous day at the beach.

I had to add more coins to the parking meter so I had to head back to the car. Robyn was more than happy to keep an eye on the kids so off I went. Mission accomplished I headed back to our beach site and low and behold I see my son running towards me with tears in his eyes and his swim trunks down around his ankles! I couldn't imagine what this could be about nor did I give it a moments thought, afterall, the only thing I could think about was my son's penis out in the open for the whole world to see! The poor kid was just screaming about his legs burning as I was frantically trying to pull up his shorts. And all I kept saying back to him was, "That's okay. Just pull your pants up!"

What seemed like FOREVER, I finally got his shorts up and managed to calm him down enough to get a more accurate assessment of what was burning his legs. I was happy not to find any jellyfish stings or sea anemone quills so we headed off to the shower to rinse off. On the way to the shower I asked him if he had peed in the ocean. He said "Uh-huh" most timidly. It was then that I knew that his skin was probably really dry and sensitive from all the fun in the sun (pool & ocean) and his pee probably burned his legs. Mystery solved. The fresh water from the shower cooled everything down and we were set for the rest of the day. And what a gorgeous fun day it was!

After all the hoopla, I couldn't help cracking up and wishing so bad that I had gotten a picture of my son running across the sand with his pants down around his ankles!

Tagged

I have to be honest. I'm not a big fan of these things. It's really hard to come up with answers. However, I love reading about everyone else. Anyways, here it goes....

These are the rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged.

Here it goes:

Joys:
1. My husband and kids
2. Doing practically anything out doors
3. Physical Training... Man! I miss it!!

Fears:
1. Me dying before my kids are grown
2. My husband dying before kids are grown or before me while we're still young
3. One or both of my kids dying before me

Current obsessions/collections:
1. Cooking
2. Reading
3. My kids

Surprising Facts:
1. I'm a control freak (maybe that's not such a big surprise)
2. I can install a complete sprinkler system
3. I've got flat feet

I tag:
1. Robyn
2. Jackie
3. Hannah
4. Everyone else has been tagged!
5.

Have fun!

Catching Up

Man! It's been too long since I've posted anything and the sad thing is that I've had plenty to post. So, I'm going to catch up some...


Robert had his big Kindergarten Dr's Appt the Wednesday before last. I prepped him on what to expect and bribed him with a new DS game. I know that may seem a little extravagant, but he tends to be quite dramatic when the shots hit so my intent with the bribery was to get him to not scream bloody murder when he got his shots. And it worked. He did try really hard not to scream and just cried big crocodile tears while I held his arm tightly in place. With that my heart went out to him, but when he screams bloody murder I just get utterly annoyed with him. So he got his game.


The next day we went to Newport Beach to spend the day with Robin and her baby boy, Andrew. As much as I love Newport Beach I can't stand the parking situation. It took us forever to find a parking place but it turned out to be worth the headache 'cuz we got the primo parking space. It only took us about 45 mins to get it but like I said, it was PRIMO -- well worth it. We stayed all day long. It was another perfect beach day -- warm and breezy. Robert was suffering from the aftermath of his shots the day before and slept most of the day. Thank goodness I had the sense enough to pack along some Tylenol for him so he could rest comfortably. He probably slept for 2-3 hours, but woke up rearing to go. I hadn't even noticed he woke up when I noticed him playing in the waves. What a trooper. Of course, it was wonderful visiting with Robyn. She is truly my little sister from a different mother. One of my favorite memories of the day was trying to figure out what was wrong with Andrew. He was acting so fussy which is unusual for him so I suggested setting him in the sand in his bumbo so he could play in the sand a little bit. So Robyn reluctantly did ('cuz she's not too fond of the sandiness). I kinda pushed sand around his feet and he seemed to be intrigued for about 2 seconds and then he squished up his little face and began screaming. It was so funny because he was sooooooo mad that he turned bright red and began shaking. Both Robyn and I sat there and stared at him and were like, "hmmm. I guess he didn't like that." I busted up laughing (I know. I'm so mean). Robyn picked him up and calmed him down. He fell asleep almost instantly (we figured that's why he was so fussy) and slept for about an hour. I'm sure the emotional outburst had something to do with that. Hehehe. While Andrew was sleeping I got up and played in the waves with Robert. Carly built sand casltes and played in the waves as much as she dared. We ended up leaving the beach around 6pm. It was a great day.



The following Saturday, Mike was home for a few hours before he had to leave again so we took the kids to Troutdale and went fishing. Oh man! That was soooo cute. There was my little girl in her white little skirt and pink and white onesie to match holding a fishing pole next to her daddy. And Robert, of course, couldn't sit still enough to catch a fish. I have to say that I was very impressed with my husband (who is probably the least patient person I know) sat there patiently enough to catch not just one fish but two. Not bad. Not bad at all. I have to say, though, that I was the one who pulled the hooks out of the fishs' mouth. The first one was the most disturbing as I had to tear the poor lip of the fish and caused it to bleed profusely as the poor fish was gaping for air. When I was a young girl that never used to bother me, but as an old woman it really bothered me. It bothered Robert a little too. He's got such a tender heart, my son. We ended up catching 3 huge fish and one tiny fish. Carly ended up being our bait girl. She said she didn't like fishing. At least she wasn't grossed out by it all. We had trout for dinner that night.









Sunday I had to teach the Relief Society lesson. It was not an easy lesson to teach. It was on consolation of death. It's hard to say how it went. Although, I did feel the spirit overcome me just before I got up to teach and I know it carried me through. Other than that though I wouldn't have known how it went due to the lack of support I recieved from my girls -- no one commented on anything and just left me hanging the whole entire lesson! Yeah.... thanks for that, girls. Hehehehe. Nah! I'm just kidding! It was a tough lesson even to make a comment.(apparently)

Tuesday, we went to the beach -- Zuma 13. I wasn't feeling quite myself, but had a great day with the girls anyway. Oh I should also mention that practically every night this week we've been watching the olympics. Robert is way into them. I've had to tivo them so he can watch them in the morning since they run so late. Later that evening, for some odd reason Carly wanted hot chocolate. Don't ask me why seeing how it was a hot day. But she insisted on hot chocolate. I think she just wanted to use her new princess mug we got at Disneyland. Nonetheless, we all had hot chocolate and used our new Disneyland mugs.

Wednesday, the kids got their haircuts. Robert's is definately an improvement. He was looking pretty shaggy. Carly's is hardly noticeable. I've decided to grow out her bangs so her's was just a trim. Nonetheless, I got a cute picture out of it.

I got to hike up to the cross all by myself with the 3 dogs tonight. It was so nice! I got to go at my own pace and really enjoy the fresh air. I left at dusk so the sun was setting over the hills. That just added to the perfectness of the break away. And since I got to go at my own pace I actually broke a sweat and mmmmm... did that feel good.

Mike hasn't been home a lot these days and I really miss him. I think that's why I've been out of sorts -- almost depressed. I've been just like mindlessly plugging along -- not really knowing what to do with myself. I know it won't be like this forever. I just miss him.... a lot.

So there you have it. My week (and a 1/2) in a nutshell. Oh yeah. One more thing. I've been tagged.....

Another Great Beach Day

This past week was a little crazy. Mike was gone a lot, but we managed to stay busy and have fun in spite of his absence. Thursday we ended up at the beach by ourselves. Although, all our friends said they were going to come and meet us there, everyone fell through. But you know what? It was okay. The kids and I actually had a great day at the beach and it was the perfect beach day. The sun was out and warm. There was a slight breeze and not too crowded. We camped out at our usual Zuma 13 and for the first hour or so I kept an eye out for any familiar faces but then gave up and focused on my babies. We truly had a great day. There was one point when we were all building sand castles and I had one of those moments where you just want to freeze time -- you don't want it to end. I was watching Robert who was so intently building his crumbling sand castle trying to get the sand to stick together - not really getting upset, but just having fun and Carly looking for a seagull's feather to put on the top of our castle we built together and I just teared up. THIS is what life is about, I thought. After Carly found her seagull feather she stuck it into one of the towers and said "Now can I smash it, Mom?" I laughed a little and said, "No, Baby. I want to live in this castle one day." And she said, "But Mom. It's too little." I laughed out loud to that one. Too Cute!

After our sand castles Robert went out and rode the waves on his new boogie board. He was having so much fun and was catching some good waves that he didn't realize how far he had moved down the beach. I was getting a little worried about him since it was getting harder and harder to spot him so Carly and I took a little walk down the beach to round him up. Carly spotted him walking toward us and said, "There's Du, Mom." (she calls him "Du". That's short for Dude.) He was walking back up the beach and when he saw us he just broke down in tears. He was so relieved to see us he couldn't contain himself. My heart just melted. You know, I forget sometimes that he's only 5. He's got such an old soul and he's such a mature little guy that I forget that he's only 5. So for the first time in a long time I wrapped him up in his towel and held him on my lap. Ahhhhhh!!!!

So, thanks everyone for not showing up. It turned out to be one the best days we've had at the beach so far this summer! :)

Earthquake

I was on my way out the door when the earthquake hit this morning. I mean I was literally walking toward the door when all the sudden I hear dishes clanking and a strange rumbling sound. My initial thought was, "Is someone trying to get in through the garage?" But then I got that strange sensation one gets when the ground is moving underfoot. My kids were already in the car so I ran to the front door (Its a strange feeling when something like this happens and you're separated from your kids). I know this sounds wierd but when something like this happens I take a second to assess the situation, wait for direction and listen. I'm not actually waiting for someone to tell me what to do because I'm paralyzed stiff, but more like I'm waiting to see what I need to do next. So I'm at the front doorway I know the kids are fine. They're strapped in their carseats. There is no danger of any trees or telephone poles crashing down on them and I'm in the front doorway. So far so good. What seemed like a lifetime the quake ended and I lock up the house and get in the car. The car is still rocking when I get in and I ask the kids if they felt the car rock and Robert says, "Yeah." And I told him that it was rocking because we just had an earthquake. Robert is like "What????" and I tell him that we had an earthquake and that made the car rock. He didn't freak out or anything just said "Oh." And that was that. Carly was completely content not really understanding what just happened. And so I started up the car and headed out. I called Mike on the way to see if he had felt the quake. He hadn't. So we went on our merry way. I have to say that this was one of the bigger earthquakes I've been in. It was a little scary. However, in spite of all that, it was another great day at the beach!

Beach and More Beach

Okay. So this summer has been all play, play, play. I've been trying so hard to keep our days filled with pool and beach. And so far I've been pretty successful. Thats why there haven't been too many posts since summer began... I've been too pooped to write!


Take a look at our summer so far.......

Best Friends: Laura & Carly (adorable, aren't they?)

Laura, KC, Seth & Charlie (what exactly is KC doing??)

Carly, Sarah & Shawn

Pam, Lori & Liz

(What's up with the hand in the face, Pam?? If it wasn't for that this would have been a great pic! Sheesh! hehehe)

The Boys: Robert, Zack, Brandon & Shawn

The kids and I went down to Newport one day and saw Robyn and her precious baby boy, Andrew. Good Times. Definately, worth the trip!!

Family came into town and of course we had to go to the beach with them. This is my niece, Jackie with Robert. Gorgeous, isn't she?

So there you have it. This will definately be a summer we'll remember. We're having so much fun with everyone!!

Ahhhh....I Love Summers!

So here's what we did yesterday: had breakfast with the girls, went to swimming lessons, went to the pool, had lunch at the pool, came home and took naps for a couple of hours (all of us). We then took dogs out to enjoy the summer evening, rented a movie (Alladin) and topped our evening off with popcorn, lemonade and fruit for dinner. I swear it can't get much better than that!

Sorry no pics. Just fun and relaxation....mmmmmm.

Happy 4th!

Fourth of July is totally one of my most favorite holidays and this year was no exception. More than Memorial Day it kicks off the summer with a bang (literally - hehe). We didn't do much but go to a movie and then hit the fireworks show at the church but it was perfect mostly because we were all together as a family (which doesn't happen too often). Our plan was to have a picnic on the church lawn before the fireworks began, but to our astonishment (or stupidity which ever you'ld like to call it :) ) everything was closed. We did manage to find Carl's Jr. open to get the kids something to eat, but Mike and I went hungry. Carl's Jr. just doesn't do it for us. Once we got to the church we found our friends and had a great time hanging out. It's always so fun hanging out with them. I don't have any pics because like a dope I forgot to take my camera. But you can check out some pics on Kaye's and Pam's site. They have proof of us being there. The kids were exhausted after the fireworks show and fell asleep almost immediately in the car. As usual, when the house is all quiet I tend to reflect on the day and this time all I could think of is how greatful I am to have what I have -- my friends and my family. And because it's 4th of July weekend I couldn't help to think of how greatful I am to be living in this country and all that happened and continues to happen for our freedom.....

Happy 4th Everyone and God Bless America!!!

Polly Pockets

As you all know my daughter just had her third birthday. And at her little party she recieved some Polly Pockets. For those of you who don't know what Polly Pockets are they are these teeny tiny dolls about 3 inches tall. The doll comes with a full wardrobe of teeny tiny shoes, dresses, and in some cases jewelry. So if you can imagine my daughter was absolutely thrilled to have recieved such a toy. And honestly I was thrilled for her since it is completely up her alley. However, I could immediately see how this could be potentially hazardous for me. I tend to be completely anal when it comes to sets. If something comes with stuff such as teeny tiny shoes etc. it MUST stay together. Nonetheless, because my daughter was so excited about her Polly Pockets I was determined to keep track of everything.

So today Carly kept bringing me her Polly Pocket and asking me to change her clothes and shoes over and over again. It wasn't so bad. After all, my daughter was having a ball and I was feeling pretty confident about keeping track of everything. However, after about the 5th time I noticed that Polly's wardrobe started to slowly diminsh. She was missing a shoe. It was then that I started silently cursing the man behind the toy. After all, who was the genius behind the development of this toy? Who thought that teeny tiny shoes and teeny tiny jewelry and teeny tiny clothes was a good idea? I mean really? I, of course, began scouring the house for this ridiculously small shoe and getting more and more upset cursing Mattel toys all the way. I still haven't found it. And because of this I'm afraid to vacuum for fear of vacuuming it up. Needless to say, I am tempted to hunt down the jackass behind the Polly Pockets and make him come and look for it. Argh!!!

Well Lookey Here....

The other night I went in to check on Carly and this is what I found:


Yeah. That's right. She doesn't have any bottoms on and she's not in her bed. I have no idea how she got this way since I didn't put her to bed that way. I actually found her hanging half way off her bed, but after I started taking pictures she moved from her bed to the floor. I managed to find her panties and her pajama bottoms (somewhere across her room), put them back on, and get her back in bed without her waking up. Thank Goodness! But, I'm still at a loss at how that happened. Hmmm..... I wonder. But what a great pic for future blackmailing right??? And this is less revealing than the others I took (heh heh heh).

Happy Birthday Carly!!!!

Today is Little Miss Carly Jo's birthday. She was born 3 years ago at 8pm at Simi Valley Hospital. My doctor (Shayla Kasel, MD -- fabulous dr by the way) manipulated a few things here and there so that I would have little Miss Carly a week early. It worked and 3 years and 2 1/2 hours ago I had miss Carly. The labor was easy compared to Robert's and when she came out it was like instant girl bonding. I was so afraid of having a little girl because I know all the drama that comes with a little girl. But when I saw her for the first time all the anxiety of having a girl vanished. She was my sister, my daughter, my soul. She was my baby girl. The bond of sisterhood was instantaneous and I was completely in love. I vowed right then and there that no matter how hard it was going to get I was not going to ruin that bond we had. And although at the times Carly has been more than trying, she is still my sister, my daughter, my soul.

Happy Birthday, Princess Carly!! We Love You!

PreK "Gradulation"

A few weeks ago I picked up Robert from school and he comes out so excited and says, "Mom! I'm going to have a gradulation!"

This last Wednesday he had his "gradulation". His little graduating class sang a couple of songs before they actually graduated. The first one was "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. The second one was "On Broadway" by George Benson. I cried during the first one and in the second one Robert got to do a little break dancing for the crowd. And honestly, he wasn't bad.

After their little program Robert actually graduated with cap and gown and all. It was way too cute. Of course, when it was my sons turn to recieve his diploma and then face the crowd he stood there for over his alloted time to soak it all in. His teacher had to tell him a couple of times to move on. Mike and I both cracked up.

Afterwards we ate at Daphne's Greek Cafe and had Cold Stone Ice Cream for dessert. It was a great way to end one of many milestones in our boy's life.